It's probably a good thing there is no board to which I have to submit blog titles.
Today is, as I'm sure you are all aware, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Grateful children everywhere stay home from school while throughout the South there are grumblings of displeasure (They get out of school for this, but not for Presidents' Day!?). I'll admit that I don't understand what anyone anywhere could possibly have against MLK Jr. His book, Why We Can't Wait should be required reading for every U.S. Citizen and his speeches still induce cold chills more than forty years after his death. In fact, do yourself a favor and download the "I have a Dream" speech and listen to it in it's entirety; tell me it isn't moving.
King is probably the most important American never to be President, and his impact is tremendous, although most of us probably take for granted that the positive changes we have seen in race relations since the mid-sixties would have happened anyway. This is foolish. I'm glad that as a country we have a black Presidential candidate who has not just a chance at getting some votes, but a real shot at winning. I'm glad because it proves that there is some rational clarity present on the racial landscape of this country, removed from the misplaced fervor of the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world. This probably would not be possible without King. Obviously, racism and complications therein are not absent from America. They may never be entirely. But most of us see those complications in the negative light in which they deserve to wallow. That's really all I wanted to say. Respect MLK for what he was: A Godly man in a broken country attempting through peaceful communication and loving monologue to heal the wounds opened by the hateful attitudes present for so long in America.
This has nothing really to do with MLK day, but Tony Dungy is coming back to coach the Indianapolis Colts next season, which makes me happy. He seems like an upstanding guy and he's good for the NFL and pro sports in general. It made me happy to see him stand up at his press conference today and say that he would not have come back if he felt he didn't have the energy to devote himself fully to both his family and his team. Then he said, "I view my role as coach of this football team not just as a job, but as a ministry." How awesome is that? The players and staff of the Indianapolis Colts are lucky to be around a guy who interprets everything around him through the lens of his faith. It's great to see this in a public figure who has accomplished everything his profession has to offer, but is still humble enough to approach these decisions with his family and faith in mind before all else. Three cheers for Dungy.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Throw the bums out...
I have made a habit over the past six or seven years to see every film nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. I don't always agree with the winners or even the nominations, but at least I guarantee myself an understanding of the films present in the broader popular consciousness. For example, my favorite films of the last two years (The Constant Gardener and Pan's Labyrinth) were not nominated for Best Picture by the Academy. Their loss.
Anyway, today I saw There Will Be Blood Paul Thomas Anderson's latest work and in doing so, pretty much guaranteed that I would have seen each Best Picture nominee before the Oscars on February 25th. It was a staggering work that demands Academy attention in some way, although I would give No Country for Old Men the Oscar if the awards were today. This post, however, is not to review these movies or handicap the Oscar race. Instead, I would like to mourn the loss of one of my favorite pastimes: going to the movies.
One of my favorite things to do is watch movies. I own well over 200 DVDs and so far this year I have seen six movies in theaters and watched nearly twenty overall. I love movies. No longer, however, do I enjoy going to a theater to watch a movie. More times than I care to count in the last few years have movie going experiences been ruined by the multitude of vapid fools that pepper cineplexes across the country. Cinderella Man, Babel, Atonement, Sideways. A laundry list of impeccable films. Also a list of movies which I was barely able to enjoy in theaters because of obnoxious talking during the showing. Just last night, while watching Atonement, I sat with a finger plugged in my right ear to block out the running commentary being provided to the rest of the moviegoers by a woman at the end of my row. This continued throughout the entire film. The woman went so far as to read the dates that appeared on screen, in the event that in addition to being blind, everyone present was also illiterate.
In addition to all the other exams we must take in this country to live everyday life, can there not also be a basic decency test administered to every person who desires to attend showings of movies in public theaters? Surely it is as necessary as the driver's test we all take at sixteen.
A Memo to everyone who goes to the movies: THIS IS NOT YOUR LIVING ROOM, DAMN IT! SHUT UP! WE DO NOT, IN ANY CAPACITY, ENJOY YOUR COMMENTARIES AND "CLEVER WITTICISMS." IF YOU FIND YOURSELF TEMPTED TO SPEAK ALOUD AT ANY POINT DURING THE NEXT MOVIE YOU ATTEND, PROMPTLY PROCEED TO THE PARKING LOT AND DART IN FRONT OF THE FIRST MOVING VEHICLE YOU SEE. THANK YOU.
