retzilian rendezvous

March 8th, 2010

For the first time in history, I saw all ten nominees for “Best Picture” before the Oscar awards were telecast. Prior to my year of movies (I’ve seen over 200 movies this year), the most nominees for best picture I had seen was in 2007 when I saw “There Will Be Blood”, “No Country For Old Men” and “Atonement” on the big screen. I later watched “Michael Clayton” and “Juno” in hotel rooms; of the five nominees, the best was “Atonement”- it had everything: a heartbreaking story, period authenticity, great acting, and a surprise twist. Maybe I’m just a sucker for European WWII movies (as my 2009 pick will reflect), but it was the most memorable and beautiful.

This year’s nominee list expanded from five to ten; why? Probably to attract a wider audience, particularly younger viewers; although the lackluster telecast lost them early on, and hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were cardboard cutouts with the exception of their spoof on “Paranormal Activity” – that was pretty funny.

Of the ten nominees, only five really deserved to be there: Avatar, Inglorious Basterds, The Hurt Locker, Precious, and District 9. The following are my mini-reviews of the nominees and which movie I think should have won and why:

Avatar – First, let’s remember this is the guy who brought us “Titanic.” The “wow” factor was commercially successful, but lush animation, fakery, and sophisticated technology cannot cover unsophisticated, rehashed banality and forgettable acting.

The Blind Side – based on a true story, this was a good, albeit predictable movie. Bullock is very convincing and it was her best role to date. I laughed, I cried, I recommend it.

District 9 – this movie is a satire, but it tends to be too dark for much laughter. It was such a unique take on issues of apartheid, bigotry, the politics of fear, xenophobia, and disenfranchisement that it’s well worth some of the more bizarre parts.

An Education – the acting and art direction of this movie save it from making you uneasy (as a woman); and the lovely Carey Mulligan is charming and entirely credible. Fans of the Narcissist’s Handbook of Romance will appreciate the ending.

The Hurt Locker – I avoided this movie for months, but my curiosity in light of all the hoopla overcame my aversion. I’m glad I saw it. This movie manages to overcome the distasteful subject matter and total lack of star-power to create a riveting, unvarnished drama without sugarcoating the message or the messengers.

Inglorious Basterds – this is a movie for film buffs, although history buffs and Tarantino fans won’t be disappointed, either. Tarantino will have a hard act to follow. The trailer is perhaps deliberately misleading, because you will be surprised, amazed, shocked, horrified, comically relieved and gratified in the next two-plus hours. It was worth every minute and more. Basterds should have won Best Picture and Best Screenplay.

Precious – this was such a hard movie to watch, but it was well done and deserved all the praise it received. Not recommended for the faint of heart, tea baggers, evangelicals, or children under age 16.

A Serious Man – I don’t understand the Coen brothers these days. I try, honestly, I try. I am utterly stumped at what makes these guys tick. Basically, “A Serious Man” is a parody of The Book of Job. There are a number of spoofs on Judaism and the tired theme of self-loathing; what is most impressive about this movie is the period flavor: it’s flawless reconstruction of 1970s suburbia. I have seen almost every movie the Coens have made, and after “Intolerable Cruelty” I haven’t been able to enjoy their work. My favorite Coen movies remain “Blood Simple” and “The Man Who Wasn’t There”. Go watch one of those, instead.

Up – why was a cartoon nominated for best film? Seriously? It’s a pleasant movie with the usual exciting animation, visuals, cute kid voice, talking animals, grumpy old men, ridiculous suspension of disbelief throughout, happy ending. But, it’s not Oscar-worthy.

Up in the Air – While I always enjoy George Clooney and will watch even a mediocre movie if he’s in it, I believe Up in the Air was highly overrated. I was so disappointed. There are some interesting visuals, symbolism, clever hat tips to classic business literature and lots of delicious irony, but the movie fails on a pathos level when we aren’t allowed to care about anyone. I was repelled by almost every character in the film. Wait – maybe that was the point!

My Picks:

Best Movie – Inglorious Basterds
Best Screenplay – Inglorious Basterds
Best Actress – Meryl Streep in “Julie and Julia”
Best Actor – I guess I’ll give it to Jeff Bridges
Best Dress of the Night – costume design winner, Sandy Powell. Did you see her dress? Gorgeous!

