http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:56:42 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/07/10/195642.php Richard J. RadcliffeWhile I can't find myself agreeing with Michael Moore's politics, I appreciate his work. I've seen all of his movies (include the obscure The Big One and Canadian Bacon), and read all of his books. If you haven't seen Roger & Me or Bowling for Columbine, you need to do so posthaste. Stop reading this review to take care of this egregious oversight. (Okay, finish reading and then check them out.) I'm a fan because he demonstrates uncommon skill in conveying his message. His movies simultaneously provoke and entertain. He weds biting social commentary with comedy. Moore brings together liberalism and lampoons. Laughs and tears are justly juxtaposed. Not easy to do. With this backdrop, I approached Sicko with anticipation. Perhaps too much. The movie didn't seem to deliver the same Moorean prescriptions of satire and silliness. Instead, Sicko is a sober, searing indictment of the US health care industry. Moore indicts through case studies of people you won't recognize. While building sympathy for "ordinary folks", you sense Moore cherry-picked the cases, and attempts to draw grand conclusions based on anecdotal evidence. On the other side of the ledger, there were only about four or five chuckles or chortles. These moments of light were almost dropped in as asides. They didn't advance Moore's message as well as he has been able to do in the past. His biggest joke took some time to build to a crescendo. It's late in the movie and didn't really reward the audience's patience. While some have said Sicko is Moore's least controversial or political film, I noted Moore could not resist indulging his disdain for the current occupant of the Oval Office, who appeared (unwittingly) in the movie about four or five times in unflattering contexts. Iraq policy even garnered a sneering mention. Additionally, I noticed a heavy-handed, obtrusive use of the soundtrack to "program" the audience to adopt a certain emotion. It was the musical equivalent of a laugh track, but usually in reverse -- "folks, get serious now because the serious stuff is at hand" was the virtual lyric. Nevertheless, you can't walk away from this movie without concluding that the system is broken. The patient is indeed sick. Getting the diagnosis is the easy part, the prescription isn't. On this score, Moore travels to four countries and uncritically offers their plans as solutions. Moore offers Canada, France, Great Britain, and Cuba as models. His glowing praise of their imperfect systems glosses over the trade-offs. For example, Moore got very close to addressing a legitimate objection about France's health care when he asks the question about whether the French are awash in taxes and then didn't answer it. I'm not sure who said it, but the line, "You think health care is expensive now, wait until it's free" ran through my mind during the film and Moore ignored this obvious issue throughout his polemic. Recognizing what this movie is and what it isn't will help make it a more palatable experience. At bottom, it's an agitating, thought-provoking film that constitutes its own niche among the other films in the multiplexes. This innovation and creativity should not be shrugged off simply because one disagrees with the filmmaker's politics or message. Sicko receives a B++. Video66281@blogcritics.org Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:56:42 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/11/28/084821.php Richard J. RadcliffeWhom does this mockumentary mock?The short answer: everyone.For starters, Borat offers himself up to ridicule as a haplessly clueless "outsider". Whether he makes politically incorrect comments (about women's brain size, for example) or defies social conventions (carrying a bag of excrement from the bathroom to a society dinner table, for instance), Borat makes himself an easy target.However, if you look closer, Borat mocks everyone else, too. And, he does so coast-to-coast, as he travels from Manhattan to Hollywood on his quest to learn from America. New Yorkers, southerners, feminists, Pentecostals, frat boys, car/Hummer salesmen, antique/civil war relic dealers, rodeo fans, humor coaches, local TV news guys, and many others, do not escape his satirical cannon.I marveled at the genius of Sacha Baron Cohen's ability to maintain his character in the most absurd scenarios, and to draw out the absurdities in his interview subjects/victims. Like Michael Moore's documentary-style films, Roger & Me, Bowling for Columbine, and Fahrenheit 9/11, just enough "rope" is provided to the targets to hang themselves -- willingly.However, despite the similarities between Cohen and Moore's (and Stephen Colbert's) techniques, Moore does so with an overarching purpose or theme. Moore mocks for a reason -- his political agendas. I couldn't discern Cohen's. He seems to mock for the sake of mockery. It's undeniably funny, but it's