The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)

MUST-SEE: (Henckel von Donnersmarck) Shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, East Berlin suffocated its citizens with a life void of secret. The secret police trained its members to spy on and interrogate society members believed to support the West. They ran wires through the house walls, listened to the most intimate of moments, and never hesitated at the suggestion of misbehavior. The indulgence was so extreme, that even the secret police's own employees began to question the integrity of the government, manifesting doubt in the mind of those held in highest East Berlin regard. Such is the storyline of HvonD's The Lives of Others. This film is the story behind one case the GDR held in high classification. A popular playwright of the time, George Dreyman (played flawlessly by Sebastian Koch) called into question by a jealous prime minister is secretly tapped for months in hopes of catching his plans for rebellion before they began. Ulrich Muhe plays the cold-hearted agent in charge of Dreyman's case, gisting all dialogue, reporting each suspicion, and helping himself to play a part in Dreyman's life 24 hours a day. The storyline makes its punch with the theme that art will outlast government control. The audience witnesses a dramatic change, not only in the government, but also in the men who work for the GDR. Realizing they've gone too far, the men find they are trapped in the horror that is communism. And as the officials promote communist socialism, more and more people are interrogated, tortured, and even killed along the way to eradication of Western tendency. A powerful performance by Martina Gedeck, playing East Berlin's "it" girl evokes the inner battle many people faced when they were forced to choose their art or their life. The Lives of Others beautifully illustrates the emotions of both sides, contrasting love and obsession with good and evil. Von Donnersmarck excels with The Lives of Others, making great acting, frank storytelling, and phenomenal heart the standard for Best Foreign Films. See this movie, despite the subtitles, and allow yourself the education of both history and the human spirit through the tragedy of East Berlin.

A Mighty Heart: A Mighty Story

MUST-SEE: This is an extremely well-made film depicting the true account of the kidnapping and beheading of Wall Street Journalist, Daniel Pearl. The story is told in a series of bustling camera-shots taking us along the in-depth search through Pakistan, and at home where Mariann Pearl and the team worked to solve the kidnapping. Jolie plays Mariann honestly and strongly. She becomes a character we not only sympathize for, but actually respect, admire, and envy for her strong heart and self-less emotion. The film paints her as one who was concerned with the world's well-being, as she constantly reiterated that she was not the only one suffering. She reminds us much about terrorism in her refusal to be 'terrorized.' As the tension heightens, up to the moment when the group discovers Pearl was dead, Mariann remains the glue, the encouragement, and the motivation for the room. Undoubtedly, you will not leave this film untouched. Her story (while pregnant) cannot be ignored. Her 'mighty heart' cannot be dismissed. The film accomplishes the goal of placing the audience into the drama. Yes, what happened post-911 was tragic, but the genuine heart-wrench we are unable to feel during a loss we are physically untouched by is captured here. You become part of the story. You become one of the ones touched. The tragedy becomes real.

The Good Shepperd: Good Try

ALMOST: Wow, this movie doesn't work. I was disappointed in the result, as I eagerly anticipated a dramatic suspenseful film filled with twists and turns along the path to the CIA. What I got was a jumbled time line of scenes without any guide as to how to connect the dots. The scenes were wonderful. Great acting from Damon, DeNiro, Jolie, Hurt, etc (all-star cast). Great dialogue and powerful emotion within each frame. Unfortunately, they don't work as a whole. The dateline pops up at the beginning of every scene, making it confusing to keep up and keep a hold on when is when and what happened when. I was lost on who was who, and who worked for who. I also wasn't convinced by Damon's Edward Wilson to be a good guy. And the movie is way too long. After watching, I cannot decide if it could have worked as a chronological story or as simply one flashback, but whichever, they didn't achieve it this way. Too many people with too many stories and too many sides makes it one big flop in my opinion. If you're willing to watch this nearly 3-hour ride, you might eventually put together what happened, but until then, you and I both will remain in the dark on the birth of the CIA.

The Bicycle Thief

WORTH-IT: (De Sica) This 1949 Italian black and white story about a destitute man and his young son searching the city for his stolen bicycle is long, slow, and depressing. There are no high points, there is no great saving love story, there is no moral, really. BUT, this film has a certain spark that kept my interest entirely, and proved magnificent for its age and time. One of the first to experiment with Neorealism, The Bicycle Thief depicts a man at his end, struggling to survive and support his family. As the story drags on, we begin to see we're watching the downfall of a man, through his own perspective and through the eyes of his son. We see him forget his own moral, and slowly identify among the lowlifes he once despised. His search ends, as does the film, as he blends into the crowd of downtrodden poverty, walking home, a face lost in the crowd with a hardship left unsolved and deemed unimportant. The acting by the main man and the boy playing his young son is extraordinary and convincing. The scenery is drab, dark, and dirty. The music is dramatic and depressing. But, for a movie that wishes to leave nothing untouched in the picture of suffering post-war Rome, all these elements work masterfully together. And for such an early film, work well beyond its time. If you can accept that the film is slow (think Pursuit of Happyness) and depressing, and allow its monotone to touch you rather than bore you, you will witness a fabulous illustration of struggle and self-realization that reaches through black and white and into a color of emotion.