Where does the $87 Billion come from?
I didn't watch the President's "speech"...I don't believe anything he says. But when I read this story (Yahoo! News - Bush Seeks $87 Billion, Support for Iraq Effort), I have to wonder where the country will get the money from, now that we're already running a huge deficit. I guess it means we're going to charge it. And if that's the case, then what are the interest charges on $87 billion? And how long will it take us to pay it back?
Good grief, is Iraq even worth $87 billion? And that's just the dollar figure...the President also said we can count on more casualties before this thing is finally over. What price can we put on the lives of American sons and daughters?
Bush said this was an "essential victory in the war on terrorism"...show us the proof, Mr. President.
More later...
Paul
Monday, September 08, 2003
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Bring 'em Home.
Yahoo! News - U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq; Bush Vows No Retreat
This senseless war is making even less sense, if that's possible. We need to bring our sons and daughters home, because what they are dying for is not worth the price.
Yahoo! News - U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq; Bush Vows No Retreat
This senseless war is making even less sense, if that's possible. We need to bring our sons and daughters home, because what they are dying for is not worth the price.
Thursday, August 14, 2003
Yahoo! News - Massive Blackout Hits Northeast Cities
This is not a good sign, even if it turns out to be caused by a "natural occurence", as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg so flippantly put it. Four nuclear powerplants were shut down; mass transit was shut down; two major airports were affected; cellular communications were terminated.
Reminds me of the blackout in "Matrix: Reloaded"...a blackout this widespread means someone is up to something.
More later...
Paul
This is not a good sign, even if it turns out to be caused by a "natural occurence", as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg so flippantly put it. Four nuclear powerplants were shut down; mass transit was shut down; two major airports were affected; cellular communications were terminated.
Reminds me of the blackout in "Matrix: Reloaded"...a blackout this widespread means someone is up to something.
More later...
Paul
Wednesday, August 06, 2003
Gigli?
Okay, I admit: it's a horrible name for a movie. But I don't understand why there seems to be so much venom being written about this movie. It's not like Hollywood has never released a bad movie before. I just can't believe that people hate Ben and Jen so much. What's to hate? That they're too cute? Too successful?
That they can't really act? No one should be suddenly surprised by that.
Actually, I think they both do fine as actors. Not that I've seen "Gigli"...the title turns me off. The movie's poster says absolutely nothing about why I should spend $10 to see the film, and now I hear Sony Studios is canceling all TV ads for the film. Sheesh, after one poor showing in it's first week out, the studio is pulling the plug on the ad campaign. I smell a fish. I think the studio engineered the whole "flop" job. I guess Sony needed a write-off.
The weirdest, saddest thing about this whole deal is that now the buzz is out that pairing Ben and Jen in a movie is a BAD IDEA. How stupid is that?
More later...
Paul
Okay, I admit: it's a horrible name for a movie. But I don't understand why there seems to be so much venom being written about this movie. It's not like Hollywood has never released a bad movie before. I just can't believe that people hate Ben and Jen so much. What's to hate? That they're too cute? Too successful?
That they can't really act? No one should be suddenly surprised by that.
Actually, I think they both do fine as actors. Not that I've seen "Gigli"...the title turns me off. The movie's poster says absolutely nothing about why I should spend $10 to see the film, and now I hear Sony Studios is canceling all TV ads for the film. Sheesh, after one poor showing in it's first week out, the studio is pulling the plug on the ad campaign. I smell a fish. I think the studio engineered the whole "flop" job. I guess Sony needed a write-off.
The weirdest, saddest thing about this whole deal is that now the buzz is out that pairing Ben and Jen in a movie is a BAD IDEA. How stupid is that?
More later...
Paul
Friday, August 01, 2003
Thursday, July 31, 2003
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Inglewood Blues.
So the jury in Inglewood is undecided on whether it's legal for police to beat a man in handcuffs. Sure, that sentence may be oversimplifying the matter, but oversimplification has been the defense all along. People in favor of unchecked police brutality rarely want to consider the complexities involved in enforcing the law. The facts of this case (which I don't really know because I didn't attend the trial) probably point to multiple areas that caused confusion in the jury room. But instead of deliberating further and gaining more understanding, the jury decided that they couldn't make a decision. And by declaring themselves "hung", they forced the judge to declare a mistrial, letting the officers off the hook and lending credence to the long-held belief that it's okay to physically abuse suspects.
Would there have been a different verdict if the victim were a 19 year old white woman?
More later...