I have reached a point where the likelihood of being surrounded by competent, understanding people in a movie theater is so low that I actually dislike going to see movies. What a shame this is. Arrgh!
Finally, a few points about movies I've seen recently.
* The best movie I saw last year or this is No Country for Old Men. If you didn't get, or didn't like the ending, you're dumb.
* My best picture candidates would be No Country for Old Men, Atonement, There Will Be Blood, The Darjeeling Limited, and Once. Honorable mention to Juno, Eastern Promises, Gone Baby Gone, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Death Proof.
*Sweeney Todd was good, but would have been much better had it not been a musical.
* It's been a long time (think De Niro in Raging Bull) since someone has given an acting performance as powerful as Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood.
* Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of my favorite actors, has been in three movies this year, to sparkling reviews. I have seen none of them. I am less of a person for this.
*2007-2008 is proof that cinema is safe with the current generation of powerful film-makers. Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, David Cronenberg, Tarantino, Tim Burton, and the Coen Brothers are to thank.
Thanks for reading.
Anyway, today I saw There Will Be Blood Paul Thomas Anderson's latest work and in doing so, pretty much guaranteed that I would have seen each Best Picture nominee before the Oscars on February 25th. It was a staggering work that demands Academy attention in some way, although I would give No Country for Old Men the Oscar if the awards were today. This post, however, is not to review these movies or handicap the Oscar race. Instead, I would like to mourn the loss of one of my favorite pastimes: going to the movies.
One of my favorite things to do is watch movies. I own well over 200 DVDs and so far this year I have seen six movies in theaters and watched nearly twenty overall. I love movies. No longer, however, do I enjoy going to a theater to watch a movie. More times than I care to count in the last few years have movie going experiences been ruined by the multitude of vapid fools that pepper cineplexes across the country. Cinderella Man, Babel, Atonement, Sideways. A laundry list of impeccable films. Also a list of movies which I was barely able to enjoy in theaters because of obnoxious talking during the showing. Just last night, while watching Atonement, I sat with a finger plugged in my right ear to block out the running commentary being provided to the rest of the moviegoers by a woman at the end of my row. This continued throughout the entire film. The woman went so far as to read the dates that appeared on screen, in the event that in addition to being blind, everyone present was also illiterate.
In addition to all the other exams we must take in this country to live everyday life, can there not also be a basic decency test administered to every person who desires to attend showings of movies in public theaters? Surely it is as necessary as the driver's test we all take at sixteen.
A Memo to everyone who goes to the movies: THIS IS NOT YOUR LIVING ROOM, DAMN IT! SHUT UP! WE DO NOT, IN ANY CAPACITY, ENJOY YOUR COMMENTARIES AND "CLEVER WITTICISMS." IF YOU FIND YOURSELF TEMPTED TO SPEAK ALOUD AT ANY POINT DURING THE NEXT MOVIE YOU ATTEND, PROMPTLY PROCEED TO THE PARKING LOT AND DART IN FRONT OF THE FIRST MOVING VEHICLE YOU SEE. THANK YOU.
I have reached a point where the likelihood of being surrounded by competent, understanding people in a movie theater is so low that I actually dislike going to see movies. What a shame this is. Arrgh!
Finally, a few points about movies I've seen recently.
* The best movie I saw last year or this is No Country for Old Men. If you didn't get, or didn't like the ending, you're dumb.
* My best picture candidates would be No Country for Old Men, Atonement, There Will Be Blood, The Darjeeling Limited, and Once. Honorable mention to Juno, Eastern Promises, Gone Baby Gone, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Death Proof.
*Sweeney Todd was good, but would have been much better had it not been a musical.
* It's been a long time (think De Niro in Raging Bull) since someone has given an acting performance as powerful as Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood.
* Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of my favorite actors, has been in three movies this year, to sparkling reviews. I have seen none of them. I am less of a person for this.
*2007-2008 is proof that cinema is safe with the current generation of powerful film-makers. Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, David Cronenberg, Tarantino, Tim Burton, and the Coen Brothers are to thank.
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Get Well Soon...
As Presidential Primary season heats up (though not in Kentucky, where our primary is the equivalent of the last guy picked in the NFL draft: Mr. Irrelevant), my attention has been drawn to the six semi-legitimate candidates, three from each party, who have a shot at becoming our next president. I cannot and will not pretend to have a comprehensive knowledge of each candidate's campaigns or their stances on the wide variety of hot-button issues being discussed across the airwaves and (presumably) in living rooms across America. However, I can and will speak here about the issue which concerns me most as a citizen of this country: Health Coverage.
More than 50 million Americans are currently without health insurance, roughly one sixth of our current population. I do not know what percentage within that 50 million are under the age of 18, but I would wager that it is unpleasantly high. If we cannot agree upon a health care plan which offers universal coverage (which is my preference), surely we can agree that every person under the age of legal adulthood deserves reliable, immediate medical care without consideration for their ability to pay. While it is true that hospitals cannot refuse to treat a patient in need, regardless of insurance status, they may, at their discretion, withhold certain treatments or procedures that, while proven effective, are too expensive or else are not covered by a patient's current insurance plan. The wealthy are, in many instances, able to provide themselves with better health care than others. This may seem normal in a capitalist society which extols personal ambition and gain as a high virtue. I will concede that working hard and investing intelligently are commendable; even that they give the wealthy the "right" to a more luxurious mid-size sedan, or a country club membership that most of us could not afford. Health coverage, however, is not a rolex, an Armani suit, or a Hawaiian vacation. It is a basic right. The first right, actually, described in the Declaration of Independence. Life. Not merely to live, but to live healthily, live well. Health care is for everybody.
I do not know which if any current presidential hopefuls can make a real difference on this front, though I know many plan to. Keep the uninsured in mind as you consider your vote for president in 2008. Along with the Iraq War and immigration, the decisions made by our next commander-in-chief on this issue will play a vital role in America's tangible future (as opposed to the mythical future which candidates seem to address in which everybody is smart, well-fed, wealthy and happy), for better or for worse. Do some research on the subject and the candidates and figure out early where you stand, so that as election day approaches, you don't end up voting for the guy with the prettiest sign.
Thanks for reading.
More than 50 million Americans are currently without health insurance, roughly one sixth of our current population. I do not know what percentage within that 50 million are under the age of 18, but I would wager that it is unpleasantly high. If we cannot agree upon a health care plan which offers universal coverage (which is my preference), surely we can agree that every person under the age of legal adulthood deserves reliable, immediate medical care without consideration for their ability to pay. While it is true that hospitals cannot refuse to treat a patient in need, regardless of insurance status, they may, at their discretion, withhold certain treatments or procedures that, while proven effective, are too expensive or else are not covered by a patient's current insurance plan. The wealthy are, in many instances, able to provide themselves with better health care than others. This may seem normal in a capitalist society which extols personal ambition and gain as a high virtue. I will concede that working hard and investing intelligently are commendable; even that they give the wealthy the "right" to a more luxurious mid-size sedan, or a country club membership that most of us could not afford. Health coverage, however, is not a rolex, an Armani suit, or a Hawaiian vacation. It is a basic right. The first right, actually, described in the Declaration of Independence. Life. Not merely to live, but to live healthily, live well. Health care is for everybody.
I do not know which if any current presidential hopefuls can make a real difference on this front, though I know many plan to. Keep the uninsured in mind as you consider your vote for president in 2008. Along with the Iraq War and immigration, the decisions made by our next commander-in-chief on this issue will play a vital role in America's tangible future (as opposed to the mythical future which candidates seem to address in which everybody is smart, well-fed, wealthy and happy), for better or for worse. Do some research on the subject and the candidates and figure out early where you stand, so that as election day approaches, you don't end up voting for the guy with the prettiest sign.
Thanks for reading.
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