Violet & Daisy Girls With Guns Review | DC50
Photo Courtesy Cinedigm
I know many people are always looking for something different or under the radar to see as a great alternative to the summer blockbusters (sometimes, it s more fun and pleasing to sit in an empty theater than packed in with 300 people who won t stop checking their phones and need to repeat every line of dialogue). Whatever you say about it, Violet & Daisy is an alternative.
Violet (Alexis Bledel) and Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) are two teen ladies who love pop stars and fashion, but you have to earn your pay to afford all of that stuff, and they earn their money as skilled, in demand assassins. They might not want the latest job, but Violet ad Daisy need the cash, so they agree to hunt down a mysterious guy (James Gandolfini) who ripped off their gangster boss.
Of course, nothing really goes according to plan once they try to execute the man.
Violet & Daisy is a quirky movie touching on several genres, but never really excelling at the storytelling.
Writer/director Geoffrey Fletcher seems to be putting together a showcase reel to prove he has versatility, but it doesn t serve the movie well to be all over the map.
At times, the movie has a Pulp Fiction kind of vibe that is very funny, but then it also veers into artsy, surrealist territory that doesn t help us understand the characters or story much, especially as the movie moves into a more dramatic territory that doesn t have the emotional impact needed.
Violet & Daisy does feature some strong performances from Ronan and Bledel.
Bledel adds an edge to Violet that takes the young actress beyond her normal whiny, whimpering little girl persona, while Ronan adds the naivet to make us and the rest of the characters in the movie question whether or not these two ladies can handle the business.
It has been sitting on the shelf for a couple years, but Violet & Daisy deserves some attention.
2 Waffles (Out of 4)
Violet & Daisy is rated R for violence, disturbing behavior, and language.
Top brass: Sex assault 'like a cancer' – WDTN.com
WASHINGTON (AP) – Military leaders said Tuesday that sexual assault in the ranks is “like a cancer” that could destroy the force, but they expressed serious concerns about far-reaching congressional efforts to strip commanders of some authority in meting out justice.
In an unusual joint appearance, Army Gen . Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the head of each branch of the military testified on what is widely viewed as an epidemic of sexual assault plaguing the services.
Outraged by high-profile cases and overwhelming statistics, lawmakers have moved aggressively on legislation to address the scourge of sexual assault.
Sen . Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said the problem of sexual assault “is of such a scope and magnitude that it has become a stain on our military.”
Congress has acted in prior years to ensure the aggressive investigation and prosecution of sexual assaults, Levin said, but more needs to be done .
The committee is considering seven bills to deal with sexual assault.
As important as additional protections would be, Levin said, the problem won’t be addressed successfully without a cultural change throughout the military . And that starts at the top of the chain of command.
“The military services are hierarchal organizations: The tone is set from the top of that chain, the message comes from the top, and accountability rests at the top,” said Levin, who has not endorsed any of the bills.
The military leaders offered no disagreement about the impact on the services.
“Sexual assault and harassment are like a cancer within the force — a cancer that left untreated will destroy the fabric of our force,” said Army Gen . Ray Odierno. “It’s imperative that we take a comprehensive approach to prevent attacks, to protect our people, and where appropriate, to prosecute wrongdoing and hold people accountable.”
While acknowledging the problem and accepting that legislation is inevitable, military leaders insisted that commanders keep their authority to handle sexual assault cases.
“Reducing command responsibility could adversely affect the ability of the commander to enforce professional standards and ultimately, to accomplish the mission,” Dempsey told the committee.
Sen .
Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a member of the committee, is a proponent of ambitious legislation that would remove commanders from the process of deciding whether serious crimes, including sexual misconduct cases, go to trial . That judgment would rest with seasoned trial counsels who have prosecutorial experience and hold the rank of colonel or above.
The Pentagon estimated in a recent report that as many as 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted last year, up from an estimated 19,000 assaults in 2012, based on an anonymous survey of military personnel . While the number of sexual assaults that members of the military actually reported rose 6 percent to 3,374 in 2012, thousands of victims were still unwilling to come forward despite new oversight and assistance programs aimed at curbing the crimes, the report said.
