METAL AT THE MOVIES: GANGS OF NEW YORK and FIGHT CLUB

                                                                                                                                                              EDITORS NOTE: 2/22/2010: This journal entry was written a long time ago and edited, but I really enjoyed this historical aspect of this movie, hailing from New York. These movies are not about music, but well worth seeing.
"This is a rich mans war"(and a poor mans fight)-Gangs of New York
http://www.miramax.com/subscript/gangs-of-new-york-10th-anniversary-trailer
Some good DVD's; "Gangs of New York" with Leonardo DiCaprio is very good movie..Great cinematography.."The five points" represents (the civil war era) lower east side of Manhattan, NYC where I was ironically enough born in that neighborhood. "The Five Points" up to 9/11/01 was close enough to where the WTC once stood.
Gangs of New York represents the birth of America, during the most chaotic period in American history (up to maybe the 60's) the Civil War with Abraham Lincoln as president.. There was plenty of corruption in NYC back then, with Gangs ruling downtown Manhattan, firefighters fighting over turf, and bribes, as firefighters and cops had barely established a force back then.
NYC had barely established an identity (the Statue of Liberty was sent by France but not yet assembled due to the Great Depression) and the lower east side was ruled by angry mobs of Gangs..People were being drafted for the Civil War (straight off the boat), and you could pay a "tax" to avoid the draft and send someone (poor) in your place. Of course many complained it was a "rich mans war" (has much changed with the rich avoiding the draft?) and resented being drafted. Apparently the resentments of fighting over slavery (or the real issue industrialization vs. slave labor, North vs. South) caused the most intense riots in NYC history (to this very day) with the lower east side burning down, and angry mobs of gangs (draft riots) lynching random African Americans. As USA and NYC established an identity. The issues of WHY there were so many Gangs, corruption, outright poverty, and racism amongst those whom immigrated to the USA/NYC (via Ellis Island) as people lived in shanties (with no utilities) on the Lower East side of Manhattan.It is recommended that you check out GANGS OF NEW YORK in DVD version with the directors cut of the DISCOVERY CHANNEL segment on the 5 points during the civil war. In fact, DO PLEASE check out the DISCOVERY CHANNELS "UNCOVERING THE REAL GANGS OF NEW YORK" documentary as a consolidated accompaniment to the movie GANGS OF NEW YORK.

Along with Leonardo DiCaprio character avenging his fathers death by the hands of a "butcher" whom takes him under his wing, and figures his agenda, ohh wow, ya gotta see this movie. I won't give any more away. Rent out Gangs of New York in the DVD version with directors commentary (and documentary on the "Five Points") ect. Excellent movie, a must see. The only problem I have with this movie, is the focus being on DiCaprio's rivalry with the Butcher, and the real issues of the "The Five Points" being a backdrop to that drama. Ya know, being DiCaprio is "hawt" I can see why, he's not just another hoodlum in this movie, get it.. However, Gangs of New York, has a true historical background on the corruption, immigration, poverty, gangs, racism, greed of the establishment, and pending civil war draft as this folks, is the history of not only NYC, but America as well. Personally, I believe the Civil War was a righteous war, that I would have fought ( on the side of the Nawth along with the war against the nazi's-as any other "war" America has fought was/is complete bullshit). Although the Civil War did NOT change segregation, Jim Crow laws and discrimination until the civil rights movement of the 60's. The civil war had less to do with the inhumane treatment of African Americans as much as corporate industrial vs. slave labor. A practical upgrade in labor. .In fact, many white soldiers refused to fight in the integrated civil war as President Abraham Lincoln (colonization) struggled in his state of "nation" address" in denial that war was about slavery, state rights vs. national unity and consolidation as the South would have succeeded from the nation.
Bill Pool's ("The Butcher") vision of America was to close the doors to immigrants after his culture became successful. On the issue of immigration, has anything changed, as one generation of immigrants establish themselves in the USA, they close the door to others. Boss Tweed's corruption was outed by a reporter/cartoonist (Thomas Nast-Harpers Weekly) and is backdrop to GANGS OF NEW YORK.
Another good DVD, "Auschwitz" an HBO documentary on the nazi invasion of Europe. Many SS nazi soldiers were interviewed in this documentary (and ya know, sadly, after the Holocaust alot of those most notorious of the SS Nazi elite immigrated to America before being convicted for war and human rights crimes as they were elderly when they were finally brought to justice. The irony is the Jews immigrating to the USA were turned AWAY in boatloads during the Holocaust). Maybe some SS Nazi soldiers really believed in that agenda, as others saw the opportunity to be socio and psycho paths to Jews, trained tyrants and murderers...How much $ was embezzled by the SS Nazi's from the jews right into the hands of soldiers? Alot.. The disabled, children, elderly, gay, and sick were the first to be exterminated. When the war against the nazi's had ended, many (surviving Jews and families) jews took it upon themselves to bring these SS nazi's to justice, as many Nazi's ran abroad to AMERICA and Europe to flee prosecution. How ironic, because of immigration quotas, many Jews were not allowed to immigrate to America, and deported from England back to Germany to the concentration camps...Any way, another must see documentary, as Hitler had occupied most of Europe before the allied forces even saw the need to intervene. I want to rent more movies on the heroes against nazi Germany, the Germans that worked with Jews against Hitler (check out Schindler's List as well)...
Another DVD worth renting, (as I've seen this movie at least 8 times, but for the first time in DVD version with actor commentary and special features) FIGHT CLUB..Helena Bonham Carter is soo gorgeous.in Fight Club, dood, she's not just a "tourist" get yer head together, get out of that delusion and reco- gnize who this hot chick is..Enough of my unbridled "lust", if ya haven't figured "Fight Club" out, Brad Pitt, and Edward Norton, are both playing the same mentally ill character. Brad Pitt being the alter ego of a man whom is having a nervous breakdown (Edward Norton's character) dangerous and :cough: anti social and anti corporate..Ugh, this movie "hurts" to watch, alot of people have been through "nervous breakdowns", through the daily grind of their uninspired jobs, and material possessions. Well worth seeing in DVD version, "You are not your Khaki's", a cult or KVLT classic for generation X'ers...
https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/gangs-of-new-york-2002/id432475512?ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-