Monthly Archive for March, 2007

Published on March 26, 2007 in ..The Dude and Television. 6 Comments

Season ender of Battlestar Galactica. Holy shit what the frak is going on!

I’m not sure how I feel about what I just saw.

I was riveted. I raised my arm to pump it for Lee Adama and for Baltar. When Tigh said,” Too much confusion,” I said no way. When he shortly added “there must be some kind of way out of here,” I said “oh shit. This isn’t happening. I can’t believing this is happening. They are not quoting on Bob Dylan/Jimi Hendrix.”

By the time someone actually got all, “Said the joker to the thief,” and “I can’t get no relief,” I could not deny what I was seeing and hearing. “Oh my frakking god they are not,” said I over and over again. Except I didn’t use Frak.

But it’s true. They did it and I can’t decide if it’s the coolest thing ever or if the shark dear has pearly whites dear because BG has strapped on a leather jacket and water skis and gotten up close and personal with one.

All Along The Watchtower.

Thousands of years later.

What the fuck!

Are the other 4 of the final 5 Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young?

I certainly don’t believe they’re Tigh, Chief, Anders, and Roslin’s sexy assistant. I don’t care what was implied I will bet that they are not Cylons. Something else is going on here.

Cylons, no matter how cool they are, are not all about the classic rock. Especially classic rock from thousands of years ago.

And yet it wasn’t Dylan or Hendrix they played. Who was it? It actually sounded like Bono singing at first. Did U2 cover Watchtower? Then it didn’t sound like him either and sounded more like some Sci fi channel house band.

If you’re going to use that song you have to give me Dylan or Hendrix.

Get me the real artist or do a song you can get the real recording for. Tigh hearing some Credence man.

I see Chief as a Rush man and Rush is all about the future. That’s why their music goes so well with playing video games as was illustrated so ably by Phillip J Fry.

Anders I see as a Beatles man. A Day In The Life. Revolution maybe.

Sexy assistant girl, Tory I think her name is, she’d hear Kashmir.

Just no house bands.

Don’t get me wrong I love that song. More so the Hendrix version because we also get one of the greatest opening riffs in rock history imo. But it would have been cooler to hear one of the two main versions.

Who was that singing that song!

What does this mean? I’m not going to know for a year. Or more. I need answers!

How does Dylan or one of his songs anyway, get into the consciousness of 4 people thousands of years later and galaxies away from Earth?

Or is it thousands of years ago?

Are they heading to Earth in the 60′s? Are Cylons the Vietcong? Were the Miracle Mets Cylons? Did they take out Kennedy?

I doubt it but why does that song filter through the millenia and vast distances when so little of our Earth’s culture remains intact in its present form on the show?

This is perhaps the greatest question ever posed by a science fiction show. Until now only the question of why Starbuck’s death was as anticlimactic as Tasha Yar’s could compete. Unless we count Scully’s cancer and Mulder’s sister.

But they actually did it. They had them singing All Along The Watchtower on Battlestar Galactica.

Could it be the song survived as a kid’s song sung at bedtime and had only recently been forgotten? Some of its lyrics certainly fit nicely. Did they sing it on Kobol and Tigh and the rest are somehow connected to the Lords of Kobol?

And what about Roslin sharing dreams with 2 Cylons and a hybrid? What does that imply?

As for the rest of the show Lee’s speech kicked ass and made me want to kiss him. That was the Lee of season 1 who spoke for me. But it was Baltar getting the Jesus towel on his head as his apostles led him to safety that really made me wet myself. This was the Baltar resolution I’d wanted since early in the season. Him becoming an underground prophet with legitimately wise musings and important ideas while at the same time being a self centered idiot was the best and only way out of his perceived betrayal and subsequent recapture by the fleet. Without killing him anyway. And I don’t think anyone wanted that.

That segment of the episode went down real smooth.

The Dylan was awesomely astounding, but I can’t gauge how to feel about it yet. It’s got potential to be amazing but then so did the career of Cory Feldman. I loved how much the song showing up blew my mind. But it needs a viable explanation at some point to shake off the skepticism that makes me worry the show is trying to get all Wonder Years in space to lure people back and get the rating back up.

And I’d feel better if those 4 are not Cylons. And I don’t think they are. At least not in the way Cylons are typically regarded.

Maybe they’re heralds of some kind. Maybe mediums or Kobol prophets. Something. But not 4 of 5. If Chief is a Cylon than so am I damn it! And maybe we are. And I can live with something like that. But they are not Cylons like Sharon was.

And then there was the Starbuckian ending.

Haaated it.

She was getting creepy enough before her whole mandala maelstrom end with her whiny poor mans Lost flashbacks. And though she was a favorite early on for me she just grew too abrasive and nasty. But at the end of this ep she was extra creepy. Religiously creepy. I hadn’t even begun to miss her yet. It’s too soon. I didn’t even get a chance to remember the good times. And rather than redeem her lousy death show it makes me feel even more ripped off. And I still don’t think she’s back next year. I don’t even know if that was really her. She seemed fake. Like a hollogram. And was that Earth at the end? Didn’t look like it to me though I get the impression it must have been. And did it mean they’re all there as the season ends? Of just heading in the right direction? And is the whole fleet following Starbuck?

I wanted a less abstract ending. A bigger moment not a music video.

But they really went and did it. They used the song. Dylan on Galactica.

There’s too much confusion.

Published on March 22, 2007 in ..The Dude, Religion and The Ill-Literates. 0 Comments

Statistically speaking there are allot of non-believers out there. People who just can not surrender their minds to irrationality. People who want to believe in something because it’s true. Not because it makes them feel good. And yet to not believe, to suggest it in mixed company, is one of the few taboos left. So we walk in silence amongst believers afraid to voice our opinion. Or we walk amongst each other without knowing it because it’s a truth that dare not speak its name.

But there are more of us than come out about it and it’s time we organized and started speaking up.

It’s really crazy how you can challenge people about their political beliefs and affiliations, their stands on economics or abortion, or their favorite Baseball team, but to criticize their religion is considered in poor taste. It’s the one thing we’re still supposed to show the utmost respect for. But why? Why should it be sacrosanct?

When you look at it we live in a world where the figments of peoples imaginations are accorded more respect than not only facts, but more than real people. If you decide the idea of an intelligent corn stalk that is sown and reaped in everlasting cycles with each new kernel representing a new soul is an organizing principle in your life, is indeed the driving motivation and inspiration in your life it then becomes socially unacceptable for me to criticize that aspect of your life. If you decide you want to remove your mother from life support it’s ok for me to open this up for debate. In other words the unspoken rationalizations existing purely in the mind are considered more important and unassailable than real life or death.

The religious can go after anything about the rest of us on national t.v. but if someone were to challenge their religious belief which is often at the core of many of their opinions there would be fucking hell to pay. Can you imagine a politician campaigning who is an admitted atheist or agnostic? Polling indicates that the amount of people who would vote for a qualified woman or black person to have grown up to over 90% in recent years. Even homosexuals who are considered qualified poll at roughly 60% or more which is up considerably from years ago. Those that would vote for a qualified atheist are less than 50% and have had the least growth.

There is not one politician who had admitted to not believing though statistically speaking some of them must be. But they know it’s the one thing they can’t speak of. Even gay politicians have come out. But if you think the religious are full of shit that is a closet you have to keep nailed shut or you’re done. This is even worse than in the days of our founding fathers. They were a mix of deists and atheists. And deists were basically the atheists of today. And even in their cases, personal writings and correspondences reveal that Jefferson, Hamilton, Adams, Madison and many other key figures were much closer to being atheists and had a complete and utter disdain for Christianity and its myths and tenets.

But now we have not only the right-wing and their cynical use of religion that depends on the inherent gullibility of its believers but we even have a Jewish Democrat in Senator Joseph Lieberman saying we shouldn’t deceive ourselves into thinking that our constitutional “freedom of religion” means “freedom from religion,” or “indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion,”

Bush Sr, the apparently semi lucid and sane member of the family is reported to have said atheists shouldn’t be considered citizens or patriots because we are one nation under god.

We see all these revelatory e mails these guys write and manage to let sit around and become exculpatory evidence but I dare say not one of these guys would take the chance of admitting to not believing in some version of the American god. It’s too dangerous. Too volatile. And apparently too threatening to people.

Why is it considered fair game to criticize or even make fun of someone’s choices in any area but this one? Even good natured ribbing is mostly off limits. When do you see a stand up comedian take on religious beliefs? This is a topic which has cloaked itself in layers and layers of smoke and mystery for so long, has self applied so much ponderous self importance and hysterical emotion, has won the loyalties of so many practical powers who find motivation to play along, that privacy has become sanctity and fear of being exposed has hidden behind self righteous indignation. This has all combined to give themselves an off limits status.

It reminds me of an abusive family who hordes its secrets and develops rules against sharing with strangers and patterns of behavior that do not and can not ever allow for honest discussion and introspection.

And for those that say this is only what some do with religion and not religions fault I can make the same equation. It’s like saying the abused child who was himself abused should not lay any of the blame on his own father. Or that alcohol has nothing to do with drunk driving.

