Fun Stuff makes its triumphant return with a boatload of election-minded videos. American celebrities have long used their unproven influence to encourage their fellow citizens to vote and they've never gone as all out as this year, what with their Obama songs and all. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Americans didn't actually get to vote for their presidents? So what is it you do vote for?

The above video, titled 5 Friends for some dumb reason, features a boatload of celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Benicio Del Toro, Sarah Silverman, Dustin Hoffman, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Linney, Jonah Hill, Natalie Portman, Forest Whitaker, Djimon Hounsou, Michelle Trachtenberg, Demi Moore, Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston, Eva Longoria, Courteney Cox Arquette, will.i.am, Jamie Foxx, Amy Adams, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Bacon and several others.

The one below however, entitled The Muzzler, is much more low-key and features only Jessica Alba (ironically in one of her better performances) and Hayden Panettiere.

And if that wasn't enough, Rosario Dawson wrote and starred in the four-part internet musical La Pasion De La Decision to encourage American latinos to vote, directed by her co-star Wilmer Valderrama. You can see all four videos after the jump. Which would you say is more earnest/more convincing?

More Fun Stuff

Vimos la película en los Yelmo de Isla Azul, concretamente en la sala 13, que es la Sala G, un espacio con 50 asientos preparado para jugar multipartidas en red, en pantalla gigante y efectos especiales. Los asientos están separados, ya que entre uno y otro hay una caja de metal en la que guardar los mandos. Me pareció fatal que no nos avisaran de que estaría separada de mis acompañantes por este baúl metálico. Me sentí como si hubiera ido sola al cine.

Lo que más me ha gustado de "Che, el argentino" es la caracterización de Benicio del Toro como El Che, tan parecido a la famosa fotografía, de Alberto Díaz (Korda), convertida en un icono archirreproducido en camisetas, chapas, carteles, banderas, carpetas...

También son reseñables las frases revolucionarias recogidas en la película, "Patria o muerte", entre otras. Me recordaron mucho a nuestro viaje a La Habana, nuestra visita al Museo de la Revolución, al Museo del Che y a Viñales.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Viñales, Cuba"][/caption]

Affable, charming and down-to-earth, Benicio Del Toro took part in a conversation with the Film Society's Kent Jones last night at the Hudson Hotel. On his latest collaboration with director Steven Soderbergh, Che, Del Toro said: "Steven is special for me--he's kind of like the Evil Knievel of directors and I admire him for that."

Afterward, Del Toro mixed it up with fans at a party sponsored by the Young Friends of Film at a penthouse terrace at the Hudson Hotel.

What's Young Friends of Film?

Well, we're glad you asked. It's just about the best-kept secret in the film world. For just $250 a year, you're on the A-List for parties and events designed especially for younger film enthusiasts at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Case in point: this spirited conversation and party with celebrated actor Benicio Del Toro. But the fun doesn't stop there. Let your Netflix queue languish while you sit in on engaging conversation with top actors about their craft, meet influential directors, and hob-nob with other discriminating film lovers all year long. All that, plus a subscription to Film Comment magazine, lots of ticket discounts and priority ticketing for the New York Film Festival. What are you waiting for? Join now and don't miss another incredible event like this one.

See more photos at our Flickr pool.

The movies are slated to be shown for one week in Los Angeles and New York in December, then released to theaters more widely in January. In the meantime, the official blog of the NYFF has posted a Q&A with Soderbergh: 

a bunch of celebrities got together to try to convince the american public to register to vote. although i'm generally wary about campaigns like this, it is sponsored by a nonprofit organization, declare yourself.

and i think it's pretty neat !

watch it............

