Seen any good movies lately?
UPDATE: So I went and saw “I Am Legend” last night. Not bad, but could have gone in a much more interesting direction. Visually an impressive film. Amusingly, one major scene takes place right on the block where I work (you see my office building as Will Smith drives by) – but sadly, I never saw the movie being filmed.
But as some folks in comments discuss, the real treat is the Batman trailer. I did not get to see the alleged six-minute version (grr!), but even the brief preview I saw made it look unbelievably freakin’ awesome. I cannot wait.
Notable User Diaries
- Plf515 offers a primer on polling. In another diary, plf takes a look at one particular formal model used to predict House election outcomes.
- They say you can’t tell the players without a scorecard. Fbihop has one for the fast-changing New Mexico political scene right here. Now, what did you want to tell the players?
- The worst thing, the very worst thing that Chrissy Shays has ever, ever seen in all his years in Congress? The absolute worst? Why, a bunch of ballplayers testifying about steroids. Tparty has the full story about the embarrassingly faint-hearted Republican from CT-04.
Was surprisingly better than I expected it to be. And I believe that Stardust is coming out on DVD soon. No one saw this… and it was AMAZING! I highly recommend it!
Didn’t really see anything different about it from the Director’s Cut, but it was great to finally see it on the big screen.
Went to the midnight showing on a whim thursday night, and it was surprisingly good. I would definently recommend it and I might even go see it again.
Congresswoman Julia Carson died from lung cancer this morning — the news is just breaking here. I’ll talk about the politics of this some other time.
is the dodd filibuster.
Finally, someone taking a stand
Saw the non-IMAX I Am Legend. It was alright, but I really liked the Dark Knight trailer a lot more.
During Thanksgiving break I saw No Country for Old Men by the Coen bros. I can see why this film has garnered so many raves and awards. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it win some Oscars.
However, three upcoming movies have me salivating:
Sweeney Todd: Tim Burton’s rendition of the Stephen Sondheim musical, starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, Alan Rickman, and Sacha Baron Cohen looks like a musical designed for those of us who can’t normally stand them. Plus, you get to hear Depp sing!
Charlie Wilson’s War: While it may not live up to people’s high expectations, I’ve been looking forward to this film for a long time. It’s based on the book of the same name and it tells how randy Congressman Charlie Wilson (played by Tom Hanks) joins forces with a rogue CIA agent (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and a Houston socialite (julia roberts) to help fund the mujahadeen geurillas fending off the Soviets in Afghanistan. Besides the cast, the movie is directed by Mike Nichols (The Graduate) and written by Aaron Sorkin (the West Wing).
Last but not least…There Will Be Blood: Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and based on Upton Sinclair’s Oil!, this films tells the story of oilman Daniel Plainview, his desire for more wealth and his clashes with a young, scheming minister. The clincher: Plainview is played by none other than DANIEL DAY-LEWIS. Judging from the trailer and reviews, Day-Lewis knocks this performance out of the park and may earn himself an Oscar for Best Actor.
That’s the way I would describe _Dan in Real Life_. I know, it’s been out for over a month already, but if you haven’t seen it, I suggest going. It’s not a scenery-chewing performance, but that’s the beauty of it– Steve Carell shows yet another side to his underrated versatile acting. The original soundtrack by Sondre Lerche is an instant classic. Plus, the film was shot in Newport, R.I., one of the most beautiful spots in this country. And the scene with Dane Cook and Norbert Leo Butz singing at the piano is worth the price of admission in and of itself!
Politics1 is reporting that Democratic Attorney General of Kansas, Paul Morrison, has resigned due to a sex scandal. I think Gov. Sebelius (D) gets to appoint the replacement but I am not sure.
Anyone else know any details about this?
KS Attorney General was a pick up for us in 2006 as was the Lt. Governor and KS-2. This could hurt us down the line in what was starting to be a state of promise once more. Morrison was a Republican until 2005.
Dodd filibuster? What is this madness? I must learn more?
That this becomes a mini-series that lasts for a week rather than becoming a pathetic one night made for tv movie (preferably not made by Sci-fi).
As Indianapolis prepares to say goodbye to Julia Carson in what is going to be one of the biggest funerals in the city’s history, the political wheels are turning to pick her replacement. We’re probably looking at a special election in late February or early March — Governor Daniels correctly has put off any announcement until after the funeral and burial on Saturday.
I’ve heard conflicting things about this (i.e. my apologies if I’m wrong!) but I’m almost positive there IS NOT going to be a party primary, but rather the candidates will be chosen in party caucus. I think this is a huge plus for our side, as a divisive (and potentially racially divisive) primary could have been difficult to overcome going into a special election. So note to party insiders — DON’T F$*?K it up!! My gut tells me that State Rep. Carolene Mays might be the best person to choose, both in terms of what kind of candidate and Congresswoman she’d be. But we’ll see.
On the Republican side, it almost certainly looks like 30 year old Jon Elrod, who has a whopping 1 session of service in the General Assembly behind him. Local businessman Eric Dickerson (a moderate black Republican who gave Julia a run for her money last time) has said he is definately not interested in running again — that’s good, because he could have been a tough candidate. Mays would be a good contrast to Elrod — several terms of legislative experience versus several weeks.
And I don’t think it’s at all disrespectful to talk about politics right now. In fact, Julia would probably not have it any other way. I can just hear her voice from the great beyond lecturing the Democratic candidate “Now, make sure to get a billboard over the north split for people to see when they’re stuck in traffic, and mingle with the lunch crowd at Judges BBQ, and hit the east side churches the week before the election, and …” 🙂