Archives July 2017

“DUNKIRK”   –  6 1/2 
In a word:  Nerve-wracking
     This is an unusual movie as it has no stand-out male actors and no females at all. Neither did we see any minorities, nor did we hear any significant foul language. But we did hear guns, bombs, screams and crashes to the highest of decibels which caused me, my wife and our two friends to constantly cover our ears. Add to that, the loudness of haunting deep music strains to accent the horror, played throughout the film to a point of virtual annoyance.    
     The entire movie from beginning to end is set in the 1940 beaches of Dunkirk, France (near the Belgium border) and the English Channel, where British, Belgian, French and Dutch were trapped, at the will of Nazi air raids where it was like picking off ducks in a barrel. The horrific assaults on land and sea caused over 350,000 casualties among allied forces. That does not include the 40,000 that were taken captive nor does it include the German casualty numbers.
     The assault followed the invasion of German forces into France, just weeks before they would march through Paris. The allies were desperate to evacuate, but that would not succeed until after the eight days of fighting were over.
     One scene after another, for two hours, of planes diving, bombs bursting, men screaming, guns firing, ships listing while fear and horror and sheer desperation blanketed the entire movie, beginning to end.
     It should be noted, that over 300,000 successful rescues took place, thus saving the British, not only from defeat at the battle, but certain invasion of British shores. Nearly one thousand boats, small and large, were involved in this 8-day operation.
     Look for Oscar nominations for cinematography and special effects. But not for acting, writing or story line. Half the time, it was difficult to hear the actor’s dialogue because of background noise and/or thick British accents that were not discernible. Perhaps the IMAX theater systems had an affect. 
     This movie was about the masses. It had no primary actors, other than a few shots of a tugboat operator trying to rescue soldiers in the water, and another British commander in a few scenes mulling the situation and barking orders. To my mind, the basic necessity in any plot is character development. That was missing in this flick.
     At the end, our two friends declared the movie as terrible. To be objective as movie-making goes, it truly was a humongous and spectacular accomplishment for the director, Christopher Nolan who is known for past films about Batman, Dark Knight and Man of Steel most of which are high grade for special effects and low grade in acting. No high-paid stars in this flick, leaving a lot of physical discretion in spending the 150 million dollar budget that went to writers, directors, sets, equipment, battles and hardware instead. According to Wikipedia, about six thousand extras were also used in the shoot.
     It’s a spectacular war movie, depicting a nightmarish battle at the beginning of WWII. There were a half million personal stories lining those beaches, none of which we will know about.
     This is one of those pictures that will divide the opinions into two camps: Love it, or hate it.
     I give the movie 6 1/2 out of 10.
     p.s.  Bring ear plugs

“DUNKIRK”   –  6 1/2 

In a word:  Nerve-wracking

     This is an unusual movie as it has no stand-out male actors and no females at all. Neither did we see any minorities, nor did we hear any significant foul language. But we did hear guns, bombs, screams and crashes to the highest of decibels which caused me, my wife and our two friends to constantly cover our ears. Add to that, the loudness of haunting deep music strains to accent the horror, played throughout the film to a point of virtual annoyance.    

     The entire movie from beginning to end is set in the 1940 beaches of Dunkirk, France (near the Belgium border) and the English Channel, where British, Belgian, French and Dutch were trapped, at the will of Nazi air raids where it was like picking off ducks in a barrel. The horrific assaults on land and sea caused over 350,000 casualties among allied forces. That does not include the 40,000 that were taken captive nor does it include the German casualty numbers.

     The assault followed the invasion of German forces into France, just weeks before they would march through Paris. The allies were desperate to evacuate, but that would not succeed until after the eight days of fighting were over.

     One scene after another, for two hours, of planes diving, bombs bursting, men screaming, guns firing, ships listing while fear and horror and sheer desperation blanketed the entire movie, beginning to end.

     It should be noted, that over 300,000 successful rescues took place, thus saving the British, not only from defeat at the battle, but certain invasion of British shores. Nearly one thousand boats, small and large, were involved in this 8-day operation.

     Look for Oscar nominations for cinematography and special effects. But not for acting, writing or story line. Half the time, it was difficult to hear the actor’s dialogue because of background noise and/or thick British accents that were not discernible. Perhaps the IMAX theater systems had an affect. 

     This movie was about the masses. It had no primary actors, other than a few shots of a tugboat operator trying to rescue soldiers in the water, and another British commander in a few scenes mulling the situation and barking orders. To my mind, the basic necessity in any plot is character development. That was missing in this flick.

     At the end, our two friends declared the movie as terrible. To be objective as movie-making goes, it truly was a humongous and spectacular accomplishment for the director, Christopher Nolan who is known for past films about Batman, Dark Knight and Man of Steel most of which are high grade for special effects and low grade in acting. No high-paid stars in this flick, leaving a lot of physical discretion in spending the 150 million dollar budget that went to writers, directors, sets, equipment, battles and hardware instead. According to Wikipedia, about six thousand extras were also used in the shoot.

