Movies and Books
Jun. 28th, 2004 11:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pantryslutThe common cultural currency and all, no?
I'm currently reading Karen Joy Fowler's The Jane Austen Book Club, very slowly. Slowly, because I am reading a few pages aloud to Steven every evening, and we are progressing through the book together. I know, it's sooo romantic. Fun, too. And it's the perfect book to do it with, too.
I'm also reading Cutting For Sign by William Langewiesche, a nonfiction book subtitled "one man's journey along the US-Mexican border." I'm only a few pages into it, but it's fascinating.
I'm also browsing through my Xmas present to Steven, Aaaron McGruder's Boondocks collection, Right to be Hostile. Just 'cuz.
I'll probably pick up a fiction book in a day or two, too.
I tried to read Big Lies by Joe Conason, but failed. It wasn't telling me much I didn't already know, and it was oversimplifying in the name of polemics, which is never OK. The last straw for me was where he discussed the media flap over Dan Quayle's National Guard service, and the lack of a similar row over Shrub's. Now, there's an interesting question in there, but Conason glides over it with the statement that the media give a free pass to the Republicans' evasion of military service. Not true! The example of Quayle puts that to the lie. Why not ask what's changed, what's the difference? That's something I'd be interested in reading.
Thursday night I saw Goodbye Lenin! at the Parkway. It was a lot sweeter and not as funny than the reviews made it out to be. I enjoyed it a lot. OK, it was even moving. But hey, I'm a former pinko, so there was a lot of resonance there.
And Sunday afternoon I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 at the Grand Lake. The Grand Lake isn't enforcing the R rating on this movie; it's made it PG-13 instead. Steven was kind enough to buy our tickets the day before, which was a very good idea since shows are selling out all over the country. The line for tickets for the show after us stretched around the theater and far down the block. Like it was a Star Wars installment.
It's a brilliant movie. Just on a storytelling level, not even a political level, although the politics are of course important, even central to the story. But they're not simple, and I appreciate that. And, as we all know, Moore's specialty is bringing class into the discussion. Who's going over to fight the war in Iraq? Uh-huh.
Moore's been accused, before and now, of being manipulative. Probably because he evokes strong emotions, and people in the grip of powerful emotions are easy to sway. Of course, he knows this. One of the themes of both this movie and Bowling for Columbine is how fear is used to keep us in line. To his credit, he never tries to frighten us. Anger us, sadden us, yes, but he's never been a fear-monger.
I want to say so much more, but really, see the movie. Then we'll talk.
I'm currently reading Karen Joy Fowler's The Jane Austen Book Club, very slowly. Slowly, because I am reading a few pages aloud to Steven every evening, and we are progressing through the book together. I know, it's sooo romantic. Fun, too. And it's the perfect book to do it with, too.
I'm also reading Cutting For Sign by William Langewiesche, a nonfiction book subtitled "one man's journey along the US-Mexican border." I'm only a few pages into it, but it's fascinating.
I'm also browsing through my Xmas present to Steven, Aaaron McGruder's Boondocks collection, Right to be Hostile. Just 'cuz.
I'll probably pick up a fiction book in a day or two, too.
I tried to read Big Lies by Joe Conason, but failed. It wasn't telling me much I didn't already know, and it was oversimplifying in the name of polemics, which is never OK. The last straw for me was where he discussed the media flap over Dan Quayle's National Guard service, and the lack of a similar row over Shrub's. Now, there's an interesting question in there, but Conason glides over it with the statement that the media give a free pass to the Republicans' evasion of military service. Not true! The example of Quayle puts that to the lie. Why not ask what's changed, what's the difference? That's something I'd be interested in reading.
Thursday night I saw Goodbye Lenin! at the Parkway. It was a lot sweeter and not as funny than the reviews made it out to be. I enjoyed it a lot. OK, it was even moving. But hey, I'm a former pinko, so there was a lot of resonance there.
And Sunday afternoon I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 at the Grand Lake. The Grand Lake isn't enforcing the R rating on this movie; it's made it PG-13 instead. Steven was kind enough to buy our tickets the day before, which was a very good idea since shows are selling out all over the country. The line for tickets for the show after us stretched around the theater and far down the block. Like it was a Star Wars installment.
It's a brilliant movie. Just on a storytelling level, not even a political level, although the politics are of course important, even central to the story. But they're not simple, and I appreciate that. And, as we all know, Moore's specialty is bringing class into the discussion. Who's going over to fight the war in Iraq? Uh-huh.
Moore's been accused, before and now, of being manipulative. Probably because he evokes strong emotions, and people in the grip of powerful emotions are easy to sway. Of course, he knows this. One of the themes of both this movie and Bowling for Columbine is how fear is used to keep us in line. To his credit, he never tries to frighten us. Anger us, sadden us, yes, but he's never been a fear-monger.
I want to say so much more, but really, see the movie. Then we'll talk.
