Hmmm…the rumor’s been around for a few weeks, but it’s finally been confirmed: Tarantino’s Kill Bill is being split in two. Something smells fishy to me. Even as a QT fan back in the day, I thought the first trailer for this (excuse me, these) film(s) was really blah. Is Harvey Weinstein forcing a return on what’s starting to look like a dodgy property? I guess we’ll have to spend twice as much to find out.
Month: July 2003
Grounded.
Space policy analyst Mark Whittington laments the squandered opportunity of Apollo in the LA Times.
Untruth and Consequences.
Try as they might to contain it, Dubya’s role in the Iraq-Niger component of Weaponsgate continues to leak under scrutiny. Worse still for the White House, many irate columnists are examining the larger pattern of deceit that has characterized this administration. Whatsmore, the I-word is now getting thrown around. How, I wonder, will the Bushies manage to lie their way out of this one?
American Mullah.
“We ask for miracles in regard to the Supreme Court…One justice is 83-years-old, another has cancer and another has a heart condition. Would it not be possible for God to put it in the minds of these three judges that the time has come to retire?” Pat Robertson calls on God to put a hit out on three Supreme Court justices following Lawrence v. Texas. Well, while we’re praying for people’s “removal”…
The Gospel According to Mel.
AICN gets its hands on the powerful (and very graphic) trailer for The Passion, Mel Gibson’s forthcoming version of the Christ story, as told in Aramaic and Latin. Given Gibson’s ultraconservative Catholicism, his rejection of the Second Vatican Council (which, among other things, repudiated the idea of Jewish collective guilt for the death of Jesus), and his father’s background of Anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, I must admit I fear the worst about this project…but I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve seen the movie. To be sure, the trailer is a startling piece of work.
Yeah, that’s the ticket.
It isn’t just Weaponsgate: Dubya can’t stop lying about the economy, either. And with the Dubya deficit ballooning and the states feeling the pinch, don’t expect any further candor from the White House in the months to come.
Out the Door.
Speaking of liars, it’s been real, been fun, hasn’t been real fun. Ari Fleischer prevaricates his way through one last White House press briefing. He will not be missed.
Subordinary.
Hello all…back from Toronto (Seemed like a great town…wish I’d had more time to look around) with nary a muscle ache or fever. Also caught The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen this evening. I didn’t find it as terrible as all the reviews made it out to be, but Lord knows it’s pretty bad. I suspect that even if the screenwriters had attempted something closer to Alan Moore’s work, Sean Connery would still kill the movie with his awful Sean Connery impression. And the story, as Ebert notes, is absolutely nonsensical. Peta Wilson, Richard Roxburgh, Jason Flemyng, and Stuart Townsend all acquit themselves well, I suppose, although the latter reminded me once again of why he would’ve made a lousy Aragorn. And as for Tom Sawyer…well, the less said the better. To be honest, I expected much more of Stephen Norrington after Blade. All in all, I’d say skip it.
Mutant Joan Rivers.
By way of Neilalien and Triptych Cryptic, the worst superhero costumes of all time. I dunno…these seem kinda arbitrary to me. What about Luthor in the green armor? Black Condor of the JLS? Or poor old Puck of Alpha Flight? The guy had beer-mascot dwarf-tossee written all over him in that suit.
Supastar!
The Boston Globe examines the rise of the academic star system, the ensuing university rat race, and how they both affect those scholars who actually do the teaching. Sadly, as you might expect, it means even less money to go around for the bulk of PhDs.