Motorcycle Diaries, The
Che Guevera is still a political rock star here in the land he despised — so what if he killed Cuban “class enemies” and helped impose on those who survived exile, oppession and poverty?
Entry from September 21, 2004
American theatre-goers may not yet be fully aware of it but the British playwright, David Hare (Plenty, A Map of the World, Racing Demon etc.), has added his 2p worth to the outpouring of artistic protest against the American and British governments which took their countries into war in Iraq. Stuff Happens, which takes its…
Silver City
John Sayles preaches yet another of his tedious sermons in the hope, presumably, that his two-cents’ worth might just tip the scales of public opinion against President Bush
Movie Memories
Why Hollywood is fascinated by the idea of memory as the key to personhood
— From The New Atlantis of Spring, 2004
Persons of Interest
Yet another exercise in Bush-bashing from the Hollywood propaganda machine
Weapons of Mass Distortion
If the news that the media are biased comes as a surprise to you, chances are you won’t read Brent Bozell’s admirable demonstration of the fact — Reviewed in The New York Sun
Entry from September 1, 2004
Conventional Poetry: These five poems about the Republican National Convention were written for broadcast on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” during the week of August 30-September 3, 2004 Sing, O Muse, your most heroic Ditty:Republicans convene in New York City,Where we shall see kick off their fall CampaignGiuliani, Schwarzenegger and McCain.All hail th’Mod’rates of…
Vanity Fair
Mira Nair (I arm Iran?) takes an English classic and de-Orientalizes it, so leaving very little for non-ideologues to enjoy
Husbands and Wives
Hollywood’s ambivalence about marriage is confusing, but it reflects a wider social contradiction — From The American Spectator of July-August, 2004
Entry from August 27, 2004
The McGreevey story just doesn’t stop yielding up its lessons for our times. The other day, Francine Prose wrote in The Washington Post that “It might be argued (and I would agree) that Dina McGreevey”s most intimate feelings are not the public’s business. And there’s something admirable about remaining silent and displaying grace under pressure.”…
Bush’s Brain
The latest in this year’s spate of Bush-bashing documentaries goes after Karl Rove