HUSTLE & FLOW, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON and WHY WE FIGHT
It's been about three weeks since my last post, so I bring you three new reviews. I should be back sooner than you might expect, because I have a couple more reviews waiting on deck with one more to go. I smell trilogy! In the meantime, please enjoy what you see below.
Why We Fight
Review by Jon Waterman
***
During his farewell address to the American public, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the people of a burgeoning trend. He called it the “Military Industrial Complex.” He feared the military, in conjunction with the corporations and industries that produce its materials, was growing too powerful and too influential. Policy should be dictated by the people, the masses and not by the interests of the few. If this new machine is able to gain more political clout in the White House, the nation will be harmed in a potentially irrevocable manner.
That was 1961. In 2006, filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (“The Trials of Henry Kissinger”) studies the current relationship between policy makers and this Military Industrial Complex. What he finds is that Eisenhower’s nightmare is true and the results could end up being worse than even he imagined. Jarecki paints an incriminating portrait of current politics in which both parties are equally guilty of falling victim to this seemingly unstoppable machine. He forms a well-researched and damning argument, especially against the George W. Bush administration while showing the subtle and not so subtle corruption that’s been taking place essentially since World War II.
(more....)
+++++++++
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Review by Jon Waterman
****
After a senator’s untimely death, certain politicos are left in the lurch. They need to find someone who will vote for their potentially controversial bill. Their best bet lies within a naïve man by the name of Jefferson Smith. Smith is head of the Boy Rangers and his popularity amongst kids and parents is soaring. Also, his father was friends with one of the senators behind the bill, Joseph Paine. Surely this man will sit back quietly and do whatever he’s told until the next election. And it looks like that will happen until Smith introduces a bill of his own that would contradict the one Paine brought him in to pass. Mr. Smith soon finds himself in great conflict with a family friend and his own ideals.
Who would have ever thought a filibuster could be so entertaining? You don’t have to be interested in politics to enjoy this incredible touching, funny and extremely inspirational film. The movie isn’t really about politics anyway. It deals with the simple eternal battle between good and evil. More precisely it deals with the struggle of man versus boy, both literally and figuratively. The children try to rally up support for their candidate Jefferson Smith against the stogy old politicians. Things get more intense later as parallels are drawn between Smith’s hometown and his showdown on the Senate floor.
(more....)
++++++++
Hustle & Flow
Review by Jon Waterman
***
Djay is a struggling drug dealer and pimp with one ho that he pushes to johns out of his unconditioned parked car. He talks a mean game, but his lifestyle doesn’t represent all the hype and the credit he gives himself. He feels like he’s destined to make something out of his life, but it isn’t until he makes a trade (a little weed for a small electronic keyboard) that he figures out how. Armed with inspiration and the ability to pimp (in this case, himself), he just may become the next big from rags to riches rap success story. All he needs to do is produce a record and find a way to get it played.
Terrence Howard stars in a deserving breakthrough performance as Djay. He, like others in the cast, does a great job of creating a character you can empathize with, despite his line of work. Coming from a middle class, essentially suburban city, it’s tougher for me to imagine just how hard it really is out there for a pimp, but Howard and costars help blur the line and put a very real human face on some of the struggles and situations they face in their rundown neighborhoods. He delivers some great monologues that really make you believe in him. I’m buying what he’s selling. Although, not really because my girlfriend would kill me. And I don’t find Taryn Manning (Nola the prostitute) attractive. And I don’t have money.
(more....)
Why We Fight
Review by Jon Waterman
***
During his farewell address to the American public, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the people of a burgeoning trend. He called it the “Military Industrial Complex.” He feared the military, in conjunction with the corporations and industries that produce its materials, was growing too powerful and too influential. Policy should be dictated by the people, the masses and not by the interests of the few. If this new machine is able to gain more political clout in the White House, the nation will be harmed in a potentially irrevocable manner.That was 1961. In 2006, filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (“The Trials of Henry Kissinger”) studies the current relationship between policy makers and this Military Industrial Complex. What he finds is that Eisenhower’s nightmare is true and the results could end up being worse than even he imagined. Jarecki paints an incriminating portrait of current politics in which both parties are equally guilty of falling victim to this seemingly unstoppable machine. He forms a well-researched and damning argument, especially against the George W. Bush administration while showing the subtle and not so subtle corruption that’s been taking place essentially since World War II.
