She Likes to Watch

American Dreams: These movies were made for Labor Day

Amid all the barbecues, picnics, beach trips and family get-togethers that accompany Labor Day*, it’s easy to forget the true purpose of the holiday.

Signed into law by Grover Cleveland in 1895, Labor Day was created to celebrate the social and economic achievements of our nation’s work force. For that reason, it’s become a popular day for political rallies and stump speeches. It’s also a great weekend to see a movie.

Here’s a handful of films that tackle labor unions, the economy and the American work force.

“The Grapes of Wrath” (1940): Tragedy and tribulations befall the Joad family as they flee Depression-era Oklahoma in search of a better life out west. John Steinbeck’s story of Dust Bowl struggles translates to the screen beautifully.

“On the Waterfront” (1954): Terry “coulda been a contender.” Instead the would-be prizefighter (Marlon Brando) finds himself caught up in a corrupt dock workers’ union.

“F.I.S.T.” (1978): A silly title for a serious subject. Johnny Kovak (Sylvester Stallone) joins the Teamsters in the 1930s and works his way to the top.

“Norma Rae” (1979): A spunky single mom (Sally Field, apple-cheeked as always) works to unionize her textile mill. The movie won Field her first Oscar.

“9 to 5″ (1980): Three secretaries (Jane Fonda, Lilly Tomlin and Dolly Parton) turn the tables on their chauvinistic boss. You go, girls.

“Gung Ho” (1986): East meets west when a Japanese car company buys a Pennsylvania auto factory. Michael Keaton is terrific as the plant manager torn between his new bosses and his old friends.

“Working Girl” (1988): Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) is a hard-working secretary with dreams of ruling Wall Street. When her boss breaks a leg while skiing, she fills in and brokers a deal with a handsome investment banker for her firm’s future.

“Roger & Me” (1989): When General Motors closed its Flint, Mich., plant, laying off 30,000 people, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore sought answers from company CEO Roger Smith. This is the movie that turned Moore into Corporate Gadfly No. 1.

“Hoffa” (1992): Jack Nicholson plays the legendary Teamster union leader, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 1975.

“Grosse Point Blanke” (1997): When a hit man returns home for his high school reunion, guess who’s dogging his heels? Fellow killer Dan Aykroyd, who just happens to be setting up an assassin’s union.

“North Country”(2005): Charlize Theron and her fellow female workers face insults, abuse and sexual harrassment at a mine in Minnesota. The resultant battle of wills is so damn depressing I nearly switched off my TV.

“The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006): Chris Gardner chases the American Dream (in his case, becoming a New York stock broker) while struggling to survive as a homeless single father. Will Smith and his son Jaden bring Gardner’s touching true story to life.

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*I know what you’re thinking: Labor Day-related blogs should be posted on Labor Day. But I had the day off!

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Photo courtesy of MovieWeb.com.

Would you trust these men? If you believe “Step Brothers,” you shouldn’t

Another week, another batch of audio clips courtesy of McClatchy Interactive:

“Mad Men,” AMC’s show about hard-edged men and women during advertising’s Golden Age, has garnered an astounding 16 Emmy Award nominations, and no wonder. It’s smart, original and — most importantly — a smoky, boozy, sexy portrait of the era.

Star Elisabeth Moss talks about her newfound connection to the ’60s.

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Meanwhile, the documentary “Man on Wire” takes a fresh look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit’s high-stakes stroll between the World Trade Center towers in 1974. As Petit shares here, it was a terrifying, but thrilling experience.

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“Step Brothers,” the new movie starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, is daring in a different way.

The movie follows two grown men who become stepbrothers when their single parents marry. As you might guess from a film directed by Adam McKay and produced by Judd Apatow, their relationship is a mix of boyish exuberance and violent, foul-mouthed antagonism.

Check out this scene from “Step Brothers.” You’ll hear the voices of Ferrell, Reilly, Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen.

Who says education has to be boring?

The National Geographic Society has long championed the cause of knowledge and understanding. It’s also captured some of the most stunning sights known to man on film.

National Geographic offers a number of amazing videos on its Web site, such as this Czech church decorated with thousands of human bones.

There’s also a National Geographic channel on YouTube. Its slogan? “Inspiring People to Care About the Planet.”

Here’s a video about the annual rattlesnake roundup in Sweetwater, Texas.

Security specialists learn how to “drive like a spy” at a special training school.

And, in one of National Geographic’s more popular videos, a shark tussles with an octopus. (Just ignore the goofy narration.)

I once read an article titled “When good art happens to bad people.”

The premise was this: Behind some of the world’s greatest masterpieces are morally questionable people.

Case in point: Roald Dahl wrote several wonderful children’s books including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Matilda” and “The BFG.” He’s also been accused of racism, sexism and other evils of his era.

Playwright Norman Mailer stabbed his wife.

Beat writer William S. Burroughs shot his.

François Villon, the 15th-century French poet, killed a priest, spent stints in prison for street brawls and was banished from Paris after a church robbery.

And that’s just the writers.

Add artists, musicians and actors to the mix and you’ve got murder (Caravaggio), child abuse (Bing Crosby, Joan Crawford), assault and gang activity (Notorious B.I.G., Tupak Shakur, et al).

Add to the list Roman Polanski, a film director whose scars include a troubled childhood in Nazi-controlled Poland and a murdered, pregnant wife.

Polanski’s 1977 trial on charges that he drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl — and its bizarre aftermath — are the subject of a new documentary by director Marina Zenovich.

“Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired” premieres tonight on HBO at 9 a.m. EST. (Part of a series of summer documentaries, it’s slated to air through July 5.)

To me, “Wanted and Desired” poses an interesting question.

What do we do when an artist as talented and highly respected as Polanski commits a reprehensible, inexcusable crime? Should we cross “Chinatown” off the American Film Institute’s “Top 100″ list? Deny him an Oscar for “The Pianist”?

Do we buy R. Kelly albums, knowing about his underage child sex scandal? Or watch Mel Gibson films, considering his anti-Semitic remarks?

What do we do when smart, talented, gifted people do very bad things?

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Movie poster courtesy of MovieWeb.com.

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P.S. After further research I have removed the name of silent film comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle from the list of so-called “Hollywood baddies.”

HopeDance FiLMs, the thought-provoking local movie series , is on hiatus until September.

Don’t despair, loyal moviegoers.

HopeDance Magazine is teaming up with Cal Poly this month for two food-related screenings.

“King Corn,” directed by Aaron Woolf, follows one acre of corn from the fields to the dinner tables of American consumers. The second film, “The Real Dirt on Farmer John,” chronicles the story of maverick Midwestern farmer John Peterson.

“King Corn” plays at 8 p.m. on May 21 at The Sandwich Factory on the Cal Poly campus. Bud Evans, a political science lecturer at Cal Poly, will lead a discussion on the importance of food choices.

“The Real Dirt on Farmer John” will play at The Sandwich Factory on May 28, also at 8 p.m.

Both screenings are free and open to the public. For more information, call Tracy Owens at (310) 938-0709 or e-mail towens@calpoly.edu.

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Meanwhile, you can rent films via HopeDance’s library at The Novel Experience, 779 Higuera St. in San Luis Obispo.

According to HopeDance publisher Bob Banner, the library has about 500 films, mostly documentaries on subjects ranging from spirituality to the environment to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Many have been screened as part of the HopeDance FiLMs series.

Rental prices are $3 for three days and $5 per week, with a $1 late fee.

Library users can also purchase a film card for $200, which qualifies a family to rent up to four films a week for an entire year. Novel Experience customers receive a free rental by buying more than $25 of books.

For more information, call (805) 544-9663.