Munich - Hollywood Playing with History?

[Uncle Spielberg]

Soccer Dog

A definite surprise, 16 April 2001

Author: April Waters


I look forward to babysitting my seven year-old nephew about as much as I do a root canal. So when I was asked this week to watch the wild child, I cringed, but accepted. If he's not running around like a madman, he's watching videos and TV.

After having chased him around the house for three hours, we sat on the couch and turned on HBO. Luckily SOCCER DOG: THE MOVIE was playing. It not only kept him distracted and entertained for 90 minutes, but I found myself laughing along with its cute charm and sharp wit.

Disregard the low number of stars you see on the title page. This is an extremely fun and enjoyable film for 8 year-olds or 28 year-olds.

9 stars out of 10

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Genre: Drama / Family / Comedy (more)

Tagline: He's a goal crazy mutt with some winning moves and he's on his way to the championship! (more)

Plot Outline: A heart-warming comedy about the friendship between the new kid in town and a soccer-playing dog on the lam from the dog-catcher. It's up to these two underdogs to win the PeeWee Soccer League championship game. (more) (view trailer)

User Comments: A definite surprise (more)

User Rating: 4.1/10 (328 votes)

 

[Simster]

I like the front cover of the DVD. It's got a dog leaping like salmon to retrieve a soccer ball. Great stuff. Happy ending as well Garth, you'd love it.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Sounds good doesn't it

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

But not as good as this film

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Directed by
Steven Spielberg

Writing credits
Melissa Mathison

Genre: Drama / Family / Fantasy / Sci-Fi (more)

Tagline: His Adventure On Earth (more)

Plot Outline: A group of Earth children help a stranded alien botanist return home. (more) (view trailer)

User Comments: Fly him to the moon (more)

User Rating: 7.8/10 (50,367 votes)

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

User Comments:

Fly him to the moon, 19 May 2003

Author: laholly from United States


Back in 1982 when ET first came out a patron of the library I work at told me that I HAD TO SEE THIS MOVIE,and to take a box of tissues with me. Bear in mind that this gentleman was a very urbane,if somewhat cynical college professor. Not the type I would have expected to recommend a film so highly. I took his advise. THANK YOU HOWARD. Next to "The day the earth stood still" ET ranks as my favorite sci-fi film of all time. The newly inhanced version is excellent too. Henry Thomas is delightful and the middle child ,Elliott who find and befriends ET. He is not "too cute",but gives a terrific performance,especially when ET telepathically makes him drunk.The end of the movie still makes me cry,maybe not a whole box of tissues worth by now,but there is just something about ET and Elliott's good bye that tears me up.The two principle adults, Dee Wallace(Stone) and Peter Coyote are good too. Coyote, who is only known as "Keys" is in some respects almost as innocent as Elliott, and you wish that he had been able to have more contact with ET. Although the scenes where the house is being sealed off is frightening, it still works. The scene where Elliot and his brother steal the van is priceless when older brother comes out with the memorable line "I've never driven forward before!" I am planning to buy this on DVD as soon as possible. ET,you can phone my home or visit any time

10 stars out of 10

 

[Man of Harveys]

Author: laholly from United States

ET,you can phone my home or visit any time

 

[aftershavedave]

User Comments:

Fly him to the moon, 19 May 2003

Author: laholly from United States


Back in 1982 when ET first came out a patron of the library I work at told me that I HAD TO SEE THIS MOVIE,and to take a box of tissues with me. Bear in mind that this gentleman was a very urbane,if somewhat cynical college professor. Not the type I would have expected to recommend a film so highly. I took his advise. THANK YOU HOWARD. Next to "The day the earth stood still" ET ranks as my favorite sci-fi film of all time. The newly inhanced version is excellent too. Henry Thomas is delightful and the middle child ,Elliott who find and befriends ET. He is not "too cute",but gives a terrific performance,especially when ET telepathically makes him drunk.The end of the movie still makes me cry,maybe not a whole box of tissues worth by now,but there is just something about ET and Elliott's good bye that tears me up.The two principle adults, Dee Wallace(Stone) and Peter Coyote are good too. Coyote, who is only known as "Keys" is in some respects almost as innocent as Elliott, and you wish that he had been able to have more contact with ET. Although the scenes where the house is being sealed off is frightening, it still works. The scene where Elliot and his brother steal the van is priceless when older brother comes out with the memorable line "I've never driven forward before!" I am planning to buy this on DVD as soon as possible. ET,you can phone my home or visit any time

10 stars out of 10

do you think that's maybe phillip french writing under a pseudonym?

