text:
(Kudos if you get the reference.)
(Kudos if you get the reference.)
Have you heard? Feminists and superhero fans have been getting anxious about the relative lack of promotion for the upcoming Wonder Woman film, starring Gal Gadot and directed by Patty Jenkins. They are concerned that it is going to suffer the same fate as recent DC Comics films have, and be cast as second-rate superheroes in comparison to Marvel's string of successes.
I've been following the fortunes of the Wonder Woman film for a while now, and I also noticed this lack of publicity. It registered with me because it fit into a pattern I've seen before.
My favorite movie of all time, Jane Got a Gun, was another film whose marketing campaign I watched closely. The Weinstein Co.'s promotional efforts for it were abysmal–I think I saw one trailer for it, and it made the movie look like an action/adventure flick when in fact it was a romantic drama. (Even the title is kind of misleading. They should have called it Jane Ballard.)
Jane Got a Gun had an infamously turmoil-filled production, and apparently the Weinstein Co. based its decision on the film's history, rather than the finished product. (It's usually a mistake to focus on process over results.) As such, they didn't put much effort into promoting it, and didn't hold advance screenings for critics. As a result, few people heard of it, and it fared poorly at the box office.
This isn't the only recent example of a film getting hamstrung by bad marketing. Ghost in the Shell was a big-budget sci-fi picture with a strong story, and it flopped badly at the U.S. box office.
Unlike the case of Jane, the studio could never be accused of not spending resources promoting Ghost. Paramount even bought a Super Bowl ad for it. But it was hit with an intense negative buzz, in which people accused it of "whitewashing" because of the decision to cast Scarlett Johansson as the lead character, Major Killian.
This accusation is obviously nonsense to anyone who bothers to watch the film. Major Killian is a cyborg–a human brain housed in a machine. True, she was originally a Japanese woman, but the entire premise of the film is that her mind and consciousness are transferred to an artificial body.
And yet the accusation of whitewashing persisted, and undoubtedly contributed to negative press surrounding the film. Which is too bad, because while it was not a great film, it was certainly one of the better sci-fi movies I've seen in recent years. It was far better than the highly-successful blockbuster The Force Awakens, for example.
This is why what's happening with Wonder Woman doesn't surprise me too much. I have, as they say, seen this movie before. But like Ian Fleming wrote, "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, the third time it's enemy action." At this point, I have to think this is part of some pattern.
So what's the common thread?
While they are all very different films, Jane Got a Gun, Ghost in the Shell and Wonder Woman do have a few shared characteristics. Most obviously, they all feature female protagonists. They also are all categorized as action films. (Although Jane probably shouldn't have been).
Is Hollywood deliberately sabotaging female-led action films? That seems crazy, since the easiest way for studios to prevent such films from succeeding would be to… not make them in the first place.
Let us, like Woodward and Bernstein before us, "follow the money".
One thing to look at is the studios producing the movies: Warner Bros. is handling Wonder Woman, because they own DC Comics. As I mentioned earlier, DC has been in competition with Marvel on superhero movies, and they have been losing.
Marvel is owned by Disney, which acquired it in 2009.
It so happens Disney also originally had a deal with Dreamworks to release Ghost in the Shell, but it was terminated in 2016, and the movie was released through Paramount instead.
Jane Got a Gun is the clear outlier here–the Weinstein Co. isn't on anything like the same scale as Disney, Warner Bros. et al. Also, Jane was rated "R" whereas the rest of these are "PG-13". So, presumably it had a much smaller marketing budget at the outset.
The key point is that all three of these movies are released by companies that aren't Disney.
This is most significant for Wonder Woman, because of the ongoing DC/Marvel battle, which is really a proxy war between Warner Bros. and Disney. And Disney has been winning it.
Part of the reason I brought up The Force Awakens to contrast with Ghost in the Shell was because it got way more positive press despite being an inferior film. But of course, Force Awakens was made by Lucasfilm, which since 2012 is owned by… Disney.
The upshot is that I think Disney is way better at promoting their movies than most of the other studios are. Even when Disney has something sub-par, they can generate enough positive buzz about it to get people to buy tickets.
It's important to understand what promotion really entails. It's more than just advertisements on television and the internet. It's more even than tie-ins, and red carpet events, and sending the cast and crew on talk shows.
It has to do with how PR firms work. They feed stories to industry journalists to create a buzz around their clients' products. (Read this marvelous essay by Paul Graham for an in-depth description of this process.)
My impression is that Disney–or perhaps the PR firm they hired–does a vastly better job of promotion compared to the other studios. They have a much higher success at generating positive buzz for whatever they are releasing next.
Now, to some extent, there is bound to be a "crowding-out" effect. If Disney can internally do better PR, or if they can pay more to get it, it leaves less room for other non-Disney productions to get good PR.
And of course, none of this has anything to do with the actual quality of the movie in question. (Indeed, I often wonder just how many movie reviews are influenced more by the PR campaign surrounding the film than by the film itself.)
In my review of The Force Awakens, I concluded by saying:
"[W]hy do so many people like The Force Awakens? I don't know–maybe it's the same reason so many people like Donald Trump: both are loud, in-your-face, and have so much money backing them that they won't go away."
The comparison actually runs a bit deeper than that. Trump, whatever else you want to say about him, is great at promotion. He is like a one-man PR firm in terms of his ability to draw an audience for whatever he is peddling.
Disney, or whoever is handling PR and marketing for their movies, has a similar level of promotional skill. And the other movie studios are unable to match it.
I think there is also something of an escalation going on, in that the more Disney hypes their releases, the more the other studios are then going to be expected to do to hype theirs. Expectations for marketing campaigns get higher and higher, and when studios fail to meet them, people don't go to see their movies.
Read more details here.
Before we begin, let me first note that Cass Sunstein has written a very good article on this subject already, which you might want to check out before reading this post. Sunstein touches on a number of the same points as I do, and his article definitely influenced mine. (Although, to be quite clear, I believed most of this before I ever read Sunstein.)
George Lucas repeatedly said one of the themes he wanted to explore in the prequels was how Republics become Dictatorships. He drew parallels with the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of Augustus, the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte to Emperor of France, and the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazi Germany.
Each of these historical episodes resembles the others, in that each involves the demise of a Republic and the concentration of State power in one individual. In the French and German cases, these republics had existed for only a short time, before which the government had been aristocratic. The Roman Republic, on the other hand, had existed for centuries.
In each case, power was given over to one person in response to some crisis. The existing governmental structure that allowed for multiple people to have input was deemed inadequate to the task of responding to the problem.
And of course, in each case, the person chosen to wield the power had used clever, cunning and morally dubious means to reach the position he was in.
The Star Wars prequels depict this same pattern playing out in a cosmic fantasy setting. In this respect, they are a bit like George Orwell's Animal Farm–a political allegory masked in a fairy-tale setting.
In Episode I, the political thread of the story establishes that the Galactic Republic is unable to cope with an illegal blockade imposed by the Trade Federation on the planet Naboo. When Queen Amidala goes to Coruscant for help, Senator Palpatine tells her:
"The Republic is not what it once was. The Senate is full of greedy, squabbling delegates. There is no interest in the common good. There is no civility, only politics."
This is one point that many people don't appreciate about the prequels: the Republic really is weak. They are not capable of protecting their own citizens' interests. In this respect, the reasons for Palpatine's rise are more understandable–the current government really was incapable of fulfilling its purpose.
Of course, Palpatine is the Augustus/Napoleon/Hitler figure in Lucas's story, and so it's also possible that (a) he is exaggerating the Republic's weakness for his own gain and (b) the weakness is a result of some internal sabotage with which he himself is connected. Since he, as his alter-ego Darth Sidious, is originally responsible for the Federation blockade, it's suggested that he might also be responsible for other problems in the Senate.
Nevertheless, the following Senate scene makes it clear that the current government can't solve Amidala's problem, and so she follows Palpatine's suggestion to call for a vote of no confidence to remove the Chancellor.
Palpatine is then able to assume the rank of Chancellor. In Episode II, Palpatine is able to manipulate Jar Jar Binks into voting him emergency powers for a coming war. Of course, Palpatine himself (as Sidious) has again played both sides and created the entire situation that makes war necessary.
Finally, in Episode III, the war has dragged on and allowed Palpatine to remain in office and accrue more power. The Jedi, finally becoming aware of his treachery, attempt to take action to preserve the institutions of the Republic, but fail. Palpatine then uses this moment of crisis to turn popular sentiment against the Jedi and establish the Galactic Empire, taking advantage of the now extremely militarized society he has created.
There's a very ironic moment in the scene where Mace Windu is fighting Palpatine. Windu has him at sword point when Anakin, having been swayed to Palpatine's side, arrives and says, "he must stand trial".
This causes Windu to hesitate, because he knows Anakin is right. Windu is there to save the Republic and its legal order, but cannot do so without himself violating the rule of law. Paradoxically, Windu cannot fulfill his duty to the Republic without violating it.
Of course, Palpatine and Anakin take advantage of Windu's momentary hesitation to kill him.
This speaks to another point that is often overlooked: the collapse of the Jedi Order is interwoven with that of the Republic. Like the Republic, the story suggests there is rot at the core of the whole institution–witness how they violate their own traditions by training Anakin when he is "too old", or Obi-Wan's tolerance of Anakin's marriage to Padmé, despite the Jedi Code demanding celibacy.
The underlying theme of the prequels is not merely that the Republic fell as a result of evil people like Palpatine, but also because of mistakes or corruption on the part of well-meaning people attempting to protect it. Padmé, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda, Mace Windu–all make errors or lapses in judgment that contribute to the collapse.
