Month: March 2010

Saturday Night At The Movies

I owe my soles to the company store

By Dennis Hartley

Inside scoopers: Law and Whitaker in Repo Men

You could say that the new sci-fi action thriller Repo Men is a film with heart-as well as kidneys, livers, lungs and the odd spleen. David Cronenberg meets John Woo at the corner of Brazil and Logan’s Run in this dystopian vision of a near-future in which mind-blowing, life-extending high-tech advancements in organ replacement have become available to all. Teabaggers needn’t panic-it’s not part of a government-sponsored health care plan being shoved down anyone’s throat; as long as you flash a valid credit card, with a low down payment and EZ installment plan, you too can be the happy recipient of a shiny new mechanical bladder (hopefully bereft of any “sudden acceleration” issues). There is one catch. If your account becomes delinquent, the manufacturer sends a repo man to retrieve its property…with no regards as to whatever else it might be attached to.

Needless to say, organ repo is a rather messy gig, but somebody’s got to do it; somebody who is stealthy, skilled with sharp instruments, impervious to the inevitable pleas for mercy, has a good gag reflex and doesn’t mind filling out the requisite paperwork. Remy (Jude Law) and his long time partner Jake (Forest Whitaker) are two such men. For example, Jake has no problem excusing himself from a backyard barbeque for a few minutes to perform a quick “favor”-the unceremonious disembowelment of a deadbeat “client” in the driveway, then returning to the business of grilling hot dogs and shooting the shit with family and co-workers. As he frequently reminds Remy, “A job… is a job.”

Remy has been suffering through a personal crisis as of late. His wife (Carice van Houten) is at the end of her rope with her husband’s “on-call” job; she’s tired of watching him leap out of bed at 3am to suit up and go running off into the night so he can yank out some hapless debtor’s entrails in order to keep food on the table. Under threat of separation, she’s pressuring him to go into sales-but of course, he’s a repo man, through and through and knows in his heart of hearts that he is not sales material (you could say he’s more of an “opener” than a “closer”). The weaselly head of sales (Liev Schreiber) knows that as well-Remy is his number one man in the field, and he’d prefer to keep him there. Fate intervenes when Remy suffers a heart attack while out on a call. Awakening from a coma, he discovers that he’s being kept alive with a “Jarvik-39”. The bad news is that he can’t recall signing the sales contract that now makes him an indebted client of his own employer, which also renders him subject to that fine print about overdue accounts. I’ll give you three guesses as to what happens next. Here’s a hint for you: “Run, runner!”

Although Repo Men borrows freely from the films I mentioned earlier (as well as becoming the 387th sci-fi movie to co-opt the Blade Runner production design template), it is directed with a certain amount of verve by Miguel Sapochnik. The screenplay, which was adapted by Eric Garcia and Garrett Lerner from Garcia’s own novel (“The Repossession Mambo”) works best when it waxes satirical, which helps take the edge off the gruesome aspects (I found the idea of an employee who suits up in full body costume as a company mascot named “Larry the Lung” pretty amusing). Interestingly, although I am quite squeamish when it comes to blood and guts (I can’t watch any of those reality shows about medical procedures for 30 seconds before my gorge begins to rise), the “repossessions” didn’t bother me; perhaps because it was so over the top that it was cartoonish. In fact, I thought the film played like a live-action manga (more so than many recent films that actually were based on mangas or graphic novels). The action scenes are stylish and well-choreographed, which moves things along. One kinky and visceral scene sure to have audiences buzzing involves Law and Alice Braga (as a character who is like the Bionic Woman-with bad credit). I wouldn’t exactly call it a “sex” scene, but it is consensual, and does involve penetration (that’s all I’m prepared to disclose at this time).

There seems to be some fanboy hysterics going on in various chatrooms concerning this film’s alleged glaring similarities to a 2008 low-budget indie musical called Repo! The Genetic Opera, which I have not seen, nor frankly had ever even heard of until I was doing some background research for my review. So alas, I can only offer ambivalence regarding this particular issue. Then again, if I lost sleep over every Hollywood script that was cloned from another Hollywood script, I would be suffering from terminal insomnia.

It is odd kismet that the film is opening on the very weekend that the health care bill debacle is coming to a head. I’m sure the filmmakers see that merely as happy coincidence, as I didn’t glean any purposeful political subtext (aside that one could interpret this film to represent the speculative extreme of an unregulated free market-health care system, just as Robocop did for the concept of a completely corporative law enforcement system). Aw, hell, I’m thinking too much. See it for the cool action scenes.

