There are many very fine television programs airing these days, and several stations, WGN and TV Land among them, air classic programs as part of their broadcast day. Some of the older programs really hold up. Here is a list of older shows that any fan of television should seek out followed by a list of recent television shows I feel will considered classics in years to come.
Classics:
Frank's Place: Tim Reid starred in this well-reviewed blend of drama and comedy that was so far ahead of its time, viewers didn't know how to react to it. It had no laugh track, so those watching had to make up their own minds about whether or not something was funny. The show received several Emmy nominations but was canceled anyway. If anyone had any sense at all this show would find its way to DVD immediately.
Combat-- Vic Morrow is the star of a gritty platoon of soldiers in World War II. The first season is directed by Robert Altman, and the darker tone of the story lines is one of the main reasons his time at the helm was limited.
Twilight Zone: Sterling writing talent helped establish this Rod Serling vehicle as one of the best programs to ever air. Everyone has a favorite episode, but there are very few episodes that fall flat.
NYPD Blue: It's funny to think that creators envisioned David Caruso as the star of this show when they should have been familiar with the strength of Dennis Franz's work from prior collaborative efforts. The show had many cast changes over the years, and was frequently chaotic with scripts coming later and later in the shooting schedule. Perhaps because of this on-the-fly quality, the show maintains a visceral vitality that is hard to beat. The growth in humanity of Andy over the years is one of the all time great character arcs. There's not a week that goes by where I don't miss his presence on television.
Homicide: Life on the Streets: Another great ensemble cast with many changes in personnel. This Barry Levinson program is filled with fascinating characters, and the dynamic between the disparate police officers is a joy to watch. In many ways the police procedural elements are an afterthought, which sounds like a knock on the writing. Far from it-- the writing is excellent, and the cast feeds off of the crackling story lines. The frequent use of gallows humor is an added plus.
Barney Miller: A pragmatic but amiable leader, the title character, Barney Miller, is everything I'd want in a boss. The show was the perfect blend of humor and heartbreak. I recently watched the pilot episode and it was so incredibly flat it's a minor miracle that it was picked up and allowed to blossom into this special, special show. Abe Vigoda aside, more of these actors should have had much longer careers in television. I keep waiting for Blood on the Badge to come out in paperback. If anyone bumps into Ron Glass, ask him what's the hold up.
West Wing: Aaron Sorkin made the liberal arguments better than any politician at the time. Until the last year when I lost track of the show because of a move in scheduling, the West Wing was required viewing. Another pat on the back must go to those involved in the casting of the show-- there wasn't a weak actor in the bunch, and with insightful writing to work with, they put on quite a show.
The White Shadow: I can't explain why so few people are familiar with the fine work Ken Howard did in this unjustifiably forgotten series. It takes a realistic look at the workings of an inner city school and its dysfunctional basketball program led by a prickly new coach. Player actually graduated when they were supposed to, and made decisions that were both expected and surprising. I'm not sure there's been a better sports show on television (the jury's still out until I watch Friday Night Lights and Sports Night) but even if sports aren't your thing, there's plenty to recommend the White Shadow.
New Classics?
The Shield: This show crackles with equal parts malice and grace. It's twice the show of 24 and its silly later plots. And I've not felt this conflicted in rooting for the bad guys in my life. Michael Chiklis has come a long way from his role as the Commish. Still, this show explored morality in ways few other shows even thought about, and the characters almost always payed a price for their transgressions. Hell most of them payed a price no matter what they did.
Firefly: Fox gave this series almost a year and then pulled it as its growing base of fans positively howled. I felt depressede watching this series on DVD as I neared the end of season one and realized there weren't any episodes to follow. When you consider the kind of trash that's routinely renewed, it's cancellation is that much more repugnant. If you find a better character than Jayne Cobb, you let me know.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: I have friends who have never given this series a chance because they saw "an episode" in syndication once. Buffy's charm is cummulutive. It doesn't take itself too seriuously and yet the audience falls hard for the cast, even the villains. It's not so much a show about vampires as it is a show about the difficulty of making and keeping friends. The vampires are just a prize in the bottom of the box.
