Jockey Full of Bourbon

world aids day 2009

nobody@vox.com(mariser) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:31:58 -0500

today is World Aids Day. remember. share. learn

World aids day 1

World aids day 3

World aids day 2

World aids day 4

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done

nobody@vox.com(mariser) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:39:14 -0500

did it.

Nablopomo 2009 did it

not without help

Nablopomo 2009 vader dit it

Nablopomo 2009 borat did it

thanks to all you stuck around for some or all (kzinti and val, I'm looking at you) of the month.

we now return to your not-everyday-necessarily-but-perhaps-so ramblings.

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thirty movies hath november - La battaglia de Algeri (1966)

nobody@vox.com(mariser) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:16:15 -0500

"The word "torture" doesn't appear in our orders. We've always spoken of interrogation as the only valid method in a police operation directed against unknown enemies. As for the NLF, they request that their members, in the event of capture, should maintain silence for twenty-four hours, and then they may talk. So, the organization has already had the time it needs to render any information useless. What type of interrogation should we choose, the one the courts use for a murder case, that drags on for months?

who said that?
(a) Dick Cheney
(b) Donald Rumsfeld
(c) Charles Graner
(d) George W. Bush
(e) none of the above

there is a reason why The Pentagon screened The battle of Algiers in 2003. the flyer for the screening read:

"How to win a battle against terrorism and lose the war of ideas.
Children shoot soldiers at point-blank range.
Women plant bombs in cafes.
Soon the entire Arab population builds to a mad fervor.
Sound familiar? The French have a plan. It succeeds tactically, but fails strategically.
To understand why, come to a rare showing of this film."

Battle of algiers poster

commissioned by the Algerian government, based on the memoirs of one of the rebel leaders, directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, scored by Ennio Morricone, The battle of Algiers is a riveting film.

The battle of Algiers - trailer

the movie chronicles the uprising of the Casbah, an episode in the Algerian war of independence. the uprising uses urban guerrilla tactics against the French authorities

The battle of Algiers - Guerrilla tactics

the local police is overwhelmed. soon, a battalion of French paratroopers arrive in Algiers with a plan and a strategy

The battle of Algiers - French strategy

Ben H'Midi, a leader of the uprising, is captured and brought in front of the press

The battle of Algiers - Asimmetrical war

I don't often talk about movie 'extras', but I'll make an exception for this movie. The Criterion release of Battle of Algiers consists of three discs: the movie is in the first one, the second has a long interview with director Pontecorvo and technical details of the film, the third goes into questions of warfare and national security. all three discs are must-watch.

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thirty movies hath november - The treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

nobody@vox.com(mariser) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:37:01 -0500

you don't have to spend too long in teh internets to find tons of accolades for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre:
John Huston's greatest film!; a triumph; Bogart's finest role; Walter Huston is a revelation; and so on.

the powers that be agreed: Treasure... won three Oscars and was nominated for Best Picture.

all that praise misses one thing. the one thing that makes Treasure... special

Fred c dobbs

Fred C. Dobbs

the greatest character (and character name) in movies. self-delusional, to boot:

Dobbs: "Nobody puts one over on Fred C. Dobbs.”

trailer

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre trailer (1948)

" I know what gold does to men souls"

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - I know what gold does to men souls

don't you love foreshadowing?

one of the greatest dialogues in American film. referenced in dozens if not hundreds of movies and TV shows:

Gold Hat: We are Federales... you know, the mounted police.
Dobbs: If you're the police, where are your badges?
Gold Hat: Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!

check it

Treasure of the Sierra Madre - Stinking Badges

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thirty movies hath november - Three Kings (1999)

nobody@vox.com(mariser) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:04:18 -0500

Three Kings takes place in a far away place a long time ago: Iraq and 1991. the (first) Gulf war has just ended officially but there is still much chaos on the ground. as American soldiers disarm some surrendering Iraqi soldiers, the American soldiers find a document.

a war movie that is a heist movie that is a comedy movie.
a sharp critique of Bush I war, its victims, and those who became victims after the war.

great dialogue. check

"Archie Gates: Sit down. What do you see here?
Chief Elgin: Bunkers, sir.
Archie Gates: What's in them?
Troy Barlow: Stuff they stole from Kuwait.
Archie Gates: Bullshit. I'm talking about millions in Kuwaiti bullion.
Conrad Vig: You mean them little cubes you put in hot water to make soup?
Archie Gates: No, not the little cubes you put in hot water to make soup. ”

trailer

THREE KINGS - Trailer - HQ

we have all wondered how cows manage during wartime

Three Kings - cows and war

what a gunshot does. NOTE: this kind of scene is commonplace now in CSI shows and others. but this was the first

Three Kings - gunshot wound scene

a great, funny movie. 'tis sad to consider that at the time it was made, the Gulf war was a fast receding memory

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thirty movies hath november - Crumb (1994)

nobody@vox.com(mariser) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:01:20 -0500

WEIRD SEX – OBSESSION – COMIC BOOKS

instead of a tagline it looks like an equation, no? weird sex + obsession = comic books
and it could easily be, if your subject is R. Crumb

