esrosedotblog

SNICKER

Evidently Guiliani called bush America's Churchill.

Wheeze, arrrrffff, sppltthttibggvvvvssskkkkkkkk! whoooooooooeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee whhassssskkkkkk.

Gedoudaheah!

Wayovahdatop Rudy!

TODAY'S MOVIE

BOB LE FLAMBEUR (1956). NYTimes1176BestFilms. An affable criminal and compulsive gambler hits bottom and devises a scheme to rob a casino. It is only superficially a heist movie, although that is reason enough to like it. It is more the way it is a heist movie that counts.

Ebert says that this is generally regarded as the very first of the New Wave films. Jean-Pierre Melville; only recently appreciated as an inspiration of Godard and all the rest. Read all about it in Ebert's interesting review.

It is very 'atmospheric' and documentary like. It is always interesting to watch. The actors are not 'actorly'. Well. It is the New Wave. I liked it. It is tightly wrapped and stands on its own whether it is a monument to the Wave or not. I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5.

CORRECT-ED

In ED below, I mistakenly said that Ed Brooke had been an Attorney General under Nixon. Not so. He was the Attorney General of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This came to me at 2 AM this morning. Weird way to get a correction; in one's sleep. But there it is.

SAUCE

My mother always said that what was 'sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander'. I never really figured out what it meant but I think it means that 'now the shoe is on the other foot'. It also goes along with 'if you can't take it don't dish it out'.

This is my reaction now to the RNC. Most friends and relatives are not exposing themselves to any of it. I, on the other hand, dipped my foot (the one with the shoe) in by watching the NBC Morning News today and while I did not get the audio, the images did get to me. Rudy Guiliani will not make it as the Prez. He is too hot. On the other hand, it was interesting to see how 'cool' McCain was. He seemed flat, low energy. Anyway, I was not too disturbed. I loved the appearance of Michael Moore in the USA Today booth. It took up a lot of air time on NBC. Neat-o. Provocateur. That took any real sting out of it for me. He really pissed off a lot of people.

Then I read some of the news. No problem. But then when I got to the lefty blogs I started to get upset. Now I know how the goopers feel when I mock and deride their sad ass candidate; our feckless leader; the frat boy. OK. So will I stop? Nooo. I am only more motivated.

It is really over the top to have the little purple heart bandaids. I can take the general mock but this is general and derides more than Kerry. But, it is how things are now. The bitterness is pretty general. I think that it is really hard to be open and friendly with people who differ on this election. I do not think that I have ever felt this strongly about it before. I was a strong Clintonophile and still am and got upset over what they did to him but I did not generalize it. I still don't. But now, I find that the Kerry smear stuff is just way too much and I cannot understand why anyone would even think about supporting this administration. I don't get it. Period.

COURAGE

The Log Cabin Republicans released their own campaign commercial today. It is quite a tonic for those of us who have come to regard the gop as a racist, homophobic, gang of money grubbing, evangelical christian, warmongers.

Take a look. I do not understand the Log Cabineer's decision to stay within the party and work his way out but I am sure glad s/he is doing it.

Go to: Hope Not Fear to see how they are hoping to wage war on the right side of the right in NYC this week. I don't know how much further it will all go but even a little bit has to help. Abe has to be spinning over how 'his' party has turned out.

ANDY

I know this is like a bad romance; but I have restored Andrew Sullivan Daily Dish to the links at the right. He got wiped in a fit of pique a couple of months ago. He can drive me nuts.

But, redemption is achievable at esrosedotblog; and the 'drew is not supporting junior for president. It is not just over the FMA. He thinks, rightly, that bush is not up to it in general. Right as rain.

I have always enjoyed reading Sullivan and regard him as my token conservative. He is so compelling, in fact, that we have these occasional disruptions; he cuts deeply and emphatically. Though he has strong opinions, I have to admire that he is willing to change them. I like that a lot.

OK. I am sure that he has not even noticed our separation despite my angry emails and such. So, for now, Mr. Sullivan (how we refer to him here in the office) is back on the happy list. I put him right next to Drudge so the two can keep each other conservacompany. Not fair, as Andrew is really really good at thinking and 'splainin' as the drudger is not; but if he keeps on keepin' on, I will elevate Sully to a position cheek by jowel with a deep and meaningful leftie.

Here is the other thing about Sullivan. He is gay, as you know, but not professionally so. He lives in Provincetown, MA and talks about the place which revives happy memories for me. Saturdays paean to the Cape is another reason I decided to re-link him. This is so good.

I just want to write some kind of note of gratitude to the Cape this summer. This past week reached new levels of beauty. Sometimes at the end of August or, more likely, in September, the air here gets drier and the sun clearer, and the light - ever changing - permeates everything. Colors become more themselves; the sunsets and sunrises dance with absurdly extreme tones of red and yellow and blue; the tides under the waxing moon become all the more alive with freckled, reflected light. There's a place toward the end of the coil of sand that sends Cape Cod back in on itself that never gets old. The marshland is so shallow and the tides are so dramatic, they fill a mile-wide basin and empty it twice a day. When the ocean first starts pouring into the inlet, it looks as if the sky has suddenly leaked into the earth. And then the earth slowly becomes the sky, except for vistas of green - now reddening - dune grass, separating earth from above. To see this in the late afternoon as the sun begins to decline, to allow yourself to drift with the tide toward more sudden lagoons of sea-water, is about as close to heaven as I'll ever get. Only the occasional horse fly reminds you that you are still on earth."

ED

It was very nice to see a piece by Ed Brooke in The New York Times this morning. He was my Senator for a number of years; Massachusetts.

In this piece, he reflects on the changes that have taken place in the Republican Party and what aspects of the old Party he would like to see restored. Me too. See the detail in A PartyFor All Of Us.

