Ignorant Movie Review: Shut Up & Sing

Response to title:  Perhaps a...Rockumentary?.  <smirk>I can't imagine the hullabaloo over the statement about President Bush has anything to do with this movie.</smirk>

Response to curbside poster:  Near naked Dixie Chicks, the Capitol Building with its dome popping off and President Bush lookin' like an idiot holding a detonator button.  Nothing too subtle here.

Response post-credits:  As the U.S. military prepared for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 Natalie Maines took a moment to speak during a concert in London and said, "(j)ust so you know, we're ashamed that the President  of the United States is from Texas."  About the only comparable moment I know of in modern music history where an artist's words have caused such a furor is DATEbook's 1966 publication of a John Lennon interview excerpt during which he said the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus", only now we have film crews to document the story.  And so we have, Dixie Chicks:  Shut Up & Sing. 
    Stylistically, the film is very clean, has excellent production values and provides both background to educate ignorant non-fans like myself as well as candid moments to please the hardcore fandom.  One particularly effective editing choice was to stray from a purely chronological story; instead, the film uses time to tease out aspects in a manner similar to somebody telling a story (e.g. did you ever hear about the time I almost lost my leg?).  This is an effective documentary.  Not only does this movie serve to devilify the Dixie Chicks, but they come out smelling like roses (the audience I saw this with literally cheered when the closing credits rolled).  If nothing else, this movie is worth watching just to see how effective the Documentary genre can be for inspiring empathy.

Rating:  3.96 out of 5 Oly Stubbies.

Film Haiku:  Chicks dissin' the Chief
                 in land demanding Ladies,
                  "they want to kill you."

Can be seen:  Olympia Film Society
                        206 5th Ave N
                    Olympia, WA  98501

            Wednesday, January 10, 6:30pm
                Thursday, January 11, 9pm
                Friday, January 12, 6:30pm
                  Sunday, January 14, 5pm
                 Monday, January 15, 9pm
               Tuesday, January 16, 6:30pm
               Wednesday, January 17, 9pm
              Thursday, January 18, 6:30pm