ON THE SILVER SCREEN: KOREAN REVENGE FILM “I SAW THE DEVIL” IS CHILLING THRILLER WORTH SEEING
By Brian Lafferty March 18, 2011 (San Diego) – I want to make one thing plain: I Saw the Devil is not entertainment. It is sickening, repellent, unrelentingly violent, depraved, and twisted. That last sentence makes it sound like it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience. Instead, it is a great film for exactly those reasons. It is definitely not for everyone but if you’re looking for a revenge film done right, and you don’t mind subtitles, then here’s a film for you. Kim Jee-woon, director of I Saw the Devil, has an ability to traverse many different genres well. His 2003 film, A Tale of Two Sisters (remade two years ago here in the states as The Uninvited), is one of the few horror movies with the distinction of genuinely frightening me. On the other end of the spectrum is The Good, the Bad, the Weird. That film was a funny, freewheeling, hyperkinetic, and artistically and comically violent homage to 1960s Italian spaghetti westerns (New York Post film critic V.A. Musetto referred to it as a “noodle western”). Then there’s I Saw the Devil. The movie opens with an evil, repugnant serial killer Kyung-Chul (Choi Min-sik) murdering secret agent Kim Soo-hyeon’s (Lee Byung-hun, who played the “Bad” in The Good, the Bad, the Weird) fiancée. I won’t reveal the revenge because doing so would ruin the unpredictability of the picture. It is that last quality with which I Saw the Devil succeeds and where many modern American revenge movies not directed by Quentin Tarantino fail. Movies like Edge of Darkness have one goal: having the main character find the culprits and off them one by one, often in gruesome ways. Other than containing boilerplate characters and plots, these movies often go for the payoffs without working on the set-ups. It’s like a comedy delivering only punch lines. Kim Jee-woon saves the payoff for the second to last shot. The approximately two hours and twenty minutes preceding it is all unpredictable set-up. The violence against the women is tough to take, despite most of it occurring off camera. Interestingly, it is the violence committed by Kim Soo-hyeon against Kyung-Chul that is most graphically depicted. This does not, however, minimize Kyung-Chul’s actions towards the women. What amazed me about the brutality and violence was that I never felt it was exploitative. As gruesome and as horrifying as the violence is, it didn’t make me feel unclean. Kim never revels in the bloodbaths. He doesn’t merely record it; he expresses an attitude toward it through Kim’s actions towards Kyung-Chul. Horror and thriller films that rely on violence for thrills almost never scare me. I find it difficult to be frightened when bodies are hacked to pieces. The horror films that make me quiver do so through atmosphere. I Saw the Devil mostly falls mostly into the thriller genre but it also contains the hallmarks of a successful horror picture. The atmosphere is unrelentingly chilling. The music is haunting. The lighting is often dark and shadowy. Night scenes are the most terrifying. Half of the success in A Tale of Two Sisters, The Good, the Bad, the Weird, and I Saw the Devil is owed to style. The other half is Kim’s ability to direct his actors. I Saw the Devil would not be so chilling if it weren’t for Choi’s performance. I knew nothing about this character but he incorporates a cold, ultra-creepy persona. At the same time he’s dangerously alluring. His face, especially his eyes, has the same potency for unsettlement as Charles Manson. I Saw the Devil is now playing at the Ken Cinema (for one week only). A Magnolia Pictures release. Directed by Kim Jee-woon. Written by Park Hoon-jung. Cinematography by Lee Mogae. Music by Mowg. With Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Jeon Gook-hwan, Jeon Ho-jin, Oh San-ha, and Kim Yoon-seo. Unrated (for mature audiences). Brian can be reached at Brian@eastcountymagazine.org. You can also follow him on Twitter: @BrianLaff.
