My Reading List

Yesterday, I finished reading Jose Saramago's haunting novel Blindness which was published three years before he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998, and I realized that I really haven't blogged about the stuff I'm reading (with the exception of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale) so I decided to jot down thoughts about my reading list for this year.

This is my second year to have an official reading list, and I've found that it's an interesting process. I find it helpful to have a list since Fours (such as myself) find solace in organization and direction. By constructing a list, I can better understand my reading habits and interests and also remember books I've read or want to read. (I have problems with remembering and accurately placing things in time.) Like I said, this is my second year to do this, and already I've learned so much about the process and a little about myself.

Last year, I developed a list after getting the idea from a project of Stephanie and Shari's. The challenge was to choose eight categories/genres and read eight books within those parameters. I sat down in late January and completed a list of sixty-four books.

I can say with qualms that this list was a failure. It failed for a couple of reasons. 1) I neglected to include "fun" reading. Most of the books on the list were longer than average and could be called "classics." 2) The process was very forced. I completed the list in one day and hardly deviated from it during the year. In the end, I only read twenty-two books. While having a list was really good for me, it was too limited, and I found myself unable to break away from it.

In December I started compiling a list of categories/genres I was interested in and came up with six: action/adventure fiction, literary classics, poetry collections, award-winning books, non-fiction, and book I own but have not yet read (not a genre but definitely something I wanted to address). Within these, I chose three or four books to start from, my thought being that I could build the list throughout the year. I've since added three additional categories: children's literature, religion/theology, and a free-for-all category.

The nice thing about having a freer structure and fewer initial titles is that I'm able to be inspired by the things I read or develop an interest in to pick up novels I had no intention of reading. And I don't have to bump another book from my list. There's no set number of books for each category. Thus, I've dropped the challenge aspect of the list. I don't do well with challenges. I tend to panic and shoot my self-esteem all to hell.

Another thing that's really helped me is Shelfari, which Shari introduced me to early this year (see my shelves to your right). It helps give me a visual idea of what my reading habits are. Also, if a book stays too long on my "I'm reading" shelf, I start to get antsy and quickly finish it. This year I resolved to read more than I had in 2008, and I'm already close to fulfilling that resolution.

Will This Madness Ever Stop?!?: Memorial Weekend Post #3

As I mentioned, we went to Hastings over the weekend to check out their sale. I bought way too much, but the sale was pretty good. I bought eleven films (including two coveted used Criterion releases and two coveted cheap Disney films) for $68.00. We also went to Blockbuster where I found a few things for $3.99 and $1.99.

Blockbuster Buys
Look Both Ways
an Australian film I watched recently with Stephanie and loved

Tanner on Tanner (2004)
a mockumentary follow-up to Robert Altman's Tanner '88

Vera Drake (2004)
a drama starring Imelda Staunton as a woman who performs illegal abortions

Play It Again, Sam (1972)
a film adaptation of Woody Allen's play; the first movie pairing him with Diane Keaton

Hastings Buys
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
2-disc Criterion; one of my favorite movies of last year

That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)
Criterion release; Luis Bunuel film

Toy Story 2 (1999)
a Pixar/Disney flick I didn't have and a really good one (I watched it last night.)

The Fox and the Hound (1981)
a Disney flick I didn't have; this was actually new but in the used wrapping

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
one of my favorite films of last year and just the newest addition in my Woody Allen collection

The Duchess (2008)
one of the best period dramas I've seen in quite some time

Frozen River (2008)
a moving movie about the undeterred human spirit

Love in the Time of Cholera (2007)
pretty sure this is really bad, but I read the book last year, and it looks so pretty

Ghost Town (2008)
quirky comedy I saw in the theater last year

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)
cute teen rom-com I saw in the theater last year

Synecdoche, New York (2008)
film I wanted to see in the theater but was boycotting the only AMC showing it.

Add to this the Ultimate Oliver Stone set (12 movies on 14 discs!) which I bought from fye for $9.99 + shipping/handling, and my film collection has ballooned recently. As I told Stephanie yesterday, I have lots and lots to watch!

Movie Thoughts: Memorial Weekend Post #2

For me, any long weekend affords a prime opportunity to take in a few (or many, some would say too many) movies. Usually when I watch a large amount of films in such a short amount of time, there is at least one that does not quite live up to expectations. However, this weekend was an exception. Everything that I watched was wonderful!

