GOOD NIGHT & GOOD LUCK

This is a story about a story. Nothing else. I'm not saying that as a bad thing, I'm saying that as what this film was.

There was very little character development, but that made sense in the context of the story. I believe that Clooney wanted to focus on the story, rather than make an emotional Hollywood film out of it. In the hands of many, that would be a dangerous undertaking, but Clooney pulled it off.

I'm glad to observe, imo, that Clooney has surpassed the sophomore jinx. Although "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" was very raw, as many first directing projects are, this one was much more polished, yet clearly defined Cloony's style. That style, to me, seems somewhat subversive, in and of itself. It's as if he chooses the viewer to be more of a voyeur than participant. I think he wants his viewers to feel just a little bit uncomfortable.

"Good Night and Good Luck," in fact, was shot so close, that the viewer almost wants to back his/her head away to get a better picture. I would estimate that probably 2/3rds of the picture was shot in extreme close-up -- or at least it felt that way -- and the rest in long shots. Very little middle ground. Appropriate for the subject matter, I would say.

The choice of black and white was a good one, especially with inter-cutting so much McCarthy footage, which really gave it a uniquely realistic feel, along with the high contrast lighting. But here's a bit of trivia that I was intrigued with, from Internet Movie Database: "The film was shot on color film on a grayscale set, then color-corrected in post."

The acting was suburb, and with the exception of a rather extraneous, yet not annoying sub-plot, was written quite well. It will not, however, I predict, win an Oscar for Best Picture. It certainly is good enough to be nominated, but I think it is far too intellectual, and far too much of a film that forces the viewer to concentrate and think. For an industry that nominated "Sideways" over "Hotel Rwanda," I'm guessing that's a bit too much.

For the rest of us, however, it's a highly entertaining and informative film. Not so much about McCarthyism as it is about journalism, and very much about our state of the world today. It's a story about a story. If you want high drama and character development, look elsewhere. If you want to see a well done, intelligent story, I highly recommend it.

Caat