With the election coming up, it is a time to start weighing pros and cons on the candidates, Obama or McCain, Democrat or Republican, stances on the War, the economy, who looks more presidential, etc., etc.. Then I was reading an interesting article on Roger Ebert’s web site and found that there is another way of deciding who my vote should go for. According to Facebook, Obama’s favorite movie is Casablanca and McCain’s is Viva Zapata. So now it comes down to would you rather have a Bogart fan or a Brando fan running the country. Tough call! Checking out the Vips doesn’t help, neither Biden or Palin list favorite movies on any web pages. I know, you think I’m being sarcastic and a little silly, which I am. But considering the state of our country right now and how doubtful that it can be fixed within the time span of the next administration, regardless of who wins the election, picking a candidate by what their favorite movie is, is as good a way as any. My choice? Not saying, both were great actors. Now if one of them had said Raiders of the Lost Ark or Ed Wood, that would be a different matter. Interesting side note: the article also lists former President Clinton’s favorite movie as High Noon and current President Bush’s as Field of Dreams. Make of that what you will.
Archive for September, 2008
I have always considered that people who love movies are just film fans, like sports fans, you have your favorite type and you might be sectioned off into a sub set like football fan or baseball fan/ horror fan or western fan, but you are essentially still considered a fan. But for some reason people can’t just leave it at that. I was over at Jim Emerson’s site last week and came upon this article that really bothered me. He was talking about an article by Dan Bordell that puts “true” film fans into one of two categories, cinemaniacs and cinephiles.
Here is the part of Bordell’s article that bugged me, “… I do see differences. For one thing, most cinemaniacs like only certain sorts of movies–usually American,often silent, sometimes foreign, seldom documentaries. Do cinemaniacs line up for Brakhage or Frederick Wiseman? My sense is not.
Cinephiles by contrast tend to be ecumenical. Indeed, many take pride in the intergalactic breadth of their tastes. Look at any smart critic’s ten-best lists. You’ll usually see an eclectic mix of arthouse, pop, and experimental, including one or two titles you have never heard of. Obscurity is important; a cinephile is a connoisseur.”
How many of us fit into either of those two definitions? I know I don’t and it bugs me that there is a contingent of people who are pushing their own views about fandom being the only type there is. Emerson himself in his article about the article says there is nothing wrong with not being either of these types, yet then goes on at great length to voice his fears that he is slipping from being a cinephile to a cinemaniac and equates it to converting from Catholicism to Episcopalianism.
And there in lies the problem, that belief that one way is better than another way. We need to stop alienating people with elitist attitudes about film and just like what we like without forming value judgments about somebody who prefers Highlander to Citizen Kane. It is possible to enjoy both Fillet Mignon and hot dogs (though usually not at the same meal).
This week the world lost two great entertainers. Don LaFaontaine, voice over guy for countless movie trailers and actor/musician/ composer Jerry Reed both passed away. LaFontaine was one of the most recognizable voices in the world as he promoted everything from Scream to George of the Jungle, Gieco finally put a face to voice in one of their best and funniest commercials. Reed made such great hits as When You’re Hot, You’re Hot and Elvis Presley’s return to form Guitar Man as well as being an ingratiating presence in Burt Reynolds’ Smokey and the Bandit movies (If you want to see the perfect good old boy, badass villain check him out in the Reynolds vehicle Gator). They will both be missed.
