Secretary

This 2002 film touches one on many levels. It is first and foremost a love story, but it is also full of black comedic scenes and tense dramatic moments. It explores the life of a young and confused woman, Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who we first see in a long continuous camera shot.

She enters the scene wearing a restraining device, something out of an S&M catalog. A black pole, attached to her neck via a collar of some sort, holds her arms outstretched in a crucifix position, her wrists dangling from soft cuffs locked at the ends of the pole. She wears a very attractive outfit befitting a well-dressed secretary consisting of a white blouse, black skirt, hose and heels. We see she is in a beautifully decorated office. She walks to behind a desk, and kneeling down presses her chin on a stapler in which several papers have been inserted. She stands and picks up the stapled papers with one hand. Then she retrieves a typed letter from a typewriter using her teeth. Walking to a small kitchen area, she uses her free hand to prepare a cup of coffee. Then she walks down the length of a hallway adorned with potted plants and small statues. She moves gracefully despite her encumbrance. Turning to her side so that she can fit her arms through the doorway to what we assume to be the boss's office, she turns to face the camera, and with an impish look on her face she pushes the door shut behind her with her foot.

The words Six Months Earlier flash on the screen.

Now we see a very different looking Lee Holloway. She stands in front of a building with a suitcase by her side. Her face looks haggard. She wears no makeup. Her hair is limp and stringy. We hear her voiceover. "I got out of the institution on the day of my sister's wedding." Her doctor (Jeremy Davies), who tells her he will always be there for her, sees her off as her mother (Lesley Ann Warren) pulls up to pick her up. It is clear from her mother's gesturing and facial expressions that she is overprotective of her daughter.

The scene shifts to her sister's wedding reception and Lee's father (Stephen McHattie) seems to be having too much to drink. Lee thinks he has stopped. Eventually, Lee goes to her bedroom, and tucked away underneath her mattress is an ornately decorated box within which are varied implements for cutting. We see her rub something against a sharpening stone. It is the toe of a ballerina figurine. She pulls up her dress exposing her thigh, and she presses the sharpened toe into her flesh.

The question is why does Lee have this need to hurt itself, and how does she transform from being a drab, emotionally distraught self-destructive person to a sultry subservient secretary? The key is the compulsive/obsessive and abusive yet reclusive lawyer E. Edward Grey (James Spader) with whom Lee applies for a job. Grey has a permanent sign in front of his office that says "Secretary Wanted," and as Lee enters his place of business we see a woman leaving with her office stuff packed up in a box. We can only assume Grey has fired another secretary.

After Grey explains to Lee in so many words how menial the job is almost daring her not to take it, she eagerly accepts the position. In his everyday dealings with Lee it as if he is goading her into leaving, but she always answers his overbearing orders and complaints with a smile and a "yes sir." Grey seems confused at first at Lee's acquiescent behavior, and then preoccupied with it.

What plays out is the most revealing and innovative love story I have ever seen. Both James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal deliver Oscar-worthy performances, and had it been a studio film rather than independent, it most assuredly would've received Academy award nominations. It is a highly sexually-charged movie that I recommend for any open-minded viewer to see. I say open-minded for this film explores sadomasochistic behavior, but in an enlightening way. We see how two individuals can fill each other's needs in such a relationship so that is beneficial to them both. This film reveals the world of a sadomasochistic romance as films such as Brokeback Mountain have done with gay relationships. This movie is not without its moments of suspense, either. There were many times when I was riveted at a pivotal moment wondering desperately what was going to happen next. It is one of those movies that you never know until the very end whether it will have a happy ending or not, and I am not going to tell.

The IMDB has this film rated as 7.2. I myself would have to give it an 8.5 if only for Spader's and Gyllenhaal's performances, but the movie as a whole delivers and then some. If you like good independent filmmaking, and enjoy, or at the very least can handle, gut-wrenching emotional moments, then by all means see this film.

DVD Info

Audio -- Stereo

Subtitles -- English, Spanish

Special Features

Trailer
Commentary with director Stephen Shainberg
and writer Erin Cressida Wilson
Behind the Secretary
Photo Gallery

The Last Waltz

On Thanksgiving, November 25, 1976, The Band performed their final concert after touring for 16 years. They are most notably known for such hits as "The Weight," "Chest Fever," "Up On Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and perhaps to a lesser extent as Bob Dylan's backup group when he made his controversial transition from folk to rock during his 1965 and 1966 tours.

