The Lion, the Switch, and the War Road

Edward Moore Kennedy was the third longest serving member in the history of the United States Senate.  Over 47 years of service he became recognized as a fighter for “the little guy” be it through civil rights, Title 9, education, Medicare, or personally meeting with individuals writing to him out of need.  He was called by President Barack Obama “the greatest United States Senator of our time.” 

Teddy Kennedy was an admitted alcohol abuser and womanizer who in 1969 caused in a fatal traffic accident that went unreported until the next morning.

Ted Kennedy was a human being; with all the flaws, faults and greatness inherent to us all.

First elected to fill his brother’s seat after the elder was elected president the youngest of the Kennedy brothers faced criticism that he was riding on his fraternal coattails.  While it was his family that guided many of his policies, from two of his own children battling cancer to the assassination of two brothers, he built his reputation through work, communication, intelligence, and sheer conviction. 

While the latest generation of politicians position themselves as holier-than-thou paragons of incorruptible moral fortitude, Kennedy redeemed his personal demons everyday by working to make his nation better for everyone, not just those of similar demographic or dogma.  Yet if Kennedy were a young senator today, running as a would-be freshman against a republican incumbent, it is those demons which would prevent the greatest senator of our time from being elected.  This is the hypocrisy of politicians who have set personal standards of conduct so rigid that even they can’t honor them, but demand it of all others.  Kennedy was not a perfect human being, but he never needed to be, and he never claimed to be.

In a time when a “CEO president” runs up record debt through an unjust and manipulated war, generating billions in revenue for his corporate cronies and creating the ideal conditions for economy collapse while claiming that his every action is ordained through divinity, Kennedy honored his convictions by acting upon them.  He was one of the few who refused to railroaded by lies and fear into sending middle and lower class children to die in for profit, re-election, and some misguided notion of a holy war. 

In a time when Mark Foley, Richard Ensign, Mark Sanford, and Larry Craig are given leadership positions by flaunting their untouchable scruples and zealousness, Kennedy was a flawed human being trading on policies and effort, who did more than merely speak about his beliefs without living them.  Thus when the “family values” crowd inevitably fall, failing to meet the standards they personally introduced as their sole raison d’être, Kennedy continued working for betterment.  Of himself.  Of his nation.  Of everyone.  Perfection was never demanded of him because he never claimed to have attained it.

In recent months former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has contributed part of her failed tenure to the media hounding her family.  Yet the moment before she stepped onto the national stage her running mate touted that the country would “fall in love with her story” and when her moment the very first image was of her, her husband, her soon-to-be war-bound son, and her unwed, pregnant, teenage daughter carrying her youngest, learning-disabled child.  It was her choice to drag her family into the political arena, thus when the battle began they were locked into the crossfire.  Kennedy might have been the beneficiary of a reliable political name, but he did not make being a Kennedy, or a father, or a grandfather, into his only qualification.  He did not turn every uttered sentence into a noun, a verb, and his two brothers.

In 47 years Ted Kennedy has been a reliable target for right-wing attacks and fundraisers.  He has been mocked, parodied, threatened, and his passing is no doubt causing raucous and odious celebrations for Rush Limbaugh and his listeners who pride themselves for a lack of original thought (which would be the literal meaning of “dittohead”).  Through it all he emerged as the most widely respected, most recognized, most reliable senator of our time. 

Yet today, if he were not the liberal lion that he had become recognized as, this hard-drinking, mistake-making, relentlessly humane and caring fighter would have likely lost in many districts throughout the nation to a bible-thumbing, gay-bashing, xenophobic pseudo patriot – who two years later would have been convicted of soliciting a male police officer for a handjob in a public bathroom.

Ted Kennedy’s passing is not only the loss of a legendary political family whose potential will never be known, it is the continued loss of leaders who are not pre-destined for failure by claiming that they are flawless prophets birthed to provide morality and spiritual guidance, rather than being tireless servants working to benefit the lives of those who hired them.  When we put more credence in a politician’s personal conduct than we do their policies, we are damning ourselves to eternal disappointment.

Oh the places...

So many stories to tell.  So little time to tell them.  Hopefully I'll remember.