I always thought that Brooke was a straight shooter and a credit to his party; notice I didn't say race. That too, even if it is a dreadful racist cliché. There were such people and still are. He never postured as a black man. He lived out his political life and was a power of example. Quite a different approach than seeking power over past grievances. He moved forward and did not look backward. Go ahead send me letters.

CROWN ROYAL

So it turns out that the tooth that fell out is a crown. No wonder it didn't hurt.

BRITS

This is included in the blog today to make me feel good. I see Kerry getting behind in the polls and a bite that says no challenger has ever won who has gone into the opponents convention behind. Well, what about the times the incumbent's convention was first? Obvious bullshit; nevertheless. It gets me psychologically, like a lot of other flak flying around. This bit of brit will help me get through the night.

LOCAL

Tip Oneil said, famously, that 'all politics is local'; an admonition which Kerry/Edwards seems to be taking quite seriously. They are doing a lot of 'retail politics'. Here they are in Duluth: Kerry Campaign Talks To Two Small Groups in Two Days. They are getting a lot of favorable local press like this. I don't care if it works or not. It is the principal that matters. The bushcheneymachine moves in a bubble. I hate that. Maybe enough other people will too.

BILL

"I believe President Bush is a committed Christian. But that doesn't mean he doesn't 'see through a glass darkly.'" -- Former President Bill Clinton, citing First Corinthians today at Riverside Church as he argued that "religious conviction is not the exclusive preserve of conservatives."

TODAY'S MOVIE

BROADWAY DANNY ROSE (1984): NYTimes1176BestFilms. This could be one of the best Woody Allen films (comic division) that I have ever seen. It was my first time. I don't know how I missed it. I watched it alone (Allen drives John nuts) and stayed in LOL-mode.

The film has a lot on its plate and pulls it all off. First, there is the lightweight story that supports rapid fire patented Allen one liners. The joke density is very high and Allen has not yet adopted that improv type delivery and dialog that annoys me so in his later films.

On top of that, the story is told by about a dozen B-level comics. They are great. Think Corbett Monica! There are also walkons by a few stars like Milton Berle. This is special.

Then, there is the matter of the setting which is all B-level New York/New Jersey kitsch. It is a tribute to the sensibility of the Carnegie Deli, show lounges, bad hair, revolving cake displays, and all that stuff I really have a place in my heart for. Allen's camera does not miss a beat. It strays from the action and delays here and there to make sure that we can take it all in and savor it.

Then, somewhere early on, I noted the density of people; a very un-Allen touch. And they are all grotesques. It took a while. Somewhere in the middle of a scene with Macy Parade figures (more kitsch) and a hilarious gag with escaping helium changing everyone's voices during a chase with a mafia hit man--don't ask--I got that this is Fellini! Wow. There is a fortune teller who sees her clients from her bedroom. And the accordion background. And the tributes to show business. Homage. So well done. The final scenes capture the bitter sweet irony of Fellini endings with a very nice rain-at-night exit from a building. All that. Now I have to watch it again with this in mind.

Mia Farrow plays the girl, a dumb blonde type, and for once Allen actually has chemistry with the female lead. This is, of course, before the end of the game.

This is a 4 out of Netflix5.

TODAY'S MOVIE

BROADCAST NEWS (1987). NYTimes1176BestFilms: James Brooks (Room 222, Mary Tyler Moore, The Simpsons) brings his great talent for character development to the teevee newsroom. The actors are more than up the challenge: Holly Hunter, William Hurt, Alfred Brooks, Joan Cusack and myriad other excellent ensemble players including Jack Nicholson uncredited in his role of a "Peter Jennings' type.

This is comedy and pathos and a balanced study of the tension between show and know in network news. Show wins.

The thing about this movie is that there is no candy coating. These are sympathetic yet irritating principals who, in their imperfections, manage to hang on to their friendship and conflicts with one another. William Hurt is one of our favorite actors. In this role we are treated to the full monty in a great sex scene. He is a treat engage with as an actor. Always always always worth hanging out with.

I think this was Hunter's first big role and she is the star with Hurt and Brooks hanging off the two opposite points. I am giving it a 4 out of Netflix5.

INFLUENCE PEDDLER

Here is the guy who got george a special position in the National Guard to avoid Viet Nam and he's sorry: Ben Barnes former Texas Lieutenant Governor.

TOY

This in The LA Times this morning: You have the Opinion; Now Buy the T-shirt. Kerry doesn't sell. I think this means that he is not 'jokable' which means he is taken seriously; which I think is a good thing. The jokes about Clinton were endless. Bush-toys are rife. What does it mean? Well, I suppose it is a referendum of sorts. In a normal universe, serious would trump foolish. But, who says these are normal times?

I have heard dozens of bush jokes and many have come in the email. I have gotten none about Kerry. Now, I have to admit that my social circle is also a political circle. No one I know is going to send me a Kerry joke even if they have seen one. They will self center it. And what few bush-fans I have around me, know better.

Incidentally, this toy is out of stock and they do not even offer a Kerry version. Here is the product description:

Celebrate Democracy and the new America with The ALL-NEW, HILARIOUS PULL MY FINGER President (over 8 inches tall!)! BATTERIES INCLUDED! Pull the finger of this cute characterization of George W. Bush and he'll shake, fart and say 7 wacky phrases and a fart song in the off-beat tradition of our great leader, including:

- (FART) That's what I call the Flatulation Proclamation!
- (FART) America... I just *Bleep* my pants!
- Our nation must come together (FART) to ignite (FART)!
- Osama (FART), Your Mama!
- Hey, Saddam, here's a weapon of mass destruction (FART)!
- Mr. Prime Minister... (FART)!
- Read My Lips...(FART)

PULL MY FINGER¨ President even plays the hit song, FARTS AND STRIPES FOREVER!