Dexter: A serial killer with a heart of gold? Maybe. This show has some plot holes that can be hard to overlook at times, but the leads are so damned good, I'd come back anyway. This show is addictive in ways that are difficult to explain. Give it half a season to sink its hooks in. I dare you.
Veronica Mars: I can remember TV Guide and USA Today begging viewers to tune in this high school mystery. Alas, I was one of the guilty non-viewers who paid the price for ignoring it. Into the third season I knew I'd get dumped. The cast is crushingly good, and your head positively spins trying to figure out whether some of these characters are angels or demons (morally not physically-- this isn't Buffy we're talking about).
The Simpsons: There's a reason this animated series is still on television. It's not just the flesh of the citizens of Springfield that's golden. Damn fine writing and worth a half-dozen belly laughs each half-hour episode. When was the last time you saw a feature lenght comedy that could match that?
Deadwood: How can such an accumulation of malcontents be so riveting to watch. And why, when you have such wonderful deviance on a show like this, would you ever find yourself watching any of the train wreck reality shows on VH-1? Has enough murder, cursing, fucking and drinking to satisfy any hardcore Johnny Cash fan. And don't forget the kidney stones. I know I never will.
Shows I've Heard Are Brilliant But Haven't Watched Yet:
Battlestar Gallactica
Freaks and Geeks
Rescue Me
Bones
Torchwood
Friday Night Lights
Sports Night
Old Shows I Need To See Again Before I Put Them On This List
Moonlighting
St. Elsewhere
Rockford Files
Taxi
The Prisoner
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
duotrope.com
If you write, you know how difficult it can be keeping up with the reading periods, contact information, themes, and other aspects of literary journals as you prepare your work for publication. I want to recommend the website Duotrope.com as an indispensable resource for fiction writers and poets. The website tracks all sorts of valuable information for writers, including the response times from editors, the percentage of those responses that are acceptances versus rejections, and it breaks that information down even further by including data on how many of the rejections are personal versus form. You can see recent covers of the magazine and link to the magazine's website to see if it looks like something you'd be interested in subscribing or submitting to. Duotrope sweeps through the websites and checks the status of markets that remain idle too long or do not respond to submitters or editors. At this time there's no tracking mechanism for creative non-fiction, and magazines that only solicit book length mss. or do not have a web presence are not included in the database. Still, I can think of no other resource that is as consistently useful as Duotrope.com, so if you write and submit your work, check it out.
Album Recommendations
Album Recommendations:
Arcade Fire: Funeral-- When I first heard the single Neighborhood #1 I worried that this might be one of those albums that had a brilliant track or two, but ultimately fell flat. I'm happy to say that it finds its way into my CD player several times a month. It has an everything-but-the -kitchen-sink approach to it and I think it's inventive melodicism is one of its strongest traits. I often think of the Talking Heads when I listen to this album, not because of the percussion, but something in the vocal delivery reminds me of David Byrne. This is an album you can go back to again and again.
Belle and Sebastian: Tigermilk-- Their first album, and for me, still their best. I like assorted tracks from their other, later albums, but there's a wistful tone to Tigermilk that holds my interest more than the albums that followed. I can listen to Black Sabbath and Belle and Sebastian within seconds of each other and not have anything bad happen to my brain. Not all people are wired the way I am though, and this is a group that many people just can't get into. I think people like that probably kill small rodents and probably have personal hygiene problems, but hey, this is America, you can have poor taste if you want to.
Big Star: #1 Record/Radio City-- This is one of those albums that, if you stop after only a listen or two, you'll find yourself asking what's the big deal. If on the other hand you put it on repeat and listen to it all morning, you suddenly find that you can't get songs like September Gurls and Thirteen out of your head. Alex Chilton is the angsty teenager incarnate. His songs are exactly about every great or horrible day you had when you were in high school. You could do a lot worse in the way of having a soundtrack to your life.
