Maxed Out

This is one powerful film. If you have not seen it you should, fast (while you cut up your credit cards). It is about the takeover of our government by corporations in part, but also how entrenched every politician is & cozy in bed with these companies and that the 2005 Bankruptcy Law (which the new Vice Presidential nominee Senator Biden voted for) was a sham and a giveaway to credit card companies (the law was written by MBNA).

It shows how the system is stacked against the common person and how we simply all are a tragedy away from losing everything. It shows that when these tragedies do strike the credit card companies and collection agencies could care less about you, so they sell your debt to anyone with a penny. I was one of those people when I lost almost everything due to a terrible car accident (I got lucky and sued the fuckers). For years afterward I had scum bags calling me because they said I still owed them money (although I didn't).

Electing a democratic president will not change this fact, get rid of your debt or stop these companies from funding our government. Here is the trailer. You can also read the book "Maxed Out."



Roll Call vote for the Bankruptcy Bill, Senator Clinton did not vote though she supported an earlier version and Senator Obama did vote against it as most democrats did, but not Senator Biden.

Eddie Vedder - Society - Into the Wild Soundtrack

If you haven't seen this amazing film by Sean Penn, starring a wonderful Emile Hirsch, you must. I cannot stress how much this movie reflected how I have felt so many times about this world, this life, this society, that has so depressed so many, while helping, at the same time, us to survive. I know that I cannot live without others, and that we need each other, but the institutions, the greed, the hypocrisy has infected me. And sometimes, like when I watch movies like this, I wonder if I will ever get well.

non, je ne regrette rien!

in honor of my 2007 movie top ten list (see KR's list and comments), voila edith piaf, aka the sparrow (la mome) singing her heart out. also check out the movie website and trailer for more musique! click here for the lyrics.

Top Ten Movies of 2007

Since the Oscars are tomorrow night I thought I would give my top ten movies of 2007 as well as the best performances of the year. It was a good year for movies, no doubt, however when on 9/11 people said the age of irony is dead it did not prove to be true, but it seems maybe it is taking place now. Because every good movie (outside of a few) were terribly traumatic and violent films. It is the age we live in, I guess.

Best Actor - Daniel Day Lewis (by a long shot)
Best Actress - Marion Cotillard ( La Vie En Rose - also by a very long way)
Best Supporting Actor - Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild)
Best Supporting Actress - Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)
Best Screenplay (Juno)
Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood)
Best Film (There Will Be Blood)


#10 - Knocked Up
A startlingly honest film about relationships. Maybe the greatest source of criticism for the film was how could the darling woman fall for Seth Rogen? Which is fair, but aside from that it was laugh out loud funny, sensitive and what I think many films are not doing these days, it reaches for the best in us.


#9 The Diving Bell and Butterfly
At first I thought it hard to love this character which tragedy befalls him and he makes lemonade out of lemons. But, the film stays with you because how horrific the tragedy is and how much this man made out of his situation in so little time. The camera work was also effective in giving one empathy. Powerful stuff.


#8 The Savages
This is a film that also stays with you about two flawed, albeit likable siblings who must take care of a father who never took care of them. Also, trying to find the best in humans, going above and beyond what is asked of us, or maybe what is required of us. But, the film gets at the heart of humanity, loneliness and family with all its flaws and of course its joy.


#7 Once
The best musical film I have ever seen. The first of two beautiful Irish films. Set in Dublin, a marvelous love story that is not typical and leaves one with a sense of beauty. The music is astounding (Falling Slowly should win best song) and the actors are believable. Made me want to move to Dublin.


#6 No Country for Old Men
Scary as hell. In other years it may be the best film of the year. The Coen Brothers are masters and Josh Brolin shows his ability to act. I thought the film let us down with the Brolin character, but that is probably the point, the senseless violence leaves us all breathless. A tough movie to take. Have a drink afterwards.


#5 Juno
I left this film quoting Ellen Page and Michael Cera. They were so cute together and so likable. Again, like Knocked Up one has to suspend some belief, but instead of the film saying this is the way things are, it is saying this is the way things should be. Flawed families that stand by one another and do the right thing. More characters in film should be like Ellen Page, extraordinarily intelligent, sarcastic, yet vulnerable thinking she has the answers, but all the time learning from the people around her.


#4 Michael Clayton
I loved this film, mostly because it takes down corporate America. Talk about fantasy, but it had you on the edge of your seat the entire film. Clooney is great and is getting better every time out. All the performances are superb. A thriller that delivers.


