Sunday, September 30, 2012
WHY IS IT DARK AT NIGHT?
This seems to be a really good explanation and all but I have to admit that I still don't get it.
I mean it is filled with extraneous facts but nothing to answer the specific question posed.
Or perhaps it does.
Maybe my bad luck with physics still abstains. I am, after all, an MIT graduate but this kind of stuff doesn't work for me.
Maybe I don't listen.
BIZZY
There has been a lot going on.
John got a cataract operation on his right eye on Wednesday. That meant back and forth in the car for Booker and I.
We had a nice time while John got cut. We went to a small park at Eisenhower Hospital that has a small pond with the occasional duck and just walked around, sat and sniffed all the edges.
When John had to go back for a checkup (He got an A+) the next morning, we repeated the experience.
Both times we got the half threatening from a paunchy little martinet in a guard uniform, "this ain't a dog park" and stayed below his sight line as the park sort of dips down in the center.
That completed, we had the new washer driers delivered on Friday which needed a valve on the gas line pre-install. We got a guy to do it through the appliance place. It went OK and the guys came on Friday and installed the machines.
We got big ones. They do a lot of laundry. I took all we had and put it in the first load. The washer has a waterfall effect that recirculates the water from the top to bottom and it is quite spectacular. Gets the soap into the items and then gets the soap out during the rinse.
The drier dries.
They look great and all is well with that.
Today we are going to a celebration/memorial for a friend who died a couple of weeks ago. A peaceful parting. She was in her eighties and ready to go. She is the one we went to have a tea party with a month or so ago.
Today is not my favorite kind of thing but it is not formal, there will be food, I will know a lot of people there and it won't last long.
Goodbye Ruth.
Booker is not invited.
Not much going on this week but on Friday three of our kids will come to visit for their traditional Columbus Day trip. Nice. No hassle.
Labels: life
GOING NOWHERE
Today's film was the NYTimes Critics' Pick
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
with Robert Downey Jr., Shia LeBeouf, Channing Tatum, Chazz Palminteri and Diane Weist.
This autobiographical film by Dito Montiel, author and director.
this is an old favorite. I need to watch it at least every year or so.
It is a revelation.
Fathers. The inspiration of so many films. In this one, Dito leaves for fifteen years then comes back because his Dad will not go into the hospital the way everyone wants him to. But this is not the reason. More will be revealed.
Shia LeBeouf grows into Robert Downey and the connections are uncanny in their performances which interleave between past and present. Non linear.
Some of the final scenes are breathtaking.
I can't get enough of it.
A solid 5 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
Saturday, September 29, 2012
BESTIES
Today's movie was
This is an offbeat sweet story of two people who would not normally meet or mix. As neighbors a young gay man in film school and an older unmarried woman who is still looking for her place in life find the time to be together to just hang out. A lot.
She is hiding from success, he from moving on in his life as a gay man.
When Nate meets James his time suddenly goes to the new "boyfriend" and, after a disastrous dinner together, James must decide where to put his priorities. It helps that James is a dick but still, not so easy.
I don't want to tell a lot about this. I am not even sure this film should have a preview. It is kind of delicate and rare.
When Nate and Margaret find each other after their trouble, there is a nice grown up feel to the whole thing. For both.
I liked this a lot and wouldn't mind seeing it again.
A 4 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
Friday, September 28, 2012
TRIANGLE
Today's NYTimes Critics' Pick film was Zack Parker's
Three people involved in a tight, densely packed exercise in film drama.
A scalene triangle is the one in which all sides are of different length.
Here, all viewpoints are different. It is not Rashomon where one story is wrong or any of that. It is the same story first told backward, then non-linearly and then forward. Each of these three sections has the viewpoint of one of the characters.
I was sure that I understood what was going on and then, and then and then. Well. No.
The acting is superb here. Everything is the same. They each see the same thing. Some see more some see less but there is no trick to it.
Very good. Excellent.
Margo Martindale is a force of nature.
This is a 4 out of Netflix5.
Wow.
Labels: films
Thursday, September 27, 2012
IN HIS OWN WORDS
This is the third Obama ad to use the 47% stuff and perhaps the most devastating.
After the election, we should try to find the person who took this video and give them some kind of award for bravery and creativity. To say nothing of their ability to keep quiet and let the tape speak for itself.
Another thing. It is very good cinematically. Good focus, good sound and the speaker is right in the target frame.
Labels: Re-election of Barack Obama
UNDERGROUND GRIND
Todays film was the NYTimes Critics' Pick
a documentary about the first stirrings of underground films in NYC.
Jarmusch and others. Steve Buscemi. Many others.
It is fun to watch. An easy way to get a glimpse of otherwise impossible to watch films. A few talking heads who were there keep it on the subject. Not too many egos.
The social background is important and discussed.
I didn't learn a thing.
I thought about getting Jarmusch' first film Permanent Vacation but balked when I went on Netflix which actually has it. It may be the only film shown today that made it that far. There is some argument about whether Jarmusch' next film was outside the so-called non-existent bounds of "underground" but that will be left for history to decide.
It was fun and enough. A 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
WHOPPER
Today's film was Tim Burton's
Big Fish 2003)starring Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup and many others.
This is a father and son tale where the truth of his father's life is obscured by the fantasmagoric tales he has told.
Little by little, the truth is outed and we have an extraordinarily fine film about fantasy and the truth upon which it is built.
We also have some very fine moments between Finney and Crudup as, finally, the two get to know one another.
Lots of laughs and tears. A great film which is a repeater for me. Making it 5!
Labels: films
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
CLEAN
A few weeks ago the washer started leaking and so we decided that was enough money trying to rehab.
Went today to buy new units and settled on a midrange solution.
Samsung.
Top load washer, front load drier. The washer is plungerless. It has some kind of waterfall thing that also turns the clothes around for better cleaning or something.
I deferred to John on the extra cost color of platinum. Good name that.
The drier will be gas. We discovered that we do have a gas connection. A guy is coming today or tomorrow to put the right fitting on the pipe so that when they install they can do the whole thing.
It is hard to romance washers and driers but they have tried. The units are good looking and for only about a hundred more apiece we get a bunch of features and larger size.
We are finding that the older you get there is more washing.
Please don't ask me to explain that.
Here is the thing. Of all the units for sale, the best selling and the best looking in this range are LG and Samsung. There are no Whirlpools or other familiar US names.
They have been lapped.
It is not too astonishing.
The last units we bought new were at the old house. We got Fisher Paekel. Very nice. More expensive. But when they needed repairs the guys had to call the headquarters and work a computer to get to the solutions. Not nice at all.