The Band Wagon (1953)
Jenna and I watched this since we both love Singin' in the Rain and An American in Paris and other movie musicals of that time frame. Though this film wasn't as sophisticated in its storyteller or technical artistry, it was still highly entertaining. Fred Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a has-been movie star who returns to the stage at the behest of old friends who've written a light musical comedy. Unfortunately, an overly zealous director/producer turns it into a modern telling of Faust. Hilarity ensues.

Some Came Running (1958)
The next day we watched this drama about the quiet desperation of small town America (also directed by Vincente Minnelli who directed The Band Wagon). Frank Sinatra plays a man who arrives back in his hometown after getting out of the army. Once there, he reconnects with his brother and starts to fall in love with a teacher. He also meets an alcoholic gambler played by Dean Martin (this was their first pairing) and a former hostess turned brassiere factory worker (played by Shirley MacLaine).

Speed Racer (2008)
I watched this with Dad who really wanted to see it. I know it's not a great film, but it's not as bad as the reviews claim. It's definitely flawed, but the simple message and stunning visuals are fun to watch and always leave me a bit happier.

Mon Oncle Antoine (1971)
I just received the Criterion release of this film last week and watched it with Jenna. I think she enjoyed it, but I can never really tell with her. It follows the coming-of-age of a boy living in an asbestos mining town in Quebec. It's a very subtle movie dealing with discovering love, sex, and death.

Brideshead Revisited (2008)
Because of the lackluster reviews and the shuffling into the realm of forgotten movies, Stephanie and I spent a lot of this movie waiting for it to fall apart. Instead, it was a great adaptation of a incredibly complex novel. It was nice to see Matthew Goode is something that wasn't Match Point.

Ghost Town (2008)
Rewatched this with Stephanie and Jason. It's a fun take on the romantic comedy and quirky-afterlife comedy. Everything that Ricky Gervais says is hysterically funny. Tea Leoni is adorable and slightly odd. Greg Kinnear is an asshole. Fun times!

I've Loved You So Long (2008)
This was probably the best film I watched over the weekend. It's definitely the one that I've thought most about. It's an unexpectedly moving story about people in very painful, difficult situations. Kristin Scott Thomas and Elsa Zylberstein play reunited sisters, and I'm amazing at how much they can relay in simple motions and quiet moments. Everything felt so organic and genuine; nothing was obligatory. Despite the rather depressing subject matter, I thought it was an uplifting film. It portrayed so well the human need for connection and love.

I'm Glad I Was Asked: Memorial Weekend Post #1

During the summer session, I've switched to four day work weeks and get Saturday through Monday off. Since I was not working on Memorial Day, I got Tuesday off and had a nice four day weekend.

Friday evening, I went to my parents' house and spent Saturday with them. The official plan was to go through the boxes I have stored there, but I decided to have fun instead. Jenna and I watched several movies, and I did a bit of reading. Dad and Joel attended the Byron Nelson golf tournament in Irving, Texas. Mom worked on a quilt for my cousin. It was such an enjoyable visit.

Sunday morning, I left my parents' and went to stay with the Stephanie's family. (For a detailed breakdown of the weekend's events, read Stephanie's stellar post here.) In addition to Stephanie and her parents, Shari and her family and Jason spent the weekend having fun and hangin' out, yo. We played games, watched movies, ate excellent food, drank mixed drinks, beer, and wine (not all together, mind you).

Stephanie, Jason, and I went to scope out the sale at Hastings which culminated in me buying too much and coasting into line minutes before the store closed. When the store is about to close, there is a soothing woman's voice that asks you to make your final selections and please proceed to the checkout line where you will be served with a smile. The promise of a smile is so prominent that I imagine not making your final selections and proceeding to the checkout line will result in being served with a scowl and/or snarl. Thankfully, our cashier was terribly nice.

I also watched a Redbox being used for the first time. Does anyone rent from Blockbuster anymore? If so, why? It was such an easy process and so cheap! We had a code to get a movie for free, but had we not, it would have only been $1.00! I'm genuinely excited about this. One of the reasons that I acquire so may DVDs is that renting is so expensive. This gives me another option to see a newer film without finding space on my shelves for it.

Over the weekend, I learned that I sporadically suck at games. Over the course of a couple days, I lost Monopoly (new with credit cards and an earnest worldview), Monopoly Deal (a fun card game), The Friends Trivia Game, Television SceneIt!, MarioKart, and croquet. I warned Stephanie that next time I visit, I'm going to bring something that I can win. (This may mean playing chess with her kid nephews.)

Unfortunately, there is always a drawback to so much time off. It was incredibly hard to go back to work, especially ten hour work days.