So the jury in Inglewood is undecided on whether it's legal for police to beat a man in handcuffs. Sure, that sentence may be oversimplifying the matter, but oversimplification has been the defense all along. People in favor of unchecked police brutality rarely want to consider the complexities involved in enforcing the law. The facts of this case (which I don't really know because I didn't attend the trial) probably point to multiple areas that caused confusion in the jury room. But instead of deliberating further and gaining more understanding, the jury decided that they couldn't make a decision. And by declaring themselves "hung", they forced the judge to declare a mistrial, letting the officers off the hook and lending credence to the long-held belief that it's okay to physically abuse suspects.
Would there have been a different verdict if the victim were a 19 year old white woman?
More later...
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
Is the Draft on the way back?
I don't know what got into me, but I watched the CBS Evening News with Dan "what's the frequency, Kenneth?" Rather last night. I'm not going to get into the many Ratherisms and the story flow, but one factoid stuck out in a bad way: CBS reported that America has military forces in 139 countries around the world.
I can't even name 139 countries.
The point of the story was that we may need to send more troops to handle the ugliness in Liberia, but are troops are already spread thin worldwide, and Senate Armed Services committee is already discussing the need for more people in uniform.
So here we go. The unemployment rate is at a new high, the economy is still in the doldrums, interest rates are plummeting, inflation is rising, the deficit is ballooning and now, any day now, the call will go out to impoverished young men and women across the land: "Uncle Sam wants YOU!"
More later...
Paul
I don't know what got into me, but I watched the CBS Evening News with Dan "what's the frequency, Kenneth?" Rather last night. I'm not going to get into the many Ratherisms and the story flow, but one factoid stuck out in a bad way: CBS reported that America has military forces in 139 countries around the world.
I can't even name 139 countries.
The point of the story was that we may need to send more troops to handle the ugliness in Liberia, but are troops are already spread thin worldwide, and Senate Armed Services committee is already discussing the need for more people in uniform.
So here we go. The unemployment rate is at a new high, the economy is still in the doldrums, interest rates are plummeting, inflation is rising, the deficit is ballooning and now, any day now, the call will go out to impoverished young men and women across the land: "Uncle Sam wants YOU!"
More later...
Paul
Friday, July 18, 2003
This is not what we wanted to hear.
Kobe, you let us down. You let your wife down, you let your daughter down, you let your family down, you let your team down, you let your fans down. I know what you obviously know now: there’s no way that your marital indiscretion with a 19-year-old girl, no matter how hot/nice/sweet/sexy she seemed to be at the time, is worth the price you must now pay.
It may very well be that you are now telling the truth about the alleged assault, but it doesn’t even matter now. You have taken your crystal-clean image and smashed it into a thousand pieces. And, as I feared, you have given racists more fuel for their foul fires. Take a look at this article, and then look at the message board attached. There are hundreds of crazy people just eating this up, using your actions as proof that there is something dangerous about black men. Yes, they would act the same even if you had not had sex with that woman, but brother, you’re not helping things.
I am disappointed in you Kobe. You blew it.
More later...
Paul
Kobe, you let us down. You let your wife down, you let your daughter down, you let your family down, you let your team down, you let your fans down. I know what you obviously know now: there’s no way that your marital indiscretion with a 19-year-old girl, no matter how hot/nice/sweet/sexy she seemed to be at the time, is worth the price you must now pay.
It may very well be that you are now telling the truth about the alleged assault, but it doesn’t even matter now. You have taken your crystal-clean image and smashed it into a thousand pieces. And, as I feared, you have given racists more fuel for their foul fires. Take a look at this article, and then look at the message board attached. There are hundreds of crazy people just eating this up, using your actions as proof that there is something dangerous about black men. Yes, they would act the same even if you had not had sex with that woman, but brother, you’re not helping things.
I am disappointed in you Kobe. You blew it.
More later...
Paul
Thursday, July 10, 2003
Kobe.
Kobe, Kobe, Kobe. Please tell us you didn’t grab that little girl’s butt while you were relaxing in Colorado. Please tell us that you didn’t let a little harmless flirtation turn into a sexual assault charge. Please tell us that you had nothing to do with the 19 year old woman, and that this whole thing has been a set-up from the start. Kobe?
This has nothing to do with your formidable basketball skills, you know that right? This has nothing to do with your three championship rings, your scoring records or even your now-on-hold multi-million dollar Nike contract. This is all about the fate of black men across the nation. You were an inspirational figure: clean cut, polite, well-behaved. You had no children out of wedlock. You married early and quietly. You seem to be a genuinely good guy. If it all turns out to be a sham, a manufactured image, then just watch: the reputations of good black men in every state will be called into question. Bigots will have a field day.