Indeed, perhaps the most significant error all of them make is continuing to tolerate Anakin's consistent rule-breaking. Neither his wife nor the Jedi ever punish Anakin for his repeated wrongdoing. Their misplaced forgiveness simply encourages Anakin to keep getting away with larger and larger crimes.
As a depiction of the process by which Republics become Dictatorships, the prequels are fairly successful: cunning and ambitious people take advantage of weak and crumbling institutions and take advantage or crises to seize power.
What significance does this have for the present-day United States? It is commonplace to compare the rise of Donald Trump to that of other dictators, and his language and methods are unmistakably authoritarian.
More significant even than Trump himself is the decline of U.S. institutions. I have written before about the century-long weakening of the U.S. Congress vs. the Executive branch. Beyond that, there is a general loss of faith in the Press and in Religious tradition.
Just as Palpatine's plan would not have worked if he had not been able to take advantage of the crumbling Old Republic, the United States would not be vulnerable to authoritarianism if its institutions remained strong.
Why, then, don't other people (besides me and Sunstein) look to the prequels as a relevant tale that captures the current zeitgeist?
I think to an extent it is because as works of drama, they are poor–Episode II in particular, which depicted the crucial political turning point, is something of a mess in regards to dramatic essentials like character and plot. While I've previously argued that Episode I is the best of all six original Star Wars films, even its compelling political plot was bogged down by pointless comic relief and a weak first act.
Another problem is that, as interesting as the political allegory is, it is scarcely related to the lighthearted, swashbuckling atmosphere of the first three films, Episodes IV, V and VI. The more complex motifs of the prequel trilogy flummoxed audiences. (To extend the earlier analogy: it is as if one tried to market Animal Farm as a prequel to Charlotte's Web.)
Finally, the spirit of the first three films–and the more recent, Disney-made knock-off–is much more optimistic and reassuring. The light side, these films say, will ultimately triumph over the dark, and all will end happily.
The tone of the prequels, in contrast, is much grimmer. Not only is Evil triumphant at the end of the trilogy, but there is a suggestion that the forces of Good enabled it, and by their own failings, rendered it possible. It's a troubling notion–that perhaps goodness itself contains within it the seeds of its own destruction.
The reason for the unpopularity of the prequels may be linked to more than their flaws as pieces of narrative fiction–it may lie in their disturbing portrayal of human nature itself, and in our reactions to our own vulnerabilities.
I might even paraphrase another writer of dramatic works on politics and human nature, and say, "the fault is not in our Star Wars, but in ourselves."
I posted an excerpt from this last year. Lately, another bit of it has been running through my head. It was my G&S-ified depiction of the scene where Palpatine declares himself Emperor, set to the tune of Ludwig's song, "A Monarch Who Boasts Intellectual Graces" from The Grand Duke. (Note that throughout, "republican" and "democratic" are used in the general sense of political concepts, not the present-day parties in our own galaxy.)
Oh, the Chancellor who uses emergency powers
Will gain, if he's smart, a good deal of support.
He can speak to opponents without getting glowers
And won't have any need to lie or distort–
You know, I am sure, in these perilous hours,
That though a sep'ratist danger still towers
And threatens this Senate of ours,
I know of a plan that will make 'em abort!
Oh! My motto is "safety;" I'm not a daredevil,
And while I rule here, we will all be secure.
With a powerful Emp'ror, who's quite on the level,
Republican principle may long endure!
Oh! His motto etc.
When rule democratic simply fails to succeed;
And Congressional meetings are just a mess–
An Emperor clearly's the thing that you need
To at once set ev'rything right in Congress!
With no more long meetings progress to impede,
Improvements extreme we can make with all speed,
It's easy to do, and I will do the deed—
It's done! And here's to our having continued success!
Oh! Our Galaxy nearly had gone to the Devil,
But I thankfully happened to know of a cure–
With a powerful etc.
Oh! Our Galaxy etc.
About ten years ago, I wrote a comic opera adaptation of the Star Wars movies, with songs set to Gilbert and Sullivan tunes. It was just an exercise in songwriting that I did for fun, but it definitely helped me learn how to write a decent rhyme.
Re-reading it now, I see most of my lyrics were pretty bad–although to be fair to myself, few lyricists can ever hope to match the great W.S. Gilbert.
But there were a few songs I wrote that were pretty decent. For instance, this adaptation of the meadow scene from Attack of the Clones, in which Anakin explains his dictatorial political philosophy to Padme. It's set to the tune of "Were I a King" from The Grand Duke.
ANAKIN: Were I in charge, in very truth,
And yet had kept my health and youth,
In spite of my ascension;
To keep us peaceful, keep us strong–
And make these blessings last for long–
I would request the voting throng
All their concerns to mention.
To some big council they would go
And voice with elocution,
Their little problems all, and lo!
They would find a solution!
The men who would be to this council elected,
Would all by popular vote be selected–
And if they all did what they said on campaign,
They could run for office again!
CHORUS: Oh, the men who would be etc.
ANAKIN: And if councilmen should disagree
The problem would then come to me–
And I'd make the decision!
One side may say to "Cut the tax!"
The other says "Prevent attacks!"–
Unlike our current plan that lacks
An executive with vision–
Both sides would have to go to me,
And I'd make 'em see reason!
And if they still would disagree–
I'd have them shot for treason!
Oh, the man who can mold a political sphere
Completely bereft of corruption or fear,
Can govern and rule, with of his brains a tenth
Intelligent life–and possibly Ennth!
This week, Star Wars: The Force Awakens surpassed James Cameron's Avatar as the highest-grossing movie in U.S. history. I had some pretty harsh words to say about Avatar when it came out. I thought it was absurdly over-hyped and over-rated. A mediocre fantasy/sci-fi film being marketed as a cinematic triumph merely because it was "3D".
Avatar was a work of utter genius next to the abomination that is The Force Awakens.
I knew going in that Force Awakens was playing the nostalgia card and trying to imitate the original movies rather than attempt anything innovative, so my hopes weren't high.
It was still worse than I could have ever imagined. Even the Star Wars Holiday Special was better than this nightmare.
This movie has all the flaws of every Star Wars movie ever made, only more so. It has dialogue that is worse than anything Lucas ever wrote. It has characters who appear out of nowhere, with no buildup, and are disposed of summarily almost as soon as they arrive. It has a plot that makes Attack of the Clones look like an intricately-woven masterpiece of storytelling. It has horrible CGI special effects that are worse than the prequels' decade-old CGI effects, and it has sets and costumes that are worse than the originals' four decades-old sets and costumes. Somehow, the CGI stormtroopers in the prequels look more real than the real stormtroopers in The Force Awakens.
The villains in this movie are called things like "the First Order" and "the Knights of Ren". It is not clear who they are, what they want, how they got there, or how they got all the men and materiel that looks like the stuff the Empire had 30 years before.
Opposing this inexplicable fascist regime is something called "the Resistance" which is allied with something else called "the Republic". Since these organizations are both affiliated with the heroes from the originals, the fact that the First Order achieved this absurd degree of power indicates that Luke, Leia, Admiral Ackbar and the rest must be utter morons. They toppled one Empire only to somehow allow another one almost exactly like it to spring up!
Luke, perhaps having become rightly ashamed of his role in this disaster, has vanished, and Leia is looking for him. The movie begins with a Resistance pilot, Poe Dameron, meeting an old man who gives him a map that may lead to Luke. Poe then gives the map to a droid, and is captured by the stormtroopers of the First Order. The droid escapes and is rescued by a junk scavenger, Rey.
Meanwhile, the lead villain, Kylo Ren, interrogates Poe, who eventually tells him about the droid. While Ren is away, one stormtrooper decides to free the pilot and escape with him. The stormtrooper, who is named "Finn", apparently managed to resist years of brainwashing and became horrified when ordered to fire on civilians. This has led him to desert. (His name and his intro both made me think of Flynn Taggart)
The two steal a TIE fighter and escape, but are shot down. Finn ejects and, thinking Poe has been killed, wanders the desert planet for help, eventually finding Rey and the droid, moments before the First Order soldiers do. Rey, Finn and the droid escape aboard the Millennium Falcon, which is conveniently in the junkyard / shantytown that Rey lives in.
Let me now pause the synopsis to analyze this sequence. The Millennium Falcon is an extremely famous ship. As we shall find out soon, Han Solo, the ship's owner, is legendary for his exploits in the war. Moreover, Rey makes her living selling ship parts scavenged from wreckage, and yet for some reason a fully-functional ship was sitting right here?
During their escape, they of course engage in a dogfight with the First Order forces. At one point during this fight, one of them says "we need some cover." Cover is essential during a gunfight on the ground. It is virtually impossible in an aerial battle. This is utter nonsense.
Let me also stop to mention that Daisy Ridley's flat performance as Rey pretty much kills any tension this scene might possibly have possessed, though in fairness to her, Rey is extremely unlikable, so it's not all Ridley's fault. John Boyega's performance is good, and Finn is a relatable "Everyman" character, but it's not enough to save the scene. This state of affairs will persist throughout the film, so feel free to go back and re-read this paragraph every time I mention either character– it will apply equally well at that time.
Somehow or other, the two get pulled aboard a large and sinister ship. They hide in the Falcon's trademark secret compartments, which does no good at all when they are boarded by Han Solo and Chewbacca, who know that underneath the floor is the first place to look.
Rey and Finn are shocked to meet the legendary Han Solo, who tells them that Luke is missing, and looks at the map the droid is carrying. He tells them it will help them locate Luke. He also tells them that he is smuggling some kind of giant monsters, and has apparently angered some tangential hooligans in the process.
By an extraordinary coincidence, several rival gangs of these tangential hooligans happen to show up at once, demanding that Solo pay them back or turn over his cargo or something. The hooligans also are looking for Rey and Finn and the droid on behalf of the First Order, even though the First Order only realized they should be looking for them 20 minutes earlier.
At this point, the monsters get loose, killing the hooligans and enabling our heroes to escape in the Falcon. Han urges them to join the Resistance and takes them to a cantina clearly meant to evoke the one in A New Hope.
Here they meet the worst character in all of Star Wars–a poorly animated cat with glasses. Yes, you read that correctly. All I can think is that someone said "What if we crossed Jar Jar Binks with an Ewok, and then gave them the same function as Dexter Jettster?" And then they did it, and they got this idiotic character, who is ham-handedly introduced for the sole purpose of plot development. The character is named Maz Kanata, but they should have just called her "Eks Pozishun".