     It’s a spectacular war movie, depicting a nightmarish battle at the beginning of WWII. There were a half million personal stories lining those beaches, none of which we will know about.

     This is one of those pictures that will divide the opinions into two camps: Love it, or hate it.

     I give the movie 6 1/2 out of 10.

     p.s.  Bring ear plugs

There’s been another interracial police shooting death of an unarmed victim in America.

     Big news?  Not this one, apparently.

     This time, it was a black officer in a Minneapolis police car who shot down an unarmed 40-year-old white female who (get this) was the complainant on a suspicious person call in the neighborhood.  That’s right.  One would think that would justify a riot. Read on:

     On the night of July 15, the blonde yoga instructor, Justine Diamond, had called 911 fearing that a man had accosted someone in the alley behind her house. As the police car arrived, with two cops inside, she approached the driver’s side, still in her pajamas, to explain what she had seen. Suddenly, two minutes later, the officer sitting in the passenger side – for no apparent reason – pulled out his service revolver, reached across to his left, and fired through the driver’s window, killing the young woman.

     That was six days ago. The police department has not released any information, other than one statement the officer made saying he felt “spooked” and another that he thought he heard “noise.” Other officers were obviously not spooked, but what does that matter.

     Oh yes, and the shooter’s name: Mohamed Noor, born in Somalia. (Minneapolis has a sizeable Somali population)

     Allegedly, the officer is refusing to talk to investigators.

     The media is making a big issue of the fact that the officers did not have their body cameras working. But that’s a distraction from the basic known facts. There is the other officer who was  an eyeball witnesses. This should be a wrap.

     Undoubtedly, the city officials are faced with a conundrum, that a local police officer may have wrongly gunned down an innocent civilian and the ethnic and religious components of victim-shooter could ignite a firestorm.  After all, it’s not every day that a black, Muslim police officer shoots and kills (allegedly) an unarmed complainant.

     The officer has been on the police department only two years. In that time, he was the subject of three citizen complaints, the last being in May of this year by a woman who claims to be a victim of false imprisonment, assault and battery. The law suit is pending.

     The mayor of Minneapolis is proud that the department has been diversified, with at least 6 Somali cops on the job. My question would be; to what degree were job standards adjusted in order to qualify the Somalis? I doubt we’ll hear anything about that.

     We certainly cannot condemn the shooter at the early stage. For sure, the city administration would be reluctant to charge a Somali Muslim because of the anticipated backlash it would bring. But then, there is equal justice under the law. Well…there’s supposed to be.

     Justine Diamond was from Australia, engaged to an American.

Click here: The MISSING TWO MINUTES: Timeline of Muslim cop who KILLED pajama-clad unarmed woman leaves out two crucial minute

Click here: First Somali-Muslim Police Officer in Minnesota MURDERS Blonde Girl in COLD BLOOD – You Won’t Believe DISGUSTING R

1. Did you know that 16 Muslim countries currently ban Israelis from entering?

         Click here: No one seems bothered with 16 Muslim countries where Israelis are banned | The Muslim Issue

2. Did you know that, according to the FBI, 19.8% of hate crimes are based on religious bias. Among the categories, first place for victims, by a large margin were acts of anti-Jewish with 50.3 percent. Muslim targets were a distant second place with 13.7 percent.

     Click here: FBI — Victims

3. Did you know that the Muslim Brotherhood, which was supported by the Obama administration, is deemed a terrorist organization by six nations; UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Russia. It also supported Hamas and produced Osama Bin Laden.

     Click here: Muslim Brotherhood – Wikipedia

4. Did you know that over 200 million girls in over 30 countries have been subjected to female genital mutilation, and that roughly three million girls a year will suffer the same fate (according to the World Health Organization). Since 1990, the number of girls subjected in the United  States has tripled. Efforts are underway to legalize FGM in various states, including Maine and Nevada, in which (unbelievably) some politicians are supporting. Women’s rights groups are mute on this subject.

     Click here: The alarming rise of female genital mutilation in America – CNN.com

Click here: WHO | Female genital mutilation (FGM)

5. Did you know that some 20,000 females a year are subjected to Honor Killings (UNICEF). Other methods for prosecuting “Honor” violations include acid attacks, stonings and forced suicides. The statistical facts are horrifying, worldwide. Read the Wikipedia report (see link) for a comprehensive view of this terrible, mostly anti-woman mentality which includes a number of documented killings here in the U.S. Motives for killings include: failing to obey a forced marriage, romantic interaction with non-Muslim, wanting a divorce, being raped and leaving Islam. Women’s rights groups seem disinterested.

     Click here: Honor killing – Wikipedia

6. Did you know that the Muslim Brotherhood has produced secret documents that spell out the step-by-step plan for conquering all non-Muslim lands, and more specifically that their goal is to “destroy western civilization from within.” Documents were recovered in law enforcement raids from a hidden room in a Virginia home in 2004 and introduced as  federal court evidence. See the link, pay particular attention to the highlighted paragraph on page 7 (English translation).

