Tag: Review

‘Rain Dogs’ Turns Forty

It is a Friday and this is my last post of the week…..I do not write many reviews but this one hits home for me.

Back in the mmid-70s I was the late night bartender at a local pub and that was when I was introduced to the musical styling of Tom Waits.  From the very first song of his first album, Closing Time, I was hooked.

I even went to a small club in New Orleans where Waits was performing….a club that sat about 200 people and I was not disappointed.  His storytelling was spot on especially in the early hours of the morning when the creatures were out and about…..if you have lived that life then you know how spot on his storytelling was.

This review is about his album, Rain Dogs, who some say was one of his best works.

I can’t recall what went through my head when first listening to ‘Telephone Call From Istanbul’, a rhythmically buoyant song that seemed to be about broken glass, blue donkeys and never trusting a man in a blue trench coat. All I know is that I was open-mouthed, and nothing musical was ever the same again. Especially for my long-suffering mother, who would have to deal with me imitating Waits’ possessed, wolf-like howls whenever I entered a room.

Even now, she refers to Waits as the sound ‘Woooouh!‘ as opposed to his birth name – both as a reference to my insufferable childhood antics but also, I suspect, to the fact that listening to a Tom Waits record is, for her, the equivalent of that scene from The Pink Panther Strikes Back when Herbert Lom dons the clawed gauntlet and goes to town on the chalkboard. Some apples do fall far from the tree.

Years later, I wandered about in my then-favourite music store, on a mission: I was looking to buy my first Tom Waits album.

At the time, I didn’t know his discography like the back of my hand and was searching for the album that featured ‘Telephone Call From Istanbul’. To my distress, I couldn’t find it and settled on the only record they had, ‘Rain Dogs’, not realising in the moment that it was the best buy I was ever going to make.

I mainlined the album again and again, completely drunk on Waits’ gravelly growls, his ominous whispers, the carnivalesque musical accompaniments that enriched the stories of one-armed dwarves, millionaires shoveling coal and protagonists falling out of windows with confetti in their hair.

https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/09/30/rain-dogs-turns-40-celebrating-tom-waits-greatest-album-and-his-unparalleled-discography

Waits’ voice may not be everyone’s cup of tea but for me he speaks volumes….his storytelling is superb.

The truth of the matter I prefer his early years his album Nighthawks At The Diner will forever be number one on my list….for those that do not know Tom Waits this is the album I most liked…..although they all are good.

Please listen

and enjoy.

Now for the album Rain Dogs….

I hope you enjoyed the unusual musical styling….

That is it for this week…..enjoy your weekend and as always…..Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Trial Of The Chicago Seven

NOTE:  This will be my only post today for Hurricane Ida is heading my way and I need to batten down the hatches and move stuff around to keep it from flying around….so my time will better spent doing precautionary work.

This is a seldom review by me…..this film interest me for I was around for the real trial….but before I go into the film maybe a little history for those that were not around for the actual event.

The film did do one thing….it illustrated what a clown show it was with the old fart Judge Hoffman (which illustrates why judges should be forced to retire at age 65).

The trial was held to punish the leaders of the protests of 1968 at the Democratic convention in Chicago.

The Chicago Seven (originally eight) were political radicals accused of conspiring to incite the riots that occurred at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. During the five-month trial, the prosecution stressed the defendants’ provocative rhetoric and subversive intentions, while the defense attributed the violence to official overreaction. The case drew national attention for the artists and activists that testified as witnesses, as well as defendant Bobby Seale’s actions, which earned him four years in prison for contempt of court. In February 1970, five of the seven were found guilty, but an appeals court overturned the convictions in 1972.

There were originally eight defendants: David Dellinger, a pacifist and chairman of the National Mobilization against the War; Tom Hayden and Rennie Davis, leaders of the Students for a Democratic Society, Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, leaders of theYouth International Party John Froines and Lee Weiner, local Chicago organizers; and Bobby Seale, cofounder of the Black Panther Party.

https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/chicago-seven-1

Now that the history lesson is over…I will move on the the film…..

Netflix’s portrayal of the trial directed by Andrew Sorkin…..the film had an excellent cast…..the major characters of the trial……

If one watches this with the mindset of entertainment then it is excellent….but if one is looking for historic accuracy then it is lacking.

