THIS DIVIDED STATE - Official Blog of the Filmmakers

2009-08-20T08:51:00.001-06:00

Big Shiny Robot Feed

2009-07-30T14:24:00.002-06:00

Buy Killer at Large on DVD!

2009-04-20T14:24:00.001-06:00

Buy the DVD now, straight from the filmmakers. It's $20+S&H. Just click the PayPal link:

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Killer at Large will be available on DVD from the Disinformation Company on March 31st, 2009.

The DVD contains a producers commentary track featuring Executive Producer Shawn Talbott, Producers Bryan Young and Elias Pate and Co-Producer Patrick Waldrop. It also features a second commentary track with director Steven Greenstreet.

The disc also boasts 6 deleted scenes, theatrical trailers, footage from our New York premiere with Chevy Chase and Mr. Chase's testimony before congress about childhood obesity.

All in all, it's a packed disc and certainly one to look forward to.

Additionally, currently for sale is the abridged nutritional market version of the film. You can buy it from the Executive Producer here.

More details about the DVD and theatrical screenings prior to its release will be posted to the website as they're made available.

(For more information, feel free to contact Bryan Young at bryan (at) shineboxmp dot com.)

Killer at Large

2009-04-11T00:10:00.002-06:00

So, now that Killer at Large is out and you can get it everywhere, there's a flurry of press coverage for the film. I just want to let you know that to see all of the reviews, you should check out the "reviews" page at the Killer at Large website.

I also wanted to point out the video of Killer at Large on Oprah from last year.

(Also, just as an aside, there's a whole pile of new short stories over at my Short Story blog. Check them out...)

Killer at Large DVD release party

2009-03-30T15:39:00.002-06:00

As I'm sure a lot of you are aware, Killer at Large is being released tomorrow on DVD nationwide. In order to celebrate, the makers of the film will be hosting a party in Salt Lake City.

We'll be selling copies of the film at the event.

The facebook event can be seen here.

For those of you not on facebook, the details are as follows:

WHEN:
7:00 pm, Thursday, April 2, 2009

WHERE:
Juniors Tavern
30 E. 300 S.
Salt Lake City, UT

This is open to the public. Copies of the film will be for sale for $20.

For any other details, contact us at contact@shineboxmp.com

Two New Short Stories

2009-03-07T10:37:00.002-07:00

So, there are two new short stories available for your consumption.

So Many Nights Ago

and

A Simpler Time

My open letter in the local paper

2009-03-07T01:13:00.002-07:00

You can read the revised version here.

It ran in today's Daily Herald.

An Open Letter to My State Senator

2009-02-26T12:47:00.001-07:00

Senator Valentine,

You can imagine my shock, disbelief and utter dismay when I read in the paper this morning your proposed legislation for liquor laws in the State. 10 foot walls and redefining intoxication? I had to check the date on my paper twice. You see, the prohibitive temperance movement was officially over almost a hundred years ago and I thought the newspaper was perhaps printing historical reports.

No.

It was true. My representative in the State Senate, John Valentine (you, sir), proposed legislation that would require restaurants to pour alcoholic drinks behind 10 foot walls and make it illegal for someone to show any signs of being drunk, effectively eliminating casual drinking and the Utah restaurant industry.

As your constituent, I would hope that you do everything that is required to kill this backward looking and damaging legislation to the people of Utah and, more importantly, the people of Orem whom you represent.

As a State Legislator, I have to assume you know that the State of Utah depends on the sale of alcoholic beverages for almost $100 million dollars in revenue that funds our state budget and other special earmarks for things like school lunches. This doesn’t take into account the hundreds (if not thousands) of people on state payroll who depend on the (mostly)free flow of liquor for their livelihood. Further restricting access to alcoholic beverages would obviously reduce the amount of revenue our great State could depend on in an already stressed economy, but also increase the unemployment rate and lead to all kinds of excess crimes from otherwise law-abiding citizens importing alcohol from neighboring Nevada, Wyoming and Colorado.

Add to that all of the dwindling profits from restaurants that serve drinks with food (in Orem alone!) and you have unemployment rates increasing in that direction as well as a decrease in Local and State tax revenue.

It seems to me that you’re probably not a stupid man and understand the ramifications of your bill and you know how damaging it would be to our State and Local economy. I assume you realize that Governor Huntsman would never sign it and your constituents (like myself) would never stand for it.

The only assumption then that I can make is that this is political grandstanding of the highest order and as your constituent I would hope that you let this bill die and support efforts to progressively liberalize the responsible consumption of alcohol for the good of our great State and community.

After all, it was Benjamin Franklin who said, “Beer is proof that God loves us.”

Sincerely,
Bryan Young
Resident of Orem

The Food Lobby Goes to School

2009-02-20T17:02:00.001-07:00

You Are STILL Being Lied To

2009-02-13T18:30:00.003-07:00

So, Elias and I wrote an essay about obesity that's been published in the new Disinformation collection. It's called "Cheap Crappy Food = A Fat Population"

Steve titled it and put his name on it, too.

I hope you check it out. There's a lot of other cool stuff in there, too. (Including an all new R. Crumb comic about Philip K. Dick.)

New Huffington Post Editorial

2009-02-11T13:17:00.001-07:00

It's called "Nuclear Pork, the Stimulus Bill, and why you need to call your Congressperson"

Click here to read it.

Another Short Story.

2009-02-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

I posted one up last night.

Check it out here.

An Interview With Bryan

2009-01-22T15:11:00.003-07:00

So, I'm participating in this thing I found at this blog I've started trolling... You post this interview and you offer to interview anybody who comments that they want to be interviewed... So, the rules are below, and my interview is below the rules.

The rules are:

1) Leave me a comment saying "interview me".
2) I will respond by emailing you 5 questions (I get to pick the questions)
3) You will update your blog with answers to the questions.
4) You will include the explanation and offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5) When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them 5 questions.

1) Someone tells you the Star Wars movies are overrated and boring - especially Empire. What is your reaction?

To be completely honest, if somebody told me that the Star Wars movies were overrated and that The Empire Strikes Back was boring, I would most likely wonder what they would find exciting? I mean, what would it take? A film opening with a dude getting punched in the stomach, having his intestines pulled out and have him tossed out of a train dragged by his entrails?

I wouldn't get offended. I would certainly silently think far less of them, though.

2) You're from Utah, a place famous as a Mormon state. What, if any, impact does religion have on life there?

It means I can't buy a six pack on a Sunday, which is really annoying when you want to spend a leisurely Sunday drinking a Guinness. Also, the beer is all 3.2% which really, really sucks.

Other than that, everyone is really nice, despite my atheism. And liberalism. In fact, watch the trailer for This Divided State and you'll have a great idea of the community I live in and how it affects me.

3) You have to remake Taxi Driver, but give the role of Travis Bickle to a female actress. Who would you choose and why?

I think I would hate myself for having to remake it, but I think I would pick Scarlett Johansson. She's gruff and great and can be incredibly socially awkward in a good way. I would also like to see her shoot Sport in the stomach after saying, in that sultry, Lauren Bacall voice, "Suck on this!"

The thing is, Taxi Driver can't work with a girl in the Bickle seat... At least not for the Cybill Shephard subplot, anyway...

4) Oliver Stone - genius or past his sell-by date?

You know, W. was pretty good, but not anywhere near as good as Nixon, Platoon, U-turn, or Salvador. But when the man is on, he is on. Seriously. I wrote up something about Salvador not more than a few months ago (check that here) and it hit me right between the eyes, both as a filmmaker and politically.

I don't know what he's got planned next, if anything, but he's certainly been a genius. Maybe he's peaked, but we'll see.

