Baron Dave Romm
The Dark Knight
By Baron Dave Romm
Shockwave Radio Theater podcasts
Summer schedule for Baron Dave's column
This is my busy season, in terms of non-paying jobs that will take up a lot of my time. My weekly columns for Bartcop-E will suffer, I'm afraid. This week is short. The next three weeks are likely to be Minnesota Fringe Festival Reviews, basically the same ones as posted on their website and/or my LiveJournal. After that, I have to pay more attention to the Republican National Convention and the hoopla on both sides of it.
I may not have time to do a regular column here until mid-September. And if something breaks politically I may just send in a column any day. No promises. I'll let Marty know.
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The Dark Knight: SPOILERS and a heavy-handed analogy
I didn't like it. To be sure, there was much to like, and if you go you'll have a rollicking time for most of the movie. But ultimately, it disappoints.
Some have compared the Batman of The Dark Knight to George W. Bush. They probably mean it as a compliment. I agree, but for different reasons. By the end of the movie Batman has lost. Law enforcement is in shambles and has no morals. The justice system has been completely compromised. The bad guys are running Gotham City. Almost everyone Bruce Wayne/Batman loves and admires died a grisly death. Batman ends up lying to everyone for the wrong reasons, and his closest friend ends up lying to him. The Joker is still alive and will probably commit more mayhem.
George W. Bush has equally failed.
The Dark Knight just doesn't seem like a Batman movie. The essence of Batman is his obsessions, and how he conquers villains who have their own obsessions. In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne is obsessed with making sure that no one has to suffer the effects of crime like he did. He hates guns and violence against innocents. He conquers his main fear, bats, to create fear in others. A true Batman story is about redemption. There is no redemption in The Dark Knight. There's barely a Batman in The Dark Knight. He does precious little detective work, doesn't brood, and spends the entire movie reacting to events, not creating them. I don't mind a dark movie, but I hate movies where the bad guys win.
The Dark Knightis superbly put together, but doesn't work for me. There are crimes but no myth. Violence but no consequence. Hope but no redemption. Perhaps daubs of these things are spackled throughout, but the clear winner in the movie is the Joker. He gets everything he wants and no one else gets anything they want. That's not a Batman tale. Allowing for the heavy-handed analogy, it's a better recap of the miserable failure of the Bush administration.Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
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TODAY!
Erin Hart
Please join Erin Hart as she fills in on the afternoon drive on AM760 Progressive Talk in Denver
all this week (except Thursday) from 3pm to 6pm (pdt) | 4pm to 7pm (mdt) | 5pm to 8pm (cdt) | 6pm to 9pm (edt).
Senator John McCain, visits Colorado and the Dalai Lama in Aspen. He dared Obama to go abroad and now complains. . . .
Senator Barack Obama looks more and more like a Commander in Chief as he rocks the houses of Europe; and does very well in Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
Did Obama's trip increase his stature? It must have, because attacks coming out of the McShame camp sound truly pathetic.
Is McCain REALLY gaining in the polls in CO and other battleground states, and what does that mean at this stage?
Will the U.S. House of Representative hearings on GW Bush's whacking of executive power make any difference?
For more information check out Erin Hart Show
Held Over
The Monday Poll Poll
The current question:
Last Sunday in an interview with CBS, Senator Obama said that an increase in troops, "...two Brigades, perhaps three..." is necessary in Afghanistan. Are you in favor of that escalation? (three brigades is approximately 15,000 soldiers)
Due to little response (4) gonna hold over the poll for a day or two. Maybe some people watched the Sunday talk shows and saw Obama speak on the issue of the question, formed a solid opinion either way and will respond to make this interesting. We need more than 4 answers!
Fresh poll questions appear on Monday and Thursday, with Monday's results on Thursday, and Thursday's results on Monday. Might even have some charts and graphs.
Send your response, and a (short) reason why, to BadToTheBoneBob ( BCEpoll 'at' aol.com )
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Tim Harford: But My Neighbor Has a Cell Phone (slate.com)
FINALLY, A SENSIBLE WAY TO MEASURE POVERTY.
Nat Hentoff: What's Wrong with WNYC? (villagevoice.com)
Listeners, including this one, miss the fiery To the Point
DAVID SIROTA: Six Little Words (creators.com)
History books teem with six-word phrases, from the comforting ("Nothing to fear but fear itself") to the inspiring ("Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall") to the embarrassing ("Read my lips, no new taxes").
