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Pitzer Film of Kennedy Autopsy (1963)
This could be big...
But don't expect to see it anytime soon.
Lt. Cmdr. William Pitzer was head of the audio-visual department at Bethesda Naval Hospital, where President Kennedy's autopsy was performed. Supposedly he shot this 16-mm film during the proceedings. The film apparently showed that Kennedy had suffered gunshot wounds from the front.
Of course, this film has disappeared. So did Pitzer, in fact.
Three years later Pitzer was found shot in his office. The death was ruled a suicide, but there have been some questions about this: apparently, Dan Marvin, a former Green Beret, has publicly stated that he was offered money to kill Pitzer. Regardless, he died, and the film was lost.
Just another missing piece of the puzzle.
American Beauty (1999)
So close.
When Sam Mendes' camera is focused on Kevin Spacey's Lester Burnham, who has to be one of the most interesting characters in recent cinematic memory, "American Beauty" is a pretty terrific, engrossing film. Unfortunately, there's more to "American Beauty" than just Lester. The man seems to disappear for (very long) stretches of time, leaving us to the devices of Annette Bening's shrill, one-dimensional character, or, even worse, Thora Birch's unbelievably obnoxious Jane. The subplot concerning her and the creepy next-door kid is totally out of place and takes up waaaaaaay too much screen time. Somewhere hidden under the "Dawson's Creek" outtakes and lame New Age philosophy, there is an interesting character study going on, but we'll have to settle for just glimpses of it.
Election (1999)
Don't be fooled
I'm sure that you've heard "Election" being endlessly touted as "wicked," "edgy," "brutal," "dark," blah blah blah. These are all just meaningless buzzwords unless a movie has genuine feelings behind it, and "Election," despite all appearances, is really a soulless, uninvolving product. The direction by Alexander Payne is certainly very clever, and Witherspoon and Broderick are effective in their two-dimensional roles, but don't be fooled: "Election" is just another self-consciously "dark" comedy with unlikable, cardboard cutouts instead of real characters, content merely to wallow in its own cynicism.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Not what you think
Everything you've heard about the first thirty minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" is true: it is indeed genuinely disturbing, realistic and unglamorous footage of war. But after that, you're in John Wayne country, kids! All the standard cliche war movie elements are giddily present and accounted for, right down to the apelike Nazi soldiers and the "we gotta take out that bridge" scenario! "SPR" is indeed a good war movie, but you're not going to come out of it thinking to yourself "Now I understand the terrible price that we as a free nation must pay for peace." You'll be thinking "Man, that scene with the tank blowing up totally ruled!"