5) Utah is the home of the Sundance Film Festival - what are your thoughts on the festival and has it ever helped you personally as a film maker?

I'm pretty sick of the festival. I've been most years in the last eight or ten years to see films and do various marketing activities (*cough*The Misbehavers*cough* (here's the trailer)) but I'm not sure how much good it's done. We have lots of meetings with industry people during the festival since they're all in town and good things have come of that. Sure.

In fact, last year, under the nose of the festival, we rented a condo and bought a giant bigscreen TV and screened Killer at Large to a bunch of distributors.

The problem with the festival though, is that it's too big for it's britches and a lot of the films really aren't that good. I've watched so many Sundance movies, documentaries, shorts, features, etc. and a lot of the time they aren't that good. And the ones that are good already have agents and distributors and studios behind them. At that point, why do they need an independant film festival?

Overall, though, I think the festival has had a positive effect.

LOST - Trailer for Season Five

2009-01-20T05:36:00.001-07:00

Fan made trailer (by me) as we enter season five of LOST. Music is from 28 Days Later by John Murphy.

Killer at Large site back up

2009-01-13T14:31:00.001-07:00

We've had some web problems, but they're fixed now.

KilleratLarge.com is back online.

SnagFilms Film Widget

2009-01-09T18:26:00.001-07:00

10 Free Sundance Shorts on iTunes

2009-01-09T00:07:00.001-07:00

Check out this for more details.

Shadow of Dream

2009-01-09T00:00:00.001-07:00

It's the name of...

You guessed it. A new short story.

And don't forget to check me out at The Examiner.

Film Center Screening on Tuesday

2009-01-08T10:52:00.002-07:00

Of quite an interesting looking documentary.

Click here for more details.

The Examiner

2009-01-07T22:57:00.003-07:00

So, I'm the Film Examiner for Salt Lake City now.

The Examiner was a print publication, but is now an online network of local Examiners (like myself (and our good friend Neal Shaffer who is the National Design Examiner)) who provide localized content to a group of readers. Right now my focus is the goings on in film in Salt Lake City, but I'm working to get them to let me expand to comics and nerdery as well or switch to it.

My first post is here.

Also, I get paid by page views, so read it, read it again, and then pass it along. Or at least just click on it.

Same with Neal's link.

New Huffington Post Article

2009-01-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

It's about the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Read it.

Another Short Story.

2008-12-17T23:28:00.001-07:00

This one is called Confessions of a Not-So-Secret Admirer.

I think the This Divided State blog might also finally be dead....

I'm blogging more often for Huffington Post and Big Shiny Robot!

I'm sure I'll be back, but... you know how it is....

Huffington Post

2008-12-01T00:38:00.001-07:00

This is more of a comics post than a political one...

Though, does anyone even read this site anymore?

Anyhow: Click here.

The Fleapit Three

2008-11-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

Seriously.

The whole movie. In it's entirety.

Just click here.

Killer at Large in USA Today

2008-11-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

USA Today has featured "Killer at Large" today.

Here is the link to the story. Feel free to "buzz it up"...

And don't forget to get your tickets for Friday's New York Premiere. (Click here for ticket information)

Killer at Large in NYC!

2008-11-11T18:16:00.002-07:00

You can buy tickets here!

2008-11-07T20:07:00.001-07:00

So, those of you geeks who live in Utah, you're fortunate. You see, starting today, the Geek Show will be available weekly on Comcast's ON DEMAND service.

It's easy to do, too...

Go to: Channel one, Utah on Demand, Geek Show.

Then watch. And be sure to tell your friends about it. The more people who watch it, the better it will get. And face it, you know you're curious to see what it looks like when it's being recorded.

For those of you who are fortunate enough to not live in Utah, the Geek Show podcast is available for download on iTunes. Just search for "Geek Show Podcast" or check TheGeekShowPodcast.com.

Also, pass this info along to everyone you know.

(Just FYI, Elias and I are the ones who shoot it...)

Mormons Vs. Civil Rights

2008-11-04T13:56:00.001-07:00

Foreclosed Mother Keeps Home... For Now

2008-10-23T09:57:00.001-06:00

Here is PART THREE of an ongoing news story I'm working on.

If you missed the first two parts:

PART ONE

PART TWO

EUROPEAN SCREENING OF "This Divided State"

2008-10-22T18:58:00.001-06:00

So, over the next 2 weeks, Central European University is screening documentary films examining the election process in America.

"This Divided State" will be one of those films and it shows on October 29th.

So, if you're in Budapest on that day, you should go check it out.

2008-10-21T08:59:00.001-06:00

American News Project

2008-10-16T11:31:00.002-06:00

Steven filed this report yesterday for the American News Project. To be honest, I think this is some of his best work.

2008-10-14T08:37:00.001-06:00

2008-10-11T00:41:00.002-06:00

MCCAIN - PALIN MUSIC VIDEO

2008-10-09T16:57:00.001-06:00

I edited this during my spare time over the last week.

SOUTH PARK - "The China Problem"

2008-10-09T16:55:00.001-06:00

I won't spoil the topic of the show. Only this quote:

"I would rather be Chinese than a nation of unethical dick shooters."

Oh, and if you like George Lucas, don't watch this episode.

Debate...

2008-10-07T22:09:00.001-06:00

I expanded my last post into something for the Huffington Post.

Read it here.

Why Obama Blew the Health Care Question

2008-10-07T19:54:00.003-06:00

At the debate tonight a woman in the audience asked Obama, up front: "Should health care be treated as a commodity?"

The moral and ethical answer is, "No."

Obama's answer? A laundry list of what his plan will do, but no answering of the question. His plan was laden with health care policies that co-exist the status quo. This is unconscionable.

Health care should not be treated as a commodity and suddenly it seemed as both major party candidates agree on something.

If our right to treatments to save our lives is based on our ability to pay for a "commodity" then the soul of our nation and our beliefs has been damaged irreparably.

Obama needs to clarify his answer. And if he truly believes that health care should be a profit-centered commodity, then maybe he's not fit to be the president.

Debate Tonight

2008-10-07T17:29:00.001-06:00

So...

It's been awhile since I've regularly updated this blog.

I'll be back tonight (hopefully) with some type of debate analysis...

And maybe some screening update info for Killer at Large.

UPDATE with pic

2008-10-06T00:26:00.002-06:00

I'm working on 2 news stories right now. Both are longer-form pieces and I hope to have one done before the end of the week.

Also, I've got a spiffy music video I'm almost done with that I'll post here.

But, until then:

THE JOKER ON THE BAILOUT

2008-10-03T09:41:00.001-06:00

The Joker disagrees with President Bush's financial plan. Check it:

Short Story....

2008-09-29T20:06:00.000-06:00

You know the drill:

The new one is Complicated.

Here's the complete list of stories I've put online:

ECONOMIC SOLUTION COMIC

2008-09-29T13:33:00.000-06:00

I think this is brilliant. Click to enlarge.

BAILOUT ANGER IN THE STREETS

2008-09-28T13:24:00.007-06:00

I got to my new job at the American News Project in Washington D.C. last Wednesday. By Friday, I had already shot and edited my first news report. I followed a group of people in front of the U.S. Treasury and White House, in the rain, as they protested the pending Wall Street bailout.

Check it out here.

In Memoriam

2008-09-27T08:57:00.003-06:00

1925-2008

You can read what I wrote about Paul Newman's passing at the Huffington Post.

SNL's Opening Last Night

2008-09-21T12:18:00.001-06:00

KAL Crew on the Radio Tonight

2008-09-16T15:35:00.002-06:00

Click here to listen live tonight at 6:00 MST.

FOR BRYAN

2008-09-14T14:15:00.003-06:00

Killer at Large won another award.