Posted in Reviews |

Desperately Erasing Susan

February 28th, 2010

We return our readers to the curious case of Susan Powell, “missing” since early December when her strange husband, Josh, took the toddler boys on a midnight camping trip in sub-zero temperatures only to return home to an empty house where his vanished wife left her cell phone, purse and car.

Powell moved back to Washington state last month and has kept a low profile from press and law enforcement. However, his new neighbors decided to put up posters and purple ribbons to alert the community of the missing wife/mother. Now, whether they did this as a passive-aggressive reminder to Josh that they know who he is and are not about to let him forget it (which is the most likely scenario), or they sincerely believe hanging posters and ribbons will help find Susan, Powell and his dad didn’t take too kindly to the gesture:

Joshua Powell’s father on Friday said posters of his missing daughter-in-law plastered around his Washington state neighborhood this week are upsetting and confusing his two young grandchildren.

“Five-year-old Charlie did notice the flyers, and was concerned, asking why his mother’s picture was on all the signs,” said Steven Powell, father-in-law of Susan Powell, in an e-mail. “We have made every effort to shield the children from emotional trauma and will continue to do so.”

Meanwhile, in order to bolster the lame charade that he is grieving or concerned, Josh Powell published a website for Susan that is poorly designed, badly written, seriously creepy, and reminiscent of Cam Brown’s. It’s hard to believe a Y-Generation computer savvy geek like Josh would create such a gawd-awful website.

Followers of the Laci Peterson case will recall that Scott Peterson attempted to sell the couple’s house in Modesto, traded in Laci’s Rover, and moved out of the house and wandered from Berkeley to Bakersfield to San Diego to avoid police, the media and anyone who would recognize him.

Perhaps like Scott Peterson, Josh Powell is attempting to erase all traces of Susan’s existence, erase his old life, erase the past, and hope everyone just forgets all about it.

Posted in Spousal Murrrrder Theater |

The Health Care Reform Summit

February 25th, 2010

Today I followed some live bloggers, video feed, Twitter feeds and updates on the health care reform summit between select members of Congress and the Prez and VP. After about 8 hours, not much was accomplished except demonstrating, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Republicans have no interest in negotiation, bipartisanship, or participating in shaping the health care bill. Their mission is single-minded: kill the bill.

Why do they want to kill the bill? Well, not for the reasons they state: because it would raise taxes or the cost of health care premiums or cut Medicare. No, they want it to fail because if a bill passes that is met with increased good will and satisfaction by the American people, the Republicans are doomed to sitting second chair for another eight or ten years.

Every Republican representative chirped talking points. None were willing to concede any salient point. None had any solutions besides “tort reform”; none could even frame the debate in real terms. It was simply pointless. Why Obama bothered, I’ll never know. It was as if he said, after giving the Republicans umpteen chances to come to the table with some solutions, “I’m going to give you one absolutely last, final chance, no do-overs, and then I’m going to follow through this time!!!” And, like a recalcitrant teenager whose parents always cave, the Republicans defied him again.

Hopefully, Obama is a tougher parent than president.

“An incremental approach is like a swimmer who’s 50 feet offshore drowning and you throw him a 10 foot rope. And you say, well, it didn’t reach him but we’ll get it back and we’ll throw him a 20 foot rope next time. Then we’ll throw him a 30 foot and a 40 — by that time, the swimmer has drowned.” — Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa

Posted in 'Fits |

Is Mean the New Black?

February 7th, 2010

The Gorgon in Tights, of course, and her accolade on the right, Mean Girl, Amy Alkon.

*******

One of the blogs I read daily, Sadly, No! often introduces me to many right-wing columnists and bloggers I would otherwise never encounter. It helps me to learn how the other side thinks, and the wingnuts often provide great comedy fodder. The Sadly Naughts are like the Misfits used to be back in the Dibble Days. Ahh. Good times!

In one of his recent entries, Tintin at Sadly, No! wrote about a blogger/author, Amy Alkon, whose column I have read a few times and disregard as simply another vapid, mean-spirited, Coulter wannabe. Alkon is sort of the Kathy Griffin of Wingnut Mean (tacky, foul-mouthed, ADD, mostly stupid), but without being the least bit funny.