News on the School Front

Jason graduated this weekend, and the ceremony included bagpipes. Afterward, we all went to eat Mexican food and then over to his condo for cake and conversation. The guests slowly dwindled until only Jason, Stephanie, and I were left.

Over the weekend, we went shopping and I bought too many movies. Hastings is having a sale on their used films, and I was able to get several of the awards season films from last year, including Milk, Rachel Getting Married, The Reader, and Doubt. Unfortunately, Frost/Nixon is too new for them to have used copies. I also picked up The Black Swan and A Letter for Three Wives, two films from the Fox Studio Classics collection.

Stephanie and I watched a couple more episodes of Buffy and an episode of Avatar. We all watched License to Kill which pits Timothy Dalton as James Bond against a suave drug lord who operates under the cover of a research facility, puppet President, international bank, decadent casino, and religious cult. Sufficed to say, everyone is pretty busy. At one point there were ninjas.

Stephanie gave me another tarot reading which went really differently than the first. I still didn't feel comfortable asking a question so it was open. Though I did get the Death card again (this time in the Hopes and Fears position), I didn't freak out and stayed generally calm and collected. The cards that she used were very pretty, and I'm contemplating borrowing some of her books and learning more about tarot. It's fascinating.

After the days of merriment, I returned home and opened my mail. Happily, I received my letter of acceptance from the English department so I'm officially going to graduate school in the Fall. In an unforeseen twist, they offered me a graduate teaching assistantship which I didn't expect at all since I missed the deadline posted on their website. This would require me to teach to first-year composition courses per semester in exchange for a 6 credit hour tuition waiver and a stipend of approximately $12,000 per school year. I'm extremely excited about this opportunity and can't wait to get enrolled and started.

Thoughts on a Fifth Season

Warning: spoilers
The season finale of Desperate Housewives aired Sunday evening, and I watched it online Monday evening after returning home from Jason's. Hatred runs deep for the show with many people rolling eyes and shirking when I bring it up. Unfortunately, their disparages seem slightly valid after this season. I never rolled my eyes, but I'm pretty sure they glazed over from time to time. In the hopes that the sixth season will offer a little more, I give you a list of six things I liked about the fifth season and six things I disliked.

Liked #1: Katherine and Bree's bonding
One aspect of the show that I enjoy is when the relationships between the various housewives are explored. Unfortunately, there wasn't much of that going on what with so many minor characters and rehashed plot points cropping up. However, time was taken to examine the tumultuous relationship between Bree and Katherine, expert caterers. Early in the season, some of the old animosity between the two returned when Bree turned into an egomaniac. Unfortunately, things were quickly cleared up, and the Katherine/Bree dynamic was swept off screen along with the catering kitchen scenes and Andrew, star assistant.

L#2: Orson's kleptomania
When Orson was introduced, he quickly went from jovial dentist to psychotic wife/mistress/Mike killer. While he actually hadn't participated in much foul play (and failed at the evil he attempted), he was still scary as hell for a while. It was nice to see some of his less pastel sweater personality traits shine through. When he realizes that his aim is to hurt Bree, I think I clapped. Bree needs to be hurt. She's been insufferable this season, and on top of that, she sent him to prison. No wonder his sanity is slipping a bit; mine would be gone.

L#3: Karen & Roberta, amateur detectives
When Lily Tomlin showed up, I cheered. When she and Kathryn started sleuthing, I was ecstatic. The chemistry and comedic timing that they have is wonderful. I would like to watch a show about them solving mysteries and kicking ass.

L#4: Edie Britt
Edie returned with this season's mystery in tow. During the season, her usual sluttish ways had been amended, and she seemed to settle down. However, she retained a coquettish edge. One of my favorite moments of the season was when she realized that her marriage was a sham. Her last few minutes made for great television. While her death wasn't particularly emotional, she got to narrate which was wonderful, and the tribute episode was one of the best of the season.

L#5: Gaby, formerly glamorous party-crasher
My favorite five-year transformation was Gaby who gained weight, two kids, and a frazzled stupor. One of the funniest visual gags was Carlos, completely unaware of his status as a party crasher, waving and grinning for nonexistent photographers. Gaby's ill-conceived attempts at parenting and covering up her fallen status were very entertaining. Unfortunately, she has since transformed into Gaby, awful and awfully rich person.

L#6: Lynette's job
The pizzeria closed, and Lynette gets to wield her powers of manipulation. It's a win-win situation!

