31.3.09

Standard Operating Procedure

Errol Morris's newest documentary is an effort to shed some light on the infamous Abu Ghraib scandal, in which American soldiers stationed at the prison photographed themselves and others engaging in 'questionable' tactics with the Iraqi prisoners. Relying heavily on the actual still photographs, this film is more visually disturbing than Morris's The Fog of War, but it likewise tries to achieve an understanding of incidents that until now have been seen mostly through the popular media. Interviews with soldiers, supervisors, a military advisor, and others collectively retell the story of the abuses, but also call into question the military's 'handling' of the situation (coverup) and its double standards with regard to acceptable behavior. It is difficult to sympathize with some of the convicted soldiers, as their actions seem to have been the result of extreme ignorance, stupidity, and disregard for human life - but one must remember that soldiers are trained to exhibit those very qualities, and the film attempts to show their actions in light of the horrific conditions of Abu Ghraib. One of the more outrageous aspects of the scandal, which is not examined too deeply in the film, is the military's ambiguous distinction between a 'criminal act' and 'standard operating procedure,' where the given examples of both, to my mind at least, seemed undoubtedly criminal. It gives the impression that the military's attitude is that anything goes until someone finds out - so the only thing that separates these Abu Ghraib soldiers from others all over Iraq is that their photos went public, not that their behavior was abnormal. It is a glaring example of the superficial 'self-correction' that is so typical of corporations or hierarchical systems such as the military: even though orders had been given, however unclear, it was the bottom level participants who took the fall, while other guilty parties were never even mentioned, let alone incriminated. For a more in-depth experience, Morris collaborated on a book of the same name.

WORTH WATCHING
3.5 out of 5

Buy this film: Standard Operating Procedure
Download: Standard Operating Procedure

Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Originality: 3
Soundtrack: 3
Overall: 3.5

30.3.09

Welcome to the Monkey House - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Spanning nearly two decades and covering the breadth of Vonnegut's topics, Welcome to the Monkey House is inconsistent in both style and quality. The stories very from the inane domestic scenarios of 'Go Back to Your Precious Wife and Son' and 'Long Walk to Forever' (clearly aimed at the postwar housewife) to weird science fiction comedies, including 'Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.' The latter type are mostly concerned with overpopulation and the morality of scientific advancement, two issues he seems to have dwelled heavily on in those years. In this collection, frequent Vonnegut readers will find familiar characters (e.g. band director George Helmholtz) and ideas seen in other works, such as volunteer suicide and compulsory handicaps. A couple of the pieces are terribly boring, a few are highly original and amusing, and the story 'Harrison Bergeron' is one of the few examples of a written work that improved in its adaptation to film.

Um?
2.5 out of 5

Buy this book: Welcome to the Monkey House

29.3.09

Army of Shadows (L'Armee Des Ombres)

This semi-fictional Jean-Pierre Melville film about the French underground resistance and their struggles against Nazi occupation during WWII, originally released in 1969, was not made available to foreign, English speaking audiences until 2006 (hence its placement on many critics' top ten films of that year). Army of Shadows, though perhaps a bit long (in shots and story), is worth watching for a number of reasons, including - but not limited to - bowler-topped heroes, sadistic humor, no irrelevant cuts, and historical significance. In other words, this film is well directed, well acted, and well edited with a compelling storyline, which is much more than can be said for most contemporary cinema. One scene stands out as particularly demonstrative: After escaping the clutches of his Gestapo interrogators, the protagonist runs down the curfew emptied street, ducking into the first lit establishment he finds himself in a barber shop. He asks for a shave and a painfully quiet, slow scene unfolds. As an audience member you find yourself in uneasy anticipation, uncertain if he'll survive, flinching with each pass of the razor scraping over his throat. Army of Shadows is well done and worth the hype - a not to be missed piece of French cinematic history.

