Happy Thanksgiving

Two turkeys, two pans of stuffing, one bowl of mash potatoes, two bowls of gravy, four pans of mac and cheese, one pan of sweet potatoes and marshmallows, one basket of rolls, a bowl full of salad, a pan of green beans, a bowl of roasted root vegetables, one bowl of cranberry relish, four pies, one can of reddy whip, 14 people and one mad domino game equals good times.

Barack Obama

Unbelievable and amazing. For the first time in my very short voting history, I am very proud. After eight years of having an administration that, in my mind, turned their back on everything the United States stands for, I am filled with hope for our new president elect Barack Obama. November of 2000, I was in Vietnam, Hong Kong and China watching a surreal election drama unfold. Four years later in 2004, I was completely disheartened by the election (as apposed to the appointment) of George W. Bush. Watching the economy, the Iraq War, and general international perception of the United States go down the tube, I had lost some hope.

That has all changed. Not only did Barack Obama quickly claim Minnesota, but my home state of Indiana has made me proud and as did my people in Florida.

That being said, all is not well in Minnesota. Norm Coleman seems to have edge out Al Franken in an insanely close race (1,210,790 vs 1,210,028) that will demand a recount. Even more disappointing is the 6th District just to the south that decided to reelect someone who is just shy of an idiot (proved nationally a couple weeks ago on MSNBC.) Like a ring of red surrounding the Twin Cities and boarding the rural areas where people have more sense, the House won three seats: the aforementioned lunatic Michele Bachmann, incumbent John Kline, and Erik Paulsen, in a hard fought race that dashed the hopes of Democrat Ahwin Madia and his supporters.

Thank you for everyone who voted for Barack Obama, and for those who didn't please give this inspiring man a chance.

Copper says Happy Halloween!

Where did the week go?

I have returned from my journey to the west, but have yet to be visibly productive. But. I am here promising that I am busy working on things, some that will appear on this very blog and some that won't. Mostly I'm just trying to catch up with everything that has happened since I was gone. Just for starters:

• Tony Leung and Carina Lau really did get married! After years (19 to be exact) and multiple rumors that these two long term companions have tied the knot, it seems they have really done it. The wedding took place in Bhutan, and for those who just can't believe it, check out this wedding photo and news story here.
• The Lagoon, part of the "nation's largest theatre chain dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent film," is using three of their five screens for mainstream releases, two for Batman and one for Mama Mia. (And for those who think Landmark is simply making smart choices for quality large releases, read this hilarious review of Mama Mia in the NYT here.) And while I totally under why they might do this (it's not like there is a shortage of people in Uptown), but it makes me sad. It also makes me wonder what the Lagoon is not showing in the place of Batman and Mama Mia. Mad Detective? The Exiles? The Roman Polanski documentary? I'm still torqued that the Herzog film Encounters at the End of the World only played one week - the week I was out of town! (I skipped this at MSPIFF thinking I would catch it when it was released....not!)
  
• The Chinese continue to battle the running dogs looking to sabotage the Olympics. If its not those darn protesters or that nasty pollution its the bumper crop of locusts.
  
• Speaking of Batman, people seemed to have lost their minds about the winged one, or at least the movie he's in. Don't try to go to a evening showing of The Dark Knight at the multiplex without movie phone, because it will probably sell out. The Dark Knight is a good movie, but is it really that good? I also picture the suits thrilled that they picked Heath Ledger for the Joker (admittedly a standout performance amongst average showings from the rest of the cast), and were able to cash in on this man's tragic fate. I am just surprised how The Dark Knight has turned into a sort of film event where sold out theaters are filled with a collective energy of anticipation.
• While people were going gaga for Batman here in the US, South Korea was distracted by Kim Ji-Woon's highly anticipated 'Kimchi Western' The Good, The Bad, and the Weird and China was busy romancing with the Three Kingdoms in the form of John Woo's Red Cliff and Japan was getting giddy with Hayao Miyazaki's new animated feature Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. Who knows what was going on across the Atlantic....
  
• How can it be that the one movie I miss in Loring Park is Duck Soup? A travesty.
• And lastly, I am awash with edible green things. Why did I plant so much kale?

Good riddance to February!

Okay. Personally, February sucked. But instead of wallowing in self-pity, I'm just going to recap some interesting tidbits from February that I might or might not have posted on if I wasn't distracted by funerals and illness and thievery:

• The caucuses were fun! And exciting!

• Lost started back up. I was very very very unsatisfied at the end of the last season. If I hadn't been sick and stuck on the couch for the season premier, I would have skipped this season altogether. I'm glad I didn't. The mystery is back, and the pacing has quickened from the slow-as-molasses flow of Season 3. Admittedly, I am not as engaged as most, but I enjoy the weekly distraction. (Also big points for abc offering the episodes for free online.)