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Munich nominated for 5 oscars including best picture and best director

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Went to see this film Saturday

" Settled down in my seat to cast my critical eye on Spielberg's latest offering. 50 or so people joined me on a dull Saturday afternoon.

The film is based on true events with a certain amount of artistic interpretation. It is based on the slaughter of 9 Israeli athletes at the Munich olympics in 1972. The first we see is the hijack itself but none of the events that unfolded. The story then moves onto the plan of the Israeli government to kill those who masterminded the attacks.

The film follows the 5 men who are responsible for the retribution and the informants who tell them the whereabout of 11 Palestinians implicated. They move around Europe tracking down and killing the men.

During the film , Bana has flashbacks which show the events that unfolded in the Olympic village when 2 athletes were killed and on the airway runway when the other 9 were killed.

Spielberg firmly tells the story from the middle and can in no way be accused of favouring one viewpoint over another. It is an extremely balanced telling. He over the course of the film tries to show the background to the state of affairs between Israel and Palestine. It is a good thriller in its own rights. Bana is very good and the film is stark and powerful.

Bana's as Avner becomes a man at the end who has lost his soul and questions the validity of what he has done and whether any good or purpose has been achieved. He becomes paranoid of all around him.

Killing will lead to more killing is the verdict and it is a poignant message even more valid today than before.

The end shots of Avner and his boss in New York , refusing to come back to Israel to continue more operations with the backdrop of the Twin Towers was powerful and understated. This shot made you think of 9/11 and the conflict that was raging 30 years before without labouring the point.

Restrained, brutal and without sentimentality, a technical tour de force as expected and a worthy film.

8.1 out of 10.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Went to see this film Saturday

" Settled down in my seat to cast my critical eye on Spielberg's latest offering. 50 or so people joined me on a dull Saturday afternoon.''

How come you weren't at Coventry lending your vociferous support to the Albion? I thought more support would make us win games? Is it partly your fault that we lost?

 

[Uncle Buck]

I saw this last week Garth.

Was better than I thought, 30 minutes of stuff not needed and missed out key events.

But less pishy than normal for a Spielberg historical effort.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

I can't get to away games Chappers as I have to work until 1pm. Is that ok or I am not really a fan even though I have been a STH for all 7 years at the fecking horrible Withdean

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

UB

That is praise indeed

I thought the scene with the backdrop of the TT was extremely powerful and thought provoking. The flashback of the murders whilst he was making love to his wife sounds odd but was incredibly powerful as well.

 

[Easy 10]

I watched it last night (hooky copy).
Interesting that the film completely ignored the disastrous botched murder of an innocent waiter in Oslo who was mistaken for a Palestinian terrorist leader - an event which blew Mossads secret campaign of vengeance wide open. It also didn't really explore the issue of them assassinating prominant terrorist leaders and effectively just using Munich as a convenient "excuse" to do so, as the links as to whether they were actually involved in planning the Munich massacre were dubious.

Overall it was ok - the futility of what they were doing came across loud and clear ("you kill one leader, another will soon take his place"), but I thought it ended poorly, too many loose ends. And wtf was that all about when he's boning his missus whilst thinking about the athletes being massacred at the airport ? Odd indeed.

7.2 out of 10.

 

[Uncle Buck]

UB

That is praise indeed

I thought the scene with the backdrop of the TT was extremely powerful and thought provoking. The flashback of the murders whilst he was making love to his wife sounds odd but was incredibly powerful as well.

The bit at the end where he is giving her a good kosher portion with the flash backs annoyed me, it was Spielberg being a bit too sentimental. They should have played more on the fact that they f***ed up by shooting the KGB agents and missing out the fact they killed the wrong person in one of the Scandinavian countries, but taking that whole chapter out was annoying.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Easy

It was a film that you are going to watch every few years ( like Schindler's List ) its not a film you will chuck on when your mates come round or Auntie Ethel pops is. Its not a popcorn movie.

The slaughter/ love making scene is open to interpretation and will create debate but it worked for me. I don't think there were loose ends they just " achieved " most of what they set out to do but all the men except the South African, Steve ( Craig ) had lost their souls.

Not the triumph of Schindler's List and not the roller coaster of Spielberg's blockbuster efforts but still a powerful and important film , very balanced and unsentimental.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Not the triumph of Schindler's List and not the roller coaster of Spielberg's blockbuster efforts but still a powerful and important film , very balanced and unsentimental.

You see it has come in for criticism for not being that balanced.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

I've seen that, he has been criticised by the Israeli's and the Palestinians which means he has got it about right in my book. A brave film from a mainstream Hollywood director imho.

