Saved by the Bell might have been the most ridiculous sitcom ever, but I’ve seen every episode. Some of them several times (thank you, cable reruns!). In fact, it may have been the first thing I ever loved ironically. I still can’t bring myself to watch Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s lawyer show, and I’ve long found Jimmy Fallon annoying, but this bit wherein M.P.G. brings back the Morris is just plain awesome. The video won’t embed, for some reason, so check out the link here.
I know I was a naysayer at first, but I guess his neck beard just had to flourish into this amazing gem of a hairdo. Full-bearded Keanu is my Oregon Country Fair wet dream. Keep up the good work, Keanu beard!
2009 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FEATURE!
Un-rated
89 minutes
Ambush Entertainment
***
My stance on the films of Matthew Broderick has long been a controversial one. I particularly dislike the much beloved “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” (There, I said it!) So I was all set to rip apart “Wonderful World.” And then an amazing thing happened. I didn’t hate it.
“Wonderful World” tells the story of Ben Singer, a former children’s musician and divorced dad who isn’t shy about sharing his opinions with everyone who crosses his path. His views are usually perceived as pessimistic but, honestly, a lot of what he says is just telling it like it is, a practice that most adults have trained themselves not to do.
I find Ferris Bueller insufferable because he shows no remorse for his selfishness getting everyone around him in trouble. More ridiculously, the community at large views him as a sort of hero. In “Wonderful World,” Ben is also somewhat selfish, but at least he’s called on it and eventually makes an effort to change. His depression-fueled brand of honesty becomes a problem when he tells off his neighbor, an SUV-driving yuppie who complains that, because of Ben’s car, he has to make five inconvenient wheel turns to get out of his compact space. The neighbor takes out his revenge by having Ben’s car towed, just as Ben needs it to rush his diabetic roommate, Ibu, to the hospital. Ben’s depression worsens as his roommate slips into a coma, Ben loses his job, and he is unable to sugarcoat things for his 11-year-old daughter. As a result of her dad’s downer ways, she no longer wants to spend her court-appointed weekends with him. Eventually, Ben realizes that his attitude is driving people away and preventing him from success. Something must change.
Ben’s attitude starts to shift when he meets Khadi, the beautiful Senegalese sister of his roommate who stays with him while Ibu is in the hospital. Ben teaches Khadi that if you understand “The Bottom Line,” the idea that every situation has a total value which makes you decide whether or not to do something, that you understand America. By way of example, it’s what insurance adjusters to every day. In contrast, she teaches him that magic is everywhere and that “thoughts are things.” Inevitably, their situation turns romantic. It’s a sweet relationship and just what Ben needs to find his way.
But here’s why “Wonderful World” is only a three star film: Many of Ben’s complaints are totally valid. His neighbor was the one who chose to own an SUV in an urban setting. The boss who fires him is a prick. “The Bottom Line” is the slogan for Capitalist America and it’s one of the main reasons why bad things happen to good people.
So while I agree Ben has room for emotional growth, he shouldn’t have to be happy all the time or change completely. And he has every right to call certain people on their bullshit. Someone has to do it. I only wish Ben Singer could have met Ferris Bueller.
Originally posted on FilmThreat.com (now defunct).
2009 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FEATURE!
Un-rated
79 minutes
Santiago Films
3 Stars
In 1968, a group of people started a utopian community. They used a poster entitled “Common Sense” to recruit. It claimed that “Love is the answer and we are all one.” That notion would be all well and good if “Love” weren’t the name of the group’s leader, a Jesus figure to whom they were required to give full power of attorney after they donated all their worldly possessions.
The members adopted the last name “Israel” (the chosen people) and received a virtuous first name like “Truth” or “Patience.” As an initiation, they’d have to undergo a week-long fast, the first three days of which also forbade water. They had to perform hard labor during this time. The only book they were allowed access to was the Bible. They also took a vow of celibacy. Unless they were young, pretty women, and then they got to have sex with Love. If this sounds an awful lot like a textbook case of “cult” to you, well, that’s because it was. “It Takes a Cult,” a documentary about the Seattle Love cult, was shot by Eric Johannsen, a boy who spent his early years living on their compound in Arlington, WA with his biological parents…and 300 other people.
Cults make for an inherently interesting story. In terms of access, it would seem that a kid who grew up on the inside, but has since joined ordinary society, would make a reliable and revealing film about the subject. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. It’s easy to make judgments, but the film leaves nearly all the judgment up to the audience. Because of that, it seems like no one learned anything from situation. The way they talk about brainwashing is so nonchalant. One member says, “My brain needed to be washed.” Yikes. And whenever someone starts banning books, it’s clearly no longer a good place to be. Everyone glosses over the fact that some kids were abused and locked in closets as punishment. It sure seems unlikely that these things didn’t do any permanent damage to the members.
The Love cult fell apart in 1983 when the other members wrote a letter to Love Israel complaining about his abuses of power. He tore up the letter and that was the end of the compound. But the remaining 30 members still believe in the core values and have been attempting to reboot the system ever since. The audience for the screening I attended was full of Israels. The post-screening Q and A revealed that they were all pretty happy with the final cut. I find this very telling about the film’s tone.
The film is full of archival footage from the early days at the Arlington compound. There was plenty of dancing, singing, working, and playing – like it was Woodstock everyday. Most of the time, “It Takes a Cult” feels like an infomercial for the Love family. And you know, I even agree with some of the founding principles. I believe we’re all connected. Not spiritually, but as humans. We should treat each other with the same respect we’d treat ourselves. We should keep our minds open.
However, these ideas (and any idea) become dangerous when you give one person absolute power. I’m not saying the filmmaker was deliberately hiding something. But it does seem like a documentary about a literal cult – where brainwashing and book burning happened, where the leader stole people’s money and lavished himself while the rest of the members worked for him, while young women gave themselves to him and older women took care of his children – should have been a little more provocative.
Originally posted on FilmThreat.com (now defunct).
Effed by the Wind 