Good movie about modern U.S.?

[Jenny in Florida]

I'm trying to wrap up writing lessons about movies for our modern American history course. When we first started talking about this last spring and made our first list, my husband suggested Black Hawk Down as one possibility. The way the chronology works out, this would be the last film of the year.

 

I've been struggling for the last few days to make myself write the background essay for this movie. I was finally making progress with it today when I started seeing lots of comments about both the historical inaccuracies and the overall "eh" critical response to the movie.

 

Since this is going to be our last hurrah, I'd really like to find a different movie to substitute, one that has something to say about the U.S. today and that is also engaging and, well, just good.

 

Any suggestions for me?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I'm trying to wrap up writing lessons about movies for our modern American history course. When we first started talking about this last spring and made our first list, my husband suggested Black Hawk Down as one possibility. The way the chronology works out, this would be the last film of the year.

 

I've been struggling for the last few days to make myself write the background essay for this movie. I was finally making progress with it today when I started seeing lots of comments about both the historical inaccuracies and the overall "eh" critical response to the movie.

 

Since this is going to be our last hurrah, I'd really like to find a different movie to substitute, one that has something to say about the U.S. today and that is also engaging and, well, just good.

 

Any suggestions for me?

 

I really thought Black Hawk Down was incredible (and I've never understood the lack of awards nominations), but I've never been able to watch it a second time. I don't know if I could use it for school. I do think highly of the book.

 

Have you seen

? It was an HBO movie based on this essay by LCOL Strobl. I think the movie is an important commentary on the 10+ years of war that we've been in. At the same time, it is about real personal cost. Edited August 27, 2012 by Sebastian (a lady)

[Lori D.]

All of these films say something about modern American culture, and all have been on "Top 100 films of the Decade" lists:

 

- America's Heart and Soul (2004) -- Documentary; showcases several families/individuals from different areas of the US; patriotic.

- In America (2002) -- An Irish immigrant family adjusts to life in the United States.

- happythankyoumoreplease (2011) -- 7 young New Yorkers searching for love and self-acceptance

- Little Miss Sunshine (2006) -- A family's cross-country trip to enter daughter in a beauty pageant.

- Jump Tomorrow (2001) -- Quirky romance, featuring a road trip along the US East Coast and immigrants from different ethnic backgrounds.

- The Social Network (2010) -- Development of Facebook and the ensuing lawsuits.

- Moneyball (2011) -- Computers and capitalism and how they've changed the iconic American pasttime of baseball into a mega business.

- Crash (2004) -- LA citizens with vastly separate lives collide in interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption.

- Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001) -- Lives of very different people intersect as they ponder questions of grace, selfishness, need...

- Traffic (2000) -- drug war

- Precious (2009) -- An abused, pregnant, teen minority girl works to head her life in a new direction.

- United 93 (2006) -- The 9-1-1 attack.

- Dark Knight (2008) -- Captures the fear of terrorism in post 9-1-1 society.

- Super Size Me (2004) -- Documentary; captures the "more is best" attitude of American culture.

- Waiting for Superman (2010) -- Heartbreaking documentary, showing the decline of and problems in, the American public school system.

- Dogma (1999) -- VERY off-beat film which captures some of the divergent religious beliefs held in American/Western culture.

- Forrest Gump (1994) -- Heavy-handed, but it captures the "red" and "blue" aspects (through the 2 main characters) of American culture of the 1950s-1980s

Edited August 29, 2012 by Lori D.

[jessicalb]

Not sure if this fits what you want, but we are watching Forrest Gump to cap off our last bit of American history.

[Jenny in Florida]

Thanks for the ideas, all.

 

Several of them are things we've seen or that I considered.

 

In the end, I got excited about an idea my daughter had. We're starting the year with three films about the same historical event so we can compare and contrast and discuss the limitations of film as history. (Not my idea. It's a unit from American History on the Screen.)

 

I've chosen three films related to 9/11 for our final unit: United 93, World Trade Center and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. (I'm working now to fit reading the novel into the last few weeks of school before we watch the movie.) It won't exactly be an optimistic end to the year, but it feels like the right one.

[Lori D.]

We're starting the year with three films about the same historical event so we can compare and contrast and discuss the limitations of film as history.

 

 

Super idea! And not just the limitations of film as history... Even broader, it shows the limitations of ALL History texts and writings, as each comes from a particular point-of-view and can never fully cover all events from all points of view.

 

You'll also get to discuss how using multiple sources helps us broaden our understanding of people and events. Enjoy! Sounds like a fun start to your History! Warmest regards, Lori D.