Dislike #1: Dave and Dave's plans
Dave is not scary at all. They could have made him scary, but it was too important that he also be a tragic figure so he comes of as slightly unbalanced in a mostly harmless way. The sad thing is that Dave could have been frightening in his quest for revenge. Instead, he killed the one obligatory guy and talked about the Plan of No Sense (PNS). Despite living for no other reason and planning on killing himself afterward, Dave concocts the PNS to make someone's (first Katherine then M.J.) death look like an accident during a trip (first camping then fishing). Thankfully, Hallucination-Edie and Hallucination-Lila point out that Dave should just shot M.J. in the head. Unfortunately, the PNS's fishing trip comes to fruition.

D#2: Katherine & Mike
Possibly the most overwritten and under-planned plots of the season. Katherine and Mike have less chemistry than Susan and Mike. Hell, Susan and Katherine would make a better couple. During these scenes, I could literally see the writers around the table, trying to find something for Katherine and Mike to do.

D#3: Porter Scavo, fugitive
Porter didn't start the fire, but he did start lots of legal problems that we had to listen to. It seemed that the investigation and charges and conversations and worry would never end. (However, the fallout of Dave's revealed accusations faded away quickly after one punch.) While Porter's legal woes did give Bob more screen time, this just reaffirmed how bland Wisteria Lane's resident gays are. (And we didn't even get to see Karaoke Night at Bob and Lee's.)

D#4: Lack of casualties
This may be a crass thing to say, especially about a season that featured a fire, stabbing, and electrocution. However, everything seemed so pedestrian. Despite a dramatic buildup and a montage of characters in distress, only unnamed bystanders perished in the Great Club Fire. As for the obligatory murders, Dave still isn't scary, and we were already aware that every time Carlos and Gaby regain financial stability someone minor has to die.

D#5: Susan's love life
Susan's love life boils down to slapstick that is uncomfortable to watch. Susan's quest for love started with an under wraps relationship with Jackson that proceeded with unmitigated craziness. The middle contained scary possessive tendencies toward hapless Mike. It ended with a soulful declaration of love, a sham marriage, and deportation. Oh, that Susan.

D#6: The season finale
Since the season finale centered around Dave's PNS and tried to escalate it to a Plan of Awesome Revenge (PAR), it was bland, anti-climatic, and nonsensical. The PAR (really still the PNS) seemed to involve lots of driving; everyone seems to be driving around for an entire day without getting anywhere. Everything the PAR(NS) touches seems to become equally confusing. There's a cemetery in the middle of the woods. There's an intersection which exists in perpetual night. Other people unconnected with the PAR(NS) did regular stuff. And then Mike gets married to a mystery woman who is hopefully Felicia Tilman.

To Boldly Go...

Recently, I've had a resurgence of interest in sci-fi which led me to watch the second pilot of Star Trek: the Original Series (the first pilot was apparently not aired). Prior to this, I had only seen a few of the movies, random episodes of Next Generation, and a Voyager marathon on Sci-Fi Channel.

I wasn't expecting much from the series, but after watching only six episodes, I'm hooked. (I even have a favorite character, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.) It's such an entertaining and interesting show. So far, they've tackled such lofty themes as the duality of human nature and the difference between Man and God in a mostly sophisticated way. Sure, it's campy and low budget, but the story lines find that balance between entertaining and thought-provoking.

In addition to watching Star Trek, I pulled out season 1 of Stargate: SG-1 and started watching where I last left off last year. My favorite thing about season 1 is that every episode has roughly the same plot: the team goes through the gate to explore a new world, something disastrous happens to all or one of them, everyone copes. (After one day on the job, I would be begging someone for a transfer.)

Saturday, I received my letter of acceptance from the Graduate College of the University of Oklahoma. (I'm now waiting patiently for my letter from the English department.) To celebrate I went to see J.J. Abram's Star Trek reboot which was very good (though I like the original series better). Somehow, it manages to update the concept, infuse it with action, and still retain the original series' sheen of campy fun. My one complaint is that everything moves so quickly that had I not already been familiar with these characters, I don't think I would have connected with them at all. It felt at times that everyone involved in the movie's production was afraid to slow down and really explore characters or themes, fearing (I assume) accidentally veering into Nemesis territory.

Through all this sci-fi watchage, I'm not quite sure what prompted my renewed interest. When I was in high school, I avidly read science fiction which replaced mystery as my genre of choice. However, this period was very brief, and I soon started reading predominately fantasy/adventure books. But the time I was in college, I had stopped reading straight genre novels in favor of books with a bit more substance. Since that small period in high school, I haven't actively sought out sci-fi shows or books.

