One for the Price of Three

The last three movies we rented were Munich, Little Miss Sunshine and An Inconvenient Truth. One of these I liked very much. One of them was okay but didn't say anything I felt I needed to hear. One of them took up almost two hours of my life and left my sockets sore from rolling my eyes.

In that order:
First) Little Miss Sunshine had me laughing out loud at so many points and not all of them because what I was watching was funny. Most of it because I was so disgusted or uncomfortable with what I saw. No character the movie is impressive. Everyone is flawed. I suppose several people would argue that the little girl is sweet and intelligent and dedicated and honest. Well if you think that's all it takes to be a good person...fine. Abigail Breslin does a fine job in a role that made me yearn for innocent self-abandon like I haven't since I first saw Blind Melon's video for "No Rain".

Steve Carell is very believable and sympathetic and pitiful in a strait non-comedic role. Toni Collette is good, as she always is. Alan Arkin once again plays a person I've never seen him be before. And Greg Kinnear plays one of the most believably varied characters I've seen on film lately. He is both loathesome, tiresome and tender. (I'll let you make that into two qualities somehow. It's necessary to see his character moving back and forth without moving only on one axis.) If I was to sum up his character in one word I'd have to leave out several other necessary words. His first scene almost made me teary-eyed. Almost. Okay not even close, but it did touch on my deepest fears.

B) Munich isn't terrible. The acting is good. The organization is clear and simple. Perhaps too simple. It has a very linear progression and introduces no interesting complications after the establishment of the main conflict. The film reveals its moral questions quite early and repeats them until the end. There is a lot of Spielberg-ian melodrama and over-styling. At the emotional "climax" of the film Spielberg turns up the volume and slows down the images with his tried and tedious technique. His films have a habit of grabbing the viewer by the lapels and shaking, demanding, after a point has been elegantly made, "Do you see what I mean! Do you see? Do you?!" He picks important topics and seeks sometimes to educate or give the first soft notes of history. This time he doesn't do anything new.

Last) Al Gore thinks the country is made up of teen-aged minds looking to get emotional rather than educated about important issues. I believe the climate is rising in temperature because of increased carbon dioxide. I believe emissions need to decrease. I believe legislation is a fair way to encourage that ebb. I believe Al Gore doesn't trust the world to listen unless he simplifies arguments, vilifies counter claims to some of his non-essential beliefs, uses sarcasm in an attempt to intimidate the viewer (eliciting laughter from his live audience as well as groans gasps and applause that work much like a laugh-track on a bad sitcom) lest anyone choose to step in the scope of the ridicule. Warped statistics graphs and projections as we find in this video brochure are not necessary to make an argument that the government should pass environmental protection legislation.

He claims this is not a political issue, but a moral issue. I was hoping this PowerPoint presentation would avoid both and treat it as a scientific issue. But he sensationalises a valid discussion. He represents any dissent as nefarious and calculated. He highlights speculation calling it fact. He presents graphs without numbers for crying out loud.

Let me repeat--I believe the government should legislate higher and stricter standards for mileage and emissions. I believe resources should be valued and more prudently shepherded. I believe wind and solar energy should be used more. I believe the smog in L.A. is reason enough to change the habits of Nebraskans. I don't believe Al Gore makes a sound argument in this film.

[Side note for Sevvies: Buffy said it reminded of the Net 9x series. I agree.]