So, off topic...

[osaraba]

Bill Mahr's Religulous. Trailer here. I didn't hear about this til today, and didn't know that it would be coming out this Friday. I'd go see it Friday, but rock band party at my house is happening, so that's a no-go. But I will see it this weekend instead. It's actually perfect timing -- finally, a movie I can go see with my mom because I know we'll both enjoy it.

I came across this randomly in Youtube's Screening Room; The Pity Card is pretty darn funny.

A Tale of Two Cities is now a musical on Broadway. I absolutely love AToTC! The only Dickens I was actually able to get through. Haha. The Times has some clips up of an interview with the costume director (which isn't so interesting), but you get to see some costume designs. Broadway.com says individual tickets are available thru March 1, 2009, so I'd like to buy tickets to see it at some point... or maybe try the TKTS booth.

I watched the Couric interview of Palin this morning. OMG. I can't even say more than that. The VP debate is this Thursday -- I say we watch it at WR and play a drinking game. Any time Palin talks about "shoring up the economy", for example, might be a good prompt. ^_~ [edit: Judy informed me that the debate starts at 9pm, so we'll probably miss it, but I thought it was a good idea. I have to remember to set the DVR to record it.]



This 52nd Street branch of Go Sushi, a spot often-frequented by me, is now closed. =( I'm sad to see it go (no pun intended, I swear). I've noticed many a restaurant and store closing recently. ...I wonder if it has anything to do with the economy?

And to close, I love adore love AND adore Frankie Boyle and his accent too.

Comments

[morganwolf.livejournal.com]

Joe and I talked about Religulous briefly last night. What I said then was that part of me really wants to see it, and part of me really, really hates Bill Maher.

I'm so interested in religion and in religious extremism, but for one I feel like this documentary is just more preaching to the choir, like Michael Moore documentaries, and for another, why so many people whose opinions I agree with come off as so self-important and pretentious? Do I sound like that? O.O

But I'm very interested to hear what you think of it when you do see it.

[osaraba]

What about Bill Maher do you hate? That he can be very offensive? Or something else? I never caught his show more than say, 6-10 times ever, so I never had him in large doses. But I do like that he's not afraid to talk about sensitive topics.

Certainly I do think it's mostly preaching to the choir. In fact, I think most news nowadays is preaching to the choir. You can go on the internet and look for an article that will report the news with the slant in which you'd like to read it; it's out there. You don't really have to step outside your comfort zone. It's a scary thing, sometimes, to be confronted with an opinion that is the complete and utter opposite of your own -- which I did once, earlier this year on a social/child/censorship issue, and OMG it scared me out of my mind that some people think the way they do -- and what's more, have values that are so fundamentally opposite of mine!

Getting back on-topic, if you keep in mind -- that it is preaching to the choir, and basically take it as entertainment, I think it's fine. It's not fine to, of course, take Maher's word as be-all, end-all, ultimate authority. But that goes the same for everyone else.

I've never seen Michael Moore movies/"documentaries" but I view them (and Maher's shows) as much the same as action films. They aren't looking to convert new fans to the genre, necessarily, as much as entertain old fans... as well as bring issues to light which they may not have been aware of, while being aware that "hey, if you're watching, you probably already agree with me."

But I will be happy to discuss what I thought of the movie/"documentary" once I've seen it. =D

(Also, sorry that turned into a long piece there... but I'm still interested in why you hate Maher?)

[morganwolf.livejournal.com]

I respect Bill Maher's ability to bring sensitive topics out in the open and discuss them in a decidedly non-PC way. What I don't like is that he can be very self-important and pompous about it, much the way Michael Moore can.

Viewing these documentaries more as pure entertainment is a new concept to me. I like the idea of that, it releases some of the pressure to come out feeling like you've learned something. I suppose there's some part of me that feels a documentary doesn't always need to be serious, but it should at least be edifying in some way, and maybe that's a failing on my part. It still really irks me when the person behind the camera comes off as smarmy, though, like they're talking down to the people they're interviewing while winking at the viewer and going, "Look at this half-wit nutjob. Aren't I pithy and smart?" As much as I like Colbert and Stewart, I get frustrated when they're spending more time trying to make their audience laugh or appear clever than actually discuss what's going on in the world. Like you said, it can be tough to hear the news without having to juggle between the liberal and conservative pundits delivering it.

[ms-monypeny.livejournal.com]

Wow, I want to go see that movie with Aidan's udder grandmother SO badly that it hurts!

[osaraba]

Is it playing near you? I can't wait to see it. ^^