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R. Eric VanNewkirk@sotsogm.bsky.social |
410 followers 441 following 4377 posts
Retired Public Defender (25 years in the trenches). Would've been a rogue attorney but they didn't even give me a lousy T-shirt when I left.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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"I thought it would be nice if Luke looked over and saw Obi-Wan, Yoda, and his Dad at the party, and you're overthinking this," would've been a totally valid answer. See also: "Klingons look different because we have money now" in Star Trek.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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This is where Lucas felt he had to explain why some Jedi become Force ghosts but some Jedi apparently don't even though a fallen Jedi still can, when this was exactly the kind of fan-question a writer should completely ignore and respond to with "a wizard did it".
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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And, funnily enough, I just suddenly remembered Liam Neeson was in Excalibur.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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John Boorman's Phantom Menace is a movie that doesn't get appreciated until 30 years after its release and even then every fan recommending it has to recommend it with a whole litany of disclaimers about how yes it's weird but also brilliant and you need to watch the whole thing.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Connery could've done it, yes, but he'd also need a supportive director: one could imagine him misunderstanding the character and trying to play it like Ramirez in Highlander. (Which is a great performance--for Highlander, not Phantom Menace.)
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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And it circles back to the actor's director thing, doesn't it? Neeson could've nailed a tragic hero (I find myself suddenly thinking about Darkman), but he needed a director who would sit down and talk to him about the character. Beatty as Qui Gon would've been great.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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You're right. Damn. Hadn't even thought of Beatty.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Walken's not being difficult or anything, he's just upset with himself because he didn't like a line reading, and the way Spielberg talks to him about it--it's worth looking up if you haven't seen it. If he treats all his actors that way--and it seems he does--it's no wonder he gets great work.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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But I think it's because he's just great with actors. One of my favorite Spielberg things ever is a behind-the-scenes moment included in a featurette with the Catch Me If You Can DVD, where Christopher Walken isn't happy after a take and the way Spielberg manages him is just amazing work.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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E.T., obviously. One of the best scenes in Jaws (Scheider and Jay Mello at the dining room table). Empire of the Sun (young Christian Bale!). I don't like Temple of Doom, but Ke Huy Quan is great. Movies with big parts for kids, movies with small parts for kids.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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I think that's very true. But also: kids are notoriously hard to work with, which makes it kind of amazing Spielberg has possibly never had a truly bad kid performance in any of his films. Not even Hook (which I think is underrated, but the movie certainly has problems; but not the kids' acting).
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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And I realize Spielberg and Lucas talked about Spielberg directing a Star Wars and it just never worked out; but if you just have to start the story with Young Anakin, someone like Spielberg (and there may not be anyone else like him) is worth waiting for.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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He'd also have done better to just hand off the reins to other directors. Setting aside that starting the prequels with Child Anakin was a mistake, few things will make you appreciate how well Steven Spielberg works with child actors like watching what Lucas did with poor Jake Lloyd.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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One does have to wonder what his filmography would look like if he'd gone the "I like making weird documentaries and film collages" instead of "I'm the Star Wars auteur"; one suspects there would be hours of amazing work streaming on Criterion instead of the Prequel Trilogy streaming on Disney+.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Which in turn goes back to Irvin Kershner giving them a lot of time to rehearse and workshop scenes, something that wasn't in Lucas's directorial toolbox. Lucas does a lot of things really, really well as a director--working with actors and giving them what they need isn't among them.
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Don Moynihan
@donmoyn.bsky.social
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Honestly still in shock that the most crooked American President in history said "I need immunity" and the GOP Supreme Court said "well, it's nowhere in the constitution, but sure, why not? Whats the worst that could happen?"
67 replies 501 reposts 2352 likes
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Here's another thing that's irritating: people who are being ridiculously confrontational saying "I'm sorry" when clearly they're not the least bit sorry at all. Trying to turn aggressiveness into passive-aggressiveness for reasons that defy comprehension.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Indeed, the context of my response was to say that my not seeing goat on as many menus was perhaps a reflection of my ignorance since I don't see many Indian restaurant menus, and to remark that it was funny how my perception was shaped. Hardly a critique of Indian food.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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For a storyteller, you should really spend more time reading what you respond to. I never said it was mid; indeed, I mentioned my wife loves it. I said I don't care for what I've had. That's all me, not any subcontinent.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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I was a public defender for 25 years and still hate every single time I had a client with a winnable case who we couldn't get out of jail and so they pleaded out. It's the client's call and the lawyer's not the one sitting in jail. But it sucks, sucks, sucks. It shouldn't work that way.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Honestly, I'm not even sure I should respond, but there's few things as irritating as someone saying they don't care for something, and getting the response "Oh, well you just haven't had ___." I regret every single time I ever did that when I was younger and more foolish.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Okay, I have never had food from any region of India that I particularly enjoyed (though I didn't hate it) and the experiences I've had were not promising enough for me to seek out further experiences. I'm game for politely joining others but my vote will always be for something else. Happy?
