Open Thread Saturday

One of my top 12 favorite movies–doesn't quite make the top 10. Cage was awesome. IMO, the film was really a study in scriptwriting and genre with the actual plot of the movie being secondary. I think it is well worth a look.

What can I say, I'm a Charlie Kaufman fan. Whatever happened to him? Is he stuck somewhere in Writer's Block Hell or what?

'Adaption', never heard of it.
I watched a hit piece on PBS last night against conservative talk radio. It was hosted by Bill Moyers. Out of ten thousand hours of talk radio they managed to glean about two minutes of "hate speech" directed at "Mexican invaders", "Islamic terrorists", and Michael Moore. Those fountains of vitriol Air America and MSNBC got a total pass. My conclusion was that those people whose staple of public discourse is PBS are severely brainwashed.

Ah, yes Jimmy A! Good Morning! Are we all getting our turn to go to the WH to settle disputes? Personally, I like microbrews!

Moyers, Rather, Kalb, Safer, i.e., the CBS News wunderkins all worshiped at the altar of Walter. Since CBS went for Katie & co., the old seadogs now gather at the PBS trough of biased journalism. If the free markets can't support their unfair slant, what better than to have the NEA do it. But what frosts my stones, is they keep regurgitating 19th century issues and try to saddle us with those ills today. Reparations? Well who do I see about my dead relatives that put an end to it? Somehow, they feel we need thwm to keep pounding away as to how bad we are? Don't see 'em, won't watch 'em and I really just don't care.
An aside, I think Chris Cooper is one of the finer character actors working today.

Congratulations, to Big Hollywood's Leigh Scott, for having his article posted at Real Clear Politics today:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/?state=noad

I like Nicholas Cage a lot too! And you're totally right about his ability to go oddball.
My favorite Nick Cage movie, and also my favorite Christmas movie, although my son argues that it's not a Christmas movie, but it's kind of a remake of It's A Wonderful Life, so how could it not be a Christmas movie?, but I digress… is Family Man. We watch it every year.

I second that – For what it's worth, a nice shout out to Leigh from Tennessee (sorry about the pun.) I like to see nice things happen to BH contributors.

Hey, back!
Yes, it was about the lessons WE girls need to know!

I found the love of my life 25 years ago but it was after I stopped doing anything this movie recommends. I just stopped playing games and got serious about finding someone who was not playing games. Rather than it seeming boring, seeing into a guys heart ~for real~was a sweet and magical time for me. We have built a lovely life and have3 adult children.

Still, I could understand the fun that they had in this movie and thought there was some truth to it. A pleasant confection!

Yes, I like your song.

But for the get together we will need a sing-a-long around the piano…99 bottles of beer on the wall? Something….

Yes, congrats to Leigh!

I have limited time online today so I'd like to apologize upfront and do a quick rant. I have been unhappy with several conservative commentators who have not done a good job countering liberal spin about private health insurance:

1) Our health care costs are partially due to records profits by insurors. The profit margin has always been about 3%, hardly excessive. Liberals will quote dollars not margin. Increased premiums reflect increased medical costs, not gouging. Readers of this site should understand profit is not a dirty word.
2) Administrative costs for private insurance is much higher than for Medicare. This is totally bogus. Private companies have to track and record their administrative costs, but Medicare hides much of it's overhead elsewhere. Private insurors' administrative costs include massive amounts of local tax and reporting, as well. Administrative cost, as a percentage of total cost is inflated because medicare claims have a much higher average dollar amount. Real costs are quite similar.

3) Administrative costs are not necessarily bad; they result in a better quality product/service. Insurance companies actually will investigate and fight bogus claims which helps keep premiums down.

4) Here comes the biggie. Medicare doesn't report it's unfunded liabilities. Unlike a private company who actually has to charge enough to pay claims, Medicare just pays. They can't go broke because they can pay claims out of printed money taken from your grandchildren's tax dollars. So the next time a Bob Beckel or Mararet Carlson lates their B.S. on you, you'll know better.

…… and that's the way it is.

Thanks, Jed. I'm in the health insurance business, and let me tell you we're for some kind of health insurance reform. Anything to make our work lives a little easier. But creating a free government option that places a heavier tax burden on small businesses and people who DARE make more than $280,000 a year (I think that's the figure that's quoted) isn't the way to go.

And thanks for pointing out the small profit margin. Everyone screaming for free health care thinks we're just wallowing in rooms full of cash.

