Five films you probably haven't seen (but should)

For lack of a more riveting topic, and a desire to escape from the political/BDSM/personal roller coaster my posts have been on, I decided to to tackle something a little more light-hearted. These are five films that you may not have seen, but that you should. It also probably tells you a lot about me. If, because of this, you go out and see one or more, let me know what you think. This is a pretty eclectic mix. Some were controversial, others accepted masterpieces. They are in no particular order.

1. American Beauty (1999). Directed by Sam Mendes. Starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, Thora Birch and Mena Suvari. Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a man who wakes up one day to realize that he's pretty much been dead for the last several years. He is awakened from his stupor by the beauty and allure of his daughter's young friend. At the same time, his wife is struggling through her obsession with success, and his daughter has fallen for the "weird guy" drug dealer next door. Now, I've noticed that different people gravitate toward different storylines in this movie. I've heard people have a lot of sympathy for Lester, a lot of people relate to his daughter, and even a few relate to his wife. Personally, I find the core story of Burnham's reawakening to be the most endearing. The interplay between he and Mena is amazingly realistic. You watch enrapt at his transition from stuttering dud of a husband overwhelmed by this youthful siren into someone who has rediscovered his manhood, and only then does Mena's myriad of vulnerabilities and insecurities bubble to the surface. For some reason I don't empathize with his daughter as much as others do. I'm not a big fan of Wes Bently's "deep" drug dealer character. He's a bit overdone and I just never warmed up to him.

2. Exotica (1994). Directed by Atom Egoyan. Starring David Hemblem and Mia Kershner. Of all the films on this list, this is most likely the one you haven't seen. Surreal, startling and at times, disturbing, this film explores the intricate connections between an exotic dancer, a custom inspector who seems obsessed with her, her Deejay boyfriend, and the death of the inspector's daughter at the hands of a serial killer years ago. It is an amazing film, full of depth and nuance. There is so much of this film that's a surprise that it's hard to talk about it without giving some away. It explores sensuality in ways that most films wouldn't dare touch. And at the end, the director somehow gets you to sympathize, quite understandably, with the strange, voyeuristic pervert. You probably haven't seen this film. You probably should.

3. The Killer (1989). Directed by John Woo. Starring Chow Yun-Fat. The perrenial Hong Kong "two gun" action movie, this film is the first John Woo movie that caught the eye of American action movie fans. It details the efforts of a retiring assassin (Yun-Fat) to get the money he's owed for his last hit, in order to pay for an eye operation on a woman he accidentally blinded. The movie is brutal, unforgiving, wonderfully stylistic, and somewhere, admist the hail of bullets and bodies hitting the floor, even manages to show it has a big heart. Beware, however, the ending led to my friends and I dubbing this film the ultimate anti-date movie. Honorable mention goes to Hardboiled, which stars virtually the same cast, but casts Yun-Fat as a hardcore detective. Note that The Killer might also be found under the titles "Blood of Two Heroes" (the direct translation of the title from Chinese) or "Just Heroes" (the title it was released under in Australia).

4. Secretary (2002). Directed by Steven Shainberg. Starring James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Lesley Ann Warren. Can't say enough good about this film, especially as someone in the Dominance/submission lifestyle. Daring, sexy, and unpredictable, Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a timid, disturbed young woman who goes to work for a domineering attorney, discovering that her "problems" stem from an unrealized submissive streak. However, she has to convince Spader's uptight attorney to continue what he's started once he begins questioning his choice of lifestyle. I love this film because it is a bdsm love story that is never, ever ashamed of itself. You watch Maggie's character blossom into sexuality and confidence, from stumbling, sniffling and drawn in to strutting to her Master's office with her arms cuffed to a spreader bar and the day's mail in her mouth looking like she could rule the world. Emotionally, it's very realistic for both the main characters, as well as the responses of friends and family. Even if you have no interest in the lifestyle, it's a good flick. If you ever wanted to know a bit of how D/s couples interact and feel, it's a good example (though there is no 'typical' couple). And if you are a couple...well, most couples have trouble finishing this movie in one sitting...

5. War in the Pocket (1989). Directed by Fumihiko Takayama. My one anime entry into this list. War in the Pocket is an offshoot of the Mobile Suit Gundam series, and focuses on the adventures of a young boy during the One Year War, which is the baseline story for all things Gundam. Living on a neutral space colony, Al falls in with a Zion pilot (who most people consider the "bad guys") who is on a secret mission to destroy a secret weapon hidden on the colony illegally by the Federated Earth forces. During it all, Al learns that war isn't as nearly as fun as he thought it was. Get the subtitled version, the dubbed version is sucked dry of any real, believable emotion in the voice casting. The subtitled version's ending gives most people a lump in their throat, and might require you to have a box of tissue handy.