There are electronics on these machines of course but they are not the complete computer driven things. There are mechanical interfaces which seem friendly.
John does the wash but I may participate for awhile.
Labels: appliances
Monday, September 24, 2012
BLOODFEST
Today's film was Hong-jin Na's
Hwanghae / The Yellow Sea (2011)
A cab driver who is up against it is hired to kill a man in Korea. He has to smuggle himself in to do it. He takes this on because he will be able to search for his wife who left and never returned.
This sets off a wild, thrilling, sometime hilarious and always edge of the seat movie that rocks from one extreme of violence to another. Grand Guignol.
Chases.
Double dealing, back stabbing (figurative and real) and incredible feats of mayhem with primitive weapons (which in one scene includes huge meat bones).
Shot through the film is a moral imperative which becomes clear as the story unfolds.
I liked it a lot and it is probably better seen on a big screen. I don't say that often but the excitement of the chases and some of the horror has to work better on a wide canvas.
Anyway, I would recommend it to anyone but the squeamish. It will do no good to tell yourself that "it is only a movie".
I would be willing to watch it again and unravel a few things that were not clear the first time. It didn't matter really but inquiring minds want to know.
Korea is producing some really good films in these past years. It is good to see as many as possible as they gain greater distribution here.
A 4 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
Sunday, September 23, 2012
TRANE'S BIRTHDAY TODAY
Born in Hamlet, North Carolina, in 1926, and died July 17, 1967 on Long Island, New York. He was 40.
Can't see him but how about this vinyl record?
If you go to the end you can hear his voice.
Remember vinyl records?
Full and rich. Deep. Wet, not dry and hard.
You can hear it on this.
Coltrane was a vinyl guy.
It was all he knew.
HEAT
The AC went out last night. It felt warm, I went and looked. It was 83F.
Oh oh.
I called in right away. Of course they are not open but there is an emergency line. There is a guy works Sunday and we were first on his list.
Some kind of circuit gizmo had burnt out.
Done and done in an hour.
It wasn't bad sleeping without the air. It went off at the end of a cooled day but today, no buffer.
We had gone through the options if it did not get fixed. Rent a motel room. That kind of thing. Motel 6 takes dogs.
But it is fixed now and life is good.
Well, it was good before the AC was fixed but now it is better.
MIND VOYAGE
Today's film was Michael Cronenberg's
drawn from letters between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, this dramatization of their relationship and the involvement of a young female patient who will become a doctor herself, is often as dry and brittle as toast and as deliciously exciting as the raunchiest scenes you could devise.
A NYTimes Critics' Pick.
They are on a voyage of the mind into the unconscious of the mind.
Jung's wife gives him a sailboat and that is the feeling that we have watching this. A voyage or adventure where there are uncharted waters.
Cronenberg does manage to bring alive certain well known ideas as the Oedipal Complex as it is illustrated by Freud and his disciple Jung. The role of sexual urge and thought in people's daily lives is explored. All in the story about these three.
Sedately and not.
It has the great line from Freud to Jung as they arrive in NYC. "Do they know we are coming?" "We are bringing the plague". And they do.
This is pretty good. I think it needs to be watched and listened to a second and third time. It certainly leaves one thinking.
Viggo Mortensen is Freud (superego) and Michael Fassbender (ego), improbably, as Jung but it works. Keira Knightley is the young patient and Sarah Gadon is Jung's wife.
There is a short appearance by an old favorite, Vincent Cassell as a rogue analyst. He shakes up the picture in a very delightful way. (The id)
I won't see it again. I liked it and I had enough for one time. A 3 out of Netflix5.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
NIGHT LIFE
Today's film was Alan Rudolph's masterpiece
with Keith Carradine, Lesley Ann Warren and Genevieve Bujold. Music throughout by Teddy Pendergrass.
This is a "kind of boozy La Ronde" as it shows the rounds of a guy named Mickey as he re-enters the world from a shadowy past. A congenital liar who, it turns out, is probably telling the truth. Mickey disrupts the lives of the women in the small circle of friends.
The story and dialogue are spellbinding and the atmosphere is so thick you could cut it with a knife.
I am drawn to this film also by my own experiences in the night life when I first came out in Boston and lived in the bars for several years. This is really, really, the way it seemed to me. I was going to say that it is the way that it really is but I don't think that so much as that it is really the atmosphere. I think that sentence makes sense. The talk, the background noise, the music, the jivey talk, the dreams and the realities.
The colors of this film are neon at night and tastefully bright shades during the days.
Carradine is so overwhelmingly handsome. He is almost godlike as he glides from lady to lady here.
What else? I am ready to see it again "soon".
Labels: films
Friday, September 21, 2012
FRIDAY TAX DUMP
I don't get it. What are they thinking? This is about the stupidest move yet. Blood in the water.
Did they really believe that dumping the tax info on Friday would be ignored?
And what about the "summary" of the 20 years? Jesus.
This guy is confused too.
Former Mitt Strategist on Romneyland tax dump. "Is this an April Fool's Joke?Harry Reid who has been at this for awhile has already spoken out and made it a big issue again.
They do not seem to be able to keep the message going for their guy. Another false foot.
Labels: Romney
PAUL WHO?
John asked me today about what happened to Paul Ryan. You know. The GOP Veep nominee?
Here. We found him. Follow the booing.
AARP is one of the best educated audiences about Medicare, Social Security and other issues relating to Seniors. Period.
They know bullshit when they hear it.
Boooooooo. Booooooo. LIAR!!!
Labels: republican whack jobs
WHAT OBAMA DOES
A great story.
And what about that 47%?
He takes it to them. The crowd goes nuts. Call and response.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Labels: Re-election of Barack Obama
FIGHT!!
Today's film was Gavin O'Connor's
Warrior (2011)A NYTimes Critics' Pick.
With Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, estranged brothers, and Nick Nolte as their dad. Mixed martial arts.
You can take all your boxing and wrestling and put them aside. This is fighting.
It is basically a fight film which in history is often the best kind of movie.
O'Connor has caught it here. The story is unique and very modern with appropriate twists and the filming is very exciting. Edge of the seat. Whether you like the blood or not. Although, I have seen MMA live and this had a lot less blood. Also less spit and teeth.
What is standard is the alcoholic father who doted on the wrong son and all that.
Cheap melodrama in less able hands. But this transcends.
The winner is love. Believe it or not. Right there in all the mess and sweat and cheering from the knuckle draggers in the seats.
No one gives up anything easily. Yes there is a good brother and a "bad" brother but these are post modern times and a new millennium and so it is now different, this moral divide.
I would gladly see it again. This is the second film with Tom Hardy in the last few weeks (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy). He is formidable.
