BORAT

I saw this movie last night and it was so funny that I literally crapped my pants.

OK, I didn't actually make brown in my loins, but that would have just added to the hilarity of the film in question. BORAT is a mind-boggling observation of the USA as the main character drives coast to coast experiencing some of the most jaw-dropping examples of Americana.

Highlights for me are when Borat is at the rodeo in Texas and one of the main cowboys (an older gent) talks about how Borat should shave his mustache because he looks like a terrorist and then how all gays in the country should be lined up and executed by hanging. This conversation ends in laughter and high-fives. I shit you not.

The now infamous scene with Borat being picked up by an RV full of college frat boys is a real zinger. Four southern, Republican, "good ole boys" wearing sports hats and polos talk about how all women should be fucked and then dumped and how much women are inferior to the power of the penis. Then they ragged on and on about how much minorities suck and so on. It was a harshly candid observation of the attitudes of conservative young closet cases. Much like Kay Anderson in THIS DIVIDED STATE, they expose themselves for what they really are, mysoginistic, testicle driven, racist, ass clowns.

And let's not forget about Borat bringing a baggy of his shit to the dinner table of a high-class southern family and asking the hostess, "what should I do with this?"

And there was plenty of fat, hairy male nudity to jiggle the funny bone for hours. Maybe that says something about my sexuality. Maybe it doesn't. A naked fat man's balls is funny, though. Isn't it?

A Wii and other things

I've had a really busy week trying to put stuff together for this documentary and "The Fleapit Three." We're trying to shoot today, hopefully our last day, and we're submitting to two more festivals this week.

I also pre-ordered a Wii today.

So, that should be awesome. But, in case you were wondering why we were light on the posts in the last few days, it's just been because we're really busy.

Rumsfeld!

I was glad to hear the Rumsfeld resigned today. In fact, Steve and I took a break from work to celebrate over a beer when we heard the news.

But am I the only one who seems to think that this is just a political cover?

This is how I see it: The Bush Administration realizes they got their asses handed to them on a platter on election day, but they don't want things to change. So, what they do is, they fabricate the appearance of change, even though nothing substantial is going to happen. I mean, there's nothing that suggests that Bob Gates is going to have any significant change on the status quo. This really does seem to be a cover to help Republicans out in the 2008 elections. They'll be able to point to today and say, "See?! We can adapt to shifting public opinion and not play partisan politics!"

But I'm just not buying it at this point.

I don't think political defeat is enough to get Bush to change course. I don't think he is changing course. If Bush were truly interested in changing course, he'd have called for Rummy's resignation a week ago when it could have actually changed the course of the election. The more I think about it, the more I think Bush should have been asking for it on November 6th. What better way to distance yourself and your handling of the war than to fire the man who, aside from yourself, was largely responsible for the gaffe?

I don't know...

What do you guys think?

Man, oh man...

It seems as though today was a good day for Democracy for America, but it illuminated how willing Utah voters are to cut off their noses to spite their faces. I'm not surprised that everyone I voted for lost but I am disappointed.

I'm not disappointed because I'm a partisan shill or because I hate all Republicans. I'm disappointed because Utahns care more about people and this country than their voting tendencies would otherwise lead me to believe. If I were to look at this election today, I would imagine that 62% of Utahns thought torture was an acceptable tactic, despite their religious persuasion that dictates otherwise. I would imagine that 62% of Utahns don't want to help out their fellow Americans with things like Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and other vital social programs that are rooted deep in Christianity. I would imagine that 62% of Utahns believed that violence was an acceptable solution to problems. I would imagine that 62% of Utahns don't believe in fiscal responsibility or balanced budgets. I would guess that 62% of Utahns cared more about the best interests of corporations than in the souls of individuals. I would guess that 62% of Utahns felt that flag-burning was the most pervasive issue facing this country today.

But I don't think that's so.

My disappointment stems from the fact that I had more faith in Utahns to realize where their values really were. I'm disappointed that my fellow Utahns are so used to voting against their values that it has become an instinct. I'm so disappointed that my fellow Utahns would vote for a man like Orrin Hatch, a man who used scare tactics, doing his best to convince his defeat would mean a win for the terrorists.

It's not just disappointing. The more I think about it, I think it's disgusting.

But let's not forget that the country made major strides toward sanity and sensibility overall, despite Utah's lunacy.

