I’m not going to stop working, but while on a constant schedule of movies for TIFF and planning for the fest and watching the convention, I might be a little absent. Self-amusers are welcome… if asked for a touch of restraint.
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BYOB: 235 Years Of Relative independence
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
Scoot! I didn’t have any questions for you to ask Jamie (other than for his phone number, natch) but I’d love you to let me know when you’re done with the writeup. Would love to read it.
Michelle was fantastic. But it’s always a little painful having to watch someone so obviously smart and opinionated water it down a bit to be “palatable” as a First Lady (Laura Bush, obviously, has spared us this discomfort, as would Cindy).
It’s like the theme of the evening was, “Black people – they’re just like you and me!”
I’m so psyched for Mark Warner tonight.
Dedicated to this year’s election:
There’s no point in asking
You’ll get no reply
Oh just remember don’t decide
I got no reason it’s all too much
Youll always find us
Out to lunch
Oh were so pretty
Oh so pretty vacant
Oh were so pretty
Oh so pretty vacant
But now and we don’t care
Don’t ask us to attend cos we’re not all there
Oh don’t pretend cos I don’t care
I don’t believe illusions cos too much is real
So stop your cheap comment
Cos we know what we feel
Oh were so pretty
Oh so pretty vacant
Oh were so pretty
Oh so pretty vacant
But now and we don’t care
Were pretty pretty vacant
Were pretty pretty vay-cunt
And we don’t care
No shit Rob. Why the f*ck should she have to assure people that Barack and her love America and share American values? It’s so absurd. The right-wing attack machine remains effective.
“It’s like the theme of the convention is, ‘Black people – they’re just like you and me!'”
Corrected.
“Why the f*ck should she have to assure people that Barack and her love America and share American values? It’s so absurd. The right-wing attack machine remains effective.”
They’re distancing themselves from their own statements. She had the perfect opportunity last night to BE herself, to explain herself. The campaign decided against it. She’s a strong, black woman, and yet they asked her to wilt. And she complied.
Who are you blaming this on?
Can someone tell me why that dude from indiewire and Karina from Spout are out in Denver blogging the DNC for their sites?? Jesus….don’t we get ENOUGH politics everywhere else?? I can handle DP and Wells’ political stuff because it’s easy to skip…but why are politics taking over film sites?
Lame.
Very lame. Of course I understand their argument to counter: I’m a citizen, I have a website, why shouldn’t I have a voice? The answer is you should have one, and I’ve got the right to ignore it. Welles’ posts are particularly vapid, uninformed, and he basically copies and pastes his posts from Andrew Sullivan and Keith Olberman. Welles should go back to the posts he does best: Making fun of fat actors (except for Brando) and praising a movie (Indiana Jones, King Kong) then after discovering it’s unpopular change his views like a chicken shit and make fun of it.
Michelle Obama gave a great speech last night. Can’t wait to hear Warner’s and Clinton’s tonight.
You don’t think Michelle gave a great speech mystery? That would seem to put you in the minority.
The statements you mention are hardly damning. Or was her by now infamous “first time I’m proud” comment really that inflammatory in your view, warranting the seemingly endless criticism from the right & the Fox News Channel?
Wow, I might almost go register to vote now…
as a Republican.
Cause you are clearly a political authority Lex, after all of your comments about being proudly ignorant and uninformed.
Don,
I agree with you. While I respect the right of blog-owners like Dave or Jeff to write about politics as they desire, and God knows I respond to some of these political discussions (though nowhere near as often as people think), I think it is symptomatic of what ails the film industry at large. It is what I have been saying for years.
Politics and ideology has become too dominant in the film industry and film criticism to the point where it has hurt storytelling/criticism overall.
The politics comes first and the story comes second.
It also, on a long enough time line, hurts the credibilty of the people who continually go on and on about it. I say this as someone who has experienced this as a conservative.
Look at Michael Medved, he is a very intelligent critic but once he became too political, he squandered his rep as critic first. Many of the film websites and filmmakers who push the Obama ticket too hard will also find that eventually, they too will pay that price. That’s just how culture works. The fact that many progressive commenters are also all Obama’ed out on film websites says much.
