Stone Gets Wish, Thomas Makes Promise
Thursday, July 28, 2005
If the left is supposed to be the "rational alternative" to the theocrats on the right, we're in heap big trouble.
First, Oliver Stone apparently has come out of hiding for the first time since September 11, 2001 and, upon learning that we have invaded Iraq, plans to make a movie ostensibly about the Islamist atrocities, but which will undoubtedly really be about our invasion of Iraq.
From the horse's mouth: "There was an over-reaction after 9/11. Bush was given enormous powers and misused them. He created a war in Iraq that has further helped bust the economy, and has led to civil war there. He was the wrong leader at the wrong time. I always felt that. I wish I was wrong."
No one, apparently, has told Stone about Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. But then, remakes are all the rage in Hollywood these days.
And just when I thought the worst remake that could emerge from the bowels of Hollywood would be a new Soylent Green directed by Terry Zwigoff....
Next, we have Helen Thomas promising to buy the farm should Dick Cheney so much as announce a run for president! From Matt Drudge:
Veteran wire reporter Helen Thomas is vowing to 'kill herself' if Dick Cheney announces he is running for president.The burning question: Can Dick Cheney hold his tongue come next April Fool's Day? And the big followup: If he does announce a run, should we send the body to Canada, dead or alive? (This would, in the latter case, spare us from having two more liars, if we count the Veep.)
The newspaper [The Hill] first reported the startling claim on Thursday.
"The day Dick Cheney is going to run for president, I'll kill myself," she told the Hill. "All we need is one more liar."
Thomas added, "I think he'd like to run, but it would be a sad day for the country if he does."
It's no coincidence that so many on the left are involved in the entertainment industry!
-- CAV
7 comments:
Gus, where does the phrase "buy the farm" come from? I just read Starship Troopers and noticed that's use there. Is it Heinlein that originated it?
Felipe,
I'm not certain, but I think it refers to the inheritance/insurance money one might be worth dead. This agrees with what I found here. So someone dies and his heirs/beneficiaries can now afford to "buy the farm".
Gus
"And just when I thought the worst remake that could emerge from the bowels of Hollywood would be a new Soylent Green directed by Terry Zwigoff...."
You know, Gus, speaking of Terry Zwigoff, I actually like Ghost World. Now, a remake of Soylent Green directed by Roman Polanski and scripted by David Lynch, with Dennis Hopper in the leading role and Jack Nicholson as his wisecracking sidekick, and drawing freely from the oeuvres of Aleister Crowley and H.P. Lovecraft--that would be a remake to remark upon. Actually, I can see Aleister Crowley really getting into the whole Soylent Green thing...and the whole bowels of Hollywood thing, until he realized you were speaking figuratively. (The book Soylent Green was based on, Harry Harrison's Make Room! Make Room!, was rather better than the movie, but not even near the level of Harrison's best work. And a bit of trivia: I don't know if it was included in the movie, but in the book, Soylent was an abbreviation of soybean/lentil.)
Actually, I think the "soy" etymology does appear in the movie. I haven't seen it myself, but the resident hippie in the lab told me about the movie and mentioned it.
It's so bad I plan to watch it the next time I'm in a perverse enough mood.
On Lovecraft, my favorite of his is a short story that borders on self-satire. Two guys are investigating paranormal phenomena at a subterranean tomb. One goes in and the other stays at ground level to summon help if need be. They remain in contact via sound-powered phones.
After a long period of silence, the guy on top panics and desperately attempts to reestablish contact. Eventually, a monster's voice answers him with something like, "You fool! Can't you tell he's already dead?"
I played an RPG based on Lovecraft's works for a short time in college. Not bad -- except for the fact that your character would eventually go insane no matter what you did. That got old fast.
Gus
Oh yes, wasn't that story called "The Tomb"? Of course, that title would fit most of his stories. I'm particularly fond of "At the Mountains of Madness," or whatever it's called. It's lame as SF and lame as horror, I have to admit, but I still like it.
"It's so bad I plan to watch it the next time I'm in a perverse enough mood." I remember seeing Soylent Green when I was about 8. Even at age 8 I thought it was a silly little thing.
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