Tag Archives: opinion

CASABLANCA (1942) – VALENTINE’S DAY MOVIE REVIEW

CasablancaCASABLANCA (1942) – Happy Valentine’s Day! A few readers of Balladeer’s Blog have asked me for my opinion on this classic movie so I figured Valentine’s Day was the perfect opportunity.

People are often surprised when I like movies that so many other people rate highly. I like plenty of the old, old classics, it’s just that I prefer to blog about much more offbeat and obscure items. My favorite film of all time is Citizen Kane. Really. But I’ve never reviewed it here because I wasn’t in the mood to write the 100 millionth glowing review of that particular movie.

masc chair and bottleGetting back to Casablanca, it’s possibly the greatest “bittersweet ending” romantic flick ever made. I find that it appeals to almost everyone. If you’re young and naïve it can make you ache at the thought of persevering despite your broken heart. If you’re older and cynical it makes you nostalgic for a time when you actually thought a broken heart was the worst thing that could happen to you. Continue reading

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FEBRUARY TWELFTH ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

From an America finally dealing with its cesspool of corruption that masquerades as a political establishment, Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog posts another current events roundup.

Democrat Party

Remember how Democrats were fine with Joe Biden REPEATEDLY ignoring Supreme Court rulings that said no president had the power to make the taxpayers foot the bill for the student loan debt he waived for his political favorites? Yet now they act as if Trump ignoring absurd rulings from far lesser judges would be a crisis.

         Judicial overreach needs addressed. And don’t try pretending it’s a Separation of Powers situation. These are LOWER COURT JUDGES, not the Supreme Court. The lower courts are NOT on the same level that the Supreme Court is and should not be able to hold the entire country hostage over and over again. (And again, Biden supporters were fine with him ignoring rulings from the Supreme Court that went against him anyway.)

        And yes, I mean that no matter who the president is or which party they’re from. If lower courts make decisions ordering THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH to cease actions immediately then it should mean that UNTIL THE SUPREME COURT WEIGHS IN ON THE SITUATION the president’s orders stand, not the other way around.

JIM BANKS PRAISES TRUMP FOR BRINGING BACK MANUFACTURING JOBS AND SAVING THE AMERICAN DREAM. Trump is still the greatest president for the working class and the poor during my lifetime. Remember when callous Democrats mockingly said “Those jobs ain’t comin’ back!”

PRESIDENT TRUMP GETS AMERICAN MARC FOGEL RELEASED FROM RUSSIA. Another failure of the Biden Regime corrected.

SENATE DEMOCRAT NICOLE MITCHELL FACES ADDITIONAL FELONY CHARGES IN BURGLARY ARREST. Caught red-handed in commission of the crime. Democrat office-holders are branching out to more hands-on crimes now.

NEW YORK DEMOCRATS CONSIDER LETTING 800,000 NON-CITIZENS VOTE. I guess they figure they’ll “vote for candidates Americans won’t vote for.”

TRUMP’S D.O.G.E. EXPOSES HOW FIFTY BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR WAS BEING SENT TO PEOPLE WITH NO SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. A reasonable person might wonder how many of those people were funnels for the Democrats.

PARENTS OF HAMAS HOSTAGE PRAISE TRUMP FOR HIS STRENGTH. Continue reading

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ASTREA: THE STRONGWOMAN OF ITALIAN SILENT FILMS

ASTREA – One of the most enigmatic figures from the Silent Film Era. No precise birth or death dates are known. Her surname was supposedly Barbieri but not even that is certain.

Astrea’s background is equally murky with some sources claiming she was a circus strongwoman before becoming an actress, but other sources claiming she was a Countess from Venice. In one movie she was credited as “Principessa Astrea.”

What IS known is that from 1919 to 1922 this remarkable lady starred as a butt-kicking heroine of incredible strength. Astrea was called “the female Maciste” in reference to the strongman character in the Italian silent movie Cabiria (1914). I call her “the Gina Carano of the Silent Era.”

Her films: 

JUSTITIA (1919) – Astrea’s most well-known movie. She plays a prim, ladylike noblewoman who becomes a fiery, two-fisted champion of justice when need be.

Astrea totals a half-dozen villains in this 47-minute film, in addition to the Big Bad, Baron Max, who tries to defraud a pair of innocent lovebirds of their inheritance. Ferdinand “Polidor” Guillaume directed and played Birillo, our heroine’s comic relief sidekick.

The Bioscope praised the stunt work and Astrea’s dynamic performance, calling her “a female knight roaming the world to set wrong situations right with the force of her muscles.” Continue reading

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NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS ROUNDUP: FEB TENTH

Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog brings you another current events roundup.