And any excuses still do not deal with the inherent poverty of anything approaching proof or rational argument than can be offered in the name of whatever version of god people happen to find comfortable. In fact the ever changing and shape shifting the whole concept of god has taken on seems an exercise in psychological self manipulation and coping skills. When you look at the various versions of Jesus, even just the non deity ones it is very apparent you have a chameleon shape shifting to fit the biases of different times and people. Whether its philosopher Jesus, hippie Jesus, political radical Jesus, rebel Jesus, rocks tar Jesus, buff Jesus, shaman Jesus, etc etc, it’s pretty clear he’s a siphon for whatever people want to pour their mix of credulity and comfort into.

And yet even non Christians will defend their version with a religious fervor.

So goes the effects of religion on even those who think they are free from it and its brainwashing.

And even to that secular batch who glomm onto new agey versions of the Christian man-god, attacks on him, and the idea of contradicting some version of godliness sitting atop or within the universe is anathema. If you contradict most people of any persuasion you are liable to get one of two types of reaction. Either contempt or pity. The first is born of their own lack of security and feeling that you are somehow less than trustworthy. They look upon you as a moral leper with no social or ethical grounding as if their ilk have some history of greater conduct than those of us who refuse to submit to the grand illusion.

And when you receive pity it is in part a consequence of their feeling that you must be so sad and pathetic going through life without grounding. Or worse, headed for hell as a consequence.

Meanwhile there is a vast amount of evidence including actual studies that have shown religious people are no more moral or well behaved than atheists. They may actually report being a bit happier. But saying it and feeling it are two different things just as the amount of people who report they go to church has been discredited. And of course ignorance is bliss sometimes. And there again there are actually clinical studies and psychological evidence that happier people tend to be less realistic and more misguided in their judgments than skeptics.

You have to prove yourself in almost every other area of life but in an area that is essentially dealing with make believe, and area that is responsible for so much decision making and peoples actions, an area that may be the most important, there is no questioning on a personal level. We may not agree but we have to respect that one part of a persons life. The colossal arrogance of this astounds me. This free pass must end. Their beliefs are hoisted on us and effect our lives and yet to contradict them or target the never proven assertions these people cling so closely to is in poor taste?

Atheism is more humble despite the defensive rap of arrogance it and science get. Religion has been cloaking arrogance in humility for ages. But there is nothing humble about it except some of its less hypocritical adherents. There rest make the boldest assertions of all and can not be called on to prove themselves. Instead they must be proven wrong rather than having to prove themselves right. And while proving them wrong has mostly been done to any reasonable expectation as far as any idea of a conventional or intelligent creator god goes, it is of course impossible to prove a negative completely. We may as well call god the Logical Fallacy. This is a very convenient relationship to have with your delusion if part of you knows its not real and does not want to deal with that.

This is not to say some non believers can’t get hysterical too. Or that anyone wants to take away the supports of those that cling to meaning to make it through their lives. While I find this as sad as they must find those that have no supernatural faith to buoy them, I understand it. I sympathize and enact versions of that need myself in my more abstract and science fiction based forays into the search for a reasonable support for the idea of soul and spirit.

Heck i don’t want to die anymore than they do.

And arguing with these people is pointless.

And there are even some it does some good for. Not most but some. I find that sad as well but that’s the reality of this time and place. What I am concerned with are two things. One that that time and place in the future not be as limited. I feel it is in the best interest of humanity to get past all this. We’ve evolved more and more to a secular reality and in large part because of secular, humanistic enlightenment values. I want to see that continue. I don’t want to hurt anyone who needs to believe even if I could. But I’m sick and tired of the less decent among them hurting me and this world.

I don’t think there is any argument as to how much they have in the past and present.

The second thing is that those of us who are not on their wavelength, those who indeed feel theirs is a deluded wavelength, are not alone. And I’m tired of feeling like I am.

We’re supposed to tread lightly on believers beliefs but in some ways we are the ones who need a soft touch. What with being all up close and personal with our probable obsolescence. It’s not easy. And that’s why I call on more of us to commune and communicate. To stand up and be counted and to have someone to talk to who understands.

And there are many of us. Estimates are that we (atheists, agnostics, or that good old polling category,”other”) outnumber Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Unitarians put together. There are of course many organizations and websites out there that do some of this work. I’m just starting to find some of them. If any of you are out there and read this let me know of any you know of. Here’s a few:
godlessgeeks.com
fsgp.org which among things keeps track of discrimination against atheists which does really exist.
atheistalliance.org
secular.org

RichardDawkins.net

Of course there are tons of secular media, movies, television. scientists, websites etc out there who are winkingly non believers. But its not as much of their sole stated purpose as the above. And they are not as admittedly out there about themselves. Or they are the agnostic bordering on new agey types that I’d guess make up most of our entertainment and culture that doesn’t come from strict atheists. Ironic since most of the religious watch the movies and tv shows, listen to the voices, occasionally even vote for, and buy the products made with the technology of people who at the very least don’t take those religious consumers devoutest beliefs seriously.

So if you’re around NY and know where atheists and agnostics can find support and respite from the irrational drop me a line because though we are many not many will admit it even fully to themselves. And despite living in a mostly secular enlightened age, it ain’t easy for a pimp out here and even those without a personal god need somebody to talk to about what it’s going to be like in hell.

Published on March 20, 2007 in ..The Dude, Life, Religion and Science/Nature. 0 Comments

[image:238:l] In yet another strike against those who like to think humans are especially unique or answering some higher moral imperative due to our connection to god, we now have more evidence that primates also evolved the early makings of a moral system of checks and balances.

Quotes come from the NY Times:

This is not exactly a new idea. But more evidence is in and many of the groups who opposed the idea of sociobiological roots to our behavior and morality, such as moral philosophers and some psychologists who claimed this area as their own province along with religion, are admitting there is something to it.

While it’s always been apparent to anyone bothering to notice that monkey’s and apes exhibit some of our worst tendencies only writ less subtly, there are necessary conclusions to be drawn from the idea that they also possess the capacity of our best traits as well.

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Chimpanzees have drowned trying to save other chimps, rhesus monkeys have refrained from pulling a chain that will get them food after realizing that pulling it shocks another monkey. Instead they have chosen to starve. Chimps will share more food with those who have taken time to groom them or share with them. They show displeasure at being treated unfairly or disproportionately in comparison to other monkeys. They also have systems of punishment and reward. Apes have shown the ability to empathize and console.

As with our primate cousins more evidence points to all us primates developing a moral sense and reason from very real necessity rooted in our environment and need to survive. The developing reciprocity we share, though far more advanced for homo sapiens probably came out of a need for defense against other tribes or groups of not so cute chimps-early hominids and the study linked in this article indicates it came long before any religious ideas came about to justify them. [image:239:l]

Religion can be seen as another special ingredient of human societies, though one that emerged thousands of years after morality, in Dr. de Waal’s view. There are clear precursors of morality in nonhuman primates, but no precursors of religion. So it seems reasonable to assume that as humans evolved away from chimps, morality emerged first, followed by religion. “I look at religions as recent additions,” he said. “Their function may have to do with social life, and enforcement of rules and giving a narrative to them, which is what religions really do.”

As Dr. de Waal sees it, human morality may be severely limited by having evolved as a way of banding together against adversaries, with moral restraints being observed only toward the in group, not toward outsiders. “The profound irony is that our noblest achievement — morality — has evolutionary ties to our basest behavior — warfare,” he writes. “The sense of community required by the former was provided by the latter.”

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That last part gets back to what I mentioned about reciprocity and the ability to cooperate. We still see this in that capacity we have to only band together when we have a common enemy. Red staters hated New Yorkers until 9-11. Than they loved us when there was someone more threatening to band together to hate. Once that wears off they don’t like us again because were politically different tribes and vice versa. This and many other monkey traits still persist in us. This is why i have such a hard time doing some things I’ve always believed and sensed came out of a very primal place. Whether it’s not taking sides just because its geographically convenient or I’m dating the person I think is wrong, following the group, disliking someone who is a threat on a molecular-biological level, targeting the weak link at work as people often do just as they did at school, waving a flag, or many of the other examples we mostly don’t like to view in such an unglamorous light. I don’t know about you but I attain for a bit more than acting like a chimp. Cousins or not. Gorillas kill their offspring for sympathy or kill others babies to attract attention back to their baby. That’s something I expect to remember if I ever have a kid and am tempted to think mine is cuter than any others.

Think about that when you’re making decisions and I find it really casts things in an interesting way.

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Of course all of this is hard to reconcile with a god who gave us our moral sense as the religious like to believe. Or those who claim animals have no souls for that matter. One of both of these people are wrong and considering its often the same people we can chalk up another contradiction of the faithful.

Philosophers have been no less happy about the implications of this but they’re starting to get on board while still reserving room for a unique human consciousness the singularity of the human capacity to reason and do allot more with those moral building blocks all primates seemed to have evolved a long time ago.

But biologists like Dr. de Waal believe reason is generally brought to bear only after a moral decision has been reached. They argue that morality evolved at a time when people lived in small foraging societies and often had to make instant life-or-death decisions, with no time for conscious evaluation of moral choices. The reasoning came afterward as a post hoc justification. “Human behavior derives above all from fast, automated, emotional judgments, and only secondarily from slower conscious processes,” Dr. de Waal writes.