Buckley, Jeff: Grace-- When this album was initially released I remember reading the Spin magazine review that gave it a six out of ten. Rolling Stone gave it a solid three stars. Now you routinely see this album listed near the top of the decade's best albums and many young artists say the album was hugely influential to them. The album cannot be separated from the tragedy of Buckley's drowning, and he, like so many artists who die to young, would have been thrilling to follow over the course of a long career. Some critics quibble about some of the more theatrical qualities of Buckley's song choices, but I love that element of this album, the way it swells with emotion and uses silence as well as the dynamic rush of Buckley's singing to move listeners. A treasure of an album.
World Party: Goodbye Jumbo-- If Karl Wallinger had maintained the level of quality he produced with Goodbye Jumbo I don't know how he could have avoided worldwide fame. This album track for track ranks with any masterpiece by any band. It wears its influences on its album sleeve: you hear Prince, the Beatles and the Who, but the way Wallinger nods at his musical loves, it never veers into mockery or cliche'. The other thing I love about this album is how seamlessly it moves from beautiful ballads to upbeat numbers that make you want to dance your ass off. I'm not particularly good at dancing my ass off, so I remain seated and just sort of percolate.
Arcade Fire: Funeral-- When I first heard the single Neighborhood #1 I worried that this might be one of those albums that had a brilliant track or two, but ultimately fell flat. I'm happy to say that it finds its way into my CD player several times a month. It has an everything-but-the -kitchen-sink approach to it and I think it's inventive melodicism is one of its strongest traits. I often think of the Talking Heads when I listen to this album, not because of the percussion, but something in the vocal delivery reminds me of David Byrne. This is an album you can go back to again and again.
Belle and Sebastian: Tigermilk-- Their first album, and for me, still their best. I like assorted tracks from their other, later albums, but there's a wistful tone to Tigermilk that holds my interest more than the albums that followed. I can listen to Black Sabbath and Belle and Sebastian within seconds of each other and not have anything bad happen to my brain. Not all people are wired the way I am though, and this is a group that many people just can't get into. I think people like that probably kill small rodents and probably have personal hygiene problems, but hey, this is America, you can have poor taste if you want to.
Big Star: #1 Record/Radio City-- This is one of those albums that, if you stop after only a listen or two, you'll find yourself asking what's the big deal. If on the other hand you put it on repeat and listen to it all morning, you suddenly find that you can't get songs like September Gurls and Thirteen out of your head. Alex Chilton is the angsty teenager incarnate. His songs are exactly about every great or horrible day you had when you were in high school. You could do a lot worse in the way of having a soundtrack to your life.
Buckley, Jeff: Grace-- When this album was initially released I remember reading the Spin magazine review that gave it a six out of ten. Rolling Stone gave it a solid three stars. Now you routinely see this album listed near the top of the decade's best albums and many young artists say the album was hugely influential to them. The album cannot be separated from the tragedy of Buckley's drowning, and he, like so many artists who die to young, would have been thrilling to follow over the course of a long career. Some critics quibble about some of the more theatrical qualities of Buckley's song choices, but I love that element of this album, the way it swells with emotion and uses silence as well as the dynamic rush of Buckley's singing to move listeners. A treasure of an album.
World Party: Goodbye Jumbo-- If Karl Wallinger had maintained the level of quality he produced with Goodbye Jumbo I don't know how he could have avoided worldwide fame. This album track for track ranks with any masterpiece by any band. It wears its influences on its album sleeve: you hear Prince, the Beatles and the Who, but the way Wallinger nods at his musical loves, it never veers into mockery or cliche'. The other thing I love about this album is how seamlessly it moves from beautiful ballads to upbeat numbers that make you want to dance your ass off. I'm not particularly good at dancing my ass off, so I remain seated and just sort of percolate.
