American Celluloid
A few months ago there was a meme going through the blogosphere. If you had to explain America to a foreigner or aliens but only through its movies, which ten films would you choose to show them. The list is not to serve as a history lesson, but as an informed commentary on the American milieu.
Here’s mine:
1) The Godfather II. We are a nation of immigrants and this film shows the struggles and choices they made to bring prosperity to their family in their new home. Of course, not all immigrants end up as mafia dons, but at its core the story of the Corleones is one that repeated and repeats itself countless times as this country matures.
2) Office Space. Working sucks. Blue collar, white collar, or no collar. We all hate our jobs and wish for something better.
3) Porky’s. The male American view of sex is sophomoric. We can’t get past the surprising titallation that we had when we were teenagers. We still think its nothing but tits and ass.
4) Full Metal Jacket. The killing machine that we can become is something ugly to behold.
5) Apollo 13. American ingenuity at its finest. This is the best moment of geekdom in American history. We can’t fail, because we think things through. Of course, we don’t do this now because of the fucktard president and his fucktard GOP fucks who believe in nothing less than education is for shmoes. Watch this film and know that sometime in her past America produced great minds.
6) Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The original, 1950s version is an allegory about America’s obsession with commies. We hate the others and must fear it. Nothing like hysteria to signify American ideology in the time of the cold war.
7) Saving Private Ryan. I hate the greatest generation moniker that was assigned to the generation that fought in world war II. Fuck them. Yet, this movie, which I thought was meant to do glorify their struggles, has a place on this list to demonstrate that they did rise to the occasion.
8) Boyz N the Hood. It’s tough to make it in America if the deck is stacked against you.
9) Woodstock and Gimme Shelter double bill. The previous to describe the sixties and the latter to kill it. Kill it with a Hell’s Angel’s shiv to your gut.
10) Raiders of the Lost Ark. American adventure at its greatest.
I’m not satisfied with these films. I probably missed some, but I think these can tell an alien what America is about.
What’s your list look like?
One Reply to “American Celluloid”
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That’s a really good list actually. I like the inclusion of Apollo 13, Office Space and Porky’s. It’s funny when you think of those 3 movies alone. Apollo 13 show’s man working together for a solution. It also is a film which shows the possibilities that humans can reach. We were playing on the moon man! Then there’s Office Space. Life in a rut. The dreams all snuffed out. A few good men got to play golf on the moon, while the rest of the world sits in tiny cubicles 9 to 5.
Porky’s… heee hee. Like what BrowserMetrics said. BOOBIES budda budda wha!
That’s american life in a nutshell. Ingenuity snuffed out by daily 9 to 5’er. Then we all sit down at Porky’s to wipe our mind clear to ready ourselves for the next “klink” in the on going perpetual wheel.