The moron aka President Donald Trump (conservative Republican) has demanded equal time because he's getting hammered by late night comics. Well, Donald you are an easy target because the Secretary of State says you are a "moron." Well last night, Stephen Colbert with the help of Jon Stewart have given you equal time. Enjoy this hilarious bit. And vote liberal Democrat if you want to live.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Trump attacks the First Amendment
Conservative Republican President Donald Trump has declared war on the First Amendment. Angered by the NBC news story that this moronic president wanted a tenfold increase in nuclear arms, Trump has threatened to have NBC's broadcast license revoked. He can't get the FCC to do that to the network but he can go after NBC local stations. (New York Times) This is an attack on free speech and a free press as guaranteed by the First Amendment. At the very least, it's what we call a chilling effect on the exercise of the free speech. IMPEACH TRUMP NOW. VOTE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.
The latest threat from Trump...
The latest threat from Trump...
Network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to public!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2017
Blade Runner 2049 review
Do Androids Make Good Movies? Well after last year's HBO mini-series Westworld and the recent release of the film Blade Runner 2049, I would say yes. Okay, androids didn't make these productions, at least I don't think so. But the use of androids as characters in drama has done some important things. It has allowed science fiction to explore what it means to be human.
Based on Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Blade Runner 2049 is the sequel to the 1982 film Blade Runner. It takes place about 28 years later. Rogue replicants which are sythetic humans or androids are hunted down.. That doesn't mean there aren't replicants. It's just that the new versions are obedient to humans and don't cause trouble. In fact, some replicants are sued to terminate the rogue replicants. They are called blade runners. K (Ryan Gosling) is one of them. He's also a replicant. When K terminates a replicant posing as a farmer, he finds a trunk of bones which has an extraordinary secret that could lead to war between replicants and humans. Oh I forgot, Deckard (Harrison Ford) from the first movie shows up in the last third of they movie. Hey, no spoiler, it's in the trailer.
Also, I didn't spoil the movie by telling you that K is a replicant. It's in the first few minutes of the film. Yeah, unlike Producer Ridley Scott who made the first one and has been running around saying that Deckard (Harrison Ford) was a replicant. That's not clear in the first movie and I'm pretty sure Deckard in the novel is human. (ComicBook.com) But I digress. Ryan Gosling again demonstrates he's a fine actor. Here, he's a replicant but he's one that borders on having human empathy. He has virtual girlfriend, Joi (Ana De Armas) whom he dotes on. that begs the question, "Can androids love?" Harrison Ford turns in an atypical Ford performance. He's not a rogue, or particularly macho. His Deckard actually has warmth. Jared Leto should be happy that he got the part as the blind Wallace, the morally challenged industrialist who is now producing replicants for a slave force. It makes up for that frightening Joker in Suicide Squad. Sylvia Hoeks is Wallace's replicant henchman or should I say henchwoman. She is strikingly similar to Rachel from the first movie and the novel. She's a terminator without empathy.
Blade Runner's writer Hampton Fancher returns to write the sequel's screenplay along with Michael Green. (Logan). These two are experienced at marrying film noir with science fiction. And like the first film, this is a film noir. And like that genre, this movie is more than action picture or science fiction opera, it's an essay on the human condition. Themes on human existence are present. What effect are human memories, a theme in some of Dick's novels.
Director Dennis Villeneuve (Arrival) picks up Ridley Scott's mantle and produces a magnificent looking film. As much as I wanted more city landscapes, one must remember that this is earth after a great war. That's why there is so many dusty scenes. Perhaps, that is a weakness, the lack of exposition and why in the first movie there was a first person voice over. Blade Runner 2049 requires you to pay attention. There's a scene where K interviews an expert in memory construction for replicants. I wanted to criticize it for tts length. But in the scope of the entire film, I now realize how important it was.