As someone who lived through those turbulent days I was disappointed in the film all together.

Sorkin seeks to tame these radicals, and the anti-imperialist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, and revolutionary politics they represented (not, of course, without differences among them) by recasting them as boosters for liberal reform. The result is not only an inaccurate rendering of the group’s political visions but a tone-deaf affirmation of the American state, and specifically law enforcement, as fundamentally virtuous.

Since I am not the best reviewer on the web….I will let others give you the review this film deserves…..

https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/chicago-7-trial-film/

https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/aaron-sorkins-inane-history-lesson/

All in all the film was well acted but the character study it portrayed failed.

I recommend this film for entertainment reasons…..if you want historic accuracy then I would, if I were you, pass.

On a side note–I would like to see the same dogged determinism by the government when the leaders of this most recent insurrection against the government when they go to trial and the same sensationalism by the media as well during the trial.

Turn The Page!

To close out the day…..as with my tradition “Trying To Reason With The Hurricane Season by Jimmy Buffet……

Review: Trial Of The Chicago 7

I seldom do many reviews but in this case I will make an exception…..

You see I am an old fart and remember this trial well…..the Netflix handling of this historic trial was good and even sort of accurate……but they did state that it was “based on an actual incident”……but first…..who were the Chicago 7?

Initially there were eight defendants (and the group was known as the Chicago Eight), but one, Bobby Seale of the Black Panthers, denounced Hoffman as a racist and demanded a separate trial. The seven other defendants, including David Dellinger of the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam (MOBE); Rennie Davis and Tom Hayden of MOBE and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS); and Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman of the Youth International Party (Yippies), were accused of conspiring to incite a riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-chicago-seven-go-on-trial

Here are the two trailers….

https://youtu.be/FVb6EdKDBfU
https://youtu.be/OAaZIfeQzT0

I followed the story in ’68 as best I could for I was ass deep in mud and rain in South Vietnam…..so if I had been stateside I might have been in Chicago…..so I will let someone who was there at the protests and at the trial…..Nancy Kurshan……this is her review of the Netflix film and her thoughts on the trial.

Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, streaming on Netflix, is entertaining, sometimes moving and often funny. But it played fast and loose with the facts. I ought to know. I was a yippie organizer for the ’68 protest and present every day at the trial, working on the defense side— in the beginning with Tom Hayden, tracking down witnesses. As the nature of the trial morphed, I became the “yippie props gal”. I acquired the robes that Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman wore to court in Sorkin’s movie.

Although the actors were great, Sorkin failed to reflect the essence of many of the characters. He showed Jerry as a violence-provoking buffoon, one who let a female FBI agent get close to him in the midst of what we had put our hearts and souls into for much of the year. The only woman that was next to him the whole time was me. And I knew Jerry’s faults as well as anyone which is finally why I left him. But I also knew his strengths. He had tremendous courage. Not Rambo courage. It was ridiculous to see him in the film talking about molotov cocktails. He couldn’t even make a smoothie. But he was brave. He stood up 3 times to the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC). All times in costume. First as a revolutionary war hero with tri-corner hat and all, then as an international guerrilla, and finally as Santa Claus. (It was Xmas time, and the headlines read HUAC BARS SANTA.)  Many times bravery involves being able to put yourself out there, even if you are scared, to be outspoken and fight for what you think is right. Jerry had been a journalist and knew how to work the media to expand the movement. He developed theatrical politics and was a creative, brilliant tactician of protest. He helped lead the earlier protests against the war. It was largely his vision, as the Project Director, that guided the 1967 attempt to SHUT DOWN the Pentagon through both levitation and huge civil disobedience action against the war where 800 of us were arrested.

I Was in the Room Where It Happened: One Woman’s Perspective on “The Trial of the Chicago 7”

I liked the film…not so much for its accuracy but it reminded me of my youth and my days of protests and the injuries my protesting lead to in later years.

Keep in mind that the 7 were protesters and Bobby Seal was on trial at the same time for murder….that made it 8 defendants….a small fact but important nonetheless…..

