"My Father, My Lord" with Assi Dayan (2007)

Rabbi Eidelman (Assi Dayan) is a strict biblical scholar. He believes; much like the Bible thumping Baptist Preachers of yore; that everything in the Bible is there for a purpose, and therefor to stray from its teachings is to invite ruination.

His wife, the aptly named Esther, played by Sharon Bar, is more open to ideas outside of her husband’s strict fundamentalist religious interpretations of life. She believes in other things as well. This puts her at odds with her husband, but at the same time forges a bond between herself and her soon, Menahem, played by Illan Grof, who is about 8 years old.

Menahem cannot do anything to please his father. Full of natural curiosity for a boy his age, everything he does invites new criticism from the Rabbi. When the family takes a vacation as a way to escape the rut they have fallen into, the boy’s natural inquisitiveness at the seashore serves to renew the animosity between the father and son, drawing his mother into the fray as well.

What happens after that serves as a testament to the words in Proverbs 11:29 which says, “He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.”

This is a very poignant film with an important message for everyone about tolerance and the philosophy of live and let live. And, in these troubled  times it is a message well received.

Saudi Arabia to Cool Relations with U.S.

The following is the text from a news article which appeared on the internet today. The illustration is from my collection of political cartoons, and this one dates back to about 1974. How many more decades will we allow ourselves to be ridiculed by the same miscreants who funded the events of September 11^th?

DOHA (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief has said the kingdom will make a "major shift" in relations with the United States in protest at its perceived inaction over the Syria war and its overtures to Iran, a source close to Saudi policy said on Tuesday.

Prince Bandar bin Sultan told European diplomats that Washington had failed to act effectively on the Syria crisis and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was growing closer to Tehran, and had failed to back Saudi support for Bahrain when it crushed an anti-government revolt in 2011, the source said.

"The Dictator" with Sasha Baron Cohen (2012)

This is the first film I have seen by Sacha Cohen. I wasn’t really interested in the Borat films he has released in the past, but this one seemed more along the lines of “An American Carol”, so I figured I would give it a shot. I’m glad I did.

It is also a  reeling, fast paced film which explores, in a comedic fashion, the actual events which take place each day and drive the insanity of world politics. Sadly; though the film is hysterically funny; much of it is not too far-fetched. Watching this film, with the Iraq War still fresh in our minds, helps call attention to the strange and haphazard way in which our leaders sometimes deal with world politics.

The plot is simple; it concerns a Mid-Eastern dictator from the fictional country of Wadiyah named Aladeen, played by Sacha Cohen. He has been threatening the world with a nuclear weapon which may, or my not exist. When he is summoned to New York for a conference at the United Nations, things don’t go as planned. His second in command, Tamir, played by Ben Kingsley in a delightful departure from his more “serious” roles, secretly wants Aladeen gone, and helps to engineer the plot that finds the great dictator beardless and without any means of support in the greatest city in the world. 

Because of his opposition to a peace treaty he is marked for death by one side, and also sought by his own military. In addition he has all of the many enemies he has created during his years in power in Wadiyah to worry about.

Adopting the name Efawadh, he finds himself in Brooklyn with a pretty young American woman who has no idea who he is. She owns an organic food store and is very independent, which is something Aladeen is not used to. But there is something about her that makes him want to understand more about life.

Soon he discovers that the neighborhood he is living in is inhabited by all of the people he has formerly ordered executed. It seems that his trusted guards were not carrying out those executions, which were not justified in the first place, and sending the condemned to settle in Brooklyn. He begins to recognize them, as they do him. Clearly, the great Aladeen is in a bind.

When the time for the vote comes at the United Nations, a “double” has been prepared to take his place and sign an historic peace treaty with the world. If Aladeen can get into the General Assembly and denounce the impostor, then he will be the feared dictator again, with the whole world groveling at his feet. Finding the impostor and taking his place is no challenge, and he mounts the podium to nullify the treaty.

As he begins to declare all that is wrong with democracy, the girl from Brooklyn manages to arrive at the General Assembly. Upon seeing her, he begins to glorify all of the things that he finds so imperfect about democracy, realizing that only the imperfections of true freedom could have created a woman as wonderful as the one he has found.

Directed by Larry Charles, and written by Sacha Cohen and Alec Berg, this film is a wonderful satire about the fools and clowns who run our planet. It’s also about the humanity that they may not realize exists in us all; perhaps even them-selves. This is a very funny, and true to life film.

"The Guard" with Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle (2011)

When Irish police Sergeant Gerry Boyle, played by Brendan Gleeson, is teamed with FBI agent Wendell Everett in an investigation of a drug smuggling ring, neither man is sure of what he has gotten into. With Sgt. Boyle displaying every stereotypical trait of a bigoted Irishman; and Agent Everett being overly sensitive to racism; the investigation quickly morphs into high gear as it alternates between a very good plot line and some politically incorrect humor.

Sergeant Boyle is the type who loves confrontation, lives with his dying mother and has a penchant for prostitutes. He could care less about the International drug smugglers. Paired with the very professional and uptight FBI Agent produces some very funny moments as the two learn to accept the fact that they have been thrown together. For better, or worse, the two begin to know each other a bit better as they tray their best to identify and ensnare all the players in this rapid fire comedy.

This film was the Official Selection at both the Sundance and Los Angeles Film Festivals for 2011. Director Michael McDonagh keeps the film on pace, delivering one of the most unusual comedies since “Saving Grace.”