Israel losing war on both fronts

Over the last week we have been inundated with images, sounds and details of Israel's retaliation against Hezbollah. There's a daily tally of death and blood which, although a mere shadow of the carnage still going on in Iraq, has come to dominate the headlines. But despite the massive military superiority and asymmetrical bodycount, it appears to be a war Israel is losing.
Make no mistake, this is a war. It's an escalation of a war that's been raging for decades since the re-establishment of Israel. At stake is who will both live and prosper along a fertile, strategic, religiously important piece of the Holy Land.
First, it should be noted that Israel is completely justified in its assault on Hezbollah. If someone were to scurry across the US border, kill three soldiers and kidnap two others, we'd go apeshit. We wouldn't even show the restraint Israel has shown. That country would be a self-lighting, glass parking lot.
So, this isn't a "Israel shouldn't be defending itself" rant. Just like any nation, it should.
That being said, sometimes you can't judge success by the amount of carnage or the body count. By real world measures, Hezbollah is winning, and Israel is helping them.
First, Hezbollah is winning militarily.
This one might be the hardest for people to believe, what with the body counts on CNN. However, consider the amount of resources Israel is expending and consider the results those efforts are garnering. Yesterday, Israel reported dropping 23 tons of bombs on Hezbollah. Shortly afterward, Hezbollah representatives basically said "nyah, nyah! You missed us!" and Israel racks up some more images of dead Arab babies for the world to ponder. Israeli fighter planes, most likely Israeli variants of F-15E Strike Eagles and and F-16 Fighting Falcons, are making dozens of sorties over southern Lebanon. Any idea how much it costs every time you launch one of those puppies? Let's not talk about maintenance and manhours, just consider how much you're spending at the gas tank. Now imagine more expensive gas, tanks hundreds of times larger, and expending that gas and having to refill after a mission of only minutes. Now multiply that amount by the number of planes Israel is putting in the air every day. Hezbollah is responding with hundreds of rockets at the cost of perhaps a couple thousand dollars (at most...and that's really pushing it) per rocket and gas for a fleet of jeeps...when their guys aren't on foot. Reports indicate that Israel hasn't done any real damage to Hezbollah so far (though they've done plenty to Lebanon itself). They've dropped a few bridges and buildings, but this is a terrorist organization that is not a static government. Were the Israelis doing this to Syria, then Syria would be hurting. But Hezbollah is a different animal entirely. These are the guys who blew the Marine barracks in Beirut back in the 80s. You know who the driver was? A 15 year old girl. Security cameras caught her smiling as she drove her explosive-laden vehicle into a barracks full of U.S. marines. How much did it cost us to train those marines? How much did it cost them to train and equip a 15 year old girl to blow themselves up (cost to their souls notwithstanding)?
You cannot fight terrorists with large troop concentrations, armies, and carpet (or even precision) bombing. Israel should have learned this by now. They've been "precision" bombing terrorists in the occupied territories for years now. You've seen it on the news. The stories where Ahmed Assabin or whatever was targeted by a missile, but the casualty report indicates he got away, one of his bodyguards was wounded, but three Palestinian kids had to be scrapped off the cement with a squeegee?
That's not really helping Israel very much.
Raw military force isn't the answer, and it isn't going to help the Israelis protect themselves. This war is about the winning of hearts and minds, which brings us to the next front Israel is losing on.
There have been three faces representing each of the "aggrieved parties" in this little shindig recently; Ehud Olmert, PM of Israel; Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah; and Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Sinora.
Ehud Olmert, despite the fact that he genuinely has the right to defend Israel against terrorist attacks such as the ones Hezbollah committed which sparked this mess, has come off to many as a slavering attack dog. True or not, he harkens back to the old Israeli "hardliner" political stereotype which did nothing but make the situation in the Middle East worse. Recently, Olmert said "Even if last Wednesday’s criminal attack against an IDF patrol was carried out without the consent of the Lebanese government and without the assistance of its military, this does not absolve it of full responsibility for the attack which emanated from its sovereign territory. Just as the fact that the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority opposes terrorism against Israel does not relieve him and the Palestinian Authority of their responsibility for the attack carried out from their territory against our soldiers in Kerem Shalom. They are both fully responsible for the safety of our soldiers who were taken hostage."
By making statements that Lebanon can be held responsible for Hezbollah, when the whole world knows the Lebanese army doesn't have the power (and Israel would not want them to have the power) to wrest the region from Hezbollah, degrades his other arguments. He makes the same statements about the Palestinian territory. We all know the Palestinian legitimate government doesn't have the resources to root out terrorists, esp. when so many of them have the consent of the people. What's more, Israel is destroying the very infrastructure that would make rooting those forces out possible. Good intentions, bad strategy. And on top of it, he helps characterize his country as maddog killers who are just looking for a reason to "punish"Muslimss, no matter what their affiliation. One gets the impression that Olmert and the Israeli government follows the "they all look alike" tactic. If it's anArabb, they're a bad guy, and complicit with the actions of all.
This, of course, plays right into the terrorists hands. It's a wonderful recruitment tool. Olmert should ask for a percentage. All Hezbollah has to do is trot out Israel's extremist opinion to get recruits for their own.
In sharp contrast are the leaders of Lebanon and Sinora. Sinora is set, despite the horrendous damage being done to his country, to come out of this politically as a winner. He's portrayed himself as intelligent, peace-loving, and truly concerned about his people. He was the very first to call for a cease-fire, forcing Israel to reject an overture at peace, villifying themselves even more. This worked because he truly doesn't have control over Hezbollah, and his people are the ones being zipped up in body bags. What's more, the world has watched Lebanon rebuild itself after a terrible civil war. They've played by the rules, are not open to extremist thought and action (as a government) and even has taken a hard stance against Syria's meddling. They've lined themselves up as an ally in Bush's "War on Terror." To the rest of the world, that appears to have had no currency with Israel, who seems deadset on knocking Lebanon back down into the morass it just pulled itself out of. Not that Israel has much choice in the matter. They have to stop the rocket attacks and defend their territory. But was there no other option than this?
There was no attempt at diplomacy, or how about gathering intelligence and then committing a surgical rescue strike? If Mossad can't do that, who can?
The bombing gives the appearance that Israel is unconcerned about their soldiers' safety, and are using this event as a pretext to knock Hezbollah down a few rungs. Sinora looks like an honest man caught in the middle, and pleading for peace.
Now let's look at Hezbollah's leader and mouthpiece. After the rants of the likes of Osama Bin Laden and Zarqawi cutting off people's heads on tape, this guy looks like a saint.
First, he sidesteps ALOT of the more wild rhetoric. None of that "the streets will run red with zionist blood" or any of that garbage. This guy talks like he has a cool head, a tactical awareness of the situation, and some common sense. Check out his comments in an article today in CNN. First, he opens up by APOLOGIZING to the families of twoArabb children killed in the attacks on Israel, this shows a genuine concern for his people not shown by Bin Laden and Zarqawi, who blow up their own people willy-nilly all over Iraq for no good reason. He inserts his message into the apology, but in a sane and rational tone.