nataliebeth

AFI FEST 2008 presented by Audi: AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival has announced that Darren Aronofsky’s THE WRESTLER and Steven Soderbergh’s CHE have been selected as the Festival’s Centerpiece Screening presentations. CHE will have its West Coast Premiere in a screening sponsored by Farmer’s Insurance Group at the Festival on Saturday, November 1, 2008 at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and THE WRESTLER will have its West Coast Premiere on Thursday, November 6 at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Directed by Aronofsky, THE WRESTLER presents a powerful portrait of a battered dreamer, ‘Randy “The Ram” Robinson’ (played by Mickey Rourke), a former headlining professional wrestler who, twenty years later, ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey. Despite himself and the odds stacked against him, he lives to be a hero once again in the only place he considers home – inside the ring. The film also stars Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. The Fox Searchlight release is due in theaters December 19.
In 1994, Aronofsky received an M.F.A. in Directing from the American Film Institute. Aronofsky made his feature film directorial debut with the acclaimed independent feature π, which he also wrote. The film brought him several honors, including the Director’s Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. His second film, the critically acclaimed REQUIEM FOR A DREAM premiered at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and captivated both critics and audiences. The film was nominated for many awards, including Best Director and Best Picture at the Independent Spirit Awards, as well as an Oscar nomination for Ellen Burstyn.
This will mark Aronofsky’s second appearance at AFI FEST, having premiered THE FOUNTAIN (following its debut at Venice), prior to the film’s opening in 2006.
Directed by Soderbergh and produced by Laura Bickford and Benicio del Toro, CHE tells the epic story of the iconographic revolutionary in intimate terms. Starring del Toro as Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara (for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film festival), the film is divided into two parts, mirroring two phases of Che's life: the first half covers the years from 1955 to 1962, the second from 1966 until Che's death in 1967. The first half of the film deals with the struggle against the Cuban dictator Batista, portraying in considerable detail the grueling battle that Fidel Castro and Che fought in the Cuban countryside before successfully entering Havana.
The second half is set entirely in Bolivia, leapfrogging Che’s period of power in Cuba and his African adventure in the Congo. Che faces similar challenges, galvanizing poor peasants into a military force that can take on trained professionals. The cast includes Demián Bichir, Santiago Cabrera, Vladimir Cruz, Julia Ormond, Jorge Perugorría, Edgar Ramírez, Victor Rasuk, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Rodrigo Santoro Unax Ugalde, Yul Vázquez, Lou Diamond Phillips, Franka Potente and Armando Riesco.
CHE will be screened in its entirety with a 30 minute intermission. IFC Films will open the roadshow version of CHE for one week on December 12th in New York and Los Angeles at the Landmark Theater. The film will reopen nationwide in January in theaters and on demand.
“AFI FEST is honored to present THE WRESTLER and CHE. These are both major artistic achievements by two of America’s most consistently provocative filmmakers. We want to celebrate and support filmmakers like Darren Aronofsky and Steven Soderbergh, who continue to explore and to challenge our notion of what films and filmmaking can be,” said AFI FEST Artistic Director, Rose Kuo.
AFI FEST also announced four additional special screenings to the 2008 schedule. Those screening include:
THE BROTHERS BLOOM (USA)
Director: Rian Johnson
In Rian Johnson’s much anticipated follow up to the stylish indie hit, BRICK, THE BROTHERS BLOOM follows the exploits of two brothers who enjoy their reputation as the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. However, when one brother decides to retire, they embark on a final con – during which, they will show a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a staged romantic and tragic adventure. The film stars Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz.
SUGAR (USA)
Directors: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
The sophomore effort from the directors of the indie drama, HALF NELSON. Boden and Fleck’s film follows the experiences of a Dominican baseball star who is recruited to play ball in the minor league sytem in the States
TOKYO! (Japan/France)
Directors: Joon-ho Bong, Leos Carax, Michel Gondry
Film is a triptych featuring three thirty minute short films shot by Bong, Carax and Gondry featuring Tokyo and Japan as both subjects and setting.
TWO LOVERS (USA)
Director: James Gray
A romantic drama set in Brooklyn, the film follows the conflict between a bachelor torn between the family friend his parents want him to marry and his beautiful but volatile new neighbor. The cast includes Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Elias Koteas and Isabella Rossellini.
AFI FEST 2008 will run October 30-November 9, 2008. Passes are on sale now and individual film and event tickets go on sale to the public on October 10. To order passes and tickets and to get more information, visit www.AFI.com or call 1.866.AFI.FEST.

