FilmCouch

Created on 5/7/2007, last active awhile ago.

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FilmCouch #25

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paul
Posts 247

6/22/2007 9:17 AM
posted awhile ago

FilmCouch #25

New in theaters, Rolf de Heer's Ten Canoes and Michael Winterbottom's A Mighty Heart, Angelina Jolie's passion project. Both deal with marginalized people and raise the question, "Can westerners make a movie to help us understand non-western people?" Dances with Wolves and Apocalypto come under a bit of scrutiny as well.

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Under discussion:

Dances with Wolves (1990)

Apocalypto (2006)

Ten Canoes (2007)

A Mighty Heart (2007)

joem18b
Posts 597

6/22/2007 10:32 PM
posted awhile ago

Re: FilmCouch #25

During this podcast, one of you suggested offhand that Hollywood might provide a good example of the Western linear sense of time: making movies straight ahead - bigger, louder, and more expensive. I had the thought as you said that that Hollywood at its $$ core is instead more like "primitive" cultures: conservative, intolerant of innovation, the keeper of legends. Make a romantic comedy, make it again, make it again,...

At the end of this podcast, you take a minute or two to compare the effect and utility of de Heer/Ten Canoes with that of Jolie/A Mighty Heart as agents for social good. If Paris Hilton = 0 and de Heer = 10 on a spectrum of social usefulness and good, I'd put Jolie at... 7.5? So that, to me, a comparison of de Heer and Jolie misses the point. It's like complaining that Carl Sagan isn't Einstein. You said that perhaps you've heard too many sound bites from socially active movie stars. Imho, the involved star is a wonderful trend that hopefully will only continue to grow. Better sound bites about AIDS in South Africa than about Nicole Richie's pending court case.

Mr. Winterbottom just called. He says that if you're comparing Ten Canoes and A Mighty Heart, he'd like a shout out, if only for In This World.

estefanos
Posts 11

6/28/2007 12:32 PM
posted awhile ago

Re: FilmCouch #25

I agree that it is better for celebrities to attempt to use their social currency to "make a difference" than to simply bask in their fame and go clubbing. We all have to decide to what degree we are going to be socially or politically involved and celebrities are no different, (except that they're under the microscope). I believe that the quality of an artist's work should be considered apart from its socio-political intent or effectiveness for purposes of reviewing the work. Then if you want to banter about the artist's saavy or naivete, have a conversation by all means. I think much of the carping at celebrities who take stands stems from understandable human jealousy and the desire to prove that they are no better and indeed often inferior to "us". It's helpful to stand back from the media -driven phenomenae and see them as normal humans who have to deal with both the glory and the backwash of their fame. Anyway, the "objective" view from most critics that I've seen so far is that A Mighty Heart is worth seeing, and I'm looking forward to veiwing it and forming my own opinion.

porcupine
Posts 88

6/28/2007 3:19 PM
posted awhile ago

Re: FilmCouch #25

I also want to see the movie. I hope we didn't come off as being overly harsh to Angelina Jolie. I'm glad she's trying to raise awareness, and I do think she's doing more good than harm. All I was trying to say is that there's a sad irony in that the same thing that gives her a platform to speak about issues (her fame) is the same thing that makes it hard to take her seriously. Whether it's fair or not, when people in the spotlight try to get others to care about moral issues, they automatically invite scrutiny of their own apparant morality. So when we hear a plead for AIDS orphans we think, "isn't that the same chick that made out with her brother that one time?" Of course, we should all look at the log in our eye before pointing out the speck in someone elses, but it doesn't always happen that way.

Also, I feel that I should make clear that there is by no means an "official" Spout opinion or FilmCouch opinion on this movie or any these issues. For example, I think that Karina was more skeptical of Jolie and her motivations than I was. Which is great, because we want the podcast to explore different takes on things like this. And we want it to do what it seems to be doing right now, generating discussion.