Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Tax the Rich
Tax the Rich
Movie Monday
I was thinking about what is systemically wrong with the US and I guess, if the essay says: Give only one reason, I would have to say it's that we made capitalism, which is only an economic system, into a code word for our representative government ("They are trying to destroy capitalism, the very fiber of our way of life."); and then we spun that wacky belief into the meme that capitalism is sacred like religion and you know we never disparage anyone's religion (Well, anyone we think is OK, that is.) in this county.
Not encouraging thoughts but I like to understand how everything works.
Which brings me to my movie review this Monday, which is not Dogville (as promised two Mondays ago) but it does involve Nicole Kidman (who stars in Dogville) and Lars von Trier (who directed Dogville), so I'm getting there.
I want to end up reviewing Melancholia but let's start with The Hours. For which, Nicole Kidman won Best Actress Oscar for her role as Virginia Wolf(!!!) Oh, the horror! She did wear a false nose and that's the equivalent of "losing yourself in a role" in Hollywood terms. But, what a depressing movie! Apparently, there's a book, The Hours, which won the Pulitizer Prize(!!!) which is the basis of this movie. The plot spans the time from the early 1900s to modern times and, using Woolf as the linchpin, traces the lives of three lesbian/bi-sexual women and their interactions with husbands and a past lover. What a drag! Meryl Streep plays her role with her usual acting smarts; Julianne Moore fights back tears throughout her extremely depressing turn as a pregnant mom of an adorable little boy who is fighting her desire to leave her family and kill herself.
And, then there's Kidman as Woolf. Oh, the angst! The only time she acts believably human is a short scene when she selfishly orders her hard-working cook to leave her preparations for lunch and travel to London to get a food she wants. The rest of the time she's angsting about. OK, I am on a tirade here and that's because I decided to revisit Woolf. I couldn't find her novels at the time but did find a book of essays. What a witty, bright, articulate woman. Nothing of this is in the movie however, and we come away with a gross misconception of a great, innovative female writer from the last century. What a waste.
OK, the above was just a mini-tirade; now to a review of Melancholia which is the story of the destruction of earth without any of the fanfare. It's centered on a dysfunctional family with Kristen Dunst as the clinically depressed sister (and she nails the depression) who fucks up her life royally almost immediately after the film starts and then we watch her, her sister, nephew and brother-in-law as they wait for the end of the world.
The film has a very European in flavor, in that good European films usually play out very slowly and the denouncement is more a whimper than a bang. Same here is some ways for (SPOILER ahead) the world does end but very quietly and beautifully. No CGI, only minor hysterics; it's sad but it's also soooo quiet.
But then, it lacks the length which good European films need since they explore subjects so much more quietly (there's that word again) and philosophically than their American counterparts. I would have liked a longer movie. More exploration of Dunst's relationship with her parents; more exploration of her relationship with the husband she dumps on her wedding night; more exploration of the depression which defined her life. Von Trier likes streamline metaphor (Dogville) so perhaps this is the cut he wanted or perhaps this is the cut which he knew would be the money shot (they loved Melancholia at Cannes.)
Bottom line: Go see Melancholia. It's beautiful to the eye; it has stuff to say; it has stuff we all can think about (example: why are men so peripheral in this movie?) Be warned, it has a slow European pace, not American freneticism. Surprisingly, it's less depressing than The Hours.
Not encouraging thoughts but I like to understand how everything works.
Which brings me to my movie review this Monday, which is not Dogville (as promised two Mondays ago) but it does involve Nicole Kidman (who stars in Dogville) and Lars von Trier (who directed Dogville), so I'm getting there.
I want to end up reviewing Melancholia but let's start with The Hours. For which, Nicole Kidman won Best Actress Oscar for her role as Virginia Wolf(!!!) Oh, the horror! She did wear a false nose and that's the equivalent of "losing yourself in a role" in Hollywood terms. But, what a depressing movie! Apparently, there's a book, The Hours, which won the Pulitizer Prize(!!!) which is the basis of this movie. The plot spans the time from the early 1900s to modern times and, using Woolf as the linchpin, traces the lives of three lesbian/bi-sexual women and their interactions with husbands and a past lover. What a drag! Meryl Streep plays her role with her usual acting smarts; Julianne Moore fights back tears throughout her extremely depressing turn as a pregnant mom of an adorable little boy who is fighting her desire to leave her family and kill herself.
And, then there's Kidman as Woolf. Oh, the angst! The only time she acts believably human is a short scene when she selfishly orders her hard-working cook to leave her preparations for lunch and travel to London to get a food she wants. The rest of the time she's angsting about. OK, I am on a tirade here and that's because I decided to revisit Woolf. I couldn't find her novels at the time but did find a book of essays. What a witty, bright, articulate woman. Nothing of this is in the movie however, and we come away with a gross misconception of a great, innovative female writer from the last century. What a waste.
OK, the above was just a mini-tirade; now to a review of Melancholia which is the story of the destruction of earth without any of the fanfare. It's centered on a dysfunctional family with Kristen Dunst as the clinically depressed sister (and she nails the depression) who fucks up her life royally almost immediately after the film starts and then we watch her, her sister, nephew and brother-in-law as they wait for the end of the world.
The film has a very European in flavor, in that good European films usually play out very slowly and the denouncement is more a whimper than a bang. Same here is some ways for (SPOILER ahead) the world does end but very quietly and beautifully. No CGI, only minor hysterics; it's sad but it's also soooo quiet.
But then, it lacks the length which good European films need since they explore subjects so much more quietly (there's that word again) and philosophically than their American counterparts. I would have liked a longer movie. More exploration of Dunst's relationship with her parents; more exploration of her relationship with the husband she dumps on her wedding night; more exploration of the depression which defined her life. Von Trier likes streamline metaphor (Dogville) so perhaps this is the cut he wanted or perhaps this is the cut which he knew would be the money shot (they loved Melancholia at Cannes.)
Bottom line: Go see Melancholia. It's beautiful to the eye; it has stuff to say; it has stuff we all can think about (example: why are men so peripheral in this movie?) Be warned, it has a slow European pace, not American freneticism. Surprisingly, it's less depressing than The Hours.
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