Gunner Palace: Before agreeing to watch Gunner Palace (GP) I checked the reviews, looking for clues to the filmmakers' political agenda. I was absolutely NOT going to sit through a pro-war propaganda fest, and I didn't really want the depression of a bad Michael Moore style piece either. Every review I found stated clearly that this film did not have a political agenda. In fact, GP is a film that has no clear motivation other than to share stories and perhaps revel in the artificial drama of the situation. The only stand it takes is that we should listen to the voices of those Americans actually serving in Iraq. And so it presents them. But this produces an effect like "Cops" on steroids. The filmmakers let the cameras roll and the actors indict themselves. Just like "Cops" we see assholes abusing power, unmitigated bigotry and arrogance and nothing approaching leadership, compassion or justice. No matter how pumped up and dramatic the setting, the tales of typical bastards being bastardly isn't really worth watching.
The film itself is shot by a Seattlite living along with an Army regiment stationed in the bombed-out former palace of Sadam's son. As a sympathetic journalist, he is clearly given deep access. He rides along on raids, interviews troops in their make-shift barracks, shoots their parties, gives camera time to the aspiring rap stars in the troop, etc. The same dozen soldiers appear in most of the footage, giving you a sort of history with each character. Many are given longer moments of camera time to answer questions about how they feel about the war, their role as a soldier, about the Iraqi people, etc.
Some impressions: Wow, these kids are young. They are 19 years old arrogant jackasses (like so many of us were at 19) holding the most deadly assault rifles on the planet, living in a country where anyone could be the enemy. They are both scared and macho. They seem self-righteous when locals throw rocks at them and yell at them to go home, and self-righteous when they push harmless local clergyman into the dirt and yell at them to shut up. They don't see any connection between the two behaviors. The narrator/cameraman never points out this hypocracy (and in fact, may not see it), but it's clear if you're actually watching what's going on. The only Iraqi's ever given air time are those working with the US military as local assistants. And they are mostly protrayed as buffoons for the soldiers' amusement. A lot of humor is evident, from the shenanigans of our "boys" occupying (and partying in) a former palace, complete with a swimming pool out back, to certain troops hamming it up for the camera. At one point, the joke is that one of the soldiers can't be bothered to learn to correctly pronounce "salam aleykum" And a few times the film actually made me laugh, after which I felt a little sick.
The end of the film features one of the soldiers you get to know the most playing a Jimi Hendrix style version of the Star Spangled Banner on his electric guitar while posing atop the bombed out palace. Its exactly this kind of grandstanding and the lack of any regret, compassion or curiosity about the culture around them that makes these soldiers so damnable. I suppose I should hate the system instead of its pawns, but this film did nothing to make me appreciate or sympathize with our troops. And while the camerawork and the "insider-access" is impressive and the stories were very "real", it's fundamental purpose (to preserve these stories for posterity... so that people will never forget) is not enough. More than once, a filmed raid resulted in apparently innocent people being "held for questioning". It is mentioned that these people will be held at Abu Ghraib, but there is no editorial comment about this within the movie. There are no editorial comments period. You have every right as a viewer to infer, to analyze, to draw your own conclusions, and I do respect the lack of heavy-handedness, but without any editorial grist to grapple with, the movie marches on like a Faces of Death installment. Its really fucking morbid and the jokes and platitudes offered up by the stars of this film ring hollow.
Robots: Then I saw Robots. It was cute and fun. A million little zingers, puns and sight gags draped onto the typical Dizney frame of "You can do anything if you try hard enough... hang onto your dream little slugger." The quality and quantity of jokes made the movie entertaining, but the painful triteness of major pieces of moralistic dialogue keep it from joining the top ranks of Pixar films. Also: Only Robin Williams tries to do anything fun with his role... ala the Djinni in Aladdin.
Personally, I am curious about the lack of editorial positioning in GP that John describes. There were some of us that felt that this was precisely what made Nora Drake so compelling - that Mike Leigh presented the story essentially without comment. I wonder if the fiction/non-fiction difference has something to do with this.
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