tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post7657551139828328171..comments2023-03-27T10:41:26.178-07:00Comments on Not On, Hollywood: Dear Pedro AlmodovarProsetryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10551612215299132121noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-58837742664265000722009-10-06T21:59:19.224-07:002009-10-06T21:59:19.224-07:00I am in disbelief that this is even a reality; tha...I am in disbelief that this is even a reality; that even a handful of people that claim to be in their right minds would support excusing a child rapist because he's an artist..... <br /><br />Who someone is, or what their vocation is has ZERO to do with justice served against a person who would commit a crime like that.Matthew Gaileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01625982263061009697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-63931490189561682852009-10-04T13:41:13.524-07:002009-10-04T13:41:13.524-07:00I can't stop reading about this case. my hear...I can't stop reading about this case. my heart goes out to the survivors and mothers and caring people who have written such impassioned letters about why this matters so much. <br /><br />i'm also a survivor -- the man who raped me was my fiancee. when i got the law involved, all his friends got involved too. they called me a liar, said i should 'get over it', and told me to let it lie. the courts eventually dropped my case due to lack of evidence, and my rapist is still walking the streets. he helps organize a resource church for the homeless, but nothing will ever change what he did. my heart has been in my throat watching the reactions to this case. thank you for speaking out, and adding more voices saying that rape is NOT okay no matter who you are.<br /><br /><br />Natalie -- Santa Cruz, CAAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07153211487162699584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-24805454169891164922009-10-04T08:29:39.221-07:002009-10-04T08:29:39.221-07:00How can art be worth anything if we put it above t...How can art be worth anything if we put it above the worth of people, of humanity? Art's worth doesn't just exist in a vacuum, it is deemed worthy by the way it engages and alters us. If we put it above the worth of our children, what will become of art? <br /><br />By refusing to allow art to be more important than each other, we're saving art...from becoming unrelateable, obsolete, cruel. I wish people would think this way, before choosing Roman Polanski and his art above the worth of a child.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-71934750874991552182009-10-03T19:17:13.961-07:002009-10-03T19:17:13.961-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.callsignhuskernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-2693622772791928642009-10-03T17:02:28.145-07:002009-10-03T17:02:28.145-07:00I'm a simple person... Polanski: justice for y...I'm a simple person... Polanski: justice for you is castration. Those protecting him... hmmm.<br /><br />-socialtruthAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-13343828836595491472009-10-03T13:05:28.609-07:002009-10-03T13:05:28.609-07:00Hollywood,
What if that girl had been you?
What...Hollywood,<br /><br />What if that girl had been you?<br /><br /> What if it had been your daughter, your sister, your cousin, the girl next door?<br /><br />Would you still say her rapist should be let off the hook? After all, he's done SO much for the movie industry. He's an artist! It doesn't matter that he completely destroyed a girl's innocence; you have to look at the big picture here!<br /><br />Please just use your common sense, Hollywood. Don't give in to peer pressure. All the cool kids aren't either.<br /><br />- Jessica, Belgium.Jessicanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-13844339339666761702009-10-03T12:45:09.966-07:002009-10-03T12:45:09.966-07:00Sixkiller--Switzerland doesn't have an extradi...Sixkiller--Switzerland doesn't have an extradition treaty with North Korea, but how do you think it's remotely possible for a North Korean director to make a film bashing Kim Jong Il? State-controlled media. Your filmmaker wouldn't get out of the country. Your scenario isn't realistic, given the lack of diplomatic relations with North Korea. <br /><br />The US couldn't kidnap Polanski from France. The French refused to extradite him, and the Swiss had been reluctant to do so. The current political pressure on the Swiss banking system made the Swiss gov't. act in this case.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-56447382237890113722009-10-03T08:57:50.243-07:002009-10-03T08:57:50.243-07:00Dear Marty Scorsese