I was 13 when their first album, Music from Big Pink, came out in 1968. I remember my cousin John, three years my elder and a big Bob Dylan fan, raving about it. He was my earliest music mentor introducing me to The Beatles, Donovan, Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie and many others. I didn't care for Bob Dylan at the time, so when John explained to me that The Band had been Bob Dylan's backup band, they didn't hold much interest for me. It wasn't until they got some airplay on the radio that I took notice of them, and even then it was only a mild interest.

In my 30s, I began to build a CD collection, and I remembered liking several of The Band's songs, and I purchased the three CD boxed set Across the Great Divide. It was overkill considering the little I knew of The Band, and only the first CD of the set held my interest, it having on it the songs I was familiar with. Still, I had The Band in my collection, and I listened to them with a certain frequency.

The thing that got me interested in wanting to see the The Last Waltz was that it was directed by Martin Scorsese. I had become a Scorsese fan after seeing Taxi Driver in 1976. I was so taken with the film that I promptly gathered up my younger brother and sister and took them to see it. His gritty yet mood evoking depiction of a dirty, scummy New York City made a lasting impression on me, and then after Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York and just recently The Departed, I began to take an interest in his other films, namely The Last Waltz. I wanted to see how a director of his caliber might make a rock concert documentary, and having heard its accolades I set out to see it.

After the MGM opening screen, white letters on a black background say THIS FILM SHOULD BE PLAYED LOUD! Being a fan of loud rock music, I was already impressed. Then came the concert itself interspersed with Scorsese interviewing members of the group. This is where I got fuzzy. For some reason, with the exception of Robbie Robertson, I didn't recognize many of the interviewees as being the same band members I was seeing in the concert. For example, Levon Helm offstage seems like the most laid-back southern guy one might ever meet compared to the high energy drummer and vocalist I saw on stage. I didn't make the connection.

To tell the truth, I wasn't familiar with any of the band members except for Robbie Robertson, and that was only because his name had stuck in my mind over the years. Robertson is the most visible band member in the movie both on and off stage, and he tends to steal the show.

It was a great film, though, and I enjoyed seeing my favorite "Band" songs performed and took pleasure in hearing many of the guest artists, which included Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris, just to name a few. But it left me wanting to know more about this fantastic rock band whose concert I just experienced, so off it was to the Internet.

It is by no means necessary to familiarize oneself with The Band to enjoy The Last Waltz, nor even be familiar with them at all -- the film is that good -- but I found after I got a little "Band" history under my belt, my second viewing was much more enjoyable. Besides knowing a little bit more about The Band and its members, I paid much more attention to the faces on stage and off, and this time they clicked. The interviews made a lot more sense, and the film had a much more intimate feel to it.

The first performance in the film is of The Band doing their final song in an encore performance of Marvin Gaye's "Don't Do It." Then we find ourselves at the beginning of the concert with The Band opening with "Up On Cripple Creek" followed by "The Shape I'm In." Why the film is edited like that, I don't know. It is a director's prerogative, and as many films begin at the end and then proceed to tell the story leading up to that point, perhaps by starting with the group's last song in the concert, Scorsese is making an analogy to what the film is about: The Band's last performance. But then the film is much more than that. It is a celebration of an era in rock history: a time when The Beatles bowed out, and the next generation of rock performers filled the gap.

Ronnie Hawkins is the first guest performer, his being The Band's band leader when they were the Ontario based group Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks from 1959 to 1963. He sings "Who Do You Love?" Then Dr. John performs his trademark song "Such a Night" and is followed by Neil Young doing his song "Helpless." The Band then performs "Stage Fright" followed by a wonderful performance of "The Weight" by The Band and The Staples. Perhaps The Band's most well-known song "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" comes next.

Neil Diamond then performs his "Dry Your Eyes." I was surprised to see him included in the concert. In my mind, his performance is incongruous to the rest of the show, and it would have flowed much better without him.

The original mood of the concert is redeemed by Joni Mitchell -- one of the grand dames of the 60s California folk music scene -- who performs her beautiful song "Coyote." It is interesting to note that she, as well as four out of the five members of The Band, is Canadian, all hailing from the Toronto area.

Paul Butterfield, Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton each perform a song with The Band in a trio of blues songs. Then The Band and Emmylou Harris do an all acoustic -- with the exception of Robertson's electric guitar -- country/bluegrass version of "Evangeline." I really enjoyed this performance having gone to many a bluegrass festival in my late teens and early twenties. Those times hold a dear place in my heart.

