movie night in canada

what with the cbc playing sepia-toned reruns of 1970's era hockey showdowns, what is a hot blooded canadian girl to do on a saturday night? why, pay $15 to support the american media machine of course....

last night mike b and i went to see 'national treasure', the latest nicholas cage vehicle. it's... not bad. definately no 'indiana jones', though it aspires to be. i'd say it's on par with the first 'tomb raider' (yes i liked tomb raider. lara croft is hoooootttt. plus, jon voigt plays the dad in this one too). anyhoo.

i think the highlight of the film for me is when ben (n. cage's character) takes a moment to step out of the plot and read what is, to him, the most important line in the declaration of independence: "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security".

now, since it has very little to do with what is happening in the plot at the moment (i don't believe that having the fbi and the office of homeland security dismiss your conspiracy theories as so much fluffernutter counts as abuse by your government) i can't help but think this was a well timed, deliberate political statement being made by either jerry bruckheimer, john (?) turtletaub, nic cage, or all three.

where it fails for me is that instead of cleverly weaving the political statement into the body of the film, the writers decided instead to hit the audience over the head with it. i read a review of the film which calls the riley character a metaphor for the audience - sort of stunned and needing to have every single thing explained for him outright. i'm not sure i'd be that unkind - it was a fun movie, if nothing else. and maybe the american film-going public is that thick. they did re-elect GW, after all. but i prefer having to interpret the underlying meanings of my texts like hunting for water with a divining rod, or for truths with the runes: not an exact science, and absolutely open for discussion.