The Grapes of Wrath

Saw The Grapes of Wrath. A fairly depressing piece of consciousness-raising. The film's best asset is the big, soulful mother of the Joad clan. She carries the heart of the film from the deeply sorrowful leaving of the farm to the cautiously hopeful ending. The son, Tom, is the brains of the film, articulating in folksy tones the message of the film that we are collectively strong. A government-run camp, with an anarcho-socialist internal political structure is the closest the film gets to real happiness and security. Of course this means that the California tax-payer is paying for the cruelty of Oklahoma land-owners and it could be said that without being incentivized the Joads could have stayed comfortably forever, but this film is so sincere and earnest, it seems like a blasphemy to say. And of course the Joads are such archetypal sons of the soil that it's impossible to imagine them doing anything that isn't completely wholesome and endearing. A bitter-sweet film, and one whose political message is unfortunately transparent enough to not change many minds in this trench-war political climate we're now in.

Also, lol McCarthy

Edit: a funny piece of trivia: The Farm Security Administration (FSA) was the agency responsible for combating rural poverty. In aid of this effort, they got several photographers to take pictures of people from work camps, transient workers, starving farmers. The idea was to drum up sympathy and then money for the farmers. However, it was run on tax-payer money and therefore controversial, especially those with opposing interests. The FSA justified its actions by claiming to be merely documenting the conditions of the farmers. However, this famous picture got them (the FSA) into deep trouble because The cattle skull had been moved to the cracked mud. Controversy erupted. In The Grapes of Wrath meanwhile, the little girl wonders if they'll see cow skulls, but as I believe that this photo is the origin of the skull-in-desert image, this is an anachronism. Anybody know any different?

JFK

Saw JFK. It was a long, very seductive and convincing beckon down a rabbit hole. I feel a lot like I did after seeing the 9/11 truther documentary 'Loose Change.' I am confronted by new and troubling information, but I don't know which of it is artful distortion, which of it explicable inconsistency, and which of it utter fabrication. The post-credits dedications are smug. The opponents are straw. I feel the imdb trivia & comment boards will be riotous fun, but it being so late I think I won't indulge. I think this film seeks to inspire healthy skepticism but has about it the sour smell of paranoia.

Win Win

Saw Win Win. It was a bit of a cliche-machine, with a tragic-hero-type man whose life is upended for the better by various broken people who are each a little healed by him, but really it is he who is healed by them (etc etc) but even though I could see the outlines of the plot coming, it was still gratifying and heartwarming to see it arrive. The emotional payoffs are sweet but not cloying, the comedy is amusing without being distracting, and the drama is interesting without being campy. So, yeah. I liked it. I also wanted to steal Kyle's wardrobe.

You Can Count on Me

Saw You Can Count on Me. I really liked it. It began as a drama with cinema-verite-style understated performances but later softened its chill into a more or less regular, artfully manipulative, kitchen-sink movie. It reminded me of the domestic tragedy 'Night Mother at first, only much more upbeat in the end. Some beautiful New England scenery and a violin score that is at first austere and chilly and later soft and manipulative. The initial chill makes the later warmth all the warmer, but boy I wish it had remained austere. The script was tight and well-done. No clear-cut bad guys (apart from a certain boss,) and no saintly good guys. Everyone comes off a little mixed. There are a few short cuts and easy short-hands later on, but I forgive it because of the very strong start.

Die Hard 3

Saw Die Hard 3. It caught me in the right mood and I liked it... parts of it. The puzzles were fun for me, but I wish they were more complex puzzles (a pair of water jugs that hold prime-numbered amounts of water? Almost any action solves that one.) Also, I noticed that John McClain was constantly either confused or open-mouthed. As the film progressed, his mouth got wider until he's running around the climactic shoot-out totally gobsmacked. So goofy.

A Matter of Life and Death

Saw A Matter of Life and Death. It was better than I was expecting. Touching in an old-fashioned sort of way. The special effects were awesome, even though stop-motion is not exactly stunning any more. I'd love to see it remade with modern technology and design. In this way, I am a heretic.

Cannibal Holocaust

Saw Cannibal Holocaust. A challenging film. Genuine animal cruelty abounds. It's quite bad. I need to think about this one a bit.

The Vow

Saw The Vow (thanks, Kim Gero!) It was light and fluffy. The main characters had a few off-putting and bewildering moments. I think the male was supposed to be panicked and troubled, but he always just seemed like a big friendly lunk until he suddenly explodes. The female comes off better but has confusing motivations surrounding her family, about whom we know only that they are wasp-y in a sort of broad way. Not a bad movie, but it didn't grab me.

Rachel Getting Married

Saw Rachel Getting Married. I went in expecting abominable behavior and drama and it delivered well. There was much shouting and movement. The ending was sufficiently messy: only some of the problems are resolved. There was a very distracting music-centric subplot that annoyingly distracted from all the fun shouting, but it fit thematically, even though I wish they hadn't bothered. There's a dance scene that bogs down the film for a good while. A messy and interesting movie, but not a great one.