There’s always something that comes between you and the healthy lifestyle you’ve chosen to start living. This time I was going to get a gym membership, but alas the memberships at my local gym are for six months, and there’s no way in hell I’m paying for a “season membership” that ends in December. This means that I have to wait until January to get a membership. I have been a member at another gym a few times. Canceling your membership is harder than trying to leave the mafia. My former gym wouldn’t accept my resignation until I was able to prove them that I had moved to another city.

I bought a pair of glasses today. The cheapest ones I could find. This is the first time in my life that I buy cheap glasses. My first pair were by Hugo Boss, then I had Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Gucci, Romeo Gigli and J.Lindeberg, which I am using at the moment. I always used a pair until I broke them. Never have I had two pairs going at the same time. These new ones are pretty cool, sort of Larry Davidish round gunmetal frames. Then I bought some DVD’s on Sale. I bought a John Belushi box set, a double-pack with Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers and a movie with Paul Reiser and Peter Falk called The Thing About My Folks. I traded the movies for some animal skins and a dead rabbit. It was a fair trade. The Belushi box set contains Animal House, Blues Brothers and Continental Divide. I haven’t seen Continental Divide, but the other two are classics. I actually bought the box set because of this movie Continental Divide. I might even have a copy of Animal House in my collection. Now I’m just waiting for my wife to come home from work so that we can watch one of these movies. I’ll let her decide, like she usually does, but I’ll be pushing her either The Thing About My Folks or Continental Divide.

THE TRAILER FOR CONTINENTAL DIVIDE… (looks awesome! I’ll write a review once I’ve seen it)

]]> http://untergeschoss.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/versteckte-schatze/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:58:21 +0000 untergeschoss http://untergeschoss.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/versteckte-schatze/

Comedy Central versündigt sich derzeit am Publikum, denn dort versendet man die Serie “Extras” in der Nacht von Sonntag auf Montag um 2.00 Uhr. Dafür gibt es um 20.15 Uhr zum abertausendsten Male “South Park”. “Extras” ist eine Serie aus der Feder, unter der Regie und unter Mitwirkung von Ricky Gervais. Gervais ist auf dem Gebiet der televisionären Hochkomik eine einsame Größe. Er schuf zuvor “The Office”, das unmittelbare Vorbild für unseren “Stromberg”, und spielte dort auch selbst die Hauptrolle. Kennt man das Original, verspürt man gelegentlich ein schmerzhaftes Ziehen in den Zähnen, wenn Christoph Maria Herbst in die Vollen geht.

2005 ließ Gervais “Extras” folgen, eine Tragikomödie aus dem Milieu der Kleindarsteller. In der momentan bei Comedy Central gezeigten letzten Staffel ist Gervais’ Charakter Andy Millman nach langen Jahren der Notdurft mit einer flachen und komplett unwitzigen Sitcom endlich erfolgreich und mit ihm die befreundete Kollegin Maggie Jacobs (Ashley Jensen). Nun kämpft Millman – da dürfte einiges biografisch sein – mit den Folgen des Ruhms und ringt auch mal um künstlerische Anerkennung, so wenn er unter der Regie Sir Ian Kellens in einem Theaterstück mitwirkt.

Der Clou der Reihe sind die Gastauftritte hochmögender Zelebritäten, die meist mit großem Spaß das eigene Image verulken. In den noch ausstehenden beiden Episoden tummeln sich unter anderem Robert De Niro, Talkmaster Jonathan Ross, Clive Owen, George Michael, der TV-Koch Gordon Ramsay (mit seiner 2004 installierten Reihe “Kitchen Nightmares” Vorbild diverser Restauranttester). Auch Orlando Bloom, Daniel Radcliffe, David Bowie, Ben Stiller, Samuel L. Jackson waren sich nicht zu schade, für Gervais vor die Kamera zu treten.

Was neben seiner großartigen Leistung für Gervais einnimmt: Er ist ein Mann mit Haltung. Wofern man einschlägigen Berichten glauben darf, lehnte er nichtsnutzige Nebenrollen in Hollywood-Blockbustern ebenso ab wie hoch dotierte Werbeangebote. Dafür lieferte er einen beeindruckenden Gastauftritt in der Serie “Alias” (derzeit in der Wiederholung samstags bei Das Vierte) und schenkt uns demnächst die Kinokomödie “Cemetery Junction”.

Und wo wir schon bei versenkten Programmgemmen sind: Die US-Serie “Arrested Development” (Comedy Central, samstags nachts gegen 1.00 Uhr) erzählte von 2003 bis 2006 schon von den Folgen der Wirtschaftskrise, ehe die überhaupt begonnen hatte. Grund genug, einen Spielfilm folgen zu lassen, der 2011 in die Kinos kommen soll.

John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) è un rapinatore di banche. E’ attraente, in gamba e spietato. Ha una sua banda, che lo segue fedelmente, e una donna conquistata senza troppi affanni. La Federal Bureau Investigation, diretta da un impassibile quanto tenace Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), lo insegue dichiarandolo ‘nemico pubblico’. Sullo sfondo, l’America degli anni ‘30 e una malinconica sensazione di un cinema che vuole essere grande, ma non riesce. La confezione è quella dei grandi film d’autore: i costumi, le scenografie e anche gli attori hanno fatto guadagnare al film lodi sperticate e attenzioni spropositate. Il talento di Michael Mann non è in discussione. Personalmente, considero il suo Heat-La Sfida il miglior film poliziesco degli ultimi 20 anni. Ma ciò che mi preme puntualizzare circa Nemico Pubblico è che arriva tardi e non fa altro che sfruttare consolidati cliché del cinema che neppure a blasonati sex symbols di Hollywood dovrebbe essere affidato il compito di risuscitare. Senza scomodare Humphrey Bogart, viene facile accostare Nemico Pubblico a Heat, lungometraggio girato da Mann nel 1996.

Il poliziesco interpretato da De Niro e Al Pacino rappresentava una superba sintesi di eleganza, azione, suspence, sentimento, ritmo e impatto scenico. I personaggi, tutti, erano caratterizzati con cura. I dialoghi sempre essenziali e spesso intensi. Anche il duro De Niro, omologo del Dillinger dell’ultima fatica di Mann, mostrava un lato umano e sensibile nella sua tormentata relazione sentimentale. Al contrario del volgare e spavaldo protagonista di Nemico Pubblico, che supera le timide resistenze di Billie (Marion Cotillard) gonfiando il petto e brandendo il cappotto. Assolutamente fuori luogo appare anche il parallelo tra l’algida e antipatica sicumera dell’investigatore Bale e il fascino carismatico che caratterizza il tenente della polizia Al Pacino sulle tracce del criminale De Niro.

Nemico Pubblico non coinvolge, né sorprende, né stupisce. I ritmi sono lenti, e l’evolversi della storia è prevedibile, frettolosa, banale. Il punto più basso e direi ridicolo del film viene raggiunto quando Dillinger, ricercato numero uno dopo la morte dei suoi compagni, penetra indisturbato negli uffici dell’FBI mentre gli agenti si trovano radunati attorno alla tv per guardare una partita di football americano. Dillinger osserva in tutta tranquillità le sue foto segnaletiche affisse sulle bacheche, osando addirittura prendersi gioco dei federali chiedendo loro il risultato del match prima di andarsene (sic!).

A guardare il trailer sembra si stia per assistere ad un capolavoro del cinema, mentre in realtà ci si potrebbe fermare lì, perchè il film dimostra che Mann non ha altri ingrediendi da aggiungere alla sua minestra.

Nemico Pubblico non si libererà dall’ombra di Heat, di cui resta solo un patetico tentativo di emulazione.

Voto: 4.

Cap’n Blackjack is not exaggerating. If I had a harpoon stuck in my throat while gurgling blood to a Kenny G. jingle, I would have been in a better situation than I was during my first, and only, viewing of RK.

There was even a sucking sound as my soul was been drained. Thankfully, Cap’n Blackjack recognized my dire situation and replaced this foul thing with the last movie I would have ever guessed would save my life: Black Dog.

courtesy urgh/wordpress

**Meatloaf: Pulled me out like a something out of somewhere.

I remember saying, “Thank goodness for Black Dog!” And it’s true. We even recorded the last 40 minutes so we could watch it in the morning.

So please, don’t take the RK Challenge lightly. And under no circumstances watch this movie alone or without an alternative viewing schedule ready to go at a moment’s notice. It could just be a matter of life and death.

–Limejuiceboy

courtesy accesshollywood

It might surprise some of you that we here at Celebrity Exile don’t always banish evildoers to the island.  No, we also provide a public service, providing warnings to those who are on the dark path.