THE HISTORIC CLASH BETWEEN PRESIDENT TRUMP’S REFORM FORCES AND AMERICA’S CESSPOOL OF CORRUPTION CONTINUES. Will Congressional Republicans revert to their usual spineless selves to betray their constituents and the rule of law?

STATELY MCDANIEL MANOR ON USAID: THE COCKROACHES BEGIN TO BE CRUSHED. An incredible article that deserves to be read and passed on.

COURAGEOUS BLACK TRUMP SUPPORTERS SUING NEW YORK MAGAZINE OVER AN ARTICLE WHICH ACCUSED THEM OF BEING “WHITE SUPREMACISTS.” Pushing race hatred and division is in the DNA of the Democrats.

ANOTHER SCHOOL IN NEW YORK CAUGHT PUSHING THE TRANS RELIGION ON SMALL CHILDREN. Democrats, can you please leave children alone?

REMINDERS TO DEMOCRAT BUFFOONS WHO SNIVEL THAT MUSK WAS “NOT ELECTED” – CIA HEADS AREN’T ELECTED, FBI HEADS AREN’T ELECTED, FUNCTIONARIES IN FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS AREN’T ELECTED, ANTHONY FAUCI WASN’T ELECTED, ETC. Democrats who support corruption still don’t comprehend how things work, do they?

ZELENSKY BEING PERSUADED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP’S PEACE PROPOSALS.

PRESIDENT TRUMP BRINGS JOBS AND ROOTS OUT POLITICAL CORRUPTION. The Great Reformer is hated and feared by the graft-grabbing white-collar criminals of Washington DC. But I do disagree with his Gaza statements.

TRUMP CONTINUES TO LAY BARE THE ROT AT THE CORE OF OUR POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT. More HERE.

EVEN MORE USAID MISDEEDS. And it’s repulsive seeing bureaucrats so eager to defend their own jobs even though they were so callous toward the working class losing their jobs. Continue reading

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NAMATHON: A JOE NAMATH MARATHON FOR SUPERBOWL SUNDAY

Joe Namath started life as a Pennsylvania boy. Later in life he became the quarterback for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide under iconic football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. After college he was signed by the New York Jets for what was then the highest-ever contract for a quarterback.

Before long, he earned a place in NFL history by leading the underdog Jets to a victory over the (then) Baltimore Colts in Superbowl III. Though the rest of his football career was – let’s be honest – less than impressive, Joe’s charisma and appeal to the ladies carried him into a minor career as a piece of kitsch-casting in movies and on television. 

NORWOOD (1970) – The stunning sequel to True Grit. Okay, I’m kidding! I couldn’t resist since Norwood came out a year after True Grit, was based on another novel by the author of True Grit and starred Glen Campbell and Kim Darby, also from True Grit. Marguerite Roberts wrote the screenplay for both flicks, too. 

Glen stars as one of the few Vietnam War veterans not depicted by Hollywood as PTSD-riddled. As Norwood Pratt, the returning vet winds up in a job transporting cars from Texas to New York City but soon learns he’s driving stolen merchandise.

Joe William Namath plays Joe William Reese, a friend of Norwood who sees him become a singing sensation. Also in the strange circle of friends are dwarf actor Billy Curtis and runaway bride Rita (Darby).

A scene in which Namath tosses a football back and forth with Billy Curtis deserves to stand alongside the football-tossing scenes in The Room. Plus there’s Dom Deluise, Carol Lynley, David Huddleston and Joann, the intelligent chicken.      Continue reading

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FEBRUARY SEVENTH ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

It’s time for another current events roundup from Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog.

THE SCANDAL OVER THE WAY DEMOCRATS USED USAID TO COVERTLY FINANCE DEMOCRAT MEDIA OUTLETS, TARGET DEMOCRAT ENEMIES AND PUSH GROTESQUE SIDE PROJECTS CONTINUES TO GROW. More HERE. And HERE. This will join the Teapot Dome Scandal, the Credit Mobilier Scandal and other monumental scandals in American history. Even more HERE. And HERE.

PRESIDENT TRUMP AND SENATOR TUBERVILLE PURSUING LEGISLATION TO END THE TAXING OF SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS. Another campaign promise is addressed.

TRUMP ONCE AGAIN IMPROVING THINGS FOR THE WORKING CLASS AND THE POOR, LIKE HE DID IN HIS FIRST TERM, TOO. He has been and still is the best president for the working class and the poor during my lifetime.

FEMALE ATHLETES PRAISE PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR KEEPING MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS. Videos HERE. And HERE. And HERE.