(more....)
+++++++++
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Review by Jon Waterman
****
After a senator’s untimely death, certain politicos are left in the lurch. They need to find someone who will vote for their potentially controversial bill. Their best bet lies within a naïve man by the name of Jefferson Smith. Smith is head of the Boy Rangers and his popularity amongst kids and parents is soaring. Also, his father was friends with one of the senators behind the bill, Joseph Paine. Surely this man will sit back quietly and do whatever he’s told until the next election. And it looks like that will happen until Smith introduces a bill of his own that would contradict the one Paine brought him in to pass. Mr. Smith soon finds himself in great conflict with a family friend and his own ideals.Who would have ever thought a filibuster could be so entertaining? You don’t have to be interested in politics to enjoy this incredible touching, funny and extremely inspirational film. The movie isn’t really about politics anyway. It deals with the simple eternal battle between good and evil. More precisely it deals with the struggle of man versus boy, both literally and figuratively. The children try to rally up support for their candidate Jefferson Smith against the stogy old politicians. Things get more intense later as parallels are drawn between Smith’s hometown and his showdown on the Senate floor.
(more....)
++++++++
Hustle & Flow
Review by Jon Waterman
***
Djay is a struggling drug dealer and pimp with one ho that he pushes to johns out of his unconditioned parked car. He talks a mean game, but his lifestyle doesn’t represent all the hype and the credit he gives himself. He feels like he’s destined to make something out of his life, but it isn’t until he makes a trade (a little weed for a small electronic keyboard) that he figures out how. Armed with inspiration and the ability to pimp (in this case, himself), he just may become the next big from rags to riches rap success story. All he needs to do is produce a record and find a way to get it played.Terrence Howard stars in a deserving breakthrough performance as Djay. He, like others in the cast, does a great job of creating a character you can empathize with, despite his line of work. Coming from a middle class, essentially suburban city, it’s tougher for me to imagine just how hard it really is out there for a pimp, but Howard and costars help blur the line and put a very real human face on some of the struggles and situations they face in their rundown neighborhoods. He delivers some great monologues that really make you believe in him. I’m buying what he’s selling. Although, not really because my girlfriend would kill me. And I don’t find Taryn Manning (Nola the prostitute) attractive. And I don’t have money.
(more....)
During an on-field celebration at a soccer match, the world’s most famous player is murdered. Taken along with his life was the world’s most famous diamond: the Pink Panther. In order to solve the mystery, Chief Inspector Dreyfus decides to start up a prominent investigation with an incompetent nitwit at the helm. That way, he can conduct the real investigation without the criminals catching on. Dreyfus finds his nitwit in the form of France’s own Jacques Clouseau. Of course, Inspector Clouseau has no idea that he’s just a front, but that won’t stop him from trying to find the culprit and close the case.
A mastermind thief dubbed The Phantom is still at large, and there’s good reason to suspect he’ll attempt to strike again soon. Princess Dala is visiting a winter hot spot and will be attending some elite soirees. She’s at risk, because with her is the famous pink panther diamond, a very large, valuable stone whose only flaw is a slight bit of coloration in the shape of its namesake. These parties always act as a catalyst for The Phantom’s heists, but luckily there’s a detective on the case. The bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau is at your service.
What if Elvis Presley never actually died? Perhaps he got sick of his life and traded places with an uncanny impersonator who took over. Maybe he’s actually slowly deteriorating inside a small nursing/retirement home down in Texas. Now, what if John F. Kennedy’s brain wasn’t actually missing? Perhaps the government decided to implant it into the head of a young black man. Maybe that man is now well-aged and in the same home with the king. Okay, stay with me here. What if a cursed mummy suddenly popped up? Perhaps he began feeding on the souls of the old folks residing there. Maybe the only people that can stop him are Elvis and JFK.