It also makes people question ideological bias in reviews and what stories are covered or are ignored. There are many intelligent film stories/essays that I read on more neutral entertainment websites on a regualr basis that are never linked to on MCN. Yet the other day there was another facile deconstruction of Kingdom of Heaven by some child who had no knowledge of history. But it had a left wing poltical bent so it gets linked to.
Too many of the film media have taken the ability to have a left wing bias for granted for too long, but I think that is changing, especially with more films like 300 or Dark Knight making it through the pipe line.
After a while, I would love for us to just do some top ten lists and talk about favourite actors, actresses, action scenes etc.
Again, I know I play the political game too and I know that politics is pop in our culture now…but I can’t help but notice that there are many progressives who are tired of this stuff all the time, all the time, all the time.
Perhaps your experience is different than mine, but too often I meet young filmmakers and they know nothing of cinema history and merely see film as a vehicle to express their politics. Craft be damned…thier views make them artists.
Anyway…not trying to pick a debate, I actually agree with the principal of what you wrote, even if you may disagree with my examples. I think a lot of people, myself included, agree with you in principle.
I think I saw that Kingdom of Heaven deconstruction you mentioned Nicol. I saw a pic of the writer and they looked to be of high school age. I didn’t read the piece itself.
Stella,
You made the wise choice. It was four 1/2 minutes of my life I can’t get back.
The few times I re-visit Wells I’m shocked at truly unhinged he’s become; a prime example of how awful some Obama supporters are. I have a feeling Wells would like Obama to lose so he can continue his sociopathic misanthropy.
What are some good entertainment websites that are overlooked?
Absolutely agree christian. Wells isn’t so much for Obama as much he is ANTI- everyone else. Very annoying. Obama’s supporters (ironically) are his biggest liability. They literally almost make me NOT want to vote for him, but I know mouthpiece’s aren’t the same as the actual candidate.
Speaking of candidates…anyone see that new Frost / Nixon trailer? Looks like Howard’s best work since… well I get back to you on that.
The weirdest thing about Wells’ Obamamania is it’s in such stark contrast to his aforementioned misanthropy. Half of Wells’ posts seem to entail making fun of fat people, ugly people, old people, poor people who eat at KFC, the demographic makeup of the audience at a screening of “Meet Dave”…
And yet he’s suddenly all about “hope” and this progressive, forward-thinking candidate? What would Obama himself make of Jeffrey’s condescending, classist, angry nonsense?
Who knows, maybe it’s a put-on. The way Wells totally pussed out in the face of O’Reilly (and later deleted posts that critiqued his performance), I can’t tell what’s just hot air and what’s real anger. But he does seem awfully ANGRY for someone buying so wholesale into B.O.’s vague Utopian shtick.
Obama is not promising a utopia. He is flat-out guaranteeing one. In his world people will be free to unapologetically love Jason Statham and Jessica Biel movies, and share that love with the rest of the planet. In Obama’s world Michael Bay, Rob Cohen and Paul W.S. Anderson are the best directors currently working in Hollywood. In this world Maxim is not just recommended reading. Reading it becomes mandatory for every male between the ages of 13 and 90.
1) This one for ladies.
http://womenandhollywood.blogspot.com/2008/08/deals-and-news.html
Wells’ election year diatribes are so off-the-reservation batshit that you just have to accept them as ironic political theater, like Ann Coulter.
And it is funny how they work in direct counterpoint to the message of respect for all that the Obamas themselves work so hard to impart.
It’s kind of like the mirror image of the PUMAs. You know Clinton doesn’t want her die-hards to ruin the convention. And you know Obama doesn’t want his supporters calling Clinton “evil” and “demonic.” And yet here we are, still letting the controversy-starved media and the Republicans goad us into debating these things while McCain inches up in the polls.
Stella, you’re not fooling me!
(Though that was actually funny and awesome, backhanded or not.)