I made the careless error of posting a negative review on Amazon of Alkon’s book, I See Rude People, after reading about her overwrought reaction to one negative review on Sadly, No!. You can read excerpts of Alkon’s book on Amazon and Google Books. Essentially, it contains bullying, mean-spirited solutions to everyday rude encounters including tracking down telemarketers (who are just doing their jobs) and calling them at home to complain, stalking senior citizens and their families like an episode of “Dragnet” in order to prosecute them for scratching your car in a parking lot; and confronting people whose conversations you overhear in public places and ridiculing them. Fun stuff like that.

Alkon isn’t as mean or vile as her big sister, Ann Coulter, but her “research” is similarly narrow. She defends her behavior with pseudo-science from contributors to “Psychology Today” and various disparate articles from other mean people. The whole thing is simply ridiculous and I should have known better than to publicly offer my two cents.

Her reaction to my negative review and participation in the comment thread at Sadly, No! was to (in typical mutt fashion) post links to Muttville (from Googling my name) on her blog, and decry me as a horrible person trying to ruin her book sales/career. She managed to complain loudly enough for Amazon to delete most of the negative reviews, including mine. Wow! I wish I had that kind of clout at Amazon. She must know someone.

Not to be defeated that easily, I posted another review that I’m sure will stick. Meanwhile, Alkon was so flustered with the criticism and ridicule she was getting from Sadly, No! she spent the last three days, pretty much around the clock, attacking, defending, whining, hand-wringing, making frantic phone calls, no doubt sending frantic emails, posting comments on Amazon, and stalking and “outing” every negative reviewer.

It’s deja vu all over again!

If you visit “The Advice Goddess” blog, you will find many, many bigoted, mean, irresponsible, judgmental, and snarky posts. What you won’t find is anything funny. How this woman is billed as “comedy” is beyond me.

Among other deplorable and ignorant opinions, Alkon presumes to judge, rather harshly and consistently, single mothers and, in particular, single minority mothers with multiple children. Now, if Alkon had ever raised a child, I would give her opinions slightly more credence. Here is a never-married, childless woman insisting that (based on the statistics that more criminals come from single-parent homes than not, which are valid facts but not the entire story) women of any age who have children out-of-wedlock are selfish and should be condemned.

It’s opinions like these that give me pause as to the real motives of both Coulter and Alkon. Why would they have such loathing for single mothers? It’s surprising that Coulter and Alkon managed to avoid unplanned pregnancies in nearly half a century of femalehood. Either they are extremely infertile, lucky, still virgins, or terminated one or more inconvenient little “crotch fruit” (as Alkon so colorfully describes babies). As far as I’m concerned, the multiparas Alkon and Coulter berate are no more promiscuous than the Mean Girls; they just have more evidence.

There are many important issues about which to be passionate, but the bizarre campaign to vilify single mothers seems strange coming from barren women. I also find it very mean-spirited, unfair, and in many ways preposterous.

But, I guess Mean is the new Black.

Posted in Narcissists in the News |

Deconstructing “Common Sense Conservatism”

January 14th, 2010

The new buzz phrase in the latest political propaganda blitz is “common sense conservatism”, which I’ve seen misspelled as “commonsense conservatism”, “common-sense conservatism”, both wrong, as common and sense are distinct words. Regardless of how much the inconsistency and grammatical ignorance constantly on display in our embarrassingly illiterate media annoys me (and Sarah Palin is the patron saint of illiteracy), what irks me more is how a simple phrase can be redefined to mean something entirely ironic and false, like “compassionate conservative” once was.

Let’s look up the phrase in a few dictionaries:

common sense
n. Sound judgment not based on specialized knowledge; native good judgment

Function: noun

Date: 1726

: sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts

Note the word “judgment” in both definitions. Now, let’s look up “judgment” while we’re at it:

(n) the ability to judge, make a decision, or form an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and wisely, esp. in matters affecting action; good sense; discretion

So Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, and their attendant producers and handlers want us to believe that they are the standard bearers of a new form of conservatism based on good judgment, because they have demonstrated the ability to form objective opinions based on wisdom and discretion. Really?

This, from a woman who accepted the nomination for vice president, a physically gruelling and intellectually demanding task, when she already had a special needs infant and a pregnant teen daughter at home, and had been elected governor of a state less than two years prior to the 2008 election; never mind her abysmal knowledge of foreign policy, domestic issues, history, geography or experience in the “lower 48.”

