poetry/antipoetry & exploitation movies
it's been a quiet week. surprisingly. because usually the lighting of fireworks starts a week before this holiday. but tonight it seems everyone saved up to light them all off right now. as i type, with my window open to the warm july night, it sounds like the front line of a war. i noticed, today, the great many homes, in neighborhoods up & down & across my fair city, are proudly displaying an american flag. so are we. for america is an idea & an ideal. worthy of them too even if our present time seems to contraindicate the idea & ideal just so.
so in the spirit of this great american holiday here are three speeches from fictive u.s. presidents.
1. the west wing [1999 - 2006]. president bartlett's speech here is goosebumpery. martin sheen delivers this speech with great aplomb. aaron sorkin's writing is a balance of nobility, grace & pride. president bartlett may be the greatest u.s. president in american fiction.
2. independence day [1996]. i have come to love this flick. when i first watched it, 30 years ago, i agreed with the new yorker's summation that this was a work of 'spectacular nothing.' i've long since changed my mind. this flick is a summer movie deluxe. it's got a killer cast, fantastic FX, & the director, roland emmerich, delivers such goofball panache to what is, in essence, a summer popcorn movie. but when president whitmore, played by bill pullman, gives his st. crispin's day speech, oh wow! for again, this speech is evidence that america, & being american, is an idea & an ideal.
i would be remiss to not point out the obvious detail of this movie. this is the only feature directed by the writer himself. & king was outta his mind on coke & booze when he helmed this masterpiece. did the chemicals help? well, let's just say that this movie is sui generis. it is flat out petal to the metal balls to the wall goofy gory fun. the tone is a balance of camp & scary. the direction is pretty solid. the editing & photography pretty cool. the score, by those great american patriots ACDC, is killer. hell, the opening set piece scored with the song 'who made who' is worth the price of a ticket. oh, & the cameo of king himself trying to get a few bucks from an ATM when it all goes haywire is an icon of american movies. i shit you not.
it must be clear by now that i fucking love this movie. starring emilio estevez as the young short order cook at a highway truck stop who becomes the de facto leader of the survivors, & pat hingle as his boss & owner of said truck stop, The Dixie Boy, who chews both the scenery & a cigar as he calls everyone, including the psycho trucks, 'bubba.' don't forget a young giancarlo esposito in the video arcade of The Dixie Boy too. i can't think of a better movie to watch on a long holiday summer weekend. this movie is easy to find both as a dollar bin DVD & on many streaming platforms. i cannot recommend this movie enough! happy 4th of july!
