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g_jon
Reviews
Oklahoma! (1999)
Yup, Hugh Jackman can sing
I originally tuned into PBS' broadcast because I was curious about Hugh Jackman's singing. - He was absolutely charismatic. It was too bad that Curly didn't have more stage time! I hope I can see him live in a musical or in a play sometime soon. Film work just does not do justice to his talents.
While I tuned in out of curiosity, the updated production, exuberant musical numbers, staging, and dancing kept my attention. This production of "Oklahoma!" re-affirms my love of live theatre.
The Corporation (2003)
Nothing new in this trite documentary
I just saw this at the Toronto International Film Festival and was very disappointed. This should really be called "Corporate Greed for Dummies." Instead of being an incisive examination of the pros and cons of corporate culture and possible solutions to some of its ills, it spent most of its time airing old familiar WTO grievances against the corporate world with little new to say. - Disappointing for a 2hr 45 minute documentary.
The film was short on new examples to illustrate its points. If Michael Moore can find interesting examples of corporate behaviour (some of which were used in this film) in a relatively short time, surely these film makers can find others in the 6 years that they've worked on the project. Instead, it concentrates on the much heard of third world sweatshop behaviours. An inordinate amount of time was also devoted to only one example of good corporate behaviour. Sadly, the example offered, Interface Carpeting, is not uncommon knowledge. While no corporation is perfect, surely, there are other examples.
This film could have been about much more. It touches on some issues about corporate governance, but fails to continue down that path. It would be far richer focus on why corporations behave the way they do and to discuss the symbiosis between business and society. Big business has assumed a position of power in today's society because we have allowed it to do so. How can this power be regulated? What policies can be put into place to encourage good corporate citizenship? The film could also have examined in greater detail the effects of first world policies on the third world. Are there ways to change the thinking about the developing world and to help reduce the effects of the economics of exploitation? What about the complex relationship between much of society and big business? Like it or not, many of us are shareholders of large corporations through mutual, retirement, or educational funds and as shareholders, we hope that our investments are profitable.