Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
Movies are nominated for Oscar for a reason ~ especially for the best picture award. As a strong contender for Best Picture, I feel I should watch Good Night, and Good Luck in theater, given the chance. Without hesitation, I can say this is the best film that I saw today.
Good Night is about 1950s, when Joseph McCarthy, a young senator from Wisconsin, went crazy with communist accusations and placed the entire nation in fear. The witch hunt scare, caused the all public figures to walk on thin ice, wondering if fingers will be pointed at them. Amongst these public figures, is Edward Murrow, a TV anchor with a spot on CBS News. One day, during the age of McCarthyism, a report came to Murrow regarding one air force reservist about to be dishonorably discharged due to suspected communist connections. The kicker was all the evidences were sealed, and no witnesses presented themselves to accuse the guilty. Murrow and Friendly, got together and started their little war against McCarthy, and Good Night is the result.
Shot in black and white, Good Night employs real footages of Joseph McCarthy going crazy with his accusations. It also uses lines spoken by Murrow back in the days, and pulled reality liberally. It’s almost as if I’m watching a rathe scary documentary. There were some side storys, but in view of McCarthy and Murrow - they became small and inconsequential.
One of the key thing which made the movie great, is the actors. Murrow’s extreme cool style got Stone Philips beat ~ his mastery in gravitas made his words literally jump out at you - biting ya and makin ya feel as if not caring about what’s happening to the nation is a perverse tragedy! The outcome is obvious, we know the story - but the actors… they really shined in this movie. But then, it’s not just the actors we’re rooting for - but also the American ideals. Freedom of speech and civil liberties.
The basic message from me is simple: If you don’t like this movie, you’re a commie bastard! If anything, I’d like the Oscar of best picture going to this or Crash. I heard Capote is good - but I haven’t seen that, so can’t comment.