You want to reform insurance? Talk to consumers, doctors, hospitals, people who administer state health programs, people in the health insurance business, and go from there.

As Cage movies go, this is no "Ghost Rider," that's for sure!

I'm sorry, I can't help myself. This Mark Steyn article which is also posted at RCP, is a gem:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/gates-professo...

I need to get off the computer and get some work done.

Take care.

Going to be interesting…many stories about a dreadful shoot, and serious doubts about the kid they cast. But they've had a long time to tinker with it now, so maybe it'll be o.k.

That is there PROTOCOL!!!

Steyn is great. I read the article and it's a thousand times funnier than The Comedy Channel.

I have. Loved it, although I certainly understand why many don't.

Never saw the above movie. I am leery of Cage movies as they can be hit or miss.

Saw "He's just not that into you" on DVD last night. It was surprisingly clean. The girl who had the central part was not the famous one but that worked…she was adorable (the guy, not so much, he was not attractive enough.) Jennifer Aniston looked puffy around the eyelids, Jennifer Connelly needed major duty tweezers and a hairdresser ~They both looked way to old for the parts. Thankfully Drew Barrymore was not in it too much as she seems to get characters that grate on me.

The story is about getting guys…really that is all…I felt it had a 1950 retro feel to the story. Fun to rent for a couple.

I hate to beat a dead horse but I will. Is there anyone who can put a real number on illegal immigrant heath care,education ,social services and law enforcement. In my household when money is tight the first thing we do is eliminate the none essentials such as paying to cut the grass,eating out or washing the car. Thats not to say we don't cut the grass we do it ourselves as is with the car and eating out. I am tired of hearing that " these poor undocumented immigrants do the jobs that no American will do." " these poor undocumented immigrants only come to America seeking a better life." " The people who are opposed to our open boarders and these undocumented immigrants are racist and ignorant." To this I say BS. These people are coming to America for the free bees if you think for one moment that they would be coming here if it were not for free health care [ and I don't want to here "they don't get free health care BS because they most certainly do."] or free education or social services you have absolutely no common sense at all and are part of the sickness that has permeated every institution in this Country. If we are in a crises don't you think we should take care of our citizens first. How much money would we save. But heres the really big question do we have the politician that will push for this. The USS America is taking on water fast if we don't do something to stop the leaks and we all don't start bailing together we most certainly will be feeding the fishes together.politician

The last really good film Cage made (sorry, National Treasure fans.)

"with the actual plot of the movie being secondary"

I wouldn't say that, exactly. The plot of the movie the character is writing is secondary, yes. But the plot of the movie we're watching is how the screenwriter manages to write his screenplay. It does hurt the story in a few places, where we don't care about Meryl Steep, Chris Cooper, or the second Nicholas Cage because they don't seem in any way real. But I was satisfied by the end, because the central character's arch was grounded and real enough.

Pllus, such a perfect title.

I thought that was one of the best trailers I've ever seen. Never read the books, and nonetheless it got me a little emotional.

The sad thing is that she wasn't even trying to make a joke at all. She was very serious.

WOW !
Is the world coming to an end ?
http://gawker.com/5322812/will-john-travolta-reno...
There's a rumor going around that one of Scientology's most powerful proponents, John Travolta, is looking to leave the draconian religion once and for all. After the year he's had, it would make sense.
I feel bad for the man.
He has suffered a lot recently,and now losing his faith
/prayers for John

When America failed we got Hussein Obama
The beginning of the End

"1) Our health care costs are partially due to records profits by insurors. The profit margin has always been about 3%, hardly excessive. Liberals will quote dollars not margin. Increased premiums reflect increased medical costs, not gouging. Readers of this site should understand profit is not a dirty word.
2) Administrative costs for private insurance is much higher than for Medicare. This is totally bogus. Private companies have to track and record their administrative costs, but Medicare hides much of it's overhead elsewhere. Private insurors' administrative costs include massive amounts of local tax and reporting, as well. Administrative cost, as a percentage of total cost is inflated because medicare claims have a much higher average dollar amount. Real costs are quite similar.

3) Administrative costs are not necessarily bad; they result in a better quality product/service. Insurance companies actually will investigate and fight bogus claims which helps keep premiums down.

