Happenins

Another video!

bryanbuzz — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:04:58 GMT

Here's the first video off of my new system. It's a 1-minute film that I put together in order to get practice shooting, editing to music, and outputting on the internet. The audience for this clip is my 1-year-old niece Addison (so it's not exactly high-concept -- hah!). http://www.veoh.com/videos/v15103953ebGFTpph It's amazing: one minute of video takes hours and hours to shoot, organize, edit, and publish. More to come! My upcoming projects include: documentary short portraits of local artists and gay couples; video of Awno goofing around; my open letter to John McCain; and possibly some other friends who've asked me to make videos of them. Once I've had enough practice, I'll be in a better position to seriously market my skills as a director and producer of documentary films.

Confused?

bryanbuzz — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:31:55 GMT

* * Inspired by Arcana's blog here: http://people.tribe.net/arcana39/blog/4c69869c-7ade-4a27-be12-a53692beb991 * * So at LIB a friend kept calling me Awno one night. Last night Awno and I were talking and thought it would be interesting if we took a poll to see who thinks we look alike? Would you be confused? What if we wore the same sunglasses??? :P

Don't ever lick Thai chile juice!

bryanbuzz — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:39:18 GMT

I thought I'd try my hand at making *homemade* curry paste for my Indian dinner last night, but I had no freaking idea that it'd turn out quite like this. Most of the flavor in curry is the fish (or shrimp) paste and spices. But apparently, a lot of the volume is made up of peppers. So I found a recipe that looked interesting -- it called for a handful of fresh red chiles, among other things. Everything seems to taste better from scratch, so I looked forward to making some cool, flavorful red curry for my friends. As I was shopping for the chiles at the store, I found some Thai chiles in the next basket over. I thought I'd pick up a few just to add a little heat to the recipe. Maybe I'd make a 'hot' and 'mild' version or something. At home, I de-seeded one tiny little Thai chile and cut it up for the mix. That won't be too hot, I thought. I finished chopping the chile and spent a few minutes with the other ingredients -- peeling lemongrass, cutting the red chiles, and zesting the lime. After everything was in a big pile, I absent-mindedly licked some of the juice off of my thumb. I then washed my hands and started setting up the blender. A minute or so later, I noticed that my tongue tasted warm, like I'd eaten something spicy. I kept going. But it wasn't long before I realized that this was no ordinary spiciness: this was intense Tabasco hot. Because I had directly licked the juice from the chile off of my thumb, I'd gotten the most acidic part of the chile directly in my mouth. I went and drank a glass of milk to kill it. Soon, my lips started burning, as well as my fingernails. Milk wasn't making it go away! Yikes! Water wouldn't wash it off. I tried other basic foods: yogurt, vinegar, even baking soda. Nothing. In fact, each one seemed to make it worse! More water, and more milk, and more baking soda would just splatter more and more liquid on my face, which seemed to just expand the area that was burning. Burn, sizzle sizzle burn eeeeeeeeeeeehhhhh. Wow, this really, really hurts. My lips in the mirror were turning purple. Seconds felt like minutes or hours. Can lips melt? What would I do if it didn't stop? Sssssssssssssizzzle. After minutes of agony, I finally just resigned myself to my fate. I would just sit and wait for it to subside. Eeeeeeeeeeeeh. And eventually, it did. My skin looked normal again, and my tongue and lips were no longer screaming with pain. Literally an hour later, I could still feel the acid on my lips and under my thumbnails. When I was a kid, I traveled off to Thailand and somehow got served an insane-hot papaya salad. Nothing else before or since had ever tasted that hot. But this, this was something new. I am baptized by fire!

Movie Night photos - got em? Want em?

bryanbuzz — Tue, 13 May 2008 01:24:19 GMT

Do you have photos from any of the last few Sunday Movie Nights? * * I'm especially looking for the ones of Lynnsane and me as astronauts from the "2001" party. (Does anybody remember who took them?) * * Here are Keiko's from last night: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=lldhss1.coqc4cnl&x=1&y=-uoi1i8&localeid=en_US

De do do do, de da da da ...

bryanbuzz — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:35:25 GMT

So just a single day after I change my Tribe icon (after someone said I had the Billy Idol look), a homeless guy comes up to me and says: "I know it's you, Sting. Gimme your fuckin' autograph, dude." * *sigh* * Make up your MINDS, people!

