Inside Deepthroat

Inside Deep Throat examines the social, political, and personal ramifications of the iconic pornographic film Deep Throat. The film is humorous, fast paced, and very entertaining. It contains interviews with a variety of colorful characters including several former industry insiders who now look like your best friend's crazy great aunt and uncle. There is nothing quite like learning about the sexual revolution from a group of septuagenarians. Also included are commentary by figures such as Hugh Hefner, Erica Jong, and John Waters, archival footage from the era, and of course scenes of the "talent" which made the film famous. All this, set to a background soundtrack of 70s funk and disco music.

The film places Deep Throat (perhaps with a bit of exaggeration) at the the heart of a cultural war which involved diverse groups such as the Nixon administration, Christian conservatives, feminists, freedom of speech advocates, the porn industry, and even the mob. Many of those involved in the making of the film saw Deep Throat as a crux in the history of pornography, a moment when porn was on the verge of crossing over into the mainstream. They look back upon their participation sentimentally, almost mourning the eventual failure of this movement and the backwards progress made regarding censorship and the hyper commercialization of the porn industry. This aspect represents a contradiction in the film. Whereas in the beginning the filmmakers interviewed seemed to regard Deep Throat as an utterly ridiculous and poorly made film, by the end they talk about their work as if it were art of the highest form.

Inside Deep Throat also takes a look at the darker side of the making of this film, albeit a brief one. Ties with the mob and the eventual turnaround of star Linda Lovelace are addressed but not delved into. It is likely the filmmakers did not want to break with the humor and light attitude of film for too long; a decision which upped the entertainment factor but somewhat compromised the film's role as a documentary.

Stylistically, this film reminded me of Who Killed the Electric Car? and This Film is not Yet Rated. Both of these films share Inside Deep Throat's fast based upbeat style, humor, and catchy soundtrack and all three were extremely entertaining. I do have to say, however, that the most entertaining aspect of the film had nothing to do with its style. For me what was funniest was the reaction of the male audience to poor Andrea "More More More" True. How do you like that?

Soldiers of Conscience

Directed by Gary Weimberg and Catherine Ryan, this documentary investigates the issue of killing in war. The film follows several American soldiers who served in Iraq and then made the decision to become Conscientious Objectors. It also has interviews with members of the Army who defend the necessity of killing in war. The main soldiers who are profiled are two who decided to apply for CO status in Iraq, one who applies while on duty at home, and a fourth who went AWOL because he felt the war was unjust. Several of these soldiers faced prosecution and jail time because of their choices. A fifth soldier, who teaches at Westpoint, tries to provide other soldiers with a philosophical basis to justify the need to kill in war. All of the men who are profiled defend their positions articulately and clearly. The film was fairly balanced; no one came out as the villain during this documentary.

Soldiers of Conscience contains some graphic images of death, destruction, and the mistreatment of Iraqi men and women at the hands of American soldiers. These type of images are never seen in the mainstream media, and although sensational, I do not believe the filmmakers used these images for shock value. The point that many of the soldiers try to make, is that if we are going to ask our troops to kill for us, we should know exactly what kind of sacrifices we are asking them to make. The price of this war is a lot higher than most people dare to imagine.

This documentary gives Americans a much needed look at what is involved in war. There is always a lot of discussion about the physical sacrifices that American troops make for our country, but there is rarely talk about the moral sacrifices. These men were asked to take actions that were so far outside the realm of decency in the "real world" it is astonishing. There is clearly something fundamentally wrong with the way we condition our soldiers to kill like machines. It is dangerous to chip away at a person's humanity and then send them out with a gun and very few rules of conduct. What is worse is that when soldiers object to the brutality they are asked to commit, they are ridiculed, scrutinized, and often punished. Many serve jail time for refusing to kill a fellow human. Jail should be reserved for dangers to society, but I have to say, I fail to see the danger in these men.

Run Lola Run

Run Lola Run is an unconventional film with a conventional plot basis: a woman desperate to save the man she loves. Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 marks to replace the money her boyfriend Manni must deliver to a gangster but lost on a subway. If she does not make it in time, Manni will rob a store to get the money. The camera follows Lola, a gorgeous woman with hair dyed fire red, as she runs desperately through the streets, each small choice she makes along the way affecting the final outcome in critical ways.

When she runs, the world around her seems to be somewhat artificial, almost as if she were inside a video game. As she passes by and interacts with people on the street, the viewer gets a speedy photographic rundown of each person's future, based on this encounter with Lola. The scenes of her running by far make up the bulk of the film, which is interesting, because these are precisely the scenes that would be cut down to mere seconds in any other action film. It is through these scenes, however, that the viewer can understand the passion, desperation, and devotion to Manni that allows Lola to bend the rules of reality and recreate her fate over and again.

The almost seamless transition between the scenes is a testament to the artistic skill of the writer/director, Tom Tykwer. The dynamic and artificial quality of the action shots are juxtaposed against intimate flashback scenes of Lola and Manni in bed. The emotive quality of these scenes is very different from the action shots, but their inclusion in no way interferes with the viewer's absorption into the story. These scenes are the driving force behind Lola's ability to change time and are crucial to the narrative. They could have easily become saccharine sweet under a lesser writer, but instead the exchanges between Lola and Manni are witty and humorous.

At its core, Run Lola Run is a story about the power of love. The viewer cannot help but to root for this quirky, unlikely heroine and her tragically unfortunate boyfriend. In the end, both take fate into their own hands rather than relying on others, and come out victorious. After the tension and the speed of the entire film, the final scene is so calm and reassuring it is almost alarming. There is almost an expectation that something must go wrong. This is not the case however, because not only have Lola and Manni managed to thwart any immediate dangers, they have come out on top. Tykwer is truly a romantic.