Mike's Blog

The USA Patriot Act at work

Here's a case of the USA Patriot Act being invoked to file suit on behalf of the MPAA. The FBI invoked a portion of the act in order to gather information and violate the rights of an individual. Just a small instance of the USA Patriot Act being used for purposes other than intended by some of are in favor of it.
...

Stargate fan-site operator busted under anti-terrorism law
The creator of an SG-1 fansite has been charged by the FBI with criminal copyright infringment, the result of an investigation that involved a USA PATRIOT Act warrant against the site's ISP to gather intelligence. The Feebs confiscated and then destroyed his personal computers, returning their remains months later. All this comes after several of the show's cast and creators have made a special point of saying how much they liked the site. ...(link)

Priceless

Forwarded by a friend. I know I felt good about adding my $10 to that gross :-)

Fahrenheit 9-11 Production Budget:
$6 million

Fahrenheit 9-11 Marketing Costs:
$10 million

Fahrenheit 9-11 First weekend gross:
$21,958,000.00

Watching a bunch of right-wingers go into total meltdown
and start screeching in rage like a tribe of monkeys:
PRICELESS

Fahrenheit 9/11 - good links

Here's the e-mail from my friend. He'd inlcuded a number of good links so I thought I'd repost them here.
And one more chance to plug my vote for the best Bush in 30 Seconds although it only placed #3.
In My Country

Michael Moore has a new documentary out called "Fahrenheit 9/11" it opens this Friday, June 25. The film has been awarded the Palme d'Or, the Cannes film festival's top prize . It has become quite controversial. Disney has prohibited Miramax from distributing it "because it could be politically divisive" (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/05/entertainment/main615648.shtml). Numerous organization are trying the keep the movie from showing since they feel it is "Anti-American" and that we should not use our troops to denounce the war in Iraq -- they claim it is a "political move" (http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1966055). This, of course, neglects the manipulation of oil prices, "terror alert levels" and fear mongering by the administration for their gains -- all using taxpayers money. Organizations like Move America Forward (http://www.moveamericaforward.org/) are trying to stop the showing of the "Anti-American" film in what I see as blatant censorship.

See for yourself, do a search on the movie (http://vivisimo.com/search?query=Fahrenheit+9%2F11&v%3Asources=Web) and you can spend hours looking at various views.

I urge you to see this movie/documentary and invite others to see it also. By doing so I feel that we are sending a clear message to the rest of our country (and the media) that we are fed up with Mr. Bush and his corporate cronies attempting to line their pockets under the guise of fighting terror.

Here are a few links to help you out:
Trailer, this is good entertainment in its own right: http://www.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/fahrenheit_911/f911_large.html (QuickTime)
Show locations, find out where it opens: http://www.f911tix.com/

Other sites of interest:
Move On: http://www.moveon.org
True Majority: http://www.truemajority.org

update 6/28
a few more links
http://slate.msn.com/id_2102723
http://www.factcheck.org/

Fahrenheit 9/11

A friend of mine sent out an e-mail encouraging everyone to see this and I did. But the main reason I did was that I'd caught something on the news about Republicans protesting that adveristing of the movie was illegal. Wow, talk about free publicity. Michael Moore couldn't have it any better. It was true Michael Moore style. My only criticism is that the lies and deception are so much worse than protrayed in the film. I'm afraid the Bushies will just say 'bring it on' if that's as bad as it can get. Everything in the moive has certainly been in the media. He only touches the highlights of some of the lies. But there is limit as to how much material can be presented in 2 hours that will represent the last few years of daily lies and deception.

I suppose there is a chance that some will see it or hear about it and be curious enough to look into it a bit. Even if they don't look into the details maybe a few will just stop and think. If only a few percent of the voters out there stop and think it could change things in a major way. I read that Bush 'won' the last election with only 15% of the vote.

It's just so much worse than the movie portrays it, that's all I can say. I suppose that could be the same for his Bowling For Columbine film. I liked it and it gave me a lot to think about and I'm sure things are much worse in real life for people who live with drive by shootings and other acts of gun violence. If just a few people think about things they haven't given serious consideration to before it can make a difference.