DEMOCRAT OBSESSION WITH MUTILATING THE GENITALS OF CHILDREN CONTINUES. Democrats, can you please leave children alone?

TRUMP CLEANUP OF THE SEWER AT THE CIA IS IN THE SPIRIT OF JFK’s LONG-AGO PLAN TO CURB THAT AGENCY’S COUNTLESS ABUSES. Let’s hope President Trump keeps himself safe.

TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS STILL BEING ARRESTED IN AURORA, CO. Remember when Democrats tried pretending that the gang wasn’t even in Colorado and that Trump was making it up?. Continue reading

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NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS ROUNDUP: FEB FIFTH

From Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog it’s another current events roundup.

FURTHER CONFIRMATION THAT FORMER CIA HEAD JOHN BRENNAN AND HIS ILK LIED ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN’S LAPTOP BEING RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION JUST TO PROVIDE JOE BIDEN WITH A “GOTCHA” MOMENT IN THAT 2020 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE WITH TRUMP. Outright election interference to cover up the Biden Crime Family Scandals in the 2020 election. The thugs of the “intelligence community” are as disgusting as ever and need cleaning up. 

REMEMBER HOW DEMOCRAT SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER GLOATED IN JANUARY OF 2017 ABOUT HOW THE THREE-LETTER AGENCIES WOULD GET BACK AT TRUMP “SIX WAYS FROM SUNDAY” FOR DARING TO CALL OUT THEIR FAILURES LIKE JOHN F. KENNEDY DID. Back then I was one of the people pointing out how repulsive it was to have a senator grovelingly and complacently admit to imminent illegal revenge tactics from the scum of the CIA and others.

VIDEO: PRESIDENT TRUMP PRESENTS THE MOTHERS OF VICTIMS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT VIOLENCE RESPONDING TO SELENA GOMEZ. More HERE.

TRUMP MAKES DISASTROUS COMMITMENT TO CONTROLLING GAZA. In my opinion his proposal cannot work and should not even be attempted. It’s the kind of mistake he avoided in his first term.

BIDEN CRIME FAMILY: EVEN ZELENSKY ADMITS THAT NEARLY ONE HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS IN UKRAINE AID IS MISSING. More HERE. As rational people could tell all along the funds seemed to be diverted for use as a slush fund for corrupt politicians in the U.S. and Ukraine (including Zelensky). Joe Biden’s Regime embodied everything wrong with America’s political establishment.

BIDEN REGIME EXPOSED FOR OBSTRUCTING INVESTIGATIONS INTO TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS LAST YEAR. At one time such information would dominate the headlines but in 2025 it gets lost in the flood of other Biden Regime Scandals.

TRUMP INSPIRES MEXICO TO FINALLY ARREST REGIONAL LEADER OF DRUG CARTEL. Remember, obviously such action could have been taken before now, but the political will was lacking. Continue reading

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FEBRUARY THIRD ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

Time for another current events roundup from Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog.

PILOTS HAD BEEN COMPLAINING TO THE BIDEN REGIME FOR YEARS ABOUT HOW DANGEROUS THE AIRSPACE OVER WASHINGTON D.C. HAD GOTTEN.

LAWSUIT EXPOSES HOW THE FAA – WHICH COMPLAINS NOW ABOUT UNDERSTAFFING – HAD TURNED AWAY OVER ONE THOUSAND QUALIFIED APPLICANTS BECAUSE OF DEI POLICIES. DEI is bigoted against white and Asian applicants. Democrat hatemongers even call Asians “white-adjacent.”

      And let’s be clear – DEI isn’t designed to help all people of color, only those people of color who show sufficient fealty to Democrat attitudes via their “studies” or “activism” as reflected on their job applications. Democrats weren’t hiring Thomas Sowells or Joy Villas or Clarence Thomases. It was similar to the way any applicant refraining from filling in their preferred pronouns would have been a red flag for Democrat Human Resources workers. 

TRUMP GETS AMERICANS FREED FROM VENEZUELA

CIA ADMITS PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT A LAB LEAK BEING THE MOST LIKELY CAUSE OF THE COVID PANDEMIC. But Democrats hysterically insisted that notion was wrong just because Trump said it, remember?

MS13 GANG LEADER – WHO SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN THE COUNTRY IN THE FIRST PLACE – SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON OVER SIX MURDERS THAT JOE BIDEN PERMITTED HIM TO COMMIT.

FENTANYL-DEALING TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY ARRESTED IN SOUTH CAROLINA. Obviously, the Biden-Harris Regime could have been making these arrests all along, but callously chose not to.

