I didn't do a lot of new stuff this week. That said, I still have a few recommendations up my sleeve.
Film: Citizen Kane
I recently rewatched Orson Welles's 1941 masterpiece. I hadn't seen it since my undergrad days and had therefore forgotton much of it. I have to say, it was truly a pleasure to rewatch this film. Of course, people and organizations like the AFI are always hyping Citizen Kane as one of the best films of all time. In this case, they are right. Orson Welles's film still stands the test of time. The film seeks to discover the meaning of Charles Kane's last word, "Rosebud." In the process, viewers learn about the life of a rich newspaper mogul who becomes an eccentric recluse. The story isn't shocking, especially by today's standards. What is amazing is how Welles filmed this story. His use of lighting and camera angles is magnificent. Somehow Welles makes the tyrant Kane into an utterly sympathetic human being. Even after his second wife, Susan, finally leaves his abusive household, viewers feel more sorry for Kane than Susan. That is remarkable filmmaking. Do yourselves a favor and go rent this classic or catch it on TCM. You'll be happy you did and you'll finally discover what all the hoopla is about.
Television: Project Runway
It's taken me awhile to write about this season's Project Runway. I have to admit, it is not my favorite season. Most of the designers are annoying, especially Kenley. (Earth to Kenley, "Get over yourself!") At least Suade has stopped referring to himself in the third person. No one has really impressed me yet. Also, since it is Bravo's last season with Project Runway, they are getting as much money as possible with product-placement challenges. There was one challenge that involved using pieces from a Saturn car and another that hocked American Express. It is truly a lackluster season and I am sorry that Bravo had to run the show into the ground. That said, I still watch it every week for Tim Gunn and the drama. (What little of it there is. Did I mention that the contestants have no personalities?) My three picks for Fashion Week are Korto, Leanne, and Jerell. I thought Terry would be in the final three and was shocked when she was sent packing.
Book: Three Cups of Tea
This 2007 release is this month's book club book and I loved it! Co-authored by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, the book is the story of Mortenson's mission to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Having failed to climb K2, Mortenson wanders, half dead, into the extremely rural and poor village of Korphe, Pakistan. After being welcomed into their village, he promises to return to build the children - both boys and girls - a school since the Pakistani government had not. A year later, he returns and succeeds in building the school. Thus begins Mortenson's life of philanthropy. The story tells of his successes with the schools, his failures with fundraising, his kidnapping and perilous travels, and much more. Every American should read this book!!! The War on Terror is not going to be won by military might, at least not alone. Mortenson makes an excellent case for the education of young people, especially girls. The education of girls truly will change a culture; the Puritans believed this way back in the 1600s. If the children of the Middle East have an option other than madrassas - those breeding grounds for extremists - most of them will take it. These people are peaceful Muslims and their story needs to be told. Thanks to Greg Mortenson, it finally is.
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Way to ballance the sacred and the profane! While I was always a bigger fan of The Third Man...Citizen Kane truly lives up to the hype. While Hollywood (and America by extension) does not do tragedy well, Citizen Kane is the perfect companion piece to The Great Gatsby as a humanist exploration of the cost of the American Dream. In so many ways this film still looks ahead of its time. But on the other hand...remember when the Bravo network at least attempted to be classy? Ugh.
I always like to mix things up! I couldn't have planned a more unusual week. Throw in the John Addams bio I am currently working though and you have an odd mixture of pop culture. I think the issues at stake in Kane are still very much going on today. It is timeless just in its examination of, as you said, "a humanist exploration of the cost of the American Dream." What does it take to make an American happy? I had some very different views of that Dream this past week.
So I missed the first episode of T:SCC because I was on vacation. But I caught last night's ep and was only a little bit lost. ha ha terminators can't swim!
As for Citizen Kane, the only complaint I have is that the bad opera part is pretty grating on the ears.
Yeah totally with you on the opera thing. I guess that's the point, to grate, but it doesn't make it pleasant.
I am really disappointed that T:SCC hasn't utilized Uncle Derek more. I like the character and want to see him take a front-row seat. I'm not sure if you missed this or not, but the chick getting Det. Ellison to work for her is actually a Terminator, a T-1000 like in the second film. I really like the cheesy movie they kept playing clips of last night!
