Had the misfortune last night, whilst stumbling up and down the cable channels, avoiding like the plague my Sartre paper, to find Pat Buchanan filling in for Joe Scarborough and discussing the "Oscar Controversy" with Ann Coulter and Al Franken and some other fuckheads I would punch if I ran into them. What's the "Oscar Controversy"? Whether or not Gibson's Passion and/or Moore's 911 should get nominated for Best Picture. How can this be a controversy? Is this news? I don't care if both or either are nominated--stupid bullshit.
I noted with disdain that Al Franken sneered over the very idea that Gibson's film would be nominated, then admitted he hadn't seen it, trashed it anyway with contempt, and mentioned Gibson's father has a penchant for Holocaust denial. Way to take a page from Coulter's playbook, shithead. There we have it folks, Ann Coulter's stereotypical Liberal mouthing off. Insufferable (and I typically like Al) to judge something you haven't seen. Then, Ann Coulter went off on a rampage about 9/11 and admitted she hadn't seen it either, but was sure it'd be nominated and win Best Picture because (do the Ann Coulter adlib here--in fact, I want to see Ann Coulter magnetic poetry: Liberals/Hollywood elites/Sarandon/treasonous/traitors/war president/trashing).
Sure, no one's required to sit through either film, but to agree to go on a talkshow and discuss these films and their relative merits with some supposed level of authority and not bother to see the goddam things? Fuck Franken and Coulter. Franken even had the nerve to attack Coulter for judging a movie she hadn't seen--uh, hello, dumbass, you did the same thing. Coulter's response? "I read a 60-point refutation of Moore's film. I don't need to see it." Well, Ann, I've read Tom Paine's detailed refutation of The Bible, so I don't have to read Scripture either, unless of course I want to increase my understanding of history and our civilization and where we've been and where we should be heading--all the stuff none of you talking heads are interested in. Why must our media spoonfeed us little easily regurgitated slogans in lieu of actual thoughtful analysis? Christ!
Yeah, I tend to be a big soft-hearted lefty, but I think Passion is a much better film than 9/11, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were nominated and won Best Picture--it's superior to Braveheart aesthetically, and Gibson won for that. Moore did a good thing raising questions with his movie, but much of it is intellectually lazy and a bit hysterical--I think it would be a travesty if 9/11 were nominated for Best Picture. Too bad the people who are paid to discuss such things on TV can't leave their partisan bullshit at home. I can't be the only person on the planet who likes both these films, and who can see flaws in each and great things in each. Why is Mommie Dearest so afraid to even watch 9/11? Why won't my brother-in-law, who loves explicity gory Mexican and Italian cinema, watch The Passion? Politics.
Faulty Landscape recommended this, and I must say he deserves some props (especially after Yeelen). I think the short epic "Dog Star Man" is one of the greatest things I've ever seen. I'd never heard of Brakhage, but his splicings and scratchings and paintings on the film surface were a big turn-on. An aureole magnified becomes an apocalyptic landscape. An uprooted and lumberjacked tree becomes a totemic fetish. An infant squalls silently and we see the world as it does; but Brakhage forces the viewer to consider what "seeing" actually is. I thought "Desist House" was ok, and "Wedding House: An Intercourse" was like a goofy Man Ray porno, but "Dog Star Man" is definitely the shit. You're not going to watch this with Mom or the kids and a bag of popcorn, certainly, but if you like mixed media stuff and challenging symbolic fractured narratives, dig in! Be forwarned: "The Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes," the last short on the disc, is a rather raw montage of autopsy footage. I loved it, but this isn't for everyone. Reminded me of Share's VHS tape of Shock Trauma footage. I didn't watch all the extras, but much of the footage of Brakhage speaking is fascinating--I was pleased that a lot of what he said about "Dog Star Man" had occured to me as I watched it cold. A successful bit of Expressionism, I'd say.
13 comments:
An outstanding post. You've captured why I cannot even watch the news since the election. Since the Husband sits in a newsroom all day at CBS (and used to work for CNN) I asked him why these channels go and get quotes on issues from obvious hacks and yo-yos like Coulter and Jerry Falwell. Why? Because they know they will say something stupid, that's why. And there you have it.
(It goes both ways though. For our side they usually lasso in Susan Sarandon, or a bitter lesbian from N.O.W, or Jesse Jackson for a quote...)
As for Coulter being "Menckenian"....no, no my fingers will not even type a response to that.
The Passion was easily the most accomplished movie this year. It's been a mad-shitty year for movies. Take a good look around you, have you ever seen a lamer holiday movie season? Ever?!
The spectacle of two "authorities" spinning two movies on political grounds without having seen them makes me happy that I don't have cable (or a TV)....
I was trying the other day to think of films I'd seen this year, and I could only remember the Gibson and Moore flicks. I'm sure I saw some other stuff back in the winter, but nothing really stands out. I did like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and there's some stuff I'd like to see: Kinsey, that Kidman flick where her husband is reincarnated as a spooky 10-year-old, maybe Closer, oh, and I still never saw Saw, maybe Ray.
