At long last....

Two screenings at ND/NF: the first was the Italian film "Texas"... which seemed terribly deja-vu. Yet another Italian film about a group of 20-somethings going through all sorts of emotional/sexual turmoil. ("The Last Kiss", etc.) And Valeria Golino... in yet another "Valeria Golino" part. She's not a bad actress, but the way she's used in so many Italian movies, she's becoming a cliche unto herself.

But "Into Great Silence"... just phenomenal. Finally, a really impressive film. It's one of the most beautiful documentaries i've seen since... well, since Tian Zhuangzhuang's "Delamu". It used a variety of formats (super-8, Hi-Def DV, all blown up to 35mm) to stunning effect. I really need to think about it, but it was one of the purest experiences i've had, and it was such a meditative film....

Came home, in the mail some DVDs from William E. Jones. New works. Watched "All Male Mash Up" and "Mansfield 1962". Very intriguing: Bill is continuing to try to find a way to mediate the (homosexual) male gaze. The question: can pornography be used as a genre and be "deconstructed" in post-modern terms?

Watched "American Idol" at the gym. But it was a two-hour show! So i watched some of it, and then came home to see the end. Larry and i have no idea who is going to get cut this time.

An e.mail from George Robinson about the AIDS Walk. It's terrifying to think of the devastation that the Bush Administration is doing to other parts of the world, especially Africa. By making so much of the (possible) funding dependent on "faith-based" charities, they're finding ways to deny people health care. AIDS isn't a "message from God", it's a disease!

What i don't understand is that Bush and his cronies have been caught in so many "compromising" situations... yet the Democrats are so afraid. And recent polls indicate that over 50% of the troops stationed in Iraq DO NOT SUPPORT THE ADMINISTRATION! Yet they are doing their duty, but they think there should be a withdrawal of American troops. (In fact, one poll last week put the number of those in the service opposed to the current Iraq occupation at 70%!) Yet Bush acts as if his (narrow) margin of victory has meant that there is a mandate, and he's just running roughshod over everything.

Watching "Sir! No Sir!" a few weeks ago, i was struck at the fervor of those people in the 1970s. Jane Fonda makes the comment that there has been a concentrated effort to deny that part of history, to act as if there hadn't been a (mass) movement against the Vietnam War, that there hadn't been groups like Vietnam Veterans Against the War. And seeing "Winter Soldier" again, when Dennis Doros and Amy Heller reissued the film, i was reminded of that passion. And of being part of that era....

I joined my first group at the age of 10: LEMPA. Lower East Side Mobilization for Peace Action. And there were so many other groups.

Sometimes, it seems as if that era never existed, it seems so distant, but then there are films like "Sir! No Sir!" and "Winter Soldier" to remind me that it did happen, and that i was part of something that really did have an impact.