or Powell's or me• • •
"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
•
"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
•
"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
December 30, 2006
Only Business
Yesterday I compared Saddam to Barzini in The Godfather. But on second thought it's really more accurate to compare Saddam to the Corleone family capo Sal Tessio (played by Abe Vigoda). Barzini headed a major crime family of his own, and was nearly as powerful as Vito Corleone. By contrast, Tessio merely worked for the Corleones, and was a loyal soldier for Vito Corleone for decades until he saw an opportunity to make more money by striking out on his own. But Michael (who is of course Vito's son) realizes what Tessio is doing, and has him executed by other family retainers.
Here's the impressively precise Iraqi re-enactment of that scene last night:
Actual Godfather lines:
TESSIO: Tell Mike it was only business. I always liked him.
TOM HAGEN: He understands that.
TESSIO: ...Tom, can you get me off the hook? For old time's sake?
TOM HAGEN: Can't do it, Saly.
Posted at December 30, 2006 08:39 AM | TrackBack
but why all the video?
is there such a huge bloodthirsty, marginally psychotic demographic in america that i was previously unaware of?
Posted by: almostinfamous at December 30, 2006 08:55 AMI second the sentiments of a commenter in the last thread. People that get excited about executions make me nervous.
The Tessio and Hagen exchange is unsettling by design: the brutality of witnessing someone hearing that the're about to be a mob hit is supposed to contrast and outweigh all romantic notions.
Watching the bloodlust coming through my TV, as coverage with perforated exposition and no questions asked, I have a bad feeling in my gut. It's familiar. I'm watching a mob hit.
is there such a huge bloodthirsty, marginally psychotic demographic in america that i was previously unaware of?
If, after all this time, you are unaware of this tendency, you simply have not been paying attention.
Posted by: at December 30, 2006 10:58 AMis there such a huge bloodthirsty, marginally psychotic demographic in america that i was previously unaware of?
If, after all this time, you are unaware of this tendency, you simply have not been paying attention.
And there's nothing marginal about it.
Posted by: Mike at December 30, 2006 10:59 AMOr, you haven't visited Texas of late.
Posted by: Jesus B. Ochoa at December 30, 2006 11:07 AM"is there such a huge bloodthirsty, marginally psychotic demographic in america that i was previously unaware of?"
almostinfamous, for a moment I thought you were almostserious. You had me almostgoing.
Posted by: Jonathan Versen at December 30, 2006 11:08 AMSCENE: The storeroom back behing Salvatore's..
Tony the Nose and Cousin Vito, presiding..
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/12/30/world/middleeast/30cnd-hussein2.650.jpg
They would have been better served taking him out on the lake.
Luckily, the Monte Carlo turned over and they got outta there before the cops showed.
Posted by: TD at December 30, 2006 12:03 PMOnce again, not up to the level of the Krauts, who hanged the plotters (Stauffenberg et al) of the July 20, 1944 assassination attempt on Der Fuehrer with piano wire. Film of the slow deaths was shown to Adolf, NSDAP and military leadership.
But, we are trying.
Brilliant, Jon, just brilliant.
Posted by: Chris Floyd at December 31, 2006 02:37 PM