IMPORTANT!
4 out of 5

Buy this film: Army of Shadows - Criterion Collection

Plot: 4
Imagery: 4
Originality: 4
Soundtrack: 3
Overall:4

28.3.09

Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Probably the second most well-known book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, at least in English, Love in the Time of Cholera is a vast, beautifully written, and meticulous novel, but it fails to reach the level of One Hundred Years of Solitude, a book of incredible scope, originality, and insight. This novel taps into the same desire for the fairy-tale resiliency of love that allowed for the recent popularity of the film Slumdog Millionaire (See our review). But despite its magical flourishes, Garcia Marquez's book is probably more realistic than the comparable film, if only because he allows his characters more hedonistic diversions and greater depth. His protagonist, the romantic and stubborn Florentino Ariza, is made to wait so long for the object of his childhood lust that his is driven towards countless affairs and other fanciful endeavors, and what begins as a youthful infatuation gradually becomes perverted obsession as he ages, and by the end the qualities which were acceptable in his youth have failed to mature. In that regard it is honest, as Garcia Marquez did not deny the inevitable developments, however unusual, of his premise. Still, people seem willing to abandon disbelief for the sake of a positive outcome these days, and this novel is certainly pleasurable to read.

WORTH READING
3.5 out of 5

Buy this book: Love in the Time of Cholera

27.3.09

In the Electric Mist

Tommy Lee Jones once again plays a tough, sharp-tongued cop in this Southern mystery, in which a prostitute found dead in the Louisiana swamp somehow connects with a murder that Jones' character witnessed decades before. There is absolutely no suspense in this film, as it is quite clear that every problem that arises can easily be solved by a few quick elbows, gunshots, or whacks with a baseball bat. The characters, who run the gamut from stereotypical poor black people to stereotypical rich white people, deliver their lines as though they're being whispered into the other ear moments before, and a cameo by blues man Buddy Guy backfires due to his unbelievable lack of soul while away from a guitar. Jones is occasionally visited by the ghost of a wisdom-spouting Confederate general, whose enigmatic presence just made us wish we were watching Wayne's World 2 instead. The film never hesitates to throw in reminders of the tragic Hurricane Katrina, but meanwhile portrays the south as an ignorant, corrupt wetland not worth saving.

BOOOOOOOO!
Rating 1 out of 5

Buy this film: In the Electric Mist
Download: In the Electric Mist

Plot: 1
Imagery: 1
Originality: 1
Soundtrack: 1
Overall: 1

26.3.09

Lord Jim - Joseph Conrad


Lord Jim is Conrad's classic story of the fall and rise of a young maritime adventurer. A life-changing decision on the part of young Jim, the protagonist, results in almost unbearable embarrassment but subsequently leads to his enlightenment. The chain of events, told through Conrad's eloquently verbose language, provides a fascinating and revealing account of humankind. Framed by an old narrator and acquaintance of Jim, Marlow, the story comes alive in the reader's imagination. The occasional narrative break not only provides insight into the story teller, a strong character in his own right, but also pulls the reader back from Jim's absurd situations and into a broader perspective so as to allow appreciation of the themes without interrupting the flow of the tale. These transitions are seamless and the story of ocean travel, far away places, and finding oneself is truly a world classic not to by missed.

IMPORTANT!
4.5 out of 5

Buy this book: Lord Jim
Download for Kindle: Lord Jim

25.3.09

Charulata

Satyajit Ray's film about a lonely, upper-class wife of a newspaper editor, set in British-run India during the late 19th century, is an intricate look at the effects of neglect and repressed desires. As her husband pours all his attention into his political publication, Charu - a lover of literature - develops a relationship with her husband's young cousin, an idealistic, flirtatious writer. The film contains nothing too radical by today's standards, considering our obsession with shock and graphicness, but in some ways that is a relief - within the conservative social setting the relationships are no less real, and the conflict develops with revealing subtlety. While the film seems very slow at times, the viewer's boredom ought to allow for greater empathy for the constantly idle life of the lonely Indian housewife. Fans of the soundtrack to Wes Anderson's Darjeeling Limited will recognize the director/composer Ray's beautiful title theme.

WORTH WATCHING
3.5 out of 5
Buy this film: Charulata

Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Soundtrack: 4
Originality: 3
Overall: 3

24.3.09

Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymor: an Introduction - JD Salinger

I was nearly finished with these two novellas before I realized that they were fiction - had it not been for a small disclaimer on the copyright page, I would have gone on believing it all to be fact. While fact or fiction makes little difference, my belief is testament to Salinger's uncanny ability to create true characters - his love and understanding of his subjects is present in every word and phrase. That said, these two pieces are essentially character sketches (or detailed compositions) rather than plot-driven stories. Differing greatly in style, both focus on Seymour, one of Salinger's most intriguing characters - an enigmatic, brilliant, rude, doomed young man, and member of the Glass family, which appears in many of the author's published works (which are few).