“I told you all along they can’t be trusted, ESPECIALLY the nice ones.”
The problem is this, Kobe. You made a mistake. Hopefully, you didn’t make a big mistake and actually do what you’ve been charged with. But unfortunately, you made the seemingly small mistake of being in a position to be compromised. Now it’s international front page news. Did you or didn’t you?
The spin has already started on the woman’s side. An article in today’s Los Angeles Times has begun the process of painting the woman as “a friendly, wholesome young woman” who lives at home with her loving parents. Her friends have described her as “funloving, outgoing and emotional”.
Kobe, Kobe, Kobe. I don’t think you did it, but it doesn’t really matter what I think.
More later…
Paul
Kobe, Kobe, Kobe. Please tell us you didn’t grab that little girl’s butt while you were relaxing in Colorado. Please tell us that you didn’t let a little harmless flirtation turn into a sexual assault charge. Please tell us that you had nothing to do with the 19 year old woman, and that this whole thing has been a set-up from the start. Kobe?
This has nothing to do with your formidable basketball skills, you know that right? This has nothing to do with your three championship rings, your scoring records or even your now-on-hold multi-million dollar Nike contract. This is all about the fate of black men across the nation. You were an inspirational figure: clean cut, polite, well-behaved. You had no children out of wedlock. You married early and quietly. You seem to be a genuinely good guy. If it all turns out to be a sham, a manufactured image, then just watch: the reputations of good black men in every state will be called into question. Bigots will have a field day.
“I told you all along they can’t be trusted, ESPECIALLY the nice ones.”
The problem is this, Kobe. You made a mistake. Hopefully, you didn’t make a big mistake and actually do what you’ve been charged with. But unfortunately, you made the seemingly small mistake of being in a position to be compromised. Now it’s international front page news. Did you or didn’t you?
The spin has already started on the woman’s side. An article in today’s Los Angeles Times has begun the process of painting the woman as “a friendly, wholesome young woman” who lives at home with her loving parents. Her friends have described her as “funloving, outgoing and emotional”.
Kobe, Kobe, Kobe. I don’t think you did it, but it doesn’t really matter what I think.
More later…
Paul
Tuesday, July 01, 2003
The Matrix Reloaded: for true fans only.
I have been perplexed that it has taken me so long to gather my thoughts enough to write a review of this film, but finally, after another viewing and after seeing “The Animatrix”, I am ready to commit words to weblog. So here’s my take: “Reloaded” is a great installment in the Matrix trilogy, but you have to be a true fan of the series to really enjoy it.
If you like action, and if you like long, drawn-out chop-socky fight scenes, then you will definitely get a kick out of this movie. But if you didn’t “get” the first film, if the true subject matter of the story…the battle for the survival of the human race….doesn’t interest you, then the movie will probably seem like so much techno-babble.
As for me, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the fight scenes. Yes, they are masterful pieces of fight choreography, but I kept wondering why Neo (who had figured out the whole Matrix/Agents thing at the end of the first movie) insisted on hand-to-hand combat instead of doing that special, superhacker stuff. Leave the fighting for the “other” humans, Neo was supposed to be “The One”. In “Reloaded”, the main way Neo manifests his “specialness” is by flying around like Superman. And it looked as corny as it sounds. My biggest beef is the scene in which Neo battles a league of Smiths. Once the scene gets too crowded, and the Smiths (heh heh, where was Morrisey?) started getting the upperhand, Neo simply flew off. Why he didn’t do that in the first place really bugs me. What bugs me even more was the Smiths’ reaction: they simply meandered off…to where? Where were they going? Home for dinner?
Mrs. Smith: Hi honey, how was your day?
Agent Smith #245: I’m bushed! We tried to kick Neo’s ass again, but he flew away. Got any more apple pie, babe?
Don’t get me wrong, there were some pretty decent special effects going on (the car chase is incredible), but for me the most captivating parts of the film involved dialogue. The gist of this installment is pretty straightforward: the machines are launching a full-scale assault on Zion (the last outpost of humanity, hidden far underground), using a massive army of “sentinels” (the octopus-like robots that nearly killed Neo, Morpheus et al in the first movie). According to Morpheus (good ol’ Laurence Fishburne again), the “prophecy” states that the battle will be over soon…all they have to do is get some advice from the Oracle. Unfortunately, no one knows where she is. And when they finally do find the Oracle, the only help she provides is to send Neo on an adventure to find another clue in the puzzle, which leads to yet another clue, which leads to….well, if I told you, you’d kill me.