Yeh. That's our George; a bit of the spoiled rich kid, a portion of the Deke frat brat with a phony Texas go'olboy overlay. All farts and pussy jokes.

GAP

My upper right canine tooth took a walk this week; came right out. Broke off actually. I don't want to get too graphic as it gets some people all queasy like. I don't know why that would be a problem. There is a lot in here that makes even ME queasy, like the election stuff.

So the upper armature is gettin' ready to have a plate. If I lose any more, I will have to ha ha bite the bullet and get a falsie. At my age, I suppose, it is just another piece to fall off during hard operation. I don't intend to slow down, so there will be more, I guess. I am resigned.

I am in superb health and physical condition but the teeth have always been a weak spot. I suppose we are all given at least one physical vulnerability to keep us humble. Mine is my molars. Is that correct? 'Mine is my molar' singular doesn't work. Anyway. It is news and this is for news and rumination. I have the tooth if anyone wants to look at it.

RUGGED

I figure that the election process is just going to be a long hard climb. I particularly dread the next couple of weeks since momentum is all and I suspect we are going to lose some more.

The swiftboat thing has 'nicked' Kerry, no doubt. He has held and not fallen but he is bleeding a little. I do not want to Monday morning it; my guess is that this is how smears go. And you either get through them or you do not. Kerry has gotten through it.

But now, there will be the bush bounce, if any, from the convention and all the moderate posing will have its effect on the stragglers. How anyone could be a sucker for a second time I do not know; but I have some acquaintances (one would be hard pressed, in these partisan times, to think of them as friends) who will baa and bleat their way right up the chute and vote for the rustlers again. Another term, another ride, only a lot worse than the first.

On the other hand there will be some problems for the goopers too. It is not good for them to have the bad economic news of this week. They are running around a lot trying to hide the shit they have not cleaned up. Distractions will only delay the inevitable. They have shot their best wad on the vetsmear. But there will be new attacks to deflect and an October 'surprise'; all that.

But, I gotta think that on or about 9/15 there will be some Demo-recovery and by the 9/30 debates there will be a strong thrust ahead. I am an optimist who is always ready to be wrong. That is part of being an optimist; to have a failure in one's predictions. I will shake my head and move on. This time, it might be the underground!

BOOM

This is the first MoveOn.com ad in the pre-election runup: Benny Boom's Everybody. It is not an attack ad but it is an attack on the efforts to minimize the vote of young people and black people. If the other ten or so are like this one, look out.

Benny Boom is one of the top hip-hop music video producer/directors.

Another interesting thing: MoveOn.com is not a so-called 527. It is a PAC. So all the talk about the big bad 527s doesn't apply here. Another thing, the 527s are a late discovery for the goopers; hence the wish to stifle them. Ironically, one of their own bitches made the first and hardest hitting 527-attack ad; the swift boat liars.

POLLS

If the polls freak you out, as they do me, then here is some perspective: Bush, Kerry Remain Tied After Veterans' Attack Ads. In so many words, the mud thrown over Kerry's war record is not sticking.

I peruse all the poll info pretty closely and I do think that there has been some wear and tear; but overall, not. I have not talked a lot about the whole thing as it just makes me sick to contemplate it all. Yet, it was to be expected and a smear works at least to divert and derange the electorate. Yet, it is a long long time until November. There is a lot to come.

This data does not mention the Zogby results which are actually pretty good. Look here: Democrat John Kerry continues to lead heading into the GOP convention, New Zogby Interactive Presidential Battleground Poll Reveals.

Kerry is still ahead on electoral votes no matter who you read.

In any case, I won't be happy until I get readings like the one in the picture. I don't think that is going to happen, so it is all tenterhooks until 110204.

OH MARY!

There is a lot of reason to be critical of my House Rep Mary Bono but this sure helps redeem any minor sins including her bad haircut:

Rep. Mary Bono says she's skipping next week's Republican National Convention partly because the party has already committed to nominate incumbent President George W. Bush and because she disagrees with her party's stance on gay marriage.

"I've been to the last three conventions," said Bono, a Palm Springs Republican. "I felt in all honesty that I don't know how it benefits the district, how it benefits me and how it benefits the party. The outcome has already been decided."

Among the reasons she gave for staying home is her disagreement with the party's support of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

From the local paper The Desert Sun.

SCHOOLED

This is the time of year I get weirded out about school. I don't know what it is. It sure isn't the fall colors in the trees or the frost in the air. I moved away from those cues.

I guess it is seeing BACKTOSCHOOL ads. Knowing some people who teach. And, especially hearing about my grandkids gearing up to for the new term.

I get all nostalgic about the 'first day'. When I see little kids going to school in the neighborhood I get all kinda soft and squeaky about it; I actually worry about how they will do; especially those little first graders. I forget that this is old stuff for them; they went to kindergarten!

I didn't have kindergarten, me. I had to scale the heights of my academic career right from the get-go in real school First Grade. I remember it well. There was nothing traumatic about it as I recall (that came later). There was Ms. Smith. There were the other kids. I didn't know many of them. Blah blah. So it is a first day. What's the big deal?

Since I went to a consolidated school, all 12 grades in one building (YES!); there were no more first days until I did the big leap to college. Boston; well Cambridge. A carload of stuff. A new room. Living alone for the first time. There was a room mate but he didn't get there for awhile.

So, it has only happened twice for me and I still get weepy. Of course, I discount the times I saw my own kids off on their first day. It just all adds up. First days. I will get over it. Soon, the kids will all look the same and the experiences will meld together. But for now, it is all wet.