I wouldn't mind seeing this again. Time will tell. In the meantime, a 4 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
FONT SIZE IS BETTER?
The audience says yes. Back to the old style and out with the new Blogger template font.
Labels: blogging
Thursday, September 20, 2012
THE OTHER HALF
INEVITABLE DOWNFALL SATIRE
RIGHTS
UNLOCKING THE HOUSE
Sam Wang again.
A very reliable analyst.
He thinks that right now there is a good chance of the Demos getting a 16 seat majority in the House.
I don't know but he has a great record of accurate predictions. He also says Barack rules.
Labels: polls
POP
Today's movie was the musical doc
I got this because I find her interesting among the new pop stars. I see and hear them at the gym.
Often compared to GaGa, there is no comparison. Not better or worse. They are just not in the same stream at all.
This film covers a wide range of Perry activity. Her personal history (she is the daughter of pentecostal preachers--left the fold but not her parents), her difficult ascendance as a pop star (fighting the suits that wanted to make her the new whatever), her CEO-ness in running a great show that did a world wide tour for a year (we see many of the numbers) and the difficulty of having a personal life (the breakup of her marriage to Russell Brand).
The film is very well done as, apparently, is almost everything involving Ms. Perry.
She is a star but not, it seems, a diva. Has a lot of personal friends in her troupe and has a lot of fun in her life.
I liked it but not enough to see it again. I did not know that she has this wild following of teens. I thought her more an adult attraction. Not that there is anything wrong with this. Just not known to me. I am pretty sheltered from pop.
I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5. She is one hell of a singer.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
'NUFF SAID
AND IF YOU ARE TURNED OFF BY INSTATRADE THERE IS ALWAYS THE PEW
Just look at this. Astounding.
Can it be?
You know, the Pew has a great record and polls all the time. They also poll deeply.
Really Bad News From Pew for Mitt
I can't really elaborate on this. It is what it is.
Devastating.
But, the usual caveats do apply.
No partying. Although a smirk and a bit of a smile is OK. Go have a coke or something.
Labels: polls
THE OTHER 53%
So if 47% depend on the government, what do the other 53%depend on.
Labels: Republicans, Romney
I BID 70%!!!
I look at the polls a lot because it mostly makes me feel good. And better as time goes on toward November 6. Actually until a few weeks when many of us will start voting on mail ins.
But the really really feel good place is on Intrade, the place where people treat the election as a stock and put their money where their mouths are. Take a look at this.
The headline says it all. It has been inching and inching. I saw it go up on Cairo. I am seeing it happen on 47%.
Sure, a lot can happen to make it go the other way but there are fewer and fewer days for that to happen.
And you have to admit that Romney is buzzkilling his own chances. It hardly matters what the Obamas do except to hold steady and GOTV.
Outdated but still.
It is funny that in this example, Hillary Clinton is on her high cycle. You know how that turned out. So beware of riding it on the up.
BZZZZZZ
Today's movie was the light costume comedy
which chronicles the invention of the vibrator and the demise of the theory of female hysteria.
Hugh Dancy and Maggie Gyllenhaal are the couple of interest.
She runs a settlement house and he has a lucrative practice manipulating rich women's uteri.
His hand gets tendonitis and he invents the vibrator.
Around this a simple comedy and romance are built. Jonathyn Price is the villain, sort of, but not very mean.
Nothing bad happens here. A lot of elevating stuff about the emancipation of women is always worthwhile especially in a season where some people would take a lot of what passed as progress away and put us right back in the Victorian era when this film takes place.
Light, light, light but fun and funny.
I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
QUOTE OF THE DAY
SHOT
I went for my flu shot today.
So, I have done it and I can start promoting it.
If you are older than 65, out here, they hunt you down with black helicopters. Sleeper darts.
It is a lot more fatal for the old farts.
But there is one less excuse. They are free.
Medicare. Have you heard about it?
Labels: health
HIL TEXTS
MOOCHERLAND
map addedAlmost all Romney voters and inhabitants of the fever swamps. This has been the case since the birth of the tea party folks. On the dole and pissed at people (colored ones) that are on it too.
Labels: Romney
WHITE OUT
Randy Newman weighs in on some Presidential thoughts for this election year.
We can count on Randy, as always, to hit the soft spot in the electariat. Is that a word? No.
But for those who have been seeing tinges of racism in a lot of the campaigning, Randy brings it all out front for us to see.
Labels: republican whack jobs
LOST IN THE CROWD
Today's film was Gustavo Taretto's
Great creative film. I loved it.
In a city aswarm with people and buildings two singles search for a better life. They live one building apart.
We often see them on the street, in situations, walking along or doing things. No connections.
Then lightning occurs. Almost literally. Something happens.
They connect. Then they part. They don't even know it is happening, until..........well, you wait and see.
Magical. Wonderful. Great use of graphics. A critique of architecture? Yes. That too.
They are both charming. Not beautiful but quite worthwhile and they should not be alone.
You should see this too.
I will give it a 5 out of Netflix5 because I want to see it again. I want to see how many near misses I missed the first time and to feel the wonder of the events as they unfold over four seasons.
Labels: films
Monday, September 17, 2012
OBAMA REPLIES
CONTEMPTUOUS
Jim Messina, the head of Obama's campaign has this to say about Mitt's disdain, well, for me!
It's shocking that a candidate for President of the United States would go behind closed doors and declare to a group of wealthy donors that half the American people view themselves as ‘victims,’ entitled to handouts, and are unwilling to take ‘personal responsibility’ for their lives. It’s hard to serve as president for all Americans when you’ve disdainfully written off half the nation.What about the 47%?
Romney falsely claimed that 47 percent of all Americans are complete freeloaders. It turns out two-thirds of that 47 percent still pay federal taxes. (As it turns out, they actually probably pay a higher rate than Romney.) Of the remaining one-third who don't pay any federal taxes at all, more than half are elderly Americans who have already paid plenty of taxes.
Labels: Romney
ELDER STATESMEN
When I talk about the Republicans who were great statesmen and who truly worked for bi-partisan solutions, I often forget to give examples.
Here is one:
A Long Time Ago in a Party Far Away
I fought against Bob Dole's campaign as hard as I could but I respected him.
I respected his sacrifices for his country. I respected his ability to speak with America in mind no matter what the subject was. I never doubted his patriotism. I do not think he had a cynical bone in his body.
Today, Dole is proving that by his work in Kansas as a not-so-regular citizen.
Bob Dole.
Where are they today?
Actually, George Bush is working on being one. Surprise. Not his henchmen who are feeding the Mitt Campaign.
