The Men Who Stare At Goats was exactly what I expected it to be. It wasn’t an amazing movie by any means, but it was however a very fun film, with great acting and worth a lot more watches. It’s really just a fun bit of entertainment that will most likely be overlooked, but shouldn’t be. It told a very entertaining tale, told it well, and along the way made me laugh hysterically.

Its a story of the government attempting to train psychic soldiers or “jedi” to fight with in war instead of weapons. The story is supposedly based on true events, but instead of saying so, it says “More of this is true than you’d believe”, or something along those lines. Clooney plays and ex-jedi whose on a mission to rescue his leader (Jeff Bridges), while Ewan McGregor plays a reporter writing his story and joining in his adventures. Kevin Spacey is expertly thrown in as a rival psychic.

Everyone was fantastic and its really what you’d expect. If I had to pick a favorite I would say I absolutely loved Jeff Bridges in this flick. He was hilarious every time he came on screen. All and all, the movie was a nice bit of entertainment, certainly worth a watch, if not a few.

Grade: B+

The following DVD’s are currently on sale at Books From A Rose:

Haz click en la imagen para verla al detalle

Aunque la publicidad de esta cinta se ha mantenido en un perfil muy bajo comparado con otras más publicitadas, lo cierto es que The Men Who Stare at Goats es una de las películas más prometedoras para esta temporada. La trama es una parodia de un proyecto real del Ejercito de los Estados Unidos, e increíblemente, algunos aspectos de la misma no son totalmente cómicos, sino experimentos que se llevaron a cabo.

Duncan Jones made the excellent Sci-Fi film, Moon. Kevin Spacey starred in it as the voice of Gerty the computer.

Now they are together again in a series of adverts for a new Olympus Camera.

Nice ads but doesn’t Spacey look old.

I finally got to check a movie off my long list with the viewing of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

It’s the 1997 movie directed by Clint Eastwood that is based on the true story of Jim Williams, a wealthy art collector in Savannah, Georgia who killed his gay lover. The movie starts with John Cusack’s character, John Kelso, going to Savannah as a reporter with Town and Country magazine. His assignment is to simply cover the annual Christmas party hosted by Jim Williams, played by Kevin Spacey. Kelso’s assignment takes a drastic turn when Williams’ gay lover Billy, played by Jude Law, is shot dead by Williams. Kelso decides to stay and cover the murder trial. I won’t reveal the verdict!

The movie was entirely too long but that’s my only complaint. It was very well done. The characters were very entertaining because Savannah has some odd-balls. Some of the best ones were an outspoken drag queen (who is the real person playing herself), a crazy local who tied horseflies to his collar, and a voo-doo witch. The atmosphere, characters and the film’s set allowed for great mise en scene. The film was rich with great visuals, whether it was in the Bonaventure Cemetery or the inside of Williams’ massive estate.

The film’s director Clint Eastwood kind of speaks for itself, but he is AMAZING. He’s been directing since the 1970s and already had 20 films under his belt before this one. Definitely a good watch, but allow plenty of time for the 2.58 hour movie.

This review is not going to be that thorough and it will only be a review in the sense that I talk about a movie called ‘The Men Who Stare At Goats’ and occasionally mention something from the film. This movie isn’t terrible. It isn’t great. It just ‘is’, and depending on what ‘is’ means to you might determine how much you like the film. This is the way the film meanders. I get the general point that they were trying to make (they kind of spell things out with the bookends), but it seemed that it was more important to the  filmmakers to be quirky/zany than to make a good movie. The actual point wasn’t anything profound, either.

A goat makes it onto the poster before Stephen Root or Robert Patrick or...

The movie begins by telling the audience that the movie is more true than the government would care to admit and then we watch an officer rise from behind his desk and tries to run through a wall. Then we meet a reporter played by Ewan MacGregor, who wants to be a better reporter. His wife has left him for someone that he knows. His life is in semi crisis and takes a turn for the _______ when he meets a man that tells him of a secret government project that he was a part of that tapped into the powers of the mind called the New Earth Army. He also speaks of a very psychically talented man who owns a dance studio now. The reporter chalks this all up as nonsense and travels to the Middle East to hopefully get to do combat reporting and be a REAL reporter. Then he meets the man who owns the dance studio played by George Clooney.

Clooney staring at a goat...

