I did a summary of Bush's presidency 8 years ago. I'll do another one for Obama.
I'll admit it, 8 years ago, I was fearing the worst. I was both saddened and afraid that my fellow Americans had decided to put a man in the White House who boasted throughout his campaign that he would "fundamentally transform America" with government-run healthcare, taxing the rich, and imposing policies and regulations that would severely restrict America's economy and employment opportunities. I was very uncomfortable with his eagerness to remove all of our troops from Iraq as well as his overall apparent laissez-faire attitudes in foreign policy. Barack Obama reminded me a lot of Jimmy Carter.
As it turned out, my fears were fairly well founded. Obama, along with an exuberant Democratic Party (and only a Democratic Party) rammed through the "Affordable Care Act" and proclaimed it as a major step forward for Americans. Obama famously (infamously) claimed we would be able to keep our insurance companies and our doctors. Obama severely restricted use of public lands for oil exploration. Obama did everything he could to shut down all coal-based power plants. Obama was part of the drive to penalize all fossil fuel producers and users through a world-wide "cap and trade" initiative. Obama abandoned Iraq and antagonized Israel.
Obama's policies did nothing to put America forward. Unemployment stayed high but labor statistics showed it lowering because the Administration basically removed people who hadn't worked in five years from the equation. So while unemployment slightly lowered over time, "labor force participation" lowered significantly too. Guess what stats the mainstream media reported? Of course, it was the new interpretation of the unemployment rate.
People did lose their health insurance. People did lose their doctors who either were tied to an insurance plan they could no longer afford or because the doctor wouldn't participate in the "ObamaCare" program. This same program prompted companies to limit employees to under 30 hours a week to keep them part-time and therefore, exempt from the company having to provide insurance. (However, these part-time employees were still technically "employed" thus, keeping the unemployment rate lower.)
ISIS arose from the ashes of an abandoned Iraq. Home sales fell. Food stamp participation rose. Companies were moving out of the United States. Median family income went down. The Federal Debt nearly doubled from $10 trillion to $19 trillion.
Yet with a nation that should be feeling so morose, Obama stayed upbeat. He played a lot of golf, his wife and daughters traveled to nice places all over the world without him at the nation's expense. Barack and Michelle Obama were basically America's number one celebrity couple. Things were always great according to him, or at least getting better. Obama's presidency has to be a case of a lot of people not realizing how miserable they are. This is because the mainstream media, for 8 years (yeah CNN, I'm looking at you) endlessly praised this presidency. This applies to blacks in particular. Blacks, who under the Obama economy suffered more than anyone! Race relations got worse, not better during the Obama presidency. Yet, blacks seemed to continually praise the Obama's. This is really a sad statement about how ignorant so many are in this country.
With all of this, is the United States of America as bad off as I feared it would be at this point? Honestly no. America has endured and even in some ways, showed it's true fortitude. I marvel at companies like SpaceX who are trying to make outer space a commercial endeavor in lieu of NASA. I marvel at the resilience of energy companies to find new ways of obtaining oil via fracking.
The weird thing is, despite Obama's trying so hard to kill America's fossil fuel infrastructure, he ended up unintentionally strengthening it. With all the anti-gun talk going on, gun sales flourished during the Obama presidency. I truly think that gun manufacturers and shops secretly love it when a Democrat is president.
This was a rough 8 years for many with such a radical at the helm. Donald Trump is clearly an "equal and opposite reaction" to the socialistic climate that Obama put forward. He wasn't my choice but we'll see. To me the good news about all this is that Obama did not quite fundamentally change our nation.
Got a few things lined up for 2017. I mostly stay away from politics now, but I do want to get back into more cinema analysis.
The Mosquito Coast: I have an article and video in progress concerning this 80's film. I would have finished it in 2016 except some personal stuff got in the way. It should be done early this year.
More Sideways: In response to several requests for re-visiting this film - particularly comparing it to the novel. This should be out in the first half of this year. By the way, many thanks to those who have commented on my Sideways analysis on this site and on YouTube.
Bond Revisited: Years ago, I did a James Bond film analysis. I'm working on a much more robust update that will include video. This will be in sections and should go into next year as well.
I named my blog after a book of yours so I feel a need to respond to your little "tweet" here. I read it and see an honest and sincere short tribute to a very well known actress who's life ended tragically too short.
Man, do we live in weird times where people actually find this offensive. To any "feminist" who found this offensive and is actually reading this, all I can say is you are so off-base here and need to understand the male of the species better. The beauty of what red-blooded, heterosexual men perceive in women is what we see. I'm sorry if you find this disturbing but it's who we are, it's not a choice (this sounds familiar, doesn't it?). I, personally, would not deny something intrinsic in myself just to appease those who think they have the right to define how human beings should behave.
