Jeff Bollen

Provided there's enough interest, I'll be hosting the next discussion on the animated miniseries Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. I don't have a definite date in mind, just sometime within the next 30-60 days. You can watch this for free on YouTube (dubbed); it runs just over 2 1/2 hours in total and features war, loss, childism, abusive relationships, and state indoctrination. If you appreciate Grave of the Fireflies, I think you'll find this equally valuable. I have a deeply personal experience with the series to share, as well.

Forgot to mention: I was never frightened by the movie, even at 13 when I first saw it. Insidious, on the other hand, literally had me looking over my shoulder afterward.

I haven't checked it out; my old film professor didn't think too highly of it and I trust his opinions on art. (Beyond the Lights was his pick for the last year and I think there's a lot of valuable material in that one.) Do you think it's worth seeing? How does it compare with the reality of those events?

Weir becomes a villain about 2/3 into the movie; his grief over Peters's death triggers his possession and transformation. In that moment, his true self dies, for all intents and purposes. And when Miller detonates the explosives, the possessed Weir screams in dismay, foiled by his formerly good self's contingency plan. Sunshine is an interesting one; I may re-watch that at some point, also.

Something struck me when I watched this movie last weekend (third viewing overall). For years, I thought the ship's design was completely asinine and served no practical purpose, unlike the corridors in Alien, which were creepy simply by virtue of being utilitarian (small, dimly lit, exposed exhaust manifolds, etc.). But I may have an explanation. Whether Claire killed herself during or after the Event Horizon's completion, her depression likely tortured Weir throughout their relationship and thus, the ship reflects Weir's emotional pain. I think it would've been interesting for the characters to discuss this: "Who designs a ship like this?" "Weir says everything has a purpose." "Do you believe him?" "I don't know. We are talking about a guy whose wife offed herself in a bathtub." "Yeah, I'd be surprised if we didn't see any of his demons here." And something else, I used to think a docking mechanism would be preferable to the central corridor explosives, but the latter may be less failure-prone and more effective in propelling the foredecks away from the singularity. If so, then this adds a great ethical dimension to Weir's character; in spite of scaring the crew, he gave them the best possible chance to survive if the gravity drive malfunctioned. Thoughts?

Grave of the Fireflies hits hard, for sure. Two other anime pieces worth checking out are Gundam 0080 and an 08th MS Team episode, "Duty and Ideals." The series as a whole is worth seeing, too, but that episode is especially stirring. Yes, few (if any) films overtly condemn war itself; my point was that freethinking, ethically consistent viewers can nevertheless gain value from (though not necessarily enjoy) them. I used to appreciate Saving Private Ryan for entirely different reasons than I do now. Thanks for the recommendations, all. Catch-22 has been in my mental backlog for some time.

My father once told me, "In my opinion, there's no such thing as a pro-war movie." He never swallowed the red pill, but that's one area where I think he's right. Films such as Saving Private Ryan and The Best Years of Our Lives remain two of my favorites because they heavily criticize state action and its effects when viewed rationally. Now I can add Fury to that list. The film chronicles the downward spiral of a good-natured recruit (Logan Lerman) into a violent, indoctrinated pawn, even earning the nickname "Machine" near the climax. It becomes clear just how lost Brad Pitt's character is when, on the verge of tears, he refers to their tank as his home. Even if the protagonists win the day, they're already dead. Anyone else see it? What were some of your favorite moments?

Who's going? It lines up with my family reunion, so it'll be a good opportunity to see Jeff Berwick and Gary Gibson again.

I went last year, but won't be present this time due to scheduling conflicts. FreedomFest has a largely right-wing bent, but I did enjoy meeting Stef, Jeff Tucker, Doug Casey, and Tom Woods. Wendy McElroy even invited me out as part of an anarchist entourage with Tucker, Jeff Berwick, Doug French, and Gary Gibson, so that was amazing. Have a good time. [] This year I'm stopping at the Liberty Mastermind Symposium on my way to a family reunion; hopefully I'll see some FDR listeners there.