The Americans are not ready to deal with the Iraq War, not just yet. It’s way too close, way too problematic and way too cool to be discussed like it should be. They’re not ready to discuss the real issues of Iraq War, just as they weren’t during the Vietnam War, since the directors and the studios would get bombed and their theaters burned if they would present the view of the other side right now.
Göbbels knew a thing or two about propaganda. He thought that the best way to get the people consume your ideological message is to keep them entertained and make them feel they’ve been thinking with their own brains, while actually they’ve been eating every word you wanted to say from the very palm of your hand.
Here’s a way to make a modern war film. All you have to do is to grab a 6-sided die and roll few times.
1. PICK A WAR (D6)
Apart from Iraq war, there’s some other options – but to be honest, it’s Iraq, isn’t it? I mean, it’s one big bush to beat around.
1 – Some African Country Nobody’s Ever Heard Of
2 – Afghanistan
3-5 – Iraq
6 – Just make up your own Terrorist Hellhole
2. CREATE THE WAR BUDDIES (Throw 3 times) (D6)
You gotta have a team of unlikely friends who at first hate each others but as the story grows, become friends.
1 – Black guy, tough guy, but not the main guy
2 – White guy, Private Pyle -ripoff mental case losing it in the field
3 – White guy, a rich kid about to learn a thing or two
4 – White guy, hotshot who ISN’T AFRAID OF NOTHING!
5 – Some hispanic horny fuck who gets killed fast
6 – A white guy, commander, you know, nice guy but no experience on the field.
3. MISSIONS THAT THE STORY REVOLVES AROUND (Throw 3 times) (D6)
You don’t have to come up with much of a story, just put in three thrilling, explosion-packed missions and everyone thinks they’re watching a story.
1 – Basic mission that suddenly turns much harder than expected, a lot of guys get killed
2 – Sniper-mission, waiting around and looking for the snipers, a lot of guys get killed
3 – Save the locals! – These guys are really living there, and although they sound like a stupid monkeysquad and can hardly talk three words of English, you need to save ‘em from the bad terrorists.
4 – Suicide bomber. A lot of religious zealots you can’t reason with, so just kill *everyone*.
5 – Save the injured soldiers. The helicopter went down, the tank blew apart or something, and Our Guys are there among the baddies. Get them, and save no souls!
6 – Party! This is not a mission, actually, this is taking place after the mission – a party, you know, men fighting each others, drinking and having aggressive kind of friendly fun.
4. SHOOTING THE FILM (D6)
You need to create a unique way to portray the dangers of modern warfare. Just roll a dice to see how the film should look like.
1-6. Shaky camera, push the white end of the spectrum to the max, and strong blacks as a stark contrast. Make it feel real.
5. RESEARCH
Since it’s a modern war film, you need to do your research to make it accurate.
[Skip this part, as long as you have the important acronymes right.]
6. THE POINT OF THE FILM
You gotta have a point in the film, that’s the modern storytelling way. I mean, you talk about war, just don’t talk too much.
1 – “The war is mindless.” I mean why to spend so many tax dollars for the damn monkies when they could just you know kill each others there, they don’t need us there..
2 – “The war is inhumane” I mean it’s a complete opposite to the supermarket-kids-dogs-house-and-two-cars -way of life WE’RE ALL USED TO!
3. “The war eats you inside” I mean how can you come back to your normal life after what you’ve seen and what you’ve lost.
4. “The soldiers are expendable” I mean there’s always somebody ready to step in for you, you know, and the high command don’t see you as real people, just expendable ones.
5. “Friends will be friends.” These pals you might hate are ready to die for you, when push comes to shove.
6. [BANNED] “There are actually two sides in every fight, even each fight Americans fought” – at least 2 presidents and/or 15 years need to have passed from the war to really go for this option. Not plausible option for modern war films. Sorry.
In so many words: no, I didn’t like Kathryn Bigelow‘s new film Hurt Locker.
EDIT:
Just realized the reviews on the film are quite in unison, but I suggest not to be fooled by them, or at least share a second thought on the message the film delivers, and the topic the film claims to be discussing about. Here’s quite a good article about the real problems the film had, behind all the suspense and drama and sexy topic, and here’s quite a good breakdown of the new pile of shit everyone’s going crazy about.
The great ignored question raised by events depicted in “The Hurt Locker” is simple: who makes the IEDs, and why? The bombs materialize and must be disarmed. A “hadji” with a cell phone may lurk among onlookers, ready to detonate the device, but we are given nothing but a sea of Iraqi faces to confront. Even a movie like “The Kingdom” (2007) had the courtesy to sketch a rationale for its bombers. Bigelow’s movie flies from such questions out of weakness, not strength. Such dishonesty, even more than dramaturgical laziness, sinks the enterprise.
- Timo
This year the festival opens with 
From South Korea we have two very exiting movies. 
Another woman film maker veteran is also represented on the festival. This years closing film is 
