oscar jubis
09-03-2006, 08:49 PM
HOMECOMING (Joe Dante/USA/2005)
Joe Dante has always injected his pop entertainments with satirical bits that serve as social, political or cultural criticism. He used the titular "gremlins" as free-floating metaphors, Small Soldiers is loaded with subtext about the culture of violence, The Second Civil War targets heartland xenophobia, and Matinee derides cold-war paranoia and nuclear proliferation. All of them evidence a healthy skepticism towards the media. This time, Mr. Dante is really pissed. He eschews metaphors and subtext for a relentless and pointed attack on Bush-style warmongering. Given complete freedom to create a one-hour episode of Showtime's Masters of Horror series, he comes up with a zombie movie guaranteed to provide catharsis to anyone who thinks young lives are too precious to waste on a war sold on "horseshit and elbow grease".
The protagonist is Republican campaign consultant David Murch who, while appearing in a talk TV show, tells a Cindy Sheehan figure: "If I could have one wish, I would wish that your son could come back". The basic premise is that thousands of zombie-fied dead soldiers do come back for the single purpose of voting in the presidential election so they can finally rest in peace. Perhaps Homecoming's most subversive conceit is that it's 2008 and Bush II has somehow managed to qualify for a third term (Dante doesn't show him, but the Republican candidate's recorded speech makes him sound exactly like the current Commander-in-Chief). Other characters in the heavily plotted Homecoming are unmistakable stand-ins for Ann Coulter, Karl "Bush's Brain" Rove, Jerry Fallwell and other prominent citizens. I won't spoil your discovery of how these characters are incorporated into the narrative. What's refreshing and perhaps surprising about Homecoming is the respect and compassion it confers on those who fight our wars.
Enough said. You should know by now whether Homecoming is for you. Do avoid if you remotely identify with an internet reviewer (Horror Bob) who is "sick of Hollywood bashing the President". Homecoming was well received at several European film festivals before it premiered on Showtime Channel last december. It's now available on a dvd loaded with extras.
Joe Dante has always injected his pop entertainments with satirical bits that serve as social, political or cultural criticism. He used the titular "gremlins" as free-floating metaphors, Small Soldiers is loaded with subtext about the culture of violence, The Second Civil War targets heartland xenophobia, and Matinee derides cold-war paranoia and nuclear proliferation. All of them evidence a healthy skepticism towards the media. This time, Mr. Dante is really pissed. He eschews metaphors and subtext for a relentless and pointed attack on Bush-style warmongering. Given complete freedom to create a one-hour episode of Showtime's Masters of Horror series, he comes up with a zombie movie guaranteed to provide catharsis to anyone who thinks young lives are too precious to waste on a war sold on "horseshit and elbow grease".
The protagonist is Republican campaign consultant David Murch who, while appearing in a talk TV show, tells a Cindy Sheehan figure: "If I could have one wish, I would wish that your son could come back". The basic premise is that thousands of zombie-fied dead soldiers do come back for the single purpose of voting in the presidential election so they can finally rest in peace. Perhaps Homecoming's most subversive conceit is that it's 2008 and Bush II has somehow managed to qualify for a third term (Dante doesn't show him, but the Republican candidate's recorded speech makes him sound exactly like the current Commander-in-Chief). Other characters in the heavily plotted Homecoming are unmistakable stand-ins for Ann Coulter, Karl "Bush's Brain" Rove, Jerry Fallwell and other prominent citizens. I won't spoil your discovery of how these characters are incorporated into the narrative. What's refreshing and perhaps surprising about Homecoming is the respect and compassion it confers on those who fight our wars.
Enough said. You should know by now whether Homecoming is for you. Do avoid if you remotely identify with an internet reviewer (Horror Bob) who is "sick of Hollywood bashing the President". Homecoming was well received at several European film festivals before it premiered on Showtime Channel last december. It's now available on a dvd loaded with extras.