Well--This is the way to take a legend and make it really bad. Beowulf (2007) was an extended video game obstesibly based on the ancient Norse legend.
It was done in the style of live action actors being then animated into fantasy sequences, so you have Anthony Hopkins just looking silly in a flimsy toga, and Angelina Jolie doing a near-nude scene (as a water demon) that I really don't think she would do anymore. And John Malkovich looking like he was constipated the whole time. And since it is "animated" I guess it is OK.
But I digress...the plot is bad, the acting is bad, and the closeness to the legend is pretty scanty...I mean, it gets the big things right of course, but the details, well, Hollywood, as always, just decides to re-do things as it goes, as usual. Even the animation goes awry and does not look to good at points.
Skip it...a waste of time. Bad movie. Not good.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Movie-Swimming Upstream
Swimming Upstream (2005) is not a very well known movie, but it is terrific. A true story about Australian swimmer Tony Fingleton competing for a spot on the national team, is sounds a bore. But it really is about his family, his abusive older bother and father, played by the sensational Geoffrey Rush (who is a fantastic actor and never gets as much acclaim as he deserves).
This a finely crafted piece. The currents between the actors is perfect, with Judy Davis playing the mother of this very dysfunctional family, the movie really blends the swimming competition well with the real drama of the family dynamic.
The movie is not really about swimming, but surviving, and somehow persevering in the face of about as negative a start as possible. As I said, Rush is impressive, and I think he never wavers of goes wrong in his performance.
Swimming Upstream is a nice surprise movie, excellent, that few have heard about.
This a finely crafted piece. The currents between the actors is perfect, with Judy Davis playing the mother of this very dysfunctional family, the movie really blends the swimming competition well with the real drama of the family dynamic.
The movie is not really about swimming, but surviving, and somehow persevering in the face of about as negative a start as possible. As I said, Rush is impressive, and I think he never wavers of goes wrong in his performance.
Swimming Upstream is a nice surprise movie, excellent, that few have heard about.
Movie-St. Elmo's Fire
Yes...I am re-living the days of the Brat Pack. St. Elmo's Fire (1985) was a touchstone for people coming of age in the 80's and it still holds some nostalgia and some nice touches to it, though I have to say to those characters, "Kid's, if you think life is tough so far, you ain't seen nothing yet!"
In case you have forgotten the concept of the flick, 7 college friends from Georgetown, a year out of college are having trouble adjusting to real life. They are played by Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy and others of Brat Pack fame. They think they will be friends forever and they hang out together and still go to their college bar St. Elmo's for beer and bites.
But real life is closing in on them, and tearing the friendships apart. By the end of the movie, one of them has left, another is going, and they realize they all may not stay friends forever...life has ways of sneaking up on us, and kicking us in the ass.
Now these are are pretty self absorbed individuals, I will admit. And while somewhat likable, the distance of years has made me less sympathetic to their plights. But the truest thing that the movie portrays is the change that life presents...not only after college, but throughout life. It is not one long strand, but a series of interlocking links that connects parts of a life to other parts. And change is sure to happen...and is sometimes difficult.
And watching this movie I felt my own year, where there has been some considerable change. Good friends leaving, not only from working with me, but from San Diego, changing my job status and situation, changing in other friends lives, gaining significant others, gaining babies. Nothing stays the same, and the more you try to make it, the more it knocks you on your ass when it does change. That is not to say you always like it...you don't miss your friends...but it will still happen.
Anyway, that is what St. Elmo's Fire does right, what it can still evoke after 20 some odd years. Is it still a very 80's movie? Oh yeah...Jules (Demi's character) and her pink walls with the mural of Billy Idol and his neon light earring will attest to that! But, it surprised me but what it had that transcended the 80's. It was worth the time to revisit and old friend.
In case you have forgotten the concept of the flick, 7 college friends from Georgetown, a year out of college are having trouble adjusting to real life. They are played by Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy and others of Brat Pack fame. They think they will be friends forever and they hang out together and still go to their college bar St. Elmo's for beer and bites.
But real life is closing in on them, and tearing the friendships apart. By the end of the movie, one of them has left, another is going, and they realize they all may not stay friends forever...life has ways of sneaking up on us, and kicking us in the ass.
Now these are are pretty self absorbed individuals, I will admit. And while somewhat likable, the distance of years has made me less sympathetic to their plights. But the truest thing that the movie portrays is the change that life presents...not only after college, but throughout life. It is not one long strand, but a series of interlocking links that connects parts of a life to other parts. And change is sure to happen...and is sometimes difficult.
And watching this movie I felt my own year, where there has been some considerable change. Good friends leaving, not only from working with me, but from San Diego, changing my job status and situation, changing in other friends lives, gaining significant others, gaining babies. Nothing stays the same, and the more you try to make it, the more it knocks you on your ass when it does change. That is not to say you always like it...you don't miss your friends...but it will still happen.
Anyway, that is what St. Elmo's Fire does right, what it can still evoke after 20 some odd years. Is it still a very 80's movie? Oh yeah...Jules (Demi's character) and her pink walls with the mural of Billy Idol and his neon light earring will attest to that! But, it surprised me but what it had that transcended the 80's. It was worth the time to revisit and old friend.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Movie-The Sea Inside
This remarkable and thoughtful Spanish movie, starring Javier Bardem (known best in the U.S for No Country for Old Men) focuses on the one man, a paraplegic, fighting for the right to end his life legally.
The Sea Inside (2004) is based on a true story and Bardem plays the main character of Ramon Sampedro, who does not lead an outwardly miserable existence. He has loved ones and friends and could have an active social and love life. He is charming and creative, and very paralyzed, from the neck down. And he feels his life is not worth living...he feels it is not life, despite all the things mentioned above. And most important to note...he does not try to speak for anyone else...no other who are paralysed, not others who are handicapped...he speaks only for himself, what it means to him, how he feels about the accident that has left him this way. He is NOT an advocate for any group, but an advocate for his individual choice.