 Pearl Harbor - Too Much Negotiation

This is the USS West Virginia on the morning of December 7, 1941. Negotiations for peace with Japan were underway in New York with the Japanese at the time of the attack. Remember this as you read today’s newspaper; sometimes there can be too much negotiating. The attack on Pearl Harbor is proof of the old adage that “the only thing new is the history we don’t know.”

 

"A Time To Betray" by Reza Kahlili

This memoir, written by a former member of Irans notorious Revolutionary Guard, illuminates the oft misunderstood period of the Iranian Revolution. He has used a "pen name" to protect the identity of his family. They now live in the United States.

Iran was, prior to the First World War, primarily a vassal state of Russia and England. The stakes were high, as the region is rich in oil. This vast reserve of oil has made Iran a pawn to many nations, including some of her own Arab neighbors. The 1980 war between Iran and Iraq is a prime example of the latter.

That war was largely the result of a power vacumn created when Ayatollah Khomeini returned from 12 years of exile in France to overthrow the government of the Shah. With promises of freedom and democracy, Khomeini was able to take over Iran in an Islamic Revolution that left the country in worse shape than before. Seemingly overnight, all freedoms of assembly, dress, speech and even the type of Islam practiced were affected. The death squads of the deposed Shah (SAVAK) paled in comparison to the new regime and it's Revolutionary Guards. When his own Air Force tried to oust him in a coup, Khomeini had every military officer in the country executed. This left his military in the hands of amateurs and gave great hope to Saddam Hussein in his desire to conquer Iranian oilfields. The war lasted 8 years with no clear winner.

The author spends his boyhood years in Iran with two close friends, Kazem and Naser. In this phase of the book he gives us a good bit of background on the political turmoils that led to the overthrow of the Shah. When the author goes abroad to study at USC in America he returns to an Iran that is vastly different than the one he left. He finds himself enthralled with the return of the glory of the Persian Empire. Under the leadership of Khomeini he is moved to join the Revolutionary Guards, planning to use his computer skills to further the Revolution.

Through a series of events, one of his boyhood friends, Naser, becomes a Mujahedin and therefore an enemy of the Ayatollah. He is executed. His other friend, Kazem, becomes a powerful member of the Revolutionary Guards. Kazem, like the author, is a true believer.

When their boyhood friend, Naser, is arrested and his sister and brother taken to the notorious Evin Prison, the author begins to feel his first doubts about the Revolution. He has been exposed to the intellectual freedoms of America and cannot understand the harsh treatment of human beings for "thought crimes." His education is just beginning.

When Naser's sister is raped in Evin before being executed (this is done to keep her from being allowed to enter Paradise) Reza vows to do something to alter the course of events in Iran. Under cover of his Aunt Gitta's illness in the United States, Reza is able to return there to help her. While in California he contacts the FBI and the CIA. He is then trained in London, where he goes on the pretext of visiting his in-laws, before returning to Iran.

Once back in Iran he begins his assignment, which consists of writing seemingly innocent letters to a relative in London. He is actually providing important information concerning the political situation in Iran, as well as laying out the power stucture of the Ayatollah's government.

When the author comes under suspicion he sends his wife and child to London to live with her parents. Eventually he joins them there and continues to work for the CIA. Tensions with his wife begin to mount and he realizes that he can never go home again. With this realization comes the knowledge that he is caught between two worlds. One is the world of terrorism, in which he is forced to play a part in order to keep his cover. The other world is one in which he is forced to betray his past and some of his family and friends. He comes to a conclusion; he is going to the United States with his family to live.

This book is an eye opening account of the forces that led to the Iranian Revolution and it's violent aftermath. It is also an insight into the dangerous games played by both sides in order to garner and retain power. A must read for those wishing to understand just how we got ourselves to where we are currently in the Middle East, particularly concerning Iran.

"My Prison, My Home" by Haleh Esfandiari

Iran is a fascinating country with a rich history and culture dating back to Persian times. It was the center of literature and commerce for many centuries. Jews and Arabs lived side by side in relative peace. What happened?

In this book Ms. Esfandiari explores the cultural past and political turmoil that led to the Iranian Revolution in 1978 and to the rise of the Islamic state that Iran has become. Interwoven with this history is the authors own story of imprisonment at Evin Prison in Tehran for 4 months in 2007.

After visiting her 93 year old mother for the New Year, Ms. Esfandiari is headed back to the airport at dawn on December 31, 2006 for a flight home to Washington, D.C. when her taxi is pulled over by Iranian Police. They take her passports, identity cards and personal papers, leaving her shaken by the side of the road.

What ensues after is a labyrinth of lies and deception as she is first questioned and then detained at Evin for 4 months. The Iranian government has taken note of the fact that the author works at a Washington "think tank", the Woodrow Wilson Center. They are convinced that she is a main link in a plot to overthrow the Iranian government.

Being married to a Jewish man only complicates matters for her as she endures relentless questioning at the hands of skilled "interrogators" who will stop at nothing to extract a "confession" from her. The main problem is that she has nothing to confess.

The book is well written and quickly paced. The author alternates between historical background on the past and current regimes in Iran and her own personal story. As the founding Director of the Woodrow Wilson Centers Middle East Program she paints a clear and accurate picture of Iran today and how it came to be the way it is.

Drawing upon her wealth of knowledge she lays bare the mistakes made by both the hard line clerics inside Iran as well as the misconceptions of the United States in dealing with the current political turmoil that has beset Iran for over 35 years.

This is an engaging book that will inform the reader and make it easier to understand the issues that define Iran in the 21st Century.