Today's movie reviews.

We've got the Netflix distribution chain working overtime so I'll have lots of these in the next few weeks. Anyway, here are the latest reviews.

Airplane
I'm not sure I've ever watched this all the way through from start to finish. It's still a classic of its genre. It's corny, the jokes are almost all groaners, but it still manages to give you a chuckle. One thing of interest, and I'm not sure if it's a reflection of when the movie came out or if the rating system has changed, the movie is rate PG, but there is a gratuitous topless shot that probably lasts 3 seconds in the middle of a scene. I was always under the impression that naked boobs means an R rating. I guess I'll have to check the MPAA website. I'll recommend this as a good cheesy movie for when you want to completely veg in front of the TV.

Better Off Dead
Surprisingly, I had never seen this movie. I generally like John Cusak, although most of his films tend toward the chick flick category. I suppose if I had seen this when it came out and I was younger it would have resonated more with me. As it is now I found it to be horribly slow and not very funny. It really felt like something my friends and I could have made in a week or two. The only redeeming quality for me was the cute-in-an-'80s-way French exchange student. Had I seen this when I was in high school I would have been all about thinking she was hot. So, I can't really recommend this one unless you're a huge John Cusak fan or an aficionado of 1980s teen angst movies.

Fahrenheit 9/11
Now for something completely different. I wanted to see this when it came out, but I was kind of turned off by the hype. I think Michael Moore is somewhat of an ass in the way he deals with people, but there is some powerful imagery in this film. It's well shot and pretty in places, and the musical cues are hilarious when they need to be. As for the subject matter, I was aware of most of the stuff about the Bush/Bin Laden family connection but it's interesting to see how far back it goes and how closely involved those two groups of people and their friends are with each other. I completely agree with the interviewee who said it's not about ruling the world, but making lots of money. I don't see some grand conspiracy in all that. I do question the decision to spirit the Bin Laden family out of the country on 9/13. Investigators always want to talk to relatives during crime investigations and it just didn't look good for the administration. I'm not a fan of the current regime, but they really go out of their way to make themselves look bad on many occasions. One thing I wasn't expecting to see was how normal life in Baghdad was just days before we attacked. I'm sure Mr. Moore didn't go looking to tape police beatings and whatnot, but the footage of people just going about their lives is very poignant. Nobody looked particularly oppressed. Just normal folks doing their thing. One of the other interesting segments in the film is when Moore and a Marine corporal go to DC to try and get Congressmen to enlist their children in the military. He gets all kinds of reactions from handling it smoothly all the way up to the guy who actually ran away from him. I agree completely with him that more of the members of the House and Senate should have loved ones in the military. It might prevent unnecessary wars like this from happening. Overall it was a worthwhile film to watch. I would suggest you watch it, regardless of your political alignment, just for the candid interviews with various people in our government and military.

So true it hurts.

As we were leaving work yesterday Jason said:

"I could never quit this job because it feels so good when I leave."

Books and movies will now be reviewed here starting with these two:

Moby Dick
An interesting read. I don't know if I agree with its usual label of "Children's Classic". I don't think many of today's children could be bothered to even attempt this one and if they did, I don't think they would make it without a good dictionary. There's a lot of cool language in this book. Most of it is a bit archaic, but it's interesting to see how our language has changed in the last couple hundred years. There are some great sentences and quotes in there. As for the story, it's very long and drawn out. There are large sections of the book where you are treated to in-depth descriptions of the whaling trade in the 1850s, whale anatomy, whaler operations, blacksmithing, and other fun subjects. The meat of the story with Ahab and the whale only really involves the last two chapters. Honestly after wading through the rest of the book, the ending was very anticlimactic. Am I glad I read it? Yes. Would I read it again? Probably not. I would say this is one you should save for a very long, rainy day. If you're interested in the subject or enjoy clever writing it might be worth your time.

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2701

V For Vendetta
Wow. When I saw the previews for this I knew I had to see it. I was not disappointed. Like Orwell's 1984, this movie has eerie parallels with the current state of the world. It's a hopeful story in that it proposes that the masses will one day wake up and take their lives and privacy back from the government. Whether or not that can actually happen remains to be seen.
There is some discussion on the 'net about whether V is a terrorist or not. I suppose it depends on which side you're on. To the government he is a terrorist, to the people he's a freedom fighter and a hero. His tactics are probably best defined as terrorism, but he is very careful to mete out punishment only to those who have earned it. Now, I don't think we should go around blowing up large government buildings and national landmarks as a form of protest, but it certainly worked to get the attention of both the public and the tyrants running the country. Technically the film is very beautiful. It's dark, but there are lots of rich colors and textures. Natalie Portman is surprisingly good, especially compared to her work in the Star Wars prequels. Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith from the Matrix Trilogy) is credited as V. I'm not sure if he was in the costume as well as doing the voice, but the range of emotion that he gets across without access to facial expressions is amazing. It's all body language and vocal inflection. Personally, this performance is more worthy of a best actor Oscar than many in recent years. So, watch the movie. Enjoy the pretty colors and the great acting and try to get the message.

People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people - V