Movie Review: Dreamgirls & Good Night, and Good Luck

Dreamgirls: Torgo approves

I don't like musicals. I've seen a lot and there are maybe 3 or 4 I don't mind so much. I probably wouldn't watch "Dreamgirls" again, but I enjoyed it, despite characters randomly breaking out into song at seemingly inappropriate moments. Fortunately, most of the songs have their place as the movie is about musicians. (As opposed to, say, Les Miserables, where the people who sing and the times they sing seems entirely counter intuitive.)

In fact, "Dreamgirls" is a lot like the recent Ray Charles and Johnny Cash biopics. It moves quickly through history (though here it's fictional), covering the "Behind the Music" moments. At times, I wanted it to move more slowly and take some time developing scenes. That's a negative.

Yet the acting and singing are good. Jennifer Hudson over-emotes, in my opinion, but that fits the character. Beyonce is good. Eddie Murphy is just Eddie Murphy for most of the movie, save one scene where he looks absolutely decimated and old -- I'd give him an award for that one scene.

Good Night, and Good Luck: Torgo approves

There's also singing in "Good Night, and Good Luck," but it's all by some random jazz singer who was apparently locked in a studio at CBS and forced to sing for months on end. They just cut to her every once in a while.

That's ok, it's a very good movie. David Strathairn is terrific. I can't help seeing him as Whistler in "Sneakers," b/c I've watched that movie countless times.

And George Clooney has a hard time getting over his incredibly massive ego. I mean, really, if you look up 'arrogant' in the dictionary, it will say "George Clooney before he won an Oscar." I don't dislike him, it's just grating at times.

Patricia Clarkson (who was in the awesome "Station Agent" and the less awesome but terrifying "Jumanji" as well as the ok "Untouchables" -- I had to look it up b/c she's so familiar yet seems to keep a low profile) and Robert Downey Jr. provide good comic relief as the secretly married couple.

Jeff Daniels and Frank Langella are pretty much always good in everything.

Beyond the acting, I have to give Clooney credit for directing. There were many good decisions made in making this film. Using actual McCarthy footage, instead of an actor, gives the film weight and lets McCarthy hang himself again. The story is also nicely balanced. There are subplots and minor characters, all with seemingly appropriate screen time.

The camera also hangs on Murrow after each broadcast, every time, but each time it gives something new and revealing. It doesn't feel flashy (like Spielberg saying "look how awesome I am") but a little like Scorcese, where the film-making tricks are there but you can miss them; they're subtle. (Not to say Clooney is as good as Scorcese, but he's thankfully less violent.)

I did feel like taking a shower after all the smoking in this movie. I mean, it was like Laura Bush when she's not on camera with all the smoke and haze. But oh well, I didn't have to work on the set, just watch it on dvd.