#Michael Kozoll

[80smovies]

[macgyvermedical]

Books That Interpret USAmerica

I'm trying to put together a list of books that interpret the USAmerican life at the individual and community levels. Please add to this list, including only books you have read and finished. I particularly need more books on this list by and about Black and indigenous peoples, but any book about the experience of life as a person living in the US will do. I look forward to expanding my to-read list!

Here is what I have so far:

Evicted, by Matthew Desmond- RE the housing crisis

Temp, by Louis Hyman- RE the staffing crisis

How the Other Half Eats, by Priya Fielding-Singh- RE how food, mother/daughter dynamics, and socioeconomics fit together

Shorting the Grid, by Meredith Angwin- RE the energy crisis and how grid electricity works in the USA

This is Your Mind on Plants, by Michael Pollan- RE the regulation of psychoactive plants

The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan- RE where food comes from

Savage Inequalities, by Jonathan Kozol- RE the severe inequality in the education system

Hyper Education, by Pawan Dhingra- RE pressures placed on children in and beyond the education system

Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism, by Peter J Hotez- RE: the fight over vaccines

$2.00 Per Day, by Katheryn J Edin, H Luke Shaefer- RE the lives of people below the international poverty line living in the USA

The Worst Hard Time, by Timothy Egan- RE the great depression

The Velvet Rope Economy, by Nelson D Schwartz- RE how different services and systems serve different levels of socioeconomic status

Janesville, by Amy Goldstein- RE a small town's struggle after losing it's main employer

Indebted, by Caitlin Zaloom- RE the student debt crisis

McMindfulness, by Ronald E Purser- RE how the lack of happiness was pushed on the individual instead of the system

Fat Talk, by Virginia Sole-Smith- RE questioning the source and outcomes of the obesity epidemic

Dopesick, by Beth Macy- RE the opioid crisis

[friedflicks]

First Blood (1982)

Directed by Ted Kotcheff

Written by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, & Sylvester Stallone

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, & Brian Dennehy

[elcinelateleymickyandonie]

''CANCIÓN TRISTE DE HILL STREET'' (HILL STREET BLUES)

Fue una serie emitida en la cadena de televisión NBC entre los años 1981 a 1987. Fue un éxito de crítica y fijó nuevas líneas para las series producidas en Estados Unidos.

Año de inicio: 15 de abril de 1981

Año de finalización: 12 de mayo de 1987

Dirección: Steven Bochco, Michael Kozoll

Créditos: Tomado de Wikipedia

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_Street_Blues

Para ver el tráiler ingresa al enlace:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUX3TPKVf_Y

[don-lichterman]

Hill Street Blues: Season Five [DVD]

Hill Street Blues: Season Five [DVD]

Price: (as of – Details) Ride along with the men and women of the Hill Street precinct in the fantastic fifth season of Hill Street Blues, the ground breaking series created by Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll that revolutionized the television cop genre and is universally hailed as one of the greatest programs in the history of television. Combining gritty realism and surprising humor to…

[90smovies]

[retro-bureau]

Hill Street Blues 

First episode date: January 15, 1981

This show paved the way for a great cop show is supposed to be like.

#HillStreetBlues #SteveBochco #NBC #MichaelKozoll #MikePost #RetroBureau

[adamwatchesmovies]

First Blood (1982)

First Blood is not what you expect - for the better. This film even receiving a sequel feels like a betrayal because while it does contain a lot of action, it isn’t about the action. It’s about pride and survival. It's about John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) and war veterans as a whole and the way they struggle to fit back into society after experiencing the horrors of combat first-hand.

Vietnam War veteran John Rambo comes to visit an old comrade, only to learn he died of cancer from Agent Orange exposure. Drifting aimlessly through the small town of Hope, Washington, he is harassed, arrested and assaulted by the local police. When he escapes, Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy) and his officers begin tracking Rambo down.

In 1982, a film in which the police are the villains would’ve been shocking. What’s happening here is no misunderstanding; the officers are prejudiced bullies. One scene and your hatred for them burns white-hot. Even today when we’ve been exposed to countless stories like The Central Park Five or Michael Brown Jr.'s, the fury overwhelms you. First Blood begins as a revenge fantasy. As Rambo escapes in the wilderness and uses his wartime skills to level the playing ground, you cheer him on. More carnage, the better.