WORTH READING
3.5 out of 5

Buy this book: Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction

23.3.09

And the Ship Sails On

A grainy old black and white reel begins this maritime journey, slowly opening into color as Fellini's massive ship takes off. With the help of a bumbling journalist, we learn the purpose of our voyage, which is in fact an elaborate display of mourning for a deceased opera star. Aboard the vessel is a collection of vain, powdery opera singers, gypsies, royalty, and even a lugubrious rhinoceros. The characters battle for our attention, performing various musical stunts - at one point, the Russian basso uses his deep, low voice to put a chicken to sleep. This is a colorful, humorous, yet solemn and mysterious film. Those who have difficulty with Fellini's earlier esoteric masterpieces may find more enjoyment in this quirky, musical adventure, though it too is the unorthodox product of a peculiar kind of genius.

HIGHLY ENTERTAINING
4 out of 5

Buy this film: And the Ship Sails On - Criterion Collection

Plot: 4
Imagery: 4
Soundtrack: 4
Originality: 4
Overall: 4

22.3.09

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel - Susanna Clarke

Although it is a fantasy novel - a story of magic, fairies, and other unearthly themes - this book demands respect. There is an undeniable sophistication in Clarke's craft, and her language is tinged with a dry wit. Ironically, what separates her novel from just being a frivolous book about magic is precisely her treatment of magic - it is not a Disney-like, colorful phenomenon, but a suspect, gray, dangerous, uncontrollable force. Its effects are not compatible with our normal sense of reality; things shift, corrode and change imperceptibly, suddenly, compromising the reason and sanity of her characters, as well as the stability of the physical realm - in fact, the world may be better off with out it. The magic she describes could just as easily be nuclear physics. Complete with extensive footnotes that take off into intriguing side stories, the story never ceases to entertain, even as it approaches the 1,000th page.

HIGHLY ENTERTAINING
4 out of 5

Buy this book: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

21.3.09

Vitus

Vitus, a Swiss film about a young genius and his struggles to accept his unique situation, was a nice surprise. Instead of getting too bogged down in the pressures of expectations the film follows a triumph of wills and though certain scenes are a bit slow the plot moves fluidly through the two hours with enough twists to keep it interesting. The clearest comparison is to Wes Anderson's Rushmore - the young outcast prodigy protagonists of both films are in love an older woman and generally view adults as ridiculous - but the films differ in style. Vitus leans more on the realistic and serious with real piano virtuosos playing the roles of young and preteen Vitus, while Rushmore with Jason Schwartzman is partial to ironic humor. The talent of the young actors alone would make Vitus worthwhile but the story pulls its own weight and is worthy of your time.

Worth Watching
3 out of 5
Buy this film: Vitus (Widescreen Edition)
Download: Vitus

Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Soundtrack: 3
Buy the Vitus Soundtrack
Originality: 3
Overall: 3

20.3.09

The Gate - Francois Bizot

Maybe it's a translation issue, but this meandering tale of the only imprisoned Westerner to survive the Khmer Rouge is definitively lacking. An account of the French author's capture and three month internment in the early 1970s followed by a confinement to the grounds of the French Embassy and eventual expulsion from the country is made somewhat interesting by his interactions with Douche (Duch), who is currently being tried for his later role as the director of Tuol Sleng detention center. Bizot's story is long and insipid. Though his experience was not one I'd like to have, millions of Cambodians probably would have begged for it when compared to their outcomes. Between seemingly unrelated tangents and a writing style that constantly detaches the reader from the story, this is a book worth skipping. Instead consider reading one of the Cambodians' stories.

BOOOOOOOO!
1.5 out of 5

Buy this book: The Gate

19.3.09

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today - David Byrne and Brian Eno

David Byrne's latest collaboration with Brian Eno contains all of the themes typical of the former Talking Heads frontman: home, loneliness, possibilities, the strangeness of modern life, and attention to ordinary things normally overlooked. Even the album's cover shows a distorted vision of a standard suburban house, and the opening track has him repeating, "I'm looking for a home." The album offers 11 rich, textured tracks full of absurd declarations ("I can barely see 'cause my head's in the way") and statements on human nature ("From the milk of human kindness/From the breast we all partake/Hungry for a social contract..."). As David Byrne dominates the vocals, I can only assume that Eno's main contribution is sound layering - the myriad odd bleeps and noises that ornament each song. The tones and styles are diverse, ranging from country strumming in "My Big Nurse" to menacing, futuristic bass in "Robots." However, at times the songs are too structured around memorable choruses, and a couple of songs, such as "Life is Long," are so upbeat and simple that they verge on sing-a-long anthems.