PAUL ANDERSON OWNS.
Lex, you need antidepressants.
It’s also the groupthinkers at the Daily Kos and HuffPo who like to keep this PUMA nonsense in the spotlight. It’s the same sad folks who get a hard-on sussing out “trolls.”
I think they went to the DNC because Telluride happens right after it. And, like, they’re in the same state…
2) Not specifically entertainment.
http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/tpmtv_a_chat_with_alex_gibney.php
Wells is an elitist? I just thought he had taste and a big mouth.
Well, he loathes poor people, so…
The Gibney chat got linked a while back on the front page.
How bout some love for the feminist?
Jeffrey Wells doesn’t hate poor people, he is poor, he just lives richly (and dates up).
Nicol-
Whoa dude, you agreed with me twice in a month! Maybe we aren’t as different as one might think.
While I agree with your assessment of young filmmakers knowing very little of the past of cinema, your assertions about their politics playing a big part in their films seems off because if that were true…
…wouldn’t there be some young fireplug from the RIGHT creating some films with more of that slant? I mean…not *every* young person is a liberal so it can’t be true that every young filmmaker is a liberal too.
I often wonder when someone will wise up ala Gibson with PASSION OF THE CHRIST and just make some gross right-wing fascism flick ala RAMBO or any number of Chuck Norris’s films. (Not saying Gibson did that, but he hit that Christ lovin’ demo spot on)S
Someone should…it’s a demographic just waiting to be pillaged. Plus, if a bunch of liberals and progressives get mad at you, there’s free press! Then when the righty mouthpieces jump to defend you, it’s MORE free press.
Damn, someone is gonna do this and I’ll see no cut of the profit.
“You don’t think Michelle gave a great speech mystery?”
I thought we were talking about the “watering down” and mollifying of Michelle Obama. Both you and Rob noticed it; both thought it unnecessary. I happen to agree. Then perhaps we can also agree that instead of repackaging Michelle Obama, the campaign should have celebrated her strengths, and NOT (as the media has labeled it) attempted to turn Michelle into Claire Huxtable from The Cosby Show.
We do agree on that point. However, I think it is sad that the campaign felt it necessary to turn her into Claire Huxtable. It’s a reflection of the attacks against her and Barack. The old GOP standby: question their patriotism. The guru himself, Karl Rove, said this morning that in her speech Michelle didn’t express her “love for America” enough. Pathetic.
Michelle is a lot more charismatic and interesting than her husband. That dude’s like Dukakis-dull.
And of course, Rove has shown nothing but contempt for the country. I’m glad tools like Pelosi and Reid are so afeared of him attacking their patriotism they still won’t impeach these criminals.
Christian, in a more perfect world, that could happen, but we don’t live in a world where that would be politically feasible.
Obama’s big speeches are actually very strong and rousing, Lex, and I think we could use a President with some restraint, dignity, and a calm demeanor instead of President Pretzel-choke and McCain.
Don,
I agree…not – every – young whipper snapper is liberal and there is a growing movement of young people on the right picking up cameras, but at this point they are by no means a majority and it is nowhere near as easy to get your film shown. Similarly, being a young person who is not a liberal in film and “outing” yourself – does – have consequences no matter how many times people deny it. The most damning consequence is the notion that you have no talent and only want to make Rambo or Chuck Norris B-movies or bloody Jesus freak movies. Trust me, those stereotypes are alive and well and hurt people’s careers before they even get started.
A well made left wing short can potentially get you into plenty of festivals and the through the door of a studio…a well made right wing film…will not. It will get you a one way ticket to a screening in your living room regardless of how well produced it is.
As for someone picking up from The Passion…well…there are many answers to that question that we have gone over time and again and as we are having a good month, I do not want to rock the boat, but let’s just say many people on my side take solace in films like The Dark Knight and leave it at that. I have never seen a more stealth right wing film in my life, no matter how Nolan votes.
But as I have said before, I am not as negative as many conservative pundits. I do believe a change is coming and films like 300 and The Dark Knight are every bit as important as The Passion or Narnia to that change.