The path to The Island.

We call this Timeout Island: a last chance to fix things before permanent exile.  And Robert and Al are two men that desperately need a timeout.  This realization dawned on me when watching the truly horrific 2008 release Righteous Kill; a movie that we currently have a challenge for:  If you can watch the entire thing without turning it off, you lose. 

Limejuiceboy and I tried the Righteous Kill Challenge once.  I dare you all to do the same.  Sounds easy, I know, but it’s not.  Dear Lord in Heaven it is NOT.  To try to describe the many reasons why would be useless.  Let’s just say that about 50 minutes in, the Limejuiceboy turned to me, ashen and fragile of spirit, suggesting I turn it off.  There was a small measure of panic behind his eyes but my case of Righteous Kill-itis was not as pronounced, so I rejected the offer.  We only had 40 minutes left!  Surely we would make it to the end (not that I cared about the ending.  I just wanted to win the challenge). 

Wrong.  Ten minutes later, with only seconds before the one hour mark, he begged me to shut it off.  Begged me.  Seeing him in this broken-down state made me realize it was killing him.  Literally.  He looked like poor Donovan after sipping from the wrong grail.  He had no strength left.  He just wanted to live.  Thank god Patrick Swayze (rest in peace my friend) was on basic cable to revive him.  And me too.  It was like a warm soothing presence swept through the room that dark n’ stormy night.  The dark spirits were banished.  We were born anew.

Common sense might tell you that two actors of such repute would lift such a drab movie above the gutter, but that just wasn’t the case with Righteous Kill.

The sad truth is that Al Pacino has turned into a caricature of himself.  Yelling, flailing his arms, doing that eye thing he does…  You’ve seen it before.  Many times.  And now it’s ten times worse.  He’s not acting anymore.  He’s just being himself.  And himself is bugnuts.

And what about De Niro?  He’s still good, right?  No, he’s Frankenstein now (Branagh was really onto something there).  He can’t move.  He can’t emote.  And he most certainly cannot act anymore.  There’s just nothing left.  It’s like watching your grandfather trying, and failing, to get up from the dinner table.  It’s just sad.

So, guys, please stop listening to your agents.  You are ruining your reputations.  You were just out-acted by 50 Cent and Donnie Freaking Wahlberg!  And Analyze That, Meet the Fockers, Gigli..?  These movies are terrible!  Neither one of you has made a good one since the late nineties!  Please, find new agents or stay home.  I don’t want to see you like this.  No one does.  You owe it to yourselves to think about what you’ve done and make a decision. 

Take a timeout.  Limejuiceboy’s life depends on it.

–Cap’n Blackjack

And not how it sounds. Although I would absolutely love to be able to say that the mistakes in my performance last night were because I was trying to make them. The song is in Gb, we break for the bridge, and then I come back in F. If only I could have had my tremolo pedal on during that; then I could say I was just doing my Henry Kaiser diminished 7th scale stutter effect. That would have been a great way to have explained away the extreme suckiness of last night. Ever have those sets where you just have to look at yourself and say, ‘Seriously.’ And then you just laugh. That was last night. Worst ever. Unfortunately, the mistakes were all my own…and I was not trying to make them.

The problem was that I was trying not to make them. I know that’s subtle, but it’s a psychological shift. You can’t avoid mistakes by trying not to make them. I don’t know why. People smarter than I am (why is it so hard to type that?) say that the phenomenon is caused because as you try not to make mistakes, all you are thinking about is the mistake. Hence, your brain just goes there, and you make them. But that just sounds stupid to me. So I choose not to believe it. (Just like Beyonce Knowles sounds stupid to me…so I choose to believe she doesn’t exist.) But the result is still the same: you can’t play flawlessly by trying not to make a mistake. You have to focus on playing the right stuff, not on not playing the wrong stuff.

(This is when I lost any respect I may have had for Beyonce. Which is zero. Well, this isn’t the actual picture, but it’s the exact same look Robert De Niro had on his face when, at his AFI Lifetime Achievement Award dinner, in the middle of tones of respected actors introducing the best acting clips of his career, out of nowhere Beyonce comes up and sings him a choreographed version of The Star Spangled Banner. It was awkward. And he had this look on his face…like, bored, but trying to be polite…but yet a little bit confused, too.)

Now that’s like, Musician 101 stuff right there. I would very much like to think that I have long ago surpassed Musician 101 stuff. But when you can’t find E, when even if you were to just hit a random string you’ve got like a 33% chance of finding it, obviously not. And this is much more honest than I was intending to be here. So let’s just keep on that path of honesty. I was nervous last night. I’d like to think that I am beyond nervousness. But when you have to chromatically slide to find Ab…you’re nervous. And I was nervous because the night was for a conference, and it was being recorded. I usually don’t get nervous during recordings; but this night was with some new people whom I’d never recorded with before, and I suppose I was nervous because I really, really wanted them to listen back to the recording and marvel at my ‘wondrous purity of tone that is possibly only surpassed by the musical genius by which the tone was played.’ Alright, now we’re getting really honest.

So what happens when you’re nervous? You stop playing intentionally. Meaning, you stop just going for it, and hitting each note with authority and purpose. And you start playing tentatively, in hopes of not making a mistake. And then what ends up happening, is you make just as many if not more mistakes as you would have if you were playing normally; but you also make all the right notes sound weak and gutless also. So then, rather than having one or two, or maybe even zero, noticeable errors, you get like, 74 errors, plus making every right note and passage sound terrible as well. Which is what I mean by making mistakes intentionally. The mistakes are going to happen no matter what. So you may as well just play intentionally and with purpose, and let those mistakes sound out with authority. When playing with confidence, not only do you make all the correct notes, sounds, and passages sound as they should, but you also take the stress off of your mind and hands, and allow yourself greater possibility of not hitting wrong notes.

I wish I had read this post before I hit my D note last night so softly that it almost ended up being a harmonic. The emphasis being on ‘almost.’ And of course, an ‘almost harmonic’ is a ‘thunk.’ Which is bad. Unless you’re Henry Kaiser. hehe No! I’m not making fun of a successful guitarist to try to make myself feel better about my ‘less than stellar musical…uh…endeavors’…meaning thunks. It’s just that he plays a lot of thunks, and some people really seem to enjoy them. I’m just simply validating those people. I’m the good guy here. Unless you were there last night. I was definitely not the good guy. More like, the antagonist of all things diatonic.

Play intentionally.

hehe Henry Kaiser.

Splendid.
Karl.

P.S. The last few keys of the ambient pads will be finished soon…hopefully tomorrow. I was going to finish them today, but I super-glued my finger fixing a Christmas lawn decoration, and now the super glue makes weird sounds on the fretboard. Yep. I am awesome. You’d think I’d be better with my hands.

Disastro a Hollywood è una commedia satirica-drammatica diretta da Barry Levinson con Robert De Niro.E’ un film indipendente, prodotto dalla 2929 Productions, Art Productions Linson e Tribeca Productions, ed è stato rilasciato il 17 ottobre 2008.
Il film è basato sul libro, What Just Happened? Bitter Hollywood Tales from the Front Line, di Art Linson, sulle sue esperienze come un produttore di Hollywood [2].

Leggi altre notizie su: | Barry Levinson | Robert De Niro | Stanley Tucci | John Turturro | Kristen Stewart

A Hollywood producer, Ben (Robert De Niro), witnesses a poor test screening for his new film, Fiercely, mostly caused by the fact that its ending features its main character (played by Sean Penn, who plays himself in the film) being graphically shot dead, along with his pet dog.

Adding to Ben’s problems, he is having trouble making a clean break from Kelly, his second wife, and Bruce Willis is refusing to shave the large, thick beard that he has grown, which will result in the studio pulling the plug on their new project, and in turn put a certain end to Ben’s career. Any attempt to reason with Willis inevitably meets a violent, foul-mouthed response.
Willis does eventually shave his beard off, and the film goes ahead.

This film has an impressive cast including Robin Wright Penn as Ben’s second wife, Kelly; John Turturro as Dick, the stereotypical shifty agent; Stanley Tucci as Scott, the blocked screenplay writer; Michael Wincott as Jeremy, the temperamental director; Catherine Keener, as Lou, the hardcore studio exec; Bruce Willis as the demanding movie star; and Sean Penn as himself.

De Niro is doing a great job although this movie does not appeal to everyone. He has some wonderful moments and moments when he is just plain, but you can recognize him in every scene. And there are so many aspects of him. His gestures are simply brilliant.

i wish my life consisted only of

you sitting next to me and talking to me

Alguém disposto a dizer que Scosese não é um gênio?