JIM

I like to watch other people's web sites. A lot of them are fun to read and play with but not worth passing on.

But, from time to time, I find the exception. It is like wanting your friends to meet each other.

Here is one that kept me engaged for quite awhile: ALL JIM.COM.

I got to this one through a Tati connection. This is the site where I got the photo below from TOUR DE FETE.

And while I was perusing, I realized that I have seen this guy in Quincy Markets in Boston. Wow. Small world.

Here is another site: The Jim Show. Go see him.

TODAY'S MOVIE

MON ONCLE (1958). More Jaques Tati. His third film. A lot of very original sight gags that are reprised in creative ways. He is constantly amusing and not one bit of angry or violent humor. In this one, he is the fun uncle who lives 'across the tracks' from his nephew's parent's very fashionable, modern, totally automated home. The home gives lots of sketch opps.

There are a lot of dogs that move in and out of the 'story'; actually, no story just a series of situations that have a forward thrust. He uses the dogs the same way that he used people and kids in his films. There are a lot of them in one scene all doing a lot of stuff. You could really watch these films over and over. It is all good. 4 out of Netflix5.

This is a relief from the BestFilms routine. We will see no more Tati for now on rental; alas, HOLIDAY and ONCLE are the only ones on DVD. I am looking into buying some of them. This photo is from his first film: TOUR DE FETE which I am going to get on VHS. It is out of print, so we will try the adventure of used VHS from Amazon. Used books work good. I don't do eBay. Stay tuned.

TODAY'S MOVIE

MON ONCLE (1958). More Jaques Tati. His second film. A lot of very original sight gags that are reprised in creative ways. He is constantly amusing and not one bit of angry or violent humor. In this one, he is the fun uncle who lives 'across the tracks' from his nephew's parent's very fashionable, modern, totally automated home. The home gives lots of sketch opps.

There are also a lot of dogs that move in and out of the 'story'; actually, no story just a series of situations that have a forward thrust. He uses the dogs the same way that he used people and kids in his films. There are a lot of them in one scene all doing a lot of stuff. You could really watch these films over and over. It is all good. 4 out of Netflix5.

This is a relief from the BestFilms routine. We will see no more Tati for now on rental; alas, HOLIDAY and ONCLE are the only ones on DVD. I am looking into buying some of them. This photo is from his first film: TOUR DE FETE which I am going to get on VHS. It is out of print, so we will try the adventure of used VHS from Amazon. Used books work good. I don't do eBay.

JURY RIGGED

This is my year for being a good citizen. I had the County jury duty and hammered it out for a very long day, earlier this summer. Now, I have recieved a summons for Federal Jury Duty in Riverside, CA. I think this is about an hour away if there is no traffic. Hah.

This kind of thing is a real test of my red-white-and-blueness. I start to rebel against it even before I open the envelope. There is a questionairre (use #2 pencils only to fill the squares). There is a long dissertation about excuses; which boils down to 'there ain't one'. There is an encouraging note that only 30% of those called actually serve.

There is no denying that jury duty is hard. I think that everyone has a duty to do it. I am aware that the Federal panels are even more difficult. It is not one day and out. It is standby for thirty days and take a four day week for two successive weeks if you are chosen. How do they know that? I have heard of some federal trials that took months.

John says that I am the last guy they would want on a jury. I tend to agree. But I have started the process of worry about it nevertheless. I am thinking that it is good to have long hair. I am thinking that I do not believe (or do) in the death penalty. I think civil suits are a sham. I think that if people were innocent, they would not have gotten to the trial phase. That kind of good, intelligent, civic minded thinking.

Each time I get called, I vow to be more willing, to allow the process to take over, to let go and let Feds. At least this time I am thinking about how I could make it work FOR me rather than against me if I have to serve. I will not commute. I will stay in Riverside. I will be a good boy and not show any attitude. All that rehearsal. This month's exercise in getting out of my own way. Jeez, you would think that I am the guy who is on trial. What is s/he going through right now?

TODAY'S MOVIE

BOUND FOR GLORY (1976): unflinching look at Woody Guthrie's conflict between fame and family versus the road and the work of a revolutionary. This film is gorgeous and as close a depiction of the dust bowl and depression era as I will ever see. The hundreds of faces are like a Walker Evans album come alive. The vast landscapes and huge crowds are spellbinding.

It is directed by Hal Ashby who had a string of odd and off-center films at this time (take a look at the link). We will be seeing COMING HOME and BEING THERE. He also did THE LAST DETAIL and SHAMPOO.

Guthrie's story is not smooshed up and prettified. He was a tough dude who didn't mind walking away from 'responsibilities'. David Carradine does an eerie job of channeling Woody's spirit and being. He can sing the songs too; or I assume that it is him doing it. We liked it a lot. I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5 just for the pretty pictures and gut pounding depression scenes. The story and acting are extra.

There is a pretty good Woody Guthrie Biography at this site. The movie is pretty true to the story although condensed in time, I think.

This is an addon later: I got thinking about the impact of the film and, yet again, realized that a lot of it has to do with the 'look' of it all. There are three sections: the dust bowl; rendered in a sepia palette with dust in the air always, always, always. It gets you itching. The second part is Los Angeles, bright with promise. The third, which occurs in and out of the film, are the trains; on the trains, in the trains, on top of the cars, in the sidings, long shots way away from the trains; and all of course steam locomotives; lots of wheel shots.

This look is the work of Haskell Wexler, the director and cinematographer. The cameras are IN the dust, ON the trains. We are with it, there right next to Woody. It is great stuff. We will be seeing his work again on COMING HOME also. And more later: ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOOS nest and several others. We forget how important these guys are to the success of a film. Haskell Wexler. What a great name.