Alright, I'm quitting for real. (Now HELP?!?)

bryanbuzz — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:07:59 GMT

Peeps, I said eight months ago that I would do it (here: http://people.tribe.net/bryanbuzz/blog/774f43a1-01b3-448f-97bf-fef01f278ccf ), and now here I am. I have decided that my last day at my desk job is going to be Friday, April 18th. I'm going to take one year of my life to see if I can make it as a documentary filmmaker. This is my burning passion, and I'm throwing myself into it headfirst. I shall work for the minimum wage, work for free, pay my dues, whatever. I'll still spend a few hours a week doing legal work on the side, and I have a couple of other sideline prospects as well, but film production will be my number one thing. After one year, if I can't pay my rent as a producer/director/porn star, I shall consider going back to the sort of desk job that I have now. BUT I NEED YOUR HELP, PLEASE ! ! If you are involved in documentary filmmaking, or if you know someone who is, would you please contact me? I have several contacts already, and some leads on potential work, but I would always appreciate any help that any of you can offer. I would also be happy to meet producers, directors, and successful writers who work on non-documentary projects. Thank you! I think all the time about environmental issues, about our cities, our people, our economy, and our lives. There are so many things in this world that desperately need explaining and awareness that I can't NOT become a filmmaking activist. In fact, I really think of myself as continuing to do the same job -- instead of being an attorney for the government who protects the environment, I shall be an explainer who works on behalf of the people to accomplish the same task. I can barely contain myself. This has been what I've needed for years. The more I think about this, the more I know with certainty that I'm going to be a fabulous success. I don't even have my first gig yet, and I can see the date on the calendar when my last paycheck is scheduled, but I don't care. This is going to be the best thing I have ever done. Hello again, ramen noodles. Wish me luck! And more importantly, introduce me to your friends in the entertainment industry!

"Bryan Dating."

bryanbuzz — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:44:37 GMT

Funny how Tribe and Google do instant ad generation based on the words on each page. Just now, I got an ad that said.... "Bryan Dating: Meet singles in Bryan. Join free and post instantly." Hah! Of course, that ad isn't aimed at me. "Bryan Dating" is what all of YOU should be doing.

Personality test results: I'm crazy.

bryanbuzz — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 04:51:13 GMT

Advanced Global Personality Test Results Extraversion |||||||||||||||||| 73% Stability |||||||||||||| 60% Orderliness |||||||||||| 46% Accommodation |||||||||||||| 56% Interdependence |||||||||||||||| 70% Intellectual |||||||||||||||| 70% Mystical |||||||||||| 50% Artistic |||||||||||||||||| 76% Religious || 10% Hedonism |||||||||||||||| 63% Materialism |||||||||| 36% Narcissism |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Adventurousness |||||||||||||||||| 76% Work ethic |||||||||||||| 56% Self absorbed |||| 16% Conflict seeking |||||||||||||||| 70% Need to dominate |||||||||||| 43% Romantic |||||||||||||||| 70% Avoidant |||| 16% Anti-authority |||||||||||| 43% Wealth |||||||||||||| 56% Dependency || 10% Change averse |||| 16% Cautiousness |||||||||||| 50% Individuality |||||| 30% Sexuality |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Peter pan complex |||||||||||| 43% Physical security |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Physical fitness |||||||||||||| 57% Histrionic |||||||||||| 50% Paranoia |||||| 23% Vanity |||||||||||||||| 70% Hypersensitivity |||||||||| 36% Indie |||||||||||||| 58% Stability results were moderately high which suggests you are relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic. Orderliness results were medium which suggests you are moderately organized, hard working, and reliable while still remaining flexible, efficient, and fun. Extraversion results were high which suggests you are overly talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting at the expense too often of developing your own individual interests and internally based identity. trait snapshot: social, outgoing, worry free, optimistic, upbeat, tough, likes large parties, makes friends easily, rarely irritated, open, enjoys leadership, trusting, dominant, thrill seeker, strong, does not like to be alone, assertive, mind over heart, confident, controlling, feels desirable, likes the spotlight, loves food, social chameleon, hard working, concerned about others The test is at http://www.similarminds.com.