20 Classic Film Recommendations
The Apartment-- While critics often prefer Wilder's Some Like It Hot, I've always thought this film had more heart. The film is strange in all the right ways, and while the main characters operate in a very cartoon world, the risks they take are very real. The scene in the Chinese restaurant near the end of the film? I'm not sure Shirley McClaine has ever been better.
Breakfast at Tiffany's-- I could do without the whole Mickey Rooney/ Chinese guy routine, but this film still captures a riveting performance from the luminous Audrey Hepburn, a great song in Moon River, and a cat that will absolutely break your heart. Even George Peppard shows a bit of soul in this film about the risks involved in not risking anything for love.
Charade--Great score, great ensemble cast, and one of the tightest suspense thrillers of this era not made by Hitchcock. You'll never look at philately the same way again.
Rope-- One of my favorite "second tier" Hitchcock thrillers. It's emotionally detached as it delves into the calculations involved in murder, and while Stewart addresses what he believes to be theoretical moral questions, he holds some peculiar views. When circumstances become less theoretical, Stewart uncovers some squirmy facts about his worldview.
Rear Window--Wow, Grace Kelly has never looked better. I love the color saturation in this film. When I first saw this film as a child, I wanted to live in an apartment just like the one Stewart lived in. A great story about voyeurism, murder, and helplessness. My favorite Hitchcock.
Lawrence of Arabia-- David Lean's masterpiece. Yes, it's a long film, and meditative, and would be best seen on a movie screen, but it is an astounding performance by the blue-eyed Peter O'Toole and to watch his transformation into a true dessert warrior is to enjoy one of the filmdom's great roles.
Peeping Tom--Powell and Pressburger. People were not ready for this kind of film when it was first released. A strange, disturbing, and oddly beautiful film. One of Martin Scorcese's favorites.
Straight Time-- While Dustin Hoffman has had gritty roles before, Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy being a prime example, those roles always seem a bit mannered to me. His role in Straight Time is priceless because he is the low-life ex-con and you believe in the exactness of that character from the first shot on. I have met anyone who saw this film who wasn't blown away by the performance or the fact that so few people have seen it.
The Verdict-- Paul Newman was remarkably consistent in selecting great roles. This is the film he absolutely should have won an Oscar for (you could pick four or five others and not be wrong) but his portrayal as the washed up drunkard of a lawyer is so desperate and sadly believable that a viewer can't help but wish everything came together perfectly for him in the end. An amazing film that deserves to be mentioned with the best of its era.
Cool Hand Luke-- I love the scene after he's told his mother has passed and he goes to his bunk and sings this soft little song. Newman does more with his eyes than just about any actor who has been in the business. It's almost a cliche to include this film, and viewers like it more often than critics, but damn-- it's just so satisfying.
The Third Man-- It may be sacrilege, but I have to say, I like this film better than Casablanca. The set piece with the Ferris Wheel is pretty incredible, and Orson Welles is the perfect blend of charm and menace. The ruined landscapes, both psychological and literal, are captured by Carol Reed perfectly.
Mask-- I often wonder what would have happened to Cher's film career if she'd concentrated on acting instead of making light weight pop albums. Her roles in Moonstruck and Mask are so rich and tough, I can't think of many like them. This is one of Peter Bogdanovich's best films, and the unrecognizable Eric Stoltz gives a warm performance as a lioness' only cub. Great film in a minor key.
The Station Agent-- This is one of those films that sneaks up on you. It is wholly likable and you get the difficulties the characters have in relating to each other and dealing with the world in general. Bobby Carnivale almost steals the film as a talkative goofball who runs counter to the more meditative themes of the film. Thank God, or the film would be a tragedy.