TOO LITTLE

Too late.

I used to have a lot of respect for Bob Dole and the way he conducted himself with Clinton; even though people had called him 'the Prince of Darkness'.

With his shitty little derogation of Kerry's medals, he showed the old prince side. This from a man who had long regaled folks with the tale of how one of his own Hearts came for a superficial wound.

Indeed, that is all that is necessary. A wound is a wound even if you get yours running into the bunker.

Today he apologized to Kerry. Hoped he "didn't offend" him.

Actually, it is not so much the dark side of Bob that came out, more the limp dick side. Musta' quit takin' the blue pill.

INCHES

I live in the lefty blogosphere so I am well acquainted with all the ins and outs of the swift boat stuff. I don't like any of it. It has bothered me a lot. On the other hand, what did we expect? This is the pattern that was telegraphed a month or so ago by the bushers themselves when they said they would attack Kerry's record mercilessly. And their history is just that. Dukakis and McCain as well as countless other opponents have felt the sheer force of nastiness that the bushmear can work on you. So. When we piss and moan about this situation; let us now use it to recast our expectations and jettison the naiveté.

Another thing is not to be hard on ourselves. There is a lot of breast beating because the Kerry gang were too late off the ground with a counter to this. Let's not forget that our side plays nicer. That is part of the whole deal. It is too bad but that is the way it is. Play nice, get smeared. I think they have done a good job of responding late or no. Some polls show relatively little damage. In fact, they hit back where junior is most vulnerable: dirty tricks (which people do not like though they continue to be effective) and illuminating again the fact that bush is a draft dodger. This does not sound too nice to me. Take a look at the new ad. The one that will be used in the same locales as the swifties: ISSUES. It is not too gentle.

The third thing. There is a lot of whining that wubya did not directly take the ad out or was not direct enough about the issue. Hey! Forget it. Get your head out of your asses. Bush does not DO sorry; he does not COMMIT acts of charity. Here is what he DID do. He gave one more inch to Kerry on his military record:

"I think Senator Kerry served admirably and he ought to be proud of his record. But the question is who is best to lead the country in the war on terror? Who can handle the responsibilities of the commander in chief? Who's got a clear vision of the risks that the country faces?"

Will the issue go away? No. Will there be other smears? Yes. Will this be a more 'noble' campaign? No. But remember there ARE white hats and black hats here and we gotta wear ours to the end of the show.

TODAY'S MOVIE

À BOUT DE SOUFFLE
BREATHLESS (1960)

It is hard to approach this Godard classic with a fresh point of view. It is virtually the first French New Wave picture to hit the shore. The film crew was famously made up of New Wave 'names' such as Truffaut who wrote the story, Chabrol, Boulanger, Rissient, and Melville. We have and will see films by all of them.

The cinematographer Raoul Coutard took all natural lighting, hand held, 16 mm photography to the limit. The cinema-verité style works so well, even when compromises are made; the night scenes are extra fast (meaning slow speed photographed) to make most of the light. Showpieces, such as street lights coming on mid-scene, underline the drama that can be achieved from the real world outside the studio. I got a lot of this from Ebert in his non-thumb mode. More for the linking.

That having been said, the whole small drama about this narcissistic, on the edge of society, couple is still fresh and engaging.

Seberg is a throwaway. She is so much herself that it works; even I could hear her American accent in her French. She will not go much of anywhere after this; kinda sad. She had been 'discovered' by Otto Preminger to star in ST JOAN. It bombed. He then put her in another picture, BONJOUR TRISTESSE to prove that she was really a good actress. That picture bombed too. She died of barbiturate overdose at 41.

Belmondo, on the other hand, is at the beginning of a long and rich career. He is just mesmerizing. The camera loves him and when he is on he is all of the scene. He also has a body fat of about 6% and if you like them lean and smooth, he is a dream. Sorry, it had to be said. He is not the male sex symbol; he is the real thing, all sex. And kinda dumb which is the way a lot of us like him.

Belmondo served as the male lead of choice in about a dozen early New Wave pictures. He was the prototype of the anti-star. It is ironic that from this fame, he morphed into an international star and has a lot of film credits. He is not active since a 'small' stroke in 2001. He aged very well, as you can see. We will see him again soon in BOB LE FLAMBEUR; directed by Melville, the guy who plays a famous author in this one. I guess you can see that he has made quite an impact on me. I will give the film a 4 out of Netlix5 just for Jean Paul.

TODAY'S MOVIE

BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957): NYTimes1176BestFilms; Directed by David Lean. Isn't it strange that, through pure chance, we are watching two Lean films back to back. Yesterday was BRIEF ENCOUNTER.

It is inevitable, then, to compare the two. Both are about tight-ass stiff upper lip types who get themselves and a lot of other people into deep trouble. KWAI, mixes an irreverant American in to create the contrasts; whereas ENCOUNTER uses the lower classes who are having much more fun.

Another take is that Lean shows the struggle between the superego (Alec Guiness) and the id (William Holden). Sessue Hayakawa is the cultural antithesis of the Guiness character, yet lives in the same world of rigid honor. Their own conflict adds an additional element of tension.

In the meantime, while we are thinking all this through, it is amazing to see how exciting and engaging this film still is. We had not seen it in (gasp) 47 years. That is nearly 50! It is in Cinemascope with a controversial restoration where they redid almost all the soundtrack over as the original tapes were lost. And so on. There I go getting all technical like again. Standing outside the cinematic experience. I am giving it a 4 out of Netflix5. It stands on its own and does not need any fluffy comment or analysis.

It is worth noting what a star William Holden was. If I walk to the front of our yard, I can see his home on the top of Southridge where he died. He fell into a glass table while on an alcoholic binge, and cut his head. Rather than have it treated, he let it go and slowly bled to death; a sad end to a great career.