Both "The Weight" and "Evangeline" are performed on a sound stage separate from the concert itself. Besides providing superior sound quality, a sound stage gives the director a greater freedom in lighting and camera angles, which was particularly useful in portraying The Staples, they being a four piece act consisting of "Pops" Staple and his three daughters. It also helped capture the delicate sounds of the violin and mandolin as played by The Band's Rick Danko and Levon Helm who normally play bass and drums respectively. The two also provide first-rate vocals and harmonies complementing Harris's hauntingly beautiful voice.

Back to the concert, Garth Hudson, organist extraordinaire for The Band, begins his majestic intro for "Chest Fever," which disappointingly is cut short for an interview with he and Robertson. This is one of my few complaints with the film. "Chest Fever" is one of my favorite "Band" songs, and I was really looking forward to seeing it performed in its entirety.

"Ophelia" is performed by The Band followed by Van Morrison singing "Caravan." I'm not a big Van Morrison fan so I wasn't impressed, but as I seem to be in the minority regarding Morrison I'm sure most viewers will enjoy his performance. Then comes the highlight of the concert. Enter right stage: Bob Dylan.

Looking very much as he did in the movie Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) -- straight brimmed hat, strings of curly hair and wispy beard and mustache -- in which he had a small part and wrote several songs for, Bob Dylan performs "Forever Young" and "Baby Let Me Follow You down." Even I enjoyed Dylan's performances having fallen in love with his country music styled album Nashville Skyline when it was released in 1969.

In a huge finale, all the previous guests joined by Ron Wood and Ringo Starr join Bob Dylan and The Band in performing "I Shall Be Released," which was written by Dylan but first recorded by The Band. It was positively an apropos ending for the concert.

One thing that amazes me about the filming of The Last Waltz is the intricacy that Martin Scorsese took in storyboarding and scripting the film around the song list The Band followed in concert. Originally planned to be filmed in 16mm, Scorsese opted for the larger studio type 35mm cameras. Though heavier and unwieldy than a 16mm, the 35mm camera provides a much sharper image with which to work. And while the film Woodstock has a strictly documentary feel, The Last Waltz is more cinematographic in nature. No less than seven cameras were employed both handheld and on dollies and booms, and stage and lighting were designed by Boris Levin, production designer of such musical films as West Side Story and The Sound of Music. Each song was meticulously studied for maximum effect in lighting and camera angles.

My chief complaint with the movie is that it tends to showcase Robbie Robertson much to the exclusion of the other members of "The Band." He is shown on stage front and center playing guitar and harmonizing with every song while in fact -- besides Garth Hudson -- he was the most non-vocal member of the group, musically speaking. And he dominates the interviews, which is somewhat understandable his being the most articulate of the five members, but it leaves the impression that he was the leader of The Band. Though he was the chief songwriter, by his own admission each song was a collaborative effort with each member of the group helping to interpret the songs he wrote. I fault the film's director for this and not Robertson himself, though he does tend to come off as somewhat a prima donna. But again, this might be the director's fault.

With The Band's final hurrah as the centerpiece and all their guest artists contributing to the mix and finally Martin Scorsese's brilliant directing, there is no doubt in my mind why The Last Waltz is heralded as the greatest rock documentary ever made. Even with its faults, it is a masterpiece. And as I wonder how this wonderful rock group escaped my scrutiny in their heyday, I feel the need to delve deeper into the musical enigma known as The Band, as well as to know more about the movie. If you should feel the same, I can suggest the following web pages that have a wealth of information on the concert and the group respectively: The Last Waltz and The Band.

DVD Details

English 5.1 Surround/English 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Special Features

Audio Commentaries
The Filmmaker and the Musician
[Martin Scorsese and Robbie Robertson]

Archival Outtakes
Jam 2
"This is the only archival footage available from
The Last Waltz.
Towards the end of the evening, Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Carl Radle, Robbie Robertson, Ringo Starr, Stephen Stills, Ronnie Wood and Neil Young took the stage for some informal jamming."

Featurette: Revisiting The Last Waltz

Photo Gallery

Trailers

Bones - Season One 4 DVD Set*

If you like shows about forensic pathology -- "Quincy" with Jack Klugman comes to mind as well as HBO's excellent documentary series "Beyond the Grave" -- "Bones" might just be the show for you. It is inspired by the life of forensic anthropologist/author Kathy Reichs who both produces and consults for the show.