# ^ ' : I - N - D - I - A _ + * ~ # part 2

bryanbuzz — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 10:28:04 GMT

My little paradise in Goa could easily have swallowed the entire two weeks that I have to travel here in India, I'm sure. After just a day or so, I get used to the beach outside my front door, exploring little moss-covered churches by day, and partying until after the last restaurants close. There are lots of Western travelers who never seem to leave, apparently. I meet two Swedish girls who have two months to travel, a few Finnish guys who plan to keep going until they run out of money, a couple from Northern California, an Indian guy and his Irish girlfriend, and many more. There is a crazy English-sounding woman named Diana who appears once in a while to braid the girls' hair; it seems she's lived in Goa for years. Despite the amazing fun, I am stir-crazy after about three days of partying. I know that I will need to keep moving if I'm going to do something with my trip other than just eat pancakes and dance all night. On a whim, I buy a plane ticket to Jaipur, a city in Rajastan that serves as a gateway to the deserts of northwestern India. It's also supposed to be a shopping destination, and I have a list of things that my peeps want at home. Leaving Goa is emotionally difficult for me. I had really wanted to make some good friends there and bond with people, and Goa has given me just that. (From the get-go, I had felt lonesome in Mumbai, because few people were around, and up until the movie thing I hadn't had any shared experiences with any fellow travelers.) But most of them are heading south to Kerala, and at different times and paces. None of my friends are going the same direction as me, so I say farewell. The long taxi ride to the Goa airport is especially difficult, because of the beautiful place that I am leaving and because I am saying goodbye to all of them. I take "Kingfisher Airlines" from Goa to Jaipur. Quick update: "Kingfisher Beer" is the watered-down swill that seems to get top billing on many restaurants' menus here. Same logo and type -- same company! You don't often see alcohol and commercial airlines getting co-branded like that. (Would "Busch Air" keep using its "Head for the Mountains" slogan if they did?) As I get off the plane in Jaipur, a Kingfisher person asks to see my ticket stub. I explain that I don't have it. What use is a ticket stub after you've gotten *off* the plane? After a moment, I walk away without showing my stub. In India, things like "ticket checks," lines, etc are often sort of optional if there's a crowd. A minute later, a skinny Indian kid in a Kingfisher uniform runs up next to me and says "ticket, please." I reply, "I don't have it," and keep walking. "Jaipur?" He asks. He wanted to make sure I'd flown to the correct airport! I say yes, and he leaves. I split a $8 taxi into the city with a couple of Norwegian girls. They are on a 3-month vacation, and India was their first destination. "We've had enough," they say; after Jaipur, they're going to leave India early and never come back. They think that Thailand sounds more like their speed. I'm not surprised to hear that people give up; this place is filled with chaos and challenges and grime. Many travelers to India are uncomfortable from the moment they arrive. It's easy to be put off by the traffic, the crazy organization of everything on a street scale, and the apparent lack of any rule of law. But India's real charm is in its variety, and its constant bustle, and in the sheer scale of everything. There's also an attention to detail that you don't see in the West -- not just in terms of decoration, but in terms of people and services. For many people, India really sets in after they have *left*. We realize: "Wow, that was crazy. I want to do it again." India is quick to test whether you can detach yourself from material comforts and see what lies beyond them. If you can pass that test, then you will pick up on the subtler rewards that follow. The following day, I attempt to go shopping in Jaipur. But the traffic, the nonexistent pedestrian space, the honking horns, the clouds of smoke from the awful 2-cycle rickshaws, and the constant hassling from people trying to get my fare/business wears me down. Jaipur sucks big time. At one point, after a little comparison shopping, I realize that I have seriously overpaid for some things that i bought. I got seven beautiful silk and woolen scarves for $100, when I realize I should have paid more like $60. The $40 difference is a lot of money in India. I feel dumb for having overpaid, and the city is getting to me. I left Goa for *this*? I fall into a deep funk. I hate India, and I want to go home. You know, when I'm down when I travel, there are really only two alternatives: friends, or comfort food. Today I am alone, so I do something that I *hate* to do when overseas: I hit McDonald's. Yes, the golden arches are even here in distant India. I skip the Maharaja Mac (with veggie patties -- the cows are sacred) and go for a McChicken, fries, and Coke. Ronald McDonald cheers me up a little. That evening, I buy a movie ticket on a whim to a Bollywood flick. I have to really convince myself to go in, because I know that I'll get even more stares than usual from the kids in the theater. What the hell, why not? I go. And you know what? I was the most popular guy there! The braver of the kids in the place strike up a conversation, and they love me. They investigate every detail of my life back in LA and my trip to Jaipur. They learn that I am in a group that makes independent films -- this, it seems, somehow puts me into celebrity territory. We all watch the film together -- it's a "masala movie," an all-encompassing family affair with a little bit of drama, some comic relief, a couple of love stories, and even a brief car chase (real traffic in Mumbai is far more frightening than the film!). It's pure bubblegum. The characters are dancing and singing on the ghats of Varanasi within the first two minutes. Think Disney, set in India and in Hindi, with sitar techno and elaborate traditional costumes and a hundred backup dancers. I don't need subtitles to follow the story. Afterwards, I give high-fives to about twelve different kids before pulling myself away. For the first time, I feel welcomed rather than viewed as just a strange-colored bag of money. Those kids were awesome! Everything feels different. I love India, and I don't want to leave. Within a few hours I am on an overnight train to Jaisalmer, a desert town near the Pakistan border. I meet Hannah and Martin, a German couple also staying for only a few weeks. We have dinner at an Italian restaurant atop the Jaisalmer Fort as the sun sets. Google "Jaisalmer" and click 'images.' Before long, we have signed up together for a camel trek through the desert for the following day! I missed this rollercoaster. Part 3 soon. Bryan Buzz

