Saturday, February 06, 2010
Philosophical question #1...
So Das Boot is on Encore's rotation again. It's about 8,000 hours long, so even under normal conditions it would be impossible to watch straight through, but it's probably the tensest movie I've ever seen. If you haven't seen it (and I'm sure the four people who read this shitty blog haven't), it's the story of a German U-boat during World War II. It's tense for me in two ways:
- It's on a submarine, so you've got 40+ dudes packed tightly into this leaky, tiny boat under water. There's no personal space, no real shower or anything, which freaks me out considerably.
- The nature of submarine warfare itself. The U-boat is hunting convoys, which have large destroyers waiting for U-boats to attack (or at least show itself) so it can go after it with depth charges and guns. There's very little the sub can do except wait and hope the destroyers don't find it.
It's a war film. You want the people to follow to succeed; in this case, the U-boat to get to a safe port. But here's the thing: you're rooting for Germans during World War II. They're not Nazis, but still...thinking about it is an uncomfortable feeling. But, these men are in a near-impossible situation, under hellish conditions and you sympathize with them and root for them. And conversely, for the Allies to fail and, since this is war, to die. Obviously, I wouldn't have these feelings if the nations were reversed.
So my question is this: can one fight honorably for an evil cause? Look, when you're a German in World War II fighting on the offensive, even if you aren't a Nazi directly involved in the systematic genocide of Jews, you're fighting an offensive war that enables that genocide. Is it possible to remain politically neutral while serving an evil regime?
Labels: movies, philosophical questions, Pointless reflection
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
"Best of" lists...
So this shitty, shitty decade is coming to a close, and as a result, plenty of my favorite review sites are releasing their best-of lists. And being a shameless follower, I was planning to write one of my own. Lately, however, I've been reconsidering. What would I really have to say? Are the four (maybe) people who read this shitty blog really going to be surprised that The Wire is first? Or that I like The Life Aquatic more than others? So what's really the point of doing the work? If you want me to post something, leave it in the comments. Otherwise, fuck it.
Labels: Pointless reflection
Thursday, October 01, 2009
"Rated"-ness...
When we say something is "underrated" or "overrated", what is it that we mean? Well, when we rate things, the "rating" we give them is particular to the person doing the rating; Andy hates Jackie Brown, whereas I love it, so I can say that he "underrates" Jackie Brown. But when we just throw out that, say, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is "underrated", who is doing the rating? There's not some sort of independent rating agency that establishes the worth of a piece of entertainment; art isn't baseball. I also don't believe in the "wisdom of crowds" nonsense that's popular these days. Look at Flickchart; I liked The Dark Knight as much as anyone, but can you really say that it's the best movie of all time? Or that The Professional is #20? Crowds are often dumb because people are often dumb; lumping them together doesn't (always) make their choices any smarter or better.
I guess my point is that "-rated" is another meaningless buzzword. Even my example of Andy "underrating" Jackie Brown is bullshit. He rates Jackie Brown exactly correct for him. To me, it seems like he's "underrating" it. (And he is, because he's wrong, but that's another post.)
I guess my point is that "-rated" is another meaningless buzzword. Even my example of Andy "underrating" Jackie Brown is bullshit. He rates Jackie Brown exactly correct for him. To me, it seems like he's "underrating" it. (And he is, because he's wrong, but that's another post.)
Labels: Pointless reflection
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Nothing.
Nothing has happened in the seven months since I last posted. That's not entirely true. I bought (okay, leased) a new car. I drove to Cincinnati. I attended weddings and a funeral. I had a nice vacation.
Now what?
Now what?
Labels: Pointless reflection
