The Rabbi Report

Warning:

NSFW!

BTW, if you don't know that this is from the brilliant, short-lived HBO series Deadwood, this will mean absolutely nothing to you. Sorry for the bandwidth.

Thanks to Eugene for the heads up....

HBO, George Carlin's cable TV home for decades will remember the man this week with two marathon runnings of many of his HBO specials on HBO2 as well as an airing of his most recent special, "George Carlin: It's Bad for Ya," which premiered on the network in March, on HBO channel on Friday, June 27 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT).

The HBO2 schedule for 11 Carlin HBO specials is (all times ET/PT):

Wednesday, June 25
8:00 p.m. George Carlin at USC (1977)
9:30 p.m. George Carlin Again! (1978)
11:00 p.m. Carlin at Carnegie (1983)
midnight Carlin on Campus (1984)
1:00 a.m. Playin' with Your Head (1986)

Thursday, June 26
8:00 p.m. What Am I Doing in New Jersey? (1988)
9:00 p.m. Doin' It Again (1990)
10:00 p.m. Jammin' in New York (1992)
11:00 p.m. Back in Town (1996)
12:05 a.m. You Are All Diseased (1999)
1:00 a.m. It's Bad for Ya (2008)

Like any artist, Carlin wasn't 100% successful 100% of the time, but he was smarter, funnier, more insightful and irreverent than anyone out there for almost 50 years.

And here....his rather brilliant take on organized religion:

Legendary comedian George Carlin has died at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, according to Reuters and other sources. The first ever host of Saturday Night Live, Carlin was set to receive the Mark Twain Prize from the Kennedy Center, a lifetime achievement award presented to an outstanding comedian.

Carlin has long been my favorite political and social satirist and his voice, forever honest, will be missed. Today the world is short one of its most strident and unflinching observers. With the country in a seemingly unending war (two of them, actually), a growing gas crisis and almost constant government corruption, we need his unflinching honesty, clearness of vision and common sense now, more than ever.

Rest In Peace, George Carlin.

Over the next few days I hope to post a few of my favorite Carlin clips. And remember:

Shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, tits!

I am hosting this month's edition of Speakeasy Cinema and y'all should come and join us! While I am forbidden from revealing the name of the film, from the hints below and if you know me, you might, just might, be able to guess.

So here's the info:

Monday, June 16, 2008
Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: 279 Church Street, New York City - 3 blocks below Canal St- across from the Tribeca Grand

SPEAKEASY CINEMA provides an opportunity for the film community to watch movies and talk about them a la the Algonquin Roundtable. No one will know which film it is until the lights dim.

Be forewarned: I have chosen a film that fulfills one of the very important roles that Speakeasy Cinema can play: This classic is also a drinking game, and we'll be bringing extra alcohol so anyone who gets one can take a shot anytime the rules of the game demand it.

After the screening we chat about the film, movies in general and there's more drinking. NB: At this intimate event industry talk is verboten, but your libations are welcome (read: BYOB or wine and we will have the corkscrew).

You should bring: beer, whisky, and red wine.

And if you leave standing, you never arrived.

These are some pretty serious hints, but don't wrack your brains too hard. It's a nice, fun and brilliant surprise!

Admission is $5

My Winnipeg (IFC Films, IFC Center and Lincoln Plaza Cinemas in New York City)
Dir. Guy Maddin, Written by Guy Maddin and George Toles

Much like offal or the music of Philip Glass, the films of Guy Maddin are an acquired taste. Unlike the first two items on my list, I adore the films of this native son of Winnipeg, Manitoba. I first encountered his works at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2003 when both Dracula: Pages From A Virgin's Diary and Cowards Bend the Knee were screened. The latter was originally screened as a series of peephole vignettes which, interestingly, one had to bend one's knees, to see. But I digress....

My Winnipeg is a docu-drama cum dreamscape begat nightmare of a vision about a place that is clearly as much a part of Maddin's being as is his skin, brain or limbic system. What I mean to say is, Maddin is Winnpeg and vice versa. That said, I have no idea if the Winnipeg in the film resembles the "real" Winnipeg at all. What is clear, however, is that it's Maddin's Winnipeg, and that's all that matters. The filmmaker's trademark style is in full effect and the tale he weaves about the history of Winnipeg (did dozens of horses really flee a fire in the 1920's only to freeze to death in the river, becoming props for the weekend skaters?) is as engrossing as is is at times ridiculous. That said, you really do leave the film wondering if it's just possible that the city has a law requiring citizens to allow former occupants of their homes to knock on their door and spend one night (while sleepwalking, natch).

Orange Jell-O, naked Russian ice hockey stars, a weekly TV drama about a jumper called "Ledge Man" and rooftop homeless communities all make appearances in Maddin's vision of his beloved hometown and while the film is full of trademark-Maddin humorous moments and Winnipeg clearly means a lot to him, it's sort of like the fantastic, quasi-nightmarish version of a city that a child might create, albeit one you might want to take to a therapist. That said, it's gorgeously photographed in typical Maddin style, great fun and a loving homage to a city most of us know nothing about. While I might not want to live there myself (far too cold for me, for starters) it's a fantastic place to visit for 80 minutes and Guy Maddin is a great host.

Photo: The Hollies Snowshoe club visit the frozen horse heads.
Photo credit: Jody Shapiro, © Everyday Pictures Inc.