( * - ` I . N . D . I . A - ^ @ ) part 1

bryanbuzz — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 08:54:52 GMT

Going to India for 2 weeks' vacation is like spending 5 minutes getting a professional massage. Once you figure out what's really involved, you realize how much more you *need*! For a moment, I was going to write that it was a major pain in the ass just getting here; but in fact, it was an adventure. See, the plane was delayed out of LAX for 16 hours, which cut into my vacation and required another ride to the airport. But my "bonus" Saturday night in LA was filled with music, sexy people, and lots of new friends. (Thank you, Andrea, Chris and Annemarie, and Sugar Shack!) And I also imagined that I would rant on and on about my delayed flight in Taipei due to a typhoon, and the fact that they forced me to stay overnight in a transit hotel before sending me onward -- on a different, longer route through Singapore -- to my final destination. But after further reflection, see, even though I literally arrived in India a full two days late, I still had a fun time getting here. There was a group of 40 or so Indian people, plus me, who together went through the hotel-delay-rerouting process. A couple of them were really upset, but after a while, we all kind of accepted it and laughed. I got to know several of them -- one of whom will be meeting up with me here in Goa -- and really enjoyed our time. They all had interesting things to say in one way or another, and we all kind of helped each other out. I feel like I had bonded just a little bit with India before I'd even arrived. Mumbai (Bombay) itself is a dirty, noisy city that isn't a lot of fun. Too many car horns, untuned engines, and uneven sidewalks. Don't even get me started about crazy driving -- hah! And let's just say that in India, I have to make even more compromises with my standards of cleanliness than I do when backpacking in other countries, even places like China and Egypt. But the highlight of the trip so far was in Mumbai. A couple of kids from a local film studio pulled me off of the street and asked me to act in a feature film! They dressed me up as a British soldier for a period piece and gave me a couple of lines ("Hey You!" "Die, you bloody Indian!"). Pretty entertaining, even though the producers drifted from English to Hindi to some other language, so I couldn't always understand my cue. But they didn't seem to mind -- they were actually on the final day of shooting, apparently, so there was a big party when they wrapped at the end. For all this, they fed me and paid me $35 for four hours' work! Hah! Now, I find myself in an Internet cafe in Goa, the travelers' beach retreat to the south, as I escape the midday sun. I thought I might find myself partying my ass off to trance music on the beach. However, so far, it's been a little more mellow than that. This is definitely a Burner-friendly place, with an obvious hippie influence, and the dr ugs are everywhere, but the all-night dance parties have yet to materialize (I'm told they will come later in the season). Perhaps that's okay -- it makes the Opulent Temple seem all that more special, and I even wonder if this place would be a lot less fun with huge crowds. I have no idea where to go next, and I think I'll just figure it out as I go. After all, I am only here in order to receive what India has in store for me. So far, it's been two or three curveballs, but even they have made for a fucking amazing time. I'll post photos later, and I'll sign off for now in case the power goes out again. I hope you are all well -- see you in a week or two.

My playa location map for 2007~!!

bryanbuzz — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 05:44:07 GMT

Have a fabulous burn everyone! I won't be there; my wanderlust has taken over and I will be headed out of the country later this year for a different kind of exploration. See you in Black Rock City in 2008. BB

I think I'm gonna JUMP!

