Category: war

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No Kings

As America protests today – let’s replay dialog from some important past films

‘Ace in the Hole’

dialog resonating in 2025

“When they bleached your hair they must have bleached your brain too.”

“I’ve done a lot of lying in my time. …”

‘Nashville’

dialog resonating in 2025

“Does it makes sense that a multi-million dollar income should go untaxed year after year?…it’s time to pause and do some accounting.”


‘The Great Dictator’

dialog resonating in 2025

“The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people… liberty will never perish.”

‘The Paper’

dialog resonating in 2025

“REPLAY!“


from 1:20:00 in the film to 1:34:00 – a brilliant scene sequence on a newspaper and the morality of printing the truth….

“People will read this Alicia and not believe us…”

(…..through to…..)

“Replay!…”

(…….the night manager of the press, Chuck, starts the paper’s run again……)

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Out of Competition and Democracy

Grifters, sharks, wannabes, liars, creativors cruise the seaside Promenade as an enfranchising of an entire festival grows out of protest, taking voting from annual juries and giving it to the fans, without whom the festival would not be.

When I was writing this the second invasion of Ukraine hadn’t happened. When I was in the the final draft oligarchs lived only in Russia. Now they’re hard at gaming America. When I was in the final draft, political sycophancy was in its infancy now it’s fully grown.

When I was in the final draft there was still an operational Democratic Party, now a couple State governors are performing CPR on its seemingly lifeless body. When I began writing this most of America believed in habeas corpus, personal and civil rights, accountability and independence of the judiciary.

When I was writing this novel it wasn’t clear how much damage the right wing of the Supreme Court could inflict on America.

Is American democracy at death’s door …..

The No Kings Protest, and then what happens..

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73 Films

Oliver Stone’s film Alexander shows the power of war as a means to extend power. With JFK, Stone followed and unravelled at least part of the story of how Jack Kennedy – who began a process of rolling back war as the means for the extending and using power exporting America’s cultural power peacefully – was brutally cut down in his prime.

JFK

Alexander