You Can't Say You Weren't Warned

From a June 2007 Corner post by Iain Murray:

In a disastrous move, the Senate passed the bill to make energy and just about everything else less affordable last night, 65-27. … The result will be much higher prices for gasoline, appliances and less-safe autos, but not (for now) for electricity.
A check of the roll call shows that both Senators Clinton and Obama voted for it.

Could this be a good campaign issue for McCain? Maybe, had he voted against this bill. But he didn't show up for the vote.

It's galling to see the politicians who supported (or did nothing to stop) this bill rail against its eminently predictable results less than a year later.


Last Modified 2008-05-12 8:46 AM EDT

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

[Amazon Link]
(paid link)
[3.5
stars] [IMDb Link]

This noir movie's title is the punchline to the Irish toast "May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows you're dead." Most of the characters here would need a much longer head start than that.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke play brothers Andy and Hank, respectively. Andy is seemingly a take-charge successful type, while Hank is a loser schlub. They both need money, though, and Andy ropes Hank into a scheme to raise some by robbing the family jewel store. Things don't go as planned.

The movie uses that jump-around-in-time gimmick to provide multiple perspectives and dramatic revelations. For example, we learn that Andy's life, despite superficial success, is in even more tatters than Hank's; he also turns out to be heavily delusional: how could he have ever thought that a little bit of money would bring him out of his death spiral?

This is your go-to movie for Marisa Tomei nudity, although prospective viewers should be warned that in one case, Philip Seymour Hoffman nudity is also involved.

Rosemary Harris has a small role as an elderly woman in peril, reacting like Aunt May never would.


Last Modified 2024-02-01 5:35 AM EDT