2008-09-13T00:20:00.000-06:00

We were excited to find out today that the Salt Lake City Weekly awarded the film one of their annual Arty awards.

Here's what they had to say about the film:

BEST WEIGHTY DOCUMENTARY
Killer At Large
Local documentary filmmaker Steven Greenstreet explored the local manifestation of a national phenomenon in his Michael Moore-vs.-Sean Hannity study This Divided State. His follow-up project paints a bigger picture of an even more serious subject: the national epidemic of obesity. And the most fascinating aspect of his approach is how complex he makes the issue—a tangle of biology, sociology, psychology and even politics that makes it hard to toss off the old “eat less and exercise” rejoinder. This truly is film journalism, the kind of documentary that works precisely because it raises more questions than it answers. KillerAtLarge.com

Check back often for screening info...

Fine. We'll Use Scare Tactics Too.

2008-09-09T20:33:00.003-06:00

The Repuglican War machine used the "mushroom cloud" and "Kerry=Another Attack" scare tactic back in 2004. It worked wonders for the populous. And that should tell you a lot about the populous.

Now, in 2008, they're saying "Obama is a Muslim", "a socialist communist", "a secular humanist hellbent on raping babies", etc, etc.

These attacks are dollar-menu bullshit items. But the "populous", again, is eating it up with a shovel. The polls are generally 50/50 cuz some people are spreading the rumors that Obama is a Muslim Terrorist in disguise who will burn the flag, shred the Constitution, and hand the country over to his Muslim terrorist friends once elected. I shit you not. People believe this. I talked to one at work today.

People like this are not deterred by facts. They are not deterred by rationality. They are not deterred by reality. They are deterred by fear, fear, and more fear.

So, I say, fight fire with fire. Beat them at their own game. Stop with the facts, stop with the statistics, stop with the rational arguments.

It's time to make people scared shitless of John McCain:

McCain grasps at straws

2008-09-09T16:06:00.002-06:00

Can you believe the shit they're willing to scare people with into voting for their inferior, corporate candidate?

Yikes.

And here's Obama on education...

And here's Nader with a couple of zingers on education...

I think it's obvious John McCain is wrong for America.

And I'm pretty sure Nader's the guy. But I'm still on that fence...

Bill O'Reilly Praises Obama, Hell Freezes Over

2008-09-06T02:18:00.004-06:00

This is whack. As some of you know, part one of Bill O'Reilly's interview with Barack Obama aired on Fox News on Thursday. I watched it. Obama deflected every single one of BillO's attacks. BillO was left sitting there nodding and, in the end, seemed impressed with Obama.

But I didn't know how impressed he was. In fact, I was absolutely blown away at how much BillO actually LIKES Obama now.

Wow.

From Bill O'Reilly's website:

Like him or not, you have to give Barack Obama credit for waging a smart, focused campaign. Destroying the Clinton machine was a major achievement and so was putting together a successful convention in Denver. Obama is now firmly a part of U.S. history, no matter what happens in the presidential election.

The problem some Americans continue to have with the Senator is that he is long on charisma but short on detail. This frightens some voters. Who the heck is this guy, anyway? So when Obama finally agreed to speak to me this week, specifics were on my mind.

First, the man. The Barack Obama I witnessed is self-confident, determined and driven. He was acutely aware of his surroundings from the moment he entered the room. He looks you in the eye and touches your shoulder. He understands how to connect one-on-one.

As far as philosophy goes, Senator Obama is convinced that the federal government should be in control of income distribution and, to some extent, should regulate the free marketplace. That is a classic liberal position, and Obama promotes it well.

The Senator also believes that poor Americans have a basic right to free health care and monetary supplements from the government with no strings attached. The American substance abuser, for example, would derive the same benefit as a hard working, laid off worker would. Again, classic liberalism. No judgments made regarding entitlements.

So, if Barack Obama does become president, there will definitely be change. His left-wing base will demand it, and he will come through. You can decide if that's change we should believe in, but keep in mind that the unintended consequences of government interference in the marketplace are impossible to predict. Free markets have a way of chafing under government imposition.

On the foreign policy front, Obama has convinced me that he is tough but cautious. He rose up quickly because he vehemently opposed the Iraq war. But now I see a man who understands the victory that has taken place in Iraq. I don't believe he wants to screw that up. I could be wrong.

After going mano-a-mano with Obama on television, I am also persuaded that he is a sincere guy—that he wants the best for all Americans. He's an ideologue, but not a blind one. He understands that his story is incredible, and, I have come to believe, he is grateful to the American system for allowing it happen.

It is true that we don't know whether Senator Obama has the ability to solve complex problems, but you can say that about all presidential contenders.

Like most politicians, Obama has used guile and good luck to accumulate his power. He can be ruthless, kind, unfair, and generous. In short, he's a real person trying to achieve an unreal position—that of the most powerful person in the world.

God help him.

RNC In One Minute

2008-09-05T21:20:00.001-06:00

Samantha Bee Nails Abortion Debate with Repugs

2008-09-05T19:08:00.001-06:00

McCain Used iSTOCKPHOTO Black People

2008-09-05T15:37:00.005-06:00

Bwhahahahahahaha! WTF!

Daily Kos has a report on the token black people who appeared in McCain's bio video last night at the RNC.

As you can read in my live blog of McCain's speech, I made a note of the obviously forced addition of what seemed like "stock" photos of black people.

Turns out, they were stock photos. McCain used iStockphoto.com, which I actually used myself for my film "Killer at Large", to find some pictures of happy and smiling African Americans. For a few bucks, McCain made it seem like African Americans nationwide overwhelmingly support him.

One of the attached comments, from the Utah Republican Party, said:

"There are plenty of people from all "races", income ranges, and locations in the Republican Party. They could have gotten their own pictures. WTF?"

Even the Republicans themselves are baffled by the McCain campaign's apparent lack of confidence in minority support.

But, I'm not too surprised. Republicans have a history of getting support through false evidence and deceiving images. Palin herself seems to be nothing more than a "stock" photo. She has the image of a Republican rebirth into independence. But, if you do a little digging, she's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Bought and sold like the stock photos McCain used last night.

Here are the actual photos used:

"Community Organizer" - Obama Responds

2008-09-05T13:58:00.002-06:00

Sarah Palin made a crack at Obama's service as a "community organizer". Claiming that, despite Obama's community organizer experience, she had "actual responsibilities". Classy.

Here's Obama responding with a swift kick to the political nuts:

New (But Old) Short Story

2008-09-04T23:45:00.000-06:00

I randomly found a legal pad and there was a short story I wrote on it.

I don't remember writing it or what it was about, it was so long ago. It was completely forgotten and it was like it was written by a completely different writer.

It was a total rip on Chthulhu stories, so, go here to check it out.

And don't forget to check out all the short stories, here.

McCain Speech Live Blogging

2008-09-04T20:04:00.003-06:00

McCain Bio Video:

John McCain was a POW.

John McCain was a father. Of multiple kids. With multiple women.

John McCain's family has a history of fighting wars. That's a good thing?

On old white man reading from a book. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

John McCain was a POW.

Soldiers, soldiers, war footage, war footage, more soldiers.

"He's not in it for the glory"

Modern footage of McCain looking old.

Modern footage of military soldiers, war footage, war footage, war footage.

Token black person.

Seriously, shot of white person, cut to black person, shot of white person, cut to black person

LOL. Back to POW footage again.

Video ends.

Some dude with a southern accent (oh, Fred Thompson) saying "John McCain was a POW"

McCain enters.

McCain caught in the headlight literally. He looks dazed. Poor guy.

Awkward, standing waiting for podium to raise

He looks scared. Jesus, he literally looks scared.

