I Saw Satan Laughing with Delight, the Day the Culture Broke

 

Don Mclean’s classic, “American Pie,” would not likely become the hit it was in 1971 if released today. Apart from the biblical references or its unembarrassed use of the word “love,” the song has another disadvantage. It was written at a time when popular music was for everybody.

Today, the popular arts are strictly for the kids – or more broadly, toward non-adults. (The country’s easiest target demographic.) And the non-adults have objectively bad taste buds today. More importantly, despite access to the entire repository of world culture in their pockets, so many of them don’t know how to read – at least not in any meaningful way. Thus, those thankless gatekeepers we once called critics are no longer accessible to them.

I don’t recall finishing an entire book before I was 20 years old, but I did have one thing that kept me grounded: the movies and the music. I was a terrible student, but I had a big imagination. The issue was that my reading skills were poor, and I never encountered anything that excited me enough to make the struggle worthwhile. But my love of a different art form, but which also delivered stories instilled in me an interest in virtually everything other than reading. I couldn’t follow the words on the page, but I could hear the poetry when accompanied by music. So, I sincerely believe, as McLean did, that the popular arts can save one’s moral soul.

Fortunately for me, I grew up before the year the culture broke. Just before it broke, in fact.

But I needed help understanding what it all meant. Enter Armond White, from stage right. I’d have been about 20 when I discovered his work. I first learned of the despicable nature of our nation’s press by following the ganging up on America’s best critic – often littered with a smug pettiness and even some racial condescension, to boot. Well, they messed up. When he got picked up by National Review, I followed. And there I discovered conservatism.

Now, I want to bring your attention to a brilliant piece of his, wherein he claims 2004 as the year the culture broke. Reflecting on it with a decade already passed, he contemplates the significance of the year that moviegoers were split on two of the big sensations, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 911.

I went to see Fahrenheit in a theatre in Manhattan. Driving the irony home was the fact that the man who took me and his son – a longtime family friend – was 106 stories up, along with his son, my father, and myself on the evening of September 4, 2001. (We’re Floridians, so while that might not seem like much of a coincidence to New Yorkers, it’s sufficiently eerie to me.) To this man’s credit, he did fall asleep about halfway through, but perhaps he’d have been wiser to have left his boys with the greatest “man” who ever lived, rather than with a insufferable, pontificating blob.

But back to Mr. White.

White would’ve been coming of age around the time McLean released his biggest hit. Along with the intoxicating tunes coming out of jukeboxes and eight-track tapes, Hollywood was enjoying a Renaissance of its own. Pauline Kael and Andrew Sarris were sparring a bit over Auteur Theory and the cinephiles were taking sides. But the young Mr. White thought better, integrating both, and deeming the pair his intellectual parents.

If you skipped the link above, click on it here. I’ll wait.

As five more long years have passed since White mourned our loss, I’d say we’re not much closer to completing the healing process. The division has been so bad that even Armond’s – and the nation’s – beloved Steven Spielberg has been lost. Excluding the rare exceptions like David O’Russell, Jonathan Demme, and the Coen Brothers, popular artists have abandoned their task of bringing us joy and touching our souls. Most would rather appeal to our prejudices and preach their politics.

Imagine the glee this evokes in our country’s foes. Imagine Putin – the only subject that seems to appeal to America’s bipartisan side – and the big grin he’s got on his face. Fifteen years and Americans have yet to begin patching up our injuries.

All the while, Satan laughs with delight.


Let’s end this on a high note, shall we? There is hope. The American Cinema Foundation has picked up Mr. White on their board, where he will be joined by the brilliant @titustechera! They’re doing wonderful work over there, give them support any way you can!

Let’s give Satan a good kick in the privates so the public can finally be at peace.

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  1. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    @roberto, here you go, man! Thanks for the inspiration.

    • #1
  2. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    Samuel Block: Today, the popular arts are strictly for the kids. (The county easiest target demographic.) And the kids have objectively bad taste buds today.

    I really need to point this out…

    You old fogies do know it isn’t 30-somethings (or even teeny boppers) who have been running the music industry for the past 20 years, right?

    We don’t run Hollywood, either.