The difference between this film and the likes of Death Wish is that ultimately, the picture is about consequences. You can tell from your first look at Rambo that he’s deeply disturbed and in serious internal agony. These events are a tragedy. This shouldn’t be happening and the fact that Rambo keeps on going as far as he does only proves how broken he is. If only the police weren’t so obsessed with restoring their pride, we might've gotten a happy ending or at least a bittersweet one.

For large chunks of the running time, Stallone has little dialogue but there’s a key point during the conclusion where he gets to show how good an actor he is. Even before then, his stance and looks demonstrate how heavily his trauma weighs on his shoulders. Obviously, he pulls off the physical stunts with ease. Richard Crenna as Colonel Sam Trautman, the man who trained Rambo to be the war machine he is today, has a great part too but the juiciest role is easily Brian Dennehy's. Teasle could’ve easily seemed cartoonish but he's just the right amount of unlikable. Thanks to these three central performances, you easily overlook any moments of implausibility you saw previously. You like the action but the drama and the tension as desperate, misunderstood Rambo squares off against prideful, arrogant Teasle is what has you glued to the screen.

The Rambo films have a certain reputation as dumb, loud and explosion-filled but you’d never guess this from First Blood. You wish all action movies took the time to develop their characters and reflect on their themes as effectively as this one. (On Blu-ray, September 19, 2019)

[insanebookwormandwriter]

What It Means to Live in Today's World

What It Means to Live in Today’s World

Markets and money influence children at a very young age and continue influencing them as they grow up. Michael J. Sandel argues that money buys almost everything in today’s society and the values of markets have dominated the lives people live and continue to dominate their lives, in his article, “Morals and Markets.” Sandel begins by listing several different examples of things that money can…

[365days365movies]

January 4, 2021: First Blood (Epilogue)

So, uh...

Yeah. Basically. That movie was amazing, seriously, holy...

But before I jump into the review, I think I promised that I would clear up the reason that the first act made me so uncomfortable. And I’ll just say the following things to clear it up:

Last year was a hellscape for many reasons, especially in the USA.

The first act of the movie highlights police brutality and the unlawful persecution of a disadvantaged citizen.

Current events of 2020 may have been haunting to me personally because of a particular facet of my...oh fuck it.

I am Black American, and the police brutality shit set me off because of BLM.

There. It is out. And we shall now move forward. Seriously, though, looking at that through 2020-stained lenses...whoof. REVIEW TIME

Recap

Cast and Acting

I had no idea that Stallone had it in him. Seriously, wow, the ending monlogue that he gives is the longest that he speaks since the very beginning of the film, and you can feel the pain in his delivery, both when he’s shouting his lines, and when he’s sobbing them. Other than being a badass, Stallone gives Rambo an inner pain that should be implied by his status as a Vietnam War veteran...but one that I still was not expecting. It was fantastic. And he’s not the only one! Brian Dennehy plays a dedicated slimeball, and does it well. Richard Crenna as Trautman is also good in his role, and the rest of the supporting cast does their job well. Even Caruso, for the tiny role that he has, is at least a little memorable. I have no complaints about the cast or the acting, real talk.

Cast and Acting: 10/10

Plot and Writing

Stallone puts pen to paper once again, which he was able to do because of his success with Rocky (which I am now VERY much looking forward to). And yeah, the writing here is pretty good throughout, excelling once again in that ending dialogue, even though Stallone’s delivery really pulls it off. As for the rest, it’s good, even if it has the typically dramatic tone seen in most of Stallone’s films. Michael Kozoll and William Sackheim also deserve credit for this script, which took 18 drafts until completion. As for the story, it was based off of a book by David Morrel published ten years prior. From what I know, Stallone made sure to make Rambo FAR MORE SYMPATHETIC than he was in the book, while making the Sheriff a lot more villainous. The ending from the book is also changed. And it does indeed work well, even though the changes made were drastic. You should check out CineFix’s YouTube video on this film if you’d like to know more.