This movie, these questions, these legal yearnings, for society to make legal his suicide are far reaching questions, and that is what makes this movie so good. Whether you agree with what he is asking or not--- if you are a moral person, a thinking person, you ask yourself so many questions regarding this question. First---whether you agree or not, should the courts and society agree in his case? What cases should the courts agree in? Where is the line between suffering and just plain living?
This fine film explores these moral dilemmas and so many more in this delicate and very gray issue. And even in this film, there is very little black and white, though it is clear it sides with Sampedro wanting to be able to die with dignity. But it does not make the choice with ease, putting family and friends in the middle of the moral quandary. Does what one person want make it right for all, and does it make it right for society?
The Sea Inside does not answer these questions...indeed, it cannot. But it can make us ask them more, of ourselves and our family and friends. That is a worthy discussion, and I think it may make Ramon Sampedro happy that he provoked that discussion after all.
The Sea Inside (2004) is based on a true story and Bardem plays the main character of Ramon Sampedro, who does not lead an outwardly miserable existence. He has loved ones and friends and could have an active social and love life. He is charming and creative, and very paralyzed, from the neck down. And he feels his life is not worth living...he feels it is not life, despite all the things mentioned above. And most important to note...he does not try to speak for anyone else...no other who are paralysed, not others who are handicapped...he speaks only for himself, what it means to him, how he feels about the accident that has left him this way. He is NOT an advocate for any group, but an advocate for his individual choice.
This movie, these questions, these legal yearnings, for society to make legal his suicide are far reaching questions, and that is what makes this movie so good. Whether you agree with what he is asking or not--- if you are a moral person, a thinking person, you ask yourself so many questions regarding this question. First---whether you agree or not, should the courts and society agree in his case? What cases should the courts agree in? Where is the line between suffering and just plain living?
This fine film explores these moral dilemmas and so many more in this delicate and very gray issue. And even in this film, there is very little black and white, though it is clear it sides with Sampedro wanting to be able to die with dignity. But it does not make the choice with ease, putting family and friends in the middle of the moral quandary. Does what one person want make it right for all, and does it make it right for society?
The Sea Inside does not answer these questions...indeed, it cannot. But it can make us ask them more, of ourselves and our family and friends. That is a worthy discussion, and I think it may make Ramon Sampedro happy that he provoked that discussion after all.
Movie-The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
I don't like Bill Murray much--let me just admit that here, right up front. I think that he plays over-the-hill, egotistical a-holes so well because he does not need to act to get it down pat. But, I had heard good things about The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) when it came out, so I put it in my queue and just left it there...moving movies above it, but never moving it down, just slowly letting it move up.
It finally arrived, and I was right never to move it up. Look, it was not completely terrible. The satire about these wildlife "experts" who put out documentaries about their exploits was pretty amusing. The plethora of these people is astounding, and this satirical part of the movie hit pretty spot on...however, it was a small part of the film.
The rest was Bill Murray just being Bill. And it was not funny, and not bittersweet and not nostalgic...it was boring and annoying more than anything. Even the inclusion of Cate Blanchett (who can make almost any movie decent) into the cast could not save this film.
I did try. As Sharlynn gave up on it, I stayed with it. Saw it through to the end, hoping for redemption. Didn't happen. The final scenes, that somehow were supposed to be meaningful were so hokey and badly special effected that it was pitiful and took away any possibility of meaning to the end.
Ah well...at least THAT is out of the queue now...
It finally arrived, and I was right never to move it up. Look, it was not completely terrible. The satire about these wildlife "experts" who put out documentaries about their exploits was pretty amusing. The plethora of these people is astounding, and this satirical part of the movie hit pretty spot on...however, it was a small part of the film.
The rest was Bill Murray just being Bill. And it was not funny, and not bittersweet and not nostalgic...it was boring and annoying more than anything. Even the inclusion of Cate Blanchett (who can make almost any movie decent) into the cast could not save this film.
I did try. As Sharlynn gave up on it, I stayed with it. Saw it through to the end, hoping for redemption. Didn't happen. The final scenes, that somehow were supposed to be meaningful were so hokey and badly special effected that it was pitiful and took away any possibility of meaning to the end.
Ah well...at least THAT is out of the queue now...
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Movie-The Namesake
The Namesake (2007) is a movie of surprises for me. It is a story of two Indian immigrants, a young married couple (she quite a bit younger than he) making their way in America. We follow their early life, their success, their children and their children's lives.
What was nicely surprises was the superb performances of the two first generation actors, Irfan Khan and Tabu, both of Bollywood fame. Both are subtle and gentle and give so much in a word or a movement of a look...never wasting anything. They are what makes this movie work.
Another surprise is what does not work early on---and that is the high schooler son "Gogol," ostensibly the main character, as played by Kal Penn of Harold and Kumar fame. It just did not work...later, as he is older I could buy it, but as a rebellious high schooler...it was not at all believable.
Gogol is named after the author, his father favorite. But there is another, deeper significance to the name, that Gogol only finds out later. And as much as the movie tries to make him the center of the film...the heart of the movie resides in the parents and their relationship. With these two actors it really is a thing of beauty. If nothing else, see the movie just for this aspect.
The rest of the movie is good, if a tad predictable. the experiences of the children born in American vs. the parents who came to America is an archetypal one that is the essence of America itself, and is seen not only in Indian culture but Italian and Irish and African and Mexican and Chinese and every ethnic group that comes to this land. it is good to see that it is still portrayed so positively and with such hope.
Namesake does not always offer completely fresh ideas, but it does offer what if presents very well, and with such nice performances that you will keep some of these characters in your heart for some time.
What was nicely surprises was the superb performances of the two first generation actors, Irfan Khan and Tabu, both of Bollywood fame. Both are subtle and gentle and give so much in a word or a movement of a look...never wasting anything. They are what makes this movie work.
Another surprise is what does not work early on---and that is the high schooler son "Gogol," ostensibly the main character, as played by Kal Penn of Harold and Kumar fame. It just did not work...later, as he is older I could buy it, but as a rebellious high schooler...it was not at all believable.
