In america

[VMan]

I just finished watching an excellent movie - one of the best I've seen in a long time. The title is In America and it's absolutely beautiful. I don't want to spoil any part of the movie, but I recommend this to all. The basic plot is an Irish family immigrates to America with very few posessions and little money. Basically, any small problem can cause a devastating hardship. Some parts are sad, but through it all the basic theme is love. It originally showed at smaller theaters and is now available on DVD. Rent it...

 

[Steve B.]

I saw it in the theatre, and would second Versace's opinion.

 

[matadorpoeta]

sounds good. i might rent it, though i didn't see it in the theater because i'm rather sick of the whole immigrant theme, especially the irish immigrant theme.

it stars samantha morton and that may be enough to make it worthwhile. she's one of my favorite actresses right now. check out woody allen's "sweet and lowdown" to see her in a great film. (she was also in that tom cruise movie about crime in the future.)

 

[NavyStyles]

Matador, Â Â Do you remember which character she played in Minority Report?

 

[TimelessRider]

Matador, Do you remember which character she played in Minority Report?

Agatha the primary pre-cog.

 

[quill]

sounds good. i might rent it, though i didn't see it in the theater because i'm rather sick of the whole immigrant theme, especially the irish immigrant theme.

it stars samantha morton and that may be enough to make it worthwhile. she's one of my favorite actresses right now. check out woody allen's "sweet and lowdown" to see her in a great film. (she was also in that tom cruise movie about crime in the future.)

I wouldn't be too worried about the Irish immigrant theme in "In America," matadorpoeta.

The thematic issues as VersaceMan points out far outweigh the fact that this family is even Irish.

The little girls in the movie are absolutely adorable, and have to be Irish. I can't imagine that American actresses that young could fake the accent so convincingly.

Beautiful movie. Very poignant.

Just watched "Monster," and I can see WHY Charlize Theron won the Academy Award for her performance. Wow. Very disturbing movie. Couldn't "shake" it for a long time (and not that I'd want to, either).

I highly recommend it, but it IS very depressing.

 

[matadorpoeta]

quill,
great signature.
i meant really that the theme of immigration has been done to death. seems like every other new film coming out of europe lately is about indians in england, africans or middle easterners in france, albanians in italy, etc... but okay, i'll check this movie out.

i saw a great documentary yesterday about charles bukowski. if you're at all familiar with this guy, or even if you're not, i highly recommend it. it's very funny and enlightening-just like he was. it's called "charles bukowski born into this" (i think).

 

[quill]

quill, great signature. i meant really that the theme of immigration has been done to death. seems like every other new film coming out of europe lately is about indians in england, africans or middle easterners in france, albanians in italy, etc... but okay, i'll check this movie out. i saw a great documentary yesterday about charles bukowski. if you're at all familiar with this guy, or even if you're not, i highly recommend it. it's very funny and enlightening-just like he was. it's called "charles bukowski born into this" (i think).

Thanks, matadorpoeta.

I understand your point, and fully respect what you are saying about the immigrant topic. I'm sure some sociologist who is smarter than I might say something about this trend pointing to an aspect of our culture, though I'm not sure what it would be. I'll take a look at your suggestion, too. By the way, I have to return the compliment on your avatar. I slipped into an actual toreador (matador?) outfit one time, and couldn't believe how stiff it was; like a suit of armor. Anyway, I like your combo of images; very intriguing. Is there a story behind it?

 

[matadorpoeta]

By the way, I have to return the compliment on your avatar. I slipped into an actual toreador (matador?) outfit one time, and couldn't believe how stiff it was; like a suit of armor.

it takes a matador about one hour (and a couple of assistants) to get dressed. the traje de luces, or "suit of lights", must be skin tight to prevent the bull's horns from catching any loose fabric.

Anyway, I like your combo of images; very intriguing. Is there a story behind it?

no. i love going to bullfights. to me they are an expression of the highest virtues a man can have; honor, dignity, and grace. a matador is more than an athlete or a performer. he is an artist.