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Ah! I'm not fond of Indian food (though my wife loves it), so maybe I'm just showing my ignorance. Funny how one's perception might be shaped by one's tastes in this context.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Getting caught up in the legal system is extremely disruptive, and not necessarily even by design (as some cynics assume): even a well-intentioned process is limited by caseloads, personnel, courtroom availability, etc. A malign system? Forget about it. You'll see a judge if/when they get to you.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Your thoughts/instincts were absolutely correct. Could any halfway competent attorney have gotten that dropped? Yes. In the meantime, your best case scenario is having to get off work for court dates and your worst is having to sit in jail until you post bond.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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I'd say less common than duck or probably lamb. It's not unusual to see duck confit in mid-range foodie restaurants these days, or various things (Brussels sprouts, for instance) done in duck fat. And lamb is on the menu at most Mediterranean places (gyros!). I don't recall where I last saw goat.
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Quinta Jurecic
@qjurecic.bsky.social
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if your instinct is "calm down, surely this is an exaggeration," allow me to assure you that it's really not
4 replies 104 reposts 322 likes
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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One of those two places is weird, inhospitable, and alien; the other is Earth's largest natural satellite.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Which seems problematic, especially since the Impeachment Clause says that impeachment doesn't attach jeopardy to possibly illegal acts, and SCOTUS has effectively nullified that clause by holding there's effectively no way to prosecute a President regardless.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Continuing the historical example, one might argue that the President is constitutionally CIC and Congress is exceeding their prerogative if they attempt to limit POTUS' ability to deploy bombers, but SCOTUS just held that there's no effective way to review that other than impeachment.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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In the present instance, it's hard to see how trying to overturn election results is part of a President's official duties, but one of the implications of the Court's decision is that the President is immune to repercussions from unlawful acts that are more clearly within the scope of official acts.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Or it's good law and they need to look for legal solutions like (for historical example) *not* illegally bombing Cambodia.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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This all gets back to how SCOTUS has screwed all of this up and gotten it completely backwards: we in fact do want Presidents to be worried about getting second-guessed in the courts and at the polls, and to worry about being prosecuted and/or impeached. Immunity should be limited if it even exists.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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The "Oh, it'll be okay, you can go to court and the judge will fix everything" attitude is out-of-touch and callous to the harms people endure even under the best circumstances. Kinda pisses me off. Would like to know how long the professor would be willing to sit in jail to have his day in court.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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It also has the annoying law professor's law-as-abstraction thing going on: supposing judges will still let you out, how long do you sit in jail waiting for your hearing, how much is your life wrecked? It's better to tell Presidents that they can't do bad things before they try, not after.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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I didn't dislike it--at least not the first half of it--but I'm a little surprised it's become the cult classic it has become. Great sets/ship design and fantastic cast. I was really disappointed where they went with what they had to work with. Want to say more but won't lest I spoil something.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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Or, looking further afield, like Louis XVI or Czar Nicholas II.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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If only he'd had the foresight to nominate Epstein as his Secretary of Education or some other cabinet position.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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The only correct answer possible is Dean Stockwell's hair. I mean, you should always watch Dean Stockwell whenever you can, but this hair is the held trump.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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LOVECRAFT: [sweating] Oh, c-c-come on, n-nobody is into, is into, into, you know--[flops arm in a vaguely tentacular way]--th-th-that's just sick, j-j-just sick. Ew. Gross. [fumbles phone trying to delete his Tumblr account]
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Popehat
@kenwhite.bsky.social
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Right-wing legal talking heads are focusing on arguing that it is RIDICULOUS to say that a second-term Trump will be empowered by immunity to do horrific things, while carefully preparing to argue in seven months that it is RIGHT that Trump do horrific things which aren’t actually horrific anyway.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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The cast is fine, and there aren't the chemistry problems the prequels had (Christensen and Portman are fine actors, but it's hard to believe they have a passion worth going evil over when their scenes feel like two people awkwardly trying to pass in a tight hallway). The problems are all Abrams.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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And it's not like we haven't had Weekend At Bernie's presidencies after Wilson's stroke, during Reagan's Alzheimer's, and possibly during parts of Nixon's getting drunk and talking to presidential portraits phase. And things ran... basically fine, though not completely seamlessly.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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He's been more effective than I expected, but even if that wasn't true I'd still have to be Team Meat Shield.
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Kevin M. Kruse
@kevinmkruse.bsky.social
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People keep referencing guillotines & gallows, but the American response to this situation has tended to range from "mob justice" to "mail bombs" For these reasons, past generations of US elites have sought to preserve at least the *illusion* of a fair system of laws. But the mask is fully off now.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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It's not just you.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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I get why people harsh on the Canto Bight subplot because it doesn't come off, and it sort of derails the film for stretches, and it's possibly too smart and cynical for what people expect from a Star War, but I also think I get what Johnson was going for. So I personally can't be too down on it.
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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"And you stand on a cliff and match the edge to a shape on the horizon!" "So this doesn't work if you're tall. Or short. Or standing 3' to the left." "And the shape is the ruin of the Death Star in the ocean of Endor!" "You mean it's collapsing. Into the waves... I'm gonna need to drink." 2/2
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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"What if the way the lost map works is by going to a special location with a map-finding object!" "You mean like in Raiders of the Lost Ark?" "No! This will be a serrated knife blade!" "A knife blade... in a universe where the iconic gadget is a laser sword." 1/2
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R. Eric VanNewkirk
@sotsogm.bsky.social
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The key thing is they'd have to cover up their criming by *checks notes* talking to the Attorney General of the United States in an official capacity about the crime. *checks notes again* Wait, that can't be right--
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