Back to you, Mr. Martin, please don't apologize for anything. Your words ring true.
Attention Americans! I'm just serving notice that if the Republican Presidential nominee is Donald Trump, I won't vote. I vote conservative and Trump clearly doesn't qualify. If we're going to have a big government, government provides solutions President, it might as well be a Democrat.
Just a review of the mentality of some of those who put Obama in office for the past 8 years. (I had to correct a ton of grammar and spelling errors by the way - Common Core?)
"What constitution what rights You lost the election Change is coming it can not be stopped."
"Well the people that were protecting your rights lost the election and you will suffer the consequences. You are getting change whether you want it or not the whole world has been waiting for CHANGE and it has already started, economic and social justice are coming. It can not be stopped now."
"You are a racist right wing whack job. Homeland security is finally going to start cracking down on you nuts You just can't accept that the world is about to CHANGE and your way of life is over. It is what we voted for."
"The constitution no longer has any meaning. The will take your guns because you white people always turn to violence. You want to overturn a legitimate election because you don't like the results and you are threatening violence, do you even read what you write."
"so you want to end welfare too just put people out in the street and watch them starve to death? You are what the Obama's call a typical WHITE person. Some one needs to do something about you."
"Soon it will be a socialist world. You are getting change whether you want it or not. The whole world has been wait for CHANGE and it has already started. Castro, Chavez and Ortega are the NWO and OWG are being formed right now economic and social justice are coming. It can not be stooped now."
"What's in you pocket isn't yours anyway. Didn't your mom teach you to share? You are getting change whether you want it or not. The whole world has been waiting for CHANGE and it has already started."
"Black people go to substandard schools and it is real nice of you to make fun of us for being mistreated by the white system. You are just another racist white person. Oh, and the money in your pocket, it might be yours now but someone is going to have to pay back the trillions that Obama is borrowing. I think that will be you. LMAO"
"You are not taking anything back. This country is going to blended in with the rest of the countries of the world to form one. We voted to end Nationalism and Capitalism and it will be done. You need to stop this silly talk about taking your country back, it really sounds childish. By the way, Obama will not run out of money, The Federal Reserve printed 1 Trillion Dollars last month and they can print more any time they want."
"It is worthless right now. The Chinese will no longer buy US bonds and the list of Countries that exist went from 45 three mos ago to 16 now. Soon no one will buy them. You know what they say - NEVER WASTE A GOOD CRISIS. As soon as the dollar completely collapses, the government can take over everything It will be the start of a truly socialist state."
"You just can't accept that the world is about to CHANGE and your way of life is over. It is what we voted for. It is time for you to pay for your crimes. And I am afraid that because of the past that being born white is a crime"
"Do you really think there is going to be another election?"
"Well now you are being silly. The government is in the process of seizing control of the means of production so there is no point in starting a business. In the next year we, will have a command economy"
If you
saw Moonstruck, you probably remember it as a 1980’s romantic comedy involving
a lot of Italian people. It was very
well reviewed and was successful at the box office. It featured several prominent stars and some
not so prominent, but solid performers.
The two major stars - Cher and Nicholas Cage give great performances but
Vincent Gardenia and Olympia Dukakis steal just about every scene they’re in.
It's a Family Movie
Moonstruck
may be about an Italian family in an Italian neighborhood in New York City, but
just about anybody is going to relate to the family dynamics that go on
here. Despite immersing you in Italian
traditions, Italian superstitions, and Italian music including opera, it has
very broad appeal because…well, all families are weird aren’t they?
Moonstruck
may be classified as a romantic comedy but when you think of most modern
romantic comedies, this one doesn’t really match the formula. Most modern romantic comedies like When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle,
As Good as it Gets, My Best Friend’s Wedding, and so on, tend to just focus
on the one couple and getting them together.
Also, usually, at least one of the couple-to-be at first despises the
other or at least, doesn’t see the other in a romantic way. Before the couple ends up together, there’s
an emotional roller coaster ride that gets them tantalizingly close to being
together one moment, then losing the connection in the next. In Moonstruck, Loretta and Ronnie (played by Cher
and Nicholas Cage respectively) pretty much just fall in love with each other
minutes after they meet. There’s really
never a question of “will they ever love each other?” In fact, they make love for the first time
early in the movie and stay in love throughout the entire movie. Also, Moonstruck has stuff going on with other
couples besides the main one.