Plot and Writing: 8/10

Directing and Action

Ted Kotcheff is the director for this baby, and he does a great job! Cinematography is good, even if it isn’t the most amazing cinematography I’ve ever seen. But the action? Check out that clip in the GIF above! And the one below! The action in this movie is AWESOME, and the action sequences are fantastic. So, even if the directing isn’t too much to write home about, the action certainly is!

Directing and Action: 9/10

Production Design

Production design is the new term I’ll be using to describe costume and set design from here on out. And...yeah, it’s great again! I feel the haunting spirit of the woods, and that spirit is John Rambo. While the lighting sometimes leaves something to be desired, Rambo’s final look, as well as the iconic forest sequence and setting, makes this category stand out above average, at the very least.

Production Design: 8/10

Music and Sound

I’ll be honest...I don’t like the ending credits song. Took me out of the tone of the emotional ending. But the rest of the score, composed by Jerry Goldsmith, is awesome! It’s not the most memorable score in the world, but it still heightens the experience of the film while you’re in it, that’s for sure. If anything, the film takes great advantage of silence. And that, in and of itself, is an achievement.

Music and Sound: 8/10

86%. That’s my final score. And that’s pretty damn good. Personally, I like it more than that, but I’m comfortable with that score.

This movie is an example of what I’m hoping to get out of this whole year: an unexpected delight of an experience. I mean, my God, I was NOT expecting to like this movie in the way I like it. The depiction of PTSD in this film is one of the first of its kind, and it seems to be done very well. I’m not a psychologist, but I was still severely affected by this movie. Made me really feel for John Rambo. I always thought that I would like the action sequences, but really wasn’t expecting to like Stallone’s acting. All I know is that I’m looking forward to seeing Rocky, and other Stallone movies.

Wow. First Blood, man. Made me think, made me cheer, made me undergo my own form of 2020-related PTSD. What else can you ask for? Well...maybe not the last part.

OK, then. Two Cruises, two Stallones. Who’s next? I mean...wait..oh. Uh-oh.

January 5: The Running Man (1987)

[80smovies]

[leaderoftheduckresistance]

The Many Long Reasons I Hate Riverdale Season 5 Episode 7

1) Military Propaganda

What the ever living hell is up with the military in this show? Who signed off on this? Is the US Military sponsoring these episodes? We have no idea what the hell The War™ is about. We have no clear understanding of what war Archie is fighting in, nor who they are fighting against; however, we are told to assume that the US army is the good guys because military=good. Every single character from the military this season is treated this way, as if the military is some holy organization capable of doing no wrong. And Archie rising to become a Sergeant in the army is some noble goal that we should be happy about for him. Someone is assumed to be a good person simply for being a veteran; they are described as an “us” to counter some supposed “them.” There is a massive delineation between who is considered “good” and who is considered “bad,” and it is purely based on which side of the war you are on. However, and I will repeat this, we do not know who the US is fighting against. This framing of the military is pure propaganda meant to illicit a positive view towards an organization that has not shown any sign of deserving that praise.

2) Riverdollars

WHAT THE EVER LIVING HELL IS THE DEAL WITH RIVERDOLLARS? I really need every single person reading this to understand that I hated every single moment of this plotline from beginning to end. They are creating a company town. In essence, a company town is a place where currency is controlled by a central body - ie. instead of using the traditional currency of the country, they have created a new currency that only applies to that one town. And instead of getting paychecks in legal tender, you get paid in the company’s private currency. It is a horribly exploitative business practice that essentially traps people within the town. Because if your paycheck is not legal tender, then when you leave, you are broke. You have absolutely zero usable money outside of that city. And within that town, you must buy from company stores, pay rent for your house to the company, get healthcare from your company, etc etc. You get the point. It is a system in which workers are subservient and dependent on the company for their very survival. Many historians have written about company towns as a modernization of slavery. They are awful. They are disgusting.