Clooney repeatedly tells MacGregor’s reporter that he is a ‘Jedi Warrior’ and soon becomes convinced that MacGregor is one also (of course! He’s Ben Kenobi in the 3 Crappily Unfunny Star Wars movies). From there on, Clooney tries to convince MacGregor that he has psychic powers and they wander around and interact with people in seemingly random events until they….

Hippie officer Bridges with Clooney, Spacey and the New Earth Army

It sounds like a funny setup. I did chuckle throughout, but it wasn’t THAT funny. They didn’t put all the clever lines into the trailer, but there never are any real big laughs. This movie also wasted some great actors in this. Jeff Bridges plays an absurdly  flower child officer who sports a pony tail while guiding the team members of the New Earth Army. Kevin Spacey also makes an appearance, has a couple of funny lines  and then just stands around in the background and kind of looks at the other actors with more lines than him. They make you think that he’s going to be the villain, but no. There isn’t really a villain. There’s some drug use scenes in the film. there is the ’staring at goats’ which is in the title. Clooney gives a typically slapstick performance as he’s done in movies like ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’, Leatherheads, and Burn After Reading. MacGregor is a likeable actor, who seems to end up in less than stellar films for some reason. He’s a good actor (see his earlier films with Danny Boyle). I also was glad to see another movie with Stephen Root. He’s a top notch character that rarely gets mentioned when people talk about great actors… but they should.

He doesn't look like this in this movie....

The biggest sin of this movie is that it’s VERY predictable… I felt like I was the one writing the script  and from parts of  movies that I’ve already seen. I was even picking what songs they were going to use. The minute Clooney said his caharcter liked Boston (the 70s Rock band) I started humming “More Than A Feeling” and within a few minutes they were playing. I guess I laughed though.

The biggest saving grace of the film was that the characters of the film were likable, excluding Robert Patrick’s character in the movie and a few terrorists… But even some of the terrorists in the film were just being kept down by ‘the man’. In the film makers’ view, the terrorists don’t want to hurt anybody and they’re just VICTIMS, man (Say that like Jeff Bridges in the Big Lebowski)! Anyway… If I sound like I’m not sure what to write about this one; I’m not. This is one of those movies that as soon as we walked out of the film, we’re talking about anything but this movie. “Hey just killed 2 hours… Let’s go get something to eat…” I chuckled along with them for the most part, but it wouldn’t have been a big deal had I missed this one. It’s the kind of film that now that I’ve seen it, I don’t really care to seek it out again, but if I’m vegetating in front of the TV some night and it comes on some cable channel, I’d probably watch it. 3 of 5 whatevers….

movieposter.com/.../main/91/MPW-45838

“The Men Who Stare at Goats” (R) – The Hawai’i Island Connection

In 1979 a secret unit was established by the most gifted minds within the US Army. Defying all known  accepted military practice – and indeed, the laws of physics – they believed that a soldier could adopt the cloak of invisibility, pass cleanly through walls and, perhaps most chillingly, kill goats just by staring at them.

Entrusted with defending America from all known adversaries, they were the First Earth Battalion. And they really weren’t joking. What’s more, they’re back and fighting the War on Terror. The Men Who Stare at Goats reveals extraordinary — and very nutty — national secrets at the core of George W. Bush’s War on Terror.

With first-hand access to the leading players in the story, Ronson traces the evolution of these bizarre activities over the past three decades, and sees how it is alive today within US Homeland Security and post-war Iraq. Why are they blasting Iraqi prisoners-of-war with the theme tune to Barney the Purple Dinosaur? Why have 100 de-bleated goats been secretly placed inside the Special Forces command center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina? How was the US Military associated with the mysterious mass-suicide of a strange cult from San Diego? The Men Who Stare at Goats answers these, and many more, questions. (Author’s website)

*Honoka’a People’s Theatre – The Men Who Stare at Goats (R)
775-000 / Showtime: 7 pm Dec. 1, 2, and 3rd
Movie Tickets: $6 adults, $4 seniors, $3 children 12 and under

Comedy, Action and Thriller, 1 hr 33 min. Reporter Bob Wilton is in search of his next big story when he encounters Lyn Cassady, a shadowy figure who claims to be part of an experimental U.S. military unit.
According to Cassady, the New Earth Army is changing the way wars are fought. A legion of “Warrior Monks” with unparalleled psychic powers can read the enemy’s thoughts, pass through solid walls, and even kill a goat simply by staring at it. Now, the program’s founder, Bill Django, has gone missing and Cassady’s mission is to find him. Intrigued by his new acquaintance’s far-fetched stories, Bob
impulsively decides to tag along. When the pair tracks Django to a clandestine training camp run by renegade psychic Larry Hooper, the reporter is trapped in the middle of a grudge match between the forces of Django’s New Earth Army and Hooper’s personal militia of super soldiers. In order to survive this wild adventure, Bob will have to outwit an enemy he never thought possible.

