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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2008)
Watching the War Documentaries make the case By Molly Templeton T hree of this year’s fi ve Oscar-nominated documentaries were about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (The other two were about the American health care system and Ugandan refugee children. Cheery stuff all ’round). Last year, two of the docs ventured into Iraq — will next year’s nominees cover just the one topic? Over the course of 2007, plenty of fi ction fi lms also came out that focused on the Middle East, though they were generally less well received; it seems people are more interested in actual happenings than interpretations, at least at the moment. But it’ll be interesting to see how Boys Don’t Cry director Kimberly Peirce’s Stop- Loss fares when it’s released. Until then, this quartet of fi lms might give anyone plenty to think about. August 20 Columbia Meadows tickets on sale Saturday at 10am IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS: An Oscar-nominated fi lm from 2006, Fragments depicts the lives of ordinary Iraqis. In three parts, the fi lm focuses on an 11-year- old auto mechanic, looks at the specifi cs of local politics and the Moqtada Sadr movement, and explores the lives of Iraqi Kurds seeking independence. In the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan wrote that “this one demands to be seen.” NO END IN SIGHT: First-time fi lmmaker Charles Ferguson creates a searing timeline of the mistakes made on the ground in Iraq and in the Bush administration in Washington. Ferguson lays out his evidence, piece by piece, until the resulting indictment is utterly impossible to ignore. Critics said the movie didn’t show them anything new, but it’s not a fi lm in search of something new; it’s a fi lm to remind us just how and why things went wrong. MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY: Like Iraq in Fragments, My Country, My Country is concerned with the lives of “ordinary” Iraqis and their lives under U.S. occupation. Director Laura Poitras focuses on Dr. Riyadh, who is a critic of the occupation and a passionate supporter of democracy for his country. 35 miles Northwest of Portland on Hwy 30 to Columbia Meadows Tickets at all OPERATION HOMECOMING: WRITING THE WARTIME EXPERIENCE: Richard E. Robbins’ fi lm is connected to a book of the same title, a collection put together by the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA’s “Operation Homecoming” initiative collects the writings of soldiers in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars — and that of their families. Actors including Aaron Eckhart and Robert Duvall read the soldiers’ writings, while writers and former soldiers such as Tobias Wolff speak about their experiences in earlier wars. outlets including select Fred Meyers and all Joes stores, charge by phone at 503.224.4400, or online at ticketmaster.com TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE: The fi lm that won this year’s Best Documentary Feature Oscar explores abuse in connection with the detainment and interrogation of political prisoners. A New York Times reporter’s investigation of the death of an Afghan taxi driver — a death the military claims was from natural causes — is at the fi lm’s heart. “Alex Gibney’s Taxi to the Dark Side is the documentary that many of us have prayed for, the one that could break through even to people who relish the torture set pieces on 24 and will hear no evil about the War on Terror,” wrote New York magazine’s David Edelstein. All these fi lms are available on DVD except Taxi to the Dark Side, which should come to the Bijou soon. ADVERTISERS SPEAK Sound Marketing Not Gambling “A s a new business I worry about the success of my advertising. It can seem hard to identify the results when spend- ing money with diff erent magazines and newspapers. I will say that I was quite surprised with the phone calls and drop ins I got. Folks specifi cally stating they saw our ad in EW. Now I know fi rst hand about the impact EW can have on my business. I know EW did their job in getting people through my door. ” "%.$ -/1, 9Ê9 Ó{ -Tuan Bui, Owner Th e Astoria Bar and Poker Room No matter what size your business is today, call us for an adverising plan to get you where you want to be tomorrow. K`Zb\kjXmX`cXYc\XkXccflkc\kj`eZcl[`e^k_\ K`Zb\kjXmX`cXYc\XkXccflkc\kj`eZcl[`e^k_\ K`Zb\kD`ccXkk_\J_fgjXkk_\Fc[D`cc;`jki`Zk#Z_Xi^\Ypg_fe\Xk K`Zb\kD`ccXkk_\J_fgjXkk_\Fc[D`cc;`jki`Zk#Z_Xi^\Ypg_fe\Xk ,'*%))+%++''#fifec`e\XkK`Zb\kdXjk\i%Zfd% ,'*%))+%++''#fifec`e\XkK`Zb\kdXjk\i%Zfd% NNN%9<E;:FE:<IKJ%:FD 18 MARCH 13, 2008 EUGENE WEEKLY NNN%9@>C8M8:FE:<IKJ%:FD Call 484-0519 or visit us at www.eugeneweekly.com WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