This didn't take long
So
what’s going on with this movie? The
love story and the Italian culture aspects are really only part of a deeper
tale. Moonstruck was written by John
Patrick Shanley, who also wrote and directed Joe vs. the Volcano which
is a film I already had analyzed a while back and pointed out many hidden
complexities underneath what at first appears to be a simple story. So I’m on familiar ground here.
Death
Ever notice all the death references, both visually and in the
dialog of Moonstruck? There’s a ton of
them.
Loretta is an accountant and early on, we see her with a
client that happens to be the owner of a funeral home. The scene even includes a “death and taxes”
inference.
Mr. Nucciarone: ”Numbers,
taxes, receipts, I make them look better than they did in real life.”
"Numbers, taxes, receipts, I make them look better than they did in real life." (Death and Taxes)
Loretta: “Alright, you
know I was married and that my husband died, but you don’t know is…I think he
and I had bad luck.”
Loretta's previous husband died
"My mother is dying."
"...or I shall die" (Vicki Carr song)
"I can't sleep anymore. It's too much like death."
"...or I shall die!" (Father now singing it.)
"Everything is temporary!"
"Who's dead?"
"He thinks that if he holds onto his money, he'll never die."
"My mother is slipping away!"
Johnny (on the phone):
“I’m calling from the deathbed of my mother.”
Loretta (also on the
phone): “Yeah? Well, how was your plane
ride?”
Johnny: “The waitresses
were very nice. My mother is slipping
away!”
.
.
.
Johnny: “No, no, not yet. I’m waiting,
I’m waiting for a moment when she’s peaceful.”
Loretta: “Well, don’t
wait until she’s dead.”
When we see Ronnie for the first time, we see that he is
like this too.
"I have no life. My brother Johnny took my life."
"Bring me the big knife. I'm going to cut my throat."
And all these death references just continue – pretty much
throughout the movie.
"I'm going to kick you 'til you're dead."
"I've should have taken a rock and killed myself years ago." / "You and I are going to take this to our coffins."
"I think it's because they fear death."
Even the opera Loretta and Ronnie see featured a lead
character – a woman, who dies.
Loretta: “She died.”
Ronnie: “Yes.”
Loretta: “I couldn’t
believe it. I didn’t think she was going
to die.”
"She died."
Rose: “Why do men chase women?”
…
Johnny: “Maybe because he fears death.”
"Maybe because he fears death."
"No matter what you do, you're going to die."
There
are three families involved in this story – Castorini, Cammareri, and
Cappomaggi. Notice that these names,
besides being Italian, start with the letter “C”, have the same number of
syllables, and sound similarly. Rose
(Olympia Dukakis), Cosmo (Vincent Gardenia), and Loretta Castorini, along with
both Cammereri brothers, Ronnie and Johnny (Danny Aiello), all seem to share an
obsession with death. It’s in their
surroundings and in their conversations.
They can’t seem to go two sentences without mentioning death. They even dress in drab clothing. Notice how Rose Castorini hypothesized that
men chase women because they fear death.
Then when she asked Johnny Cammareri why men chase women, he confirmed
her hypothesis completely without even knowing that that was the answer she was
looking for.
Loretta becomes engaged to Johnny Cammereri but she openly
admits she doesn’t love him. Without
true love, Loretta and Johnny are doomed to be people waiting for death and
blaming everything on bad luck.
To hit this point again, let’s look at the elderly woman at
the airport. She tells Loretta that long
ago, her sister had stolen her boyfriend and she’s still very bitter about it
many years later. This woman chose to
live a bitter life holding a grudge against her sister. This has made her death-obsessed and
superstitious. The woman serves as a
warning to Loretta as to what not to become.
Death is symbolized by the colors white, black, and
grey. Notice how Loretta is seen through
most of the film in these colors. This
eventually changes. I’ll get to that
later.
Life
The Cappomaggi couple (Raymond and Rita) contrast the
others. They are happy, have fun with
each other, and seem to embrace life.
You never hear either of them dwell upon death the way the others around
them do.
Luna = Moon
The prominent symbol of life in
Moonstruck is the Moon, itself. Just
like in John Patrick Shanley’s Joe vs.
the Volcano, a full Moon is a significant symbol. Those who see the Moon seek life. Those who look down and don’t bother to
notice or care are obsessed with death.
Raymond Cappomaggi sure notices the Moon. It energizes him. Yet when he brings up the full Moon to Cosmo,
Cosmo isn’t interested.
Raymond: “I never told
you this – because it’s not really a story.
