Marc-86

This is a great film. It begins as seemingly a Michael Moore-esquire film, it summons the spirit of "Hands on a Hardbody", that Texas classic and has quite a few surprises. Crawford shows what spending a lot of time in a small town you once judged broadly can do. More should see this, and is should have a wide DVD distribution.

The story relating to the teacher, seemingly stuck in a town full of kool aid drinkers, is really the heart of the show. It was impressive how that story sneaks up on you and provides some hope for all small communities, that there is truth often subtly told to power. But it also shows how destructive those little personal sacrifices and "being different" have on the soul.

Truly one worth watching to see unanticipated effects of W's political theatre had on a small town. Great stuff.

I find it hard to describe this film without making it sound trite and overdone. It is definitely not that. But a movie where two kids get sucked into a TV show from the 50's? It sounds like a reverse Brady Bunch Movie, or Switching Channels gone bad.

But this really is a special film with a lot to say about our world. For years we have blamed Eve for the Apple, but are we really so sure we want to LIVE in an untainted Eden?

This film made me appreciate the times in which we live. It's so easy to say, "times were so much simpler long ago", and pine for the simplicity of life in the 50s, especially if you are a white male. But we mature and develop intellect for a reason. Clearly, with that intellect, there is a trade-off, and by learning we cash in our innocence. Some people would rather not know that bad things exist, and live with their heads in the soil, know that their dinner is on the table, and live in the 'burbs with a white picket fence. But I, for one, would rather see the blue sky, the colors of the rainbow, even if it means that life is stressful and complex.

I loved the way that Ross subtly draws analogies to the civil rights movement of the 60s, and the way that Jeff Daniels' character has love of art, even if his eyes can't see the colors to paint them. And it is not without its humorous moments, with the "breakfast of champions" and the cubist Santa Claus.

But coming back to it, Gary Ross made a heck of a picture to make me realize how great life really is right now, despite the hassles. And the acting talent brought it all home to me.

All I have to say is, "Go, Baby, Go!" Or perhaps, "Go, Baby, Go See It!" What a phenomenal piece of Americana...or should I say Texicana? I wonder how well it plays outside of Texas, seeing that the profound Texan love of trucks is an impossible to describe phenomenon. I grew up in East Texas and I felt like they were interviewing people I've met many times before. Absolutely hilarious.