The Sound of the Crowd

The makers of the remake of The Manchurian Candidate, that is, but I’m afraid it still falls into the category with such films as Psycho 2: Films that are probably as good as they could be, considering they never should have been made.

Psycho 2 referring to the 1980’s sequel with Anthony Perkins, which was actually kind of fun, not to the 1990’s remake by Gus Van Sant, which remains indefensible.

I saw the original Manchurian Candidate when it was theatrically re-released in the late ’80s, following a 25 year embargo imposed by star and producer Frank Sinatra after the Kennedy assination. It’s a classic for a reason.

This one is certainly well acted–Liev Schreiber did the best job, IMO–and it does what a remake should do, try to find some new ways of telling the story, a new ambience. But I was rarely or never fully engaged, and my mind kept wandering to other stories I was thinking up in my head.

Good try, though.

“For really showing us the way.
We’d like to thank you, Herbert Hoover.
You made us what we are today.”

–George W. Bush addresses his apparent role model.

Actually, I have no idea if “admitted history geek” Amy Sullivan is pretty or not, but I needed a headline for this link to her closing comments on the convention. So let’s assume she is. Even if she isn’t, she writes a heck of a piece.

This is amazing. Let’s say you want to go and see VP Cheney speak. I don’t know why, but let’s say you do. Well, you have to endorse Bush to get in to see him. I mean it, you have to endorse Bush in order to be allowed to see your vice-president speak.

Of thee I sing, baby…

Michael Reagan has criticized his brother Ron’s speech in Boston. This was to be expected, he is a conservative.

What’s bizarre, though, is the Smothers Brothers like note of sibling rivalry he strikes. “Mom always liked you best!”

Prediction: 15 years from now, they’ll be taking an act on the road, though probably without the guitar and bass. Hey, if G. Gordon Liddy and Timothy Leary can do lecture tours together (which they did, in the ’80s)…

Stop! In the middle of your life for asking, who came of…

Ok, you guys remember the Berger thing? If you don’t, he was the former Clinton official and Kerry advisior who was accused of impromperly removing documents needed by the 9/11 commission. This was believed by Rep. Davis to be more worthy of investigation than the possible White House leaking of Valerie Plame’s identity as an undercover CIA operative. And the nearly 100 allegations of prison abuse at Abu Ghraib, which Rush Limbaugh said was better than what Berger had allegedly done.

Well, Berger has been “cleared of all wrongdoing…nothing in the Clinton administration’s record was withheld from the 9-11 Commission,” according to that well-known mouthpiece of the liberal media, The Wall Street Journal.

How quickly do you think we can expect apologies?

Joe Scarborough showing why I could learn to like him, even if he is a right-wing lout.

‘Fahrenheit 9/11′ has been shown on prime time TV in Cuba, where it is also a hit in the cinemas. Fidel Castro has drawn laughs in speeches by reading aloud from Michael Moore books.

No, I can’t see any way that can be used against John Kerry at all…

…that in some ways the Obama speech read even better than it played? Well, then there’s this guy.

For the first time in my life, I find myself glad that most Americans get their news from TV. Now if only it wasn’t FOX.