    If you want to know what young people are listening to, perusing YouTube likes is probably a better place to start. To think young people are huge fans of a capella is kind of insane, isn’t it?

    • #2
  3. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    Stina (View Comment):

    Samuel Block: Today, the popular arts are strictly for the kids. (The county easiest target demographic.) And the kids have objectively bad taste buds today.

    I really need to point this out…

    You old fogies do know it isn’t 30-somethings (or even teeny boppers) who have been running the music industry for the past 20 years, right?

    We don’t run Hollywood, either.

    If you want to know what young people are listening to, perusing YouTube likes is probably a better place to start. To think young people are huge fans of a capella is kind of insane, isn’t it?

    I’m no old fogie! I might be the youngest person participating on this site, actually.

    But I agree with you 100% about youtube. It’s also where youngins’ get their politics if they’re so inclined.

    • #3
  4. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    But I should add that, though generally speaking, kids today do have bad taste, it isn’t their fault. They’ve got an appetite without anyone to make anything tasty for them.

    Although it is on them that they’re not learning to cook for themselves. I say they, because even though there are plenty of people encouraging me to embrace my inner-child, I’d like to think I’ve managed to come of age.

    Even so, I genuinely believe I’m the happiest person alive! But if kids wanna grow, they gotta listen to the old fogies occasionally. My only request for the fogies is to listen to them a bit, too.

    • #4
  5. The Great Adventure! Inactive
    The Great Adventure!
    @TheGreatAdventure

    Stina (View Comment):

    Samuel Block: Today, the popular arts are strictly for the kids. (The county easiest target demographic.) And the kids have objectively bad taste buds today.

    I really need to point this out…

    You old fogies do know it isn’t 30-somethings (or even teeny boppers) who have been running the music industry for the past 20 years, right?

    We don’t run Hollywood, either.

    If you want to know what young people are listening to, perusing YouTube likes is probably a better place to start. To think young people are huge fans of a capella is kind of insane, isn’t it?

    I credit my 25 yr old daughter with getting me hooked on a capella as well as groups like One Republic, Imagine Dragons, Freelance Whales, Twenty One Pilots, etc.  Most of those hooks were set about 8-10 years ago, but they remain.  I often hear my contemporaries extolling the greatness of 70s music and immediately think of Disco Duck, Afternoon Delight and anything emanating from the Captain and Tennille – and start having seizures.  Yes, I still love catching the opening riffs of More Than A Feeling, but it’s no greater than Radioactive.

    I know, I know – we’re going down a rabbit trail here.  

    And the only “rock stars” I’ve ever met were the members of Pentatonix.

    • #5
  6. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    Some YouTube channels that the kids might like, if they haven’t already been tuned in:

    Warning about Bearing, he can be quite profane. But, fundamentally, he seems like a wonderful person.

    John Ward speaks so fast it might make ones head spin. But highly intelligent. He’s like the audio version of those pictures kids look at, where you have to concentrate on the whole image to see the hidden figure.

    This is an old video, but it was fantastic. Clever young lady!

    She really gets going after 2:37.

    • #6
  7. MichaelKennedy Inactive
    MichaelKennedy
    @MichaelKennedy

    My wife and I had a long lunch with an old friend (Much younger than we are) and we go onto the topic of movies.  I have a sizable DVD collection since we rarely go to current movies.   This year we saw, “They Shall Not Grow Old” and “Cold Blue,” both in rare showings,  “Dunkirk and “High Solo.” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” was interesting but I saw it as a parody on Clint Eastwood and didn’t like it.

    Mostly I watch old movies at home, like “My man Godfrey” and “It Happened One Night.” Last weekend we watched “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” and “The Godfather.”  Most movies now seem like cartoons.  The great female roles were decades ago, like “Rebecca, ” and Barbara Stanwyck movies like “Double Indemnity.” 

    The trend to kids’ movies began about the time “Top Gun” came out and they had to shoot the bedroom scene to get the teenaged boys to go.