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He basically says that the emotional moral decision is made and formed a bit in the David Hume sense rather than the Kantian sense of reasoned morality, and then we make up religious justifications and rationalizations to feel good about it.

Yet another reason taking our own desires out the equation is a good idea and in my estimation an attribute of a more highly evolved way of thinking and behaving. It’s very easy to arrive at a philosophy or opinion that fits our lifestyle, economic level, sexual predilections, wants, fetishes, or past choices. Even monkeys can do that. Or at least share the rudiments for that tendency with our early hominid ancestors who speciatied off of them. It’s another to look at the greater good and judge things on the evidence. These are qualities that separate us a bit more substantially from other primates.

So the next time you’re feeling all moral remember that is not in itself enough to make you human. We should all remember we have to kick it up a notch lest our morality and good intentions be the stuff of hardwired necessity and convenience rather than something worthy of considering ourselves evolved or spiritual beings.

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Published on March 19, 2007 in ..The Dude and The Future. 0 Comments

[image:233:l] With my summation of 2006 in obituary form proving so damn popular, with it, dare I say, becoming a national treasure, I’m expanding the concept to include those most likely to die in 07 as well another for those who should die in 07. This latter part, and the first below, is a slight though related distinction from the Dead To Me post which brought us all together in irrational hate as a nation last year. On with the Fatwa. *

Bill Parcells. This guy is so full of himself and the media so worshipful even though the guy hasn’t won anything since he left the Giants in 91. He goes from team to team signing long contracts and bails on everyone of them when things get tough and it becomes apparent he’s not going to get his way or win a championship. How about some honor Bill and sticking with a contract? His latest victim is the Dallas Cowboys. I’m glad to see him go because there was always something wrong about him being there. He was a great N.Y. Giants coach who grew up in Jersey. He bled Big Blue. And then he gets all fluttery about the opportunity to coach the archrival Cowboys. He’s as mercenary as Terrel Owens who he couldn’t handle this year or any of the Yankees roster. The guy even named a daughter Dallas. This confuses me and upsets universal balance. It’s time to go Bill. You’ve been dead to me for a while. Now I’m calling for a national effort to make it real.

Celebrity romance. Death to all hybrids!. Brangelina and the rest must go before they eat our brains!

Woody Allen. It might be the only way to stop him from making the same films over and over again. Or molesting Scarlett Johanson.

Tony Snow. He’s the White House Press Secretary. He also once worked for Faux News. Coincidence?

I think not. This arrogant prick continues to stand there blowing bullshit and unctuous repudiations of hard questions or issues with nothing but attitude and smarmy contempt to offer. In other words he’s the perfect spokesman for this White House and one of Kindasleezy Rice’s “guys,” that she “loves,” from Faux News. Mikes picked her up saying that recently. He’s the perfect symbol for these guys and since Cheney can’t be killed and he’s presumably put a protective spell upon Bush as well, I’ll take Snow’s dessicated and mutilated corpse as symbolic sacrifice.

Jack Nicholson. His playing the same character all the time has gotten so old I think it has to die and take him with it. At least the slavish Academy didn’t fall for it again this year and give him the nomination for The Departed everyone thought he’d get. That sly, slightly on edge, wryly conspicuous, archly manic character needs to go and since he won’t play anyone else he knows to go with it. And with him gone there’s a young actress or two who won’t be molested by this old man. These girls would probably sooner sleep with Dick Cheney than with Jack. But they give in to the pressure of his ego and the Hollywood establishment who who worship celebrity so much it creates a miasma that obscures the fact that they’re frakking a dirty old man.

So for Natalie Portman, Christina Ricci, Keira Knightley or whoever the next young victim to have have her self ruined by Jack was going to be, I implore Killer Jesus to make his killing magic.

Wolf Blitzer. He spent most of his show the other day talking about Anna Nicole Smith. He was not alone. But he’s on bloody CNN! He’s not Geraldo. He’s somewhat serious. Lou Dobbs even bitch slapped him and the rest of the media when Wolfie threw it to him for his tease and Lou said starting at the top of the hour there would be no news about Anna Nicole Smith. Then he threw it back to Blitzer who was standing in front of a screen plastered with her pictures and promising more Anna Nicole Smith news. Wolfie has been walking the line but this is too much. He’s not credible anymore. His cred is dead. His body must soon join in order to restore balance to the force of the news.

Lindsay Lohan. What does she want from us Peter Griffin? I’ll tell you. She wants to open the way to another dimension where more of her kind can come to feast on our souls. She must be stopped before the unsupportable disproportion between her celebrity and her talent cause a rift in space/time.

Evangeline Lilly’s career. She has stated she hates attention so i think I’m doing her a favor here. She says she’ll quit the biz soon and would act forever if she could do the acting and make the money and not have to deal with fans and attention. This is a curious feeling for someone who does so many magazine covers and got into acting to begin with. Apparently she’s one of those who digs doing stage work to echoing empty auditoriums. And plus I hear she’s marrying Dominac Monoghan who plays Charlie on the show. This means yet another hybrid will be formed or is already growing, slouching towards us with grasping claws. So she must die before the thing that might be called Domaline Lilligan is born and joins the others under its master in evil, Dick Cheney.

Michael Crichton. This idiot wrote a book making all the worlds scientists who are in near universal agreement regarding global warming and the effects of human practice on climate and environment seem like part of a liberal conspiracy to make money off the issue. Perhaps not coincidentally he’s been seen hanging out with certain Republicans. He’s either too stupid to live at this point or has made a decision to completely sell his soul. I never liked his writing to begin with. Jurassic Park was devoid of drama, charm, or depth until Spielberg gave it a little. Now he’s not only a hack who writes movie scripts in novel format like John Grisham and Dan Brown but he’s also trying to destroy the planet.

Dan Haggard and Tim Ralph. Haggard is the evangelical dude, President of the National Association of Evangelicals, who got busted with a male hooker he’d been hooked up with for a while during years of preaching against the evil of homosexuality. Of course he went the disease route leading him to 3 weeks of therapy led by Ralph. After the 3 weeks were up Ralph announced Haggard has been cured of homosexuality. I think Ralph reached this conclusion after 3 weeks of constantly buggering each other tired Haggard out and he couldn’t perform any longer. Kind of using the method Stephen Colbert advocated for Haggard comparing it to when your dad caught you smoking and made you smoke a whole pack in a row. If Haggard can’t admit that the penis is his real lord and master he will never know peace so it’s best for him and his family if he shuffles off the mortal coil instead of being a slave to it.

Geraldo Rivera. For so much over so many years. Why does he still live? His entire existence stands as disproof of God’s and yet it is Jesus’s network that employs him. During the Anna Nicole coverage this guy who really thinks he’s a journalist actually accused some guy of killing her. On national tv with no evidence. He’s been a joke a long time, died to me many years ago; it’s time he died to us all.

Barack Blowback. There are African American’s speaking out against Obama’s lack of real black street cred. Or at least African-American cred. This is partly due to his father’s Kenyan heritage and his privileged background. Though they don’t say it I suspect the white mom thing is part of it too. This is stupid. They’re finally getting a shot at a black President and they want to deny him? Like off whites did to Jesus? Do not they see their folly dear father?

He looks black to me. Don’t get picky. Ludicrous is not ever going to be President. Snoop? Uh-uh. Even Denzel has no shot. I’m a bit on the fence as to whether these people and their movement, if you can call it that, should die because maybe it will actually get Obama some white votes. You could even get some racists thinking “hmmmm, uppity black troublemakers are complaining about Obama so maybe he’s not that black after all. And I hate them uppity whining darkies. That Obama must be ok.”

Of course there is the black vote I’m worrying about. And either way you cut it the guy qualifies as black and complaining about the roots of that heritage is a bit, well, racist.

Alberto Gonzalez. He’s been a key factor in the Patriot Act and its misuse, the firing of federal prosecutors not cooperative with the Bush agenda, and many more scandals including Abu Ghraib. OF course he’s no Dick Cheney but since Cheney is immortal due to his unholy allegiance his subordinates must continue to fall.

Technical innovations. We need to put a stop to them for a while. Just until I can catch up.

Chain E Mails: You know those things that start off with some nice glowing warm feelings about humans, stuff like lists of the things that make a friend or how wonderful love is. Then they close by telling you to forward it to 20 people in an hour and you’ll get laid, win a million dollars, never die or some such shit. Sometimes the vibe of love suddenly drops and they even threaten you if you don’t pass on the e mail.

These things need to die. I’m being real restrained and loving myself by not suggesting that the people who send these manipulative paeans to superstition and conformity should die with them.
If you really loved me you wouldn’t make me be as irrational as you. If you even liked me you’d know I don’t respond well to being told what to do. So what does this say about how genuine someone else’s thoughts you’re passing on as your own really are? But I love you anyway and forgive you.

Pass it on.

And now I reach into Karnac’s envelope for actual likely real deaths in 07.

Fidel Castro. After decades of surviving exploding cigars,, poisoned toothbrushes and other such Maxwell Smart-ish attempts of the CIA to take him out, time and age will conduct that inevitable regime change we’ll all have to face.

