You can accuse me of being overly sensitive about this....oh wait, you can't! One of the things it's almost impossible to be too sensitive about is fucking HITLER, so when I saw the image on Hollywood Elsewhere yesterday, I just about crapped my Lederhosen. WTF is Jeffrey thinking? Just a guess, but the two groups of people likely to be really offended by being mocked up as der Führer are Jews and Germans.
Even if Werner is somehow not offended by the image, I still call Douchebag on this post and I'll be offended on his behalf.
UPDATE: I just received an email from Paul Cronin, the editor of Herzog on Herzog that reads, in part:
"Werner once told me that he would never live through another era of Nazism, because he would die fighting it."
So yeah, I think Werner would be offended by Jeff's post.
So dig it, y'all.... I've frequently referred to indieWIRE as a baby of whom I no longer have custody. Well, turns out someone bought my baby. SnagFilms. Dig it: SnagFilms Acquires indieWIRE
And as a part of that, here's my new blog, Docsider!
I CAN READZ DOC BLOGZ?
Apparently Andy Dick was arrested for suspicion of drug possession and sexual battery early Wednesday morning July 16, 2008, in Murrieta, Calif. He's accused of possession of marijuana and xanax and, get this: pulling down the tank top and bra of a 17 year-old girl.
That picture looks like he's peeing himself and you know what? He probably is.
He defines his last name, doesn't he?
(AP Photo/Riverside County Sheriff's Department)
Fucking. Brilliant.
How's that for a short review? I've got a lot more to say, but this entry will have to be rather short, because well, it's almost 3am and I have a lot to do tomorrow. But don't worry. I'll be back with much more before the film opens.
To wit, the film is a masterpiece. Nothing more and nothing less. To those of you who usually rely on the similarly-named yet qualitatively different publications The New Yorker and New York Magazine, please don't. Messers Edelstein and Denby simply don't get it, a state which I would be glad to explore in detail in my next Dark Knight-related post.
Just a few notes now, before I crash:
Heath Ledger is brilliant and this film will make it all the more evident that his death was a massive loss to film.
The film is dark and violent, as it should be. There was an infant in a stroller at the screening I attended. Well, if they sleep, that's fine, but if your 6-10 year-old asks to see it, you might want to see it first, just to make sure.
See it in an IMAX theater. Christopher Nolan is the first director to use IMAX cameras to shoot scenes for a traditional release. Trust me when I tell you, the IMAX presentation will knock your socks off and it's worth waiting a few days, as most, if not all IMAX screenings are sold out for opening day. (Psssst: a little secret....in IMAX theaters, the farther back you sit, the better!).
I realize I haven't justified any of my superlatives, but I will, I promise.
Ok....more later. Must. Sleep.
I am not one of these people that thinks that all deaths leave the world a poorer place. While I am against the death penalty, I am not above taking a little pleasure in the death of particularly vile people and today is no different. Sometimes I feel a little guilty about such pleasure taking, but not today. Today marks the death of someone who cause such misery in his life that his passing is cause for a massive exhale of relief.
Jesse Helmes was a dark-hearted bastard who was almost a caricature of the stereotypical pre-Civil Rights era Southerner. I say "almost" a caricature because he indeed was racist, homophobic, anti-art, Red-baiting, anti-choice...anti-everything all-purpose bigot. He led the fight against establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday, blocked ratification of the Test Ban Treat and Kyoto Protocol (not to mention Salt II) and campaigned against womens rights, gay rights and overaLl civil rights for decades in the US Senate.
In recent years Helms was approached by Bono to help the singer in his quest to reduce 3rd world debt and the suffering it causes and like many older staunch conservatives, he worked to repair his image, becoming more "compassionate" in his dotage. Late life reversals not withstanding, the man was a vile human being and like the Reverend Jerry Falwell, the world is a better place without him.
Warning:
NSFW!
BTW, if you don't know that this is from the brilliant, short-lived HBO series Deadwood, this will mean absolutely nothing to you. Sorry for the bandwidth.
Thanks to Eugene for the heads up....
HBO, George Carlin's cable TV home for decades will remember the man this week with two marathon runnings of many of his HBO specials on HBO2 as well as an airing of his most recent special, "George Carlin: It's Bad for Ya," which premiered on the network in March, on HBO channel on Friday, June 27 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT).
The HBO2 schedule for 11 Carlin HBO specials is (all times ET/PT):
Wednesday, June 25
8:00 p.m. George Carlin at USC (1977)
9:30 p.m. George Carlin Again! (1978)
11:00 p.m. Carlin at Carnegie (1983)
midnight Carlin on Campus (1984)
1:00 a.m. Playin' with Your Head (1986)
Thursday, June 26
8:00 p.m. What Am I Doing in New Jersey? (1988)
9:00 p.m. Doin' It Again (1990)
10:00 p.m. Jammin' in New York (1992)
11:00 p.m. Back in Town (1996)
12:05 a.m. You Are All Diseased (1999)
1:00 a.m. It's Bad for Ya (2008)
Like any artist, Carlin wasn't 100% successful 100% of the time, but he was smarter, funnier, more insightful and irreverent than anyone out there for almost 50 years.
And here....his rather brilliant take on organized religion:
Legendary comedian George Carlin has died at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, according to Reuters and other sources. The first ever host of Saturday Night Live, Carlin was set to receive the Mark Twain Prize from the Kennedy Center, a lifetime achievement award presented to an outstanding comedian.