    • #7
  8. The Great Adventure! Inactive
    The Great Adventure!
    @TheGreatAdventure

    MichaelKennedy (View Comment):

    My wife and I had a long lunch with an old friend (Much younger than we are) and we go onto the topic of movies. I have a sizable DVD collection since we rarely go to current movies. This year we saw, “They Shall Not Grow Old” and “Cold Blue,” both in rare showings, “Dunkirk and “High Solo.” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” was interesting but I saw it as a parody on Clint Eastwood and didn’t like it.

    Mostly I watch old movies at home, like “My man Godfrey” and “It Happened One Night.” Last weekend we watched “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” and “The Godfather.” Most movies now seem like cartoons. The great female roles were decades ago, like “Rebecca, ” and Barbara Stanwyck movies like “Double Indemnity.”

    The trend to kids’ movies began about the time “Top Gun” came out and they had to shoot the bedroom scene to get the teenaged boys to go.

    Does Hollywood make movies anymore that don’t involve inter-galactic warfare or superheroes?

     

    • #8
  9. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    The Great Adventure! (View Comment):

    MichaelKennedy (View Comment):

    My wife and I had a long lunch with an old friend (Much younger than we are) and we go onto the topic of movies. I have a sizable DVD collection since we rarely go to current movies. This year we saw, “They Shall Not Grow Old” and “Cold Blue,” both in rare showings, “Dunkirk and “High Solo.” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” was interesting but I saw it as a parody on Clint Eastwood and didn’t like it.

    Mostly I watch old movies at home, like “My man Godfrey” and “It Happened One Night.” Last weekend we watched “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” and “The Godfather.” Most movies now seem like cartoons. The great female roles were decades ago, like “Rebecca, ” and Barbara Stanwyck movies like “Double Indemnity.”

    The trend to kids’ movies began about the time “Top Gun” came out and they had to shoot the bedroom scene to get the teenaged boys to go.

    Does Hollywood make movies anymore that don’t involve inter-galactic warfare or superheroes?

     

    Sure! I mentioned a few directors who do above:

    – O’Russell, who’s movies since I Heart Huckabees are fantastic, truly for everyone. 

    -Jonathan Demme is a liberal at heart, possibly Hollywood’s most benevolent filmmaker.

    -The Coen Brothers have stayed sharp too, and they’ve been diving into biblical themes for their last handful of movies. All the while giving fans what they love.

    There are a lot more than this, of course. Can Ricochet give me some more examples?

    • #9
  10. The Great Adventure! Inactive
    The Great Adventure!
    @TheGreatAdventure

    Samuel Block (View Comment):

    The Great Adventure! (View Comment):

    MichaelKennedy (View Comment):

    My wife and I had a long lunch with an old friend (Much younger than we are) and we go onto the topic of movies. I have a sizable DVD collection since we rarely go to current movies. This year we saw, “They Shall Not Grow Old” and “Cold Blue,” both in rare showings, “Dunkirk and “High Solo.” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” was interesting but I saw it as a parody on Clint Eastwood and didn’t like it.

    Mostly I watch old movies at home, like “My man Godfrey” and “It Happened One Night.” Last weekend we watched “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” and “The Godfather.” Most movies now seem like cartoons. The great female roles were decades ago, like “Rebecca, ” and Barbara Stanwyck movies like “Double Indemnity.”

    The trend to kids’ movies began about the time “Top Gun” came out and they had to shoot the bedroom scene to get the teenaged boys to go.

    Does Hollywood make movies anymore that don’t involve inter-galactic warfare or superheroes?

     

    Sure! I mentioned a few directors who do above:

    – O’Russell, who’s movies since I Heart Huckabees are fantastic, truly for everyone.

    -Jonathan Demme is a liberal at heart, possibly Hollywood’s most benevolent filmmaker.

    -The Coen Brothers have stayed sharp too, and they’ve been diving into biblical themes for their last handful of movies. All the while giving fans what they love.

    There are a lot more than this, of course. Can Ricochet give me some more examples?

    I have to confess – 95% of the movies I’ve ever seen have been on a screen about 6″ x 4″ embedded in the seat back in front of me.  I have seen some I enjoyed – recently I thought Imitation Game was well done.  I also enjoyed Rocketman – it was flamboyant and spectacular and I simply don’t see how a biopic of Sir Elton could have been done any other way.  And yet it focuses on 70s era music…

    • #10
  11. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    Samuel Block (View Comment):

    Some YouTube channels that the kids might like, if they haven’t already been tuned in:

    ng about Bearing, he can be quite profane. But, fundamentally, he seems like a wonderful person.