Wide shot of arena, empty seats. Small arena.

Cindy McCain stopped applauding long ago, she looks like "Don't screw up"

GREEN backdrop again! LOL!

Is that one of his 7 houses for his backdrop? WTF

A PROTESTER!!! Kick ass. Oh, but they're kicking him out. NO! They're not!

"Thank you Pres Bush", cuts to veterans not applauding. LOL

9/11 right off the bat. Protester starts screaming. Stops McCain. Crowd chants "USA"

"Thanks, Cindy" cuts to Cindy with "Don't screw up face"

"I won't let you down", he says that 3 times.

LOL. He keeps smiling after every one-liner like "Whew!"

Ok, I think he just plagiarized Obama's speech.

"All people are created equal" except for impregnated rape victims.

He keep mumbling to himself when the crowd goes wild.

He just said a line, looked down at his notebook, raised his eyebrows like "Whew!"

More protesters! Hell yeah! Code Pink! Crowd chants "USA"

McCain on protesters, "Don't be distracted by the ground noise and static"

John McCain looks old.

John McCain just forgot Sarah Palin's last name. "Sarah......"

Palin had kids! Applause.

McCain: "Palin works with her hands and nose"

McCain just plagiarized Obama again, "This election isn't about me, it's about you"

He keeps saying his one liners like 3 times in a row still.

Ok, I'm bored and I need a cigarette bad. He's struggling.

He just squinted to look into the telepromter. I almost feel bad for him.

LOL, he just said "I fight for these people who lost their jobs in Wisconsin" and the Wisconsin delegates cheered.

More squinting.

Just repeated his one-liner again.

This race is over. This guy looks dead in the water.

He flubbed a line, awkward silence, then cheers.

The audience seems to be waiting on when to applaud, they seem confused.

I have no idea what he's talking about.

"I will cut Govt spending" Bullshit. Military spending.

Crowd looks DEAD! DEAD! No tears. No looks of optimism.

Jesus Christ, every cut away is of white people. I just counted 12 cut aways. All white people.

Just cutaway to a kid yawning.

Audience is now chanting "DRILL DRILL DRILL"

I kid you not: A cutaway to a kid sitting/texting.

This audience is dead. I'm not even being biased. Dead.

LOL! Another cutaway to kid texting.

McCain is now rehashing all the things covered in the video. POW, war, etc

Whoa. Creepy blond girl smiling REALLY wide while McCain talks about the Cold War.

"I was blessed with misfortune". Yes, yes, you were.

"I liked to pick a few fights for my own pleasure".

"Property" instead of "properly", he's still thinking of his houses.

"I couldn't feed myself"

Torture, POW, war, fighting, 40 years ago, that applies to today.

I might admit that his speel about being a POW was touching, but expected.

"Enlist in our armed forces", recruitment pitch?

Fucked up this line: "Teach an illiterate adult to read."

Cutaway to scary botox lady giving "thumbs up".

He figured it out, repeat one-liners 3 times until audience gets it.

Ok, it's over. Thank God.

MAD Magazine, Sarah Palin edition

2008-09-04T17:02:00.001-06:00

DC Comics let me have another MAD Magazine political exclusive to premiere on Huffington Post:

Exclusive: MAD Magazine's Election Coverage, Sarah Palin Edition

Go here to check it out.

And I have to be honest, watching her speech last night, I like her about as much as I like John McCain. Which is to say I'm really starting to hate her.

Scranton and San Francisco

2008-09-04T13:35:00.002-06:00

Sarah Palin said Obama talks "one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco".

The RNC audience applauded.

Too bad Palin was full of shit.

Watch Obama in Scranton:

Watch Obama in San Francisco:

That pretty much sounds the same to me.

SARAH PALIN Wins "Best In Show"

2008-09-04T10:14:00.007-06:00

Sarah Palin takes the stage at the RNC.

It was a night to remember. Full of glitz, glamor, and and a basketball arena 1/10 the size of Obama's stadium. With empty seats, mind you. Sure Mitt Romney spoke and he called the Washington of the last 8 years "liberal". Rudy Guiliani spoke and he said Sarah Palin was qualified because of 9/11. In fact, Rudy's huge backdrop was a video of a towerless NYC. The crowd, what little of them there were, was eating it up. Hell, the were beside themselves. A virtual cornucopia of faux patriotism and empty applause.

But all this was mere foreplay for the main event: Palin herself.

She took the stage and "came out swinging" according to news pundits. The reason her speech sounded so good was because it contained childish cheap shots, was void of substance, and was full of lies. Put these 3 things into a speech and Republicans will cum in their pants. And, indeed, the room was full of orgasmic adulation. She said Obama wants to "give up on Iraq", and thus, "give up on America". She said that, unlike Obama, she had "actual responsibilities". She said will stand up "to the special interests (like the ones funding the GOP), the lobbyists (like the ones on McCain's campaign) , big oil companies (like her husband's company) , and the good-ol' boys network (the entire god-damn GOP)". Despite having fully supported it and been responsible for it, she lied to the crowd, "I told the Congress "thanks, but no thanks," for that Bridge to Nowhere." She made fun of the "Greek columns" behind Obama during his speech. She failed, however, to make fun of the "Greek columns" of the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefforson Memorial, the Capital Building, and the White House.

She was on a friggin role. Knocking it out of the park, as it were. Giving a speech that had mostly been written by former Bush speech writers even before she was chosen as a running mate. And, worse of all, with conviction and spirit, a woman gave a man's speech.

The word "woman" only appeared once in her speech. She spoke nothing of the significance or importance of her role as a woman leader. She, unlike Hillary, did nothing to energize and inspire the female base. She basically gave a speech that any old, white Republican man could have given.

But, with Sarah Palin, they give a new face to an old problem. A fresh start to remain where we are. She was a perfectly groomed show-dog, paraded before the judges of the GOP, the public, and the media. "Don't attack her. She's a woman", is the new phrase from the Repubs.

But, we won't be fooled. She may not look like them, she may not dress like them, she may not sound like them. But if you look at her closely. Read between the lines, as it were, she is a Bush Administration's wet dream. A neo-con with a tamed vagina and voluptuous smile. A wolf in sheep's clothing.

Best in show.

Mitt Romney's Speech at the RNC with video

2008-09-04T10:11:00.000-06:00

If this doesn't make you sick, I don't know what will.

Mitt Romney's Speech at the RNC

2008-09-03T19:13:00.003-06:00

I'm watching Mitt Romney's speech at the RNC right now and I'm going to be honest: the Republican party scares the hell out of me.

He's outlined the Republican platform and it's pretty much exactly the wrong direction any intelligent and compassionate American would want to take things.

And the thinking of how to "fix" the country Romney just outlined is counter-intuitive and disgusting. He wants to take us back into the Reagan stone-ages and gut regulation in the same way Bush has been doing.

Man...

I'll post the full speech as soon as it goes online and it'll be the scariest thing you've ever seen, too.

God-damnit, these guys are terrorists.

New Huffington Post Editorial

2008-09-02T15:18:00.001-06:00

Sarah Palin = Harriet Miers

Huffington Post just got it up.

Check it out here. Please comment, here and there. And it would help me out a lot if you added me as one of your favorite bloggers.

I CALL AMY GOODMAN'S JAIL...

2008-09-02T01:37:00.002-06:00

I read that Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman was arrested in St. Paul during the RNC. I saw the video of her being arrested. I was all, like, "WTF". I saw the number for her jail. I called her jail to ask "WTF".

The politicians in Baluchistan need to be killed

2008-09-01T12:18:00.014-06:00

Someone please kill this man. Israr Ullah Zehri, Senator from Baluchistan

Three teenage girls buried alive in Pakistan "honor killing".

