So yesterday on the Huffington Post, Deepak Chopra published yet another anti-American screed – this time lamenting the fact that we’re the last remaining superpower. He says the world would be a better place if the US just packed it in as a leader, and to quote Lennon, “give peace a chance!” In it he writes, “America leads the world in arms dealing, starting wars, and developing new methods of mechanized death,” conveniently leaving out all the incidental stuff that comes with being a heavily armed, supercool, superpower. Meaning, saving millions of lives by ending world wars, getting rid of dictators, stopping famine and assorted civil conflicts, and preventing mass disease. Chopra also hilariously vomits that, “Peace is achieved by being peaceful, no matter what the military-industrial complex claims to the contrary.”

Tell that to the Iranian voters, jackass. (more…)

Note: Part 1 of this 2 part interview can be found here.

The execution scene at the heart of “The Stoning of Soraya M.“ is all force and little subtlety. Some audiences might flinch at the visuals, while others may draw parallels to the violence at the core of “The Passion of the Christ.”

But director/co-screenwriter Cyrus Nowrasteh says a version of the film featuring a shortened stoning sequence didn’t test as well as the full-length movie.

“This movie is a ticking clock to an execution. That execution is a primitive rite we’re witnessing, and we need to go through each stage of it,” he says. ”It’s almost a catharsis.”

Not all audiences are ready to take the journey.

He says about five or so people typically leave the theater during test screenings once the execution starts – but roughly half return to watch the film’s finale.

Nowrasteh, who is of Iranian heritage, has been watching the news reports coming out of Iran in recent days as intensely as any viewer.

(more…)