bryanbuzz — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 03:45:32 GMT

It's time, peeps, for me to make a big change, and I need your advice and encouragement: I am considering quitting my 9-to-5 job and entering the scary world of freelancing and independence! See, I've been at my 9-to-5 job for almost six years now, and it's getting dull. REALLY dull. I'm about at the top of the promotional ladder, the commute is driving me crazy as ever, and the work itself is no longer as rewarding as it once seemed. Besides, I think that I can still do similar work on a semi-freelance basis. I have had virtually zero chances to travel for my job, etc etc etc. I could just go on and on about why I'm ready to leave there. But most of all, I have a crazy dream that I just can't get out of my head: I still want to make films. That's right, I shall create fictional films and documentaries that will blow people away and teach them new things. I know it's cliche these days, but I'm a movie freak, and I want more. I think that the only realistic way to enable this to happen involves no longer being an attorney full-time. I've realized that the happiest moments of my life so far haven't had anything to do with how much money I was making or how much stuff I had in my living room. Some of my best times ever, ever *ever* have been when all I had was a backpack and my friends. And now, I live in the coolest loft I've ever had in my life and make more money than ever before, but I'm not all that happy. Various people have told me at points in my life that I should follow my dreams. But just a couple of weeks ago, I met a really interesting person at a party. She said that once she left her old life behind, and pursued what she was really happy about (in her case, photography), everything just fell into place. She said that I would just have to trust that everything would work out. And she has inspired me to act. But Jeezus, people, this is scary. I've had a regular paycheck for years now! I have health insurance and contributions to my retirement plan! Aaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugggggghhhhhh ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Six months, I think. I'll scrimp and save some money, make a plan, get my resume together, ramp up my networking, and then ... quit! And make the movies that I dream about. * * * * * * * * * * SO: any suggestions for me? Have any of you done something like this before? How did you do it? Especially if you have been here before, would you email me or message me to reassure me that I'm not jumping off a cliff? Bryan Buzz

iDontcare.

bryanbuzz — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:41:27 GMT

ENOUGH! Since when is it the national media's job to hype a product like this?!?! I'm tired of hearing about the iPhone and its expected effects. This thing is $500, people, and a hundred a month just for the service contract. It's only available through *one* provider, you can't directly download songs, and there are usually glitches during the first six months anyway. And do you really believe that last-minute announcement that, oh, the battery life doesn't really suck after all? I'm not doubting that this thing will be cool once they iron out the kinks and get the price down. And I, for one, will welcome the changes in phone usability that it will surely bring. But between now and next year, I'm tuning out the hype.

"Syriana" is like the politics of oil: fast, bewildering, and um, violent.

bryanbuzz — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 06:27:28 GMT

"Look at the progression," says energy analyst Bryan Woodman. "Versailles, Suez, 1973, Gulf War I, Gulf War II. This is a fight to the death." Woodman (Matt Damon) is speaking to a Saudi prince and possible heir to the throne. He is ticking off a list of the West's power struggles in the Middle East, clearly suggesting that oil forms the basis for all of it. He says it in order to suggest that oil-rich Arab states should invest in infrastructure and diversify their economies for the coming day when the oil is finally "sucked dry." But his speech also points out the central thesis of "Syriana," a political action thriller from director Stephen Gaghan: dependence on oil has wrought corruption and violence upon the entire world. The plot looks at several different characters at a time, "Magnolia"-style. The Saudi prince seeks to ascend to power and change his country; a CIA agent (George Clooney) must recover a wayward missile and defend his career; the energy analyst Woodman deals with a tragedy and finds himself with a unique opportunity. Another virtually anonymous Pakistani laborer struggles to find work and a life in the Gulf. Sometimes the characters' lives overlap, sometimes not. They are all pawns in the game, however, without any of them really being in control of very much. Each of them is expected to play their role, without much regard to laws or morality. The end goal: control over ever more of the world's oil. The editing threw me at first. We are brought into conversations that have already begun, and dropped into rooms with multiple people talking. Names are mentioned once, or not at all, with or without significance, and personal traits and reactions are incompletely developed or rushed past completely. There is little time for digestion or even the sort of long pans and zooms that tend to show reflection and thought. It's as though we're not only supposed to be entertained by watching this power struggle wreck the lives of these people, but we're also intended to be shocked at the enormity and complexity of it all. "Syriana" is ultimately a decent movie that no one will probably fully understand after watching it only once. But the power and corrupting effect of the world's oil contests is quite clear, and every viewer will at least leave the theater struck with the sense that this cannot go on for long.

"Wal-Mart" squeezes high impact out of lower production values.

