The Good German or The Good Shepard??

[Mr. Gray]

The Good German



Plot: Jacob ('Jake') Geismar, an American war correspondent -- played by George Clooney -- returns to Berlin during the Potsdam negotiations between the Allied powers near the close of World War II. Jacob witnesses his murdered driver, (a black-marketeering American soldier, played by Tobey Maguire) , being fished from a river eddy, suspiciously adjacent to the Potsdam conference grounds. The corpse is discovered to be in possession of 100,000 German reichsmarks -- which are later revealed to have been printed by the U.S occupying forces.

Geismar becomes entwined both in the mystery of his murdered driver, and with the clandestine search by both German and American forces for the missing German Emil Brandt (the title character, played by Christian Oliver). Jake becomes more involved in both mysteries as his investigation intersects his search for Lena Brandt (played by Cate Blanchett), a German jew -- and Emil's wife -- with whom Jacob had been in a relationship prior to the war. Lena has survived the Holocaust by doing "what she had to" to stay alive -- early in the film this is assumed to be mere prostitution, but Lena holds a darker secret of complicity and guilt.

Official Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thegoodgerman/


The Good Shepard



Plot: The value of secrecy -- commitment to honor and discretion -- has been embedded in Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) since childhood. As a dedicated, optimistic student at Yale University, he is recruited to join the Order of Skull and Bones, a secret society designed to breed the world leaders of tomorrow. Wilson's acute intelligence, immaculate reputation, and sincere belief in American values render him a prime candidate for a career in intelligence. During the Second World War, Bill Sullivan (Robert De Niro) recruits him to the new Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency. As one of the Office's covert founders, duplicity is required of Wilson as he navigates a world where nothing can be accepted at face value.

Over his thirty-year career, Wilson's methods are adopted as standard operating procedure and he becomes a respected veteran in his field, but his idealism is eroded by a growing suspicious nature, reflective of a world settling into the long paranoia of the Cold War, and an escalating conflict with his volatile Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (KGB) counterpart. In the end, he sacrifices everything in the name of serving the country he loves, including his devoted wife Clover (Angelina Jolie), his children, and himself.

The Official Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/univer...egoodshepherd/

which looks more interesting?

[ElderPredator]

"The Good Shepherd" for sure. It looks very intriguing and I love the cast and directing style of Robert De Niro. I'm very excited to see it.

Steven Soderbergh has been falling off the ladder with his movies over the past few years so I'll be renting this when it comes out on DVD.

[bob]

Both, but The Good Shepherd definitely looks more promising at this point.

But I'll see both in theatres if I can.

[dman476]

The Good Shepherd, because the Good German was shit.

[Shockwave]

Im happy to say they both look good, but id go see German first.

[Rated R]

I was eagerly anticipating both films until I saw their trailers. Now I am excited for The Good Shepherd, but I may just wait until DVD for Soderbergh's Good German. It sounds like it would be good, but it looks like the dialogue was written by a three year old...ugh

[ilovemovies]

Good German has a better trailer, but I'm still anticipating Good Shepherd more although they both look great.

[Backstabba]

The Good German has such a freakin' cool trailer, it looks so interesting and I'm anticipating it so badly.

The Good Shepard has an amazing cast (I hear Patrick Wilson is in it, but I think he...isn't) and I'm interested to see how De Niro handles them..

If I had to pick one, it'd be The Good Shepard, though it's a very hard choice for me, since I think both look amazing.

[Danger^Cart]

I've heard nothing but bad things about The Good German so far, which is dissapointing, so I'd much rather check out Shepherd at this point. It looks pretty solid.

[therealjohng]

The Good Shepard does not look interesting in any way. So I'm going with The Good German.

[DareDevil]

Originally posted by ElderPredator
"The Good Shepherd" for sure. It looks very intriguing and I love the cast and directing style of Robert De Niro. I'm very excited to see it.

Steven Soderbergh has been falling off the ladder with his movies over the past few years so I'll be renting this when it comes out on DVD.

What he said, plus I love A Bronx Tale so i can't wait for Robert De Niros follow up.

[Lazy Boy]

I like Soderbergh, I like Cate Blanchett, the B/W cinematography looks gorgeous...

...yet the buzz surrounding The Good German seems to be shifting more and more negative each day.

I wasn't that excited about The Good Shepard, but it may turn out to be the better film when the dust settles.

[notchreturns]

Shepard, obviously.

[Southpaw]

I originally thought from the trailers that The Good German looked like it was going to be the more exciting movie. I originally thought it would maybe be the no. 5 best picture nominee but after I realized it looks heavily influenced by Casablanca. ( it now reminds me of one big tribute film to Casablanca) I like homages in films but when a lot of it reminds you of that film, it just seems kind of cheap. Especially since this has talks of being an awards-type film. It's starting to get some bad buzz which has definitely lowered my interest in seeing this film. The Good Shepard on the other hand looks like it good be alright. The trailer doesn't have me pumped and I'm not really buying Damon and Jolie's chemisty so far ( though it could change, its just a trailer.) She just isnt convincing me as coming off as a lonely, frustrated wife.
But I will probably go see both of them in theaters since i'll have more time to see movies over break. Overall, I'll be looking forward to The Good Shepard more.

[TylerDurden182]

The Good Shepherd

[shawn-o]

actually, i REALLY wanna see both...ill see them in order they come out

[max]

THE GOOD SHEPHERD. George Clooney in black and white reminds me of GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. Man, that movie bored the fuck out of me.

[hollywoodgods]

The Good Shepherd.

I'll check out The Good German on dvd.

[MadsenOMC]

Good might be the wrong word to use for both of them. Mediocre might have been more appropriate. Both currently sit at under 50% at rottentomatoes right now. I'm surprised.

[max]

Good might be the wrong word to use for both of them. Mediocre might have been more appropriate. Both currently sit at under 50% at rottentomatoes right now. I'm surprised.

It's still early. Anyway, RT shows 3 fresh and 4 rotten for THE GOOD SHEPHERD. But, actually, there are only 6 reviews, 3 of each. The 3 positive reviews are from the cream of the crop - Time, Newsweek and Hollywood Reporter. Only one of the 3 negative reviews is from a major critic - Todd McCarthy of Variety. I think most of the big guns are going to be behind it. Two positive reviews that haven't shown up yet on RT are from the New York Post and New Yorker. Kyle Smith from the New York Post called it a masterpiece and it's #3 on his top ten list. And David Denby from the New Yorker Magazine included it in his "most memorable films of 2006" list. I can provide the link to these reviews if you want it.

[Scorpio24]

Originally posted by max
THE GOOD SHEPHERD. George Clooney in black and white reminds me of GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. Man, that movie bored the fuck out of me.

Really?

That film bored you? I really loved that flm. I was gutted when it finished.

[jumpy7777]

I'm torn between the two. I am a big fan of Soderbergh, but the De Niro looks like he might have a winner on his hands...

[Southpaw]

You were gutted? Thats a bit extreme don't ya think? I mean the movie wasn't horrible but I definitely have to side with ole max. It was pretty boring and that's saying something considering the fact it was about the length of a Disney cartoon. Personally, it didn't even feel like a real movie and the cuts to the jazz scenes just felt like time filler. I understood the historical importance of that period but it just felt to be lacking some things. But I mean that is a movie that definitely isn't for everyone so I'll definitely not raise an eyebrow for people enjoying the film.
But I definitely don't see Good Night, And Good Luck while watching The Good German. Definitely seems like a Casablanca homage to me and that's not really impressing me either.

Sidenote:I've been hearing that The Good Shepard is a bit long clocking in at around 3 hours, give or take a couple. Critics have been saying its a bit long but if that topic interests you (i.e. history buff, etc.) you'll eat it up. I must say i'm a little scared to sit through this film.

[jumpy7777]

Originally posted by Southpaw
Sidenote:I've been hearing that The Good Shepard is a bit long clocking in at around 3 hours, give or take a couple. Critics have been saying its a bit long but if that topic interests you (i.e. history buff, etc.) you'll eat it up. I must say i'm a little scared to sit through this film.