Here’s the deal, though. Even if you are a die-hard fan of the Matrix, you MUST see the “Animatrix”, a DVD collection of 9 animated stories, all written by the Wachowski Brothers and produced by some of the greatest creative minds working in Anime today. These short masterpieces provide the backstory for the entire Matrix series, filling in many of the holes and setting the scene for what occurs in “Reloaded” and the third and final installment of the trilogy, “Revolution” (due in theaters this fall). Trust me on this one: these are not lighthearted cartoons. They are complex, sophisticated, violent, gory works of art and they were definitely intended for mature audiences only. While all 9 stories provide much needed information and fresh perspectives of the Matrix backstory, of particular interest are two pieces titled “The Second Renaissance, Parts 1 and 2”. These shorts tell exactly what happened to generate such animosity between the machines and man. It’s nothing like the Terminator series, in which AI (artificial intelligence) agents just up and decide they don’t need humans around anymore. No, instead we get a story of how man had built machines to serve him, and ended up enslaving and abusing the machines until they wouldn’t take it anymore. Some of the scenes in these clips are downright horrifying.
The Matrix has become more than just a movie, so it’s easy to overlook some of it’s cinematic shortcomings…but they’re there. Most of the actors do very well in their roles. Jada Pinkett-Smith’s appearance was much anticipated, and her character (as Morpheus’ former lover) adds a new wrinkle, but not much more. Hopefully she’ll get a better turn in part III. Monica Bellucci added quite a bit of sensual glamour in her role as Persephone, and while some might see it as a mysterious throwaway, upon further inspection it appears that she brings in a whopper of a clue as to what’s really going on. Plus, she got to strut her considerable stuff in a form-fitting latex dress…yum!
Some fans have complained about the “rave” scene, and after watching it a second time, I can honestly say that…I still don’t get it. Even after Morpheus delivered his speech about not being afraid to the people of Zion, I don’t really know why they decided to have a big throwdown in the face of near-certain death. At first, I figured that it was a tribal thing, like they were doing a massive war dance. But when the camera moved in for closeups, it was obvious that the dancers had just one thing in mind: getting their freak on! It was nice to see that the youth of Zion were all hardbodies and could dance fairly well, though. Must be the low-fat diets they subsist on. If someone else has figured out the meaning behind this particular scene, please help a brother out…!
So how did I really feel about “The Matrix: Reloaded”? I’m looking forward to seeing it a third time. I might really figure out who the heck Trinity really is…!
More later…
Paul
I have been perplexed that it has taken me so long to gather my thoughts enough to write a review of this film, but finally, after another viewing and after seeing “The Animatrix”, I am ready to commit words to weblog. So here’s my take: “Reloaded” is a great installment in the Matrix trilogy, but you have to be a true fan of the series to really enjoy it.
If you like action, and if you like long, drawn-out chop-socky fight scenes, then you will definitely get a kick out of this movie. But if you didn’t “get” the first film, if the true subject matter of the story…the battle for the survival of the human race….doesn’t interest you, then the movie will probably seem like so much techno-babble.
As for me, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the fight scenes. Yes, they are masterful pieces of fight choreography, but I kept wondering why Neo (who had figured out the whole Matrix/Agents thing at the end of the first movie) insisted on hand-to-hand combat instead of doing that special, superhacker stuff. Leave the fighting for the “other” humans, Neo was supposed to be “The One”. In “Reloaded”, the main way Neo manifests his “specialness” is by flying around like Superman. And it looked as corny as it sounds. My biggest beef is the scene in which Neo battles a league of Smiths. Once the scene gets too crowded, and the Smiths (heh heh, where was Morrisey?) started getting the upperhand, Neo simply flew off. Why he didn’t do that in the first place really bugs me. What bugs me even more was the Smiths’ reaction: they simply meandered off…to where? Where were they going? Home for dinner?
Mrs. Smith: Hi honey, how was your day?
Agent Smith #245: I’m bushed! We tried to kick Neo’s ass again, but he flew away. Got any more apple pie, babe?
