The days when I had to see and review and teach about lots and lots of films are, thankfully, long past. Now I can pick and choose [within reason -- "She Who Must Not Be Named" has a lot of input, hence I am fated, dare I say "doomed," to see the new Harry Potter movie on opening day] the films I will see and the even smaller number I will waste time reviewing.
One of the films I will not be seeing or reviewing is "Jarhead," directed by the insipid and politically moronic Sam Mendes [I still can't believe the critical acclaim heaped on American Beauty, one of the most offensively patronizing films of recent years].
Note: As I am typing this I am listening to Anthony Swofford reading from his book on C-SPAN. The prose is incredibly pretentious and tendentious -- but that seems to be what sells these days. Reviews I have read have called the work, "ambivalent" regarding the experience of Gulf War I, but it doesn't seem that way from the excerpts Swofford has chosen to read.
For a review from someone who knows what he's talking about and is definitely not impressed with Swofford and Mendes' portrayal of the experience of war read Donald Sensing's commentary here. [he liked the visuals, but little else]
If you want to see an good evocation of the experience of war see Mel Gibson's "We Were Soldiers". I saw that in company with one of my DC correspondents. We are both Vietnam-Era Veterans and the film brought back in extraordinarily vivid terms, the military that we had experienced long ago and far away. Don't waste your money or time on "Jarhead". I know I won't.
Note: Swofford just said in response to an audience question that he has not had any communication at all, either positive or negative, from any of the men he wrote about. I think that says a lot.
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