From watching the trailer for "Civil War," the newest A24 release directed by Alex Garland of "Ex Machina" and "28 Days Later" fame, I knew the movie was about a group of journalists traveling across the country during a contemporary civil war in the U.S.; I knew that something bad was probably going to happen to President Nick Offerman; and I knew, as a journalist myself, that I could probably squeeze a blog post out of watching it. I went into "Civil War" expecting to be treated to an hour and 49 minutes of doomer porn—schlocky, overwrought visuals of important American buildings and important American institutions being destroyed, with the occasional intrusion by some semblance of a quest plot and a cast doing their best with the material at hand. (This is, to be clear, something I probably would have enjoyed. I saw "2012" twice in theaters.)
But, perhaps thanks to my low-ish expectations, I was moderately impressed. Like, three and a half stars. Not so much with the way the movie portrayed a potential civil war in the U.S.—sorry to go all "Cinema Sins," but I have to ask anyone who watches "Civil War" to look out for the perfect multicolored pastel dye job on a rebel combatant who appears towards the latter half of the movie. How is he maintaining that during war?
Also, despite what the movie's poster featuring the Statue of Liberty seemed to imply, this movie is not about New York City. Like, at all. They're there for 10 minutes max—but we do get a nice shot of Manhattan commuters traveling on what else but bicycles! Not a car in sight! You Hell Gate readers like that kind of stuff, right?
What I did find to be surprisingly resonant was the way that the movie portrayed journalism and the people who do it. I often find that movie and TV portrayals of journalism exaggerate the nobility of the profession for dramatic effect, making a pure-hearted hero out of the dogged, justice-driven reporter who will do anything to Expose the Truth. Of course, that's what movies and TV do for every job—but it tends to be a little too rich for my taste.
I expected "Civil War" to be this kind of movie, but it actually did a decent job grappling with the ethics of documenting other peoples' suffering—and portraying the effect, both protective and corrosive, that the layer of professional remove has on a reporter. We watch the main characters—especially award-winning photojournalist Kirsten Dunst, whose name in the movie I forget, and Wagner Moura, a writer and adrenaline junkie dying to interview the president—get excited by the violence and the conflict that they're seeing, but we also watch it eat away at them, as they do things like take sad baths or pop prescription pills to cope.
Obviously, that's still a bit heavy-handed, but there's something there.
I've never been anything close to a combat journalist, but I have, during the course of my work, spoken to people in desperate, hopeless situations in order to produce a deliverable for my job that could, possibly, fingers crossed, make the subject's life a little better through the power of things like "accountability" and "witness." Then I've hung up the phone, or turned my voice recorder off, or clicked my laptop shut, and gone back to my safe and pleasant life with someone else's pain rattling around in my head for a little while, until I eventually finished my article and moved on. I think someone behind "Civil War" understands how mercenary this transaction sometimes feels.
On a lighter note, I also think "Civil War" knows exactly what kind of characters you'll find in a newsroom: an old guy, an extremely competent woman who is mean, an annoying 23-year-old, and a man who offers you prescription pills, all of whom run directly toward danger and action at various junctures. They also all smoke weed. That's media, baby!
—Katie Way
Some links that might possibly resonate:
- Don't worry your pretty little head about where the money donated to Eric Adams's legal defense fund is coming from—Bo Dietl's private detective firm has got it covered.
- Per the Columbia Spectator: "A Jewish student who formerly served in the Israeli military filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Columbia claiming it went through 'biased misconduct proceedings' for his actions at a Jan. 19 protest, at which students allege they were sprayed with a foul-smelling chemical. The lawsuit claims that the plaintiff, named as 'John Doe,' sprayed 'gag gifts' of fart sprays called 'Liquid Ass' and 'Wet Farts.' The plaintiff brought the spray with him to the rally and sprayed it in the air, 'not directly at any individual,' according to the suit." Meanwhile, Columbia's president is set to testify in a (closed) congressional hearing about antisemitism on campus.
- The Adams administration is reportedly pushing New York City's top lawyer Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix out in favor of a Rudy Giuliani administration alum.
- "Migrants still await NYC shelter beds a week after a backlog should have been cleared"
- Workers at Mobilization for Justice, a legal assistance nonprofit that helps New Yorkers facing eviction, are about to hit month two of a strike for higher pay and more public funding from the City.
- The City Council can pry my nonessential helicopter travel from my cold, dead hands.
- Just when I started to believe in true love again: "Sen. Bob Menendez may blame alleged crimes on wife if he testifies: Court documents."
- Man who ran a marathon bravely talks about getting prevented from running another marathon.
- A City Limits analysis estimates a portfolio exemption in the state housing plan could exclude hundreds of thousands of New York City apartments from new tenant protections.
- C'mon Trump, grow up and pop a Vyvanse so you can stay awake during boring stuff like the rest of us!
- Of course his germaphobe ass made his security team remove a bodega cat before his fear-mongering pitstop.
