Triumph of the Will (1934)
Starring Adolf Hitler.
Directed by Leni Riefenstahl.
Kilgore rates it: 7 (out of 10)
IMDb rates it: 7.3 (out of 10)

Triumph of the Will records the 1934 National Socialist Party rally in Nuremburg, Germany (yes, that's "National Socialist Party" -- the word "Nazi" does not appear in the film), soon after Hitler ascended to power. Many people consider Triumph of the Will to be not only the greatest propaganda film ever made, but a great film in its own right, regardless of genre. I don't know enough about film to make that judgment, but I can say that director Riefenstahl composes some stunning visuals, especially at the Hitler Youth camp and at the massive rallies with hundreds of thousands in attendance chanting "Seig Heil!" Through Riefenstahl's lens, Hitler appears as a majestic and just yet humble and compassionate leader.

I watched about 30 minutes of Triumph of the Will before stopping the DVD, turning on the historical commentary track, and watching the entire thing again. That was a good move. I recommend you do the same unless you're well-versed in pre-WWII German history.

Super Size Me (2004)
Starring Morgan Spurlock.
Directed by Morgan Spurlock.
Kilgore rates it: 9 (out of 10)
IMDb rates it: 8.0 (out of 10)

Doubtless you've already heard of this documentary about a man who eats nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days and changes from a fit, energetic man to a puffy-faced, depressed, semi-impotent sluggard with a fat-clogged liver. Filmmaker Spurlock's documentary style is more playful and less polemic than, say, Michael Moore's -- he comes across more as a guy executing a wacky stunt than an anti-fast-food zealot. Super Size Me does, however, make a strong case for the food industry's culpability in America's obesity epidemic, which may soon replace smoking as the country's leading cause of preventable death.

I ate a bacon, egg, & cheese McGriddles the morning after I saw Super Size Me. Jesus, those things are tasty.

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Starring Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, and Tom Hardy.
Directed by Stuart Baird.
Kilgore rates it: 4 (out of 10)
IMDb rates it: 6.5 (out of 10)

Star Trek: Nemesis is a perfectly serviceable movie if you need something to look at while gnawing through a bag of Fritos. The cast is the familiar Next Generation crew. Patrick Stewart is the only real actor in the bunch, which has always made the Next Generation TV episodes and movies seem like Shaquille O'Neal playing rec league hoops at the YMCA in Charles City, Iowa.

Nemesis is built from such revered Star Trek building blocks as: the captain deciding to stop off at an interesting planet en route to another destination because "what could go wrong?", the captain defying his crew's orders and beaming down for an away mission on said planet, Something Going Wrong on said planet, introduction to an alien species that are obviously humans in makeup and rubber masks, and tepid pontificating on the nature of man. Nemesis also delivers a heapin' helping of wince-worthy one-liners and a battle scene where Data and Picard take on a slew of Reman troops that mimicks almost exactly the Star Wars battle scenes where Luke and Han fight off dozens of hapless storm troopers. Does anyone out there know the screenwriter? Did he write that into the script, or what?

+posted by Lawrence @ 5/27/2004 11:38:00 PM