In the Mitter's outfit, it is all cynical mendacity.
Interesting enough, that is not working.
Last week, Willard proved his incapacity for foreign affairs.
A performance that earned him very low marks in the Pew research question today.
Guys like Dole went there. Dole actually fought there. They knew that governing was serious business. Not business business.
Bob Dole.
Labels: Republicans
NEWTECH
You might notice some different shit on the post titles and so on.
Blogger has changed their whole format but nicely so.
I find it user friendly.
I don't have to use the heavy new post title thing but I think that I will.
I like this a lot.
Thanks Blogger. Owned by Google. Like everything else.
ALOHA
Today's movie was
with George Clooney and a great supporting cast.
There is a complicated story here which in summary sounds like a fucking soap opera so I won't go into it. Because the film is not operatic at all but quite wonderful.
I am trying to figure out why this is. Perhaps the acting. The sly humor. The utter originality of the story line.
It is certainly a glimpse of Hawaii that we never have. It is like every place else. Try Southern California. A lot of traffic. People who ignore the beauty of where they are and clutter it all up. Dumpy houses. Not a surfer in sight but a few on a nice beach walk we get to share.
This is not a place where I would think of starting a film up. But here we are.
Clooney has two daughters and already a smart ass son-in-law in waiting in the person of the oldest's best male friend who turns out to be a rock.
I really liked it and would not mind seeing it again at all. A 4 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
Sunday, September 16, 2012
TRIPLE THREAT
One. Another rewording of One Direction's hit. By "Wrong Direction".
Two. A bunch of great looking men.
Three. A message to Mittens and his people.
Labels: fun. music, Romney
MEN IN LOVE
Today's film was the tri-biopic
with Javier Beltran, James McNulty and the infamous Robert Pattinson.
They play the "real life" triangle of Federico García Lorca, Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali. In their youth. Before they got baked into their life's personas.
Each repressed in his own way, it is the young Lorca who blooms and becomes a national icon before he is hauled away by fascist thugs and executed 8 years after these events.
Bunuel, of course, became a great film director. I have seen most of his films. Dali, well, became Dali.
It is a little hard to discern what this is about. It is certainly about great affection, possibly love, between young men and the physical attractions involved. Neither Bunuel or Dali can return Lorca's physical passion but the idea of wanting it is powerfully sexy and this is well demonstrated in the film which is partly flawed in that it dwells a little long on the young Dali's eccentricities and Bunuel's homophobic panic. Well, Dali's also.
There are beautiful scenes and great music. The young actors who are not spanish stumble some on the accents. I had not seen Pattinson before. He looks better here and this was possibly a good career move for him. Widen the horizons. But they could have been widened a little less.
I enjoyed the film. Relived the sad and tragic ending of Lorca once again. I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films, gay films
AMBIVALENCE TO MODERNITY
Long words to describe the inner conflict of Muslims and Arabs (not always the same things) which leads to riots and seemingly insane behavior.
As westerners, our first thought is WTF? What is wrong with these people?
Then we try to explain it away. The other day I read that the mobs in Libya and elsewhere are really just juvenile delinquents looking for trouble. Well, maybe. But try this well written and informative article.
Incidentally, it does not blame the west and is very reflective on the problem of half modern young people in the arab and muslim worlds.
Why is the Arab World So Easily Offended?"
Labels: muslims and arabs
Saturday, September 15, 2012
DOWN TO BASICS
Esquire asked who would win in a fist fight. Obama or Romney.
Guess who wins.
Americans Agree Obama Could Totally Kick Mitt's Ass
Now some will take this seriously. Others will find it amusing. Still others will probably disapprove such an unseemly question.
Not me.
I have only been in one fist fight in my life. I blocked the kid's swing and that was it.
I once saw a real one in Harvard Square. It was something. The energy. The power of it.
There was blood and there was crying.
I am sure that someone shit their pants. Maybe even one of us watching.
For sure, one of the men had a hard-on. It wasn't me, incidentally.
Violence is energizing. Adrenaline.
Is it relevant? Is it "unseemly"?.
Here is what I think. I have a friend who could and would totally kick anyone's ass who messed with me. Instantly. It is like having a hired gun. I have never called on that power. But I would if I needed to.
I have also gained a great deal of strength from him. I would hate to do it but I would not lose any fight I had to go into.
Brave talk? Bravado? Maybe.
But here is something I know. Rich boys could and would not fight. For anything.
If I am going to choose the President I want a fighter. Someone who is fit. LIke my friend. If called on he will do the job. And finishe it.
Do you think that Truman could have whipped Dewey's ass? Let me tell you. The answer is yes.
Nixon? No. He had his hired thugs and looked what happened.
Carter? Brotherly love. Forget it.
George W. Bush? Yes. Over the top. Eye gouging. Tripping.
Ahhh you say. He ran a rough government. Yes he did. Too much.
But he would have beat Al Gore's ass. And John Kerry too.
I just reflect on this.
I do not think that it is a dumb question. I think it is very important.
I think Obama would kick Mitten's ass and then help him up. A difference from W.
What's that? Mitt was a bully? That has nothing to do with the question. Being a bully means that there is always someone who can beat your ass and you know it.
Labels: Barack Obama, Re-election of Barack Obama, Romney
Friday, September 14, 2012
COLD WAR
Today's film was
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)
A NYTimes Critics' Pick.
Gary Oldman, Toby Jones, Colin Firth, John Hurt and other familiar British actors. Tom Hardy. Mmmmm.
John le Carré's famous concoction.
This was done in a teevee series in something like ten episodes. Today we did it in just a little over two hours. Rich production, fast cuts, a glimpse here and a glimpse there. Telling. It sticks to the ribs so that when we get to the end it is really the end and all ends tied.
Skillful.
The color is wonderful. Beige. Thrilling without a chase, a car wreck or even much in the way of violence. Well, cancel that. There is plenty but it is fast and sure.
I would be happy to see it again anytime. A 4 out of Netflix5.
Great trailer but misleading as hell.
Labels: best films, films
ROLLING IN THE HEATHER
Today's film was the Vincent Minnelli production of
with Gene Kelly, Van Johnson and Cyd Charisse.
The year I graduated from high school.
The town of Brigadoon rises every hundred years for just one day and so does this movie. I had a yen to see it. It has been a very long time.
I know the score cold and have heard several Broadway versions of the Lerner and Lowe musical.
In this, Gene Kelly doesn't sing very well but he sure can dance and also is able to stand there beautifully. Surprise! Van Johnson, who it turns out was gay all the way through, can sing and dance right with the great master. Charisse is not at her best in this film. It is not a rich part and she doesn't do her own singing. The dance is slow and lugubrious.