READER’S EDITORIAL: THE BUZZ OVER POWERLINK–WHY WE SHOULD SUPPORT WORKERS ON THE LINE
By Michelle Mann, Boulevard “In a time of economic fallout it is nice that there are still jobs for good hard working Americans. That is what these guys are that are out building the power line.” March 19, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) — It is amazing to hear all the buzz about this new power line going in. It is astonishing how many people are trying to sabotage this project and oppose it. I would like to see all those people who are making such a stink about this project turn their power off. The only reason why these guys are out here building the power line is to provide power to those that are complaining. If you don’t like it so much then turn off your power. Make it so there is less of a need and then maybe they wouldn’t have to put them in. These people who are complaining are the same people that would be the 1st ones to complain if the power did go out in the middle of the night. Line work is an extremely dangerous job and we should support those who are out working in the line, not trying to jeopardize their safety. In a time of economic fallout it is nice that there are still jobs for good hard working Americans. That is what these guys are that are out building the power line. The time and place for trying to get this type of project stopped is in the planning stage, not when people are out trying to work hard on the line and support families. They are also living here in your local community supporting your local businesses. Think about all the businesses that are being support grocery stores, gas stations, laundry mats, movie theaters, and restaurants. I do agree that we need to protect wildlife but at the same time we have to be realistic in that idea. I think there has to be a balance. In the summer I work for the Grand Teton National Park and I fully agree with protecting wildlife. But at the same time I understand that people need power and people need jobs. I think there can be a balance. Yes we should try and protect as much wildlife as we can while building for our futures; that is why SDG&E have hired an abundance of wildlife monitors. They are there to do their jobs as well and I don’t think they need your help. You want to help and make a positive impact. Try driving a hybrid; oh wait all the energy that comes to build one comes from dirty coal plants. Try turning off your power; oh wait, then that would make your life a little harder. Try getting others to reduce their power consumption. Try being a better lobbyist when things like this are up for vote. This is obviously a needed resource so stop being so petty. I think that instead of trying to make these guy’s job any harder we should support them. The sooner they can get their work done the sooner they can be out of the area and on to the next job. Putting stuff like this up only prolongs the job and prolongs the expose to the wildlife and the residence. Sometimes it is worth sucking it up and staying out of other people’s business so a job can get done. The opinions expressed in this editorial reflect the views of its author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.
READER’S EDITORIAL: AMERICA SHOULD RECONSIDER ITS BAIL-OUT OF THE NUCLEAR POWER INDUSTRY
By Tracy Emblem March 19, 2011 (San Diego) — No new nuclear power plants have been built in the United States since the late 1970’s. However, in 2009, Senator Lamar Alexander from Tennessee unveiled his blueprint to build 100 nuclear power plants within the next 20 years. Even with the nuclear power plant crisis unfolding in Japan, the senator insists that nuclear energy is safe and continues to call on the federal government to guarantee loans for nuclear power plants with tax payer dollars. According to the Institute for Southern Studies, the nuclear industry has spent at least $640 million lobbying during the last decade. Although there are several deep budget cuts proposed for social and environmental programs, President Obama has budgeted another $36 billion dollars in loan guarantees even though the nuclear industry should be seeking private marketplace financing for new construction. This amounts to a bailout for the nuclear industry. The federal guarantees were first authorized by Congress in 2005. The New York Times reports that "a one-sentence provision" was buried in the energy bill and inserted without debate at the urging of the nuclear power industry, making nuclear plants classified as clean energy and eligible for tens of billions of dollars in government loan guarantees. Apparently the lessons learned from the 1986 Chernobyl power plant reactor meltdown that caused the worst nuclear accident in history were forgotten. In the United States in 1979, we almost had a partial meltdown at Three Mile Island but the reactor was brought under control just in time. With the meltdown of nuclear reactors in Japan, our government leaders, charged with protecting the health and safety of our citizens, should carefully evaluate the risks of nuclear power plants. No matter how the industry spins it, nuclear power is not safe and will never be until the waste problem is solved. Thirty years later, we have not solved the dilemma of storing nuclear waste or the problem of what to do with the weapons-grade plutonium. It only takes about 18 pounds of plutonium to build a nuclear weapon. In the United States, more than 60,000 metric