One of the best actors of all time, Robert De Niro is considering re-orientate and start rapping:)

De Niro would like to work with one of the best in the area, rapper 50 Cent. The two became friends on the sets of “Righteous Kill”. “I had some interesting conversations with 50 Cent. Regarding a future collaboration or some rap, you never know,” confessed the actor aged 66 years.

Hollywood actor Robert De Niro is planning a new career: gangster rapper.

The 66-year-old planned professional change after becoming good friends with hip-hop star 50 Cent on the set of ”Righteous Kill” last year.

The Oscar-winning star contemplated the idea of recording a track with the singer.

“We had some good conversations. As for any future collaborations or rapping, you never know,” Contactmusic quoted him as saying.

The father-of-five further revealed he never thought of what to do if his acting failed to hit the mark.

He added: “I didn”t have a Plan B. I never quite got to the point of needing one. I did one thing, then the next. I was able to sustain myself.”

Leonardo DiCaprio can honestly be one annoying little shit!!!

The tables are turned when straight-laced Bessie (Diane Keaton) — who devotes her life to caring for her chronically ill father (Hume Cronyn) — must ask her estranged, bohemian sibling (Meryl Streep) for help after Bessie suffers a health catastrophe.

Never in my life have I seen a more touching and delicate little film about the biggest thing in life, dieing. Throughout the film I couldn’t help but be reminded of the 1993 film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, also with Leo. Both have the same themes of love, but that one was so much better than this.

Marvin’s Room has some little nice touches of humor and drama. The scenes of humor all come from Robert De Niro and Dan Hedaya as the brother combination in the doctor’s office. I thought some of these scenes we’re funny, but after awhile they just started to get too repetitive and way too lame. I think they were trying a little way too hard on making this a light-hearted drama with comedy that would stick, but in all honesty it didn’t really quite work.

The main problem I had with this film was how annoying Leo was in this film. Honestly, I love Leo and all the films he does but in this one he really is one of the most annoying characters I have ever seen in a film. He whines and complains so many times throughout the whole film, and I really have no clue why nobody did anything and slap his ass up. If that was my kid he would be so blue, people would think he was a cut-scene from the Smurfs. He acts very bi-polar during the whole film, but it tries to act like that we don’t even suspect and just tries to cover it up with a little message of a lost father.

I liked the story between the two sisters (Keaton and Streep), I thought that this was the main strong point of the film and really did add a lot more emotional depth to the story. I realized how much these two missed out on, and you can tell by the way they speak with one another that they really do miss what they both could have had as sisters.

Keaton does the best job out of this whole cast and really shines. She adds a lot more depth, and makes this one-dimensional character very bold and likable, and mostly a person that we all cheer for and love. Meryl Streep does well also, but I don’t think she quite gave it her all in this film, and really did shine away with what could have been a really good chemistry on screen.

C0nsensus: Marvin’s Room tries to be funnier than it actually is, but is a touching if at times stiff, look at the fate and reality of death.

6.5/10=Rentall!!!!

(Taxi Driver) 

Videoteca do Beto #16

Dirigido por Martin Scorsese.

Elenco: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Sheperd, Harvey Keitel, Albert Brooks, Leonard Harris, Peter Boyle, Norman Matlock, Diahnne Abbott e Martin Scorsese. 

Roteiro: Paul Schrader.

Produção: Julia Phillips e Michael Phillips.

[Antes de qualquer coisa, gostaria de pedir que só leia esta crítica se já tiver assistido o filme. Para fazer uma análise mais detalhada é necessário citar cenas importantes da trama].

O homem solitário de Deus. A solidão nas grandes metrópoles, por mais paradoxal que possa parecer, é mesmo um mal comum. Mesmo com tantas pessoas em volta, por muitas vezes podemos nos sentir deslocados e sozinhos nestas enormes selvas de pedra, como é o caso de Nova York, São Paulo e tantas outras cidades. Em 1975, ano de produção deste maravilhoso “Taxi Driver”, esta sensação já existia, ainda mais em uma Nova York suja e repleta de viciados, criminosos e prostitutas. Logo no primeiro plano – um close no olhar do solitário taxista, seguido por imagens das ruas de Nova York – a obra-prima dirigida por Martin Scorsese mostra de forma sutil que o efeito daquele ambiente na mente desta pessoa será o fio condutor da narrativa.

O veterano de guerra do Vietnã Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) decide se tornar taxista para ocupar seu tempo, já que não consegue dormir. Após se apaixonar pela bela Betsy (Cybill Sheperd), que trabalha na campanha política de um senador candidato à presidência, conhece a jovem Iris (Jodie Foster) a quem aconselha largar a prostituição e o cafetão Sport (Harvey Keitel) e retornar para a casa de seus pais. O problema é que durante este processo, Travis lentamente se revolta com o que vê à sua volta.

Scorsese gravou seu nome na história do cinema com esta direção impecável. O diretor abusa de planos criativos (a frente, o capô e o retrovisor do taxi, as ruas molhadas) sem medo de arriscar, conseguindo sucesso absoluto na firme condução da narrativa e utilizando os movimentos de câmera para traduzir sentimentos dos personagens. Repare, por exemplo, como o interessante plano do copo borbulhando pode ser considerado uma metáfora para o momento em que começam a borbulhar também idéias na cabeça de Travis. Outro exemplo é a seqüência de foras que Betsy dá no taxista por telefone, nos deixando em uma situação desconfortável. O movimento da câmera, que faz um travelling para a direita e mostra o corredor vazio enquanto ouvimos Travis, demonstra visualmente nosso embaraço com a situação. O diretor simboliza o que o espectador pensa no momento, como se dissemos: “Não quero mais ver isso…”.

O bom roteiro de Paul Schrader trabalha nos detalhes para demonstrar o sentimento crescente de revolta em Travis (“Só se é saudável quando se sente saudável”), além de fornecer a base para as ótimas atuações do elenco. A montagem de Thelma Schoonmaker abusa do estilo, como na caminhada de Travis após conseguir o emprego ou quando repete três vezes seguidas um semáforo verde, demonstrando a rotina que o sufoca e atenua sua solidão (os mesmos lugares, os mesmos problemas). Finalmente, temos transições que significam muito, como o salto do plano de Iris e Sport dançando para Travis treinando tiro ao alvo, demonstrando visualmente o embate que ocorreria depois entre os dois homens. A trilha sonora clássica de Bernard Herrmann tem muito da cara de Nova York e funciona bem como tema do solitário taxista. Na cena da chacina, por exemplo, o tema de Travis é corretamente alterado para um tom mais sombrio. O apartamento bagunçado, com a parede suja e decorado com panfletos de Palantine, diz muito sobre a personalidade atormentada de Travis, mostrando o bom trabalho de Direção de Arte de Charles Rosen. Finalmente, a fotografia granulada (Direção de Michael Chapman) reflete a mente conturbada dele, destacando o festival de cores e luzes da noite de Nova York. Chapman é sábio também ao destacar, por exemplo, a cor vermelha na dança entre Iris e Sport, refletindo a vida infernal da garota ali dentro.