George Steinbrenner. The Yankees have been dying for 6 years as their payroll has escalated. Controversy has already hit just days into camp with more Arod troubles. The team has the stench of death about it and to survive the Baseball gods will take their owner and most constant symbol of the past 30 years. George isn’t a bad guy. Just contributed to funerals for all the families who lost people in recent Bronx building fire. But I gotta call em as I sees em. And George: You’re outta here!

Chuck Berry. If he’s not dead already he will be in 2007.

Paris Hilton. This is probably the safest bet on the list. She gets a slight edge over Brittney Spears.

Senator Robert Byrd. Just a feeling. It’s too much to hope for Cheney or his puppet. If Cheney were mortal I’d gamble on his heart giving under the strain of more revelations. Unfortunately for us, he has walked amongst us since time immemorial and will slouch onward towards Bethlehem for ages to come.

Helen Thomas. She lost her front seat in the White House press room because Cheney wants to take her will to live. This may have been all she had at this point and if she dies soon it’s more blood on Vice President Palpatine’s already blood soaked hands.

James Cameron. If reports of his documentary and it’s implications are true Christians will not only not believe but there is a possibility they will kill cameron in the name of their messiah of peace of love. The Salmon Rushdie of American Christianity is born and the faithful will unborn him like an abortion doctor with a drive through clinic in the bible belt.

Jack Nicholson. I can hope can’t I.

Alberto Gonzales Attorney General career. He got the big promotion due to his subservience to the administration and past cooperation instituting their draconian measures. Though I called for his life above it may yet be spared in 2007. But the attorney Gen gig with him in the title position will be as dead as the Secretary of Defense gig to Donald Rumsfeld.

Ed Koch. I just think he’s due. He’s real old now and I just read some stuff about the 77 Mayoral race and some follow up stuff about the guys reign and he’s no Mario Cuomo. I didn’t even realize Koch beat Cuomo in the 77 runoff until I read this book about that year in NYC. That is my fault and no reason for Koch to die. But Koch was not the better man. He was a better choice than Bella Abzug and Mayor Beame who they both beat out to force the runoff. But Eddie did some selling out to get over the top. Not to mention that he was always an arrogant bastard. I ate Chinese food next to him at 1 a.m. near Ground Zero a few weeks after 9-11. We’ll always have that. But now I think too much has passed and one of us must go. Maybe it will be me. But he’s got the age on me so i’m placing my bet on Ed.

If he’s followed up by Dinkins than Rudy may have something to do with it.

And of course we already have an early exit for Anna Nicole as she goes to that big sugar daddy in the sky. I wouldn’t have called that one anyway. You just never know about these things. She was a great talent and will be sorely missed.

* I really don’t want any of these people to die.

Published on March 15, 2007 in ..The Dude and Television. 4 Comments

[image:232:l] WTF?

Seagulls, football, C4, Australia, shared daddies, 815′s serious readers, Locke was para… and Russian dude knew it, Sawyer keeps a bet, Kate’s not good enough for the list, Sayyid is afraid, Ben’s not magnificent, Goth Claire is hot, they’ll talk about this later, other alternatives, and the difference between guilt and hope.

All these things made for one of the better episodes of Lost last night. Sure, again we don’t really learn anything new. But people are acting normal, plot is advancing, and there are some cool moments that may have culminated in one of the coolest and mindblowing. Or one of the lamest depending on the follow up answers we get.

Of course we also got the revelation that Jack and Claire are half-siblings. But we knew that. That was an easy one we guessed in Anna Lucia’s flashback about a year ago. It kind of sucks when we wait around a year to get a big reveal and it’s for something that amounts to minor confirmation. But did Christian Shepherd’s “other alternatives,” for Claire’s coma mom allude to a Dharma option? Probably not since he still wanted to kill her and I guess a Dr would have ways of doing this legally. But there was something mysterious there I think. And more and more I’m sure he is connected to Dharma, Mellitose, or both. Just why does he spend so much time in Australia? And with Russian guy indicating that Ben, as I’ve maintained all along, is not the big cheese, in this same episode could Christian be the man of magnificence alluded to?

I’d say no but I do think he’s involved. Hanso is more likely to be the guy he is talking about and that Ben mentioned to Locke in the hatch last season. But Shepherd is tied to too many people and this area of the world to not do more with.

And could this have something to do with that final big scene of creepilly happy Jack playing football with Zeketom? The look on Jack’s face as he spiked that ball was way freaky and too blissfully happy. That was my wtf moment. Though in retrospect I don’t expect it to have any long lasting value because when you think about it the scene can’t hold up to examination and still retain any mind-blowing value.

It’s probably Jack doing some assimilating since he made a deal and might as well as loosen up and enjoy while he’s playing it out. That’s really not that big of a deal and ultimately it’s unworthy of the big touchdown spike that hinted at a much closer bond and feeling of being at home that the scene seemed to suggest. The only way it really has lasting value and backs itself up is if Jack is home as Ben said he was taking them at the end of last season. The wtf element is only a wtf element if Jack is an Other. And has been all along.

And that just makes no sense and can’t work.

Could this be the huge shock they said was coming around midseason? We’re past the halfway point and there’s been nothing remotely shocking good or bad. But Jack as an Other is unthinkable. It would mean even Ben didn’t know. We’ve seen Jack alone with these people without the other Losties around and he held to his Jackness and distrust of them. And if his i.d. was top secret to all or most of the Others all along is it likely it’s all come out and everyone is just settled into how natural it is in the past few days? That wouldn’t explain his hominess amongst them. And what could have changed since they got back to the Others village to have it come out?

No. more than likely Jack’s realized they are the good guys to an extent and is honoring his deal with Ben. Could he have found out a connection to his father that led to him feeling more comfortable? Maybe. But much more than that would cue the Jaws theme music since I can’t see it holding up to further scrutiny. And if it is indeed the obvious then it’s an overdone wtf moment and a bad tease because they took pains to really show Jack in a different way. A very comfortable, at home, unreserved, and slightly creepy way we’ve never seen.

That needs more payoff than Jack faking it to get more info and plan an escape or just honoring his deal and making the best of it.

But for the moment it certainly did come as a whopper and I really did say wtf a few times at like 3 in the morning when I watched it.

As for other matters from last night:

Did that c4 in Locke’s bag imply he knew what he was doing when Flame St got blown up? Is locke out to destroy all the hatches? Kind of bad-ass of him to kill Russian guy in part because he knew John had been paralyzed which it certainly seemed he was about to say before jungle woman cut him off. But Locke’s acting on his own is getting annoying. The guy comes off a bit like a zeolot at times and needs Sayyid or Jack to kick his ass. Sayyid’s making fun of Locke’s mystical walking stick in comparison to some science was refreshing in light of all the clarivoyance, mind reading smoke monsters, and other matters of hokey mystical stuff the show dabbles with. I especially liked how sayyid told him they would have to talk about this later when he questioned locke’s recent actions and motivations.

Locke is in trouble.

And Sayyid is not a man you want to be in trouble with.

And what is he afraid of? Russian guy implied Sayyid wasn’t on the list because of fear. Locke due to anger. I forget Kate’s issue. And if this is so why was Ben coming for Locke? Or was he just playing him?

Looks like a big Ben-Locke moment next week along with the revelation of how Locke was paralyzed or made to think he was.

After dangling this for 3 years the reveal better be damn interesting. At one time I hoped it would turn out Locke’s paralysis was psychosomatic but after we’ve had all the other strange healings and Desmond’s morbid Charlie visions, I guess we’re not going to get any practical answers regarding Locke’s miraculous healing.

But will we get an explanation as to what is up with the passengers of 815′s reading list? What’s with all the good books Sawyer gets his hands on? This week he’s reading The Fountainhead. Yeah Ayan Rand was a loon and her politics sucked some ass in its naivete hiding behind rugged individualism and objectivity, but it’s still some serious reading. Did the Others bring the plane down to get more books for Juliet’s book club? People on planes are usually reading John Grisham and Daniel Steele not Watership Down. Does Australia’s proximity to the island make people living or visiting there smarter?

Anyway I need to know what’s up with my boy Jack. That was too big to take lightly. But like much of the shows initial big impressions I just don’t know if they can back that ending up.

Still taken in and of themselves the past few shows have been good. They seem to be listening to the criticisms and have got people acting like real human beings who actually talk about the far out stuff happening around them. Plot has moved forwards more even if no big answers have been fothcoming, and they’re even making fun of the Paolo-Nikki stuff we’ve all been making fun of. Hopefully it will keep up the pace through a couple of more years and then shut it down. More than likely it will slow to a crawl again shortly.

But wtf with Jack and Zeketom?

Published on March 15, 2007 in ..The Dude and Reviews. 2 Comments

[image:226:l] Ahh to crush our enemies, to see them driven before us and hear the lamentations of their women. Is not this what we all long for? Fanboys and geeks unite for in 300 you get your vicarious off and get to glory in the sometimes contradictory worlds of manhood, comics, coolness, and mostly naked buffed men.

300 is a stylized, industrialized, poeticized,and digitilized view of the Spartan battle to hold off the seething Persian hordes. It’s told through a lens of Homeric over the top storytelling mixed with Beowulf and Keats. Or Shelly. Or maybe it’s Tennyson. One of those manly poets.

Heh, heh. I said manly poets. That’s like saying thoughtful Republicans.

