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Perhaps not since the times of Sun Tzu and his bookstore impulse-buy masterwork has warfare been called art. But to justify printing an article clearly not meant for the Arts and Entertainment section, I propose that it is. Besides, what human endeavor requires more grace in tactics and execution? Yes, maybe it is grotesque and macabre, but worthwhile art makes you want to puke anyways, at least according to Claire Fisher’s art teacher in Six Feet Under. Consequently this week, I bring news from the frontlines of Iraq and how rock and roll may achieve victory against pockets of armed insurgents. Jason Keyser of the AP reports that U.S. troops in Fallujah, Iraq, bogged down by militants hiding within the city, blast rock music like AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells” in an attempt to draw them out. You may snicker, but seriously that song might be the best musical weapon known to Man. The 1980 release of “Hell’s Bells” off their Back in Black album stands as AC/DC’s equivalent of the Manhattan Project. Hitherto, Western civilization’s most potent score was Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” as depicted in Apocalypse Now, but lyrics such as “I won’t take no prisoners, won’t spare no lives. Nobody’s putting up a fight,” and power chords shattered that along with every window in Fallujah. As if Iraq did not already think America was the Great Satan, we have just given them every reason to make them believe we are a nation of impish, ’80s rockers from Australia. The only way we could seem more American to them is by releasing robotic bikini models wearing high heels and Mickey Mouse hats with Gatling gun arms that shoot hamburger-bullets upon the desert country. That might force them to conclude that the end of the world is drawing near and, thus, there is no reason to continue fighting. However, guns and music do not constitute the entirety of the U.S. armament, as some believe they should. Troops also play “sound effects like babies crying, men screaming, a symphony of cats and barking dogs and piercing screeches.” Now Iraqis too know the pain and agony of attending a Styx concert! Modern warfare often takes new spins on older tried and true strategies. For instance Joshua used God’s horns against the defiant city of Jericho, and now the Americans are using Hell’s bells on the stubborn resistance at Fallujah. I can just imagine a semi full of speakers and groupies running into every battle along with the tanks and planes. But how do the soldiers make such requests, do they just call up on their radios and order music strikes on targets? If so, how do I enlist? The crack news team here at daze tried to contact someone in Psychological Operations at the Pentagon to answer some of our questions as well as discuss other tactics employed in Iraq with an authoritative source. Although calls were made back and forth, the Pentagon has not yet responded to our inquiry. I can only assume they are planning something big, perhaps a rock-opera, to be performed against the insurgents, and hence could not conduct the interview. Despite the veritable Rock-a-Thon that is the front line, the troops remain bored as they wait hour upon hour for the slightest bit of movement by the enemy. However, they realize that this lingering threat must be eliminated in order to guarantee security in the region. Ultimately, I see the old Fallujah crumbling under a crescendo of U.S. artillery shells and KISS’s devastating power slides, and a new Fallujah being built on the stable and profitable foundation of rock and roll. I think that fairly summarizes America’s dream for Iraq and the rest of the world. Proof of this article’s claims: http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/04172004/world/11198.htm Archived article by Chris KakovitchRed Letter Daze Staff Writer
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Imagine going to sleep tonight only to wake up eight months later to find the United States being governed by Fidel Castro. Such is the inverse equivalent for East German socialist Christiane Kammer (Katrin Sass). When Christiane’s husband escapes to West Germany, she replaces the void left by her spouse with patriotism for her beloved East Germany. However, Christiane falls into a coma and sleeps through the demise of communism, only to wake up eight months later in a very different East Berlin. Unfortunately, her heart is so weak that any shock could send her back into a coma or even kill her. It becomes her son Alex’s (Daniel Bruhl) responsibility to keep the old socialist ways alive for his bedridden mother. This task becomes harder and harder as signs of capitalism start springing up outside their window. What ensues is a warm-hearted comedy regarding the changes associated with the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. Much of the success of Good Bye Lenin! is due to the vision of its director and co-writer, Wolfgang Becker. Becker, a German, has restricted himself to European films and television. In fact, it is hard to find a Becker production not from his homeland. Becker exhibits great skill in the cinematic elements of this film. Becker often plays visual tricks on the viewer by slightly slowing down or speeding up the film for only a moment, thus showing the contrast between the rapid changes and the resistance to them that occurred during the fall of East Germany. However, the real evidence of Becker’s talent is his screenplay, written along with fellow German, Bernd Leichtenburg. The original screenplay, which comes across as a modern version of Rip Van Winkle, is not only smart, but sustains a comfortable balance between comedy and drama. Bruhl shows considerable talent in his role as Alex. At some points, Alex’s character can be hard to like. This is especially true when his white lies to his mother start to grow larger in scope and start to hurt more than help. Still, Bruhl manages to make the character of Alex and his situation believable to the audience along with creating great laughs. Another acting talent not to be overlooked is Sass. It’s always hard to fill a role that is sympathetic to the authoritarian East German regime. Fortunately, Sass does not let the role of Christiane turn into some brainwashed Stalinist supporter, but rather as a person who is trying to improve life for those around her, even if it is in a very close -minded environment. The only flaw with Good Bye, Lenin! is its length. Eventually, the joke that runs throughout the movie becomes as bland and overused as Alex’s lies. Still, this film is a great testament to the human experience as related to the fall of communism. Often, the only films exploring the Cold War are documentaries or James Bond flicks. It is seldom that a movie comes out that is able to explore the effect that the Cold War had not on regimes, but on regular people.Archived article by Mark RiceRed Letter Daze Staff Writer