Another theme in both the novel and these two movies is the definition of life. Do humans have souls? Is that why there are scenes of eyes.? Are they windows to souls? In Blade Runner 2049, there are scenes of female nudity. It's sexual. But it's relative to the human condition. The act of sex is what creates humans. Women are the sex of the species that brings life into the world. And what about androids? If they become sentient, do androids reproduce? Or is that the human condition?
Traditional film noir mysteries don't give any solutions to the mysteries until the third act. You'll be able to deduct fifty percent of the mystery in this movie after the announcement of the first plot point, i.e. the bones in the trunk. But that's not the point of this movie. Blade Runner 2049 shows the world with light and shadow. It's not clear as to who is right and who is wrong. This film is literate, intelligent and thought provoking. It will stand along its predecessor and like it, get better as time goes by. The grade is A.
Based on Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Blade Runner 2049 is the sequel to the 1982 film Blade Runner. It takes place about 28 years later. Rogue replicants which are sythetic humans or androids are hunted down.. That doesn't mean there aren't replicants. It's just that the new versions are obedient to humans and don't cause trouble. In fact, some replicants are sued to terminate the rogue replicants. They are called blade runners. K (Ryan Gosling) is one of them. He's also a replicant. When K terminates a replicant posing as a farmer, he finds a trunk of bones which has an extraordinary secret that could lead to war between replicants and humans. Oh I forgot, Deckard (Harrison Ford) from the first movie shows up in the last third of they movie. Hey, no spoiler, it's in the trailer.
Also, I didn't spoil the movie by telling you that K is a replicant. It's in the first few minutes of the film. Yeah, unlike Producer Ridley Scott who made the first one and has been running around saying that Deckard (Harrison Ford) was a replicant. That's not clear in the first movie and I'm pretty sure Deckard in the novel is human. (ComicBook.com) But I digress. Ryan Gosling again demonstrates he's a fine actor. Here, he's a replicant but he's one that borders on having human empathy. He has virtual girlfriend, Joi (Ana De Armas) whom he dotes on. that begs the question, "Can androids love?" Harrison Ford turns in an atypical Ford performance. He's not a rogue, or particularly macho. His Deckard actually has warmth. Jared Leto should be happy that he got the part as the blind Wallace, the morally challenged industrialist who is now producing replicants for a slave force. It makes up for that frightening Joker in Suicide Squad. Sylvia Hoeks is Wallace's replicant henchman or should I say henchwoman. She is strikingly similar to Rachel from the first movie and the novel. She's a terminator without empathy.
Blade Runner's writer Hampton Fancher returns to write the sequel's screenplay along with Michael Green. (Logan). These two are experienced at marrying film noir with science fiction. And like the first film, this is a film noir. And like that genre, this movie is more than action picture or science fiction opera, it's an essay on the human condition. Themes on human existence are present. What effect are human memories, a theme in some of Dick's novels.
Director Dennis Villeneuve (Arrival) picks up Ridley Scott's mantle and produces a magnificent looking film. As much as I wanted more city landscapes, one must remember that this is earth after a great war. That's why there is so many dusty scenes. Perhaps, that is a weakness, the lack of exposition and why in the first movie there was a first person voice over. Blade Runner 2049 requires you to pay attention. There's a scene where K interviews an expert in memory construction for replicants. I wanted to criticize it for tts length. But in the scope of the entire film, I now realize how important it was.
Another theme in both the novel and these two movies is the definition of life. Do humans have souls? Is that why there are scenes of eyes.? Are they windows to souls? In Blade Runner 2049, there are scenes of female nudity. It's sexual. But it's relative to the human condition. The act of sex is what creates humans. Women are the sex of the species that brings life into the world. And what about androids? If they become sentient, do androids reproduce? Or is that the human condition?
