America's Heart & Soul

AMC Huebner Oaks 24
11075 1H 10 West

America’s Heart and Soul.

Heard about this movie?

Let me try another title.

Fahrenheit 9/11.

While the press couldn’t wait to extol the controversies surrounding Michael Moore’s filth (which is now being completely debunked by Richard Clark, who is quoted constantly in the movie as a reliable source – how do you spin that one Mr. Moore??) the big names in movie critics (don’t get me started) are all attempting to say that America’s Heart and Soul, which WILL be distributed by Disney, is nothing but “... a way to escape contemporary America rather than celebrate it.” (Dave Kehr, New York Times).

What?? Contemporary America ... oooooooooooooooodon’tgetmestarted. Two problems here. First, isn’t that what Disney IS SUPPOSED TO BE??? I thought, forgive me if I’m having one of those childhood moments here, Disney was all about being positive, reinforcing, and on the sunny side of life. Are we suggesting that the icon of American Happiness is now supposed to be dark and gloomy? Besides, their films are dark and gloomy most of the time now. Do we KNOW they didn’t distribute F9/11 because it was anti-Bush, or perhaps they saw it and knew the inaccuracies and didn’t want to be associated with the fall-out?

Furthermore, this crap about Contemporary America. Actually, first let me give you the next article, as it adds to what I want to say on that score. Here the Hollywood Reporter actually comes out and suggests they are the center of the universe and anyone who likes this film is completely out of touch: “In cinemas, ‘Heart & Soul’ is an odd duck, out of sync with the current generation of documentarians whose films dig deep into stories and issues the media generally overlooks.”
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000554196

Did anyone else fall apart laughing at the suggestion those tripe films dig into issues "the media generally overlooks"? Seems to me the problem is there's too much looking so by the time the film comes out there's "nothing new in it" (according to the NYT which still gave it a thumbs up).

I encourage you to read this article. It was, to me, a great example of how spin backfires when you are too blatantly obvious about it. In order to spin the subject, you still have to state the subject, and I found myself agreeing more with the unheard film than with the outspoken critic.

Here’s my beef. In this very article this critic suggests that the film should have presented the frustrations as well as the positives. Like.... Michael Moore did? How many “well rounded” anti-Bush films are there? Have they shown what we ACCOMPLISHED over in Iraq? Have they bothered to point out that WE HAVE FOUND AND CONTINUE TO FIND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION?

In our own country it’s no different. If you don’t live in Hollywood or where you can look enviously at the sign on the hill, or in New York or close enough to smell the dump on Staten Island, or in Boston where you can vote for Ted Kennedy and John Kerry... YOU are apparently a relic, a throwback, a red-neck hick hillbilly and you are NOT contemporary America. So in a completely self-contradictory way this critic is asking us to be well rounded but wants to discount anyone who lives where there’s breathing room between their stucco and their neighbor’s stucco. It seems to me diversity is only convenient when it benefits them, not when it suggests there’s something else actually out there besides their narrow view.

Personally, I am NOT an Eisner fan. I think he’s screwed Disney up in ways I can’t even fathom. But you should talk to my sister about that. She not only knows Disney much better than I do, but she knows investing pretty darn well and can probably speak to the financial ways Eisner has damaged the company by taking so much “personal money” out in the way of stock options. Like HE was responsible for the stock being that high in the first place. Well, I don’t pretend that he makes every little decision about what Disney shows and doesn’t, but whoever over there is finally showing something upbeat and encouraging, you may have earned my only movie ticket this year (admittedly I don’t go to the movies that much).

It was hard to find where this movie is playing near me, but I found on theater about 45 miles away (Moore complained that his film started in only 898 theaters, this one opened today in 90). I can’t afford to go to the movies right now, but I will skip a meal to see this film.