Around this time, Finn decides he wants to run away and not bother fighting the First Order. He tries to arrange passage to the Outer Rim with some more tangential hooligans. Elsewhere, Rey wanders off down a dark corridor where she hears ghostly voices. There she finds Luke Skywalker's lightsaber in a pile of junk. When she picks it up she is subjected to a vision that indicates she is Force-sensitive. She's scared by this, and says she doesn't want the lightsaber when Maz comes to find her. (Maz, by the way, somehow came to have Luke's lightsaber. The ridiculous contrivances never end in this Galaxy.) Rey runs away, and Maz gives the lightsaber to Finn.
Meanwhile, the First Order has just completed building their impossible planet-destroying base that makes no sense. One of their military commanders, who makes the Colonel from Avatar look like a subtle, nuanced and well-developed character, gives an absurdly hammy speech to celebrate the first firing of the superweapon.
It was completely unclear to me what they destroyed with it. I mean, clearly it was some important bunch of planets, but who the people on the planets were, or what was important about those planets, or why we should care about them was unexplained. Hack screenwriting at its absolute worst.
I know, I know: you're thinking "But the same thing could be said about the destruction of Alderaan in Episode IV!" Well, yes; but it worked in that movie because everything was new. It was the first one most people saw, and we expected to be dropped in the middle of things. Force Awakens is supposed to be a follow-up movie, and so the audience reasonably expects to be able to follow along from the previous movie, and not have a bunch of new stuff dumped on them.
Could they not have blown up something we cared about? Something we had seen before? Barring that, could they not have at least blown up something that had some strategic significance?
At roughly the same time that they are blowing up the planets, Kylo Ren and his men arrive at the planet Solo, Finn and Rey are on, and commence shooting everyone. Ren captures Rey, and carries her off in accordance with melodramatic tradition. I was surprised he didn't say "I have you now, pretty one!", and twirl his mustache, except of course he has no mustache. Possibly the reason for the mask is that he was ashamed at being a stock villain who had no mustache.
Finn fights off the stormtroopers using Luke's lightsaber, and "the Resistance", including Poe, arrive in X-Wings to fight the First Order. This is the one part of the film that might have managed to evoke some nostalgia for the original Star Wars, except that such battles have been done better and more often by countless of the "Expanded Universe" stories. This tiny dogfight paled next to, say, Rogue Squadron II. But I suppose the generation Force Awakens is pitched at never played those games.
Ren and his forces leave, and General Organa (formerly known as "Princess Leia") arrives, and shares a brief moment with Han Solo, the father of her son (Kylo Ren). It's the best scene in the movie, probably because the annoying newcomers get out of the way for once and let us see two original Star Wars characters (one of whom is even portrayed by a good actor!) speaking to each other. Their lines are really good too:
Han: You changed your hair.
Leia (giving him a sarcastic look): Same jacket.
Han: No… different jacket.
This was a good scene. It deserved to be in a better movie.
Leia and the Resistance take Han and Finn and the rest of the crew to their base, where they begin to analyze the situation. The First Order's new weapon is an even bigger Death Star–a hilariously lame idea that the movie seems hellbent on emphasizing as much as possible; going so far as to have the Resistance displaying holograms of the two weapons side-by-side.
Oh, and do I even need to tell you that Ren has taken Rey to this same super-base to interrogate her regarding the whereabouts of Skywalker? Didn't think so. You'd think these evil overlord-types would have learned by now not to conduct all their business aboard their superweapons after what happened to the first two Death Stars. It's like if Hitler had his personal office on the battleship Bismarck.
Rey resists Ren's interrogation, and for some reason he takes his helmet off, revealing that he looks like a young Alan Rickman-as-Severus Snape. (I suspect Disney's marketing people were well aware of this resemblance.)
The Resistance, realizing they have to destroy the new superweapon, launch a daring raid to infiltrate the base, led by–who else would you choose?–Han, an old man who has already deserted the cause once, and whose own son is the leader of the enemy forces, and Finn, who a few days earlier actually worked for the First Order.
Rey meanwhile has managed to escape and is wandering around the First Order's base at random. Ren can't use the Force to sense her because he is too busy throwing temper tantrums that would make even young Anakin Skywalker ashamed.
Han, Finn and Chewbacca eventually run into Rey, and then set out to plant the explosives at the critical point that will destroy the station. But will they be in time? The weapon is nearly charged, and the Resistance leaders know it is mere moments from firing and destroying their planet.
Many have criticized this sequence for being blatantly copied from Episode IV. But that's not really the problem. All the Star Wars films intentionally echo one another; so having this same setup isn't what's wrong with this sequence.
What's wrong with this sequence is that it's done really badly. Everything about it feels like the work of amateurs. No–not amateurs. Hacks. It feels lazy. When experts do it, it's a recurring leitmotif. When amateurs do it, it's a loving homage. But when hacks do it, it's just depressing recycling.
When the First Order base is close to firing, C-3PO actually says "It will take a miracle to save us now!" This is by far the worst line in Star Wars. I can't believe it made it past the editors. Note that there is no similar line in the equivalent scene in A New Hope. That's because Lucas didn't need to tell his audience "Hey, you feel tension now! The heroes are in trouble!"; he had built that feeling organically, and the actors expressed it with their eyes and their body language. A New Hope is by no means a great film, but it felt like the work of people who cared.
Star Wars died for me at this point. So I guess it was fitting that in the next few minutes, the last truly interesting and likable character–not to mention good actor–from Star Wars also made his exit.
Aboard the base, Han confronts his son (while standing over a bottomless pit, of course) and asks him to return to the light. Ren removes his helmet, turns to his father, says some words of contrition–and then runs him through with his lightsaber. The mortally-wounded Han then plunges into the pit below.
It's a powerful moment–more powerful, indeed, than J.J. Abrams "can possibly imagine"; because it symbolizes how his movie destroys the soul of the franchise. Here we have a beloved character from the original movies being cut down by a two-bit emo villain cobbled together from spare parts. This is the moment when Star Wars fundamentally changes from being the epic space opera Lucas envisioned into, in every sense, a Mickey Mouse operation.
The rest is perfunctory–the X-Wings blow up the enemy base, the heroes fight a lightsaber duel with the villain (Both Finn and Rey take their turn) and escape victorious back to the Resistance base. It all feels very much done in haste–"here you go, here are your classic Star Wars tropes, eat them up!"–with no emotional power. The essence of the characters is forgotten. We never really see Leia mourn Han's death–there's no time for characterization or emotion, as she has to hustle Rey along to the final plot point: finding Luke Skywalker.
R2-D2 powers up and together with the new droid they are able to complete the star map that leads to Luke–a scene that looks even more ridiculous than it sounds, once you realize it is comparable to the Joint Chiefs of Staff having been unable to locate a China-shaped cut-out from a map of the Earth.
Rey flies off in the Millennium Falcon to a very beautiful planet of rocky islands. There she finally finds the protagonist of the original trilogy, looking worn and grizzled, with a thick grey beard. Luke, ever the odds-defying hero, pulls off one more miracle escape: the film ends before his character can be ruined along with everything else.
I've criticized George Lucas a lot, and he made a lot of artistic decisions I don't agree with. But dammit, he was an artist, and he had a talent for film-making. And what's more, he had a vision. Here there is talent, perhaps, but no vision. This is a cargo cult Star Wars–made by copying superficial aspects only, with no understanding of what made it compelling.
Given all that, why do so many people like The Force Awakens? I don't know–maybe it's the same reason so many people like Donald Trump: both are loud, in-your-face, and have so much money backing them that they won't go away.
A long, long time ago, I wrote about Ian Doescher's delightful book The Empire Striketh Back–a re-imagining of the Star Wars film as though written by William Shakespeare.
Well, I recently learned that Doescher also wrote more of these books for the prequel trilogy. As my readers know, I like the prequel trilogy very much, but there's no denying it has a weak script that undercuts its other strengths. This is especially true of Attack of the Clones.
Doescher's treatment fixes these problems. Most notably, it fixes the character of Anakin Skywalker. In Doescher's version, Skywalker seems like he actually cares about Padme Amidala. This really helps the romance between them. (I know, you would think this would be obvious, but apparently it wasn't to Lucas.)
That's not the only improvement–all of the dialogue is much better when done in the style of the Bard.
The irony is that Lucas has always defended his awkward script by calling it "stylized dialogue". Well, Doescher's dialogue is even more stylized; but what's more is that it's good. It trips off the tongue.
What Lucas should have done was give his story outline–which is very strong, with its political machinations, epic battles, and forbidden romance–to Doescher or someone like him, who could give it a fittingly poetic script to match. Then maybe put the exceptionally talented cast under the direction of a Shakespearean director (say, Sir Kenneth Branagh?) and they would have really had something. It would have been stunning.
The prequels are not bad–they just needed a better script.
Quick! Name that movie about a pilot who gets horribly burned and disfigured. You know, the one where earlier in the story, he's been trying to save the life of his secret lover. In fact, he's so desperate that he turns traitor and aids a tyrannical, militaristic government. But even so, he fails–his lover dies, and he becomes a barely-living shell of his former self.
Got it yet?
Actually–as you already guessed from the title of this post–that describes two movies: The English Patient, starring Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas and Juliette Binoche, and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen.
The English Patient was nominated for 12 academy awards, including best picture, which it won. It's considered a powerful, moving, tragic love story. Revenge of the Sith was a box office hit, but was generally received poorly by critics. The Devil is in the details.
Actually, in this case, the Devil is in how the main character is written and performed. Count Almasy, the lead in The English Patient, is just likable enough that while you don't exactly forgive him for giving aid to the Nazis, you can believe he truly did it out of his love for Katherine. He really seems like he cares about her. Add to this Ralph Fiennes's charisma and acting skill, and you have a compelling doomed romance.
Anakin Skywalker, on the other hand, is an entitled jerk from his first scene to his last. He constantly whines about why he hasn't been given privileges that he has not earned, while simultaneously breaking every Jedi rule. Even his supposed love for Padme never seems like anything other than an excuse to commit further atrocities. He claims to be trying to save her ("from [his] nightmares"), but ultimately kills her himself because of his inability to control his arrogance and rage.
