Fellini meets Apocalypse Now, meets X-men

God Bless Patton Oswalt.
David Hayter, Roger Ebert, I especially like Margaret Pomeranz (an Australian TV reviewer who hadn't read the book"

The problem is our lack of reference and our dulling numbness to anything but intense stimulus. This movie will do better outside the US. Surprise, we are idiots and arrogant snobs, mixed like a stripe soft serve cone.

I think this movie has taught me why Sci-Fi deserves to live in mediocrity.

TV shows like Battlestar Gallactica and movies like Watchmen are made because someone who cares and is a fan has gained a little power, when they fail, that voice is extinguished and replaced by another idiot Hollywood douche. I can find fault with this film in comparison with the masterpiece the book is, but not in comparison with other films.

Then again, I'm not obsessed or bothered by minor moments of blue nudity or soundtrack choices, two things that went beyond me, but are mentioned in almost every negative review.

In its imperfection it is Fellini meets Apocalypse Now, meets X-men. An entirely new movie, like we have never seen and I can't wait to view the director's cut.

We will never see Hollywood even try this again because its not mainstream enough for popcorn movie fans and "Arthouse Film" lovers are too snobby to watch a "supehero movie."

It is a hybrid and an original vision, no matter how much it owes to the book, it is flawed but brilliant and all the people who vehemently hate it will forget their arrogance as it follows "Blade Runner" and other "under appreciated in their own time" milestones into historical beloved status.

Those who call it "pseudo intellectual" are snobs in decline.

Those who tell you it's a comic and should not be made into a film, forget that it is indeed still a comic, and that 90% of all film, from the beginning of time is inspired from literature.

Those who take their children and then get angry that its an R rated movie, well...grow up...it's an R rated movie.

So I'm walking out after Watchmen. I peer out into the world seeing little connection to my peers. Like Silvia Plath during the Rosenberg trials, I have no idea who to relate to and where I'll find my bearings. A world so obviously lost to its own context. If I were to design a context to all the views and voices that have lashed out with arrogance and populism, it would be like this:

We live in a cultural mix of sophisticated infancy. On one hand, those striving to be considered as well thought and tasteful vacillate between two poles.

The scornful erudites; those who truly get the profundity of culture, art, science, craft and all refined achievements while often missing many of the shifting paradigms that break from their precious cannon of formerly rebellious and now commonly held conventions. Paradigms that often re-ignite the very lust to create that birthed the things they find precious in life.

The hollow but sly trend watchers, who possess uncanny but limited vision into the heart of practical one-upsmanship. Not spectacularly concerned or able to cope with profound and deeply unmanageable "big picture" bits of philosophical, theological or sociological systems, these bureaucratic chameleons study the guise and traits of the positions they find most fulfilling or personally aspiring and make their nest there, happy and content in the bitter, but structurally protective institutions of "after the risk" and "before the fall."

Neither are prepared or inspired to take chances. They have not witnessed the burden of those who do, but they have great appreciation for the calamity, the spectacle and the risk it will incur their nests and utopias.

On the other hand, somewhere off in a more definable realm, people want shit to do. They want to throw off their jobs and responsibilities, relax with a fucking beer, talk some shit with friends, fuck their chick or dude and make the time between 9 and 5 go as far away as it possibly can.

They don't connect with big brained bullshit, they don't question shit that makes them upset or gives them a fucking panic attack.

They don't aspire to luxury in the form of the profundity of the collective accomplishments of humanity.

They share the perspective of the social construct.

They know only short escapes.

They are bored with all but the most intoxicating thrills and numbing agents.

They are for the most part, unaware or excited by the heights of their visual sophistication and numb to modern communication methods that would keep their forefathers in their closets, bible in hand, wishing away hellspawn.

None of them, the snob, the hack nor the laymen appreciate the goods that have been put in front of them.

Many have written essays on why they won't be watching Watchmen. Alan Moore, the book's author complains that in hindsight Watchmen, meant to be a watershed book to birth a new force in groundbreaking comics, became instead intellectual license to gratuitously realize higher levels of violence and sexual content.

Moore is right, instead of inspiring us to break convention the film's impact is reflected through pompous bloggers, film critics and others who hug convention and use critique to soapbox their self oreinted "look at me" anger. For the most part the "Watchmen reaction" in its explosive nature and volume, is proof of it's impact.