The 08 in 2008

2008 wasn’t such a great year for movies.  There were definite highlights (like the raise in quality of the comic book movie, a couple of career-defining performances) but most of the late-year “prestige” films looked too conventional, derivative, or just uninteresting.  While there are many films I didn’t see this year but outside of a couple with mixed reviews (Revolutionary Road) and a few documentaries (Man on Wire) most of what interested me has been viewed.  So here are, in the opinion of the writer of an infrequently update blog, the best films of ‘08. (Reviews are based on my Flixster statements, if you’re not my friend on Facebook yet… well it might be too late because I’m thinking of erasing that account and starting again.)

08 – Iron Man

Upon repeated viewings a few dents emerge in Iron Man’s armor yet at its core this is a lovingly crafted, well-executed action movie that sets a very high standard for future Marvel Entertainment productions.  There are a few lulls in the action but considering the amount of story it has to tell (the Iron Man character dates back to 1963) a little exposition is excusable.  It still manages to peak at just the right time leaving the audience wishing there would be more.  Then there’s Robert Downey Jr. in his best performance of the year that wasn’t nominated for an Oscar (seriously, his performance in Tropic Thunder is outstanding, but even more outstanding is the fact he was nominated for it).  Without him, there is no Iron Man.  The sequel has a lot to live up to, but if Downey performs as he did in this film, his supporting cast could comprise entirely of sock puppets and it’ll still be worth seeing.

07 – Gran Torino

Eastwood has become a master of directing small movies with larger contexts, and this one is no different. It's his typical understated, slow boil with a big ending, but an effective look at old prejudices, gender roles, and cultural differences. Eastwood's snarled dialogue is likely to leave everyone both offended and amused. A couple of the performances are a little weak (Thao, the priest) but there is still a nice emotional connection (especially Sue, loved her). It comes dangerously close to becoming an old-white-man-makes-everything-right story, but beneath the rough and racist dialogue there's a real care and respect for the characters not as members of a group but as individuals. Eastwood's decision to use a song with his gruff and identifiable voice at the end unfortunately lessens the effect of the final scene. Gran Torino may be nothing new, in fact the basic story could be from an after school special, but it’s powerfully told, surprisingly funny, and a fitting farewell to Eastwood’s onscreen persona.

06 – Vicky Christina Barcelona

Definitely a fantasy (and likely a male one considering the dude gets with all three women) but also an effecting look at what people want and don't want... and how what we want is never what we have. The entire motif, from location to music, is romantic and idyllic and should make the whole audience want to run off to Spain and create bad abstract art.  Perhaps the nature show-like narration was there to lend a certain objective observation feel, but it would be interesting to be able to watch the movie without being told the information and instead seeing it on the screen for ourselves. This is not a particularly funny "comedy," and is a bit of a shaggy dog story, but it is nonetheless the very definition of a "lovely" film. Like Eastwood, Allen is experiencing a late-career renaissance (well Match Point, not so much Scoop), and this film is yet another wrinkle in his well-aging repertoire.

Oscar for choice Penelope Cruz as Best Supporting Actress (because she is great in this film… and because I haven’t seen any of the other performances).

05 – In Bruges

It’s astonishing just how good this film is.  In Bruges plays like where Guy Ritchie’s movies should have gone if he hadn’t detoured into self-parody, mediocrity and Swept Away.  What begins as a one-sided dark comedy steadily grows into a deeper and darker story while not losing its sense of absurdist humor.  It’s difficult to make despicable human beings likable, and yet this film manages to do exactly that with each of its main characters.  The reveal of the grand offense that kicks off the action isn’t terribly surprising but does lend a lot to defining the characters that pursue the action.  It’s only too bad that film didn’t get the same attention that Ritchie’s last couple have enjoyed, because it is easily up there in style, and much higher in substance, with films like Lock, Stock and Snatch.

Oscar choice for Best Original Screenplay (it’s too small to win, but great dialogue, great structure, great characters – all around great writing).

04 – The Wrestler

For the first time Aronofsky allows an actor to take the spotlight, and Mickey Rourke shines in it. Rourke's performance is worthy of all the accolades. His range of emotion, and the weight behind every expression show a man who has many regrets, wishes he could change them, but knows he will create more. The film perfectly reflects The Ram's dirty, broken world. If this is not the part Rourke was born to play then it is the role his choices and his life have shaped him into. While the story is at times dull and feels familiar from similar films, Randy thankfully doesn't undergo a miraculous redemption. Aronofsky’s uncharacteristically workman direction captures the gritty, jagged edges of these lives.  Just a well-crafted slice of working (albeit with uncommon jobs) life and the people who have broken themselves to live them.

