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| MOVIE REVIEW "Capote" by Mike Smith | ||
| CREATURE'S CORNER A Tale of Two Sergeants...."When a Stranger Calls"....Rain by John Lewis | ||
| MY MIDDLE TOE Haunt X by Mark Terry | ||
| MIKE'S RANT Happy Birthday....Pulling The String....Passing On....My Favorite Films--Chapter 8 by Mike Smith | ||
| LETTERS | ||
Established A.D. 2000, March 19. Now in our seventh calendar year!
Number 309 (Vol. 7, No. 8). This edition is for the week of February 20--26, 2006.
Port Authority
Well, that's very interesting, isn't it? As Democrats are gaining momentum in their opposition (as well as some Repugs), Bush remains steadfast, even to the point of threatening to veto any legislation sent to block the deal.
Donald Rumsfeld said the UAE has been "close military allies in the global war on terror" and have good "political and economic relations" (no surprise there). There were secretive investigations that seemed to bolster the safety of the UAE take-over. the administration disclosed some assurances it had negotiated with Dubai
Ports. It required mandatory participation in U.S. security programs to stop smuggling and detect
illegal shipments of nuclear materials; roughly 33 other port companies participate in these
voluntarily. The Coast Guard also said Tuesday it was nearly finished inspecting Dubai Ports'
facilities in the United States. Dubais Ports' chief operating officer Edward "Ted" H. Bilkey promised Dubai Ports "will fully cooperate in putting into place whatever is necessary to protect the terminals."
Nevertheless, the parade of American statesman lining up to oppose this is lengthening by the hour. Hard to believe Bush is totally unmoved by this, but then again, he's an old pro at the old "if you're not for me you're against me" routine and seems to be in an outright hurry to get this done. "It sends a terrible signal to friends around the world that it's OK for a company from one
country to manage the port, but not a country that plays by the rules and has got a good track
record from another part of the world," Bush said. He's afraid we're going to offend the UAE by signals we're sending, or maybe taking too long to close the deal; that's astoundingly shallow, even for Bush.
To me, the stakes are way too high to rush this through, and if government factions feel it's beneficial to scrutinize it more closely, by all means do so, and then question why in god's name Bush was so freakin' opposed to it.
Note: After the early edition of this week's PCR went "to press", it was revealed that President Bush didn't know anything about the UAE port deal until two days before the referenced press conferences, and even then was only briefed.
• Post your thoughts on this topic
INDY FILM NEWS The festival which is sponsored by the St. Petersburg Clearwater Film
Society (an IRS 501(C)3 non-profit organization) is holding a fundraiser on
March 3, 2006 at “The Studio@620” located at 620 1st Ave. S. in St.
Petersburg. The St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Society strives to:
• Build relationships with local filmmakers and schools, to provide local
filmmakers opportunities and a venue to display their art, and to allow them
to practice and improve their art and craft; Films can be submitted via WithoutaBox.com or directly to the festival.
www.sunscreenfilmfestival.com
FROM SOLFEGE STUDIOS, INC.... My name is Tracy Hunter, Marketing Director for Solfege Studios, Inc. in
Clearwater, FL. We have just recently opened our newest facility, which
includes a private movie theatre, ideally suited for filmmakers to do
their own premiers, screenings, etc.. This facility is also for filmmaker
networking events, socials, screenings, etc.. It is a very unique
exclusive space perfect for your next event.
We have a bar area as well, so it can be great for entertaining your
guests. We also have a computer interface built in, so you can do
overhead presentations on the big screen as well, if necessary.
We will be having a grand opening of our new facility in March. If you
would like to be included on the guest list or kept up to date on our
latest developments, please reply and let me know.
Also, we have a full service music production & recording studio, as well
as a photography & editing studio, so we may be able to work with you on
custom music, or other aspects of working together in film production.
I have attended a few of the film festivals and FMPTA meetings throughout
the past few years and would like to become more active in the film
community. Any networking recommendations you might have would be
appreciated.
I look forward to hearing back from all of you.
Tracy Hunter
• The Return of "Creature's Corner"
Announcements --
• Birthdays
• Indy Film News
Well now, this is a heck of a pickle. President Bush, usually the first one to knee-jerk about any terrorist concerns, now seems hell-bent on transferring the authority of six major American ports to a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates. Concerns raised over the likelihood that these access points would be tempting to terrorists were brushed aside and Bush "reassured" reporters and critics that the Arabs in question are on our side.
Supposedly Dubais Ports, the company in question, is one "with a good track record, who plays by the rules", and it would be unfair to deny them this deal just because they're, well, Arabs. Forget that lawmakers from both parties have noted that some of the Sept. 11 hijackers used the United Arab Emirates as an operational and financial base. In addition, critics contend the UAE was an important transfer point for shipments of smuggled nuclear components sent to Iran, North Korea and Libya by a Pakistani scientist.
MegaCon Reminder
The reminder is that the central PCR gangs from Tampa, Jacksonville, and Orlando will be meeting at this year's MegaCon, Saturday, February 25, around 10:00am, then meeting again at the front doors for lunch at 1:00pm. I bold-faced that for any and all fans who'd like to go with us. It should be easy to pick my face out of the crowd, with ED Tucker's and Brandon Jones' being close seconds! If you can get with us, we'll all go for pizza (or whatever) together. I look forward to meeting all of you.
Creature's Corner Returns
PCR welcomes back John Lewis and his first new Creature's Corner column for 2006. John has been busy working on Creature Productions' movies, as has (presumably) Ashley Lewis, who nary a peep has been heard from since before she left for Sundance in January. I figured she'd be climbing the walls wanting to tell me about that (and/or write it up), but so far, nothing. Weird. In any event, I'm glad John finally found some time to write. As a bonus, he included some original fiction(!). I hope he's back for good.
BIRTHDAYS
Happy Birthday Wishes go out to William Moriaty (La Floridiana), who turns 51, February 24th! Also to webmistress-in-time-of-need, Lauré Piper, who turns 37 later this month. To all: Many Happy Returns!
The 1st annual Sunscreen Film Festival which is being held May 5-7, 2006 at
“The Studio@620” in downtown St. Petersburg is now accepting filmmaker
submissions. The festival will present shorts, animation, feature length
and documentary films from across the country. Selected films will be
eligible for awards for Best Documentary, Best Narrative Feature and Best
Short, as well as a variety of other awards.
• Increase the public’s awareness and support of the local film community as
a cultural and economic asset;
• Attract national and international attention to the area in the support of
independent film;
• Increase the number of filmmakers producing feature length and short films
that are nationally recognized;
• Increase awareness of the area as a desirable shooting location and in
doing so, creating a positive economic impact;
• Become a major regional/national showcase of independent film in St.
Petersburg that will be an event attracting visitors and press from across
the nation;
As someone involved in the film industry in Florida, I wanted to touch
base with you to introduce myself.
Marketing Director
Solfege Entertainment Group (SEG) & Solfege Studios, Inc.
www.solfege.net
727-397-7004