But though this is based on a real event, this film has much in common with Republicans in that its view of history is distorted and warped. Of course in this movie and presumably the Frank Miller comic it’s based on, this is mostly done with benign effect. It’s catharsis. It’s cool, it’s geeky, and yes it’s a little bit gay. But it also kicked a little bit of ass.

I feel a little guilty saying that since this movie not only romanticized war but does so in the name of partial truths. We get all filled up with righteous Spartan anger as the Persians threaten to take away their much rallied around freedom and democracy. Now not only does this sound allot like the kind of bullshit rhetoric propaganda we’ve heard far too much of in real life, it’s bullshit. Sparta wasn’t free. Their soldiers were so good because they had allot of free time what with all their slaves doing their work for them.

And though we see a razed village blamed on the Persians it was the Spartans noted for committing such acts. [image:229:l]

So it would be easier to love the movie if it didn’t base itself on real events and just made up some battle. A battle itself the movie fibs about.

But then it never tells us it’s based on reality and anyone one watching it who doesn’t realize they’re getting reality on steroids is just too dumb to live. I’ve heard some criticize the dialogue for being stilted or over the top. That’s just as stupid as saying that about Conan The Barbarian and the paraphrase I started this post with. This kind of heightened verbiage, hamfisted line reading, and downright corny bombast are in the service of the movies tone. It’s not a mistake. It’s a necessity in driving home the movies combination of hyper gravitas and winking absurdity.

And for the most part it worked. The movie looks great if at times a little claustrophobic. It’s a piece of art on screen but sometimes I felt trapped in its frames. Or maybe more precisely stuck in a really overcast video game. It also dragged at times since 2 hours for an essentially one note film can be a bit much. But that note does resound a bit and could be stretched enough to create quite a few memorable moments. There’s some stuff to get the fists pumping here as well as a few very funny lines that helped ground the movie and keep it from wallowing in its own triteness or taking it’s alternative history too seriously.

In a recent movie post I wondered if flicks like this are the last hope of cinema since media formats are so multitudinous and bite size now that a movie filled with 2 hours of ideas, a book, or an album, just can’t fit into our cultures need to move on the next experience without dwelling too much on the last. If so it’s not the worst thing that could happen I guess. I have to admit liking this, V For Vendetta, and Sin City, Batman Begins, and Superman Returns more than most of what I’ve seen the past few years. [image:227:l]

But then again bear in mind I’m pushing 40 and losing brain cells all the time.

Not that this movie requires no thought. It’s actually sparked quite a bit of political debate on the web. Allot of people are finding a different political p.o.v. from it. Of course it’s not supposed to be overly historical but it still draws it’s theme from real events which it seems to me it goes a bit Republican with as far as usage of propaganda both within and external to the film. Not only is there the village and slave stuff in the background of a propaganda campaign using the buzzwords of freedom and democracy. We also get anti gay comment or two directed at the Athenians.

Now bear in mind it was really the Athenians who defeated Persia and stopped their march on Greece and the world. That small band of Spartans or those that came after really had little effect. And they didn’t do democracy near as well as Plato and his boy buggering comrades teaching whatever it was they taught up in college. This whole tact seems to echo a bit the recent right-wing attack of liberals as speechmakers while they themselves go out and get the job done no matter what they have to do.

There’s also a racial angle here since all the good guys are white and the Persian hordes are darker. Here we’re getting the pre-Muslim, Muslim hordes terrorizing the poor not so innocent innocents of the West. A West judging from the abs and delts on these guys, had Boflex’s long before infomercials brought them to our attentions. [image:231:l]

Of course there’s the other angle which finds 3oo to be anti American piece since the smaller band of Spartans are more equivalent to the outnumbered Iraqis and the gigantic and apparently unstoppable, irrational juggernaut of the Persians paralleling the U.S. When the Persian leader Xerxes says he’d gladly sacrifice countless for victory I guess you can take Dick Cheney out of that or suicide bombing Shiites depending on what you want to get.

I’ve read that Frank Miller has indicated some quasi fascist attitudes in his work and or interviews. That and that he is a small man who some feel overcompensates with visions of might and manliness, which if true reminds me a bit of Neitszche in its psychological profiling. Bob could probably contribute more to that subject than i can. But 300 certainly does nothing to dissuade me to disbelieve these reports.

There’s is that naive air of the might of the righteous and how no matter the odds the side that wins will always be the good guys because they have some higher calling pervading things.
But at the same time it’s an emotional release that never gets old. The problem is for film makers to find new and fresh ways of casting it. You can’t do Rocky or Hoosiers all the time. And here Frank Snyder gives us a fresh and interesting new way to play with old ideas and recast them in a mostly exhilirating way.

I’m not sure Snyder has any political agenda here either. I’d guess that he probably does not. If he does I’d have to say it is a slightly pro right wing one. Even if it’s unconscious and a product of the source material which just blows that hypocritical Spartan attitude towards being vanguards of democracy fighting for freedom against the heathen hordes in my face a bit too much for it not to echo the neo-cons a little. Guys who have it all and yet still believe they’re underdogs fighting the good fight when all they want to really do is keep what’s theirs from becoming someone elses. So maybe if tales of Frank Miller’s neo fascist small man Napolean complex are true this is his visualization of that mentality. Of course if so he was doing it long before it became popular since the comic predates 9-11. [image:230:l]

But hey so did Neitzsche and Hitler.

But of course neo-cons don’t actually fight because they’re chickenhawk pansie-ass motherfuckers who overcompensate with hard line attitudes to cover their white withered pussy-asses.

And Spartans fight their own battles. And for that you got to love them and their codpieces. Righteous or not these guys know how to get their battle on, fight as a team, and make a wisecrack or two along the way. And I like that in a people. Fictional or not. A harmless adrenaline rush and bolt of inspiration is a good thing and this movie does sort of provide it though of course it can only be taken so far. It’s dysfunctional history and hyberbolic battles don’t exactly lend themselves towards applied lessons in most of our lives. Sure working as a team, not giving up, and all that good stuff is there. But though N.Y. State and Taconic TDDSO
can be seen as a monolithic juggernaut it’s not exactly swarming with wizards, trolls, immortal swordfighters, and various other monsters that I feel a need to take on.

In actuality this movie just made me want to slay for slayings sake. Not just anybody. But I wanted someone to do something wrong and get a little pep squad man-loving on to take down some local hooligans in a pool of their own sewer destined blood.

After taking care of business at home of course by satisfying the little lady. The Spartan leader Leonidas may sound more British than Greek but he’s a likable bastard who knows his wife needs the high hard one to tide her over before he goes to battle. And that wife even gets a nice, if improbable moment or two amongst the Spartan counsel of elders, Senate, Toga Congress or whatever they called themselves there. And I liked it god help me. I liked it.

And I liked Xerxes. This is hard for me since the actor who portrays him is currently on Lost playing Paolo the guy associated with defecating allot. I don’t like him or his girlfriend. I fear their flashback in a couple of weeks. The most enjoyable moment of last weeks episode was Sawyer’s cutting, “who the hell are you,” to the girl and refusals to take the magazine back from Paolo because he had it in the bathroom or the island equivalent of a bathroom. [image:228:l]

But Xerxes kicked ass. Again, he was way over the top, a feminized, ego blown, mechanically throated leader of monsters. But it worked for me. So what if he travels on a gold toilet hoisted by his minions. He was so good I’ve begun reconsidering my take on Paolo and his regularity issues. Perhaps his flashback will explain this. Maybe he has Chrone’s disease or dysentery. Perhaps he’s on a quest for the golden throne. I don’t know. But he spoke to me through Xerxes and he said give the toilet a chance.

Of course portraying him in the somewhat cloying, femmed up way they did does sort of play into that right-wing view of the enemies of freedom being like buggering Athenians who just want to talk or eastern-middle eastern weirdos disobeying all kinds of gods laws as well as noble mens.

But this is probably just me taking out what I expect. Many others have found political p.o.v.’s as well so at least I’m not the only one grasping if indeed we are. I think Miller may have his issues but I tend to think Snyder’s movie is meant to be a silly testosterone rush.

Actually that kind of also describes the Project For The New America Century.

But whether 300 is truly the future of film as the old standards die or just a short term trend alongside a momentary weak point in movie history time will tell. Hopefully it will tell it a bit more honestly than this movie. If you’re going to lie, lie about Middle Earth or The Matrix. I enjoyed the films semi-historical setting and can see the reason for going there but I can’t help feeling a little guilty about liking it. I don’t want to see an end to classic movies that stand the test of time in favor of You Tube and theater movies told in comic book panels. They’re fun when well done but I do think we may be seeing the next step in our fragmented and shortened attention spanned society. Maybe people will just download movies to their Ipods and watch stuff like this in short durations or movies will go this route but lop themselves down to 30 minute bites to digest in serialized form along with the musical hits of the moment, levels of Halo, and cgi renderings of art, political cartoons, editorials, and more. And maybe they’ll do so with more of that prophetic Colbert truthiness that feels so good to wallow in 300 as we eventually get too tired to her anything that makes us doubt our emotions.

And maybe I’ll be one of them after all. Because despite myself I liked 300 and only wish it were a bit shorter.