Unless you are in Riverdale. Then they are amazing. I have no idea why they chose this direction, but they have glorified company towns. They have framed it as Riverdale’s salvation. That is. disgusting. How dare you transform something that has exploited labor and workers for over a century (because company towns still exist) and making it into a happy little plotline about taking on the big guy. No. F*** you. Veronica has created a system in which she is the sole person in control of the economy; she has created a system in which people are dependent upon her currency. This is not an act of good faith. This is much worse than most things Hiram Lodge has done in this show. And to exploit your students, children, into becoming the main catalysts for this system only makes it worse. This is not a positive topic; you disgust me.

3) Education

Okay there is some legitimate educational theorists that argue that schools should teach students to be active members of their community. Scholars like James Beane and Michael Apple have written entire books arguing for the benefits of engaging students in the democratic process, and many of their examples involve lobbying and working with local governments to achieve desired results. There is legitimate educational theory that Riverdale could have delved into for their plotline here. BUT INSTEAD THEY DIDN’T. Every single democratic educator I have read (which by no means is the opinion of everyone) has agreed that the initiatives that students work towards must originate from their own views and desire to enact social change. In Riverdale, though, that is not how this class is being taught. Veronica came up with the initiative and the method by which they were going to accomplish their goal. Then they had the audacity to frame the students as bad people for participating in the initiative THAT VERONICA TOLD THEM TO TAKE PART IN. I feel like I need to stress this point: Veronica did not use them printing more money to teach them about economics. Instead, she shamed them and forced them to do PHYSICAL LABOR to atone for their sins of having independent thought. It is almost the direct opposite of any beneficial educational theory that exists; Riverdale is shaming students for displaying initiative and critical thought while reinforcing that the job is to just do what the teacher says. That is not education. That is recruiting a bunch of underage worker drones to fight in your war with your father. I will stress this again: Veronica is not helping Riverdale; she is simply instating herself as the new dictator. She is the bad guy in this plotline. And the concept that the show portrays this as good teaching brings me physical pain. I will repeat: This is not education. This is abusing your students. Don’t glorify this.

However, in Riverdale’s defense, this style of teaching does line up with the general teaching methods of poor, inner city, schools. Scholar Jean Anyon has written an essay about how inner-city schools teach children to respect authority and follow steps rather than critically think. That lines up with how Veronica is teaching her class. Do I think that was intended? No, but it is right.

Ya know what isn’t right? The racial demographics of Riverdale High. The US schooling system is intensely segregated (if you’re interested, Jonathan Kozol’s “The Shame of the Nation” covers the topic very well in my opinion), and if you were to have two cities right next to each other, one that is wealthy and affluent and another that is intensely poor, you would see a racial bent where, on average, at least 90% of students at Riverdale High would be Black or Hispanic. This has been a problem in Riverdale for years - most likely, Southside High should also have been predominately minorities - but coming after their multiple statements about a commitment to having POC in their show, it is absolutely shameful. How the HELL do you write a season about institutional poverty and education while perpetuating the myth that somehow white people are most affected. It is ignoring and silencing the very real social problem surrounding education in poor neighborhoods, and I would not be so upset about this IF IT WERE NOT THE CENTRAL THESIS TO THIS ENTIRE SEASON. It is awful. It is destructive.

4) Little Concluding Bit

I have more I could talk about here, like how the writers don’t seem to have any care for actual economic theory and how printing 10,000 more Riverdollars would not cause inflation. Or how running into a burning building in front of your students does not teach the right message. Or how firefighting training started with workout drills instead of, ya know, how to put out a fire. Or how the Serpents being minorities and still having the arc of “you think they’re bad but actually they’re good people” could actually have been an interesting commentary on how society views (primarily minority) students that become parts of gangs. But I have to stop somewhere. 

So let me conclude with this thought: this episode was my single least favorite episode of Riverdale ever. It is probably not their worst; that title probably goes to how poorly they handled trans people in Hedwig. But this one struck me personally. This episode glorifies exploitation of labor/workers, the US military, and provably destructive teaching practices while sweeping under the rug full histories of racial, social, and global inequality/tragedy. I want to look every single writer that touched this episode what the ever living f*** they thought they were doing here because what they actually did is intensely destructive. Sometimes you just perpetuate dangerous societal beliefs; oopsie daisy. 

