Actually, in a similar way to the fact that, halfway through Blackhawk Down, I realized that the Somalis were being portrayed as just a half-turn away from zombies, all mob-like and Other and unknowable.

Mulitiple people have said this to me about Black Hawk Down, and I just don't see it. There were several Somali speaking parts that were explicitly meant to make them non-Other, and human, to give their side of the story (there could have been more, but it was already a long, full movie.

The swarming Somali combantants were meant to portray what that awful battle was like for the Rangers and Deltas on the ground.

And now I see this discussion was fully played out, so I guess I'm just chiming in on Robin's side. I think the movie was meant to be history, but not an objective history.

The book is also focused primarily on the POV of the soldiers, so I don't see why the movie had to be broader in scope.

I've missed much of this but

And now I see this discussion was fully played out, so I guess I'm just chiming in on Robin's side. I think the movie was meant to be history, but not an objective history.

I think, to soldiers, the enemy is basically a bunch of zombies. It's also necessary if you are going to be killing these people and you want minimum phsychological damage. Taken too far, it leads to Abu Ghraib.

The book gave me the chills and made me cry. I liked the movie, but it gave me a headache.

Also,

I don't think she'd spit on Dick van Dyke if he were burning to death in front of her.

Is this a saying? I've heard/read it twice in the last two weeks, but not before that, I don't think.

Thanks for the heads-up, Kathy. I guess I know what I can get my neice for Xmas now!

Is this a saying? I've heard/read it twice in the last two weeks, but not before that, I don't think.

I've usually heard "I wouldn't piss in his ear if his brain was on fire."

I'll have the main three Julie Andrews musicals on DVD and/or tape (I probably should replace my tape of Sound of Music with the DVD eventually)--Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, and Victor/Victoria. She was probably the first actress I can remember putting on the Film Diva level as a child, later joined by Judy Garland. She's the only person who ever made me first speechless, and then had me babbling when I met her.

You've got to learn to run away before the babbling.

Well, at least that's my MO.

Well, she was signing a book for me, and I just had to say something, so I blurted, "I'm just so thrilled to meet you!" and would have continued if she hadn't finished signing and her handler very smoothly moved me on.

I felt like an idiot later, but I don't think I was the only one in that line to have that reaction.

I know a guy who walked up to Roseanne Barr and told her "My girlfriend's having a baby!" and then bolted.

Truth was ... his girlfriend was having a baby. And he was very excited about it. He was also very excited about meeting Roseanne, since he'd worshipped her standup for a long time. Those two wires got crossed in the heat of the moment, and it sounds like a miracle he didn't die of embarassment right there.

I've usually heard "I wouldn't piss in his ear if his brain was on fire."

My favorite on this is "If you were drowning, I'd piss in the water just to raise the level"

"I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire." I've said it. Many times. Only once have I vowed not to piss on someone in the same circumstances.

But then, they really whipped my chicken, so it was deserved.