rhodoraonline
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Your Generosity Hides Something Dirtier and Meaner
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Post by rhodoraonline on Feb 7, 2019 4:11:23 GMT
Bill Gates. Microsoft dictatorship of the early days. 'Nuff said.
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Post by pacinoyes on Feb 9, 2019 22:05:55 GMT
Kathy Boudin - A potential tour de force for some US actress if you did it right. She was the inspiration for Mamet's play The Anarchist and but her story is far more panoramic and ripe for this cultural movement now of impassioned youth clashing with politics and with intentions crossing with those political movements ....and how that can result in a life lost or at least, diverted, Kathy Boudin (born May 19, 1943) was a member of the far-left group Weather Underground who was convicted of felony murder for her role in the Brink's robbery of 1981 that resulted in the killing of two Nyack police officers, the killing of one security guard and serious wounding of one security guard. She was released from prison in 2003 and is now an adjunct professor at Columbia University.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Boudin
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2019 2:15:08 GMT
I think a film about the post-War life of Hitler's sister, Paula, could be interesting - there are so few films exploring post-War German guilt.
She was arrested and interrogated by American intelligence in Vienna in 1945. She lived in seclusion in a flat in Berchtesgaden under the alias Paul Wolff until her death in 1960 - evidently she was "looked after" by secret surviving members of the SS and Hitler's inner-circle - very few people knew who she really was. She was the last member of Hitler's immediate family to die.
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Post by pacinoyes on Feb 21, 2019 19:08:32 GMT
The Hoàng Thùy Linh sex scandal involving the actress and pop singer - mixes the internet, cultural tradition, entertainment, money and hypocrisy, and gender politics. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho%C3%A0ng_Th%C3%B9y_LinhIn September 2007, a video of Thùy Linh having sexual intercourse with her boyfriend was leaked online. The video first hit YouTube and was quickly removed, but then it found its way onto the Vietnamese forums. The video spread widely throughout the nation and was the biggest scandal ever in the Vietnamese entertainment industry. The scandal caused an outcry domestically and internationally with the outstanding involvement of the media from the UK and the US. The affair generated public debates in many ways, the teenage youth called for a sympathetic tolerance to Thùy Linh while adults, as parents in particular, heavily criticized and even informally demanded from her an official apology for indirectly putting the end to an education oriented TV program of Vietnam’s youth.
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Post by stephen on Feb 21, 2019 19:13:15 GMT
I would love to see the story of the Harpe Brothers done as a grimy, Ravenous-esque tale redolent with violence and depravity. Widely credited as being America's first serial killers (suck it, H.H. Holmes!), the Harpe Brothers were murderers, highwaymen, and river pirates who operated in Appalachia in the era of the American Revolution and into the late 1700s. Dozens of bodies are attributed to them, and they seem like they stepped right out of an early Cormac McCarthy novel. The Harpe Brothers
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rhodoraonline
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Your Generosity Hides Something Dirtier and Meaner
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Post by rhodoraonline on Mar 10, 2019 8:33:17 GMT
The Ayrton Senna story. Milo Ventimiglia for the lead.
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Post by pacinoyes on Mar 10, 2019 21:02:10 GMT
People may think crime films are played out but crime always changes and mutates and this is one example : The Yoshitomi Group is a Japanese Yakuza (organized crime) organization that was formed during the Kobe earthquake by Yoshitomi Hideaki and Yoshinori Watanabe, in associated with the large-scale relief for the victims, however the official formation of the organization was established in Tokyo, Japan. Today, they operate overseas with operations in the United States, Canada and Europe but have strong roots in Japan as well as Asia. It is one of the most powerful Japanese-based criminal groups in the United States, having many associates affiliated with hundreds of street gangs and multiple other organizations. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshitomi_Group
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Post by stephen on Mar 11, 2019 17:25:19 GMT
One of the great missed opportunities in cinema was that we never got to see Akira Kurosawa tackle an under-reported moment in Japanese history: the story of Amakusa Tokisada, a charismatic teenager, Christian mystic and leader of the Amakusa rebellion, which directly preceded and precipitated the Shimabara rebellion (mentioned obliquely in Silence). The historical Tokisada, also known as Shiro, was fifteen years old, supposed to have mystic powers and to be something just short of a prophet of God. Seen as something of a Joan of Arc figure, there was a legend that Shiro was the illegitimate grandson of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the “Japanese Simon Bolivar,” who was the sixteenth century general who united Japan by defeating the disparate feudal warlords who preceded the Tokugawa Shogunate. Ergo, symbolically, Shiro tries to unravel the political unity forged by his grandfather.
There is a 1962 film dealing with Amakusa's story and it's okay, but it lacks the sheer visceral artistry that Kurosawa (or even Kobayashi) would've been able to bring in spades.
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Post by pacinoyes on May 19, 2019 10:24:28 GMT
I have often posted in the music section about the 80s Rock band Husker Du - who I would place in (at least) the 10 best bands America has ever produced - side by side with The Velvet Underground and Ramones etc.
