celluloid nightmare

From a Slate review of Paul Haggis’s In the Valley of Elah:

In the Valley of Elah (Warner Bros.), written and directed by Paul Haggis, wants to be the Deer Hunter or Coming Home of the Iraq war, even if it veers at times into the tawdry territory of The General’s Daughter. Because of two superb central performances from Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron—and because Haggis’ heavy-handed message about the war happens to be true—the film is vividly painful to watch. At times, it’s a police procedural, a lurid thriller, and a passionate anti-war manifesto. Needless to say, that’s a tough combination to fit together.

I’ll say. Here’s David Poland on the film’s fate so far:

In the Valley of Elah is the sad story of the weekend, drawing fewer than 100 people per screening of the film on Friday.

Memo to Hollywood:

one, two, three, four,

we don’t want your fucking war