But _Pearl Harbor_ is "richly happening" and its occuring
is something we can use to teach students why shit stinks
like roses in hollywood.
shit equated to reality:
roses equated to fantasy:
reality equated to fantasy.
...The spectacle (not "event" since it did not nor ever will/could happen)
of the air raid is not equivalent to the
actual air raid...
Of course, I would like nothing more than to vomit on
meaningless films made to take consumers (most of them kids)
money three or four times over...but even the most respected theorists get
their panties in a bundle over the spectacle of film. Barthes toiling in
self doubt in _Camera Lucida_ is at once powerfully on target and
emabrrassingly laughable. Jouissance! Jouissance! Here comes the money
shot!
Is it any wonder that, in a country where we don't entice people to
recognize their critical thinking capabilities, people lack the ability to
discern manipulation from elation?
My students are afraid to write in the first person for crying out loud!
"We can do THAT!"
How can you make a claim to knowledge in the third person? So, they say:
"Since James Cameron says his movies are good, they must be good." "If
Michael Bay fights for his *artistic vision* during a shoot, then the film
must be a worthwhile project." Rather than, "I liked the film, because it
looked good; but why do I like it?"
Not Freshman Composition 101, but
Banking Method of Education 101.
Not Film History 101, but
Depositing Truth in Future Consumers Psyche 101.
Not Film Theory 101, but
Christian Capitalist Aesthetics 101.
take your pick, they're all taught by your favorite uncle...
gary norris
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