Sen .
Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., a co-sponsor of the Gillibrand bill and chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the legislation “bold” and “out of the box.” She dismissed concerns that it goes too far in overhauling the military justice system, saying it’s time to try a new approach to solving a problem that has persisted for years.
“I think 26,000 sexual assaults is going too far,” Mikulski said. “And now there is even a criminal investigation of the football team at the Naval Academy, where we are training the next best.”
“This is a problem for the military,” Sen . Claire McCaskill said on CBS’ “This Morning” Tuesday.
The Missouri Democrat said, “You know, they’re like 20 years behind . They thought they could train their way out of this problem.”
A steady drumbeat of high-profile cases combined with the most recent statistics from the Pentagon have spurred Congress to move aggressively on legislation to deal with sexual assault in the military.
Last week, the Pentagon said the U.S .
Naval Academy is investigating allegations that three football team members sexually assaulted a female midshipman at an off-campus house more than a year ago . A lawyer for the woman says she was “ostracized” on campus after she reported it.
In recent weeks, a soldier at the U.S . Military Academy was charged with secretly photographing women, including in a bathroom .
The Air Force officer who led the service’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response unit was arrested on charges of groping a woman . And the manager of the Army’s sexual assault response program at Fort Campbell, Ky., was relieved of his post after his arrest in a domestic dispute with his ex-wife.
Oklahoma Sen . James Inhofe, top Republican on the committee, said he was wary of proposals to restrict the authority of commanders to discipline their
troops.
“To take the commander out of the process will invite failure,” Inhofe said in a speech on the Senate floor Monday. “These commanders have to make decisions to send our brave troops into battle . How ludicrous is it that we would say to our commanders, `You’ve got to make a decision to send one of our kids into battle where they may end up losing their life, but you can’t participate in the justice system of the troops.’ It doesn’t make any sense at all.”
Gilibrand’s legislation has 18 co-sponsors, including four Republicans.
In the House, Reps . Michael Turner, R-Ohio, and Niki Tsongas, D-Mass., have crafted legislation that would establish dismissal or dishonorable discharge as the mandatory minimum sentence under military law for service members found guilty of rape, sexual assault, forcible sodomy or an attempt to commit those offenses .
Commanders also would be barred from reducing or commuting the minimum sentence except in situations in which the accused substantially aided the government in the investigation or prosecution of another assailant.
Their bill, however, stops short of taking those cases outside the military chain of command.
Woman suing Salvation Army; claims sex abuse
A woman is suing The Salvation Army, claiming the organization moved a minister from Oahu to Maui after she reported he sexually abused her in the 1950s . Nancy Spencer’s lawsuit filed on Maui this week claims she was 11 when Maj . Richard Taba molested her .
She says her mother told The Salvation Army what happened and believed he had been terminated . But Spencer read in Taba’s obituary last year that he continued to serve as the Salvation Army’s chaplain on Maui for 40 years . A spokeswoman for The Salvation Army in California said Thursday the organization will try its best to investigate the allegations .
The lawsuit is possible because of a 2012 state law that suspends the statute of limitations for sex abuse cases until April 2014.
The Pros and Cons of Homeschool Uniforms | So You Call Yourself …
The words homeschool uniforms can evoke strong emotions in some people. I m not writing to convince or to un-convince you to use a uniform in the home eduction of your children. However, I would like to offer are a few observations and our personal experience, in hopes that you will neither dismiss the idea nor fully embrace it without further thought and prayer.
On individuality:
Some may feel that, by dressing in uniform with the other members of the family, they are downplaying their individual uniqueness.
I prefer to think that using a uniform, either during school hours or all the time, allows uniqueness of personality to shine without the clothing distractions. Could your children s talents and abilities shine brighter if the sibling playing field were leveled a little? Would uniforms do that at your house?
Maybe, maybe not.
On teamwork:
In the secular world there are uniforms everywhere: sports teams, girl and boy scouts, clubs, work uniforms, and so on. You are identified as part of the team because of what you wear. And yet in our families, where we should be striving for teamwork and togetherness, it seems that no one wants to be recognized as belonging to one another.
