Issue 144

News: Is Black History Month redundant now?
Recently, in my college English class, I had an essay assigned, and the topic assigned was that we had to state how much we as a college should celebrate Black History Month. Before I state my opinion on the Black History Month, I should be completely up front about my attitudes towards race: as Emo Philips, Dennis Miller, and possibly Denis Leary said "Why hate someone for the color of their skin when there are much better reasons to hate them?" I also believe, on a less comedic note, that race is ultimately a social construct that would best be abolished, if at all possible. With this in mind, I believe that we no longer need Black History Month. As a matter of fact, a very interesting point was made when I discovered the circumstances behind the establishment of Black History Month, or, as it was known, Negro History Week. In 1925, Black history was being overlooked by a lot of people, mainly because white people didn't care, and there weren't enough black people with the education to become scholars of their own history. Soon, Carter G. Woodson, a famous black historian, decided to institute a week devoted to the study of black history. This is certainly noble enough and I applaud him for this, but the real kicker is here: Woodson didn't want just a week or a month to be devoted to Black History; He intended the week to become a gateway for mainstream historians to realize the impact that his people had upon America, and when this was accomplished, the celebration would no longer be needed. Certainly we know that Black people had a great impact on this country, especially since the civil rights movement became such a pivotal moment in American History, so perhaps Woodson's intention has been fulfilled. We should certainly teach black history, but why keep relegating it to just one month? Why not celebrate black history alongside white history?

Band Name of the Day: Fantastiny or Nietzsche-Winky. Both are from "Falwell in Hell."

Film idea of the Day: A couple honeymooning in a small Florida hotel ends up witness to the ghosts who still inhabit the hotel complex. (I'm still working on the plot, trying to fit a plot around a version of the Jamaica Inn.)

Review of the Day: Tin Drum. I just watched this movie, and I have to say, it is as accurate an adaptation of Gunter Grass' Nobel-winning work as I can imagine being done. Of course, the real prize is the featurette supplement to the DVD, Banned in Oklahoma, which has the story of how it was briefly banned in Oklahoma, only to emerge vindicated and more popular than ever. I highly reccomend both.

Quote of the Day: "Our kind must never sit in the audience. Our kind must perform and run the show, or the others will run us."
___________Bebra, The Tin Drum

Link of the Day: Falwell in Hell, a webcomic starring Jerry Falwell, Nietzsche-Winky, everybody's favorite demon-Teletubby-philosopher , and a bunch of Squirrels.

Issue 143

News/Review: I watched the Watchmen or, OMIGODTHISISTHEGREATESTMOVIEIVEEVERSEENINMYLIFE!!
As you might have inferred, I have recently seen the movie Watchmen, based upon the graphic novel. As you might have also inferred, I loved this movie! This movie could easily be one of my top five movies of all time. I recently read the graphic novel in preparation for the movie, and I have to say that even with many of the Graphic novels I've read in the past, this easily blows them all out of the water. As I had expected, the movie, unlike the other movies that had been said to be based upon Alan Moore's work, is almost a panel-for-shot remake in many places. Of course, a lot of moments I liked were missed (from Dr. Manhattan dispersing the crowd to the character arc that Rohrschach's psychiatrist goes through, as well as Rohrschach's pivotal experience with Kitty Genovese), but overall, Zack Snyder had enough reverence for the source material to keep meddling with new material to a minimum. However, some of the material that Snyder added was certainly welcome, particularly the opening credits scene, and especially within that Silhouette's homage to the famous V-J Day Kiss photos (FYI, I saw photos because there were two different photos of the same kiss.) Another thing I loved about the film was its music. There were three Bob Dylan songs, one of them a new, more managable cover by My Chemical Romance of "Desolation Row," as well as some classical music from the likes of Philip Glass, Wagner, and Mozart, three of my favorite composers, and, the icing on the cake, something not even Dr. Manhattan could have imagined (even with his fatalism underscored like in the graphic novel): two numbers by my favorite American singer-songwriter (because Canada counts here as American): Leonard Cohen. Two verses of his original version of Hallelujah underscore a sex scene between Nite Owl and Silk Spectre, and his song "First We Take Manhattan" is in the closing credits. Indeed, from my perspective Jackie Earle Haley and Patrick Wilson have done an incredibly great job in performing their characters. The other actors certainly try, but the rest are certainly missing something in their portrayals.

Band Name of the Day: Gunga Dinner. From a blimp in the Watchmen film and Graphic novel.

Film Idea of the Day: After being diagnosed with terminal cancer and disinherited by his family for not measuring up to his sister, he decides to get revenge. Believe me, it's a lot better in my head than it sounds here.

Quote of the Day: "Everything Fits in this world except people."
______________Watchmen.

Link of the Day: A site keeping track of the Watchmen universe.