Logging
Film: Knives Out
I don't smoke pot, but I imagine this movie would be terrific high.
Enjoyable, but unremarkable. I hope someone with more time and energy than myself will write the manic pixie dream latina criticism that no one will read.
NOTE: Richard Jewell trailer looked incredible and wouldn't it be appropriate for Clint Eastwood at age 80something to lay the Thor gauntlet hammer down on the poison our culture has become.
Friday, November 29, 2019
Friday, November 22, 2019
Logging
Film: Terminator Dark Fate
I ended up enjoying the movie overall, but have a theory of why it didn't do well.
#1: The three new actors aren't movie stars. Aren't even close. Not a single person would see this movie for any of them. Hollywood, I believe, has made a strategic error by not developing young movie stars and instead leaning too hard into IP.
It is easy to see as Linda Hamilton and Arnold - even with the shoddy dialog they're given - still command the screen so much more than any of the other newbies.
#2: Victim of the Franchise Success and the Suspension of Disbelief
The secret charm from the first movie is the world of the story resembles exactly our own in 1984, with the terrifying sci fi conceit. We easily suspend our disbelief. The brilliance of the 2nd movie is how it cleverly ironizes the ideas in the first. It takes the mythology from the 1st and spins it into another coherent "world," ramps up the action x100 and evolves the screen personas of the two stars (Linda Hamilton and Arnold).
In 2019, the same ideas can't play. In a real world 2019, we have been talking about Terminator-like concepts for 30+ years. The characters in Dark Fate feel like people we cannot relate to since in our own world, everyone knows about Skynet, etc. Does that make sense? I think this detail matters, because unlike the other two films, it asks us to suspend too much disbelief. Whereas the 2nd felt like we got the band back together for a bigger, more gaudy concert, Dark Fate ultimately feels like we're watching a cover band. We know it isn't real. Much as we would like to suspend disbelief, we actually can't. Not with something so familiar.
#3: For cinema fans, the movie must be graded down for shamelessly stealing plotting from both the 1st and 2nd. Again, this makes it feel like karaoke instead a new song by a good band.
Film: Terminator Dark Fate
I ended up enjoying the movie overall, but have a theory of why it didn't do well.
#1: The three new actors aren't movie stars. Aren't even close. Not a single person would see this movie for any of them. Hollywood, I believe, has made a strategic error by not developing young movie stars and instead leaning too hard into IP.
It is easy to see as Linda Hamilton and Arnold - even with the shoddy dialog they're given - still command the screen so much more than any of the other newbies.
#2: Victim of the Franchise Success and the Suspension of Disbelief
The secret charm from the first movie is the world of the story resembles exactly our own in 1984, with the terrifying sci fi conceit. We easily suspend our disbelief. The brilliance of the 2nd movie is how it cleverly ironizes the ideas in the first. It takes the mythology from the 1st and spins it into another coherent "world," ramps up the action x100 and evolves the screen personas of the two stars (Linda Hamilton and Arnold).
In 2019, the same ideas can't play. In a real world 2019, we have been talking about Terminator-like concepts for 30+ years. The characters in Dark Fate feel like people we cannot relate to since in our own world, everyone knows about Skynet, etc. Does that make sense? I think this detail matters, because unlike the other two films, it asks us to suspend too much disbelief. Whereas the 2nd felt like we got the band back together for a bigger, more gaudy concert, Dark Fate ultimately feels like we're watching a cover band. We know it isn't real. Much as we would like to suspend disbelief, we actually can't. Not with something so familiar.
#3: For cinema fans, the movie must be graded down for shamelessly stealing plotting from both the 1st and 2nd. Again, this makes it feel like karaoke instead a new song by a good band.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Black Kids Socialized Into A White World
I get the authors main point here, although I'm not a fan of reducing all these types of discussions to black and white. I think she's making a smart observation, however, that "socialization" can too easily veer into stigmatization and put kids into boxes they don't belong to make the lives of teachers and bureaucrats easier at the expense of developing kids. It's a challenging situation that requires vigilance on many levels - that of parents, schools, and communities.
I get the authors main point here, although I'm not a fan of reducing all these types of discussions to black and white. I think she's making a smart observation, however, that "socialization" can too easily veer into stigmatization and put kids into boxes they don't belong to make the lives of teachers and bureaucrats easier at the expense of developing kids. It's a challenging situation that requires vigilance on many levels - that of parents, schools, and communities.
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Monday, November 18, 2019
Kids
NYTimes piece on "End of Babies," asks a lot of the right questions and yet feels totally off.
