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Welcome to the musings and notes of a Cadillac, Michigan based writer named Micah Holmquist, who is bothered by his own sarcasm. Please send him email at micahth@chartermi.net. Holmquist's full archives are listed here.
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Sites Holmquist trys, and often fails, to go no more than a couple of days without visiting (some of which Holmquist regularly swipes links from without attribution) Aljazeera.Net English Blogs that for one reason or another Holmquist would like to read on at least something of a regular basis (always in development) Thivai Abhor |
Monday, February 02, 2004
Cold Mountain Cold Mountain (Anthony Minghella, 2003) is a far better movie than it ought to be. None of the technicals are notable and the acting is fine, but the characters never show any sort of self-doubt when it would seem to be a common emotion within and amongst them. Still the film succeeds because it tells details the horrors of the U.S. Civil War that happened on the periphery, but which had little to do with slaves. Specifically it covers the struggles of those who deserted the Confederate Army. There are story has seldom been told on the screen. The film doesn't pull any punches about the brutality of both sides, which is important to keep in mind since so often arguments in the U.S. amount to "X is a justified cause so those who fought in the military for X were justified in whatever they did." History and Cold Mountain teaches otherwise. In fact, Cold Mountain makes a strong and implicit argument for the morality of refusing to comply with injustice even when a political alternative is not available and the fruits of this effort will be primarily personal. The war torn remains of the southern U.S. thus come to represent not just the destruction of one society but the modern world. *** The biggest flaw with the politics of the film is that the political atmosphere that lead to the Civil War is not explored in any depth. This is a minor flaw, however, since it most likely reflects the character's quite believe flaws. *** I saw Cold Mountain with my good friend Mr. Max Standard. Shockingly his reaction differed from mine. "This 'film' was nothing but a defense of cowardice and fornication," Standard told me. "Cowardice is never acceptable no matter what the cause. This is made most clear by how Saddam of course should have killed a few Americans before he was captured instead of being a pussy. And the film's scandalous glorification of pre-martial sex between Inman Balis (Jude Law) and Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman) was beyond the pale. Even after the scenes that reminded me of a more expense version of those stag films my uncle used to take me to see at the VFW hall, I thought the film might have some redeeming value. God cleared punished Balis by having him shot dead and making sure that Monroe was burdened with a bastard, but these wicked heathens learned nothing from their punishment. Instead they are shown celebrating that bastard child who will no doubt grow up to be a whore just like her mother." *** By the way, Renée Zellweger was great as the hickish Ruby Thewes. Now when is she going to play a character with some depth? *** Margaret Cho responds to what she says is "this is the best fan letter i ever got." *** The Negrodamus sketch in this past week's Chappelle's Show used Bill Hicks' joke about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and the receipt. *** David Rees has posted some new get your war on strips lately. All are worth reading. *** Yesterday's Doonesberry was great, although upon a second reading I did think that there are some people for whom "9-11" did change things to such an extent that what previously was acceptable no longer was. Perhaps that it is the real joke. *** I very much enjoyed Arizona Bay and Paint Your Wagon Sunday. |