"To the family that was hit in Nazareth -- on my behalf and my brothers', I apologize to this family. Some events like that happen. At any event, those who were killed in Nazareth, we consider them martyrs for Palestine and martyrs for the nation. I pay my condolences to them."

Now, he was later asked about Israel's capabilities and effectiveness. Now what have we heard from other terrorists? We've heard stuff that basically amounts to a belief that technology and numerical advantage doesn't matter, as if Allah were personally going to come down and start suplexing jets out of the air. Not Nasrallah, he comes off as sane and with a good grasp of reality.
According to CNN, Nasrallah called the Israeli airforce "the most powerful air force in the Middle East and one of the most powerful in the world, and they own the skies."
The CNN article further said Nasrallah said it was "logical" that Lebanon has incurred more casualties than Israel because Israel has better military technology and, unlike Lebanon, its civilians have bomb shelters.
What's worse, Nasrallah says what many were already thinking, showing he has a solid grasp on the word on the street, both in the Middle East and in New York.
Again, from the CNN article:

"Israel's response to Hezbollah rocket attacks has been excessive because its goal is not to free the soldiers but "to eradicate Hezbollah and every other resistance in Lebanon," he added.
Israel, he said, would have found a pretext to launch the current offensive even if the soldiers had not been kidnapped."

Apparently, Israel is aware of it's own political vulnerability in this, as they have trotted out Benjamin Netanyahu to be a mouthpiece on many occasions, obviously acknowledging Olmert's lack of political skill and his inability to appear as an honestly peace-loving statesman (something our own president has a problem with). However, it's been too little.
Unless Israel gets inventive and smart, they are going to lose this fight, lose some traction on the world stage, and actually decrease their security instead of increasing it.
Honestly, they need to kill Nasrallah. Perhaps moreso than we need to kill bin Laden. He's smart. Damn smart, and he's politically savvy as well (something bin Laden is not). Obviously he has the resources to have struck at Israel in some way more dramatic, but instead he poked the beehive with a stick, and then pointed out to the world how vicious the swarm was. Israel has my sympathy in dealing with this guy. I'm really glad al Queda isn't as smart. Hezbollah is making them look like rank amateurs..Unfortunatelyy, they are doing the same to Israel.