Big star in Heaven

O My Soul: Alex Chilton 1951-2010

In the early to mid 70s, a then yet-to-be-named rock ‘n’ roll subgenre emerged. It was a sound that took chiming Beatlesque harmonies and jangly Roger Mcguinn chord shapes, threw in a dash of The Who, Small Faces and the Kinks, plugged it all into a Marshall stack and said all that it had to say in 3 minutes or under. For my money, The Holy Trinity of power pop’s first wave was Badfinger, The Raspberries, and Big Star. The latter outfit proved to be the most influential, paving the way for bands like Cheap Trick, The Flamin’ Groovies and Pezband, who in turn opened the gates for early 80’s New Wave power poppers like The Plimsouls, 20/20, The Records, The Shoes and The dBs.

Big Star co-founder Alex Chilton may not be a household name, but to power pop aficionados, he is an icon; I was saddened to hear of his death this week at age 59. I still get an instant warm and fuzzy feeling whenever a Big Star staple like “When My Baby’s Beside Me”, “September Gurls”, or “Back of a Car” pops up in my mp3 player’s shuffle. Anyone who has heard “The Letter” by his first band, the Boxtops will surely recognize his voice (unbelievably, the owner of those soulful pipes was only 16 at the time). I once had the pleasure of seeing Chilton perform here in Seattle during a Big Star revival tour, with a lineup that included original Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, along with local musicians Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies (one of the better contemporary power pop bands). It was a magical evening, with the 50-ish Chilton demonstrating to the crowd that he still had “it”. Please join me, as we bow our heads for a four-chord salute:

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From HCR To CIR

by digby

Tomorrow is going to be a big day in DC. The HCR bill will be voted on in the House, of course. And you are also probably aware that 50 thousand or more people are descending on the capital to march in favor of Immigration reform. It’s going to be a biggie.

You can read more about it here, if you don’t know the details.

Stay tuned.

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Teaching Good Citizenship

by digby

This is one way to teach kids to unquestioningly obey authority:

A 17-year-old Ypsilanti High School student was tasered today after police say he refused to go to the principal’s office.

Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Derrick Jackson said the student was being unruly in the hallway and was being escorted to the principal’s office by school Deputy John Campbell.

Jackson said the student yanked away and refused to go to the office. He said the incident escalated, and the deputy deployed his taser to get the student under control and maintain the safety of school personnel.

It was necessary because otherwise he would have had to put a bullet in the kid like they used to and nobody wants that.

They really should be doing this when the misbehaving kids are a lot younger. Maybe kindergarten age. By the time they reach third or fourth grade they will have a Pavlovian response to any order they hear, probably something along the lines of falling to the ground instantly and begging not to be electrocuted. The school personnel will be much safer then.

h/t to ron

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Reverting To Type

by digby

They’re losing their thin veneer of civilization:

Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) claimed Saturday that healthcare protesters at the Capitol directed racial epithets at him Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) as they walked outside.

Carson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus along with Lewis, told The Hill that protesters called the lawmakers the N-word.

Tea Party protesters held a rally outside the Capitol on Saturday, which included speeches by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and actor Jon Voight, and then proceeded into the halls to lobby members at the 11th hour.

Lewis was one of the leaders of the civil rights movement alongside Martin Luther King. Jr.

Asked if racial epithets were yelled at him, Lewis responded, “Yes, but it’s OK. I’ve heard this before in the ’60s. A lot of this is just downright hate.”

I have it good authority that there’s a lot of this coming over the phone lines too, “ni**er” being the preferred epithet. At the end of the day, plain old bigotry and racism is what this frothing frenzy against health care is all about. And in their frustration at not getting their way, their white supremacist slips are showing:

“It was absolutely shocking to me,” Clyburn told the Huffington Post. “Last Monday, this past Monday, I stayed home to meet on the campus of Claflin University where fifty years ago as of last Monday… I led the first demonstrations in South Carolina, the sit ins… And quite frankly I heard some things today I have not heard since that day. I heard people saying things that I have not heard since March 15, 1960 when I was marching to try and get off the back of the bus.”

“It doesn’t make me nervous as all,” the congressman said, when asked how the mob-like atmosphere made him feel. “In fact, as I said to one heckler, I am the hardest person in the world to intimidate, so they better go somewhere else.”

Asked if he wanted an apology from the group of Republican lawmakers who had addressed the crowd and, in many ways, played on their worst fears of health care legislation, the Democratic Party, and the president, Clyburn replied:

“A lot of us have been saying for a long time that much of this, much of this is not about health care a all. And I think a lot of those people today demonstrated that this is not about health care… it is about trying to extend a basic fundamental right to people who are less powerful.”

