I hate Illinois Nazis. Also, Ukranian Nazis. Especially Buffalo Nazis.

[captainsblog]

We continued our Recently Deceased Film Festival Saturday night by watching The Blues Brothers in honor of Henry Gibson, who plays the head of the Illinois Nazis who get bombed by the Bluesmobile near the middle of the picture. Somehow, Eleanor had gone all these years without ever seeing the whole film start-to-finish. I, on the other hand, had seen part of the set before it even came out, almost 30 years ago. On my one and only trip to California that one winter break, we did the Universal Studios tour (sadly, we didn't know to Ask for Babs) right after the movie was filmed, and Bob's Country Bunker was still standing. Still, no doubt, playing both kinds of music: country AND western.  I've got pictures someplace; I really need to relive that weird set of memories here someday.

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Then, Sunday night, we went with another of my Random Clearfield Library Gems™, which I knew absolutely nothing about but just liked the look of, called Everything is Illuminated:



Eleanor's already blogged about our seeing it, and about what a rare gem of acting and writing it is. I'd only add that it continued, and darkened, the theme element of Nazis begun in the film the previous night. No matter how funny it is to see Henry Gibson going off a bridge, or Colonel Hogan outsmarting Sgt. Schultz, this film, despite many light and sweet moments, makes very clear that none of this was the least bit funny at the time, or at any time.

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Finally, the screams of Nazism came to our doorstep yesterday. A cross-the-street neighbor was having some painting done, and her contractors were blaring the soulful screeds of Rush "Oxycontinmoron" Limbaugh, going on about what a racist socialist Nazi our President is, all while I tried to work and Eleanor tried to relax after we'd both had a busy morning out.  At first we considered asking them to turn their boom box down, but you know how Teabaggers are about their (as opposed to, say, your) First Amendment rights, so we figured the best way would be to get in a good workout of our own inalienable rights.

Did I mention that the singer and, in fact, the entire band Gogol Bordello is in Everything is Illuminated? Did you know we have their most famous album, Start Wearing Purple? Would you believe that there are some songs that can even outshout Limbaugh?

Excellence in broadcasting, indeed:P

Comments

[suchanadorer.livejournal.com]

I can accept them calling him a Socialist. Wanting to raise taxes in order for the government to then use that money to provide health care is socialistic. It increases the scope of the government and raises taxes, so I get that Republicans are against it, too. I can even go so far out on a limb as to assume that the argument for his being racist has to do with taking taxes from rich white people and giving them to poor minorities.

The fact remains, however, that Hitler, while being a member of a socialistic party, was not so much a socialist as a mass murderer and he would have had Obama killed a long time ago. Trying to improve health care to save the lives of Americans can not and should not be compared to the killing of millions of innocent people. Nazi is to socialist as anarchist is to republican.

[suchanadorer.livejournal.com]

I realize, by the way, that you are aware of all this, its just that this anti-Obama crap makes me crazy. If they were logical, well-founded arguments, then I wouldn't mind so much, as I like thinking and debating, but this is partisan horse manure using buzz words that people don't understand in order to frighten them into thinking he's wrong when they really have no idea what the issue is to begin with. People who don't have health care are going to these anti-Obama rallies not aware of the fact that they are fighting against exactly what they need.

[plantmom.livejournal.com]

You're absolutely right. It bothers me terribly to hear someone using his name like it was cursing. There's no respect, and they use the foreignness of the sound of his name to make it sound even worse. The fact that we aren't all lily white and never were escapes them. And of those who are white and who carry on about how English is the language of this country, etc., are forgetting (if they ever knew) that there was a time when the WAY you spoke English could get you in deep trouble. That people of Irish decent were considered little more than dirty dogs by the rest of society, etc. More people need to familiarize themselves with Dick Gregory's theory about the evolution of the nigger in American society. They might get a clue.

[bellavaruka.livejournal.com]

I fell in love with Everything is Illuminated when I saw it. It was so... uplifting and yet reality-crashing at the same time. I had NO idea who Gogol Bordello was at the time but we all loved the ending theme song, "Start Wearing Purple" so much and thought it sounded like the "interpreter" that we looked it up and now are huge fans. ^_^

[headbanger118.livejournal.com]

I simply love The Blues Brothers, though I stand by my belief that Henry Gibson was a bit creepy.

Good on you for fighting fire with fire. No one should be so inconsiderate as to play anything so loud that it disturbs others, no matter how much I agree with the content. :P