Now spend some time an watch a documentary of the trial and the actual events….it is lengthy but well worth the view for those interested…..Chicago 7 +1

https://youtu.be/nTzYgiL2HiM
 
7 Reasons Why the Chicago 8 Trial Mattered - HISTORY
 
 
This is another look at the Netflix offering……
 
Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a historical drama streaming on Netflix. It deals with the court proceedings in 1969–70 in which organizers of protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, held in Chicago, faced charges of conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intent to incite a riot. The charges brought by the Nixon administration’s Justice Department were aimed at intimidating and criminalizing political opposition.
(does that at all sound familiar?)
Be Smart!
 
Learn Stuff!
 
I Read, I Write, You Know
 
“lego ergo scribo”

War And Peace

I realize that too many of the younger generations do not think much about the classics….but they should for the original is always better than the re-make.

Remember that book that you told yourself you wanted to read and you began it but seldom did you finish it.

Why?

Well it is written by a Russian and they are notorious for being long winded in their writings……and War and Peace is NO different.

In case you are one of those that never quite got to finish the novel…..I offer a short summary….

1 People change. The characters in War and Peace endure extreme experiences, and emerge at the end as quite different people. The miracle of the book is that the Natasha who falls in love with anyone and everyone in the ballrooms of the opening is recognisably the same woman who withdraws from society at the end.

2 There is no hero and no heroine. This is the story of a group of people living within a society. Andrei Bolkonsky is not Tolstoy’s hero, and Natasha is not a romantic heroine. It forgives ideas of heroism, most beautifully in the last words any character speaks in the book, as Andrei’s son thinks of his father at the end of the First Epilogue. It understands and sympathises with those ideas but it excuses itself from repeating them. The book will try to understand why people behave as they do, and it may make the best case possible for some strange actions, but it won’t make apologies for anyone and won’t pass a final judgment. Don’t expect to be able to predict what happens. Even the characters won’t be able to explain why they do what they do, perhaps until weeks or months later. The subject of the book is the wildness of possibility, and how the world can be changed by one woman saying, for no particular reason that she can explain, “I have had so little happiness in my life.”

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/22/war-and-peace-guide-philip-hensher

I Seldom do film reviews and I recently watched the 1950s adaptation of the book starring Henry Fonda and Audrey Hepburn…..

The trailer……

This book reminds me of a Hemingway novel……personal conflict and love and death and love again…..

The acting was I remembered it….great.

I admit that I have not seen some of the newer versions of this novel…so I cannot make comparisons….but I do not think that anyone could do a better job that Audrey Hepburn as Natasha Rostova….

It is a shame that most of the stars of this film are no longer with us…….

To be fair these are the trailers from several versions of War and Peace…..

First from 2007 BBC…

Then there is the re-make in 1966……

The film’s larger-than-life legend begins in 1961, when Bondarchuk commandeered the largest budget the USSR had ever seen for a single motion picture. Released in four parts in 1966 and 1967, it was a colossal success in its original homeland run as well as a worldwide sensation, and playing as a four-night special on ABC in 1972 after having set a new record for highest ticket cost — as steep as $7.50, the equivalent of dropping $56.52 on a ticket today, and a big step up from the $1.20 rate in place at the time — during theatrical screenings of an abridged six-hour edit in the US. The 1966 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film was just the feather in its cap — er, shako.

https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/2/15/18223285/war-and-peace-sergei-bondarchuk-adaptation-1966

Those are the two others that I am aware of….I shall let you do the comparisons.

If you have not viewed the 1956 version then I suggest you do so you will not be disappointed.

“lego ergo scribo”

Mallorca Files–A Review

I would like to take a short break from all this Covid-19 stuff…..and all the news around this killer….and offer something entertaining….my review.

I do not often do many review movie or TV or book….but from time to time something just catches my fancy…..and so it was with a British crime drama entitled “Mallorca Files”.

This was a no brainer for me….for I lived on Mallorca as a teen for 3 years and then again as an adult for 2 years…..and still hold the island in high regard…..although it is not as laid back as it was in my youth…..it has become the playground of the rich and famous which is the kiss of death for a culture.

But the islands lend well for a series especially a series about murder and stuff……

Mallorca Files…..