Gogol is named after the author, his father favorite. But there is another, deeper significance to the name, that Gogol only finds out later. And as much as the movie tries to make him the center of the film...the heart of the movie resides in the parents and their relationship. With these two actors it really is a thing of beauty. If nothing else, see the movie just for this aspect.
The rest of the movie is good, if a tad predictable. the experiences of the children born in American vs. the parents who came to America is an archetypal one that is the essence of America itself, and is seen not only in Indian culture but Italian and Irish and African and Mexican and Chinese and every ethnic group that comes to this land. it is good to see that it is still portrayed so positively and with such hope.
Namesake does not always offer completely fresh ideas, but it does offer what if presents very well, and with such nice performances that you will keep some of these characters in your heart for some time.
TV On Netflix-All Creatures Great and Small, Season 3
This series still gives me great pleasure. The true story of a veterinary practise in the English Dales in the late 1930 and early 1940's, this 3rd season was a bittersweet one in many ways.
It kept along with the stories of James Herriot and his partners Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, practising animal doctoring among the farmers and other colorful characters of the English countryside, stories often amusing, sometimes downright funny, and sometimes heart wrenching. But the season also had the threat of the impending war over it, and by the end of the season, James and Siegfried are off to participate in WW II, as they really did.
But in the creation of the show it also was bittersweet, because is marked the end of the original run of the series, ending in 1980. After that came two specials, in 1983 and 1985 and then the series started again in 1988. It is true that most of the original cast comes back. Christopher Timothy as James and both Robert hardy and Peter Davison return as the Farnons...but Carol Drinkwater does not return as Helen Herriot, and though Lynda Bellingham tries to fill the shoes, there truly is no other Helen. Also missing is Mary Hignett, as Mrs. Hall, their long-suffering housekeeper, as the actress died in the interim.
So season 3 is to be savored. It is the high point in a series that is wonderful, funny, charming and loving.
It kept along with the stories of James Herriot and his partners Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, practising animal doctoring among the farmers and other colorful characters of the English countryside, stories often amusing, sometimes downright funny, and sometimes heart wrenching. But the season also had the threat of the impending war over it, and by the end of the season, James and Siegfried are off to participate in WW II, as they really did.
But in the creation of the show it also was bittersweet, because is marked the end of the original run of the series, ending in 1980. After that came two specials, in 1983 and 1985 and then the series started again in 1988. It is true that most of the original cast comes back. Christopher Timothy as James and both Robert hardy and Peter Davison return as the Farnons...but Carol Drinkwater does not return as Helen Herriot, and though Lynda Bellingham tries to fill the shoes, there truly is no other Helen. Also missing is Mary Hignett, as Mrs. Hall, their long-suffering housekeeper, as the actress died in the interim.
So season 3 is to be savored. It is the high point in a series that is wonderful, funny, charming and loving.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Movie-Balseros
Balseros (2003) is a documentary about Cuban refugees that came over to the US on rafts in a great exodus in 1994.
The film follows certain members of this group that make it over to the US and sees how they fair, even as far as 5 years later, and it is interesting to follow these disparate people, and to see the lives they make for themselves in America...and it says as much about America, as it does about these individuals.
The film also intercuts between America and Havana, to the refugees and the families they left behind. The documentarians bring videos of the new Americans to show the Cuban families, and vice versa, to illicit raw response to seeing loved ones so far away. This is effective to a point, and then seems somewhat callous, and I really think could have been left out, or used more effectively as video letters to loved ones.
Overall, Balseros was a good documentary, not soaring to great. It does score in underscoring the difference between what is seen as the promise of America, and what the truth of dealing with American life is...which is sometimes a very mixed bag. I thought it also underscores the same thing about Cuba...while poor, and not offering much economically, it does offer some things some of these refugees seem to find hard to find in America...a sense of community and family, shared experience and shared hope.
Does one country offer it all?
The film follows certain members of this group that make it over to the US and sees how they fair, even as far as 5 years later, and it is interesting to follow these disparate people, and to see the lives they make for themselves in America...and it says as much about America, as it does about these individuals.
The film also intercuts between America and Havana, to the refugees and the families they left behind. The documentarians bring videos of the new Americans to show the Cuban families, and vice versa, to illicit raw response to seeing loved ones so far away. This is effective to a point, and then seems somewhat callous, and I really think could have been left out, or used more effectively as video letters to loved ones.
Overall, Balseros was a good documentary, not soaring to great. It does score in underscoring the difference between what is seen as the promise of America, and what the truth of dealing with American life is...which is sometimes a very mixed bag. I thought it also underscores the same thing about Cuba...while poor, and not offering much economically, it does offer some things some of these refugees seem to find hard to find in America...a sense of community and family, shared experience and shared hope.
Does one country offer it all?
Movie-Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is based on a series of children's books that I have heard are quite good. But somehow I really was not expecting too much from the movie. It seemed like it would be a vehicle for an overblown Jim Carrey performance.
But it was a lot better than I expected. And Jim Carrey was kept in rein, thank god, so the movie not just one impromptu segment of him channeling Robin Williams.
The kid performers in the movie were pretty credible, and that gave it a good start right there. Nothing kills a movie like this like bad performances from the kids actors. Some funny guest starring turns by Billy Connelly and Meryl Streep kept the movie going, and yes...Jim Carrey did fine. He kept his various personas interesting and fresh and he did not go over the top (probably due to good editing).
All in all a fun movie and diverting for an evening.
But it was a lot better than I expected. And Jim Carrey was kept in rein, thank god, so the movie not just one impromptu segment of him channeling Robin Williams.
The kid performers in the movie were pretty credible, and that gave it a good start right there. Nothing kills a movie like this like bad performances from the kids actors. Some funny guest starring turns by Billy Connelly and Meryl Streep kept the movie going, and yes...Jim Carrey did fine. He kept his various personas interesting and fresh and he did not go over the top (probably due to good editing).
