June 23, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 19 ‘The Green Zone’ is tale of frustrating quest by Dennis Seuling “The Green Zone” (Universal Home Entertainment) takes place shortly after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, when the priority for the American military was locating weapons of mass destruction. Chief Warrant Officer Miller (Matt Damon) has just secured the third location supposed to contain these weapons and come up empty yet again. He is convinced the intelligence he is receiving is faulty, and his investigation leads him on an unauthorized attempt to assemble pieces of a puzzle that, by themselves, do not make sense. Director Paul Greengrass, who directed the second and third Bourne films with Damon, incorporates the quick editing, chases, and nonstop energy that characterized these movies, but never gives viewers adequate time to digest the ramifications of what Miller is encountering. Of course, the audience has the benefit of hindsight, while Miller is first wandering through a maze of inconsistencies, politics, clandestine agendas, and red herrings. Damon’s Miller is appropriately courageous, high-minded, patriotic, and intelligent, so viewers are in his corner. The script by Brian Helgeland, however, is like a burst piñata, with a shower of subplots, characters, and themes. The movie eventually settles into a competent action picture rather than a methodical look at the waste the war has caused in lives, money, and political capital. It also touches on journalistic complacency, one of the reasons many Americans initially accepted going to war with Iraq. “The Green Zone” attempts to tackle the bad politics that got us into war, but a Matt Damon profile, and feature commentary with director Greengrass and Matt Damon. The movie is also available in a single-disc DVD edition. New on Blu-ray, “Mystery Train” (The Criterion Collection), the third film directed by Jim Jarmusch, is a trilogy set in the train station waiting rooms, dingy diners, pool halls, motel rooms, and cheap liquor stores of Memphis. In “Far from Yokohama,” two Japanese tourists arrive in Memphis by train determined to find the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. In “A Ghost,” an Italian widow awaits transit arrangements for her husband’s coffin. The third installation, “Lost in Space,” features a depressed Englishman who has been dumped by his longtime girlfriend and laid off from his job. The man drowns his sorrow in drink and then goes on the run with his luckless would-be brother-in-law and a work colleague. Jarmusch often manages to make Memphis look like a ghost town, focusing not on the city’s history or its status as the music capital of the United States, but on its darker, sadder aspects, complete with characters that life seems to have passed by or at least not given a fair shake. Bluray bonuses include an original documentary on the film’s locations and rich Matt Damon stars as an army officer frustrated by his failure to locate weapons of mass destruction in ‘The Green Zone.’ social history of Memphis, a Q&A with Jarmusch, and a booklet featuring critical essays. “Collapse” (MPI) is one of the most disturbing documentaries in recent years. Michael Ruppert is a former Los Angeles police officer turned investigative journalist. He predicted the current financial crisis five years ago when he was a faint voice about the real estate and credit bubbles. The film is an 80-minute interview with Ruppert conducted in what looks like an interrogation room. Ruppert suggests we have reached a critical stage called “peak oil,” in which infinite growth has come in conflict with limited energy resources. In a monologue that sounds like the script of a disaster movie, he talks about the catastrophic collapse of civilization, citing facts and figures to strengthen his theory. There is a sense of cool about Ruppert, captured by director Chris Smith’s unflinching camera. Reactions to Ruppert will differ, but the film is certainly thought provoking and somewhat scary. Director Smith has kept his approach stark, so as not to soften Ruppert’s message. (continued on Crossword page) defeats its own purpose by putting too many ingredients in the blender. There is enough here for a couple of movies, and the issues are merely skimmed so that action can dominate the screen. The two-disc Blu-ray edition contains a digital copy of the film and several extras, including deleted scenes, the featurette entitled“Inside the Green Zone,” C • O • R •T• I • N • A R I S T O R A N T E “A HIDDEN GEM” Fine Dining For Lunch & Dinner Lunch Starts at $7.00 • Monday-Friday 11:30AM–2:30PM Dinner Starts at $12.00 • Monday-Thursday 5:00PM–9:30PM Friday & Saturday 5:00PM–10:00PM ��������� with lettuce, tomato, oil & vinegar All other hero’s are at reg. prices. 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