Starring:
George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Rebecca
Mader, Stephen Lang and Robert Patrick

Related:

In 1978, (Hawi resident) U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Jim Channon announced: “I work for the planet.” While at the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Channon spent two years researching the value of the human potential movement. He created a proto-mythology for the soldier of the future known as The First Earth Battalion. These warrior monks would dedicate their allegiance, first and foremost, to people and planet.

Learn more about Channon’s remarkable vision for the military and how today’s The New Earth Army can take the next step to address the social and environmental challenges that we face…  http://www.neweartharmy.com/

Lataa Ohjelma (MP3)

Eeppisen mittaisessa juhlajaksossamme esitellään uusi tunnari, palkitaan kommentoijia ja ennen kaikkea käydään läpi panelistien Top 10 suosikkielokuvat kautta aikojen. Mittaa jaksolle tosiaan venähti melkein kolme ja puoli tuntia, mutta älkää säikähtäkö. Annamme tämän kuunteluun kuuntelijoille muutaman viikon kuunteluaikaa ennen uusia jaksoja ja podcastia voi kuunnella vapaavalintaisissa osioissa.

Juhan Top 10 elokuvat:
- Modern Times
- Amélie
- Seven
- Pulp Fiction
- Á Bout de Souffle
- Apocalypse Now
- Dr. Strangelove
- Mies Vailla Menneisyyttä
- Annie Hall
- Requiem for a Dream

Henrikin Top 10 elokuvat:
- WALL-E
- The Great Dictator
- Metropolis
- The Incredibles
- Galaxy Quest
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- Manhattan Murder Mystery
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- Finding Nemo

Warning: The following post contains major spoilers to The Crying Game, The Sixth Sense, The Usual Suspects, The Wizard of Oz, No Holds Barred, My Super Exgirlfriend, Dude Where’s My Car, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and possibly (but not probably) World Trade Center.

I don’t know when we as a society we decided to preface every bit of information about an entertainment product someone else has yet to experience with “spoiler alert!” but what started as a good idea (especially in the internet age) has become a complete conversation barrier, and we’re letting people with unreasonable expectations of what constitutes a spoiler dictate our conversations.

I am friends with a few people who are so ridiculously spoiler averse they basically refuse to hear anything about things they have yet to see, whether specific details or broad generalities. It doesn’t matter that these same people are actually must less likely than most people I know to ever actually see the thing being referenced. I think the *SPOILER ALERT* tags all over the internet have emboldened this people to the point that you can’t even mention things in casual conversation that are readily apparent by viewing a trailer or reading a review.

But more annoying than the (often somewhat) legit concern about newer media are the people, usually found on internet message boards, who complain about spoilers to things that are years old. Guess what, if you don’t know about the big reveal in The Crying Game (she’s a man) or The Usual Suspects (Kevin Spacey is Keyser Soze) or The Wizard of Oz (the power was in Dorothy the whole time) or No Holds Barred (Hulk Hogan wins) you really don’t have the right to whine about someone mentioning it in conversation.

This is the essential problem of unwritten rules. There’s too much leeway for personal interpretation of what a “spoiler” is. Whereas I might consider a spoiler something like “Omar gets shot to death by some kid while buying smokes” someone else will get mad at me for saying “The Wire features a character named Omar who likes to rob drug dealers.”

So let’s make it a written rule. Let’s construct a concrete set of guidelines for spoilers to alleviate all the turmoil.

What a spoiler is:
1. A revelation about an important plot or character development in a current movie, television show, or book.

2. A description of a comical scene or retelling of a joke. Telling someone a funny joke from a comedy may not reveal to them what happens per se, but they’re enjoyment of the product will be lessened by your gum flapping.

3. Extra special consideration should be given to any character death. A character’s death is something best experienced when unexpected to maximize the shock and surprise.

