CatherineRhodes.com

I never understood the right’s antipathy for ‘government’ —whatever that term means to them. I keep asking my dad who exactly is ‘the government’ but can’t get a straight answer. Is it the mailman, the community college professor, the ranger at Whitney who issues hiking permits?

Maybe ‘the government’ refers to the canon of law, to rules and bureaucracy. I think we all agree there are dumb laws.  As Phillip K. Howard pointed out in his book, The Death of Common Sense, about the proliferation of regulations that just don’t make sense. My fav example is the parking lot at the Whitney trailhead that was required to by the ADA to have designated handicapped parking. I’m here to tell you, anyone in a wheelchair or on crutches was not going to be summiting Whitney anytime soon.

213,000 people may quit from the warnings

But what about the things that only government can do, such as in the realm of public health. On the front page of the LA Times today is a story about new graphics on the packs of cigarettes to discourage smoking and another about restaurants who are required to show calorie counts changing their menus to offer healthier, lower-fat cuisine.

The right might say that government is intruding on private industry. But let’s be honest, are tobacco companies and restaurants going to voluntarily provide nformation that may discourage the consumption of their product? The FDA is not trying to outlaw unhealthy products — there’s a measure of individual responsibility — but is merely advocating full disclosure for consumers.

Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese and 46 million Americans smoke. These are public health issues that ultimately impact everyone, creating a justifiable and welcome role for government intervention.

The history professor freedom fighter. Yummy

Thought I’d check out “Falling Skies” to see if it deserves the buzz, and in a word, yes, it does. As I was watching, it felt familiar — the ragtag group of people remaining after an invasion of alien creatures has wiped out humankind, armed to the teeth and in survival mode.

“The Walking Dead” had the same premise precisely, but that show was far inferior. The difference so far is that the people on “Skies” are doing the things and asking the questions that are obvious for smart people in a survival situations. They’re trying to figure out what happened, attempting to outmaneuver and outsmart the predators. On “Dead” the storyline focused on a group of dumb people engaging in drama the level of reality TV. So frustrating as a viewer when the characters have zero curiosity.

So dumb they deserve to be wiped out

An interesting piece of dialogue between two of the resistance fighters on “Skies.” They know they’re the inferior army against a formidable force. One character points to the fact that they’re in Boston and draws and analogy of the patriots vs. the British. But the other counters back that it’s more like the Indians vs. the onslaught of Europeans. Very good writing — are they the underdog yanks who prevail or the natives who succumb to genocide?

The truth is that I’m down on all AMC shows after the lazy and disgraceful season finale of “The Killing” on Sunday. The show was good for two episodes, then the writing dropped off a cliff and stayed there for the remainder of the season. I only kept watching because I wanted to solve the mystery of who killed Rosie Larson, then at the end there was a twist and we didn’t find out. To read an excellent review from Tom & Lorenzo click here.

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Falling Skies: YES (so far based only on the 2-hour premier)

The Walking Dead: NO

The Killing: GIANT NO

What kind of a world do we inhabit where AMC renews “Dead” and “Killing” and spikes a brilliant show like “Rubicon” after one season?

Is that the only role Tony Soprano can play?

The hottest theater ticket in town is “God of Carnage” with the spectacular original Broadway cast. I had the chance to see it last Sunday when my friend R. got discounted rush seats. Thankfully, I didn’t pay full price because the show was mediocre. The premise sounded fascinating: two couples meet to discuss their sons’ playground fight that left one boy with two knocked-out teeth. The conversation starts out cordially enough but unravels into carnage. Not really, no blood, although we are treated to projectile vomiting and lots of dead tulips on the carpet by the end.

I’m fascinated by this premise, how thin the social compact truly is and how quickly things can deconstruct into Lord of the Flies territory. This was the theme of my all-time fav Deadwood: what happens to civilization in the absence of laws? But “God of Carnage” brought nothing new to the conversation. There just wasn’t enough depth, no big reveal, no satisfying takeaway. The most interesting piece was how funny the show was, and how odd that the audience roared with laughter at monstrous behavior. My friend liked the shifting aliances between the couples, but it wasn’t profound enough to save an otherwise thin screenplay.

