For anyone who reads my review in the July 30 prairie dog of the war and violence-themed show Diabolique that's on at the Dunlop Gallery until Aug. 30, be advised that when I initially viewed the show and wrote my review I overlooked a wonderful work by Romanian artist Bogdan Achimescu that's installed above the reference desk and computer work stations on the main floor of Central library. It consists of hundreds of small-scale portrait drawings on paper strung across the ceiling. Given Romania's tragic modern history, it could be viewed as a memorial to the thousands of people in the country who have lost their lives due to political persecution and war. In more general terms, it could also be viewed as a memorial to victims of violence and oppression everywhere. Or the ability of the human spirit to triumph over political oppression and armed aggression. Regardless, make sure you check it out when you see Diabolique.
1 HE BOUGHT IT, THEY BROKE IT Responding to perhaps the greatest case study of irony the world has ever seen, a teenager is launching a class-action lawsuit against Amazon.com for erasing the copy of George Orwell's 1984 he bought for his Kindle. His attorney: "Amazon.com had no more right to hack into people's Kindles than its customers have the right to hack into Amazon's bank account to recover a mistaken overpayment." Go get 'em, kid. (CBC)
2 SASK WORKERS MAKING MORE MONEY Saskatchewanians earned close to four per cent more than at the same time last year. Saskatchewan average earnings for payroll workers (I guess this means people paid hourly?) are still below the national average, though. (StarPhoenix)
3 SASK ECONOMY LOOKING GOOD...OR NOT Predictions differ on the province's short-term economic prospects. (Leader-Post)
4 HONDURAS COUP: MILITARY STILL IN CHARGE, WEST STILL DOING VERY LITTLE Grunt. (Guardian)
In my duty as movie listing guy, I have to mention that Kathryn Bigelow's latest movie The Hurt Locker is playing at the Galaxy starting Friday July 31. I didn't think we were ever going to get this film, it's been playing in limited release since June and in a weekend where nothing but crap is opening - Judd Apatow's Funny People doesn't look very funny and the less said about Aliens in the Attic the better - this is a welcome breath of fresh air.
The story follows a group of US soldiers as they deactivate bombs in Iraq. The movie has a 98% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 121 reviews and it looks very intense. It's going to be leaps and bounds better than the upcoming G.I. Joe fluff that Hollywood seems to be pouring down movie goers throats.
Things to do when you're in your 40s and kind of lame: 1.) Buy an expensive sports car. 2.) Leave your spouse for someone wildly inappropriate. 3.) Dye your hair. Dye it awesome. I can't wait for the next time I have to go somewhere looking like a professional.
Pack AD make their triumphant return to Regina tonight. They're playing the Exchange. Go.
Seriously. Go. Trust the awesomeness of that video above. And this post from Whitworth. Need more convincing? Check out their website.
About that video, is it just me or does it feel like the Pack maybe watched a few too many Twisted Sister videos back in the day. In a good way, I mean.
By the way, for those not familiar with Kunitz he's an excellent late-round pick in fantasy hockey drafts who brings a nice mix of points, plus-minus and especially penalty minutes.
1 SURPRISINGLY, IRANIANS ARE STILL ANGRY Forty days after the horrifying on-camera death of bystander Neda Soltan, Iranians are mourning, protesting, clashing and dying. (Guardian)
2 GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT A Carleton University professor charged with murder and accused of terrorism has been fired. Not suspended with pay pending the results of courtroom drama. Fired. (The Toronto Star).
3 GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT (WAFER-THIN EDITION) A Newfoundland newspaper apologizes for its much-reposted story about Prime Minister Stephen Harper possibly not eating a communion wafer. Earlier, the paper fired its editor and publisher. (CBC) Here's Dog Blog's original post on wafergate, complete with a couple delightfully over-the-top closing sentences.
4 HORRIBLE ANNIVERSARY A year ago today, a Greyhound bus passenger was savagely killed by a profoundly crazy individual. R.I.P. (CBC)
5 CALIFORNIA REAMING Schwarzenegger and company aren't doing so well in opinion polls after the dysfunctional, nay broken, state's budget crisis. (L.A. Times)
6 HOW MANY ZEROS IS THAT, ANYWAYS? The U.S. congress prepares to vote on a $636 billion Pentagon spending bill. Sounds like they'll pass it, but without the $100 million needed to shut down Guantanamo. This bill will put the cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars over one trillion dollars. (Salon)
Remember, it's only socialism when it's health care. Spending a trillon dollars of public money on jets, bombs and soldiers is legitimate capitalism. Got that? Good. By the way, it's six zeros and nine digets (not counting change).
