Charlie Wilson’s War. Directed by Mike Nichols.
When Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson in the film, was doing publicity he
wondered if people would be willing to see a movie about an
often-wayward congressman – drink, drugs and women -- from a small
district in Texas who suddenly discovered a cause and devoted his
political life to seeing it through. This was either an honest
approach to publicity or a ploy to get people into theaters. Now it
doesn’t matter because the film mostly works as a good,
old-fashioned Hollywood drama, often funny, sometimes moving, and
with a message not too deeply buried in the context of the film
about how Washington works and how one man despite all his faults
could help change history. Ably acted by a strong cast from a fast
moving script by Aaron Sorkin, put together neatly by the consummate
pro, Mike Nichols, it is good entertainment. Charlie Wilson’s cause,
ably abetted and
driven by a wealthy Texas woman, and a renegade CIA operative, was
the help he gave the various tribes in Afghanistan in their fight
against the Russian invasion. Wilson supplied the Afghans with
modern weapons and technology, what they needed to defend
themselves. Charlie Wilson’s efforts were successful through
subterfuge and because he knew how Washington worked. He was able to
increase his committee’s budget for helping Afghanistan with one
billion dollars of the taxpayer’s money, without the taxpayer
knowing what was going on. Afghanistan turned back the Russians, and
the Russians tiring of the war and their high number casualties,
exited that barren, inhospitable land returning to a Russia with its
own problems. When the cause ended, those in Congress Charlie Wilson
had enticed into helping him, turned against him. They did it either
out of boredom, or what is so typical of Washington, an inability to
focus too long on anything that doesn’t necessarily have a bearing
on what is happening in one’s own district. Though a bit clunky at
the end, the irony of the film is that the weapons supplied to the
Afghan tribes through Charlie Wilson’s efforts eventually fell into
the hands of the Taliban who used them to take over the country, and
are probably still using some of them, to fight the NATO coalition
forces now in Afghanistan in the battle against them and Bin Laden.
The world indeed runs in mysterious ways.
.................................................................................................................................................................... Enchanted. Directed by Kevin Lima.
Written by Bill Kelly. Unlike
“Persepolis” with its heady theme of survival in the face of heavy
odds, “Enchanted” has a simpler, more direct, much clearer premise.
It is that love is good, and will win out in the end. Romance is all
that matters. There is a prince and princess for everyone. Tears of
joy mixed with the laugher of happiness are good for the soul. The
film starts and with typical Disney animation and morphs into live
action with a delightful Amy Adams as a princess banished from her
magical kingdom because she loves a prince who is a threat to his
mother, the evil queen. Magic in this film is healthy and in some
ways is the only reality. Animals talk. There is that evil queen and
her hapless, inept triggerman. He, too, as did the princess, turns
from animated to human and fails miserably when he tries to do the
wicked queen’s dirty deeds. The movie shamelessly uses Cinderella,
Snow White and Sleeping Beauty to drive its story to its eventual
happy ending. There are several wonderful musical numbers. The best
takes place in Central Park. The special effects at the end are
enough to enthrall most teenagers and even some adults. This is not
a film I would ordinarily plunk money down to view. Despite my
reservations to satisfy my best friend, I agreed to go with her see
the movie. When I first learned about “Enchanted,” it seemed too
much of a kid’s film or something for hopeless romantics. Despite
those qualms, I walked out of the multiplex feeling good. The movie
worked, not as great art but as good and diverting entertainment on
a cold afternoon in Manhattan. ........................................................................................................................
At NBC News for 35 years, Ron Steinman was bureau chief
in Saigon, Hong Kong and London, was a senior producer on Today and wrote
and produced for Sunday Today. At ABC News Productions, he produced
and wrote documentaries for A&E, TLC, Discovery, Lifetime and the
History Channel. He has a Peabody, a National Headliner award, a
National Press Club award, a International Documentary Festival Gold
Camera Award, two American Women in Radio & Television awards and
has been nominated for five Emmy's. He is a partner in
Douglas/Steinman Productions, whose latest documentary, "Luboml: My
Heart Remembers," aired on PBS' WLIW/21 and the History Channel in
Israel, April 29, 2003. He is the author of, "The Soldiers 'Story",
"Women in Vietnam," and most recently, "Inside Television's First
War: A Saigon Journal," University of Missouri Press, 2002.
Mo