One time, I woke up in the middle of the night cause of this bright
light in my face – like a flashlight. I
couldn’t think of what it was. I looked
out the window and it was the Moon – as big as a house! I’ve never seen the Moon so big before. I was almost scared – like it was going to
crush the house. I looked down and
standing there in the street was Cosmo looking up at the windows. This is the funny part. I got mad at you Cosmo. I thought you had brought that big Moon over
to my house because you were so in love.
You woke me up with it. I was
half-asleep I guess, I didn’t know any better.”
Cosmo: “You were all-together asleep. You were dreaming.”
Raymond: “No. You were there.”
Cosmo: “I don’t want to talk about it!”
The Moon even makes Raymond appear younger (to his wife
anyway).
Raymond: “Look!”
Rita: “What?”
Raymond: “It’s Cosmo’s
Moon!”
Rita: “What are you
talking about? Cosmo can’t own the
Moon.”
Raymond: “It’s that
Moon I was talking about at dinner. Is
he down there?”
Rita: “Is who down
there?”
Raymond: “Cosmo.”
Rita: “Well, what
would he be doing down there?”
Raymond: “I don’t
know.”
Rita: “You know
something? In that light…with that
expression on your face…you look about 25 years old.”
"In that light...with that expression on your face...you look about 25 years old."
Now Rose, as we know, is obsessed with death like her
husband. She’s changing however. The full Moon that appears in the middle of
the movie attracts her, while Cosmo sleeps unaware.
Perhaps the change in Rose is due to the realization that
her husband is having an affair. Instead
of succumbing to her death fascination, she decides to seek life. I’ll get to more of this later.
Notice too, that Loretta and Ronnie, once they are together,
also see and admire the full Moon.
Ronnie: “What’s the
matter?”
Loretta:
“Nothing. I’m looking at the Moon.”
Ronnie: “It’s
perfect!”
Loretta: “I’ve never
seen a Moon like that before.”
The next morning, however, Loretta denies having even seen
the full Moon. Without her true love
Ronnie, she goes back to her death-oriented way of seeing the world.
Raymond: “Did you see that Moon last night?”
Loretta: “W-What Moon?”
Raymond: “Did you see
it?”
Loretta: “No.”
There’s even a full Moon in the story in the opera. It’s in the backdrop of two lovers.
So, in understanding the Moon equals life theme. We now know that certain characters who have
the death obsession problem are seeking out life. Now, I’ll talk about another symbol in the
movie, the wolf.
There are several wolf references in Moonstruck.
Woman: “What are you
talking about? I’ve seen the way you look at her and it isn’t right!”
Man: “How do I look at
her? Can I help you?”
Loretta: “Spear du Mumms.”
Man: “So, how do I
look at her?”
Woman: “Like a wolf!”
Man: “Like a wolf,
eh?”
Woman: “Uh huh, like a
wolf!”
"Like a wolf!"
Loretta: “You can’t
see what you are and I see everything.
You’re a wolf.”
Ronnie: “I’m a wolf.”
Loretta: “Yeah. The big part of you has no words and uh, it’s
a wolf.”
"I'm a wolf."
What’s a major characteristic we associate with wolves? They howl at the Moon, of course. Howling at the Moon indicates the wolf seeks
life. How does a wolf find life? - By finding a mate.
Howling at "La bella luna."
Grandfather: “The Moon, uh, brings the woman to the man,
capisce?”
"The Moon, uh brings the woman to the man, capisce?"
I guess Loretta’s grandfather is a wolf too. As Loretta points out, Ronnie is a wolf. She cooks his steak “bloody” and notice her
first reaction to him.
Loretta: “Animal! What an animal!”
"Animal! What an animal!"
So, some of the death-obsessed characters – namely Loretta,
Ronnie, and Rose seem to be looking to get out of their morbid personas when
they gaze at the full Moon.
Speaking of the Moon, did you know that it’s magical in this
movie? This is no ordinary Moon. It’s always perfectly full even though
several days go by in the movie. Let’s
look at the chronology.
We see a full Moon during the opening credits when the “La
Boheme” opera was getting prepared to open.
This is presumably the night before we first see Loretta going to the
funeral home. So this is night number one.
The Full Moon at the Opening
The next night, after Johnny proposes to Loretta, we see the
full Moon as Johnny’s plane leaves for Palermo.
This is night number two. Notice
too that nobody acknowledges the full Moon on this night. Everybody is too busy thinking about death to
notice the full Moon.