    It’s unfortunate for Greta that I can vote and she can’t.

    • #11
  12. E. Kent Golding Moderator
    E. Kent Golding
    @EKentGolding

    My 16 year old daughter likes good music.  She also likes some horrible music, but she enjoys good music also.

    • #12
  13. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    Samuel Block (View Comment):

    Some YouTube channels that the kids might like, if they haven’t already been tuned in:

    ng about Bearing, he can be quite profane. But, fundamentally, he seems like a wonderful person.

    It’s unfortunate for Greta that I can vote and she can’t.

    It’s very fortunate for the rest of though.

    • #13
  14. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    E. Kent Golding (View Comment):

    My 16 year old daughter likes good music. She also likes some horrible music, but she enjoys good music also.

    A lot of kids today are doing just fine. Glad to hear you’ve got one of those, but I guess you deserve some credit for that.

    • #14
  15. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    I wonder where she learned her skills at rhetoric?  Saying “You’re all a bunch of a**holes; now do what I want,” doesn’t seem to be the best way to gain cooperation.

    • #15
  16. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    I wonder where she learned her skills at rhetoric? Saying “You’re all a bunch of a**holes; now do what I want,” doesn’t seem to be the best way to gain cooperation.

    She knows her audience. 🙃

    She is clearly a pretty smart girl. This whole thing is sad.

    • #16
  17. E. Kent Golding Moderator
    E. Kent Golding
    @EKentGolding

    Samuel Block (View Comment):

    E. Kent Golding (View Comment):

    My 16 year old daughter likes good music. She also likes some horrible music, but she enjoys good music also.

    A lot of kids today are doing just fine. Glad to hear you’ve got one of those, but I guess you deserve some credit for that.

    No, She is like neither my wife nor I.  My wife may deserve some credit, but I don’t.   No idea where she came from.  She is a delight.

    • #17
  18. The Great Adventure! Inactive
    The Great Adventure!
    @TheGreatAdventure

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    I wonder where she learned her skills at rhetoric? Saying “You’re all a bunch of a**holes; now do what I want,” doesn’t seem to be the best way to gain cooperation.

    So pretty much the same skills as every leftist, ever?

    • #18
  19. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Alvin and Heidi Toffler: PowerShift.

    • #19
  20. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    It was written at a time when popular music was for everybody.

    1971’s popular music was not for everybody. It was riven by the same divides we have today, although the quality of the music in the various genres was probably better. The oldsters were listening to Mantovani or Living Strings or Ferrante & Teicher or various left-over crooners; the middle-aged types who were rockers in the pre-Rubber Soul era and had a brief fling with folk felt left behind by the new stuff. Teeny-boppers had bubble-gum pop, the collegians had psych and Zep and serious buskers who were relevant, man, and Mom had Perry Como, although she probably had a frisky itch for Tom Jones. 

    I don’t think the people who listened to Buddy Holly at the time were very interested in an interminable song about the day he died. My father had a lot of old rockin’ 45s, but that stripped-down spirit forked into country, and he followed it. 

    With all due respect to Mr. White, if I had to choose a movie that indicated a cultural break, it would be JFK: a thrilling film made with exceptional skill, created by the industry’s top talents, dedicated to ripping open a wound and pouring poison in the raw gash. It presented with seductive skill the corrosive, fantastical delusion that the malevolent right controls everything, kills its foes with impunity, and stands athwart Goodness. The liberal Boomer generation may not have bought the plot, but they agreed with its conclusion: left-leaning government is the little guy, the scrappy underdog, and only fascists would oppose its reasonable empowerment. 

     

    • #20
  21. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    It was written at a time when popular music was for everybody.