bryanbuzz — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 05:39:38 GMT

I wasn't expecting much from "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price,” a feature film from Robert Greenwald that debuted last month. His previous movie, “Outfoxed,” an expose of Fox News’s conservative bias, was at times uninspiring and unexplainable. So this time, I was surprised to get a varied, intelligent, passionate piece that effectively and thoroughly criticizes the mammoth retail chain. This film has something that the iffy editing and amateur sound mixing can’t ruin: it has heart. You can’t help but sympathize with Jon Hunter, whose 40-year-old “H&H Hardware” store was driven out of business when Wal-Mart came to town. The film is heavy with personal interviews of current and former employees, of former managers, and of (usually former) competitors. These people are scathingly critical of the retailer, usually for good reason. Together, the stories all paint a picture of a giant corporation that squeezes every last bit of productivity out of its employees, squashes its competitors, and drives down both prices and *wages* to the bare bones. But that’s not all. Wal-Mart also, according to the movie, has apparently failed to provide even minimal security in some or all of its parking lots; has polluted the environment; has discriminated against women and minorities; provides inadequate health care; brutally crushes union organizing; and, incredibly, encourages its employees to apply for public assistance. Now, let’s keep our eyes open here. This is a liberal movie created by a liberal. We can expect Greenwald to rail against corporate evils and to not defend the company. But he is much more fair than I had expected. He notes some of the company’s positive aspects, such as one retail store taking steps to fix its toxic runoff pollution problem after it received negative publicity. He also seems to acknowledge that global trade does have its benefits, although whether he thinks that they outweigh the negatives is unclear. (He does stop short of talking about the benefits that low prices bring to consumers, or of portraying opposing viewpoints on most of the above issues.) But there’s a more fundamental problem here as well. More than the human drama, more than the globalization and property values and small businesses, the movie touches on another important issue. It has to do with the nationwide system of subsidies and competitive irresponsibility in this country in which government gives the most money to the largest companies. It works like this: a local town government seeks to increase its tax revenue by bringing a big retailer to town. After all, they know that a typical Wal-Mart or other big-box store can have a payroll in the millions of dollars. The town figures that most of that money will get spent inside their town, and the town will usually get most of the sales tax money from people shopping at the store. They also want the prestige of having the store inside their city limits, thinking that it will put them “on the map” and encourage more commercial growth. BUT: the town’s neighbors also want to get that same money. There isn’t enough of a market to bring more than one big-box store to the area, so the towns compete with one another in order to persuade the big retailer to build a store inside their city limits. Each town offers something up: property tax breaks, free road and sewer upgrades, or even direct cash subsidies. The retailer’s people seek to negotiate a deal, usually hinting (or outright threatening) that they will go elsewhere unless the package is sweet enough. Perhaps the retailer serenades the town council with stories of how the town will see a new influx of activity and residents, and most importantly to them, tax revenue. Or perhaps it darkly hints of lawsuits if they refuse. The town’s government, its eyes lit with dollar signs, closes the deal. The store gets X dollars in tax breaks over so many years in exchange for opening a store on the outskirts of town. Do small businesses get this kind of help? Did H&H Hardware in Middlefield, Ohio get this sort of red-carpet treatment? Usually, the answer is no. Governments in the United States throw away billions of dollars in subsidies and tax breaks for the largest companies, usually at the expense of smaller companies and *always* at the expense of the taxpayers. Even if you don’t care about the human drama, the environment, the crime, the destroyed businesses and city centers caused by gargantuan chain stores like Wal-Mart – how can you justify the tax breaks? Answer me, conservatives. I understand that individual cities make their own decisions, and this sort of thing is the result of competition between them. But how can you say that this overall system is fair? As long as Wal-Mart gets subsidies that H&H Hardware cannot, then our system of tax giveaways is anti-free enterprise. Do you still justify Wal-Mart’s profits as wholly legitimate? I suspect that many people in the mainstream will dismiss the left's criticisms of big stores like Wal-Mart, perhaps by mumbling that the market created it and shouldn't be interfered with. In theory, I would truly favor simply allowing the market to decide how big stores should get, so long as basic labor, health, and environmental standards are met, etc etc. But the defense doesn't apply when we're talking about such a massively subsidized company whose market 'playing field' is imbalanced in every community from the start. Wal-Mart apparently abuses not only its workers and suppliers, but the idea of fair competition itself.

"Born Into Brothels" shows why I love documentaries.