I think it may have something to do with the intentions of these types of shows. An interview with Amanda Tapping is included in the Stargate season 1 box set, and she talks about how the show strives to make people see things in a different way and think about things outside of their reality. I think that's why I'm drawn to the genre. There's something thrilling about space exploration and the thought of discovering new worlds. That's why (technical issues aside) I prefer TOS to the new movie. The series is more about the prospects of new worlds and experiences while the newest movie is firmly in the action/adventure/blow stuff up mindset. It's that conjuring of the unknown that I like.

Random note: While writing this post, I was perusing the news and read that the Atlantis is blasting off to repair the Hubble telescope, and I'm enthralled by this. It must be amazing to actually leave Earth and glimpse everything that's beyond.

Random Spring Sales!

On Stephanie's suggestion, I stopped by Big Lots on Monday to check out the new Warner Bros. arrivals. I ended up buying six of those plus three other films.

Warner Bros. Classics
Johnny Belinda (1948)
Flying Down to Rio (1933)
The Band Wagon (1953)
I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932)
Dames (1934)
Gold Diggers of 1935 (1934)

Other Films
Look At Me (2004)
Prick Up Your Ears (1987)
A Man For All Seasons (1966)

The only one I've watched so far is Fly Down to Rio which is the first movie that paired Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astaire. It's one of those movies from the 1930s that low on plot and character development yet with comedy, dancing, and spectacle in spades. At one point, Fred and Ginger dance the Carioca on a rotating platform that consists of five grand pianos. At this scene, I realized that I had seen this film years and years ago on TCM.

The next day I got an email from the campus bookstore about bargain books and decided to check it out. They had a large selection of $1 and $1.99 books, and I ended up buying a lot more than I need.

For Me
Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst
Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess by Gael Greene
Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating by Jane Goodall
The Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids and Cowboys by Deirdre Imus
Biba's Italy: Favorite Recipes from the Splendid Cities by Biba Caggiano
Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
Julie Taymor: Playing with Fire by Eileen Blumenthal

For Nana
Sacred Cows by Karen Olson
an anthology of short mystery stories
three Janet Evanovich novels

For Shari
Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

I also got several moleskin notebooks for $4.50 a piece which is good since they generally retail for $18+.

Glancing through the two cookbooks, I've found quite a few recipes I want to try out. Biba's Italy looks especially good. It's organized by regions and features quite a few dishes I've never heard of. The Imus Ranch cookbook is heavily vegetarian and vegan which will be fun to experiment with. My meals generally feature meat in some way, and though I don't want to go vegetarian, eating less meat would be good for my health.

Other than reading the first few pages of Insatiable and Harvest for Hope and looking at the pretty pictures in the Julie Taymor book, I haven't had a chance to really look at them, but several will definitely be put on my reading list for this year.

Cimarron (1931): Best Picture/AFI Post #1

Cimarron (USA 1931 35m)

d Wesley Ruggles; p William LeBaron, Wesley Ruggles; w Howard Estabrook, Edna Ferber (novel); c Edward Cronjager; ad Max Ree; fe William Hamilton; m Max Steiner

Richard Dix (Yancey Cravat), Irene Dunne (Sabra Cravat), Estelle Taylor (Dixie Lee), Edna May Oliver (Mrs. Tracy Wyatt), George E. Stone (Sol Levy), William Collier Jr. (The Kid), Stanley Fields (Lon Yountis), Robert McWade (Louis Hefner), Eugene Jackson (Isaiah)

Cimarron won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Art Direction, and Writing, Adaptation in 1931. It was also nominated for Best Cinematography. Wesley Ruggles was nominated for Best Director, Richard Dix was nominated for Best Leading Actor, and Irene Dunne was nominated for Best Leading Actress.

I was excited to see this film for multiple reasons. For one thing, I've heard multiple times from different sources that it is the worst film to win the Best Picture statuette, and since I personally believe that Forrest Gump is the worst film to ever win and will remain the worst film for decades to come, I had to make sure that one of the most disregarded of the lot wasn't actually worse. After watching Cimarron, I remain resolute in my Forrest hating convictions.

Secondly, the film is an adaptation of an Edna Ferber novel. Ferber wrote the plays that Dinner at Eight and Stage Door were adapted from as well as the novel Show Boat is adapted from. Also, the film was Irene Dunne's first major role, and I'm while I'm not terribly familiar with her as an actress, I loved her in Show Boat and My Favorite Wife.