I have been a fan of your mov...Dear Marty Scorsese<br /><br />I have been a fan of your movies for many years - and I've long felt a bond to you, as a fellow New Yorker, and as someone who, like you, spent my formative years in the shadows of cosa nostra (you in Little Italy - me working in the construction industry in this city for the past two decades).<br /><br />I've always enjoyed the deep strain of morality in your gangster movies - especially "GoodFellas" and "Casino".<br /><br />It's also obvious from those two films that - like me - you have a deep revulsion for the casual matter-of-fact sexism of the world of organized crime.<br /><br />So, it is appalling to me that you would come to the public defense of a common child rapist, sodomizer and excaped felon, just because he's a movie director!<br /><br />As a man with a deep sense of morals and justice, you MUST understand, that Roman Polanski deserves to spend the rest of his life in a maximum security prison.<br /><br />Any good that Polanski had done, and any great art that he's created, have been totally negated by his decision to brutally and violently drug, rape and sodomize a 13 year old child actress in his employ.<br /><br />Polanski deserves to spend the rest of his days in a jail sell and Marty, you know that as well as I do!<br /><br />So, please please please Mr Scorsese, remove your name from that rotten petition!<br /><br />GREGORY A. BUTLER<br />New York, NYGregory A. Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03374609410496310741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-25221542143125243852009-10-02T23:49:45.350-07:002009-10-02T23:49:45.350-07:00I am absolutely sickened by every single name, fam...I am absolutely sickened by every single name, famous or not, that wishes to defend Polanski. Rape is rape is rape; stop contributing to the rape culture of today. No matter how fine of a person you may exhibit yourself to be in other areas of life nor how talented you are, you are still a rapist. Especially considering Polanski PLED GUILTY THEN FLED, how can there be any question of what is the right thing to do here?<br /><br />I am paying attention to those who are supporting this petition and will not contribute to your funds again. <br /><br />Here's a link to a list of celebs who have spoken out against defending Polanski. http://chrismm.dreamwidth.org/577422.html It's encouraging to know that not all of Hollywood believes in it's wealth and superiority to avoid justice. <br /><br />Samantha P.<br />MichiganAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-65837654550158803022009-10-02T21:46:44.528-07:002009-10-02T21:46:44.528-07:00I am so angry at so much of Hollywood for asking t...I am so angry at so much of Hollywood for asking that a sex offender and rapist go free, simply because he makes art or it's been so long or because he had a bad life. None of this excempts him from having to live in a world where violence and rape are not tolerated. I will not give another dollar to anyone who has signed the petition, whether by choosing not to see their films or by other means.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Christa D. Terry<br />Beverly, MAMama Up!https://www.blogger.com/profile/16062563084376679862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-4923817075759127262009-10-02T20:11:19.145-07:002009-10-02T20:11:19.145-07:00Dear Natalie Portman,
I'm a Star Wars geek an...Dear Natalie Portman,<br /><br />I'm a Star Wars geek and I love all of the Star Wars movies. Your brief stint in those films was probably just a job or slumming for you, but the character you helped bring to life captivated the imagination of a new generation of kids and kids-at-heart and inspired them.<br /><br />But playing a hero is a totally different thing from being one. And there's nothing heroic about selling the idea that elites are above the law. <br /><br />Natalie, we've been on the outs for a while anyway. I really wanted to like you because you seemed like a sensible kid raised in a nice family. You pursued your college education instead of staggering bleary-eyed out of Hollywood night clubs. But then I started seeing chinks in your image. At first it was dumb little things but then it got to be more and more obnoxious. But this, THIS takes the cake. Do you ever think for yourself or do you just go like a lemming for whatever the cool kids are doing this week? All of that stuff about empowering women and all of that stuff about helping little children is phony, an act. You don't give a crap about women or children...if you did, you wouldn't touch that petition with a 10-foot-pole or go anywhere near this guy. No, like the rest of the girls with pretty faces and empty heads, you just slavishly follow what the alpha males in Hollywood tell you to do. What kills me is you signed it AFTER there was a public outcry, and by doing that, you've likely sullied your career forever. I'm beginning to think you really graduated from Harvard Community College. But on the other hand, there are some things so stupid, only an "intellectual" can believe them. <br /><br />We're so done. I hope you never come to a convention, not even when your career has fizzled and you're old and nobody wants to put you in their (f)arthouse movies anymore. Thank God your character got whacked at the end of Episode III so there's no chance of seeing you in anything else. <br /><br />In closing, you suck.<br /><br />No Love,<br />One P*ssed Off Star Wars Fan Who Hates Rapists And Pedophiles<br />California<br /><br />(Thanks for the opportunity to vent.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-52103008346101324182009-10-02T14:34:28.479-07:002009-10-02T14:34:28.479-07:00continued from above...