hollow fun. It's deconstruction on parade. Nihilism.I can't give this movie a grade because it defies such glib glosses. Some have said it has to be seen to be believed. That's true.However, there is a scene in this movie that goes so far over the proverbial line, as Doug McIntyre has said, you couldn't find the line with the Hubbell telescope. You've been warned. Only for the hearty. Video56331@blogcritics.org Tue, 28 Nov 2006 08:48:21 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/11/26/211142.php Richard J. Radcliffe"Some of these guys go to Vegas thinking they are James Bond, and then come back realizing they are more like Weird Al."Several years ago, I overheard this put-down in the Orange County (John Wayne) airport terminal when a flight arrived from Vegas, as beaten-down gamblers drudged past with their lightened wallets and unenlightened faces.Implicit in this quote is that Bond and poker prowess go hand-in-hand. Any doubt about this gambling connection is eviscerated by the latest installment of the Bond franchise: Casino Royale. Capitalizing on the popularity of Texas Hold-Em, poker features prominently in the film from the revamped opening credits to the plot.I was somewhat surprised to see Paul Haggis among the three with screenwriting credits for Casino Royale. Lately, he has been associated with penning more controversial fare from Million Dollar Baby to Crash. While one wouldn't expect a Bond film to be especially edgy or erudite, this film transitions from a gadget-laden romp to a more cerebral exercise of witty dialogue and spy intrigue. While I can't be sure it came from Haggis' pen, there were some unnecessary anti-religious or traditionalist statements seemingly thrown in to ensure the audience was paying attention to the dialogue, or to advance a worldview through the actors.For Bond aficionados, Casino Royale delivers the requisite chase and action sequences. However, they were executed with a unique flair. The foot chase scene early in the movie employed moves more reminiscent of Spider Man than Bourne Supremacy. At the end, instead of sinking a ship, they sank a building. That is not a typo--a building is sunk. Innovative. You have to give credit also for its realism; the CGI, which presumably was used, was not overt as the choppy battle scenes in say, Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.Regarding the new James Bond, Daniel Craig, he nailed it. While I came into the film inclined as a fan, because I enjoyed Mr. Craig's work in Munich, he even exceeded my expectations. I look forward to more films with him in the driver's seat.Negatively, clocking in at 144 minutes, the movie took on a life of its own, and seemed longish.Nevertheless, enjoy the ride.Casino Royale earns a "B+." Video56267@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Nov 2006 21:11:42 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/12/29/064326.php Richard J. RadcliffeThe ground has been trod before. Henry David Thoreau's Walden traversed it skillfully, for example. Nevertheless, One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey by Sam Keith stands on its own as a text exploring an isolated life.The book records Richard Proenneke's 16-month adventure living off the land in an Alaskan wilderness.While the book is written in the first-person ("I"), it was actually authored by Sam Keith. The jacket indicates however that it is based on the journals and photographs of Richard Proenneke. I make this distinction because the book is quite well-written. It communicates in a simple style reminiscent of Hemingway. Unfortunately, it's not clear who really deserves the credit for the elegantly economical prose. A representative sample:"After a supper of navy beans, I sat on my threshold and gazed off toward the volcanic mountains. I had been close to them today. The Chilikadrotna River showed me the beautiful fish and I returned them to her. I thought of the sights I had seen. The price was physical toll. Money does little good back here. It could not buy the fit feeling that surged through my arms and shoulders. It could not buy the feeling of accomplishment. I had been my own tour guide and my power had been my transportation. This great big country was my playground, and I could afford the price it demanded." (pp. 207-208)Most of the book narrates Proenneke's experiences in this rough country. He describes how he constructed a log cabin along the shores of one of the Twin Lakes. He also provides routine interactions with the area's wildlife. The text's apex in this regard occurs when he observes a bear stalking a mother caribou and her offspring and what he did to intervene. You'll also learn what happens to boiling water when it is introduced into a 45-degree-below temperature. It "turns to a cloud of steam with a loud hissing noise." (p. 31.) Imagine what it would do to a human operating at 98.6 degrees.While these exploits are interesting, the end flourishes. Proenneke provides his insightful reflections on his experiences. He waxes