Terra Firma

Here, finally, are the movies I watched in October:

The Life of Emile Zola (N) - 90% rating at rottentomatoes.com – I read Germinal back in college and I remember that the back cover of the book alluded to "The Dreyfus Affair," but I never had a clear picture what it was about actually or how Zola became involved in it. This movie cleared that up for me. I found this movie quite fascinating.

The Littlest Diplomat (short) (N) – This was a short included on The Life of Emile Zola DVD. I was scared that Shirley Temple was in it (sorry, but, dear God, she annoys me), but it was actually a cute little short.

Romance Road (musical short) (N) – Another short, musical this time, on The Life of Emile Zola DVD. This was very corny while also being fairly tragic. Although I like musicals, I don't think it goes well with tragedy.

Firefly (K) – As I might have mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I received the complete series (all one season – damn you Fox) as a birthday present. I loved this. I'm still trying to figure out how I became a sci-fi geek.

The World's Fastest Indian (N) – 79% - I wanted to see this movie when it was out, but never got to the theatre. Being the huge racing geek that I am, I'm fascinated with the Bonneville Salt Flats and the clichéd Need for Speed. Anthony Hopkins plays a New Zealander, Burt Munro, who showed up one year with an ancient motorcycle, an Indian, and wanted to run it for a world land speed record. It starts in New Zealand and follows his trip across the ocean and across the country from LA to Salt Lake City. It was a cool movie and if you're into mechanics at all, I think you'd enjoy this movie. If you like feel good, people accomplishing things despite massive odds movies, I think this movie is also for you.

Serenity (N) on 10/24 – with Commentary on 10/29 – 81% - We all know that I have come to the Firefly/Serenity party a little late, and that I've jumped in with both feet, as is my wont. I think, seriously, though that it was worth it, even though I'm now left feeling bereft that I've seen all there is to see. So sad when you consider some of the TV shows out there that get renewed yearly which suck canal water.

The Birth of a Nation (N) – 100% - This movie is listed in my 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, so I watched it. It's over 3 hours long and silent. Yup, a silent epic. The music was perfect, however, as an accompaniment. I found the theme of the movie a little hard to take – glorifying the Ku Klux Klan – and the other main criticism I had read was that it contained stereotypes of the worst sort. Yes, this was true, but for heaven's sakes, people, the movie was made in 1915! I firmly believe that you can't judge another time by the mores of today. Yes, it's offensive, but hell, I'm pretty sure I've seen similar stereotypes in movies made a few decades later. No, they're not right, but that's not the way to judge this movie. D.W. Griffiths based his movie on a book, and all the criticism about the racism and stereotypes and aggrandizing of the KKK was the incentive he needed for his next movie, Intolerance.

Making of The Birth of a Nation – This was an extra on the DVD and I have to confess that I don't remember much of it. How sad is that!

Intolerance (N) – 93% - I liked Intolerance better than Birth of a Nation, even though it was another 3 hour silent film. This one was his attempt to show how Intolerance has been with us through the ages by showing four different stories: first in contemporary time (1916), second was the time of Jesus, third was Babylon (539 BC) and the fourth was about the St. Bartholomew Day Massacre in France (1572). Worth the watch, I think, as was The Birth of a Nation.

An Affair To Remember (K) - 64% - I had a shitty day on Tuesday, and as I didn't have a Netflix movie to watch, I grabbed something off the shelf. As schmaltzy as the ending it, I will always love this movie and watch it a couple of times a year. Maybe I'm more of a romantic that I think I am!