Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train (2004, U.S.)

I don't have too much to say about this documentary, but I did want to mark that I have watched it. We're reading A People's History of the United States and Voices of a People's History of the United States for one of my book clubs, discussing a few chapters each month. This month a few of us met to watch this film about Zinn's life and work. Of course, anyone who is interested in the subject matter will like this documentary, and if you're against Zinn's ideas you probably won't like it. For myself, I'm amazed that there was once a person in the world who cared so much and worked so hard to make this country, and this world really, the place it should be. The challenges that Zinn faced just because of his beliefs and his work should be enough to make any mere mortal give up thousands of times, but he never did. He was a truly exceptional person, and I wish I had been able to see him speak while he was alive. This film was an interesting, though too brief, insight into the man and his work.

Rating: 3.5

Fool's Gold (2008, U.S.)

I really had no intentions of seeing this movie, but Mom is here visiting and she wanted to see it, so I gave in. Really, it has a great cast -- Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, Donald Sutherland, Ray Winstone... I know that Kate and Matthew have been in several silly movies (item: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days). Not that they're bad movies, they're just not great works of art. They are pretty good actors, however. Donald Sutherland is supposed to be hot stuff, and I personally thing Ray Winstone is a genius. So the caliber of actors definitely toned up what could have been a terrible movie.

Okay, so a lot of the plot didn't make sense and was just downright stupid. But it actually pulled off a touch of character development, the plot involved solving an historical mystery (although the answers came to them a bit too easily, it was still somewhat well done), and it was pretty damn funny. This was probably due in part to the fact that it was directed by a guy who does some pretty "solid" romantic comedies. (Andy Tennant also directed Hitch, Sweet Home Alabama, and Fools Rush In.)

So I wouldn't buy it, I probably wouldn't see it again (unless I happened to catch it on TV), but it was still entertaining and not a waste of time.

Rating: 3.5