Psd1:karla thanks for the info

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Source:beniciodeltoro.ca

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Esta es la última campaña USA sobre las próximas elecciones del 4 de noviembre.

Aunque parezca increíble, la campaña pretende fomentar el voto, la participación electoral. En Estados Unidos es raro que una campaña presidencial supere el 50% de participación. Mucha gente no se implica, y entre ellos, los colectivos jóvenes, los más marginados…

El anuncio, con mensajes que no aconsejan el voto, es una pura ironía que pretende el efecto contrario. ¿Pensamiento lateral?... posiblemente. Aquí se produce una lucha interesante entre hemisferio derecho e izquierdo, en que acaba ganando el derecho, el menos lógico.

Ya os diré si el 4 de noviembre vota más de un 50%. Di Caprio, Halle Berry, Eleen Degeneres, Forest Whitaker, Courtney Cox, Dustin Hoffman, Benicio del Toro y muchos más son poderosas razones. Eso –no nos engañemos- le iría más que bien a Obama.

Realizar una película sobre la mítica figura de Ernesto “Che” Guevara no debe ser nada fácil y para demostrarlo está “Che, el argentino” (2008), la última cinta de Steven Soderbergh, de la que no acabo de entender cuál es su propósito.

Evidentemente hay que tener en cuenta que ésta es la primera de las dos producciones de las que consta este supuesto biopic (que no lo es) del famosísimo guerrillero y que, tal vez, la clave de todo ello no pueda encontrarse en esta cercenada primera parte y haya que esperar a “Guerrilla”.

El o la que piense encontrarse con el relato pormenorizado de la vida del Che, (esto es, su nacimiento, infancia, adolescencia, etc etc.) que se ahorre la entrada del cine porque no va a encontrar nada de eso, puesto que la película arranca en el momento justo en el que un grupo de guerrilleros del Movimiento 26 de julio (entre los que se encontraban Raúl Castro y el Che) comandados por Fidel Castro inician su intento de derrocar al dictador Batista para instaurar un régimen democrático y nacionalista en Cuba.

Los 140 minutos que dura la película retratan las incursiones y avances de la columna comandada por Guevara hasta la conquista de la ciudad de Santa Clara. Este relato sólo se halla truncado por la voz en off del Che y por una serie de imágenes en blanco y negro que reproducen, a modo de documental, la visita que el guerrillero realizó a la ONU en 1964.

Es complicado, en estos momentos, no dejarse llevar por el mito y convertir esta reseña en una especie de homenaje póstumo de un personaje clave en la historia (y el merchandising) del siglo XX, sin embargo nos hallamos en un blog de cine y en el apartado cinematográfico nos centraremos.

Poco puede reprochársele a Soderbergh en la forma, ya que su película posee una excelente ambientación, aunque el desarrollo de la misma (alternando escenas de la más pura acción con aquéllas en las que conocemos el modus vivendi de los guerrilleros) resulta, en ocasiones, algo caótica. En este apartado cabría destacar la impresionante interpretación de Benicio del Toro (premiada con la Palma de Oro al mejor actor en el pasado Festival de Cannes) que resucita a la perfección la figura de Guevara. De la misma manera, el actor Demián Bichir interpreta espléndidamente a Fidel Castro. No debemos olvidar, tampoco, la presencia española con Elvira Mínguez o Unax Ugalde, además de la BSO compuesta por Alberto Iglesias.

En cuanto al contenido de la cinta que nos ocupa, creo que (y hablo desde mi recalcitrante ignorancia sobre cuál era la forma de actuar del Che) Soderbergh ha pasado de puntillas sobre este controvertido personaje para trasladarnos una visión distante y superficial del mismo. Da la sensación de que ha rodado una película sobre la revolución cubana sirviéndose del Che como guía más que una biografía al uso del mismo.