From the article:

Three teenage girls have been buried alive by their tribe in a remote part of Pakistan to punish them for attempting to choose their own husbands, in an "honour" killing case.
After news of the deaths emerged, male politicians from their province, Baluchistan, defended the killings in parliament, claiming the practice was part of "our tribal custom".
The girls, thought to have been aged between 16 and 18, were kidnapped by a group of men from their Umrani tribe.
They were driven to a rural area and then injured by being shot. Then, while still alive, they were dragged bleeding to a pit, where they were covered with earth and stones, according to the findings of Human Rights Watch, the international campaigning group. Officials, speaking off the record, confirmed the killings.
However, six weeks after the deaths, no one has been arrested, amid claims of a cover-up. According to several accounts, Baluchistan government vehicles were used to abduct the girls, and the killing was overseen by a tribal chief who is the brother of a provincial minister from the ruling Pakistan People's party.

When shit like this is sanctioned by a government, doesn't that constitute some kind of war crime, or at the very least against the Geneva Convention?

People want to say, "Well, it's a complicated issue with complicated solutions. You can't just police the world, go in there, kill everyone responsible, and rescue the helpless."

Yes, you can. Yes, you fucking can.

SARAH PALIN: Everything you need to know

2008-08-31T13:54:00.012-06:00

SHE IS CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR ABUSE OF POWER

CREATIONISM: Palin wants schools to teach your kids about space aliens and talking snakes

Moose Burgers

Palin uses bullets to regulate the numbers of wolves, bears, moose, caribou, sheep, and deer in

Palin: Wildlife? Kill!

Palin: Wildlife? Drill!

Palin: Polar Bears? WHATEVER! DRILL!

Palin: Global Warming NOT man-made

Palin OPPOSES Birth Control and Condoms

Palin OPPOSES abortion, even if the woman is raped

Palin: I'd oppose abortion even if my own DAUGHTER was raped

Palin: Against Stem-Cell research

Palin's first lie of the campaign

Palin: "What does a VP do?"

Palin, on radio, calls her opponent a "bitch", makes fun of her cancer, weight

Another report on Palin's flabbergasting radio interview

PALIN HUSBAND WORKS FOR OIL COMPANY

Palin tried to ban books

Palin thinks "Pledge of Allegiance" written by founding fathers

Corrupt and Clueless Ted Stevens Appears in Palin AD

Andrew Sullivan's Three Words About Palin

Palin: Hillary Clinton is a "Whiner"

Dallas Morning News Op-Ed on Palin

Palin Quickly Juiced Up Her Wiki Page

Palin in Pennslyvania, happy to "see other part of the country"

McCain has said, "Maybe we'll be in Iraq for 100 years", Palin thinks it's an opportune time to send her 19 year old son to Iraq while admitting she doesn't know the GOP's plan to end the war.

The Repubs wanted to make Obama's church a big deal. So, I introduce to you Sarah Palin's Church of "Holy Shit You Gotta Be Kidding Me".

Palin's Pastor

Palin is a Dominionist and, yes, that should scare the shit out of you.

Palin was mayor of town. Palin left town $20 Million in debt.

John McCain's politiicization of tragedy

2008-08-31T00:07:00.003-06:00

I just read that McCain might make his acceptance speech via satellite from the "devastation zone".

This is a political move that I know he thinks will help him but will just make it easier for critics to take aim against him. Seriously, Republicans (aside from those who have active parts to play in Hurricane relief efforts) should stay as far away from Hurricanes as possible.

It'll be too easy for everyone to draw Katrina comparisons.

For McCain, it'll be worse than that picture of John Kerry in that weird costume.

Sarah Palin = Harriet Miers

2008-08-30T18:39:00.002-06:00

I wrote this for the Huffington Post. I'll let you know when it appears there, in the meantime, check it out here:

It seems as though John McCain has once again followed in George W. Bush's footsteps, this time with a gaffe that will go down in history as one of the biggest election blunders our generation has seen.

As you all probably remember, in 2005, George W. Bush nominated his White House Counsel, Harriet Miers to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court despite the fact that she had no judicial experience whatsoever and seemed completely wrong for the part in every other way but her gender. After both sides of the aisle finished scratching their heads, outcry turned to panic and Miers was forced to withdraw the nomination.

On his 72nd birthday, John McCain announced Sarah Palin for his running mate in a half-assed attempt to put a female on the ballot to fill the void left by Hillary Rodham Clinton. Despite the fact that she has no federal experience whatsoever and seems completely wrong for the part in every other way but her gender. Add to that her scandal at home which has her under investigation for the abuse of Gubernatorial power of which she's only held for 18 months and you've got everyone on both sides of the aisle really scratching their heads. I imagine outcry will soon turn to panic and Palin might have to consider withdrawing her nomination, leaving McCain to choose a new running mate halfway through the race.

I think that McCain is going to have a much harder time with Palin than Bush did with Miers, though. Most people I talk to don't even remember who Miers is (granted, three years from now, I doubt anyone will remember the name Sarah Palin, too), but Bush didn't have anywhere near as much at stake as McCain does. In 2005, Bush still had three years left of his second term and his approval ratings had been circling the drain for years. He really didn't have much to lose by screwing up with nominating Miers.

McCain has everything to lose by choosing Palin.

I've been one of those scratching my head as well, trying to figure out what McCain is doing. I'm sure everyone reading this has read over and over again that this kills his experience argument with Obama. Palin stands against everything Clinton stood for as far as women's rights are concerned, so she won't fill in that vote. She'll be torn to shreds by Joe Biden on the foreign policy front. Any talk of family values will be negated by the fact that she's willing to leave home and become Vice-President with a 5-month old Down Syndrome baby to be cared for. With her abuse-of-power investigation in full swing, it'll be hard to convince voters that she's part of the change both candidates agree that Washington needs.

The best I can come up with is that McCain is hoping that some horrible tragedy will befall her, enabling him to pick Joe Lieberman as his running-mate. Maybe he's pulling a fast one on everyone and she'll get to the convention and not accept the nomination. Maybe Lieberman, Pawlenty and Romney still have a shot.

I know it's a terrible thing to say, but maybe McCain really has picked her in hopes that something happens to her, something to make her unable to continue the race. At that point, maybe he's thinking that he might be able to swing into office on a sympathy vote.

But even that's a stretch.

Perhaps, as the days go by, we'll figure out if there's rhyme and reason to picking Sarah Palin or if McCain simply set up a dart board with pictures of all of the office-holding Republican women and let loose with a dart, blind-folded.

DNC WRAP UP (pt 1)

2008-08-29T11:47:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I watched every night of the DNC and then spent at least an hour afterwards geeking out on Daily Kos. Hence, the neglect here. But, I've got my thoughts still, so, here we go:

Before talking about Hillary, here are some of my favorite quotes from the DNC:

"John McCain calls himself a maverick, but he votes with George Bush over 90 percent of the time. That's not a maverick that's a sidekick." –Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA)

"He as taken more than a million from the oil and gas industries ... he wants to give those oil companies another $4 billion in tax breaks ... Four billion in tax breaks? That's a lot change, but not the change we need." –Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer

"Wake up, America! Wake up, America!" - Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich

"That campaign generated so much heat, it increased global warming." - President Bill Clinton on the race for delegates between Hillary and Barack

"We can't simply drill our way to energy independence if you drilled everywhere, if you drilled in all of John McCain's backyards, even the ones he doesn't know he has." –Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer

I have to say, there was a tangible air of tension all day Tuesday. The media hacks spent most of the day asking Hillary supporters why they were protesting Obama and why some of them were going as far as throwing their vote to John McCain. These people were called "PUMA"s (Party Unity My Ass), which meant if you took that literally, "Party Unity's" ass was fat and ugly with gigantic ounces of estrogen and misplaced daddy issues. I mean, these women (cuz everyone I saw was a woman) seriously hated themselves. One person said, "These women voting for John McCain is like a chicken voting for Col. Sanders". As some of you may know, I am a serious Freudian, and thus my opinion on all this is very cut and dry. I won't expound on it right now, but suffice to say, these women weren't protesting politics, they were protesting a penis.

