The A-Team, The Expendables and now Red…there is a new genre of movies emerging this summer, the buddy-comedy/team-action film. But this one’s got Helen “The Queen” Mirren with an uzi.
Back in November, aka the safe season for the melanin deficient, I wrote a post extolling the awesomeness of the graphic novel “Red” and how it was set for a film adaptation. See Bruce Willis Kicking Ass post. Now we’ve got our first look at the final product in a trailer that was released earlier this week.
But to review Red is about a retired CIA operative (Willis) fighting his way through a horde of agency assassins. It’s a gritty and graphic short run comic that has a 300 violent flavor, with a classic action hero story line. Director Robert Schwentke (The Time Travelers Wife) and his writers seem to have taken it in a more comic direction, and after watching the trailer I don’t think anyone will be complaining, but with a cast that includes: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Richard Dreyfuss, how could you?
And not just because he’s from Delaware or because we went to the same high school, but because I think he’s right about Afghanistan. This agreement comes after the President’s reconsideration of the Afghanistan strategy, as the NYT wrote about this morning.
But think of it like this George Will, Vice President Biden and ME…all agree, talk about an intellectual triumverant. But I think the Daily Show has the best case for my position.
Winner of the Week:The voters of Afghanistan, 40% to 50% of eligible voters turned out for their Presidential election this week; amid threats and warnings from the Taliban. Dodging bullets and bombs Afghanistan was almost able to match the anemic turnout for last yeas US Presidential election which hit a high of 56%, the best turn out since 1968, what is our excuse?
Weasel of the Week: Kenny MacAskill, Scotland’s Justice Minister, for the release of convicted Libyan terrorist Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the bomber of Pan Am Flight 103 on Dec. 21, 1988 which killed 259 people, who was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer earlier this year. Al-Megrahi release has been linked to political calculations regarding Libyan gas prospecting, a nation which is thought to have some of the largest remaining oil and natural gas reserves in the world. Either way, talk about not having any moral gravitas.
Video of the Week: The much anticipated trailer for James Cameron’s Avatar was released yesterday through apple, and it doesn’t disappoint. Cameron’s first feature film in almost 10 years is being hyped as the last big blockbuster left in 2009 and given the sci-fi epics scope it’s certainly with in the realm of possibility. Enjoy!
I try to like Rachel Maddow I really do, but this is the kind of segment that bothers me. I mean she frames the argument like Republican’s are the only ones who are ridiculous and have a “kooky” base. Because President Bush (G.W.) was treated with nothing but polite respectful disagreement from Democrats over the past 8 years.
All she had to do was talk a little bit about the culture of caustic political dialogue to win me over. Her ultimate conclusion is valid and worth consideration, but you can’t ignore that bipartisanism of such radical and seemingly mindless opposition posed by Tea Bagers or Bill Maher. Everybody has their crazy political cross bear; for Republicans it’s the birthers, for Democrats it’s the last eight years of comparing George Bush to monkeys.
This is the latest in advanced looks from James Cameron’s sci-fi epic, Avatar. Normally, I am a little reserved about these featurettes as I’m afraid they will reveal too much about the story and lessen the impact of the movie. But in reality this is a different kind of film, so these glimpses into the production and a few more screen shots will just serve to built popular anticipation of the film. The real focus behind the anticipation of Avatar clearly isn’t story or acting, as much as it is the revolutionary film making techniques that Cameron is employing, and in some cases creating.
Thunder Awards
Winner of the Week – Hillary Clinton, for her bitch-slapping downage of Pakistan. Secretary Clinton said to a group of Pakistani journalists, “I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are, and couldn’t get to them if they really wanted to.” I have to emphatically agree with her, we can’t keep writing checks to Pakistan’s military without started to expect some hard returns. I don’t necessarily want Osama, but Pakistan is border line losing their Western frontier battle against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. I feel like takes US military aid and puts 90% of it into the possibility of a conflict with India, that fighting the insurgents who are actually in their country. Either way, kudos to her and honestly as a Republican I totally would have prefered her to the President, I just think she would have brought a pragmatism that the Obama administration lacks.
Loser of the Week - Everyone who thinks the economy is back because of the recent wopla over 3rd quarter growth. seriously, unemployment is still climbing and the value of the dollar is dangerously low. Economic measures like car sales and home prices are artificially good, (car sales up and home prices rising) because of federal programs, cash for clunkers and $8K home buyers rebate, meant to spur the market. But once these programs dry up, so will the sales profits. Employment is the best indicator of economic growth, as it represents the private sectors trust in the stability or growth of the market and overall economy. But the federal stimulus is was not a private sector stimulus, it was mostly a public sector stabilizer. But when the economy doesn’t recovery, because the private sector doesn’t think we’ve hit rock bottom yet, the bridge that the economic stimulus was suppose to be, will turn into a cliff.