Their manager, a mere 24 year old, David Savoy, dealing with depression and his sadness over not being able to break the band big time, committed suicide on the eve of their biggest tour. In effect, that then caused a chain reaction that torpedoed their chances to ever break big anyway.
A sort of Theo Van Gogh story of frustration, failure, and his misplaced blame and descending mental illness. There's a great movie to be made of that I think, in this current time of the great big 70s Rock artist bio-pic, the 80s other side of that equation.
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Post by MsMovieStar on May 23, 2019 22:39:09 GMT
Oh honey, does anyone remember when Nicole was mowed down by a cyclist, a couple of years ago? (Some say it was part of her desperate Oscar campaign)
I'm kind of thinking of a movie with Nicole set in France... during the Tour de France.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2019 23:11:12 GMT
There a Gatsby-esque angle to this story pacinoyes : The son of an Irish immigrant who attended New York City's most elite prep schools on scholarship, his stunning looks deceiving everyone around him - not just about his working-class background, but also about his savagely violent tendencies... Interestingly, this crime also occurred in Central Park and was also investigated by Linda Fairstein... Such different coverage in the media, though - the assailant in this case was a handsome white man.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2019 23:53:02 GMT
There a Gatsby-esque angle to this story pacinoyes : The son of an Irish immigrant who attended New York City's most elite prep schools on scholarship, his stunning looks deceiving everyone around him - not just about his working-class background, but also about his savagely violent tendencies... Interestingly, this crime also occurred in Central Park and was also investigated by Linda Fairstein... Such different coverage in the media, though - the assailant in this case was a handsome white man.If any of you guys are interested in this story, 48 Hours did a really great piece on it a few years ago: 48 Hours ( PromNightCarrie - Definitely check this out as you are into true crime - there is no understating how huge this story was in the 80s.) I just ordered this - really looking forward to getting a panoramic view:
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Post by pacinoyes on Jul 2, 2019 16:14:57 GMT
Today on MSNBC they had on the author of a new book on Albert Hicks: Amazing story/character - I just ordered the book - which is called The Last Pirate of New York. Who could play this guy - he was 40 when executed in 1860? "He was a triple murderer, and one of the last persons executed for piracy in the United States. Cultural historian Rich Cohen places him as the first New York City legendary gangster figure, a bridge between piracy of old and the rise of the new "gangster nation". Afterwards, Hicks gave a full confession of the murders and his life story which was published as a book on the day of his execution.
"Hicks escaped a number of times prior but he was re-apprehended and given increasingly severe sentences, including a year in solitary where Hicks said he went a little crazy. He swore vengeance "against the whole human race"...the devil took possession of me".en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_W._Hicks
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Post by stephen on Jul 2, 2019 18:40:57 GMT
Continuing my streak of mentioning projects that James Carlos Blake has written great novels about: Stanley Ketchel.
Nicknamed "The Michigan Assassin," Stanislaw Kiecal--better known as Stanley Ketchel--was one of the greatest middleweight champs in boxing history. Born in 1886 to Polish immigrant parents, Ketchel was a tough scrapper right from the get. He was a violent youth, getting in fights and falling in with a gang of street urchins. At twelve, he ran away to become a hobo. He worked as a bellhop, then as a bouncer, and soon became a feared brawler even at the age of sixteen. Soon he was fighting for money in bars and back-alleys, only losing twice out of nearly forty fights. Ketchel was utterly fearless and ferocious in the ring, like a mad dog who couldn't be put down.
Even though he was a middleweight, he hungered to take on the big dogs: heavyweights. After securing the middleweight championship title in 1908, he started challenging the heavier guys, ultimately culminating in a throwdown with the legendary Jack Johnson in 1909, which was considered by many to be a bout on par with David and Goliath. The fight went twelve bloody rounds, which ended with Ketchel decking Johnson with a right punch before Johnson got up and KO'd Ketch with an uppercut. Some of Ketchel's teeth were found embedded in Johnson's glove after the fact.
But what separates Ketchel from the other fighters of his era was the desperado-esque lifestyle he led. The wild nature he exhibited in the ring was no less tempered by life outside of it, and his short violent life came to a brutal end at the age of 24, when Ketchel was murdered at a Missouri ranch in a Jesse James-esque finale.
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Post by Mattsby on Jul 2, 2019 22:21:10 GMT
Today on MSNBC they had on the author of a new book on Albert Hicks: Amazing story/character - I just ordered the book - which is called The Last Pirate of New York. Who could play this guy - he was 40 when executed in 1860? "He was a triple murderer, and one of the last persons executed for piracy in the United States. Cultural historian Rich Cohen places him as the first New York City legendary gangster figure, a bridge between piracy of old and the rise of the new "gangster nation". Afterwards, Hicks gave a full confession of the murders and his life story which was published as a book on the day of his execution.