Highly Entertaining
4 out of 5

Buy this album: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Download: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

18.3.09

Rabbit, Run - John Updike

A 26 year old, married, ex-high school basketball star known as Rabbit runs away from his child, pregnant wife, and small home town only to end up living in the connecting small town with a prostitute. "If you have the guts to be yourself," Rabbit says, "Other people'll pay your price." The protagonist is excruciatingly selfish and throughout seems numb to the effects of his actions, though his moments of remorse reveal he is acutely aware. Updike plays to the common American urge towards escapism, typically quelled by a carefully ingrained sense of responsibility. Rabbit's motives are left ambiguous, even to himself, though it becomes obvious his solution to his problems is (and always has been) sex. Rabbit, Run is a well written, non-intrusively didactic story that follows a lost and irresponsible young man through his struggles, fraught with intriguing, believable characters and a fast plot which plowed the way for 3 sequels and a novella.

Worth Reading
3 out of 5
Buy this Book: Rabbit, Run
Buy: Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels

17.3.09

Eldorado

The basic premise of this low budget film is not particularly original or compelling, but it manages to escape the cliches of road trip discovery stories thanks to its subtlety and roughness. When a lonely mechanic comes home to find a burglar hiding within his house, he spares the deadbeat, cowardly intruder and tries to send him on his way, only to wind up driving him all the way to his destination. The story unfolds into a road voyage through the Belgian countryside (which, based on its landscape and lifeless pit stops, could easily be mistaken for some desolate section of the American middle), where the two encounter a series of odd characters who assist them in various ways. The film never shows too much, gives space to important emotional moments, and uses sometimes raucous, sometimes eerie music (from reverb-heavy surf guitar to Devendra Banhart) to compliment the dark, wet forests and empty farmlands through which they travel. Despite the string of bizarre occurrences and strange - if not demented - characters, the film is surprisingly real and honest - a refreshing escape from the mass of sentimental, false-hope-laced productions out there.

WORTH WATCHING
3.5 out of 5

Buy this film: Eldorado

Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Originality: 4
Soundtrack: 3
Overall: 3.5

16.3.09

Another Country - James Baldwin

A powerful novel of strained racial and sexual relations within a small group of friends in new York City. Another Country shows the harsh reality of life tainted by denial and jealousy, happiness shadowed by self-deceit, and the effects of selfish actions perpetrated under the pretense of loneliness that cause more pain than relief.

As a result of change, the characters grow increasingly out of touch with themselves and their established lives; each caught up in their own self pity, they fail to realize those they are leaning on also stand cracked and shaking. Between these personal battles also fester the societal wounds of racial intolerance (both on the part of whites and blacks) and prejudice against homosexuality. Despite the somewhat over-used setting of New York (even in the 60s) this novel charges into some of the most important issues that continue to plague the "land of the free." Another Country should be required reading for anyone who considers themselves to be American.

IMPORTANT!
4 out of 5
Buy this Book: Another Country

15.3.09

True Lies

We caught this classic Schwarzenegger film on cable in a cheap Saigon hotel room. An explosion-packed, action-centered romantic comedy awesome-fest complete with chase scenes and tangos: a sure thing if you're looking for mindless entertainment. Schwarzenegger, a spy who has hidden his profession from his bored wife, Jamie Lee Curtis, must save both his dying marriage and his terrorist-plagued country. With an excess of quotable one-liners this film is bad enough to be good.