Now, I've left out quite a few differences between the two movies. The English Patient is told through flashbacks, and there is another plot running through it parallel to the story of Almasy: the story of Hana, the nurse who finds him after he's been burned, and her own struggle to deal with the horror of war and death. The only other plot element in Revenge of the Sith is about an evil robot General with four arms. So maybe the main character isn't the only issue here.
Even so, I still think there is a really strong story in Revenge of the Sith. You can see it whenever McGregor, Portman or Ian McDiarmid are on the screen. It's just that it kept getting undercut by the massive problems with the way Anakin Skywalker is written and portrayed. (Once he becomes pure evil in the final third of the movie, it really comes together. This is probably because Christensen was better at playing evil, and an evil character is easier to write than a complex one.)
The bottom line is: when Count Almasy gets burned alive, you think: "poor guy, he just wanted to help the woman he loved." When Anakin Skywalker gets burned alive, you think: "the S.O.B. had it coming."
We are under a month away from the much-ballyhooed release of "Star Wars VII: Will This Sith Never End?".
Ok, so that isn't the real title. But swapping a few letters in that title neatly summarizes my reaction to it. I'm suffering from Star Wars fatigue.
Still, in honor of the upcoming premiere, I decided to re-watch the entire six movie saga. I came away from it with one overriding conclusion–one that won't surprise my long-time readers, but will shock all others:
The Prequels are better than the Originals.
To this I add another sub-conclusion:
The Phantom Menace is the best of all of them.
And finally, the most controversial point:
The Empire Strikes Back is the worst of all of them.
Yes, that flies in the face of every review you ever read. But reviewers are subject to fads and fashions, and it was fashionable to bash the prequels largely because critics at the time were nostalgic for the originals.
I've always thought the prequels were good. But now I've realized they are way better than the dreary original trilogy, with its dull characters and repetitive plots.
Start at the beginning, with The Phantom Menace. Yes, Jake Lloyd was weak, but no worse than Mark Hamill. Moreover, everyone else did quite a good job. Liam Neeson portrays Qui-Gon as an arrogant rebel, and Ewan McGregor is great as his put-upon, trying-to-be-respectful-but-also-follow-the-rules apprentice. I also love the constant sniping between Padme and Qui-Gon. I'm going to come back to this movie later, but for now, we're on to Attack of the Clones.
It was not as good as I remembered. The plot is an incoherent mess, and the romance is a disaster. But, one thing that was pleasantly surprising was how well Natalie Portman did at playing the romance. She couldn't do well enough to actually create chemistry (alchemy would have been required to get any sparks from Christensen), but her acting in the love scenes is actually quite good.
The big question, other than why Padme marries Anakin, is how did the planet Kamino apparently keep churning out clone armies without anyone noticing? The Kaminoan Prime minister tells Obi-Wan it is "one of the finest" clone armies they've ever made, implying there are others. No one follows up on this.
Revenge of the Sith starts out impressively with the massive space battle, drags a bit with the tiresome General Grievous subplot, but builds to a powerful emotional climax in the scene where Padme and Obi-Wan confront Anakin on Mustafar. It's the best scene in all of Star Wars, with Portman and McGregor both doing a magnificent job, and Christensen (for once) showing some terrifying, insane charisma.
My biggest problem with the prequels was the sexism: the treatment of Shmi, who has no dramatic purpose other than to die, was bad enough; but when Padme (who is a very strong, well-written female lead in Phantom Menace) inexplicably falls in love with the loutish Anakin, it seemed like Lucas was saying "Oh, her and her lady brain! That's just what chicks do."
The reason the love story in Attack of the Clones is so bad is because Anakin has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. A former Queen turned Senator and successful military strategist would not fall for somebody who was failing at being a monk and pouting about it.
The plot of Clones makes no sense–the Padme/Anakin romance is about as unromantic as it gets, even if you believe that opposites attract. The mystery of why Count Dooku hired a bounty hunter to sub-contract out the task of assassinating a Senator who was going to vote against the creation of an army to oppose forces Count Dooku himself was leading makes no sense either. Hell, I got confused just writing that.
Revenge of the Sith is better at making some sort of sense, but at the end we are still left wondering what Padme, or the Jedi, or even the Emperor himself, ever saw in Anakin. He is basically worthless to everyone; even the Sith.
But as weak as that is, it was still a more compelling story arc than: idiot blows up a space station–>idiot meets talking frog in swamp–>idiot's friends blow up second, larger space station. Also, sword fights.
A New Hope looks downright silly. None of what Obi-Wan says to Luke is remotely accurate, and the special effects are horrible. The only likable character in it is Han Solo, and he is only likable because he wants to get out of this mess as fast as possible.
The story of A New Hope makes about as much sense as that of Clones; which is to say, very little. What is the use of a space station that blows up planets? It is perhaps the most worthless weapon imaginable–something the simply exterminated all life, leaving the other stuff intact, would be way more valuable. Moreover, why it had to orbit the planet before firing made no sense, nor did the rebels' elaborate ceremony at the end.
Then comes The Empire Strikes Back, which is nothing less than a total drag. After a hilariously bad battle on Hoth, we are treated to a half hour of Luke sitting in a dark, dreary swamp, intercut with another half hour of Han and Leia sitting in a dark, dreary ship. It's the dullest hour in the series. Jar Jar Binks addressing the Senate was more interesting.
So, then eventually there is a lightsaber duel in which Luke's expression never changes until the end, at which point he sobs like a baby at the revelation that Vader is his father. (Note: great heroes do not break down crying like babies. Though I suppose Vader is to blame for that, too.)
In all the gushing over how great Empire allegedly is, critics lose sight of the fact that it goes absolutely nowhere. It reminds me of Mark Twain's "rules governing literary art", stating "that a tale shall accomplish something and arrive somewhere." Like Twain said of Fenimore Cooper's work, Empire "accomplishes nothing and arrives in air".
The only developments in Empire are these:
…the alliance has to waste time getting Han Solo back, for no apparent reason. The Jedi may preach letting go of attachment, but in practice, their motto is clearly "no man left behind". (And I do mean "man", since the misogynist pigs were all too glad to leave Padme in the sand on Geonosis.).
Anyway, the whole Jabba's palace / rescue Solo sequence had nothing to do with the rest of the story. It served no dramatic or thematic purpose for Han to ever be put in carbonite.
Just remember that: the first third of that movie is dedicated to an irrelevant subplot.
Meanwhile, the Empire has inexplicably tried to replicate their biggest failure: another giant, useless battle station that does nothing except destroy the planets that probably belong to the Empire anyway. Then we have the obligatory lightsaber duel and space battle–a sequence completely upstaged by the similar one in The Phantom Menace.
It all gets blown up, at no cost to anyone, except one Ewok, a couple rebel pilots, and Anakin, who frankly deserved to die ever since he sexually harassed the Senator he was supposedly guarding.
What struck me about the original trilogy was how damn dull it was. Next to the sophistication of the prequels, it was like watching a movie a ten year old might make.
Overall, the prequels were decent, but not as good as I remembered. The originals were almost unwatchable. The people who tell you the original trilogy is better are just wrong. It's horrible.
Most of the Star Wars movies make no sense. Clones is incoherent, Sith introduces new elements that weren't foreshadowed in Clones, A New Hope doesn't match up with anything that comes before or after, Empire is boring and pointless, and Jedi is spent resolving plot problems that Empire caused.
But remember: there is one more movie in the saga, and it actually has a *gasp* coherent plot!
Lucas pretty obviously spent those 15 years between Jedi and Menace writing one story, and it was Menace. After that, he realized he needed two more movies and just made it up as he went along.
In Phantom Menace, for once the plot makes sense: Federation blockades a planet; Queen escapes from planet, Queen returns with plan to liberate planet. This concept of a ruler returning to claim their throne is actually somewhat plausible, and sounds vaguely like something that might possibly happen in a universe that makes sense. (Queen Amidala's appeal to the Gungans is pretty much a "Napoleon at Grenoble" moment.)
The twist with Padme the handmaiden being the Queen is the subtlest, cleverest piece of writing in the Star Wars movies. And it's right in front of our eyes the whole time, but cleverly disguised by the Queen's elaborate costumes. This is better than the "I am your father" twist, because that was only a twist due to Obi-Wan blatantly lying to Luke for absolutely no reason. That's a cheat on the storyteller's part. The twist in Menace has foreshadowing, buildup and payoff.
The other standout thing about Menace is how Padme completely outwits both the Jedi–especially the condescending, arrogant Qui-Gon–and the Sith. It's the only time in all the movies someone actually tricks Palpatine. (Granted, Palpatine also maneuvered Amidala into voting for him, so he still got what he wanted out of it.)
It's the only time in the movies when a character triumphs not due to ham-handed luck in order to further the plot, but rather due to a character actually crafting and executing a sensible plan. It's infinitely more satisfying than Luke destroying the Death Star by "trusting his instincts"
Menace is a good movie, hamstrung by bad acting from Jake Lloyd, and an overabundance of Jar Jar Binks antics. And even these aren't as bad as the subsequent comic relief with C-3PO and R2-D2 in later installments.
I think the only Star Wars movies that work as standalone movies are New Hope and Menace. They have complete story arcs, whereas the others really don't. Empire doesn't even have any plot development at all.
My final verdict: The last hour of Menace and the last hour of Sith are the best parts of the entire saga. Ironically, while these are the highlights of the series, there is no logical way to get from one to the other. You would never guess they were from the same series if you watched them in isolation. That's why a bunch of ridiculous stuff had to happen in Clones as Lucas tried to mash it all together.
Given that, which film is more satisfying? Sith gets a more emotional response, but it also needed more clumsy writer manipulation to do it. So the edge goes to Menace, whose upbeat tone feels more true to the old serials Star Wars allegedly imitates. (Very few old serials ended with the heroine dying in childbirth after being choked by the hero.)
In spite of what old-timers viewing the originals through rose-colored glasses will tell you, The Phantom Menace is the best Star Wars movie. We can only hope and pray that the new movies imitate Menace, and discard the baggage of The Empire Strikes Back and the dated, boring original trilogy.


