A comment I noticed the other day struck me as funny yet clever. It was after this week's police crackdowns and occasional rough behaviour towards Occupy protesters, and it went something like this: "We pay our taxes - the taxes go to pay the police - the police beat us and rough us up - that's kinda kinky when you think about it!"
On another level of "kinky" altogether, X Factor USA is beginning to make me feel a wee bit queasy at times. Last week was supposed to be Rock Week, only one singer (our favourite, Josh Krajcik) actually sang any valid rock, but that's by the way. I'm increasingly concerned about the way the very young contestants are being treated. I'm not sure that the Stones' "Satisfaction" was a suitable song for a 13-year old Rachel Crow to be singing on national TV. 
Nor was it very edifying to see a 15-year old rapper brought to tears by remarks made by Simon Cowell and L A Reid. Admittedly the young lad, "Astro", had displayed rather too much arrogance (but he's a teen for goodness sake - what do we expect?)
The minimum age for X-Factor is far too low in my view. If a talent show for teens is what they want, it'd be preferable to market it as such, keep it separate from shows for adult performers; give the kids age-appropriate songs to sing, and not use them as cynical publicity stunts!
Among some VCR tapes I bought for $1 each recently was Pleasantville, picked at random, I knew nothing about it. We watched it on Friday night; it happened to be on top of the "pending" pile, room too dark to read the sleeve. What a treat! A fun but still thought-provoking movie.
Released in 1998, written and directed by Gary Ross (a Sun in Scorpio person by the way, who also wrote screenplays for movies Big, and Dave). Pleasantville stars Toby Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Joan Allen and Jeff Daniels among others.
It's a fable, parable, allegory, piece of subversive satire, fairy story, fantasy - it defies exact categorisation. The more I think about it the more I see in it, the more amazed I am at the layers within layers of insight. It's not only relevant to the late 20th century but also to today - truly, moreso today. It only takes a tiny amount of squinting the mental eye to see it as having been written last week!
In a nutshell: two present-day (1990s) teenage siblings, squabbling over the TV remote, he wanting to watch his favourite nostalgic sitcom, about which he knows facts, figures and detailed trivia ready for an upcoming quiz, and she, rather more worldly, wants to rock to MTV. They are magically pulled, against their wills into the world of the nostalgic TV sitcom with the help of a TV repair man - played by Don Knott (a bit of mischievous casting there).
Their 1990s sensibilities contrast wildly with the two dimensional black and white images of the sitcom brought to life. There are so many clever hints and tricks throughout the movie, too many to list. The real meat and potatoes doesn't begin to reveal itself until around half-way through. I had one of those "sharp intakes of brreath" as I recognised what it was all really about, and even more amazing, how it still can be applied today, with slight adaptation (history rhymes, not repeats - remember!)
Resistance to change, closed minds, fear of change and what some will do to avoid change is at the heart of the message. There are multiple inter-related messages coming at the viewers throughout the movie....and not preachy messages.
The soundtrack is excellent, from Dave Brubeck's Take 5, Miles Davis' So What, Randy Newman's Suite from Pleasantville to, towards the end of the movie the Beatles' Across the Universe sung by Fiona Apple: "Nothing's gonna change my world.....nothing's gonna change my world........"
I later scooted through a few comments about the movie from several different websites. I was amused, but not too surprised to see some strong opposition to the movie's themes, and on a couple of Christian-based websites were comments raging about certain "sinful" parts of the movie, and concentrating on "biblical themes" it presented. The movie did indeed present some biblical images: the apple, the burning bush (or tree) for instance, but it rapidly moved beyond them as part of an overall evolution of attitudes.
I shall watch the tape again, there's far too much to take in at one viewing, once one cottons on to the movie's intended theme it's too late to catch all the references.
Highly recommended!
From a selection at About.com some examples of signs carried at Occupy protests:
On another level of "kinky" altogether, X Factor USA is beginning to make me feel a wee bit queasy at times. Last week was supposed to be Rock Week, only one singer (our favourite, Josh Krajcik) actually sang any valid rock, but that's by the way. I'm increasingly concerned about the way the very young contestants are being treated. I'm not sure that the Stones' "Satisfaction" was a suitable song for a 13-year old Rachel Crow to be singing on national TV. 