Published on March 14, 2007 in ..The Dude and Politics. 0 Comments

I Lewis Scooter Libby. That’s all America knew of his name. Even in all the transcripts of official court documents and Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s court filings there was no mention of what Libby’s real name is. What does the I stand for and why did they cover it up for so long?

At last now we know.

After much digging by Rachel Sklar chronicled at The Huffington Post here
we at last have an answer to one of the most pressing secrets of the Bush administration.

After going through Fitzies notes, Wikipedia, the White House press office, and the N.Y. Times, to no avail the answer was finally revealed through Libby’s Yale yearbook. Once again the administration that breathes deceit and would cover up their bowel records if anyone took an interest had slipped somewhere. They had left one stone unturned in their attempt at hiding this revelatory truth that surely would provide the public much insight into why Republican’s are the way they are. Why they go bad.

I for one cant testify to how a name can change us. When you look around at people I think most of us have noticed how names seem to fit certain people and wondered if they tailored their choices and personalities to suit their name. Clearly the Bush administration was worried about the insights the truth about Libby’s real name would have. What the I stands for would not only mark him, but themselves. And now we know why. It was bad enough we had hints into their darkest depths what with Cheney being Dick and George being a Bush, but now we get more insight into the mindset of the neo-conservative psyche. With this startling new evidence before us we now see further into their need for overcompensation. For chickenhawk posturing. For their hate of good looking and funny liberals. Yet more layers are added to the clinical profiling of their pathologies and mental and emotional damage that surely bonds them in their paranoid delusions about the world being against them even as they have all the power and money. It’s so much easier now to see why they lie. To understand their damage. With all the evidence we already have we now add this undeniable piece of incrimination.

The I in I Scooter Libby is raised up in ignominious clarity for a nation to gasp at as more tumblers click into place. As if the nickname “Scooter,” wasn’t a deep enough look into the troubled soul of this man and the old white guys who actually used that nickname with a straight face for their entire adult lives together, we now get the I behind the initial. The I before the Scooter. The I of self which the letter stood to divert the world from has now been exposed and cast into the public eye. I meets eye, the real Libby and conservative soul is bared as their truest I’s, the selves they try so hard to cover through extremist and hardline policies has met our eyes and given us more of an up close and personal look into their secret selves, the I’s behind Scooter’s I.

And it’s name is Irve.

Irve.

Does this not explain so much?

Published on March 13, 2007 in ..The Dude, Films and Reviews. 0 Comments

Zodiac and The Departed. Two well received films by well respected Directors. Both are movies I enjoyed. In the case of The Departed I enjoyed it quite a bit. But did I see it and say, “That’s an award winner?”

Absolutely not.

And yet it did win. Actually I’ve been finding the quality of well reviewed films has been slipping for a few years now. Not to mention Academy Awards winners. So I ask this question: Has the quality of cinema slipped so much that not only Babel and Crash look like genius to many, but movies in general have a lowered bar for quality. Babel and Crash have that choir thing going on, but the other two movies mentioned above stand as films being judged for no other reason but themselves and their entertainment value. And they’re both good. But I was underwhelmed by both and I can’t shake the feeling that both these movies would have been middle of the pack in terms of reviews at one time. But in relative terms they look great because there really aren’t great movies made anymore.

I’m a David Fincher fan and was looking forward to Zodiac even though it’s based on a true story which would seem to limit the possibility of having the kind of fun we had in Seven and Fight Club. Or even Panic Room which for all its lack of weightiness was still an amazingly exciting and intense movie about a woman and kid trapped in a house by Forrest Whitaker and Jared Leto whose face is a map of the world.

Map of the world.

Anyway, Zodiac is about 2 and a half hours long. Which seemed a really long time to give to a serial killer who really wasn’t that interesting. He was never caught though the movie points a clear finger at one of the suspects who died a few years ago. Fincher tones his stylistic extravagances down to make this more about the story of the effects hunting this guy have on mainly 3 men. One is a cop played by Mark Ruffalo, another a reporter portrayed by Robert Downey Jr, and the main guy who wrote the book the movie is mostly based on, a cartoonist for the SF Chronicle that Downey works for as well. He’s played by Jake Gyllenhall who in a scene at Downey’s place, with Downey’s character slipping into oblivion and sitting around half dressed in a robe really worried me for a moment was going to get all Brokeback Mountain on Downey’s arse.

I will give credit for this to Gyllenhall for portraying a gay cowboy so well. That and my own idiocy.

But the movie has long patches of dullness playing out the crime procedural from an investigative point of view. And though this seemed pretty realistic there didn’t seem enough meat to the Zodiac’s story to warrant all this attention. Much of the films years cover periods when the killer is completely inactive. He didn’t actually kill that many people but seemed rather more noteworthy for his communications to the paper and police, which though a hint into his need for attention were also revelatory not of a great criminal mind but rather of a boring and uninteresting loser who happened to be doing what he was at the right time and in the right place.

This just contributed to that feeling that he didn’t warrant a 2.5 hour plus movie. And since his predominant motivation for writing letters seemed to be attention I also had to wonder if that 2.5 hour movie about him was really such a good idea even if it was more about 3 guys who tried to catch him then about him.

The fact that he didn’t get caught seemed to have more to do with the interdepartmental lack of communication and the limited technology available to all parties trying to find him in his peak years. As we see in the movie even the lack of reliable fax machines everywhere at the time play a role in coordinating the investigations. I was left with the impression that this guy would have been caught pretty quick if he was killing people in the 90′s or later. That and the impression that giving over this kind of cellulose time to a guy who was kind of stupid and lucky, to show how an era and its resources can effect things wasn’t enough of a part of the move to give me an overarching idea to make this movie stand out.

Some things did stand out though. Despite being toned down Zodiac manages to still look good. Fincher creates a nice 70′s era vibe for much of the film which actually covers 4 decades. And he still manages to make nice but understated use of some visual landscapes and music to stir the senses a bit. Fincher has a clear purpose and style here made to serve the story and create a mood. The length is perhaps part of that. But I still didn’t quite get a sense of those 4 decades being covered. There were allot of reminders typed on screen telling us one scene was a month, or 4 months, or a year, or 4 years, etc after the scene that proceeded it. But I still didn’t get a sense of that time passing. The characters never looked that much older though all these scene jumps add up to quite a bit of time by the later parts of the film. I just didn’t get that sense of time passing and the years wearing on the characters that many people have mentioned as being so well done and at the crux of the movies purpose.

There’s been allot of superlatives thrown at Zodiac and though I respect the effort and didn’t feel jipped for spending my $6 I was kind of glad I went to a matinee and didn’t spend $9.

Now on to The Departed. Some spoilers follow.

I watched this for the 2nd time the other day. In some ways I liked it more than when I saw it in the theater a few months ago. The movie certainly has some energy, snappy and interesting dialogue, and an attitude. I appreciated the first half even more than the first time. But I still felt the movie lacked a point and became in the end a needless and pointless foray into violence and bloodshed for its own sake.

I’ve always been a Martin Scorcese fan but there are times he does seem to glory in gore and find a bit too much sympathy for scumbags. While this seemed fun and relatively benign in the self contained world of misdeeds of Goodfellas, ironically based in a true story, it’s hard for me to find anything redeeming or sympathetic about characters who bring their bloodlust and corruption outside of La Famaglia in this fictional tale. DeCaprio’s character Costigan does deserve a measure of sympathy since he’s playing for the good guys and is one of the few who doesn’t actually kill anyone.

But any investment in his positive attributes gets no payoff. In the end it seems the movie takes great pains to show there is little distinction between him and Matt Damon’s, Sullivan.

There are also some questionable plot holes in the latter stages. Why did Costigan leave the station if he was going to bring Damon’s character in after meeting on the rooftop anyway? The guy he trusted that he called to the building for the arrest was there at the station. He didn’t seem the type to panic but that seems the only explanation. But his identity is validated later anyway. Was that Wahlberg’s Lumigan characters doing?

How did the other crooked cop who takes out Costigan know he’d be there at the building preparing to take in Damon? How did Lumigan find out and where was he when shit was going down and why didn’t Costigan go to him instead of leaving the envelope with the therapist? Why did Damon leave the room with Costigan in from the cold to use the other computer when he wasn’t going to delete his file until after he came back and realized Costigan was on to him? Why was Jack Nicholson really playing both sides and did Martin Sheen know it? Couldn’t Costigan have just turned over his cell phone to show the connection with Sheen when he came into the station?

I don’t mind stuff left to the imagination but there were some holes here and other aspects allot of people have pointed to. I can go with the envelope going from the therapist to Lumigan who puts the pieces together, and does what he does. But they had to have knows Costigan was a cop before that because Lumigan was on his leave and the cops knew as they were giving Damon his debriefing which would have been that same day.

But as I said I can live with some of these questions. The ones that give you something to stretch for anyway. The bigger problem is the movies overall lack of meaning. It’s based on a movie called Infernal Affairs. I think it’s a Japanese film. From what I’ve read Scorcese changed much of the ending and overall point of the movie from that original. It sounds to me lack he robbed the movie of a more meaningful thematic element by doing this and bringing it back to that violence for violence sake feel. Whatever the characters similarities there was enough separating them to warrant a more meaningful delineation and separation of plot and purpose.

