FanFare

This week... protests by schoolgirls in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest for violating hijab rules. And Now: Christopher Columbus: Kind of a Cool Guy (according to Fox faces). Main story: how crime is covered by the media, which is frequently sensationalist and leaves people with a sense that crime is a much bigger problem than it is, and can stoke fears of false problems like "rainbow fentanyl." It's often compounded by an unquestioning stance regarding police statements. On Youtube (26 minutes) And Now, finally: Another Installment of Local News Beat Poetry From NBC4 Washington's Pat Collins. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Oct 12, 2022 - 3 comments

On Nov. 4, 1979, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, taking 66 American hostages. Amid the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge with the Canadian ambassador. Knowing that it's just a matter of time before the refugees are found and likely executed, the U.S. government calls on extractor Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) to rescue them. Mendez's plan is to pose as a Hollywood producer scouting locations in Iran and train the refugees to act as his "film" crew. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Oct 5, 2022 - 14 comments

A yellow cab is driving through the vibrant and colourful streets of Tehran. Very diverse passengers enter the taxi, each candidly expressing their views while being interviewed by the driver who is no one else but the director Jafar Panahi himself. His camera placed on the dashboard of his mobile film studio captures the spirit of Iranian society through this comedic and dramatic drive [more inside]
posted by johnxlibris on Mar 12, 2022 - 0 comments

Eight year old Ahmed's best friend faces humiliation and expulsion from the strict village school, and only Ahmed can set things right. But the path to a good deed leads crooked and uphill, Nematzadeh's donkey is fast, and there's a major problem.
posted by fleacircus on Jan 10, 2020 - 7 comments

As a mother and daughter struggle to cope with the terrors of the post-revolution, war torn Tehran of the 80s, a mysterious evil begins to haunt their home. A Farsi-language horror/drama currently streaming on US Netflix. 99% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
posted by DirtyOldTown on Oct 23, 2018 - 3 comments

This week....

• The FBI raided Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen's offices. Everyone's asking, "Will he 'flip?'"
• Ryan Zinke, Trump's Secretary of the Interior, oversees the largest reduction in America's public lands in our nation's history, and calls himself a geologist under oath despite having never worked as one. He's also a deeply strange man.
• And Now: Somebody Please Tell Ryan Zinke He's Not a Geologist
• Main story: The Iran Deal, which Trump has been loud about disliking, asserting the people who wrote it were "babies." LWT takes a deep look at what it is and what it's for. The deal is important for limiting Iran's nuclear hopes, but Trump, his national security advisors and Sean Hannity are all against it. In a last ditch effort to get it through to him, LWT has paid for ad time during Hannity's show in the DC area featuring everyone's favorite, the Catheter Cowboy.

The piece on the Iran Deal is available on YouTube. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Apr 23, 2018 - 10 comments

Act 1: Firings, Facebook, and (Not-So-Fond) Farewells

Act 2: The History Of Women's Pain -- Part 1 | Part 2 (with Laurie Metcalf!)

Act 3: Iraq War: 15 Years Later

[more inside]
posted by numaner on Mar 22, 2018 - 0 comments

Elliot tries to save Darlene, but things do not go as planned; Mr. Robot must decide whether to step up or step back. There's a discussion or three on a farm that cleans up some loose ends, and some new family bonding. Oh, and a brave traveler returns. [Season finale] [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief on Dec 14, 2017 - 18 comments

"Metadata. The story behind the data. Getting information is one thing, but how it was created, where and by whom can often be illuminating." Official summary: Dom has a close call; Elliot chases himself with Darlene on the lookout. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief on Nov 2, 2017 - 11 comments

Joan and Kitty try to prove that a string of murders, stemming from an old case Sherlock and Kitty solved in London, is connected to an international government conspiracy with the Defense Intelligence Agency at its center. [more inside]
posted by CMcG on Mar 14, 2017 - 2 comments

Alex finally meets his hero. Sruthi talks with her Iranian colleague. [more inside]
posted by radioamy on Feb 2, 2017 - 13 comments

The mysterious disappearance of a kindergarten teacher during a picnic in the north of Iran is followed by a series of misadventures for her fellow travelers. [more inside]
posted by Cash4Lead on Feb 25, 2016 - 3 comments

Russia fires cruise missiles at targets in Syria and Iran, and the U.S. suspends their rebel training program. FIFA's ethics committee suspends Sepp Blatter for 90 days, and all his replacements are either being investigated themselves or might be soon. The U.S. asks Toyota how come so many of their trucks have gotten in the hands of ISIS. And Now: John McCain's Favorite Joke. Main story: North Dakota's oil rush, and the environmental and human cost to the state. LWT produced a video appeal to North Dakota to hold oil companies to greater account for their malfeasence, and paid for a billboard in the state saying "Be Angry. (Please.)" YouTube (20m) [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Oct 12, 2015 - 18 comments