Was that a sample of her good judgment, of her common sense?

This, from a man who harassed a female producer of his show with lewd phone calls and sexually charged pursuit and was forced to settle a multi-million dollar lawsuit out of court to protect his job? Did that demonstrate O’Reilly’s sound judgment?

This, from a guy who throws every strand of WorldNetDaily conspiracy theory spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks, absent any research, search for facts or truth or logic? Is that sound judgment? Would anyone accuse Glenn Beck of having common sense?

Surely you jest.

Will this “commonsense conservatism” [sic] meme have legs? Karl Rove, Mary Matalin and a crew of other Fox and right-wing commentators are doing their best to make it so. When will someone, anyone, point out how ludicrous this is?

Posted in Pollyticks |

Irony Alert: If Rush Wasn’t Rich, He’d be Uninsurable

January 4th, 2010

Take it from your friendly neighborhood insurance agent: if Rush Limbaugh was not a millionaire or he was not employed by a company with a group health plan, he could not afford to pay the bills he would have acquired from his recent visit to an emergency room in Hawaii.

If Rush Limbaugh was not gainfully employed, he could not afford the health insurance premiums at age 58 with his conditions (obesity, history of substance abuse), and now that he has had a series of tests and treatments for potential heart disease (a pre-existing condition), he would be subject to denial or rescission. He couldn’t buy health insurance at any price.

From an AP news article:

Limbaugh couldn’t resist a few political comments during his short news conference at the Honolulu hospital.

One appeared to be aimed at health care reform, when he said he got the best health treatment in the world “right here in the United States of America.”

Incidentally, Hawaii is considered “right here in the USA” when Rush is visiting, but it’s considered ”foreign” and ”exotic” by right wing pundits when Obama visits.

I don’t think there’s one thing wrong with the American health care system,” Limbaugh said. “I got no special treatment other than what anybody else that would have called 911 and had been brought in with the same kinds of symptoms.”

Perhaps; however, “anybody else” had better have a low deductible or decent insurance or the bills would be astronomical, Rush. Sure, Limbaugh could afford to self-insure, but the cost of the treatment he enjoyed would be a severe hardship for the majority of his listening audience.

Limbaugh called his health scare a “blessing in disguise.”

“It takes things like this in life maybe to prepare you for the eventuality that you are getting older, you’re not as young as you were, and not as invincible as you once thought you were,” he said.

What would really be a “blessing in disguise” and a valuable life lesson for Rush and his ilk would be if they had to experience a severe health problem *without* the benefit of good health insurance and then have to scramble to find any company willing to insure them after this type of event; never mind having to pay the tens of thousands of dollars in subsequent bills.

Posted in Narcissists in the News |

Highlights of the Naughts

January 1st, 2010

Wow, that went fast.

I would be remiss if I didn’t include a brief look back on the decade that just whirled by before this year swooshes down a hill and we’re knee-deep in another endless campaign commercial. Is there something in the theory of relativity when you hit a certain age that it seems as if time speeds up, or has time actually sped up and we weren’t told about it?

A number of significant events occurred for me this past decade: I got married a few months before the new millenium, I had a baby, I had four different jobs plus self-employment, I started a blog that became almost famous for a short time; I was stalked and harrassed by the weirdest group of mutts ever to congregate in cyberspace; I survived a life-threatening injury that required emergency surgery and thousands of dollars of medical bills and, as a result of that error in judgment, acquired my insurance license; I wrote a book, I travelled to California four times, I went into debt, I paid off my debt, I went back into debt; I visited Houston twice, I got a divorce, I became a grandmother, I started to date again, I quit smoking, I started smoking again, I survived a cancer scare, I lost my brother to cancer, I lost my favorite cousin to cancer; I wrote a play, I flew to New York City nine or ten times, I flew to Chicago twice, I had my play produced off-Broadway; I read a couple of hundred books, millions of articles on the Net, and saw several hundred movies (mostly this year); and, of course, I met people who read my blog all over the country and made lifelong friends with several.

Yes, it’s been a whirlwind of a decade; however, let’s pause to reflect on the highlights:

2000

Remember the Y2K scare? I didn’t prepare. I didn’t buy bottled water, or take all my money out of the bank, or fill my car with gas, or buy a generator. I lived in an apartment and assumed that my parents would have the resources to find electricity and water if it really came down to it.