Holden was a hunk before there were hunks. He started as the 'boy next door' and then evolved to the wise guy, bad boy, off-center rebel type. We see him over and over in the BestFilms list. So far, we have seen him three times: BORN YESTERDAY and SUNSET BOULEVARD (which we saw out of rotation) and KWAI. He will show up in COUNTRY GIRL, NETWORK, STALAG 17, and THE WILD BUNCH. We remember him fondly from SABRINA and PICNIC.

PINKO

Here is another item from the Boston Globe: Testing Your Republican Credentials.

What a bunch of fucking lefties this paper has turned out to be!

GLOBAL

Imagine if supporters of Bill Clinton had tried in 1996 to besmirch the military record of his opponent, Bob Dole. After all, Dole was given a Purple Heart for a leg scratch probably caused, according to one biographer, when a hand grenade thrown by one of his own men bounced off a tree. And while the serious injuries Dole sustained later surely came from German fire, did the episode demonstrate heroism on Dole's part or a reckless move that ended up killing his radioman and endangering the sergeant who dragged Dole off the field?

The truth, according to many accounts, is that Dole fought with exceptional bravery and deserves the nation's gratitude. No one in 1996 questioned that record. Any such attack on behalf of Clinton, an admitted Vietnam draft dodger, would have been preposterous.

Boston Globe: Editorial 082204-today.

I am proud of my old daily paper. You can't get much closer to calling the busher a draft dodger, can you?

Well, yes. You can.

This is from: The Portland Independent Media Center.

This is a good site to visit if you are planning to go to the RNC in NYC to demonstrate and be labelled a Democratic Party tool.

EARTHNIGHT

This is just the coolest picture: Earth at Night. Click on the image to make a full screen panorama and download as a screensaver. My house is just there in the desert section SE of LA.

OVER

Summer is over. I had to wear sox in my sandals and a light sweatshirt on this morning's bike ride. When I got home, I looked at the temp and it was 74! The days are only going up to 101. A turning point.

John says that I am always jumping the gun on season change and he is probably right. But, I notice that he did not go into the pool when he came back from his hour plus walk with Franklin. I did. Go in the pool. It was warmer than the air. I love the fall!

I had good training for this by going up 7000 feet to Flagstaff last week. The night temps there were in the 60's. Day in the 70's. It will be no time at all until we are wearing gloves on the walks and bike rides.

IN THE MAIL

I get email from Kerry and his campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill every day. Here is today's incredible message:

Our campaign has just released a new Internet ad called "Old Tricks" which shows John McCain asking George Bush to apologize for attacking McCain's own heroic record

View the ad by visiting: http://www.johnkerry.com/oldtricks.

Today we're calling for all of you to join together and stand with John Kerry. Tell George Bush: stop the smear, get back to the issues.

TODAY'S MOVIE

BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1945): NYTimes1176BestFilms: David Lean directs Noel Coward's short play Still Life which was part of a dozen written as vehicles for Gertrude Lawrence. They were bundled in threes and presented as Tonight At 8:30. It is pretty good and a bit edge of the seat. Forbidden Love. Married people meet in a train station, fall in love, carry on a series of unconsummated romantic liaisons; then give it up. It is said that Coward wrote all his plays from the viewpoint of a closeted homosexual, which he was, so therefore he did. The question is, did he include specific subtexts for other homos to find or for later scholars to argue about.

I can say that the entire enterprise is fully applicable to the gay world or to married gay men. I speak from first hand experience having been both and, as a matter of fact, having lived out aspects of this story. Here, the story is told by the woman who has a husband who stays home, worries about dinner, takes care of the kids and works the crosswords while she goes into town, shops, and sees a lot of movies. What could be more gay than that? And more wifely than that? Role reversal. And, a neat twist on the standard hetero arrangement at that time. Gotta be a flag on that one.

On the other hand, the theme is universal and beyond orientation. We cannot have our cake and eat it too. You must stay on the paths you have chosen. And so on. Actually, the dilemma for this couple is rather deep in that they love their families; he loves and is married to his work. The relationship is pretty much impossible.

It is also veddy veddy British and repressed in that sense as well. Home and hearth. But, just in the background, less bourgeois types than our couple are having at it with abandon so.......hmmmm. Coward and Lean do show us the contrasts. The lower classes are not that attractive however. Sordid and crass in their sexual by-play and sparring.

Now that I have beaten that one nearly to death, I can say that we enjoyed the film a great deal. The black and white work is just gorgeous and there is a lot of play of light in an active sense; when the mood brightens so do the lights. It is not that obvious really; just enough to notice it. I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5.

REVISE

Before I left for my trip, I enjoyed watching the film BREAKING AWAY. At the end of my little review, I said that I would give it a 3 out of Netflix5. Almost instantly, it seemed, I received and aggrieved email from an ardent fan of the picture who was stunned that I had not given it the highest rating. "The best bike movie I have ever seen".

I tried, as nicely as I could, to point out that the ratings are not about 'bike pictures' and that, if they were, I too would give BREAKING AWAY a 5. I would even give it a 5 if we considered motorcycle pictures in the category.

As a sop, I made a rare concession: I would reconsider my rating over the next several days. I did. While in the car, driving to Arizona, lines from the film kept coming into my head ('Bon giorno poppa"!) and situations repeated themselves in short loops (Dennis Quaid keeps jumping into the water at the quarry). Heartbreaking disappointments kept recurring (the loss of the race against the 'Ities'); funny incidents kept bubbling to the surface (the renaming of the cat to Fellini); poignant events continued to bring burning eyes (the revelation that our boy is just a cutter to his dream girl) and, of course, the exciting moments of the final race.