Stalag 17-- Another great Billy Wilder film and a perfect role for William Holden. I've been told this was the model for Hogan's Heroes, and you can see elements of that here. I love the cat and mouse game between Holden's scapegoat and the real culprit. I can't help but watch this every time it's on.
Unforgiven-- I doubt that Eastwood could have made this film if he hadn't made the many other westerns this one reacts to. While there have been other films where the guy in the white hat wasn't necessarily the hero, this film crawls into the gray areas of morality and asks tough questions of people who think they are tough. A very austere and spare performance, and a hint at the direction Eastwood with take with future roles.
Broken Arrow-- Jimmy Stewart made many fine westerns with Anthony Mann but this film by Delmer Daves that is every bit the equal of those great Mann films. Gone are the crazed tomahawk-wielding Indians of the John Ford films. This film deals with human nature, the instincts toward revenge that follows any profound grief. A remarkable western.
12 Angry Men-- This film could have been stagy and static, but the atmosphere is electric and the cast of relative unknowns brings the script alive. I love this film because it is a champion of engagement over apathy, reason over emotion. The fact the film stars Henry Fonda, Jack Klugman, EG Marshall, Jack Warden and many other great character actors only adds to its value.
Jaws-- We're gonna need a bigger boat. I don't know why some critics hate this film. Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider, and Richard Dreyfus in one picture? So what if it became an amusement ride at Universal, the film has some seriously great dialogue, great performances, and a robotic shark that worked just often enough to scare the shingles off a roof. Maybe if it were in French with subtitles those critics would have loved it. A popcorn movie? Absolutely. That isn't necessarily a bad thing.
The Thing.--To me, this is John Carpenter's finest film hands down. The special effects are still phenomenal. And the special effects were only a small part of what scared the hell out of viewers. The sense of vulnerability and clausterphobia are felt intensely. Sure it's a dark film, but we don't need Mary Poppins cropping up in every film we see, do we?
Terms of Endearment-- Aside from Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows, this is the only other film to ever make me cry. Jeff Daniels is so real in this film, and the other characters as well. I'm sure much of that can be credited to the source material, Larry McMurtry's fine book, but the actors and direction of this film bring it to life. The performances are unforgetable and you won't soon shake this film after you've seen it. Make sure you have a box of tissues handy. You'll need them if you're human.
Breakfast at Tiffany's-- I could do without the whole Mickey Rooney/ Chinese guy routine, but this film still captures a riveting performance from the luminous Audrey Hepburn, a great song in Moon River, and a cat that will absolutely break your heart. Even George Peppard shows a bit of soul in this film about the risks involved in not risking anything for love.
Charade--Great score, great ensemble cast, and one of the tightest suspense thrillers of this era not made by Hitchcock. You'll never look at philately the same way again.
Rope-- One of my favorite "second tier" Hitchcock thrillers. It's emotionally detached as it delves into the calculations involved in murder, and while Stewart addresses what he believes to be theoretical moral questions, he holds some peculiar views. When circumstances become less theoretical, Stewart uncovers some squirmy facts about his worldview.
Rear Window--Wow, Grace Kelly has never looked better. I love the color saturation in this film. When I first saw this film as a child, I wanted to live in an apartment just like the one Stewart lived in. A great story about voyeurism, murder, and helplessness. My favorite Hitchcock.
Lawrence of Arabia-- David Lean's masterpiece. Yes, it's a long film, and meditative, and would be best seen on a movie screen, but it is an astounding performance by the blue-eyed Peter O'Toole and to watch his transformation into a true dessert warrior is to enjoy one of the filmdom's great roles.
Peeping Tom--Powell and Pressburger. People were not ready for this kind of film when it was first released. A strange, disturbing, and oddly beautiful film. One of Martin Scorcese's favorites.
Straight Time-- While Dustin Hoffman has had gritty roles before, Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy being a prime example, those roles always seem a bit mannered to me. His role in Straight Time is priceless because he is the low-life ex-con and you believe in the exactness of that character from the first shot on. I have met anyone who saw this film who wasn't blown away by the performance or the fact that so few people have seen it.