Crumb_Movie_Poster

its been about 15 years, and Crumb remains remarkable for its candid approach to documentary biography..
R. Crumb, his wives (current and ex-), children, mother, brothers (his two sisters refuse to participate), friends, girlfriends, all agreed to sit with writer/producer/director Terry Zwigoff.
what results if a portrait of the artist as a deeply fucked up man from a deeply dysfunctional family - yet the most touching moments focus on R.'s older brother, Charles, profoundly psychotic and unable to leave his mother's house. as the brothers talk, we see some of the drawings and comix they made while growing up; and we see that Charles was by far the most talented. 'tis heartbreaking to watch.

clipx

Crumb (1994) - trailer

Crumb (1994) - "a short history of America"

Crumb (1994) - "I listen to old music"

I have a personal mystery about Crumb: when we went to watch the movie, the concessions stand was selling Devil Girl choco-bars with a wrapper designed by the man himself. I kept that bar for years, and one day it just *vanished*.
no one would admit eating or stealing it. it remains a mystery.

Devil girl choco- bar

Devil girl is bad for you because

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thirty movies hath november: South Park: Bigger, longer and uncut (1999)

nobody@vox.com(mariser) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:30:49 -0500

it was like the 7th time I looked at the DVD cover that I *got* the "bigger, longer and uncut" part. [hangs head in shame]. considering the battles M. Parker and Stone had with the MPAA, it's surprising they allowed that bit to stay.

musical numbers, animation, war, satire, 'social issues', death, the afterlife all tied up in a ribbon = SP: B, L, U

excessive profanity? yes, please

trailer

South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut

"Uncle Fucker" from Asses on Fire

Uncle Fucker Scene

the school is concerned

South Park- Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny at Mr. Mackie's office

who to blame, who to blame...
of course!

South Park Songs - Blame Canada

(is not like it's a real country anyways)

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happy turkeymas, y'all!

nobody@vox.com(mariser) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:42:34 -0500

remember: if you is not overeating, you iz doing it rong.

we'll be heading out to the hinterlands ( hinterlands = dial-up connection) here in a bit, so see ya when we get back to the land of plenty and DSL.

this is what I'm hoping for:

I'm hoping it for y'all too.

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thirty movies hath november - Once were warriors (1994)

nobody@vox.com(mariser) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:14:09 -0500

Once were warriors is a New Zealand movie, notable among other things for the number of Maori people involved in its production - the director, Lee Tamahori, the entire cast. the movie was very successful in New Zealand and got recognition around the world.
based on the 1980 novel of the same name, Once... narrates the struggles of a family living in Auckland. not quite living in poverty but getting there, the father, Jake Haka, has lost his job and spends most days and nights drinking at the pub. his wife, Beth, is the usual victim of Jake's rages. each of the children is getting lost in their own way. it takes a series of incidents, up to a tragic one, for Beth to finally decide to leave Jake and take the children back with her to the Maori village she's from.
the movie is remarkable for its representation of the violence in the Haka household, the alienation of the Maori from the majority white society, the efforts of some to use traditional Maori history and customs to instill pride and responsibility on the young men.

trailer

ONCE WERE WARRIORS - Trailer (French subtitles)

Jake, Jake the Muss

Once Were Warriors - Jake, Jake the Muss

you think your fist is your weapon?

Once Were Warriors - You think your fist is your weapon?

the soundtrack uses traditional Maori songs alongside modern Maori sounds. an example of the later is What's the time Mr. Wolf?

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thirty movies hath november - Olympia (1938)

nobody@vox.com(mariser) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:04:39 -0500

Olympia is Leni Reifenstahl documentary of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. it was released in two parts: Olympia Fest der Volker (Olympia Part One Festival of Nations) and Olympia Fest der Schonheist (Olympia Part Two Festival of Beauty)

Olympia was controversial from its release - and with reason. funded by the Nazi party Propaganda arm, and even with no overt Nazi content per se, the images of greater-than-life godlike athletes have been interpreted as supporting the 'superior race'. Frau Reifenstahl herself always denied any overt or covert Nazi alliances.

a very good documentary on Frau Reifenstahl's life and work is The wonderful horrible life of Leni Riefenstahl; in addition to exploring the Nazi question, The wonderful... also delves on the reasons why Riefenstahl is one of the great directors of the 20th century and the innovations she brought to film: the sudden cut, extreme close-ups, cameras on rails to pan over distances, an editing craftwomanship never seen before and rarely after her time.

clippens

the prologue to part one of Olympia, which takes place in Greece. the music is by Vangelis and added later

Olympia (Prologue) - Leni Riefenstahl & Vangelis

again from part one, the running of the Olympic torch to the stadium

Excerpt from "Olympia" (1938) - torch into stadium

btw: while the lighting of the Olympic flame at the stadium began for the modern games at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, the whole shebang of lighting the torch in Greece and running it to the stadium through different countries and all that was invented for the 1936 Berlin Olympics. this one. ....the more you know

towards the end of part two. the fantastic diving sequence. breathtaking

Riefenstahl- Olympia Diving Sequence

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