After all that, I gotta give it a 4. Any movie that hangs on that hard, has to be very good. I have given a 4 to pictures I can't remember much of. That is the problem with all reviews, isn't it? They are written too soon. What seems good, or bad, changes with time. The conciousness is independent of the intellect. I think that I wrote the review out of my head and the film kept its hold on my heart. Sigh. It is pretty good.

BACK

I am returned from my short three day trip. I did about 900 miles in a loop through Flagstaff down through Sedona to Prescott with a stop at Arcosanti, the architectural experiment of the 50-60s. I got some bells to hang between the inside and outside dining areas.

Then down through AZ89-17-60, a drop of 7000 feet to the I-10 and home. I had a good time seeing the sights and being in cool weather with TREES! It was cloudy most of the time and the afternoons were filled with bolts of lightning; all in the distance, fortunately. Beautiful. I had some rain but never when I wanted to get out and meander.

The last few days reminded me that travel is less and less interesting. I had a good time; but getting along on food and stuff is just a pain in the ass in this increasingly corporate travel environment; try Blimpies for lunch and a fast pasta outfit or Coco's for dinner. You get the picture. My place in Flagstaff was just totally chains and even a Walmart all plunked down at the end of the old town; ruining it and the local merchants. Of course, there I am, supporting it by staying there. Similar in Prescott only not as bad as it is a smaller town. No Walmart.

This is the latest thing. It is beyond malls. Just take the whole schmear and lay it down in about ten blocks of space. Blah. I am sure they can do this because all the immigrants, old people like me, want it. Jeezuz. Well we got it. The last time I saw this was in an urban renewal area in Long Beach. Same thing. No local merchants all chains and megastores in urbia!

That is the dark side. But the scenery has not been coopted it was great! I am reinvigorated. And I guess the Arcosanti bells tell me that you can still find the good stuff. In fact, they are expanding the place, so they must be selling a lot of bells! Go see the Appendix and read whatever you can in Arcology: Solution for the Information Age?. It is interesting stuff and way anti-corporate development.

TOO FAR?

The big news while I was gone was the Kerry denunciation of bush' support of the swiftboat smear. I like the idea of trading info on either candidate's vet records. They did this to McCain of all people. McCain rolled over and belatedly has said he should not have; he has condemned the anti-Kerry stuff and asked bush too. I saw junior last night on a Larry King replay do a dance and shuffle around the question. He is such an asshole; no not Larry King although he is close.

I keep thinking, isn't this going too far? When do the busher's fingers get caught in the trap they are trying to lay for Kerry? Well, maybe now.

The blog world has been full of stories about who the anti-Kerry people are and now it has hit the big press; the WPO did a piece, then CNN which I SAW last night. I saw TEEVEE (it is fucking awful). But today the New York Times redeem themselves as bush-apologists with this graphic of who did what to who when. It shows Rove all over it blah blah blah. Here is the graphic: Connections and Contradictions which I do not think was in the original article in the paper Friendly Fire: The Birth of an Anti-Kerry Ad".

Isn't that a swiftboat in APOCALYPSE NOW? The boat that they go up the river on? The one that Laurence Fishburne drives? Whew. We are still fighting that war. A lot of these people are still disaffected, resentful, mad at Kerry for his peace efforts. They have been badly used by the bushies, but their resentments are still there and part of the American 'scape.

Will the Iraq war be the same? Probably not as there is NOT YET a peace movement of any size of impetus to stoke the divisions again. Still and all, the 'Nam shadows will be over this campaign at all its stages including the matter of who is best to manage us out of Iraq.

OFF

I am taking a short vacation.

Three days on the road running around Arizona. Flagstaff. Prescott. Sedona in-between.

The mile wide meteor crater; biggest in the world! I will be heading for that first thing Wednesday.

Other geo-stuff.

Maybe Arcosanti to buy us a bell.

I will be wandering off alone in the desert.

And two nights in a motel! Jeez.

I am using this as a detox period from the politix stuff. I will be careful not to watch any teevee.

Well, maybe the Olympics. I did not plan it this way but it is a nice coincidence.

TODAY'S MOVIE

BREAKING AWAY (1979): NYTimes1176BestFilms; Peter Yates' coming of age, town versus gown, father and son, and of course, breaking away from home (a metaphor) biking movie (whew). This is a very risky enterprise. There is soooooooo much chance for falling into the corn barrel. But this does not happen. The movie is a happy and sometimes bitter-sweet love letter to small town life and the boys who have to stay from those who have to grow up differently and leave. Steve Tesich won an Oscar for the screenplay. It is utterly charming and the kids are great. This is the very young Dennis Quaid's first featured role and you can see the early promise of those dynamite abs! He is a pretty good actor too. I am giving it a 3 out of Netflix5.

CREATE OR EVOLVE

I, for one, take no position on the conflict between creationists and darwinians; I wasn't there.

But this helps me figure out one of the problems about creationism: The Creationist Fossil Shop.

I have never met anyone who was a creationist. Or, let me put it another way: I do not know that I have ever encountered a creationist. It is possible. I suppose if I were a creationist and I met me, I wouldn't engage in open avowal.

I am neither a darwinist or a creationist. I am just a skeptic. It keeps you out of arguments. No one wants to deal with skepticism. And, when skepticism is leavened and seasoned with irony and cynicism, all discussion becomes nicely amusing entertainment instead of hard work.

TOUR

I don't have the teevee; besides, I don't think they bothered to show the crowds and the energy of the Kerry/Edwards Tour across America. If you are the same, find it here at Believe in America Tour. I started from the end and worked forwards as it is blog-reverse.