WORTH WATCHING
3 out of 5

Buy this film: True Lies

Plot: 4
Imagery: 2
Originality: 2
Soundtrack: 2
True Lies Soundtrack
Overall: 3

14.3.09

Steppenwolf - Hermann Hesse

Perhaps one of the most original novels of contemporary literature, Steppenwolf follows the midlife escapades of Harry Haller, a self-proclaimed loner and sedentary intellectual, showing his spiritual collapse and ventures into the vast, unfamiliar world of hedonistic physical pleasure and human interaction. The experimental structure includes a good-sized treatise on the nature of the so-called Steppenwolf (Harry's identity of part man, part lone, wandering, savage beast), and an introduction to the prismatic, fluctuating concept of self and personality found in Eastern philosophy. Hesse conjures up both Goethe and Mozart to take part in Harry's circus-like crisis, and allows other characters to test and push the limits of his understanding (including a criticism of the over-intellectualization of music from a Latino jazz man). This novel, while self-reflexive, fantastical, masculine, personal and German, does not instruct with ideology - it is full of intentional contradictions and alternatives that allow the reader to contemplate the myriad possibilities of life and human experience. I can only imagine its reception in the rising flood of socialist dogma back when it was first published in 1920s Germany.

IMPORTANT!
4 out of 5

Buy this book: Steppenwolf: A Novel

13.3.09

The Budos Band II - The Budos Band

The Budos Band's second album on Brooklyn label Daptone is typical afrobeat funk - coarse keys; morphing latin-infused beats; slick and sharp guitar; full, piercing horns. Their instrumental songs, recorded live and analog, move in tight cycles, building up and breaking down just in time, never dragging on too long like some Fela Kuti or James Brown numbers. For better or worse, The Budos Band lacks the political edge of fellow Brooklyn-based Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, but there is still something rebellious, almost menacing, in the sound, threatening to incite revolt as much as dance. The music never strays too far from the confines of the groove-centered genre, but within those confines it is allowed to shift and take on many forms.

WORTH THE LISTEN
3 out of 5

Buy this album: The Budos Band II
Download: The Budos Band II

12.3.09

Burn After Reading

It is clear that there is no message in this film - that is, it is a closed bit of pure entertainment, not meant to provoke or inspire. That's not a condemnation, because it never presents itself as anything different. A couple Coen brothers veterans (George Clooney, Frances McDormand) mix with other Hollywood big names (Brad Pitt as an obnoxious gym employee) to assemble a ridiculous cast of characters whose collective idiocy drives this story of betrayal and mishap along. This film lacks the sinister atmosphere of No Country for Old Men and Fargo; nor is it as brilliantly strange as The Big Lebowski. Within the beginning and final Earth zooms is a quirky, amusing tale with enough startling escapes from predictability to maintain interest - but after, as the title suggests, you may as well dispose of the memory.

WORTH WATCHING
3 out of 5

Buy this film: Burn After Reading
Download: Burn After Reading

Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Soundtrack: 3
Originality: 3
Overall: 3

11.3.09

The Castle of Crossed Destinies - Italo Calvino

This slim piece of Calvino is something to chew on, a new lens, new direction. It contains a collection of intertwined stories told through the interpretation of Tarot cards by mute travelers at a mysterious crossroads. As each individual story is laid down, it is discovered that common cards are needed to accommodate them all. Calvino gives us the first stories, those that are universal; each crosses and meshes, compliments and mirrors. But the interconnectedness of the tales is more than the surface crossing of the recent trend of showing multiple tangential plots in popular books and films (e.g. Pulp Fiction, Babel, etc.), which only meet on a one-dimensional plane. The sharing of Tarots highlights the interpretive nature of storytelling, and of experience itself. Even the well-known stories that emerge (Faust, Macbeth, and others) are not rigid, but are shifting, open entities. Calvino leaves us with the sense that there is no limit to the gradient of interpretation, or complication, of life.

IMPORTANT!
4 out of 5
Buy this book: The Castle of Crossed Destinies

10.3.09

Honeydripper

Honeydripper is set in the 1950s in a small, fictional town called Harmony, Alabama where it is cotton picking season in the still segregated south. This simple story played out by unconvincing actors (headliner Danny Glover) in underdeveloped roles is almost so bad it's good. But not quite. The story line, about as original as Fruit Hoops cereal, of a music club that needs saving and a performance that saves it, has the potential to be made compelling by the obvious racial divides, but these relationships are instead glazed over. Between the bland emotions of the characters as they spout their flavorless and unrealistic lines, the camera shots held way too long, and the lack of any original ideas in the plot, this movie is one to skip. If you're in the mood for a musical drama watch The Blues Brothers instead.