Everyone, I introduce the craziest bitches ever:

Ok, so, leading up to Hillary's speech that night was nail biting for a few folks. Would she say something to blow the whole convention out of the water? Would she strongly support Barack Obama? Would she convince her batshit crazy supporters to wake the fuck up?

Chelsea Clinton took the stage and introduced her mom with this video:

Then it was Hillary. On Daily Kos, everyone was writing comments like "OMG, so nervous" or "WTF is she going to say?!"

Right off the top, Hillary shouted:

"I am here tonight as a proud mother, a proud Democrat, a proud senator from New York, a proud American, and a proud supporter of Barack Obama!"

Daily Kos comments: "Whew!" and "Wow! She just dove right in!", etc, etc.

"It makes perfect sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities, because these days they're awfully hard to tell apart." - Hilary Clinton

"To my supporters, to my champions -- to my sisterhood of the traveling pant suits -- from the bottom of my heart, thank you." - Hilary Clinton

The quote from Hillary that actually got tears in my eyes was when she talked about the advice Harriett Tubman gave to the slaves she was rescuing through the Underground Railroad:

"If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If they're shouting after you, keep going. Don't ever stop! Keep going! If you want a taste of freedom, keep going!"

Hillary Clinton gave, what many are calling, "the speech of her career". I couldn't agree more. She nailed it. A huge sigh of relief all around at the end of the night.

VIDEO OF HER ENTIRE SPEECH

New, extremely short, short story

2008-08-26T17:51:00.001-06:00

http://shortstorycorner.blogspot.com/2008/08/bitter-sweet-dreams.html

Check it out.

THE PUMAS

2008-08-26T14:35:00.003-06:00

I'm going to write up my opinion on the PUMA (Party Unity My Ass) group later. If you don't know, these lunatics supported Hillary, got pissed when Obama won, and now they're going to vote for McCain.

Below, enjoy watching wacked-out uglies with daddy issues try to justify their ridiculous "Hillary Supporters for McCain" hogwash. If you want to skip past their "Obama is a Muslim" bullshit, go to the end: a young black girl totally owns the PUMAS with dignity and intelligence. It's great stuff.

"BLOW IT" PREMIERE

2008-08-26T04:31:00.008-06:00

So, my short film is finally premiering this Wednesday night at the Tower Theatre during the "Open Mic Shorts Fest".

The plot goes like this: A young man's entire life is ruined after an elaborate attempt to "make love" to "Scarlett Johansson".

It stars Patrick Waldrop, Becky Gulla, Richard Newman and Me.

"BLOW IT"
Wed, Aug 27th
Shorts start at 9pm
Tower Theatre
9th East 9th South
SLC, UT

MEET THE FAMILY

2008-08-26T01:33:00.000-06:00

The "First" Family, I mean:

DNC NIGHT ONE

2008-08-26T01:06:00.005-06:00

I spent the evening putting finishing touches on my short film and watching close to 4 hours of coverage of the Democratic National Convention. Here are some of my thoughts:

Nancy Pelosi is a stooge and I hope Cindy Sheehan kicks her ass.

Jesse Jackson, Jr lit up the night pretty darn good.

Ted Kennedy is called the "lion" for very good reasons. Dude was bed ridden yesterday and he just tromps up there like he's storming Normandy beach. He gave an electric speech and delivered it in seasoned, classic Kennedy style. "I'll be back there on the floor come January...!" He had brain surgery and he's already rolling his sleeves up and getting back to work. God love him.

Michelle Obama finished the night off with a deep and emotional speech that had many in the audience in tears. She spoke of the humble beginnings of both her and Barack's life, how they met (hint: it wasn't adultery like McCain), and then talked about wanting to change America for her daughters and for all the children of America. Her two little girls came on stage and Barack appeared via satellite. Little Sasha grabbed the mic from her mom, "Hi, Daddy!" The talked briefly back and forth and then Barack: "I'll see you Thursday".

Post-Show Bobblehead Highlights:

FOX NEWS' Juan Williams actually gets choked up and teary while talking about the importance of Michelle Obama's speech. Williams, a black man, thought it sent the perfect message to not only the entire country, but specifically to black families. He said, "There they were, a happy family on stage, who had pulled through trials, and were sticking together in love. That's an important message".

Right after Williams' impassioned comments, Fred Barnes, a white FOX NEWS panelist said, "Meh, her speech was lackluster..."

On MSNBC, Pat Buchanan was adamant that the night was a failure. "Michelle didn't even address Christianity," he said bullheadedly. Chris Matthews snapped back, "This wasn't the Democratic Christian Convention, Patttttttt...." Rachel Maddow, who I would love to bear children with if she swung that way, told Buchanan, "Michelle's speech was actually the opposite of the hateful speech you gave at the 1992 RNC..." Snap.

I watched also watched a bit of the CSPAN post-game coverage which featured a score of callers. It blew my mind. Out of the 20 or so call-ins, about 12 or so were ANTI-OBAMA. Not only were they anti-Obama, but they kept saying things like "Hi, I'm in Kansas and I refuse to vote for a Muslim" or "Hi, I'm in Alabama and that new book says Obama forged his birth certificate and he's not even American." CSPAN actually let these knuckleheads go on the air. Then there were the Hillary freaks who called to say, "I'm voting for McCain cuz I have serious daddy issues" or "Michelle Obama is so fake, Hillary is the real deal" blah, blah, blah. WTF.

All in all, a successful introduction of the Obama family to America. But, as we all know, it doesn't matter what WE think. It matters what the JUDGES think. Who are the judges? CNN, FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC, and every single newspaper in the country. They're the ones who will decide if it was a successful night for the Demos or not.

WTF LINKS, Monday Aug 25

2008-08-25T12:25:00.004-06:00

I swear this is another example of how we're one step closer to a New World Order

Swift Boaters claim that Obama's birth certificate is a forgery; they offer no proof to support this claim, which is why many people believe them.

Polar Bears are just swimming around in the ocean cuz all the ice is gone.

Religion poisons everything: Evangelist School Director says "Dinosaurs helped build the pyramids", uses Bible to prove it.

Hello, everyone, meet Big Brother. Big Brother, meet everyone else.

This is another reason why I'm going to have a problem flying out of country.

Bush Surrenders

Something about this is kick-ass awesome and fascist at the same time.

Just when I thought Joe Biden was a stud...

America thinks like the tube, eats like the tube, raises kids like the tube:

Meet Your New Vice President

2008-08-23T01:29:00.002-06:00

Watch his speech in its entirety. This guy's gonna kick ass and take names.

Frost/Nixon

2008-08-21T18:04:00.001-06:00

This is probably the only Ron Howard movie I've looked forward to... Ever....

Frost/Nixon looks really good.

Watch the trailer here before it gets yanked.

Huffington Post

2008-08-19T17:34:00.001-06:00

I wrote something up for those guys...

Check it out here.

Ashley Sanders and Why She's Voting For Nader

2008-08-19T12:34:00.001-06:00

Elias and I shot this for the Nader '08 campaign.