Best thing that happened: my son was born.

Worst thing that happened: George Bush was elected president in November. I cried.

2001

In January, I nearly froze to death in Chicago while staying in a hotel for a two-week training session for a new job. We were supposed to train in San Antonio, Texas. That job began to resemble the worst scenes from “Glengarry Glen Ross,” but I was able to take some invaluable Microsoft training while suffering the indignities of cold-calling and sales quotas.

Best things that happened: I threw out my then-husband in July for good, and I survived a near-death experience in October where I had emergency surgery in a nearly abandoned hospital.

Worst thing that happened: Nine-Eleven, of course. I cried for at least two weeks and was fired from my job for refusing to cold-call clients in New York City after the event.

2002

I started a new job with Bob the Builder and discovered blogs. This inspired me to start my own blog where I opined about true crime stories and the joys of raising another set of children and the rest, as they say, is history.

Best thing that happened: Eldest daughter graduated from college.

Worst thing that happened: Brief but nightmarish house sharing stint with the Single White Female Dog-Torturer and Psychopath who stuck me with broken locks and bills, and forced me to lose the security deposit and return, reluctantly, to apartment living.

2003

This was a pretty eventful year: I blogged about the Laci Peterson case and other spousal murder cases, gained a bit of a following, learned about the Internets the hard way, and met new and interesting people online.

Best things that happened: Scott Peterson was arrested in April, and I got to be mother-of-the-bride in May.

Worst thing that happened: The U.S. invaded Iraq on false pretenses, but I wasn’t paying very close attention to it at the time.

2004

2004 was a banner year for me, as banner years go: I went to California twice to attend the Peterson trial, met new friends and even a few “celebrities” along the way, and I spent countless hours reading trial transcripts and court documents and writing entries for my blog while managing a full-time job, two small children and a lively comment section.

Best thing that happened: the combination verdict-birthday party in Michigan in November.

Worst thing that happened: George Bush was reelected in November. I cried.

2005

I spent the first half of 2005 working with a literary agent trying to get my book published and eventually resorted to print-on-demand that may have proved a better choice in the long run. At least it’s still in print and I’m still collecting royalties (however meager) after four years. A few months after Katrina (another avoidable disaster), I closed the original blog and opened a new, private site that we dubbed “the kitchen”, because that tends to be the room where women hang out.

Best thing that happened: second daughter graduated from college.

Worst thing that happened: Muttville.

2006

This was the year I was emancipated from corporate America, apartment living, debt and college tuition payments. I moved my little family to a house on the lake, bought a lawn mower and a snow shovel, cut off my omnipresent pony tail, took up tennis again, and started my own business. It was a brave new world and I was going to live outside cyberspace now that blogging was not my full-time avocation.

Best thing that happened: I got a room with a view – and what a view!

Worst thing that happened: The Democrats recaptured the majority in November and wasted it.

(Overall, a pretty good year.)

2007

After a self-imposed hiatus from relationships with men, I reentered the perilous jungle of romance again, began dating, and got my mojo back. I carried on both short- and long-distance relationships, experimented with online personal ads (what a hoot!), and met some nice men who are still friends today. Because I was self-employed, I was able to be around when my children got home from school for the first time in my career. My tennis game, however, left much to be desired.

Best thing that happened: Autumn in New York.

Worst thing that happened: I lost a brother in April.

2008

Based on the consensus from writers of “years in review”, 2008 was a terrible year for most; but I had a great year. I worked about 30 hours a week making more money than I did working 50 hours a week at a traditional “job”; I visited New York and Chicago and ate at great restaurants and went to wonderful cultural events and museums; and I started working on the play that would eventually be produced in 2009.

Best thing that happened: For the first time in my life I worked on a winning political campaign.

Worst thing that happened: the crash of September ‘08 that forced me back into finding a 9-5 job in October.

2009

I’m not sorry to see 2009 in the rear-view mirror, but it wasn’t all bad. My return to corporate America was short lived – I was laid off in May, but not before I went to San Francisco and San Diego for trade shows. My play was produced off-Broadway, and the entire experience was amazing. While I am disillusioned and becoming more apathetic about world events, I still hope for some significant changes in Washington, but I’m not holding my breath. And, I became a grandmother in July long after my youngest child was out of diapers!