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The WWE hosted some of the most gorgeous women ever seen on TV. So, it's pretty crystal clear that John Cena, for instance, became an idol to wrestling enthusiasts everywhere, but the ladies identifying with the WWE, on the other hand, cheap became the object of adoration of many adolescents and grown-ups altogether. Here are the top 25 hottest girls to have ever graced the WWE!
With her pale skin and dark hair, the incredibly attractive Paige looks exactly like the rocker chick fans nfl have been drooling over for quite a while. An alternative from the norm, she's not particularly your average Barbie Doll.
She became a fan-favorite due to her on-screen relationship with Dolph Ziggler in 2015. Once news of her engagement with Rusev leaked to the media, we've figured he's the luckiest man on the planet, having by his side this platinum-blonde beauty, with luscious lips and a statuesque figure.
Nikki Bella
She's dated John Cena, she's received a few cosmetic enhancements, and, additionally, she became the main Diva in 2014. She held the Divas Championship title for 301 days.
The sexy brunette is a two-time WWE Divas Champion and a three-time Women's Champion, being the first woman in history to hold both belts.
Brie Bella
Brie is pretty much a natural beauty, just as radiant as her cosmetic-friendly colleagues, becoming a role model to the younger female fans of the WWE.
She's got some stunning good looks, that's for sure… even though her lack of training got her eliminated during the 2011 season of Tough Enough. She was the first one forced wholesale jerseys China to abandon this WWE competition, so, Cameron – a piece of advice – try putting as much effort into your training, as you do into your overall physical appearance.
The Kat
Through her dark and sexy look, this lady became real eye-candy on WWE programming. In addition to being a 'treat' for the audience, she's a former Women's Champion, and she participated in a Lumberjill Snowbunny match, and a Chocolate Pudding match.
This Lithuanian beauty is a former bodybuilding champ, who hasn't particularly reached her full potential within the WWE. She joined the WWE's developmental system in 2009.
Dawn Marie
Dawn Marie was quick to rise to popularity, once she joined the WWE in 2002, as Vince McMahon's legal assistant. Moreover, she fought with Stacy Keibler for Vince's love, before being involved in an altercation with Torrie Wilson.
We're pretty sure this bombshell redhead made guys lose it! Maria had joined the WWE as Hello part of the RAW Diva Search. Heck, she inclusively posed in Playboy, to the delight of male WWE audiences.
In addition to joining the WWE in 2006, Layla used to be an Have ex-dancer for the Miami Heat, and a back-up dancer for Kanye West. In 2012, she'd remain in the spotlight, thanks to becoming the Divas Champion.
This voluptuous WWE Hall of Famer, and one of the greatest female wrestlers in the biz, Lita won her fans' heart, while still wearing cargo pants and tank tops.
Mickie James
Basically, she used to be Trish Stratus' 'biggest fan', as she went on to make sexual advances towards Stratus. After this dispute, Mickie won the Women's Championship title five times, at WrestleMania, owning the Divas Championship title once, as well.
With her chocolate skin and brunette locks, she established a reputation as one of the most athletic wrestlers on the roster.
Kelly Kelly
The irresistible blondie became a fan favorite as a stripper and exhibitionist as part of WWE's reprised ECW, back in 2006. She'd go on to form Extreme Exposé, a dancing trio, along with Brooke Adams and Layla.
Christy Hemme
Christy is definitely one hot redhead, who was also a model, having been featured in Playboy, Rolling Stone and Maxim. Her dazzling looks definitely kept fans interested in her!
Candice Michelle
Candice made a transition from softcore adult entertainment to wrestling back in 2004. Prior to being released by the WWE in 2009, she did become the first Diva Search contestant to win the Women's Championship.
Michelle McCool
Prior to becoming famous within the WWE in 2004, she used to be a middle school teacher. This hottie is a former two-time Women's Champion and a two-time Divas Champion.
Eva Marie
With University her extravagant, bright red hair, a body to die-for, and a flawless complexion, Eva Marie is smoking hot! Before entering the WWE in 2013, she used to work as a fitness model. No wonder, right?!
AJ Lee
Having been involved in several love triangles during her WWE glorious era, cutie AJ Lee upset her fans in 2015, once she retired from wrestling to dedicate herself to her husband, CM Punk.
Sable shot to fame as one of the first WWE Divas, cheap jerseys China and she used to be just the perfect combination of strength and sexuality. She eventually quit the company in 1999, allegedly due to several controversies. Later that year she married Brock Lesnar.
Former model Maryse joined the WWE in the 2006 Diva Search. She'd initially hold the Divas Championship title for seven months, but eventually went on to reign twice as a Diva Champ. Since leaving the company, she started pursuing an acting career.
Torrie Wilson
She also shot to fame thanks cheap jerseys to her fling with Vince McMahon in 2001. In 2003, thanks to her incredible looks, her popularity skyrocketed when she posed for Playboy.
Stacy Keibler
Wrestling enthusiasts were probably thrilled each time Stacy made an appearance. Moreover, she used her WWE popularity to boost an acting career, the fair-haired beauty becoming a mainstream sensation after her relationship with George Clooney in 2011.
Trish Stratus
This stunning beauty held the record championship seven times. Retiring All as a champion, Trish formed a prolific yoga studio, earning her the award for Best Business Woman of the Year. Still gorgeous to this very day, she's also been an advocate for several charity campaigns.