Johnny is off to Palermo
The following night is when Loretta slept with Ronnie and
they both admired the full Moon. So did
Raymond and Loretta’s grandfather and his dogs. This is the same night Rose notices the
Moon. This is night number three.
Night Three
The final night in the movie has Ronnie and Loretta, and
Cosmo at the opera, Rose at the restaurant, and the grandfather again with his
dogs.There it is again! – Another full
Moon.
In case you didn’t know, a full Moon does not last four
nights.Either something magical is
taking place here or the full Moon is really just in the eyes and minds of
those who choose to see it.
There are some more Moon references where the filmmakers got
a little cute. Look at the way
Moonstruck is written on the movie poster or DVD cover.
See how the two “O’s” are intertwined? It’s intended so your subconscious will
associate two round objects together with the title, and more specifically,
with the Moon. We first see it, of
course, during the opening credits.
Although not together, the two “O’s” are lined up in the
word “Metropolitan” shown on the truck containing items for the upcoming opera. It can also be noted that the word
“Metropolitan” begins with “M”, ends with “N” and has two “O’s” inside.
At the Grand Ticino Italian Ristorante, the two cups of
expresso form the two O’s. Okay, maybe
I’m reaching here but why is the camera following the coffee and not the
waiter? Why did the filmmakers care
about showing the cups at all?
In the Castorini home, see the plates on the wall?
Then we get the eggs cooking inside the bread.
…And the medallion on the wall.
In Ronnie’s apartment, the electrical outlets are arranged
in an unusual way. Have you ever seen
them on their side like this before?
Even if you have, this seems very odd.
Now, we have glasses.
And finally, the two ancestors shown at the very end suggest
the two “O’s” in the way they are framed.
The portraits, in fact as they are shown at the end, tie in the
intertwined themes of the Moon, love, and family.
Carmine the Florist: “Red roses – very romantic, oh! Oh, the guy
who sends these really knows what he’s doing, eh?
Loretta: “The guy who sends those spent a lot of money
for something that’s going to end up in the garbage.”
"The guy who sends those spent a lot of money for something that's going to end up in the garbage."
Another symbol of life is the color red. Actually, red seems to symbolize the
combination of life and love and when you find one, you find the other. The romantic florist gushes over red roses
while Loretta only notes their mortality.
Later, after Loretta had her first encounter with Ronnie, she
impulsively decides to buy a red dress for her date with Ronnie at the
opera. This is a real sign of change for
Loretta as we had only seen her in subdued colors up to this point. Of course, it’s because she’s falling in love
with Ronnie that is causing this change.
Note how Loretta drank white wine with Johnny, but when she prepared for
her date at the opera with Ronnie, she drinks red wine. At
the opera, Loretta shows up with a full-length black coat hiding her new red
dress. She has her guard up again.
Ronnie: “Hi.”
Loretta: “Hi.”
Ronnie: “You look beautiful – your hair!”
Loretta: “Yeah, I had it done. You look, uh, beautiful too.”
Ronnie: “Thank you.”
(Ronnie leans over to kiss Loretta)
Loretta: “No! I said I’d go to the opera with you, but
that’s all.”
Loretta is not ready to give in to love with Ronnie and this
is symbolized by her covering the red dress.
The Red Dress is Hidden
They enter the opera house, which has red carpeting and red
seemingly everywhere. The opera house is
a place of life and like the Moon; it draws those who seek life once they’ve
found their mate. Loretta eventually
succumbs to all the signs of life around her and removes her coat revealing her
red dress.
Ronnie: “Wow!
Thank you.”
Now We See it
Cosmo is at the opera too.
He is apparently seeking new life with his mistress, who happens to be
wearing red…well, not really. She’s
actually wearing pink – a false red and therefore, a false beacon of life. Cosmo is on the wrong path to life with the
wrong woman.
Pink is Not Red
As the opera is going, Rose is seeking life too. She goes to the very red “Grand Ticino”
restaurant – the same restaurant where Johnny had proposed to Loretta
earlier. Here, she encounters the
ultimate wolf. The professor, whom we
had seen earlier, goes through a cycle of dating his students and inevitably
alienating them. Rose obviously is drawn
to him and perhaps, even briefly, considers giving in to his charm. Rose is strong, though, and soon realizes
this would lead to disaster. It actually
gives her resolve to fix things with her husband Cosmo.
The Ultimate "Wolf"
Love
Everything culminates in the final scene at the Castorini
home. Loretta and Ronnie are going to
marry (for love, even). Cosmo agrees to
pay for the wedding. Rose confronts
Cosmo in a gentle way and reminds him that his life is not built on nothing and
she loves him.