The Verdict-- Paul Newman was remarkably consistent in selecting great roles. This is the film he absolutely should have won an Oscar for (you could pick four or five others and not be wrong) but his portrayal as the washed up drunkard of a lawyer is so desperate and sadly believable that a viewer can't help but wish everything came together perfectly for him in the end. An amazing film that deserves to be mentioned with the best of its era.
Cool Hand Luke-- I love the scene after he's told his mother has passed and he goes to his bunk and sings this soft little song. Newman does more with his eyes than just about any actor who has been in the business. It's almost a cliche to include this film, and viewers like it more often than critics, but damn-- it's just so satisfying.
The Third Man-- It may be sacrilege, but I have to say, I like this film better than Casablanca. The set piece with the Ferris Wheel is pretty incredible, and Orson Welles is the perfect blend of charm and menace. The ruined landscapes, both psychological and literal, are captured by Carol Reed perfectly.
Mask-- I often wonder what would have happened to Cher's film career if she'd concentrated on acting instead of making light weight pop albums. Her roles in Moonstruck and Mask are so rich and tough, I can't think of many like them. This is one of Peter Bogdanovich's best films, and the unrecognizable Eric Stoltz gives a warm performance as a lioness' only cub. Great film in a minor key.
The Station Agent-- This is one of those films that sneaks up on you. It is wholly likable and you get the difficulties the characters have in relating to each other and dealing with the world in general. Bobby Carnivale almost steals the film as a talkative goofball who runs counter to the more meditative themes of the film. Thank God, or the film would be a tragedy.
Stalag 17-- Another great Billy Wilder film and a perfect role for William Holden. I've been told this was the model for Hogan's Heroes, and you can see elements of that here. I love the cat and mouse game between Holden's scapegoat and the real culprit. I can't help but watch this every time it's on.
Unforgiven-- I doubt that Eastwood could have made this film if he hadn't made the many other westerns this one reacts to. While there have been other films where the guy in the white hat wasn't necessarily the hero, this film crawls into the gray areas of morality and asks tough questions of people who think they are tough. A very austere and spare performance, and a hint at the direction Eastwood with take with future roles.
Broken Arrow-- Jimmy Stewart made many fine westerns with Anthony Mann but this film by Delmer Daves that is every bit the equal of those great Mann films. Gone are the crazed tomahawk-wielding Indians of the John Ford films. This film deals with human nature, the instincts toward revenge that follows any profound grief. A remarkable western.
12 Angry Men-- This film could have been stagy and static, but the atmosphere is electric and the cast of relative unknowns brings the script alive. I love this film because it is a champion of engagement over apathy, reason over emotion. The fact the film stars Henry Fonda, Jack Klugman, EG Marshall, Jack Warden and many other great character actors only adds to its value.
Jaws-- We're gonna need a bigger boat. I don't know why some critics hate this film. Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider, and Richard Dreyfus in one picture? So what if it became an amusement ride at Universal, the film has some seriously great dialogue, great performances, and a robotic shark that worked just often enough to scare the shingles off a roof. Maybe if it were in French with subtitles those critics would have loved it. A popcorn movie? Absolutely. That isn't necessarily a bad thing.
The Thing.--To me, this is John Carpenter's finest film hands down. The special effects are still phenomenal. And the special effects were only a small part of what scared the hell out of viewers. The sense of vulnerability and clausterphobia are felt intensely. Sure it's a dark film, but we don't need Mary Poppins cropping up in every film we see, do we?
Terms of Endearment-- Aside from Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows, this is the only other film to ever make me cry. Jeff Daniels is so real in this film, and the other characters as well. I'm sure much of that can be credited to the source material, Larry McMurtry's fine book, but the actors and direction of this film bring it to life. The performances are unforgetable and you won't soon shake this film after you've seen it. Make sure you have a box of tissues handy. You'll need them if you're human.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Send Lawyers, Guns and Money...
