Assassination in and/or of the Western

I recently spoke with a friend who told me about an article (I believe by Zizek) that discussed how the Western eventually became impossible to make and that we were left with "meta-westerns." (Bryan, forgive me if I am doing a poor job of recounting.) This trend began with "Shane" (which I have not actually seen), in which the entire Western unfolds from the perspective of the child. From then on, Westerns were no longer possible; instead, "Westerns" were stories that unfolded from the gaze of someone actually watching the real Western take place (e.g. "Shane's" child).

With this in mind, I will address two "Westerns" that I recently watched: "The Wild Bunch" (1969)  and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (2007).

Dolphins are Bodhisattvas

This will be a brief post instead of a review since I am tired of writing them.

Instead, I am endorsing the film (and the hype behind the film) "The Cove."



In case you do not pay attention to the Oscars beyond Best Film, Director, Actors, Actresses, and Animated Feature, "The Cove" won this year's Best Documentary. Rightfully so. The effort to make this movie is impressive, and the poignancy of the camerawork are all worth the hype and praise. I fully recommend this film as a film.

I also fully recommend this film as a pedagogical device.

I also fully recommend this film as a political piece.

Basically, you should see it. Then, you should check out this site to support the cause. Then you should check out this movie. It is one of my favorites. Then you should check out this site to support the cause.

Then you should go get a snorkel and some O2 tanks and get your ass in the water. See you there.