Sunday, June 3, 2012

The Last Movie I Saw

I've waited awhile to write about The Avengers, because I was curious to see if any of it would stick with me, stirring up ideas as I replayed the thing in my head over time.  But no, I don't think I've given it any thought at all over the past few  weeks since I saw it, and darned if I could provide any kind of coherent details now about the plot. I saw it in 3-D, and I can't recall a single impressive utilization of that technology.  I can easily conjure the image of Scarlett Johansson in her body suit, but couldn't tell you in what manner she served as an integral part of the group.  I do recall one funny scene where the Hulk flings the bad guy around like a rag doll, but would be hard-pressed to recall any other interesting special effects.  I know that I enjoyed watching it for the two or so hours it was there in front of me, partly because I was enjoying the company of my nephews for the afternoon. This would be strange to me except that it occurs to me that, even though I was an avid reader of the comic book back in the seventies, I don't recall much about them either (though admittedly, there's a difference between forty years and about four weeks).  I often get complaints from some (hi Liz!) that movies aren't always meant to be anything more than a diversion, and I don't have a problem with that.  But I kind of wonder about a culture where that kind of movie is the one that breaks box office records.  Obviously, we can all use a diversion now and again, so you can take this question as rhetorical as much as anything else, but why are we so invested these days in fantasy?  Back in the thirties (for example) there were certainly blockbuster films like Gone With the Wind or The Wizard of Oz or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; but people also turned out for The Grapes of Wrath or Modern Times or I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang.  What are the comparable films to that second list out there today?  Awww...  maybe I'm just feeling a bit grouchy because I've been in the mood to see a movie recently and can't find anything in the listings to excite me.  I honestly don't remember that ever happening before.    

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