In this country you have the right to carry a firearm, but just because you carry a firearm doesn't mean you are smarter than the people who happen to be unarmed and think you are an idiot. In this country you have the right to be stupid as long as it doesn't interfere with the rest of us. While I recognize your right to be stupid, I also understand that your stupidity is more dangerous. Now you can shoot people you disagree with.
God knows we are a nation of ignorant people, and the tea parties that are cropping up across America are the closest things we have to parades celebrating sheer stupidity. You get the tree of liberty quotes. The verbal jabs about Obama being equal to Hitler. You get the take-back-my-country histrionics. Comparing Obama to Hitler is wrong on so many levels it's difficult to know where to start in refuting it. Obama isn't rounding up homosexuals, intellectuals (elites), minorities and Jews. Obama isn't blaming the economic down turn on illegals (outsiders), and he's thoughtful and inclusive in a way Hitler was incapable of being. What seems to be happening is this: the far right wants to encourage the overthrow of a democratically elected president because he's trying to pass legislation they aren't happy with. Instead of raising their voices in respectful dissent and making their case to the American people, they've jumped ahead to fomenting armed insurrection. The far right has become the party with a new motto. The end justifies the means. When, at a town hall the other day, a WWII veteran said to Chuck Grassley, "The president of the United States, that's who you should be concerned about. Because he's acting like a little Hitler," said Tom Eisenhower, a World War II veteran. "I'd take a gun to Washington if enough of you would go with me," Grassley did not call this veteran out for his comments. Grassley shows the same lack of moral character as any who appeased Hitler. When these false and hysterical comparisons go unchallenged, they diminish the evil committed by Hitler, they help dehumanize Obama to those on the right, and they dangerously ramp up the kind of anger and derision that produces tragic outcomes in this country.
There's been a nasty undercurrent of racism in much of the criticism leveled at Obama and what he is trying to accomplish. Men gather with guns strapped to their legs and rifles thrown over their shoulders. They carry ominous signs. They speak in veiled threats. They are stirred up by the rhetoric of politicians and pundits and are heartened by their silence when they speak openly of violent revolution. In the contested election between Bush and Gore, one could argue that democrats had every right to take to the streets in protest of a deeply flawed election. There was plenty of ugliness after the Supreme Court's decision to install Bush as our president, but no one threatened revolution. Democrats took their lumps, voiced their dissent, and came back to power with the vote. It's the way the system works.
Right now fear has hold over many Americans and they are allowing themselves to believe some preposterous things, to allow some preposterous things. They see ominous motives behind every government action. They need to take a deep breath. They need to calm their crazy neighbors. They need to recognize the moderate voices among their own members. They need to recognize that the right to carry a gun does not give them the right to deny others the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness no matter how disgruntled they are. There are no Hitlers in the White House, but we do have fascists among us and we need to challenge them. Democrat or Republican, we need to call them out.
God knows we are a nation of ignorant people, and the tea parties that are cropping up across America are the closest things we have to parades celebrating sheer stupidity. You get the tree of liberty quotes. The verbal jabs about Obama being equal to Hitler. You get the take-back-my-country histrionics. Comparing Obama to Hitler is wrong on so many levels it's difficult to know where to start in refuting it. Obama isn't rounding up homosexuals, intellectuals (elites), minorities and Jews. Obama isn't blaming the economic down turn on illegals (outsiders), and he's thoughtful and inclusive in a way Hitler was incapable of being. What seems to be happening is this: the far right wants to encourage the overthrow of a democratically elected president because he's trying to pass legislation they aren't happy with. Instead of raising their voices in respectful dissent and making their case to the American people, they've jumped ahead to fomenting armed insurrection. The far right has become the party with a new motto. The end justifies the means. When, at a town hall the other day, a WWII veteran said to Chuck Grassley, "The president of the United States, that's who you should be concerned about. Because he's acting like a little Hitler," said Tom Eisenhower, a World War II veteran. "I'd take a gun to Washington if enough of you would go with me," Grassley did not call this veteran out for his comments. Grassley shows the same lack of moral character as any who appeased Hitler. When these false and hysterical comparisons go unchallenged, they diminish the evil committed by Hitler, they help dehumanize Obama to those on the right, and they dangerously ramp up the kind of anger and derision that produces tragic outcomes in this country.