I'm a bit sick with the loss of true film critique. The snobs deem it unworthy by genre, the simple ones think it's boring because it doesn't cater to their need for fast paced thrills, the fans deem it not the book... as if it could be.

The people who seem the most clear are the folks who never read the book, who, when they love it, recognize it as something entirely new to film.

Their honesty holds the keys to the kingdom.

Make Your Own Virtual Movie Theater

Barenaked Ladies singer survives plane crash and admits: "We never really rocked"

TORONTO, Ontario (AP) -- The lead singer of the Canadian pop band Barenaked Ladies and three other people survived a plane crash in rural southeastern Ontario, but not without a serious change of heart, authorities said Monday.

Ed Robertson (center) was flying his plane Sunday afternoon when it went down.

Ed Robertson's Cessna 206 floatplane crashed in a wooded area near Bancroft, Ontario, on Sunday afternoon as he was trying to take off from Baptiste Lake, Ontario Provincial police Sgt. Bruce Quigg said. Quigg said no one in the plane was injured.

In a last minute press conference held in front of Quinte Health Care Belleville General, Mr. Robertson asked for forgiveness for the many past transgressions he purported to have inflicted on popular culture. "We never really rocked." Robertson stated. "I know we thought we could move from being 'They Might Be Giants' for stupid people to being the next 'Smash Mouth,' but if I'm truly honest with myself, we all looked like cherubs with goatees."

Robertson's friend Gord Peel told The Belleville Intelligencer newspaper that the other passengers were Robertson's wife, Natalie, and their friends Julie and Jeff Jones. Peel, who said he has known Robertson for about a decade, arrived on the scene shortly after the crash and found the four friends walking on a road, shaken but unharmed. "He was just spouting something like 'We suck! We suck! Why have I wasted my life on this? For god's sake most of our sales come from 12 year old boys who think they're buying porn!' "

He said the plane stalled but Robertson managed to set it straight down into the trees with its nose resting on the ground. They had to get out through the windows but did not have a scratch, he said. "Ed thinks its a call from God to come clean and admit that they're basically an adult version of 'The Wiggles.' "

"Ed's just a little tired. He knows that the Natalie Cole's version of 'Everything Old Is New Again' is making its way onto the easy listening charts and the Kentucky lottery just signed up to use "If I Had $1,000,000" as soon as Wisconsin lottery is done with it! Everyone is fine and that is the important thing," Adam Smith, the band's manager, said Sunday night in an e-mail. "That's all the comment we have at this time."

Spokeswoman Julie Leroux said Monday that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada is assessing the accident scene to determine whether an investigation will be launched. Several insiders state that even before the investigation is completed, paperwork will be filed applying for historic landmark status for the crash sight. Unnamed officials believe the site may prove a valuable monument to the hope and future of music.

Robertson is host of "Ed's Up" on the Outdoor Life Network. The show documents his travels by plane. He received his pilot's license in 2005 and is described on the OLN Web site as a "recreational pilot." Episodes involve landing his Cessna on water near cities across North America.

This is the second time this summer that a member of the Barenaked Ladies has made headlines. Singer Steven Page was arrested in upstate New York last month and charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Their new album "Electro Extreme Rocket, Time Train" arrives Sept 11th, exclusively at Walmart's Super Centers in Flint, MI, Paducah, KY and Bridgeport, CT.

Story re-edited with humor by Jared L Nathanson

The Clinton Plan.... Hope of a June Assassination

Ken Olberman may be bombastic; an overly dramatic version of Edward R. Murrow lust, gone crazy in the sea of cable pundantry, but I cannot argue with his anger or his points regarding Senator Clinton responding that she was staying in the race because Bill hadn't wrapped it up when he ran until June and of course, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June.

She can say whatever she wants, but to my ears and to everyone I've talked to, many who are Clinton supporters, she has basically said, "I'm sticking around in case Obama is killed."

Probably by one of her "hard working Americans........White Americans."

Have at the Senator Ken!!

Saturday Night Live.. Finally Makes Me Laugh Again!

