Movie Minute


I neither admire nor despise Brad Pitt--I've not seen a single movie of his in a theater...I did stumble upon Seven--oh, I guess it's officially Se7en--one night on cable tv years ago, but still don't know if I remember any particular scenes (maybe I'm thinking of one or more different movies).

But I'm not entirely a cultural illiterate--and when I saw Pitt last night on Countdown (Amb. Joseph Wilson was also interviewed), of course I recognized the debris in the background. Yep, he was in the city, promoting some sort of contest for "green, energy efficient design"...and expressing shock about the scope of destruction (h/t Harry Shearer for the link):

"I was not prepared," the actor said, describing how he drove for miles and saw street after street of devastation.

OK, maybe I AM a LITTLE culturally illiterate: I assumed most people were aware of the devastation in the city and throughout the region. But I guess I'm wrong.

Well, regardless of whether you have a positive or negative opinion of the actor (or his partner), at this point ANY publicity about the scope of destruction that STILL defines the city (Adrastos rightly calls it "Debrisville"), in my mind, can't hurt (similarly, you'd like to think an understanding of what the average Iraqi--and now, the average Lebanese--is going through would go a long way in opening eyes, minds, and perhaps even hearts). Indeed, watching the boatloads of money poured down the dry hole in Mesopotamia, while seeing the absolute neglect (by the government), or the mendacity (by private insurance companies, etc.) and watching the excruciatingly slow pace of progress in New Orleans as it clings to life is like...well, watching a REALLY, REALLY bad movie. Only you can't just get up and walk out.

So, here's hoping that perhaps a few folks who otherwise might not be aware now have a better understanding of the situation.