In this hilarious Saturday Night Live skit, it's President Donald Trump with Bill O' Reilly on his Fox News show. Alec Baldwin plays both. And he's even better as O' Reilly than Trump. In real life Trump defended O'Reilly against sexual harassment charges. So, enjoy the irony of this skit. Emmy Award winning material here.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
SNL questions why poor white people vote for Trump
In this Saturday Night Live's cold open, the show asks the question, "Why did poor white people vote for Trump?" I mean he stands for nothing that helps them. In the skit, Alec Baldwin as Trump visits Boone County, Kentucky to listen to his poor white supporters. I wonder why Kentucky hated Obama so much. Hmm... Obama vs. Trump. Didn't hate Democrat Bill Clinton. What is the difference? Hmm.. .
Ghost in the Shell review
Ghost in the Shell is the live action film of the Japanese manga and the 1995 anime movie of the same name. Like its source material, the movie takes place in a futuristic Japan where humans and machines can merge to form cyborgs. Scarlett Johansson plays the Major, a cyborg cop with a human brain but a robotic body. She's part of a police force called Section 9. At he beginning of the movie, she interrupts an attack on a Hanka Robotics executive. Unfortunately, the executive is "hacked" and killed. Soon, other Hanka executives are killed and it's up to the Major to find out why.
Okay, let me first say that I am an Asian American and have a unique view of this movie. So, I need to address one of the major controversies surrounding this film. that is the whitewashing of the Major character. Having seen the anime, there's no question this is a Japanese movie with Japanese characters. The anime's Major is not only rank only. She has a Japanese name. Motoko Kusanagi. In the anime, she looks Japanese. She is Japanese.
Does that create a problem for this live action version? Yes. In baseball parlance, there's a strike against it before it even steps up to the plate. Placing Johansson who is white in a movie which takes place in Japan and playing a Japanese woman removes the Japanese character of the material. Yeah, there can be a reason for the Major to be a white person but the movie never explains it. I'm guessing it would be too racist to explain in that the theory would be white people are more attractive and are better models for robots. Or maybe it's a metaphor for Hollywood. Again, none of this is really part of this film. Setting this movie in Japan and putting a white person in place of Japanese one is a slap to people of color. Would you cast a white man as Kunte Kinte for a Roots remake? And yes, it cuts both ways. Casting an African American as Johnny Storm in the dull Fantastic Four (2015) was wrong also since in the comics he was white. The producers of this movie would have been better off if they just removed the whole thing from Japan and put it in New York.
Okay, what about this remake? First, let me make some cinematic heresy. The 1995 anime was mesmerizing but suffered from a lack of exposition. Who is Section 9? Who is Section 6? In the new film, Jamie Moss, William Wheeler and Ehren Kruger's screenplay stays away from that mess but changes the theme from "what is life?" to "what defines our humanity?" That's better handled with a Data-lkie character of Star Trek who has no human parts. They add a one dimensional villain in the CEO of Hanka whose motive is corporate greed. And let's hope this was not at the insistence of the movie's Chinese producing partners. The problem in this movie was it should have been longer. Yeah, longer. I wished it would have told me more about this cyberpunk future. Tell me more about the people. The charismatic Juliette Binoche plays a mother like figure in scientist Dr. Ouelet. Well, the movie needs more fleshing out of her character to justify her actions.
Director Rupert Sanders has made a movie with stunning visuals. It's a crowded Japan with huge futuristic holographic ads. They stand up well with the now classic neo-noir science fiction classic Blade Runner. I just wish there was more of this world on the screen. Action pieces are well made. Some of them suffer from a lack of originality since they were literally ripped from the 1995 anime.
Ghost in the Shell is like one of the movie's robots except without the human brain. It's empty and inert. Time may be kinder to this film but it will be an example of Hollywood whitewashing for its existence. The grade is B Minus.
Okay, let me first say that I am an Asian American and have a unique view of this movie. So, I need to address one of the major controversies surrounding this film. that is the whitewashing of the Major character. Having seen the anime, there's no question this is a Japanese movie with Japanese characters. The anime's Major is not only rank only. She has a Japanese name. Motoko Kusanagi. In the anime, she looks Japanese. She is Japanese.
Does that create a problem for this live action version? Yes. In baseball parlance, there's a strike against it before it even steps up to the plate. Placing Johansson who is white in a movie which takes place in Japan and playing a Japanese woman removes the Japanese character of the material. Yeah, there can be a reason for the Major to be a white person but the movie never explains it. I'm guessing it would be too racist to explain in that the theory would be white people are more attractive and are better models for robots. Or maybe it's a metaphor for Hollywood. Again, none of this is really part of this film. Setting this movie in Japan and putting a white person in place of Japanese one is a slap to people of color. Would you cast a white man as Kunte Kinte for a Roots remake? And yes, it cuts both ways. Casting an African American as Johnny Storm in the dull Fantastic Four (2015) was wrong also since in the comics he was white. The producers of this movie would have been better off if they just removed the whole thing from Japan and put it in New York.
