Come and See (1985)

142 minute running time which is pretty short for a Russian (Soviet) movie … the horrors of war … I think I heard someone compare this movie to Son of Saul (which was my favorite movie from whatever year it came out), so I rented it. Atrocities on full display, not for the faint of heart. Should you (come and) see it? Well, it depends on if you can stomach it, if you don’t fear the nightmares that may follow.

Rita Kempley wrote: “… [Klimov creates a] hallucinatory nether world of blood and mud and escalating madness.“

Not every race has a right to exist.

You Used To Call Me The Bestest

What a find by the Spotify algo … kind of a cross between Linda Ronstadt and Amy Winehouse … I think she’s 20 years old?!? Lily Moore has a bright future, I hope.

Could've Been Me If I Weren't Afraid

Honey Mooncie singing Should've Been You … love it.

Movies Watched -- White Material (2009)

105 minute running time … the story of a French family who have a coffee plantation someplace in Africa, and there’s some sort of civil war or unrest, and they don’t flee but choose to stay. What are you supposed to think about this? Are they just foolish? Isabelle Ooooo-pair comes across as a little crazy, then she goes full crazy (as does her pretty-boy son, the yellow dog). I wasn’t thrilled … Farr recommended it (“intense and absorbing exploration of emerging madness, all bound up in familial, racial, and national ties”), but it didn’t really ring true to me. Was Ooooo-pair really that disconnected from France? Was she that oblivious to the coming chaos and violence? Do you want to sympathize with her or pity her? You can give it a miss.

Anthony Quinn correctly writes: “… [the] real error is failing to spot the insoluble contradiction in Huppert's character: how can a woman so resourceful be so blind to the realities around her?”

Spoilers: They cut the scene in which the son kills his father … they made it ambiguous in the final edit how the father died, but in the deleted scene you can see he still has money on him after being shot and the son strolling off outside with the shotgun. I don’t know why they didn’t choose to show that in the end?

Tell me how to get home!

I've Got a Friend in Time

Liam Bailey singing Hold Tight … first discovered by Amy Winehouse … good body for playing rugby.

Dove into the Backseat of My Mind

Sarah Isen singing Blue … not super polished, but I like her voice:

Movies Watched -- The Lady Eve (1941)

93 minute running time … a W.D. By movie (Preston Sturges) … Henry Fonda plays a goofy heir to a beer fortune and Barbara Stanwyck plays the con woman who ends up falling in love with him … it’s silly and funny and well-written … I guess it’s a “classic” and is on hundreds of “top” lists, so I’ll give in and give it a green-go myself.

Let us be crooked but never common.

Let's Go Out and Feel the Night

Lord Huron covering Neil’s Harvest Moon … note that Doron Kavillio has taken a break from Israeli counter-terrorism duties and is sitting in on the drums:

Movies Watched -- Under the Sun (2016)

110 minute running time … Documentary … North Korea hired a Russian director to film a movie the State had written and produced, and he smuggled out a lot of footage and made this documentary, which is fascinating and sort of terrifying. Pyongyang looks like the China I knew 30 years ago, though it’s a silent place (no one talks in public) … the personality cult is strong for sure. I wanted to visit NK when we lived in China, but my wife never let me because she was sure I’d end up in a concentration camp. If you’re interested in what a totalitarian state looks like up close, you should see it.

Painful plié

Movies Watched -- The Tillman Story (2010)

95 minute running time … documentary … interesting story about the death of Pat Tillman in Afghanistan and the Army’s attempts not only to cover up the truth (he was killed by friendly fire), but to spin it so that he was heroically fighting the Taliban (and awarded the silver star!) to promote the war. Sickening of course, but not unexpected. The most awful part of the movie is seeing Rumsfeld and other top brass smiling and slapping each other’s backs following the “oversight” committee hearing.

To use him as a political--a propaganda tool, basically. That is immoral.

The following P4 memo was sent April 29, 2004 by Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal to Gen. John Abizaid, then head of U.S. Central Command; Gen. Bryan Douglas Brown, then head of the U.S. Special Operations Command; and Lt. Gen. Philip R. Kensinger, then head of the Army Special Operations Command. The Associated Press obtained and published the memo in March 2004.

Sir,

In the aftermath of Corporal Patrick Tillman’s untimely yet heroic death in Afghanistan on 22 April 04, it is anticipated that a 15-6 investigation nearing completion will find that it is highly possible that Corporal Tillman was killed by friendly fire. This potential finding is exacerbated by the unconfirmed but suspected reports that POTUS and the secretary of the Army might include comments about Corporal Tillman’s heroism and his approved Silver Star medal in speeches currently being prepared, not knowing the specifics surrounding his death.

The potential that he might have been killed by friendly fire in no way detracts from his witnessed heroism or the recommended personal decoration for valor in the face of the enemy. Corporal Tillman was killed in a complicated battlespace geometry involving two separate Ranger vehicle serials traversing through severe terrain along a winding 500-600 foot defile in which friendly forces were fired upon by multiple enemy positions. Corporal Tillman disembarked from his vehicle, and in support of his fellow Rangers and demonstrating great concern for their welfare over care for his own safety entered the enemy kill-zone into which both enemy and friendly fire impacted.

I felt that it was essential that you received this information as soon as we detected it in order to preclude any unknowing statements by our country’s leaders which might cause public embarrassment if the circumstances of Corporal Tillman’s death become public.

Silver Star Citation [emphasis mine]:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Corporal Patrick D. Tillman, United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with the 2d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, during action in Afghanistan on 22 April 2004, against an armed enemy while serving as a Rifle Team Leader in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Caught between the crossfire of an enemy near ambush, Corporal Tillman put himself in the line of devastating enemy fire as he maneuvered his fire team to a covered position from which they could effectively employ their weapons on known enemy positions. His audacious leadership and courageous example under fire inspired his men to fight at great risk to their own personal safety, resulting in the enemy's withdrawal, his platoon's safe passage from the ambush kill zone, and his mortal wound. Corporal Tillman's personal courage, tactical expertise, and professional competence directly contributed to his platoon's overall success and survival. In making the ultimate sacrifice for his team and platoon, Corporal Patrick D. Tillman reflected great credit upon himself, the Joint Task Force, and the United States Army.