Monday, January 9, 2017

Rouge One and False Populism



           
          
  
              



An old friend of mine once said he defined a great film on whether or not he would want to see it again. While that certainty doesn’t apply to all movies, his point should help define how good a film is and how worthy is it of our accolades and money. With this in mind, not since Birdman, has there been a film I’ve wanted to see again immediately despite being a huge super hero fan. The last XMEN film, perhaps the second best in its genre behind the first Avengers, failed to inspire and move me as much as Rogue One. Likewise none of the other Star Wars films since Return of the Jedi has risen to such gut wrenching occasion, as if an out of body experience, calling upon on our very nature to summon faith, courage, and bravery while at the same time questioning our belief systems. Fans of Star Wars know the outcome of the mission yet relish in the battle and what it means for each character. The moments of rebellion against the system. The moments when the brave shouted their allegiance or used the force with such desperation, as dreamers and soldiers for the cause of freedom; not as graceful Jedi knights given a birth right to wield and command the force at will. This spark within us all to call upon our inner aspiration and drive against all odds conveyed from the entire cast and its director, Gareth Edwards, makes Rogue One a testament to spirituality and palatable substance. What acts have you carried through for the greater cause of man? What group have you cultivated to sacrifice upon the altar of freedom? Such a bold thematic statement led up to masterfully with an unlikely hero who throughout most of the film denies the mission out of spite. Her anger and grudge blinded her until she learned the truth about her very existence. The human struggle and determination to listen to the heart unobstructed with a focused moral compass is extremely rare in cinema and in Rogue One Edwards, Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen and Forrest Whitaker absorb truth and justice as their prime motivation. It flowed from their faces and eyes. The uncertainty before the leap. The walk toward a switch through crossfire in the dark. Real tangible action requiring sacrifice has been done in many films but seldom from so many characters. Even an android gave everything he had for a few moments more toward the greater good. This is an outstanding, bewildering accomplishment and the absolute denial or unacceptance of this cinematic actualization by film critics as a timeless classic of epic proportions is a telling commentary on the state of American society. 
This denial of palatable substance is gripping and has been evident in mainstream media and politics for a long time. Both from the center right and center left the mainstream acceptance of status quo and rhetorical belief systems grossly gloss over the specific actions and details we need to force change. One of the biggest mistakes from the DNC, revealed thanks to the Putin hacks, is their active suppression of the Black Lives Matter agenda as established on their  website. The lack of black support and turn out for Hillary Clinton together with the much covered lack of her attention to rural “rust belt” and or “coal country” were the main reasons she lost the election. Clinton has contributed greatly to this idea of glossing over substance with a rhetorical theme. A great example came when Mr. Clinton went off on Obamacare and the campaign backtracked instead of establishing a new foothold. At the time I even thought it was a brilliant ploy by Clinton to get the issue back into her wheelhouse. The campaign had mentioned the “public option” for health care as if they were afraid to. As if they didn’t want everyone to know that was their “new” policy position. Of course the main reason is likely the stranglehold insurance companies have on both sides of the aisle. They own the agenda. Full stop. Even today the idea of opening up insurance markets to competition is mentioned by Trump and some Republicans in halfhearted whispers; with a wink and a nod. Statements void of merit. Like Kaepernick taking a knee to raise awareness yet failing to mention any demands the next day. Trump like Kaepernick and Hemingway’s Old Man in The Sea, fight so hard but return without any meat on the fish. All their wailing and media whoring, the latter because it was at the price of a holy relic, didn’t force the argument. Trump brought anti-corruption and unjust trade to the forefront just as Kaepernick helped bring police tactics and justice department’s legitimacy to the fore front but if we don’t drain the swamp, reform corporate tax loopholes, or hold prosecutors accountable then what good is the demonstration. The media continues to make headway regardless, establishing a false equivalency. The support for Trump or Kaepernick was never treated as the crisis it is. Discussing Trump without pointing out his many falsehoods because it would sound too repetitive and degrading is similar to not discussing the failure of researching why certain cases were not brought against certain police officers.  The levity from which the news is presented and absorbed has become a perverse entertainment. The right is left blind to the truth and the left blinded by it. The masses are left to fear or neglect the goodness and grace needed to solve problems because it makes them feel vulnerable but, the opposite is true. Just a few days ago Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway, criticizing the media for overblowing Trumps mocking of a disabled reporter, said to CNN “You always want to go by what’s come out of his mouth rather than look at what’s in his heart.” The statement seems the end result of treating a candidate like a pundit; asking him how his own words are gauged rather than what are the specifics of what he will do. The wheels have fallen off the equation after 8 years of an Obama Doctrine that moved slow and steady never truly showing the specifics of their plans. Of course you can’t keep your doctor because the insurance plan you had was criminal and your doctor doesn’t care! Then during the first Security of State press conference in Cuba in more than 54 years, with great consternation and perplexity, when pressed upon why dissidents were not invited to the symbolic raising of the American Flag in Havana Kerry said, “…we are not going to over define the process”. Where is our Rouge One Mr. President? Why do I have to hear my beloved Cuban dissidents happy Trump won because they were not supported by my government? The Golden Globes did not nominate Rogue One for best picture because they are irresponsibly lazy, enamored like all of us are, by a false populism, void of honor bravery and dignity; mired in the politics of complacency which only responds to extremes.


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