More new stuff
Now Playing: I can't think of a lot to say about these.
GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE (2004, Mamoru Oshii)- I'm not a huge anime fan, but I've seen enough to know that this is pretty much your prototypical entry into the genre, focusing on awesome-looking violence and "deep-thinking" philosophy in roughly equal measure. Here the heady stuff focuses mainly on the grey area between men and robots, with the film's protagonist Batou being comprised mainly of mechanized parts, with little more than his brain and "ghost" surviving from his human life. The characters drop names like Descartes and Milton, but rarely with much significance (the Descartes' doll story would have been just as effective as an anecdote about some random guy, in my opinion). The visual stuff is pretty awesome here too, though in a standard-issue anime way, with strangely-shaped machines and exotic-looking settings. The geeks will salivate over this thing, but I was strangely unmoved. I guess I prefer my Japanese animation to be more in Miyazaki style, with less violent flights of fancy. Or maybe I just don't want to feel like I'm watching a Matrix movie.
Rating: **.

PERSONS OF INTEREST (2003, Alison Maclean and Tobias Perse)- in this documentary, we meet a dozen Muslims who were detained by the US government in the days after 9/11. For the most part, it's a pretty straightforward film, with the interviewees discussing why they came to this country ("Freedom" is a common answer) and the details of their incarcerations. Really, there's not a whole lot to the film other than that, although the subject of the film is certainly fascinating and timely. We see a few clips of John Ashcroft talking about his plan to hunt down the terrorists, and the film makes it a point that the people we meet love the U.S. (one even has a Caucasian wife) and were arrested because of their skin color and religion. In the end, the film tells us little we didn't know, but is useful nonetheless because it puts faces on some of the other victims of 9/11- the people who were persecuted in lieu of the extremists.
Rating: **1/2.

THE CLAY BIRD (2002, Tareque Masoud)- just when we thought it was safe to return to the arthouse, it's (dun-dun-dunnnnnnnnnn) TRADITION VS. MODERNITY! This week's exciting episode takes us to Bangladesh, an ancient land of both Hindus and Muslims, still under the thumb of Pakistan in the year 1971. Our intrepid hero, Anu, is a new student at a Muslim school, where his teachers change his name to Anwar and where the other students shun him for his newness. But just when we thought Anu's life was hopeless he befriends another outcast, Rokon, who has a secret hiding place and a "special friend" (an American film would make this special friend a molestor, but this one is content to make him imaginary, for which I suppose we should be grateful). Meanwhile, on the homefront, Anu's father is a strict Muslim who looks down at the local Hindu celebrations and prescribes herbal remedies for his family rather than sending them to modern doctors. What will become of Anu? Behold! as we bear witness to exotic Hindu songs and dances! Weep! as Anu's father's staunch traditionalism results in the death of his adorable daughter! Yawn! as the film fails to build in any interesting way! Shrug! as the bleak final reel comes as neither a surprise nor a natural progression of the story! Forget! you ever saw this, just like I have!
Rating: *.