Blog Archives
Mr. Stewart Went to Washington for a 9/11 Call to Action
Comedian and 9/11 first responders activist Jon Stewart spoke on Capitol Hill yesterday.
Sometimes a video says everything.
As reported by Rebecca Morin of USA TODAY earlier this afternoon.
One day after former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart gave tearful and impassioned testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, the panel unanimously passed the bill.
Thank you to all of the heroic 9/11 first responders who were in Congress yesterday, who have been struggling with health issues directly related to 9/11 and to all those who risked their lives to save their fellow American on that tragic September morning 18 years ago. We will never forget your bravery and sacrifice.
On the one hand, we’re all glad that Jon Stewart said what he did. But on the other hand, Jon Stewart never should have had to say what he did yesterday with 9/11 first responders quietly sitting behind him, waiting for Congress to fulfill their pledge to never forget.
A Real Leap of Faith
There are movies that transcend entertainment and invite audiences into an experience. This could mean a fantasy world like Star Wars, or a park filled with prehistoric dinosaurs.
Or, in rare cases, real-life moments in the purest sense.
The 15:17 to Paris is as close as you can get to a shot-for-shot remake of the literal heroism of the three American friends who faced down a terrorist with his small arsenal of guns and weapons on a foreign train in order to protect themselves and complete strangers. In many ways, this film could’ve only come from Clint Eastwood; the idea to use the real people and the initiative to tackle this specific story. And don’t forget that casting the real people (Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler) was a risky calculation by Mr. Eastwood. Regardless, watching these heroes leap toward the terrorist to save lives will be something special.
Everybody should see The 15:17 to Paris starting tomorrow not because it’s projected as a blockbuster hit at the box office or as brilliant cinema, but instead to see on the big screen what Clint Eastwood saw in these three American men who reacted to the worst kind of adversity in the best way imaginable.
The Other D-Day (Dunkirk-Day) is Here
Christopher Nolan’s newest film has arrived in theaters across the country. And today’s blog post is fairly short and sweet going into this weekend:
Go see Dunkirk in IMAX.
‘Dunkirk’ Is a Tour de Force War Movie, Both Sweeping and Intimate (Manohla Dargis, The New York Times)
A spare, propulsive, ever-intensifying combat thriller, Nolan’s history lesson is both a rousing celebration of solidarity and the tensest beach-set film since Jaws (Nick De Semlyen, Empire online)
‘Dunkirk’ chronicles heroism during WWII rescue with beauty and intensity (
The Bottom Line: A stunning victory (, The Hollywood Reporter)
For history’s sake, please go see Dunkirk this weekend.
The Day the World Changed Forever
9/11
It’s a surreal sensation that I can perfectly retrace my steps beginning with hearing the shocking news from a classmate passing by me near the doors of the second floor of my high school’s library. He said a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. Confused, I continued to my math class around the corner, walked in and looked up at the television screen in the top left corner like everybody else as I made my way to my seat. There was a giant fiery and smoky hole in one of the towers. Black smoke was billowing out. We had no idea what was going on. I assumed it was a small plane whose pilot lost control. An accident for sure. But as I settled in for a few more moments, I realized the hole was far too large for such a small plane.
It started to register this was no accident.
September 11, 2001 is a day in which those who lived through it will remember forever. It was a tragedy fueled by panic and fear, as well as the pressing questions of why, how, what and who? However, it was also a day that showed us what true heroism looked like with police officers, firefighters, emergency personnel and everyday citizens helping each other through the debris of a literal hell on earth situation that September morning in New York City, Washington, D.C. and aboard a plane that crashed in Pennsylvania and during the dark days that followed.
There aren’t enough words to properly describe and remember the events of September 11th that occurred thirteen years ago. But two words continue to represent an overarching sentiment for us all, on this day, 9/11:
Never Forget.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 