    1971’s popular music was not for everybody. It was riven by the same divides we have today, although the quality of the music in the various genres was probably better. The oldsters were listening to Mantovani or Living Strings or Ferrante & Teicher or various left-over crooners; the middle-aged types who were rockers in the pre-Rubber Soul era and had a brief fling with folk felt left behind by the new stuff. Teeny-boppers had bubble-gum pop, the collegians had psych and Zep and serious buskers who were relevant, man, and Mom had Perry Como, although she probably had a frisky itch for Tom Jones.

    I don’t think the people who listened to Buddy Holly at the time were very interested in an interminable song about the day he died. My father had a lot of old rockin’ 45s, but that stripped-down spirit forked into country, and he followed it.

    With all due respect to Mr. White, if I had to choose a movie that indicated a cultural break, it would be JFK: a thrilling film made with exceptional skill, created by the industry’s top talents, dedicated to ripping open a wound and pouring poison in the raw gash. It presented with seductive skill the corrosive, fantastical delusion that the malevolent right controls everything, kills its foes with impunity, and stands athwart Goodness. The liberal Boomer generation may not have bought the plot, but they agreed with its conclusion: left-leaning government is the little guy, the scrappy underdog, and only fascists would oppose its reasonable empowerment.

     

    I suppose I’m being a little more narrow when I use the term here – more so than when I use the word in other contexts, certainly. I agree it’s not “In the Mood,” or a Gershwin hit, but that was released when there would have been a limited access; one that separates the 40s from the 70s more so (I think) than it would between the 70s and today.

    But I can’t think of any songs now that would resonate so much with the public as this one did then. I’d be interested to hear whatever anybody has to offer as a contender for one that crossed generational boundaries like this. It wasn’t a one-off either, there are a lot of songs that many more people know today from then than they do recordings today.

    I think that extended passed 1992. Further, conservatives had no rival to JFK. I’ve never seen  The Passion (I know I’ll get a lot of flack for admitting that) but I’ve been told it’s an extraordinary movie.

    Thanks for reading, James! Any retort?

    • #21
  22. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Alvin and Heidi Toffler: PowerShift.

    What’s that?

    • #22
  23. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Samuel Block (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Alvin and Heidi Toffler: PowerShift.

    What’s that?

    A book from 1990. And the culmination of about thirty years of sociological study that started back in the 1960’s with The Eco-Spasm Report, went through various other volumes, such as Future Shock and The Third Wave. The basic premise is that there have been waves of civilization that have swept across the Earth and human populations.

    • Pre-civilization: the hunter/gatherer lifestyle
    • The First Wave: Agricultural Civilization
    • The Second Wave: Industrial Civilization
    • The Third Wave: Informational Civilization

    Among things that were predicted about the Third-Wave Civilization was that we would be broken into smaller and smaller niches and that there would no mass culture. There were several other predictions in it. A very interesting book, and what they saw happening is taking place now.

    • #23
  24. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Samuel Block (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Alvin and Heidi Toffler: PowerShift.

    What’s that?

    A book from 1990. And the culmination of about thirty years of sociological study that started back in the 1960’s with The Eco-Spasm Report, went through various other volumes, such as Future Shock and The Third Wave. The basic premise is that there have been waves of civilization that have swept across the Earth and human populations.

    • Pre-civilization: the hunter/gatherer lifestyle
    • The First Wave: Agricultural Civilization
    • The Second Wave: Industrial Civilization
    • The Third Wave: Informational Civilization

    Among things that were predicted about the Third-Wave Civilization was that we would be broken into smaller and smaller niches and that there would no mass culture. There were several other predictions in it. A very interesting book, and what they saw happening is taking place now.

    Okay, that does sound true. I’ll have to check that out.

    • #24
  25. Titus Techera Contributor
    Titus Techera
    @TitusTechera

    Hello, fellow Millennial! Thanks for the kind word there. If you read Armond’s work, you’re likely far ahead of the pack. He’s right about the drama we’re going through & he has nobly picked the side that won’t fight for the culture! He was an inspiration to me & I’m honored to count him a friend. We have to learn from him, precisely because he fights without regard for popularity or maneuvering in the social media/twitter environment. It’s not obvious how we’ll turn things around, but someone’s gotta do it.

    As always–the ACF needs everyone’s help to spread the news, make us more popular on social media, rate/review us on Apple Podcasts, & just spread the word to anyone who loves American cinema or wants to help conservatives in the culture. If you want more of what we do & more people to do similar things, you gotta help make us popular.