• The amazing 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (I got it right that time) screened at the Walker as part of their Expanding the Frame series and then it opened at the Edina this weekend. My recommendation is to go see this film. Really. (Judging from the sparse audience at the Edina on Saturday, it will be a short run.)

• Some dude named Ocrilim has provide one of the most intense listens I have ever experienced. No need for drugs with CDs like this in the world.

• The power of Mia Farrow should not be underestimated. Steven Spielberg stepped down as "artistic advisor" to the Beijing Summer Olympics, siting China's unwillingness to take a stand against the atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan. China has been mum on the issue for some time, despite (or in light of) having a very large stake in oil production in the region. Certainly something needs to be done to end this conflict and bring some stability to the region, but I don't think pissing off the Chinese is necessarily the best route. I applaud Farrow's efforts, but "Genocide Olympics"? I don't know. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband is doing his best to work diplomatic side of the issue. (More info on the issues at Save Darfur.)

• In a related story that I hardly think is a coincidence, China's Film Bureau blocks Mikael Hafstrom's Shanghai from shooting on location in the Mainland. Shanghai is the first blockbuster resulting from The Weinstein Company's "Asia fund." It's unclear whether this is due to a riff between the Film Bureau and TWC or concern about the further degradation of the national image (sex! drugs!) or simply just a show of power. If a compromise can not be made, the Weinstein's will take the shoot to Hong Kong (where apparently we see the 'one country, two systems' at work.) The film stars John Cusack, Gong Li and Ken Watanabe. (My post on the production here.)

• Even though the Timberwolves have not won many games, they are playing well. Most of the time.
  

• News of Tran Ahn Hung's (Cyclo, The Scent of Green Papaya) new film, I Come With the Rain, has started to surface and make me very excited. I Come With the Rain is an international thriller of sorts staring Josh Hartnett, Lee Byung-Hyun, Takuya Kimura, Elias Koteas, Tran Nu Yen Khe and Shawn Yue. Wow. This is Tran's first film in eight years. The plot goes something like this: "Kline, an ex-cop in Los Angeles traumatized by slaying a serial killer, is hired by a powerful corporate boss to go to the Philippines and find Shitao, his missing son. Kline’s leads take him to Hong Kong. Torn between good and evil, caught in the crossfire between a mafia drug ring and the police, he tracks down Shitao, who has become a mysterious vagrant." (Photos of the production on Twitch here.)

• I am in love with Black Mountain, and I wait in anticipation, with ticket in hand, for their show at the Entry on March 24th.

• Amongst a Britney-like scandal in Hong Kong, 27 year-old pop star and actor Edison Chen retires. Edison made the mistake of having his computer (with private photos) serviced. Photos that circulated on the internet like mad included Edison with the likes of Gillian Chung and Cecilia Cheung in compromising situations. Edison is apparently very popular with the girls, and I guess he took lots of photos. The scandal was front page news for more than two weeks after the photos were leaked. Arrests have been made and almost everyone who is anyone has voiced their opinion of the situation. Edison made a statement that he is going to retire as soon as he finishes current commitments. He may not be the best actor in the world, but he is certainly not talentless. He showed true grit a got critical acclaim in Soi Cheang's Dog Bite Dog. Edison's biggest exposure in the US would have been his role in Infernal Affairs (as the young Andy Lau) and as the investigator in the US remake of The Grudge 2. (More info and thoughts on the scandal on The House Where Words Gather blog.)

• The New York Philharmonic played an unprecedented concert in North Korea. And to everyone who says its no big deal, I say hogwash. The current cult of personality of Kim Jong-Il and unconscionable repression of the masses in North Korea is only possible through the isolation that it has maintained for the past 50 years. Whether it is families visiting from the South or the New York Philharmonic, the more people going to North Korea, the better.

• Actress Lydia Shum, affectionately known as Fei Fei, died on February 19. Although largely unknown on these shores, she has been a fixture in Hong Kong TV and cinema for 40 years.

• David Fincher has signed on to direct an adaptation of Charles Burns' graphic novel Black Hole. Neil Gaiman and Roger Avery will write the script for this downward spiral of teen sex and violence. It is sure to be crazy and controversial.
  

• The Oscars were good! Although there were no huge surprises, when you take a step back and look at some of the choices that the Academy made, it is encouraging. All four actor/actress awards went to foreign actors. Taxi to the Dark Side, easily the darkest documentary in the category, won. The award for short documentary award went to Freeheld, about one dying woman's fight for the rights of her partner (with the award ironically being announce by troops in Iraq.) And No Country for Old Men, the big winner of the night, is a great film.

• And lastly, with March finally here, Spring is really right around the corner. Thank God!