PS. I do love me a good Norris flick every now and then too!
“being a young person who is not a liberal in film and “outing” yourself – does – have consequences no matter how many times people deny it.”
“a well made right wing film…will not. It will get you a one way ticket to a screening in your living room regardless of how well produced it is.”
I’m not trying to pick a fight with you Nicol, but can you cite any examples of young filmmakers with talent who are being ignored for the reasons you mention above?
I watched Silent Rage recently. Hilariously awesome Norris flick.
Nicol, with The Dark Knight could it be that people see what they want to see in it? Or is that not possible?
Jeff,
“I’m not trying to pick a fight with you Nicol, but can you cite any examples of young filmmakers with talent who are being ignored for the reasons you mention above?”
No Jeff, I can’t because they are being ignored.
See how that works? Anyone I mention you will not have heard of.
I met one filmmaker about two years ago who had just finished a short about Iraq. He shot it at a location in California and he made it look like Iraq. The actors were all good. He had real tanks, real guns and a real story. All on crisp 35 mm. I will not name him but he could not get it into any mainstream festivals.
Now you will never see the short so you have no way of knowing if I am telling the truth, but I know who I am talking about. And the fact that he is still struggling while other people of less talent leave festivals with a crappy short and studio deal is a reality you (and many others)choose to ignore, Jeff.
Stella,
Only Chris Nolan for sure knows what the ideology of The Dark Knight is. I have read debates on both sides and while the film certainly gives nods to the left in the Lucius Fox character, the argument that it skews right seems very obvious to many. I think to deny that is to see what we are conditioned to see.
As for my “want” to see. I do not “want” to see anything in any film, Stella. If that were true then I could read anything into anything. I let the films story and craft speak for itself.
Nicol, maybe you misread me, but I did not say that you saw what you wanted to see. I asked if it is possible that people see what they want to see in it. As you said, both sides have claimed the film as their own. Maybe that makes it the greatest kind of art, something that is open to interpretation and debate, something that can’t be easily categorized.
Seems like we actually had a fairly lengthy back-and-forth about “Silent Rage” some months back… agreed that it’s awesome! It’s like “Walker” crossed with “Halloween II.” And Brian Libby, who still pops up as a character actor here and there, is a really menacing Frankenstein-type villain.
“S.R.” and “Forced Vengeance” are probably the best of that earlier, pre-beard Norris era. Also checked out “Force of One” not too long ago, which is more of just a lame cop-show type potboiler. “An Eye for an Eye” is solid enough though.
Good description of SR Lex. It’s sort of an absurd action/horror hybrid, but it’s shamefully entertaining in its own right.
“Maybe that makes it the greatest kind of art, something that is open to interpretation and debate, something that can’t be easily categorized. ”
Only Nolan knows the answer to that question.
All I am saying is until he speaks, the evidence does seem to load up in a particular direction.
Remember many people saw Forest Gump when it came out and thought it was pro 60’s because that is what we are conditioned to seeing. Then after the dust settled, most realized it was a pretty scathing citique of the 60’s counter culture.
Now of course it is just considered junk.
Nicol, (grinding teeth) I’ve been to a few short festivals in my time, so I know something of what you’re talking about – they mostly consist of crap, poorly made homages and ‘parodies’ of popular TV shows and movies, sentimental nonsense, etc. I’ve had a short of my own (which you would hate because it has a liberal slant) rejected from many, many festivals. I also shot on 35mm with good actors and an interesting, unusual storyline (although this is obviously up to some debate – it’s entirely possible you would find my story stupid and trite, just as I might find the Iraq film you mention above the same way). I don’t disagree with you that I’m sure there’s a bias against ‘conservative’ films, but I absolutely disagree with you as to the extent of this ‘problem’.
Meanwhile:
“As for my “want” to see. I do not “want” to see anything in any film, Stella. If that were true then I could read anything into anything. I let the films story and craft speak for itself.”
