What movies have I seen recently?
What Would Jesus Buy?
Wild and crazy comedic documentary that shocks more than delves into the serious conversations about curbing consumerism. Amidst horrible revelations about America's over-spending and rising debt loads, Reverend Billy and his Stop Shopping Gospel Choir travels cross-country exorcising people from their consumerist tendencies. He calls Mickey Mouse the AntiChrist, and he absolves people of their sins while sitting in a makeshift "shopping confessional" booth. Lots of funny moments, but also plenty of jaw-dropping data -- especially the interviews with parental figures who willingly admit they would max out 2-3 credit cards just to purchase Christmas presents for their children, b/c the children want them. Documentary doesn't question or probe into ways of being better consumers, neither does it plant questions of how we can provide better models for parenting. The best moment for me, which I felt was sadly lost in the documentary, was when Reverend Billy's wife spoke out loud her weariness and doubt -- she essentially states that it would be so much more worthwhile if they could at least know that their trials have affected some change. And there are trials indeed. They travel for 30+ days and get broadsided by a semi, Billy gets arrested, they get kicked out of stores, cafes, Disneyland, etc., and they endure a lot of painful and ridiculous publicity demeaning what they do. If only the documentary went just a bit deeper than the pockets of the consumers they were trying to stop...
Lingering Q: How did they fund this cross-country trip?
4 points for taking on the subject.
3 points for being so creative and funny.
2 points for glossing over the potentially rich conversations.
No Country for Old Men
Creepy, heart-wrenching, nervy story that kept me on my toes and which prodded me constantly with this unceasing restlessness, nervousness, fear. I admire that the movie was so wonderfully scripted. The deadpan way in which the characters live and play out their lives parallels reality but also parodies it in a way. The entire time, there was a throbbing unease that never quite settled but just was passed on from scene to scene, from image to image. Sort of like greed. The money that's being passed on from person to person, from place to place, infuses everything with greed and corruption. It's like everything becomes tainted. Odd and scary in a slow, quiet sort of way.
Lingering Q: Which country are we talking about? Should I read the Cormac McCarthy book?
5 points for the whole movie all put together.
3 points for the script and cinematography.
3 points for acting.
Enchanted
An interesting attempt at the subversion of fairy tale narratives. Funny characters, beautiful costuming, nice singing, but no real substance. Too heavy handed with the theme and moralizing. Susan Sarandon as a witch? Patrick Dempsey? Way cute. But beyond the handsome face? Script was unimpressive. Graphics was good -- applaudable. I appreciated the opportunity to get away from reality and to let my mind turn to mush while watching it. It has some teachable moments for kids.
Lingering Q: How do I get animals to clean house like that?
3 points for missing plot, good score, interesting graphics.
2 points for pretty peopling of storyline
1 point for depth.
1 comment:
I REALLY want to see "What Would Jesus Buy?". It's not really playing anywhere around here, but I plan to seek it out on DVD (I will rent it from the library, rather than buying it, to not feed into the consumerist glut).
Post a Comment