Além da competente direção, Taxi Driver conta também com uma atuação antológica de Robert De Niro. Encarnando com perfeição o taxista solitário, ele é competente ao transmitir o aumento lento e gradual da revolta no personagem. Em seu primeiro diálogo, quando consegue o emprego de taxista, responde as perguntas com um sorriso debochado no rosto, pois a alegria ainda estava presente em sua vida. Travis, porém, é alguém com enorme dificuldade para conviver em sociedade, como podemos perceber no diálogo com a atendente do cinema pornográfico. Ele não sabe seguir as “regras” criadas para se comportar em público, chegando a ser ingênuo. Mas uma pequena esperança floresce quando conhece a bela Betsy. Seu modo direto de falar encanta a garota, que topa sair com ele (De Niro faz um gesto com o braço quando diz que vai protegê-la). Quando Betsy, por razões óbvias, o abandona na porta do cinema pornô, a desilusão se torna o estopim de sua eminente revolta (“Ei, imundos, aqui tem alguém que não agüenta mais. Sou um revoltado!”), já sinalizada anteriormente. Observe, por exemplo, como ele encara um viciado na rua sem piscar os olhos, mostrando seu desprezo por aquele mundo sujo e sua enorme vontade de tomar uma atitude (quando pôde, não hesitou em matar um assaltante). Também demonstra, em um diálogo com seu amigo taxista, que está se sentindo deprimido, tentando contar seus planos (“Estou tendo algumas idéias ruins”), mas o amigo não entende o que ele quer dizer, até mesmo pela sua enorme dificuldade em se expressar. Quando finalmente decide agir (a queima das flores simboliza sua decisão de eliminar de sua vida tudo que lhe incomoda), seu primeiro alvo é o senador, com quem teve uma conversa em seu taxi, causando espanto pela sua franqueza. É então que Travis compra quatro armas, entre elas a Magnum 44 citada por um passageiro (Scorsese, fazendo uma ponta na cena em que ameaça matar a mulher, em frente ao apartamento do amante), decide fazer musculação e não comer mais comidas “ruins”. Essa virada radical na vida simboliza também que ele está determinado a agir (“O germe de uma idéia está crescendo em mim”). O momento sublime da atuação de De Niro acontece aqui, na sensacional cena em que fala sozinho a famosa frase “Está falando comigo?”. Repare como ele olha pra trás quando fala “estou sozinho aqui”, mudando a feição e dando a sensação de que realmente está falando com alguém. Em seguida, Travis diz que descobriu “o único objetivo de sua vida”, e Scorsese, de forma inteligente, corta para o discurso de Palantine, dando a dica de sua intenção de matar o candidato. Na conversa com o agente do Serviço Secreto, De Niro para de falar enquanto dois rapazes passam, e seu sorriso sarcástico faz o homem se preocupar. A bela cena em que olha fixo para a televisão, com uma música triste ao fundo, simboliza muito bem sua solidão. Ao destruí-la, o taxista sinaliza que está enlouquecendo com aquelas idéias na cabeça. Finalmente, quando fala pela primeira vez com Sport, seu olhar fixo para o cafetão nos faz pressentir qual é sua vontade naquele momento (“É a pior escória do mundo”, diz para Iris). O problema com Betsy, a convivência com Iris e sua vivência nos guetos de Nova York criam um sentimento paranóico, dando um nó na cabeça de Travis.

Completando o elenco, podemos destacar Cybill Sheperd, como a bela Betsy. Repare como ela olha pra baixo quando Travis diz que “é a mulher mais linda que ele conheceu na vida”. Seu sorriso incontido e seu brilho no olhar demonstram sua satisfação ao ouvir aquilo. Betsy, porém, não consegue compreender Travis e, com razão, fica indignada ao sair do cinema, enquanto Travis não entende a ofensa que aquilo significa pra ela. Jodie Foster está muito bem como a garota revoltada que vende o corpo, solta, sorrindo e fazendo brincadeiras, em seu diálogo com Travis no café. Em sua primeira aparição, somos ambientados ao mundo sujo em que vive (repare que Travis guarda os 20 dólares amassados, mostrando a importância que a garota teve pra ele desde aquele momento). Harvey Keitel interpreta o cafetão que explora todas aquelas garotas e que curiosamente demonstra algum carinho por Iris quando dança com ela no quarto. Mesmo assim, não hesita em vender o corpo dela, como podemos observar em sua conversa com Travis.

Quando hesita em aceitar o convite de Iris para tomar café, podemos pensar que é efeito do trauma do último encontro com Betsy, mas na verdade Travis já tinha outro plano para o dia seguinte (matar o presidente). Ele não tinha intenções amorosas com Iris, como fica claro quando vai com a garota para o quarto apenas para conversar. O que Travis queria era tirá-la daquele lugar que ele tanto odiava. De Niro expõe a raiva de Travis ao pagar o homem na porta do quarto, dizendo que “voltará com certeza”. Mas apesar de sua atitude final, a conversa com Iris no café demonstra que Travis era uma boa pessoa.

O grande clímax do filme vai sendo construído lentamente. Observe como Scorsese gasta alguns segundos antes de finalmente mostrar o taxista com cabelo moicano, simbolizando sua mudança de atitude. A tensa seqüência em que tenta assassinar Palantine, sem sucesso, mostra que a diferença entre um herói e um monstro muitas vezes pode ser bem pequena. Se tivesse conseguido seu objetivo, Travis seria retratado perante a sociedade como um assassino cruel e lunático, e não como o herói que se transformou após “salvar” Iris. Quando o vemos em casa agitado e, posteriormente, saindo com o taxi sem parar pra ninguém, sabemos que está decidido a resolver seus “problemas”. Após a impressionante e realista seqüência em que mata Sport e entra atirando no prédio, Scorsese faz um excelente travelling, com a cena congelada, desde o quarto onde Travis termina sua chacina, passando pelos mortos e armas, até chegar à barulhenta rua cheia de pessoas curiosas. Este refinado visual do filme é fantástico e colabora para o impacto causado em nossas mentes.

Scorsese acertou em cheio neste maravilhoso estudo da solidão e do isolamento, nos oferecendo uma direção impecável, recheado com atuações maravilhosas e imagens de grande impacto. Taxi Driver se aprofunda na complicada questão do deslocamento social com sucesso absoluto. Diversas pessoas já se sentiram desta forma na vida (eu inclusive) e ao ver a emocionante história do taxista solitário na tela é inevitável a nossa identificação. O mecanismo da solidão é simples, porém perigoso. Gostamos do que não podemos ter, e não gostamos de nada que temos. Desta forma, a pessoa jamais está satisfeita, e a solidão funciona como um escudo, uma proteção contra tudo aquilo que julga estar errado. Todos nós temos momentos em que chegamos perto do nosso limite. A grande questão é como lidar com este sentimento. Travis escolheu a forma mais perigosa e por sorte saiu-se bem.

Texto publicado em 18 de Novembro de 2009 por Roberto Siqueira

"When it's cooking it's cooking......they have the nuclear suit case bomb..."

When the President of the United States is caught with his pants down and charged with sexual misconduct, it’s up to his spin doctors to change public perception. Sound familiar? “Wag the Dog,” loosely structured from Larry Beinhart’s novel “American Hero,” is a darkly comic film that had the good fortune of being released when real life events in the Oval Office seemed to mirror events on the screen.

When “Wag The Dog” came out America was in the grip of the President Clinton Impeachment. Do you all remember it? What you may not remember is that why America was glued to C-SPAN, what was really going on was NAFTA.

The North American Free Trade Agreement. Ross Perot was the champion who shouted from every hill in America via Television….not to sign it. It lead to NAFTA and now you have the Security and Prosperity Partnership Of North America. Basically merging Canada, America and Mexico.

So what better way to keep the American people pre-occupied was simple. What was it? Keep real footage of the over 1 Million plus Iraq’s who were murdered for no reason because there were no weapons of mass destruction.

"Please support me by going to the mall shopping!"

Not only did Americans not see what was really happening in the middle east on television the way Americans did in the vietnam war, 2003 was the same year that the banker’s sub prime lending scam started allowing any American with a home to get a refinance and to be able to pull thousand of dollars of equity out. Of our all of these loans had a variable interest rate. So yeah, your payment might start out at like 1,250.00 dollars a month but within three years you would be paying something like 3,700 dollars. I was one of the unlucky ones who took out one of these loans. There is only one thing that saved our family. What was it? We sold our home in April of 2006. In fact, it was the last home to sell in our neighborhood. Thank God for intuition.

The truth of war 2009, wake up!!

On January 20, a changing of the guard occurred in the United States White House with two-term president George W. Bush being replaced by former freshman senator Barack Obama.

Bush had continued the policies of his predecessor Bill Clinton in relation to the Balkans, Iraq and Latin America – with troops and a massive military base in Kosovo, regular bombings of Iraq and a monumental expansion of military aid to Colombia – and in addition launched two wars of his own, those against Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq two years later.

Reports from the first twelve days of November indicate the global scope of the first attempt in history by one nation to achieve uncontested worldwide military power.

A survey of that period will trace recent trends across the globe with the alphabet as a compass.

Afghanistan

Any day now Washington may announce plans to add 40,000 or more troops to the 68,000 already there. [2] Plans are underway to accommodate that influx.

The American military compound at and fanning out from the Bagram Air Field has been expanded from 3,993 to 5,198 acres since 2001 and is in the process of further enlargement. It already hosts some 25,000 U.S. troops and contractors and “a new parking ramp supporting the world’s largest aircraft is to be completed this spring….[I]t is continuing to grow to keep up with the requirements of an escalating war and troop increases.” [3]

Regarding non-military personnel at Bagram and elsewhere in the nation, “Contractors in Afghanistan outnumber U.S. troops there” [4] as they do in Iraq.