Best thing that happened: having the entire summer off.

Worst thing that happened: Being broke during the Holidays.

Happy New Decade, Everyone!

Posted in 'Fits |

Josh Powell Takes a Page From Scott Peterson

December 22nd, 2009

Update I Below

It seems, based on several news stories from Utah sources, that our suspected spousal murrrderer, Josh Powell, has continued to raise eyebrows with his odd behavior – behavior that is utterly familiar to those of us who have studied The Narcissist’s Playbook of Grief and followed the Laci Peterson murder case in 2003.

The plot thickens considerably when we discover that Josh rented a car within a few hours after the mini-van in which he took his midnight camping trip was temporarily confiscated by police in order to collect evidence. According to the rental agency, Josh put “several hundred miles” on the vehicle before returning it within 24 hours. If he followed the usual course of action of amateur spousal murrrderers, Josh probably returned to the scene of the crime. Did police have the foresight to follow him? Probably, but we won’t know until later.

After clamming up and refusing to discuss details of the camping trip and securing the services of a high-profile defense attorney, Josh left Utah and showed up at a candlelight vigil for Susan in their hometown in Washington state, much to the surprise of Susan’s friends and family. He avoided any substantial contact with Susan’s family and hid from the cameras. Does that remind you of anyone? At least he didn’t have a cell phone stuck to his ear, and it’s doubtful he was talking to his girlfriend, claiming to be in Paris. But, you never know.

Currently, Josh is hiding out at his dad’s house. His dad has been openly hostile to the press and claims that Josh, along with the rest of his family, will be “vilified” by the media. Nobody can blame Mr. Powell for being defensive, but from articles about his relationship with Josh and his scorn of religion, particularly Mormonism, it’s possible he fueled the fires of discord in the Powell marriage. My hope that elders in the church would convince Josh to confess are now dashed. His dad will probably advise him to stay quiet, hope no body is discovered, and he can resume his life in Washington away from the publicity. Good luck with that one, Josh.

According to Susan’s friends, Susan had been preparing to leave Josh last year and worried he might kidnap the boys rather than share custody. Susan also allegedly created a separate bank account and was depositing money apart from the family funds, which enraged Josh and created more strife in the relationship. Are we going to discover more bad news beyond the couple’s substantial debt, bankruptcy and unemployment? Is this enough motive for murder? What would Josh gain financially by killing Susan? Nobody has indicated that there is a life insurance policy, so we have no financial motive here. It seems merely a crime of passion instigated by an argument or accusation and then covered up. This murder does not appear planned; in fact, Josh is terribly disorganized and inept. We can only hope he was also careless in his methods and left a nice, fat trail.

Meanwhile, West Valley City Police Captain, Tom McLachlan doesn’t seem too worried that Josh left town:

“The pressure is to conduct the investigation of this missing person in a legal fashion where we can get a resolution that will stand up in any court in the land.”

McLachlan’s statement came days after Joshua Powell left his Utah home to travel 900 miles to Washington state to spend the holidays with family there and attend a vigil for his missing wife.

Obviously, McLachlan knows a lot more than we do and has been quite the cool customer. Let’s hope they do a better job than cops in North Carolina.

Update I

Whoops! I guess Josh got a pre-paid cell phone and then told someone about it. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

Tim Petersen, Powell’s neighbor tells ABC 4 news that Powell came over to their house on Wednesday evening, just days after Susan disappeared and told them about a new phone he bought and asked for a ride to pick up his minivan. Petersen said, “We asked about Susan but he didn’t want to talk about her. He only wanted to talk about his new clothes and phone.”

Posted in Spousal Murrrrder Theater |

Joshua Powell – Utah’s Scott Peterson or Mike Peterson?

December 16th, 2009

As long-time readers of this and other traditional crime blogs have no doubt heard or read, another beautiful, young mother has mysteriously disappeared (Susan Powell in Utah) and her goateed husband has already made most of the worst mistakes an amateur spousal murrrderer can make (with the exception of using his cell phone to signal his actual whereabouts the night in question).

Susan Powell, 28, was last seen Sunday at her home in West Valley City and was reported missing by relatives the next day.

