SEEING
ZERO DARK THIRTY
This is an important film to see, not only because it is superbly directed-(Kathryn Bigelow should have been nomimated for an Oscar) nor because Jessica Chastain turns in a stunning and riveting performance as the CIA tracker Maya, but also because it is important history.
It provokes, in fact it confronts you, in your face, on a couple of aspects of real life that are too easy for too many to put out of mind.
The war against terror requires warriors. We ask countrymen and women to step into the breech and do the awful work to keep us safe and then hamstring them with policy, bureaucracy, politics and the intrusion of career minded weasels. This film tells that story. It also tells in vivid detail the horrible and dangerous work that we ask our public employees to do. And the toll it can extract.
It captures, for public history, the search for Osama Bin Laden and the resolution of that quest.
Some have knocked the film, accusing Bigelow and writer Mark Boal of being apologists for torture. That is simply not true. This is a fictionalized account but it tells with, in my opinion, an honest appraisal of the human toll that is taken and the demands that are made on those in our employ.
I remember sitting in a secure room in the dome of the US Capitol as the ranking member of the House Intelligence Oversight Committee said that some of the things we must do to protect our liberties don't always look so good in the light of day, but they are necessary to give the President and our security apparatus, options.
Zero Dark Thirty is a film that provides an opportunity to remember a real search and to ponder that dilemma. I think it is important to see this masterful, though gritty and at times heartbreaking and painful work. It is also a tribute to those Americans who do the hard work of intelligence, counter terrorism and security.
MASTERFUL ADVENTURE
OF ANOTHER SORT
Some of you may feel a tinge of envy in viewing this
trailer. Talk about a great adventure.
A GREAT BLUE HERON GOES TO SCHOOL
Have a great weekend.
See you down the trail.