    We have a few conversations with Armond, & are looking to do more. This was our first:

    Our second was about the best institution in film criticism, the better than list:

    & an education about the way back, when the Left made art. We are not blind to the great contributions of the left either–admittedly, especially when artists make fun of lefty revolutionaries:

    • #25
  26. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    James Lileks (View Comment):
    JFK: a thrilling film made with exceptional skill, created by the industry’s top talents, dedicated to ripping open a wound and pouring poison in the raw gash. It presented with seductive skill the corrosive, fantastical delusion that the malevolent right controls everything, kills its foes with impunity, and stands athwart Goodness. The liberal Boomer generation may not have bought the plot, but they agreed with its conclusion: left-leaning government is the little guy, the scrappy underdog, and only fascists would oppose its reasonable empowerment. 

    Sorry I missed it.

    • #26
  27. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):
    JFK: a thrilling film made with exceptional skill, created by the industry’s top talents, dedicated to ripping open a wound and pouring poison in the raw gash. It presented with seductive skill the corrosive, fantastical delusion that the malevolent right controls everything, kills its foes with impunity, and stands athwart Goodness. The liberal Boomer generation may not have bought the plot, but they agreed with its conclusion: left-leaning government is the little guy, the scrappy underdog, and only fascists would oppose its reasonable empowerment.

    Sorry I missed it.

    You didn’t miss too much. Oliver Stone being unable to help himself as usual – wrecking what could have been a good movie about a turning point in American history.

    His movie World Trade Center, however, was very good.

    • #27
  28. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    Samuel Block (View Comment):

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):
    JFK: a thrilling film made with exceptional skill, created by the industry’s top talents, dedicated to ripping open a wound and pouring poison in the raw gash. It presented with seductive skill the corrosive, fantastical delusion that the malevolent right controls everything, kills its foes with impunity, and stands athwart Goodness. The liberal Boomer generation may not have bought the plot, but they agreed with its conclusion: left-leaning government is the little guy, the scrappy underdog, and only fascists would oppose its reasonable empowerment.

    Sorry I missed it.

    You didn’t miss too much. Oliver Stone being unable to help himself as usual – wrecking what could have been a good movie about a turning point in American history.

    His movie World Trade Center, however, was very good.

    I might have to start using /sarc tags.

    • #28
  29. Judge Mental Member
    Judge Mental
    @JudgeMental

    Samuel Block (View Comment):

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):
    JFK: a thrilling film made with exceptional skill, created by the industry’s top talents, dedicated to ripping open a wound and pouring poison in the raw gash. It presented with seductive skill the corrosive, fantastical delusion that the malevolent right controls everything, kills its foes with impunity, and stands athwart Goodness. The liberal Boomer generation may not have bought the plot, but they agreed with its conclusion: left-leaning government is the little guy, the scrappy underdog, and only fascists would oppose its reasonable empowerment.

    Sorry I missed it.

    You didn’t miss too much. Oliver Stone being unable to help himself as usual – wrecking what could have been a good movie about a turning point in American history.

    Lolita Davidovitch was really cute in that, though.

    • #29
  30. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    Samuel Block (View Comment):

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):
    JFK: a thrilling film made with exceptional skill, created by the industry’s top talents, dedicated to ripping open a wound and pouring poison in the raw gash. It presented with seductive skill the corrosive, fantastical delusion that the malevolent right controls everything, kills its foes with impunity, and stands athwart Goodness. The liberal Boomer generation may not have bought the plot, but they agreed with its conclusion: left-leaning government is the little guy, the scrappy underdog, and only fascists would oppose its reasonable empowerment.

    Sorry I missed it.

    You didn’t miss too much. Oliver Stone being unable to help himself as usual – wrecking what could have been a good movie about a turning point in American history.

    His movie World Trade Center, however, was very good.

    I might have to start using /sarc tags.

    Ha. You know, that’s on me. I’m on my phone, so I didn’t see that little winking mouse, tipping his cap. That usually reminds me that I’m in for some sarcasm.

    • #30
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