Wall Street 2: The Teaser Trailer

Check out the teaser trailer for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps:



It looks awesome!

Why Olbermann Is A Jack-Ass

John Stewart takes MSNBC's Keith Olbermann down a peg or two. The performance is simply priceless:

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Special Comment - Keith Olbermann's Name-Calling
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The Ghost Writer Trailer

Here's the international trailer for Roman Polanski's new film, The Ghost Writer:

It looks really, really good. I don't know if I want to watch a movie made by a director who is arrogantly flouting justice living in splendid exile in Europe, while, at the same time, claiming to be exempt from the law because he is an artiste.

And it's not like he is being falsely accused, he readily admits to raping a young girl after plying her with drugs and alcohol. That the victim no longer wants to press charges is immaterial. It's not about her any more, but the rule of law.

Kick-Ass Trailer

This trailer simply Kicks-Ass:

Biman Bangladesh: New Look

Biman Bangladesh is not only inducting a new aircraft type into its fleet (a Boeing 737-800), but a new color scheme as well. Check out the photo below:



Personally, I don't like it. Too much blue and not enough verdant green and red of the national flag.

1971 Pakistan's Surrender in Dhaka: TV Footage

Here are a couple of videos broadcasting Pakistan's surrender in Dhaka (then called Dacca):





Both of these videos are important historical artifacts reminding people why Bangladesh came about.

[h/t: acorn]

New Christopher Nolan Movie

Christopher Nolan is becoming one of my all-time favorite directors. Just check out this teaser trailer for his new movie Inception:

Looks fantastic.

CNN's New Look

CNN has redesigned its web site. Here’s a screenshot of the main page:



Very nice!

Trailer for Green Zone

Check out this trailer for Green Zone, starring Matt Damon:

Another movie to add to my must-watch list.

Remake The Third Man? No Way!!!

The web site First Showing is reporting that actors Leonardo di Caprio and Tobey MaGuire are involved in a project to remake film noir classic The Third Man. Alex Billington, who reported the story, concludes: “It's a true noir classic that really can't be topped.”

Hard to disagree with this assessment. Leonardo di Caprio and Tobey MaGuire are good actors, but none of them have the presence, diction, or talent of Orson Welles, a giant among giants (see Citizen Kane, if you already haven’t done so).

What is it with certain Hollywood types who can’t leave something perfect like The Third Man well enough lone, but must submit to their massive egos, thinking that they can do better, or their new “interpretation” would be more relevant. It’s simply bullshit built on vanity and money.

I personally hope the project never comes to pass.

And for those who haven’t seen The Third Man, here’s the trailer:



If you are intrigued, I highly recommend watching the DVD from Criterion, which is filled with extras only a ciniphile would love. The Third Man is a film film, I would be very disappointed if you did not enjoy it it.

Reading Update

This is only my second reading update for the year. Back in the day, I use to write this feature monthly, now it is more intermittent. For some reason or another, I’m reading less than I use to, which is kind of strange given the fact that I’m currently unemployed and have more free time then I know what to do with. Perhaps I’m becoming senile with age, or getting more distracted. I don’t know. Nevertheless, the following books I have started and plan to complete by the end of the year:

• House of Cards by William D. Cohan
• The Great Gamble by Gregory Feifer
• The Seekers by Daniel J. Boorstin
• Every Man a Speculator by Steve Fraser
• The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
• Magical Chorus by Solomon Volkov

That’s a lot on my plate, and only two months to finish it all. Wish me luck.

Review: Marx for Beginners

Rius. Marx for Beginners. New York: Pantheon, 2003. 160pp.

Many people know about Karl Marx and what he stood for, but how many people, including his many admirers and critics, actually understood the man and his revolutionary ideas? In my opinion, not many, including those who unabashedly call themselves “Marxists.’ Not surprisingly, Marx’s ideas are impenetrable by even the most intelligent of people. Very few understand Marx, and even fewer who successfully translated his thinking to the general public: reading and comprehending Marx is simply beyond the ability of mere mortals. Marx’s ideas are a knotty mess of philosophy and economics, written in the turgid, confusing prose that is the hallmark of many intellectuals. So a book like Marx for Beginners is a welcome antidote, as it explains Marx in the simplest way possible—through cartoons.

The book is illustrated and written by Rius, a pseudonym used by famed Mexican cartoonist and left-wing political activist Eduardo del Rio. The book is only 160 pages or so, but Rius encapsulates Marx’s ideas in a tight, unsparing format, not wasting time on ephemeral matters but focusing on main ideas that made Marx an icon of the left. Rius gives us a biography of Marx, his influences, explains the philosophical underpinnings of Marx’s ideas, and Marx’s blueprint how the proletariat (the “working” class) can seize power. Naturally, Marx was no lover of democracy, which, for him, was a bourgeoisie concept.

Though this edition was published in 2003, the book was originally published in 1975. This explains the many references to Chile and snide attacks on the United States. Obviously, the author was bitter about the overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile and American imperialism in South America in general. Never mind that Allende was planning to turn Chile into another Cuba. But that’s a debate for another day.

Marx for Beginners is not intended to be a comprehensive, or even an exhaustive, look at Marx. That is just not possible. This book is a primer, of sorts, a kind of jumping off point. Because to understand the man there is no going around reading the man's various works. A bit of a warning: reading Marx is only for the heartiest of souls and not for the faint of heart. And I'm not writing this review as a supporter of Marx. Hardly. But you cannot deny the man's influence on history; and to understand the world today you have to understand Marx.

Toy Story 3 Trailer

It is finally here: the official trailer for Toy Story 3:

Looks really good. Can't wait to see it!

(h/t: FirstShowing)

Gee This Blog Sucks...

As everyone well knows, I’ve blogged very little om the past few years. Mostly, I’ve just lost all interest, contributed by the fact that my writing was increasingly becoming repetitive—hence boring. I know I have this blog, but I’ve written only 400 posts in nearly three years; when in my hey day I use to write over 500 posts a year.

I have also noticed that the quality of my writing has deteriorated exponentially. Just read posts from my old blogs (here and here). I swear I didn’t write any of it, but I did. What the hell happened?

Why The Cleveland Brown Aren't Going Anywhere

Why the Cleveland Browns will suck this year (they are already off to a 0-and-3 start!): the players hate head coach Eric Mangini. Why? For crap like this:

First there were the reports of Browns coach Eric Mangini requiring a mandatory bus trip to work for free at his football camp. There were the rumors that Mangini slapped a curfew on players attending "voluntary" offseason workouts. And there was the talk that Mangini screwed Josh Cribbs out of an agreed-to contract renegotiation.

Now Yahoo!'s Michael Silver is reporting that the Browns fined a player $1,701 for drinking a $3 bottle of water out of the hotel minibar during a road trip without paying for it at the front desk upon leaving.

Mangini has practiced poor leadership here. Players have already filed grievances against him. There is no reason to treat professional football players like children. A $1,701 fine over a $3 bottle of water? Come on!

And it doesn’t help that he doesn’t name his quarterback until the last minute.

A coach is like a general. If soldiers cease to listen or respect him, he is useless and must be replaced by someone who inspires confidence. Obviously, Mangini has lost the confidence and respect of his players. It’s time for him to go.