The main character is forensic anthropologist and best-selling author Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) who works for the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington, DC (seemingly modeled loosely after the Smithsonian Institute) and is "loaned" to the FBI to help solve murders in which the corpses consist only of bones or otherwise unidentifiable remains. She has a genius IQ, and though she is attractive and dresses well she tends to come off as bit nerdy, which only adds to her charm. And though she often has an FBI agent near, she can take care of herself as she is skilled in kick boxing and other forms of self-defense. Adding to her mystique, her parents vanished just before Christmas when she was fifteen and have never been found. She assumes they are dead.

Enter Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz). He is Brennan's liaison with the FBI, working in their homicide investigations unit, and has given her the nickname "Bones," to which she replies, "Don't call me Bones." But by the season's end, she is resigned to the fact that Booth is forever going to know her as "Bones." Booth, a former Army Rangers sniper, has an intense sense of loyalty to country and tends to be very conservative in his views.

Brennan and Booth develop a big good working chemistry between the two of them, and Booth becomes fiercely protective of Brennan, and she develops at least a mild affection towards him.

Dr. Brennan is assisted in her investigations, both criminal and scientific, by three specialists at the Jeffersonian. Angelina (Angel) Montanegro (Michaela Conlin) is a sexy, gregarious brunette who specializes in forensic facial reconstruction. She is trained in the fine arts and urges the somewhat reclusive Temperance to get out more. Zach Addy (Eric Milligan) -- who has a schoolboy crush on Dr. Brennan -- is a 24 year old genius having graduated college at the age of 16 and whose area of expertise is in the removal of dead skin from bones (debridement) as decomposed bodies need to be stripped of their flesh in order to properly study their bones. As a graduate student, he studies forensic anthropology under Dr. Brennan and acts as her personal assistant. A stereotypical super brain, Zach lacks many social skills that he humorously tries to mimic from others. Angel comments that she finds it amusing when Zach "tries to act like a human being." Rounding out the team is Dr. Jack Hodgins (T.J. Thyne), a somewhat kooky but harmless conspiracy theorist who has advanced degrees in entomology, botany and mineralogy. He refers to himself as the "Bug Man" as he can date very accurately the time of death raging from days to many months by the insects that accompany a decaying corpse. He can also tell much about a skeleton by its "particulates," tiny, sometimes microscopic, pieces of debris that are attached to the bones.

In an interview with Kathy Reichs, she says that all the science in the show is grounded in truth, which is a soothing note for purists such as myself who cringe at technical errors in scripts. I only wish the show were more plot driven than character driven. While Deschanel's portrayal of Temperance Brennan is enjoyable, Boreanaz's Special Agent Booth begs to be believable. It is also very unlikely that Angel, Zach and Jack would be as quirky as depicted. But I chalk this up to poor directing rather than bad acting. The pure science in the show is its redeeming quality. It is absolutely amazing to see how forensic anthropology is applied to solving crimes. It would be a much better show, however, if more focus were shifted to the solving of the crimes rather than character interaction, as done in the exemplary programs Law and Order and CSI. Still, though there is room for improvement, Bones is a very enjoyable program, though I thought its IMDB rating of 8.5 was a tad high. I myself would give it a 7.5.

The first season of Bones ends with a cliffhanger that is intriguing while not leaving one annoyed. It doesn't leave one completely hanging, but it does give one an added impetus to watch season two, which at the time of this writing is about halfway through. Having missed the beginning of season two, I have refrained from watching it. It would be like starting to watch a movie after it has already begun, which I refuse to do. But I would definitely recommend this show for anyone who would enjoy a mixture of science wizardry and whodunit suspense.

Special Features on DVD

Bones - Inspired By the Life of Forensic Anthropologist and Author Kathy Reichs [The making of Bones]

Character Profiles [Data and trivia in text form about the main characters]


*Through Netflix, who I use for DVD rental, it is a seven disc set, but some of the discs have only two or three episodes instead of the usual four. The boxed set consists of three discs that play on both sides and one conventional disc.

