Tone Matrix

Now this is totally cool - and addictive. The simplicity is what I like, yet I created some pretty deep little ditties with it.

~ tom

Slumdog angst?

We finally got around to seeing Slumdog Millionaire on Sunday night via DVD. For some reason the movie did not really deliver for me. I know it was a very, very good film, and I feel as if I should have been more moved and affected by it, but the feeling is just not there.

I think the problem is that Slumdog could not decide whether it wanted to be a cultural exploration with a lot of character development, or a gritty portrayal of youth surviving in the world's slums. In the former case, "The Namesake" (touted by me a few posts back) was far superior, and in the latter case Slumdog does not even come close to the incomparable "City of God."

Just sayin....

T.

HBO 5 star alert for tonight.

Either watch it live tonight or set your DVR's to record Grey Gardens. Rarely does the "little man" jump out of his chair in SF Chronicle reviews, but he's flippin' out for this one.

T

The Namesake

If you have not seen it, by all means check out "The Namesake." I had read many glowing reviews of this movie and ordered it from Netflix. For some reason we did not get around to watching it until a couple of nights ago. Eileen and I both really enjoyed this movie. The characters are unforgettable, the script top-notch, photography beautiful yet arresting, directing very solid. All of the players are superb, but special kudos are in order for the simply gorgeous Tabu, who plays from a young woman to matriarch, and Kal Penn as the boy, later man, to whom the title refers.

Tom says a lotta stars go to this one.

Norm Coleman - Give it up dude!

It's time for Al Frankin to take his rightful place in the Senate.

Do your part to make it happen ASAP.

Kathleen Parker is OK

Kathleen Parker writes for the Washington Post and is syndicated in a lot of other outlets. She is billed as a conservative. Even so, I respect her integrity, and her writing skills and wit are high caliber. Today's column titled "Obama's Unmacho Diplomacy" is a classic example. The title makes you think she is going to dump on the Prez, but that is not the case. Instead, it's a hilarious skewering of pundits who criticized Obama for not being manly enough on his European tour. After setting up that premise, she observes:
" What they're really asking is: Did Obama do justice to the fire hydrant?"

Later she notes:

Call me a mother of boys. Or call Freud, if you must. But would that life were really as complicated and confused as leaders insist it is.

Unfortunately, most of world history seems to have pivoted on the balance or imbalance of hormones, with testosterone presenting the greatest challenge. (I note this as a fan.)

In what may prove to be an epochal development, Obama seems to have his under control. He doesn't strut, swagger or flex. He doesn't even notice the hydrant.

And she finishes the article with this nice touch:

A man who listens may be perceived as weak by those who prefer to talk big. But playground wisdom holds that showoffs are usually overcompensating, and the strongest one has nothing to prove. To answer the original question: When you're the big dog, you can afford to smile. The saber is understood.

By the way, Kathleen took a raft of shit from the right wing during the campaign for her great, courageous rant in the National Review against Sarah Palin being nominated.

.... just sayin'

T.

Race bows to charisma and competence

I have been reading blogs of friends, along with the MSM (except Fox), all of whom are raving in one way or another over Barack and Michelle in Europe. I agree with all of them. But, 0ne thing that is overlooked is that these two are so charismatic and competent that the public does not see race -- sure the public knows they are African American, but the perception is no worse or better than the public realizing that JFK was Irish, or LBJ a Texan.

This is the subject of a great opinon piece in today's WashPo by Eugene Robinson (one of my favorite OpEd dudes). Here is a sample:

In the cacophonous commentary about the president -- he's a breath of fresh air, he's too liberal, he's too moderate, he's being far too generous to the banks, he's some kind of closet socialist, he's restoring the nation to greatness, he's leading us to perdition -- it's striking how seldom race is mentioned as an issue or even an attribute. That's only natural, since race could hardly be more irrelevant to the multitude of urgent problems Obama wrestles with every day. Watching him in action, as he shoves out the chief executive of General Motors or exchanges small talk with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace, we witness a daily demonstration of the irrelevance of race. And that, potentially, is nothing short of transformative.

43 reasons to never forget

I am already getting spoiled having a real President, a real Justice Department, and serious, competent grownups running the rest of the federal government. Memories of the past 8 years are starting to fade a bit, and that disturbs me. Lest we ever forget just how horrible and dire things were "back then," review this list every once in a while to make sure you remember.

~ tom