"Hicks escaped a number of times prior but he was re-apprehended and given increasingly severe sentences, including a year in solitary where Hicks said he went a little crazy. He swore vengeance "against the whole human race"...the devil took possession of me".en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_W._HicksThis sounds great, I like the book cover too, it pops. And it's only 230pg! which is great - I've feared the 960pg The Wilderness Warrior about Teddy Roosevelt that's been sitting on my shelf for ten years. lol Joaquin for Hicks? Pattinson? For director.... def Bennett Miller who's waiting way too long for his Foxcatcher followup.
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Post by PromNightCarrie on Jul 8, 2019 14:45:56 GMT
Black Wall Street
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2019 14:48:14 GMT
Durham, Richmond, or Tulsa?
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Post by PromNightCarrie on Jul 8, 2019 15:00:26 GMT
Durham, Richmond, or Tulsa? Tulsa.
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Post by pacinoyes on Sept 12, 2019 19:14:19 GMT
Next book I'll be reading is Satan's Circus about the only policeman ever executed in the US - Charles Becker. This story is told in a way in The Great Gatsby even - fascinating case, hoping the book lives up to it with details because I only know the general outline. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Becker
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Post by hugobolso on Sept 20, 2019 2:23:47 GMT
The Fell of Constantinople.
Any way, my favourite byzantine story, are the reign of Zoe (1028-50) her 3 husbands and her sister Teodora (1041-1056). Both sister, who hate each other, rule Constantinople alone for 2 months in 1042, until Zoe the Senior Empress married for the third time.-
Zoe was maiden until 50!!!
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Post by pacinoyes on Oct 28, 2019 22:27:41 GMT
Given this weekend's event involving Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a less successful US attempt "Operation Eagle Claw" - a devastating failed US military mission - left out! - of BP winner Argo. In a move that is still discussed in military circles, the field commanders advised President Carter to abort the mission, which he did. Its failure, and the humiliating public debacle that ensued, damaged U.S. prestige worldwide. Carter blamed his loss in the 1980 U.S. presidential election mainly on his failure to secure the release of the hostages.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Eagle_Claw
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 8, 2019 15:43:01 GMT
Jeannette Rankin - Do you hate Donald Trump (plenty do), do you love him (plenty do) - well Jeannette Rankin speaks to the current US political divide maybe more than anyone actually. A pacifist who voted against going to war 1 day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor - rather than just abstaining even. She is either the definition of a committed free thinker or a moral or at least naive idiot - her story would make a great film, that Hollywood I reckon isn't really willing to make in all its contradictions. This is a tour de force waiting to happen for an actress. On December 8, (1941) Rankin was the only member of either house of Congress to vote against the declaration of war on Japan. Hisses could be heard in the gallery as she cast her vote; several colleagues, including Rep. (later Senator) Everett Dirksen, asked her to change it to make the resolution unanimous—or at very least, to abstain—but she refused. "As a woman I can't go to war," she said, "and I refuse to send anyone else.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeannette_Rankin
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 8, 2019 16:13:10 GMT
Great story, she slightly looks like Sean Young . Idk which Actress is supposed to play her, maybe Frances McDormand? McDormand would be great casting..............but you know, we need British actors/actresses to play Americans, so it would probably be Emma Thompson instead!
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 14, 2019 10:59:03 GMT
The murder of William Marsh Rice - Rice was sort of an older Donald Trump of his day - a very rich guy, very eccentric character - who met a sensationalized ending at the turn of the century. In a lot of ways his life and death sort of represents the whole 20th century - and his legacy has existed for 120 years - Rice University is because of him - and touches on Southern Gothic horror, greed, betrayal, murder and racism (Rice intended the school to be Whites Only). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Marsh_RiceRice was found dead by his valet, Charles F. Jones. He was presumed to have died in his sleep. Shortly thereafter, a bank teller noticed a suspiciously large check bearing the late Rice's signature and made out to Rice's New York City lawyer, Albert T. Patrick, but with Albert's name misspelled as "Abert". Soon, Patrick made an announcement that Rice had changed his will right before his death, leaving the bulk of his fortune to Patrick.
A subsequent investigation led by the District Attorney of New York resulted in the arrests of Patrick and of Rice's butler and valet Charles F. Jones, who had been persuaded to administer chloroform to Rice while he slept.
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Post by pacinoyes on Feb 9, 2020 10:14:30 GMT
A horrific famous event, crucial in 20th century history that's never really been told comprehensively except in passing ways. The Wikipedia description and actual context and details would be an amazing script itself. The civilian involvement is often completely ignored. Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November Pogrom was a pogrom against Jews carried out by SA paramilitary forces and civilians throughout Nazi Germany on 9–10 November 1938. The German authorities looked on without intervening. The name Kristallnacht ("Crystal Night") comes from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after the windows of Jewish-owned stores, buildings and synagogues were smashed. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht
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