Shirley Manson as a T-1000. I did miss that. Why would a T-1000 have an accent? I guess it's better not to ask these questions.
I'm sure Derek will get his storyline soon. I like his character too.
And yes, the cheesy movie was funny.
Completely off-topic - I finally saw V for Vendetta. Loved it!
V is an AWESOME, AWESOME movie! That pretty much sums it all up.
V does indeed rock! Is it also the first ever left-leaning action movie? I honestly can't think of another. I know there was a movie in the 50s where the French resistance hijacked a train full of art stolen by the Nazi's (I think Kirk Douglass was in it), which kinda represents more centrist values. But I honestly can't think of another action movie that has a more liberal sensibility. Most action movies are just exercises in white-male supremecy over some Other force. That is some of what made V a whole lot of fun. Can anyone else think of another if not liberal at least non-conservative leaning action movie?
Hmmm . . The X-Men comic books, and to a lesser extent, the movies, are actually about racism/prejudice etc. At least, that's the underlying theme.
But there are a lot of action movies that have have some big futuristic corporate evil as the "the bad guy." Even ridiculous ones like Running Man and Total Recall.
Too true. But maybe I am associating the old Arhnold with the Governator and just can't see them as leftist films. I guess the other thing about V is that its a Western government that has been taken over by the far right, and to make that film in Bushworld makes it stunning to me.
I don't know that Total Recall can be called leftist. That's pretty funny. Ok, so the rich bad guy was withholding air from the poor mutant Martians, but really, that was all just an excuse for Ahnold to shoot stuff.
V was much more about liberal principles than it was about the action.
V is the only Moore adaptation - to date - to stick to his leftist views. His graphic novels all have a liberalist bent to them and many of them are anti-western government. (I am thinking about how Nixon is still president in the 80s-set "Watchmen.) The whole point of the graphic novel is that V is the destroyer and Evey is the creator. Only once the old regime dies can a new one begin to find its place. Of course, the new one may be every bit as villainous as the old one but that is a chance worth taking in V's view.
The Fifth Element has some leftist leanings. The government is totally useless and the rest of the galaxy finds Earthlings to be rather inept. Granted, the white male is the hero but he only succeeds thanks to the "perfect" being (who happens to be female). Of course, a priest plays a large part in the saving of the world so that may bring things back to the right a bit.
Blade Runner, The Island and Logan's Run strike me as a bit leftist as well in that each person has inherent worth above what the corporate or government powers deem, even if they are a "lesser" person (clone, above 30, etc.)
But I guess if you're a pro-lifer, you could think them rightist!
The death of the government is also a very neo-con idea too. After all, one of the tenants of neoconservatism is that the government cannot do anything particularily well. This goes back to Reagan's project of deregulation and tax cuts in the 80s'. Of course the sad thing about Bushworld's continuation of this idea is that when one runs a government under the idea that government can't do anything, its pretty much a self-fulfilling prophesy. I think that's the thing about the Governator's films, I don't necessarily know that a new order is being established like in V, those films just come off more as conflicts between competing interests, which makes it more postmodern irony than leftist. But then that is where we are at politically, yes there is some evil stuff out there (usually propagated by the rich and powerful), but hey just get by yourself and ya know, watch a movie, and hope that someday we too can become powerful individuals.
Maybe its that Blade, Logan's and The Island are more Humanist films than anything.
Which just leaves the debate over whether the left or the right can stake a claim to Humanism. (Personally, I consider myself a Liberal Secular Humanist.)
What I have been trying to say that V also seems to offer a critique of the blatantly right-wing system that causes the problem. Yes, at the end of Recall, Mars is leafy and green, but is there really any philosophical alternative? It seems to me as though things will be the same, only with less restricted movement. And the spectacle of the TV show is wrecked at the end of Running Man, but then what? The characters walk off into an undefined future. V not only offers a desperate situation, but also a window into the ideas that create the situation.
Interesting side bar, there is now a super cheesy metal band called Austrian Death Machine that only writes governator related songs. I have only heard "Get to the Choppa." If this is a joke I think this band is brilliant. If they are serious...well, I just hope for their sake they are joking.
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