The House is now deeply in control of the Democrats and that is a good thing. We'll finally have a legislative body that can stand up to the preposterous and damaging attitudes and policies of the Bush regime.

The Senate is still up in the air, right before I go to sleep. According to most credible news sources at the moment, two seats are left and the Democrats are leading in both races. I'm hoping and predicting that Democrats will take them. Not because I like Democrats, per se, but because Democrats are not the party of George Bush.

At the very least, they deserve a chance.

They couldn't do any worse than the Republicans.

(p.s. I sincerely regret not being able to make it to the Ashdown party tonight. I had to work and it made me genuinely sad when I realized I wasn't going to be done in time to make it. So, I suppose, I was there in spirit.)

Voting Today

I voted today.

I had a weird experience though and I had the election judge baffled. I'm not sure anything wrong happened, or that my ballot was cast repeatedly, although I have no way of being sure. I voted, printed my paper ballot and was chided to cast my ballot. I hit cast ballot and then it said my card was inserted upside down, so I had to revote.

I asked the election judge about it, he was as baffled as I was because we verified that the card was in right. He said my card shouldn't work again, that it needed to be re-encoded. That wasn't the case, the card allowed me to vote again.

The same thing happened once more.

Third time was a charm though and it finally accepted my ballot.

God, I wish these things were reliable.

Diebold, who makes the voting machines I used today, also makes ATM machines. What do you think would happen if they turned over ATM technology to a bank that couldn't be sure that they were tracking all the money? Banks wouldn't use their technology. Unless they can ensure 100% accuracy in voting, we shouldn't use their machines either.

I heard on NPR as well a complaint from someone saying that it's onl;y 1 or 2% that are having problems voting and that it's not that big of a deal but in a day and age where elections are decided with margins of less than 2% that seems to me to be a huge deal.

We need reliability and accountability in our election systems once again, otherwise, what's the point?

(P.S. Go vote for Pete Ashdown and Christian Burridge.)

Yikes.

Read this. It's horrifying.

This is about a soldier that shot herself in Iraq because she objected to the interogation techniques.

Read about it here, too...

Vote Tomorrow.

Please.

Voter apathy is killing America. Even if you're completely fed up with the system, the candidates, the Republicans, the Russians or whomeever, just go and vote.

Particularly if you live in Utah.

If you live in Utah, take extra special care to vote for Pete Ashdown and in turn, you vote against Orrin Hatch.

Hatch is pro-torture, pro-war, pro-big business, pro-patriot act and for extending Bush's idiotic tax cuts. And that's just the short list.

If you're a Christian or a Budhist or a Mormon any other mainstream religion, it's up to you to vote out people that don't hold to your ideals.

I mean, really, who would Jesus vote for? A candidate that supports torture and war? Or a candidate that supports peaceful solutions to problems and helping the poor and the meek? Would Jesus support a candidate who stood more often with the money-changers than with the people?

Then why would you vote for a guy like Orrin Hatch, who lines himself up with the money-changers and the corporations more than you.

The same could be said of Chris Cannon. While you're voting, be sure to register your vote for Christian Burridge as well.

They need all the help they can get.

And if you don't live in Utah, vote for candidates that aren't Republicans. It's undeniable that the country is in the worst shape it's been for a while and they are the party in power. It's time to give Democrats, Greens, the Socialists and anyone other than the Republicans a chance to bring things back on track.

Orrin Hatch = Obsolete

I grabbed this from One Good Move.

Pass it along.

Vigilante Justice

Tonight I thwarted a band of ne'er-do-wells.

It was fun and awesome.

So, I come to my mom's house with some groceries and a group of kids in big puffy jackets, bandanas and backwards hats and pants hanging down to their knees walks by me. They clearly aren't very smart and I can tell they're up to no good when they stop talking and stop in the middle of the road in front of my mom's house. You can tell they were up to something for sure.

So, I bring the groceries into the house, close the door behind me and look out the window.

Not five seconds later, one of them is racing toward my yard and punts my "Pete Ashdown for Senate" sign the length of the yard.

Instantly, I open the door and shout, "What the fuck do you kids think you're doing?!"

And they scatter.

And I pursue.

