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GOVERNMENTS & THE MEDIA BABBLE WHILE PEOPLE SUFFER IN BABEL Babel, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, illustrates how simple accidents in one part of today’s globalized world can profoundly touch the lives of individuals who are thousands of miles away, yet governments and media still think inside the box, trapping almost everyone into badly constructed […]

HAVEN DEPICTS THE GRAND CAYMANS AS HAVING “TROUBLE IN PARADISE” Haven, written and directed by Frank E. Flowers, takes place primarily in the Grand Cayman Islands; he grew up there and clearly has a negative opinion on what the islands have become in recent years. Midway through the film a character explains that in the

POSTER BOY DECONSTRUCTS THE RIGHT-WING AGENDA As initial credits roll for Poster Boy, the muffled voice of a journalist (played by Steve Sheffler) is making an appointment to interview Henry Kray (played by Matt Newton). The interview takes place six months after an extraordinary event that is revealed in the film’s climax. Most of the

OLIVER STONE TURNS CONSERVATIVE IN WORLD TRADE CENTER World Trade Center is a film about heroism, but very different from the earlier United 93. Director Oliver Stone, who experienced and was transformed politically by the context of combat in Vietnam, now celebrates heroes in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 without a left-wing political context. The

MALE PROSTITUTES FULFILL THE APPETITES OF MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN INHEADING SOUTH Heading South (Vers le sud), directed by Laurent Cantet, takes place in Haiti (the actual filming is in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti) during the late 1970s at a beach resort where the principal guests are frustrated single White women, who want pure sex

SCROLLS ARE SUPPRESSED ALONG WITH PERÚ’S SHINING PATH IN THE CELESTINE PROPHECY The Celestine Prophecy, directed by Armand Mastroianinni, is based on the New Age book by James Redfield. John (played by Matthew Settle) has just been laid off as a schoolteacher due to lack of funds in his school district, so he has time

A LOT WAS FORGOTTEN IN THE LOST CITY The Lost City, directed by Cuban expatriate Andy García, is about a family caught up in the Cuban revolution. When the film begins, an impressively costumed and choreographed musical production is performed on the stage of El Tropico, a Havana nightclub managed and owned by Fico Fellove

“THE APOSTLE THAT JESUS LOVED” IS IDENTIFIED IN THE FOOLISH THE DA VINCE CODE Release of The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard, has been preceded by a lot of hype. The plot, which is based on Dan Brown’s silly best seller, has prompted the Vatican to protest far too loudly. Scribbling on Leonardo’s

GOVERNMENT CONTINGENCY PLANS ARE LACKING IN UNITED 93 United 93, directed by Paul Greengrass, was controversial even before its release for various reasons, especially the possibility that something inappropriate would disgrace those who died on 9/11. As is well known, four airplanes were hijacked on that day, but only United 93 failed to reach a

WAR CRIMINALS HIDE OUT IN INSIDE MAN Inside Man begins unremarkably as yet another cinematic glorification of clever gangsters. They enter Manhattan Trust Bank in New York, demanding that employees and patrons to strip and put on blue jumpsuits. After locking them up, they enter the vault containing safety deposit boxes. NYPD is quickly alerted,