Don’t get me wrong, there were some pretty decent special effects going on (the car chase is incredible), but for me the most captivating parts of the film involved dialogue. The gist of this installment is pretty straightforward: the machines are launching a full-scale assault on Zion (the last outpost of humanity, hidden far underground), using a massive army of “sentinels” (the octopus-like robots that nearly killed Neo, Morpheus et al in the first movie). According to Morpheus (good ol’ Laurence Fishburne again), the “prophecy” states that the battle will be over soon…all they have to do is get some advice from the Oracle. Unfortunately, no one knows where she is. And when they finally do find the Oracle, the only help she provides is to send Neo on an adventure to find another clue in the puzzle, which leads to yet another clue, which leads to….well, if I told you, you’d kill me.
Here’s the deal, though. Even if you are a die-hard fan of the Matrix, you MUST see the “Animatrix”, a DVD collection of 9 animated stories, all written by the Wachowski Brothers and produced by some of the greatest creative minds working in Anime today. These short masterpieces provide the backstory for the entire Matrix series, filling in many of the holes and setting the scene for what occurs in “Reloaded” and the third and final installment of the trilogy, “Revolution” (due in theaters this fall). Trust me on this one: these are not lighthearted cartoons. They are complex, sophisticated, violent, gory works of art and they were definitely intended for mature audiences only. While all 9 stories provide much needed information and fresh perspectives of the Matrix backstory, of particular interest are two pieces titled “The Second Renaissance, Parts 1 and 2”. These shorts tell exactly what happened to generate such animosity between the machines and man. It’s nothing like the Terminator series, in which AI (artificial intelligence) agents just up and decide they don’t need humans around anymore. No, instead we get a story of how man had built machines to serve him, and ended up enslaving and abusing the machines until they wouldn’t take it anymore. Some of the scenes in these clips are downright horrifying.
The Matrix has become more than just a movie, so it’s easy to overlook some of it’s cinematic shortcomings…but they’re there. Most of the actors do very well in their roles. Jada Pinkett-Smith’s appearance was much anticipated, and her character (as Morpheus’ former lover) adds a new wrinkle, but not much more. Hopefully she’ll get a better turn in part III. Monica Bellucci added quite a bit of sensual glamour in her role as Persephone, and while some might see it as a mysterious throwaway, upon further inspection it appears that she brings in a whopper of a clue as to what’s really going on. Plus, she got to strut her considerable stuff in a form-fitting latex dress…yum!
Some fans have complained about the “rave” scene, and after watching it a second time, I can honestly say that…I still don’t get it. Even after Morpheus delivered his speech about not being afraid to the people of Zion, I don’t really know why they decided to have a big throwdown in the face of near-certain death. At first, I figured that it was a tribal thing, like they were doing a massive war dance. But when the camera moved in for closeups, it was obvious that the dancers had just one thing in mind: getting their freak on! It was nice to see that the youth of Zion were all hardbodies and could dance fairly well, though. Must be the low-fat diets they subsist on. If someone else has figured out the meaning behind this particular scene, please help a brother out…!
So how did I really feel about “The Matrix: Reloaded”? I’m looking forward to seeing it a third time. I might really figure out who the heck Trinity really is…!
More later…
Paul
Monday, June 23, 2003
I bet you didn’t even see it.
This past Father’s Day, 2003, something remarkable happened in the little town of Budds Creek, Maryland. The sun came out (remarkable in itself, as the entire region had been literally flooded with rain for weeks), and James Stewart, Jr. raced his first National Motocross race for 2003.
Why is that remarkable? Well, it wasn’t the fact that he was racing, or the fact that it was only his first race of the season after sitting out the first four rounds with a broken collarbone. What was absolutely remarkable was the manner in which he devastated his competition to finish the day with a perfect 1-1 score. I wasn’t there, but I read enough of the “remarks” on the internet and in Cycle News to know that what James did that day was nothing short of amazing. Or remarkable.
According to the reports, the 17-year-old phenomenon blasted away from the pack and rode off to a dominant 45-second lead in the first moto, absolutely demoralizing everyone else in the 125 class. Then, after falling in the first turn and tangling with another rider, James finally got going in next to last (37th place!) and charged through the pack to convincingly win the second moto. Some of the most experience journalists in motocross have been quoted as saying they have never seen anyone ride a 125 that fast.
How fast was James on Father’s Day? According to the stop watches, James set the fastest lap of the day, even faster than superstar Ricky Carmichael, who was the dominant force in the 250 class! Somehow, young Mr. Stewart was able to will his 38-horspower Kawasaki around the Budds Creek circuit faster than Carmichael’s 50-horsepower Honda. Yep, that is indeed remarkable.
Go James!