The article focuses on Capitalism as the culprit (of course) and pays a few nods toward declining religion. But what about Culture? We opted for a dowhateveryouwantism Culture. Should we be surprised that a lot of people dowhatevertheywant instead of settling down?
All I know is that in the 1980s everyone mocked the cultural conservatives, but as far as I can tell, their warnings about what was happing inside our culture were more prescient than any other political, social, or technological group.
NYTimes piece on "End of Babies," asks a lot of the right questions and yet feels totally off.
The article focuses on Capitalism as the culprit (of course) and pays a few nods toward declining religion. But what about Culture? We opted for a dowhateveryouwantism Culture. Should we be surprised that a lot of people dowhatevertheywant instead of settling down?
All I know is that in the 1980s everyone mocked the cultural conservatives, but as far as I can tell, their warnings about what was happing inside our culture were more prescient than any other political, social, or technological group.
Kapernick
Feels like the folks (myself included) who spotted this Kapernick psychodrama from early on ought to be vindicated by the events of this weekend, but of course, no one who "supported" him will see it this way. People who see the Kapernick as a victim of systemic racism see the world as having a grand narrative of oppressor and oppressee and shoehorn reality into that narrative.
Feels like the folks (myself included) who spotted this Kapernick psychodrama from early on ought to be vindicated by the events of this weekend, but of course, no one who "supported" him will see it this way. People who see the Kapernick as a victim of systemic racism see the world as having a grand narrative of oppressor and oppressee and shoehorn reality into that narrative.
Monday, November 11, 2019
Impeachment
1) The aid to Ukraine was given and Biden's son wasn't investigated. Suggesting, in fact, the opposite of a quid pro quo.
2) Even had there been something resembling a quid pro quo. Is what Trump wanted "bad"? To investigate corruption? Let's put it another way, if he had done the same to Mitch McConnell's son would the Democrats care? The answer is no.
3) Even if what Trump did was "bad," by framing it around investigating a political rival - does it amount to an impeachable offense? IE does the punishment fit the crime? I imagine a resounding "no."
4) Does Biden's son being compromised stop anyone from voting for Biden? I don't think so.
1) The aid to Ukraine was given and Biden's son wasn't investigated. Suggesting, in fact, the opposite of a quid pro quo.
2) Even had there been something resembling a quid pro quo. Is what Trump wanted "bad"? To investigate corruption? Let's put it another way, if he had done the same to Mitch McConnell's son would the Democrats care? The answer is no.
3) Even if what Trump did was "bad," by framing it around investigating a political rival - does it amount to an impeachable offense? IE does the punishment fit the crime? I imagine a resounding "no."
4) Does Biden's son being compromised stop anyone from voting for Biden? I don't think so.
Standford Students Protest Ben Shapiro Putting Them At Risk
Their rhetoric suggests they are cowards, but dig a layer deeper and the truth is they're tyrants.
Their rhetoric suggests they are cowards, but dig a layer deeper and the truth is they're tyrants.
Logging
TV: Watchmen S1 E4
Impression: show getting too big in scope too fast and will implode under the weight of its own lofty themes. Like other Lindelof shows, from what I hear.
UPDATE: And Adrian Vite is going to fling himself into space and eventually land on Lady Trillionaire's clock, right?
Evidence of my first thesis.
TV: Watchmen S1 E4
Impression: show getting too big in scope too fast and will implode under the weight of its own lofty themes. Like other Lindelof shows, from what I hear.
UPDATE: And Adrian Vite is going to fling himself into space and eventually land on Lady Trillionaire's clock, right?
Evidence of my first thesis.
Saturday, November 09, 2019
Thursday, November 07, 2019
Tuesday, November 05, 2019
Clear Thoughts
After reading about her tax plan, hell would need to freeze over before I voted for Elizabeth Warren.
ABC reporters knew about Jeffery Epstein 3 years ago and the story got squashed. Come on! I don't want to believe in conspiracies, but this one is getting preposterous. The conservative twitter universe is right to point out the media rushed to give voice to Christine Blasey Ford and any woman who would make up total BS about Kavanaugh, and yet quashed this story because it wasn't juicy enough!
After reading about her tax plan, hell would need to freeze over before I voted for Elizabeth Warren.
ABC reporters knew about Jeffery Epstein 3 years ago and the story got squashed. Come on! I don't want to believe in conspiracies, but this one is getting preposterous. The conservative twitter universe is right to point out the media rushed to give voice to Christine Blasey Ford and any woman who would make up total BS about Kavanaugh, and yet quashed this story because it wasn't juicy enough!
Monday, November 04, 2019
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)