4) Here comes the biggie. Medicare doesn't report it's unfunded liabilities. Unlike a private company who actually has to charge enough to pay claims, Medicare just pays. They can't go broke because they can pay claims out of printed money taken from your grandchildren's tax dollars. So the next time a Bob Beckel or Mararet Carlson lates their B.S. on you, you'll know better."
And what is your point ?
Where is the problem ?
/Liberal Dem off

"Believe me, if America falls, all we’re going to get is cockroaches. "
They are called Czars now
Get with the program
/sarc

Maybe the world is coming to an end. Rahm says congress will vote on the Hellth sCare Bill before they leave in August. Word has it that Peloski has already sent her "but monkeys" over to talk to the Blue Dog Democtats, and that Rahm has already ordered a truckload of dead fish.

Our elected officials in DC better take notice or not at this point my strategy is to vote against every incumbent sounds radical I no but follow me here. The next election in 2010 vote out all incumbents no matter who they are. Then in the 2012 election vote out all the incumbents again. All the while letting it be known that we want term limits,our boarder secure from invasion,our elected officials to adhere to the same laws that the citizens do,and that DC is a part time job not a carrier and we demand this now! Any candidate that is willing to run on a Term Limit Platform gets our votes. I for one am fed up with all the crazy give aways in this Country I wonder if the politicians would be so free with theses gifts of Freedom and yes they are Gifts if it were their tax dollars ops silly me it seams that not many of them actually pay their taxes. All great leaders throughout history have lead by example. This is a trait that can not be faked. This inpart is what made this country so great. Take a look at DC how many leaders do you see? How many of theses so called politicians have had real world jobs and by jobs I don't mean community organizer. A person that gets up in the morning and works for a living,run a company,build something,make payroll,be a part of the work force I no the answer would stun most Americans. Ask your self this question if you were to get on an jetliner and you found out that the pilot had never been on a jet much less flown one how long would you stay on that ride??? This is basically what we are doing with the most powerful Country in the world. A community organizer boy are we headed for the rocks how stupid is this Nation? What have we become? Put the word out we will no longer be silent we are now wide awake and we are coming.Talk to all who will listen be persistant have the facts work as though every second counts because it dose. " Patriotism means to stand by the Country. It dose not mean to stand by the president."- Theodore Roosevelt

I thought this had some great performances (Nicholas Cage X2 and Chris Cooper) and one who mailed it in (Meryl Streep). But, at the end, I wondered what the point was.

I, too, have seen this movie and was somewhat underwhelmed. I mean, it's sort of an interesting meta-narrative about the trouble of adapting an un-adaptable book (the character Charlie Kaufman struggles with how to make the book a movie, and in the process we get the actual movie Adaptation). I think it's interesting that Kaufman goes to that screenwriting class and the instructor says that everyday life is full of interesting stuff like war, gun fights and car chases. How does the movie end? With a gun fight and car chase.

But other than that, the movie was kind of 'meh' for me. Although, the car crashes are some of the more graphic I've ever seen. Having said that, see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as soon as possible. If you've ever been through a painful breakup (or a breakup in general) it's incredibly relateable.

The Cambridge Police acted stupidly, but he did not think the cop was stupid.

So the police should not have let Gates walk? Is there any other "logical interpretation" of his remarks?

BTW, is he having the beer flown in from Chicago?

Since the Jews were enslaved by the Egyptians, and, Hollywood aside, the Egyptians are Africans (blacks), especially way back then, guess it is only fair the Jews get reparations from the Egyptians, or Africans period to blame an entire group (just as all "whites" get blamed in the US).

One Sinai Peninsula to go, please. Make it quick, we need some space for settlers.

Adaptation is like most of Kaufman's film – smart comedies that makes a few smart observations but then wimp out in the end and wrap everything up with a pop song and a cute ending. Only Confessions of a Dangerous Mind gets to where it needs to go. Until Synecdoche, which is like being stuck in Kaufman's brain, going over and over the same ground and then getting a life sucks and then you die ending.

Having seen the trailer, I ´m not sure which way this movie will go. It looked like more of the same anti-American clichés to me, but we´ll see.

Gates says we should move on about the arrest.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99LLQF00...

I agree, but in all good things prior to leaving, we should enumerate just what we have learned about this latest racial incident in the United States.

I'll start: Number one, President Obama likes racists. Reverend Wright, Sotomayor and Gates.

He was a community organizer though, he should have some understanding of what "Serving the people" means?

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