Froma Harrop: Tomatoes and Their Bad Rap (creators.com)
"Which office do I go to to get my reputation back?" former Labor Secretary Ray Donovan famously asked after being indicted for mob-related larceny and fraud, and then acquitted of the charges.
Emily Bazelon: "I'm Gonna Take a Leak" (slate.com)
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MY SONS WENT TO AN ALL-BOY DAY CAMP.
Susan Estrich: Children in the Middle (creators.com)
Good news. Britney and K-Fed have a settlement!
Punk was an ideology, not just a sound (guardian.co.uk)
My new radio plays got me thinking about what punk meant, and it had little to do with Greek folk dancing, says Frank Cottrell Boyce.
Glutton for punishment (guardian.co.uk)
In 1979, music critic Dave Simpson went to a gig that changed his life. If he saw that same band now, would the magic still be there?
Dan Weiss: 10 Questions for Katy Perry, Who Is Definitely Not, Like, Strung Out and Doing Centerfolds (villagevoice.com)
As far my political stance goes, I really believe in integrity and character in living your life with that in everything you do. It doesn't matter who you love, as long as you do that with integrity.
EVAN SAWDEY: "NOW HEAR THIS!: Joe Purdy [Lowell, Arkansas]" (popmatters.com)
Know it or not, odds are you've heard Joe Purdy's music on television -- but there's nothing commercial about this artist. Eschewing the lures and traps of the music industry, Purdy is blazing his own path simply for the love of song.
Michael Fortes: A Chat with Chris Robley (bullz-eye.com)
(On affecting a fan's major life change) "She came up at another show and said that he and his wife were listening to it as they drove home that night and realized that there was no point in continuing their marriage."
John McCain: Unstraight Talk (youtube.com)
Joe Purdy: Lots of Streaming Music (joepurdy.com)
Reader Suggestion
more stuff
found this on yahoo
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Testimonial
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BartCop Entertainment!
Marty let's us link to so many informative items!!!!
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Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and pleasant.
Board Backs Negotiators
Screen Actors
The board of the major union for U.S. film and television actors has backed its negotiators' demands to cover Internet-related work, signaling that contract talks with Hollywood's studios may remain stalled for weeks.
In talks that reached a stalemate this month, negotiators for the Screen Actors Guild, representing 120,000 performers, have demanded that work distributed on the Internet be covered by a SAG contract, and late on Saturday SAG's national board voted 68-0 in favor of a resolution reaffirming that idea.
SAG's National Board of Directors adopted the resolution stating a "core principle" of the guild is that "no non-union work shall be authorized to be done under any (SAG) agreement and that all work under a (SAG) contract, regardless of budget level, shall receive fair compensation when reused."
Screen Actors
Memorabilia For Sale
Rosa Parks
The personal archive of belongings of the late African-American civil rights hero Rosa Parks has been put on sale by Guernsey's, the auction house said Saturday.
"The archive includes thousands of items -- ranging from Mrs Parks' schoolbooks to her Congressional Gold Medal," said Guernsey's, which in the past has sold memorabilia belonging to John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley and from the sunken ocean liner Titanic.
A Michigan court chose Guernsey's for the sale, the proceeds of which will be divided between the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development and the Parks family, the auction house said.
Rosa Parks
BLM Auctions Online
Wild Horses
The Bureau of Land Management is running an online adoption of wild horses through July 30 in the ongoing effort to curb the burgeoning population of these surprisingly widespread beasts.
The creatures, which roam 10 Western states in 200 herds, have no natural predators and are protected by the federal government, resulting in "significant increases" in population, the BLM reports.
The BLM regularly runs in-person adoption events around the country. From 1971 through this June, more than 235,000 wild horses and burros have been adopted.
The adoption program, which requires a person meet several criteria related to animal care and shelter facilities, is explained here.
Wild Horses
Wedding News
Siebel - Newsom
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom took a break from his busy job and gubernatorial ambitions to marry actress Jennifer Siebel on Saturday at Siebel's parents' Montana ranch.
It is the 34-year-old Siebel's first marriage and the second for Newsom, who divorced legal analyst Kimberly Guilfoyle in March 2006.
Newsom met Siebel in October 2006 and they have been together ever since. Siebel was at Newsom's side when he was sworn in for his second term as mayor in January. She also stood by him after he publicly admitted to having had an affair with a staff member's wife and a drinking problem.
