teapartysamurai
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- Mar 27, 2010
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Recently, Rodriguez has furiously tried to backpedal away from the racial bomb he exploded into the middle of the Arizona immigration debate back in May with his cravenly cynical attempt to market Machete using a racist trailer. After the backlash and with Texas tax credits on the line, the directors now selling Machete as a goof, a Mexsploitation flick that harmlessly employs the same kind of over-the-top politics that have always defined the genre. But nothing could be further from the truth.
The story of a former Mexican Federale (the great Danny Trejo) framed for the attempted assassination of a racist Texas State Senator (the hammy Robert DeNiro) is both racial and racist. Machete isnt about a political call for the powerless to fight THE corrupt MAN, its a call for revolution; Mexicans against Americans and in the words of the character meant to be our evolving conscience, Jessica Albas Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Sartana, its about how those who believe in only LEGAL immigration deserve to be cut down. This is her rousing fist-in-the-air message to a gathered army of illegal day laborers who have been patiently waiting for the call away from their jobs as dishwashers, gardeners and hotel maids to wage war against a cruel America whose immigration laws, by the way, are nowhere near as harsh as Mexicos.
Still, Machete offers no middle ground, no reasonable, non-racist position against wide open borders for those fleeing from what one character describes as the personal hell that is Mexico. And that character is Luz, (Michelle Rodriguez), a taco stand operator and the underground leader of a network dedicated to smuggling illegals across the border. However, shes also stockpiling weapons of war for the coming revolution and represents SHE (an obvious reference to mass-murderer Che nice, huh?), the mythical, female revolutionary figure who inspires illegals everywhere to fight for their right to be in America. Because, as Sartara sees it: We didnt cross the border, the border crossed us!
Big Hollywood Blog Archive ‘Machete’ Review: Dull, Convoluted, Racist and Anti-American
Which is why I had no interest in seeing the film.
Asside from the politics, there is a reason why grindhouse faltered and faded away. It's like Godzilla films. They were cool for the times, and they are great nostagia but that's it and no more. You can't recreate what has passed. Believe me, sometimes, I wish that wasn't true. I miss Drive in theaters, but I know they aren't coming back. Neither is Grindhouse.
But, the tone deafness of Rodriguez comes to light again. It wasn't enough that the Rodriguez/Tarintino "Grindhouse" was released on HOLY WEEK (one of the things I think contributed to it being a box office bomb, asside from the fact neither Planet Terror or Deathproof are great films).
Now, when most of the country is AGAINST illegal immigration, he's going to release a filmt that berates and calls most of the country racist.
Which proves you can't recreate what's past. THAT REAL GRINDHOUSE DID NOT DO. It did NOT call most of the country racist. the makers of grindhouse were not trying to deliver a message movie. They were trying to make a cheap action flicks that would bring in audiences. They left the message films for others who could afford bigger budgets.
But, alas Rodriguez is a creature of Hollywood. In his attempt to recreate what will never return, he proved it by injecting a message from his contemporary bigotry against most of the country, proving you can't recreate what's past.
I knew Machete would not make number one. I'll just go see the Expendables.