There were four of them, but I had the upperhand, I've been doing this type of thing in my mom's neighborhood far longer than they have, so I know all the short cuts and dead ends and which fences I would have jumped, etc. I called the cops en route and kept up the pursuit for a solid fifteen minutes. I lost two of them in the pursuit, they did the smart thing and split up, but I still had two of them in my sights. After hiding in various other yards, they finally come upon their own house, where thier father was waiting for them, cooly smoking a cigarette. I approached him, he asks what's up and I explained to him what happened.

The father told me, "I bet they were with that punk kid who knocked over my mailbox. They are in so much trouble, they know they aren't supposed to be hanging out with that punk. Tell the cops I'd be happy to talk to 'em. I made that kid mow my lawn six times, you can see, my mailbox still isn't straight. Damn punk... That stupid punk kid..."

One of the other kids whom I'd lost showed up at the house a few minutes after that. His dad had a few words for him and started demanding who the fourth kid was, "It was that punk Joey, wasn't it? I told you guys you shouldn't be hangin' around with that punk kid..."

Not two seconds after that, the cops showed up.

He pulled me aside for my side of the story, gave me his card and sent me on my way.

But to be sure, those kids will think twice before kicking over an election sign. Although, if it was me I'd caught I'd be back tonight with eggs, jars of feces and toilet paper...

Jeez...

True story. I know a while ago, the Ashdown campaign wanted pictures or video of people taking signs, but I think I've got something better: a case number.

American Values

I lifted this from the Jesus' General website.

I want to print some out and pass them around before election day.

Salt Lake Tribune = Bad Times

So, I saw that the Salt Lake Tribune endorsed Orrin Hatch. I figured they were a bunch of misled tools, but, whatever. Then when I heard they wouldn't print Pete Ashdown's rebuttal, I realized that they were just downright stupid.

Here's Pete's rebuttal.

Seniority does not serve America. Seniority serves the interests of senior politicians. While public education is crumbling, our ports and borders are no more secure than they were on 9/11, our veterans ignored, and millions suffer and die without regular health care, I am ashamed that pork takes priority over fundamental need. It is with pleasure that I pledge to destroy the seniority system to return a balance of government interest to the people and help level the playing field for fair elections.

Orrin Hatch claims you should vote for him because of seniority. He states the Democrats are weak on security, that he is fiscally conservative and committed to small government. That in spite of obstructionist Democrats, only he displays the leadership which can serve Utah.

Where is Senator Hatch’s concern for national security when he displayed more self-promotion than national protection by spilling the details of secret intelligence monitoring of Osama bin Laden within hours of the attacks on September 11th? I do not believe the Republican nor the Democratic party has a desire for weak security, but Senator Hatch has demonstrated he is a security risk all on his own.

Where is the fiscal responsibility when Senator Hatch does not show restraint in securing a lavish $100 million for an expansion to the Utah Federal Courthouse? This is a project which will literally move a building across a street, raze a popular nightspot “Port o’ Call”, and replace a characteristic portion of Salt Lake’s downtown with an enormous “Justice Cube” eyesore. Expensive, out of place, and useless, this will be an appropriate tribute to pork and the Senator who secured it.

Where is Senator Hatch’s leadership when he begs Utahns to petition the Bureau of Land Management to keep nuclear waste out of Utah? True leadership does not require thousands of citizen letters to communicate the obvious. Last I checked, Congress was in charge of the BLM and not the other way around.

I do not require 30 years to get traction in Washington. In Orrin Hatch’s first term, this country grappled with many of the same problems we confront today. Energy prices, Mid-East turmoil, terrorism, child predators, and education were all primary concerns in 1976 as they are today in 2006. Why has Hatch’s mantra of “18 years is long enough” been extended to a need for 36? Who, but those elected representatives who have legislated through the past five administrations, should take responsibility for today’s crushing debt, imbalanced budgets and global instability?

According to Senator Hatch, the Democrats are to shoulder all of the blame for his inability to resolve America’s problems. I reach out to all Utahns, regardless of their political beliefs, and it is in the spirit of bringing our country together, that I set about to solve this nation’s gravest problems. Blaming his ineffectiveness on Democratic obstructionism does nothing except highlight his continual demonization of anyone who does not hold the same philosophy as he.

For every failure, there is opportunity. I have a plan for a better America and I have been executing it throughout this campaign. I have demonstrated how I will hold myself and the government accountable to the people. I have displayed the ability and the commitment to secure consensus and advice. I am committed to fiscal conservatism, limited government, and constitutional respect.

