Dan for Mayor

I was thinking of writing an entry about a couple of different things, but the ideas made me extremely angry.  I won't go into what I was thinking of writing about that made me so upset my breathing became shallow, and my fists and teeth clenched. 

I guess I'll have to work out when I get home or find some way to get rid of that pent up anger I have towards certain people at the moment.  So, I decided to write about the following.

Since I finished "Corner Gas" a few weeks ago (all 108 episodes!), I was lacking something good to watch on my iPad before I went to bed.  With "Corner Gas," I probably watched two or three episodes per week before I went to bed.  It took me a while to get through, and after I finished the episodes time just seemed to vanish and I had none.



So the other night, I had some rare extra time before bed so I took full advantage and began to watch another TV show.  This one is called "Dan for Mayor."

While the show is not as funny as "Corner Gas," it still is an interesting story revolving around the character of Dan Phillips (Fred Ewanuick).  Upon hearing news from his former flame, Clare (Mary Ashton), that she is engaged, Dan feels the spastic need to top her news.  He blurts out that he is running for mayor of the town of Wessex, where they live.

When asked by his best friend Jeff (Paul Bates) later why he made such an avowal, Dan replied that he wanted Clare to see him as serious rather than a slacker 30-something working as a bartender at Fern's. 

While everyone around Dan thinks his campaign is a joke, he tries to prove them wrong.  At the end of the pilot episode, he is finally able to scratch together the candidate's fee to get his name on the ballot.

As the pilot closes, the current mayor gloats to his aide upon walking out of city hall after Dan pays the candidate's fee.  As he steps down from the sidewalk to cross the street, thinking he's won another easy mayor's race, BOOM! 

Long story short, Dan is the lone candidate for mayor.  What'll he do?  Although this show is certainly not along the level of "Friends" or even "Scrubs" in terms of plots or laughs, the story is simple, the people are quirky, and it's fun to watch Dan's journey.  The writing is decent enough that you get a few chuckles in each episode.

If you're interested in watching this show, you can find, just like Corner Gas, all episodes of Dan for Mayor on YouTube.

 

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V04EPbaFSdA

I saw a movie a few weeks ago.  It was a sad, dystopic movie.  I like those kinds of movies for some reason.  But even though it was made in 1969 and took place during the Great Depression, I feel like its themes are relevant today, especially in our terrible economy. 

Directed by Sidney Pollack ("Tootsie," "Three Days of the Condor," "Michael Clayton"), the film tells the story of Americans pinning their hopes on winning a dance marathon and a cash prize of $1500, quite a lot of money at that time.

Jane Fonda (clearly most famous to younger generations for the movie "Monster-in-Law" with Jennifer Lopez, although best known for her Oscar-winning turn in the movie "Klute" among other films in her career) is one of the main characters (or antagonists, you be the judge). 

Other stars of the film include Red Buttons (Academy Award winner, "Sayonara"), Bruce Dern (the one who turned in Charlize Theron's character in the fact-based "Monster" but was more famously in "Black Sunday" and "Coming Home"), and Bonnie Bedelia (Mrs. John McClain in "Die Hard").

I'm not here to inundate you with trivial minutiae regarding movies; I offer you context.  The original movie I was talking about, however, the one about the horses?  I think that if you watch it you might be able to relate to it.  Although some of its themes are extreme, it shows how far Americans will go for the almighty dollar.In the movie, young and old are competing in this brutal contest.

More poignantly, it shows what Americans will actually do (the original "dance marathon" in the movie soon becomes interspersed with track meets in between to weed out other couples as people are staying in the contest much longer than the emcee expects) and what ridiculous lengths they will go to for money to support themselves and their families. They are caught in the rat race because that is how we survive. 

The same thing holds true today.  You'll notice that although the prize in the movie remains the same, the task becomes more difficult.  There are no bonuses, there are no extra rewards.  The people in the movie are being asked to work tremendously harder and longer in order to earn the same pay.

The film also shows the strength of the American spirit.  The characters are mired in the Great Depression and are fighting for their economic and social survival, much as we are today. I understand that today's so-called "Great Recession" is not nearly as bad as what Americans experienced in the 20s and 30s, but it certainly is the worst financial crisis many of us have seen in our lifetimes. 

"They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"  shows how dire the economic situation is for the people in the movie.  Although its overtones are sad and the story does not seem to offer much in terms of a happy ending, we need to remember that, as Arwen stated in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," there is still hope.

We are all hoping for a better future and for the economy to improve.  We still hope.

We are underemployed and exhausted.  We work, but for what?  But we still hope it will get better.

Back to the movie: do you really think that if you're told you're going to win $1500, you will get exactly $1500?  Maybe some people believe that.  But others of us know that taxes, fees, and other expenses eat away at the salaries we receive.  But we still hope.

We pinned our hope on Barack Obama.  I personally am almost at the end of my rope with him.  But ahead of his jobs speech, I still hope for a better tomorrow.

Watch the movie if you like good cinema and in particular if you like Sidney Pollack.  Don't watch the movie if you don't like dystopic themes, motifs, or symbolism, though.  But most importantly don't lose hope.  We will come out stronger than ever, regardless of how long it takes.