I don’t expect “historical” movies to be documentaries. I have no problem with some artistic license for dramatic purposes. I saw “American Sniper” recently, not knowing that it was based on the real life events of Chris Kyle, known as “The Legend” for his abilities during the Iraq War. It was clear from the end of the film (which cut … Read More
SOTU Review
I don’t mean to get all Aaron Sorkin on y’all, but this interactive analysis — compiled by Twitter and showing what people were tweeting about during the speech — tells me absolutely nothing about anything related to the speech or the United States or anything. It just seems to be social media technology for the sake of social media technology.
The White Male Oscars
I will do my Oscar predictions in the weeks to come, but in case you haven’t heard, not a single actor or actress of color was recognized by the Academy this year, despite a number of acclaimed films featuring non-white casts and directors. The last time there was no non-white in any of the four acting categories, and directing category, … Read More
I Can’t Help It — I Have To Review “Boyhood”
It’s not unusual that I disagree with some movie critics. It is unusual that I disagree with, apparently, ALL of them. And I have to speak out, because Boyhood won the Golden Globe last night for Best Dramatic Film, and many consider it an Oscar contender. For those not aware, Boyhood is the latest from writer-director Richard Linklater. It was filmed over the … Read More
Excuse Me, But Weren’t We Talking About Something Else?
It wasn’t that long ago when the nation’s focus was on cop-on-black killing. Heck, even some conservative pundits were troubled by what was going on. But then focus changed. Tom Tomorrow documents it: Yup.
Add Florida To The List
A few minutes ago, Florida became the… I’ve lost count… state to recognize gay marriage. Check out this infographic (which doesn’t reflect the change in Florida): That’s pretty amazing. Only the South and parts of the midwest remain holdouts. UPDATE: Some backlash — Generally, when a couple heads to their local courthouse or county clerk’s office, they can both receive … Read More
A Transgender Suicide
A transgender teenage girl, Leelah Alcorn, died of suicide yesterday by jumping in front of a semi on I-71 near the South Lebanon, Ohio exit. She left a note on her Tumblr: If you are reading this, it means that I have committed suicide and obviously failed to delete this post from my queue. Please don’t be sad, it’s for … Read More
3rd Highest Ranking Republican Admits Speaking At White Supremacist Group Conference
A rather auspicious start for the GOP’s attempt to re-brand itself and make itself appealing to minorities: Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the House majority whip, acknowledged Monday that he spoke at a gathering hosted by white-supremacist leaders while serving as a state representative in 2002, thrusting a racial controversy into House Republican ranks days before the party assumes control of … Read More
The Daily Show Comes To Winston-Salem
There was a bit of controversy here in Winston-Salem recently. It made international news. Here’s how the BBC reported it in August: For the past four years, Mary’s Gourmet Restaurant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, had been surprising customers with a 15% discount if they prayed or meditated before meals. “It could be anything – just taking a moment to push … Read More
About “The Newsroom” Penultimate Episode
I am enjoying the last season of “The Newsroom”. Like the first two seasons, the show is not without its critics. And I agree with some of the criticism. For one thing, Sorkin has beat a dead horse with his views on New Media vs Old Media. Tellingly, New Media critics hate the show because Sorkin reveres things like fact-checking and … Read More
No Indictments Against Police Who Killed Eric Garner
Unbelievable. And yeah, even Jon Stewart is flummoxed. It is certainly a bit surreal to see Stewart, normally upbeat and cynical, seem so hopelessly frustrated as he spoke about this entire situation. The Daily Show Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive Update:
Cowboy Copz
I maintain that, under the legal system and the legal standards, the Ferguson grand jury did not have probable cause to indict Officer Darren Wilson. That should prompt a discussion as to whether the legal system is sufficient to take care of what is clearly a national problem — the prevalence of cop-on-black violence. But that discussion is for another day I write here … Read More
Grand Jury Announcement Today In Michael Brown Shooting
A decision has been reached by the grand jury deliberating whether to bring charges against Darren Wilson, the officer who fatally shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. I fully expect that no charges will be brought, and all hell will break loose. Pretty predictable actually. Laws give the police wide latitude in using deadly force. Maybe those laws shouldn’t give wide latitude, … Read More
Anonymous Pulls The Hoods Off Klan Members
A number of Twitter accounts allegedly belonging to the Ku Klux Klan have been hacked by the Australian branch of activist group Anonymous. The accounts, including @YourKKKcentral and @KuKluxKlanUSA, were seized after Anonymous declared “cyber warfare” on the racist group. Members of the KKK have been threatening to use “lethal force” against demonstrators in Ferguson, Missouri, who are protesting about … Read More
Obama’s Triangulation: A Shot Across The Bow
Obama got on the Intertubes this morning and said this: For those not wanting to watch or listen, he basically called for a strict policy of so-called net neutrality and formally opposed any deals in which content providers like Netflix would pay huge sums to broadband companies for faster access to their customers. (Net Neutrality, according to Wikipedia, is “the … Read More