Reuters is reporting that an estimated 1,150 prisoners, including 400 Taliban were set loose from a prison in Kandahar, today. The door was apparently blown open by a truck bomb, presumably as part of a massive Taliban-organized prison break.

Are you kidding me? Oh, goodie. If there was any doubt that we were fighting two wars, they're gone, now. 400 more Taliban on the loose in Afghanistan?

Something tells me the Stop-Loss fiasco is going to continue for years.

NBC News' Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert died of an apparent heart attack this afternoon after collapsing at work in Washington DC. This is for sure a great loss, as Russert was a straightforward and well-respected journalist and the longest-serving host of NBC's Meet the Press, itself the longest-running US television program in history, having been on the air since November 6th, 1947.

Russert was a consummate newsman (and attorney) and his voice will be greatly missed during this most critical of election years. NBC anchors Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams are telling some great stories about Russert on MSNBC right now.

One of the great ones came from Williams who mentioned that facade of the Newseum in Washington D.C. is inscribed with the First Amendment to the US Constitution. Whose idea was that? Tim Russert.

In this time of a flaccid White House press corps and dwindling ethics and excellence in news, Tim Russert will be sorely missed.

Links about the story at Mahalo.

This evening, the mas macho member of the US House of Representatives Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) introduced articles of impeachment against President Bush in a 35 count indictment on the House floor. It's not going to happen, but think about it: 435 members of the House and only ONE has the nads/brains/morals to do this?

And lest you think this is all about the war (like that's not enough) he's addressing Katrina (STILL not answered for, almost THREE years later) and global warming.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has repeatedly said that impeachment is off the table and no one thinks this is going to get much traction, but all the wire services and hundreds of other outlets, have picked it up. Maybe combined with Scott McLellan's testemony before the house judicialry committee on June 20th will have some effect, at least in the public consciousness.

It's on C-Span. Dig it.

Seriously? They went there? Fuckin' A, Bubba!
I love the little "uh oh" look he gives at the end. Heh heh heh!

Sorry for the late notice, but have you got an couple hours to kill and some dollars rattling around in your wallet? Then you could do a damn sight worse than going to see The Wombats at the Blender Theatre at the Gramercy.

I've written on more than a few occasions that the Wombats are a fantastic band and dammit, everyone who takes me at my word and gives them a listen, agrees. So why not try them out?

Come on down to the show and hear Murph:

Tord:

and Dan:

Ooooh and Aaaah their way into your hearts!

And don't forget:

In response to my good friend AJ's reaction to some of the criticism leveled at the Sex and the City movie, I left some of the following as a comment on his blog, but as they do in Congress, I would like to revise and extend my remarks, to wit:

I understood Karina's tongue-in-cheekness when I read her post and I'd like to point out that in my post I was actually angry about what I perceive as the film's anti-woman aspects (well, I can't say the film exactly because I haven't seen it, but I do know the show). You even quoted my point for me, AJ. I think the franchise is anti-woman and offers if not a completely unrealistic portrayal of "life in the big city," than an unbelievably shallow one.

I completely disagree with Kim Voynar's POV (mentioned in AJ's post) but that's fine. Plenty of people have strong, differing opinions on issues, films, books, etc but to dismiss the male film critics who are criticizing the film in toto because we wouldn't understand a movie that's not about us? Talk about a hypocritical generalization.

When she writes: "SatC has never been about fashion or a credit card lifestyle if you look beneath its surface. It's about a group of smart, independent women who, successful as they are, still struggle with figuring out love and relationships and how to have and maintain a relationship with a man without losing who you are as an intelligent woman with a career and life of your own."

Ah, if it were only so.

Karina Longworth has already done your work for you. No need to read the reviews of Sex and the City. Karina's fallen on the grenade for all of us and you can read her excellent post, here: 5 Ways to Dismiss The Sex and the City Movie.

Personally, I never had even a nanosecond's thought of seeing this culturally, politically, emotionally and cinematically bereft film. Save yourself the pain and re-watch season one of BSG or a Tracy-Hepburn movie. At least you'll be getting a full dose of strong, well-rounded and developed female characters and not four nauseating ersatz women.

This post over at Valerie and Her Week of Wonders reminded me about my "best of" post for 2007 and how The Counterfeiters was a film I saw in '07 but was likely to make my 2008 list. Well, here it is, 5 months in and Stefan Ruzowitzky's film is still firmly in my 2008 top ten. Then again, there are likely a hundred or more films for me to see in the next 7 months, so who knows?

What I know so far is that it's not only an exceptional little gem of a film, it's one that's, gasp!, doing well at the box office. According to Box Office Mojo, the film has grossed $5,039,883, as of last weekend, placing it 52nd all time for foreign-language releases, a ranking that's sure to improve, as the film is still doing relatively well at the box office. The guys at Sony Pictures Classics certainly know how to release a foreign-language film.

As for the film, it's a subtle drama and morality play set amidst the horrors of the holocaust and it paints its characters in shades of gray, a particularly difficult and risky thing to attempt when dealing with this subject matter.

If you haven't seen this film, I urge you to hit your local arthouse or multiplex, like say, this one in Anchorage, Alaska and see this excellence in film making.

For sure there can be no doubt that the time is now for the sequel promised in the following credit sequence, can there?

I mean, it's already been tributed: