Must I write about this again?

Earlier today, there was a shooting of two youngish news reporters and photographers from a local station in Virginia.  The victims' names were Alison Parker (24) and Adam Ward (27); two individuals whose lives were cut short without any concern for their futures.

The gunman was Vester Flanagan (41), better known by his reporter name Bryce Williams.  Mr. Flanagan, a fellow news reporter, was dismissed from his position recently after complaints regarding his work ethic and unfounded allegations of racism and homophobia.  You see, Mr. Flanagan was both an African-American and identified as a gay man.  This was not the first time accusations were made by Mr. Flanagan regarding fellow employees.  As a result of his dismissal, Mr. Flanagan this morning disturbed an interview Ms. Parker was doing and Mr. Ward was filming; by shooting Mr. Ward and then Ms. Parker and Vicki Gardner, who was being interviewed live.  Fortunately, Ms. Gardner is alive, though in intensive care.  As for Mr. Flanagan, he live messaged and Tweeted his reasoning while being pursued by law enforcement.  He then died from what amounted to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  ABC News has obtained a copy of a 23 page statement from Mr. Flanagan which has not been fully released at this time.

I will have more to say on this shortly.  None the less, along with the obvious need for the banning of guns and automatic weaponry; we are going to need to provide mandatory evaluations for people under some form of distress.  Failure to do this could result in more of these tragic circumstances.  This needs to stop!

As I mentioned before, I will have more on my opinions when possible.  I just really detest saying the same reasonable idea yet getting a reply of "meh". 

Talk to you pretty soon,

Robert

11 Years After Fahrenheit 9-11

I have often mentioned on this blog and elsewhere how my socio-political beliefs were at one point outside of the norm.  In some ways, they still are.  Yet I speak of course when after 911 nearly every person unaware of the truth had no hesitation to dive head first into endless wars and useless policy.  I specifically remember the 2002 mid-term elections, when the Republican Party not only gained back the full majority in the Senate; they also increased their governorships and their numbers in the House of Representatives.  It was a clear indication of an impending second front in a "war" of terror.  To say I was disappointed in the results would be an understatement. 

Yet, alongside the influx of movies and shows that provided allegorical truths the corporate media and the Cheney-Bush White House would never admit to: there was a documentary/social statement that when released began the changing of opinions on what had just happened.  Now, I think the full truth would have not gone over well for the vast majority of moviegoers.  Yet all it takes is to plant a seed in the minds of the populace for a greater truth to be discovered.  Michael Moore was that person who planted the seed, namely in his film Fahrenheit 911.  How important was Moore's documentary?  In my years of going to see movies in multiplexes, this might be the only time I went to a screening and it was sold out; unheard of for a documentary. 

And considering Michael Moore's previous documentary from 2002, Bowling for Columbine, did not get a wide release; seeing Fahrenheit 911 become financially successful was quite an amazing feat. Up to that point, Moore's films were given word of mouth mainly through the art-house circuit and video/DVD sales; not to mention the occasional TV airing.  Having said that, Michael Moore had already a pretty damn good track record.  Starting with Roger and Me, which presented the decline of Flynt, Michigan brought on my GM's cost cutting and outsourcing of jobs during the 1980s; Moore had brought an idea of using the film format as a way to make a statement.  While past influences such as Errol Morris focused on smaller scale issues that would nonetheless touch the human condition; I tend to think Michael Moore sought a bigger picture in focusing on both the low end and the high end of the totum pole.  That is to say, Moore is equally at ease with interviewing ordinary people as he is confronting and/or interviewing important figures. 

A constant shame

Every person that gives a worth for their fellow human needs to see this CBS News Sunday Morning report.

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-navajo-water-lady/

My apologies once again for forgetting to embed the video.  I will need to do a lot better next time. 

None the less, the continued negation and shaming of the Native Americans is resoundingly disgusting.  Not one other news organization has made mention of this problem.  Why is that?  Since it is rather late, I will have another multimedia essay on this issue at a date sooner than expected.  None the less, you need to see this; and then contemplate about who you are and what you have done for these people.  How would You like it if you could not afford clean water? 

Thank you for understanding,

Robert

That One Summer: One Hour Photo

It has now been exactly one year since Robin Williams died.  One year in which I and may others keep wondering what has changed since then.  One year that we have been asking ourselves if we were able to see the warning signs of a sad and troubled soul who had a gift for making people better in thoughts and laughter when needed.  When I heard that Robin Williams had committed suicide, I kept thinking to 12 years before, when I and many others saw an excellent movie Mr. Williams was in that I think would have been the game changer in how many saw him.  That movie was One Hour Photo; one of the few times I walked out of the theater feeling disturbed. 

One Hour Photo is quite possibly one of the better movies of 2002, and certainly amongst the creepiest films to have been produced.  It was one of those movies that needed repeated viewing and a thorough analysis to what was just seen.  Like many of the great horror films, it would leave audiences wondering what they had just seen, and unsure of the ending being presented.  In some ways, I think this was due to this movie being written and directed by Mark Romanek; an innovative filmmaker of music videos.  Amazingly, One Hour Photo was only his second film outside of the video music genre.  Yet as opposed to the usual jump cuts and flash photography involved in some of Mr. Romanek's videos (Scream, 99 Problems, Closer, The Perfect Drug, Speed Of Sound), One Hour Photo was sparse in its visual outlook.

Most importantly, what mattered was the story being told and seeing Robin Williams at his most creepiest up to that point.  In short, Mr. Williams played a 50-plus year old loner, Sy Parrish, who spends his days as the photo developer at a CVS knockoff.  Over time, Sy becomes concerned about the dealings of a young family, the Yorkins.  What sends Sy over his limits is a drop off that Will Yorkin (Michael Vartan) delivers containing photos of Will and his mistress Maya (Erin Daniels).  And yet, the troubles and disintegration of the Yorkins, including that of Nina (Connie Nielsen), is secondary compared with Sy's inner turmoil and demons becoming more and more public. 

Now, since this movie was completed in 2002, I trust many of you have seen One Hour Photo.  With that in mind, some important matters relating to plot and storytelling are needed to be clarified. 

Did the kid know his father was cheating?
I think so.  One of the discussions on the IMDB and AICN message boards at the time noticed how Romanek showed the young man playing Jake seem a bit embarrassed at Connie Nielsen's character looking at the photos of Will and Maya at the beach.  In fact, there is no shock coming out of Jake.  I think, and so did others at the time, Jake took those photos of his father and his mistress; likely attending the same vacation at the same beach.  This may also explain how Jake seems to become more deadpan and apathetic during the course of the movie.  I found it to be a rather brilliant move for a film of this caliber.  Any sort of overacting and emphasis on the kid, and this movie fails. 

Why the obsession over a family who is not all what they seem?
Mr. Williams does not at any one moment in this movie give us reason to necessarily hate Sy.  I suppose this is because we in real life have noticed, or perhaps have ourselves been, lonely people without much to look forward to except our version of a hyper reality.  We may look at the photos, videos, stories and ideals of a family or group of people and choose to see only what we want to believe.  If for instance you see a family doing something wonderful while you are not; it is little surprise that any of us would feel even at the least jealous and envious.  Certainly, Sy getting fired and then discovering the photos of Vartan and Daniels kissing ends that form of obsession and unqualified need for acceptance into the Yorkin family, as it were.  This leads to an interesting debate that continues to infest message boards when discussing this movie.

Was Robin Williams' character, Sy Parrish, sexually molested as a child by his father?
The answer is yes.  A movie that is intelligent and disturbing as what One Hour Photo is does not need to explicitly tell you everything.  Mark Romanek has not ever in his fictional movies tried to hammer us with plot points and explicit revelations that are the bane of every cookie cutter horror movie.  What Mr. Williams says to Eriq La Salle at the end effectively reveals both Sy's past and I am certain what has happened to Jake. 

Did Sy take the pornographic pictures at the hotel?
You do not see them as evidence, yet I think those photos were taken and kept by Sy as an insurance policy or blackmail against Will.  The last shot of the movie of Mr. Williams integrated with the Yorkins can be taken as different interpretations as to whether it is real or imagined.  It could very well be real, and that the Vartan and Nielsen's characters will need to acquiesce to Sy whenever he sees fit.  Once again, a rather clever move of storytelling format. 

One Hour Photo remains a great movie to this day.  I had hoped that Robin Williams would have at least garnered a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars; though sadly it was not to be.  Perhaps this was not mentioned or even thought about at the time; yet I think if One Hour Photo had gotten a following similar to many of the horror franchises of the last 10 years, or perhaps even the word of mouth momentum the new Joel Edgerton film The Gift has received, certain career trajectories would have been altered.  I will believe till I am blue in the face that with both Insomnia and One Hour Photo, along with a sharp return to stand-up, Robin Williams was re inventing himself in a way that I think would have provided a newer fan base.  As I said, these movies were quite successful, and a lot of media attention  was made. Yet, and here is the kicker, not getting a Best Actor nomination  may have given Mr. Williams doubts about showing his darker side.  Or perhaps not; his Oscar in Good Will Hunting was quite edgy itself.  And of course, Robin Williams never stopped being funny. 

We may never truly know how he felt.  Unless there is a biography of considerable regard on his life published, Robin Williams' inner feelings may well be considered foreign to us.  Sure, many of us get depressed; a number even think of ending it all.  And quite a few of us do suffer from illness.  Perhaps one day we will know.  None the less, we did have a renaissance in the life of Robin Williams in 2002, a rather interesting life we all looked up to That One Summer.

So was a great life in a weary world,

Robert

PS.  I will have more to say about The Gift coming shortly.  It is though a must see movie.  And I am still working the cogs at getting to upload videos, including my own. 