I have a vision for the future of our nation. Senator Hatch questioned me on the need for rapid rail throughout rural America in a recent debate. According to his opinion, it is too hard and too expensive. Thank goodness this man wasn’t in charge when we built the intercontinental railway, dammed the Colorado river, split the atom, established highways, and went to the moon. America desperately needs new vision and the leadership to execute it.

Barack Obama has been heralded as a new star in the Senate and is already under consideration for the presidency. All this in his FIRST term. Utah has an opportunity with this race that no amount of seniority can justify passing up. I pray the electorate will give careful consideration to what I stand for, my character, and what I have already done for Utah.

Strong stuff.

Orrin Hatch is Pro-Torture

This is a repost from about this time last year, but it's still apt. I wanted to remind people to remind people that this guy who purports to represent good Christian values supports the use of torture. I can't be sure, but I'm pretty sure Jesus never advocated the use of torture. He also never advocated the rape of the poor that Neo-Cons like Orrin Hatch thinks is awesome.

Here's one more reason this man has to go. I would like to thank his political rival Pete Ashdown for bringing this to my attention.

Orrin Hatch is Pro-Torture.

That would make a helluva campaign slogan against him. And a pretty damning one at that. I can't beleive there are people out there who pretend to have American ideals and purport to be for torturing other human beings.

I posted about Cheney being for it and Bush against it earlier today. It seems as though things are just getting worse and it hasn't even been a full day later.

It scares me how much some of these Neo-Cons beleive that it's okay to torture and kill people. My sister-in-law, an ardent neo-conservative, told me today that we should just shoot Hugo Chavez because he's bad for the country and Anti-American. She said that he led a protest and said that he hates the American people. When I corrected her (because this was wrong) she stood by the fact that we should still kill him because he was "anti-American." Then I said that he was a democratically elected leader and a popular one at that and she said it didn't matter because he was bad for America.

Lordy. These are bad times.

The Fleapit Three

I'm in the process of finishing up "The Fleapit Three." We've got this Sunday left insofar as reshoots (there might be a few other odds and ends to film, but that's a different story) and we'll have a fairly complete rough cut. I have to say, I'm very happy with it. In the context of knowing our shooting schedule and budget/time constraints, I'm very proud of what we've got. And above all, I think it's funny, which is really all that matters.

I'm also submitting to film festivals as the deadlines occur. So far, we've hit SlamDance and The World of Comedy International Film Festival. If anybody knows anybody at these festivals, put in a good word for us.

Also, if anybody knows of any other film festivals that would be receptive to low/no-budget, feature-length comedy films, let me know.

I'd be very interested in that.

I'll keep you posted, but we might do a pre-screening of the rough cut some time in the next few weeks...

Cliff from oneutah.org posted a comment below chastizing me for hoping that Christian Burridge loses so I can run against Chris Cannon. This is not the case. I'm not saying I want Burridge to lose.

Far from it.

I've got a Burridge lawn sign up and have been telling everyone to vote for the guy. I've even met up with Darci from his campaign to get my sign and took a few more to deliver personally. I know it's not much, but it's what I've had time to do.

I want to face facts though, Cannon is popular. And I phrased that as an "if" not a "when."

I think Burridge can do it and I want him to. Believe me, I care too much about this Country and the State of Utah to want Christian Burridge to lose.

But if Christian Burridge isn't able to unseat Cannon, I think I'd like to give it a try. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. In fact, people should get the vote out for Burridge specifically to prevent that from happening.

I apologize if anyone got the idea that I didn't want Burridge to win because I wanted to run. If anyone from the campaign wants to contact me to see if there's anything I can do to help his campaign from my modest platform, feel free to send me an email.

Happy Halloween

This is the scariest jack o'lantern I've ever seen.

I just want to take this moment to ask everybody to do a couple of things:

1) When you're out trick-or-treating with your kids, take them to people's houses in your neighborhood that you're friendly enough with to chide them to vote next week. Not just to vote, but to vote for progressive candidates (Particularly Pete Ashdown and Christian Burridge). Don't be a jackass and start fights with your neighbors, but just remind them who best represents the values of your neighborhood. I can guarantee that unless you live in a neighborhood full of mansions and corporate headquarters, Republicans don't represent the values of your neighborhood.