My daughter wants to go t...continued from above...<br /><br />My daughter wants to go to university to study music after she graduates from high school. Or live on the beach and surf all day. Or hold a career in a field in which she helps people. She isn't sure yet which she will do.<br /><br />She is attuned in Reiki healing practice, using her hands on other people and animals to make them feel better. If a friend gets a headache at school, she'll heal them right there. Some kids call her a freak and make fun of her, but she doesn't mind too much. She listens with her heart, believes in giving to others, and stands up for what she thinks is true. My daughter makes me proud to be her mom, happy to have her in my life, and feel lucky that I have the chance to watch this little girl grow up.<br /><br />Last month my daughter was beaten, pinned down on a gravel road, and sexually assaulted by three grown men. <br /><br />Whether supports of Polanski consciously realize it or not, by suggesting that he not be held accountable for his actions the message they are sending to me, to my daughter, and to all survivors of sexual abuse is simply this: Your innocence and your physical, emotional, and mental well-being matters less than someone's art. <br /><br />I believe in the sacredness of art. I believe in the right of every woman or man to safely express themselves creatively. But I do not believe Polanski has the right to avoid serving a sentence for the crime he pled guilty to. And in light of the facts surrounding this particular case, I think it is disgusting that anyone would petition against his extradition. Some of my very favorite writers and directors are on his list of public supporters. I will never pay money to watch their films again.<br /><br />My name is Jeanine and I have a fourteen-year-old daughter. My daughter is worth more than your art.Jeaninenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-9518589536564626002009-10-02T14:33:31.408-07:002009-10-02T14:33:31.408-07:00Dear Free Polanski Petitioners,
My name is Jeanin...Dear Free Polanski Petitioners,<br /><br />My name is Jeanine and I have a fourteen-year-old daughter. She's a beautiful child. Sometimes I look at her and I can't believe she is real. She has this heart, you know, and it's so big.<br /><br />She's really into the arts. Music is her great love and she's been writing melodies and lyrics since she was ten. She plays several instruments but especially loves the guitar. She'll strum her own songs, or covers, or come up with something silly on the spot. Sometimes she makes up songs just for me--she makes me smile. <br /><br />Sigur Ros is her favorite band. Have you heard them? Their music is really beautiful. She was touched when she watched their documentary and cried through a couple of songs. She's like that--music moves her. She saved up her allowance to donate to a local listener-funded radio station because they are the only station in the area with a library diverse enough to play Sigur Ros. I am proud of her for doing that. I think that she's proud of herself too.<br /><br />She is also a visual artist. She experiments with different mediums, going through phases using acrylics, or watercolors, or pastels. Right now she's really into drawing with charcoal. I like to watch her sketch, inking out some idea taking shape in her head. She sticks her tongue out and touches it to her upper lip sometimes when she's concentrating really hard, which makes me laugh. She likes to sew clothes for herself too. She'll take bits from several different outfits and bring them together to make a new piece. In the morning, it's fun to see what she comes up with to wear.<br /><br />When I drop her off at school, she always gives me a hug goodbye and says, I love you, Mommy. I say, I love you too. Have a good day! She likes Literature class best. When she comes home, we talk about what they read in school, and often these are stories I know well; I like hearing her thoughts. She's a voracious reader on her own as well, favoring Francesca Lia Block's brand of punk rock fairy tales.<br /><br />We spend a lot of time together--playing board games, taking walks, or having impromptu dance parties in our living room. We like watching television together, our favorites are So You Think You Can Dance and Supernatural. She was stoked when Jeanine Mason won the title of "America's favorite dancer" last season. She thinks Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are super dreamy. Her current fictional crush is Finn Hudson, the singing and dancing high school quarterback on Glee. In real life there is always a new boy with a crush on her. I can hear her talking in hushed tones into the phone after she's supposed to have gone to bed for the night. I pretend to mind. But I don't.<br /><br />One of our very favorite activities is watching films. She just joined an after-school classic movie club. She's excited for them to watch and discuss Breakfast at Tiffany's soon because she really adores Audrey Hepburn. Her favorite movie is Amelie and when I told her Audrey Tautou has been likened to a French Hepburn, she said, Maybe, Mom. I love to share my best-loved movies with her, some of which I've been saving for when she got older. I am sad there are more than a few I will have to take off that list now.<br /><br />...continued below due to character limitJeaninenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-489174361588683912009-10-02T09:06:03.242-07:002009-10-02T09:06:03.242-07:00Although I don't have an official letter, I wo...Although I don't have an official letter, I would like to express my disappointment in those who signed the Polanski petition. I've been a tremendous Guillermo del Toro fan for years, and am extremely disheartened to see his name among others of men and women whose work I respect. <br /><br />Oftentimes, I separate an artist's personal viewpoints from his or her artwork; I'm simply not going to be able to respect every opinion of every person whose work I enjoy. But this....this is too much. <br /><br />A man's art, no matter how good (which is, of course, subjective), does not place him on a pedestal above anyone else. We're all on the same plane here; none of us working with anything more than what we've been given. It's outrageous to believe the rules simply don't apply to some of us -- that some of us are simply better than others. <br /><br />Truthfully, I feel heartbroken at the ignorance that's on display here.Adam Armourhttp://www.itawamba360.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-17105721305939084382009-10-02T00:59:48.891-07:002009-10-02T00:59:48.891-07:00Dear Wong Kar Wai:
I understand that you are from...Dear Wong Kar Wai:<br /><br />I understand that you are from a different political context than most of the people on this list, but neither your nor his background or profession should be taken into consideration during the process of justice, justice that has already waited, unfairly, over three decades. If there is anyone who ought to understand that time elapsed does not result in forgetting and forgiving, it is you.<br /><br />I have loved your films, including the entanglements of memory that is 2046, and have treasured the atmosphere and emotion and painful beauty of them. Art is important, I truly believe that, but the humanity of society is even more so.<br /><br />Having created art is no excuse for crime, and it actively hurts me (and really, all women everywhere and probably a lot of the men, too) to know that you and so many others think Roman Polanski shouldn't be treated like the rest of us, despite not only the nature of his crime but really, its mere existence.<br /><br />Just because someone is your friend, or friend of a friend, or someone you respect for whatever reason, doesn't mean they don't deserve to pay in full for their crimes, however long ago. It just doesn't.<br /><br />With hope,<br />--jen from San Diego, the Chinese-American daughter of immigrants, who wishes she could still in good conscience name you as one of her favorite filmmakers.jennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-16990038722968489762009-10-02T00:13:47.402-07:002009-10-02T00:13:47.402-07:00Dear Tilda Swinton,
Do me a favor. Go visit the s...Dear Tilda Swinton,<br /><br />Do me a favor. Go visit the set of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Look your former co-star, Georgie Henley, in the eyes, and tell her you believe a man who raped a girl HER AGE should not have to pay for his crime. If it had been her instead of a stranger, would you even countenance supporting the man?<br /><br />It doesn't matter how long ago it was. Thirty MILLION years would not make that okay. :-(Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-33234560689404146032009-10-01T23:47:39.350-07:002009-10-01T23:47:39.350-07:00To all those film-makers, actors, writers, and art...To all those film-makers, actors, writers, and artists who have worked so hard to reshape the narrative of Roman Polanski's arrest into something they can feel comfortable defending;<br /><br />This man is not the maligned and persecuted hero you are looking for. He is not Jean Valjean. He is not Andy Dufresne. He is not Sgt. James Allen as played by Paul Muni. No matter what story you try to tell, there is nothing that can change this plot point:<br /><br />California Penal Code section 1320.5 states that anyone who has been charged with or convicted of a felony and, while released on bail, "willfully fails to appear as required" is guilty of a felony. If they do not appear within 14 days, they are assumed to be attempting to evade the process, and are subject to a maximum fine of $10,000 and/or a maximum jail sentence of one year.<br /><br />Roman Polanski could have been 100% inocent of the charges leveled against him, and leaving the country still would have made him guilty of a felony and subject to an arrest warrant. The fact that he committed and pleaded guilty to the horrific underlying crime makes it all the more dispicable that people who enjoy the priviledges of celebrity, money, and power come to his aid.<br /><br />In addition, for everyone who attempts to shut down discussion by claiming that the crime was so long ago and Polanski has not broken the law since, I ask them to recognize that every day that he did not return to the United States was a day that he broke the law. He, and he alone, is the reason that this process has been dragged out for thirty years. His inability to accept responsibility for his actions has perpetuated the crime every single day since February 1, 1978. That he has been nice to those in his industry, good at his job, and presumably non-violent does not excuse the fact that he has done so with full knowledge of his crimes and awareness that he was still wanted in connection with them.<br /><br />Lord knows that that storytellers of all media have often blurred line between crime and heroism, both factual and fictional. But sometimes, we need to admit that the main character in our story story is the villain.KatieGeekshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10495699461336159655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-47791747807885776822009-10-01T22:43:28.418-07:002009-10-01T22:43:28.418-07:00Dear Peter Fonda,
I don't find the arrest of...Dear Peter Fonda, <br /><br />I don't find the arrest of Roman Polanski a 'waste of time'. Proof that the justice system (and society) is interested in holding rapists accountable for the rape of children is not a waste of time. 30+ years late, it's more like...it's ABOUT time.<br /><br />I wish you'd reconsider your words and how harmful they are.Prosetryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10551612215299132121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-9056487341553957242009-10-01T15:37:30.909-07:002009-10-01T15:37:30.909-07:00Comparing political oppression to rape?