As much as I love Tia Fey, I was sickened by her appeal, earlier this year, for Senator Clinton on the Weekend Update soapbox.

SNL is political satire, but when Tina actually campaigned during the "Weekend Update" segment, she threw her dignity and credibility out the window.

If you're in the comedy game, I suppose there are worse things. (I still love you Tina, I can't help it!)

That's the way things have been going in this campaign. People are throwing away their ethical credibility, because they can almost taste the history that might be made.

That goes for all sides.

Last week SNL decided, now that the tide has turned, it's time to criticize the Clinton campaign.

Sadly, I loved it. (see, I've been corrupted too!)



If I close my eyes..

The (Final) Dave Sim Gambit

How do you free yourself from the label of Misogyny? Apparently, you gather supporters.. with ransom!

First, turning over a new leaf or at least trying:

Intellectually, I hate using "ist" terms of absolute definition like racist or sexist or misogynist. Although I have used them in the past, they only serve to further alienate and polarize. If we want to create a more complex conversation and actually reach across the isle at all, I think we need to separate actions from total character assassination. So Geraldine Ferraro isn't a racist, but she has made what I would call racist statements.

On to the show...

Dave Sim is a comic book creator who has written the comic book 'Cerebus' since 1977. 'Cerebus' is the story of a medieval aardvark who starts out as a Conan the Barbarian satire and becomes sophisticated, of sorts, achieves the position of Pope and I guess at the end of the series dies.

In between is, from what I've read of it, a large and evolving social satire of great wit and cruelty.

I liked what I read and I have always wanted to read more. However, whenever I mention Sim in most comic circles invariably I hear the term "misogynist" cascade through the conversation, mostly without real explanation or details. (It may be helpful to note that most comic circles are themselves 90% male populated. These are men who have super model in chain mail fantasies, and who would disagree with my post on the misogyny of 'Y The Last Man' conveniently available for free HERE!)

For proof of Sim's misogynism, the story arc called "Jaka's Story" is usually mentioned..... I haven't read anywhere near that far yet.

Douglas Wolk has, and he writes on Cerebus here:

Cerebus, the 6,000-plus-page comic-book epic............ an absolute masterpiece—one of the most ambitious and fully realized narratives of the past century. And its flaws are plentiful, wide, and maddening, and penetrate straight to its core.

...Oh right. About two-thirds of the way into Cerebus, something in its tone abruptly cracks, and the misogynist pus that bubbles up never fully abates after that. (Sim has insisted that he’s not a misogynist, just “not a feminist,” but he’s become rather a single-issue candidate about it; he also claims, for instance, that using s’s rather than s’ for the possessive form of names that end in s is a Marxist-feminist plot. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.) It becomes rather tough-going if you like your art to be compatible with your politics, unless you’re one of the eighty-five people on the planet whose gender politics are as far right as Sim’s.

This is why I haven't read more of it, I loved what I read, which mostly was the earlier, sillier stuff, although I loved how the series grows up with the writer and gets deeper and more satirical.

I also read some random issues further on, mostly a brutal rant on the surface of the moon, delivered to Pope Cerebus by a man in a suit with a mustache that I believe is supposed to be God. It's wonderful and demystifying. No real misogyny to mention here, but it is a conversation between a man with a mustache, who may be God and an aardvark who has ascended to Pope.

If you want to find proof of misogyny, you can look at Sim's own writing. It's obvious that this guy does not like 'feminism' and seems to look at it the way angry white men look at affirmative action.. a single-minded cohesive, philosophical institution that's primary purpose is the emasculation of all men and aardvark-centric comic creators.

From Sim's article labeled "Tangent" here:

In the arena of intellectual opinion, when it comes to these hard questions, asking Dave Sim, “Why do you hate women so much?” is irrelevant when my subject is feminism's lack of sound intellectual footing. It is irrelevant whether I hate women. It is irrelevant whether I love women. It is irrelevant whether I consider women in any emotional context whatsoever, just as – when my question is directed toward feminism's lack of sound intellectual footing – it is irrelevant whether I hate ice cream, whether I love ice cream or whether I consider ice cream in any emotional context whatsoever. All That Is Relevant, when the issue at hand is my contention that feminism lacks a sound intellectual foundation, All That Is Relevant, Germane and/or Pertinent is the intellectual foundation – or lack of same – upon which feminism rests.