Nor was it very edifying to see a 15-year old rapper brought to tears by remarks made by Simon Cowell and L A Reid. Admittedly the young lad, "Astro", had displayed rather too much arrogance (but he's a teen for goodness sake - what do we expect?) The minimum age for X-Factor is far too low in my view. If a talent show for teens is what they want, it'd be preferable to market it as such, keep it separate from shows for adult performers; give the kids age-appropriate songs to sing, and not use them as cynical publicity stunts!
Among some VCR tapes I bought for $1 each recently was Pleasantville, picked at random, I knew nothing about it. We watched it on Friday night; it happened to be on top of the "pending" pile, room too dark to read the sleeve. What a treat! A fun but still thought-provoking movie. Released in 1998, written and directed by Gary Ross (a Sun in Scorpio person by the way, who also wrote screenplays for movies Big, and Dave). Pleasantville stars Toby Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Joan Allen and Jeff Daniels among others.
It's a fable, parable, allegory, piece of subversive satire, fairy story, fantasy - it defies exact categorisation. The more I think about it the more I see in it, the more amazed I am at the layers within layers of insight. It's not only relevant to the late 20th century but also to today - truly, moreso today. It only takes a tiny amount of squinting the mental eye to see it as having been written last week!
In a nutshell: two present-day (1990s) teenage siblings, squabbling over the TV remote, he wanting to watch his favourite nostalgic sitcom, about which he knows facts, figures and detailed trivia ready for an upcoming quiz, and she, rather more worldly, wants to rock to MTV. They are magically pulled, against their wills into the world of the nostalgic TV sitcom with the help of a TV repair man - played by Don Knott (a bit of mischievous casting there).
Their 1990s sensibilities contrast wildly with the two dimensional black and white images of the sitcom brought to life. There are so many clever hints and tricks throughout the movie, too many to list. The real meat and potatoes doesn't begin to reveal itself until around half-way through. I had one of those "sharp intakes of brreath" as I recognised what it was all really about, and even more amazing, how it still can be applied today, with slight adaptation (history rhymes, not repeats - remember!)
Resistance to change, closed minds, fear of change and what some will do to avoid change is at the heart of the message. There are multiple inter-related messages coming at the viewers throughout the movie....and not preachy messages.
The soundtrack is excellent, from Dave Brubeck's Take 5, Miles Davis' So What, Randy Newman's Suite from Pleasantville to, towards the end of the movie the Beatles' Across the Universe sung by Fiona Apple: "Nothing's gonna change my world.....nothing's gonna change my world........"
I later scooted through a few comments about the movie from several different websites. I was amused, but not too surprised to see some strong opposition to the movie's themes, and on a couple of Christian-based websites were comments raging about certain "sinful" parts of the movie, and concentrating on "biblical themes" it presented. The movie did indeed present some biblical images: the apple, the burning bush (or tree) for instance, but it rapidly moved beyond them as part of an overall evolution of attitudes.
I shall watch the tape again, there's far too much to take in at one viewing, once one cottons on to the movie's intended theme it's too late to catch all the references.
Highly recommended!
From a selection at About.com some examples of signs carried at Occupy protests:
6 comments:
Loved Pleasantville and like you, T, watched it 3 times (so far).
So many heroes out of OWS - you've seen the pepper-sprayed 84 year old?
XO
WWW
Love Pleasantville - definitely resonates today as well.
I was amused, but not too surprised to see some strong opposition to the movie's themes, and on a couple of Christian-based websites were comments raging about certain "sinful" parts of the movie.
This will always be, from the days of Pietro Aretino to today. My beef is the palling of aesthetical standards, which is more Wildean.
Wisewebwoman ~~ Yes, and the line of students sitting quietly in protest, also pepper-sprayed. Sickening. Unjustified.
Juno ~~ Yes! If any movie is worth a re-make and slight update, that one is!
James Higham ~~ I think I understand your view, and agree, in the main. It always seems to be that when something is gained, something else is lost. Not sure if there's a way to stop, or at least limit, that from happening.
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