The Army Times recently reported on the main purpose of the airbase at Bagram. Last month the number of U.S. and NATO air strikes in Afghanistan was the highest since July of 2008, with 647 bombs dropped in October compared to 752 a year ago July. “The airstrike numbers don’t include strafing runs, attacks by special operations AC-130 gunships, launches of small missiles or helicopter attacks.” [5]

Africa

A U.S. Defense Department news source reported on November 5 that Air Forces Africa commanders visited Mali and Senegal in West Africa. Vice commander Michael Callan “visited Mali’s 33d Parachute Regiment, a unit that carries out operations using tactical vehicles and communication equipment provided by the U.S. Defense and State Departments.” The Malian military is involved in a counterinsurgency war in the nation’s north aided by Washington.

A commander of Mali’s armed forces said, “Ninety-five percent of our soldiers were trained by the U.S, and we’ve engaged with you in exercises like Flintlock, Joint Planning and Assessment Teams and special bilateral training.” [6] Flintlock military exercises have been held in different locations on the African continent for years, this year’s being conducted by the new Africa Command (AFRICOM) for the first time. The U.S. also recently led multinational military exercises in Gabon and Uganda on both ends of the continent. [7]

The USS San Juan, “a fast-attack submarine,” arrived in South Africa on November 4, “setting the stage for a series of first-ever, at-sea engagements with the South African Navy submarine force.” [8]

Armenia

Robert Simmons [9], NATO’s special representative to the South Caucasus and Central Asia – former Senior Adviser to the United States Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs on NATO – was in this South Caucasus nation earlier this month and announced that he had recruited an initial contingent of Armenian troops for the war in Afghanistan. This marks the first deployment to that nation of soldiers from the Russian-led seven-nation Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a potential counterbalance to NATO in post-Soviet space.

“Simmons expressed NATO’s ‘appreciation to Armenia for its strong contributions’ to alliance missions, which he said began in Kosovo and will now be repeated in Afghanistan.” [10]

In reference to his mission of pulling yet another Russian ally into the U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization orbit, Simmons said, “We are continuing cooperation with the Armenian Defense Ministry. NATO assists the implementation of reforms and the development of strategically important documents.” [11]

Baltic Sea

After participating in NATO war games off the coast of Scotland, the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole paid visits to the capitals of Finland and Estonia in the Baltic Sea. “Cole hosted a reception in Helsinki, which was joined by Adm. Mark Fitzgerald, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe, U.S. Naval Forces Africa and Allied Joint Forces Command Naples.

“Immediately following the departure from Helsinki, Cole arrived in Tallinn, Estonia, a few hours later.” [12]

The beginning of this month the guided-missile frigate USS John L. Hall with sailors of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 48 “completed a theater security cooperation (TSC) port visit to Klaipeda, Lithuania.”

A U.S. Navy official stated: “We are here as part of the United States Navy’s continuing presence in the Baltic Sea….We are also here to work with the Lithuanian Navy, who has been a valuable partner and our visit here is part of the ongoing relationship between our two countries and our two navies.” [13] [14]

On November 3 Estonian Defense Minister Jaak Aaviksoo was at the Pentagon to meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Associated Press reported on the occasion that he was “discussing with the United States why NATO needs plans in case his region is attacked.” [15]

Bangladesh

In early November three high-ranking American military officials arrived in the country. The three – U.S. Army Lieutenant General Benjamin R. Mixon, Commanding General of U.S. Army, Pacific, Vice-Admiral John M. Bird, Commander of U.S. Navy 7th Fleet, and U.S. Marine Corps Major General Randolph D. Alles, Director for Strategic Planning and Policy at the U.S. Pacific Command – engaged in discussions focusing “on interoperability, readiness in the region, security-force assistance, and bilateral approaches to maintaining regional stability.” [16]

On November 12 the U.S.-led Tiger Shark military exercises to train Bangladeshi naval commandos ended. A press release on the operation stated: “The training demonstrates the United States government’s commitment to Bangladesh and to regional security by promoting military-to-military relationships throughout Asia and the Pacific.” [17]

Black Sea

The Pentagon’s European Command (EUCOM) reported on November 2 that its Joint Task Force-East had completed an almost three-month series of trainings in Bulgaria and Romania which began on August 7 and included Stryker and Airborne units destined for the war in Afghanistan. [18] “Nearly 600 members of the Romanian Land Forces, 500 Bulgarian Land Forces, and more than 1,500 U.S. service members participated in this year’s combined training.” [19]

After U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden’s visit to the country on October 22, a news source in Romania wrote of Washington’s new interceptor missile plans: “A strong and modern surveillance system located in Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey could monitor three hot areas at once: the Black Sea, the Caucasus and the Caspian and relevant zones in the Middle East.” [20]

Colombia

The Obama administration signed a ten-year military treaty with the Alvaro Uribe government on September 30 which “gives American military forces access to seven Colombian army, navy and air force bases, but also to major international civilian airports in the country. In addition, U.S. personnel and defense contractors will enjoy diplomatic immunity under the agreement.” [21]

A copy of the pact surfaced on November 4 and detailed that it “allows Washington access to civilian airports as well as military bases” and as a result “the US will have access to all international airports across the Andean nation including airports in the cities of Barranquilla, San Andres, Cartagena, Bogota, Cali, Medellin and Bucaramanga.” [22]

In the initial phase an estimated 1,400 U.S. personnel will be assigned to the seven bases with the likelihood that the number will be increased as Washington sees fit. [23]

Eva Golinger observed that one of the newly acquired bases, that at Palanquero, was identified by a American Air Force document as providing the Pentagon “an opportunity for conducting full spectrum operations throughout South America….” [24]

Two South American nations bordering or near Colombia, Venezuela and Bolivia, were not slow to respond.

Earlier this month Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stated in his weekly radio and television address that “We cannot waste one day to fulfill our mission: to prepare for war and help the people to get ready for war,” [25] warning that an armed conflict with the U.S. client regime in Bogota “could extend throughout the whole continent.” [26]

Days earlier two Venezuelan National Guard troops were killed at a checkpoint near Colombia and Caracas deployed 15,000 troops to the border.

In his November 13 address Chavez added. “Don’t make a mistake, Mr. Obama, by ordering an attack against Venezuela by way of Colombia.” [27]

On the same day his Bolivian counterpart, President Evo Morales, warned “I am convinced that where there are military bases, the social peace, the democracy and the development of the nations as well as their integration are not guaranteed. These facilities are an open provocation against the peace.”

Morales also said that he failed to comprehend how the American head of state could have been awarded the Peace Nobel Price “when his country does everything to promote wars and conflicts.

“Obama must justify that award by withdrawing all the troops of his country from around the world….” [28]

Czech Republic

Following up on his visit to Prague in late October, on November 5 U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden hosted Czech President Vaclav Klaus at the White House and “they mostly discussed the U.S. plan for a new missile defence architecture.”

The two “also talked about the situation in Afghanistan and Iran” and “Klaus said the United States knows that it is necessary to continue with the anti-missile project in Europe.” [29]

The next day U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Alexander Vershbow met with Czech defense officials in their nation to discuss new American missile plans for Eastern Europe, ones intended to be “stronger, smarter, and swifter” than the previous Bush administration version and to incorporate all of Europe under a NATO umbrella.

Vershbow characterized the content of the talks as having presented “some concrete ideas to begin that process of developing the Czech role in the new approach” and said that the Czech contribution could include “potential facilities here on the territory of the Czech Republic.” [30]

On November 4 the local press announced that “A few U.S. delegations will visit the Czech Republic in November, following up on the recent visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, including an expert military team that arrives in Prague this Friday.”

One of those delegations will include Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs Ellen Tauscher, who “recently said the command for the managing and control of elements of the new version of anti-missile defence could be stationed in the Czech Republic.”

“The USA wants to build the system in cooperation with NATO.” [31]

Georgia

Earlier this week U.S. Marines completed the two-week Immediate Response 2009 military training exercises in the South Caucasus nation of Georgia. The preceding maneuvers of the same name, those of 2008 in which over 1,000 American troops participated, ended one day before Georgia started shelling neighboring South Ossetia and killed several people including a Russian peacekeeper. [32]

Days after that the U.S. client regime launched an all-out invasion of South Ossetia, triggering a five-day war with Russia.

The official purpose of this year’s exercises was to train Georgian troops to serve under NATO command in Afghanistan, but a Russian news source saw matters differently:

“Immediate Response was clearly designed not to fight against the Taliban or al-Qaeda…..Commander of US Army in Europe General Carter Ham visited Georgia to inspect the exercises but no one came from Afghanistan.

“Perhaps, the exercises were aimed at issuing a warning to Russia.” [33]

As the drills were ending Alexander Shliakhturov, chief of Russia’s military intelligence, said “that he did not rule out that Georgia might again use force against breakaway South Ossetia and Abkhazia.” [34]

A lengthier account of Shliakhturov’s concerns appeared in the Georgian media and included these quotes:

“According to our information, Georgia is still getting military aid from Ukraine, Israel and NATO. NATO countries, especially Eastern European countries, provide Georgia with arms and equipment, Israel provides Georgia with air equipment, the USA trains Georgian troops and Ukraine provides Georgia with heavy equipment, namely, tanks.”

