Comments on: Summer Movies, July 7-August 24

By: brenda

brenda — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:00:23 +0000

I’m sorry, I love Volver too, Penelope’s amazing in it (the scene where she sings? and her mom is listening in the car and crying? gets me every time!), I just have nothing left to say about it.

By: Jaya

Jaya — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:39:34 +0000

One of the few movies on this list Ive actually seen is Volver, and Im so sad you didnt write about it! I loved it. I thought it was so great, and that Penelope Cruz acted so well in it.

So glad youre sorta back!

By: brenda

brenda — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:58:42 +0000

Re: V; yeah, I'm not really sure why I missed it; I'm guessing post-Garden State dislike of Natalie Portman.

Re: WALL-E: I do agree that the intent was "giant babies"! That's exactly the phrase that came into my head when I saw the movie. I dunno, on the one hand, I'm not sure how else they could have done it, but on the other hand it's still kind of equating fat people with passivity and mindless consumerism and weakness in the face of corporate authority, and kind of implies that they just need to get off the couch and kick the twinkies. The second is not exactly a new trope, in the world right now.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:23:22 +0000

I love LOVE V For Vendetta and I can't believe you've only just seen it.

And about the fat people in WALL*E, I didn't take them to be fatties so much as big babies, helpless and co-dependent. When the one guy first falls out of his chair and he's like flopping around he looked EXACTLY like a giant baby. I can't believe no one else has noticed this. And then there's that whole scene where the Captain walks for the first time. I kind of think it's a brilliant metaphor that is completely getting overshadowed because fat people are getting so angry about being told that being fat is bad. I didn't so much think it was a criticism on fat people as much as it was a criticism of authoritarianism and the herd mentality.

(I loved it, too.)