2) Take the time for this holiday to treat yourself and go see a movie. And if you're fortunate enough to be in an area playing "Death of a President" go see that. If not, I can't recommend "The Departed" and "The Prestige" enough.

That is all.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween.

Take The Money And Run

Based on Duckie's recommendation, I went out and bought Woody Allen's first directorial effort.

As soon as I watch it, I'll let you all know what I think.

Death of a President

Last night I went to see the controversial “Death of a President.”

I have to say it was very interesting and very well executed. I was also surprised by how middle of the road the film was, despite the caveat the film permeates.

From what I’ve read about the film, people seem to be missing what I think the point of it is. The narrative of the story is this: Bush is killed, Cheney is installed as President, Patriot Act III goes into effect, the wrong man is caught and convicted, but because he’s Syrian Cheney’s Administration really doesn’t do anything about it because of his ulterior motives.

The point of the film, as I gleaned it, is that this group of hawks will take any tragedy and bend it to fit their will. This is science fiction at it’s best. The assassination of Bush could be seen as allegory for September 11th, and the surrounding rigmarole about finding the wrong man but putting him up on trial and finding him guilty regardless could be seen as allegory for the invasion of Iraq. But this film was crafted in a very interesting, very subtle way.

Some of the “experts” they spoke with were Bush supporters, some interviewees were moved to tears by the events of that night.

The film plays out exactly like a History Channel or TLC documentary would if this had really happened, only without the commercials.

Yes, there were a few spots where the special effects were bad (specifically during Cheney’s eulogy of Bush) and you some of the transitions between impersonated voices and the real thing weren’t smooth. Maybe they would seem smooth if you weren’t terribly familiar with the actual players, but it was an amazing experiment in film, regardless.

The one thing I was really surprised by was the fact that the film made me realize how affected I’d really be if Bush were killed. I actually felt a pang of anger to see him die. Not because I was sorry to see him go, but because I really don’t like to see people die, no matter how much bad they’ve done. And then the reality that Cheney would take over hit and that was even scarier.

I don’t know.

I didn’t find anything terribly offensive about the film. I can understand why it would cause a knee-jerk reaction, but after that it should simmer down. And I think this movie would be viewable by anyone over the age of 10.

It was really, really interesting.

That’s about all I have to say about it.

"This Divided State" Screenings

There's been a spate of screenings of "This Divided State" around the country. I want people to contact me if they're having a screening so I can publicize it here.

The Prestige

Still in Boston.

Still busy.

We saw The Prestige and it was really, really good. I saw it again.

It's actually better and more emotional the second time around. The first time I saw it, I felt it was very 8 out of 10. The second time, I was thinking more like 9 or 10 out of 10.

Go see it.

Flags of Our Fathers

It was good, and then it was "meh." It was like a 6 out of 10. The last reel and a half were utterly horrible. Paul Haggis is the laziest, sloppiest screenwriter I've viewed work from lately. I saw Million Dollar Baby a couple of weeks ago and it was mediocre at best.

I'll elaborate if I have time, but I'm in Boston, so I'm busy, busy, busy.

BOSTON

We're in Boston. Having a grand time.

In case you didn't know.

I'm in Trouble

I, uh... I did something kind of bad, but for something good. But I just couldn't hold it any longer. You see, I'm a sucker for public radio. I listen to it any time I'm in the car. I use public radio. I need NPR. I need KUER.

Right now, it's their fall fund drive.

I even listen to that.

The urge to pledge was so compelling I talked to my wife about it last night. "I understand how you feel, but it's too bad we can't right now. We don't have the money to spare."

But nevertheless, the call was great.

I called the number to pledge a couple of times today, but I lost my courage and hung up. Three times. Once during Radio West with Doug Fabrizio, once during Talk of the Nation and once during Fresh Air.

During the last half of All Things Considered, all I could think about was wanting to pledge. I've been a devoted NPR listener for a five or six years now and I've never been in a position able enough to afford a pledge. I'm not in much of a position now to afford it.... but....

Jeez....

So I called again.

I hung up as soon as a voluneteer answered.

Then I called right back. It took some doing, I don't have a credit card or a checking account, but I was able to get them to bill me $10 a month for a year, which, spread out like that, isn't that much.

But now, I have to tell my wife...

It would be easier if she read the blog, but she doesn't....

