Superbad=Superfunny

The movie Superbad, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, is another vulgar yet hilarious comedy in the vein of Knocked Up (in which Rogen stars). I say another, but that implies movies like this are a dime a dozen, which they are not. To make a movie with this subject matter (high school boys trying to score liquor and get laid) both smart and funny takes talent, which Rogen, Goldberg, and director Greg Mottola have in abundance.

Rogen and Goldberg are former high school buddies, who apparently started work on this idea back in high school. While it is certainly not an attempt to tell a "true story", their experiences in high school together undoubtedly influenced the film.

The story involves best friends Seth and Evan (Jonah Hill and Michael Cera) during their senior year. They've spent virtually all their time with each other. No parties, no girlfriends... their best hope is to rag on the only guy geekier than themselves. The lifelong codependents have just learned they'll be going to different colleges next year (Evan got into Dartmouth; Seth didn't). They decide they need to experience a big blow out party, with the hopeful conclusion involving the loss of their virginity.

The oppurtunity to accomplish this comes when Jules (Emma Stone) tells Seth about a party she's having, but indicates she needs alcohol. Seth gladly offers his services as the possesor of a fake ID. Actually, aforementioned uber-nerd Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is the one with the fake ID. Hence Seth, Evan and necessary collaborator Fogell set out to acquire liquor for the party as if their lives depended on it.

Of course, things do not go as planned. The rest of the night sees the boys meeting a series of challenges on the way to their goal. They meet many characters on their way, and the funniest are two out of control cops, played by Bill Hader and writer Seth Rogen. A classic running joke has to do with the fact that Fogell's fake ID simply reads, "McLovin".

Of course, this being a good hearted movie, by the end the boys realize that being some girl's "regret guy" is not something to shoot for. More specifically, Seth learns a lesson, and Evan confirms what he already knows.

All in all, a sweet but vulgar, hilarious but touching (sort of), and ultimately successful movie. If you can stand the language, I highly recommend it!

PS I have no idea why the paragraph breaks don't work like I want 'em to. I apologize for any inconvenience, and if anyone knows how to make it work, let me know!

Gonzales Resigns!

What can I say, I'm stunned by this news. After all the clamor and all calls for his resigntion had finally died down, and we'd moved on to other issues, why now? I don't know, but I do know that his resignation is proper.

This country operates (or should) based on the principle of rule of law. What does this mean? Does it mean that executive branch officers behave as automatons? No. Is it acceptable for a President to expect U.S. Attorneys to share (or operate as if they share) the priorities of the Whie House? Yes.

So what's the problem?

The problem is, while the President and/or Attorney General theoretically have the right to fire any U.S. Attorney at at any time for any reason, there is still at least one way that such action can be criminal: if it constitutes obstruction of justice.

Although it has been pointed out that there is no hard evidence that such crimes took place, the circumstantial evidence is compelling. New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici places call to U.S. Attorney David Iglesias. Domenici pressures Iglesias to more aggressively pursue investigations against Democrats ahead of the election. Iglesias resists said pressure. He is fired.

On the other side, Carol Lam, a U.S. Attorney in California, puts Randy "Duke " Cunningham, a corrupt Republican Congressman in jail, and is rewarded by...wait for it...by being fired.

This kind of circumstantial evidence is hardly enough to convict, but that's not that the point. Combined with the AG's highly suspect testimony to Congress (and of course, lying to Congress is a felony), quite enough reasonable doubt exists to cast doubt on DOJ's ability to carry out its primary mission: enforcement of the law.

So was Mr Gonzales the victim of a political smear campaign, as President Bush says? It seems highly unlikely that he would resign if that were true; consider all the guilty politicians who have refused to resign in similar situations. And of course we know they have been quietly preparing for this for some time. Then there's the adage that the truth lies somewhere between the two sides. In this case, the two sides both come down on the side of Mr Gonzales being untrustworthy and incompetent. The difference is only in degrees.

The bottom line is this administration has, from the very beginning engaged in an intense campaign to improperly politicize all levels of the executive branch, from making up their own science to firing anyone who disagrees with their inane ideas. They might be starting to realize that there is only so far you can push. Americans aren't the sheep the Bushies believed them to be.