All in all a fun movie and diverting for an evening.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
TV Update
And the shows continue to fall...two more of my shows have gotten the axe, not getting picked up after their initial 13 episodes run out. Both shows on ABC, Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money are going to be gone. So Wednesday nights will now have nothing going on the DVR.
Fringe which was one of my bubble shows came off the bubble last week with a really good episode that addressed many of my concerns, and will keep me happy for at least a few weeks.
So my viewing list will become much thinner in the very near future with me dropping Life on Mars and Sarah Connor and Samantha Who? and the networks dropping Lipstick Jungle, Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money.
Netflix is beckoning!!!!
Fringe which was one of my bubble shows came off the bubble last week with a really good episode that addressed many of my concerns, and will keep me happy for at least a few weeks.
So my viewing list will become much thinner in the very near future with me dropping Life on Mars and Sarah Connor and Samantha Who? and the networks dropping Lipstick Jungle, Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money.
Netflix is beckoning!!!!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Religious Hypocricy
I know the pairing of those two words above does not really shock too many people, but I have to tell you, I am so pissed off about the Catholic church and its hypocrisy pertaining to Barack Obama, I am ready to take away any tax exempt status it has, and I refuse to support any of its programs, including Father Joes worthy charities here in San Diego.
They have said that any of its members that supported Obama must do penance because of his stand on abortion. And they say if they continue to support him, they should not take communion, because they are committing sin.
What the hell kind of thinking is that from this church that bargained with the Nazis less than a century ago? Are Americans who voted for Bush similarly sanctioned because he has started wars that have killed tens of thousands of people? Is that not a mortal sin? And if not, why not? And yes, those wars have killed children and pregnant women...and yet that is OK by these corrupt religious leaders? I am sorry, I try not to curse too much in my blog, but what the fuck is that?
Not 50 years ago, many Americans would not vote for JFK because they were afraid he would be led by bishops and the pope. Now it appears that the church wishes to re-enforce the idea that there is no separation between catholic Americans' civil duties and their religious duties.
I have a question---how good must a leader be to be OK with the church, even if he differs with them on abortion? Maybe more to the point, can he be as evil as Hitler, but still make deals with the Vatican as he did in WWII, as long as he agrees with them on abortion?
This sickens me to the core of my being! This church that wishes people to live in ignorance...that just in the last 25 years relented its excommunication of Galileo and admitted that he was right, the earth is not the center of the universe. This church that still distrusts evolutionary theory and tries at every turn to condemn it, this church that put to death scientists, excommunicated thinkers, and burned healers and others who worshiped older gods...this church wants Americans to give up our democratic rights in the voting booth and conform to what it says, and tries to say we will go to hell if we don't!
There is a special ring in hell for religious leaders like that. Jesus called out the Pharisees in his time, and these bishops are remarkably similar. They will suffer a similar fate.
It also smells of racism through and through and it disgusts me.
They have said that any of its members that supported Obama must do penance because of his stand on abortion. And they say if they continue to support him, they should not take communion, because they are committing sin.
What the hell kind of thinking is that from this church that bargained with the Nazis less than a century ago? Are Americans who voted for Bush similarly sanctioned because he has started wars that have killed tens of thousands of people? Is that not a mortal sin? And if not, why not? And yes, those wars have killed children and pregnant women...and yet that is OK by these corrupt religious leaders? I am sorry, I try not to curse too much in my blog, but what the fuck is that?
Not 50 years ago, many Americans would not vote for JFK because they were afraid he would be led by bishops and the pope. Now it appears that the church wishes to re-enforce the idea that there is no separation between catholic Americans' civil duties and their religious duties.
I have a question---how good must a leader be to be OK with the church, even if he differs with them on abortion? Maybe more to the point, can he be as evil as Hitler, but still make deals with the Vatican as he did in WWII, as long as he agrees with them on abortion?
This sickens me to the core of my being! This church that wishes people to live in ignorance...that just in the last 25 years relented its excommunication of Galileo and admitted that he was right, the earth is not the center of the universe. This church that still distrusts evolutionary theory and tries at every turn to condemn it, this church that put to death scientists, excommunicated thinkers, and burned healers and others who worshiped older gods...this church wants Americans to give up our democratic rights in the voting booth and conform to what it says, and tries to say we will go to hell if we don't!
There is a special ring in hell for religious leaders like that. Jesus called out the Pharisees in his time, and these bishops are remarkably similar. They will suffer a similar fate.
It also smells of racism through and through and it disgusts me.
Congratulation_ A Journey Completed
About 7 months ago I congratulated the announcement at a poker party from our friends Emily and Seth on their announced pregnancy.
Well, a few days ago, the event happened, and Emily gave birth to a beautiful girl!
She is so cute, and the parents are enamored of her of course. She very mellow and calm, and is destined to become a great poker player I know.
To both parents I can only say Wow! Well done!!! She is a beauty! And the love that is already gleaming from your eyes will keep growing, and will sustain you during the teenage years!
Seth and Emily and Kailie. Blessings!
Well, a few days ago, the event happened, and Emily gave birth to a beautiful girl!
She is so cute, and the parents are enamored of her of course. She very mellow and calm, and is destined to become a great poker player I know.
To both parents I can only say Wow! Well done!!! She is a beauty! And the love that is already gleaming from your eyes will keep growing, and will sustain you during the teenage years!
Seth and Emily and Kailie. Blessings!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Quick TV Update
A couple of TV notes. Samantha Who? that was a bubble show for me, is now off my viewing list. It survived a couple of more episodes because it had found a bit of its warmth again, as opposed to just silliness. But it lapsed again into just silly, so it is gone.
Lipstick Jungle is being cancelled. Not a big surprise considering its ratings and its recent move to the Friday night graveyard. They will probably burn off the remaining episodes of the 13 the have filmed, but it will soon be gone too.
Two more shows to note. Fringe has moved to my own bubble. I really like the interplay between the characters, but it needs to start answering some of its questions, and also needs to not always be so damn gross in its mysteries.