While I think of a way to break it to her, why don't you make a pledge as well. That way, I won't feel so alone. But if you can, give to the Pete Ashdown campaign first. Which I'm going to do tomorrow. (I got permission to give $25 to the campaign, I just need to find time to swing it by the headquarters.)

Utah Politics

There are two items here that I would like to bring everyone's attention to:

Pete Ashdown. Right now, the numbers his campaign is polling are pegged directly to people who have heard of him. He's polling a slightly higher percentage than that of those who know who he is, meaning that there are voters out there who don't care who he is, as long as he's not Orrin Hatch.

Well, his campaign has been running at a guerilla grassroots level because no one on a national level seems to think he can compete with Orrin Hatch's $3 million war chest of special interest funds. Well, what I'm saying to you is that his campaign is being run like campaigns should, on blood, sweat and tears and a minimum of cash.

So, in order to spread the word about Pete Ashdown, I want everyone who reads this to do two thing.
A) Donate to the Ashdown campaign right now. Even a few bucks will help.

B) Get a yard sign and a bumper sticker. Hell, get five and give them to your friends and tell everyone you know about Pete and why he's a better option than Orrin Hatch. Show people the video from the first debate. Do anything you can to get the better man elected.

And the second thing I wanted to bring up was this:

Christian Burridge is running against Chris Cannon.

He needs help, too. Sign up for a yard sign and when you talk to people about Pete, remind them that Chris Cannon is up for re-election as well.

But, if God-forbid, Christian Burridge is unable to unseat Cannon during this election cycle, I'm going to try to make a bid for that congressional seat in the next election. I don't know how to do that yet, but there's very little I care about more than politics and my State. So.

If anyone has any information for me about how I can go about getting ready for Democratic primaries and campaigning reaaaaaally early, let me know. I think I'm serious about it. I've been putting a lot of thought into it and figured, "Why not?"

North Korea

Is it just me, or do all of George Bush's fictitious reasons for going to war with Iraq seem to be coming true in North Korea?

When Bush initially announced that he was planning on going to war with Iraq, anyone with half a brain that followed any news other than Fox was fairly sure that Iraq didn't have any WMD and that sanctions were working to prevent him from getting them. Everyone was scratching their heads wondering why he was doing it. I myself asked why we weren't going into North Korea who, seemed to me at the time, to pose an actual threat.

I think I got my own answer. North Korea could bite back and Bush knew Iraq couldn't. Not in the short term anyway.

I mean, go down the list of Bush's reasons for Iraq and ask yourself he truly believed any of them why we aren't in the Second Korean War?

1) They have Weapons of Mass Destruction and are actively pursuing nuke-ya-ler technology.

Check.

2) They are led by a crazy and brutal dictator at the expense of their peoples suffering.

Check.

3) They could sell weapons and technology to other enemy states and non-state entities.

Check.

4) The leaders of the country no longer in power will keep America safer.

Well, probably.

5) We need to get them before they get us.

I don't agree with this, but let's be honest, North Korea has a better chance and capability to attack us than Saddam did.

And don't even get me started about our negligent inaction in Darfur.

So why the change in tune for George? Why isn't the medicine for Iraq good for North Korea, or even Iran for that matter?

Because they see as plainly as everyone else that IT DIDN'T WORK!

Them not racing into Korea to be greeted as liberators is proof positive that even they know how bad they screwed up. They just aren't willing to admit it in so blatant a way as saying so.

Top 100 best reviewed of 2005

So, I've been really interested in overall critical response of movies lately. It's interesting to see movies rated side by side by groups of the same critics and Rotten Tomatoes does a really good job of cataloguing everything.


So, I was curious about what sort of movie get's a 100% and I found this list.

It's got a lot of good movies on there.

Then I discovered that they had top 100 lists divided by year. I was working my way backwards and discovered that "This Divided State" is number 97 on Rotten Tomatoes' best reviewed films of 2005 list.

We rank right above "Serenity" (which I loved), "Oldboy" and "Inside Deep Throat."

I just found that horribly interesting.

Also, on a side note, I have to say that I'm learning so much about film by watching Woody Allen movies. My brother and I went to a used DVD store and picked up 11 of them and we're working our way through them and so far, I haven't seen a Woody Allen movie I didn't like.

What I'm saying is, go get a hold of some Woody Allen movies. My favorites so far? "Hannah and Her Sisters," "Manhattan," "Husbands and Wives," and "Match Point."

Go check them out.