So the length of the movie is going to put you off of watching it? Did it stop you from watching other greats like the Godfather or Schindler's List?

[MadsenOMC]

Originally posted by max
It's still early. Anyway, RT shows 3 fresh and 4 rotten for THE GOOD SHEPHERD. But, actually, there are only 6 reviews, 3 of each. The 3 positive reviews are from the cream of the crop - Time, Newsweek and Hollywood Reporter. Only one of the 3 negative reviews is from a major critic - Todd McCarthy of Variety. I think most of the big guns are going to be behind it. Two positive reviews that haven't shown up yet on RT are from the New York Post and New Yorker. Kyle Smith from the New York Post called it a masterpiece and it's #3 on his top ten list. And David Denby from the New Yorker Magazine included it in his "most memorable films of 2006" list. I can provide the link to these reviews if you want it.

I know it's still early. That's why I said might be. I have read all of the reviews for both movies. Thanks though.

[Southpaw]

Originally posted by jumpy7777
So the length of the movie is going to put you off of watching it? Did it stop you from watching other greats like the Godfather or Schindler's List?

I never said the length of the film is going to put me off from watching it. If you look at my favorite movie it happens to be one of the films from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Not exactly a short film by any means. I love a long movie if it can hold my attention especially lthe classics you have listed above among others. But the trailer hasn't done anything to excite me. Not saying a trailer is a make or break of a film either just saying it hasn't heightened my interest at the present time, which made me get a little worried about the length of the film. Also i've seen many trailers and read pre-buzz about other films and been left completely disappointed so it works both ways.
Besides, i'll be on winter break which results in me going to the theaters more often so i'll definitely check both of them out.

[Scorpio24]

Originally posted by Southpaw
You were gutted? Thats a bit extreme don't ya think? I mean the movie wasn't horrible but I definitely have to side with ole max. It was pretty boring and that's saying something considering the fact it was about the length of a Disney cartoon.

No I don't think.

Maybe the terminology is lost but gutted simply means dissapointed. Which is exactly what I was. I was loving every moment of it and didn't want it to end. As you have mentioned it's short.

You don't like it? Good for you. I thought it was brilliant and that the subject was very interesting.

[Southpaw]

Hey I wasn't trying to attack your tastes at all or at least not intentionally. It's finals week here so my lack of sleep can cause my humor to be a bit cruel when talking about things others enjoy. LIke I said it definitely wasn't a horrible film and I was perfectly fine with it getting the awards recognition that it recieved last year. Unfortnuately I saw this film after all the hype it had been getting, so that could have easily been it's downfall for me.
Besides, I have to have respect for any guy whose taste consists of the great Ryan Adams and Bobby D!

[Scorpio24]

Well ok then. I forgive you.

[ZenDude]

The Good German. I havent found out yet if Deniro sold out and made a pro CIA movie, or one thats warts and all.

[JCPhoenix]

I was looking forward to both a lot but now, my enthusiasm is sort of dampened for both. I'll probably see The Good Shepherd over The Good German - a couple friends that have reasonably similar tastes saw it yesterday and said it was incredible stylistically...but not really a very good movie. They did like Cate Blanchett a hell of a lot though.

[ilovemovies]

That's pretty close to what James Berardinelli said. He also liked George Clooney's performance but felt that Tobey Maguire was out of place.

[echo_bravo]

The Good Shepard and its not even close. The Good German just looks like crap. It looks like Clooney is trying to be Cary Grant or Humphrey Bogart.

[Mr. Gray]

One thing I forgot to mention about The Good Shepard....this will mark the return of...

JOE MUTHAFUCKIN' PESCI!!!

[echo_bravo]

Originally posted by Mr. Gray
One thing I forgot to mention about The Good Shepard....this will mark the return of...

JOE MUTHAFUCKIN' PESCI!!!

True dat

Thats another reason why I am really lookin foward to this film.

[FilmKing2000]

The Good Shepherd

While neither of the two films look very intriguing, I'll be seeing The Good Shepherd for the talent that's behind it (Matt Damon, Robert DeNiro, Joe Peci...). It's supposedly one of DeNiro's "dream projects", so, we'll hopefully take note in his effort.