“The Russian Intelligence Service is addressing other dangers too, namely, the efforts being made by the USA and NATO to bring Georgia and Ukraine into the alliance and the new US plan to locate anti-missile systems in Europe.” [35]

Four days later other Russian sources revealed “that the United States plans to supply weapons, including a Patriot-3 air defense system and shoulder-launched Stinger missiles, worth a total of $100 million, to Georgia.” [36]

The next day Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov “recalled the situation in the summer of 2008 when many countries ignored Russian warnings that modern arms in Saakashvili’s hands might prompt this man to unleash military aggression.” [37]

The chief of the Russian General Staff, General Nikolai Makarov, said “Georgia is getting large amounts of weapons supplied from abroad” and “Georgian military potential is currently higher than last August [2008].” [38]

India

Shortly after the Pentagon wrapped up the largest joint U.S.-Indian military exercises ever, Yudh Abhyas [Preparation for War] – which featured the first deployment of new American Stryker armored combat vehicles outside of Iraq and Afghanistan – at the end of October [39], it was announced that “India is negotiating with the United States to acquire state of the art Javelin anti-tank missiles worth several million dollars for large-scale induction.” [40]

Days earlier former president George W. Bush was in India and called on his host nation to join in the war in Afghanistan, urging the U.S. and India to “work together to win the war in Afghanistan.” [41]

Iraq

In early November Arabic language news sources revealed that “The US military has finished erecting an advanced radar system in Iraq to monitor the border with Iran, Syria and Turkey” and that “the radar is a preparatory measure aimed at providing the United States and its allies advanced control capabilities in event of a US military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.” [42]

Korean Peninsula

The South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported on November 1 that “The US and South Korea have completed joint action plans for responding to a regime collapse and other internal emergency situations in North Korea….” [46]

Citing an unidentified South Korean official, the report contains these details:

“South Korea and the US had long worked on Concept Plan 5029, to prepare for a regime collapse and other internal emergencies in North Korea.

“Since its inauguration last year, the [South Korean President] Lee Myung-bak government has pushed to convert the concept plan into an operational plan and it was recently completed.

“If the South Korea-US combined forces intervene in North Korea’s internal instabilities, the South Korean military will assume the leading role in consideration of neighboring countries, while the US military will be responsible for the removal of the North’s nuclear facilities and weapons.” [47]

On the final day of last month Washington expressed its satisfaction at South Korea redeploying troops to Afghanistan shortly after Pentagon chief Robert Gates’ visit to Seoul and the South Korean defense ministry on October 22.

“Washington supports and welcomes South Korea’s plans to deploy troops to Afghanistan…the U.S. Department of State said.” [48]

Kosovo

This month began with former U.S. president Bill Clinton arriving in the capital of Kosovo for the unveiling of a gaudy 11-foot gold-sprayed bronze statue of himself on November 1. [49]

He was being hailed by the breakaway entity’s nominal prime minister, former Kosovo Liberation Army chieftain Hashim Thaci, for his role in launching the 78-day NATO air war against Yugoslavia in March of 1999. That sustained bombing campaign, Operation Allied Force, inaugurated the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as an active war-making machine and issued in the ten-year war cycle that continues to this day with no indication of it ever abating.

A Russian commentary of the following day put the ceremony in perspective:

“Over the course of the 10-week conflict, NATO aircraft flew over 38,000 combat missions; even the German Luftwaffe had its first taste of combat over the skies of Yugoslavia since having its wings clipped in World War II.

“The ensuing 78-day aerial bombardment campaign, which grew continuously more aggressive and reckless, spared little infrastructure: factories, bridges, roads and power stations were all bombed with deadly accuracy. As a result, thousands of innocent civilians suffered great deprivation on both sides of the battle.

“In perhaps the worst public relations disaster for NATO during the conflict, five US ’smart’ bombs severely damaged the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, killing three Chinese journalists. NATO officials, in an effort to cool Chinese outrage, blamed the error on outdated maps. Chinese officials rejected both the apologies and explanations.” [50]

Pakistan

Over the past year the nine-year-long U.S. and NATO war in Afghanistan has been extended into Pakistan, the so-called AfPak theater of operations.

On November 4 the U.S. launched its latest drone missile attack into North Waziristan, killing two Pakistanis.

“According to independent reports, since August 2008 alone, around 70 cross-border predator strikes carried out by American drones have resulted in the death of 687 Pakistani civilians.” [51]

The Nation, a Pakistani daily newspaper, reported on November 12 that the massive increase in NATO convoys crossing the country en route to Afghanistan are overwhelming the country’s highways and that “Pakistani authorities are simply helpless in checking truckloads of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces badly damaging the Indus Highway, the repair of which would cost billions of rupees to the national exchequer….NATO trucks and trailers have not been [held accountable] even once for the repair and maintenance work, while cracks are developing on the Indus Highway after every three to four months due to overloading….” [52]

Persian Gulf

A local news sources wrote on November 9 that “The US has deployed a new expeditionary force in the Persian Gulf – the first time a permanent self-sustaining US naval force has been set up in the region.

“The newly established Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 5 will serve in the area of responsibility of the US Navy 5th Fleet Combined Task Force (CTF) 51 in Manama, Bahrain,” where the entire U.S. Fifth Fleet is based. [53]

The Philippines

Two American servicemen were killed in a mine attack in Mindanao in late September, the first official deaths in the U.S.-assisted counterinsurgency war against not only the Abu Sayyaf Group but also the Moro National Liberation Front and the New People’s Army.

Filipino senators “called for the abrogation of the [Visiting Forces Agreement], saying the US Seabees killed in the explosion weren’t supposed to be there, as…the presence of the alleged land mine constitutes the area as a war zone.” [54]

Pentagon chief Robert Gates insisted earlier in the month “that some 600 US counter-terrorism troops will remain in the southern Philippines….” [55]

An opponent of the active American military involvement in the country said that “the US military has established its permanent presence in the Philippines through the auspices of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). Many of the US soldiers are currently deployed in Mindanao under the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines headquartered in Zamboanga City.” [56]

On November 12 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Manila after the Philippine Senate recently passed a nonbinding resolution calling on the government to renegotiate the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement, “which enables U.S. forces to train and assist Philippine troops” and “vowed…to continue American military support.” [57]

Poland

Before departing for the Philippines Clinton hosted Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in Washington “to discuss the new anti-missile shield plan.” [58]

On the same day, November 2, U.S. Air Force personnel transferred five C-130 Hercules military cargo planes from the Ramstein Air Base in Germany to the Powidz Air Base in Poland.

A U.S. Air Force website offered these details: “Prepping Polish aircrews and maintainers for the transition to the larger Lockheed-Martin built Hercules has been accomplished with a blend of English language and specialty knowledge training at bases in Texas and Arkansas and through a type of work mentorship exchange between U.S. and Polish air force personnel….”

A Polish air force officer revealed the purpose of the U.S. transfer in stating “The main task for the C-130s is to support our contingency operations in Afghanistan, Chad, Africa and everywhere Polish troops and supplies are needed.” [59]

After NATO defense chiefs, including the U.S.’s Gates, met in Slovakia late last month and U.S. Vice President Biden visited Poland at about the same time, Warsaw announced that it was deploying 600 more troops to Afghanistan, bringing the nation’s total toward the 3,000 mark.

Sweden

Sweden’s Chief of Defense Staff General Sverker Goranson was in Washington, D.C. in early November and was interviewed by Defense News.

His nation, which has for decades presented itself as neutral, has 500 troops serving under NATO command in Afghanistan – Sweden and Finland are in charge of four northern provinces for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force – and five Swedish soldiers were injured in a roadside bomb explosion on November 11, two them seriously.

Goranson’s comments demonstrate how far from anything resembling neutrality Sweden has recently strayed:

“The transformation we are conducting is a huge turnaround, and as I told Adm. [Michael] Mullen [U.S. Joint Chiefs chairman], we know where we are going….The major shift is globalization and the fact that most of the things we are dealing with aren’t necessarily about national boundaries.

“What turned Sweden around is not focusing on national defense, but being a part of this globalized world and solving issues together, because wherever conflicts are, whether in the Balkans or Afghanistan….”

