February 16, 2005
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WEDNESDAY MOVIE
Hero
It was one of those weeks when there weren’t any new serial killer/assassin movies in English when I picked this up because I knew it was supposed to be good. Heck, it was #12 on the Rotten Tomatoes list of best 100 films for 2004. I’d been putting it off, after all you’ve seen one Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you’ve seen them all. So really all I knew about it was it would have subtitles and there would be those flying-in-the-air martial arts battles that have become so In. It turned out those things were true, but there was more. The main characters ARE assassins (oh joy) named Broken Sword, Flying Snow, Sky, and Nameless. And then there is Broken Sword’s servant, Moon. And finally the King of Qin, (who became the first Emperor of China) whom at one point or another they are all trying to kill. The famous Jet Li plays Nameless, who is at the center of the tale and for whom it is named Hero. The King of Qin was bent on conquering all China back in the Warring States period in China’s history, and because of years of death and suffering caused by his obsession, he was hunted by legendary assassins. The story of Nameless is an intricate unfolding plot to come within killing distance of the king, whch includes doing away with Broken Sword, Flying Snow, and Sky. In the end, like a story within a story within a story you discover what it truly means to be a hero. The filming, the music, the martial arts, the romance, the heroism – it doesn’t get much better. Enjoy.
Deep Thought: “If I could be any kind of dog, I think I’d be one of those little yappy dogs, because while you’re sitting there on the couch trying to sound real smart, I’m just yapping away. Just yappin’ and yappin’, and there’s nothing you can do about it, because I live here.”
Today I am grateful for: My mother
Guess the Movie: “Who are you? Huh? Some third class mooch? Who are you? Who are you to say anything to me? Who are you to tell me anything? Actually I really, really don’t want to be on this boat with you. I can’t move without you moving. Gives me the creeps. You give me the creeps!” Answer: The Talented Mr. Ripley, 1999.
Ward Churchill Has Rights, and He’s Right
by Robert Jensen
Ward Churchill has a right to speak about 9/11.
And Ward Churchill is right about 9/11.
I state that bluntly, even though I disagree with some aspects of the University of Colorado professor’s now-infamous essay, because so many (including some on the left) have defended his First Amendment rights while either remaining silent about, or condemning, the article’s analysis.
So, for the record: The main thesis Churchill put forward in “’Some People Push Back’: On the Justice of Roosting Chickens” is an accurate account of the depravity of U.S. foreign policy and its relationship to terrorism. Later I’ll return to my disagreements, but at a moment when right-wing forces have targeted not only Churchill but academic freedom and the left in general, it is more important than ever to stand firm on that point.
Malcolm X was correct, and it was appropriate for Churchill to quote him: Chickens do, indeed, come home to roost. And whether U.S. citizens want to acknowledge it or not, there likely will be chickens heading our way for years to come. (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: 8:44 pm
+ = My son got some good financial news.
- = Freaked out about water leak – figuring the damn plumbers will try to heist thousands of bucks out of me before it’s all over.
Comments (16)
Sounds like a movie I’d enjoy. Growing up I never missed a Bruce Lee movie at the drive-in theater in New Orleans. Sad, huh? LOL.
Thought provoking post! I’m all over the place with this one. From the traits of a hero to Ward Churchill’s a reluctant hero to Malcolm X, the protagonist of a nation. Lionne you are speaking volumes here.
I watched it this weekend – twice in one day – that’s how much I liked it. Incredible movie.
No matter how badly Ward Churchill said what he said (and wow, it was pretty offensive), his point is at least partially correct. Of course he misses the fact that many in the Trade Center and on those planes are not, in any actual way, part of the “geo-political structure” in question (waiters at Windows? the guy selling coffee in the skylobby? the flight attendants?), but while the victims were, effectively random, the targets were not. This was not a “bomb in a shopping mall” even though, of course, it was actually a bomb in a shopping mall. It was an attack on the two principle symbols of American might: the military and the economic, both of which are correctly seen as abusive imperialist forces by the rest of the planet.
Chickens do indeed come home to roost.
Now only people as deliberately clueless as George W. Bush and Condi Rice could have been surprised by a World Trade Center attack, because, obviously, it had already been targeted. But to hide their deliberate incompetence, and to avoid any actions which might interfere with the cash-making schemes of their supporters, they shifted the rhetoric to “the surprise, unprovoked attack.”
All that said, if we stop people from Ward Churchill from speaking, we don’t have to worry about anyone “hating us for our freedom” because we won’t have any freedom to be hated for. And they’ll just have to hate us for the things we do to the world.
Because history is a vicious circle: for those who haven’t seen it, either rent it or if you get the Sundance Channel: Sunday 02.27.2005 01:15AM EST
THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS
directed by Gillo Pontecorvo
YEAR
1965
Urban guerillas take on a powerful occupying army. Policemen are assassinated. Terrorists bomb civilians. Detainees are interrogated and tortured. Filmmaker Gillo Pontecorvo’s documentary-style account of the Algerian nationalist uprising against the French army during the 1950s is now recognized as the classic depiction of insurrectionist street warfare. (So much so, it was screened at the Pentagon during the fall of 2003 and viewed in the context of Iraq.) Critic Pauline Kael praised its “firebrand’s fervor” and “inflammatory passion.” TV14 (AC, V) Letterbox/Subtitles
Thanks! I’ll see if I can order that. And the Churchill thing really bears some study – much to be learned there.
Tim Mcveigh must have been pushing back against domestic policy.
We watched it recently too, and I had the same opinion before I saw it, and thought the story well-crafted when I finished.
I was transfixed by an amazing press conference/ Q. and A. session with Churchill I randomly stumbled onto on C-Span the other night. There is no doubt he is an electric, dynamic speaker/thinker.
Yes, Christo and Jean-Claude. The biggest thing was the politics. No way Ed Koch or Rudy Giuliani were going to approve of public art, and for years there was this thought that the less use of Central Park the better. Bloomberg has always been a big “art type” but even then, the Parks Department wouldn’t let them anchor anything, drill into anything, dig up anything. So they had to design the bases as they are now, and switch from steel gates to vinyl. Whatever. It does just what they hoped. It allows you to see something totally familiar in a totally new way.
I’ve learned a lot from thenarrator’s comments on this post. My puny little comment has to do with Hero. That was a treat for the eyes, all those vibrant colors reminded me of Kurasawa’s Dreams. I should rent the DVD….I’ve gotten addicted to subtitles. Sometimes, words are not clear on the screen but subtitles take care of that.
Hi Miss Lionne! I’ve been so busy shredding papers, I feel like Rosemary Woods/Enron lackey.
that is one of my favorite movies because of the twists and turns…
Water leaks are scary things.
Bought the movie before I knew what it contained….I have watched it four times and each time pick up something I missed the times before….I think it’s great when we have role models and leaders….but perhaps people need to start looking at what their doing as role models in their everyday life….ask not….I feel if we all start cleaning up our own back yards we will see that someone else needs a hand in theirs when we’re maintaining ours….just my thought for the day….as always a very interesting post that I read with enthusiasm…..’til the next
Oh The Talented Mr. Ripley was one creepy film, I loved it!
Ok you have me interested Hero goes on the rental que list! I’m not much of a martial arts fan but it sounds like it has much more!
I have to ask: what did you think of the ending?