I read yet another article on how Americans “can’t read maps,” and aren’t being “international” enough.
I don’t see why we should censor ourselves to please China’s autocracy. Continue reading “Who do we make movies for anyway?”
Archives
bookmark_borderWhen in Rome
When in Rome, thank God you’re English.*
When in Rome, shouldn’t you do as the Romans Do?
Well, Hanmer Warrington didn’t think so. Continue reading “When in Rome”
bookmark_borderIs America really a rich country?
Lies, more lies, and false statistics.
Sure, the average American spends more money than the average Angolan. But does that make America rich?
bookmark_borderHow did they deal with bullies in the old days?
Do you have an irritating colleague that makes people cry? A boss who pushes you around, but when you complain she says she’s just “unwinding” or “having fun”?
Well, bullies are nothing new. In fact, Stephen Decatur Junior and his friend Joseph Bainbridge were bullied. Continue reading “How did they deal with bullies in the old days?”
bookmark_borderSocial Networking Promotes Garbage
A friend of mine… Do me a favor… could you please vote for… if you vote for me, I’ll vote for you…
You sick of these messages yet?
Gone are the days when critics and filmmakers were two different breeds of people. Gone are the days when critics were professionals, who were not anonymous but had to live by their words. Gone are the days when art was judged on some sort of merit rather than politics or favor swapping.
Despite that, some backscratching existed back in the old days. What really gets me sick these days is the no-life reputation destroyers. I’m emailed by people “warning” me about others who supposedly did something terrible. Like had a day job as a clown once.
One guy asked me to give another filmmaker one star on youtube. Why?
Was the other filmmaker evil? No.
Did he have a bad video? No, it was better than any film the guy who wanted to give one star ever made.
So, why did he want me to give him one star? It’s someone from his old school, an old rival, who called him a name.
Now, what was this horrible name? Was it something incredibly offensive? Maybe, but it was true. He was called “unprofessional”.
Now tell me, what’s more unprofessional than telling other people to go around giving your “enemies” one star?
Anyway, I think he later told people to give a videos I was in one star, because I agreed with the enemy that he was unprofessional. I don’t think anybody agreed though. A series of new accounts were made just to rate my video (and thrown away afterwards). It wasn’t the best video I made, but come on. What an unprofessional. (At least he could have kept the accounts to down rate his other enemies as well.)
The sad thing is, he’s not abnormal, anymore. People are doing this all over the place. “If I scratch your back, you stab my friend’s.”
What an unprofessional attitude. Welcome to the idiotocracy known as “social networking”.
bookmark_borderWhy did Decatur burn the Philadelphia?
In 1803, the US lost one of its best ships when Bainbridge hit uncharted rocks. According to Anthony Irvin, the Philadelphia was “one-third of Preble’s Squadron.”
bookmark_borderWhen will we disband Nato?
The recent “no-fly” zone has proved that Nato is not needed. In the case of Germany and Turkey’s apparent objections, it seems that Nato was not even heeded.
Nato is a relic of the Cold War. It serves to annoy China and Russia, two countries that feel targeted by it. It is nothing more than a bunch of red tape, at worst, and a dangerous blade at the best.
Machiavelli stated that forts provoke attacks. Homer, the writer of the Odessy, stated that the unsheathed blade provokes like nothing else.
That’s not to say that having a military will always draw a nation into war, even though some of the founders feared that. Having a permanent military alliance, however, with all its expensive red tape, will cause problems.
In times of economic crisis, when the military is under threat of cuts, many strategists naturally fear losing their jobs. They are hard at work proving that they are needed. Big, long wars tend to start in times of threatened budget cuts.
This crisis can be dealt with by the EU, the Arab League, and the United States. When I first heard of the UN resolution, I was hoping that the Arab League would sort it out.
The Russian and Chinese objections are nothing new. That’s an old habit of theirs to pretend that they don’t interfere in other countries’ internal affairs. I guess the Warsaw pact, the invasion of Tibet, the civil war in Angola and Mozambique, terrorism in South Africa, and the Korean War, among others, never happened. Oh, and No Chinese troops are outside of China, and no Russian troops outside of Russia. If you believe that, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you…
Nato gives them an excuse, however, to kick up a fuss. Nato supposedly exists to get rid of the Russian empire or to get rid of communism. It doesn’t exist to protect civilians against Gadaffi. But in reality, it’s just a jobs program for a bunch of bureaucrats who like to think of themselves as strategists.
The UN didn’t need Nato to call the no-fly zone. (And the strikes didn’t start when they did because of Nato either. They started because of the French election.) Nato needs to be disbanded. It’s getting in the way of an intelligent defence policy, and it’s getting in the way of cooperation between the northern and southern (such as Berber) powers of the Western World.
I’d still like to see the Arab League take a leading role in defending civilians, or at least see another North African country get involved. It was inspiring to see the conflicts in other countries resolved with so little bloodshed.
bookmark_borderWhy is Hollywood so dangerous?
After watching an American movie with my kids, I sometimes tell them I’m homesick. They get absolutely terrified.
America, as it is portrayed in the movies, is like hell on Earth. Now, it’s not perfect…
bookmark_borderWhy is Tripoli so popular with historians?
In October, I had no idea what was going to happen in North Africa. Yet, I felt drawn to write a history of the “Barbary pirates.” I didn’t yet realize what would happen this year, nor did I know that Hollywood was already working on a film on that subject.
The first time I remember hearing any details about “Tripoli” was on board an old American ship, which was turned into a museum. I think it was the Constitution. I was just a school kid who might have seen a few pirate movies and heard a few war stories from elderly relatives.
My godmother was the first female conductor of the US navy. But there were so many other naval battles, why is “Tripoli” still remembered?
Continue reading “Why is Tripoli so popular with historians?”
bookmark_borderBurning the Philadelphia
Today, in 1804, Stephen Decatur led a small band in a ketch to destroy a warship. Horatio Nelson is said to have called it “the most bold and daring act of the age.”
Well, I can’t verify Nelson having said that, but if he did then he was blockading Toulon at the time.
What we can verify is that the USS Philadelphia wasn’t really captured in the first place, it got stuck on a coral reef and its captain surrendered. Its Captain, William Bainbridge, is repeatedly quoted as having been a large man, six foot tall and heavily built, who also surrendered to the French.
Commodore Preble (the US didn’t have admirals at the time, the word seemed too aristocratic) said that it would have been more honorable if the crew had vowed to die fighting. He concluded that courage might have saved them.
Well, Stephen Decatur was the kind of man who would die fighting.
Supposedly, a film is underway about the Tripolitan War, to be directed by Ridley Scott. Will it be about Decatur? Or about Eaton? Will it feature the burning of the Philadelphia?
There are so many great scenes in that war that play in my head like a film. Personally, if I were making it though, I wouldn’t choose Scott. I’d choose an American director, and one who likes to read screenplays.
I loved Gladiator and other films by Scott, but they were very stylised. I think Decatur would benefit more from a literalist, like Speilburg (or Hitchcock if it had to be a Brit).
So, what did Decatur do at the Philadelphia? Well, that’s another story.
Anyway, I think Bruce Willis should play Eaton, or maybe Vin Diesel. They have that same kind of attitude, without being too large to be believable.
For Decatur? We need casting. Russel Crowe is far too old, and so are most of the stars out there.
And for the music? “Stuck in the mud” would work for the capture. “The Roof is on fire” for the destruction. If you want an old-timer, Tina Turner’s music might work.