bryanbuzz — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 05:17:10 GMT

Films that are scripted and fictional ("normal" movies) can get me as riled up as anyone else. They make me laugh and cry, scare me, break my heart. I find myself caring for the characters and getting excited about the plot or the action when it's well done. But for me at least, I seem to have a special love for films that are *real*. Documentaries are about people and events that actually happened. There's no director, no script, no sound stage -- it's life up close. Usually, to most people, that's boring, because life isn't filled with explosions and shouted, themed climaxes. But every once in a while, all the ingredients seem to come together in a film anyway, and the hum-drum conversation bits of everyday life are assembled into a riveting piece that makes me cheer out loud for the characters and hang on their every word. Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski have done just that with "Born Into Brothels," a feature doc about the lives of eight children living in a house of prostitution in India. Co-director Briski is teaching the kids photography, and the film is partly about the results of her work. Briski serves as something of a narrator at times, and social worker at others. The film is initially careful to let the kids themselves be the center of attention. The kids play with one another and goof around, sometimes snapping photos here and there at the zoo, at the beach, or home at the brothel. In fact, the film is delightfully packed with the kids' little random conversations, tidbits, and games. Parents are present but rarely seen, and as the film progresses, Briski almost plays stand-in mother as she attempts to enroll the children into boarding schools and get their photos publicized. Ultimately, the film chronicles her efforts and the results. The children are clearly aware that the brothel isn't good for them -- in fact, the film opens with 10-year-old girl Kochi's statement that "bad men" visit them in the brothel. The kids are verbally abused and worse. But the subject of the trade itself is gingerly stepped around -- there is no need to portray or scarcely even discuss that evil -- and I found myself breathing a sigh of relief that the kids are sent up to the roof to play when mommy has visitors over to "spend time." But the older kids know what is happening, keenly aware that the girls will soon be outside in "the line" on the street to earn money. This movie gives the viewer a good feel for the awful poverty of Calcutta, and for the various roadblocks and prejudices that the poor and stigmatized face in trying to improve their own lot. But it's also clear that the parents, and sometimes the kids themselves, aren't exactly trying hard. Perhaps they've given up, or perhaps they just know that they're doomed. Whatever the cause, I found myself utterly drawn toward these children. And heartbroken. Growing up in the West, we are taught -- especially in the United States -- that anyone can succeed if they work hard and go to school. It's usually true. But in India, these kids face huge obstacles in simply *getting* to school in the first place. Are karma and caste still so infused into Indian culture that a person can't improve their own lot in life? "Born Into Brothels" asks whether this is true, but without ever directly discussing it. In fact, there is no mention of politics or religion at all, and scarcely any hint at cultural biases. But the question is there. Will India ever fix its problems? Kauffman and Briski must have thought carefully about the focus of their message when they decided how to edit their footage. The travelers' saying goes, "I am not here to change India. India is here to change me." It's a phrase that immediately encourages the visitor to have humility and to accept his/her role as an outsider looking in. But it also suggests that the world's second-largest country is rich with tradition and slow to change, and that some tragedies are unavoidable. Perhaps this awareness guided their decision to focus only on the human-scale stories of eight kids. I can't help but wonder, though, and against all odds I still hope, that even this enormous elephant of a country can be turned around enough so that all of its children will one day have education, a stable family life, and a chance at a better future.

"Walk the Line" neither stumbles nor really amazes.

bryanbuzz — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 19:24:26 GMT

If you were dying at this very moment, and you knew that you only had time enough to sing just one more song, what would you sing? Would you really belt it out and make it count? That one song would be your last and best expression of your short time on this earth. You would pour your heart and soul into it and make your song matter! That -- THAT is the song that we want to hear. So was the advice given to a young Johnny Cash in one of the better scenes of "Walk the Line," a new film by director James Mangold about the life and times of the iconic folk singer. The advice comes from a recording studio owner in response to Cash's (Joaquin Phoenix) tired and passionless tunes during an audition. Up until that moment, Cash and his band had dutifully recited the gospel standards of the day -- and the studio owner had replied, "I don't believe you." It's great advice that applies to any artist: create your work as though it were your only expression of life, and as though nothing else mattered. From then onward, according to the film, Johnny Cash literally changes his tune, writing instead about cowboys and guns and Folsom Prison. He launches almost effortlessly into a brilliant musical career, dealing only with his own drug addiction and marital infidelity along the way. However, the film really focuses on his longtime friendship and romantic pursuit of fellow entertainer June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). Mangold makes much of the actual concert scenes, full of sidelong glances and heavy stares, to portray his characters working out their relationship issues. This is "Staying Alive" again, with John Travolta trapped in an on-stage love triangle as the mist and disco bass swirls around him. Every move is heavy with longing and real-life significance, and the characters are thinking far more about relationships at that moment than about actually performing. Or so we are to believe. As only a recent Johnny Cash fan, I had hoped for a lot more insight into the Man in Black's songs themselves. We catch a momentary glimpse of a documentary newsreel that first inspired "Folsom Prison Blues," but there is little else here to digest. Why did Cash have so much heartache about the Old West and morality plays and regret to pour into his songs? We catch tantalizing glimpses of Carter writing "Ring of Fire," but then get essentially nothing about the song itself or what inspired it. It's a letdown to hear so little about the music itself in this film, especially after the studio owner so beautifully lit Cash's passions and told him to sing like he meant it. For a film about Johnny Cash, there is scarcely anything in here about gunfights, judges, or Kingdom Come. Phoenix and Witherspoon act well enough to make me care about these characters (and wonder what the hell June Carter really saw in him), but they can't save an uninspiring screenplay. This film has its moments, but they both bookend a story that is missing the real passion of its hero.

