V for Vicious Cycle

Went to see V twice this weekend. I had promised both people trips, they did not overlap, and I was happy to pay the money twice. In turning the film over in my mind, I stumbled across a new paradigm that may be old hat to my illustrious readers, but it struck me as true and deep.

Some want to paint the film as American Liberals vs. American Conservatives. The film certainly draw some auspicious connections, but in reality strays quite a bit down the path.

I wrote this Sunday morning:

The filmmakers upgraded the war (from the graphic novel), and used some ties to current situations, but nothing more involved than that which could be used as a framework. The political framework of the government was not representative of any major political party in power in any major First World country. It was an extreme, taken to extremes, to prove a point. Any serious connection to current events would have to be made by the viewer, and would lead to a discussion far beyond the point of the film. Political discussions inevitably devolve into partisan corners and pointless bickering, because such conversations (like religion, the other taboo topic) are deeply personal, and woefully inadequate over the faceless and anonymous internet.

[b]Why I loved the film is that it points out that an imbalance in the system (of human interaction), which is ALWAYS dynamic...the system is never settled...will find a way to correct itself. Too much freedom (the opposite of V) leads to anarchy and chaos, and forces the people to find a viable social contract to prevent the excesses from destroying innocent lives. But that's not what the film is about. V is about the pendulum on the other side...too little freedom, too much control...and the effects on the human psyche and soul. As before, an opposite reaction occurs, and humanity finds a way.[/b] I found the film hopeful. It certainly keeps to the philosophical underpinnings of the Matrix trilogy. I loved that the film celebrated the individual, through art, through expression, through outrage.

I was happy I wrote that before I read an interview today where the author validated my opinion, stating that V (the novel at least) is about anarchu vs. fascism. Two ends of the spectrum. It did teach me that I know very little about the history of societal contracts and the psychology that drives them. The film did explicitly state the universal law...for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This applies to much more than physics.

As Martin Luther King stated...hate can not drive out hate. It merely multiples it, breeds it. Only love can drive out hate. Love begets love.

Sappy, but I appreciate any film that allows me a glimpse of the divine.

For what it's worth, the film is also very well made, features two awesome performances (Stephen Rea and Hugo Weaving), and a good one from Natalie. It is ballsy and wears it's intentions on it's sleeve. With some sweet action scenes :)

N for Needed

V for Vendetta opens on Friday. The right is going nuts because the hero is a terrorist, and some on the left are praying that maybe a B-movie based on a mid-80's graphic novel can do what their party can't...galvanize some disaffected youth into, uhhh, something.

I think V is bigger than that. I read it for the first time last year, having known about it a lot longer. Comics have few masterpieces, and even fewer geniuses. V is one such masterpiece, and it's author is Alan Moore. On the list of brilliant minds in comic books, his name is at the top. It's a short, but meaningful, list.

V was written as a response to the Thatcher administration. Not as it was...but as it could be. Some fools will say it parallels us now, but that is a hollow, facile comment. We are not a fascist country, but some of what drives our beloved country now are the seeds of V's future. What it does preach is discourse. Communication of ideas, the importance of the individual. It is more timeless than a simple screed of anger.

Please give it a chance. Ignore the commercials. V is not an action movie, but an idea movie.

Nothing to see here

Just a new entry, without a lot of drive behind it. But I might as well get some words on the ethernet, to prove I am still alive. I stayed up for the entire Oscar ceremony (again), but didn't have a lot to show for it. Jon Stewart's monologue was so-so, but I imagine that is where most of his assistance from the "Hollywood" writers cam ein (vice his own TDS writers). After that, he was fine. Better than fine, but you wouldn't know it from the audience. Most actors and actresses seem to have a hard time laughing at themselves. Tools.

Long ago, I learned not to really care what won. If a few films you like get nominated, awesome. Snubs happen at nomination time. I air grievances at nomination time. Once it leaves that point, it's a crapshoot. A few thousand voters (with actors making up the largest percentage) get to decide what wins the big prize. But we the audience gets to decide what lives beyond that. Seriously, who has Chicago (a fine musical, I might add) as a favorite film? A Beautiful Mind? How many of these films stand the test of time?

But what matters is that if you got nominated, you "deserve" to win as much as any other film. As the immortal Clint said in Unforgiven, "deserve has got nothing to do with it". But it's hard to get invested in a film and then have a major group tell you another film is better. But it's also healthy. Most of my favorite films have gone through a sort of crucible, where I had to defend them (or my appreciation of them) from others, sometimes intensely. It did not diminish my love for the films, it increased it. Yes, flaws were pointed out, but even perfect films (like perfect people) have flaws.

Brokeback was an emotional favorite for a lot. It stood for something bigger than the film. But voters didn't vote on that...they just voted on the film. And a film about sheepherders in Wyoming (starring all up and comers) doesn't resonate as well as a film set in the Bowl, starring a dozen established actors (let's be frank, some voters vote for their friends) that is about the Holy Land of Los Angeles? Brokeback will be remembered LONG after Crash has become a trivia answer. That's the truth. And Brokeback wasn't even the best film of the year :) It was close, though.