If it seems like I haven’t been reviewing as many movies of late, or if my posted Netflix queue has been stagnant, it’s because I’ve been caught in the black hole of Ken Burns’ “Civil War.” Not only is this film 680 minutes, it is a particularly dense 680 minutes. And a very relaxing 680 minutes. Meaning that after a day’s work if you dim the lights with a glass of wine ready to watch some “Civil War,” I give you about five minutes before you fall asleep. The music. . .the olde tyme photographs. . .Shelby Foote’s mellifluous Southern drawl. . .a perfect recipe for nap time. All that said: it really is terrific, though. And a very important project formally. For god’s sake, there’s a “Ken Burns effect” on iPhoto! Many scenes really are touching as the voice overs are all brilliantly done. It’s hard resisting to finish all your sentences without pausing and then addidng a sign-off for effect. Best, of course, is the late George Plimpton as George Templeton Strong. Very dramatic way to end a quote. “George Templeton STRONG!!!” So awesome.