Vladimir Putin launches air strikes against ISIS in Syria. Quick takes from the United Nations general debate: Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe defends their anti-homosexuality laws; Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaims the Iran nuclear deal by silently staring them down for 45 seconds; dictator of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko brings his 11-year-old son to sit beside him in the General Assembly. The Secret Service hits scandal yet again by trying to embarass Congressman Jason Chaffetz by leaking his old job application to their agency. And Now: People On Television Talking Shit About Their Producers. Main story: the horrifying plight of the mentally ill in the United States. YouTube (12m) And Now: Newscasters Stretching The Definition Of The Word "Exclusive." And finally, the new "Yelp for people" app, Peeple... wait that sounds a bit familiar. Last Week Tonight launches a website to facilitate people saying awful things on the internet without actually hurting anyone: screamintothevoid.com. Or consider another suggestion by LWT: Peeble, an app which rates people according to the opinion of Mario Van Peebles. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Oct 5, 2015 - 3 comments

This week.... The Obama administration reaches a historic deal with Iran, but has difficulty selling it to Congress. FIFA president Sepp Blatter is in Russia to kick off preparations for the 2018 World Cup. Ashley Madison, a website that encourages and helps set up affairs between married people, was hacked and the responsible parties threaten to release records on their userbase. LWT produced a short message exhorting married citizens of Ottawa not to have affairs. Main story: The absurdity of mandatory minimum sentencing laws in the US. YouTube (15m) And Now: Unnecessary Full Disclosure. Ukraine threatens to blacklist Gérard Depardieu as a threat to their national security (Guardian) for a statement made last year at a film festival. Over the closing credits, LWT provides a brief slideshow of photos of Depardieu set to "cartoonishly French music." [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Jul 27, 2015 - 6 comments

This week.... The US and Iran are on the verge of signing a historic nuclear arms deal. Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman escapes from prison by constructing a surprisingly elaborate tunnel a mile long. North Korea gears up to celebrate their "Liberation Day" with a concert by Slovenian band Laibach. And Now: CBS This Morning's Awkward Sex Talk. Main story: The fact that the US wastes 40% of the food it produces each year, and its consequences. YouTube (18m) Last Week Tonight produced their own, more honest version of an "American" cheeseburger commercial produced by Carl's Jr. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Jul 21, 2015 - 4 comments

This week.... Iran may be about to make a deal over their nuclear program. Greece may default on loans and possibly exit from the Euro currency. South Carolina finally lowers the Confederate battle flag flying over their state capitol. Last Week Tonight offers, to any team with an offensive mascot costume, to replace it with one of their previously-made mascot costumes. And Now: Whoopi Goldberg Defends Ten Surprising Things. Main story: On lavish sports stations built using public money. (YouTube 19m) John Oliver makes an impassioned sports speech to convince cities to make teams pay for their own stadiums. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Jul 13, 2015 - 6 comments

This week: An extra-long episode of Last Week Tonight. Iranian nuclear talks, with John Kerry, the Beau Rivage Hotel and the Inglorius Fonkers. Real democracy makes inroads in Nigeria. President Obama goes to Utah, but hasn't been to South Dakota, so LTW produced a tourism video featuring "hobo George R.R. Martin." Main story: Government surveillance (YouTube 33m), plus interview with Edward Snowden. (Oliver: "HO-LEY SHIT. HE ACTUALLY CAME. EDWARD FUCKING SNOWDEN!") MeFi [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Apr 6, 2015 - 15 comments

Twenty-something Arash lives in an Iranian near-ghost town called "Bad City" with his dad Hossein, who's addicted to heroin and endlessly pines the loss of his wife. By day Arash holds down a gardening job, whose wages just bought him a brand new vintage Thunderbird. At night he tries, often unsuccessfully, to hold Hossein's vicious dealer Saeed at bay. Little does Arash know that someone else is becoming quite interested in Saeed's welfare. [more inside]
posted by Sheydem-tants on Jan 19, 2015 - 12 comments

The screenwriting and directing debut of Jon Stewart tells the story of a journalist held in captivity in Iran, on suspicion that he is a spy. [more inside]
posted by jbickers on Nov 24, 2014 - 1 comment

Red tells Liz and Samar about an Iranian operative codenamed The Scimitar, who has a mission to kidnap America's top nuclear weapons engineer. Liz gets a lead from Tom in her search for Berlin, but Red has his own business with the criminal.
posted by Small Dollar on Nov 4, 2014 - 3 comments

This week: Mo'ne Davis pitches first shut-out in Little League history. Iranian Parliament forbids vasectomies and birth control. A look at a Crimean annexation celebration events. Police shooting in Ferguson, Missouri sparks civil unrest, and a look at police militarization (15m). And a piece on the wage discrepancy between men and women, with commercial for "Ladybucks." Last Week Tonight is off for the next two weeks.
posted by JHarris on Aug 18, 2014 - 12 comments