I see a great deal of dissatisfaction with the kind of movies Hollywood is putting out these days. No surprise in that, considering the uncultured apes who run and populate the entire entertainment industry in America today. But good movies can be found by reaching back into the past. Sometimes way, way back.
My favorite film of all time is still The Searchers from 1955. For those of you who don't know it, it's the story of an unrepentant Confederat soldier (John Wayne as Ethan Edwards) whose family is slaughtered by indians except for his young niece who is taken captive. Wayne/Edwards takes off after the indians vowing to kill the chief and kill his captive niece. He cannot stand the idea of his own relative being used by another race. Race is the central theme of this complicated story and Wayne's character is a proud, strong white man. Often Ethan Edwards is assailed by those film commentators of today who look back on the movie, but Wayne himself paid hommage to the character by naming one of his own sons Ethan.
If no one here has ever seen a Buster Keaton film, I strongly urge you to find a video tape or DVD of one and watch it. You may think silent films have nothing to offer but Keaton was truly a genius and you will be amazed at the things this guy did with only rudimentary film technology. I encourage you to pick up a copy of The General or Sherlock Jr. and marvel at his talent. Sherlock is not one of his better known films, but in it Keaton makes a very early statement on technology that is more relevent today than it was in 1926. After seeing Keaton you will fall on the floor laughing at anyone who calls Spike Lee a film-making genius.
My favorite film of all time is still The Searchers from 1955. For those of you who don't know it, it's the story of an unrepentant Confederat soldier (John Wayne as Ethan Edwards) whose family is slaughtered by indians except for his young niece who is taken captive. Wayne/Edwards takes off after the indians vowing to kill the chief and kill his captive niece. He cannot stand the idea of his own relative being used by another race. Race is the central theme of this complicated story and Wayne's character is a proud, strong white man. Often Ethan Edwards is assailed by those film commentators of today who look back on the movie, but Wayne himself paid hommage to the character by naming one of his own sons Ethan.
If no one here has ever seen a Buster Keaton film, I strongly urge you to find a video tape or DVD of one and watch it. You may think silent films have nothing to offer but Keaton was truly a genius and you will be amazed at the things this guy did with only rudimentary film technology. I encourage you to pick up a copy of The General or Sherlock Jr. and marvel at his talent. Sherlock is not one of his better known films, but in it Keaton makes a very early statement on technology that is more relevent today than it was in 1926. After seeing Keaton you will fall on the floor laughing at anyone who calls Spike Lee a film-making genius.