Don’t forget millions upon millions of low-information, low-empathy voters and non-voters who let it happen, many who still lazily believe that corporations are our friends, that “what’s good for walmart and Exxon is good for 'Murica”, that they are still the client and not the product, and the far-reaching implications of this.
My recommendations to you are as follows:
My favorite Altman film overall probably might have to be The Long Goodbye. Check out how the camera is always moving, if even slightly; there are no static shots. Midway through the movie, the great Sterling Hayden steals the show. And keep an eye out for a very, very young Ahnold Schwarzenegger in a bit role as literal and figurative muscle for the batshit insane bad guy.
Brewster McCloud is a bonkers twisted fantasy that caught me by surprise by how much I enjoyed it, it’s about a kid who:
Also, there are people being killed all over town, and it might have something to do with all this.
Altman came in throwing punches with the noisy background and chaotic dialogue wafting every which way, right from the outset, on MASH and McCabe & Mrs Miller, which is why it’s a good idea to watch his films with English subtitles turned on.
I don’t remember the cacophony being as intense in some of his other early works, like Brewster McCloud, California Split and The Long Goodbye.
But in Nashville, it’s most certainly there, front and center and in your face.
a multi-character parallel storytelling style that is only ever celebrated amongst industry snobs
I’m going to agree with caveats here, because some directors who are actual artists do it for the sake of the film and the challenge of it, as opposed to what I’ll refer to as “industry types”, who do it for the prizes. And some crazy bastards manage to pull it off. Three names come to mind - Robert Altman, Paul Thomas Anderson and Steven Soderbergh.
I’ve never seen “Crash” and never wanted to, from what I’ve read, the bland yet heavy-handed results onscreen, plus the lazy reflexive accolades, made me view the whole thing with a cynical eye, like you.
In fact, Robert Altman had a thing or two to say about those “industry types”, in his triumphant early-90s comeback film “The Player”.
Also, do yourself a favor and watch Altman’s “Short Cuts”, to see parallel storytelling at its’ best.
Does this sound like the prototypical clickbait headline title, or what do you say?
For example, if one starts with Prelude To Foundation as the entry point, the reveal of Eto Demerzel being R. Daneel Olivaw in disguise all loses its’ punch, while if one reads the original Robot books first, it becomes an astounding reveal, a true “holy shit!” moment, on several levels, the delightful surprise of clearly seeing Asimov kneading together two separate series so intimately and right before your eyes, the narrative doubles in size and scope in the snap of a finger.
The power of that moment, that opportunity that Asimov seized, makes it worthwhile to follow Isaac’s mind instead of the plot in chronological order.
As with Isaac Asimov, I much prefer order of publication.
Woe the poor soul trying to get into Foundation and instead of getting the original trilogy, they start with Prelude To Foundation. I met a guy who did that, in college; he didn’t know where to start, at the bookstore thought “Hey… Prelude… sounds like a good place to start!”
[In] the Narnia books it’s like that “main world” where it was just an infinite number of ponds and jumping into one shoots you out to some world … I think The Magicians kind of ripped off the idea.
Completely off-topic from symmetries and entropies, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to mention that the specific Narnia installment where we see this “main world” and branches is The Magician’s Nephew, the sixth out of seven books.
Having just washed my clothes, as a night owl I’m going to reward myself with a nice dinner, when most people are having breakfast.
Here’s the plan:
There’s a coffee shop/deli in my town that has the best tomato soup, plus they make their own croutons, the best I’ve ever had for soup, as they are hard and don’t get soggy. I’m going to order two soups for takeout, pour olive oil on it, as well as cracked pepper and cubed avocado. Also, I’m going to air fry some asparagus with garlic butter, on the side.
Then there’s sharp cheddar in the fridge, I’m going to make a bunch of squares, place each square on a tortilla chip and bake at a low temp for a short time, just enough to make the cheese ooze without it thinning. On top of each chip, a teaspoon of green onion dip and a slice of fresh serrano chilies. That’s the original, old school nachos recipe from Ciudad Juarez back in the 1930s or 40s, I believe.
Not to toot my own horn, but I think this all sounds pretty damn good!
“Al” looks just like “AI”.
In fact, “Artificial Intelligence Yankovich” or “A.I. Yankovich” should be the name of his next album.
Sanctimonious ass clown, at that.
Doctor Vinnie Boom Batz!
Maybe, just maybe, also because that may have been the way to get some impulsive but simple-minded people to not make a mess for those around them. Didn’t work with everyone, though. If it ever did, with anyone.
Also, it seems shockingly easy to get some people to commit evil acts as they think they are doing good… and that usually comes carrying a lot of religious ideology and/or methodology, curiously enough.
you seriously don’t understand god
says the poor lost soul who also says
why be good if there is no hell
Do many adults still go around spouting believing whatever they heard from their parents or Sunday school teacher when they were children, just to get them to stop asking “complicated questions”?
EDIT: a word
theonion/nottheonion
Or… referencing old memes as shorthand/shortcuts for otherwise complex concepts or situations. It might be a tool in an updated kit for more efficient communication.
Then again, I might be a glass-half-full kinda person, in some respects.
Those Ethiopian and Kenyan runners live and train at high altitude, when they compete at lower elevations where there’s more oxygen, they have a dramatic edge over other runners.
I’d wager we would see the same effect if athletes from Bhutan, Nepal and/or Tibet decided to compete in long-distance running.
required components that protect your privacy
Talk about doublespeak. Double-plus-good, eh?
Could have gone with Summer and Sprinkles, too.
All at the same time, a synchronized execution!, at a packed and roaring Great American Ballpark, or whatever it is they have in that fundamentalist, god-forsaken place, russia with Stetsons and deep-fried butter sticks.