This past Father’s Day, 2003, something remarkable happened in the little town of Budds Creek, Maryland. The sun came out (remarkable in itself, as the entire region had been literally flooded with rain for weeks), and James Stewart, Jr. raced his first National Motocross race for 2003.
Why is that remarkable? Well, it wasn’t the fact that he was racing, or the fact that it was only his first race of the season after sitting out the first four rounds with a broken collarbone. What was absolutely remarkable was the manner in which he devastated his competition to finish the day with a perfect 1-1 score. I wasn’t there, but I read enough of the “remarks” on the internet and in Cycle News to know that what James did that day was nothing short of amazing. Or remarkable.
According to the reports, the 17-year-old phenomenon blasted away from the pack and rode off to a dominant 45-second lead in the first moto, absolutely demoralizing everyone else in the 125 class. Then, after falling in the first turn and tangling with another rider, James finally got going in next to last (37th place!) and charged through the pack to convincingly win the second moto. Some of the most experience journalists in motocross have been quoted as saying they have never seen anyone ride a 125 that fast.
How fast was James on Father’s Day? According to the stop watches, James set the fastest lap of the day, even faster than superstar Ricky Carmichael, who was the dominant force in the 250 class! Somehow, young Mr. Stewart was able to will his 38-horspower Kawasaki around the Budds Creek circuit faster than Carmichael’s 50-horsepower Honda. Yep, that is indeed remarkable.
Go James!
The Streetsweeper.
It was definitely serendipity that caused me to come in contact with this wonderfully heartwarming film. I was looking for a movie to see the other night, and titles like “2Fast 2Stupid” and “The Italian Car Ad” just didn’t appeal to me. And who really cares about “Alex and Emma”? Anyway, I found myself in Old Town Pasadena, walking past the United Artists theater and pondering whether I wanted to spend money on something called "The Eye”, when I nearly stumbled into a sign they left on the sidewalk, advertising a movie called “The Streetsweeper”.
So I stopped stumbling and started to read the photocopied reviews that were taped to the sign. Just as I was getting to the heart of the story, this white-haired guy pops out of the movie theater and says to me “If you want to see a great movie, and you don’t care about explosions and car chases and all of that, ‘Streetsweeper’ is the one. It has a great heart” or words to that effect. I looked at him, and he looked like someone who could pass for a madman in a Coen Brothers movie. So that cinched it for me. I took a chance and walked in for the show.
As I said, it is a wonderfully heartwarming film.
“The Streetsweeper” is the story of Enzo (compellingly portrayed by Paul Michael), a kind old Italian American gent living in San Diego, who puts his only son through Harvard by working as a streetsweeper driver. What Enzo’s son (played with conviction by Michael Cavalieri) doesn’t know is that his dad has made some extreme sacrifices in order to pay his college tuition. The story is about their reunion right after graduation day, when the son finally learns the real price of his education. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, it is, but it’s even more than that. The film takes a surprising dark turn, and then gets even darker still. And just when all hope is lost, it pulls off a transcendent ending. Kudos to writer/director James Hill for taking a risk instead of staying with the standard formula.
“The Streetsweeper” is definitely a low-budget independent film, but it looks good for the most part, give or take one or two out-of-focus shots and a few wooden lines by non-professional actors. That they shot with the complete cooperation of the City of San Diego is apparent; at times it feels like an advertisement for the San Diego Board of Tourism. But that’s okay because all of the scenes fit the story and San Diego is indeed a beautiful and diverse location. In any case, the impact of the story overcomes the minor visual ticks.
I definitely recommend “The Streetsweeper”, but because it’s on a very limited release schedule, you might have to go out of your way to see it. It’s well worth the effort, though.
More later…
Paul
It was definitely serendipity that caused me to come in contact with this wonderfully heartwarming film. I was looking for a movie to see the other night, and titles like “2Fast 2Stupid” and “The Italian Car Ad” just didn’t appeal to me. And who really cares about “Alex and Emma”? Anyway, I found myself in Old Town Pasadena, walking past the United Artists theater and pondering whether I wanted to spend money on something called "The Eye”, when I nearly stumbled into a sign they left on the sidewalk, advertising a movie called “The Streetsweeper”.
So I stopped stumbling and started to read the photocopied reviews that were taped to the sign. Just as I was getting to the heart of the story, this white-haired guy pops out of the movie theater and says to me “If you want to see a great movie, and you don’t care about explosions and car chases and all of that, ‘Streetsweeper’ is the one. It has a great heart” or words to that effect. I looked at him, and he looked like someone who could pass for a madman in a Coen Brothers movie. So that cinched it for me. I took a chance and walked in for the show.