There's been a nasty undercurrent of racism in much of the criticism leveled at Obama and what he is trying to accomplish. Men gather with guns strapped to their legs and rifles thrown over their shoulders. They carry ominous signs. They speak in veiled threats. They are stirred up by the rhetoric of politicians and pundits and are heartened by their silence when they speak openly of violent revolution. In the contested election between Bush and Gore, one could argue that democrats had every right to take to the streets in protest of a deeply flawed election. There was plenty of ugliness after the Supreme Court's decision to install Bush as our president, but no one threatened revolution. Democrats took their lumps, voiced their dissent, and came back to power with the vote. It's the way the system works.
Right now fear has hold over many Americans and they are allowing themselves to believe some preposterous things, to allow some preposterous things. They see ominous motives behind every government action. They need to take a deep breath. They need to calm their crazy neighbors. They need to recognize the moderate voices among their own members. They need to recognize that the right to carry a gun does not give them the right to deny others the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness no matter how disgruntled they are. There are no Hitlers in the White House, but we do have fascists among us and we need to challenge them. Democrat or Republican, we need to call them out.
Reward Smart Scripts
So many horror and sci-fi films, hell, films in general, are mushy-headed messes. I love the success of the film District 9, and while it has its flaws, this summer's sci-fi offering is a cut above most recent sci-fi films. I like a fair share of crap that I can't quite explain, but the cultier films like Buckaroo Banzai or A Boy and His Dog are fun without having the strained personalites of middling actors or scripts that could have been scrawled on the back of placemat. So many of today's blockbusters blow their creative wad on set pieces, stunts, car chases and explosions. They spackle in bits of plot to connect those high-dollar explosions to the nude scenes or the CGI effects. They create a film that barely breaks even and has the shelf life of fresh strawberries. I know classics are as much a fluke as anything. Having the talented cast, the right director, the great script and still have it come out great in the end without the studio noodling with it-- a good deal of that is luck. But when we get a film like Alien, or Aliens, the Excorcist, or the Thing, it amplifies the hollowness of most of Hollywood's silly offerings.
I still remember the first time I saw the Excorcist. The makeup, the musical score, the atmosphere and special effects all scared the crap out of me, but even then a scene that sunk into my mind and stayed there was the party where Regan comes downstairs in a daze and tells the astronaut "You're gonna die up there." I knew then exactly what kind of evil the characters were dealing with, and it didn't involve one head spin or a half a pint of pea soup. The hackles on the back of my neck didn't come down until late that night. If you want to attract sharks, by all means, chum the waters. Go for the cheap thrills ( I havent' seen a cat jump out of a closet in a few years) but please, try occasionally to give me the good old fashioned scare. I'll pay good money for that and I'll keep coming back.
I still remember the first time I saw the Excorcist. The makeup, the musical score, the atmosphere and special effects all scared the crap out of me, but even then a scene that sunk into my mind and stayed there was the party where Regan comes downstairs in a daze and tells the astronaut "You're gonna die up there." I knew then exactly what kind of evil the characters were dealing with, and it didn't involve one head spin or a half a pint of pea soup. The hackles on the back of my neck didn't come down until late that night. If you want to attract sharks, by all means, chum the waters. Go for the cheap thrills ( I havent' seen a cat jump out of a closet in a few years) but please, try occasionally to give me the good old fashioned scare. I'll pay good money for that and I'll keep coming back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)