The Levi Johnston Award for Beating a Dead Media Horse for No Real Gains - The Obama Administration’s continual war against Fox News. I would first like to state that I don’t watch Fox news, or the news really, as it is not really the news or any level of informative debate. Anthony Rudel, from the US News, wrote a really good article on this subject, Fox-White House Media War is killing the News. It’s just hilarious to me that the White House can label Fox a bias new network, without also labels MSNBC one as well.
The point is that the administration seems to believe that by ignoring Fox News that maybe they will go away, in reality it just strengthens the bias of conservative views that Fox serves. Which as a Republican kills me, because it may further drives the moderates away from the party.
Trailer(s) - This was a pretty good week for trailers, Invictus and the Green Zone clearly look to be the best movies of the bunch, not counting Alice in Wonderland as the trailer has been out for a while now this is just a new cut.
Alice in Wonderland (extended trailer) – it’s not a whole lot more than the previous trailer, but its new this week so I thought I’d spread it around. The clarity isn’t awesome, so you can also find it here.
Green Zone - Jason Bourne in Iraq, that’s basically all you need to know. Starring Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Jason Issacs and Brendan Gleeson. Directed by Paul Greengrass. Written by Brian Helgeland (LA confidential and Mystic River) — get excited about this movie, it’s got an all-star production team and cast.
Smokin Aces 2: Assassins Ball - The original was an average B rate action movie, and the sequel looks to be not that good; despite Vinny Jones being in it.
Invictus – Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, Directed by Clint Eastwood…that’s more than enough to validate a trip to the theater.
This is a military recruitment video from the Chinese Republic of Taiwan. Either, Hasbro has really expanded their product line or Michael Bay wasn’t kidding when he wanted to do some substantive work.
Winner of the Week: President Obama, removing the missile shield from Eastern Europe was the right thing to do. The missile shield, from my understanding, doesn’t necessarily well…work. So it’s existence in Eastern Europe was largely symbolic, and so it’s only fitting that it’s movement is largely symbolic. Russia was quick to applaud the President’s move calling it a brave discussion, this is perhaps the first reall positive step in US-Russian relations after the Georgian conflict debacle.
Russia is an unstable world player and is sure to be a key factor in stabilizing the Middle East and opposing North Korean nuclear ambitions. It was essential that the US make a gesture of good will to Russia to establish trust, moving the missile shield to the middle east is a clear demonstration to that effect. Not to mention the immediate threats to the US and NATO are in the Middle East, and given Iran’s missile threats against Israel this seems to make sense all around.
Note to those opposed to the movement - the Cold War ended almost 20 years ago, we need to move on.
Loser of the Week:Jimmy Carter, for his re-stiring the racial plot and giving it Presidential weight. I’m not saying President Carter doesn’t have a point, but the timing is awful and it will muddy the Sunday morning talk show conversation at a time when the President is about to put his full weight behind an actual health care bill. Instead of strongly advocating for what he likes and doesn’t like about the House health care legislation he’s going to be dealing with race in America and President Carter.
Not that race relations, on all sides and on all levels, isn’t a significant topic for debate (especially with the President) but he can’t afford to have this kind of issue fester, and distract from his health care message. It’s simply an unnecessary complication when he’s trying to pass the most signficant health care reform since medicare.
That being said I think President Carter’s statement is also unfair to the millions of American’s who oppose the President’s agenda and could care less about his race. To be sure some of the opposition to the President’s policies seems almost viceral and rooted in more than policy or politics. But to broadly label the oppposition as racially motivated is nothing but a distraction from the necessary debate on health care we should be having.
Good job Jimmy, you’ve hurt someone else’s Presidency.
Online Header of the Week:Drudge Report- “THERE WILL BE BLOOD: PELOSI WARNES AGAINST POLITICAL VIOLENCE” , you have got to love Drudge for pure rediculousness. The Speakers quotes were a bit rash, but certainly weren’t as inflamatory as the headline would make it seem, either way it made me chuckle.
Video of the Week: This isn’t the best quality, nor the best version of the events…but it’s been on ESPN all week, so catch it there if you haven’t already seen it.
With his Congressional address Wednesday the President took back the issue of health care, while displaying a strength and command which will surly turn around his poll numbers. All in all this was a huge win for the President.
