Fenella wrote to me the other day to tell me she had joined Netflix and ask for some movie recommendations.
I’m really the wrong person to ask, as I hardly ever watch movies. Nevertheless, it just so happens that I’ve seen a handful over the last week: Ali, K-PAX, The Corporation and House of Sand And Fog.
Of these, the only ones that I would unequivocally recommend are The Corporation and House of Sand And Fog.
The former is a documentary about the phenomenon of the American corporation, an entity legally imbued with the rights of a person, but devoid of the responsibilities or accountability that accompany American citizenship.
Since the legal standing of the corporation equates with that of a person, psychoanalysis is performed on the personality of the corporation, credibly leading to the conclusion that, if it were an actual human-being, it would be classified a psychopath.
The film is an incredibly well-balanced examination of corporate America. People with widely differing views on the morality of doing business in the modern age come together to have their say. The 2 disc DVD set is packed with extra interviews that didn’t make it into the film and, all in all, it’s a must-see.
House of Sand And Fog puts Ben Kingsley together with Jennifer Connelly and demonstrates what can happen when a series of minor events escalate out of control.
In a way reminiscent of the proverbial butterfly flapping its wings in the rain forest, Connelly is evicted from her house, ostensibly for not paying a tax bill. However, the bill has been sent in error and so the eviction, too, is erroneous.
Before Connelly can have the mistake rectified, the local council sells her house to Kingsley, an Iranian immigrant, for a knock-down price. Connelly makes vague attempts to persuade Kingsley to hand back the house to its rightful owner and Kingsley is superb at commanding sympathy even as he refuses.
Connelly is then befriended by a local cop stuck in a loveless marriage and the scene is set for a cascade of minor events that must ultimately end in tears.
In short, House of Sand And Fog is a terrific film, demonstrating how sometimes there are no good or bad guys, just people and catalysts. Sarah has read the book of the same name and says it’s even better than the film, but assures me that the film is a faithful depiction of the book.
Anyway, there are two good film recommendations from me, if anybody cares.
Too much information for a movie recommendation. You need a plot spoiler warning so we can skip that section if we want to watch it on recommendation but without knowing too much about it. 🙂
-g
Well, there’s very little pertaining to the detail of the plot in the review, just a little sketching of the background. I don’t reveal how the story unfolds, instead restricting my description to the kind of commentary one is likely to find in any written review or even, indeed, on the back of the DVD box.
If you haven’t seen the film, don’t think that there are no surprises in store for you. It’s an excellent film and the trailer would likely give away more than I have told you.
Incidently, the first ‘company’ as we think of it was Dutch. You are returing home to the birthplace of modern capitalism. 🙂