When asked about the potential for a showdown in the Arctic Circle with Russia, he spoke about starting “discussions between the United States, Norway, Denmark and Canada [all NATO members] about what are the borders….As part of the Nordic Battle Group, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark are already sharing the operational picture in the air and on the sea, and that can be extended to the High North.”

Lastly, the Swedish visitor, whose meetings included one with the U.S.’s top military commander, acknowledged: “We had a defense resolution in 1996 that said the Swedish armed forces should be completely NATO-interoperable, which is the standard we have worked to accordingly, to make sure that wherever we go, as we did to Afghanistan.” [60]

Yemen

The government of Yemen is waging military operations against Shiite rebels in the north of the country and neighboring Saudi Arabia started launching air strikes against them earlier this month.

On November 10 Yemen’s official news agency, Saba, announced that the U.S. has signed a military cooperation agreement with the nation.

The news agency also quoted Brigadier General Jeffrey Smith, the commander of the U.S. 5th Signal Command, “as renewing Washington’s support for Yemen’s unity, security and stability.” [61]

One account of the agreement was provided under the headline “Yemen, US sign military deal to fight rebels.” [62]

As the rebels are Shiite Muslims, Washington is exploiting the conflict to recruit Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations against Iran.

Yemen, on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, lies directly across from Djibouti where the Pentagon maintains its only permanent base in Africa, Camp Lemonier, and from Somalia, which U.S. warships periodically shell from the Indian Ocean.

Link: http://bit.ly/war_war_3

Sfida senza regole – Righteous Kill è un film del 2008 diretto da Jon Avnet, e interpretato da Robert De Niro e Al Pacino. Righteous Kill dispone anche di John Leguizamo, Carla Gugino, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy, e Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Jon Avnet | Robert De Niro | Al Pacino | Donnie Wahlberg

Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese (born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. He is the founder of the World Cinema Foundation, a recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to the cinema and has won awards from the Oscars, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Directors Guild of America. Scorsese is president of the Film Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to film preservation and the prevention of the decaying of motion picture film stock.

Scorsese’s body of work addresses such themes as Italian American identity, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, machismo, and violence. Scorsese is widely considered to be one of the most significant and influential American filmmakers of his era, directing landmark films such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas; all of which he collaborated on with actor Robert De Niro. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for The Departed and earned an MFA in film directing from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Trivia:

Listed as one of 50 people barred from entering Tibet. Disney clashed with Chinese officials over the film Kundun (1997), which Scorsese directed. [19 December 1996]

Awarded third annual John Huston Award for Artists Rights by the Artists Rights Foundation. [1995]

Presented with a special tribute at the 1976 Telluride Film Festival. It was presented by Michael Powell. [1976]

He is a longtime friend and was once a housemate of The Band’s Robbie Robertson. He directed The Last Waltz (1978), the documentary of their supposedly last gig which Robertson produced. Robertson later produced the soundtrack for Scorsese’s The Color of Money (1986).

Good friends with editor Thelma Schoonmaker & cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. Scorsese introduced Thelma to her husband Michael Powell and he often quotes Powell as an influence.

His name is pronounced “Scor-sez-see”.

He directed Michael Jackson’s Bad (1987) (V) music video. The full length video runs 16 minutes and is in both black & white and color. It is usually shortened down to just the color segment for television.

He appears as attached to his pet white Bichon Frise Zoe as he was to his beloved parents – except Zoe is right beside Marty every day in the office.

Daughter Francesca Scorsese born. [16 November 1999]

John Woo dedicated his action film Dip huet seung hung (1989) (“The Killer”) to Scorsese on a commentary he did for the movie’s DVD.

Daughter Domenica Cameron-Scorsese with Julia Cameron.

Taught both Oliver Stone and Spike Lee at NYU.

Was at one point going to make a movie about the life of comedian Richard Pryor.

He was an altar boy at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was used in his early films I Call First (1967) and Mean Streets (1973). Old St. Patrick’s is also where the baptism scene in The Godfather (1972) took place.

Was at one point slated to direct Clockers (1995), but for reasons that are not entirely clear, handed the directing chores to his onetime NYU student Spike Lee, while staying on as producer. He was also at one point going to direct Little Shop of Horrors (1986) for David Geffen, with Steven Spielberg as the executive producer. He was ultimately uninvolved, but claims that he wanted to shoot the movie in 3-D. It no doubt would have been a loving homage to Roger Corman, for whom he directed Boxcar Bertha (1972).

He took a cameo in his film Taxi Driver (1976) (as a man about to kill his wife) only because the actor who was supposed to play the role was sick on the day the scene was to be shot. Says he is generally uncomfortable in front of the camera.

Has a dog named Silas.

Is the subject of the song “Martin Scorsese” by alternative band King Missile.

Father of actress Cathy Scorsese from his first marriage.

Is of Italian-Sicilian descent.

Has asthma.

Of the three films he’s been trying to make since the mid-1970s, he has done two: The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Gangs of New York (2002). The third film, a biopic of Dean Martin called “Dino”, has been on hiatus at Warner Brothers since the late 1990s. Scorsese has a very specific all A-list cast in mind, probably why it has yet to be produced. He wants Tom Hanks to star as Martin, Jim Carrey to play Jerry Lewis, John Travolta to play Frank Sinatra, Hugh Grant to play Peter Lawford, and Adam Sandler to play Joey Bishop.

Was voted the 4th greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly, making him the only living person in the top 5 and the only working film director in the top 10 (Ingmar Bergman being retired as a filmmaker).

Appeared on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (2000) as a shrill version of himself who comes to regret his decision to cast Larry David as a violent gangster in a movie after David repeatedly ruins the suit he needs to wear as the character.

Several characters in his films refer to the legendary (noir) actor John Garfield, star of the original The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), which is also mentioned.

He was one of three major directors to have been offered the opportunity to direct Schindler’s List (1993) by producer Steven Spielberg, the other two being Roman Polanski and Billy Wilder. Scorsese thought a Jewish filmmaker should direct it; Polanski wasn’t yet ready to deal with the painful subject (having lost his mother in the Holocaust); and Wilder (who was retired and who lost his mother and grandmother in the Holocaust) finally told Spielberg that he should do it himself.

Because so many of his actors win or are nominated for awards, actors are dying to work with him. The film With Friends Like These… (1998) pokes fun at this very real desire.

Both The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Gangs of New York (2002) were personal passions of his that he had wanted to make since the 1970s. When he first starting considering them, Robert De Niro was in his mind to play the lead characters in both (Jesus Christ in “Temptation” and Bill Cutting in “Gangs”). De Niro ultimately turned down the part in “Temptation” and it was decided he was too old to play Cutting by the time that “Gangs” finally went into production.

He has famously collaborated with Robert De Niro in 8 films. Scorsese has said that his creative collaboration with De Niro is very deep and that they can often understand each other without even talking. Their collaboration has had many dry spells (including recently), but Scorsese says he shows almost every script he writes or considers directing to De Niro to see what the actor’s thoughts on them are even when De Niro ultimately has no involvement the film.

Appeared in an “American Express” ad where he goes to pick up photos of his nephew’s birthday party at a drug store, and then proceeds to nervously pick through what’s wrong with each picture while trying to get the clueless photo-lab clerk’s opinion on them. He proceeds to buy more film with an American Express card and calls the people on the pictures saying they need to reshoot. Scorsese says this funny ad is probably the closest he’s come to accurately “playing” himself.

Apart from his legendary work as a filmmaker, he has been a vocal supporter of film preservation for almost three decades. His efforts to create a strong public awareness for the work of film archives include The Film Foundation, a non-profit organisation which he started together with other filmmakers. The Film Foundation regularly partners with the American film archives on the restoration of “lost” or endangered films. With this background he has agreed to serve as Honorary President of the Austrian Film Museum in Vienna.

Personally spurns the notion of the “director’s cut” feeling that once a film has been completed, it should not be further altered in any way.

He lost three best director – and best picture – Oscars to leading-man actors turned directors: Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, and Clint Eastwood (Raging Bull (1980) lost to Redford’s Ordinary People (1980); Goodfellas (1990) to Costner’s Dances with Wolves (1990); The Aviator (2004) to Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby (2004)). On the only two occasions when he was Oscar-nominated as Best Director in years ending in zero, he was beaten by actors making their directorial debuts (Redford and Costner).

In 1975, he accepted the Oscar for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” on behalf of Ellen Burstyn, who wasn’t present at the awards ceremony. She won for her performance in Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

President of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998.

Has mentioned that he thought Robert De Niro’s best performance under his direction was as Rupert Pupkin in The King of Comedy (1982).

Ranked #3 in Empire (UK) magazine’s “The Greatest directors ever!” [2005]

His favorite films include: Citizen Kane (1941), The Red Shoes (1948) and Il gattopardo (1963) (“The Leopard”).