What is not a spoiler:
1. Any description of any pop culture phenomena older than 7 years. Once something passes the 7 year date it is now acceptable to talk about without saying or typing a warning about potential spoilers. An important caveat to this rule is the always handy “don’t be a dick” rule. If someone says “I’m watching The Sixth Sense tonight for the first time” you absolutely do not say “Bruce Willis is a ghost” under any circumstances, regardless of the fact that it is past the 7 year date. If you know someone is watching all the episodes of Lost on DVD don’t mention any of the many many character deaths.

2. Any statement that can be gleaned from a review or trailer. If the movie is called “Dude, Where’s My Car?” feel free to tell your friends that the movie concerns the search for the dude’s car. If the trailer shows that Luke Wilson’s ex-girlfriend, Uma Thurman, possesses super powers you can mention this fact freely, even if the opening 20 minutes of this movie only hint at that stunning revelation.

3. A statement general enough that nobody without the context of having actually seen the subject in question would possibly understand. For example, if I was talking to Person C about having seen “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” but Person B hadn’t yet seen it, I can freely say “I hated that fridge part” without incurring the wrath of Person B. Why should Person B be upset? They now know a refrigerator plays a part in the movie at some point? So what? That information is devoid of context enough that it’s essentially meaningless.

4. This is very specific I realize, but if you describe a scene from a movie or tv show, etc, that is a fictional construction of a real life event, you can discuss it freely. Let’s say in the end of Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center the Twin Towers reassembled themselves into a giant robot that then flew to Iraq to get revenge on Saddam Hussein for committing 9/11 (none of which happens in the film, as far as I know) you could describe that scene and mention it as confusing, because this is unfortunately not how real life turned out. Actually, on second thought, if that is how World Trade Center ends, don’t spoil it for me.

Fingertips’ resident film expert Aidan Donavan takes a look at Duncan Jones’ minimalist sci-fi production Moon

This touching story of loneliness and isolation is much more than simply an indie sci-fi flick – it is both an underrated masterpiece and a mesmerising low-budget production which has gone back to the roots of what really makes great science-fiction.

Debut director Duncan Jones, son of rock legend David Bowie, has made a film far from being a space oddity but a shining example to the genre with stunning visuals and a thrilling story line – which like the classic Blade Runner – asks the question “what it is to be human?”

Sam Rockwell – best known for his turn in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind – is magnificent and thrives in the dual role written especially for him by Jones. Rockwell plays astronaut Sam Bell, whose three year stint mining energy on the moon is coming to an end.

However, seclusion has taken its toll on Bell who dearly misses his wife and daughter. His only companion is ship computer GERTY, voiced by Kevin Spacey.

After suffering an accident Bell recovers to find a duplicate of himself leading him to wonder who is really and who is the clone?
This movie is a real throwback to the great sci-fi films of the 1970s such as Soviet cinema masterpiece Solaris, Silent Running and Outland.

Jones, with a minimal budget of $5 million, moves away from the Hollywood glitz of CGI and instead uses miniature models to create an altogether more real environment.

As a director, he is a uniquely exciting prospect who seems to really appreciate the traditional values of the genre and I am looking forward to seeing what he is capable of next.

Moon is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray. For more news and views on the latest film releases check out Fingertips.net

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor

by BrentJS – ReelzChannel.com

Even though Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns grossed $390 million worldwide, it is still considered a failure by many. Critics often compare it to Warner’s other top superhero property, The Dark Knight, which grossed more than $1 billion and had a smaller production budget.

Still, Superman topped the list of a recent MTV poll that asked which DC Comics character should be fast-tracked to the big screen next. In a recent interview with MTV, Kevin Spacey said that he would be “delighted” to reprise the role of Lex Luthor in a sequel to Superman Returns.

“If I ran Warner Brothers I could tell you definitively we’d be making that movie. But I don’t, and they haven’t called me to tell me. Literally, all I know is what I’ve heard from press reports. I can’t even confirm whether those are true or not because I haven’t spoken to Bryan.”

Recently, director James McTeigue’s (Ninja Assassin) name has been popping up as the man who will possibly direct the next installment of the franchise. However, his take on “The Big Blue Boy Scout,” would likely leave little room for Spacey, since he said the franchise is “ripe for a retooling.”

Amazon Specials!

Lo prometido ayer: ya toca tratar el FICOD en este blog:

Este año el FICOD se ha realizado entre los días 17 y 19 de noviembre. Aunque no he ido a otras ediciones, comparándolos con el resto de eventos similares a los que he ido, me ha parecido muy interesante. Su primer punto a favor es que era gratis y que los ponentes eran de un gran nivel.

