I have nothing of interest or value to say. Not really. But I feel the need to make my first post on Wordpress. In real life news, I dropped the Television Theory class I was taking because I felt it was beneath me. It felt good to realize this. It felt better taking the initiative and dropping it. I have sort of been basking in the assertive glory that came with actively dropping the class for a reason other than the class meeting time changing. Plus, since it's summer and classes meet twice a week for four hours, I had already spent 12 hours with people I didn't really care about and wasn't really learning from--not the way I am/always do learn(ing) from my classmates in my Victorian class. In the Creative Writing track, I am only allowed to take two classes outside the English Dept (stupid). I took a Feminist Theory class last semester, which was offered by the Gender Studies Dept, but was taught by a professor in the English Dept, but it still counts as a course outside the department, and so, counts as one of my two classes (even stupider). I so did not want to waste my last chance to take a class outside the department with a Television Theory class I didn't enjoy and wasn't learning anything from. I gave the class 12 hours (not to mention all the hours of outside reading), so I think that was more than enough. I'm going to keep the course books, though, because they were reasonably priced and I think the reading will be useful as a source if I pursue television as an angle in my dissertation.

Speaking of beneath me... I feel sad about Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. I saw it today and I have one giant complaint: if I wanted political commentary, I would watch The Daily Show, not Pirates of the Caribbean.

I have a few personal, political beefs with the film. The sad thing is, though, I agree with everything that the movie is trying to beat into our heads (civil rights: good, giant-monopoly-companies: baaaaad). But somehow I resent the fact that these ideologies are being force fed to me through my favorite form: pirates (vampires and zombies being a close second and third--although I will maintain that zombies are a more ready vehicle for political commentary than pirates).

Pirate Perturbance No. 1: How about the fact that the only black female character was incarcerated and bound, and then when she went all godlike on everyone, all she did was grow really tall and erupt in a pile of crabs. Needless to say, her goddess powers were pretty under utilized. I felt like Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons: Worst use of a goddess: ever. And I don't consider this a spoiler, considering that knowing this does not somehow ruin the entire movie.

But I'm going to give more of an opinion, with definite spoilers here... Probably. Basically, I want to talk about different aspects of the movie, but if you don't want to know anything, then stop here.

Pirate Perturbance No. 2: The movie just felt heavy handed as a whole, beginning with the beginning. Can anyone else say Liberal Agenda? Now, I am a liberal myself, but the blatantness of the propaganda felt cheap. I mean, this is just supposed to be a good, fun, popcorn, swashbuckling, I-Turn-This-On-While-Cleaning-My-Apartment/Sleeping/Doing-Homework movie. If I want political commentary, I don't watch Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl or Dead Man's Chest (that's what Jon Stewart, moon goddess, is for). But the marching of the prisoners whose civil rights were being expunged was just... bleh. Especially the supposed lack of sympathy for the child associated with pirates being hung alongside the adults, and, as the prisoners' trap doors open, One Piece of the Nine Pieces of Eight (convoluted, no?) falls to the floor. The title then fades onto the screen: At World's End. The death symbolism was so not subtle that I actually giggled to myself. And no, not because a child got hung. Geez.

Pirate Perturbance No. 3: When Beckett (the guy who is evil for the sake of being evil, the guy who works for the East India Trading Company) finally bites it, his body (I assume that we're supposed to assume it's his body anyway) falls onto the company's flag, on top of it's symbol, into the water. The symbol happens to resemble a broken cross. Beckett's body happens to resemble a crucified-type pose. Beckett's last words? "It's nothing personal. It's just good business." Ka-BOOM! The last image we are left with of the East India Trading Company/Evil Empire is the ship, conveniently named Endeavor, completely decimated. I found it highly entertaining the the East India Trading Company was painted in such a harsh light. I find it even more entertaining that the message here is that: HUGE corporations are a bad thing. This message brought to you by Disney.

Pirate Perturbance No. 4: It's kind of cool that prim and proper Elizabeth Swan, with a fetish for pirates, becomes not only a captain, but Pirate King. But after she's elected King, a couple heavy handed things happen. 1) She's an elected king. Sure, there is, perhaps, comedic value in the contradiction (haha! isn't it funny that pirates are stoopid?) but 2) After she becomes King, she declares war. By herself. Without a group vote. Without the support of the, well, for lack of a better word, the U.N. of pirates. I could go on and on about the allusions to systems of voting as arbitrary, leaders/dictators, etc. But I think you get the idea.

Pirate Perturbance No. 5: Happy family ending. It's okay that Will is bound to the Flying Dutchman for all eternity because at least he had son! Just more of the pro-natalist narrative around which our current society gravitates.

I'm sure there's more. But now I am sleepy.

Labels: grad school, movies, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, political commentary, politics, real life

( 4comments )

at June 2, 2007 7:48 PM  Lorie said...

"It’s okay that Will is bound to the Flying Dutchman for all eternity because at least he had son!"

Wait...I feel like I missed something. Did the movie say that she was pregnant (which I completely didn't notice), or are you just saying that since they had sex, she'll possibly get pregnant?

 

at June 3, 2007 12:14 PM  jillydreadful said...

Did you stay until after the credits rolled? Because the after they did, they had a short scene in which the tag line appeared, "Ten years later," and Elizabeth Swan and a boy--approximately 10 years old--came walking towards the cliff and Will on the Dutchman was making its way towards shore.

Which leads me to another question? Did Will have to be the captain of the Dutchman for eternity or was his obliged to only give ten years since doing it saved his life? I was a little fuzzy on this.

 

at June 8, 2007 9:38 AM  jezebelsriot said...

Okay Okay, I agree with most of what you're saying, even though it pains me! It pains me! I really love the series, so in the tradition of ignorance is bliss, I must suspend not only my disbelief but also my intellect so that I may continue loving this trilogy. Yes, even the third one.

I did not stay for after the credits!!!!! I had no idea. But I am going to assume that since, as a generalized audience, we demand at least semi-happy endings, Will was probably bound for ten years....but who would be his replacement?

You so know a fourth will be coming eventually.

 

at June 8, 2007 1:08 PM  jillydreadful said...

Oh, yes. I expect a fourth movie at some point. I hope it's a Barbossa movie, though. Geoffrey Rush was so hot as Barbossa. I could stand for a Jack Sparrow movie too, because it goes without saying that Johnny Depp is hot. But I'd rather Will and Elizabeth stay out of any forthcoming sequels. Unless it's a movie about Will ferrying dead souls. Because that could be awesome... I guess what I'm trying to say is that the romance part of the movie was not my favorite (it worked in the first one, but not really in the others), and I'd rather see other characters take the forefront.

But even with all my personal beefs with the film, it doesn't mean I didn't like it. I still liked it. I just didn't like it AS much as Dead Man's Chest, and I certainly didn't like it as much as Curse of the Black Pearl. But I still liked it.

I totally want Elizabeth's outfit when she became Captain of Chow Yon Fat's ship.