But. The production is very peppy. They decided to stay inside. It is all indoor sets with huge background paintings and all. Younger people will moan at this but it is a lost art. Yes. We knew that they were not outside. It is a fantasy and is meant to be indicated as such. It is a magical town. The flats bring it to life. Outside or CGI would kill it. Dead.
What else. Many musical adaptations ruined the score with huge orchestration. This film is an exception partly because a lot of the music is meant to be rich and lush but also it is piped down quite a bit and brought forward, I suspect, in this restoration to make it sound more 21st century. They can do that ya' know.
I had forgotten the New York scenes. The pace, the noise, the frantic race to have fun. It is very well done.
The men still strip to chase Harry Beaton. The fog still rolls in and out. The quaint and charming village is still quaint and charming. 18th Century you know.
I cried quite a bit during this and at the end which is superbly rendered. Perfect. Couldn't be better. Somehow I suspect the film beats the stage here and in some other areas (NYC) because you just can't do these kind of "shots" when you are watching from a theater seat.
And it is in CINEMASCOPE! Color by ANSCO!
This is a 5, goddamit. A Netflix5 out of 5. Love it.
The trailer is almost 4 minutes long. As fun to watch as the movie.
Labels: films
Thursday, September 13, 2012
FAMILY
Today's NYTimes Critics' Pick film was
A woman dies and sends her twin children, adults, to Lebanon to search for the father and brother they never knew they had.
A lot of this is the hateful internecine wars fought between factions, religions and all that shit in the middle east. The battleground is Lebanon.
The drama is clean cut and well done with only a few stretches of the imagination to make it work. Tense, satisfying.
I would not want to see it again as good as it is. A 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
REMEMBERING AMBASSADOR CHRIS STEVENS
He addresses the people of Libya who he is about to serve as American Ambassador.
A special kind of hero.
Labels: heroes
IT'S A GAS
No movie today.
The new gas range (not a stove) arrived just after 7AM. I was at a Meeting and came home to it fully installed.
It appears to be a lot more solid and even formidable than when it was sitting fireless in the showroom.
Everything works at the push of a button. Warm. Bake. Broil. Clean.
I tried it all except the cleaning part.
There are five burners. One in the middle where the space used to be.
John has bought a shelf to put over the back of the range. It doesn't have a flat surface.
The best part is the grills. They are not enamel. Rough iron which can char and not worry about showing burn.
The rest of the day was given over to some meetings with people and just playing around.
Our stove is white. Same thing though.
Labels: appliances, cooking, kitchen
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
INTROVERT IN CHIEF
This is a call to all introverted readers of the blog.
This is a long time meme here at esrose.com.
Now, in recent interviews and in the New Yorker as well as Vanity Fair, we have more indication that our President is one of us.
Obama is great with crowds and speeches. He is wonderful on the rope line and with candid moments over beer or whatever. He has a million dollar smile and it is genuine.
But one on one, in small groups, he is an introvert.
He does not schmooze. He does not call up and kibbitz with congress people. He has a few close friends and doesn't open up to many people.
Basically, like me, he doesn't like many people. Working? Great. Personally, no.
I am with this. I ran management training groups and was great at it. I could work with many people in my company and lead well.
I could not and would not hang out. Not with groups, dinner, drinks late nights at the bar. Even when I drank. Never.
I would bend over backward not to socialize. I hated it. I had nothing to say and was not interested in your viewpoints either. Period.
This kind of attitude (that is what "they" usually call it) is totally alien to an extrovert. They consider us to be assholes.
There are way too many extroverts in dangerous positions in the world. Look at Clinton. My God, he almost sank the country and the world to say nothing of himself with all the networking. He was fortunate to have people who loved him enough to throttle him.
I hear that W was a great social success. Loved to hang out. Lousy staff.
Me? I still don't want a lot to do with most people. I am happy with a select few who light up my life and me theirs.
Do I have to break out the Introvert article again? The most popular reprint the Atlantic ever had?
Obama's great strength is that instead of hanging out he is working. He is thinking. He is reading his mail. He is the President of the United States.
Labels: Barack Obama
THEN AND NOW
Today's film was the anthology of short Mexican films
I don't think anyone else has seen this but me. It is hardly reviewed.
It was assembled to commemorate the centenary of the Mexican Revolution.
As most such anthologies it is a mixed bag.
Shorts are weird in that they move by so quickly that everyone has a different take.
I "got" most of the abstractions and really appreciated the final work in which an everyday crowd in Los Angeles, latinos for the most part, are going about their business when a group of revolutionaries ride through, hard and dirty. This is executed in almost excruciatingly slow slow motion so every part of it works as you watch the oblivious 21st centurions pass through the file of horses.
It had to be enacted at very high speed because the manes and tails are flying. People seem to be about to be trampled but all pass through.
Its relevance to the revolution is direct but the conclusion up for grabs. Nevertheless, the cinematic aspect is so dramatic.
I liked most of it. A 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
Monday, September 10, 2012
NOT ONE FAULT
Today's report on DADT a year later.
Nothing adverse. Everything good.
There are still some gay bashing incidents by, usually Marine, enlisted men but these are isolated and probably the same as if these thugs were on the outside.
Leonard Matlovich did not live to see this.
Labels: gay military, gay rights
MITT IS ALL OVER
This is a comment on Kevin Drum's web site.
Vote Romney! He'll repeal Obamacare, the whole thing, but he'll keep some parts, like preexisting conditions, but actually he won't, he'll keep it but not in the law.
He likes Roe v Wade, but is pro-life, but he won't pass a law against abortion, but he supports laws against abortion, but not if it's rape, but only if it's not secretly not rape. And he'll nominate pro-life judges, but he won't ask judges if they're pro-life before nominating them.
Also he'll cut taxes on rich people (sorry, "job creators") and raise taxes by eliminating loopholes, but not loopholes on "job creators," but also not loopholes on poor people or the middle class, and not loopholes on corporations (who are people (actually let me clarify, they're not people (except for purposes of campaign contributions))). He's not going to get into details because if he did his opponents would just use them to attack him.
He's in favor of a strong dollar, so he'll stop China from manipulating the currency to maintain a strong dollar, which is causing a big debt, which he'll make smaller by cutting taxes and cutting spending, except on military, Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare which he'll spend more on. He's against cutting Medicare, because that's what Obama is doing and he'll repeal Obama cutting Medicare, but he'll cut Medicare (sorry, "entitlement reform"), but not Obama's cutting Medicare different cutting Medicare. And the older generation is running up the deficit at the expense of younger people, which he'll fix by cutting benefits for younger people (it's not cutting Medicare, it's just having Medicare give out less money than before). And he's in favor of the individual mandate, which is why he'll repeal it once in office. And he didn't want to bail out GM, because he secretly did want to bail out GM. But three things he'll NEVER DO are "apologize for America," let cancer patients smoke weed, and release his tax returns.
