Random quick amusement...
Courtesy of the Freakonomics blog comes a left-brain, right-brain (aka lateralization of function) check: Which direction do you see this dancer moving, clockwise or counterclockwise? Can you eventually see it going either direction? I alas have thus far been unable to change my direction (can you guess which it is?). Give it a try.
Movie review: The Kingdom
Starring Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, and Jason Bateman, The Kingdom is about a team of FBI agents who travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in order to investigate a series of attacks on an American facility there. The team, led by Foxx, has a tough time gaining approval in Washington and must pull strings to get 5 days on the ground. On the scene they face intermittent bureacratic stonewalling, a skeptical local police babysitter, and a few significant gunfights with locals. In the end the lesson is about the similarities among us (though not necessarily in the way you might imagine).
The film's pace is good, location filming (albeit in UAE) lends authenticity, and there are sufficient comic and action moments to prevent any drag. I had a few complaints, most notably the inclusion of an emotionally understandable but implausbily unprofessional desire for vengeance imbued in the characters. The female team member never covers her head, most notably when venturing out into neighborhoods (um, is it not a bit odd, to make no concession whatsoever to local custom thereby sticking out like a sore thumb when you want to find clues to a sensitive crime?). These are supposed to be high level trained professionals in forensics, bomb detection, etc, yet they don't always act like it. Bateman's character--nominally an analyst--is present only for laughs. Fortunately, these easily remedied/explained quibbles do not influence the significant events of the movie.
Overall The Kingdom is a decent popcorn action flick and will appeal to most audiences (yes, it's got violence, but there is a point to the story, for which I am appreciative). Whether you want to see this movie or not, I do recommend the opening credits, which offer a stylish, concise history of modern Saudi Arabia and US relations there. And for a fuller treatment, I highly recommend the Frontline documentary House of Saud, from which some of the narration for The Kingdom's opening was borrowed.
3 comments:
Jason and I saw The Kingdom a couple weekends ago. A bit gory for my taste. Liked it otherwise. I'm so articulate in my movie analysis! :)
um, is it not a bit odd, to make no concession whatsoever to local custom thereby sticking out like a sore thumb when you want to find clues to a sensitive crime?
So would the same principle apply to Muslims who come and live in the US or any other Western country? :) :)
Thanks for your comment!
I would say in response that it is not at all the same principle. My criticism was over not taking a simple and potentially useful step to help in a criminal investigation, which was the woman's entire reason for being there. She might have argued that a headscarf was somehow against her beliefs/job ability/whatever, but she (or rather the moviemakers) did not. In the movie it's just a dumb oversight.
The character would not have been giving up her religious and cultural beliefs by covering her head, and it would have been more realistic (IMHO) for her to have been pressured to do so, and for her to have known it might be helpful in some ways (blending in, allow to focus on work) for her to do so.
I believe it is quite reasonable to concede where there is no meaningful or lasting loss in doing so. The rub comes from defining meaningful and lasting. And from being able to feel concession as a non-loss of power or control. Yet further support in my belief that many of our human troubles boil down to ego and pride.
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