The Influence Of Images

I rented The Corporation last night. There are some nice bits therein (including informative and concise sound bites from Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore, and the tireless & maniacal Charles Kernaghan). Overall, however, it's a piece of shit. Cleverly asserting that the "personhood" of corporations is, quite literally, psychopathic, it relies heavily on cutesy footage and arguments that are both obvious and archaic. Documentary activism is in a woeful state. Films that attempt to achieve the gravitas of legitimate journalism as well as the profundity of historical monographs come off as little more than dilettantes; which seems to be a perfectly laudable goal to some of these people. The truth, even if it is incontrovertible, becomes little more than agitprop bullshit in the hands of over-zealous and/or amateurish wannabes.

Is This The Way To Amarillo, however, is a film worth watching. As activism, it is extremely effective. While I have been anti-war from the get-go, this short piece of footage - which offers a rare glimpse into the daily lives of combat soldiers – fills me with incredible pride and love for our troops.

[Gracias Stiggie]