Vote Romney!
Labels: republican whack jobs
WE ARE FAMILY
Today's film was the Canadian
Ostensibly a gay coming out film it is actually a family story from the perspective of a member who is gay.
It is a wonderful bag of moments in family life. Not all happy. Not all sad. Just life.
The film was never released in the US because of tangled problems of rights to the music track. It was a huge hit in Canada.
Another gem lost on its way over the border. I don't understand how this happens. But the DVD made it and I have it and I ran out of Netflix today so this was seen again.
There is a feeling of living with these people. It is a little operatic but that is what makes them special.
It is a 5 out of Netflix5 for sure.
Sunday, September 09, 2012
FALL PREP
Today was the day to clean up the courtyard.
Trimmed the hibiscus back so that they are not so leggy and so they begin to bloom again. They only blossom on new stems. Not severely, just enough.
The lantana was so thick. I had to cut it back as it was engulfing a plant table. Same in back.
We all went to Lowes and got some nice, larger cactus plants to replace the 6 or 7 which have not made it through the summer. It is tough for them in pots. In a way, they want a hard life but not too hard. It is difficult to gauge.
My favorite is the desert rose (inset) which was already blooming. A bit of risk, buying a plant in bloom, but it is worth it.
Some of the Palo Verde needed to be trimmed up. The tree. And the suckers at the base of the California Oleander had to be removed.
I have thought about doing this for maybe three weeks. Far more time than it took to do it.
It is done.
Soon we will have a resurgence of growth and many blossoms.
Labels: gardening
NORWAY RESISTANCE
Today's film was the Norwegian
This is a biopic of a Norwegian hero who led a successful underground resistance to the Nazi occupation of his country.
In many ways it is standard fare but in another it is quite thrilling as it is true. The extras have the actual man telling the actual story.
The unusual thing about the film is that it shows close bonds with his comrades and also assays his faults and the horrors that come to him as a result of his adventures.
There is a rivalry with the Nazi commandant. They finally meet at the end of the war.
In a weird way, the Nazi is the counter-hero.
There are many satisfying elements to the film which moves with great speed and dispatch.
Manus and his band caused major major damage to the Nazi effort and in the end clearly prevented the last minute transfer of hundreds of thousands of Nazi troops from going to save the Reich in the middle of Europe. Railroads were sabotaged, ships were sunk, and more, all at the last minute.
I enjoyed the film very much. I would not mind seeing it again sometime.
A 4 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
FLOW
Today's article on Obama's fluency along the linguistic spectrum in the US.
It is interesting that some are outraged that he would do this. To step out of the straight jacket of traditional political persona.
In a multiethnic, multicultural America where Hispanics are the largest ethnic group and Asians are the fastest-growing minority, national politicians also will have to be fluent in multiple ways of speaking. For too long, sounding presidential meant sounding like a white, middle- or upper-class straight man (with modest leeway for regional accents). In 2012 and beyond, it’s going to take a lot more than that to win over the hearts and minds — and ears — of the American people.
Labels: politics
NOT BAD TO WAKE UP TO
And that is in the rightish Yahoo/AP headlines this morning.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll. I usually watch Nate Silver in the Times. He is not a pollster but a canny analyst. He figures the same.
Details are important. Obama leads Romney in even surprising categories of questions.
Obama increased his lead over Romney in certain favorable characteristics. Asked who was more "eloquent," 50 percent of the 1,720 registered voters questioned in the poll favored Obama, compared to 25 percent for Romney. Asked about being "smart enough for the job," 46 percent sided with Obama compared to 37 percent for Romney.It is interesting that even AP distinguishes Mormons as non-christians.
In fact, Obama led Romney in a dozen such favorable characteristics, such as "represents America" or "has the right values." The only such category in which Romney had an advantage was being "a man of faith," as 44 percent picked Romney, who is Mormon, compared to 31 percent for Obama, who is Christian.
Labels: Re-election of Barack Obama
Saturday, September 08, 2012
HEAT
I had Mac n' Cheese in the oven the other night.
Stouffers.
After the alloted time, I went to get it out and it was still frozen. Well, a little melted.
That is the end. I have all but bought half a stove with the repairs we have made to a GE that I had a strong affinity for because of, well, nostalgia, I guess.
There were other things wrong. The self clean over heats and burns out the igniters. That is where the repairs came from. I had bought a can of Easy Off. Not yet used fortunately.
So, today, off to Pacific Sales, the premier appliance store to get a new one.
The three of us. Booker got a treat first thing. We will have to wait until Wednesday for our treat when the new stove arrives.
It will be a floor model. 10% off. And the end of the model year, another 10%.
A Whirlpool.
We started in the middle and that is where we ended up. A lot of new ovens have convection. I had convection. Hard to work with. Most have a meat thermometer so you don't have to guess but most of our baking is old fashioned stuff. A potato. No patience for hi-tech heating.
It has five burners! A central one with a grate that is big enough for a griddle. It will be fine for my most frequent baking utensil. The cast iron fry pan.
The grates are unfinished iron too. No more shit stuck to enamel.
The knobs come off for cleaning! Some brands do not.
The control panel is a little retro. That is OK. I can deal with that.
It is not one of those that heat water faster. Or come when you whistle. Just a stove.
Labels: appliances, kitchen
SHOCKED!!!
I just saw one of "those" anti-Obama ads on the internet.
I am stunned at its utter dishonesty.
Figures are quoted for the debt which are not accurate or even sane.
There is other stuff. A stick figure saying "blah blah blah blah blah".
I wasn't prepared for this. I am a little sickened by it.
They said it would happen.
I'm glad that I gave to the max yesterday.
Labels: republican whack jobs
Friday, September 07, 2012
WOODY NOSTALGICATES
Today's film was Woody Allen's
A NYTimes Critics' Pick.
Owen Wilson, stuck with a fiancé he doesn't much like and a life he is dissatisfied with, wanders the streets of Paris after midnight and finds a different world.
The world of the Twenties, where he meets Ernest and F. Scott and Gertrude and many others.
It is a charming film with a lot of deft humor at the level that a moderately well educated person would find to be of the finest savor.
I liked it a lot and, like a lot of Allen films, figure it is a one-off. A soufflé.
Therefore a 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
FLIP FLOP
When I was a kid and there were wars and stuff going on, both parties seemed to be influential on foreign policy. Bi partisan.
