tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592985394059172101.post2310493756141072801..comments2023-10-07T06:24:05.693-04:00Comments on Lost in the Movies (old website): New on DVD: Precious and Capitalism: A Love StoryJoel Bockohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592985394059172101.post-7981417167952220922010-03-15T07:33:02.880-04:002010-03-15T07:33:02.880-04:00JAFB, my take on Moore is that he's always sim...JAFB, my take on Moore is that he's always simplifying and villifying to "charge people up" rather than fully analyze the situation, but that he usually does so in a more entertaining, provocative way than he did here.<br /><br />The safe play with respect to religion is partly, I suspect, do to the fact that he's a genuine Catholic sentimentalist (whether or not he practices is almost beside the point, though I think he does). Also it's just common-sense politics for the left to associate themselves not just with religion but with the military as both are being taken for granted and somewhat shunted aside by a conservative movement focused almost entirely on small/no government and unfettered markets. (Look at the outcry when McCain said he "led men for patriotism not for profit" when his executive experience was questioned in the '08 election - the National Review - correctly - took this as an attack on Romney's corporate experience and bellowed that it was just as patriotic to make money as anything else...)Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592985394059172101.post-60026019294939816162010-03-14T23:51:14.482-04:002010-03-14T23:51:14.482-04:00Movie Man,
Fantastic review here. I haven't s...Movie Man,<br /><br />Fantastic review here. I haven't seen Precious yet. I found Moore's film to be average. He should have hit the ball out of the park, but instead all he does is a touch and go. I get the feeling that Moore wanted to charge up people to do something rather than analyze a situation and deriving what's wrong. What else can explain his safe play with respect to Religion? The result is his weakest film (I love Fahrenheit and Columbine).Just Another Film Buffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17880550053788464732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592985394059172101.post-12703532479065154342010-03-14T14:02:08.828-04:002010-03-14T14:02:08.828-04:00Thank, Sam. I wasn't nuts about Precious or an...Thank, Sam. I wasn't nuts about Precious or anything but it seemed like a decent movie if you can get past the melodrama; a film carried largely by the performances. The subtexts were intriguing.<br /><br />Above all, that final Moore moment was one of irrelevance. It seemed a gesture of futility whether he realized it or not - during the Bush era he got under the opposition's skin in a big way, but now he seemed to merely be shouting on the sidelines, his voice drowned out by a different tune. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here - unlike Fahrenheit, which dropped into the political pool like a cannonball (like it or loathe it) this one was more like a drop in the bucket. I only mention that because publicity is a big part of Moore's modus operandi - a little film is bound to seem anticlimactic, and ultimately Capitalism, despite it's big subject, is rather little.MovieMan0283http://thesunsnotyellow.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592985394059172101.post-48821417878602598852010-03-14T11:33:33.572-04:002010-03-14T11:33:33.572-04:00Well, you have informed both films here Joel, with...Well, you have informed both films here Joel, with some excellent discussion, and I can't say I disagree with you at all all the way through, though perhaps I like PRECIOUS a bit less. Still, I think you zeroed in on the issues here that the nay-sayers would rally around, especially this simple assertion:<br /><br />"Such a plot suggests soap opera, and director Lee Daniels' flamboyant, baroque direction does not exactly make the film any subtler."<br /><br />That you go on to acknowledge the work of Sididbe ("stoical, unsentimental dignity") and Mo'Nique ("tour de force" performance) is a rightful assessment of the film's most noteworthy accomplishment. As I stated at another blog back when the film was released, I never objected to the performances, but to the rather exploitative nature of the characters being portrayed here, for whatever truths are unveiled. There's a tabloid fabric here, and not in a good sense.<br /><br />As far as Mr. Moore, who have alternately celebrated and cast aside over the years, there's some good stuff here (like the poignant discussion with the farmers, and those insignificant but glorious election bits) but my favorite sentence in your entire piece here is the one that renders the right verdict:<br /><br />"The result is a very messy dish: tasty in bits but lacking in texture, with an indistinguishable mush resulting from the cacophony of ingredients."<br /><br />The end scene, when Moore encircles the corporate builsing with crime scene yellow tape is a shameless display of showmanship, and a final embarrassment to this rather forgettable offering.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.com