[ttnbooklog]

Tupac’s Book List

Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member Written by: Sanyika Shakur

Assata: An Autobiography Written by: Assata Shakur

Ponder on This: A Compilation From the Writings of: Alice A Bailey & the Tibetan Master, Djwhal Khul

The Phenomenon of Man Written by: Teilhard de Chardin

Kabbalah Written by: Gersham Scholem

Thoughts and Meditations Written by: Kahlil Gibran

Telepathy Written by: Alice A Bailey

The Autobiography of Malcolm X As told to: Alex Haley

Ah, This! Written by: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

Roots Written by: Alex Haley

The Tibetan Book of the Dead Written by: W.Y. Evans-Wentz

Black Like Me Written by: John Howard Griffin

Bhagavad-Gita As It Is Written by: A.C. Bhaktive-danta Swami Prabhupada

The Confessions of Nat Turner Written by: William Styron

The Psychedelic Experience- A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead

Written by: Timothy Leary, Ph.D, Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., Richard Alpert, Ph.D.

James Baldwin: The Legacy Edited by: Quincy Troupe

Initiation Written by: Elisabeth Haich

The Meaning of Masonry Written by: W.L. Wilmshurst

Social Essays Written by: LeRoi Jones

The Grapes of Wrath Written by: John Steinbeck

I Shall Not Be Moved Written by: Maya Angelou

And Still I Rise Written by: Maya Angelou

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Written by: Maya Angelou

Nature, Man and Woman Written by: Alan W. Watts

Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs Written by: Linda Goodman

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Written by: Robert M. Pirsig

A Raisin in the Sun Written by: Lorraine Hansberry

Native Son Written by: Richard Wright

The Practical Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing Written by: Mark Bricklin

The Complete Illustrated Book of the Psychic Sciences Written by: Walter B. Gibson and Litzka R. Gibson

1984 Written by: George Orwell

One Hundred Years of Solitude Written by: Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Destiny of the Nations Written by: Alice A. Bailey

The Visionary Poetics of Allen Ginsberg Written by: Paul Portuges

The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy Written by: E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil

The Diary of Anais Nin Edited and with a Preface by: Gunther Stuhlmann

The Souls of Black Folk Written by:W.E. Burghardt DuBois

The Psychic Realm Written by: Naomi A. Hintze and J. Gaither Pratt, Ph.D.

Tropic of Cancer Written by: Henry Miller

Nostradamus: The Millennium & Beyond Written by: Peter Lorie

The State of the World Atlas Written by: Michael Kidron and Ronald Segal

Catcher in the Rye Written by: J.D. Salinger

Sisterhood is Powerful: Anthology of Writings from the Women’s Liberation Movement

Written by: Robin Morgan

In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens Written by: Alice Walker

Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools Written by: Jonathan Kozol

At the Bottom of the River Written by: Jamaica Kincaid

Music of Black Americans: A History Written by: Eileen Southern

Moby Dick Written by: Herman Melville

Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. Written by: Ira Peck

Art of War Written by: Sun Tzu

Interesting People: Black American History Makers Written by: George L. Lee

Blues People Written by: Amiri Baraka

All You Need to Know About the Music Business Written by: Donald Passman

All God’s Children: The Boskett Family and the American Tradition of Violence

Written by: Fox Butterfield

Black Sister: Poetry by Black American Women, 1746 to 1980 Edited by Earlene Stetson

The Harder We Run: Black Workers Since the Civil War Written by: William H. Harris

Makes Me Wanna Holler Written by: Nathan McCall

Great White Lie: Slavery, Emancipation and Changing Racial Attitudes Written by: Jack Gratus

Imitation of Christ Written by: Thomas a Kempis

Teachings of the Buddha Written by: Jack Kornfield

No Man Is an Island Written by: Thomas Merton

Mysticism Written by: Evelyn Underhill

Wisdom of Insecurity Written by: A.N. Watts

Secret Splendor Written by: Charles Essert

Life as Carola Written by: Joan Grant

Serving Humanity From the writings of: Alice A. Bailey

Here and Hereafter Written by: Ruth Montgomery

The Prince Written by: Niccolo Machiavelli

[thebryanandsilvergarbage]

41 years ago today, those words were said for the very first time, as Primetime Drama changed forever with this quirky police drama, created by Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll. Hill Street Blues helped resurrect a network, and for years, the show was the most-honored Drama Series at the Primetime Emmys, winning a then-record 26 Trophies in its seven year run, including a record four for Outstanding Drama Series (plus two more for that guy on this post).

