The Sound of the Crowd

Jaime Foxx’s performanace is everything you’ve heard, but words ought to be said about Sharon Warren and C.J. Sanders, who play Charles’ mother and younger self, respectively.

The film is extraordinarily well made, but the script hits a few too many of the pat beats for a bio-pic. And I’m no expert, but I know enough about Ray Charles to know that they ironed out a rough spot or two. Most notably, Charles is presented as an early foe of segregation; he may very well have been, but he was also willing to play Sun City in apartheid South Africa.

Still, the soundtrack alone ought to have ‘em packing the theaters.

Strange how the scale forms
In tiny patterns
On my antenna
and The Five O’Clock Show, hello hello …
Brooklyn is crawling with famous people
I turn my vehicle beneath the river, west from south

Through the airwaves-
people never read the airwaves
Do we only feed the airwaves?
I really should have seen through the airwaves

Electric fences line our new freeway
Here in the half-light, the motorhomes leave
Knee-deep in water under a pylon
How slow my heartbeat
How thin the air I’m breathing in

Through the airwaves -
People never read the airwaves
do we only feed the airwaves?
Or stamp them out at street level ?
Airwaves – the dampness of the wind
The airwaves – the tension of the skin
The airwaves

Be in my broadcast when this is over
Give me your shoulder, I need a place
To wait for morning
No it was nothing – some car backfiring -
Please don’t ask questions
I itch all over
Let me sleep

Through the airwaves -
People never read the airwaves
Do we only feed the airwaves?
Or stamp them out at street level ?
Airwaves – the dampness of the wind
The airwaves – the tension of the skin
The airwaves I really should have seen through …

–Thomas Dolby, “Airwaves”

I want to be challenged. And engaged.

It’s more than just his reviews. Today, for example, he has this review/essay by Jim Emerson (editor of the site) about a new film criticising Michael Moore called “Farenhype 9/11.”

(Clever, huh? That kind of Mad-Magazine-on-a-bad-month wit is apparently typical of the film.)

Emerson, no fan of Moore’s, identifies himself as an independent with libertarian views. His essay is thought-provoking and excellent.

And he doesn’t have any better answers than I do. Namely:

“So how does this new bin Laden tape play politically in the US?

I’m really not sure.”

He’s right that Republicans are already trying to play this as bin Laden’s “ringing endorsement” of Kerry, though. But like Josh, what I keep wondering is, does it hurt Kerry or Bush more to have this last-second reminder that yes, three years later bin Laden is alive, free and making video tapes?

If not, or if you just need a quick refresher course, read this. I read it when I was 10 or 11 after seeing a memorable adaptation on television.

It’s the kind of thing that stays with you. And comes back at the oddest times, like when you find out this is happening.

Five more days.

Couple great things from Atrios today. Here he is pointing out the latest sneaky-pete trick the Republicans are trying to challenge the validity of ragistered voters in the “battleground state” of Ohio.

And here he is shooting down the latest attempt to defend Bush in the missing explosives scandal.

Or, Kentucky: Making Tennessee look tolerable (and tolerant).

Another victory for John Ashcroft.

Kerry is going to win Florida. I don’t want to “jinx” it, but…this is beginning to look very good.