subset: commoncrawl


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Quarterback, scientist
Peyton Manning's five-year, $100-million contract with the Denver Broncos is "obscene"? When did it become obscene (Sports Roundup – letters, March 21) for an employee to negotiate the best deal he can with management? If athletes were paid less, does anyone imagine that owners would give away tickets to underprivileged children? They'd just pocket the cash.
Profits in pro sports are limited only by what the market will bear, in terms of ticket prices, advertising during games and the consequent value of TV contracts. Why should any principle other than supply and demand govern the salaries of those athletes whose work is the basis for all of the revenue generated?
Saying all that Mr. Manning does is "throw a football around" is like saying that all Stephen Hawking does is fiddle with numbers. It's snobbery to look down at natural skill in sports as somehow less worthy than natural skill in intellectual endeavours.
Neither is inherently virtuous, nor inherently valuable – it all depends on what you do with it. Mr. Manning is entertaining tens of millions and bringing in hundreds of millions. Objecting to him getting a fair cut comes off less as egalitarianism than as envy.
Jay Nathwani, Toronto
Alternate strategy
Margaret Wente, in a predictable dismissal of the NDP leadership race, cites what is rapidly becoming a mantra among some of her peers – the general public's lack of support for public-sector workers' "privileges" (The New Democrats Have No Shot, Kumbaya – March 22).
Once it was made legal for them to do so, public-sector workers took to unionization in the late '60s and early '70s like ducks take to water (Greatly undercompensated in comparison to both the union and non-union private sector, they bargained collectively to catch up.
Those private-sector workers whose envy would demand that public-sector workers join them in a lemming-like rush to the lowest common salary-and-benefits denominator should consider an alternate strategy: Form or join a union and bargain collectively. Public-sector workers will support them.
Martin d'Entremont, Calgary
Harp-seal science
Canadian Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield has ignored the advice of his own scientists in setting the 2012 total allowable catch (TAC) for harp seals at an unsustainable 400,000 (Record Harp-Seal Quota May Not Save An Industry Without A Market – March 21).
In December, the head of the marine mammals section of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans concluded the harp seal population was in decline due, in part, to the lack of sea ice and reduced rate of reproduction. He advised that a catch in excess of 300,000 would be unsustainable. The minister has ignored his own scientists and acquiesced to sealing industry lobbyists.
The minister has ignored his own scientists and acquiesced to sealing industry lobbyists.
This is not the science-based, precautionary approach to fisheries management DFO claims to take. Once again, our oceans will suffer as a result.
Bridget Curran, director, Atlantic Canadian Anti-Sealing Coalition
Let's make a deal
Last year, in spite of the impact of disasters in Japan, about 30 per cent of total vehicle production in Canada came from Japanese plants in Ontario in Alliston, Cambridge and Woodstock (New Push For Free Trade With Japan – Report on Business, March 22). As a result of extensive investments in manufacturing in Canada and the U.S., two of every three Japanese-brand vehicles sold in Canada are built in North America. At the same time, Canada has been a net exporter of Japanese-brand vehicles every year since 1993.
We supported free trade under NAFTA, and now support Canada's proposed Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan.
David Worts, executive director, Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association of Canada
Money, memory
The Ukrainian Canadian community never sought an apology for what happened during Canada's first national internment operations of 1914-1920, nor compensation to the survivors or their descendants (Past Wrongs Can't Always Be Undone – March 21). We asked only that the Government of Canada recognize this historic injustice. That will be done in 2013 when a pavilion dealing with this unhappy episode in Canadian history is unveiled in Banff National Park, complemented by smaller displays at Fort Henry, in Kingston, and at The Citadel, in Halifax, all sites of First World War era internment camps. Our campaign was always about memory, not money.
Lubomyr Luciuk, director of research, Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association
At the very least, apologies for the wrongs of the past show an understanding and commitment by the contemporary government, that these past actions are no longer seen to be just and will not be perpetuated. Acknowledgment of past wrongs is important for the education of those citizens who were not wronged, to be aware of those who were.
Mark Anderson, St. John's
Have it all (almost)
There's an interesting connection between veganism and eating healthily through diverse, rich food cultures (Vegans With Benefits – letters, March 22). Across Canada, people are cooking Moroccan tagine, Indian coconut curried veggies, Mexican black bean stew, Italian ribollita. All vegan. All delicious. And there's no end in sight – with the access to food cultures Canada affords and the creative (vegan) reinterpretation of those food cultures through blogs such as , we can have it all. Well, almost.
Ruth Richardson, Toronto
I am a retired criminal lawyer. I have had many disagreements with judges, both in and out of court. Public, reasoned criticism of judicial decisions is fine. Insults are another matter.
Many, but not all, lawyers I know, would say that the sentence handed down by the judge in the Graham James matter is supportable based upon decided cases and the circumstances in this particular case. I certainly do. However, even if I did not, I would not see such disagreement as justifying an attack on the judge as "despicable" (Justice? – letters, March 22).
Gwilym Davies, New Westminster, B.C.
While I understand the judge's statement that "the Canadian criminal justice system is not one of vengeance," I do not understand why the violation of children is trivialized by such a meagre sentence when the maximum penalty is 10 years (Anger Greets James's Two-Year Sentence – March 21). What is at stake here is not vengeance but the protection of society.
Cathryn Reeves, Clarksburg, Ont.
About that Wildrose Party campaign bus (editorial cartoon, March 21) with Danielle Smith's face and shoulders immediately above the tires: As Elmer Fudd might say, "She's wheel sexy."
Eddy A. Elia, VancouverReport Typo/Error
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Tetrix is a FreeWare clone of TETRIS written in Java. To use it all you need is a Java enabled browser. It is currently available in English and Italian version.Visit publisher site: Tetrix
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Renton Collision Center
Review for Renton Collision Center
Michael M. on 12/12/2013
Michael said his vehicle was a couple of days late due to additional damage found. Three weeks after the repairs his airbag light came on. He would have to pay over $100 just to have the vehicle diagnosed and to find out if it is the result of the repairs done at the facility. The airbag light had never come on before he brought his vehicle in. He does not necessarily trust the person who does the diagnostics because it is a portable diagnostics station. He is going to bring his vehicle to a Kia dealership and if it turns out this business did something wrong, then he will bring it back to be fixed and his insurance can cover it.
Category: Collision
Service Date: 11/06/2013
Review Created: 12/12/2013
This review was collected via phone interview by Customer Research Inc.


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Callon Petroleum Company announces that Gary Newberry has joined the company as vice president, production and development. He will be responsible for all of Callon's production operations, engineering, and development activity.
Newberry joins Callon after 33 years with Marathon Oil Company, where his production operations, drilling and project execution experience in the Gulf of Mexico, the Permian Basin and in unconventional gas will significantly contribute to the company's property portfolio and development activity in the Permian Basin and the Haynesville Shale.


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World Order for a New Millennium: Political, Cultural and Spiritual Approaches to Building Peace
by A. Walter Dorn, Senior Research Fellow at Cornell University (Institute for African Development) and on faculty at the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre in Nova Scotia, Canada.November 1999 , 288 pp. ISBN: 0-312-21635-1
World Order for a New Millennium examines one of the major questions of our age: how humanity should organize itself on the highest level of governance - the global level. A just world order must have a deep foundation, including the development of a global culture of peace and spirituality. With an integrated approach to world order, the deeper peace that humanity needs and longs for could be possible. This book presents a harmonious collection of essays to achieve a long-term look at the multidimensional evolution of world order at the dawn of a new millennium.


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CodePlexProject Hosting for Open Source Software
Hi all,
Boogie seems to scan for pragmas in multi-line /* ... */ comments -- is this intentional?
For example, the following BPL
results in
Boogie program verifier version 2.00, Copyright (c) 2003-2009, Microsoft.
intentional.bpl(2,0): Error: Unrecognized pragma: #unrecognized
1 parse errors detected in intentional.bpl
Best, Mark
Hi Mark,
I don't remember any particular reason for this. Perhaps it was easier to do in the implementation? The current behavior differs from the behavior of the C pre-processor, so I agree this is a bug. Can you fix it?
Hi Rustan,
thanks for the info! I'll look into it, but this will probably take a while...
Best regards, Mark
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promoting public awareness of and treatment for peripheral artery disease (PAD)
Business in Washington, DC


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By Tim Korte
Associated Press
Monday, December 27, 2004; Page D09
SEATTLE, Dec. 26 -- The Seattle Seahawks are back in the playoffs, led by a couple of record-setting performances by Shaun Alexander and Darrell Jackson.
Alexander rushed 30 times for 154 yards with three touchdowns and Jackson caught six passes for 101 yards, leading Seattle to a 24-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
With the victory, the Seahawks (8-7) secured no worse than a wild card, and they'll win the NFC West and get a first-round playoff game at home if Philadelphia beats St. Louis on Monday night.
"We accomplished our first goal for the season, getting into the playoffs" Alexander said. "It's a good feeling to know we may get another one accomplished by the end of tomorrow night."
It's the first time Seattle has made the playoffs in consecutive years since 1983-84.
The Seahawks, though, have infamously collapsed late in several games this season, and the Cardinals (5-10) sure made things interesting again before being eliminated from playoff contention.
Josh McCown (21 of 33 for 248 yards) threw a pair of 29-yard touchdown strikes to rookie Larry Fitzgerald in the fourth quarter, pulling the Cardinals to 24-21 with 2 minutes 30 seconds to play. He also found Fitzgerald for a score with 11:32 remaining.
"This is just a game where we didn't hit on all cylinders for four quarters," Arizona Coach Dennis Green said.
Neil Rackers was wide left on a 52-yard field goal attempt midway through the period for Arizona, or things might have been different.
"If you bought a season ticket to the Seattle Seahawks, you got your money's worth," Coach Mike Holmgren said. "It was a great win."
Alexander has a career-high 1,616 yards rushing this season, breaking Chris Warren's 1994 franchise record of 1,545. His 19 touchdowns also are a franchise mark, beating the 18 he scored two years ago.
Jackson, meanwhile, has 84 receptions, breaking the franchise record of 81 by Brian Blades in 1994. His 1,186 yards receiving this season also are a career high, and he's reached the 5,000-yard mark in 76 games.
"I've been doing this every year," said Jackson, a fifth-year pro. "I think I've been very consistent. It's not like I've been having a big jump from 600 to 1,300 yards."
He did it two games faster than any other receiver in franchise history. Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Largent reached the mark in 78 games. The Cardinals almost got one final chance. On third and six from the 24, Trent Dilfer fled the pocket under pressure and scrambled -- stumbled might be a better word -- for a seven-yard gain that took the clock to the two-minute warning. From there, all Dilfer needed to do was take a knee to run out the clock.


