by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 20, 2012 | Blog
I despise Newt Gingrich. There are a lot of reasons. His not so subtle dog whistles to racial bias. His ego and grandiosity. His support for torture. His stand on abortion rights even in the case of rape and incest. But what is really getting to me right now is the breathtaking hypocrisy. First, I have no problem with the concept of an open marriage. If two consenting adults think that’s a good idea — hey, more power to ’em....
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 20, 2012 | Blog
A rather heated discussion erupted over on my Facebook Wall when I posted about a woman in South Carolina’s dog whistle statement about “Putting Juan Williams in his place.” What came out of that was one Republican’s intense discomfort with the field with which he is presented, and reacting to the blanket statements that to vote Republican was to somehow prove you were a racist, bigot, etc. I know when we hear select crowds at Republican debates cheering for...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 18, 2012 | Blog
I just heard a woman at a Newt Gingrich rally complimenting the former Speaker for “putting Juan Williams _in his place_” Juan Williams is a black journalist. Wow. Is he “uppity” too? I’m having a hard time believing it’s 2012, and not 1912. They’re just saying these things. With their own mouths. Unbelievable.
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 18, 2012 | Blog
I loved this movie. My love affair with John Le Carre began with his books — Tinker Tailor and Smiley’s People. I watched the 7 part BBC mini-series with Alex Guinness, and that was amazing. Then last night I saw this film which comes in at 2 hours and 7 minutes, and manages to tell this story — the search for a mole in the heart of British intelligence — brilliantly. How did they do it? How did they take something that had been a multiple...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 17, 2012 | Blog
Here is Peter Beinhart summing up Gingrich’s problem with minorities and by extension the Republican party. “I’m sure Gingrich also sees nothing offensive in calling Obama the “food stamp” president. After all, under Obama the number of people using food stamps has gone up! So because Alan Greenspan presided over predatory lending policies by banks, perhaps we should have called him the “Shylock” chairman of the Federal Reserve. And if child...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 17, 2012 | Blog
This dead on, accurate quote from an editorial by conservative columnist David Brooks. “I sometimes wonder if the Republican Party has become the receding roar of white America as it pines for a way of life that will never return.” So true, so true.
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 15, 2012 | Blog
My friend Ty Frank had a wonderful blog post that I read today entitled Giving Birth. Something he said got me thinking about the difference between plot and meaning. What happens versus what it’s about. I realized that for years when I ran writer’s rooms in Hollywood, and even in my prose writing groups here in N.M. I would often turn to a writer and ask them “What is this script/story/book _about_?” Then I would add, “And you have to tell me in...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 10, 2012 | Blog
I’m making my way through Dragon Age 2. I started it once, hated it a lot and quit playing. I went back to it because I’m missing Ferelden (not that it’s set in Ferelden, but at least I hear about the old country.) I also realized I was playing a mage and I hate playing mages. I created a new character, a rogue and I’m liking it much better. First time I’ve every played a rogue and that sneaky shadow skill is quite cool. As is...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 9, 2012 | Blog
As many of you know I was really nervous to see this movie. I feared I would be reduced to a blubbering mess, but it didn’t happen because the movie was flat and played at only one emotional note through the entire thing. The horse(s) — I presume there was more than one horse — was/were wonderful. In fact, I’d go so far as to say he was the best actor in the movie. ——————————HERE BE...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 8, 2012 | Blog
I was reflecting about President Obama today as I was running errands. Thinking about how Rick Santorum accused him of hubris and snobbery. And I realized that they’re reacting to this man’s incredible control and dignity. I was thinking about the Ken Burns documentary about baseball and remembering how Jackie Robinson behaved when he was the first African-American in major league baseball. He was warned by the white team owner that he could never lose control....
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 6, 2012 | Blog
It used to be that we talked about racial dog whistles when discussing the Republicans. Well, they are no longer dog whistles. They’re just shouting out to the worst tendencies in people. Let’s review Gingrich and Santorum over the past few days. First Gingrich called President Obama the first “food stamp president.” Since it seems to be an article of faith with Republican voters that all food stamp recipients are black (more on that canard later), and...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 5, 2012 | Blog
Went and saw the Fincher movie on News Years Day. I’ve read the books, and see the Swedish, dubbed version of the film so it was going to be a real test if a nearly 3 hour movie of something I was already well acquainted with was going to hold my interest. Amazing what a great director and a good script and terrific cast can do. I didn’t get bored once, and I was pleased to see that the screenwriter, Steve Zaillian, fixed the ending. In the book there were these...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Dec 29, 2011 | Blog
Went and saw the latest entry in the MI franchise last night. It qualified as Big Dumb Fun, and Tom Cruise was witty and charismatic. There’s a reason he’s a big star even if as a person he’s a flake. They’ve also stopped trying to hide that he’s short which is nice, and they even use it for some laughs. I can’t really comment on the script because I’m not sure it actually made any sense in terms of each scene building on the...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Dec 23, 2011 | Blog
There had been so much critical acclaim for this film that I finally went to see it. (I also went to see it because it had a 7:35 start time which was easier to make than other films.) I had also read Walter Jon’s blog post about how it was the best use of 3D since AVATAR. He was right. The 3D was stunning, and thing was in our fairly crappy little theater up here in Santa Fe that isn’t really set up for 3D. It was also integrated throughout the film rather...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Dec 19, 2011 | Blog
I liked this movie better than the first one. The first film had a terrible script that was badly structured. By the time you found out the nefarious plot — in act three so you didn’t give a f**k because you had never met any members of Parliament so it was fine if Moriarity blew them up. There were also two of the worst actresses in Christendom in that film. Rachel McAdames as Irene Adler and Kelly Reilly as Mary Morstan (fiancee of Dr. Watson). THERE ARE...