And last, a show I really like is on the real bubble, namely Pushing Daisies. Quirky and odd, it is not like anything else on TV and I hope it survives, but I don't know if it will. It will be a shame if it does not.
Lipstick Jungle is being cancelled. Not a big surprise considering its ratings and its recent move to the Friday night graveyard. They will probably burn off the remaining episodes of the 13 the have filmed, but it will soon be gone too.
Two more shows to note. Fringe has moved to my own bubble. I really like the interplay between the characters, but it needs to start answering some of its questions, and also needs to not always be so damn gross in its mysteries.
And last, a show I really like is on the real bubble, namely Pushing Daisies. Quirky and odd, it is not like anything else on TV and I hope it survives, but I don't know if it will. It will be a shame if it does not.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Election Thoughts
I have been trying to figure out ways to put down in words how I feel about this past election, both good and bad. And so I have just decided to write and see how it flows.
First of all, that Barack Obama has been elected the next president is amazing. I think that he has a chance to become one of those presidents that inspires and changes a generation. I am talking about presidents like FDR and JFK, and on the other side of the political spectrum, Ronald Reagan.
I was a supporter of Obama from early on in the primaries, after it was clear that my original candidate, Bill Richardson was going nowhere. I found his message of change refreshing, and even more so the pragmatism that went with it. The idea that doing the same thing was not working so we had to try new approaches to the problems the we faced. And as the election cycle went on the problems we faced became more and more formidable, and the current administration became more and more castrated in their ability to handle the problems.
Barack Obama put together a formidable political strategy, eschewing some very bright strategists, like James Carville, who mocked the 50-state strategy that Barack Obama embraced from the DNC's Howard Dean. They competed in every state, and spoke to every section of the country. Even if they did not win a state, they diminished the GOP standing in almost every area of the electorate.
I do not know if Obama, when he started his campaign really thought he could get this far. I have to think he must have thought to make a larger name for himself...maybe be on a short list for VP. But as he went on, I think there was a transformation in him too. He really became an advocate for the middle class people that have been left behind for so long. He saw clearly that this country survives not just on how well the well-to-do are doing, but on how well the middle class are doing, and we are not doing so damn well right now after 8 years of Bush.
His nimbleness in the primaries set him up well for the general election, and honed his transformation even more. He seemed to embody the yearnings of young people. You could see his energy in the debates, as opposed to the oldness of McCain---it was clear to many. He spoke across races and genders and spoke of optimism and hard work...and he spoke seriously. He spoke as if he took the job, and his mission seriously. He spoke as if he took the concerns of the middle class and the people without health care and the people losing their jobs seriously. He spoke of uniting the country again.
I don't know. Maybe he will turn into just another politician. If he does, I am OK with that, at least he is on my side of the political agenda. Maybe he will be buried under the nihilism that seems to be Washington DC. I hope he can transcend that.
But I think we may have a chance for something extraordinary here. A president who is a leader not just with his convictions, but with his mind and his heart. A man who listens to others, even those who disagree with him. A man with pride in his country, but without the hubris that makes our current leader arrogant. We may have a chance to be less divided.
A couple of things that worry me, that show this country still has a long way to go:
Rush Limbaugh---When Obama a couple of days off to visit his grandmother on her deathbed, Limbaugh publicly questioned his intentions going to Hawaii, wondering whether he was really going to visit his grandmother who Limbaugh heard was not that bad off, or whether he was going to doctor his birth certificate. Limbaugh is lower than rat shit!
I read the story of the Vietnam vet, who was so upset about McCain losing that he turned his flag upside down on his front porch, the sign for distress. He could not believe America turned its back on a war hero. I wonder if he was that upset when America did not elect John Kerry?
I have read with amusement those McCain supporters who are worried about Obama and do not trust him. First off, welcome to my world for the past 8 years! Some have even said he is not their president. Excuse me? When I said that, I was called a traitor, I was told if I don't like it, I should leave America...and not just by media, by people I know.
So, to those who do not support Obama...I say...stay...you are part of this country too. But do not try to destroy us. Do not try to smear us with gossip and innuendo. We will not play that anymore. We are America too, and we have said we can change this. We can make it better. We can heal the divides but we will not allow you to keep hurting us and making hate and bitterness. We will confront you and say no! We will not say it is politically expedient to use racism and sexism to keep us apart, we will not allow the hatred of others to form policy. We are changing and we can change more.
One more point about the changes we are already seeing. I was at Trader Joes today, getting only three items. It was crowded, and I got in a long line. The woman in front of me had a very full basket, but I did not mind waiting at all. However, she turned to me and said, "You are going ahead of me." I said, "No, I don't mind waiting." She said, "My mother taught me to this courtesy, and I have to carry it out. And I am trying to be better, letting people in in traffic, thing like that. Maybe since this election, we will see some more of that."
If we see more of people taking care of each other, of community, of courtesy to one another...maybe that in itself will be a huge tribute to Barack Obama.
Let us hope it lasts and spreads. Yes it can. Yes we can.
First of all, that Barack Obama has been elected the next president is amazing. I think that he has a chance to become one of those presidents that inspires and changes a generation. I am talking about presidents like FDR and JFK, and on the other side of the political spectrum, Ronald Reagan.
I was a supporter of Obama from early on in the primaries, after it was clear that my original candidate, Bill Richardson was going nowhere. I found his message of change refreshing, and even more so the pragmatism that went with it. The idea that doing the same thing was not working so we had to try new approaches to the problems the we faced. And as the election cycle went on the problems we faced became more and more formidable, and the current administration became more and more castrated in their ability to handle the problems.
Barack Obama put together a formidable political strategy, eschewing some very bright strategists, like James Carville, who mocked the 50-state strategy that Barack Obama embraced from the DNC's Howard Dean. They competed in every state, and spoke to every section of the country. Even if they did not win a state, they diminished the GOP standing in almost every area of the electorate.
