ptcan

When the Levees Broke is going to be viewed as one of the great documentaries so I was eager to watch this one. Unlike many people I have enjoyed Spike Lee's films over the years. I don't always agree with him but he is one of the few American directors today doing anything though provoking.

His segments on BP were really the strongest and most compelling. He probably could have done a two or three part film: one documenting police corruption in NOLA which was legendary prior to Katrina and one about the BP disaster which taught us that when a mega corp screws up we really are impotent. I think he over stretched on Haiti. That could have also been another documentary. Spike Lee is a man with a point of view but he lets his subjects speak for themselves and weirdly enough I found Micheal Brown less the villain than I would have thought. Of course he was self justifying. Wouldn't we all in his position.

Worth watching. Kudos to HBO for even slapping documentaries on during prime time.

Trying to film a Jose Saramago novel is an ambitious thing and given the bad reviews here and elsewhere I was prepared for the worst...

Several comments have been made about being disturbed by the role of women in this movie. Actually I think it was a rather hopeful/naive/idealistic take. Yes, they had some traditional roles.... mother/caretaker/prostitute but if anything men should be a bit insulted they were mostly portrayed as being either cowardly, ineffectual, or brutal with a few exceptions. People have complained it was depressing... no kidding.... it was an plague/end of the world genre movie. People generally behave badly when resources are scarce and they feel threatened.

Yes the use of the "whiteout" got vaguely repetitive but I thought it was well filmed with touches of humanity and gentleness... the women in the shower scene.... the dog who still wants to be with humans.

It was probably harder to do a screenplay for this than "Children of Men" which was based on a novel with a more traditional narrative ( I have read both) and I liked both movies. I think Don McKellar is a very unappreciated talent.

I rushed out to see this movie because there is one theater in my city that shows indy/foreign films and they usually stay for two seconds. I went in with high expectations and was not disappointed. This movie is really a kind of poetry for people who don't like artsy stuff. Quite easy to follow but also beautiful and compelling. I figured out most of the big twists before they happened but it still works as a crime movie but manages to hit a number of big themes: class/longing/loss/politics/despair/humor. Filmed beautifully others have mentioned the awesome pan of the soccer stadium and I liked the dreamy opening sequences as well and the lovely wide open shots of the the court house. Adult dialog that is witty and multi layered relationships that are built and explored.

I was the only person in the theater because it was during the day mid week and about a 150 degrees outside. Greatly contributed to my enjoyment although i have a friend who I am sure will like this so I will go back.