Welcome To The Depression...

[Ben Daswani]

Re: my thread now

Ben, you're the only person I know who is so boring that you make John Denver music sound exciting. After reading your post, which could bore a new a-hole in a minister while he sings Amazing Grace, I can see you have not benefited from hours of listening to John Denver music.

Possibly if you switch from Annie's Song to Rocky Mountain High for a few hours your perspective might change.

Well, November has come to an end. I experienced a total of 31 films. Four films earned spots on my esteemed "top dozen" list (which incidentally has closer to 50 films): Mulholland Dr. (Lynch, 2001), 12 Angry Men (Lumet, 1957), Two-Lane Blacktop (Hellman, 1971) and Synecdoche, New York (Kaufman, 2008). The last was experienced in theatre.

Six other films received scores of 9.00 or higher: Storytelling (Solondz, 2001), Ken Park (Clark/Lachman, 2002), Kids (Clark, 1995), Venus (Michell, 2006), Léon (Besson, 1994) and Punch-Drunk Love (P. Anderson, 2002).

My favourite film experienced this month was undoubtedly Two-Lane Blacktop, which received the very rare mark of 10.00. It is only the fourth film I have awarded with a perfect grade, although I certainly would retroactively to The Ice Storm (Lee, 1997).

The worst film I experienced this summer was Normal Adolescent Behaviour (Schacter, 2007). With a grade of 5.25, I deemed it barely worthy of being made. Who would have imagined that a film about six polyfidelitous teenagers could be so incredibly boring? Not the people who made this film, presumably...

The average film I experienced this month received a grade 8.11, slightly higher than the 7.80 average since I began logging film experiences in May. A good month, unquestionably, and 31 is the greatest volume of films I've experienced in a single month.

My goal for December is 75, which will prepare me for the daunting task I've assigned myself for 2009: watch 1000 films. 1000 films, Ruben. That's like 6 hours a day. If I spent all that time doing something deemed useful by the general populous - like working or going to school - I might be on my way to being a productive member of society. Then again, you were a productive member of society for years, and now you're old, bitter and emotionally vacant.

So I'll stick with rallying films for now.

Appendix A: November's experience log.

1108
30 Capote (Miller, 2006) -- 8.75
29 Punch-Drunk Love (P. Anderson, 2002) -- 9.50
29 Along Came Polly (Hamburg, 2004) -- 6.50
29 V for Vendetta (McTeigue, 2006) -- 7.50
28 Léon (Besson, 1994) -- 9.25
27 Grumpier Old Men (Deutch, 1995) -- 7.25
27 Grumpy Old Men (Petrie, 1993) -- 8.25
26 Venus (Michell, 2006) -- 9.25
25 Intolerable Cruelty (Coen, 2003) -- 6.75
24 Nineteen Eighty-Four (Radford, 1984) -- 8.50
23 Synecdoche, New York (Kaufman, 2008) -- 9.75
22 Normal Adolescent Behavior (Schacter, 2007) -- 5.25
19 Two-Lane Blacktop (Hellman, 1971) -- 10.00
16 The History Boys (Hytner, 2006) -- 7.50
16 The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (Herman, 2008) -- 7.75
15 The Oh in Ohio (Kent, 2006) -- 5.75
14 Happy-Go-Lucky (Leigh, 2008) -- 7.50
14 Burn After Reading (Coen, 2008) -- 8.50
13 Sideways (Payne, 2004) -- 8.25
12 King of California (Cahill, 2007) -- 7.25
11 Gummo (Korine, 1997) -- 8.75
10 Kids (Clark, 1995) -- 9.00
09 12 Angry Men (Lumet, 1957) -- 9.75
07 Ken Park (Clark/Lachman, 2002) -- 9.50
07 Junebug (Morrison, 2005) -- 7.50
07 Palindromes (Solondz, 2004) -- 7.75
06 Storytelling (Solondz, 2001) -- 9.00
05 Little Children (Field, 2006) -- 6.75
05 Happiness (Solondz, 1998) -- 7.50
04 Welcome to the Dollhouse (Solondz, 1995) -- 7.25
02 Mulholland Dr. (Lynch, 2001) -- 9.75

[Tom O'Donnell]

Re: Welcome To The Depression...

I don't recognize most of the films on your list, but 12 Angry Men would make my "Top Dozen" list as well.

Mulholland Drive was very good, but I don't think I would rate it more than an 8/10. Perhaps I am a tough grader.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: my thread now

Don't forget to watch the Take Me Home: The John Denver Story. 2000.

You might enjoy "Leaving on a Jet Plane". I'd enjoy it. :)

While I don't know how I would rate the movie, the part where he takes a chain saw to the beautiful wooden dining room table is a 10.

[Paul Bonham]

Re: my thread now

I heard that the film "Burn After Reading" was done completely improv.... because, well, everyone's copy of the script was dust in the wind.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Welcome To The Depression...

The School Yard Bullies have been putting the boots to Canadians for the last two years.

NOW, when the opposition has formed a coalition to try to govern the country and repair the financial mess and increase employment AND try to keep industry and manufacturing jobs as well as attracting new ones, how the Conservative government cries.