God is Getting Involved in Politics

I read and watched this today and it's really too preposterous to be believed.

It seems as though Colorado has an ammendment on the ballot for November that increases the State minimum wage to $6.85 and then pegs the minimum wage on an annual basis to that rate at the current rate of inflation. Sounds like a really good idea.

Well, according to opponents of the legislation, God is really pissed off about this.

You really just have to click here to watch the ad.

Yikes.

(This is from Think Progress)

Republicans Anti-Gay?

I read this little note in the Daily Herald Morning Briefing:

US House leaders may have delayed taking action against former Florida Republican Rep. Mark Foley because they were afraid of appearing anti-gay, according to Sen. Orrin Hatch.

Wow.

You think if they were worried about appearing anti-gay they’d quit it with all of the anti-marriage bills they keep forcing down the throat of liberty. And Hatch is the messenger here? I mean really, do people forget that Orrin Hatch has said that the two most important issues in America right now are gays getting married and flag burning? I don’t think he needs to worry about appearing anti-gay because it’s very clear that he is.

It seems to me like nothing more than political maneuvering.

I’ve remained quiet on the “Foley” situation on the blog because I really just felt like it was too easy a target, but man. This is just too much hypocrisy to ignore. This, for me, was the straw that broke the camels back.

Jeez.

Maybe they should worry all the time about appearing anti-gay.

In other news, Vote for Pete Ashdown. It seems as though in the polls, Ashdown is polling as many points as the percentage of people who know who he is. So, having said that, spread the word about him and his campaign.

Get some yard signs and bumper stickers, donate to the campaign, knock on doors, do whatever you can.

Friday the 13th

Neal over at leftwich mentioned that a Friday the 13th in October was a rare treat and he was going to offer up five horror films to cap off the day.

Well, I'm going to post my five horror film recommendations.

Now, bear in mind, I generally hate horror films. All of them that have come out lately, I think, blow. Like Dark Water and The Grudge and Saw. I think they are all horrible. Now, I know a lot of people who have the opposite opinion, but I think it's because they're able to turn their brains off.

So, without further ado, here's a list of five movies that actually scare me.

1) Alien. Ridley Scott's kickstart to the Alien franchise is certainly the best of the lot. There are moments in the film that are truly terrifying and the filmmaking and acting are top notch. Sometimes, I think Ridley Scott peaked with Alien.

2) John Carpenters "The Thing." This movie is essentially a cabin fever story with an alien, just like Alien, but it's still really goddamn cool.

3) The Shining. I guess I just like movies with Cabin fever themes. But I don't need to tell anyone how creepy this movie is. This is Kubrick at the top of his game and the kid who plays Danny Torrance is just...creepy....

4) Psycho. Very few movies keep me on the edge of my seat like this one does. I like horror movies where the monsters are people. This is an amazing example of it.

5) 28 Days Later. This is the second best zombie movie ever. (It runs a close second to Shaun of the Dead.)

And the honorable mention goes to Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn. That movie used to scare the bejesus out of me.

New Short Story

Yep.

Go here to read it.

And in case you haven't, here's a link to the complete list of short stories I've posted over there.

600,000

The number may be disputed, but it's still a better picture than we've seen before. It seems as though more between 350,000 and 950,000 Iraqi civilians have lost their lives since the beginning of the US Invasion and through the subsequent occupation.

Bush and his people are ignoring it because they've never seen a number previously higher than 50,000. That statement is almost Orwellian. Especially since there's evidence here from exactly 2 years ago pegging the estimate at 100,000.

That report was also disputed for a time, but those who disputed it later changed their opinion when they realized how thorough the study was.

And how are we supposed to trust the official government numbers? Didn't they literally order their people to stop counting back in '03? Yeah. Yeah they did. (In that same article, the US and British military claimed they don't count civilian casualties.)

They way they conducted this survey to reach this number is how we base all of the health numbers in America. Why is it good enough for us here, but not there?

Long story, short: Bush has the blood of between 350,000 and 950,000 civilians on his hands.

I remember a quote from Dr. Strangelove, where the president says, "I will not go down in history as the greatest mass murderer since Adolf Hitler."

Well, Bush just took one big step close to that.

Six-Word Story

Neal over at The Leftwich Committee for the Proliferation of Thought and Opinion posted this story about Ernest Hemingway's six word story.

