2008 Woodie Awards
Actor proves himself behind the scenes
By Seth Pardick
Rocket Staff Writer
Issue date: 2/10/06 Section: Entertainment
Sometime back in the late 1990s, when George Clooney decided to make the leap from television to films, fans and critics alike had their doubts. Just a few years earlier they had watched David Caruso leave "NYPD Blue" after just one season, only to see his career on the silver screen fizzle out before it ever really got started. Despite some rough patches in the beginning (and yes, "Batman and Robin" was a rough patch), Clooney made the transition very well. Films like "O Brother, Where Art Thou" and "The Perfect Storm" established Clooney as both a box-office draw and an accomplished actor. He raised eyebrows a few years later with his directorial debut, 2002's "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," a film that quickly proved he was as reliable behind the camera as he was in front of it.
Although Clooney demonstrated that he was capable of good, at times even great, work ("Three Kings" comes to mind), he seemed to take his work to a higher level in 2005. Clooney's second directorial endeavor "Good Night, and Good Luck," and "Syriana," directed by Stephen Gaghan (with Clooney producing the film) have both been nominated for a variety of Academy Awards, as has Clooney himself. Why, you ask, should these films be reviewed now? Well, "Syriana" is still playing in some theaters, while "Good Night and Good Luck" is back in theaters thanks to the buzz created by the Oscar nominations. If you haven't done so already, do yourself a favor and see both of them.
"Good Night, and Good Luck" chronicles the early 1950s dispute between Edward Murrow and United States Senator Joseph McCarthy. The film stars David Strathairn (in an astonishingly understated performance) as Murrow, a television journalist tired of McCarthy's bullying techniques and outrageous accusations. The film makes it evident that it took an incredible amount of courage for Murrow and his colleagues (including Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, and Clooney as Fred Friendly) to challenge McCarthy at a time in U.S. history when disputing anything said on Capitol Hill was viewed as something akin to treason.
Although Clooney demonstrated that he was capable of good, at times even great, work ("Three Kings" comes to mind), he seemed to take his work to a higher level in 2005. Clooney's second directorial endeavor "Good Night, and Good Luck," and "Syriana," directed by Stephen Gaghan (with Clooney producing the film) have both been nominated for a variety of Academy Awards, as has Clooney himself. Why, you ask, should these films be reviewed now? Well, "Syriana" is still playing in some theaters, while "Good Night and Good Luck" is back in theaters thanks to the buzz created by the Oscar nominations. If you haven't done so already, do yourself a favor and see both of them.
"Good Night, and Good Luck" chronicles the early 1950s dispute between Edward Murrow and United States Senator Joseph McCarthy. The film stars David Strathairn (in an astonishingly understated performance) as Murrow, a television journalist tired of McCarthy's bullying techniques and outrageous accusations. The film makes it evident that it took an incredible amount of courage for Murrow and his colleagues (including Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, and Clooney as Fred Friendly) to challenge McCarthy at a time in U.S. history when disputing anything said on Capitol Hill was viewed as something akin to treason.
