highlights of this blog include an entry titled jaap (check out his pants, woo!), the set of images with the goth posse and santa claus, a number of childhood images of screech, the most amazing use of sweaters as a backdrop (brilliant!), a hotty with his cat, and even our beloved wil. great stuff
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune published a letter from Satan to evangelist Pat Robertson, responding to his comment that Haiti's persistent troubles, including the earthquake, are due to a pact the nation made with Mephistopheles.
God damn, I love Minnesotans. (pun intended). Follow that link to read this awesome letter. This is exactly how we should always respond to the crap Pat Robertson says. I'm gonna high-five Lily Coyle next time I go back to visit the family in Minneapolis.
I watched this movie last night. normally, i'm the kind of movie-watcher that is on my computer at the same time or cleaning my room, or some other menial task that has me only half-committed to the experience. however, despite a number of episodes with my janky dvd player, and some scratches on the disk, i couldn't disengage from the story. i plowed on, potentially missing about 10 minutes of the footage spread out through a few different scenes, but regardless of these setbacks the narrative came through with a staid and relentless power that had me completely engrossed.
walt kowalski, the character brilliantly portrayed by clint eastwood is now my favorite anti-hero of all time. i was so moved that by the film's conclusion that tears were streaming down my face during the last 20 minutes. i can't remember being so affected by a story or a character since i was very young and didn't quite have the heavier concepts of life ironed out. (yes, it was bambi... in the theater... about 4 billion years ago).
Wikipedia: The original script was inspired by inner-ring suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota, but filmmakers chose to produce Gran Torino in the state of Michigan, becoming one of the first films to take advantage of the state's new law that provided lucrative incentive packages to film productions.... Eastwood wanted Hmong as cast members, so casting director Ellen Chenoweth enlisted Hmong organizations and set up calls in Detroit, Fresno, and St. Paul; Fresno and St. Paul have the two largest Hmong communities in the United States, while Detroit also has an appreciable population of Hmong.
the choice to seek out actors directly from Hmong communities that live in these places, rather than dip into the Hollywood "talent" pool gives this movie a startling authenticity, which allows the characters to march through the racial tension with brazen, unapologetic steps. i lived in minneapolis for many years and my understanding of the Hmong community has definitely been from an outsider's perspective, uneducated about the political complexities of South Vietnam and the effort to resettle in the US. Gran Torino starts from that perspective and develops into something provoking and beautiful that reaches a much broader audience. i don't usually have a profound experience watching movies. because of this exception, i'm bumping this up to my new "favorite movie" - until or unless something has the balls to top it.
i don't generally stand on a soap box on this blog. i don't think that convincing people to think like me is very effective and usually it illicits eye rolling and closing of browsers. *i* certainly don't like being churched around even if i agree... mostly i use this blog to find amusing content and post it, or i discover something on my walk to work that makes me think or makes me angry or makes me laugh...
but this is just awesome. take 5 minutes out of your life and read the article. this is a rational account of very real stuff happening in our time. if this does nothing to persuade anyone in either direction, then at the very least, you have informed yourself and heard an intelligent and articulate person take a stand on something they believe. i truly wish all politics could take on this tone. particularly the stuff i disagree with. then i might not wanna bleach my ears everytime someone starts talking.
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