WAR YOU CAN BELIEVE IN

Obama put his war face on yesterday and explained why we are not at war with Libya, we’re just dropping enough bombs on them until the rebels win.

Or until Gaddafi (Kaddafi? Qaddafi? Khadafy?) stops fighting them. Or something.

Anyway, the reaction so far has been predictable.

Except for Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell loving it (unlike the rest of the Left). And Bill O’Reilly and Brit Hume ALSO loving it (albeit for decidedly different reasons).

Bipartisan!

So no, I didn’t see that coming.

Personally, I don’t have much to add to what I’ve said before about the Libya No-Fly War Zone. I’m not crazy about it, but overall I can’t fault the way Obama has handled this (so far). If you have to bomb people and kill them, you at least ought to have UN clearance.

Of course, I’m not so sure that taking a side in a civil war (and that is what’s happening here, like it or not) is a great idea, especially in that particular part of the world. It’s too easy to paint it as another case of Western powers taking out another Arab leader they’ve got a bad history with. And I have a feeling it’s going to take more than a no-fly zone to convince Kaddafi (Qaddafi? Gaddafi? Khadafy?) to pack his things – not after we went and screwed up the cushy deal he made with the previous administration .

That said, I am pretty sure that the solution isn’t unilateral Shock And Awe and the Grand Moff Tarkin Doctrine of international leadership.

Anyway, the best thing about the Obama speech was that he tailored it to ensure Americans got the message – by making sure it didn’t pre-empt Dancing With The Stars.

Because you wouldn't want something like bombing another country to interfere with something really important like America’s prime-time TV schedule.

The war you deserve,

This is dF

FINALLY, A STAR WARS PREQUEL WITH DEPTH (HUR HUR HUR)

As a journalist, I get press releases.

Sometimes they’re from George Lucas.

March 29, 2011 07:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Lucasfilm Works with Prime Focus to Convert
Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace to 3D
~ Prime Focus Selected Following Exhaustive Testing ~

Which doesn’t sound promising, given that converting 2D films to modern 3D technology has never really looked all that good. According to John Knoll, Visual Effects Supervisor for ILM, it can look good if you do it right.

“Getting really good results from stereo conversion requires a lot of attention to detail and it is imperative that you take the time to get it right – and that’s just what we’re doing,” said Knoll. ”We’re taking a different approach than you might expect. George’s vision has been to add dimension to the film in subtle ways. This isn’t a novelty conversion, with things jumping out at the audience; our goal has been to enhance the classic Star Wars theatrical experience, utilizing the latest cinematic tools and techniques.”

Personally, I’m not that excited about it. I know Lucas has been threatening to do this for years, and that was back before we knew that 3D movies could actually look pretty good (even if you needed Dramamine to watch them). But I don’t have that much faith in 3D conversion. On the other hand, if Prime Focus does a really good job, it will probably be a game-changer for Hollywood in that regard.

Still, the other problem is this:

It’s The Phantom Menace. I’m not as down on the prequels as a lot of people seem to be, but the original trilogy is still the best of the bunch, so I’m more interested in seeing those in 3D.

Well, who am I kidding? I’ll probably go see it anyway.

Coming to a theatre near you on February 10, 2012.

I’ll believe it when I see it,

This is dF