Wow, I am...Comparing political oppression to rape?<br /><br />Wow, I am feeling disgust, anger and disappointment. But not surprised, not surprised at all. So many people whose films I love but will now always associate with this fauning, sanctimonious little document.<br /><br /><br />TeddyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-42111049362372538472009-10-01T15:31:15.282-07:002009-10-01T15:31:15.282-07:00What I find the most absurd about this whole Holly...What I find the most absurd about this whole Hollywood Free Polanski petition is that Harvey Weinstein (the petition's creator) said that Hollywood-which takes every single real, authentic feeling in the world and makes a schlocky, melodramatic, sentimental mockery of it-is "the best moral compass".<br /><br />I can't help but laugh in bewilderment at the people who would honestly believe that.<br /><br />This only further proves that Hollywood isn't just a 'boy's club', it's a weird, insular bubble that has no idea what living in the real world is like.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-16518490673137861872009-10-01T14:51:00.552-07:002009-10-01T14:51:00.552-07:00I just found a name I can't ignore.
Dear Nata...I just found a name I can't ignore.<br /><br />Dear Natalie Portman,<br /><br />I've been a huge fan of yours ever since Leon (The Professional). I think you're beautiful, talented, and intelligent. You <a href="http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/interviews/natalieportman.html" rel="nofollow">microcredit, understand the power imbalance between the sexes, and support giving women power over their sexual reproductive rights</a>. You say you've always had a sense of injustice.<br /><br />How, HOW do you square any of those values with supporting a child rapist? <br /><br />You were 13 when you starred in Leon, with Jean Reno. In my recollection, your mother insisted that the romantic undertones between your character and Reno's be toned down. According to imdb, you "turned down the title role in Adrian Lyne's Lolita (1997), due to [your] feelings about young adult actors/actresses being exposed to sex in films."<br /><br />Once again I am at a loss to understand. Surely you remember yourself at 13. Can you not put yourself in the shoes of Polanski's victim? Can you read her testimony without your stomach dropping, as mine does?<br /><br />Shame, Natalie.<br /><br />Sarah M, again.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05911366753546801307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-14948147347368023592009-10-01T14:33:20.599-07:002009-10-01T14:33:20.599-07:00I don't see what it matters where Polanski was...I don't see what it matters where Polanski was arrested - at a film festival, at the airport, at his home, on a film set, etc. If members of the international film community are law-abiding citizens and don't force sex on a 13 year old child, plead guilty to the crime and then flee the country before sentencing, they have no reason to fear traveling to a film festival anywhere in the world, do they?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-35349370448316223912009-10-01T14:26:58.751-07:002009-10-01T14:26:58.751-07:00To those who signed the Free Polanski petition:
I...To those who signed the Free Polanski petition:<br /><br />I wish there could be a rating category on all future media you produce to make it easy for the rest of us - SCR - Supported Child Rapist.<br /><br />This case isn't complicated. It isn't a gray area. It is very, very simple.<br /><br />I am gravely disheartened and disappointed.<br /><br />Sarah M, <br />North CarolinaAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05911366753546801307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-32519984392700437122009-10-01T13:46:42.381-07:002009-10-01T13:46:42.381-07:00Dear Signers of the Free the Rapist Petition:
I b...Dear Signers of the Free the Rapist Petition:<br /><br />I break with thee, I break with thee, I break with thee.<br /><br />And then I throw dog poopy on your shoes.<br /><br />Signed,<br /><br />The mother of an 8 year-old girl who hopes she never has to rely on any of *you* for protectionLadypeytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15804304639351145085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660121256275240486.post-82153811363061655032009-10-01T05:59:04.879-07:002009-10-01T05:59:04.879-07:00Dear Whoopi Goldberg,
You called a rape victim a ...Dear Whoopi Goldberg,<br /><br />You called a rape victim a liar. Yes, you did. Yes, you DID. You took the word of a man who in the KINDEST interpretation would give a 13-year-old drugs to have sex with her that the sex was consensual, over the word of the girl that it was not. You called her a liar.<br /><br />Nothing you have done for women can stand against that.<br /><br />Nothing.<br /><br />Lucy GillamLucy Gillamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05963235279513527221noreply@blogger.com