As a metaphor for being poor and immigrant, "In America" features the most insidious arcade game I have ever seen. A barker conjoles you to spend a dollar to win an Elmo doll. All you have to do is throw three baseball sized balls into the mouth of an aluminum drain pipe (that is surrounded by happy little Elmo dolls). The catch is, if you fail to place on three balls into the mouth of the pipe, you pay the barker double - but it is double or nothing. If you wager another $2 and you win, you owe nothing. If you lose you owe $4 in addition to the original $2 you lost. But, once again, if you wager another $8 and you win you owe nothing. But, if you lose, you owe $16. If you quit while you are ahead but behind you are now out of $26. But if you bet just $32 and you win, well you owe nothing. Do the math. You can walk away $26 poorer but for just $8 more you could owe nothing AND win an Elmo doll. Shoot, that's almost breaking even. So you pony up ANOTHER $32 dollars. And lose. Now you owe another $64 dollars. Now you are in for $90 but in you just wager another 128 dollars...
--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin Baxter <martinbaxt...@...> wrote: > > Meant to catch that, but work made me forget to Autotune it. I'm chasing it > down now to see when it re-airs. > > On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 1:25 AM, Kelwyn <ravena...@...> wrote: > > > > > > > I just finished watching Jim Sheridan's "In America." I remembered when > > this little film got 3 Oscar nominations back in 2004 (Best Actress for > > Samantha Morton, Best Supporting Actor for Djimon Hounsou and Best > > Screenplay for Sheridan). At the time I was like WTF? because I had never > > heard of it (it made $25 million at the box office, which is kinda > > impressive because I don't know anybody who saw it). I was intrigued > > primarily because of Hounsou's Supporting Actor nod (like Denzel > > Washington's "Glory" character Trip, who "ran for President," Hounsou didn't > > win). > > > > Well, I just saw it and it is a remarkable little film. Both the acting > > nods were well deserved and, frankly, Paddy Considine should have been > > nominated for Best Actor as well for he carries much of the movie. > > > > Hounsou's performance is problematic because it is the archetypal "magic > > negro" role. I won't spoil the ending for you but you all know what magical > > negroes do. > > > > Also, the Irish immigrant family embodied by Considine, Morton and the > > wonderfully guileless Bolger sisters, Sarah and Emma, seem to land in a > > candy-colored, magical realist New York City. Sure, times are hard and they > > live in a tenement, but the girls roller skate on hardwood floors, attend > > Catholic school and walk unmolested to an old fashioned ice cream parlor run > > by African immigrants. > > > > Still, the movie is full of wonderful little grace notes and is worthy of > > all the awards it won. > > > > ~rave! > > > > > > >