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- select colour
it's an internet thing!
it's an internet thing!
14:05 24 July 2012
Stand-in British troops are giving inspiration to athletes, and the Olympics organisers have announced that they will be given free tickets, which will be distributed by the Ministry of Defence.
The troops, who have been drafted in at venues of the Olympic Games to compensate for the security gap caused by the G4S recruitment fiasco, are said to have given up leaves and family holidays just to be part of the games. They will be manning perimeter fences and airport-style metal scanners.
Chef de Mission Andy Hunt said: "We get so few opportunities to thank our Armed Forces. If there's any opportunity, the first people who should receive a gold medal are the Armed Forces for stepping into the breach."
Former sports minister Colin Moynihan also described the effect that the British troops have on the athletes, saying that the soldiers' banter had lifted athletes.
The Olympics bosses announced that they have already given 10,000 tickets to the troops through a ticketshare programme. Now, however, they are distributing extra tickets in appreciation of the additional support provided by the troops, who will receive 900 more free seats.
Earlier this week, G4S, in-charge of security recruitment for the Olympics, ran into trouble when Olympic guards walked out due to a pay row. The guards say they have not been paid for six weeks. Cops had to fill their role prior to the arrival of the army troops.
Disclaimer: Supanet is not responsible for, and disclaims any and all liability for the content of comments written by contributors to this website


text: The Lancaster, Pa., Comprehensive Care Clinic for HIV has received a three-year $1 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services for the treatment of HIV-positive people in the area, the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal reports. The clinic has served more than 500 patients since it opened in 1999 and currently serves about 300 HIV-positive people. The clinic provides case management, medications, prenatal care, physicians' referrals, and links to other AIDS agencies. Clinic director Jeffrey Kirchner says the new grant will allow the clinic to hire more staff and expand its hours of operation.


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Detalii loc de munca - Anglia
Descrierea jobului - Anglia
SC. Infomunca Recruitement SRL. is looking to recruit a QA Tester for a company form UK Salary: The salary of offer for this position is £25,000-£35,000 plus and excellent benefits package. Key responsibilities: • Assist with the writing, monitoring, execution and evaluation of application tests. • Troubleshoot defects and manage defect tracking and resolution processes. • Help to create and maintain automated and manual test scripts. • Work with the development team to understand how changes in the software product affect maintenance of test scripts and the QA automated testing environments. • Work closely with the development staff to ensure that issues & defects are dealt with in a timely and professional manner. • Help to develop and maintain any smoke, performance, functional, and regression tests to ensure code is functioning as designed. • Assist in defining the company's testing methodologies and quality control standards and apply test methodology and product knowledge in the design of tests and testing strategies.
Skills and experience required: • Experience with industry standard automated testing tools • Experience testing web and reporting services applications preferably in a .Net environment • A strong understanding of HTML and CSS • An understanding of the software development cycle • Good working knowledge of MS Windows including MS Office • Good working knowledge of Visual Studio -An understanding of software workflow solutions and knowledge of Windows Server, MS Test Manager and Coded UI would also be highly advantageous. -The successful candidate must hold a valid UK driving license and possess a car suitable for business travel as client site visits will be part of the role. You will also be required to complete security vetting due to the nature of the business.
Limbi straine necesare Engleza


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News :: Marathon observation of quasars
(16/01/2009) 17 telescopes in Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America have been conducting a nearly continuous 33-hour observation of three quasars (celestial objects with incredibly high levels of energy emission) on 15-16 January. The observation is part of a demonstration at the opening event for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA 2009) in Paris.
The exercise is expected to generate much better images than those from the best optical telescopes. The data collected by different telescopes are compared and combined at the Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry in Europe (JIVE). This results in much better images compared to what the best optical telescopes can individually provide.
The marathon observation is made possible by the Express Production Real-time e-VLBI Service (EXPReS) and the cooperation of radio observatories and National Research and Education Networks. Funded by the European Commission, EXPReS has been working since 2006 to connect some of the largest and most sensitive radio telescopes around the world using highspeed optical networks.
EXPReS is a collaboration of 19 radio astronomy institutes and national research networks in 14 countries and is coordinated by the Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE) which is based in the Netherlands.
Further information can be found on the educational website of the observation


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The Eureka Herald, Thursday, Apr. 8, 1909
Died: Apr. 5, 1909
William McBrown, for nearly forty years a resident of Greenwood county and one of the more prominent citizens died at his home in Fall River Monday April 5, 1909, aged sixty nine years, two months and ninety days. William McBrown was born at Lancaster, New Hampshire, January 17, 1840. At the age of 12 he removed with his parents to Wisconsin. Five years later, at the age of seventeen he came to Kansas locating at Neosho Falls. In 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War he returned to Wisconsin and enlisted in the First Wisconsin Cavalry. After nineteen months of service he was taken prisoner, paroled and sent home. Returning to Kansas he again enlisted in the Ninth Kansas, with which regiment he served until the close of the war, having given four of the best years of his young manhood in of his country. At the close of the war, he settled in Wilson county and engaged in the mercantile business. In 1869 he was elected county treasurer which office he filled with honor and credit. May 29, 1870 he was married to Maggie Mills, who with three sons, three daughters and a sister survive him. In March 1872 he removed to his farm in Greenwood county where he lived for eleven years when he went to Fall River City and there spent his remaining days. He always took an active interest in the civic welfare of the town, and served several terms as its mayor, his successor being elected the day of his death. Mr. McBrown had been a member of the Masonic fraternity for many years. He loved the order and, although for the last few years, his failing strength had kept him from taking an active part in its work, he was always interested in everything pertaining to it. He lived by the rule of right doing; his life was large; his insight into things material was penetrating and farseeing; his judgment was keen; and his advise was always valuable. His creed was to live honorably, to deal justly, and he always had the greatest respect for those whose guide was the Golden Rule. Many there are who have known the meaning of his friendship. Perfect peace crown the gray head and soothing rest to the tired feet that walked the earth for seventy steadfast years. Funeral services were held at Fall River Wednesday and were largely attended. Most of the Fredonia Commandery Knights Templar were in attendance and had charge of the services. Rev. Bernard Kelley, a long time friend of the deceased, preached the funeral discourse.


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Essentials of Art. Space unit. Clay project requirements. You will make 2 out of the 4 following projects. Your choice. All projects must be made solely of clay. Fired projects may be glazed or hand painted.
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Space unit
11. Canopic Jars- in ancient Egypt) one of four containers with tops in the form of animal heads of the gods, for holding the entrails of a mummy
Project 1
Project 2
3. Nesting dolls- above sketch out all 4 dolls with theme.
4. Still life object - Quick sketch from observation of still life .Draw in space above or attach sketch to this handout.


