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American Factory (2019)
Highlights cultural differences and how they can affect jobs - The truth can be hard to face.
A number of recent statistical studies have found that economic conditions around the world have been improving, except in the most developed nations, and most significantly, in the United States. In other words, workers around the world are doing better financially (in comparison to the past) while Americans, who perhaps expect more than workers elsewhere, have seen their wages dropping.
It is a frustrating situation for many Americans.
The movie does an outstanding job of illustrating how cultural expectations have led to frustration, not only here, but everywhere. Both sides in this movie mean well. Both sides want to make things work. Both sides because of social conditioning behave as you might expect.
The movie allows you to draw your own conclusions and refuses to make good guy/bad guy generalizations. Thanks to the director for his even handed examination of the situation, and to the company involved, Fuyao, for allowing open access to their facilities.
Everyone should see this film
Cutter's Way (1981)
Good movie, Clumsy adaptation of stellar novel. Fine performance by John Heard.
What might have been a true classic of it's time suffers somewhat from a clumsy, script doctor bungling of the author's original novel. The movie begins well enough, developing the characters of both Vietnam Vet Cutter, portrayed brilliantly by John Heard, and the somewhat miscast Jeff Bridges as Bone. Therein lies the problem. While the script does a great job of finding the sweet spot with Cutter's damaged Vietnam vet, it abandons altogether the nuance in the character of Bone. Rather than write Bone as a jaded former businessman, he becomes a sort of cutesy gigalo loser, with little of the hopelessness the character assumes in the novel. The hand of the Hollywood script doctor comes through in scenes that fall later in the movie, and particularly in the scenes where Bridges and Cutter's wife, Lisa Eichhorn have a somewhat awkward and completely unbelievable romance. What humor the novel possesses is, from that point, lost completely. On top of that, the script does nothing to set up the desperate scam that Cutter launches to defraud a business tycoon. So thanks to the clumsy Hollywoodish romance and oddly missing plot details that arrive as an afterthought, what might have been a classic becomes an acting exercise for John Heard, who might have had an entirely different career with a better script.
The Pursuit (2019)
Lacks substance
The filmmaker rightly points out that Capitalism can be very effective at creating wealth. Unfortunately the filmmaker fails to recognize that a blend of Socialism and Capitalism, depending upon the task at hand, can be more effective at helping people find self actualization. Ultimately I am left feeling that Mr. Brooks is a kind man, that means well, but lacks the understanding that in areas such as health care, education, and law enforcement Capitalism simply doesn't work as well as Socialism This becomes glaringly apparent when the filmmakers note that Scandinavian societies, with their socialized education and health care, are the happiest on earth , and even show idyllic scenes of Scandinavian life, and yet, spend fifteen minutes dredging up every reason possible that 88% of everyone there is wrong and Scandinavia should, instead, be seeking ways to cater to the sliver of their society that still can't seem to find their place.