BOOOOOOOO!
1 out of 5
Buy this film: Honeydripper
Download: Honeydripper


Plot: 1
Imagery: 2
Originality: 1
Soundtrack: 3 Honeydripper Soundtrack
Overall: 1

9.3.09

Slapstick: Or Lonesome No More! - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Written like a series of jokes aimed at punchlines, this later Vonnegut novel never requires too much concentration. Even so, its short little bursts of thought contain wonderfully absurd anecdotes and plenty of the author's trademark sentiment-laced satire. His preoccupation with apocalyptic themes is present, along with his quixotic longing for a greater sense of community and belonging. Within these pages you will find many of the ideas that are expressed ad nauseum in his speeches, essays, and shorter works (see Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons), but a little more finalized and focused. Told from the perspective of a senile former president and half-genius, it outlines (the writing is very sparse) a very unusual childhood relationship, the demise of civilization, an experimental new social system, and a brilliant solution to China's population problems (although it only worsens the world's air quality). This quick read is not as fully conceived or cutting as The Sirens of Titan or Cat's Cradle, which likewise predict the fall of civilization (always with a bit of hope for recovery), but is highly amusing and a good example of his later style.

Worth Reading
3 out of 5
Buy this book: Slapstick: Or Lonesome No More!

8.3.09

The Darjeeling Limited

India is undoubtedly the star of this film. The dilapidated landscapes, vibrant primary colors, clutter - even the music is mostly recycled from Bollywood pictures. Following on the heels of the weird maritime adventure The Life Aquatic, Wes Anderson's story of brotherhood and convalescence offers all of the same stylization but much less in the way of originality. The brief cameo by Bill Murray seems to be an admission that the film is lacking something desirable. Truthfully, I was much more intrigued by the hectic opening chase scene than the 'real' plot - that of three brothers from a wealthy family (who haven't been together for a whole year!) joining on an Indian train with a vague mission of healing. Owen Wilson plays his usual self, and Jason Schwartzman is a slightly older asshole than he was in Rushmore - the characters as a whole are much flatter than in Anderson's previous, quirky ensembles. Nevertheless, Darjeeling is a pleasure to the eyes, and has its moments of redemption, thanks in part to good production but also due to the setting.

WORTH WATCHING
3 out of 5

Buy this film: The Darjeeling Limited
Download: The Darjeeling Limited

Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Originality: 3
Soundtrack: 4
The Darjeeling Limited
Overall: 3

7.3.09

Babylon Revisited and Other Stories - F. Scott Fitzgerald

As the title hints, this collection of ten short stories, which were written between 1920 and 1937, has a thick strand of sentimentalism running through tis course. Though all are well written (it's Fitzgerald) few stand out as particularly strong or original, and the ones that do (e.g. 'A Diamond as Big as the Ritz') do so because they are not about a person missing people or places. Fitzgerald's long descriptive sentences and obsession with possibility (both past and future) creates the usual dynamic and believable cast of big money New England educated characters. Most of the stories sit heavily on the "coming of age" theme, which might explain why I liked the book much more when I read it in high school. Babylon Revisited would be better if read over an extended duration of time; power reading it in a few days as we did left the stories repetitive and stripped them of their power as individuals. Not as much fun as Six Tales of the Jazz Age or The Pat Hobby Stories, but an impressive work nonetheless and a must read for Fitzgerald enthusiasts.

WORTH THE READ
3 out of 5
Buy this book: Babylon Revisited: And Other Stories
Download for Kindle: Babylon Revisited

6.3.09

The Counterfeiters

This partly factual German film focuses on a master counterfeiter (of currency, passports, and seemingly anything else) who finds himself detained and thrust into a Nazi concentration camp during WWII. The cunning protagonist manages to secure himself a position as a camp artist, which frees him from the grueling labor and affords him special privileges. He is transfered to a new camp where he is forced to use his illicit skills - along with a group of other prisoners - for the benefit of his captors. A bit of unsteady camera work lends a slightly more organic, unsettling feel than other Holocaust films (not that the experience of mass genocide is something that can be, or should be desire to be, reproduced). Even so, the film assumes the viewer is somewhat familiar with the Holocaust, focusing less on the misery of life in the camps and more on the struggles between fellow prisoners, their taxing moral dilemma, and their unprecedented attempts at mass forgery.

WORTH WATCHING
Rating 3.5 out of 5

Buy this film: The Counterfeiters
Download: The Counterfeiters

Plot: 3.5
Imagery: 3
Originality: 3.5
Soundtrack: 2
Overall: 3.5