Would your family feel more like a team if they dressed the part?
On dressing for success:
Along that line, we usually dress for what we are about to do: sports clothing and accessories to go play soccer or basketball, a uniform for work, a dress code and instruments to participate in an orchestra concert, jeans and a t-shirt to cut grass or milk cows. Similarly we would not don a swimsuit for a day of snow skiing. I think you get the point.
Somewhere deep down inside of us we know that dressing suitably to the task at hand aids in our success. I would submit that education is not an exception to that rule. How could dressing for school change your approach to home education or your child s attitude about his studies?
On cost:
Some perhaps would find the cost of uniforms prohibitive.
Perhaps. But consider that if you choose a simple yet classic uniform for your home school, you will need approximately 3 sets per child per week. And the clothing can be handed down from one child to the next.
The child then only needs two to three play outfits and one dress up outfit to complete his day to day wardrobe. It might not cost as much as you think. Have you ever compared costs of uniforms vs.
everyday clothing for your children?
On logistics and modesty:
Using uniforms could cut down considerably on laundry, the work of putting clothes away, and on closet space. The uniforms could be made (if you are or know a seamstress) to your specifications. Uniforms could at least make school shopping easier and faster.
Could uniforms simplify school shopping, chores, or routines at your house? Could it be part of the answer to the modesty question for your girls?
Our experience:
We have chosen to use school uniforms, at least for the time being for several reasons:
1. We live in a Mexico, where schools (both public and private) all have uniforms, and where home education is not yet well known.
Having a uniform for our homeschool allows our children to be less of an oddity in our society, and also avoids lots of questions if we should need to take them with us on an errand during school hours.
2. We use khaki pants (for boys) and khaki skirts (for girls) with a unisex polo shirt of a solid dark color. This is cost effective for us because the children can pass the shirts down from one to the next regardless of sex, and it cuts down on shopping time as we can get all the shirts in one stop.
It s a classic look and the dark color polo is kind to the inevitable food and marker stains. We also chose to get ours embroidered with our homeschool name to make it more formal and uniform looking.
3. Our children are third-culture kids, and they already feel like they don t belong in lots of areas.
They don t look like their darker skinned friends. They speak two languages naturally, while their friends here speak one and their cousins in the US speak another. They don t go to public schools, and the list goes on and on.
Because of this we chose to name our homeschool and design our own logo, which we get embroidered on the shirts and use on their school folders and other things. This gives them a sense of identity, something to be a part of and be proud of, and it has been a healthy choice for our family.
4. Our children were struggling to keep their closets and rooms neat.
But when we decided to cut down the wardrobe to their school clothes and three or four other outfits, their clothes became manageable and not so much of a frustration or daily battle to keep the area tidy. It also cut down on our laundry considerably, and it took away the What do I wear today? angst that one of our children in particular was struggling with.
If it s a school day, we get up and put school clothes on. No decision necessary.
5. Modesty is something that we strive for.
But especially in the area where we live, finding clothing for a girl that is loose and long and modest is a special challenge. The uniform helped in this area as well, in that I could decide the length of the girls uniform and wasn t subjected to culture s whims in that regard. And have you ever held up a boys polo shirt to a girls polo of the same size?
Even for the small elementary girls the shirts are cut with huge body hugging curves, teaching them subconsciously that tight is normal from the time they re young. By choosing to use polo shirts I can buy them all in the boys department and dress my girls more modestly. When they are wearing them, no one can tell if I bought them in the girls or boys department.
As my girls get older, I am anticipating less of a clothing struggle with them because we have laid this foundation and set the expectation for long and loose modesty from their younger years.
If you have a homeschool uniform, you (and your children) should know why you have one. And if you don t, you should be willing to consider it, until you can rule it out as something that definitely would not help you reach your homeschooling goals. And while I m not sure we will always use them, I do know that for now, in our family, the homeschool uniform has been a great blessing.
I know many may have strong opinions about this topic.
I d be interested in hearing your comments for or against homeschool uniforms.
Just remember to keep the conversation edifying.