Oh, yeah--I saw Troy and The Dreamers. What fucking shit. I think more movies disappeared into obscurity this year than ever (remember that Jude Law vehicle with Paltrow--Sky Captain whatever? Where the hell did that go?). At least we have Scorcese's Aviator coming.
Ahem...
SPIDERMAN 2was the best new film I saw in theaters this year. One should not forget, Raimi pretty much always delivers and this was a grand slam from him. Yeah it was a pretty desolate year. I loved The Incredibles also but that's about it. Didn't see the village yet--I like the way his films look even if the plots are weak. I actually would see Passion before 911, it just looks like a more interesting film. I don't know if I can handle the realistic gore though. Related>>G. you win since you watched The act of seeing...I chickened out. The Man Ray Pron is spot on. I'm not sure if I finished dogmanstar but I did enjoy what I saw. I think cat's cradle worked for me best off of the first disc. It's the 2nd disc that blows me away--did you get this? It is mostly shorts and you didn't seem to mention it. It has "commingled containers" and "black ice" which I keep returning to.
What's next? Guy Maddin's Careful?????
OK, forgot this--I'm getting excited for next year--ok just slap me already. Sorry about all of this shit, I know my tastes aren't what others may care for but I am getting a thrill for these that I didn't get all this past year.
WOWI really, really, appreciate the fact that it is not the same guy narrating this that seems to narrated every goddamn trailer known to man. I also like that it's quoting directly from Wells' book. I don't like the annoying tag/catch phrase but 2 out of three ain't bad (ha ha).
Oh, and
CCF WTF!! excellent.
Yeah, what he said!
and, those are really teaser trailers--not giving away the whole movie--and contain images that might just not be in the final movie anyway--imagine that!!!
King Kong, Lion Witch and the Wardrobe Howl's moving castle, Kung fu hustle, 2046 all out here in 2005...mmmm
PS
Lukewarm about the Aviator--I mean Gangs I enjoyed but honestly haven't watched since in theaters. Why? Because DiCaprio was a weak, weak link and now he's the main focus--not so sure. The singer from No Doubt isn't a good call either I don't think.
shutting up now.
I was just on Amazon and realized there's a second Brakhage disc that Netflix didn't send--dammit. I'll have to get it soon.
For some reason I was thinking S2 came out LAST year--that's how fucked up my timesense is these days, as months and years blend into a soup instead of a chronological line.
I agree with you on Gangs; since I first bought the DVD I have never watched that film in its entirety (I do occasionally watch certain scenes). I still get excited by Scorsese's stuff, tho--even when he fails he fails spectacularly (I recently saw "The Color of Money"; talk about an interesting failure).
Tim Burton and Depp and Willie Wonka will be good--War of Worlds should be as well (so long as the dark AI/Minority Report Spielburg does the job, and not the Terminal Spielburg). These are definite DVD flix for me; I won't see them in the theater. 2046 I and House of Flying Daggers? Can't fucking wait!
I have the Brakhage set out right now--if you want maybe over the break you could finish it. You're probably travelling though.
I'm mad I missed Minority report in the theaters but I had no idea I would even like it. Maybe it's because my TV is so old but I really prefer seeing stuff on the big screen. I like sci fi, I can't help it I'm really excited. Saw ROTK three times... by the by King Kong is jackson's next, Howl's is Miyazaki's new one and Kung Fu Hustle, well Kung Fu Hustle could be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Can it beat out Shaolin Soccer??? It certainly looks like it--look how beautiful these stills look--
here and hereYes, just ambivalent towards Scorsese lately... I can't work it up for House of flying daggers either. The road home--was good but not great.
Oh and as for Oscars, Ian Mckellan was robbed last year, best picture be damned!
restraining order in place
Road Home/Not One Less=mildly touching, formulaic Zhang Yimou. Now he's on this weird "I want to make money with Kung Fu" kick. I'll still watch anything he does--those early masterpieces had a profound effect on me.
I pre-ordered ROTK with the extra 50 minutes...should get it like a day or two before Xmas. We saw it 2x at the Senator, including the first showing at midnight.
Brakhage is probably spinning in his grave with all these Hollywood films being thrown about under a topic with his name! I couldn't even get through Solaris. Starts out good but loses it.
Robert Wise called himself an "independent" filmmaker? WTF!?
Brakhage says some interesting things about Hollywood on the Criterion disc. He obviously loves those films, and yet he holds them as entirely undeserving of the word "art": he says he teaches them because he has to, but has never seen a Hollywood film that deserved to be discussed.
Interesting guy.
No doubt. Google him and find fred camper's site.
Anyway I like to like both, it's much more fun that way. Nothing worse than liking something because it's "art".
I forgot about the Robert Wise quote--he's good but WTF?
I probably mis-paraphrased when I say he said he didn't think any Hollywood films deserved to be discussed--his point was that there's really no need to discuss them, because all that they are is right there on the surface.
Nah, it wouldn't matter anyway because the guy is so admirable in his work ethic. You could definitley cut him some slack so to speak. Shame he missed the release of his set...
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