Let's look at this logically. The problem is the economy and they haven't got a policy. Now the opposition has decided to clean up the mess the government has promised us a budget late in January. They need almost two months to dream up something to do in the most serious economic situation we have faced since the 1930's.

I'm keeping my eye on the problem. It's the economy and the Conservatives and Harper don't get it. It's not about who fixes the problem but that the problem get fixed. The Conservatives inherited an economy in good shape from the Liberals. By following the policies of George Bush and not providing oversight in the financial area we find ourselves in our current sad situation.

The talk about the make up of the coalition is irrelevant. If the parliament is shut down for more than a month without this problem being settled the uncertainty will be bad for Canada. I expect our financial markets to under perform during a shut down if Parliament is prorogued.

DISCLAIMER: None of what I write should be used for investment decisions. I write this stuff for entertainment. Consult a financial adviser.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Welcome To The Depression...

It's been quite a week. Here we are in the middle of very bad economic times and the Governor General closes down parliament for almost 2 months. She has now sealed her place in the history books, such as it will be.

People are taking to the streets in protest. The talk shows stirring up the population. The government has told us the problem and who to blame. They have not given any solutions.

I can't see much hope for improvement here in Canada the next couple of months. The auto makers need a bailout. For them there will be some rough times. People who lose their jobs don't tend to buy new cars. Mines in Canada are closing down because of low metal prices. Paper Mills are laying off while they temporarily close down to keep inventory from getting too high and forestry workers are losing their jobs. I'm seeing more signs of deterioration than of recovery. When I look at the price of metals like Nickel, lead, zinc and aluminum, I wonder how much lower they can go. Still, they continue to fall.

I had intended to go long on crude oil at 35 dollar a barrel. Now I'm re-evaluating. The difference between 30 and 35 a barrel doesn't seem like much in view of the price being around 147 only a few months ago. Still, at these levels a 5 dollar drop is another 15 percent and that's a costly miss.

I was thinking the problem with the auto industry isn't the type of vehicles they sell. It might have been when oil was very high but these days the price of gasoline is quite low. The problem seems to be the reluctance of lenders in view of the financial crunch. There is talk about electric cars which are plugged in at night. Anyone who has owned a car in a cold climate, where it had to be plugged in for the night so it would start the next morning, knows how much their electricity bills went up for the months it was pugged in. What's the point of saving on gas when you have to spend on electricity to plug in the car even in warm climates?

With all the political uncertaintly here in Canada, I haven't done much with my Depression Portfolio. Next time you're on Bay Street, say "hello" to my money. I'm starting to look at equities in the U.S. where the political situation is more stable. A vehicle company I was mentioning buying a couple of weeks ago makes MRAP's among other things. Those are Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.

I guess there is an election in Quebec next week. It will be interesting to see if the comments in Ottawa have any effect on that election.

This is my vacation month. I like to take a vacation from my correspondence chess games in December. Usually I save my 30 day annual vacation period until December and then take off the month to recharge my batteries. I've been giving some thought to retiring from the highly competitive level CC. It would give me more time to play OTB where I only have to keep track of one game at a time. I've gotten too old to spend the night sleeping on a game (working out lines in my sleep), and then spending the next day working through them on my chess board to see if they are sound. I've won many a game this way. I've gotten to the point where I only want to sit at a chess board like any other old patser and play unsound gambits and set up cheapoes that would never work in CC. How's that for an ambition in life?

DISCLAIMER: None of what I write should be used for investment decisions. I write this stuff for entertainment. Consult a financial adviser.

[Paul Bonham]

Re: Welcome To The Depression...

I've gotten to the point where I only want to sit at a chess board like any other old patser and play unsound gambits and set up cheapoes that would never work in CC. How's that for an ambition in life?

Gary, what about finding a partner and playing bughouse (doubles chess )? Or even playing it correspondence, if there is such a thing (and if there isn't, start it up!).

Or another new challenge: take all the money out of your Depression Portfolio and start touring North America playing World Poker Tour events. Only about $5000 a shot (some of them are double that).

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Welcome To The Depression...

Here's how we are seen around the world. An article from Slate Online Magazine. Would you invest in a country like that?

http://www.slate.com/id/2206040/

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Welcome To The Depression...

Gary, what about finding a partner and playing bughouse (doubles chess )? Or even playing it correspondence, if there is such a thing (and if there isn't, start it up!).

Or another new challenge: take all the money out of your Depression Portfolio and start touring North America playing World Poker Tour events. Only about $5000 a shot (some of them are double that).

I've never played bughouse but know it's popular. I seem to recall it was big at Hart House. At our club Howard Rideout used to interest players in Kreigspeil, or however it's spelled. It was popular with some players and as it kept people coming back I always encouraged him. We had a big playing hall. There are lots of interesting chess variants and I think one or two people who post here have invented some of them.