Munich (2005)
Directed by
Steven Spielberg

Trivia: After getting the rights to George Jonas's book "Vengeance", Steven Spielberg commissioned three scripts: one from David Webb Peoples and Janet Peoples, one from Charles Randolph, and one from Eric Roth. Roth's script was chosen and subsequently revised by Tony Kushner. (more)

Quotes: Carl: [To Avner] I knew guys like you in the army. You do any terrifying thing you're asked to do, but you have to do it running. You think you can outrun your fears, your doubts. The only thing that really scares you guys is stillness. (more)

Awards: Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 1 win & 10 nominations (more)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

User Comments:

"A Prayer for Peace" and Powerful Film-making!, 23 December 2005

Author: lavatch from Twin Cities, Minnesota


In an interview given shortly before the release of "Munich," director Steven Spielberg discussed his film in the context of world terror today, as follows: "Somewhere inside all this intransigence, there has to be a prayer for peace."

I personally recall the tragic events of the 1972 Olympic games in Munich, as I had just graduated from college and was following closely the moving and graphic images on television, as described so vividly by newscasters Jim McKay and Peter Jennings. The opening scene of "Munich" recreates the attack on the dormitory and the subsequent killing of the athletes at the airport. Those were ten minutes of taut and riveting drama.

But the main dramatic impetus of "Munich" is the retaliation on the Palestinian planners of the "Black September" massacre. The strike force is led by the character Avner, a zealous and patriotic member of Israel's Mossad. Along with Eric Bana in the role of Avner, the entire cast of "Munich" is superb. Geoffrey Rush is a standout as the Mossad handler of Avner, and in an all-too-brief scene, Lynn Cohen turns in a charismatic performance as Golda Meir.

But "Munich" is not a film to discuss in terms of star performances, and much credit should go to Tony Kushner and Eric Roth for the thoughtful ensemble screenplay. The most memorable moments in the film are those involving the hit team led by Avner. In the planning and carrying out of the assassinations by a small group of men, it becomes clear that the participants are no more than ordinary people who become obsessed with killing. Thus Avner, who would prefer the domestic world of living with his wife and newborn daughter, descends into a virtual state of madness as a result of the killing frenzy.

The Greek poet Aeschylus wrote one of the most expressive works of literature on the theme of "an eye for an eye" in the revenge trilogy "Oresteia." That epic work dramatizes the culmination of the long cycle of murder within the ill-fated House of Atreus in Greek mythology. The killings finally end when the goddess Athena establishes the law court in Athens to provide human justice, as opposed to blood vengeance. I can't help but think that Spielberg, Kushner, and Roth were influenced in some way by Aeschylus' drama, wherein we see the title character Orestes succumb to the pursuit of the furies and spiral into madness. That was the tragic journey of Avner, as depicted in "Munich."

Mr. Spielberg's concept of "intransigence" gets to the heart of the matter in our own modern tragic experience. In the Oxford English Dictionary, the word intransigence is defined as "uncompromising hostility; irreconcilability." Like the "Oresteia," the film "Munich" provides a balanced and powerful commentary on the human impulse of "an eye for an eye" revenge. The ancient Greek concept of justice meant something like "scale" or "balance" used to resolve a seemingly irreconcilable conflict. The thoughtful and powerful film "Munich" offers us the opportunity to meditate on this concept, not for the 5th century B.C. world of Aeschylus, but for our own.

10 out of 10.

 

[Easy 10]

Easy

It was a film that you are going to watch every few years ( like Schindler's List ) its not a film you will chuck on when your mates come round or Auntie Ethel pops is. Its not a popcorn movie.

The slaughter/ love making scene is open to interpretation and will create debate but it worked for me. I don't think there were loose ends they just " achieved " most of what they set out to do but all the men except the South African, Steve ( Craig ) had lost their souls.

Not the triumph of Schindler's List and not the roller coaster of Spielberg's blockbuster efforts but still a powerful and important film , very balanced and unsentimental.

Can't see me watching it again. I didn't want a documentary, but as Uncle Buck says, there were some key events completely ignored that should really have been included (its not even mentioned in the post-script). And I think it would've worked much better had the massacre at Munich been shown all the way through from the start, AT the start. Cutting and splicing it throughout the film, showing it at seemingly random moments didn't make a lot of sense to me. I guess he was trying to "up the pace" at certain moments by using scenes of the athletes being held hostage and eventually murdered, but scattering it around as he did, for me didn't work at all. And what went on at that botched attempt in Spain where they're discovered by security before they get a chance to kill their target ? One second they're running for their lives dodging gunfire, the next second they're safe and planning the next job ? huh ?

Just stuff like that annoys me. Its lazy, its untidy, and it leaves things up in the air.