Cimarron tells the story of the Cravats, the gentleman pioneer Yancey and his long suffering wife Sabra. It also tells the story of Oklahoma after the Indian reservations were made available in the first Land Rush. The movie starts just before the gun signaling the beginning of the Rush, and we meet Yancey who has his sights set on one particular parcel of land. Unfortunately, he tells a female competitor who snatches it up in a cavalier fashion. Having failed, he returns to Wichita, collects his wife and son Cim (and unintentionally Isaiah, a black teenaged servant), and returns to set up a newspaper in the dirty, savage town of Osage, Oklahoma. The film follows that trials and tribulations of the family through the decades.

With the exception of all the talking, the beginning feels just like a silent film. The visual spectacle of the chaotic land run reminded me of the battle scenes and cavalry charges of The Birth of a Nation and Battleship Potemkin. Every individual scene works as a moving painting, set up compositionally for thrills and whimsy.

The acting (especially that of Richard Dix) is boisterous and verging on melodramatic. Dix had made dozens of silent films and seems to be working within that acting style. Of course, he’s playing a larger-than-life character with a natural proclivity toward grandiose speeches and spurts of intense emotion. Most of the minor actors are given character parts that lend themselves to stereotyped portrayals. Dunne is the most naturalistic though she sometimes gives in the general spirit of overacting.

She’s also the core of the movie. While the movie is epic in scale, the real focus is on the love of two people. All other thematic devices are kept in the background. Sabra’s racism, the antics of the Cravat children, the antics of the townspeople, and the metamorphosis of Oklahoma all take backseat to Sabra and Yancey’s tumultuous marriage.

The other citizens of Osage are a mixed bag of types. Trouble manifests itself in the form of devious Lon Yountis, an outlaw who shot the previous editor of the newspaper and is generally unwashed, and The Kid, the young leader of a band of bank robbers. There’s the Jewish peddler (later shopkeeper), the kindly saloonkeeper, the socially awkward printer, and the immigrant furniture salesman who also operates the morgue in Osage’s early days. The loudest is the matronly battleaxe, Mrs. Tracy Wyatt whose function is to be prudish and haughty and dislike prostitution. However colorful, these characters pretty much stay – along with the Cravat’s two children – on the peripheral of the story, making token appearances when necessary.

For his part, Dix plays the husband with such abandon that it’s hard not to like him despite his many faults. Yancey's tragic flaw is hyperactivity. He operates like an overly intelligent kid perusing a toy store while on a sugar rush. Sure, he understands that sweatshops manufactured the toys and that the paint probably contains lead, but everything is so excited and cool looking. He’s often the voice of reason and many times supports the underdog, coming to the defense of Sol Levy, Osage’s seemingly sole Jew and a peddler of lace, zippers, and other accouterments, and Dixie Lee, the ruined woman who has to resort to operating a brothel to stay alive. He’s also the only respecter of the Native American population.

However, his sense of reason and compassion is easily overcome by his wanderlust. When he gets the telegram that the Cherokee Indians have been swindled out of their lands, he's momentarily pensive, looking forlornly out the window. But he quickly realizes that this means he can again help build something where there was nothing. He disregards the plight of the Cherokees and abandons his family and newspaper to gallantly ride into the sunset.

So Yancey becomes an irresponsible blowhard. He’s wrapped up in his own needs which seem to also be the needs of the growing United States. His desire of more is so intense that he often cannot see those around him. When Isaiah is shot trying to save Cim during a shootout with The Kid, he doesn't die instantly but falls unnoticed in an alleyway. After being wounded and killing The Kid, Yancey slowly marches toward home, passing the alley where Isaiah is lying. Though Isaiah reaches out and weakly calls for Yancey, he's unheard and dies. When Sabra is obviously scared of the future, he rushes off for years at a time.

It’s easy to see why the film has such a dubious reputation. (It has the worst imdb and rottentomato ratings of any Best Picture winner.) Even though it has great compassion for its minor characters, the film often stereotypes them, sometimes for comedic effect. I suppose it seems outmoded today and doesn’t “age well” (a phrase I dislike). It hovers in that area between silent and talkie, imbibing in the aesthetic and technical aspects of each. It’s a very flawed film with its poor handling of minorities, its hammy leading man, and its out-of-control plot points. Still, it’s a wonderfully entertaining movie that really highlights the sprawling landscape of pre-statehood Oklahoma as it transforms into a civilization of skyscrapers and acres of towering oil wells.

watched on April 17, 2009
**