POLL AXED

It is time to take a look at the polls. This bit of 'I din'kno'that' from Josh Marshall.

The additional fact to note, of course, is that incumbent presidents tend to get what they poll in head-to-head match-ups. Thus, if past races are any indicator, if a poll says Bush 46, Kerry 47, Bush will probably end up getting about 46% of the vote while Kerry will pick up most of the rest of the uncommitteds.

If you want to REALLY get happy then go to The Current Electoral Vote Predictor. This is a great site for a personal re-education of electoral political science. Peruse the articles. And take a look at the Electoral Graph where the results are plotted since earlier this year. Kerry has almost always been ahead in electoral votes.

Now as we all remember from bush-ravaged Florida in 2000, the electorals is where it's at. The big 270 right? Now smile. But for chrisake don't get all overconfident.

AD IT UP

John and I met through a personal ad. I had placed it. This was back in the mid-70's when there was no internet or chat room; although these are not too far off what we did then through alternative papers. It was a controlled form of cruising.

In many ways it was quite successful. In others, not. Like any such operation, there were the slicksters who lied about their dimensions and interests. Why anyone would do this, I do not know. Sooner or later, what is big is going to get small, what is muscle will become flab, what goes up must come down. The impact of such truths upon the eventual date, if any, has to be catastrophic. Nonetheless, people would lie like hell.

I often wondered if this was to actually speed the rejection process or perhaps, since there was always a phone call involved, a means to have surreptitious phone sex; an alternative to the blind call with heavy breathing. Occasionally, while chatting with some stranger, there would be the accelerated respiration rate followed by the long sigh; then 'click'. 'Gotcha'.

Some of us became grand investigators of the possible scam. My specialty was the drive-by. "Meet me outside the Colonnade Hotel on Huntington". I would drive past slowly and take a look. If I had a winner, I would park in the upstairs Colonnade lot; if not, well, not. I remember one cold winter night when the geek who had called was obviously freezing. As I glided by, I thought about stopping just to get him inside and maybe have some cocoa. But, I took another look and hardened my heart as I kept on driving. Respondents were not the only ones engaging in cruelty and deception.

What started all this is an article which you might need a subscription to see. It is in the Wall Street Journal on-line. Try it. Get Me Rewrite! Personal Ads Are Big Business. These are coaches and editors who will copy edit and consult on your personal ad efforts. The key here is to avoid cliché; which any devoted reader of personal ads will agree is a major problem.

We have the ad I wrote somewhere. I will not dig it out for edit and review. Perhaps, at the end, when they go through our stuff, they will find it. I do not know if I avoided cliché; but this particular ad, my fifth or sixth, I believe, was very successful. I had already 'dated' a few respondents; short, hands on-interviews; no repeat performances. Then John called. A thirty year date is not so bad, huh? We are still talking it over.

EXETER

Watching HULOT'S HOLIDAY today reminded me of 'the old days' in Boston. This film is one of the first foreign films that I ever saw. It was 1954, my first year of school in Boston; MIT. There it is from the air. It hasn't changed a lot from up here. There is the Great Dome there in the middle and Kresge Auditorium over the left. I lived over on the right on East Campus, in the dorms, just out of the picture.

Somehow, I fell in with a bunch of theater queens who knew everything about everywhere to go to see stuff in Boston. I was swept up in their midst. Well, it is no mystery, actually. Birds of a feather and all that.

This was when homos found each other in a primarily secular and not sexual way. It is hard to describe. Sublimation.The Fifties. The homo thing was not discussed and probably not really thought of directly; but there was a strong temperamental affinity. This was the time of camp after all; although we did not know that about it or ourselves. It got named, after the fact, by Susan Sontag who remained a closet lesbian as she outed everyone else. Even straights didn't discuss sex. There wasn't any for anyone.

Also, in those days, it was not a disgrace to be an intellectual. And the lines were blurry between effete and queer. I could not tell you how many of this group were actually gay. I connected with a few in later years; but we were never sure about a lot of the others in the gang. I wasn't all that out myself for quite a long time.

A lot of these kids were also New York jews which meant that they had major attitude. They were also very smart; mostly physics and math majors at first. You had to skate fast to stay up with them. I learned a lot in a short amount of time. The severity scathing comments demanded it. Up or out. It was wonderful life training.

They were a great bunch and, as I say, they took me right in. "No" was not an acceptable answer to an invitation. They, and subsequently I, inhabited the second balconies of all the theaters. We did not miss a pre-Broadway run of anything. We saw the Pops and the Symphony. At that time you could get rush seats to many events. Tickets to shows were at a student rate. There was even an on-campus agency that could get seats when no one else in town could. These were golden times. and never realized how unique and wonderful this was. I got a great education at MIT. Well, the truth is, I barely made it out of there because I actually majored in seeing and doing everything there was to see and do in the city.

This is the Exeter Theater where I probably saw HULOT. There were several art houses in Boston; this was, after all, the period where the influx of international cinema was at its peak. Sadly those times are gone. But, at it's zenith, the Exeter was where we saw all the Ealing comedies with Alex Guiness et. al. and all the Bergmans. I remember seeing my first filmic blow job in a movie there--ONE SUMMER OF HAPPINESS. This is especially notable since the Exeter was also a church; Spiritualists. They made their nut on movies and were obviously not bothered by the content. Some church. I don't think they were x-ians.

I have often wondered, as one does, what my life would have been like had I gone to Penn State or some other awful place in a nowhere location with a bunch of small town rube kids like myself. I am sure I would be happy and life would have been fine but I would never have seen HULOT or that Swede in SUMMER getting done. I sure would never ever had sat in the dark at the Exeter and imagined a totally differennt life, which I have, for the most part, managed to live out.