Speculative fiction has always been allegorical. The alternate worlds, be they in the future or some alternate plane of existence, are meant to illuminate and comment on our own when the culture of the current moment does not invite the sort of commentary the author is looking to make.
There are great films that depict the horrors of war and honor those who sacrifice themselves as part of it. Saving Private Ryan and Fury come to mind. There are many as well about civilians who sacrifice money, career, and even lives to promote the progress of a cause or idea greater than themselves. Sacrifice is a noble thing. Of the one who sacrifices his life, the Bible says there is no greater love.
High Noon does not explain itself nor its hero. One suspects that what Tony Soprano really identified with in Will Kane was his reticence. In today's political landscape, Kane's insistence on taking up his gun even after he had officially resigned his position might well be questioned. Neither his wife's arguments for pacifism nor the town's pleas for pragmatism are clearly and effectively rebutted. Kane represents an emotional rather than intellectual (or political) argument. The way things are is stipulated, not explained. A man has to do what a man has to do. What that thing is that he must do can only be understood, not explained.
Because it is a film about sexual identify, it avoids many of the cliches of films about disability. Because it is a film about a woman with a disability, it avoids many of the cliches of films about sexual identity.
Darwin's saving grace is that it embeds the political arguments about right-to-die within a personal story.
I have a confession to make: I’m not generally fond of yarn bombing. But the film Yarn, featuring four fiber artists and narrated by Barbara Kingsolver, is making me rethink that stance.
From Here to Eternity is a bit of a soap-opera, but at its center is a character who has to stand firm in the face of immense social pressure--pressure that escalates to physical torture and threatens not only his peace of mind, but his life.
There's a pervasive sameness to movies these days. Sure there are pockets of exception: festivals and awards season. Summer is starting earlier and earlier. May is not even over and we've already had three comic book movies, with a fourth opening next week. In such a climate, live theater offers an increasingly attractive alternative. And given that more and more movie theaters are raising prices and studios are needlessly rendering two-star action movies into 3D in order to charge a premium, the cost differential isn't always that great.
"For me," he said, "it is above all a moral standpoint from which to view the world. Afterwards it becomes an aesthetic standpoint, but the point of departure is definitely moral."
A formula film about mathematical geniuses is buoyed by strong performances from Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons.