Then, probably with Eisenhower being military and all and an expert on Europe, the shift came toward the GOP as the predominant party of national security and foreign relations.
In fact, they came to dominate it to such a degree that to vote Democratic was thought to ignore security issues importance. Or it was made to seem so at election time. Democrats always played catchup on those issues.
But now, it is the reverse. The GOP finally fell victim to hubris. The idea of American exceptionalism came to pass.
When Reagan got the wall down and the Soviet Union collapsed, things began to change. This article describes the situation nicely.
A Staggering Shift on the Politics of Foreign Policy.
Now, the Democrats own the high ground and the expertise. We are confronted by a GOP slate with no experience at all in these areas and whatever steps they have taken to inform themselves, they have gone to the worst sources for enlightenment. The Bush people who got the Republicans in so much trouble at the end of their dominance.
Labels: history, Republicans
ALL IN
They asked me when it started whether I was "in" or not.
We said yes.
We have been giving to the Obama campaign on a fairly regular basis.
I don't know why it has seemed better to do it incrementally but it does.
The DNC convinced us that now is the time to go all in.
So today I maxed out on the contribution we can make to the re-election of Barack Obama.
There are only 60 days left. The debates, the crossfire. They will need it.
California is also getting stormed with opportunities to volunteer. The election is over here. Obama has already won the state.
Today, I got an email about buses going to Nevada to go door to door. I think we will be sitting that part out.
I had intended to help with phoning but other than some phone banks the next city over that has not come up this time.
I am thinking of going to the banks if I can't do it from home. A big step for me.
I will see.
I was inspired by the convention. The speakers, the crowd. The whole thing. Re-invigorated.
There are comments today that Obama's speech was not "inspiring", more of a State of the Union speech.
Yeh? As he pointed out he is the President. Unlike the other guys he has an agenda. I find that extremely inspiring.
Fired up and ready to go.
Labels: Re-election of Barack Obama
TAKING A HIT
Today's movie was Danny Boyle's
with Ewan McGregor, Robert Conrad and a bunch of young (at the time) British talent.
It is an accurate depiction of heroin addiction made palatable by a pace and story that outruns the horror at the loss of these people's lives.
That they cannot even remain loyal to one another is the most tragic part of the tale.
The cinematography and direction are vivacious and critical to the overall positive effect of the film. It must be seen to be appreciated.
It is not going to stop anyone from using nor will it do much for anyone who has to deal with a user but for folks outside the situation, it will be apparent that simplistic views don't begin to touch the depth of the drug problem.
As a movie it is totally entertaining. Sometimes even fun and funny.
I have seen it a couple of times so it is a 5 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
Thursday, September 06, 2012
BOSTON THUGS
Today's film was Peter Yates'
The Friends of Eddy Coyle (1973)
A NYTimes 1176 Best Film. Shot entirely on location in Boston. Starring Robert Mitchum. Based on a story by Peter V. Higgins, a Boston writer who had a series of Boston locale gang stories. Often funny. This one is not. Or they took out the "funny" when they made the film.
Eddy, a drunk, is in the middle. A small time hood, he wants to make a deal with the Federal Prosecutor who wants him up for 2-5 years on a charge.
Eddy is squirming and trying to bargain his way out of the sentence by being a stool pigeon. In the meantime he is selling guns to some guys who are robbing banks.
His best friend and confidant, Peter Boyle in an early major role, is also a witness for the feds and also in the middle and so, he sells Eddy out.
The plot is not so much as the atmosphere, the talk, the acting. Mitchum is winding up his career and does not really mind being less than a hero and he stands tall in the role. He is still a hero but more an anti-hero. The face. The delivery. Robert Mitchum. They even let him do one fast scene with a wife beater on. His trademark in the film noir when he had the body to show in it.
Great film. Dave Grusin did the music.
I have seen it several times. A 5 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
A LITTLE OFF THE TOP
Well, the sides.
Today's movie was a haircut.
A couple of weeks ago, I started combing my hair without a part. Straight back.
It looked great.
I kept doing it.
I found that when it fell apart, I could just wet my hands and pull it all back again. Easy.
No comb, actually except to get things going in the same direction in the morning.
People noticed. Enough to give me the feedback I wanted. Something new. Not a turnoff. A plus.
I went to my hair guy today and he had already noticed the change. We see each other "around" during the week.
He likes it. I like it.
I am keeping it.
He showed me how a little more grease would also help. Trimmed around the edges. We are letting it grow in the back where my hair is wavy. Just like my Dad's. I like that last part.
He did similar with his hair but parted it in the middle, sort of.
I seem more like my Dad every day so why not this too.
And my hair cutter didn't charge for today's trim. There was no wash and he just sort of set me up for another five weeks.
Labels: hair
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
HISTORY AND THE PRESENT
This is a great DNC tribute to Ted Kennedy which features Teddy getting off some good ones against Romney in their debates for Ted's Senate seat.
"I am pro choice, Mr. Romney is multiple choice".
Labels: Re-election of Barack Obama
MICHELLE
Do you remember how they demonized Michelle Obama even up to two years ago?
Now, not so much. She is extremely popular. Has overcome whatever shit they threw in her path.
She is more popular than he is. She is a winner.
Ed KIlgore reminisces about the bad old days.
What happened?
If anything what happened is Obama herself. She transcended the memes that were perpetrated about her.
She chose veterans' families and healthy diet as her areas of interest. She won with this.
She won with extraordinary good humor and an informal style which is very attractive.
She stood by her man. She is an extraordinary asset for any politician but this evolves out of their obvious deep relationship. They are a family values family. Living the life. They are even sexy and fun with each other in public.
Way out of the mainstream image of the Presidential couple.
Michelle. Speech tonight. Wonderful.
Labels: Re-election of Barack Obama
FAVORITE
Today's movie was Walter Hill's
It is a NYTimes 1176 Best film.
This is one of my favorite films. A live
comic strip" now augmented with the addition of small comic frames to separate some scenes as well as to set up the premise.
I "wasted" most of the afternoon on it. The film and its "making of" segments.
This is now officially a cult film. I am part of the cult. I have seen it many times and will see it again.
You should give it a try too.
It is based on history. Anabasis by Xenophon describes the travail of a body of troops cut off from the main force who have to work their way back 1000 miles to their home base.
Here we have the story translated to a NYC gang who is cut off from its home in Coney Island and has to traverse many gang territories to get home.
All unknown actors at the time. It is a wonderfully done set piece.
The making of sequences are fascinating.
I should buy it.
