An Audio Recording of the Michael Brown Shooting Has Reportedly Surfaced - The Wire

"Also of some serious importance, should the tape's authenticity be confirmed, is the fact that ten (or, by some counts,eleven) shots were fired at Brown by Wilson."

Drawing a Gun in Ferguson - The New Yorker

"In the eleven days since Michael Brown was shot and killed, we’ve been reminded of the many things that are not illegal (recording police actions) or, if they are, do not carry a death penalty (stealing cigarillos, jaywalking). Cursing police officers is on both of those lists. In an opinion piece in the Washington Post this week, an officer named Sunil Dutta wrote that the way to prevent police shootings is simply for people to show more respect for police authority. ('Even though it might sound harsh and impolitic, here is the bottom line: if you don’t want to get shot, tased, pepper-sprayed, struck with a baton or thrown to the ground, just do what I tell you. Don’t argue with me, don’t call me names, don’t tell me that I can’t stop you, don’t say I’m a racist pig, don’t threaten that you’ll sue me and take away my badge.') That is not how it’s supposed to work, in this country, anyway. We respect the police as professionals because their job is so hard, and so important; it can involve chaotic nights and yelling crowds, or opening the door to an apartment where anything might be happening. Police officers don’t get to wave a gun whenever they think it might make everything easier—when they think it will just make people behave. That is not the sort of authority, in any sense of that word, that will calm the streets of Ferguson, or any city."

Magic in the Moonlight (2014) **

Sumptuously filmed and art directed, but the leads' chemistry is non-existent and the "magic" is not all it needs to be. Enjoyable but forgettable.

My Fair Lady (1964) ***

It's too long and the second act drags, but terrific leads, Shaw's words and ideas, Cecil Beaton's production design and costumes and some fine B'way tunes ably compensate. I would like to see an edit with Hepburn doing the singing (a major mistake to dub her) and the Alfred Doolittle and Freddy Eynsford-Hill songs cut.

Unknown (2011) **

Liam Neeson action vehicle has a few twists to keep things interesting and the wonderful Bruno Ganz, but things unravel at the end and the thin thread of plausibility is lost.

Takers (2010) **

Heist gone wrong actioner in a bit of a hip-hop style can't avoid the genre cliches despite some appealing players. Some exciting sequences.

The Forger (2012) **

Pleasant divertissement thanks mainly to location filming in Carmel, Ca. It's well filmed with decent production values, but the script could have used some more work and the male lead lacks charisma.

Lauren Bacall, Actress, Dies at Age 89 - WSJ

A magnificent woman on all counts. Worth re-reading a great interview with her from 2011. One of the greats.

WATCH: Cops aim weapon at local official, lock media out as Ferguson protests continue

"Alderman Antonio French posted the footage Monday night, following another protest criticizing police for the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Michael Brown. The video shows French being approached by officers in riot gear inside a parking lot. One officer has his firearm drawn toward French while another says, “Get the f*ck out of here” and motions away from the parking lot. It is not clear whether French identified himself as a city official during the encounter in the St. Louis suburb."

This is what you get when you militarize the police. Look how they are outfitted. More like soldiers than community police officers. They're out of control.

Hillary Clinton: 'Failure' to Help Syrian Rebels Led to the Rise of ISIS - The Atlantic

“'I think Israel did what it had to do to respond to the rockets,' she told me. 'Israel has a right to defend itself. The steps Hamas has taken to embed rockets and command-and-control facilities and tunnel entrances in civilian areas, this makes a response by Israel difficult.'

"I asked her if she believed that Israel had done enough to prevent the deaths of children and other innocent people.

“'Just as we try to do in the United States and be as careful as possible in going after targets to avoid civilians,' mistakes are made, she said. 'We’ve made them. I don’t know a nation, no matter what its values are—and I think that democratic nations have demonstrably better values in a conflict position—that hasn’t made errors, but ultimately the responsibility rests with Hamas.'

"She went on to say that 'it’s impossible to know what happens in the fog of war. Some reports say, maybe it wasn’t the exact UN school that was bombed, but it was the annex to the school next door where they were firing the rockets. And I do think oftentimes that the anguish you are privy to because of the coverage, and the women and the children and all the rest of that, makes it very difficult to sort through to get to the truth.'

"She continued, 'There’s no doubt in my mind that Hamas initiated this conflict. … So the ultimate responsibility has to rest on Hamas and the decisions it made.'”

Wow. Complete arrogance and disregard in the ideas and the language. Such blatant, reflexive imperialism. A truly evil person and a complete disaster if elected.

The Yakuza (1974) **

Stately paced noir about Japanese gangsters and their bizarre rituals. Disappointing considering the top talent involved. Extremely talky and expository for the subject matter.

Breezy (1973) ***

Highly enjoyable '70's character study thanks to winning lead performances and nice direction by Clint. William Holden looks 10-15 years OLDER than he was at time of filming making the March-December romance even more "icky" and his penchant for wearing awful old dude sweaters doesn't help. Clint allows a major faux pas when he leaves in a sequence where the characters head for an obviously SoCal beach to watch the sun RISE out at sea! Totally dig the Laurel Canyon home though. Lots of wood and stone and yellow decor.

Adam and Evalyn (1949) **

Thanks to a lovely Jean Simmons this is a watchable rom-com hampered by strange directorial decisions such as filming a several minute sightseeing sequence showing nothing but the 2 main characters feet, and a totally unsympathetic male lead character.

The Simpsons Movie (2007) **

I'm not sure if it is the writers' fault or the audience's perceptions, but expanded sitcoms almost never work. There's something about going beyond the 22 minute expected time frame that's problematic. This movie is no exception. It's okay, about on a par with a weaker regular episode.

Terraces (TV Movie 1977) **

Interesting curio from the '70's is one of those so-bad-it's-good flicks. One of the first mainstream "pro-gay" TV movies is blessedly short and contains a scene stealing star turn by Catwoman.

Obama Says America Tortured, but That's Not Enough - The Atlantic

"There's a moral question: If torture really happened, shouldn't there be some sort of serious attempt to grapple with it? And there's a legal one: As my colleague Conor Friedersdorf and others have pointed out, the U.S. is a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture, which compels investigation of torture and referral of violators for prosecution."

If that's not an open and shut case for impeachment (at the very least) what is?

Taken (2008) *

Even though it is well-made, it's also preposterous and obviously a revenge fantasy which provides an emotional justification for incredible violence and torture. Despicable.

The Power of Two - The Atlantic

"As long as John and Paul were both alive, the possibility remained that they might remarry. According to Linda McCartney, during the 1970s Paul was 'desperate to work with John again.' John retreated from music in the second half of the decade, but in 1980 he and Yoko released Double Fantasy. He was murdered on December 8, 1980. Had he lived, who knows what might have happened? Jack Douglas, who produced Double Fantasy, said that John was actively planning to team up with Paul the following year."

The article is mainly a straw man diatribe ("the myth of the lone genius" is a thing?) and it is also guilty of the same facile compartmentalization of people the author accuses others of doing. Still it's tempting to consider what might have been in 1981...

via @TomIfNotThen

Lucy (2014) **

The in-your-face allegories (cheetahs stalking prey/innocent girl delivering a package) and faux-science expositions ad nauseum (completely unnecessary Morgan Freeman) waste the terrific presence of Scarlett Johansson. You can't expect close-ups to do ALL the work of engaging the audience. It's colorful and moves quickly (90 minutes thank you!) but the ideas are trite and the technique does not work.

Castle Keep (1969) **

Ambitiously eccentric WWII flick slips over into pretentiousness too often. Beautifully shot though.