Why I haven't been writing of late...
I blame Ken Burn's excellent documentary "The War," airing since last Sunday on PBS. Amazon.com has it for pre-order at $79.
I've already ordered my copy.
I've already ordered my copy.
Holiday Movie Cavalcade
I didn't do much over the holidays (alas) but I did see movies. More movies than in all of the rest of 2009. It was all mainstream fair, but enjoyable nonetheless. Read on: no spoilers. Sherlock Holmes Holmes and Watson as action heroes. Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law star. Early on, Holmes (Downey) does some bare-knuckle fisticuffs which were sufficiently violent that Spousal Partner decided she'd had enough. By the way, Rachel McAdams (as Holmes' love interest Irene Adler) is freaking gorgeous. Needless to say, this was " based on characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, " and not part of the Holmes canon. Purists may turn up their noses but it was rousing good fun. Avatar (3D) I wasn't initially planning to see this (it registered a bit high on the hype-o-meter) but Youngest Son saw it with friends and said he'd see it again with me. I find that I tend to enjoy movies a lot more if I've previously lowered expectations.What I'd r
Comments
It makes me feel bad on several levels to say it, but from the promotional stories NPR was doing before the show first aired, I feel like "The War" is absolutely the last thing we need right now -- another glorification of our military (this is coming from someone who loved "Band of Brothers" and has always been fascinated by military history). I heard Burns talking about why he did this project, and he said something about how the war generation hadn't been sufficiently honored. Excuse me, but he must be living in a different country from the one I grew up in. My take is that gratitude to the war generation has been the official policy of the United States -- as it well should have been. But at a moment when the military has become a dangerously anti-democratic institution -- an instrument to carry out the will of a reckless commander and a force that's apparently above criticism -- we don't need more "greatest generation" propaganda that puts the armed forces on a pedestal (and, along the way, downplays our allies' role in the proceedings).
It's pretty unflinching in how it looks at many topics either glossed over or sentimentalized, including the internment of US citizens in concentration camps because of their ancestry, the shocking ineptitude of many military commanders, the tense race relations both in the military and defense plants, and the overall horrific absurdity of war. I've gotten through three nights: not so many pedestals on display so far.
Your point about the recklessness of our current commander is well-taken (as always). His (and other's) cynical exploitation of history to further a narrow and self-serving agenda is sickening.
I'd be interested in your thoughts on the series once you get a chance to see it on DVD. By the way, I commend you for pulling the plug on broadcast TV. I wish I had the same strength of will!