Critic Corner: No End in Sight, and Cross-X
I've been away a while. To be honest, things are going with this country in such a way that it just depresses me, and so I don't feel like writing. That's a different post.
I want to discuss two pieces of remarkable media I have experienced this week: the film No End in Sight, and the book, Cross-X.
First, the film. I had heard about No End in Sight, and read reviews. But I was rather hesitant to watch it. I heard it was a critique of our effort in Iraq. I was like, no shit, I already know we fucked that up. I'm not a big fan of documentaries that confirm my beliefs, which is one reason why I haven't watched Outfoxed, which documents how Fox News is essentially a propaganda arm of the Bush administration. Hell, I know that already. I want stuff that gives me new knowledge and provacative new argument.
Well, I ended up renting No End in Sight, and what do you know, it did exactly that. I've known for years that our war in Iraq was misguided and incompetently run, but this movie really places that in focus. Through interviews with many of the people who were actually responsible for the day-to-day operations of the occupation, new insight is brought about as to just how stupid the upper powers were, and continue to be. Rarely does a film make me mad and want to write about it while I am watching it. This film did. I remain convinced that the Bush admistration deserves to be impeached, and the only reason that it hasn't happened was because that constitutional option was so wasted on Clinton.
In sunnier news, I can whole-heartedly recommend the book by Joe Miller called Cross-X. This is a book that chronicles a year in the life of an inner city high school debate team. I am so glad that my friend at Pipeline, Doug, recommended this to me. For years I have been trying to write a book about my own experiences in debate in order to try to describe why it is such a valuable, and addicting, activity. Miller's book is the first piece of any media that actually rings true in its description of the activity, and all the highs and lows that come with it. It shows the great positives of debate, and those things that administrations (and parents) probably don't want to know about it. But it also serves as a fascinating critique of our educational system, and of debate itself. It raises many issues I wondered hard about for many years, and it profoundly moved me. I highly recommend this book.
I want to discuss two pieces of remarkable media I have experienced this week: the film No End in Sight, and the book, Cross-X.
First, the film. I had heard about No End in Sight, and read reviews. But I was rather hesitant to watch it. I heard it was a critique of our effort in Iraq. I was like, no shit, I already know we fucked that up. I'm not a big fan of documentaries that confirm my beliefs, which is one reason why I haven't watched Outfoxed, which documents how Fox News is essentially a propaganda arm of the Bush administration. Hell, I know that already. I want stuff that gives me new knowledge and provacative new argument.
Well, I ended up renting No End in Sight, and what do you know, it did exactly that. I've known for years that our war in Iraq was misguided and incompetently run, but this movie really places that in focus. Through interviews with many of the people who were actually responsible for the day-to-day operations of the occupation, new insight is brought about as to just how stupid the upper powers were, and continue to be. Rarely does a film make me mad and want to write about it while I am watching it. This film did. I remain convinced that the Bush admistration deserves to be impeached, and the only reason that it hasn't happened was because that constitutional option was so wasted on Clinton.
In sunnier news, I can whole-heartedly recommend the book by Joe Miller called Cross-X. This is a book that chronicles a year in the life of an inner city high school debate team. I am so glad that my friend at Pipeline, Doug, recommended this to me. For years I have been trying to write a book about my own experiences in debate in order to try to describe why it is such a valuable, and addicting, activity. Miller's book is the first piece of any media that actually rings true in its description of the activity, and all the highs and lows that come with it. It shows the great positives of debate, and those things that administrations (and parents) probably don't want to know about it. But it also serves as a fascinating critique of our educational system, and of debate itself. It raises many issues I wondered hard about for many years, and it profoundly moved me. I highly recommend this book.
posted by cc at
6:26 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home