Thursday, October 20, 2005
they're doing it for the cash
The Climate Mash
Not all is doom and gloom in this world - or is it? Fortunately, as long as we have the ability to turn into derision the rather distressing trends and patterns that have our world going down the tubes... we shall do just fine! At least in our minds... Bobby "Boris" Pickett himself -of "Monster Mash" fame- couldn't take it anymore (?) and he felt compulsed to rework his classic hit to expose the wrongdoings of the current Washington administration... "They're doing the Climate Mash - and they're doing it for the cash" he sings - and that says it all indeed. Stop the 'Global Warming Zombies' this Halloween (beats trick or treating if you ask me)
What's more frightening than Halloween? The powerful polluters — the vampires and zombies of global warming — who are making global warming worse by holding back the solutions that would reduce pollution.
The cure? This Halloween, it's "The Climate Mash," a hilarious flash video based on the perennial Halloween hit favorite "Monster Mash." Check out "The Climate Mash" at www.climatemash.org and watch its stars — President Bush, Vice President Cheney and others — getting down at the Climate Mash with extreme-polluter ExxonMobil, accompanied by the zombies and vampires of global warming.
Then, take action by telling your elected representatives in Washington it's time they wake up to this problem and start moving on solutions. So... Take Action Now!
This Halloween may be especially warm, but what is more perplexing still for this luminous blogger is that this November, world leaders will convene in Montreal to discuss the next steps in the global strategy to address global warming. Montreal, of all places! Smog was extraordinary these past few months over Montreal... I understand that Condoleeza will be coming to give Canadians her most insincere condolences regarding the polar ice caps' demise... For, those expecting the Bush Administration to demonstrate the leadership and commitment needed to deal with global warming - bitter disillusionment awaits... in "Mon-tree-all"... But that's another story.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
***A luminous scoop!***
Anyone up for an exclusive? A *luminous exclusive*...? Here it is... First exclusive look at a movie review pending approval on... IMDB! The famed Internet Movie Database! A review by yours truly, of course - you will recognize my luminous style here - I do not merely review the film in question (which is, by the way, a 1969 overlooked classic - yeah, another one of those; and those who know me know that overlooked classics from '69 are a cause I have taken up much to heart...!)... I make a number of my trademark luminous connections, for a greater understanding of it all...! It's all in the context, folks...!
Thus, without further ado - *before* it shows up on www.imdb.com - my luminous 13th movie review / commentary (no - I am not superstitious!).
Look at the stars of 1969's Guns of the Magnificent Seven - George Kennedy, James Whitmore, Monte Markham, Reni Santoni, Bernie Casey, Scott Thomas, Joe Don Baker... though the latter one matches, in sheer inexpressiveness, one Robert Vaughn - the rest of the cast hardly matches up with the star-studded original line-up (the Brynners, McQueens, Bronsons, Coburns & co.). Yet this film is indeed far-more action-packed than its illustrious predecessors (who all had tough gunslinger Yul Brynner in them; but then again, so did Westworld and... ugh... Futureworld! But that is another story...)
Thus, I am tempted to theorize that, not just here but around the world, 1969 was dominated by... props! The true stars of so many mainstream releases were the premises, the themes or the sets - and, in this case, as the title clearly emphasizes, the guns! Let's face it, most of these guys are not "magnificent" - but they are reliable TV actors for the most part - and they delivered the goods here! And this was seen in many more 1969 productions - the new Bond was unknown George Lazenby, who mattered less than all the gizmos 007 used... There was a sequel to the Planet of the Apes released too - it mattered not that it really starred James Franciscus throughout the film and merely had a cameo by Charlton Heston near the end of the film - what mattered was that the planet was revisited (and re-exploited!). Closer (in spirit as in style) to Guns, The Wild Bunch was all about gunfire and violence - it mattered little to the average moviegoer that it gave a slightly over-the-hill William Holden another chance... and co-starred Ernest Borgnine in the closest thing to a major role he'd get since Marty... Need I go on...?
George Kennedy and William Holden almost - ALMOST - could have switched films in 1969... and few would have noticed! (Sam Peckinpah would have though - and that is what really matters!).
James Whitmore is a solid, rock-solid actor - I will always remember his many guest spots on various TV dramas - most notably his turn as an alien in The Invaders!
Michael Ansara makes for a debatably adequate villain of service... him I remember for rather silly appearances in shows such as Lost In Space! He matched up well with Guy Williams - when Guy was Zorro too!
Note the presence, also, of an illuminary here - Fernando Rey, the Portuguese actor who, in typical Hollywood supporting role attribution fashion, is given a bit part here... Hey - Hollywood had no clue what to do with enchanting leading ladies such as Romy Schneider and Catherine Deneuve when THEY came to Tinseltown... Thus, it comes as no surprise to me that the pet actor of the great film director Luis Bunuel -Rey- was so poorly treated in the USA! Fernando Rey was, at best, an exotic flavour du jour for casting agents - and on par with the likes of Charles Durning or E.G. Marshall... maybe! He was, by sharp contrast, a major actor in Europe - and Portugal's answer to Laurence Olivier, no less! Then again - what did Hollywood really do for Laurence Olivier himself, ultimately...?
Most people will completely miss Fernando Rey's performance here - if they blink an eye! What a shame really...
All in all - in conclusion - Guns of the Magnificent Seven is a good one... a very good one! Lots of action - and more than meets the eye, on many levels!
Monday, October 17, 2005
~Imagination is more powerful than knowledge.~*Albert Einstein~*
Such wisdom makes me think of the only wise words of note to ever come out of the quill of a (so-called) marvelous four-color scribe; "nuff said"!(Okay - I jest! He is most famous - and rightfully so - for popularizing the phrase "with great power comes great responsability"... If thou doest not know who it is that I am referring to... check out the luminous comments section!)
Quite frankly - if Albert himself said it, who am I not to espouse it? Hmm? ;)
He is one of the two Als that I admire the most - the other one being an Alfred actually... Hitchcock! :)
However - who in blue blazes misquoted Albert on some website out there(and that is from where I obtained the quote in the first place!) - for surely Einstein knew the difference between "then" and "than"...!
As he knew the difference between imagination and alleged -for always disputable- earthly knowledge!
Still - Albert knew a lot, but Albert did not know it all!
Nor did he did even know best!
JESUS KNOWS BEST!
Even temperamental types such as Kanye West and I know THAT...!
Labels: Jesus Walks, Kanye West, music video
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