The idea of a story set in an alternate universe where the CSA won the Civil War is very interesting to me. But this film takes the approach of a second-rate BBC-Ken Burns-knockoff TV special. As a result, I felt like I was watching a TV show rather than a movie. This movie is Tivo-worthy, but it's not that great as a stand-alone film. Still, it's more interesting and risk-taking than your average Hollywood or art-house film.
I was bored by the conceit of a PBS-type special, but the ideas behind the film were quite interesting. The commercials for various products are first-rate satire...although, sadly, they are probably too close to reality to count as satire. The film is good information for most Americans, people who never stopped to consider just whose aunt was Aunt Jemima, or whose uncle was Uncle Ben.
A cardinal sin of reviewing movies is to review a movie you wished you saw rather than the one you actually saw. Still, I would have preferred to see a movie focused on a single character or group of characters living in the CSA. This film is a little too didactic for me to enjoy. I'd say: definitely catch it on cable. If you see it in the theater, you are paying for the concept rather than the actual entertainment value.
I was bored by the conceit of a PBS-type special, but the ideas behind the film were quite interesting. The commercials for various products are first-rate satire...although, sadly, they are probably too close to reality to count as satire. The film is good information for most Americans, people who never stopped to consider just whose aunt was Aunt Jemima, or whose uncle was Uncle Ben.
A cardinal sin of reviewing movies is to review a movie you wished you saw rather than the one you actually saw. Still, I would have preferred to see a movie focused on a single character or group of characters living in the CSA. This film is a little too didactic for me to enjoy. I'd say: definitely catch it on cable. If you see it in the theater, you are paying for the concept rather than the actual entertainment value.