The revolution will be..umm...podcast?

You know, I've never been one to hop on to the cultural-phenom-of-the-moment bandwagon. Back in school I never cared what shoes were really in, never wanted to buy the latest cool jacket (esp since in Detroit that was determined by which one would get you mugged the fastest) or automatically listened to the current lead music artist (my friends have suffered through my Bjork fixation for years). Even today, I couldn't tell you who won the last American Idol, I don't own an Ipod, and I've never watched an episode of Lost. But, yesterday, I did finally cave in to societal pressure and join.....Myspace.com.
Immediately I found a couple friends I haven't spoken to in ages, found out lots of new hometown news (including that my first nutball wife has been popping out rugrats like a pez dispenser...HA!!!) and then I took it further. I found out how to drop HTML code into my page, found one of my favorite underground music artists (Chiasm, AKA Emileigh Rahn, who I hung out with a few times at a Detroit club called Ascension U.K.) and put her favorite song to cue up when you go to my myspace page.
In minutes I was on the phone with an old friend who had gone to Iraq, found out another friend now owns the comic book store he used to hang out in and realized how many people I've been out of contact with for so long.....Maybe there's something to this Myspace thing afterall.
I'll give it a spin for a while, kick the tires, etc. but already I noticed something amusing. While looking for names of people I used to know, I noted that there were a lot of 99 year olds signed up. Turns out it's just kids who are underage who want to bypass myspace's protective measures for minors. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be that hard for myspace people to look at the age and then the pic of some teenybopper and figure that out, so I guess their interest in actually cleaning up their bad rep is fairly superficial.

So, anyway, check out the page at http://www.myspace.com\iljackson

If I never see the inside of a hospital again...

I know a lot of you wonder why I haven't been posting lately in the boards I usually frequent. Well, since 4th of July, Rae has been very ill. In fact, she was hospitalized over the weekend.
Doctors at first thought it was a viral infection, but whatever they did it just got worse. It was not until Sunday that doctors determined that there was no infection, in fact she was having an allergic reaction to an antibiotic she had been given the week before for an ingrown toenail. Of course, while they were thinking it was viral, she was steady continuing to take the antibiotics, making the reaction worse and worse. Finally, on our second trip to the emergency room on saturday morning, after the entire upper half of her body turned red and she had a temperature of 103, they decided to keep her there for the weekend.
She's on the mend now, really weak, and I'm taking care of her best I can.
One of the funny things is that rae is a very dainty eater usually. How dainty? When she orders from McDonalds, she orders 4 mcnuggets, a small fries and three chocolate chip cookies. She usually cannot finish the nuggets.
Now, because they put her on steroids to fight the allergic reaction, she has this (for her)raging appetite. But, importantly, she's on the mend, feeling much better. Once she's back to 100% I'll probably be writing more again.

Living between moments

Recently, it has felt like I am living between moments, between ticks of the clock. By that, I mean I feel as though I'm living between turning points in my life. On the one hand is my departure from journalism, the separation from my last wife (and pending divorce). On the other hand....I'm not sure. Writing is my calling, and I think I'm on the cusp of a big achievement in my life, but I don't want to jinx it, so I'll let you know when I have more news on that (should be later this week). In addition, a publisher is looking at my novel. No clue what my chances are there.
Right now I am floating...between moments.
My adult life has been broken down, career-wise, into a series of checkpoints. First, I just wanted to be a journalist, writing for a paper, any paper and getting a byline. I got that as soon as I got out of high school, beating out mopst reporters I know by four years or so. Next was getting a front page story. Got that, unfortunately, with a drive-by shooting that took the life of an eleven year old boy. Interestingly enough, this turned into something else odd. I got contacted soon afterward by a famous Detroit Deejay, the Electrifying Mojo, who says he was inspired by the incident, my article, and a dream, to do a book of poetry called "The Mental Machine." So my first frontpage story ended up in the first pages of this book, somewhat immortalized. Something about that incident charged me...there was no stopping me. Years later and thousands of stories later I landed in D.C. achieving the major goal of becoming a capitol hill reporter, chatting it up with senators and the like. After three years of that, however, I got both disillusioned and...well, bored. My next goal was nearly forgotten. That of writing a book. I left the biz, took a year off to both write a book and do some freelance writing.
Books written and I'm trying to find a publisher. I'm also trying to get into the role-playing game industry. I'm set on achieving one of these goals...and soon, I hope, so I can get out of this achievement limbo.