The two principle auters at work in this film are Steven Spielberg, who wrote the script, and Tobe Hooper, who served as director. You could almost view the film as a battle between their two styles and sets of values. Tobe Hooper’s crafty, paranoid, sinister camera work and pacing give the movie its most striking moments. However, Spielberg’s voice is strong here too, and the movie is heavy in suburban slapstick, “the inseperable bond of familes,” the perfectly conclusive denoument, and so forth. Neither one really wins, and it feels difficult to really be chilled by the film what with Stevie S. spraying cheese everywhere, but there are indeed a couple of genuinely spooky moments here.

One interesting thing is the theme of invasiveness that goes on through the whole movie, particularly at the beginning, what with the workers being around, whistling at the teenage girl, drinking the wife’s coffee, etc. Something to pay attention to, maybe.

It is a stunning example of the stupidity of humans that this movie has recieved so much acclaim, been nominated for a million Oscars, etc. I was surprised to see this type of movie from Scorcese, who has made some clunkers, but never any as meat-headed as this one.

So what is wrong with it? You could talk about the completely cartoonish dialogue and character development, DiCaprio’s stilted acting, the goofball narrative. You could talk about the film’s embrace of the most inane historical-action-epic’s most trist cliches. You could even talk about the humorously bad chemistry between Cameron Diaz and DiCaprio. Most damning, however, is the film’s continued reliance throughout its 25 hours or so on the gimmick of its setting. The period is certainly an interesting setting, and the thrill of seeing a familiar place like New York City from a different view certainly is a kick, but the movie relies on this trick again and again and again and again. It’s almost like Scorcese is sitting next to you, prodding you with his elbow going, “Get it? Get it? It’s New York IN THE PAST! How about that, eh? Eh? Eh?”

Don’t waste your time.

There’s quite a bit of interesting stuff in this movie, particularly in terms of seeing the opporations of Al-Jazeera in action, understanding where they fit with regards to the culture(s) of the region, and so forth.

What I found most profoundly striking, however, was the depiction of the ugliest sides of war and the way it takes a toll on everyone. As the war goes on and the situation gets more and more complex, you can see both the Al-Jazeera crews and the American military media operations officer starting to crack up. It is also impossible not to be stricken by the attitudes of the American leaders, who seem to occupy a ground that exists purely in the imagination, and are criminally detached from the material side of the war they are fighting.