Review: Clone Wars

2008-08-15T02:37:00.000-06:00

A lot of people will instantly discard my review of this film, knowing that I have what some might call a blinding love for all things Star Wars. That's not exactly the case. I can nitpick Star Wars, there's a few things I'd have done differently, there's some "corrections" to the Special Editions that piss me the fuck off. But overall, I love it all.

I've been on and off about this cartoon for a while. I've been excited for it for a long time, but the reviews have been pouring in and people have been taking big, smelly shits on this movie. It had my expectations down a little bit. I went into this film wondering what it might be like to not enjoy a Star Wars theatrical experience.

Thankfully, that didn't happen.

This film sets a tone right at the beginning that let's you know that it's a kids movie. The opening crawl is replaced with a war-film-like narrator, bringing the not-yet-able-to-read-that-quickly-audience like my son up to speed on where this occurs in the timeline and doesn't really let up from there. It seems as though a lot of reviewers of this movie were expecting an animated Empire Strikes Back and wrote reviews based more on their dissapointment of what the film wasn't instead of their joy at what it was. This is a kids movie, through and through. And it's done in some very smart ways.

I thought that I would be annoyed by the idea of giving Anakin a sassy young padawan (who will by the end of the TV series no doubt meet a sad and horrible fate) but this is a stroke of brilliance to rein in an age demographic that hasn't been specifically served by a theatrical Star Wars movie since Phantom Menace. Ahsoka is what every young Star Wars fan wants to be, a padawan learner, and she's every bit the reckless padawan Anakin deserves. And it's insinuated in the film that Obi-Wan and Yoda planned this padawan purposely in order to temper Anakin into the Jedi he should have been. I can't imagine him losing her before the end of the Clone Wars will help his descent to the Dark Side...

But this film is a really, really accessible kids movie for all ages. It's not as good as a Brad Bird kids movie, but it's certainly ahead of the curve on childrens entertainment and made me thirsty for more. I'm quite pleased with the idea that I'll be able to tune in to new installments on Friday's.

This set the tone for how I imagine the series will run and the Clone Wars is an almost endless well of short stories to cover in a 20+ minute format.

Also, Jabba the Hutt's son didn't bother me. There's not much to argue with there. I heard a lot of people were pissed off about it, but seriously, people who'd be pissed off about something that trivial is obviously a douche-bag.

The animation took a little getting used to, but by the time a third of the film had gone by, the animation seemed great. The stylizations of the characters were really cool, the action sequences well coreographed and the Clones were absolute bad-asses. I can already hear a lot of people groaning about how they turned the Battle Droids into clowns, but the audience I saw it with (admittedly, the median age was 11) ate it up. The movie as a whole really entertained the kids and Star Wars fans like me and even drew applause from the harder-core Star Wars fans dressed as Boba Fett, Plo Koon and others.

It was pretty good. Will I see it again? Definitely. Will I see it again this weekend? Most Definitely.

Should you see it? If you're the type of nerd who can appreciate kids entertainment, yes. Bring a kid, yours, a niece or a nephew or something if you want to see it but you're the jaded prick sort of nerd. I guarantee you'll like it a lot better and enjoy it a lot more watching it with and through them.

But don't expect the animated version of Empire Strikes Back. It doesn't even try to move in that direction, though I would bet there will be episodes of the show that might be able to pull of that sort of mood and timbre.

Ernest Borgnine's Secret to Old Age

2008-08-14T17:54:00.000-06:00

WTF LINKS, Tuesday Aug 12

2008-08-12T15:17:00.006-06:00

VIDEO: Bush Smacks a Bikini Clad Girl's Ass

Nancy Pelosi is the most clueless politician ever and she should just kill herself.

If you're an Islamic Chick who pisses off crazy Islamic fuckheads, prepare to be "honorably" set ablaze, strangled, shot at, clubbed, stabbed, tortured, axed, or stoned to death.

CNN, scared shitless, refuses to use the word "Islamic" or "Muslim" in its reporting of above story on crazy Islamic Muslim fuckheads.

Bush weakens Endangered Species list, gets an erection.

Bush seems to be enjoying getting away with murder; smuggly dismisses any problems with America.

Oh, and here's a reason why Bush might get away with war crimes.

No, you cannot fucking do that. Towing companies posts "No Parking" signs AFTER people had parked there.

Now, I know everything above is doom and gloom, but I end with a good story:

I was watching this swimming match live Sunday night and it seriously had me on the edge of my seat. Before the race, the favored French team had said, "We're going to smash the Americans" and, for most of the race, it looked like France would win... Until the last 25 yards... Wow. If you can, watch the whole video.

REVIEW: Salvador

2008-08-11T00:01:00.000-06:00

About two years ago I purchased the box-set of Oliver Stone's complete works. It's been gathering dust on a shelf since then. There's always another movie I seem to want to watch. What with the recent trailer from "W" making it's rounds on the internet, I thought it was time to break out the set and start chronologically through Stone's career.

I've only seen a few of his movies, you know, the one's everybody's seen (Platoon, JFK, U-Turn...) Ok, maybe not everybody, but those are it. So, I didn't know what to expect on his first outing as a major film director with a budget and I had no idea what Salvador was about.

Salvador is a biographical film about photo-journalist Richard Boyle (who helped Stone write the script) during the failed revolution in 1980 and 1981. (It's widely emphasized that Reagan's policies had a lot to do with this, in fact, the Fascist leaders in the country praise Reagan's election.) But the film plunges you into 1980 El Salvador and really gives you a taste of how shitty things were (and in some cases, probably still are) in Central America at the time. It's sad, really.

And James Woods delivers the performance of his life as our lens for the politics of the film. Yeah, he's a liberal guy, but he's got a soul and a conscience and when he lets loose with his moral outrage against the military and CIA stooges, you can feel it. You get pissed. And the stuff that the American's turn a blind eye to is enough to make you sick. When the fascists order a group of American nuns to be raped and killed for...whatever reason... It's just disgusting. The American Ambassador (played competently by Michael Murphy, whom I've enjoyed in a couple of Woody Allen movies, particularly Manhattan) tries to cut off military aid to the fascists, but the military and the CIA and the Reagan-ites back him into a corner and force him to relent, thus shattering the peasant uprising, for fear that communism might spread.

At the end of the day, this film really just pissed me off in all the wrong ways for absolutely the right reasons.

I also found it startling how much that period in US foreign policy seemed like today. The US was perpetrating terror. And when they weren't perpetrating it personally, they were enabling the perpetrators.

It really makes me sad that America hasn't wised up.

For anyone that has a moral compass I would recommend this movie. It puts fire in your belly.

(For related reading (only in subject matter, not geography or time) I would recommend Kurt Vonnegut's essay's about the long-since passed country of Biafra.)

FOR BRYAN

2008-08-08T01:35:00.001-06:00

CLICK EACH TO ENLARGE

Morgan Spurlock's 30 DAYS

2008-08-06T02:25:00.003-06:00

If you read this blog around the time of Sundance, you know that a few of us here shit all over Morgan Spurlock for creating the worst documentary ever made, "Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?"

But today, I came across a link to his FX tv show, "30 DAYS". I quickly saw one of the latest episodes was about a strict Mormon housewife having to live with 2 gay adoptive parents for 30 days. I thought, "Huh, ok, I'll watch the first 5 minutes and as soon as Morgan Spurlock inserts his shitty animation montages or goofy schtick jokes, I'll stop."

During the first 60 seconds, Morgan is talking about (with shitty animation) the many ways babies can be made in the modern world. He opines, "Maybe one day, even men will give birth". Then is cuts to Morgan with a balloon stuffed under his shirt while he eats pickles and ice cream. I was about to stop right then and there. But...

I watched the whole episode.