En este sentido, creo que “Guerrilla” puede resultar mucho más interesante en tanto en cuanto abandonaremos la selva para ser testigos de la construcción de la nueva Cuba propugnada por Castro y el Che.

Esperaremos a esta segunda parte para completar y extender esta reseña con más conocimiento de causa.

Trailer

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Para ver la ficha de la película, pincha aquí

Briony  

Young Friends of Film is pleased to announce a special party and discussion with Benicio Del Toro in association with the New York Film Festival, and the New York premiere of his film, Che.

Join Kent Jones, NY Film Festival selection committee member, at the Hudson Hotel for an in-depth discussion of his distinctive career of the celebrated actor, followed by a party on Monday, October 6th at 7pm. $50 Talk and Party/$40 Party only. Tickets to the event are extremely limited. Purchase them here.

What is Young Friends of Film?

Young Friends of Film (YFF) is a membership program that brings together film enthusiasts aged 21–40 for special screenings that include appearances by directors, stars and other creative talent behind important films that appeared in the New York Film Festival and New Directors/New Films.

Your membership in YFF not only entitles you to attendance to six screening and parties throughout the year, but also a range of other benefits. Get free tickets to selected Walter Reade theater screenings, a subscription to Film Comment magazine, discounts to the annual New Directors/New Films event (in conjunction with the Museum of Modern Art) and more!

Full details on Young Friends of Film.

This post is not really a review so-to-speak. I mean, I cannot really evaluate the movie dispassionately now, having watched it like five times already and having loved it every single time. In fact, I did watch it again earlier this month to sort of re-estimate the film's likeness quotient and I am delighted to tell you that, it's still very much up there in my list of favourites. Babel, also directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu , features in this list too. Watching a film is an experience for me and every time I have watched these two films by Alenjandro, I have found myself marveled by the sheer creativity with which their narratives have been constructed and subsequently, unfolded. Watch 21 Grams (2003) and Babel (2006) back-to-back and you will know what I mean. Unfortunately I haven't yet watched Iñárritu's Amores perros (2000) which too employs (I am told) his distinctive style of narration, but I will be watching it soon, very soon.

Back to 21 Grams, I will not disclose all the details of the plot here. Briefly then,  it is a tale of an ex-convict and a born again Christian Jack Jordan (Benicio del Toro), who is trying to recover from his excessive drug addiction; Paul Rivers (Sean Penn), a mathematics professor who will die of an heart condition unless he receives a heart-transplant from a donor; and Cristina Peck (Naomi Watts), who is a recovering drug addict too but now living a happy, suburban life with her husband and two daughters [Source: Wikipedia]. As fate would have it, an incident occurs. Following which, these three independent stories and lives get connected and inter- weaved with one another like a piece of crochet.

If you go to look at it, 21 Grams has a fairly regular kind of a plot. There's nothing revolutionary about it. However, as mentioned earlier, what really takes it to a completely different level is the dramatic manner in which this simple story has been told. So in that respect, it is an experimental film and it does work on varied levels. On a philosophical level, it begs you to ask introspective questions concerning guilt, loss, life and the worth and value of life. So the title 21 Grams is very apt.

21 Grams may have been shot in a chronological manner for all we know, but what is shown on the screen is far from it. What we get to see are different segments about the lives of these three aforementioned characters unfolding at different points of time. A series of non-linear and seemingly unrelated multiple scenes constitute the entire film. It is near impossible to foretell what is going to happen next throughout this entire film - what is being shown is either something that has happened in the lives of these three protagonists in the past, something that they are currently going through or experiencing in their present lives or something that happens to them in their future, but not necessarily in this linear and chronological order. So really, at every stage a different picture and interpretation of the story emerges in your head. Please don't worry, it all comes together in the end and perfectly makes sense:-)

The screenplay as well as the restrained performances (especially by my favourite Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro), engage you like you have been never before. Nothing is spoon-fed; you have to work hard in order to make sense of what's going on. This is what I call genuine audience participation! I recommend this movie on a DVD to every one who has an appetite for something adventurous and have missed watching it on the big screen way back in 2003.

