On the latest episode of Foreign Entanglements, Nick Sarantakes and I spoke about his latest book, Making Patton: It's a very interesting work; we also draw out some implications for more modern war/foreign policy films, and wonder whether anyone will ever make "Petraeus."
politics and film
(Being the first of many of these I'll be producing this summer.) With summer here and only some online teaching duties to attend to—meaning that I can put the 2½ hours.
Apparently something: As you well know, I'm opposed to violent rhetoric on principle and should be offended, but honestly? A second-long Easter egg that no one notices until the producers point.
Last week at APSA I chaired a panel on IR Theory and Grand Strategy. I discuss one of the papers in this week's WPR column: In 1903, the novel "Riddle of the Sands" was published to great acclaim in the United Kingdom. Written by Erskine...
Loomis has been badgering me for a while to watch The Battle of San Pietro, and in a moment of weakness I finally succumbed. It's truly fantastic; some thoughts: Mark.
Oh, now here we go: I'd say Saakashvili doesn't deserve Garcia, but they actually do a pretty good job.
I hadn't read Andrew O'Hehir's screed against unemployed movie critic bellyaching until Wolcott linked to it, but I think that both O'Hehir and Wolcott make solid points about the future of film criticism. Wolcott: I miss those days, but they’re not coming back, any more...
I finally watched Valkyrie this week, and I ended up liking it a lot more than I expected. Unlike many critics, I thought that Cruise did a solid job as.
Davida Isaacs and I have an article at TAPPED on Iron Man 2 and defense contracting: Explosions, tattoos, and Scarlett Johansson notwithstanding, the disputes between Tony Stark and his antagonists.
Saw Avatar last week, and apparently I must weigh in. Lot's o' spoilers ahead...Is Avatar racist?Sure, but that's not a very interesting question. Back before I saw 300, I was prepared to be irritated by its racism, ethnocentrism, and violence to history, but after watching...
Quick question: Did the news that a Dutchman was the first to tackle Shoebomber #2 remind anyone of how, in United 93, the appeasement-minded coward was clearly European? Me neither.
I just have one thing to say about the Red Dawn remake: I will not complain that it is "too wingnutty." In fact, I'll complain if it's not wingnutty enough..