As I said, it is a wonderfully heartwarming film.
“The Streetsweeper” is the story of Enzo (compellingly portrayed by Paul Michael), a kind old Italian American gent living in San Diego, who puts his only son through Harvard by working as a streetsweeper driver. What Enzo’s son (played with conviction by Michael Cavalieri) doesn’t know is that his dad has made some extreme sacrifices in order to pay his college tuition. The story is about their reunion right after graduation day, when the son finally learns the real price of his education. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, it is, but it’s even more than that. The film takes a surprising dark turn, and then gets even darker still. And just when all hope is lost, it pulls off a transcendent ending. Kudos to writer/director James Hill for taking a risk instead of staying with the standard formula.
“The Streetsweeper” is definitely a low-budget independent film, but it looks good for the most part, give or take one or two out-of-focus shots and a few wooden lines by non-professional actors. That they shot with the complete cooperation of the City of San Diego is apparent; at times it feels like an advertisement for the San Diego Board of Tourism. But that’s okay because all of the scenes fit the story and San Diego is indeed a beautiful and diverse location. In any case, the impact of the story overcomes the minor visual ticks.
I definitely recommend “The Streetsweeper”, but because it’s on a very limited release schedule, you might have to go out of your way to see it. It’s well worth the effort, though.
More later…
Paul
Monday, June 02, 2003
Where have I been?
Man, I've been busy! I've seen "X-Men 2", "The Matrix Reloaded" and "Cremaster 3" since my diatribe on Apple's Music Store...but I haven't worked my way into actually writing reviews. So to all of my loyal readers...or, I should say, to my loyal reader...I apologize for the lack of content. Reviews will be coming soon!.
More later...(really!)
Paul
Man, I've been busy! I've seen "X-Men 2", "The Matrix Reloaded" and "Cremaster 3" since my diatribe on Apple's Music Store...but I haven't worked my way into actually writing reviews. So to all of my loyal readers...or, I should say, to my loyal reader...I apologize for the lack of content. Reviews will be coming soon!.
More later...(really!)
Paul
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
What is Apple Thinking?
The Apple corporate slogan was, at one point, “Think Differently”. It may still be the current slogan. But if that’s the case, why didn’t they practice what they preach when they undertook their current iTunes Music Store business? As many of you know, Apple has reached an agreement with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to market music over the internet. Macintosh and iPod owners can download music from a list of something like 200,000 songs for the price of 99 cents per song.
Apple’s stock has actually risen over this news. And to be fair, the news reports that they have sold over 2 million songs since launching the service a few weeks ago. Apple also hopes that the Music Store will drive sales of their iPod devices.
In my mind, this is mostly bullshit. First off, 99 cents…let’s just call it a dollar…is still too much to pay for a song, particularly one that only exists in a digital format. When you go to the record store and buy a CD or vinyl 12 inch, you are still purchasing something that’s physically tangible. Downloading songs in a digital format is an intangible purchase. All that physically happens is some electrons get rearranged in the memory media of your iPod. The cost model is entirely different from a physical music purchase, so the cost of the product should reflect that. A buck a song is as much of a rip-off as buying a CD for $15 from your local Virgin Megastore.
I am not suggesting that music be given away for free and that musical artists starve. I am fervently hoping that the continuation of free music downloads via internet file-sharing (some call this theft…I do not) forces the recorded music industry to rethink their business model, which is mostly based on abusing the consumer by overcharging for their products. The new Apple Music Store is merely business as usual. To top it all off, the iPod is overpriced as well, but that’s always the case with Apple stuff.
But what’s even more disturbing to me is that it signals, once again, that Apple’s leadership is looking to move away from what they do best (creating cool hardware and the operating systems that run them) to fool around with selling software, only this time the software is pre-recorded music.
I’m not always pessimistic, but I don’t see this one working out they way they hope it will. Time will tell, but I stand firm in my assertion that a buck a song for digital downloads is too much for too little.
More later…
Paul
The Apple corporate slogan was, at one point, “Think Differently”. It may still be the current slogan. But if that’s the case, why didn’t they practice what they preach when they undertook their current iTunes Music Store business? As many of you know, Apple has reached an agreement with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to market music over the internet. Macintosh and iPod owners can download music from a list of something like 200,000 songs for the price of 99 cents per song.