I do not know if Obama, when he started his campaign really thought he could get this far. I have to think he must have thought to make a larger name for himself...maybe be on a short list for VP. But as he went on, I think there was a transformation in him too. He really became an advocate for the middle class people that have been left behind for so long. He saw clearly that this country survives not just on how well the well-to-do are doing, but on how well the middle class are doing, and we are not doing so damn well right now after 8 years of Bush.
His nimbleness in the primaries set him up well for the general election, and honed his transformation even more. He seemed to embody the yearnings of young people. You could see his energy in the debates, as opposed to the oldness of McCain---it was clear to many. He spoke across races and genders and spoke of optimism and hard work...and he spoke seriously. He spoke as if he took the job, and his mission seriously. He spoke as if he took the concerns of the middle class and the people without health care and the people losing their jobs seriously. He spoke of uniting the country again.
I don't know. Maybe he will turn into just another politician. If he does, I am OK with that, at least he is on my side of the political agenda. Maybe he will be buried under the nihilism that seems to be Washington DC. I hope he can transcend that.
But I think we may have a chance for something extraordinary here. A president who is a leader not just with his convictions, but with his mind and his heart. A man who listens to others, even those who disagree with him. A man with pride in his country, but without the hubris that makes our current leader arrogant. We may have a chance to be less divided.
A couple of things that worry me, that show this country still has a long way to go:
Rush Limbaugh---When Obama a couple of days off to visit his grandmother on her deathbed, Limbaugh publicly questioned his intentions going to Hawaii, wondering whether he was really going to visit his grandmother who Limbaugh heard was not that bad off, or whether he was going to doctor his birth certificate. Limbaugh is lower than rat shit!
I read the story of the Vietnam vet, who was so upset about McCain losing that he turned his flag upside down on his front porch, the sign for distress. He could not believe America turned its back on a war hero. I wonder if he was that upset when America did not elect John Kerry?
I have read with amusement those McCain supporters who are worried about Obama and do not trust him. First off, welcome to my world for the past 8 years! Some have even said he is not their president. Excuse me? When I said that, I was called a traitor, I was told if I don't like it, I should leave America...and not just by media, by people I know.
So, to those who do not support Obama...I say...stay...you are part of this country too. But do not try to destroy us. Do not try to smear us with gossip and innuendo. We will not play that anymore. We are America too, and we have said we can change this. We can make it better. We can heal the divides but we will not allow you to keep hurting us and making hate and bitterness. We will confront you and say no! We will not say it is politically expedient to use racism and sexism to keep us apart, we will not allow the hatred of others to form policy. We are changing and we can change more.
One more point about the changes we are already seeing. I was at Trader Joes today, getting only three items. It was crowded, and I got in a long line. The woman in front of me had a very full basket, but I did not mind waiting at all. However, she turned to me and said, "You are going ahead of me." I said, "No, I don't mind waiting." She said, "My mother taught me to this courtesy, and I have to carry it out. And I am trying to be better, letting people in in traffic, thing like that. Maybe since this election, we will see some more of that."
If we see more of people taking care of each other, of community, of courtesy to one another...maybe that in itself will be a huge tribute to Barack Obama.
Let us hope it lasts and spreads. Yes it can. Yes we can.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
3 Magazines
As usual, national Geographic came through again. The Nov issue had a great article on Borneo...full of information and great images. But the most amazing article and images was the one about the Cavern of the Giant Crystals. This is amazing! I swear, it looks like something out of a science fiction movie! It is freaky and fascinating and amazing. I just can't believe crystals of this size in in this abundance exist. The other article that really stood out to me was the article about elephant seals...the images of the bulls fighting are frightening...you can almost feel the ground rumbling. What a great magazine.
The Nov Zoonooz is the calendar issue, and the 2009 calendar is hooked to Elephant Odyssey which will be opening next year. It should be a great new exhibit, and the issue offers some graphics of what it will look like. The animals that will be in EO will be animals that once had ancestors right here in So Cal. So the calendar each month shows the live animals and the predecessor. Not too bad.
Nov. Playboy was a pretty good issue, much of it devoted to James Bond. Playboy is linked to Bond in many ways publishing Ian Flemings Bond stories very early in its history, and in Bond's history. The interview was with Daniel Craig, the newest and maybe, best, Bond. And while some celebrity interviews reveal what callow people they are, he actually seems pretty modest and down to earth. There was also a weird but good piece of fiction from J. Robert Lennon...that I am not even sure how to describe. And a profile of Lamont Carolina, a young man whose life was turned around by Barack Obama and his campaign for president. All in all, a solid issue.
The Nov Zoonooz is the calendar issue, and the 2009 calendar is hooked to Elephant Odyssey which will be opening next year. It should be a great new exhibit, and the issue offers some graphics of what it will look like. The animals that will be in EO will be animals that once had ancestors right here in So Cal. So the calendar each month shows the live animals and the predecessor. Not too bad.
Nov. Playboy was a pretty good issue, much of it devoted to James Bond. Playboy is linked to Bond in many ways publishing Ian Flemings Bond stories very early in its history, and in Bond's history. The interview was with Daniel Craig, the newest and maybe, best, Bond. And while some celebrity interviews reveal what callow people they are, he actually seems pretty modest and down to earth. There was also a weird but good piece of fiction from J. Robert Lennon...that I am not even sure how to describe. And a profile of Lamont Carolina, a young man whose life was turned around by Barack Obama and his campaign for president. All in all, a solid issue.
Movie-Alfie
This 2004 remake of the Michael Caine film of the same name is not bad. Starring Jude Law as a fun-loving commitment-phobic womanizer, the film charts a course that shows the consequences of actions...whether they were intended, or whether the actions were carried out with ill-will or just carelessness.