Traditional film noir mysteries don't give any solutions to the mysteries until the third act. You'll be able to deduct fifty percent of the mystery in this movie after the announcement of the first plot point, i.e. the bones in the trunk. But that's not the point of this movie. Blade Runner 2049 shows the world with light and shadow. It's not clear as to who is right and who is wrong. This film is literate, intelligent and thought provoking. It will stand along its predecessor and like it, get better as time goes by. The grade is A.
Moron Trump wants tenfold more nukes
NBC News is reporting that conservative President Trump wanted a huge increase in nuclear weapons. By increase, he wanted a tenfold amount. Late, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called Trump a "moron." Check out the discussion by the Morning Joe crew below. Senator Bob Corker who is retiring is probably the only Republican sounding the alarm. And by the way he's the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. We have a moron for a President who knows nothing of history. It was an arms race that led to World War I. VOTE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Battle of the Sexes review
I never took the 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" " tennis match between top woman's player, Billie Jean King and has- been Bobby Riggs seriously. First, it was between a 29 year old King and a 55 year old Riggs. I was surprised that Riggs didn't have a heart attack. Second, all of the publicity before the match indicated that Riggs was part Muhammed Ali, and part circus clown. He said he was putting the "show" in chauvinist. Then you had the silly pre-match ceremonies. King was brought in on a litter carried by hunky slave men. Riggs was escorted by scantily clad women. But looking back, it was a turning point for women's tennis and the women's movement. The match does make for a fascinating story that's depicted in the film Battle of the Sexes.
The film takes place in the early seventies and starts out with Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) being informed that the prize money for the woman in an upcoming tournament would be one twelfth that of what the men's winner would get. Infuriated, King and nine women tennis players with the help of Gladys Heldmen (Sarah Silverman) form The Women's Tennis Association. The goal would be to increase the payout to women players and get some equality for the woman athlete.
Meanwhile, over-the-hill tennis player Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) is struggling with his gambling addiction and left to play on the senior circuit. The time period is also the dawn of the women's liberation movement. There were many men who felt threatened by women who wanted equality and were downright sexist when it came to women. Riggs seizes upon the moment and challenges King to a match. She initially declines and Riggs plays top player and homophobic tennis player Margaret Court. (Jessica McNamee) He defeats her and King finally accepts the challenge for the big match.
Emma Stone turns in an excellent performance as the conflicted King. She's fighting three battles. One is to lead women's tennis to equality. Then there is the match with Riggs. The other is her burgeoning lesbianism leading to an affair with her hairdresser. She suffers a guilt knowing that she could hurt her husband. It's also ironic that Court is portrayed in the film as the two in real life have had recent run-ins over homosexuality. (Sydney Morning Herald)
The supporting actors also rise to Stone's performance. I've watched Sarah Silverman's work as a comedian for years from Star Trek: Voyager to her stand up. Here's she plays a tough feminist promoter for woman's tennis. Got to love the scene where Silverman's Gladys and King barge in on a men's club. Simply put, Steve Carell is perfectly cast. He captures Riggs tongue in cheek personality. His Riggs was not really a male chauvinist. That was Riggs in real life. I'm not saying he was a feminist but clearly he was playing the clown. He was teasing the public while using his shtick to get one more day under the sun. Carell knows this and uses his comedic skills for his portrayal.
Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)'s screenplay does a good job at capturing the events surrounding the match which was called "The Battle of the Sexes." The slight problem here is that he has all these King plot threads. They're interesting but Riggs also has an interesting story too. I would have loved to see a little more of the clown. Still, the comedy works and the movie is touching. Also, kudos to directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) for staging some excellent tennis shots.
The King-Riggs match was a big event. Fifty million people in the United States watched it on TV. Thirty thousand saw it at the Astrodome making it the largest audience to watch a tennis match live. (Wikiepedia) As I said, it was a turning point of women's tennis. It brought attention to the woman's game and propelled it to popularity. As for women, the idea of equality for women was now firmly placed in the public domain. And it was a legendary reality TV show demonstrating how a reality TV event or reality TV star like Trump could affect society. . Battle of the Sexes captures the moment beautifully. The grade is A minus.
The film takes place in the early seventies and starts out with Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) being informed that the prize money for the woman in an upcoming tournament would be one twelfth that of what the men's winner would get. Infuriated, King and nine women tennis players with the help of Gladys Heldmen (Sarah Silverman) form The Women's Tennis Association. The goal would be to increase the payout to women players and get some equality for the woman athlete.
Meanwhile, over-the-hill tennis player Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) is struggling with his gambling addiction and left to play on the senior circuit. The time period is also the dawn of the women's liberation movement. There were many men who felt threatened by women who wanted equality and were downright sexist when it came to women. Riggs seizes upon the moment and challenges King to a match. She initially declines and Riggs plays top player and homophobic tennis player Margaret Court. (Jessica McNamee) He defeats her and King finally accepts the challenge for the big match.
Emma Stone turns in an excellent performance as the conflicted King. She's fighting three battles. One is to lead women's tennis to equality. Then there is the match with Riggs. The other is her burgeoning lesbianism leading to an affair with her hairdresser. She suffers a guilt knowing that she could hurt her husband. It's also ironic that Court is portrayed in the film as the two in real life have had recent run-ins over homosexuality. (Sydney Morning Herald)
The supporting actors also rise to Stone's performance. I've watched Sarah Silverman's work as a comedian for years from Star Trek: Voyager to her stand up. Here's she plays a tough feminist promoter for woman's tennis. Got to love the scene where Silverman's Gladys and King barge in on a men's club. Simply put, Steve Carell is perfectly cast. He captures Riggs tongue in cheek personality. His Riggs was not really a male chauvinist. That was Riggs in real life. I'm not saying he was a feminist but clearly he was playing the clown. He was teasing the public while using his shtick to get one more day under the sun. Carell knows this and uses his comedic skills for his portrayal.
Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)'s screenplay does a good job at capturing the events surrounding the match which was called "The Battle of the Sexes." The slight problem here is that he has all these King plot threads. They're interesting but Riggs also has an interesting story too. I would have loved to see a little more of the clown. Still, the comedy works and the movie is touching. Also, kudos to directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) for staging some excellent tennis shots.
The King-Riggs match was a big event. Fifty million people in the United States watched it on TV. Thirty thousand saw it at the Astrodome making it the largest audience to watch a tennis match live. (Wikiepedia) As I said, it was a turning point of women's tennis. It brought attention to the woman's game and propelled it to popularity. As for women, the idea of equality for women was now firmly placed in the public domain. And it was a legendary reality TV show demonstrating how a reality TV event or reality TV star like Trump could affect society. . Battle of the Sexes captures the moment beautifully. The grade is A minus.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Stephen Colbert on the Secretary of State calling Trump a "moron."
You knew when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called President Trump a "moron" that satirist Stephen Colbert would have fun with it. Well, he did. Enjoy his monologue from The Late Show.
American Made review
I'm guessing that the late Barry Seal would love American Made, a film based on his exploits as a pilot for the CIA. First, who wouldn't like being portrayed by the handsome Tom Cruise. Second, it's a fine movie that may not be historically accurate but is both complicated and fun. Oh yeah, Seal may have flaws but doesn't come off that bad. Seal was a real person whose personality could not be described as black and white.
American Made starts out by showing TWA pilot Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) bored of flying people around the country and smuggling Cuban cigars. The smuggling bit catches the attention of CIA agent Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson) who recruits Seal to fly for the agency. The adventure appeals to Seal who initially flies sorties through Latin American countries taking pictures of communist insurgents. Later missions would include delivering money to Panamanian dictator Manual Noriega for intelligence. Seal's skills catches the attention of drug dealer Pablo Escobar. (Mauicio Mejia) With a need to feed his wife and children, Seal agrees to run drugs to America for money. And I mean it was a boat load of money.