The Internet Movie Database

When it comes to films and other media such as television one of the most useful resources on the Internet is The Internet Movie Database. It lists virtually every film and television show ever made and provides such useful information as directing, writing and acting credits as well as plot summaries and user reviews. Practically every name credited is linked to a separate page, which lists all of his or her projects, both post and pre-production, which are all linked. Practically everything on IMDB is linked to something else, and it is amazing the threads one can follow. The IMDB would make a cinch of winning The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Rather than I preach its accolades, you should see for yourself. Unfortunately over the years the IMDB has become more and more commercialized as with many good resources such as Yahoo and Google, but it still remains an absolutely wonderful tool. And by supplying basic information and registering with IMDB, you can vote on movies, television series, and anything else that is listed. And by its sheer number of members, which is well over a million, the ratings on a scale of one to ten tend to reflect a very balanced view of serious movie watchers. In future reviews, I may compare IMDB ratings to my own.

If you haven't already been, please go and discover what you always wanted in a movie resource and more. You will not be disappointed.

"Band of Brothers" 6 DVD Set

"In 1942, the U.S. Army assembled a volunteer parachute regiment to jump behind enemy lines. Within this unit was a company of men who found themselves at the forefront of the war in Europe. They parachuted into Normandy on D-Day, ... fought for the liberation of Holland, ... held the front line in the Battle of the Bulge, ... and captured Hitler's Eagle's Nest. This company suffered one of the highest casualty rates of the war. These were the men of Easy Company..."

The epic miniseries "Band of Brothers" tells the story of Easy Company -- of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division -- from their jump school training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia to their post-VE Day R&R in Austria, and all their hard-fought battles in between. Comprised of 10 one-hour episodes, the first of which originally aired on HBO September 9, 2001, "Band of Brothers" is adapted from Stephen Ambrose's nonfiction book of the same name. It is a Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg production, a collaboration presumably spawned from their efforts together in making "Saving Private Ryan." Hanks also produced the critically acclaimed 1998 HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon" -- chronicling NASA's Apollo program -- after he starred in "Apollo 13."

If "Saving Private Ryan" is the quintessential World War II film, then "Band of Brothers" is its companion piece using the miniseries format to fully bring the book to the screen quite faithfully. It draws on a cast of mostly unknown actors, most notably Damian Lewis who plays the pivotal character Richard "Dick" Winters who assumes command of Easy Company on D-Day when its commanding officer is missing. After one successful mission after another, Winters is finally "bumped up" to battalion executive officer essentially taking away his direct command of Easy Company. As the war progresses, Winters matures from the young lieutenant from jump camp to the seasoned Major we see as the war draws to a close. And though each episode tends to focus on a different group of central characters, Winters is always a prominent figure.

Each episode adds to its realism by devoting the first couple of minutes to interviews with the actual men of Easy Company who speak of the events that will play out in that particular part. Along with impeccable directing, top-notch special effects including pyrotechnics and CGI gives one the feeling of "being there." Most of the intense battle scenes are filmed with the same documentary style of "Saving Private Ryan," and purists with a stickler for realism will not be disappointed. In part 5 "The Breaking Point," in which Easy Company comes under unrelenting, brutal German artillery fire in the Ardennes forest, two soldiers lose legs and while the gore factor is not overplayed, it is definitely apparent.

The first five DVDs contain two episodes each, and the sixth, a bonus disc, contains the excellent 78 minute documentary "We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company" in which rare archival film footage and photographs augment interviews with the original Easy Company survivors as they reminisce about events ranging from life before the war, the war itself and returning to civilian life. It provides a very personal view of what it is like to survive the horrors of war, most notably losing one's friends on the battlefield. Also shown is one of the annual Easy Company reunions that have been held since 1946.

A most helpful feature on disks one through five is the "field guide." Each episode has an accompanying field guide that includes biographical information on the soldiers portrayed in that episode, as well as the entire miniseries; a historical timeline chronicling pertinent events from the end of World War I to the end of World War II; a map of Easy Company's troop movements from Camp Toccoa to England and throughout France, Holland, Belgium and Germany with accompanying text; a chain of command reference from five-star general to buck private; and an extremely helpful glossary of military terms. I found for myself the soldier guide to be most helpful, as I easily lose track of Easy Company's cast of characters as the story progresses. At one point or another, I used every feature of the field guide, which has information specific to the episode as well as the entire miniseries.

For World War II enthusiasts and students of history in general, "Band of Brothers" provides a personal telling of what it was to fight in "The War to End All Wars." It is truly an up close and realistic rendering of the true story of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division from its inception to the end of World War II. It is a miniseries of the finest caliber. The Internet Movie Database, which rates movies and television programs through registered member votes, rates "Band of Brothers" a 9.6 out of a possible 10, the highest rating of any listing. By comparison, "Saving Private Ryan" scored an 8.6.