Carlin has long been my favorite political and social satirist and his voice, forever honest, will be missed. Today the world is short one of its most strident and unflinching observers. With the country in a seemingly unending war (two of them, actually), a growing gas crisis and almost constant government corruption, we need his unflinching honesty, clearness of vision and common sense now, more than ever.
Rest In Peace, George Carlin.
Over the next few days I hope to post a few of my favorite Carlin clips. And remember:
Shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, tits!
I am hosting this month's edition of Speakeasy Cinema and y'all should come and join us! While I am forbidden from revealing the name of the film, from the hints below and if you know me, you might, just might, be able to guess.
So here's the info:
Monday, June 16, 2008
Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: 279 Church Street, New York City - 3 blocks below Canal St- across from the Tribeca Grand
SPEAKEASY CINEMA provides an opportunity for the film community to watch movies and talk about them a la the Algonquin Roundtable. No one will know which film it is until the lights dim.
Be forewarned: I have chosen a film that fulfills one of the very important roles that Speakeasy Cinema can play: This classic is also a drinking game, and we'll be bringing extra alcohol so anyone who gets one can take a shot anytime the rules of the game demand it.
After the screening we chat about the film, movies in general and there's more drinking. NB: At this intimate event industry talk is verboten, but your libations are welcome (read: BYOB or wine and we will have the corkscrew).
You should bring: beer, whisky, and red wine.
And if you leave standing, you never arrived.
These are some pretty serious hints, but don't wrack your brains too hard. It's a nice, fun and brilliant surprise!
Admission is $5
My Winnipeg (IFC Films, IFC Center and Lincoln Plaza Cinemas in New York City)
Dir. Guy Maddin, Written by Guy Maddin and George Toles
Much like offal or the music of Philip Glass, the films of Guy Maddin are an acquired taste. Unlike the first two items on my list, I adore the films of this native son of Winnipeg, Manitoba. I first encountered his works at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2003 when both Dracula: Pages From A Virgin's Diary and Cowards Bend the Knee were screened. The latter was originally screened as a series of peephole vignettes which, interestingly, one had to bend one's knees, to see. But I digress....
My Winnipeg is a docu-drama cum dreamscape begat nightmare of a vision about a place that is clearly as much a part of Maddin's being as is his skin, brain or limbic system. What I mean to say is, Maddin is Winnpeg and vice versa. That said, I have no idea if the Winnipeg in the film resembles the "real" Winnipeg at all. What is clear, however, is that it's Maddin's Winnipeg, and that's all that matters. The filmmaker's trademark style is in full effect and the tale he weaves about the history of Winnipeg (did dozens of horses really flee a fire in the 1920's only to freeze to death in the river, becoming props for the weekend skaters?) is as engrossing as is is at times ridiculous. That said, you really do leave the film wondering if it's just possible that the city has a law requiring citizens to allow former occupants of their homes to knock on their door and spend one night (while sleepwalking, natch).
Orange Jell-O, naked Russian ice hockey stars, a weekly TV drama about a jumper called "Ledge Man" and rooftop homeless communities all make appearances in Maddin's vision of his beloved hometown and while the film is full of trademark-Maddin humorous moments and Winnipeg clearly means a lot to him, it's sort of like the fantastic, quasi-nightmarish version of a city that a child might create, albeit one you might want to take to a therapist. That said, it's gorgeously photographed in typical Maddin style, great fun and a loving homage to a city most of us know nothing about. While I might not want to live there myself (far too cold for me, for starters) it's a fantastic place to visit for 80 minutes and Guy Maddin is a great host.
Photo: The Hollies Snowshoe club visit the frozen horse heads.
Photo credit: Jody Shapiro, © Everyday Pictures Inc.
Reuters is reporting that an estimated 1,150 prisoners, including 400 Taliban were set loose from a prison in Kandahar, today. The door was apparently blown open by a truck bomb, presumably as part of a massive Taliban-organized prison break.
Are you kidding me? Oh, goodie. If there was any doubt that we were fighting two wars, they're gone, now. 400 more Taliban on the loose in Afghanistan?
Something tells me the Stop-Loss fiasco is going to continue for years.
NBC News' Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert died of an apparent heart attack this afternoon after collapsing at work in Washington DC. This is for sure a great loss, as Russert was a straightforward and well-respected journalist and the longest-serving host of NBC's Meet the Press, itself the longest-running US television program in history, having been on the air since November 6th, 1947.
Russert was a consummate newsman (and attorney) and his voice will be greatly missed during this most critical of election years. NBC anchors Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams are telling some great stories about Russert on MSNBC right now.
One of the great ones came from Williams who mentioned that facade of the Newseum in Washington D.C. is inscribed with the First Amendment to the US Constitution. Whose idea was that? Tim Russert.
In this time of a flaccid White House press corps and dwindling ethics and excellence in news, Tim Russert will be sorely missed.
Links about the story at Mahalo.
This evening, the mas macho member of the US House of Representatives Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) introduced articles of impeachment against President Bush in a 35 count indictment on the House floor. It's not going to happen, but think about it: 435 members of the House and only ONE has the nads/brains/morals to do this?
And lest you think this is all about the war (like that's not enough) he's addressing Katrina (STILL not answered for, almost THREE years later) and global warming.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has repeatedly said that impeachment is off the table and no one thinks this is going to get much traction, but all the wire services and hundreds of other outlets, have picked it up. Maybe combined with Scott McLellan's testemony before the house judicialry committee on June 20th will have some effect, at least in the public consciousness.
It's on C-Span. Dig it.
Seriously? They went there? Fuckin' A, Bubba!
I love the little "uh oh" look he gives at the end. Heh heh heh!
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