Set on the sunny Spanish island of Mallorca, this 10-part BBC Daytime drama (co-produced with German channel ZDF) is written by Good Karma Hospital‘s Dan Sefton and features a brilliant partnership in the form of uptight British cop Miranda Blake (Elen Rhys) and laid-back German policeman Max Winter (Julian Looman).

In the opening episode, DC Blake is in Palma de Mallorca to escort a star witness back to the UK: the gang-boss-turned-informant Niall Taylor (Aidan McArdle). To put things mildly, things do not go to plan.

Miranda soon finds herself paired with Max, a German police officer who has somehow ended up on permanent secondment with the Spanish police force. Together they form that classic “unlikely duo” beloved of buddy cop movies, but in a knowingly-naff kind of way with a heavy dose of sexual tension. Miranda is diligent, blunt, obsessive and angry; and despite the German stereotype, Max is the one who is chilled out and much more attuned to the Spanish pace of life.

(radiotimes.com)

Watch a couple of trailers…..

My thoughts…..

I get it on Britbox and only have 4 episodes at this time and so far I like the idea of this show…..Mallorca is a lovely place and has a rich history to go with the amazing scenery……I recognized the round castle….the Basilica de Santa Maria, the harbor of Palma and the mountains on the north side of the island.

After four episodes I noticed a bit of the repartee of Shakespeare and Hathaway…..in short a little comedic relief….works for me….I cannot wait to see the rest of the season and the next season when it is released.

If you liked the scenery of Death in Paradise…then you should truly appreciate the rich culture of Mallorca and the fantastic scenery.

“lego ergo scribo”

Jeff Ward, American Craftsman

It is the weekend and as usual I will post stuff that is far removed from the games being played in DC………From time to time I do a review of something like books, and such….this time I want to give props where they are due…….to an American craftsman.

But first a little background…….Since my early days of writing on politics and economics I have made ba-zillions of notes and since the early days of high school I have written with a fountain pen.  I know that is old school but I tend to write better with them and makes my notes so much easier to read.  And over those many years I have acquired a collection of pens some are famous names and others no names but write well…..I have used Mont Blanc, Waterman, Parker, Shaeffer……but NO pen in my collection writes as well or has the superb hand feel of the pens I recently acquired……

Now to the meat of the review…….recently I found a wood fountain pen on Amazon and decided to buy it and see how it wrote……HOLY CRAP!  Not only was the pen beautiful craftsmanship but it wrote like a dream………..I emailed the guy about his pen and he turned me onto his Etsy store and I got a good look at his skills….impressive!

The man is an American genius with wood his name is Jeff Ward…..he does amazing work….I have since bought another pen from him and plan to buy others……My latest acquisition is a pen made from olive wood to replace one that I lost during Katrina…….I say give Jeff a chance and he will amaze you also……..

Olivewood Fountain Pen

Check out His store……..

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JeffsPensandMore?ref=si_shop

In these days of outsourcing it is nice to find an American craftsman that is well worth the title……Jeff’s work is impressive….you will not find this high quality work at Lowe’s….drop y his store and say HI and look around and you will see what I am saying…..

The DR Show–A Review

Or….Why won’t you answer the question?

First, I want to say I do not normally review TV news shows…most of them are a waste of good air time….but I will make an exception this time….

What the American people need is a news show that answers the vital questions of the day, whether you are a conservative or a liberal, the media needs more journalist like Dylan Ratigan of MSNBC.

Why would I say such a thing?

Very simple!  He does not allow the person being interviewed to use the talking points of the day….he almost always demands there be an answer to his questions….to the point that most of the politicians get frustrated and think him rude…personally, I like it and hope that there is a long tenure in his future…..

I like him because he reflects the anger and frustrations of the American people and he tries to take the complex issues of the day and make them simple and easily understood by the average viewer….

It matters not which side of the political spectrum you reside….Ratigan is an equal opportunity basher….he gets my vote as the best news show host on the air….he is informed and inquisitive and demands answers to the questions….every “real” journalist should study his technique….he is a winner…..

To get there go to blogroll and click on Dylan Ratigan Show…..if you are looking for thruth and understanding….the DR Show is your door to that….