     Click here: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Strategic Plan For America – Court Document | Clarion Project Clarion Project

7. Did you know about another secret document uncovered by Swiss authorities in 2001, which spelled out the step by step plans for infiltrating and conquering North America called “The Project?”

     Click here: www.onthewing.org/user/Islam – Muslim Brotherhood Project.pdf

8. Did you know that the Muslim Brotherhood has helped form over thirty organizations in the United States that are to play major long range roles in the ultimate transition of Islamic conquest. One of them is CAIR (Council on American and Islamic Relations.) Another is the MSA (Muslim Student Association) which is a powerful influence over universities and colleges throughout America. Huma Abedin, the long time close aide to Hillary Clinton since 1996, was an active member of MSA during her time at George Washington University.  Here is the oath:

• Allah is my Lord, Islam is my life
• The Koran is my guide, the Sunna is my practice
• Jihad is my spirit, righteousness is my character
• Paradise is my goal, I enjoin what is right
• I will fight against oppression, and I will die to establish Islam

Click here: Barack Obama and the Muslim Brotherhood

9. Did you know that the acts of terrorism are under reported because of frequency? That there have been over 31 thousand Islamic deadly terror attacks since 9/11/01 in which some 300 thousand people have been killed at random, most being Muslims. In the month of June alone, this year, 164 attacks have resulted in 1176 dead and another 1382 injured – in 30 countries. And the beat goes on…

     Click here: Islam: The Politically Incorrect Truth

10. Did you know that Islamic Arabs were the most prolific slave owners in human history. Here’s a quote from thereligionofpeace.com:

“The awful truth is that Arabs ravaged Africa for almost a thousand years before Europeans ever began to export black slaves.  In fact, it was the foundation of slave procurement and trading established by the Muslims (usually through Jihad) that enabled the European practice. Far more Africans were swallowed up in the fourteen hundred years of Islamic slave trading than in the three centuries of European practice.  An estimated 17 to 20 million Africans were exported from their native land to the Muslim world.” The article also cites how roughly one out of three survived the capture and transport.

Click here: Strange Brew: Islam and Black Pride

11. Did you know that organizations exist that are trying to reform Islam into the modern world with the goal to assimilate and live in peace. We rarely hear about them, but they certainly deserve support. One of their leaders, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, of Arizona, appears often in news interviews and writings which offer a glimmer of hope that the future of Islam in America may be more positive, than negative.

     Click here: Reform movements in the Muslim world – Wikipedia

“THE BIG SICK”   =  8 ½
In a word:  Deep
     What happens when two people fall in love and their cultures collide, specifically American Christianity and Pakistani Islam? Watch this movie, it answers the question.    
     The story follows the plight of a young couple from two different worlds. Based in Chicago, Emily is a pert, bubbly graduate student who meets a handsome young Pakistani in a comedy club where he is testing his skills at stand-up. They work hard at avoiding a serious relationship but, alas their efforts fail and love blooms.
     The two eventually face two major crises.  Kumail, the young Pakistani, is very close to his family, who constantly pressure him to marry within the faith, often introducing him to marriage “prospects.” When his mother and father learn that he has fallen in love with an American, non-Muslim girl, Kumail is crushed between his love of her and the love/obligation to his demanding family.
     Meanwhile, as all this erupts, Emily is suddenly struck with a life-threatening illness that requires her to be induced into a coma. This is when Kumail is pitted against her parents, traditional American folks who come to Chicago from another state.  The challenges faced by all provide us all with a unique twist which is not common in movie-making these days. And, some of the resolutions each of the characters experience may be surprising. For certain, the movie will jerk a few tears as the ending nears. 
     Acting is very good, particularly by Zoe Kazan, who plays Emily, and by the Pakistani fellow whose real name is the same as his movie name, Kumail Nanjiani. One of our all-time favorites, Holly Hunter plays Emily’s mom.
     Criticism?  A couple of issues brought out in the story were never-again addressed or resolved, which leaves the viewer hanging a bit. And, that ubiquitous “F” word has become the prevailing adjective in movie dialogue no matter who is doing the talking. In this picture, it just seemed unnecessary. I know, I know. I’m an old fart, out of touch. (and “No” I won’t get over it.)
     On the other hand, while the love and passion runs deep between the two main characters, the director (Sofia Coppola) found it unnecessary to display hot, overused sex scenes. We knew the two were hot for each other…the rest could be surmised. That was refreshing.
     One more gripe: The movie title was stupid and non-attracting, and will probably be responsible for low  turnouts at the box office. The director/producer should have thought of something more original.
     In all, despite the unnecessary use of “F” bombs, it did not ruin this movie which could well be Oscar nominated. (Note: Rotten Tomatoes is probably the most prestigious review site for movies.  They gave this movie a 97% approval rating. Very rare.)
     I give it a 8 ½ out of 10.
     Click here: The Big Sick (2017) – IMDb
     Click here: The Big Sick (2017) – Rotten Tomatoes