NO, unless you get free seats.

This picture captures the crazy-quilt feel of the movie

There’s a lot of press right now over Terence Malik’s long-awaited film, The Tree of Life. Warning, people, it’s a bizarro movie experience. In fact, it’s a candidate to replace Fantasia as the acid-droppers rental of choice. It has an over-arching biblical foundation, which I liked but my friend P. found annoying. It opens with a reference to Job, has a heavy-handed Cain and Abel story, allusions to Jesus, and of course the title has its origins in the Garden of Eden fable. About as subtle as a sledgehammer.

The film is visually and aurally stunning, as opera plays over footage of galaxies exploding, but absolutely nothing happens for 2 1/2 hours. It’s all vignettes and impressions. So if you see it, be prepared to ease into the film and just let it wash over you while suspending the idea that there is a plot to follow. This is art-house filmmaking on steroids.

YES for the right viewer (non-linear, patient or tripping), NO for everyone else

Sorry, but I miss Esa Pekka

When we took our seats for last night’s symphony at the Disney Hall, most noticeable was the massing of percussion instruments on the stage. “Oh, God,” I groaned, “an audience torturer.” Garth, who is much more open-minded than I, gave me a stern wait-and-see look. Dudamel took the mic and explained that this was the first piece he ever commissioned and when he first got the score he was lost. Evidentally he never got found because the piece was dreadful. Over 40 minutes of “experimental” completely atonal percussion — musicians playing the side of cymbals with a violin bow, hitting giant hubcap-like instruments with drumsticks, at one point shaking a gourd.

“I never thought I’d hear the soundtrack to Jurassic Park at the Disney Hall,” Garth whispered archly. Clearly the audience agreed because the performance only got half a standing ovation instead of the usual audience jumping to their feet at the lowering of the baton, and applauding for at least 20 minutes.

NO NO NO

Love the visual homage to "The Usual Suspects"

Loved “Bridesmaids” more than I can say. It’s about time Hollywood realized that women’s stories are entertaining — we can do comedy, people, we’re not just “Terms of Endearment.” This movie is the bookend to “The Hangover” — that was a bachelor party gone off the rails, this is the whole wedding lead-up SNAFU. Makes sense, because the only tasks men have after the proposal are hosting a stag party and showing up at the altar in a tux. Women do the wedding heavy lifting — paying, planning, hostessing the myriad of parties.

My brilliant USC Film School friend B. said she hates that genre of comedy, where it can’t just be humor but must carry a heavy message overlay. I said maybe that’s because we’re descended from Puritans and we can’t tolerate too much pleasure without the accompanying cautionary tale. Why Vegas had to become family-friendly. A city openly devoted to adult sin was too much for the Mayflower in our DNA.

But I don’t think that’s it. We want our movies to take us on an emotional journey, and using dramatic elements in tandem with the jokes makes for a more satisfying trip.

Enormous YES.

This generation's JFK moment

News this morning of bin Laden’s capture reminds me of that intense day in September a decade ago. I was living in the house on Van Ness with my ex-husband Rick, and the kids were still in elementary school. We were asleep when the phone rang — Rick’s sister in New York on a production job, who said, “go turn on your TV.” He went down to the TV room for awhile, then called for me, you gotta come see this. I settled into the room just in time to see the second tower hit. We started calling everyone we knew — can you believe it? The horror of it all, seeing those skyscrapers collapse, and people jumping to their death. The kids woke up and eventually we got dressed and went to school late. At the Oaks, parents and teachers were knotted in groups in the hallways and classrooms talking. The rumors were flying: there was another plane headed for Los Angeles to attack the twin towers in Century City — it was built by the same architect you know.

Around 10:30 we left for the office. A couple of our employees didn’t come to work. They felt too jittery to be in an office building, even a benign 20-story structure in Mid-Wilshire inhabited by Koreans. We worked mindlessly for a couple of hours then went home to watch TV, that’s all we wanted to do. Watch the news and collectively absorb the shock.