He displayed a President strength and focus on position that has been sorely lacking in his administration over the last several weeks. His administration has looked wandering and over extended on the issues. But a Congressional address like this, in front of the national media, is where this President lives, it’s where his true strengths lie.
He showed those of us in the middle why we like him and support him, even if we don’t always ideologically agree with him. As a moderate Republican I don’t agree with certain aspects of health care reform, but this speech was more of a call for action then a statement of political ideals. The President was laying the table for good ideas, rooting the debate in substance and throwing aside political calculations.
The ball is now in the Republican’s court. The President welcomed new ideas that constructively move the debate forward, he flat out said his door was always open. It’s up to Republicans to show to the American people that they are more than the party of No and “You lie!”.
Republican can not be anathema to progress. This is a time for Congressional Republicans to propose solid pragmatic solutions to the many problems that face health care in this country. A bill will be signed by the President before Christmas (before Thanksgiving according to Joe Biden), there is no way it wouldn’t be a better bill, if smart Republican’s sat down with the President and fought for the issues they care about.
That being said there is a significant problem with Democratic leadership in Congress allowing for any level of bipartisanship. The illegal immigration amendment offered by Republicans, is in all honesty a pretty good policy idea. It’s just politically unpalatable for Democrats, but instead of working with Republicans to get them something else they just defeated the measure on a party line vote. All the President’s artful rhetoric and oratorical inspiration aside, the trenches of health care are in the bitterly partisan and politically motivated Congress, does anyone think it will actually live up to any level of balanced reform? Unlikely. Kudos to the Prez though, well done.
In case you didn’t know there was intelligent Republican opposition out there:
The Thunder Awards
Winner of the Week: “Too many have used this as an opportunity to score short-term political points, even if it robs the country of our opportunity to solve a long-term challenge.” – with these words the President heralded his entry to victory town. This is the first Thunder Award the President gotten, for something good.
Loser of the Week: Joe Wilson, Congressman from South Carolina, who yelled “YOU LIE” at the President, in an absolute break parliamentary civility. I mean there is a time honored tradition of minority party grumbling negatively at the President when they disagree, while his (or her) party provides standing ovations. Some Democrats even booed President Bush during a state of the union, but outright name calling just isn’t kosher. Congressman Wilson better watch out or he’s likely to get a Mo Green special courtesy of Rahm Emmanuel.
Trailer of the Week: Pandorum Starring: Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid opens Sept. 25th
Winner of the Week: George Will, his Washington Post editorial entitled Afghanistan: Time to Stop Nation-Building has really stirred up the conservative pot on the issue of Afghanistan. As a leading conservative intellectual Will’s article has seems to voice a growing dissent amongst Republicans as to the nature and end game of the war in Afghanistan. The President’s new strategy in Afghanistan will need Republican support to counter-balance the strong peace movement in the Democratic party. Will’s article may have really struck a cord within this debate that will inflame the argument…either way kudos to him.
Loser of the Week:Everyone, as Martin Lawrence has signed on to do a third installment of every-ones favorite “comedy” Big Mamma’s house. So continues the degradation of American society.
Trailer of the Week:Bookdock Saints II: All Saints Day, this much awaited sequel to the cult classic doesn’t look like it will live up the original…but you know we’ll all still go see it.
Valid Point of the Week:TMQ is on record as thinking Michael Vick’s punishment was “out of proportion to his actions and his status as a first-time offender,” especially since thousands of animals are killed in the United States every day without the killers so much as being criticized, let alone imprisoned. Federal regulations classify shooting and electrocution — what Vick did to his dogs — as humane methods of cattle slaughter. How many people bit into a cheeseburger while denouncing Vick? – Gregg Easterbrook, ESPN
Winner of the Week – 
Winner of the Week: President Obama, removing the missile shield from Eastern Europe was the right thing to do. The missile shield, from my understanding, doesn’t necessarily well…work. So it’s existence in Eastern Europe was largely symbolic, and so it’s only fitting that it’s movement is largely symbolic. Russia was quick to applaud the 
Loser of the Week:Jimmy Carter, for his re-stiring the racial plot and giving it Presidential weight. I’m not saying President Carter doesn’t have a point, but the timing is awful and it will muddy the Sunday morning talk show conversation at a time when the President is about to put his full weight behind an actual health care bill. Instead of strongly advocating for what he likes and doesn’t like about the House health care legislation he’s going to be dealing with race in America and President Carter.
Loser of the Week:Everyone, as Martin Lawrence has signed on to do a third installment of every-ones favorite “comedy” Big Mamma’s house. So continues the degradation of American society.