Nicol, I think you have to agree that this is, to a certain extent, impossible. Nobody can step outside of their own preconceptions and biases and watch a movie objectively, by definition.
“I can’t because they are being ignored. See how that works? Anyone I mention you will not have heard of.”
By the way, in psychological terms, Nicol, this is known as a confirmation bias. It’s a conceptual form of self-fulfilling prophecy.
“Only Chris Nolan for sure knows what the ideology of The Dark Knight is. I have read debates on both sides and while the film certainly gives nods to the left in the Lucius Fox character, the argument that it skews right seems very obvious to many. I think to deny that is to see what we are conditioned to see.”
But if you read the new David Sedaris book where he equates the wearing of a bowtie with someone wanting to give off an appearance of safe emasculation, then that just adds to the “skews right” argument.
And not to throw more fuel on the anti-Hillary fire, but did she REALLY say this yesterday?!
“Remember: 18 million people voted for me — 18 million people, give or take, voted for Barack,” Clinton, D-N.Y., told reporters Monday, per ABC’s Eloise Harper.
taken from:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=3105288&page=1
Only a person without any grasp of reality like Nicol. Would see 300 and TDK as being inline with his rather minority Canuck views. Seriously; neither one of those movies would like you if they were people.
I think there’s enough going on in Dark Knight that its politics can legitimately be argued. On the other hand I think it’s so ambiguous that I start to doubt if Nolan himself actually had a point to make. For a few reasons, I suspect that he wanted to address some contemporary issues but in the end wasn’t able to resolve them in any meaningful way.
In particular, the behavior of the citizens of Gotham at various points throughout the movie suggested a rather muddled viewpoint.
An thoughtful-but-inconclusive examination of the issues, though, is certainly preferable to a movie that tells the audience what to think. So I admire Dark Knight for that.
3) Occasionally this site and Chicagoan suzidoll.
http://moviemorlocks.com/2008/07/28/like-a-trip-back-in-time/
i see on my igoogle world news today that four white supremacists have been arrested in denver and are being investigated by the FBI for an assassination plot against obama…i guess my question yesterday in the other thread that was ignored (i kill a thread with the best of them) about the added importance of biden’s selection as vp wasn’t totally ignorant after all. if the worst should happen after a successful election for the obama/biden ticket, would obama supporters be happy with biden as pres? i ask because there seem to be a fair few politically astute commenters here who are obama supporters (hell, he was born at the same hospital as me…and nicole kidman, he must be good people)
thanks, t.holly, for that link for the chicks
A rather muddled viewpoint? Sure. It’s like this is the only blog going, that does not get TDK. It’s so random, but makes so much sense.
The thing of it is: the actions of the people of Gotham are clearly explained in the context of that movie. Bats has a fucking monologue about it for fuck’s sake. Where he ties it all together.
Jeff,
“I’ve had a short of my own (which you would hate because it has a liberal slant)…”
Not at all. If it is well made I would – not – hate it.
I have a video collection with close to a 1500 titles and I would catergorize at least half of them as skewing left-wing. I would only not like it if you put politics above craft or it was cliche. Robert Redford is one of my favourite talents.
“I don’t disagree with you that I’m sure there’s a bias against ‘conservative’ films…”
Hey, thanks for meeting me this far!
“It’s a conceptual form of self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Only if it is not true. Remember, it still stands to reason that if there is a bias, you will not have heard of said young filmmakers. That is why they claim bias. Not conspiracy mind you, just good old fashioned, bad-assumption bias.
“Nobody can step outside of their own preconceptions and biases and watch a movie objectively, by definition.”
But we all do it in varying degrees and increments and some are better critics than others. That’s why some people are experts in a field and others are not.
“3) Occasionally this site and Chicagoan suzidoll.”
??? T. Holly, are you a spam robot in your off-hours?
Oh, and this is another serious question for Nicol: If you liked that guy’s Iraq film, and thought he showed serious promise and was being blatantly ignored by festivals…why wouldn’t you want to publicize his name and give him some attention and spread the word? Keeping it a secret seems bizarre to me in this instance.