Okay, what about this remake? First, let me make some cinematic heresy. The 1995 anime was mesmerizing but suffered from a lack of exposition. Who is Section 9? Who is Section 6? In the new film, Jamie Moss, William Wheeler and Ehren Kruger's screenplay stays away from that mess but changes the theme from "what is life?" to "what defines our humanity?" That's better handled with a Data-lkie character of Star Trek who has no human parts. They add a one dimensional villain in the CEO of Hanka whose motive is corporate greed. And let's hope this was not at the insistence of the movie's Chinese producing partners. The problem in this movie was it should have been longer. Yeah, longer. I wished it would have told me more about this cyberpunk future. Tell me more about the people. The charismatic Juliette Binoche plays a mother like figure in scientist Dr. Ouelet. Well, the movie needs more fleshing out of her character to justify her actions.
Director Rupert Sanders has made a movie with stunning visuals. It's a crowded Japan with huge futuristic holographic ads. They stand up well with the now classic neo-noir science fiction classic Blade Runner. I just wish there was more of this world on the screen. Action pieces are well made. Some of them suffer from a lack of originality since they were literally ripped from the 1995 anime.
Ghost in the Shell is like one of the movie's robots except without the human brain. It's empty and inert. Time may be kinder to this film but it will be an example of Hollywood whitewashing for its existence. The grade is B Minus.
SNL: Fail on Internet Activisim
In an effort to be fair and balanced, Saturday Night Live ridiculed liberals for using the internet to express opinions and try to change the world. It's a music video called "Thank You, Scott." In the video below, a citizen named Scott shares an article on Facebook to express outrage over an injustice with his eighty four friends.
The problem with SNL's point is that it fails to understand the concept of free speech on the internet. You see Scott shares his article with eight four friends. They may share it with their friends. Maybe those who see it, become hundreds. Then those hundreds become thousands. Maybe those thousands rise up and don't vote for say, conservative Republicans. Then the world changes. SNL, that's the power of free speech.
If SNL wants to satirize liberals, I suggest they actually find some wrongdoing by them. Examples include Anthony Weiner and John Edwards' scandals. Going after liberals for the sake of going after liberals makes some inaccurate and unfunny comedy.
The problem with SNL's point is that it fails to understand the concept of free speech on the internet. You see Scott shares his article with eight four friends. They may share it with their friends. Maybe those who see it, become hundreds. Then those hundreds become thousands. Maybe those thousands rise up and don't vote for say, conservative Republicans. Then the world changes. SNL, that's the power of free speech.
If SNL wants to satirize liberals, I suggest they actually find some wrongdoing by them. Examples include Anthony Weiner and John Edwards' scandals. Going after liberals for the sake of going after liberals makes some inaccurate and unfunny comedy.
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Last trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
From what I've read this is the last trailer for Guardian of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 before its May release. And unfortunately, the end of the trailer reveals that Star-Lord's father is Darth Vader. I kid. It's Kurt Russell as Ego. Oh, well there goes the surprise. Though I love Russell. Good stuff. Can't wait.
Equal Pay Day
Today is Equal Pay Day. It marks the day of the year where women must work into the year to earn what men make for the prior year. "Overall, women employed full time, year-round in the U.S. are paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to men." Huffington Post. Something to think about.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Hey Lying Donald Trump: When does the winning start?
Last Friday, Trumpcare, the conservative Republican healthcare plan went down to defeat in the House of Representatives or let me put it this way. Conservative Republicans pulled the bill rather than vote on it since they didn't have the votes. Wow, they control the House and didn't have the guts to even vote on it. Of course, it would help if conservative Republicans would believe that government can help to make healthcare affordable.
Remember when Lying Donald Trump told America as President that we would win so much and get sick of it? Let's go over the scorecard, now that Trump is president. He's just lost at repealing Obamacare. Lied to America that Trumpcare would cover all of America. In reality according to the CBO, Trumpcare would cover 52 million less people by 2026. You, President Trump, have lost with your Muslim ban. Courts have struck it down. Twice. These were two of the biggest policy goals in your campaign. Hey, Lying Donald Trump, when does the winning start?
Remember when Lying Donald Trump told America as President that we would win so much and get sick of it? Let's go over the scorecard, now that Trump is president. He's just lost at repealing Obamacare. Lied to America that Trumpcare would cover all of America. In reality according to the CBO, Trumpcare would cover 52 million less people by 2026. You, President Trump, have lost with your Muslim ban. Courts have struck it down. Twice. These were two of the biggest policy goals in your campaign. Hey, Lying Donald Trump, when does the winning start?
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