Of course it isn’t just racism. There’s the homophobia too, of course
:

Everything you needed to know about this hateful movement is expressed in this one story. It wasn’t just one bigot. The entire crowd of Teabaggers erupted in laughter. Hell of a movement Dick Armey has created – after all, he called Barney Frank the same thing, “fag,” back in the 90s.

Rep. Barney Frank got an uglier version of the treatment. Just after Frank rounded a corner to leave the building, an older protestor yelled “Barney, you faggot.” The surrounding crowd of protestors then erupted in laughter.

At one point, Capitol police officer threatened to throw a group of protestors out of the building but that only seemed to inflame them more; and apparently none were ejected.

These are the same people who showed up for the Palin rallies screaming “kill him:”

This is not a spontaneous uprising of disaffected citizens who are angry about bailouts. This is the base of the modern Republican party, same as it ever was.

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Humility

by digby

Can I just say once again how much I hate these little “Mission Accomplished” press conferences? I realize that it’s human to want to celebrate the (apparent) end of a hard fought battle and that they all loved to be stroked by each other in public, but it’s unseemly.

Instead of telling each other how wonderful they all are, perhaps they could spend time time explaining why the bill is important and thanking the American people for their forbearance. They can give each other big smooches and hearty pats on the back when the cameras stop rolling.

Update: The president’s remarks were better, as might be expected. I especially like the fact that he noted that the Republicans are filled with “advice,” but that it is unlikely to be out of a sincere effort to help their Democratic friends.

Update II: Good to give the individual members who are taking a tough vote a little love from the Pres, though. Some of them may lose their seats, so this could be all they get.

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Braintrust

by digby

Meanwhile, here’s the other bright light of the Republican party talking about health care on bff Greta Von Susteran’s show last night:

“It really reflects the lack of experience of President Obama’s, which it was warned about during the campaign – that candidate Obama did not have executive experience; he hasn’t been an administrator or manager of anything, so to jump into this huge, hugely important responsible position as President of the United States without the experience to know how to work across party lines and to know how to administer and to manage a team to get policy through that makes sense and is supported by the people – it’s a bit over his head if you will and things are not going well, and the public is really voicing their frustration. That’s what you mentioned in the 100,000 plus calls that are choking up Congress’ switchboard right now. That’s the voice of the people and their frustration.”

These people are exhausting.

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Doug Tudor For Congress

by digby

It’s been a busy week for Blue America. On Wednesday we officially endorsed Connie Saltonstall’s primary challenge against the odious and obviously deranged Bart Stupak. Today we will be officially endorsing another stalwart progressive, Doug Tudor for the congressional seat in Florida’s 12th district.

Here’s Howie:

In 2008 Doug Tudor was the Democratic nominee in an impossible race against an entrenched, powerful incumbent, multimillionaire Adam “Howdy Doody Nimrod” Putnam. An outspoken grassroots progressive, Doug ran without the backing of the DCCC and with the animus of nasty Florida powerbroker Debbie Wasserman Schultz. And yet… Doug did as well against Putnam as any of the losing Democratic candidates– other than Joe Garcia– that the DCCC and Wasserman Schultz did back. Conservative Democrat Christine Jennings got boatloads of DCCC-inspired cash and wound up with 37% of the vote. Conservative Democratic incumbent Tim Mahoney, a Rahm and Debbie special, raised over $3 million and barely managed to break 40%. And although the netroots had to force Wasserman Schultz’ hand, she eventually backed Annette Taddeo and Raul Martinez– with hundreds of thousand of dollars– and each got 42% of the vote on election day. Doug– with nothing but grassroots support– and a budget of $109,851 (against Putnam’s eye-popping $2,054,571) wound up with 43%. Imagine if he had had Democratic Party support! (As Chris Bowers reported yesterday, the DCCC spent over $14 million on Blue Dogs and other conservatives who vote against Democratic initiatives as a matter of course.)

Well, with Putnam leaving Congress in the hopes of plaguing Florida consumers on the way to a gubernatorial run in the future, the DCCC did decide to pump some money into FL-12, but instead of helping Doug, they got railroaded into backing Blue Dog Allen Boyd’s handpicked corporate shill– and fellow Blue Dog– Lori Edwards. Lori is the only non-incumbent Blue Dog that caucus has backed so far this cycle. They gave her a lot of money and introduced her to all the worst and most corrupt corporate lobbyists who buy votes from congressmembers with no ethics and then claimed they had to endorse her because she has so much money and Doug doesn’t. (She’s taken in an unimpressive $176,451 so far and has virtually no backing on the ground.)