Jude Law is well cast as Alfie, the Brit coming to the Big Apple to get to more women. But life becomes complicated as the women as his fall back girl, Marisa Tomei, stops wanting to play that role in his life. She wants more, and realizes she needs to stop enabling him to use her as he does. So she stops seeing him completely. This certainly throws Alfie for a loop. He also, in a one night stand, sleeps with his best friends girlfriend (Nia Long). It appears there are no repercussions until she turns up pregnant, and he loses both of their friendship in a complicated and yet fairly real storyline.
Alfie-actions have consequences...and he is realizing this. But he thinks he has found the right woman for him, in Susan Sarandon. But when she pulls an Alfie on him, he realizes that perhaps he has been wrong. While thinking he has not hurt anyone, perhaps he has just been blind to what he has done in his narcissism.
There is another woman in the movie, but that is the essential storyline. Alfie starts as a playboy, devil-may-care guy, and grows up a bit.
It wasn't great, but it was reasonably good. The acting was good, and if a movie has both Marisa Tomei and Nia Long in it, it cannot be too bad. That's all I'm saying.
Jude Law is well cast as Alfie, the Brit coming to the Big Apple to get to more women. But life becomes complicated as the women as his fall back girl, Marisa Tomei, stops wanting to play that role in his life. She wants more, and realizes she needs to stop enabling him to use her as he does. So she stops seeing him completely. This certainly throws Alfie for a loop. He also, in a one night stand, sleeps with his best friends girlfriend (Nia Long). It appears there are no repercussions until she turns up pregnant, and he loses both of their friendship in a complicated and yet fairly real storyline.
Alfie-actions have consequences...and he is realizing this. But he thinks he has found the right woman for him, in Susan Sarandon. But when she pulls an Alfie on him, he realizes that perhaps he has been wrong. While thinking he has not hurt anyone, perhaps he has just been blind to what he has done in his narcissism.
There is another woman in the movie, but that is the essential storyline. Alfie starts as a playboy, devil-may-care guy, and grows up a bit.
It wasn't great, but it was reasonably good. The acting was good, and if a movie has both Marisa Tomei and Nia Long in it, it cannot be too bad. That's all I'm saying.
Quick TV Update
I mentioned that I would drop CSI at the end of the season because the character of Gil Grissom is leaving along with so many other departures from the show. Watching this season I stand by that. The new character, Riley I think her name is, is so bland and generic. I know they will try to do more with her, but CSI will be too far from the show I enjoyed so much.
One other TV note. My experiment this year eating at chain restaurants has paid off in me getting a cultural joke on Samantha Who? Adriana got this guy to take her out because she was using him as he had connections to pro sports figures she really wanted to date. he took her to---Chili's! Yep. And his line about the food was something to the effect of "Crispy-jalapeno-orange-chicken, any one of those food descriptions is enough to make you hungry!" And I laughed because I ate there and it was soooo terrible. See, it was TOTALLY worth it!
One other TV note. My experiment this year eating at chain restaurants has paid off in me getting a cultural joke on Samantha Who? Adriana got this guy to take her out because she was using him as he had connections to pro sports figures she really wanted to date. he took her to---Chili's! Yep. And his line about the food was something to the effect of "Crispy-jalapeno-orange-chicken, any one of those food descriptions is enough to make you hungry!" And I laughed because I ate there and it was soooo terrible. See, it was TOTALLY worth it!
Book-Raise High the Roof Beam Carpenters and Seymour an Introduction
Raise High the Roof Beam Carpenters and Seymour an Introduction, a combination of two novellas, by J.D. Salinger is not easy or light reading. With little of the charm of The Catcher in the Rye, and much of the heaviness, the book, though only just over 200 pages is seems somewhat ponderous.
It is probably best to discuss the two sections separately and then how they work together. But it must be pointed out, that both stories have the same main characters, two of the Glass family (who Salinger frequently writes about in other stories), both narrated by Buddy Glass talking about his older brother, Seymour Glass.
In the Carpenters, we see Buddy making a quick trip to New York out of army training camp, to see his brother get married. It is stream-of-consciousness writing, but as there are other characters, we have dialogue and other points of view interrupting Buddy's narrative. The wedding does not happen, as Seymour has backed out on the morning of the wedding, and Buddy gets stuck in a car with relatives of the bride and a really pissed off maid of honor.
This story is not too bad, with humor and some biting dialogue and narrative. Buddy's thoughts about his brother are intermingled with the maid of honor's words, and the two form an alternate running commentary on Seymour.
The second story is ostensibly an introduction written by Buddy for a volume of Seymour's poems, to be published by his wife posthumously. Seymour did end up getting married via eloping, and also ended up committing suicide. this story is very existential stream of consciousness, with paragraphs running pages long. While I don't mind that per se (I enjoy Faulkner immensely) this was not fun or really very interesting, enlightening, enjoyable, edifying or anything else for me. It was merely a character trying to work out his own feelings on a page, and not doing a damn good job at it. Maybe that is the point, but it was so ponderous that it made even that point almost a non-event.
Seymour an Introduction is the longer of the two, and I dearly wish it had been the other way around. The two pieces offer an inter sting counterpoint to each other, one with Buddy as a young man, who clearly idolizes his brother, and one as a middle aged man writing about a brother he still idolizes, but who committed suicide. And he is grappling to understand why, and why he still idolizes him. The two stories do belong together, that is true, I just wish I found the second one to be more effective.
It is probably best to discuss the two sections separately and then how they work together. But it must be pointed out, that both stories have the same main characters, two of the Glass family (who Salinger frequently writes about in other stories), both narrated by Buddy Glass talking about his older brother, Seymour Glass.
In the Carpenters, we see Buddy making a quick trip to New York out of army training camp, to see his brother get married. It is stream-of-consciousness writing, but as there are other characters, we have dialogue and other points of view interrupting Buddy's narrative. The wedding does not happen, as Seymour has backed out on the morning of the wedding, and Buddy gets stuck in a car with relatives of the bride and a really pissed off maid of honor.
This story is not too bad, with humor and some biting dialogue and narrative. Buddy's thoughts about his brother are intermingled with the maid of honor's words, and the two form an alternate running commentary on Seymour.