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Introduction. Cold tuning system design started at Saclay for the MACSE cryomodule, early in the 90's, followed by the TTF, SOLEIL and Super3-HC cryomodules.
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Cold tuning system design started at Saclay for the MACSE cryomodule, early in the 90's, followed by the TTF, SOLEIL and Super3-HC cryomodules.
In the 6th European Framework Program, a new cold tuner implemented with fast piezoelectric actuators has be developed (CARE/SRF) based on the experience gained from the former cold tuner designs. This new tuner should meet the needs for Lorentz forces or microphonics compensation on the 9-cell elliptical cavities used in the future linear collider (ILC) or Free Electron Laser linacs.
Mechanical Design of a Fast Piezo Cold Tuner
Cavity reaction force
2 stainless steel membranes
No transverse stress on the PZTs
Spherical heads
conical PZT support
Flexible feet
transverse motion is generated by excentric rods
Length adjustment by accurate machining
51 mm (+0.005, -0)
He tank fixture
The CARE-SRF
Piezo Tuning System
Eccentric shaft
Cavity flange
He tank
Tests with two different piezo stacks
NOLIAC PZT stack actuator
L= 30 mm Vmax = 200 V
PICMA PZT stack actuator
L= 36 mmVmax = 120 V
Piezo support
radiation pressure is generated by EM field on the cavity walls
PLorentz =1/4 (m0H2 – e0E2)
resulting in cavity deformation and detuning
Df = – kL Eacc2
( static case – CW )
The static Lorentz coefficient kLdepends on :
Mechanical eigenmodes/dynamical behaviour
Transverse mode 52 Hz
Longitudinal mode 222 Hz
examples for a TTF 9-cell cavity (CASTEM FEM simulations)
Longitudinal mode 2275 Hz
For each mechanical mode :
In pulsed operation :
fully numerical modeling of LDF compensation @ 35 MV
tcavln 2
800 ms flat top
4× tcavln 2
Pulsed operation in CryHoLab
LFD compensation with the fast piezo tuner (CARE-SRF)
The detuning of -240 Hz is derived using a numerical model of the cavity and fitting the measured amplitude and phase.
With compensation the detuning is reduced to 20 Hz peak-peak during the flat top.
Piezo signal is the superposition of the
response to Lorentz force ( ≈ impulse response) and to background vibrations (He, pumps, site) which cause microphonics
Major contribution of LFD through the 306 Hz mode (Qm ≈100)
without LFD compensation
Transfer Function Measurements (1)
Transfer function harmonic response of the piezo tuner
cavity detuning (Hz)
Measurement: For moderate loaded quality factor (QL ~106), i.e. cavity bandwidth about 1300 Hz for a 1.3 GHz 9-cell cavity, detuning can be measured with a phase detector.
Piezo actuator driving voltage (V)
Best noise rejection
Measured Transfer Function at 300 K and 4.2 K
At 300 K
At 4.2 K, QL = 1.3 106
From the phase slope at low frequencies, the
piezo tuner mechanical latency can be derived:
~ 400 s.
The piezo tuner transfer function can significantly change with temperature !
(also a difference between 4.2 K and 1.8K piezo TF)
Analytical model: simultaneous contribution of mechanical eigen-modes
experimental data
Model test
Transfer function measured at 4.2 K
stiffness measurements with the hydraulic jack
kext =15.5 kN/mm
at 25 MV/m
compensation OFF
DF = -300 Hz
piezo1 only
compensation ON
DF = -40 Hz
piezo 2 only
at 25 MV/m
compensation OFF
DF = -300 Hz
compensation ON
DF = ?? Hz
both piezo activated
2 models from CARE HIPPI program
INFN blade tuner


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Choline acetyltransferase
choline acetyltransferase n.
An enzyme, present at the presynaptic ends of axons, that catalyzes the transfer of the acetyl group of acetyl CoA to choline, forming acetylcholine.
Tagged: c
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The superheroes, for the most part, have left the cineplex, but sequels and family films are sticking around through the typically eclectic fall film season.
In the coming months, the movie menu will cater to a variety of tastes and audiences.
Want action? You've got it. A film you can take the kids to? No problem. A moody drama? You're in luck.
There will be a slew of sequels, including one we have high expectations for ("The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1," out Nov. 21), two we hope will be at least as funny as their predecessors ("Dumb and Dumber To," out Nov. 14, and "Horrible Bosses 2," out Nov. 26), and two that could make the kids do a back flip ("Dolphin Tale 2," out Sept. 12, and "Penguins of Madagascar" out Nov. 26).
There will be Oscar hopefuls ("Foxcatcher," "Birdman") and Oscar winners (Nicolas Cage, who hits the big screen Oct. 3 in "Left Behind," a Christian-themed remake based on the best-selling series about the apocalypse.)
Speaking of books, they'll again serve as a rich source of inspiration this season ("Gone Girl," "This Is Where I Leave You," and more).
There's so much potential in the lineup, we couldn't include it all, so we've narrowed it down to 10 nonsequel films slated to come out through Thanksgiving. We opted to break out the family films into a separate category, since there are so many. Release dates are subject to change.
"This Is Where I Leave You"
What it's about: At their mother's behest, dysfunctional siblings gather for their father's funeral. Not surprisingly, old and new tensions arise, along with candid, humorous and heartwarming moments. It's based on Jonathan Tropper's 2009 best-seller.
Why we're interested: What a cast: Jane Fonda, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Jason Bateman, Corey Stoll and so on. The trailers make it look quite funny, but let's hope this is an improvement over director Shawn Levy's last film, the Google-inspired "The Internship."
In theaters Sept. 19.
What it's about: Set in 1984 during Margaret Thatcher's watch, this British import chronicles the unlikely partnership between striking mineworkers and LGBT activists. The film is based on a true story.
Why we're interested: Everyone needs a British charmer to perk up spirits as the dark clouds of fall come in, and this comedy starring Imelda Staunton, Bill Nighy and Dominic West has that "Kinky Boots"/"Full Monty" mood-boosting feel.
In theaters Sept. 26.
"Gone Girl"
What it's about: An evasive husband (Ben Affleck) becomes the prime suspect in the shocking disappearance of his famous wife (Rosamund Pike). If you've read Gillian Flynn's page-turner and know its twists and turns, hush up already.
Why we're interested: Look at all the talented people involved — in front of and behind the cameras. Pike ("Pride and Prejudice") finally lands a major part that will allow her to truly shine, and Affleck is a snug fit. Director David Fincher has a reliable record when adapting books to movies ("Fight Club," the American version of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," among others). And then there's Neil Patrick Harris in a weird supporting role. We're so there.
In theaters Oct. 3.
"Dear White People"
What it's about: A radio DJ and activist (Tessa Thompson) turns the volume way up on the race and culture wars at an Ivy League university. "White People" marks the feature-length film debut of director and screenwriter Justin Simien.
Why we're interested: This satire has the markings of an indie film that could become a breakout hit. It's certainly collected support on the festival circuit, nabbing awards at Sundance and at our own San Francisco International Film Festival. The themes couldn't be more vital.
In theaters Oct. 17.
What it's about: A harsh and demanding music teacher (J. K. Simmons) drives a young jazz drummer (Miles Teller) to his breaking point.
Why we're interested: Check out the trailer. Its intensity will take your breath away and make you think there's gonna be an Oscar candidate or two in the actor category. At Sundance, "Whiplash" hit all the right notes. Yes, we're jazzed.
In theaters Oct. 17.
What it's about: Life imitates art somewhat in "Babel" director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's dark and humorous oddity. Michael Keaton — who played Batman for Tim Burton — stars as a former superhero star who's staging his comeback via his own play. In the process, Keaton undergoes a meltdown. Make that meltdowns.
Limited release begins Oct. 17; no Bay Area date yet.
Why we're interested: This could fly or plummet. Given the kudos after its Venice Film Festival bow, we it hope it will soar.
What it's about: A seen-it-all sergeant named Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) leads a scrappy team of soldiers in a Sherman tank as they embark on a dangerous mission into Nazi Germany.
Why we're interested: While it sounds downright "Expendable" in key ways (a character named Wardaddy?), this World War II actioner shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. After all, director David Ayer did deliver one of the best cop dramas ever, 2012's "End of Watch" with Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena. But then again, he pumped out this year's dud, the gory "Sabotage," with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Keeping fingers crossed.
In theaters Oct. 17.
"The Theory of Everything"
What it's about: In this film bio, brilliant young physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) meets and marries Jane (Felicity Jones) and soon discovers he has ALS — a debilitating condition that challenges their relationship.
Why we're interested: Redmayne (one of the very best things about that long "Les Miserables" film) and Jones (so good in "The Invisible Woman") have the acting chops to make this complex romantic drama move us to tears and hold the ones we love ever so tight.
Limited release begins Nov. 7; no Bay Area date yet.
What it's about: Space explorers, including a single dad/engineer played by Matthew McConaughey, blaze new trails by journeying through a wormhole in hopes of saving humanity. Christopher Nolan directs.
Why we're interested: Nolan's résumé. Not only did he pull off a classic Batman makeover, he also gave us the brilliant brain-twister "Inception." Per his norm, no one's giving out any particulars. We're perfectly fine with that. The cast, cluttered with Oscar winners, including flyboy McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Ellen Burstyn, piques our interest even more so. It'll be a head trip.
In theaters Nov. 7.
What it's about: "Moneyball" and "Capote" filmmaker Bennett Miller melds two of his favorite topics — athletics and real-life murder — for a sensational crime story focusing on millionaire John du Pont's (Steve Carell) deadly relationship with two wrestling brothers (Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo).
Why we're interested: Early buzz suggests Carell's disturbing performance (he looks so different!) might land the funnyman his first Oscar nod. Tatum and Ruffalo are said to be exceptional and might grab noms for themselves. Miller has a great batting average so far and handles bleak material like this superbly, avoiding sensationalism while looking at the bigger and very American picture.
In theaters Nov. 21.


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Gov. George M. Leader
95, elected in 1955 at age 36
George Michael Leader, 95, a self-described "seventh generation Pennsylvania Dutch farmer," who was the second youngest Governor of Pennsylvania, died at his home in Hershey Thursday, May 9, 2013.
A granddaughter, Meredith Janeczek Mills of Lititz, is among his surviving relatives.
Leader graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1939. Later that year, he married Mary Jane Strickler and began service in the U.S. Navy as a supply corps officer on the USS Randolph. Following World War II, and in line with his family's seven generations of farmers, he bought a poultry farm in York County. Eventually, he became active in local politics and was elected to the State Senate seat previously held by his father.
After one term as a Democratic State Senator, he was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 1955 at the age of 36. In 1962, Leader and his wife founded a company that provided skilled nursing and rehabilitation for seniors. By 1981, the company was the largest provider of skilled nursing care in the state. Leader later established Country Meadows Retirement Communities and in 1980 launched Providence Place, where he was most recently serving as its chairman, president and CEO.
Funeral services will be held Thursday in Hershey.