The story was this:

"For Sale: baby shoes, never used." (this was according to this site. Wikipedia had a different version: "For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.")

Neal didn't actually ask anyone to write their own, but I was so fascinated by the idea that I did. Here it is:

He had it coming. Didn't he?

Neal offered this gem:

One day, I swear we'll go.

And he posted them all up here and invited everyone to participate. So, I'm calling on all of you to head over there and post a six-word story. Personally, the approach I took was one that would raise as many questions as possible to lead to the statement. I don't think I could raise as many questions as Hemingway's but I put a lot of thought into mine anyhow.

So, those of you who go over there to participate, post your six-word story's here. I would very much like to see them.

Also, about the latter half of Neal's post (this one) about his story "The Watchmaker." It was very good. I can personally attest to its quality.

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving by reminding them to do two things.

1) Regardless of your party affiliation, register to vote today. Democracy works better when more people participate. It's important. Apathy only gets us in trouble. If you're dissatisfied with the current leadership, then it's your job to do something about it, even if that thing is something as innocuous as voting. I've never missed a voting day since I've turned 18 and I don't plan to miss one.

and

2) Go see "The Departed."

I saw it again and it is, indeed, a perfect 10. There's just no two ways about it. It's a masterpiece.

It's a genuine masterpiece.

In fact, I'm going to see it again tonight or tomorrow.

The Departed

I saw “The Departed” last night.

I’m writing this review under the assumption that this is my impressions based on my first viewing. I plan on seeing it again tonight, just so I know that I’m not missing something.

I want to give this movie a ten, but I’m reserving a 9 for it until such time as I see it again and confirm my suspicions of it’s greatness.

Now, as a disclaimer, I love Martin Scorsese pictures. I think Aviator should have beaten the pants off of Million Dollar Baby in the awards races. I think Gangs of New York was just as excellent. Both films are easily tens for me. I approached The Departed with a sense of eager trepidation. This is Scorsese’s first dip into gangster territory in a while, what if he’d lost something? Boy, was I wrong. I hate this sense that filmmakers only get worse with age, that they lose something. Scorsese gets a lot of flack in that department (although not as much as George Lucas) but I think in both cases the theory is completely unfounded.

Guys from that generation are like wine that gets better and better with age. (I can’t wait to see Coppola’s “Youth Without Youth”)

So, with this cautious excitement I sat down and proceeded to love every minute of this film. I recall nothing about this film that rubbed me the wrong way or put me off. As gangster pictures goes, it ranks up there with Goodfellas and Casino. It’s certainly of the same pedigree and the acting in the picture is no less stunning that in Scorsese’s previous efforts.

The cast of the film is so good separately, I had worries that they wouldn’t all match the film. I was concerned that a cast of that many all-stars (Nicholson, DiCaprio, Damon, Wahlberg, Sheen, Baldwin) would weigh the film down but they were all amazing.

As far as I’m concerned, this is Baldwin’s best performance since Glenngarry Glenn Ross.

I just can’t describe how good the movie was.

It was tense, suspenseful and thrilling. It was violent, bloody and shocking. It was deep, emotional and heart-rending. It was everything a story about real people needed to be.

And did I mention that the violence in this film perpetrated by Leonardo DiCaprio is on par with Joe Pesci in other Scorsese pictures?

Jesus H. Christ.

I found myself laughing giddily at every cool moment and outburst of violence and tensed up with the suspense of not know what was coming next.

I mean, there’s nothing I can say about a film like this that won’t sound pretentious. But Scorsese’s absolute use of cinema is nothing short of mind-blowing. Few directors in this day and age are able to use cinema for artistic storytelling as well as Scorsese and few even care.

What I’m saying is this: Go see this movie. If you don’t, there’s probably something wrong with you.

At this point I’ve liked the film so much that this review was a rambling piece of incoherent shit.
I will write another, more in depth review of the film as soon as I’ve seen it another couple of times.

A Shitty Day

We came back from DC today.

I left my DVD's at John's house, where we were staying. The book of DVD's had all my Star Wars movies in it. I think I might cry.

But it gets worse.

I found I'd accidentally taken one of John's movies in my portable DVD player.

And to top it all off, I left my wallet on a plane in Phoenix.

I'm not doing too well today.

I'll be back after I get a nap in and see "The Departed."

Washington D.C. part 2

We're still in D.C.

The interviews are going well.