En este primer post os voy a poner los tres videoresúmenes que ha publicado la organización, uno por día, y una parte de la rueda de prensa que hizo Kevin Spacey (está traducido) que, tristemente, me la perdí.

Pero no me olvido de lo que dije ayer. En seguida me pondré a escribir sobre todas las charlas a las que pude asistir y hoy publicaré las del martes pasado. Ahora los cuatro vídeos:

]]> http://chazrusso.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/movie-poster-of-the-week-second-hand-genius/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:14:34 +0000 chazrusso http://chazrusso.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/movie-poster-of-the-week-second-hand-genius/

A lot of people haven’t even heard of the movie “Moon” with Sam Rockwell.  In fact, if you google “Moon movie poster” it actually brings up “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” search results.  It’s like this movie kinda doesn’t exist.  ”Moon” is a science-fiction indie flick that was released this past July.  It was fantastic.  Brilliant.  Beautiful.  The main movie poster was pretty gorgeous too.  Making my search rounds today, I stumbled across a couple of unreleased posters made for “Moon” that are 100 times better than most posters today.  Seeing posters like these give me hope that commercial design isn’t without talent and creativity.  Then I remember that these were trashed ideas.  And I feel sad again.  Enjoy work like this…while it lasts…

Director and producer Grant Heslov brings a psychedelic, drug-induced comedic outlook at life with “Men Who Stare at Goats.”

The film is about reporter Bob Wilton(Ewan McGregor) at a ho-hum newspaper and who is fed up with the dullness of his life. After interviewing a local man claiming to be a former “psychic soldier” and his wife leaving him for an one-armed man, Wilton jets off to the Middle East in search of his next big story. Wilton is convinced he should produce stories as a war correspondent, but is often left behind. One evening at a hotel restaurant he encounters Lyn Cassady(George Clooney), a strange figure who says he’s part of a secret U.S. military wing called the New Earth Army. This unit is described as “warrior monks” who fight war with their minds by using psychic abilities, can pass through solid walls and stop goats heartbeats by staring at them. Are you lost yet?

Wilton is intrigued and follows Cassady into the desert on a mission that Cassady isn’t even sure of. It is slowly revealed to the audience the two are tracking Cassady’s former psychic teacher Bill Django(Jeff Bridges). They must also battle the psychic warrior who made the entire unit fall apart, Larry Hooper(Kevin Spacey).

Viewing the trailer at another film, I thought this film looked really intriguing. It has a great assortment of cast (McGregor, Clooney and Spacey). After watching it, it seemed like two hours of torture. The storyline started out normal enough until Wilton met Cassady. The events of the duo seem too strange to believe, or even comprehend at times. In one scene, Wilton and Cassady are driving through the desert when Cassady says he is “cloud bursting” to keep himself in shape. He stares at a large, puffy cloud and it disburses before his eyes. A few second later, Cassady hits a large rock along the highway when there was nothing else to hit. Another instance is when Django promotes the use of LSD and marijuana so the New Army can “free themselves” from the world. A lot of people have used LSD, but really?

I had trouble engaging with the story and keeping my attention focused on the film. The plot was very jerky and disconnected.

The difficulty of turning non-fiction into a convincing and enjoyable fictional narrative has defeated many a director including most recently Richard Linklater with the inexorable Fast Food Nation, so an adaptation of Jon Ronson’s book The Men Who Stare At Goats was always going to be hard work for first time director Grant Heslov, who previously co-wrote George Clooney’s Good Night and Good Luck.

This film starts with the disclaimer that more of this story than you would think and goes on to tell the story of hapless Ann Arbor journalist Bob Wilton who uses the break-up of his marriage as the catalyst to become a war correspondent on the War on Terror.  Frustrated and humiliated in a Kuwaiti hotel, Wilton stumbles across George Clooney’s Lyn Cassady, a name he recognises from his days interviewing in Ann Arbor.  What follows is part-road movie and part-madcap comedy exploring the antics of the so-called “New Earth Army” – a black op exploring the possibilities of the mind in combat led by Jeff Bridges’ Bill Django.