philosophically on worrying, work and wanton solitude. He concedes that he actually didn't do this alone, as he had regular supply visits from his friend, Babe. A religious man, Babe worked to convert Proenneke to Christianity. While Proenneke treats Babe respectfully, it is an enlightening bonus to see how the nonconverted view evangelism (or at least one experience with it).I recommend this award-winning book. Books41559@blogcritics.org Thu, 29 Dec 2005 06:43:26 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/07/151942.php Richard J. RadcliffeWhile in law school, James Rogan interviewed with a law firm. The interviewer chastised him for violating the supposed "cardinal rule" of resumes&#8212he exceeded one page. When the interviewer questioned why the one page rule went unheeded, Mr. Rogan balled up the resume and threw it at him with an explanation."Because I didn't live a one page life."This anecdote (which did not lead to a job offer) fairly encapsulates James Rogan's Rough Edges: My Unlikely Road from Welfare to Washington. Mr. Rogan told the truth&#8212his maverick life cannot be reduced to a single page; in fact, his book spans 352 page-turning pages, and that's just getting started.While Congressman Rogan gained notoriety as one of the "managers" during Clinton's impeachment trial, the autobiography instead focused on Rogan's life prior to Congress. For those wondering how the book could be filled with interesting stories from before Mr. Rogan's entrance on the national stage, this book will surprise.Mr. Rogan details his hard, early life in the Mission District of San Francisco, which included welfare (as the title previews), and the death of his beloved grandfather who took him in, when his biological father wouldn't. The pages are full of childhood pranks that keep the reader laughing.The funny stories continued into his stints as a union organizer at a pizza parlor, as a bouncer and bartender (during law school), and thereafter. Mr. Rogan became a prosecutor in Los Angeles County and, as a result, the book provides amusing "war stories" from some of his trials.Then, when he became a judge, he details at least two unforgettable stories. First, when Mr. Rogan showed up in his (soon to be) courtroom in street clothes, the bailiff who did not know him or his position treated him extremely rudely because he deigned to wear a hat. When the bailiff found out that he had just treated his future boss so shabbily, he took early retirement.The second story involved a recalcitrant party who would not accept any punishment from Judge Rogan&#8212and said so in colorful language. Judge Rogan's restraint and charm under fire were something to behold. In fact, in this context, he mentioned that we was guided by his motto, "Always be charming." Not a bad one to live by.While Prosecutor/Judge/Congressman Rogan left his Clinton impeachment saga for another tome, he previewed Clinton's role in his life in this one. Mr. Rogan noted how Clinton was an early positive influence in his political career.Further, Mr. Rogan details two conversions. First, he reports his conversion to Christianity through a tape from Charles Colson, who in turn was converted after reading C.S. Lewis' masterpiece, Mere Christianity. Second, Mr. Rogan details how he converted from being Democrat to Republican in part through the influence of Ronald Reagan (who made a similar conversion).Impressed with the book, I wrote Congressman Rogan to compliment him. Ever the gentleman, he graciously responded with some kind words. He noted that he personally wrote the book&#8212no ghostwriter. This reality permeates the book&#8212it's personal and passionate.I heartily recommend. Ed/Pub:LisaM Edited: PC Books37552@blogcritics.org Fri, 7 Oct 2005 15:19:42 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/29/102650.php Richard J. RadcliffeThere oughtta be a law against it. Some people are just so talented.Neil Peart's cup runneth over. Not only is he arguably the greatest rock drummer (Rush), his lyrics often transcend genius. (Check out "Limelight" from Moving Pictures sometime.)Add to these nearly criminal talents an ability to turn a phrase in prose. Here's a descriptive example: "By mid-morning the heat had become an electric blanket, and even the trees appeared to droop over the roadway, wilting in the humid swelter."Mr. Peart's, The Masked Rider, Cycling in West Africa, constituted his first published effort as a prose writer. He chronicled his arduous bicycle trip with four others in Cameroon in 1988. The tour was billed as the "the most difficult bicycle tour on the market." After two years of marketing to North America, the guide could garner only four customers.Somewhat surprisingly, it was eight years before the book was published in 1996. The book offers his reflections as he interacted with the climate, culture, conditions and companions on the tour. It functions as a memoir, travel guide and autobiography.As to the latter, we learn that Mr. Peart was raised in a "nominally