Links for the Day (September 14th, 2007)

1. 50 Cent's retirement? Not so fast.

["Don't hold your breath waiting for 50 Cent[s - ed.] to retire."]

***2. Takashi Miike, Tarantino and a Macaroni Western - a look at Sukiyaki Western Django

["Both Miike and Tarantino, overpraised and overindulged for years, are now in the baroque phases of their careers, strenuously embellishing by-now familiar themes with ever more convoluted arabesques of cinematic referencing and auteurist posturing. I count myself as a fan of both — but I also think they have both reached an impasse, like aging rockers who jazz up their stage shows as vehicles for their decades-old riffs."]

***3. Steve Boone on 3:10 to Yuma at Vinyl Is Heavy

["He (James Mangold) clearly loves every last old-time Western trope and was determined to get them all into this one silly/serious, sprawling/unimaginative cowboy flick. Alongside this fanboy preoccupation, the film also squeezes in some post-Unforgiven revisionism. Strange brew."]

***4. London Film Festival line-up unveiled

["Taking to the stage to discuss their careers and work will be Wes Anderson, Laura Linney, Steve Buscemi, Robert Rodriguez and Paul Greengrass, while other expected guests include Tom Cruise, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, David Cronenberg, David Lynch, Naomi Watts, Sienna Miller, Halle Berry, Ang Lee, Jason Schwartzman and Sean Penn."]

***5. Islamic militants try to blow up Buddha statue. Third time is not a charm for radical Islam's jihad against impressive rock scupltures. I say we pass the hat around and see if we can get BPS Security to send a car out there once or twice a night.

["A group of armed men arrived in the village late Monday saying they were mujahedeen, or Islamic fighters, and told residents they wanted to blow up the 7-meter (23-foot) statue, said villager Amir Khan.

I told them that there are houses near to the rock and any blast could put our lives in danger, but they pointed their weapons at us,’ said Khan. We heard the sound of drilling twice and then early Tuesday morning we heard two blasts.’

The statue was undamaged, but some of the rock surrounding it was blown away, officials said."]

***Quote of the Day:

"The pleasantest of all diversions is to sit alone under the lamp, a book spread out before you, and to make friends with people of a distant past you have never known." - Kenko from Essays in Idleness

***
Image of the Day (click to enlarge): Outing In Mountains and Fields by Yosa Buson, 1716-1783

***
Clip of the Day: Al Pacino in Glengarry Glenn Ross


_____________________________________________________
"Links for the Day": Each morning, the House editors post a series of weblinks that we think will spark discussion. Comments encouraged.