Apple’s stock has actually risen over this news. And to be fair, the news reports that they have sold over 2 million songs since launching the service a few weeks ago. Apple also hopes that the Music Store will drive sales of their iPod devices.
In my mind, this is mostly bullshit. First off, 99 cents…let’s just call it a dollar…is still too much to pay for a song, particularly one that only exists in a digital format. When you go to the record store and buy a CD or vinyl 12 inch, you are still purchasing something that’s physically tangible. Downloading songs in a digital format is an intangible purchase. All that physically happens is some electrons get rearranged in the memory media of your iPod. The cost model is entirely different from a physical music purchase, so the cost of the product should reflect that. A buck a song is as much of a rip-off as buying a CD for $15 from your local Virgin Megastore.
I am not suggesting that music be given away for free and that musical artists starve. I am fervently hoping that the continuation of free music downloads via internet file-sharing (some call this theft…I do not) forces the recorded music industry to rethink their business model, which is mostly based on abusing the consumer by overcharging for their products. The new Apple Music Store is merely business as usual. To top it all off, the iPod is overpriced as well, but that’s always the case with Apple stuff.
But what’s even more disturbing to me is that it signals, once again, that Apple’s leadership is looking to move away from what they do best (creating cool hardware and the operating systems that run them) to fool around with selling software, only this time the software is pre-recorded music.
I’m not always pessimistic, but I don’t see this one working out they way they hope it will. Time will tell, but I stand firm in my assertion that a buck a song for digital downloads is too much for too little.
More later…
Paul
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
26 in a row?
Last Sunday, on Mother's Day, a young Florida native by the name of Richard "Ricky" Carmichael did the unthinkable...again. In 2002, Carmichael won the American Motorcyclists Association's National Outdoor Motocross championship by winning every single moto of every single race on the 12-race schedule. 24 motos in a row. No one could beat him. And on this Mother's Day, at the opening round of the 2003 championship season, Ricky once again demolished his competitors to add two more moto wins to his record-setting streak.
Can this young man be stopped?
Perhaps. Another young man from the South, Kevin Windham, looked to be the fastest rider of the day when he took off with the lead on the opening lap of the first moto and was steadily pulling away from Carmichael. Unfortunately, Windham fell and then had trouble re-starting his Honda CR450F, and ended up finishing well back in the pack. In the second moto, though, Windham was the only person able to keep Ricky (sort of) in sight. Kevin didn't beat Ricky, but he served notice that he has the speed and determination to put up a challenge.
The test will be at the next round, as the series moves to Central California, to see if Windham will be able to keep up his challenge, and if Carmichael will be able to extend his streak.
More later...
Paul
Last Sunday, on Mother's Day, a young Florida native by the name of Richard "Ricky" Carmichael did the unthinkable...again. In 2002, Carmichael won the American Motorcyclists Association's National Outdoor Motocross championship by winning every single moto of every single race on the 12-race schedule. 24 motos in a row. No one could beat him. And on this Mother's Day, at the opening round of the 2003 championship season, Ricky once again demolished his competitors to add two more moto wins to his record-setting streak.
Can this young man be stopped?
Perhaps. Another young man from the South, Kevin Windham, looked to be the fastest rider of the day when he took off with the lead on the opening lap of the first moto and was steadily pulling away from Carmichael. Unfortunately, Windham fell and then had trouble re-starting his Honda CR450F, and ended up finishing well back in the pack. In the second moto, though, Windham was the only person able to keep Ricky (sort of) in sight. Kevin didn't beat Ricky, but he served notice that he has the speed and determination to put up a challenge.
The test will be at the next round, as the series moves to Central California, to see if Windham will be able to keep up his challenge, and if Carmichael will be able to extend his streak.
More later...
Paul
Friday, May 09, 2003
How can you mend a broken heart?
I can think of younger days when living for my life
Was everything a man could want to do
I could never see tomorrow, but I was never told about the sorrow
And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
How can you mend this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again
I can still feel the breeze that rustles through the trees
And misty memories of days gone by
We could never see tomorrow, no one said a word about the sorrow
And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
How can you mend this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again
- Lyrics by the great Al Green.
More later...
Paul
I can think of younger days when living for my life
Was everything a man could want to do
I could never see tomorrow, but I was never told about the sorrow
And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
How can you mend this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again
I can still feel the breeze that rustles through the trees
And misty memories of days gone by
We could never see tomorrow, no one said a word about the sorrow
And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
How can you mend this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again
- Lyrics by the great Al Green.
More later...
Paul
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