But before I sign off, I really hope I am not getting into a pattern here where I praise everything that's non-Indian and do the otherwise when it is an Indian film. No seriously. I mean I have seen a lot of non-Indian trash too, but I tend not to bother and waste my energy writing a blog about it. Whereas, everything that comes out of India does matter a great deal to me. My point is, why cannot we be more experimental in terms of story-telling? [Please Note: This comment is reserved for  the writers/directors who do have a  story to tell, not for the Anees Bazmee's and  others of that nonsensical ilk] We certainly seem to have a lot of talent and the audiences have matured a great deal too. Life in a Metro & Salam - e- Ishq? Really? Is that the best we can come up with? Can we have more Yuva's instead?

La pellicola si avvale di un cast notevolissimo composto dagli ottimi Sean Penn e Benicio Del Toro, al fianco di una meravigliosa Naomi Watts (che accende tutti i 21 grammi della mia anima).

La narrazione è "incasinata" temporalmente (avete presente Memento e Irreversible? -- ok, questa è "incasinata" in modo diverso), la sceneggiatura di Guillermo Arriaga (che ha seguito Iñárritu passo passo nella trilogia della morte) è davvero buona; il risultato però non ha convinto completamente pubblico e critica... Di certo questo non è un buon motivo per non vederlo -- i film si vedono tutti! :)

L'appuntamento sul palinsesto di Rai 4 è alle 21:00 di domenica 28 settembre 2008.

citazione:

They say we all lose 21 grams... Who will be next?

Dios mio. ¿Quien pensando en será buen idea a permitir un Americano hacer una pelicula sobre el ‘Che: el Argentino’? Siquiera, quien pensando en será buen idea a permitir Steven Soderbergh (quien ha hecho, por ejemplo, las ridículas peliculas como ‘Far From Heaven’, ‘Syriana’ y ‘Confessions of a Dangerous Mind’) hacer algo sobre Che?

Pues, primero las buenas cosas de ‘Che’: Benicio del Toro – el impresionante intérprete, que nació en Puerto Rico, es excelente en el papel del carismatíco Argentine (merece el Mejor Actor premio que ganá en Cannes); tambien, la naturaleza de Argentina y Mexico – donde ha rodado; y, por supuesto, la gran cantidad de hombres serio, muy masculino y gaupisimo.

Pero, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara era un soldado. Un revolucionario. Un hombre que llevá buen principals y ideas. Es que era verdadero héroe socialista. Es insupportable que su vida ha reducido a un montage de imagines romanticas.

En concreto, creo los creadores eligió siempre el camino mas facil y menos interesante. Un gran parte de la pelicula muestra Guevara en el NU en Nueva York en 1964 (te acuerdas estuvo el Bay of Pigs). Pero hay muy poco discusión del papel de los Estados Unidos en los suframientos de Cuba. Hay solo un intercambio entre Eugene McCarthy y Che y ha hecho como una broma. ¿Por que? Es que una lucha siempre muestra como un chiste para los poderosos.

Otra cosa. No me gusta como todo las ‘tipos’ en la pelicula son muy ‘plano’ – sin complicaciones. Los campesinos son siempre pobre y agradecido; los chicos valeroso y hermoso en los uniformes de verde... y mas. Pues, quiza estoy un poco duro. Todos no son exactamente cliches pero el effect total fue un lugar muy comun. Fue demasiado sencillo – como un pintor ha utilizado un pencel bastante ancho.

Entonces, estoy contenta a ver alguna pelicula sobre Cuba que no muestra es un hombre malo de Latino Americano, pero ‘Che: el Argentino’ falta mucho. Es como un anuncio de Benetton con marxistas Che – y sus creencias – merece mucho mas.

