The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Christian to Christian

6.26.07 @ 12:01AM

FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE
Re: Jeffrey Lord's Obama Webcast Shut Down -- Why?:

I thought I would send a description of what actually happened, I am the person in charge of all the video streaming at General Synod. Technical explanations usually bore people so we didn't put one in the press release.

We had been streaming all day with no problem, so after Obama started speaking I went back to the press room to see what the viewing stats looked like. I also checked my email, and instead of the normal few emails from people that had trouble viewing the stream I had 50 or more all saying EMERGENCY and the like. We immediately called the hosting company (audiovideoweb.com) and were informed that they were not receiving a video signal from us. I ran back to the encoding computer and there was no indication anything was wrong (Windows Media Encoder said "broadcasting and archiving" as it usually does). I then called the provider of the T-1 line at the Civic Center, they were able to ping both my computer and the router -- which indicated there was nothing wrong with the connection. I called the hosting company back and they suggested to simply restart Windows Media Encoder. I did this, which unfortunately cut off the end of Obama's speech -- which is missing from the archive. A full version will be posted when we return to Cleveland.

No conspiracy here, just very bad timing for a breakdown in the software (apparently).
-- Daniel Hazard
Electronics Communication Manager
United Church of Christ

Jeffrey Lord replies:
Ronald Reagan used to say that America mistrusted the Soviet Union not because it was armed, but rather America was armed because it had little trust in the Soviet Union. Christian to Christian I am happy to accept Daniel Hazard's explanation, although I must say I still find it odd that at the exact moment the UCC had been planning and advertising for months it inexplicably goes dark. Sort of like settling in for the Super Bowl only to find out all the TV cameras at the stadium have mysteriously malfunctioned and you must rely on bulletins from the AP.

Safe to say, I am not alone in this feeling, and I know there will be many UCC'ers out there waiting to hear a more detailed accounting. The real issue, however, and this is certainly not Mr. Hazard's fault, is the loss of trust on the part of a large number of UCC members who feel that their national church has been turned into an auxiliary of a political party -- and not the party they vote with. Until that is resolved, incidents such as this will continue to occur because of a basic lack of trust in the church hierarchy. Were George W. Bush a member of the UCC, I think it's safe to say John Thomas would not have extended an invitation. And of course, the question of Senator Obama's presence as a presidential candidate, now retrievable from UCC archives as an in-kind contribution to the Obama campaign from the UCC, remains. It is exactly the kind of thing Barry Lynn has made a career condemning and litigating.

Late yesterday afternoon, Reverend Lynn finally responded, with a post to his website. It should not come as a surprise that in spite of Obama's out-and-out campaign speech and the presence of Obama campaign tables, the scourge of churches who lend themselves to politics sees no elephant -- ah, donkey -- in the room.

THE CITIZEN KANE MUTINY
Re: Larry Thornberry's Don't Save Me the Aisle Seat:

Larry Thornberry knows his stuff about cinema, and he's dead-on when he wonders what the so-called American Film Institute's members were smoking when they came up with their latest list of the 100 best. Casablanca is just about the only one I agree with. And I was shocked, shocked to see that they completely overlook High Noon, which to my uninformed mind is the best film ever made anytime, anywhere, nouvelle vague French stuff notwithstanding. Noon adheres perfectly to the Aristotelian unities of time and place, the acting by Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Grace Kelly et al. is superb, and there is not a wasted or superfluous word or camera shot in the script. I revisit it at least once a year, and discover something new to admire every time. Not likely to happen with Titanic.
-- Joe Harriss
Paris, France

I have to agree with the main thrust of Larry Thornberry's excellent piece "Don't save me the aisle seat." How can 60-odd years of movies not surpass a film that couldn't win Best Picture Oscar? Thornberry is absolutely spot-on with his characterization of the bore-fest that was Titanic, but I happen to disagree with his ranking of The Deerhunter. While I would have been a bit more judicious with the edit (it ran 30min too long), it had stunning cinematography that shows off the beautiful nature that is the wilds of the USA, coupled with De Niro and Walken who were superb. The Sixth Sense was always highly overrated and a dishonest movie (How can a ghost slam a door....bah!), and the absence of my all-time fave musical, Mary Poppins, is a slap in the face when you consider Toy Story gets a run. The other obvious movies to miss out I believe were the remaining two Lord of the Rings sequels, but the fact that there was only one movie in the 21st century, highlights that the 20th century was a golden era in Hollywood.
-- Nathan Maskiell
Melbourne, Australia

I'm sure The American Spectator can come up with higher quality material than Larry Thornberry's article about AFI's "best movies" list. He gives us an angry rant that supplies very little intellectual fortitude to back up his opinions. Anyone can sit back and insult the work of others; but let's have some solid supporting evidence other than to say such things as, "Everyone associated with this truly awful experience should be hanged," or "Choose something else." I'm sure the editors can drum up better material than this.
-- Will Traynor

Two thumbs up for Larry's critique on the critics !. If he did this regularly, I'd subscribe. Best read in a long while.
-- Russel Ready

Not being specifically a movie critic, just generally critical, I must say, though, that a certain statement peaked my curiosity: Just how would a "crossdresser" play a Sydney Greenstreet "roll"?

Animatedly? As in a quivering mass? Or inanimately buttered on a plate waiting to be eaten? Or crossly shredding the roll?
-- Wolf Terner
Fair Lawn, New Jersey

While it is dated, among Citizen Kane's contributions are lighting and camera angles used to set tone and mood. This was highly innovative for its day even if they are the result of Welles's small budget more than genius. At least Kane has that much going for it. What, precisely did The Godfather contribute to the cinema? At its finest moments it is little more than a soap opera, and it is only fitting that the star is a man whose talent for superficial melodrama belonged in the soaps and only in the soaps. Isn't it time we took a more realistic look at the most overrated actor of all time, Marlon Brando, and stopped putting movies on "best" lists simply because he is listed in the credits? If there is a less interesting, more one-dimensional actor or actress to ever become famous, I'd like to know who it is. Maybe Meryl Streep. Watching Brando act is just that -- watching Brando act -- nothing more. It's like watching an auto mechanic change spark plugs: necessary work, but not really captivating. His characters seem intentionally dull. Don Corleone is the most intellectual of all Brando's roles, or it seems that way when compared to Terry "I cudda been a contendah" Malloy and Stanley (Stellah!!) Kowalski. And who can forget his timeless portrayal of Jor-el in the Superman Saga? Can we look at this man and then seriously criticize Kane as being famous for being famous without at least putting Brando and The Godfather in the same category?

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