"Jarhead." The Other War Movie.

bryanbuzz — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 01:47:20 GMT

In some films, the setting so overpowers the subject material that many simply lose sight of what the movie is actually about. So it is with Sam Mendes' complex and heartbreaking psychological drama "Jarhead." It's a drama that just happens to be set during the first Gulf War in 1991. Jake Gyllenhaal is gripping and totally convincing as Swofford, a third-generation Marine who tries to make sense of the war and its purpose. The Gulf War was sanitized and PR-focused to a degree unknown (at the time). Can anyone see a deeper purpose in it? Is there something there worth risking our friends, family, girlfriends, and our *own* lives for? Swofford gets assigned to a sniper unit and must sit out, bored, for months during the buildup to the war. During the brief time that the war actually rages, his unit advances on foot through destroyed oilfields and charred wreckage, with scarcely an enemy to be seen. Only his very last assignment of the war might put him within striking range. Here, Mendes can't create the unreal caricatures that some of his "American Beauty" characters appeared to be at first. This story is true, which gives it a sadness all its own. The photography and sound are brilliant, and I completely forgot that the people on the screen were actors. Many reviewers have complained of the lack of actual depictions of war in this movie. Who cares? This is a drama. Others have gone so far as to call "Jarhead" a "war movie without a war." I reply: how can you call this a "war movie" to begin with? This is the story of an awful adventure of a handful of kids thrown into a strange foreign country, getting stuck on the front lines of what seemed it'd be Armageddon, and told by their government bosses to either lie or shut up. Must all films that portray soldiers become labeled a "war movie," which then require helicopters and explosions and gunfights? Certainly not. Instead, isn't it every bit as relevant to a wartime drama to show the horrible drudgery, the anger at wasted time and wasted lives, the play-for-the-camera antics, the tense standoffs, and the similarly tense head games of a soldier stressed to the breaking point? To portray the Gulf War any other way would, I imagine, simply not be a real story about the real experiences of many American soldiers. If movies are only here to make us cheer when the huts blow up in the jungle (as do Swofford and his pals in one scene while watching 'Apocalypse Now'), then it's time for me to start blogging about something else. But if the purpose of film is to help us understand the minds and the lives of others, then "Jarhead" is essential.

"Serenity" stays true to the TV show w/o much more....

bryanbuzz — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 00:20:22 GMT

Horses, spaceships, cowboy ballads, alien worlds. After having gotten hooked on Ross Whedon's weirdly touching sci-fi TV show "Firefly" during its one (and only) season, I jumped at the chance to see "Serenity," the feature film adaptation. Yes, I am a geek, but love me anyway. The original show tells the story of a misfit group of smugglers and their eclectic passengers aboard the spaceship Serenity. Set 500 years into the future, the characters are living in the aftermath of a great civil war between the imperialist Alliance and the ragged Independents. Most of the characters are running from the law, for various reasons, and most of the plot involves back-room dealings and intrigue. What made the show unique was its blending of the science fiction background with a familiar Old West group of characters and settings. Virtually every planet is either a desert outpost with horses and dusty saloons, or else it's a shiny Buck Rogers metropolis. Ditto for the guns, the vehicles, and even the twangy dialogue. And the film version certainly follows through, although it seems to be much heavier on the spaceships. The film actually starts off right where the series itself ended -- with the characters bickering among themselves. Inara, the high-class professional "companion" and apparent love interest of the captain Malcolm Reynolds, has left the ship. The ship's engineer Kaylee has a crush on Simon, the resident doctor. The pilot Wash and his wife, the second-in-command Zoe are fairly plain, and the meathead warrior Jayne is pretty entertaining. This time, though, the plot quickly centers upon the bizarrely quirky River, Simon's sister. Simon has foresaken his career and fortune in order to save her from the Alliance's evil psychic experiments, and everyone on the ship must pull together in order to deal with the problems and moral challenges that her presence creates. There are things more important than survival ... and those things are even bigger than merely saving your friends and fighting an oppressor! Thankfully, the net result is much more about human drama and gunbattles than about spaceships and bumpy foreheads. The plot ties up most of the loose ends from the show while remaining watchable for those who have never seen it. That's a delicate balance to create, and it appears that director Ross Whedon had to sacrifice some of the character depth in order to do it. The film is well-shot at times, but some of the computer-generated ships look ridiculous. Overall, unless you were part of the original audience that loved the show for all of its greatness, you'll probably find this to be only a good-but-not-great sci-fi mishmash. http://www.serenitymovie.com