Soy muy exigente cuando veo una película de la que tengo el contexto interiorizado, y eso, a veces, me juega malas pasadas; pero Benicio del Toro —que ya no sé si siempre fue el Che o sólo lo ha interpretado en esta ocasión— está absolutamente espectacular: ayer me enamoré de él otra vez. Su parecido físico es evidente, y sencillo de alimentar: un gesto crudo y mucho maquillaje; pero lo complicado es hacer del Che en toda su plenitud como logra el actor puertorriqueño. Película absolutamente imprescindible en una cartelera llena de mediocridad.

Esta noche vuelve el Barça a la Champions, y las pintas de Murphys a la Celtics Tavern. Por lo que he escuchado los últimos días, debo ser de los pocos culés con ilusión por lo que se empieza a adivinar del proyecto de Pep Guardiola. Menos mal que he leído a Cruyff y pensamos más o menos lo mismo: creí que me había vuelto loco. Espero que en el partido de hoy contra el Sporting de Lisboa —ya siento que sea contra el equipo de la ciudad de Pessoa y Pereira—, además de jugar bien, marquemos tres o cuatro goles y la rigurosa afición blaugrana se enchufe, definitamente, al Barça de Pep. El fútbol lo agradecerá.

Y en esta cierta lógica, que viene acompañada de paz y de reencuentro, vivo estos días de septiembre, recuperando buenos hábitos —hoy he pasado por Gil a buscar unos encargos de palabras en versión original—, disfrutando del tiempo, del espacio, y es que está el día repleto de luz, oxigenado, vibrante. Está el día nuevo, como si no fuera de este mundo gastado. Está irreconocible, lírico. Está el día de una belleza casi violenta, que perfora las razones de la resignación. Acristalado y fugaz, como los recuerdos de las imágenes desde la carretera. Está como para quedarse en él, honrarlo, protegerlo de los peligros, muchos, que acechan en silencio, cobardes, llenos de odio. Está el día repentino, soliviantado de tanta humedad incontenida. Está el día entre azul y verde, plateado, sereno...

The Argentine

Picking up in 1965 one year after his United Nations speech, part two of Steven Soderbergh's 'Che' films rightly earns the title of epic once the entire scope and massive breadth of vision is fully absorbed. Again, it's a remarkable achievement and, while we're fine with seeing it in two parts, it's probably all the more breathtaking in one sitting if you're that fervent a cineaste.
Having mysteriously disappeared, Guevara has actually assumed a disguised identity as an older man, preparing for his clandestine voyage to Bolivia to start another revolutionary campaign.

Again, shot in a simple, straightforward documentary manner, the lens is like a voyeur silently accompanying the new guerrillas, sometimes masked by the foliage and trees of the Bolivian jungle.

The main difference cinematically is the photography. While part one is shot in the rusty red and orange hues of resplendent Cuba, the rough terrain, inclement weather and harsher conditions are portrayed in an icy cold blue - a metaphorical indication of things to come.

Music is also slightly more integral to "Guerrilla", with somber and native Spanish guitar musically occasionally accompanying a few transitional scenes. But as is Soderbergh's agenda in this biopic, most flourishes of typical biopics and dramas are kept to an austere minimum.

An uphill struggle from the get-go, "Che" could have easily been subtitled la vida dura. Che's miscalculations in Bolivia can be seen as vast, but the flaws are mainly ideological; plus a series of setbacks that lead to an ill-organized effort that should have been abandoned. But before his troops can even entertain that thought, they are outgunned, outnumbered and overwhelmed.

Perhaps one key element of their lack of fortune is the nationalistic nature of the Bolivianos; suspect of foreigners, they're mostly unwilling to accept an Argentine-Cubano to lead their revolution.

The fantastic element of the storytelling is that every piece of information is inferred. Soderbergh refuses to drop obvious speeches or monologues that explain their plights, but a series of scenes adds up to the sum of the problems.

Del Toro is once again immersively perfect, tranquil and solemn; asserting a man in command who rarely raises his voice with and passionate empathy for human kind that's all in the eyes. This inner, nuanced performance embodies so much dignity and respect.