If I was to mention the words two-fisted, rough-riding and shoot-em up, along with "Reckless, Riotous Frontier Adventure!" The words My Darling Clementine don't exactly spring to mind.
There was time when I hated John Ford films. Being raised on Sergio Leone Westerns - I just couldn't get into Ford's movies. When I saw The Searchers for the first time - I hated it. Dull, slow moving and racist were my first impressions of the film. The next Ford film I saw, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, didn't change my opinion much.
Fast forward a few years and I ended up re-watching The Searchers. And my opinion has been completely reversed. Here was a movie that was beautifully shot, brilliantly staged and extremely entertaining. As for the racist part, it occurred to me that it was more that John Wayne's character was racist and not necessarily the film. Certainly Jeffrey (the original Captain Pike) Hunter's character wasn't racist. Next thing I know I'm watching a ton of John Ford films which brings me to My Darling Clementine. Despite the wussy title, this film is Ford's take on that oft told tale of the west, the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. And it is a two-fisted, rough-riding, shoot-em up "Reckless, Riotous Frontier Adventure!" and damn entertaining movie.
This was the fourth film to tell the tale of that legendary gunfight. The first three Frontier Marshall (1934 &1939) and Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die took extreme liberties with the story. Heck the first Frontier Marshall has it Michael Wyatt instead of Wyatt Earp. Ford had known Wyatt Earp and based the gunfight on what Earp had told him. The rest of the movie is typical Hollywood invention.
The story takes place the year after the actual gunfight took place. Wyatt (Henry Fonda) Earp and his three brothers are taking a herd of cattle to California. They stop near the town of Tombstone, Arizona by way of Monument Valley. When Wyatt and his brothers go into town, their brother James is murdered and their cattle rustled. They decide to stay in Tombstone and find their brother's killer. There Wyatt meets Doc Holliday (Victor Mature) and both men find themselves in love with the same woman. A woman named Clementine (thus the title of the film). They also team up to fight the greatest evil ever to grace the screen, Walter Brennan as Old Man Clanton. A man so evil, he is not only murderer and rustler, he also whips his own sons for not killing Wyatt. "When ya pull a gun, kill a man." It's hard to believe that this is the same actor that played that lovable crazy old coot Stumpy in Rio Bravo.
It might be historically inaccurate but the film is Ford at his entertaining best and although I've yet to revisit The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, I'm amazed at how much I keep enjoying his movies. But what is with the wussy title?
This is a photo of a press kit that arrived today. Yes, that is a 750 ml bottle of rum. Yes, I am going to drink it. (Our publisher might think HE'S going to drink it but the press kit was clearly addressed to ME.)
"The Original Sailor Jerry Spiced Navy Rum 92 Proof" is, according to the press materials, "a cult classic in the U.S. and the U.K."
It's "arrival has been long awaited in Canada."
"The drink brings with it the kind of devout following legends are made of," says the hyperbole-free press release. "fans worldwide raise a glass to Jerry on MySpace, Facebook, blogs, and in bars and backyards everywhere."
Well, if it's on MyFace AND Spacebook, I guess it must be good. You can read more Sailor Jerry propaganda here.
Twenty-one lousy days! And some sort of conditional suspended sentence at that? Are you friggin' serious?
If I went on this sort of a rampage, they'd be piping the sunshine in to me for many a long day, I feel quite certain of that. But apparently this asshat of a cop gets some sort of a special deal?
Let's recap, shall we?
He downs a couple dozen drinks. Commandeers a car, while lying about being a Vancouver cop. Threatens to "destroy" the driver -- who has since died, though the circumstances of that death are never explained in the article -- though based on this asshole's conduct I'm more than prepared to believe he killed the poor son of a bitch to keep him quiet.
Then he instructs the driver to take him to another nightclub, where he meets two other cops -- one of which is a "use of force" instructor at the local police academy, for the love of friggin' Mike.
Too drunk to control himself, he gets into a fight with a hapless friggin' newspaper seller that doesn't snap to quite quickly enough for this little nascent brownshirt -- so he and said instructor assault the newsie so savagely his doctor still won't clear him to drive months later? An assault, I should add, that a number of bystanders said was racially motivated?
And when the real on duty police show up, what do these three pricks do? Try to pin it on the victim, naturally.
Thus confirming what I've always known. That when it's called a police state, it's NEVER a good thing. Why didn't they just taser him already? Dead men don't talk, after all.
These pricks should remember that their ability to police ALWAYS depends on their perceived legitimacy.
The second the citizens they're purporting to defend start to believe they're just being preyed on... well, then it's a whole new violent bloody mess of a ball game.
After all, when they kick out your front door, how you gonna go? With your hands on your head or on the trigger of your gun?
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