Protestant" family. He provides religious and philosophical reflections that might surprise. For example, he expressed how he was touched participating in a vespers service in a Catholic church in Africa.Also, he intersperses passages from Artistotle's Ethics, which he read while on the tour. He quotes from the timeless masterpiece thusly: "Every rational activity aims at some end or good."Then, he opines: I might have stopped right there. That statement alone could give me enough to think about for the whole trip. If not for a whole life....Okay, what is "good"? ...I knew that Aristotle considered the highest good to be happiness. That helps. So every rational activity should aim at happiness. That makes sense. Let's try the second sentence. But what&#8212is it always true? Reading Aristotle, for example, certainly one of the most rational of activities, does that really aim at happiness? Enlightenment; stimulation; distraction; hopefully education&#8212are these happiness? Ah, no. But they aim at happiness. Every word counts.Mysteriously, this type of philosophical rumination occurs mostly in the first half of the book. He appeared to lose interest in engaging in this type of cogitation as the book unfolded. Instead, he would return to almost unidimentional portrayals of his traveling companions. For example, he traveled with "The Complainer." He spared no space reminding the reader of her constant harangues. Perhaps he did this to make the reader as weary as he was enduring it in real time. He nearly succeeded.In sum, the book demonstrates a gifted thinker and writer giving a glimpse into his unusual life. I recommend it. Ed/Pub:NB Edited: PC Books37048@blogcritics.org Thu, 29 Sep 2005 10:26:50 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/21/090616.php Richard J. RadcliffeI love documentaries.At least, good ones, like Hoop Dreams, Roger & Me, Stevie and Startup.com.I pulled in another worthy documentary over the Labor Day weekend: Grizzly Man.This movie chronicles the story of Timothy Treadwell. Without any weapon, Mr. Treadwell lived among bears in a remote part of Alaska for 13 summers. He recorded his interactions with them on video. He named them, and talked to them like friends. In the off-season, he traveled to schools to show his footage to children without charge.Mr. Treadwell gained a level of notoriety; he appeared on David Letterman's show once. However, he became a news item when a bear fatally mauled him and a companion in the Alaskan wilderness in 2003.The film operates on two levels. On the surface, his remarkable footage gifts the movie with the quality of a unique nature documentary. The movie is replete with up close and personal images of bears in their habitat.On a deeper and more complex level, the movie presents a psychological study of Mr. Treadwell. About half way in, the movie elucidates Mr. Treadwell's life leading up to his unconventional decision to go to Alaska and live like bears.The movie reveals that he had a substance abuse problem; he describes it as alcohol. Some said he struggled with other drugs. One explained that Mr. Treadwell spiraled downward when he lost out to Woody Harrelson for the bartender role on Cheers. Mr. Treadwell reported that he tried everything else to free himself from the grip of addiction, and only gave it up when he gave his life to the animals.In this interview, he makes a telling confession: the animals give his life meaning and purpose. Several times he remarks that he is not a religious person (but he did pray to whoever would listen for rain for the animals).Mr. Treadwell was a complex and diverse personality. The movie reflects this reality because it is not totally laudatory. In fact, it distances itself from some of his beliefs, and includes some unflattering footage. Nevertheless, the movie is generally sympathetic to this man who was so passionate about what he was doing that he would risk death to save those who could kill him.I'll conclude with an aside concerning Orange County, California. I saw the movie in an Irvine theater. Unexpectedly, one of his close friends mentioned in the film that she met him when they worked at Gulliver's restaurant--around the corner in Irvine. He also worked just up the road at the Queen Mary in Long Beach.Grizzly Man receives a B+. Video35859@blogcritics.org Wed, 21 Sep 2005 09:06:16 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/06/080053.php Richard J. RadcliffeAre three times a fluke?Jeffrey S. Young and William L. Simon don't think so. Writing iCon Steve Jobs, they explore Steve Jobs' ascendancy in three highly competitive fields: computers (Apple), movies (Pixar), and music (iPod/iTunes).While it's true that these fields overlap, it is beyond legitimate cavil that Jobs has shaped these fields. For that multifaceted achievement, one must be impressed. The authors are. However, they cannot decide if Jobs is a positive figure.The book alternates between laudatory language that would make some publicists blush, and punishing portrayals. However, this