Nothing like participating in our little democracy to get the juices flowing. I just returned from casting my early vote in the midterm elections, where I was disappointed to discover that my local representative to the Tennessee House is running unopposed. Both he and my state Senator lack college degrees, which isn't so terribly unforgivable, except that I live in a state whose government has been marked in recent years by willful ignorance and anti-intellectualism. If I sound bitter, it's because a few months ago, I and several thousand other university employees were deemed "unnecessary" by the powers that be, who couldn't seem to find any money for the education system. Could it be because we have one of the most regressive tax structures in the country?
I finally got around to writing about a film that blew me away when I first saw it a few months ago: Hou Hsiao-Hsien's Good Men, Good Women. I've seen it three or four times since, and with each viewing it just gets stronger. Unfortunately, after finishing my piece, I did a quick Internet search, looking for useful links, and found this piece by David Walsh. As usual, he had already said everything I had hoped to say, and better. His last five paragraphs are fantastic, but this is my favorite:
This film about sadness is full of life. It has too many elements to talk about: the music, the shots of trees, the food, the way people talk to each other like real human beings — not like one supermodel to another, and the beautiful and precise imagery. There are plenty of ambiguities, things I can't explain, things that can't be explained. Good Men, Good Women adopts a serious attitude to life. It suggests that there are difficult, painful social and personal problems that aren't going to be solved overnight, or by shortcuts. Good Men, Good Women needs to be seen and reseen. Writing about it only gets you so far.
I've also posted a first draft of the article that I mentioned a few weeks ago. Since I could probably name the ten or fifteen people who read this blog everyday, I've decided to expose myself a bit and solicit feedback [insert sexual innuendo here]. The title (today, at least) is Seeking "Holy Moments" at the Movies. Tell me what you think.
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