The revenge of testosterone

Game of Thrones on HBO. Pop culture lately has been filled with slacker and stoner guys: think of the Jackass series or any of the deadbeats from the Judd Apatow movies. GT hearkens to a medieval fantasy world drenched in testosterone, where men take whores, drink ale and march into battle, where it’s acceptable for a man to arrange a marriage for his unwilling sister, saying: “I would let all 40,000 men in his army fuck you and their horses too if it would get my kingdom back.”  It’s visually cool but the woman-shaming aspect might be too much to take. There’s only been one episode so far, so I’m going withhold judgment.  NOT SURE

The Escort at the Geffen: Flat-out brilliant theatre from a playwright who understands the complexity of human motivations, especially in the area of sexuality. She has an ear for dialogue between the professional woman and her teenage son. My friend Amy and I both have boys that age and kept giving each other knowing glances — my kid does that.  BIG YES

Win Win. A small film with Paul Giametti which doesn’t have the Hollywood ending that might be expected from the title. Rather, it’s about the small and large sacrifices necessary to make it through the day. This is real life, not processed pap like “The Blind Side.”  BIG YES

Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3; Northern Aggression. As a monster Dream Syndicate fan during the 80s, I was thrilled to read a positive Rolling Stone review about this new album, and immediately hit download. It’s as if 20 years never happened and this is Wynn’s solo project after the break up of Syndicate. On heavy rotation now as my running music.  YES

Soon after Obama was elected, David Alexrod went on Jon Stewart where he was asked whether POTUS is a Zen Master with a secret plan for the country. Axelrod laughed. The people who elected him hoped for a new era, but during the past few years the “professional left” has become disillusioned. As Matt Taibbi, doing the brilliant reporting on the financial meltdown for Rolling Stone, wrote in his blog:

As for Obama, I just disagree that he did all he could, in health care or elsewhere. I just don’t fall for the storyline that deep down inside he wants to do all these wonderful progressive things, but is halted by political circumstance….I’ve given up the idea that he could be a champion for any kind of real reform of anything.

My opinion isn’t quite that sharp, but it does seem that he’s thrown Czechoslovakia to the Republicans — caving on the public option, not launching healthcare until 1914, signing an anemic financial reform bill — almost as if he wanted to be accepted by the Republicans. They like me, they really like me.

Then I went to dinner with some of my smart GFs, who suggested that Obama has been laying the groundwork during his first term, being conciliatory enough to get a second term where the real magic can happen without worry of re-election. This is the “Zen Master” school.

Then the hot mic moment happened, where it all became clear that he gets it, that he is not being duped by the Right, giving hope that his public persona is a measured performance designed to move onto Term 2: The Revenge of the Progressives.

I used to beg my dad to take me off his email blast, but now I see it for what it is — a window to the worldview of the extreme right. How else would I know about Rand Paul’s email newsletter where he points out that one million rifles were “banned by a stroke of Obama’s pen” — which my dad forwarded to his vast list of like-minded buddies, adding:

Friends and fellow Patriots:
Any bill sponsored to ban this gun and taking a law abiding citizen’s right to bear arms is legislation that has fallen into the wrong hands, not guns. “Outlaw guns and only criminals will have guns.”   I guess if all our guns are taken away then we will be forced to make a run on government with pitchforks.  Bruce

THE STATS DON’T LIE

I went back and forth with my dad on the issue of gun control. The reality is that it’s too late to control guns in America, that horse left the barn long ago. Even if the so-called”government” wanted to go door-to-door and collect them up it would be impossible. So my take is not about limiting firearms within society, but rather on the individual level — just because you can own a gun legally doesn’t mean you should.

From the completely non-political American Academy of Pediatrics, whose slogan is “dedicated to the health of all children,” come these facts:

More than 44 million Americans own firearms. Of the 192 million firearms owned in the United States, 65 million are handguns. Research shows guns in homes are a serious risk to families. A gun kept in the home is 43 times more likely to kill someone known to the family than to kill someone in self-defense.

43 times, people. 43 times. A gun owner is 43 times more likely to use his gun on a family member, a neighbor or himself than against an intruder. Better to get the iPhone Gun App. Completely safe and free to download.