Not only was it good, it was extremely balanced and disciplined (as much as a TV show can be I guess). Morgan kept himself out of the camera for the most part and I felt this episode was one of the most fascinating short documentaries I've ever seen.

I didn't feel like Spurlock or the show's producers were taking things out of context or juicing the subjects for emotion. The outbursts and tears in the episode felt expected and normal rather than exploitative.

On top of this, the section where Spurlock actually goes on camera to visit a sperm bank, I was actually laughing out loud at his quips. Did I just laugh at a Morgan Spurlock shenanigan?

Seeing this made me realize how much better a guy like Spurlock is when he has 2-3 really good producers tweaking and polishing his creation. I know for a fact that my last film wouldn't have been as good if Bryan and Elias weren't breathing down my neck about some of the crazy ideas I came up with. Maybe Spurlock should keep this in mind when he does his next documentary.

Anyways, I think I might pick up the DVD seasons of "30 DAYS" now.

Watch the Mormon Wife vs. Gay Couple episode here.

DAILY LINKS Sat, Aug 2nd

2008-08-02T14:48:00.002-06:00

Murder Trail: The "He turned my cat gay" defense.

Kurt Vonnegut: How to write with style

Johnny Depp as THE RIDDLER?

How People Die

GhostBusters with Steve Irwin

Jesus Freaks Trying to Control the Vagina

2008-08-02T14:44:00.001-06:00

This is mass madness.

It's an uncontrollable diety-like urge to control how and when a female can get impregnated.

In the name of religion, George Bush has proposed a new act to take away more reproductive rights of women and to protect crazy loon doctors who refuse birth control in the name of Jesus Christ.

Here's a sum up:

"Under the guise of rules to protect antiabortion nurses and doctors from discrimination in hiring, a proposed new regulation would expand the definition of abortion to include any form of contraception that can work by stopping implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus. This can include common birth-control pills, emergency contraception, and the intra-uterine device, or IUD. Doctors who refuse to perform abortions for reasons of personal conscience already are protected by law."

Mormon Mike Leavitt (the head of the fucking U.S. Health and Human Services) has thrown in his support of this paleolithic proposal.

More from the madness:

"At some point in their lives, 98 percent of US women use birth control. The proposed rule, while claiming to protect the rights of nurses and doctors, would interfere with patients' rights. A woman seeking treatment could be denied birth control and not even be aware that the service was available - only denied to her because of the unexpressed personal beliefs of the practitioner."

It is my opinion that any doctor, ANY doctor who refuses a woman birth control because of his belief in space aliens should lose his license ON THE SPOT. If I were a woman, I would make it a point to bait known Dr. Jesus Freaks, have them deny me birth control, and then sue the pants off them.

Hitting them in wallet is what will work. Hitting them in the balls definitely won't work. These men apparently don't have any.

TAD WALCH UPDATE

2008-08-02T14:40:00.002-06:00

I forgot to update you guys on whether Tad Walch (Mr. I know and write about things that I haven't done any god damn research on) did NOT come to our Utah County screening of "Killer at Large".

He told the entire public that our film was not worth seeing, having never seen it himself.

I hope he dies a sad and lonely death.

Just kidding! I actually hope he keeps writing meaningless and wasteful bullshit about yours truly.

New Huffington Post Article

2008-08-01T17:50:00.001-06:00

Go over there to read my exclusive....

Killer at Large audio interview

2008-07-28T13:45:00.000-06:00

I did an interview for Killer at Large.

You can listen to it by clicking this link: (audio here).

The film is picking up quite a bit of heat.

Nader in Salt Lake

2008-07-25T23:32:00.002-06:00

Ashley Sanders who is in our forthcoming BYU 25 documentary asked me to spread the word about Ralph Nader's visit on the 31st.

Be there.

Big Shiny Robots! at Comic-Con!

2008-07-24T19:22:00.002-06:00

For the few of you readers who are nerds like I am, you'll be greatly interested to know that Big Shiny Robot! (www.bigshinyrobot.com) is doing pretty consistent and constant comic-con coverage for the next four or five days.

I'll be following it closely, since this is the first time in a long time that I haven't been able to go.

And it makes me sad.

For all of their comic-con articles, click here.

Short Story Blog....

2008-07-24T02:09:00.000-06:00

...has been updated.

Check it out here.

Couldn't Help Myself

2008-07-23T01:07:00.007-06:00

I was so mega drunk when this picture was taken. But whatever. That's Harvey Fucking Dent.

Conan, ET, Viggo

2008-07-22T15:36:00.002-06:00

Great Video

2008-07-20T12:51:00.001-06:00

I've been watching far too much Alfred Hitchcock Presents and I thought this was one of his best intros:

Deseret News likes Killer at Large!

2008-07-20T10:41:00.001-06:00

Despite Tad Walch's best efforts, the truth has been printed in the Deseret News.

Jeff Vice did a quick review of the film and called it "Impressive" and said "[We've] really done our research".

You can check it out here.

New Huffington Post Editorial

2008-07-18T15:09:00.001-06:00

This one is called Politics in Comic Books.

Read it and comment.

THIS DIVIDED STATE - Official Blog of the Filmmakers

Big Shiny Robot Feed

Buy Killer at Large on DVD!

Killer at Large

Killer at Large DVD release party

Two New Short Stories

My open letter in the local paper

An Open Letter to My State Senator

The Food Lobby Goes to School

You Are STILL Being Lied To

New Huffington Post Editorial

Another Short Story.

An Interview With Bryan

LOST - Trailer for Season Five

Killer at Large site back up

SnagFilms Film Widget

10 Free Sundance Shorts on iTunes

Shadow of Dream

Film Center Screening on Tuesday

The Examiner

New Huffington Post Article

Another Short Story.

More Huffington Post

Huffington Post

The Fleapit Three

Killer at Large in USA Today

Killer at Large in NYC!

Mormons Vs. Civil Rights

Foreclosed Mother Keeps Home... For Now

EUROPEAN SCREENING OF "This Divided State"

American News Project

MCCAIN - PALIN MUSIC VIDEO

SOUTH PARK - "The China Problem"

Debate...

Why Obama Blew the Health Care Question

Debate Tonight

UPDATE with pic

THE JOKER ON THE BAILOUT

Short Story....

ECONOMIC SOLUTION COMIC

BAILOUT ANGER IN THE STREETS

In Memoriam

SNL's Opening Last Night

KAL Crew on the Radio Tonight

FOR BRYAN

Killer at Large won another award.

Fine. We'll Use Scare Tactics Too.

McCain grasps at straws

Bill O'Reilly Praises Obama, Hell Freezes Over

RNC In One Minute

Samantha Bee Nails Abortion Debate with Repugs

McCain Used iSTOCKPHOTO Black People

"Community Organizer" - Obama Responds

New (But Old) Short Story

McCain Speech Live Blogging

MAD Magazine, Sarah Palin edition

Scranton and San Francisco

SARAH PALIN Wins "Best In Show"

Mitt Romney's Speech at the RNC with video

Mitt Romney's Speech at the RNC

New Huffington Post Editorial

I CALL AMY GOODMAN'S JAIL...

The politicians in Baluchistan need to be killed

SARAH PALIN: Everything you need to know

John McCain's politiicization of tragedy

Sarah Palin = Harriet Miers

DNC WRAP UP (pt 1)

New, extremely short, short story

THE PUMAS

"BLOW IT" PREMIERE

MEET THE FAMILY

DNC NIGHT ONE

WTF LINKS, Monday Aug 25

Meet Your New Vice President

Frost/Nixon

Huffington Post

Ashley Sanders and Why She's Voting For Nader

Review: Clone Wars

Ernest Borgnine's Secret to Old Age

WTF LINKS, Tuesday Aug 12