Oscar choice for Mickey Rourke as Best Actor (anyone who has seen this knows why).

03 – Slumdog Millionaire

Beautifully filmed with times of tremendous energy, joy, heartbreak, and music that calls attention to itself more than most other films (but is still good). The story and question-flashback structure get a bit predictable, and drags slightly, but this is still one of the best made, most engaging films of 2008. Jamal works as an individual and not just a stand-in for all "third world" poor. When striped of the bells and whistles, the gimmicky narrative and structure, there is a very basic story at work, but it's the fancy stuff that makes it art. The biggest problem, for me personally, is one overly-dramatic scene at the end, and the dance sequence during the closing credits. I know it's a tribute to Bollywood, but the happy-happy dance (as nice as it is to see more of Freida Pinto) detracts from an elegant conclusion. I had to rush out before resentment grew. Beyond that, an excellent achievement.

Oscar choice for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay (check the calendar, 2008 was the year of the Slumdog, the academy is moving away from the typical epics and if the Golden Globes, the guilds awards for Actors, Directors, and Producers, and Wikipedia are any indication, this film has already won).

02 – Wall-E

While marketed as the next cute animated character (read: kiddie cartoon), there is actually a level of sophistication closer to Miyazaki than Disney: the silence of the first half hour, the subtle loneliness of Wall-e's existence, the satire of one large corporation running the lives of a human population so sedate they literally lose bone mass. The dialogue-free opening is more akin to Stanley Kubrick’s finest work than anything in Spielberg’s completion of A.I.  The only lingering complaint of Pixar's work is that humans retain a plastic look that distracts from the stunning world surrounding them, and as actual people appear with these puddles of goo (Fred Willard cameo!) it removes the viewer from an otherwise believable world. Still, it is a true sign of quality when an audience can grow to care for a pair of animated robot characters with a five word vocabulary between them. Hopefully more studios, not just Pixar, will learn that not every child-friendly film has to be made exclusively for infantile intellects.

Oscar choice for Best Animated Feature (because what else is there? Kung-Fu Panda? HA!)

01 – The Dark Knight

What is there to say about Dark Knight that hasn’t already been said a million times? Ledger is phenomenal, the action is a new standard, the story is intense, frightening and fascinating, and even the music is brilliant in its subtlety and absence.  One slight criticism is that Maggie Gyllenhaal, while an excellent actress, simply doesn’t have the look to pull off being billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne’s lifelong object d’amour.  In my opinion Christopher Nolan’s monumental achievement in directing a film that has such a tremendous and persistent atmosphere, one of the most memorable and frightening villains, substantive arthouse-style cinematography, and a music-free chase scene where a big rig flips completely over, is Oscar worthy.  The fact that he was not even nominated shows, in my opinion, a lack of respect to the sheer scope of such an undertaking.  Like with Scorsese’s snub for Gangs of New York, there should be a degree of difficulty added to a film like this.  Perhaps Nolan will be happy with his place in the top 5 of imdb’s all time list (for now) and being the second highest grossing film of all-time.

Oscar choice for Heath Ledger as Best Supporting Actor (simple, he earned it – with every frame, he earned it).

Previous years: 2007, 2005

Currently In Bruges By Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Mark Donovan, Ann Elsley see related

Hello

It seems only two friends of mine still post at all (and yes, I read them), but everyone seems gone.

Re-reading friends' posts from three to four years ago, it was fun.  Hopefully I can re-capture that eager, crackling creativity in some way.

The Projects

Submitting queries about the novel to agents; 11 since Monday, 3 rejections already, shooting for twenty submissions in the week.  And five stories to publications on the week. Only six in a month so far, with two rejections.

Writing and re-writing new and old poems for upcoming performances, the long-delayed chapbook, and possibly a CD of spoken word.

Started on a screenplay idea I've had for over ten years but has finally solidified into more than an idea.  It's not easy since the format is something I'm unfamiliar with, being prone to lengthy passages of description, and the story and characters are still being shaped.

As well, I have erased all video games and video game related content from my computer.  Streamlining distractions and tasks to what is most essential.  Although I still have a lot of access to movies and television shows.

Operating on very little sleep and some throat blockage.  My voice is still a little messed up and there are still no jobs, and no prospects for one.  But at least I'm being somewhat productive.

Currently Age of Iron By J. M. Coetzee see related