DVD - Uncovered - The Whole Truth About the Iraq War

Uncovered is a documentary about the way the White House distorted the truth in an attempt sell the American public and the rest of the world on its pre-emptive war on Iraq. I already thought that Bush, Rumsfeld, Rice, and the rest of that gang were being sneaky about it, but this DVD nailed it for for me. The reason Uncovered is so persuasive is that the director wisely chose to interview only "insiders" for the documentary -- CIA analysts, weapons investigators, Pentagon officials, and former White House counsels. Their comments on the administration's exaggerations and spin are devastating. According to the director, even people who support the war in Iraq become angry after watching Uncovered, because it exposes the Bush administration as a pack of thoroughly corrupt liars. Link

The post above is from BoingBoing. Note that this is now available at Netflix. I added it to my queue today and moved it up toward the top. IMDb link.

Abre los Ojos vs Vanilla Sky

I saw Abre los Ojos on Thursday. I had picked it while browsing movies on Netflix. The English title "Open Your Eyes" with Penelope Cruz sounded familiar. And it was. Vanilla Sky is a copy in English of this original Spanish movie released in 1997. Vanilla Sky was released in 2001. After seeing the Spanish original I wanted to watch Vanilla Sky again so I rented it and it arrived on Saturday. They are both excellent movies, but the Spanish original is better. It's too bad that it never received the credit it deserved. Probably because American audiences just don't go for foreign films. If you never really figured out what was going on in Vanilla Sky, and/or would like to see a better version, or just like Penelope Cruz (she plays the same role in both flicks) see the Spanish original, Abre los Ojos.

Abre los Ojos 1997 - Netflix IMDb
Vanilla Sky 2001 - Netflix IMDb

Rabbit-Proof Fence - 2002

Netflix
IMDb
the book - Amazon

A excellent, true and sad film based on a book about aboriginal children who were taken from their mothers as part of Australian policy until 1970. This is the story of three little girls who were taken from their mother , escaped and walked 2000 km back home. It's hard to imagine that this was official government policy until recently in what was termed a 'civilized country'. While discrimination exists and has existed well past the 'end of slavery' and the atrocities against Native Americans, we in the US at least did not have laws which were official government policy enforcing discrimination. I had no idea official discrimation was being practiced as late as this in a country such as Australia.

...

THE STOLEN GENERATIONS
Some Questions and Answers

What are the Stolen Generations?
The Stolen Generations is the name generally given to Aboriginal people – mainly those with some non-Aboriginal ancestry – who were removed from their families as children and sent to institutions or adopted into non-Aboriginal families as a result of government policies now recognised as misguided and destructive.

Why "Stolen"?
Because in the vast majority of cases, agents of government used compulsion, duress or undue pressure to remove these children from their mothers and communities. Sometimes the police would simply remove the child by force. Sometimes subterfuge was used. Sometimes the mother would be persuaded to sign a document of which she had little understanding, and certainly no concept that she was allowing her child to be entirely separated from her for many years.

Why "Generations"?
Because authorities began removing Aboriginal children early in the nineteenth century, and the practice went on into the 1970s.

How many children were taken?
The best estimates are between 45 000 and 55 000 children, mainly between 1910 and 1970.
...(more).

Lots more information available with a simple Google search.

Secretary - 2002

Netflix
IMDb

Slate
Sadomasochism doesn't get much more life-affirming than it does in Secretary (Lions Gate), in which a disturbed young woman (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a self-mutilator, finds happiness in a master/slave relationship with her employer (James Spader). The movie is a romantic fairy tale of deliverance, a Pretty Woman (1990) for the bondage set.
...

Another movie arrives and I dont' know why I rented it. Good in a odd sort of way. I especially liked the snyopsis of the movie in Slate. "...a Pretty Woman for the bondage set...". Excellent performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Dr. T and the Women -2000

Netflix
IMDb
Richard Gere, Helen Hunt, Farrah Fawcett, Laura Dern, Shelley Long, Tara Reid, Kate Hudson, Liv Tyler, Robert Hays, Matt Malloy, Andy Richter, Janine Turner.

Well made movie (directed by Robert Altman). Set in Dallas and portrays a certain class of women there quite well. The movie does have some funny parts to it. Farrah Fawcett is perfect in the role of the a middle aged woman who cracks up. Fits her perfectly. hmm, wonder why? I can't imagine this movie playing outside of the US and if it does it's not going to get very good reviews. Too much of the US/Texas/Dallas stuff, rich doctor, rich women that won't play well. Silly ending which geographically makes no sense but it is a comedy.

American Splendor - 2003

Netflix
IMDb
Different sort of movie. A true story of the comic book series American Splendor. Harvey Pekar wrote an autobiographical comic books series and also appeared on Letterman a number of times. The movie chronicles his life. The real Harvey Pekar also appears. Harvey worked as a civil service file clerk for 30 years. There is also a Havey Pekar web site.