Demián Bichir, Joaquim de Almeida and Yul Vazquez also do fantastic jobs as Fidel Castro, the Bolivian Presiden René Barrientos and Acting Minister of the armed forces, Major Juan Almeida respectively (if you can't find these names, lose the graph please)

The big-picture issue hit major, abortive-level issue early on. The Bolivian communist party refused to back an armed campaign (represented by their leader Lou Diamond Phillips), then disavow their support financially and spiritually - a major blow on multiple levels (other cameos in both films include Franke Potente, Matt Damon, Julia Ormond, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Edgar Ramirez) . Their campaign and Che's presence is meant to be a secret; the government soon becomes aware of their plans. Fissures also break deeply in the guerrillas spirit when hunger and defeats cause loss in morale and they wander through jungles dejected. The sight is heartbreaking in its subtle manner and the film moves to its inevitable conclusion. Despite all this, 'Che's second half is not a downer. Instead it's another sturdy depiction of a revolution - this time one that ends in failure.

Source:theplaylist

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I had been trying to get tickets for the September 12, 9:00 am 262 minute (plus 20 minute intermission) Toronto International Film Festival screening all week and was delighted to stumble upon a freshly released ticket online approximately 30 hours before the screening.  With the exception of a delicious eggs, bacon, pancakes and orange juice breakfast at Sammy's One & Only pre-Che, it was all downhill from the ticket purchase onwards.

The 262 minute runtime promised to me a thorough recounting of the man's life, and the casting of Benicio Del Toro gave me confidence that any eccentrities of the man would be captured.  I assumed incorrectly.  The brunt of the 240 minutes that I managed to stay awake for provided an outline of the battles and notable events of Che's life as taken from a 400 word History textbook sidebar (the Sandman caught me for a few minutes in Part II.  I am not proud that I couldn't stay awake for a movie I planned to review however I was trying to abide by the no food or drink rule.  My good friends Red Bull or Tab Energy would be necessary film companions for a movie with this pacing.  So please read this review with that in mind).  Rarely does the film (that I saw) entertain with Ernesto 'Che' Guevara's intensity or tactical brilliance, even during the film's half a dozen fight sequences.  Che's contribution to the revolution seems to be found in his popstar hero myth, attempt at ideological purity (in comparison to Fidel Castro), and his abilities as a supervisor of his small teams of brainless fellow revolutionaries, if this film is to be believed.

If the objective of this film was to confuse college kids with Che t-shirts, it was a resounding success. If all I had to base my conception of the man on was this movie, I really wouldn't know what the big deal was.  Soderbergh's Guevara lacks the passion, vitality, and (in all but one instance) the oratory flourish commensurate with the honour of being made into a t-shirt logo.

The moment that deserved and received the most enthusiastic applause was the announcement that there would be a 20 minute break in between the two parts, at the moment entitled The Argentine (Part I) and Guerrilla (Part II).  The final moments I saw of the film (I did not stick around for the credits) was made up of a black screen and appropriately somber and inappropriately heartless mood music.  I suppose the gutless musical exit is only inappropriate to the subject matter; it is perfectly in tune with the film.  As the audience took that as their cue for Freedom, the majority rose and perhaps 20% of the audience clapped.  As others who attend TIFF will confirm, almost any film that shows any sort of ambition receives thunderous applause at the end, as a courtesy and validation for $20+ spent on a single ticket if nothing else.  Che, due most likely to the taxing length and slow grind it represents to a viewer's endurance when seen in one morning (and early afternoon), received something between a smattering and a courteous applause as most rose to flee the theater and defile nearby washrooms.  At my only other TIFF experience, a screening of the horribly thoughtless and disappointing anime Steamboy, the ending was greeted with a baffling cacophony of applause.  So certainly the quality of a TIFF movie, in my opinion, can hardly be gauged by the audience's reaction.