Regarding the poker tour, I stopped playing poker decades ago. I lost the "buzz". Win or lose the "rush" was gone. I remember one guy used to slobber when he had a good hand. I guess his saliva glands would work overtime and it would drip out the side of his mouth. Nice!! :)

[Ben Daswani]

Re: my thread now

I heard that the film "Burn After Reading" was done completely improv.... because, well, everyone's copy of the script was dust in the wind.

I can't tell if this post is serious or not. Either way, I highly recommend Burn After Reading. In my opinion, it's the Coen's second best comedy (after Fargo, of course).

[Ben Daswani]

Re: Welcome To The Depression...

I don't recognize most of the films on your list, but 12 Angry Men would make my "Top Dozen" list as well.

Mulholland Drive was very good, but I don't think I would rate it more than an 8/10. Perhaps I am a tough grader.

I would say that's likely, if very good is only an 8/10. :P I give out 8.00s quite easily, for the most part. Your marking scale sounds akin to IMDb's. I think any film there with ~8.2 or higher is on their top 250 list.

That being said - and I know people say this a lot but I think this is one of the very few times where it's warranted - I believe Mulholland Dr. needs to be watched more than once to be appreciated. I've seen it 14 (I think) times and I still noticed new details on the last watch. There's actually an encyclopedic site devoted to film with hundreds of hours worth of reading detailing the symbolism and use of allusion in the film.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Welcome To The Depression...

It's certainly been an interesting weekend in Canadian politics. Today the the Liberal leader announced he will step down as soon as his successor is duly chosen, whatever that means.

The Quebec election is today and possibly I should have waited for the result before writing this. The polls have given a majority government to the Quebec Liberals. I think it's the Liberals Charest now leads. I can recall when he was one of the two surviving Progressive Conservative MP's to survive the Mulroney/Campbell terms. In any case, he's being touted to win the election by the pollsters.

I made another entry to my Depression Portfolio. Belzberg Technology at 2.00. No dividend but at this price I don't care.

I'm sure most of you have heard of that one.

DISCLAIMER: None of what I write should be used for investment decisions. I write this stuff for entertainment. Consult a financial adviser.

[Ben Daswani]

Re: my thread now

Don't forget to watch the Take Me Home: The John Denver Story. 2000.

You might enjoy "Leaving on a Jet Plane". I'd enjoy it. :)

While I don't know how I would rate the movie, the part where he takes a chain saw to the beautiful wooden dining room table is a 10.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Welcome To The Depression...

Today some light stuff and some serious stuff.

I want to thank all those who are still reading my ramblings.

I'm going to tell you how Beware, my dog, got that name. The name is actually an alias. An AKA. Something I dreamt up. When I purchased the dog it was 4 months old. Not a bunch of fur like the 8 week olds, but old enough one can see if it has show dog potential. We got a real nice one which we liked. The Breeder asked me which name I wanted and I couldn't think of anything appropriate so I asked her to make it a surprise. When the CKC registration papers came the dogs name turned out to be Cornerstone Mardi Gras. Cornerstone is the name of the breeders kennel. Well, Mardi Gras doesn't sound very macho and I couldn't imagine myself shouting that. So, I settled on Beware.

If you want to see some nice dogs google Cornerstone rough collies.

Now for the serious. I've been watching the car maker bailout saga. This sector is very important to our economy and can't be allowed to fail. Besides the direct jobs and those in the spin-off industries there is the amount of energy which goes into the making of the autos and parts. Certainly a cause for our energy sector in Western Canada to take note. While many of you will think using less energy is good, a large cut in volume will tend to drop the price. The explorers and producers tend to have debt to service. Lower sales volumes and lower prices make this harder to do. The adage was: As goes GM, so goes the nation. I think that still holds true.

It's a case that we will never really realize how important those auto makers are unless they do go under.

I notice they are saying in the newspaper a bunch of patronage Senate seats are about to be filled by PM Harper. I never really understood Senate Reform as proposed by Harper until I read this. A little something for the voters to think about if they go to the polls next year.

That Harper is one smart politician. A real smart cookie is he. He set his government the task of writing a budget which will solve the economic woes of the nation by Jan. 26th or thereabouts.

So far, this has given the Liberal party, which was in disarray, had a lame duck leader and much infighting, the chance to replace the leader and heal their wounds as they rally around their new leader. Now a unified party and coalition has an opportunity to come up with policies and ideas to present to the country in place of anything the Conservatives propose.

I suspect early in the New Year Harper will ask the governor general to dissolve parliament and call an election stating this parliament will not allow him to govern. There is precedent in Diefenbaker doing this, although not under these same circumstances. Dief got a solid majority. It's problematic if such a request will be approved. The Governor General has already assured herself a controversial place in the history books and she might feel she was had when the patronage appointments to the Senate are made during the time the parliament is prorogued. It might also occur to her it was not the best of decisions to shut down parliament during such a turbulent economic period. I'm sure the history books will make it clear.

My Depression Portfolio remains the same. I added something this morning but it increased so much by the end of the day that I sold it. I put the bid back in.

DISCLAIMER: None of what I write should be used for investment decisions. I write this stuff for entertainment. Consult a financial adviser.

[Jim Foster]

Re: my thread now

Try "The French Connection" and "The Godfather".