Political/Societal Rant inspired by Man on Fire.
May 03, 2004 3:15 a.m.

I'm starting to think I should be an art historian. ...Having come from another post modern film I'm starting to think that post-modern film is becoming the current trend. It used to be that post modern films were the red headed stepchildren of the film industry: The Rules of Attraction, Donnie Darko, Mulholland Drive. 21 Grams, ...Now they are becoming much more common...and I almost wanted to leave 21 Grams out of that list...But since it hasn't received much attention...I'll keep it on. I guess my point is that I keep watching films and at the conclusion...or maybe within the first 15 minutes I'm acknowleging that it is post modern...and leaving the theater commenting on how it was another perfect example of post mondernism in film. (Going along with What I've written before on post modernism. ...proving again my point that film is the perfect post modern medium, not photography, is that the movie theater is the perfect inverse of a gallery. Think about the entire Movie theater atmosphere...the exhibits are ever changing...you go in, make your "donation" to the gallery and the artists...and proceed to the exibition. the movie posters and standups are increasing in their artistic nature. The perfect inverse of a modern gallery).

The film I'm referencing today is the new Denzel Washington. This showed me that Post Modernism is becoming a noticable trend (and not on the outs as my former professor would like to think) it is actually starting to become accepted. I went and saw this not because I had any idea what it was about because Denzel said it was the best film he had ever made. I also heard it decribed as a "Thriller" This usually means an artistic horror movie that relies more on suspense than on gore (ie: The Silence of the Lambs, Kiss the Girls, and Seven ..all of which are about serial killers but..that's irrelevent) This is what I went in expecting. Not a post modern revenge film. And I'm sure...that most people going to see this film are the same way. I went with my Mom because I knew she wanted to see it. 40 something moms don't go see post modern films...hence the fact that it is becoming an acceptable ..which...heh...maybe will mean that it is going to become kitch and will fade away. But..The new Denzel Washington film, Man on Fire...TOTALLY Post Modern. The hero is an inverted hero. The music was a jumble of things...blending NIN into strings (Trent HAD to have loved this film. My guess is they approched him to use "A Mark Has Been Made"...a prominant and only real reconizable musical theme in the film, and he liked the film so much he gave them alot more (what more could you expect from a man who is notoriously addicted to Taxi Driver and Doom)(hell Trent does all the sounds for Doom)). Also the cinematography, the editing, as well as the text...all elements of post modernism.

Now...aside from it's artist signficance, I have to say I did not enjoy watching this film. At one point I considered walking out. ...but I didn't do that because 1. I paid $8.50 for it...and 2. because that's not something I do. But...the truth is the violence really got to me! ...And that is a statement coming from me. I am not one to complain about Violence in movies....This is coming from a girl who didn't flench at the violence in Reservoir Dogs (I expected worse. People are bothered by the ear scene?) or The Passion or the Boondock Saints (one of my all time favorites!) or Kill Bill. I have never before watched a movie and become so bother by the continued violence that I stopped watching the movie or atleast continplated it.

Now, this film had just about everything in it. Do you know what it lacked? Sex. there was one 30 second indication of sex...and that was it ...in the entire 2 and a half hour movie.

Now....this is the point in the argument when I bring up how FUCKED our society is right now. Again, I'm not attacking violent movies...and I Always state that art is not to blame for the actions of society but is merely a mirror that shows us our society. (if you haven't read my censorship paper, it's a must!)

What does it say about our society that there are THREE Revenge films out right now? A Man on Fire, Kill Bill, and The Punisher. (...I have yet to see the second 2, but I do have every intention of seeing the second Kill Bill) ...But really,....3 Revenge films! 3 Violent revenge films. We are a society so obcessed with revenge right now it's disgusting! The entire Iraq thing is revenge run amuck. (Dub's revenge) ...All fueled by the country's (understandable) desire for revenge for 9/11. (and I think the gov't as well as hollywood are taking advantage of this. ...not the directors...not the artists...but the studios...putting into production and releasing and pushing such films into the mainstream over others). Now...I understand the reasoning behind making of all those films, don't get my wrong I don't think Taratino expected 2 other revenge films to be in the theaters when he was writing Kill Bill, nor do I think there was some hidden agenda when the powers that be decided that The Punisher should be the next comic 'hero' brought to screen...no it is only logical that given the popularity of that character that he would be the next choice. And I know that my current layout is centered around my love of a violent comic 'hero', My point is......Isn't it strange? Isn't it odd that there are 3 films of this nature out at the exact time when are country is so consumed with Revenge and so Conservative of sexuality?

What is this trend? Why is it so acceptable now to watch violence and death but anything related to sex, the creation of life, the enjoyment of life, Is offensive! When did that become okay? My radio can wake me up in the morning telling me how many explosions happened that night in Iraq and how many soiders were killed but Bob and Tom can't make jokes about Blow Jobs? What the Hell! I'm just becoming more and more annoyed with this.

Becky and I were having this discussion earlier and she said that if things get bad that Canada will really start to look good. ...And I commented that if things are that bad I can always move to New Zealand....I'm sure there someone there who would be more that happy to welcome me and show me the ropes. ....and then I commented that Becky could move to Russia (She started taking Russian this year and really fell in love with it. ...as well as all things Russian. She's always reading about Russian Politics and going online and reading Russian news) .....and then after saying that Becky could move to Russia I paused letting that sink in.

Wouldn't that be Ironic? An American moving to Russia because they have more freedoms.

That is of course a worst case senario.