There are a number of problems with this film, most notably with the film’s structure.  The road movie sections are present day which leaves much of the antics of the army in flashback narrated by McGregor.  As a device, this doesn’t work and takes the audience in and out of the movie.  The other problem is that I just didn’t find a lot of this film to be particularly funny.  A lot of the jokes fell flat, particularly between McGregor and Clooney and this is symptomatic of  performances which feel “phoned in” and unremarkable.  With no-one is this more apparent than with Jeff Bridges who could play the drugged-up hippy role in his sleep.  In the case of Clooney, McGregor, Bridges and Spacey, all of them have played similar roles better in better films.

The book is a fun interesting book and whilst some of that fun makes it onto the screen, once again this film is just another illustration that adapting non-fiction is tricky.

4/10

Shrink

Plot: Unable to cope with a recent personal tragedy, LA’s top celebrity shrink turns into a pothead with no concern for his appearance and a creeping sense of his inability to help his patients.

Genre: Drama

Rating: ********** 6.8/10

Director: Jonas Pate

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Joe Nunez, Mark Webber

Google Keyword Search : Shrink.LIMITED.720p.BluRay.x264-iNFAMOUS

Lo que nadie duda a estas alturas de la partida es que Ewan McGregor es uno de los actores más aclamados y reputados de su generación, ni Daniel Craig o Jude Law han conseguido alcanzar su status dentro de la industria cinematográfica. Acaba de estrenar en Estados Unidos “The Men Who Stare at Goats“ donde interpreta a Bob Wilton. Le acompañan en el cartel de esta alocada comedia nada más y nada menos que George Clooney, Kevin Spacey o Jeff Bridges. Pero en la videoarena nos preguntamos ¿cuál fue el primer papel cinematográfico de este actor escocés? Cómo fueron sus inicios  antes de convertirse en el fetiche de Danny Boyle.  

Renton le trajo la fama internacional.

El viaje al estrellato de este actor comienza en 31 de marzo de 1971, fecha en la que nace. A los 16 años deja su localidad natal de Crieff para iniciar su carrera teatral uniéndose a Perth Repertory Theatre. Sus padres no tardarían en animarle a que abandonara esta compañía para que se formara como actor.  Así que comenzó sus estudios de arte dramático en Kirkcaldly en Fife y en la Escuela de Música y Drama de Guildhall. Allí compartió estudios con Daniel Craig, Alistair McGowan, David Thewlis o Naveen Andrews, famoso por su papel de Said en “Perdidos” y con el que mantiene su relación de amistad en la actualidad. A los 22 años tras haber interpretado en la televisión a Jimmy en la serie “Family style”, consiguió dar el salto al cine y consiguió su primer papel gracias a Susan Figgis que le ofertó el papel de Álvarez en la película del director escocés Bill Forsyth llamada “BEING HUMAN“, y que en España se tradujo como  “Un hombre perdido en el tiempo”.

Un hombre perdido en el tiempo, 1993.

Una historia dividida en cinco capítulos que recorre la historia de la humanidad a través del personaje de Héctor interpretado por Robin Williams. McGregor aparece en el tercer segmento en un corto y tragicómico papel. Os centro un poco en la trama. El barco español donde viaja esta suerte de héroe temporal naufraga enfrente de la costas de África. Allí los supervivientes pasan hambre y sed. Un par de marineros no se les ocurre la feliz idea de robar y beberse todo el agua que queda. Por ese motivo, Don Pablo jefe de la expedición les castigará a la pena máxima, morir crucificados bajo el sol.  Será Álvarez el que se presente voluntario en lugar de Héctor para ajusticiarlos.

No fue uno de esos comienzos escurridizos como el protagonizado por Sigourney Weaver. McGregor tenía un par de frases. Cortas pero las tenía, y encima se echo una carrerita por la playa.

Un año después Danny Boyle le descubriría y le daría el papel de Alex Law en “Tumba abierta“. En 1995 mientras trabajaba en el programa de televisión “Kavanagh QC” conoce a diseñadora de producción francesa Eve Mavrakis en Francia. Durante ese verano el 22 de julio se casan en Dordogne, Aquitania (Francia) y fruto de esta unión son las dos hijas que tienen, Clara Mathilde y Esther Rose. Un año después daría el salto definitivo a la fama gracias al papel de Mark Renton en “Trainspotting“. Aquí volvería a coincidir con un viejo amigo, ya que ambos habían coincidido durante su debut cinematográfico, hablo del actor Robert Carlyle, que aparecía también en “Un hombre perdido en el tiempo” interpretando en el primer segmento a Shamen. Un vikingo que le robará a Hector su mujer e hija.

