Reason Magazine - Democratic Debate Thread: The Myrtle Beach Massacre
Nothing to say really about the debate. I’m sure we’ll be watching clips of Obama vs. Hillary over and over again on the cable news channels until November. I was perusing the comment thread on the debate at Reason magazine (I like to get a wide variety of political opinions) and I came across this gem: “Democracy seems to be a pretty piss-poor export. No wonder our deficit is so large.”

TNR Review: ‘There Will Be Blood’

There Will Be Blood is by far the most ambitious film Paul Thomas Anderson has yet attempted, spare in its vision yet rich with resonances. The score, by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, is eerie and evocative, frequently tiptoeing to the line separating music from noise–the kind of gamble Ennio Morricone might have undertaken had his spirit of experiment survived to this day. The cinematography, by Robert Elswit, is equally arresting, conjuring an infernal landscape for Anderson’s lost souls to wander. Many critics have understandably declared the film a masterpiece.

For my part, I have to append the qualifier “flawed” to that verdict. Anderson’s film is indeed an extraordinary one, yet it is one that runs aground in its final act and, especially, its final scene. A tale that has taken its time suddenly becomes rushed; crucial moral and psychological developments are abruptly elided; a director’s careful hand throws caution to the winds; and a masterful performance descends into frothing caricature. For the benefit of those who have not yet seen the film I will leave it at that; for those who have, a more detailed catalogue of my complaints is here. Suffice it to say that the conclusion to Anderson’s otherwise masterful picture is full of sound and fury, signifying that, for all his dizzying cinematic gifts, he hasn’t figured out how to end a film.

Though I agree with almost all of the review, I have to disagree with the spoiler-filled analysis of the final scene of the movie. (Minor spoilers ahead, though I will try to be vague.) The final scene serves a necessary role in the arc of the story. It is important to remember when watching that final scene that both of the characters involved are caricatures and have been for the entire movie. They are intended to be representative. Perhaps the conclusion is crude and unsubtle, but it shocks the audience in such a way that they are forced to re-examine the entire movie up to that point. Without that scene, the movie would have been an interesting character study of a completely evil man, but its political themes would not have resonated in the same way.

There Will Be Blood is about the twin pillars of twentieth century American society: capitalism and religion. It documents the rise and fall of an oil man and a preacher in a small town in the south west at the beginning of last century. I’m sure you’ve seen some press about this movie, mostly focusing on Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance. His performance is incredibly powerful, but it is certainly not the only thing this movie has going for it. Paul Dano performs at least as well, maybe better, in his role as the preacher. Also–the soundtrack! Under the sometimes placid surface of the movie, runs the current of a turbulent soundtrack which is used to induce anxiety in the audience. The soundtrack might fit more comfortably in a horror movie, and yet it works. No, it doesn’t just work; it stands out as one of the best uses of music I have ever seen in a movie.

I cannot praise this movie enough. It is Shakespeare and the Bible all rolled up in a uniquely American story. If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for? This movie deserves the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Editing, Cinematography, Directing, and Original Score.

On a depressing note: according to Rotten Tomatoes, There Will Be Blood has only made $4.3 million in its first three weeks of release. For some comparison, that’s about 20% of what Bucket List made last weekend, about 10% of what Sweeney Todd made in its first three weeks of release, and exactly the same amount as the opening weekend gross of Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything - A Veggietales Movie.

Two free comic books: 1984 and War of the Worlds.

Frames, originally uploaded by NathanF.

I took a bunch of photos over the weekend at an open-air market in Miami Beach. This one is definitely my favorite.

Huckabee is a raving lunatic.

We have a candidate who openly wants to make the US a religious state, and he’s the frontrunner on the Republican side.

Huckabee is a theocratic goon. I hope he gets the Republican nomination because he will get his ass handed to him in the general election.

Erik Lundegaard: Why We Stopped Seeing Best Picture Nominees

From 1950 to 1979, in other words, the most popular film of the year was almost always nominated best picture. In the three decades since? The reverse. Since 1983, it’s only happened five times: Rain Man in 1988, Forrest Gump in 1994, Titanic in 1997, Saving Private Ryan in 1998 and Rings in 2003.

There once was a time (before the modern megablockbuster) when the most popular movie in a given year would also be nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award.

Daring Fireball: Macworld Expo Prelude

One thing that makes being an Apple pundit fun is that it’s akin to Cold-War era Kremlinology — to predict or analyze an opaque, secretive organization, you’ve got to read between the lines of the few things they do say, and you’ve got to know how to interpret silence.

If it’s even possible, Apple has gotten even better at keeping keynote announcements under wraps in recent years. One reason for this is simple: Apple engineers don’t leak. And I think the reason for that is pretty simple, too: Apple engineers really like their jobs. If you want to work for a company like Apple, on products like those that Apple makes, you’ve pretty much got to work for Apple, because there are no similar companies.

MacWorld is happening tomorrow, which means everyone on the internet is making predictions. Here are mine:
0) No iPod news.
1) MacBook Pros get a speed bump and they will no longer use hard drives, opting instead for flash memory. They will be really thin and super quiet.
2) Apparently some banners around the event indicate some kind of “Air” themed product. I think this will be the “MacBook Air”: an ultra-light ultra-portable laptop with a subscription internet service that works everywhere (subscription will be with at&t). This product may have a touch screen, but it seems unlikely to me.
3) One more thing: MacTV. Three models: 36″, 46″, 60″. These TVs will be masterpieces of design and they will include what amounts to a Mac Mini built in for operating Front Row, iTunes integration, etc. They will have WiFi support for downloading purchased and rented movies and TV shows from iTunes.

I am thinking about buying a Mac. It depends what they announce at MacWorld.

Evolutionary Politics

My favorite response from any candidate about the evolution/creationism debate was from former Sen. Mike Gravel (Alaska). When LiveScience asked the senator if he thought creationism should be taught in public schools, Gravel replied, “”Oh God, no. Oh, Jesus. We thought we had made a big advance with the Scopes monkey trial….My God, evolution is a fact, and if these people are disturbed by being the descendants of monkeys and fishes, they’ve got a mental problem. We can’t afford the psychiatric bill for them. That ends the story as far as I’m concerned.”

Reason magazine rounds up all the candidates’ views on evolution. The story concludes with a plea for more coverage of the candidates’ positions on a variety of science and technology issues.