The Dingo Ate my Application

Not much has been going on lately. I filled out an application to be a lowly busser at the new restaurant Dingo's on Coursey. Also, I had a meeting with a young woman who's starting a mid-city newspaper and she's recruited me to be her sportswriter (I know what you're thinking... why aren't I doing movie reviews or op-ed columns. The truth is, that's what I'd rather be doing, but for now the sports position is the only one available). What this means is I'll actually have follow baseball! LSU is in the college world series right now and that is expected to be one of the main stories.

In other news, I saw UP, which I thought was very good (although I have to agree with a friend of mine who said that the 3D was not necessary). Speaking of movies... I have to voice some grievances. The liberal blog Daily Kos recently presented their list of the top 25 Liberal Movies of the last 25 years. Obviously, I don't have any problem with the idea of a list like this (liberal - movie - list!... anyone who knows me knows those are my three favorite things). My problem is with what's in the list. Here it is:

25. A Few Good Men (1992)
24. The American President (1995)
23. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
22. Do the Right Thing (1989)
21. Platoon (1986)
20. The Color Purple (1985)
19. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
18. The Killing Fields (1984)
17. Syriana (2005)
16. Brazil (1985)
15. Dead Poets Society (1989)
14. Thank You For Smoking (2005)
13. Wag the Dog (1997)
12. Erin Brockovich (2000)
11. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
10. Mississippi Burning (1988)
9. Milk (2008)
8. V for Vendetta (2005)
7. Roger and Me (1989)
6. Sicko (2007)
5. Bowling for Columbine (2002)
4. Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3. Goodnight and Goodluck (2005)
2. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
1. An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

The films themselves are great, but some of them simply aren't liberal, and that's not a problem... they're not trying to be liberal. I think The Shawshank Redemption is fantastic, but it doesn't really espouse a political philosophy. And Thank You for Smoking, in it's own tongue-in-cheek way, sharply satirizes liberalism (the film's hero is a fast-talking cigarette lobbyist!). Also, putting so many documentaries on the list is a little too easy for my tastes. Here are some of my problems with certain entries:

25. A Few Good Men: I know Aaron Sorkin wrote it and therefore it has to be the most liberal thing ever, but I really don't find this film to be particularly liberal. A wonderful and engrossing courtroom drama yes... a liberal film... uhhh? In it's defense though, there are some issues that are examined on the periphery of the narrative that lean liberal. For instance, the film certainly questions the pre-eminence of the military in American culture.

23. Saving Private Ryan: This is a phenomenal movie, but I think it's politically neutral (some might even claim that the film in it's pseudo-glorification of the American military expresses a kind of conservative-style nationalism).

Like I said, I enjoy most of the films on this list-and many of them are perfectly suited to being called "liberal movies"-but because of some of my problems with the list I feel compelled to do my own list of the best liberal movies.

Coming soon...