Go, Sarah, Go!

You who I hope becomes president?
Sarah Palin.


Yeah, that's right -- THE Sarah Palin. I think that she would make an excellent president. And by "excellent", of course, I mean "fun."


I'm a guy who's looking for a little entertainment, and President Palin would be more entertaining than even the fellow you see above. Why? because, unlike George W., Sarah seems to lack an ability to contain herself when she feels strongly about something. I mean, she gets OUT THERE, going on rants to the media and writing books and stuff. George W was too mild mannered for my tastes; too many potentially-amusing moments were lost due to his politeness. And don't even talk to me about Obama. Our current president may be a joke, but he's not funny. That's that worst kind of leader you can get.


Sarah has been in the news a lot lately, even acting as a commentator on Fox. That means she's trying to stay in the spotlight, and hopefully, thinking of a run for the White House. This is a very good idea, if you ask me, and I don't understand why various liberals who I know are so frightened. What's the worst that could possibly happen with a President Palin???


If anything, the last ten years have shown me that the country will be run poorly, no matter who is president. It's just too far gone, my friends. Why not try to enjoy ourselves a little? I've been having trouble lately dealing with people who are constantly looking for some negative crap on which to dwell. Listen -- you should be making your life your own. Why not seek some amusement? Personally, I'm not willing to go another day without doing so. That's why I'm actively supporting Sarah Palin. I want to see what she does!


See, Sarah opposes socialism and communism. Plus, she supports the troops and wants a strong defense. These are all parts of a comprehensive and well-thought ideology that every American can grasp. What's not to like? What are you, some kind of dummy???


Besides, Sarah's expertise isn't just in the realm of theoretical policy. She has practical, real-world experience protecting the United States from hostile foreign elements. She deals with them every day. For instance, just look at the picture above -- clear proof that she's fending off Russia, which incidentally, is where today's film takes place.

Transsiberian (2008)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800241/


Netflix description:
An American couple (Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer) seeking to smooth out their rough marriage buys a ticket on the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway. But a chance meeting with two other passengers ends in accidental murder and high intrigue. Ben Kingsley and Thomas Kretschmann co-star as a pair of Russian police officers who are trying to solve the baffling case in Brad Anderson's taut and gritty travel thriller.

Yeah, Transsiberian is a thriller that takes place in my personal favorite country, Russia. What a wondrous and exotic land!

It's about an American couple taking a trip across that freezing wasteland via the famous Transsiberian Railroad, which is the third-longest continuous rail service in the entire world. The couple -- Roy and Jesse -- have been experiencing some marital troubles, and after a stay in China working for a church group, they've decided that a long train ride back through Europe might help put a spark back into things. Problems arise, however, when the couple hooks up with a Spanish drug runner who plants some heroin in Jesse's bag, leading her to get caught in a murder cover-up. CAN Roy and Jesse make it out of Russia before their accidental transgressions catch up with them? WILL they elude a nosy police investigator who is also involved in some crooked dealings of his own?? WHO is the mysterious American girl following them around???

Transsiberian is a fascinating movie, at least in that it gives us a look at the Transsiberian Railroad, for which I would gladly buy a ticket any day. Just imagine slowly traveling across such a vast land, fearful at all times of being unjustly incarcerated or robbed by brutal smugglers. That's MY idea of a good time! Our hero, Roy, seems to appreciate how exciting this whole adventure is, but sadly, wife Jesse is not enjoying herself so much. She gets into quite a jam, giving the otherwise-dorky Roy a chance to really come through and surprise us all. By the end, he's proven himself worthy, and the couple (I assume) works out their issues.

The movie is engaging and well-paced...until maybe the last 20 minutes, when things come close to going too far and the plot nearly derails (no pun intended). Ben Kingsley, as the corrupt detective, is a likable character, but his introduction to the story disrupts what Transsiberian had going for it through the first two acts. He suspects that Jesse isn't telling him something, which raises the tension level, but his reaction is not what I'd hoped for. Fortunately, the story wraps itself up nicely by the end, even though certain moments feel tacked on.

Apart from its setting, the thing I liked most about Transsiberian was Emily Mortimer, as Jesse. Goodness, does she turn out an effective performance, and I'd like to see this actress go on to other, more successful projects. Prior to this picture, I knew her only as Steve Martin's secretary in the horrible remake of The Pink Panther, and she really proved to be a welcome surprise in this film. Woody Harrelson, meanwhile, is steady and convincing as the average Midwestern model train geek, even if his character doesn't get much time to develop.


Overall, Transsiberian is a solid and somewhat original thriller. It's no Seven, but I must hand it to writer-director Brad Anderson for giving us a slightly above-average train murder story. Too bad this picture was released on the same weekend as The Dark Knight (one of the biggest grossing movies of all-time), since I think it deserved at least a modest amount of attention. I guess that'll have to happen on DVD. Hey, give Transsiberian a rental.

3 out of 5.

b.