July 26, 2008

July 07, 2008

Monday Morning Cartoon Requiem

 


Author Thomas M. Disch, who wrote The Brave Little Toaster, committed suicide July 4, the same day Jesse Helms died for other reasons.

The 1993 Encyclopedia of Science Fiction wrote "Because of his intellectual audacity, the chillingly distanced mannerism of his narrative art, the austerity of the pleasures he affords, and the fine cruelty of his wit, [Disch] has been perhaps the most respected, least trusted, most envied and least read of all modern first-rank sf writers.

Locus

July 03, 2008

Pro Patria

Indeed, I have long harbored a desire to hold a monthly flag-burning ... of the Confederate battle flag, in my front yard. "Heritage" be damned. If one wants to take pride in the martial efforts of your great-great-grandfather, then research his service and get a copy of his local, regimental, flag. This is your heritage. The Confederate flag is racism, death, oppression and treason. As you can see, flags do matter.
—Eric Alterman at Media Matters

They do matter, yes they do. And the glory of a flag is enhanced by the elevation it provides from which to spit on selected other flags, as it turns out.

July 02, 2008

Stunning News From A Previous Future

Along with any number of other less savory relics of the German past, a complete copy of Fritz Lang's masterpiece, Metropolis, has been hidden away all these years in Buenos Aires, it turns out.

For most of its life, Metropolis has only been available in the considerably shortened and re-edited form given it by Paramount Pictures in the wake of the film's initial disappointing showing in Berlin in 1927. Lang's complete film was presumed lost forever until a recent investigation at Buenos Aires's Museo del Cine proved that the copy held there contains all the original footage.

I'm counting on you to come through for me on this, Criterion Collection. I want.