Powell’s husband, Joshua Powell, and two children were also believed to be missing but returned home Monday afternoon. Joshua Powell said he decided Sunday night to take the children on a late-night camping trip.

“Lots of times I just go camping with my boys,” Powell told a local CBS News’ affiliate. “Just overnight. We do s’mores and stuff.”

But after not hearing from her for five days, Susan Powell’s family has become worried.

Naturally, it’s irresistable to compare this case to Laci Peterson’s, and there are many similarities: a young, low-risk, beautiful, young mother disappears near Christmas; her handsome, clean-cut, Boy Scout husband (with a goatee) has an incomprehensible, Petersonesque alibi and lawyers up within hours of returning from the campgrounds where he claims he took his two toddlers in the dead of a bleak winter’s night; loved ones and parents circle the wagons and claim the poor, innocent husband could *never* harm his wife; to add to the suspense, the family is religious and devout, like another spousal murrrderer from Utah, Mark Hacking.

Nonetheless, I suspect we have a story that resembles more the *other* Peterson case – Mike Peterson from Durham. Why? Because I surmise that Susan Powell was murdered in a rage over something she discovered about Josh. Unlike in Laci Peterson’s murder, this was not planned, judging by the ridiculous alibi and panicked response of the usual suspect.

So, is Josh secretly gay (like Mike Peterson), or, worse, some sort of pedophile? Was he caught cheating on his wife with cocktail waitresses he met in Nevada? Did he rack up debt like Neil Entwistle? What was it that Susan discovered or confronted him with when he erupted? According to recent reports, a computer was seized in a search (which may yield some very interesting information), and the investigation is intensifying.

Like Laci Peterson, there is no evidence to suggest that Susan Powell left her family of her own volition: she didn’t take her keys, purse or car, she’s not a likely candidate to abandon her children, and she has no history of psychotic drama like Jennifer Wilbanks.

No, I think Joshua has to be convinced by his elders to confess and lead police to the tragic burial ground somewhere in BFE Utah en route to the desolate campgrounds. Please spare these little children the agony and trauma that Michelle Young’s daughter will experience.

Posted in Spousal Murrrrder Theater |

A Movie a Day Keeps the Boredom Away

November 30th, 2009

My internet pal, Cocktailhag, has a movie review up regarding 2012. Hag enjoyed the movie precisely because it was so ridiculous, predictable, and amusing in a likely unintended way.

Since I have been watching about a movie a day since May (on average, sometimes more), I felt inspired to list a few movies that are similar to Hag’s take on 2012 – movies I enjoyed despite (or perhaps because of) the ridiculous and unrealistic suspension of disbelief required by the audience to sell the premise; or, awful, eye-rolling dialogue that sounds as if it were written by a 29-year old kid who only recently moved out of his parent’s house (and probably was), or because the movie was supposed to be maudlin, sad, tragic, and serious and I, instead, irreverently laughed.

Category 1: Beyond Disbelief

“Unbreakable” with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson: had me going along with it to some extent until the end when I said, “Oh, for crying out loud!” More loose ends than a cat-shredded afghan.

“Children of Men” with Clive Owen – an interesting premise (although too many unbelievably dodged bullets) but like a bad Stephen King novel, undeveloped rationale and pretty ridiculous outcome.

“Fracture” with Anthony Hopkins playing a brilliant murderer (typecast?) and Ryan Gosling an ambitious district attorney prosecuting the nearly perfect crime. The movie is clever and satisfying until the end when Hopkins’ character does something so stupid, you throw a Beannie Baby at the screen in disgust. If I were in the room with the writers, I would have insisted, “He wouldn’t do that!”

Category 2: Screenwriter(s) should be Flogged

“Lucky You” with Robert Duvall and Eric Bana: such potential, such an exciting and attractive subject (high-stakes poker), such a dog of a screenplay!

“Star Trek 2009″ where’s Gene Roddenberry when we need him?

“City of Angels” with Meg Ryan and Nick Cage – the script sounds like it was plagiarized from random Hallmark Greeting Cards.

Category 3: Are You Serious?

“Valkyrie” – great story, terrible movie.

“Angels and Demons” – it’s another laughably absurd fantasy based on unreadable Dan Brown with Tom Hanks who should know better.

“The September Issue” – this is not billed as a comedy, but it’s very funny, perhaps by accident.

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