It is a long time 5 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films
Monday, September 03, 2012
THE LABOR DAY SPEECH
I love this shit.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Labels: Re-election of Barack Obama
DEFINITION
Today's film by Corneliu Porumboiu, a NYTimes Critics' Pick, was
Politist, adjectiv / Police, Adjective (2009)
A detective watches and follows three kids who are suspected of using and dealing hash laced cigarettes. He gets reports, works with other cops, goes home for lunch with his wife, sits and eats his meals alone. Nothing much happens.
He is bothered by the fact that the culprits are involved in a trivial matter. Could get up to seven years for no more than illicit smoking. The dealing is not proven.
He takes a lot of time. There is a lot of silence. We stand out with him in the cold as he watches the perp's home.
Silence. Following.
Finally, the Captain calls him in for a report and he shows less than total dedication to the case. His partner is also in the room.
By now, the film has gone on for more than an hour. Now, it comes to the "chase".
The cop says that a sting of the kids would go against his conscience. The Captain asks him to define conscience. A dictionary is retrieved. A dialectic begins. They go on to the definition of moral. Of other words. Then "police".
This is riveting. All the time up to this cathartic moment pops into clarity.
Amazing.
First few words. Now words. Precision.
The State in action.
I love this guy's work.
A 5 out of Netflix5.
Interview with Porumboiu
Trailer:
Labels: best films
Sunday, September 02, 2012
JEEZ
And they were worried about the crowd.
Thousands wait for community credentials to President Obama's acceptance speech
The goal is to get 75,000 people together for the acceptance speeches Thursday night.
I can't help it.
I am already psyched for this convention. It is very thrilling.
Labels: Re-election of Barack Obama
BECKETTIAN
Today's film was the first of two from Romanian Director Corneliu Porumboiu
A fost sau n-a fost? / 12:08 East of Bucharest (2007)
I saw this when it came out because it was a NYTimes Critics' pick. It made it into DVD so fast there it was!
There isn't much of a market in the US theaters for Roumanian satire.
It is a wry, dry look at post-communist Romania from the vantage point of a small town and even smaller town citizens.
An interview show on the subject of whether the revolution, the overthrow of Nicolai Ceausescu and his reign of terror, ever happened in their small town.
We see each panelist before the show going about their humble daily business. Then, as deer in the headlights, their participation in the panel.
It doesn't sound like a lot but it is very powerful. Satire beyond satire.
We find that behind the most glorious revolution there are people who are just simply living their lives and when the heavy lifting is over, in this case a very short time, they just resume their humdrum lives going on as they did before.
There are many many funny moments. A lot of surprises. Who knew that in Romania they throw firecrackers at each other to celebrate Christmas?
In the middle of all this there is a Chinese man who, of course, has nothing to do with any of it. The revolution, christmas, romania or television. But he is the main source for all the firecrackers.
See?
It was and is a 5 out of Netflix5.
An IMDb review:
If you know anything about Romania, you will enjoy this filmI am not Romanian nor have I been there but I have been fascinated by the Ceausescu period for a long time and know that nothing changed when the revolution came and the big dog was thrown out.The viewer needs to understand that this is a Romanian film for Romanians. You'll catch all the inside jokes of the film if you've been there. The point of the film is that indeed the revolution was different for everyone . Even in late 1990 when I was there, the people were still scared of the Securitate, or secret police. Even during the one year anniversary of the revolution, it took courage to go and march, much less right after Ceausescu fled. The emphasis on 12;08, the reaction of the students when the teacher asked why they were so interested in the French Revolution, the interviewers emphasis on the time of the protests, and the accusatory views of the callers on the TV program, let alone the long shots of the bare dilapidated concrete buildings, all lend to the whole idea of the plot. Not only does one ask did the revolution occur in this one town, but did it occur at all? After all, Ceausescu's right hand people took over after he was gone. The people themselves ask if anything has changed.
The film can seem long and tedious to some viewers, but if you've lived in Romania, you get it.
This is a spit in the face of the current regime. Brave and, as it turns out, effective.
Tomorrow, Porumboiu's second film.
Labels: best films
THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE
Toilet seats again. These didn't last two years. From Tru-Value.
The little bumpers were hollow and shattered slowly. When we got them there were also some blemishes in the finish.
So onto Lowe's on line. Filter the best, the wood, the elongated and we came up with Kohler or Church.
We chose Church. "The best seat in the house".
And they are. The bumpers are solid. The attaching hardware is totally minimal. Easy to clean. And the seat. Well, "the best".
Two things out of this. Value is not value very often.
Second, you can shop on line before going to the store to select what you want. This instead of being at the influence of a store employee of dubious objectivity.
Another thing. This is funny. I went to a site which told "how to pick a toilet seat". They said the most important part was to test sitting on it. Huh? Hard to do on line or in the store. But it makes sense.
Anyway we did the test after John installed them. Very good for long reading sessions. Or short.
Saturday, September 01, 2012
PRIZE WINNING CAT VIDEO
The Golden Kitty Award. For real.
There is also an Henri 1 and an Henri 3 to be found at the YouTube location. Not as good but fun anyway.
Labels: fun. music
ROUNDING UP
Paul Ryan personal fakery uncovered here. This is about the sub three hour marathon thing.
Paul Ryan Likes to Super Size It
Like I said yesterday, I don't think this is all that important.
But the self aggrandizement is. The boastery of it. The shear big swinging dickism.
They haven't made a lot of Ryan being a deer killer and a catfish strangler.
Usually, it works the other way. Obama (gasp) is not a hunter.
But get one who really is and, well, I watch out. It is the boaster again. The biggest deer the biggest catfish.
The biggest liar.
Labels: republican whack jobs
BUDD-IES
Today's Claire Denis film was the first film we ever saw by her
in which she uses the theme (and some of the music) of the Benjamin Britten opera Billy Budd transposed to an African outpost of the French Foreign Legion.
Like other Denis films it is so simple. The story line wanders along. The photography is so lush and beautiful and lingers on scenes of almost primitive beauty.
The themes are, of course, homo-erotic in the sense that the conflict between the hero and his sergeant has to do with order and rank and the approval of the commander. Subtle but potent issues.
The drama is tight and almost arbitrary and then an ironic ending. Even happy.
Denis dwells on the rituals of men alone and isolated. The Legion is the most extreme modern example of this. Daily drills, exercises, work details, cleaning, staying orderly. Most of this with not a lot of clothing. The male body at work.
We first saw this when it was selected for a gay film festival. A lot of people came to the show expecting a military fuck fest. What they got was an abstract study of heterosexual men playing out "games" with one another and a whole lot of location in Djibuti Africa.
A 5 out of Netflix5.
Some scenes:
Labels: films