The second story is ostensibly an introduction written by Buddy for a volume of Seymour's poems, to be published by his wife posthumously. Seymour did end up getting married via eloping, and also ended up committing suicide. this story is very existential stream of consciousness, with paragraphs running pages long. While I don't mind that per se (I enjoy Faulkner immensely) this was not fun or really very interesting, enlightening, enjoyable, edifying or anything else for me. It was merely a character trying to work out his own feelings on a page, and not doing a damn good job at it. Maybe that is the point, but it was so ponderous that it made even that point almost a non-event.
Seymour an Introduction is the longer of the two, and I dearly wish it had been the other way around. The two pieces offer an inter sting counterpoint to each other, one with Buddy as a young man, who clearly idolizes his brother, and one as a middle aged man writing about a brother he still idolizes, but who committed suicide. And he is grappling to understand why, and why he still idolizes him. The two stories do belong together, that is true, I just wish I found the second one to be more effective.
TV On NetFlix-Mad Men, Season 1
This is a new category...or a least a modification of a category, as I realized that I get a lot of non-movies from Netflix too. I watched all seasons of the Sopranos and the even better Six Feet Under. I would have watched Sex and the City, but I bought those before I was a Netflix member. So TV on Netflix is very apt.
The newest series I am watching is Mad Men. I had heard a lot about this show from the TV columns I read, especially Matt Roush on TVGuide.com (very good TV critic), and had been wanting to catch it. Then it won the Emmy for best dramatic series, followed quickly by an e-mail from Sharon saying she and Alex had watched it and it was great. So we caught a season 2 show and it was great---but, I wanted to go back and see the beginning, so, Netflix came through!
This show is set in 1960 on Madison Avenue in an advertising firm. The time was world's away from today...smoking wherever one wanted, everyone had a wet bar in their office and used it liberally, the secretarial pool was also the affair pool, and the bosses regularly sexually harassed the secretaries and cheated on their wives. On top of all this is Don Draper, creative director for his firm, with a beautiful wife and two kids, a mistress or two...he has the life! he even becomes a partner in the firm in this season. But...all is not perfectly well in Don's life...there is something...missing maybe, something essential that he is reaching for, but can't seem to find, can't even seem to name.
This is the world of Mad Men. And it is wonderfully created. The sets and props that recreate this world are amazing. the acting is amazing too, subtle and nuanced. The writing is the best. And in tone, is much like the Sopranos...for everything that is said, there is much unsaid...and that says more than what is said, if you follow my meaning.
I think the supporting cast in the show is about the best there is. The junior executives that work in the firm, trying to emulate Draper, form a cadre of young men, hungry for success as they define it...just starting to see the pitfalls of that success.
This is a fantastic show, and I look forward to season 2.
The newest series I am watching is Mad Men. I had heard a lot about this show from the TV columns I read, especially Matt Roush on TVGuide.com (very good TV critic), and had been wanting to catch it. Then it won the Emmy for best dramatic series, followed quickly by an e-mail from Sharon saying she and Alex had watched it and it was great. So we caught a season 2 show and it was great---but, I wanted to go back and see the beginning, so, Netflix came through!
This show is set in 1960 on Madison Avenue in an advertising firm. The time was world's away from today...smoking wherever one wanted, everyone had a wet bar in their office and used it liberally, the secretarial pool was also the affair pool, and the bosses regularly sexually harassed the secretaries and cheated on their wives. On top of all this is Don Draper, creative director for his firm, with a beautiful wife and two kids, a mistress or two...he has the life! he even becomes a partner in the firm in this season. But...all is not perfectly well in Don's life...there is something...missing maybe, something essential that he is reaching for, but can't seem to find, can't even seem to name.
This is the world of Mad Men. And it is wonderfully created. The sets and props that recreate this world are amazing. the acting is amazing too, subtle and nuanced. The writing is the best. And in tone, is much like the Sopranos...for everything that is said, there is much unsaid...and that says more than what is said, if you follow my meaning.
I think the supporting cast in the show is about the best there is. The junior executives that work in the firm, trying to emulate Draper, form a cadre of young men, hungry for success as they define it...just starting to see the pitfalls of that success.
This is a fantastic show, and I look forward to season 2.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Quick TV Update
I have dropped one of my bubble shows off my viewing list. Terminator, The Sarah Connor Chronicles is no longer being DVR'd in my house. The show has too many directions, too many plot lines, and is just much too grim all the time.
While I still think the concept is good, the details are getting too muddy. First of all, how many terminators and humans can come back in time to destroy or help John Connor? It seems like several a day are popping in and out. And each one seems to have unsure motives. Are they really trying to save him or...
And the lady with the red hair...look, I don't mind an overriding mystery in a series, but when everything, every aspect of the series is a mystery, and new characters are introduced with more mysteries before tie-ing up previous ones...it just gets to be too much. And the lady with the red hair is one of those...frankly...I don't care anymore.
So...as much as I like Lena Headey, this show is gone.
A few other TV notes---my other bubble show, Samantha Who? has gained a short reprieve, but is just on the edge. Also Lipstick Jungle has been moved to Friday nights where it is expected to die a convincing death. So that will probably be gone by 2009, I would venture a guess.
While I still think the concept is good, the details are getting too muddy. First of all, how many terminators and humans can come back in time to destroy or help John Connor? It seems like several a day are popping in and out. And each one seems to have unsure motives. Are they really trying to save him or...
And the lady with the red hair...look, I don't mind an overriding mystery in a series, but when everything, every aspect of the series is a mystery, and new characters are introduced with more mysteries before tie-ing up previous ones...it just gets to be too much. And the lady with the red hair is one of those...frankly...I don't care anymore.
So...as much as I like Lena Headey, this show is gone.
A few other TV notes---my other bubble show, Samantha Who? has gained a short reprieve, but is just on the edge. Also Lipstick Jungle has been moved to Friday nights where it is expected to die a convincing death. So that will probably be gone by 2009, I would venture a guess.
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