“I would only not like it if you put politics above craft or it was cliche.”
Well, this is the crux, isn’t it? Because I can think of certain movies that illustrate poor craft that I remember you praising, and vice versa. The way one chooses which criteria to favor and which to ignore is very complicated. It also depends on what you consider the very term ‘craft’ to mean.
Well, IO, he has a point on 300. Frank Miller is certainly not shy about his political/social leanings and the movie lines up with those. Saying that that’s one of the primary reasons for its success might be a little off once you factor in the audience that saw it for the action or the half-naked musclemen or other elements. But it’s hard to deny that the movie is a pretty right-wing movie.
I agree with Nicol on one thing: Story should always be primary. Your personal views will inevitably inform it, but if you’re trying too hard to send a message, chances are it’s going to fall flat. If you can’t give me a reason to care why and how your characters go about doing what they do and tell it to me in an entertaining and preferrably inovative way then I really couldn’t care less whether I agree with you politically or not.
I don’t know about TDK. It makes a pretty strong statement about not letting your preconceived notions direct your actions (i.e. the passengers ready to kill the convicts because they have it coming even as the convicts choose not to do what’s expected of them). I can also see the arguments for the other side there, too. I enjoyed it mostly for Ledger’s performance, so I guess I’m on the terrorists’ side.
Jeff, I think TH was responding to my query for entertainment sites that might be overlooked and would possibly provide fodder to future linkage.
My homophobic brother-in-law loved 300 for the graphic violence and nudity. Any political subtext was lost on him. I’m sure he’s not in the minority there.
Ah…
That sort of explains it.
Though I can’t remember when Medved was a great critic. The Golden Turkey books were funny when I was a kid, but…
Hey Don, nee Petaluma Films, FYI, there are copious film events going on, here at the DNC. Check out http://impactfilmfestival.org/ and http://www.cinemocracy.org before you open your yap!
Wow, thanks Mark. Glad you opened my eyes to all the news releases that said indiewire was covering the DNC. You got me.
While I wrote a long point-by-point post on my site about a month ago about how The Dark Knight was not a right-wing manifesto, I think it comes down to this…
If you think that Bush’s War On Terror has been a success and believe that Bush and Cheney’s actions have been just, and their quest righteous, then you’ll probably find The Dark Knight to be pretty conservative. You’ll see Batman crossing moral boundaries and earning the public’s fear to save their lives as a metaphor for Bush doing the same. You’ll see Batman’s abduction of Lau has extra-legal actions that are rendered necessary by an ineffective justice system. You’ll see Batman brutalizing The Joker and Batman spying on Gotham as an example of the ticking bomb scenario. You’ll see Freeman’s agreement to spy ‘just this once’ as an acknowledgment that sometimes it’s necessary to break the law to protect the innocent. If you’re a conservative who views the War On Terror as extreme ends justifying extreme means, then that’s how you’ll see Batman’s actions in The Dark Knight.
However, if you think that Cheney Bush’s War On Terror has been a failure, that their actions have been counterproductive and wrongheaded, that they have made us less safe and less free, then you’ll find The Dark Knight to be pretty liberal or at least agnostic. You’ll see Batman’s capture of Lau as an overzealous tactic that has horrifying and disproportionate blow back to the citizens of Gotham. You’ll see Morgan Freeman condemning Batman’s tactics, and Batman’s tacit agreement with him in destroying his spying machine. You’ll notice that Batman never sheds blood, believes that people are inherently good and worth compassion and mercy, and that he puts protecting the innocent over punishing the guilty. You’ll see Harvey Dent so mad with rage that he targets everyone except the person who caused his torment, to the point of intentionally targeting the children of his alleged but not actual enemy (ie – Saudis attack us on 9/11, but in our mad rage we sentence thousands of Iraqi civilians to death instead). You’ll see the ineffective beat downs that Batman gives The Joker, distractions that prevented Gordon and Batman from saving their friends in time. You’ll notice the fact that The Joker only escaped from prison because another officer attempted to commit police brutality. You’ll see pure vigilantism taken to its logical extreme in Harvey Dent.