The one sane choice

It may be hard to believe, given not many alive now lived or remember this time period. Yet, the 1980s were not halcyon days for the United States or even the rest of the world. If or when Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman decide to do a documentary series about the eighties, I would expect people's perception of so called good times to be completely shattered. A great deal of the Republican mindset that engulfed America in the 1980s and early 1990s can be attributed to a 1979 Address to the Nation from then President Jimmy Carter. Nominally, it was the 14th in a series of Addresses involving energy usage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kakFDUeoJKM My apologies for not directly embedding the video; I am using Microsoft Windows 10 and its new browser Microsoft Edge. I will see if Chrome does things differently. None the less, the speech I linked to was and still is unique in that President Carter pretty much told the American people to stop blaming their leaders for their problems and start blaming themselves. What a concept: taking responsibility for one's own actions and thoughts! How it related to energy was effectively consume less and perhaps, maybe, turning off the heater once in a while and wearing an extra sweater. Well, within the next year, much of the American public rejected these recommendations for self preservation and much like someone being told not to do anything stupid; they tripled down on their stupidity and elected President Ronald Reagan. The Reagan era lasted a total of 12 long years. I think the only reason why it lasted this long was because it became clear, after the Iran-Contra scandal blew up in everyone's face, that an actual third term campaign for President Reagan would have resulted in a defeat. So in came George H.W. Bush to be President in 1988, retaining many of the Reagan brain trust without the public image of a failed leader. Four years later, and with the "Cold War" now extinct, the Republican Party, and with that much of the bipartisan bull crap in maintaining a "war" mindset, began to shatter immensely. I can remember those times; Dan Rather every night for a month in early 1992 introduced reports on a false and troubling U.S. financial economy. Lawrence Walsh, independent counsel investigating Iran-Contra, obtained grand jury indictments for key Reagan-Bush officials, and likely was going to indict both Presidents if possible. I do remember on Halloween Eve a re-indictment of Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger was obtained. It was also the year of the South Central L.A. Riots, among other social justice issues coming into view. Into this social political chaos emerged then Gov. Bill Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas and by all accounts a Southern Centrist Democrat. And for the first time in 12 years, people were not only needing to hear the truth about their lives; they were willing to listen and make changes. If you need a visual aide on why the Clinton campaign and subsequent Presidency from 1992-2000 was successful; I would suggest watching once again the D.A. Pennebaker film The War Room, now a part of the Criterion Collection. Also of interest is Robert Downey Jr.'s opinion documentary The Last Party; though be aware this was when Downey was zonked out on booze and pills half the time. I have already alluded to and made note of the eight years of relative peace and security when William Jefferson Clinton was President. I, like you, are aware of what the past 15 years post-Clinton have been like. In short, apart from flashes of sanity within the Senate and the State Department, nothing good has come forward. You know, in only my second week as a student at Hofstra University, 9/11 occurred. One of my fellow travelers saw, like nearly all of us, the aftermath of the destruction and she said out loud "This would have never happened if Clinton was still President." And this woman, whose name I forget, was right. Indeed, there are certain times I play a what if game. That being, what if Bill Clinton decided to run for a third term? We know President Clinton would have easily been re-elected. Yet, as we know, a Clinton third term was set aside to focus on Hillary Clinton's 1999-2000 run for the Senate. She of course was elected. And I would say from that point forward, many of us that effectively were given the double deuce by the Cheney-Bush people, culminating in the 9/11 Inside Job, wanted to have the tide turn in favor of us once more. I had hoped Sen. Hillary Clinton would have ran for President in 2004. She did not, instead focusing on her 2006 Senate re-election bid. Fortunately after that election, Sen. Clinton began a process of running for the Presidency to which she was and still is entitled to I might add. In 2008, Sen. Clinton won the national Democratic Primary. Yet due to a myriad of reasons all found to be not worth my time, Clinton was barred from receiving the nomination in what amounted to a retread of the old back-room party bosses deals. We were left with then Sen. Barack Obama, the perpetual disappointment. None the less, President Obama was elected in 2008: the Clinton family's endorsement and a certainty for Sen. Hillary Clinton to be involved in the Cabinet was what sealed the deal for at least my voting for him. Yet Sec. Of State Clinton would not be in that title at the State Department for that long of a time. Sec. Of State Clinton left in 2012, which was followed as we see today of another Presidential run. Now, let me remind you I did vote for President Barack Obama again in 2012. However, I voted for Pres. Obama thinking that he would be defeated. It was more of an approval of the four years having gone by rather than the four years to come. We have seen though a continuation of a weak, egotistical, self-centered prick being a President more in line with wanting to be a celebrity more than anything. I do not know what a Republican presidency would have been like if one was elected in 2012. I sure as shit was not going to give the Romney and Paul people there fantasies. And I frankly have never liked Gov. Chris Christie; Now most people hate him, but it was not that easy being a lone voice at the time showing my disapproval on that lard. None the less, Pres. Obama winning re-election in 2012 assured a continuation of Democratic leadership for decades to come. We all were convinced after eight years of Obama there would be: Eight years of Hillary Clinton Eight years of Cory Booker Eight years of Chelsea Clinton Eight years of one of the Obama daughters. Well, now once again, there is a probability this will not happen. I have said before that Pres. Obama is actively seeking a third term. With the likelihood that he might lose, Obama and his people are setting up Vice President Joe Biden to fill the void. Interestingly, I think after Beau Biden passed away, there has been more of an incentive for VP Biden to run; fulfilling the last wishes of his son to have a Biden become President. I am not pleased with VP Biden running. This now means at least 8 Democrats are running for President! I expect Mayor Bill De Blasio to announce his candidacy shortly, and I am thinking there will be a Donald Trump equivalent for Democrats to consider before the year is out. My money is on Sen. Elizabeth Warren to make a move. By the way, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come out in support of Sen. and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton. So too has Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Indeed, most of the Senate Democrats and nearly half of all House Democrats are endorsing Hillary Clinton. Same goes for several Diplomats, a number of businesspeople and quite a huge list of celebrities. Go look at the Clinton 2016 page on Wikipedia for an ever evolving list of endorsements. Each of these endorsees have one mindset in common: they want their political party back to where it can be in being effective in its leadership and trustworthiness. In short, they want the 1990s back. As do I. In 2008, after being given the double deuce by party bosses, we were assured that President Barack Obama would promise us everything us Clinton Democrats wanted and even more. Apart from the four years of relative decent International Diplomacy, we have been disappointed in most areas. Even certain beneficial acts like "Obama Care" were compromised from its needed intentions. I for one will not be led down a path of abject disappointment and voting for style over substance, celebrity over leadership. Taking a page from the misguided fanatics Dr. Ron Paul still continues to have, albeit in a mercifully dwindling number; my choice for President, the Only Same Choice for President, is Hillary Clinton. Should Sen. Clinton not receive the nomination, even before the primaries, if possible I will write her name in. If a write-in is not possible, then I will vote for the Democrat; albeit it will be nothing more than a protest vote. Hillary Clinton for President 2016 or no one at all. Our lives may just depend on it, Robert