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[paxamicus AT earthlink.net]

We haven't seen it yet. We have to road trip to a wedding/family  
reunion this weekend and it's kind of in the back of my head it might  
be a nice break for the Taz if we need one while we're away.
He likened it to "The Iron Giant".


On Jul 8, 2008, at 6:47 AM, Gene GeRue wrote:

> Has anyone seen the new move, Wall-E? What is your reaction?
>
> This is from the blog of Andrew Sullivan:
>
> Rod Dreher sees an Aristotelian conservatism in the new Pixar classic.
> It's a post with all the usual Dreher qualities, and well worth  
> reading:
> "Wall-E" says that humans have within themselves the freedom to rebel,
> to overthrow that which dominates and alienates us from our true
> selves, and our own nature. But you have to question the prime
> directive; that is, you have to become conscious of how they way
> you're living is destroying your body and killing your soul, and
> choose to resist.
> "Wall-E" contends that real life is hard, real life is struggle, and
> that we live most meaningfully not by avoiding pain and struggle, but
> by engaging it creatively, and sharing that struggle in community. It
> argues that rampant consumerism, technopoly and the exaltation of
> comfort is causing us to weaken our souls and bodies, and sell out our
> birthright of political freedom. Nobody is doing this to us; we're
> doing it to ourselves. It is the endgame of modernity, which began in
> part with the idea that Nature is the enemy to be subdued -- that man
> stands outside of Nature, and has nothing to learn about himself from
> Nature's deep logic.
> Like Rod, I keep thinking about the movie. It draws together a lot of
> amorphous feeling right now - the gnawing sense that modernity has
> begun to undermine the natural conditions of its flourishing - and
> focuses it. The two most powerful factors, to my mind, are the
> confluence of destructive technology and religious terrorism and
> climate change with highly unpredictable repercussions. It is hard not
> to feel a Babelian quality about our current moment; and Rod's crunchy
> conservatism speaks to it powerfully.
> http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/