friday night mrs. noz and i saw gunner palace and i think we were both a little bit disappointed.
the filmmaker managed to get some really amazing bits on film--mostly scenes with soldiers in baghdad saying (or sometimes rapping) funny or insightful things. the problem was more with the way it was all put together. the scenes, while each striking on their own, were simply strung together. i realize that part of the point was to get across the chaotic situation that comes with being in a war, but after a while too much chaos causes each scene to lose its impact. later in the film, when we are told that some of the soldiers who were interviewed on screen were killed, it's hard to remember which ones they were. the attempt to connect the viewer with the humanity of individual soldiers failed. it would have worked better if they had focused on fewer people and found a way to fit the pieces together better.
i'm a big fan of documentaries. the control room is among the best films i saw last year, just as capturing the friedmans and spellbound were the year before. nothing makes you appreciate the editing required to make a good documentary than a film like "gunnar palace." they had the footage required to make something great, but somehow couldn't quite pull it off.