The original Batman rant, if anyone cares:
http://scottalanmendelson.blogspot.com/2008/07/batman-in-movies-debunking-dark-knight.html
Stella: everything is unfortunately subjective. If we ever lose that subjectiveness. We become the Borg. So there go my fucking cyborg plans. It would have been so called. Ordering pizza would be freakin fast, but we all have to have an opinion. Total balls.
Well… time to start working on rocketboots!
Nicol-
if it’s really, honestly true that some filmmakers are not being shown at fests due to their political beliefs, I’d love to talk to them or you about it for my site. Personally, I find it hard to believe that the political slant of their film is keeping them out- that argument sounds like the ones we get from horror filmmakers who made a REALLY shitty yet bloody movie that doesn’t get into fests because “they just can’t handle it.”
Seriously, have them contact me at dlewis@filmthreat.com and I’ll hear them out and do a feature on it. Not saying I’ll support their views on what happened unless they got some rejection letters that said they weren’t allowed in because they’re conservatives, but I’ll hear them out and look into their complaints.
Is anyone out there recommending free movies? I’m not registered at Jaman, CinemaNow or Movielink, so I’m recommending this
http://www.iarthouse.com/store/movie/Berlin-Symphony-of-a-Great-City-Movie-Download.jsp
and “Story of the Weeping Camel” on Netflix.
Since I’m too disorganized to actually return any of my Netflix movies, I pretty much just keep it for streaming. If Greencine could get with the streaming program, I’d come back… just saying.
Kucinich kicked ass. How nice to hear a politician tell the truth. The funny little guy is the only one willing to stand up to the bullies.
Ron Paul did too, christian. The biggie politicians and the media treat the truth talkers like crazy people…sad really.
It’s nice that the two of them stand in opposition, but neither present viable models for policies or leadership.
I was going to send you that link, christian, but it looks like you’re covered. Yes, he was great. They should have given him a better slot.
And his continued demonization by idiots like Kos and the HuffPo and the MSM is why I have little faith in today’s Democrats. AT&T owns ’em now.
But is he feminist enough for you christian?
Warner’s speech was fantastic.
Story of the Weeping Camel?…
That’s about as random as dmarno…
I haveing strong picture to depart you.
http://growabrain.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/21/free_sod.gif
These mans say to you: go with fear, because you are bad in the hearts, cold, dark, and bitten twice like the bitter snakes do.
Your notice the http browse address pic called “grow a brain”, and my family who has laughter at your face say the same to you.
Perhap vacations you desire to need for making you less of bitter prick, and more of actual opinions not fueled of jealousy. Please i do saids! COME BACK TRULY HEALED!
Oh my Gawd. The night HE came back.
And T.Holly, Kos is plenty feminine for me. I just wish he would acknowledge that side of himself.
Hey Christian,
this has nothing to do with any of the topics discussed above — but is your Thing drawing one of these?
http://www.outpost31.com/movie/specialfx.html
Fun fansite. These guys actually went up to the shooting location in Alaska, to look for the site of the camp set. To their surprise, they also found part of the destroyed Norwegian helicopter, still there over twenty years later.
I came in at the end of Hillary’s speech, and she seemed to be on fire. BUT, what was with all the Susan B. Anthony shtick about women having the right to vote? Did I miss something, and that’s somehow on the table this year? Is it 1802 or something?
And that potshot about women making equal pay for equal work? Eh??????
Chelsea was looking pretty smokin’ though.
Holy shit, frankbooth, thanks for that link! Sadly, those photos are from the FANGORIA issue itself and only my name made it in there…
Oh, and Lex? In the satirical spirit of TROPIC THUNDER, you are one stupid motherfucker.
I didn’t think it was an unreasonable query:
Are female voting rights in peril this election cycle? As I seriously doubt it, what was she on about there?
This is the 88th anniversary of the ratification of the Constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote. Hillary pointed out that her mother was born before that happened, and Chelsea was able to vote for her mother for President.