 

[quill]

Quote:

By the way, I have to return the compliment on your avatar. I slipped into an actual toreador (matador?) outfit one time, and couldn't believe how stiff it was; like a suit of armor.
it takes a matador about one hour (and a couple of assistants) to get dressed. the traje de luces, or "suit of lights", must be skin tight to prevent the bull's horns from catching any loose fabric.

Anyway, I like your combo of images; very intriguing. Is there a story behind it?

no. i love going to bullfights. to me they are an expression of the highest virtues a man can have; honor, dignity, and grace. a matador is more than an athlete or a performer. he is an artist.
Bueno, entonces, ¿hablas español? Yo estudiaba español in la escuela, y tambiÃ

n asistÃa a una escuela para estudiantes y maestros de español en Saltillo, MÃ

xico, cuando yo tenÃa catorce años. Pero he olvidado mucho, y me gusta practicar de vez en cuando. ¿De donde vienes? ¿De un paÃs hispanico? How interesting about the traje de luces. And interesting that you combine "poetry" and bullfighting. There is a whole tradition, worldwide, of the "artist-warrior." Many books have been written on the subject. Of course, the Japanese are noted for their bushido (martial) tradition combined with poetic arts like flower arrangement and tea ceremonies. And supposedly, the model of medieval society was built on the three types of people: warriors, scholars, and laborers. Sorry to bore you; I sometimes find archetypes interesting, and (to bring this subject back to the entertainment theme) often find that movies are based on longstanding archetypes. So "matadorpoeta" it is. Darn glad to know you, sir. Â

 

[Pongo]

Well, my family has it all, warriors, scholars and laborers. It makes for an interesting ancestry. Speaking of laborers (and specifically those people with an umber tint to their skin) ..have any of you seen the Southern Poverty Law Center's (http://www.splcenter.org/) documentary about hate forums? Among others, they discussed stormfront. And we thought Hitler was dead....

 

[quill]

No no no. Very much alive around the world. Scary.

 

[matadorpoeta]

quill,

claro que hablo espanol y dejame felicitarte por tu gramatica. soy mexico americano nacido en los angeles pero tambien he vivido en acapulco y guadalajara.

the artist/warrior phenomenon is an extension of man's right to seek perfection. it would make sense that to be a great warrior one would need a deep understanding of his own nature, and therefore, of life itslef. this naturally lends itself to achieveing the highest levels of art.

if only the soldiers of the modern world cared as much about creating beauty as they do about destroying life. unfortunately they tend to be men who have little understanding of themselves, and thus, what they are fighting for.

 

[NavyStyles]

Agatha the primary pre-cog.

Thanks, man. Â So I probably wouldn't recognize her... assuming she has hair in In America.

I sometimes find archetypes interesting, and (to bring this subject back to the entertainment theme) often find that movies are based on longstanding archetypes.

I've taken too many literature classes not to analyze movies and books for archetypes. Interesting little bit you added about the warrior-artist.

 

[quill]

quill, claro que hablo espanol y dejame felicitarte por tu gramatica. soy mexico americano nacido en los angeles pero tambien he vivido en acapulco y guadalajara. the artist/warrior phenomenon is an extension of man's right to seek perfection. it would make sense that to be a great warrior one would need a deep understanding of his own nature, and therefore, of life itslef. this naturally lends itself to achieveing the highest levels of art. if only the soldiers of the modern world cared as much about creating beauty as they do about destroying life. unfortunately they tend to be men who have little understanding of themselves, and thus, what they are fighting for.

Gracias, señor. De veras, Usted sà es mejor en inglÃ

s con la gramática que soy con la mÃa en español. Pues, con mucho gusto.

There's an interesting book I gave to my nephew, who was a Marine stationed in Iraq (thankfully he's back safely after two tours of duty). It is called "In Search of the Warrior Spirit: Teaching Awareness Disciplines to the Green Beret." (Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/exec....0623242). As you so eloquently put it, I wanted my nephew to go into the Marines with a broader understanding of what it means to fight for something of value. I like your insights, and I'm curious about your passion for bullfighting, as it's an event I've never fully understood. But I don't want to stray too far off the entertainment topic of this thread. It's hard for me to criticize any immigrants in our country, as my parents are foreign-born. So I certainly can't make any blanket statement about limits on immigration, or I wouldn't be here myself.