the movieGOOMBA

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One day I noticed a new 'DVDPlay' kiosk at my local grocery store. I was briefly appalled. Apparently it dispenses DVD's without the embarrassment of having a teenager judge your movie watching habits, but have we sunk so low as a society to depend on a vending machine to provide our entertainment; my art? Curious, I investigated the machine with its touch pad screen and obnoxious "only 99 cents per day!" red signs. "What!?! It wants my credit card information?" Turned off I left the kiosk. What if it gave me the wrong movie? What if it wouldn't stop charging my credit card? What if someone hacked the machine and my identity got stolen. No, those machines were just too McDonaldized for me . . . but as I thought about it, the idea seemed more and more appealing; for those times where you went to the grocery store after work on a Friday night and wanted something fun to watch; for those times when the nearest Blockbuster or Hollywood Video was just too far away. So, I said "Japan probably does it, why not I?" So out popped In the Valley of Elah from its slot and here we are.

Starring Oscar-winning actress, Charleze Theron, and Tommy Lee Jones, who was nominated for his performance in this film, In The Valley of Elah is a commentary on the toll the Iraq war has taken on family, society, and our soldiers. Hank Deerfield is a retired military sergeant, and when his son, a Iraq War veteran officer, goes AWOL, he travels to his son's base to help investigate Mike's disappearance. Local police detective Emily Sanders (Theron) has been assigned this case, and together with Deerfield, they begin to uncover the seedy underbelly of current military life and put together the pieces of a broken case and a broken family.

Symbolic yet uninteresting, this film had a lot to say, but threw information at you so slowly, that it was easy to lose track of the ball. The message in the film was obvious; Iraq war bad. The soldiers' actions both on and off U.S. soil is telling. The men weren't necessarily bad, but something about the war just brought something out in them. It was so suggestive and provocative, in just the right way, but it was also kind of boring. I don't know what it is about the Oscar nominated films this year. Such yawners. I appreciated the message the movie had to offer, but In the Valley of Elah had bland characters and a dragging pace.

Some obvious symbolism and themes to look out for: the American flag on the pole, the woman with the drowned dog, the David and Goliath story, manhood, fatherhood, brotherhood. So in a nutshell, this film had a lot of ammunition but not enough kick. That's basically all I have to say on the film. The DVDPlay kiosk, though, is actually pretty neat.

Last week marked the five year anniversary of the Iraq War. 4,000 troops have been killed. How much longer?