Siebel - Newsom
Opens His Last Bayreuth Festival
Wolfgang Wagner
Veteran opera director Wolfgang Wagner welcomed guests to his last Bayreuth festival Friday, walking on the arm of his youngest daughter - a leading contender to replace him after a 57-year reign and a prolonged struggle over his successor.
Wagner, the 88-year-old grandson of composer Richard Wagner, briefly greeted bystanders along with his 30-year-old daughter Katharina outside the Festspielhaus before the opening of the annual celebration.
Wolfgang Wagner and his brother, Wieland, took charge of the festival in 1951. After Wieland's death, Wolfgang became the sole director in 1967.
Wagner announced in late April that he would quit the director's post at the end of August. He had previously indicated that he would like to see Katharina replace him, but noted a co-leadership with her half-sister Eva Wagner-Pasquier, 63, was also possible.
Wolfgang Wagner
Injured & Arrested
Shia LaBeouf
"Indiana Jones" star Shia LaBeouf was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Sunday after an early morning car accident in which he was injured, police said.
LaBeouf was the driver of a vehicle that was involved in a 3 a.m. collision in Hollywood, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Scott Wolf said.
LaBeouf was being treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for injuries to his head, left hand and knee, Wolf said. A female passenger in LaBeouf's car and the driver of the other vehicle were not seriously injured.
Shia LaBeouf
Shocking! FCC Poised To Do Job
Comcast
A majority of members of the Federal Communications Commission have cast votes in favor of punishing Comcast Corp. for blocking subscribers' Internet traffic, an agency official said Friday.
Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, was accused of violating agency principles that guarantee customers open access to the Internet.
Three commissioners have voted in favor of an order reaching agreement with the finding, enough for a majority on the five-member commission. But the decision will not be final until all five members have cast their votes. The commission is scheduled to take up the issue at its Aug. 1 meeting.
Comcast
Mercenaries By Another Name
Blackwater
Erik Prince gets his guests to the runway seconds before the turboprop's approach. The financiers hop out of his black Chevy Suburban and gawk as the pilots drop a pair of packages that float to within feet of their target - just as they might on a mission for Blackwater Worldwide in the Afghan backcountry.
His audience is captivated by the show, but the Blackwater founder and CEO focuses on a seemingly minor detail: the parachutes.
"They're made out of the same stuff sandbags are made out of," Prince tells the group in hurried, staccato sentences. "They are truly disposable. The normal parachutes you put a human out under are much more expensive. With these, you can use them, repack them. It's very cheap."
Then it's back in the Suburban - a "sub" in Blackwater talk - as Prince speeds the investors off to their next stop on the tour of Blackwater's campus in the North Carolina swamplands. This is life at Prince's Blackwater: the glitz of business, the grit of military.
Blackwater
My District
Laura Richardson
A California Congresswoman who lost her home to foreclosure may be getting it back.
The Torrance Daily Breeze says a broker has dropped his lawsuit against Laura Richardson and her lender. James York bought Richardson's Sacramento home at auction in May after she failed to make mortgage payments.
He sued after her lender, Washington Mutual, rescinded the foreclosure.
Richardson also has been in arrears on two other homes.
Laura Richardson
She has defaulted on 5 home loans (on 3 properties) in the last year.
Mother Of Fallen Soldier Victim Of IndyMac
Elaine Lopez
The human cost of the failure of IndyMac Bank is visible at a home in suburban Whittier, where the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq is worried she is going to lose some of his insurance money because the payment exceeded federal bank insurance, it was reported Sunday.
Elaine Lopez lost her son, Army Spc. Marcelino Corniel, to a mortar attack in Iraq on New Year's Eve 2005. She put his $370,000 life insurance benefit into an account at IndyMac, which apparently was insured to $250,000 by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Whittier Daily News reported.
According to Lopez, bank officials have told her the $120,000 above the insured amount, plus any interest the total amount has earned, is not federally-insured, and the FDIC is paying it off right now at 50 cents on the dollar.
She is angry that the bank told her, in the days leading up to the July 11 federal takeover, that her accounts were structured in a way that guaranteed federal insurance coverage. She said she was willing to pay interest penalties to move the accounts if necessary, she told the paper.
The accounts were scheduled to mature just four days after the bank failed.
Elaine Lopez
Special Delivery For UPS Driver
Jeff Hornagold
Jeff Hornagold loved being a UPS driver.