Hill Street Blues - (1981-1987)

[binsofchaos]

‘Food Is Culture’: Alice Waters on the Cookbook That Changed Her Life

What’s your favorite book no one else has heard of?

“The One-Straw Revolution,” by Masanobu Fukuoka. My friend Steve Crumley gave me the book in the 1970s, and I read it cover to cover. Fukuoka was so important in his time: He influenced all the radical thinkers about food. He talked about his way of farming as “do-nothing farming,” and I loved that revolutionary idea that we can let nature take its course instead of bending it to our will — and also that we cannot isolate agriculture from the rest of our lives.

Which writers — novelists, playwrights, critics, journalists, poets — working today do you admire most?

There are so many, and I’ll never be able to name them all. But here are a few that have made a big impression on me: Michael Pollan, Mark Bittman, Eric Schlosser, Wendell Berry, Maira Kalman, Raj Patel, Patti Smith, Jonathan Safran Foer, Kim Severson, Ruth Reichl, Natalie Baszile, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Ayad Akhtar, Robert Scheer, Hilton Als, Dan Barber, Mark Danner, Hamilton Fish, Samin Nosrat, Matthew Raiford, Adam Gopnik, Robert Hass, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Madhur Jaffrey, Jonathan Kozol, Corby Kummer, David Mas Masumoto, Gary Nabhan, Robert Reich, Orville Schell, David Tanis, Calvin Trillin. I’m sure I’ve got at least another 20 people that I could name.

What book, if any, most influenced your approach to food?

It’s really hard to pin it down to just one book. It might be a tossup between Richard Olney and Elizabeth David — but I think it’s probably Elizabeth David’s “French Country Cooking.” I got it in my early 20s, shortly after I came back from studying in France in 1965. When I returned home to Berkeley all I wanted to do was live like the French. Elizabeth David had also gone to France, and also fallen in love with the markets and the way that the French lived to eat. It’s a big cultural picture that Elizabeth David presents in her books; it’s not simply about food. Food is culture, and she revealed that. She also influenced me aesthetically — I loved the gracefulness and simplicity of her recipes and her cooking.Who writes especially well about farming or restaurants, or both?Wendell Berry writes beautifully about farming, for sure. And Ruth Reichl always writes so evocatively about restaurants and cooking. And while this isn’t strictly restaurants or farming, I love Michael Pollan’s edition of “Food Rules” that’s illustrated by Maira Kalman — two of my all-time favorites, collaborating together.

How do you organize your books?

That’s an interesting one. I order my cookbooks by country, and then within that I try to keep them together by author. I’m not so successful at that, but that’s what I try to do. For other books, I organize them by subject, so I have all my education books together, all my books about gardening together, all my art books together. But the ones that I love the most I stack horizontally, because I’m grabbing them so much. I am always referring to “The Book of Symbols,” published by Taschen; it has symbols in it from around the world, from all different civilizations. I’m always trying to think of classic ways we can design a menu or a poster, and I sometimes steal ideas from there. Another book I use all the time and keep out on my table is “Sacred Food,” by Elisabeth Luard. I have so many little Post-its tagged throughout its pages. Whenever I’m trying to figure out how to throw an event, I’ll flip through it, try to reach back in history to figure out how best to think about rituals and beauty and celebrations. That book I always keep handy.And then I do have a little special section of my library that’s for old and rare cookbooks, where I have my copy of Brillat-Savarin’s “The Physiology of Taste” — the first edition of the English translation from 1854, before the M.F.K. Fisher translation in the 1940s. Here is the first line of it: 

“The universe would be nothing were it not for life, and all that lives must be fed.”

[clarissednsep]

Hill Street Blues (Michael Kozoll et Steven Bochco, NBC, 1981-1987)