So though i liked this movie it certainly didn’t resound in some epic way or come off as one of the better things I’ve ever see. In fact I don’t think it did the whole undercover cop goes to jail to establish cover and than deals with submerging his identity thing as well as the show Wiseguy did in the late 80′s-early 90′s/ particularly the Sonny Steegrave arc. That storyline and format led to all the story arcing we see all over the place today and it drew its strength from the relationship between the undercover fed and the crime boss he worked beside and grew to love as a brother.

Not only did that whole vibe play out only superficially in The Departed, but combining it with the ridiculous therapist triangle and that lack of distinction between characters, I just don’t get how it adds up to a great movie.

And this is just one of many times I’ve found myself seeing well reviewed films the past few years and finding myself increasingly disappointed. Part of me thinks this is because like the album in music, maybe long form formats of any kind are dying out. We are a disposable culture fragmented into our niches and interests with so much to fill those interests that people just don’t have the time or attention spans to really give anymore.

Is it a coincidence that graphic comics are being portrayed more and more often and successfully on screen? The movie format may not be dead but I wonder if its future is in easier digestible comic panels visualized on screen. That and You Tube type stuff. That is not a criticism of either. Some of the graphic based movies are great. V For Vendetta was one of my top 5 last year. Maybe people just require more visual gratification which these movies are good at providing with that amped up comic book imagery. It’s not like their inherently vapid. V and the recent 300 which I’ll get into in a review shortly have both sparked allot of political debate. Superman Returns was all about Jesus for me. But I worry that these movies are signaling an end to heavier movies that people love for decades. Maybe it’s just a youth thing and we love what we saw at an earlier age. But if you look at most all time critics lists there’s not allot from the past few years on it. People younger and certainly allot older than me will list movies like The Godfather, 2001, Taxi Driver, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Star Wars, and many other 60′s through 80′s movies as all time greats. There’s not allot from the 90′s or aughts though.

Even indie films are packing less weight lately. I’ll see allot of these hyped up smaller flicks that are supposed to be the smarter alternative to Hollywood big studio fare and I find the past couple of years that they disappoint more and more. Again there are quite allot of good ones well worth seeing, discussing, and thinking about. But few that feel special or like they’re answering a higher calling. OR will be watched 10-20 years from now.

And that’s ultimately what I’m getting at with the disposable culture thing I guess. I come from a youth that saved stuff that was special. We were fortunate to be amongst those kids first starting to get video games, home movies in vcr format at the time, cassettes and walkmans, etc. And there was stuff you wanted to get and kept your whole life, returning to from time to time. It’s just hard to see that happening with much of the music or film of the past few years. Even amongst those that purchase and like the newer stuff I get the impression it will be just one of many short term attachments before the next page loads so to speak.

And maybe film is just running out of ideas as well? They’ve been at it a long time now. Many have questioned whether the novel will be around much longer, or books at all. Few ask the same questions about movies. But I’m starting to wonder if their future won’t be much different as they adapt to the You Tube, cable tv culture that wants more and more but in shorter durations to get its fix. And then quickly move on to another idea. This isn’t the end of the world but it could signal a growing reluctance to dig deep or think more than superficially. And a country that has allowed the Bush years to happen doesn’t need to be thinking less or wading on the surface anymore than it already has been.

Let me reiterate that the movies mentioned above are hardly empty. Just the fact that The Departed left the earlier touched on questions (not all are plot holes anyway) which have sparked allot of online discussion since the movies release is a good thing. And as I said I liked it even more on DVD. Don’t know that ever watch it again though. It’s certainly not a canon type film though it has been treated as such. Which brings me back to the original question. Is that because the bar has been lowered after years of horrid to mediocre movies? That and the lack of truly great ones?
There is allot more to to human nature than is dreamt of in either of their philosophies Horatio, and there are very few places to explore that since everyone is playing to an audience and want to be liked. How about a movie that looks at how religion has been used to keep blacks submissive since the slave era to go along with the ones where we see how it’s provided inspiration for the civil rights movement? How about an examination not of what people believe but why. Or a look at how inequalities arose out of very real practical advantages and disadvantages rather than just looking at the consequences. I’d love to see patterns of behavior explored from a real sociological and hardcore psychological point of view. Or the role of natural selection and other less attractive qualities in all these stories including all the love stories ever made.

Not that these ideas would be easy to turn into interesting movies or that no one has touched on them at least between the lines. But if Hollywood doesn’t want to give truth to the conservatives view of them it’s time to stop making both the vapid, sexually exploitative movies that draw some fair criticism and movies full of their own goon intentions. Don’t cater to the right-wing by telling the story they’d have you tell, but realize they are not completely without merit and use the ideas of realism, pragmatism to expose them at their own games. Or to expose ourselves.

Published on March 11, 2007 in ..The Dude and Reviews. 2 Comments

Some thoughts on the state of recent good movies from different perspectives. This will be broken up into this discussion of Babel which was recently nominated for best film at the recent Academy Awards, and posts to follow shortly regarding other recent movies. And though I reviewed Crash more in depth here last year I bring it into this discussion on Babel to get at the real point of this post. Which is not so much a review of Babel, which I just saw for the first time a few days ago on DVD, but instead a small examination of the purpose of film and whether the way a certain segment of America looks at Hollywood and liberals isn’t on to something.

The other parts of this will be a discussion regarding whether film quality has slipped as I get into some thoughts about Zodiac, The Departed, and 300. Those will be up over the next couple of days.

Decided to combine the movies in part because though they are all good and worthy of their own space I think it says something about the state of movies that though they are talked about as among the best if not the best of recent months, none of them inspires me to elaborate treatises. They are all legitimate, well crafted movies. I liked all 3 more than most of what I’ve seen in recent memory. But none of them fulfilled my expectations or seem worthy of their critical excesses.

As stated Babel was a finalist nominee for Best Picture at the Oscars. Which is perhaps one of the reasons I keep comparing it to Crash. That movie won Best Picture last year. I thought it was a good movie. My review here was mostly a positive one. But it wasn’t great. To some extent I found it to be, and I hate echoing conservative buzzwords, but I thought to some extent it was liberal claptrap. It was like a grown up Afterschool Special teaching a banal, if legitimate point about prejudice and its universality and harm. I agree but portraying what amounts in this point in time to simple t.v. movie lessons on the big screen just seems a bit self absorbed to me.

Same with Babel whose ultimate lessons about communication, its lack and subsequent ties to bigger problems and those problems ways of connecting and effecting all of us across the world, is a wonderful and at least semi valid one. Overplayed but valid. But again it wasn’t anything most people who will see this movie haven’t already figured out or seen portrayed. Part of that message was even in Crash. We are all tied together and our action effect others and can pass on hate or violence.

Neither movie proves this irrefutably but they make their contentions ably and with scope in the film making. But I sometimes feel that the scope in the themes isn’t really there.

There’s allot of preaching to the choir going on as, here I go again, liberal filmmakers, seem to want to puff their chests and say, “Look how concerned and aware I am. I am worldly and sensitive. Come feel my sensitivity and celebrate it.”

This makes me think of the King Missile song “Sensitive Artist.” It’s a funny little song satirizing those who basically think their shit doesn’t stink. An artist says, “Nobody understands me because I am so deep…I am so much more intelligent and well rounded than everyone around me,” and who likes to talk about the recitals and art shows he goes to but doesn’t anymore because his hearing is too sensitive he can’t stand crowds and people bother him.

Don’t get me wrong though. I’m an advocate for getting as much of the message out there as possible. I firmly believe that art has been a huge part of the growth of humanity. You take away the contributions of cinema and T.V. the past half century or so and I don’t think we’re nearly as far along in the battles for equality, understanding, justice, tolerance, and respect.

So make these movies by all means and hope it makes a difference because Buddha knows there are certainly still allot pf pockets of ignorance out there.

But this brings me back to one of my issues with films like Babel and Crash.

Will anyone but those who are already on the same page see these movies?

Media is so fragmented now that everyone can find what they want to find. There was a point in the 60′s up until the past decade or two when if you wanted entertainment it was hard to avoid shows and movies that could make a difference and enlighten. Bigots couldn’t help seeing All In The Family in the 70′s and see how silly and stupid they were mirrored back to them in an iconic character. They couldn’t help but see the steady influx of more positive black characters. Movies like The China Syndrome or All The President’s Men stood out and educated people about how dangerous or corrupt parts of our country we rely on can be.

But now there’s such a glut of media out there, much of it bite size nuggets, that people seem to be able to gravitate to whatever they want to hear or see. Which is not necessarily what they need to hear or see. And one of the chief positives of art has often been pushing that envelope and showing people some things they weren’t prepared to see or hear and thusly raising their consciousness.

I’m not sure the trumpeted greatness of the Babel’s or Crash’s is not to an extent exaggerated by those just as eager as the filmmakers to show how broad minded they are and that they get it. Those who have already had their consciousness raised and want others to know it while they in fact have stopped raising their own because it only seems higher compared to those who don’t see Crash or Babel and get it like they do.

So are anyone but those that already get it, getting it? Maybe some reaffirmation helps. But the adoration for these movies at times seems to me to be an exercise in circle jerking.