dichotomous mode carries their message of contradiction. They argue that Jobs is that oxymoron&#8212a selfless humanitarian and a self-involved, ruthless leader.This two-faced portrait is foreshadowed in the title. Through creative capitalization, "iCon" carries a double meaning (especially when viewed in the context of the pages that follow). Is Jobs a business icon who has achieved the "Greatest Second Act in the History of Business"? Or, is the small "i" to distinguish it from the "con" so that they are a personal pronoun and verb in the context of an "act"?After reading the text, I can't decide the authors' ultimate conclusion. They appear content to let both images linger. Edited, Pub: PC Books35447@blogcritics.org Tue, 6 Sep 2005 08:00:53 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/06/11/165721.php Richard J. RadcliffeWhat's the mark of a good movie?Emotionally affecting? Thought-provoking? Engaging story?If you believe all or some of these are hallmarks of a good film, I recommend Stevie (2003), which I saw on DVD. Stevie is a documentary crafted by a maker of another compelling movie, Hoop Dreams (1994), Steve James. The title, Stevie, is not a self-aggrandizing reference to Mr. James. Rather, the title refers to Stevie Fielding.1. Synopsis.Stevie Fielding was a troubled 11 year-old, raised by his step-grandmother, when Steve James became his Advocate Big Brother in the early 1980s. The two Steves lost touch when James relocated to Chicago to begin a film career in 1985. Ten years later, James visited Stevie with cameras in tow. At the start of the film, James sought to learn what had happened to Stevie over the previous ten years and also to understand the forces that had shaped him. During filming, however, Stevie was arrested and charged with a serious crime. As a result, the scope of the movie expanded into an over four year chronicle of Stevie, his broken family, the criminal justice system and the filmmaker, as they all dealt with what Stevie has done and who he has become.2. Reactions.If you are a human being, I don't see how this movie could leave you unaffected. The movie elicits tremendous sympathy and compassion for a troubled person, whose life circumstances cannot excuse what he has done, but they do provide an unsettling context to ponder.The film also provides an interesting religious dimension. Religion is portrayed mostly positively. First, Stevie revisits a couple who cared for him as foster parents before his life came apart. They showed him unconditional love, even after all those years and his confessions of a long criminal history. Stevie responded extremely well to them, who were obviously believers. A reconciliation theme runs through the movie. Religion provides an impetus for reconciliations, including with his mother, and his relationship with God. In fact, Steve is baptized in the movie. The director (Steve James) even remarked to Stevie that he saw his softening to religion as a reason for hope when he mostly lost all hope for Stevie.Finally, once again, this movie provides a disturbing insight into how the criminal legal system deals with poor people (much like Aileen: Life and Death of Serial Killer (2003), who was the subject of Monster). You'll meet Stevie's public defender, you'll witness an appellate court argument in his case, and see Stevie deal with his options such as a plea bargain that would have set him free, sentencing and incarceration.Stevie receives an "A-". Video30878@blogcritics.org Sat, 11 Jun 2005 16:57:21 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/06/09/222438.php Richard J. RadcliffeUltramarathon Man: Confessions of a Midnight Runner (2005) by Dean Karnazes is the best of the cluster of books I have just finished.In terms of sheer entertainment value, Ultramarathon Man is the best I've read in the past few years.If you like Jon Kraukauer's fare of adventure stories (e.g., Into Thin Air, Into the Wild, and Eiger Dreams), this book fits nicely within that niche. However, you don't have to be a sports fan or even a runner to appreciate it.This autobiography chronicles Mr. Karnazes' amazing feats of endurance, and places it within the broader context of his interesting life, including a full-time job and family.Just when you think he cannot possibly top his last feat, he will surprise you. He takes the reader into his world of ultramarathon running, including the Western States 100, Badwater (135 miles from Death Valley to 8,000 feet up Mr. Whitney in the summer), a marathon to the South Pole without snow shoes, and "The Relay"&#8212a 199 mile race where Mr. Karnazes ran each leg. He was "Team Dean."One vignette that gives you a flavor of his unique narrative is his ordering and consuming a large pizza and cheesecake while running through the night and balancing the food boxes.Mr. Karnazes answers the "why" question that many readers may seek, but I enjoyed more his response to the "how" query.Three words: get it now. Books30801@blogcritics.org Thu, 9 Jun 2005 22:24:38 EDT