Google has unveiled a new feature called Street View, which lets you
navigate the streets of a town via photographic interface.  My first
thought was to visit the UC Theatre in Berkeley, California.

My love for movies was born at the UC.  Every day - every single friggin day! - when I was was growing up they showed TWO different movies.  Two Hitchcock’s, two Truffaut’s, two Mizoguchi’s, two Russ Meyers’.  My life was kinda difficult as a teen so there were some weeks I spent every day there - after a while the folks working the ticket office didn’t bother asking for money, they just let me wander in, Jujyfruits in hand to find solace in that dark church.

The UC Theatre on Google Streetmaps

As you can see the UC is now shut down.  Another casualty of the ‘video at home’ revolution.

We have access, all of us reading this, to an infinity of ‘content’ on our screens, but the shared experience of bodies closely packed together, involved together in the moment is gone.  I had no idea how lucky I was.

The more I think about the film the more one thing occurs to me - this film, this mess, this thing…resembles to me more than anything else a ‘Works Program’ - some sort of subsided project that employs people - like building a dam…no, not a dam - something more along the lines of those failed U.K. Millennium Projects - like the Dome and its contents.  A huge of amount of money spent - no vision - everything cobbled together - no purpose - no theme - no reason to actually be.

Why do people go and see these pictures?  I’ve been talking to folks in my ’social circle’ here in Belfast - everyone’s going to see it. 

Why? 

Maybe these huge blockbusters don’t so much resemble Western tax-funded cultural projects as they do Eastern ones; those massive North Korean crowd displays for instance.  Perhaps this is an another indicator of ‘late-capitalism’ - people feel obligated to go; "You have to see it".  We all have to have a copy of the Red Book, or say the Great Leader is Divine. Or attend the rally.  Or watch this crap.

Jett finds himself in a Zen-like trance and Dr. Higgins sings us a few
songs as Pirates of the Caribbean - At World’s End is reviewed.

[This episode of 'The Film Talk' is no longer available. To hear current episodes please subscribe to the show via iTunes or use our podcast RSS Feed.]