I highly recommend this series for anyone who wishes to have a better understanding of 20th-century world history as well as anyone who just plain enjoys good filmmaking.

Fast Food Nation

Inspired by Eric Schlosser's non-fiction best-seller "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" and directed by Richard Linklater, this modern day film parallels Upton Sinclair's muckraking novel "The Jungle" by exploring the abuses of illegal Mexican immigrants who work in a meatpacking plant that incorporates unsafe and unsanitary working conditions so that it might fuel the fast food industry with a cheap supply of ground round of questionable quality.

Both Linklater and Schlosser are credited for this film's character driven dramatic screenplay, and if not successful as a film in its own right, it is a gripping damnation of this nation's fast food industry and the ensuing greed of the meatpacking conglomerates who exploit cheap labor while employing slipshod processing practices to supply said industry with inexpensive, and potentially unsafe, beef.

While the screenplay is weak, its subject matter is not, and a host of excellent actors both well-known and unfamiliar give some stellar performances. While incorporating such noted names as Greg Kinnear, Patricia Arquette, Kris Kristofferson, Bruce Willis and Ethan Hawke in mostly cameo roles, the real stars of the film are mostly unknown actors who portray a group of Mexican illegal aliens and American youths in Cody, Colorado.

The story begins with Mickeys (a fictitious fast food chain) marketing executive Don Anderson (Greg Kinnear) being sent to investigate how cow feces is making its way into the chain's number one selling burger, Big One. While Anderson travels to Cody to visit Uni-Globe Meat Packing "where every single Big One patty in the entire country gets made," the film follows a small group of Mexican men and women crossing illegally into the US. They travel day and night over the open Mexican desert led by a guide to a deserted dirt road where Benny (Luis Guzman) picks them up and deposits them at various locations including Cody where Uni-Globe waits to exploit their labor. In an early scene, which foreshadows the link between cheap Mexican manpower and Mickeys fast food, Anderson pulls up beside Benny's van at a stoplight in Cody.

Anderson tours the Uni-Globe plant and its shiny stainless steel machinery and employees in spotless white uniforms impress him. He is sure his boss's worries are unfounded until he speaks with rancher Rudy Martin (Kris Kristofferson). Martin's Mexican housekeeper, whose brother works at the plant, explains to Anderson how cow feces get into the meat. The workers removing the intestines are forced to work at such a rate that inevitably an intestinal wall is punctured, and, "All the poop and stuff just pours out all over the meat." Inquiring how often this happens, Anderson is told quite matter-of-factly "every day."

Towards the end of the film we are shown up close and quite graphically the slaughtering of cows. This is not for the squeamish. I can appreciate graphic violence in films when it is intrinsic to the story, but the slaughterhouse scene in Fast Food Nation is truly repulsive. And I don't really see how it adds to the message of the movie except to possibly turn one's stomach to the point of not wanting to eat beef anymore. While the act of killing the cow is quite painless, to see what happens to it after the fact is terribly gruesome.

Had it not been for the cameo appearances of Bruce Willis et al., the film would have been interminably boring. But there is a part of the film that I rather enjoyed, which is towards the end when Amber (Ashley Johnson) and Brian (Paul Dano, from Little Miss Sunshine), employees at the local Mickeys, together with some of their high school friends, in a show of civil disobedience, decide to free the cows by cutting a hole in the fence. One young dissident after hearing the perils of prosecution under the patriot act, pipes up, "Right now I can't think of anything more patriotic than violating the patriot act." They are all disappointed, however, when the cows refuse to leave. "Next time we take cattle prods."

For all its shortcomings, I am glad that I watched Fast Food Nation. While it is not a great film in itself, it proves to be a bold statement regarding the state of our nation. As Rudy Martin points out to Anderson, "This isn't about good people versus bad people. It's about the machine that's taking over this country. It's like something out of science fiction. The land, the cattle, the people. This machine don't give a shit. Pennies a pound, pennies a pound. That's all it cares about. A few more pennies a pound." Somber words, indeed.

DVD extras

Screenwriter Audio commentary by director/screenwriter Richard Linklater and author/screenwriter Eric Schlosser

Manufacturing Fast Food Nation [The making of the movie]

Photo Gallery

The Meatrix [Short Animation -- See http://www.meatrix.com]

The Meatrix II

The Meatrix II 1/2

The Backwards Hamburger [Short Animation Promo for Film]