This article really should be read. Although one could argue that it seems obvious, my first thought isn't really about misogyny. My first thought is that this man is in tremendous pain and in his mind, feminism is one of the causes of that pain.

In his mind, 'feminism' is probably on the periodic table of the chemical elements as a constant, dominant, subversive lie, that is assembled to destroy and falsify true human rights and roles, constructed and unchanging on the molecular level.

Unfortunately, that is how our minds calcify our hurt, defensiveness and entrenchment; in hollow, pompous, rhetorical judgments. If only we had the power to step out of ourselves and practice some humble self judgment, I have to think that an Ebinezer Scrooge moment might crumble away all but the original thoughts which could be the basis of a constructive discussion.

I wouldn't define myself as a feminist, but I would say that 'feminism' has had an influence on me. I think one could argue that feminism is less one ideology and more a collection of many (sometimes apposing) ideas that come from many different perspectives. I would also argue that feminist influences are a part of a larger cannon of philosophy and ethical theories and that they constantly evolve, adapt and inform that canon.

Boxing against a static definable opponent is easy. Easier still, is filtering your correspondence to protect yourself from opposing arguments. When it gets really weird though, is when the same act is used to garner support and build a defense through insincere coercion.

It is obvious, that Mr. Sim is trapped. This label of misogyny must travel with him everywhere he goes. It must make him very angry and jaded. I know it affects his sales as I have most definitely not purchased his books solely out of fear of ruining the enjoyment I gathered from his earlier work. What is he to do?

Apparently, Dave Sim has taken an unusual action to combat his tarnished image. Several blogs (like this one and this one) reported that Mr. Sim has been sending the following form letter in response to any and possibly all inquiries and correspondences, with instructions that responses will only be given to folks who feel like signing their names to a petition of sorts, which states that they do not believe him to be a misogynist.

(click letter to read)

This is weird, bordering on scary. I think Mr. Sim is about to pull a J. D. Salinger and disappear from Google Earth.

Mr. Sim, it's very hard to make it back from where you tread.

Bring a flashlight... you hit the darkside.

Blinded By The White: Slavery - The Game!

Not all of us folks are stupid. Sometimes, I'm a bit embarrassed by how clueless we are to our own offensive behavior. We will practically bust in the door of the rest of the world and take a crap on their dinner table and the say "what's wrong?" with true puzzlement.

I'm not trying to be a killjoy, but sometimes the eyes of Caucasia are so blinded to there own offensive actions that I can't believe in evolution. I know I'm going to get the moaning and the groaning and the "white anger." I always get that from my peeps.


I did when in high school, a friend (let's call him Spence) told me he thought it would be really funny if he dressed up as an SS trooper for Halloween. Of course Spence also told me his Dad lost his job to a Jew. I was amazed his father took the time to find out the religious and cultural background of the man who was replacing him.

As it turns out though, after Spence regaled me with a good dose of his father's world philosophy, I had a good hunch that "the Jew" could do something Spence's dad couldn't, process thoughts in logical order, understand cause and effect or perhaps read above a fourth grade level.

Another example occurs in the Micheal Moore's 1980's hit documentary "Roger & Me," when the wealthy folks of Genesee County hold a ball in the brand new prison, the night before it opened up for business.

Turns out, the prison is needed to house the many ex-GM workers who had tried a hand at surviving by five finger discount, desperation and brutal force after their good jobs at GM disappeared. I remember the vision of rich, suburban folks, dressed up and playing "cops and robbers" in real prison cells, that would soon hold broken hopeless members of the post industrialist workforce .

No wonder the French Revolution had guillotines.

Here comes another great one for the list. It's a Facebook application called "Owned."

Here's the pitch: you buy , sell and possess other people, in a fun simulation of tongue and cheek slave commerce:"Own Your Friends! Give Human Gifts! Put yourself on the market and find out how much you're worth!"

"Give Human Gifts" - That is just dandy.

What a fun! An inoffensive game sensation.
I wonder if white folks will invite their black friends to play?

The mass of the clueless moves slowly towards the edge, dragging us all down with it.

Yeah sure the world hates us for our Freedom..