Again, Babel and Crash are good movies. But they won’t be movies people are watching 10 years from now. They are part of a disposable culture turning out disposable entertainment. Is this entertainment now, at least subconsciously by the artists and consciously by studios, being tailored to audiences now? Let the converted get their fix and move on to the next reaffirmation of what you believe or want to hear. Not unlike the mentality of the religious. At least there’s some reality at play in these films and they’re offering a broader perspective, but I can’t help smelling a cloistered naivete that in my opinion Republicans are warranted in criticizing.

Sometimes I wish filmmakers would explore the virtues of pragmatism and hardcore reality as opposed to taking any political point of view. And though Republican pragmatism is now full of shit, really what they term realism or what has been called realpolitick since at least the 1840′s, they are in their own clumsy selfish way on to something. Allot of people don’t realize that their selfish policies, their lies and deceits and manipulations are calculated and philosophical in nature. Like most people it’s a self serving philosophy to support what best suits them. But it is a real decision to do bad things to get at what they have turned into in their minds as a higher cause or purpose.

The idiots on Faux News know they’re spouting bullshit. Tony Snow knows he’s spooning the media lies. The Armitages, Pearls, and Wolfowitzes knew Iraq had no WMD’s or connection to Al-Quada. The media in large part knew they were holding back the whole story. But all parties felt lying and sacrificing other people served a greater purpose. Some including Bush may actually believe god has something to do with this purpose. But the point is that they try and take a look at how things really are and act accordingly. To face hard realities and make hard decisions. They happen to suck at it but right now as far as artistic venues go I’d say Battlestar Galactica is one of the few places where these angles are explored. But as for those right wing supposedly realistic policies, they are in their minds, opposed to what they see as the left wing pie in the sky versions of reality.

Ironic that the guys taking that realistic approach hide behind the biggest pie in the sky delusion of them all, organized religion, to justify themselves and con others. But that shouldn’t stop us from giving the idea that a need to look hard at real human nature is necessary and reflect it artistically. And yes a movie like Crash does look at some real human tendencies to sublimate our anger and resort to hate across all colors and ethnicities. But not only is it not a new idea, one set before a too willing audience who has seen it all before, it still has at least a few roots in a vision of humanity that comes across as, if not a bit deluded, certainly a bit self-serving at times.

And while Babel resounded at least a little, its resonation was an echo rather than something I or most of its audience needed to hear or have never heard before. It’s Director, Anirrito, made 21 Grams which got a long discussion going on this site a while back, and while I actually liked Babel a bit better I still feel it offers less to talk about. At least 21 drew out thoughts on life, death and regret that could bring about reflection as a possible means towards improvement. In Babel, though as stated I appreciated its intent and execution, the only thing I think people can talk about is how they get it and are cool liberals for doing so. We all speak a peculiar language in our heads whether outwardly we speak Japanese, English, Moroccan, or sign language. But I think the ultimate motivation for the hollywood embrace of movies like this and Crash is not as a way of bridging communication gaps but in just hearing themselves think out loud.

Published on March 10, 2007 in ..The Dude and Religion. 1 Comment

[image:224:l] My conversations with Christ continue.

Praise unto us both.

To recap from my first posted conversation with the surprisingly talkative Jew:

Recently I found Jesus. You hear all about the brilliance of such a moment from the many whom I had previously derided as mindless zealots. And then it happened to me in crystal clear brilliance and I’m forever changed. I say I found him but in reality he found me. For so many this has involved a feeling or reaction to some momentous serendipity that for whatever reasons they had connected to Christ. But being someone who demands more Jesus reached out to me in the language I could understand just as I now see he reached out to all those others through their respective mediums of chance coincidence, cultural browbeating, or hitting rock bottom.

So Jesus found me and he did it empirically so I could be among the many to testify on his behalf. And he did it corporeally. That’s right! He appeared to me my brothers and sisters. And he spoke.

Jesus spoke to me!

Last year I relayed his thoughts in the first post of this title. Jesus promised me he would be back for more and I promised you I would convey whatever he says to the masses. As he wished. Here are some more of the things Christ has on his mind.

And Lo Jesus Sayeth Am not I so mucheth into the birthday thing anymore. All mustard seeds must mature and remember that age-ith is justeth a numbereth. So forget Christmas is what he’s basically saying. Pluseth, Am not I a Sagittarius. Born in April waseth I.

Jesus has been watching Star Wars allot recently.

Here’s more of what he had to say to me praise be him.

And Lo Jesus Sayeth that the whip cream of his latte grande mocca from Starbucks last Wednesday was in the form of the Virgin Mary. Said he-ith, It really looked nothing like her. That waseth the most remarkable thing.

And Lo Jesuth Sayeth that ideology bringeth forth ruin. He who is wedded to an idea is doomed to divorce himselfith from all reality. Whenith one stickith to a point in time and space they can but only exist in circles that bringith them back to that point.

Jesus added that we should stop fucking around in Iraq and that he called the whole thing 5 years ago.

I asked Jesus if Iraq was like a mustard seed. He said he got it, and that he would try to find more pertinent modern metaphors from now on. He added that Iraq was more like an iceberg. And America the Titanic.

And that Bush’s brain is like the Californian’s wireless the night the Titanic went down.

My mustard seed comment must have triggered something or touched on a sore spot because then jesus’ next proclamation was as follows:

And Lo Jeses Sayeth myest metaphors have beenith updateth for as time passes must we groweth. Much like a…uh, a tumor or something. Except goodith. A benign tumor.

He added he would work on it.

And Lo Jesuth Sayeth you can’t always getteth what you wanteth. But if you tryeth sometimes, you mightest find, yout getteth what you needeth.

He claims he said it first.

And Lo Jesus Sayeth that pissing upright is next to godliness and akin to the planting of an iceberg.

And Lo Jesus Sayeth he feeleth safer knowing Jack is back. Eveneth though his family is moreso screwed uppiteth than mine own.

And Lo Jesus Sayeth Babel is this years Crash. Botheth are liberal twaddle pretendingith to offer fresh insighteths. Jesus than spit at the floor. Looketh at my expectorant! Is it not lovely and full of insighteths? This is Crash and Babel’s audienceths.

In the folly of my own arrogance I tried arguing the relative merits of both films with Jesus. Having just seen Babel I brought up how though its observations about the small mis-communications being tied to larger ones, though not new, were legitimately enacted and with enough dramatic pull to create investiture on the viewers part. “Perhaps it’s a point worth re-characterizing no matter how banal it is,” said I.

Jesus then stopped talking to me for an hour and I got the point.

And Lo Jesuth Sayeth he called the connection between Strom Thurmond and Al Sharpton and that we should not be fooled by the apparent reversal of fortunes. Slavery still breatheth and he who seeith not the justice of reperations is a poopoo head.

And Lo Jesuth Sayeth brown M&M’s are liketh unto the voice of the devil. We donteth want it or them and yetteth there it is in every bag so plentiful we canotteth help partaketh.

Jesus blamed corporations for inundating us with both.

And Lo Jesus Sayeth Human-ith Growth Hormone is indeed cheating but ifith I had the chancith to make that kind of money playing a game I’d shoot-ith cocaine laced diarrhea into my veins. Ith.

He added that kids shouldn’t cheat.

And Lo Jesuth Sayeth I kneweth America would voteth in the icky pretty Indian boy over Sundance on Idol. The Sundance man be-ith too squat like, a….an iceberg tree. Onceth he sung Pearl Jammeth he was gonneth, for Americans are deaf to the real rocketh and its rolling-ith.

Amen Jesus.

Amen.

Later I fired off some rapid fire topics in the tone of a question to get Jesus take on recent events:

The Bush administration’s censoring of scientists mentioning Polar Bears or melting ice?

!Bush should be mangled by such a bear and trapped under the ice for all eternity.

He then started to riff on Metallica’s Trapped Under Ice. When he finished I asked about what Cheney’s punishment for this and more should be?

!He grew fearful. Mentioned something about legions and said the most he could do against him was a blood clot in his leg.

On the right wing conspiracy to fire 6 lawyers who were investigating corruption and the hearings currently ongoing to investigate this?

!He spit on the floor again.

On who has had more sex, Wilt Chamberlain or Gene Simmons.

!No doubt the rocker. The tongue put him over the top. Jesus said the ladies love a little tongue action. Throw in a guitar and wham!

And Simmons is hung like a Jew.

He should know.

On Libby conviction?

!Iceberg tip.

On the Walter Reed hospital scandal?

!What? You mean they trumpet the troops to shield themselves from criticism and brainwash them to be targets but don’t really care about them?

!Yeah, real shocker there.

!Again with the spitting.

Recent movies?

!Disappointed with Zodiac. Loved 300. That’s why he loved the Greeks so much. Wants to kick some Middle Eastern ass now and doesn’t care whose it is.

!And who would have thought hatch crapper guy from Lost could be cool.

On The Departed as Best Picture?

!Was ok. Prefers watching allot of people killed by swords by guys in sandals than by guns with guys in suits.

!That’s just him though.

On Forrest Whitaker as Best Actor?

!He laughed for about 5 minutes and could only get out the name Spicolli.

On Ann Coulter calling John Edwards a faggot?

!She finally got something right.

Really I asked, a bit shocked?

!Seriously he’s got no sword skills at all.

On my comparison of Starbuck’s Galactica death to Tasha Yar’s on The Next Generation?

!Entirely apt.

Entirely?

!Entirely.

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