Was friend, protégé, and employee of actor-director John Cassavetes.

When asked where audiences would find the next Martin Scorsese, he said to look to Wes Anderson, the young director of Rushmore (1998).

Has directed, as of 2008, 6 biopics: Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), Kundun (1997) and The Aviator (2004).

He received a Degree ad honorem in “Cinema, TV and Multimedia Production” from the University of Bologna on 26 November 2005.

Served as mentor to Georgia Lee and invited her to apprentice for Gangs of New York (2002) in Europe.

The 1912 American Mutoscope & Biograph Company short The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) heavily influenced Scorsese in the making of his own gangster films Goodfellas (1990), and Gangs of New York (2002). The film was picked by Scorcese for his 2005 tribute at Beaubourg, centre d’art et de culture Georges Pompidou (1977) in Paris, France. Biograph is the oldest movie company in America and in existence today, headed by producer/director Thomas R. Bond II.

Scorsese and Taxi Driver (1976) are, among others, named as inspiration for the Massive Attack debut “Blue Lines”.

He signed a four-year, first-look deal to develop projects with studio executives of Paramount. [November 2006]

The Departed (2006) is the highest-grossing movie of his 40-year career ($132,373,442 (USA)).

The Aviator (2004) was his first movie to gross over $100 million in the U.S.

He has worked with big names of music business: Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, ‘Michael Jackson (I)’ and David Bowie.

Directed 17 different actors in Oscar nominated performances: Jodie Foster, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis , Cate Blanchett, Winona Ryder, Ellen Burstyn, Sharon Stone, Diane Ladd,Cathy Moriarty, Juliette Lewis, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Newman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Alan Alda and Mark Wahlberg. (Burstyn, De Niro, Newman, Pesci and Blanchett won Oscars for their roles in one of Scorsese’s movies).

When he won his Best Director Oscar for The Departed (2006), he received the award from legendary directors, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg. The four were part of the “New Hollywood” movement of the 1970s and combined have 9 Academy Awards and 38 Nominations.

As a teenager in the Bronx, Scorsese frequently rented Michael Powell’s The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) from a store that only had one copy of the reels. When it wasn’t available the owner told him, “that Romero kid has it,” referring to George A. Romero who was also a big fan of the film. Today, both directors cite the film as a major influence.

Says he was happy with the fact that it took so long for him to win Best Director, because if he had won it earlier, it would have affected his directing and films.

Recipient of the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors. Other recipients that year were Leon Fleisher, Steve Martin, Diana Ross, and Brian Wilson.

Says the only thing he regrets in his career is that he was only able to make The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) on a small budget although he imagined it to be a grand version.

Was originally going to direct The Honeymoon Killers (1969), but was replaced after a week of shooting.

Served as a guest critic on “Siskel & Ebert & the Movies” (1986) following the death of ‘Gene Siskel’. The episode was “The Best Films of the 90s” in which Roger Ebert cited Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990) as one of the best films of the 90s (#3). Scorsese’s full list of his favorite films of the 1990s: 10.) Tie: Malcolm X (1992) and Heat (1995), 9.) Fargo (1996), 8.) Crash (1996), 7.) Bottle Rocket (1994), 6.) Breaking the Waves (1996), 5.) Bad Lieutenant (1992), 4.) Eyes Wide Shut (1999), 3.) Duo sang (1994) (“A Borrowed Life”), 2.) The Thin Red Line (1998), 1.) Dao ma zei (1986) (“Horse Thief”).

He was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of his outstanding contribution to film culture.

Resides in New York City. His production offices are located on W. 57th Street in Manhattan.

Attended Cardinal Hayes high school in the Bronx as a young man. Fellow alumni included George Carlin, George Dzundza, Regis Philbin and Jamal Mashburn.

Is a fan of the British Hammer Films series.

A huge fan of Fawlty Towers (1975). He describes the episode “The Germans” as “so tasteless, its hilarious.”.

In the 5th edition of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (edited by Steven Jay Schneider), 7 of Scorsese’s films are listed: Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1982), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995) and The Departed (2006).

Haig Manoogian was Scorsese’s mentor at NYU. He eventually produced Scorsese’s first film (I Call First (1967)) and when he died in 1980, Scorsese dedicated Raging Bull (1980) to Manoogian.

Roger Ebert is a great admirer of Scorsese’s work. 14 of Scorsese’s films were given four stars by Ebert (Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), After Hours (1985), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993), Casino (1995), Kundun (1997), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), Shine a Light (2008)), seven of his films are in Ebert’s Great Movies list (“Mean Streets”, “Taxi Driver”, “Raging Bull”, “After Hours”, “The Last Temptation Of Christ”, “Goodfellas”, and “The Age of Innocence”), and Ebert has written an entire book of his reviews, interviews and essays on Scorsese’s work simply titled “Scorsese By Ebert”.

As of November 10th 2009, five of his films are on the IMDb’s Top 250 Films list: Goodfellas (1990), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), The Departed (2006), and Casino (1995).

Amazon Specials!

Big news on Kenneth Branagh’s Thor is that the Warriors Three have been cast. None of them are Jude Law, Dominic West or Robert De Niro.

Instead the word on the street is that that Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone, Rome), Stuart Townsend (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Queen of the Damned) and Tadanobu Asano (Mongol) are to play the trio. Apparently, Stevenson will take on the role of “Volstagg the Valiant”, Asano will be “Hogun the Grim”, and Townsend will portray “Fandral the Dashing”.

Now this news has come from Variety, but every link I follow on other sites takes me to a dead page on Variety and looking at the list of movie news on their site I just can’t see it listed. It is probably just me being a bit blind today. I am assuming it was on their, but has since been removed. If that is the case then that could mean the news isn’t true or someone has messed up somewhere down the line.

I thought I would share the news anyway. It doesn’t quite ring true to me though as none of these actors have been linked to the film before now. Although Stevenson would be great (I am assuming Volstaag won’t be as big as he often is in the comic) and Asano already looks like Hogun, I feel the week link is Townsend. Just a personal thing, but he doesn’t cut it for me. He was naff as Dorian Gray in the naff LXG and he was down to play Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings but after a few days shooting he was replaced.

There you have it some news which may not actually be correct (hopefully Variety will sort it out), but it may be. Who knows!

UPDATE: Marvel is now confirming the casting – “Fandral will be played by Stuart Townsend. The job of Hogun goes to Tadanobu Asano. And Volstagg will be portrayed Ray Stevenson.”

What do you think of the casting? If not them who would be better in the roles?

Hollywood tem o hábito de cicatrizar suas feridas históricas por meio do cinema. Com a Guerra no Vietnã não seria diferente. “O Franco-Atirador” (1978) faz parte desse processo de expurgo que contou também com obras de Stanley Kubrick, Oliver Stone, Francis Ford Copolla, entre outros.

Ao contrário da maioria dos filmes sobre o tema, a história com direção de Michael Cimino fala de um grupo de amigos que acredita no confronto como meio de ascensão social. Para isso o diretor fez um recorte sobre a comunidade russa nos Estados Unidos instalada em uma pequena cidade do norte do país e que sobrevive basicamente da atividade metalúrgica.

O grande elenco conta com atuações maravilhosas de Robert De Niro e Meryl Streep, mas Christopher Walken surge das sombras desses dois atores para dominar o filme. É impressionante como ele consegue conduzir a transformação da personagem Nick sem cair na armadilha do dramalhão, tão comum ao cinema em condições propícias a demonstrações de heroísmo e bravura.

O roteiro é baseado em situações-limite atreladas tanto à guerra quanto às consequências do conflito. E sempre com o homem mediano no centro das relações, o que humaniza a história fazendo-a mais verossímil. Talvez por conta desse enfoque falte no filme um posicionamento lúcido sobre o combate, mas que não é imprescindível ao transmitir os horrores da guerra.

“O Franco-Atirador” é um filme honesto sobre fracassos, que tem como pano de fundo o fracasso de um país. Ele faz parte de um grande painel cinematográfico sobre os diferentes pontos de vista envolvendo o Vietnã e seus impactos no imaginário norte-americano.

Filme: O Franco-Atirador (The Deer Hunter)
Diretor: Michael Cimino
Elenco: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Cazale, John Savage
Duração: 182 minutos

Oscar de Melhor Filme (1979)

Oscar de Melhor Diretor (1979)

Oscar de Melhor Ator Coadjuvante para Christopher Walken (1979)

Outros prêmios

Não pisque: Nas cenas de roleta-russa.

Veja também:

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Platoon (1986)

Nascido para Matar (1987)