They do have commentators filling in these gaps on TV.
Female reproductive rights are in peril. Wait for the GOP convention. They’ll school ya.
How does she know Chelsea wouldn’t have voted for someone else?
I watched it SAAAAAAAANS commentary, McM, plus I came into it late, plus I didn’t watch any postgame on it, because all I know is this shit was holding up America’s Got Talent, and that annoyed me. All my shows started 17 minutes late because of this.
Hillary is way more awesome than Obama, though. At least her speeching didn’t put me to sleep.
Lex, if you’re only watching because it’s preempting your higher Hasselhoff-related priorities, why do you even care to ask the question, and why are you asking a douchebag on a movie website?
Efficiency. There are better, more efficacious ways to do these things.
Obama hasn’t spoken yet. If anybody gave a snoozy speech tonight it was Mark “Big-Lips” Warner.
I’m watching the damn thing _again_. Brian Schweitzer was terrific.
Jeff, how come you never hit me up on MySpace, e-mail, or Yahoo messenger? That would own.
I don’t know your email, Lex, and I don’t use the other two things.
Some of you may have missed Lex getting OWNED on Jeff Wells’ site earlier.
Lex: Why was Hillary talking about VOTING RIGHTS FOR WOMEN and EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK? Is it 1904 or something?
Hey, maybe women will earn the exact amount as their male counterparts when they stop calling off sick three days a week to go to Cedars Sinai because they have the sniffles and taking off for four months every time they feel the need to bring another creature into the world.
“Spoiled” responds: If only your mom had heard this advice.
Laz…
I’ll thank you in advance to not copy-and-paste my shit from other sources without proper quotation marks. While you’re at it, you can go and cease using my words from an entirely different web site to build your lame case against me here.
Anyway, that hardly counts as an “owning,” since Spoiled’s response makes no sense whatsoever. Seriously, read his lame retort again and tell me on what planet that makes sense, even as a joke. At the very least, it’s an incomplete thought.
I hardly think you, Lex, have any justification in calling people put for not making sense, considering pretty much everything you say is nonsensical.
put = out.
Camel: Put out? Is that, like, a request? Or a command?
Lex lecturing someone about comedy is the funniest thing he’s ever said.
Yeah I was thinking alot about that too Joe; dirty, naughty things. How did *put out* become *hook up*? How did we get so far from the beauty of what my friend told me about the love of his life he picked up roller blading in Central Park? “I cruised him, we balled, he became my trick.”
Someone’s being really nice and pulling out all the stops.
#4)
http://illusionstreetcar.blogspot.com/2008/08/pauline-factor-68.html
I love politics and all the intrigue, musings and column inches, but I’m noticing alot of people dying. Ruth Cohen’s the latest. 78, born 1930, 27 at the height of the babyboom in 1957. The boomers’ beboom are aging out and dying and it’s accelerating.
By the way, MSNBC’s coverage of the Dem convention is a media disaster. They blacked out Kucinich and have their over-exposed pundits blabbing as the speeches are happening. It’s all about their MSM ego.
What would Pauline Kael say about that? Boy, she’s an incredible speaker.
The crowd LOVES Bill Clinton.
Hillary rocked, and Bill’s speech was pretty good too.
Glad to see you all conceal the fact that the DNC is being held in a police state.
Protesters coming to Denver? Sic the riot squad on them time and time again.
ABC News finds US Senators schmoozing with lobbyists? Muzzle the press.
Liberals get all hot and bothered when the Republicans pull this shit. I don’t see any liberals calling out the Democratic Party over this.
Given Obama’s Soviet-like reaction to that radio station that had Stanley Kurtz on to discuss Obama’s (supposedly non-existent) connection to William Ayers, you can’t be surprised by how they’re treating “dissent” in Denver. It’s interesting to see the Obama campaign adopting the tactics the fringe academic left uses whenever someone comes to campus they don’t want to hear: shut them up, and if that doesn’t work shout them down, and if that doesn’t work beat them up.
Chucky, you’re correct.