Thursday, March 24, 2005

Just Like a Norman Rockwell Painting!



So it continues. Yes, just another day in "divided America". This time though, I think the far right has bitten off a bit more than they can chew. Heck, even Bill O'Reilly says that they grossly overstepped. They are spending their "political capital" quicker than Clinton in '93. I have always predicted that what is shown in these polls would happen eventually. When the party in charge gets way too comfortable, they start to think that they rule the world. It's all about getting "their way", and woe be to them that tries to thwart their plans! I actually don't consider it to be a partisan trait at all though. This is basic human nature, and nobody, least of all politicians from any side, are immune. I have no idea if this is going to carry over at all into 2006, but let's hope so. I would be happy with at least a bit more balance.

I heard about a movie that they aren't showing in some parts of the south. It has no nudity, no violence, and practically no professional actors at all actually. It has no political content either, and no "off-color humor". They aren't showing an IMAX film in some theaters in the south (no, not southern China, or southern Iran, it's the southern *United States*, *yes*, in 2005...), because of a reference to evolution. It's called "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea". Apparently it might offend some people who don't like even the suggestion of evolution. Never mind that most Christian sects, even Catholicism, officially accept that evolution is a possibility, and not incompatible with Christianity. To be sure, there are many people that hold tightly to the believe that evolution is incompatible with their faith, but what I find funny is that I think many that feel this way are unaware that their sect accepts it. I also believe that the people that are not showing the movie are greatly over-estimating the number of people that would be actively offended by it. I remember when "The Cider House Rules" came out, theaters in Auburn, New York where I grew up, a small heavily Catholic city in upstate NY, would not show it at first because they were afraid of some kind of backlash. They showed it a couple months later when it got nominated for Oscars, and you know what? Nothing happened. People either saw it or they didn't. I think the same thing would happen in this case. It's a sad form of self-censorship.

I see a couple of my German friends from my other blog which is in German (it's where I get to practice it most), Karin and Andreas (Andi), showed up to say hi! Welcome Germans! Speaking of which, I have to put up a funny picture that I put on my German blog awhile ago. It was taken by the grandfather of a friend of mine, just after World War II. Needless to say, things have changed a lot in the last 60 years, and I fraternize with as many Germans as possible, not to mention Swiss, Austrians, and so on.

7 comments:

Wayne World said...

I can't believe that they are trying to ban the showing of that film.People didn't ban "Passion of The Christ" and it contained violence and gore.Not to mention it depicted a religious point of view.Athiests,Buddhist and Muslims did not ban it's showing. Isn't that censorship?What ever happened to freedom of speech?I think that there is enough solid, real tangible evidence(fossils,artifacts, etc.)that evolution is not just a theory. If this doesn't stop, they're going to be trying to force all Americans to accept Christianity!Oh, I think that's already in full swing!!

Anonymous said...

Fraternization with Germans? A quite terrible thing ;-), you know. We're all Nazis and so on ...
But they're actually showing "Der Untergang" (I don't remember the English title ... was it "Downfall"?)? Maybe it will disturb some peoples' picture of Germany and the Germans *g*.
Andi

Paul Mitchell said...

Just wanted to chime in on the movie stuff. I have neither heard nor read anything in local papers referring to this movie and our Jackson paper is a Gannett dog trainer.

Personally, I don't go to many movies at all, I have yet to see Passions. To say that we in the South are keeping a movie from being shown is somewhat bizarre in it self. F911 was shown here, it just didn't do very well ata all.

I saw The Cider House Rules though, it just wasn't very good to me. I never have enjoyed Michael Caine stuff and Toby Maguire needed experience. I have a hard time thinking that any of those uneducated people in Hollywood could ever be doctors. About the most convincing job that I have seen was Nichole Kidman's neurologist in that wonderful vehicle, "Days of Thunder". NASCAR rules!

I guess maybe the movie people are more concerned with making money than pushing a political agenda to us rubes down here. Damn capitalists..... We Southerners will probably never become enlightened. Damn rednecks.....

Erik Grow said...

Hehheh...thanks for posting Two Dogs. Yes, it does seem a little strange. I know they did show F911, but of course that movie was too well-known to not be shown there. This on the other hand is an IMAX, seen by a much smaller audience. I wouldn't give it a second thought if it were just one little one-stoplight town, but those kinds of places don't have IMAX. That is only in bigger cities, and apparently multiple cities aren't showing it, so that worries me. It just doesn't seem like a good idea for one area of the country to be given a different version of reality than others. It just tends to insulate and divide.

Erik Grow said...

Soundboyz - Technically, it isn't censorship, since it is a private company. It is however ignorance, and it's troubling as a symptom of a greater issue.

Andi! Du bist einen bösen Bube! Hast du deinen Hausaufgaben ergänzt? *Lach* Danke für deine Einträge. Du kannst mir Heute anrufen, wenn du willst. Ich bin zuhause.

Anonymous said...

We're switching to German? Come on I should practise my English. I'm doing my Abi(tur) in English ... in about two months ;-).
Have you yet seen "Der Untergang"?

Anonymous said...

Der Untergang (Yes, it's "Downfall" in English) has been playing in the Los Angeles area for about a month now in 3 theaters - including the "Arclight" (big ritzy theater on Sunset Blvd. where first showings with the red carpet and all that nonsense often take place).

My wife (who is german) and I saw it a couple of weeks ago, and we were both moved/disturbed by it. The film got a bad review from the LA Weekly, and the audience was pretty small. I thought the film was REALLY well done.

Besides being a compelling account of Hitler's inner circle's last days in the bunker, it opens up the human dimension of these people. I found myself, even knowing full well what these people did, empathisizing with their predicament, as their "empire" crumbled around them, and with the range of reactions they had - from suicide and poisoning their children, to attempting to "do the right thing" in the last moments by hastening the surrender.

As usual, after we go to see a film that shows some of the hideous things the Nazis did, my wife turned to me and said, "Do you still like me?" As though the actions of the preceding generations somehow transfer their guilt onto her.

I have to say I'm surprised that the film isn't getting more recognition here. But Americans aren't typically known for being "moved" by "art" of any kind - even when it's couched in the guise of "entertainment".