WASHINGTON POST: QUINNIPIAC POLL SHOWS DEMOCRATS HAVE FIFTY-SEVEN PERCENT NEGATIVE RATING FROM THE PUBLIC AND ONLY A THIRTY-ONE PERCENT FAVORABLE RATING.  

PANAMA CAVES TO TRUMP BY AGREEING TO EXIT THEIR DEAL WITH CHINA. Yet, anti-Trumpers STILL fail to comprehend that in negotiations a hard opening position can get wheeled and dealed down from there. Instead, they keep pretending Trump’s trying to dictate to other countries with his opening offers. Continue reading

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NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS ROUNDUP: JAN THIRTY-FIRST

 Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog gives you another current events roundup from an America where, with the inevitable difficulties arising, we’ll see if the Congressional Republicans are their usual gutless selves and will turn on de facto Third Party President Donald Trump.

BRILLIANT DEBUNKING OF SOME OF THE BIGGEST LIES ABOUT TRUMP FROM DEMOCRAT MEDIA OUTLETS SO FAR IN HIS SECOND TERM. More HERE. And HERE.

PATIENTS FIRST GROUP SIDES WITH ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. WHILE DEMOCRATS SIDE WITH BIG PHARMA

NEW YORK MAGAZINE EXPOSED FOR CROPPING PHOTO TO PRETEND NO BLACK PEOPLE WERE AT TRUMP EVENT.

DEMOCRAT ELIZABETH WARREN, LONG DISGRACED OVER HER FRAUDULENT CLAIM TO BE NATIVE AMERICAN IN ORDER TO EXPLOIT HIRING PRACTICES, CALLED OUT FOR BEING IN BIG PHARMA’S POCKETS.

FURTHER FALLOUT FROM THE DISGUSTING BISHOP AND HER USE OF A RELIGIOUS SERVICE AS HER PERSONAL SOAPBOX. Democrats gutlessly love to hijack situations where they have a captive audience to lecture people they disagree with. Usually it’s funerals, but this time it was the inaugural prayer address. They pollute everything with their deceptive and divisive political whining.

DEMOCRATS TRY BLAMING TRUMP FOR AIR COLLISION EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE BEEN DELAYING THE CONFIRMATION OF HIS FAA NOMINEE JUST TO PLAY POLITICAL GAMES. More HERE. And HERE. Trump has only been in office again for 11 days and Democrats haven’t even let a new FAA head be confirmed, so rational people know this is not Trump’s fault.

EVEN THE NEW YORK TIMES POINTS OUT THAT CONGRESS WAS WARNED ABOUT THE AIR TRAFFIC OVER DC LONG BEFORE TRUMP WAS REELECTED IN NOVEMBER. Continue reading

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MABEL NORMAND: HER SILENT FILMS (1910-1915)

MABEL NORMAND – Born Amabel Ethelreid Normand on November 9th, 1893 in New York, this silent film comedienne blazed trails for countless subsequent actresses as well as female directors and screenwriters. Like so many silent film stars Normand is largely neglected today except for my fellow silent movie geeks and I.

Though known as a comic genius, Mabel’s big break came from a role in an 18-minute dramatic short titled Her Awakening (1911). Her performance caught the eye of up-and-coming film giant Mack Sennett, who hired her for his comedies. The two started a romantic relationship embellished decades later in the Broadway musical Mack & Mabel (1974).

A SELECTION OF MABEL NORMAND FILMS (1910-1915) – During her career, Normand starred in over 220 films, so I’m dividing her movies into time periods.

INDISCRETION OF BETTY (1910) – Mabel had her first starring role in this short drama but had appeared in an unknown number of previous films in smaller roles. Mabel played Betty, the wife in the marriage of a social-climbing couple.

Her husband’s income does not yet support the airs they try to put on, leading to some bitter lessons for the pair about life and marital finances.

HER AWAKENING (1911) – The above-mentioned short in which Mabel caught the eye of Mack Sennett, who then signed her for comedy collaborations. In this short drama, Normand played a young lady trying to snare a successful husband.

She is ashamed of her poor home and her elderly, handicapped mother and prevents her beaus from meeting the mother. The situation results in the tragic death of her mother.

THROUGH HIS WIFE’S PICTURE (1911) – Mabel Normand’s first film short with Mack Sennett. He directed and had a supporting role in this 9-minute comedy about a misunderstanding that threatens a marriage.

Mabel as the wife attends a costume party where she thinks she will catch her loyal husband trying to start an affair with another woman. The costumed pirate she mistakenly thinks is her husband is actually an unmarried friend of the husband. The “pirate’s” flirtatious conduct toward a young lady makes Normand furious. Continue reading

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