My reaction, beyond groggy boredom, was that of disappointment.  The subject matter deserves a better film and a better approach, regardless of political leanings.  In fact, I believe the subject of Ernesto Guevara is best served focusing on the character's passion and dedication, and perhaps the telescopic vision that allowed him to overlook and play a part in acts arguably heinous to achieve heroic at least in intent.  No matter where a viewer may lean politically, if a film is to focus on the character of Che, the man can be explored as a character study in obsession and vigour.  I would just as strongly propose such an approach to a film on Milton Friedman.  Soderbergh's Che is a Che sanitized and left an empty husk:  Soderbergh's Che hardly explores character or human relationships; it inspires no passion, and provides no call to activism, or even call to condemnation.  It attains a near-neutrality on strength of banality and a lack of connection to the character, events, or ideals.  As the first five minutes of either part suggests (an introduction to Che's area of operations for each half of the film, highlighting countries, provinces, cities, and prominent regions by colouring in a map in a deliberate instructional manner while accompanied by soft music), this film is a simplified lecture on the adult life of a polarizing figure, trying to capitalize on a surfeit of invested emotion already prevalent in the subject matter as it ponderously recounts the travails of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara.

... and the cow goes moo

Steven Soderbergh's Che (aka Guerrilla): two hours eleven minutes in Cuba, 1957-1959, followed by a twenty minute intermission and then two hours eleven minutes in Bolivia, early to mid-1960s, culminating in Che's assassination. Che (Benicio Del Toro) has asthma, bad; and it gets worse. Most of the film is spent showing us how the loyal machismo friendships developed between Che, Fidel Castro, and the virtually countless men and few women in their revolutionary bands; as well as patiently explaining dozens of planned sorties, detours, backup plans, and everyday events. Every person Che meets gives his name, and the names become overwhelming, far too many to keep in sight. Many, indeed most, of these people get slaughtered by the forces of Batista in Cuba and Barrientos in Bolivia. The fighting is uniformly beleaguered, especially in the extended ravine finale where Che is captured. There are cameo parts by Matt Damon (why?), Julia Ormond (why?), Lou Diamond Phillips (why?), Franka Potente (why?) and, officially, Benjamin Bratt (who did not seem to appear in the film I saw). The revolutionary cause is patiently explained and patiently followed. The images in Part I seem documentary, both because they are intercut with a mixture of actual documentary footage and newly filmed "documentary" footage, and because the events transpire onscreen with no apparent narrative self-consciousness. In Part II, the action has the appearance of being dramatized to a greater extent. It is not evident in the film itself why these distinctions of style are made by the filmmaker.

We become attached to Che and depressed as his courageous battle against imperialist domination becomes weakened, fragments, finally dissipates in the hot mountainous sunlight.

Soderbergh shot the film himself, with great economy of style and an unerring and passionate sensitivity to the variant qualities of light and color which could be obtained on location. In the principal performance, Benicio Del Toro is affecting, hypnotic. It is a flawless performance.

The film never manages to achieve a dramatic structure, and the finale is superfluous and fake in an obvious kind of way. Let it be said that the capitalism this filmic Che wars against, so heroically and so persistently, and the capitalism out of which a film such as this springs, are never reconciled onscreen at all. We take Che's side through it all, perhaps never quite registering how this story of the people, in which individuals matter far less than the principles of the cause, makes its way to the screen only through the starring vehicle of a principal role, a "lead" character, whose image, if not his name, highlights the work itself in its presentation to the audience. The failure to dramatize--ostensibly a respectful gesture intended to draw our attention to the importance of the common cause Che celebrated--is actually, in the end, as bogus as the crassest advertisement or as the elegant food this Che is invited to devour when he visits the society ladies of New York.

Given the number of characters we meet who have nothing to say and nothing to do but die in valor and ignominy, the film could be shorter: but as it is, we are drawn to feel part of the struggle, indeed drawn to struggle through this motion picture and perhaps to consider ourselves noble for doing so. Che Guevara himself had higher motives than that.