Robert Altman is dead

One of the last American film mavericks has died at the age of 82.

I became aware of Altman's work in the usual fashion-I saw a movie of his when I was a child and only understood what I was looking at when I got older. The movie was "Popeye" and at the time it was a big thing because Robin Williams was starring in it. As a very small child, I did not like it because it was not animated.

The next Altman movie I saw was "M*A*S*H*," which was a little hard to watch initially because I grew up with the tv series and so seeing Donald Sutherland as Hawkeye and a different Henry Blake was weird. I also was not ready for the meaness and the daily brutality that the characters dealt with. I think in many ways the movie made the better case for how people create a livable situation out of the unthinkable, simply because Robert Altman was able to elicit stories and reactions that were definitely not allowable on television during the time period of the tv series.

I then saw the "Long Goodbye " and "Nashville", both of which I think were as much a commentary on the 1970s as they were their own narrative. I remembered when "Tanner '88" came out, I cursed the fact that we did not have cable. I remembered thinking that it had to be more interesting that some of what was on tv at the time. I am pleased that Altman was able to do an update to Tanner.

The last Altman film I saw was "The Prairie Home Companion" and I was not disappointed. I think that it was a fitting end to a strange and wonderful career. I wonder if Sweet By and By was sang at his funeral.

Pair Use The Force For Jedi Religion

Leave it to Britain to work hard at making Jedi a religion. I heard tell that many answered this on their census in regards to a religion.

I don't know that I see 'Jedi' as a religion but more as a philosophy, much like Taoism. It is composed of a code of behaviour that yes, was started by a Hollywood movie director but that has been expanded and that has been based on other "real world" practices.

I read their letter and I shudder when I read, " We have a proud heritage dating back 195,000 years to our first Jedi, the blue haired, blue eyed Kaja Sinis, who was born on Coruscant."

First of all, none of that is founded in reality-at least that we can measure. Second, the "blue haired, blue eyed" but sounded like greying Aryan nation members.

I applaud them for wanting more Religious Tolerance. I just don't know if they will be taken seriously.

The World of 'The Outsiders'

Well I found out that the author of 'The Outsiders' has a website : http://www.sehinton.com.
It's simple and clean, but leaves an impression just like her novels. I think I will revisit it frequently as I work on my own website.