Tom Cruise as Barry Seal turns in one of his better performances of his career. This should make up for The Mummy. Cruise is able to turn his good looks and charm into an individual that believes he can escape the DEA, FBI and enjoy the fruits of his criminal acts without feelings of guilt. Seal's greed blinds him to the illegality of his actions. Sarah Wright as Lucy, Seal's wife. is a sexy country goddess. She may not like the drug smuggling but she enjoys the benefits. Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson does an excellent American accent. You would never have known he was a Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I. His CIA agent Schafer is just as greedy as Seal. Only it's a greed that needs success for the mission, no matter how dubious.
Director Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) and screenplay writer Gary Spinelli have made a period piece that mixes eighties' greed, conservatism, the war on drugs and the Cold War into forces of motivation. Yes, Nancy Reagan's "Just say no" to drugs looks naive. Thee was hubris in politics. Perhaps, it is the era's greed that overwhelms everything. Whether it's about money or politics, the desire to achieve these goals led people like Barry Seal, and Colonel Oliver North to ignore morality. The film also mixes funny satire, and sharp drama. It's a lively, entertaining concoction that is slightly let down by a lack of intensity in the third act. And let me say something about the Doug Liman's direction of the flying sequences. They're astounding. Planes are swooping down into the Columbian jungles. They're outlasting DEA jets. Exciting stuff. I hope as a tribute to the two pilots, Alan Purwin and Carlos Berl who were killed in making this film that Liman used some of their work regardless of the suits filed against the production companies. (Hollywood Reporter) It would be a nice memorial to their work in creating some gorgeous flying sequences.
American Made is a funny and smart film. The grade is A.
American Made starts out by showing TWA pilot Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) bored of flying people around the country and smuggling Cuban cigars. The smuggling bit catches the attention of CIA agent Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson) who recruits Seal to fly for the agency. The adventure appeals to Seal who initially flies sorties through Latin American countries taking pictures of communist insurgents. Later missions would include delivering money to Panamanian dictator Manual Noriega for intelligence. Seal's skills catches the attention of drug dealer Pablo Escobar. (Mauicio Mejia) With a need to feed his wife and children, Seal agrees to run drugs to America for money. And I mean it was a boat load of money.
Tom Cruise as Barry Seal turns in one of his better performances of his career. This should make up for The Mummy. Cruise is able to turn his good looks and charm into an individual that believes he can escape the DEA, FBI and enjoy the fruits of his criminal acts without feelings of guilt. Seal's greed blinds him to the illegality of his actions. Sarah Wright as Lucy, Seal's wife. is a sexy country goddess. She may not like the drug smuggling but she enjoys the benefits. Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson does an excellent American accent. You would never have known he was a Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I. His CIA agent Schafer is just as greedy as Seal. Only it's a greed that needs success for the mission, no matter how dubious.
Director Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) and screenplay writer Gary Spinelli have made a period piece that mixes eighties' greed, conservatism, the war on drugs and the Cold War into forces of motivation. Yes, Nancy Reagan's "Just say no" to drugs looks naive. Thee was hubris in politics. Perhaps, it is the era's greed that overwhelms everything. Whether it's about money or politics, the desire to achieve these goals led people like Barry Seal, and Colonel Oliver North to ignore morality. The film also mixes funny satire, and sharp drama. It's a lively, entertaining concoction that is slightly let down by a lack of intensity in the third act. And let me say something about the Doug Liman's direction of the flying sequences. They're astounding. Planes are swooping down into the Columbian jungles. They're outlasting DEA jets. Exciting stuff. I hope as a tribute to the two pilots, Alan Purwin and Carlos Berl who were killed in making this film that Liman used some of their work regardless of the suits filed against the production companies. (Hollywood Reporter) It would be a nice memorial to their work in creating some gorgeous flying sequences.
American Made is a funny and smart film. The grade is A.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
