ARTHOUSE FILM NEWS - Cosmic Disco Detective Rene at Facets, Chicago 11/29/23

This is kind of funny. Thanks Matt Dentler's blog for the link.

Both text and video versions of the story are available at the Voice of America site. From the story: "Ezra also remembers nothing about the night in which his rebel faction attacked his own village, an attack in which his parents were killed and his sister gravely injured. Much of the film is about the human relationships of the child soldiers, despite their brutalization. Ezra's sister is loyal to him despite her knowledge that he was among the attacking rebels. Ezra also falls in love and marries a girl soldier, eventually trying to flee the country with her and his sister. The cast includes Sierra Leoneans, Ugandans, Rwandans and Malians, as well as European and Americans of African descent. Most had not acted before, and two had actually been child soldiers. The director, who says the story is based on the Sierra Leone conflict, interviewed a number of child soldiers before he wrote his screenplay. They became a major source, he says, “especially three kids that I met t

Check it out at GeniusDV . They also have several pages of free info. on using Final Cut Pro HD. - Sujewa

Michelle Obama speaks about Barack Obama's community organizing work & why they are involved in politics:

From an e-mail I received from the Obama campaign : "Our work so far has taught us one important lesson: that your personal story about why you support Barack Obama is often the most powerful persuasion tool for someone who's undecided. That's true whether that undecided voter is your neighbor or a superdelegate. The story of where you're from, what brought you into the political process, the issues that matter to you, and why you became part of this movement has the potential to inspire someone who could cast a deciding vote in this contest. Our staff will compile stories from supporters like you and make them a key part of the conversation with superdelegates as Barack asks for their support. Share your story to help persuade superdelegates now: http://my.barackobama.com/superdelegates I've received a lot of email from folks asking how best to help with the superdelegate effort, and this is it. Your note, combined with those of other Obama supporters, will tell t

Funny. I guess not everyone is a fan of Valentines Day. From an article in Gulf Times : "Sri Lankan Buddhist monks plan to counter Valentine's Day celebrations in the island with programmes to lure the youth away from romantic love which they denounce as an undesirable Western concept. The Jathika Sangha Sammelanaya (JSS), a national organisation of monks, will hold Adishtana and Ashirwada prayers Valentine's Day today in a bid to make the youth love the country and the security forces battling Tamil Tigers." Read the rest of the article here . Why an organization SWORN TO CELIBACY (that would be the order of Buddhist monks; they are celebate in Sri Lanka) is concerned with romantic love is something to ponder. I guess this is all a left over anti-western attitude in some parts of Sri Lankan society, rising from anti-colonial sentiments from over 60 years ago. Not everyone in Sri Lanka hates romantic love, from what I hear, and in fact I believe love is a very pop

maybe not for people who just met, but perhaps for people who've been together for a few years: happy valentines day! - sujewa

Check out this New York Times chart w/ info. on some of Obama's 8 years of work in the Illinois Senate. According to the chart Obama sponsored 823 bills; in health care, poverty and public assistance, economy, civil rights and other categories. Chart highlights several bills that were passed in various years. - Sujewa

This is certainly the most exciting US presidential election I've lived through. 2 great candidates on the Democratic side. If you haven't heard about it already, read about the awesome victory Obama had in the DC area yesterday. And here's a new Obama video called Hope Changes Everything: - Sujewa

From this Obama '08 page ; a woman in Alexandria, VA asks Barack Obama why she should vote for him: * Go here for more info. on voting tomorrow, all you readers in DC, MD, & VA . - Sujewa

Funny. * See this & the video that inspired it; the "Yes We Can" video - at Filmmaker Magazine blog . - Sujewa

One of the places I want to visit at some point in the future is the ancient rock fortress Sigiriya in Sri Lanka. There are many stories about what it was; the mainstream view is that it was built by a fifth century king to guard against his brother (check this Wikipedia page for more on that), then there are others who believe that Sigiriya was built much earlier, and, if I recall correctly, might even have been Lankapura - the city of King Ravana in the Indian epic Ramayana (an idea I found in this book ). Regardless, a fascinating ancient monument. Check out these videos that depict Sigiriya & also speculate about it: 1. A clip from a German show that speculates about what Sigiriya may have looked like in the past: 2. A presentation of still photos depicting what Sigiriya looks like now (set to some pleasant Sri Lankan music :): 3. This looks like some vacation video from a visit to Sigiriya: 4. A look around from top of (or at least one high level of) Sigiriya: 5. Som

A YouTube clip where the Dogme 95 rules are explained in an interview (i believe that's lars von trier being interviewed) & more:

Lake Tahoe sounds like a good movie; check out the Screen Daily review here . Thanks GreenCine Daily for the link. - Sujewa