Mike Judge's New Film
You know him of "Office Space" glory, easily one of the best comedies out there. I thought I'd run this by you guys...
3001
(August Release)
Plot: Private Joe Bowers, the definition of "average American", is selected by the Pentagon to be the guinea pig for a top-secret hibernation program, set 1,000 years in the future. He discovers a society so incredibly dumbed-down that he's easily the most intelligent person alive.
Most movies show the future as advanced and intelligent cultures, but I'm pretty convinced that technology is making us a lot dumber, making this premise soooo funny and intriguing.
Quick Reviews on Video Releases...
Lemony Snicket was a bad movie, and as me and Jen were musing, it's the kind of movie that makes you realize why you don't want to date supermodels. It was really amusing to watch, to look at, but there was no soul, story, nothing underneath.
Undertow, on the other hand, was one of the best movies I've seen in a while. It really captures Southern drama, realistically, yet mythical. I'll probably write more about it later...
The Interpreter
I give this movie a B-. Nicole Kidman did a great job playing her role but I’m not sure if I really liked or believed her character. She was a bit too liberal for me. I think there were too many confusing African quotes and she was uselessly vague; though I’d still date her in a heartbeat.
The story line brought up some interesting questions for us to ponder such as: is the UN useless? War is a faster way of accomplishing our goals but do the means justify the ends? Nicole Kidman is hot, is tom cruise really gay or really dumb?
Straight From The Horse's Mouth
I discovered an old article from 1999 where George Lucas himself calls his Star Wars movies, "...children's film[s]" and goes on to say...
"The movies are for children but the [fans] don't want to admit that. In the first film they absolutely hated R2 and C3-PO. In the second film they didn't like Yoda and in the third one they hated the Ewoks... and now Jar Jar is getting accused of the same thing."
Click here for the full article.
Revenge of the Sith!
There was a couple of key words you'd find in every Episode I and II review: suck and crap. This time around, we have a new keyword: DARK.
Yes, DARK. Lucas could almost buy rights to this word, as it seems to pop up in every single anticipating article/review of Episode III.
"It looks dark. It's like, so dark. I mean, like, black hole dark. It's going to be much darker than the others..."
But let's analyse the word DARK for a moment. The obvious definition is that it represents the absense of LIGHT. In this definition, they are correct. Space is very DARK. Another definition, and I assume the proper one in context of this film, is CREEPY, or SPOOKY, or DEVILISH.
Will the new Episode III be spooky? Survey says...NO.
I know, I know, none of you want to hear more anti-Star Wars rhetoric from me. I will allow you to thrive in your nerdy womb-like demeanor for the time being, but I want to set the record straight on one thing. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith will probably be a lot of things (and I oh so cannot wait to share those things with you all). But one thing it won't be is DARK.
(Except, of course, if you see this film in a theatre without Digital Projectors, it will most certainly be dark, grainy, and blurry.)
There is no way, no how, not a prayer in the world, that Hayden Christensen can become a threatening, scary character. No amount of colored contacts or fiery CGI will accomplish this task.
By the way, if any of you want to know the end of the movie, highlight the following text:
---->
Natalie Portman dies while giving birth<----Enjoy!
Devil's Playground
As movie #23 on Steve's list of recommendations, I was able to watch "Devil's Playground," a documentary about the
Rumspringa tradition of the Amish religion. In short, the Amish allow their children, usually around age 16, to leave the Amish community and indulge in the "sins" of the "English" world. This documentary chronicles several of these Amish teens as they indulge in every sin possible: heavy drinking, drugs, sex, cars, etc.
What I found amazing about this movie was the depths to which some of these kids went crazy with their new-found freedom. Most of them bought cars, several of them bought trailer homes to live in, almost all of them party constantly, and the main character even got addicted to crystal meth. I think its ironic that I was actually experiencing culture shock watching them experience culture shock.
What may have been even more fascinating was the ho-hum attitude of the few Amish adults that allowed themselves to be taped (most Amish don't believe in being photographed). Several of the pastors were interviewed, however, and all of them recognized this as literally a necessary "evil." To that extent I understand that for people to be committed to that religion, they have to know that they would hate living in the "English" world, but living that life, I can't imagine them not missing some of the luxuries that they were able to experience for a time. I think having something for a short while is even worse than never having it, because then you know what you're missing. Indeed, one middle-aged Amish man said "I still miss my car a lot, but, eh, well, you know, you get used to this life I guess." That sounds full of conviction, doesn't it?
Anyhoo, I just found it interesting that Amish parents are more or less ok with their kids going balls-out crazy and also that the kids pretty much do go balls-out crazy. Certainly was an eye-opener to a way of life that I was obviously very unfamiliar with.
Be mindful of what you think
Since I have all of this free time on my hands now, I’ve begun to rewatch my old Star Wars movies. I particularly like Star Wars Episode II attack of the clones. Though upon finding this poster I’d have to say there are some strong sexual innuendos. What do you guys think?
Sin City...
It appears that
Sin City is the next target of the massive group-think Christian-fundamentalist movement to discredit and destroy all art that isn't
The Passion of the Christ.
I say this with no exaggeration.
The Passion of the Christ was more violent than
Sin City, but in many respects, they are similar.
Sin City was a film that showed corruption on every level. The streets. The police. The politicians. Yes, even the clergymen. The place was crawling with hate, deception, murder, revenge, lust...pretty much any sin you can think of. At the center of the tale, however, lies a hero who selflessly sacrifices his life to save another...twice.
Enter
Drudge Report, who reported this quote: "
# 1 MOVIE IN USA WEEKEND POPE DIES 'SIN CITY' FEATURES A CARDINAL AS CANNIBAL, IN LEAGUE WITH A SERIAL KILLER WHO READS THE BIBLE, A CROSS IN JUST ABOUT EVERY SCENE... MOVIE FEATURES BRUCE WILLIS RIPPING A MAN'S PENIS OFF..."This will no doubt spark plenty of controversy about the values of America, the state of our society, and comment on our seemingly lack of moral grounding. I can almost hear the
buzz of talk radio, crucifying the film as
they had done with Million Dollar Baby, (a truly fantastic film that deserved 0% of the criticism it received.)
Yet, I believe
Sin City has the same thesis as
The Passion of the Christ, in its portrayal of sin, and the glimmer of hope with a selfless sacrifice to set things right. Fundamentalists won't see it this way, as they will no doubt refuse to see the film, and this is their right. But it is irresponsible for them to judge the film, undoubtedly by the prescribed Drudge Report quote, a quote which bears no context and seeks to discredit the film entirely.
Sin City is merely a reflection of what we read in the papers every day, and the immediate reaction to the film is a perfect example of how our lines of communications are so tainted by special interests.
We simply cannot sit down, talk, and listen to each other, without deceptively self-promoting our ego-centric causes. Yes, this is how it all begins.