Today Doug is being officially endorsed by Blue America and he will join us for a live blog session at Crooks and Liars at 2pm (11am, PT). Last week, after his first debate with Lori Edwards, I made a case for his candidacy here but today we get to hear directly from Doug why he deserves support from the progressive community.

Join us at 11 and meet Tudor for yourself. This is a person who is not going to be beholden to the Democratic power structure or the Big Money Boyz. He’s an independent in the best sense of the word. And after what we’ve seen this past week, it’s clear that we need people like him in congress desperately.

Crooks and Liars 11 am

Donate to Doug’s campaign here

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Crisis Temporarily Averted

by digby

It looks like the pro-choice caucus stood firm. The proposed Stupak separate vote deal is off the table. Now we’re hearing that some sort of agreement is being sought for the President to issue an executive order on abortion. I wonder what that means?

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Stupak Update

by digby

Two pro-life GOP members close to Stupak tell NRO that any Stupak deals are off. They just spoke with him and they said he’s finished with Pelosi. They rejected his enrollment corrections proposal.

let’s hope so …

More here:

Veteran Democratic Rep. John Dingell vowed Saturday to work to defeat fellow Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak (D) on abortion in the healthcare bill.

[…]

Stupak and a bloc of Democrats who oppose abortion rights had been wrangling with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders on Friday night to add additional provisions to the health bill that would add rules restricting federal subsidies under the plan from going to subsidize purchasing plans that cover abortion services.

After Democrats had appeared set to press forward with their bill without Stupak and his allies, the leadership appeared to backtrack on Friday. The move angered members of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, and appeared to reflect just how close the final vote count has been breaking down for Pelosi and Democrats.

“I’m going to try to show him the error of his ways, and I’m also going to try to see to it that we beat him on this,” Dingell said on MSNBC. “Because this is a matter of the utmost humanitarian and economic concern to this nation.”

Dingell is the head of the Michigan coalition and Stupak’s mentor. Evidently, they think he has some sway over him.

What I’d like to know what sway Stupak has over the rest of his little band. Are they all as nihilistic and stupid as he is? Can’t they be peeled off now that everyone finally knows just who they are?

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Whatever

by digby

Did I mention that they were a little bit on the slow side?

People with ties to Glenn Beck’s 9-12 Project, Tea Party Boise and other conservative causes plan a protest outside Rep. Walt Minnick’s office this weekend, with the claim that the Idaho Democrat co-sponsored one of the health care bills that Congress is considering.

Their assertion is untrue, however; Minnick never sponsored such legislation…

The Republican National Committee, which suggested Thursday that McClatchy look into the story, admitted that its research was inaccurate.

“We are completely wrong, and I apologize,” RNC spokesman Jahan Wilcox said Friday.

[…]

Minnick said he was disappointed that people would knowingly misrepresent his position, even though it was clear that he and the others weren’t co-sponsors of health care legislation.

“They’re using that as a way to misrepresent my position on a very important bill,” he said. “I resent it and I think it’s unethical and I think it’s deliberate.”

The rumor took on a life of its own in Idaho’s conservative circles this week, after Bill Turner of Nampa, Idaho, was looking at the legislation and started writing about it. Turner, a blogger and political activist who describes himself as an “angry American” and is active on right-wing, anti-government Web sites, sent an e-mail to the Idaho Republican Party. In it, he suggested that Minnick had sponsored health care legislation, and he sent a link to the bill’s history on Thomas.gov.

Jonathan Parker, the Idaho GOP’s executive director, is on Turner’s e-mail list, and he was intrigued. He passed the information on to researchers at the Republican National Committee.

“I asked if there was any truth to this,” Parker said. “I asked if they wouldn’t mind looking into it.”

Although the RNC and Parker now accept the explanation for why Minnick’s name is listed as a co-sponsor on the health care bill, Turner does not.

While Turner has written a letter to The Idaho Statesman supportive of another candidate for Minnick’s seat, Republican state Rep. Raul Labrador, Turner said that he had “no hidden agenda” in talking about Minnick and health care.

He said that Saturday’s protest outside Minnick’s office in Meridian, Idaho, would be a combination of people with multiple ties to groups such as Tea Party Boise and those who were active on the conservative Web site AnyStreet.org.

It also will include people connected to the 9-12 Project Idaho, an offshoot of the national movement started by Beck, a Fox News commentator. They are “a bunch of angry citizens,” Turner said, adding in an e-mail later that they intend on Saturday to be “militant.”

Hey these right wingers created this monster. Now they have to live with the consequences. These people have no relationship with “truth” or “reason.” They are pure id. And they can turn on their wingnut masters as easily as the so-called socialists. They don’t know the difference.

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