So when the suburban Chicago man died this week of lung cancer, longtime co-worker Michael McGowan agreed to take him on one last delivery.
McGowan transported Hornagold's body from Davenport Family Funeral Home to Saturday's funeral services in his UPS truck.
Hornagold was a UPS driver for 20 years, and his wife Judy Hornagold described him as "just the happiest UPS man alive."
Jeff Hornagold
Weekend Box Office
'Dark Knight'
"The Dark Knight" continues to obliterate box office records, crossing the $300 million mark in just 10 days.
"The Dark Knight" could pass "Titanic" as the highest-grossing film in U.S. history, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. James Cameron's 1997 extravaganza made $600,788,188 domestically, a record no other movie has come close to touching.
Coming in second place was "Step Brothers," which had a strong opening of its own with $30 million. The comedy reunites Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, co-stars of "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," as 40-year-olds who've never left home and are forced to share a bedroom when their parents get married.
The weekend's other big release was "The X-Files: I Want to Believe," which made an estimated $10.2 million. Ten years after the first "X-Files" movie and six years since the pioneering sci-fi show went off the air, this latest installment finds Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) re-teaming to solve a missing-persons case.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Dark Knight," $75.63 million.
2. "Step Brothers," $30 million.
3. "Mamma Mia!" $17.9 million.
4. "The X-Files: I Want to Believe," $10.2 million.
5. "Journey to the Center of the Earth," $9.4 million.
6. "Hancock," $8.2 million.
7. "WALL-E," $6.3 million.
8. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," $4.9 million.
9. "Space Chimps," $4.4 million.
10. "Wanted," $2.7 million.
'Dark Knight'
In Memory
Youssef Chahine
Youssef Chahine, one of Egypt's most lauded movie directors whose films over nearly five decades often went on Fellini-esque flights of fancy and tackled social ills and Islamic fundamentalism, died Sunday in Cairo. He was 82 years old.
Chahine's eclectic work made him one of the few Egyptian directors to gain an audience abroad, particularly in Europe and France, where he won a lifetime achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.
At home, his films raised controversy for their frank portrayal of sexuality, their sharp criticism of political oppression and, in his later works, their denunciations of rising Islamic extremism in Egypt.
In 1994, a fundamentalist lawyer succeeded in getting a court to ban his film "The Emigrant" because its plot was based on the story of Joseph, found in the Bible and Quran. Most interpretations of Islam ban the depiction of prophets.
Chahine was born on Jan. 25, 1926 to a Christian family of Lebanese origin in Alexandria, the Mediterranean port known at the time as a cosmopolitan city, with large European and other foreign communities. Throughout his more than 40 films and documentaries, Chahine sought to recapture and defend the spirit of multicultural tolerance against the forces he saw undermining it - fundamentalism, dictatorship and imperialism.
Chahine grew up speaking French and English better than Arabic, and many of his films were French co-productions, bringing criticism by some at home that he was not Arab - or Egyptian - enough. But his early films became classics of social realism, giving gritty depictions of the lowest in Egyptian society. In his 1958 "Cairo Station," Chahine himself starred as Qenawi, a mentally retarded newspaper seller at Cairo's main railroad station, who becomes obsessed with a woman selling lemonade.
"The Land" in 1969, seen by some as his greatest film, told an epic story of peasant farmers and landowners struggling over land in the Nile Delta.
In his Alexandria Trilogy - "Alexandria, Why?", "An Egyptian Story," and "Alexandria Again and Forever" - Chahine turned autobiographical, recounting his childhood in his hometown, his love of Hollywood and his ambiguous feeling toward the United States, which he was drawn to but also saw as an overweening power. The 1978 "Alexandria, Why?" has a scene of the Statue of Liberty giving a sneering laugh at immigrants arriving in America.
His later films tackled Islamic conservativism. After the banning of "The Emigrant," Chahine responded with the historical film "Destiny," about the 12th Century Muslim philosopher Averroes, whose books were banned by extremists in the Islamic kingdom of Andalus in what is now Spain.
His last movie, 2007's "This is Chaos" - co-directed with his protégé Khaled Youssef - was a sharp criticism of the Egyptian government's crackdown on democracy activists, depicting a corrupt police officer who takes bribes and tortures his detainees.
Chahine is survived by his French wife Colette. He had no children.
Youssef Chahine
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