#3 The Wind That Shakes the Barley
I saw this film at the beginning of the year and it stayed with me the entire year. It teaches us that many times the incitement of the terror is much worse than the terror itself. Great performances all the way around including strong and soulful performances by the women that fought beside the men (in the early 1900's) which one does not see often enough in film. In the Irish tradition (as is so in the African-American tradition) the women are the driving force. Poverty teaches us that this is how it has to be.


#2 No End in Sight
One has to accept the fact that we went to war (though, I never bought it for a second) and could have helped rather than hurt. But, this film shows the incompetence of the Bush administration and the callous disregard it showed for the people of Iraq and our soldiers. It makes the case clearly, concisely and powerfully. The best documentary of the year by far.


#1 There Will Be Blood
There Will Be Blood is the best film I have seen this decade, maybe ever. It is a sprawling tale of greed and evangelical ambition, maybe the two most powerful and destructive forces operating in America today. Daniel Day Lewis is phenomenal as is Paul Dano.


Overrated films of 2007 include Atonement and Away from Her. Julie Christie's performance was wonderful in Away from Her, but I never bought the story at all. It just seemed forced to me. La Vie en Rose was a good film, but confusing at times, but the performance by Marion C. was so good many feel it should be in the top ten. Not me, but worth the viewing.

Bamako

I have heard about this movie and asks the questions what is wrong with Africa? The answer is privatiztion and greed of not forgiving the debts of these nations so they will sell off their natural resources. Read the Shock Doctrine Now. I cannot stress it enough. But, also see this movie if you can find it.

Mitch McConnell is a Scum Sucking Pig and the Movie Once

Slow day at the Subversive Garden today. I spent the day at the Division of Youth and Family Services trying to convince the "baby snatchers" - I mean child protection that my client deserved to raise her kids. They disagreed, though she never committed abuse or neglect, nor has any substance abuse or mental health problems. They say we live in a democracy right?

So anyway, to sum up the news for the day. Iraq continues to explode, Afghanistan continues to fall apart, we still do not have any civil liberties and Mitch McConnell is a scum sucking pig (McConnell is married to Madame Elaine Chao, the Secretary of Labor who has her own problems). Barack, Hillary and Edwards continue to spar... and Al Gore might win the Nobel Peace Prize. Will that make him run? That would make it interesting...wouldn't it?

Finally, I wanted to share with you what I think is the best movie of the year so far: Once. See the clip below set to the song "Falling Slowly." It is somewhat of a musical drama. Though, it is so much more than that. The director incorporates the music as part of the relationship and it turns out to be the sweetest and most heart felt movie I have seen in years. There is none of the sappy, crappy American movie making here either. The leads are both extraordinarily likeable and normal, outside of their talent. A simple and beautiful film about connection when one least expects it. Check it out:

Dan Rather Suit Against CBS

Last night Dan Rather was on Larry King (excuse me for watching) and is accusing CBS of scapegoating him in the Bush "forged documents" story. But, he said if this lawsuit can do anything it will be to restore the news business to what it should be - insuring democracy - instead of corporations making decisions for the news. He spoke about how they sat on the Abu Ghraib story because of the corporate lawyers "upstairs" wanted to be cautious. And the Bush story he wanted to continue investigating but an "outside panel" co-chaired by Dick Thornburgh, former Republican Attorney General for Reagan said the story was badly flawed and shut the investigation down.

Rather still believes the story to be true and the documents to be authentic. He also says a former FBI agent who began investigating the story for CBS found "helpful and supportive" information for Rather, but shut the story down anyway.

Our democracy is in trouble when corporations are making decisions based on their bottom line or their connections to stories rather on what is best for our democracy. I applaud Rather for this attempt. Check out the clip above from the Insider when CBS shuts down a huge story on Big Tobacco because of the mother corporation. This is a true story and Lowell Bergman quit CBS over it. If you have not seen this movie it is a dandy. The clip gets good around the first minute.

Idiocracy...is genius

Take a good look at the image to the right. A reference to da Vinci's sketch, it has been slightly altered. Man has taken on new shape, and new accessories. That new version, which cannot be said to be improved, is the subject of Idiocracy, a searing satire by Mike Judge, the man who brought you Beavis and Buthead and Office Space.

Idiocracy is not a serious film, but the subject it jokes about is quite serious. I loved Office Space, a much more conventionally comedic movie, but his newest topic, the dumbing-down of American society, is frighteningly spot-on. For this reason, marketing, advertising, and publicity were scant for the film. Not a surprise. In the movie, no institution is left unscathed, from the military, media, consumerism, and the educational system.

The moral of the allegory is pretty much this: read and give a damn. If you don't, the garbage will take over. I can only hope that the future is nowhere closer to this movie than the present already is. Watch it and tell me what you think.