Pero las coincidencias en su carrera no acabarán aquí ya que la llave que le abrió las puertas al estrellato vino de la mano de Baz Luhrmann que le ofreció el papel Christian en “Moulin Rouge” y fue George Lucas quien le diera el empujón final al ofrecerle el papel de joven Obi Wan Kenobi en la famosa epopeya galáctica. Aceptó el papel porque su tío el también actor Denis Lawson aparecía en ”La guerra de las galaxias” interpretando a Rojo dos en la batalla final en la Estrella de la Muerte.

Denis Lawson es Rojo Dos en "Una nueva esperanza"

En la actualidad, McGregor ha formado una compañía de producción con sus amigos Jonny Lee Miller, Sean Pertwee, Jude Law y Sadie Frost, llamada “Natural Nylon”. Con ella esperan hacer películas innovadoras que no se ajusten a los estándares de Hollywood.

Las cosas como son. Puede que la E-P2 de Olympus no haya sido lo que algunos esperábamos, pero hay que reconocer que el enfoque comercial que la firma está dando a sus nuevas Pen Digitales en algunos mercados es sencillamente genial.

O si no échenle un vistazo al anuncio que se está emitiendo en el Reino Unido. Frente a las prestaciones y los fríos números -una batalla en la que Olympus no las tiene todas consigo- las Pen vienen a simbolizar la fotografía con mayúsculas, la de los recuerdos, la que llega a los sentimientos. Algo que si lo digo yo da un poco de risa pero que si te lo cuenta Kevin Spacey suena mucho mejor.

Dont be a tourist. (“No seas un turista”). No es un lema para arrasar en los escaparates, pero sí para llegar a ese tipo de público al que van dirigidas estas cámaras y distanciarse del resto.

Por cierto, el anuncio está dirigido por Duncan Jones, el hijo de David Bowie. Hace unos meses, durante el festival de Sitges y la presentación de su película Moon, se comentó mucho -en los ambientes fotográficos, claro, a la gente normal estas cosas le importan un bledo- que el bueno de Duncan aparecía todo el rato con una Olympus E-P1 entre las manos totalmente entusiasmado. Aquí tienen la explicación.

Much of “The Men Who Stare At Goats” follows dumb-struck reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan MacGregor) and straight-faced former psychic spy Lyn Cassidy (George Clooney) meandering through the Iraqi desert.  Sadly, the movie follows suit, heading in several different directions at once, none of which with confidence.  It is satirical but never makes the target inherently clear.  It is farcical yet it continues to persist that what we are watching really happened.  Thankfully, the movie manages to give the audience some good belly laughs while they scratch their heads trying to figure out the direction it is heading.

The main plot arc follows Wilton and Cassidy as they traverse through Iraq on a mission to find the remnants of the New Earth Army, a battalion using New Age tactics to gain such powers as invisibility, remote viewing, and walking through walls.  Strangely, it is Wilton who tells us the history of the group informally known as the “Jedi Warriors.”  It is curious that the filmmakers chose him to narrate the story through fragments in the principal narrative, seeing as Wilton would have no idea of what happened.  These segments are the best and most uproarious parts of the movie, but they are thrown into the story so haphazardly that it becomes difficult to remember what is happening to Wilton and Cassidy.  Both were story lines crucial to a full movie, but with a little discretion and some more mapping, a more cogent and enjoyable experience could have been easily possible.

“The Men Who Stare At Goats” really shines in its moments of pure absurdity, which could be exactly what the filmmakers didn’t want since they want us to believe that much of what is portrayed actually occurred.  They aim for bizarrely plausible, but they wind up with laughably ridiculous.  It is certainly enjoyable to see George Clooney in a role where he isn’t quite so staid and upright, and one can get a hearty chuckle out of seeing him with longer locks and putting on his boogie shoes.  Ewan MacGregor, possibly cast just for added irony on all the Jedi jokes, performs almost a straight man-straight man routine with Clooney, yet somehow the combination yields a great deal of laughs.  Jeff Bridges channels a bit of “The Dude” and Kevin Spacey brings an antagonistic smugness to his role, but neither seem entirely committed.  In the end, “The Men Who Stare At Goats” provides you some of what you want but definitely not in the way that you want it.  B /

21 è un film del 2008 diretto da Robert Luketic. Il film è basato su una storia vera.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Robert Luketic | Jim Sturgess | Kevin Spacey | Kate Bosworth | Aaron Yoo