tons of nuclear waste is stored in temporary storage facilities at 131 civilian and military sites around the country. The current storage solutions are only expected to last 100 years, while nuclear waste can remain lethal for 100,000 years or more. The government has no long term plan to store the waste and insure the waste does not remain an environmental hazard. We must also consider the weapons proliferation risk in an age of transnational terrorism in addition to the risk of an environmental accident. These are just some reasons why we must adopt alternative renewable energy standards and use renewable energy sources rather than build 100 more nuclear power plants. In the United States, a conservative solution is to invest in clean energy sources that do not pose risks inherent in nuclear energy production and storage. These sources include creating bio-energy from plant matter or animal waste. For example, in Northern California, Pacific Gas and Electric Company and BioEnergy Solutions are building an innovative bio-gas project in Fresno County to deliver renewable natural gas derived from animal waste, reducing the carbon footprint at its source. In San Diego, San Diego Gas and Electric Company has announced a partnership in a wind project on the Campo reservation using renewable energy. This month SDG&E also announced a 25-year contract to generate solar energy from a proposed 1,057-acre solar energy facility near El Centro which would create almost 300 construction jobs in a two-year period. Rather than subsidizing nuclear power plants or off-shore drilling, an alternative approach is needed. Using concentrated solar energy we could power the entire United States annually. The public already owns the right-away along the state and interstate highways. It does not take a lot of imagination to conceive of a solar-electric array 100 feet wide and 100 miles long, or any number of miles. Since the highways pass through cities that need electricity we would have connectivity where every American could see their tax dollars at work. While those in favor of building nuclear power plants argue that nuclear energy is inexpensive, they have not factored in the costs and risks associated with the building and maintenance of storage facilities for the nuclear waste or the cost to our people’s health and the environment if there is a problem with the nuclear reactors. If they had to factor in the cost of insurance to pay for these risks, nuclear energy would not be inexpensive. America should have vision. Consequently, the United States should consider phasing out its nuclear power plants over the next generation and begin investing in other safer renewable energy sources. We can lead the world in clean energy technology. Tracy Emblem is an attorney and former Congressional candidate. The opinions expressed in this editorial reflect the views of its author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.
SAFETY OF U.S. NUCLEAR REACTORS QUESTIONED: CA SENATORS CALL FOR INSPECTION OF STATE’S NUCLEAR PLANTS
“The most inexpensive way to meet your SQ (seismic qualification) is to lie. The industry does it all the time.” –Greg Palast, former lead investigator in government nuclear plant fraud and racketeering investigations By Miriam Raftery March 17, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) –Catastrophic failures at a half dozen nuclear facilities in Fukushima, Japan has led to questions regarding the safety of nuclear reactors in America– both existing facilities and new ones proposed—including some designed or operated by the same companies responsible for the nuclear meltdowns in Japan. Yesterday, California Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein sent a letter to the head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission urging him to conduct full-scale inspection of the San Onofre nuclear power plant north of San Diego and the Diablo Canyon nuclear facility near San Luis Obispo. Both are on the coast—and both are near major earthquake faults. Roughly 7.4 million people live within 50 miles of San Onofre and another 424,000 people are within 50 miles of Diablo Canyon, the Senators note. Their letter cites a 2008 California Energy Commission report which presented “very clear warnings of potential threats” at the facilities. “It is our understanding that the NRC has not taken action to address these warnings in the report,” the Senators wrote. “It is also our understanding that the2008 report found that there is an additional fault near the Diablo Canyon plant that should be taken into consideration as part of NRC’s re-licensing process.” The Senators asked the NRC to answer questions about the reactors’ designs and preparedness to withstand and earthquake and tsunami, given that Japanese reactors failed to withstand quakes and tsunami waves stronger than forecast for the region. The Senators also inquired about any changes/improvements since the plants opened in the 1980s, what emergency notification systems are in place, whether systems have lapsed during past earthquakes or other emergencies, and what back-up power plans are in place. Murray Jennex, a nuclear expert at San Diego State University who was involved in testing at the San Onofre facility when it was built, says the facility was “over-engineered” for the levels of earthquakes and tsunamis forecast as possible for our region. Unlike Japan, California’s reactors are not of the boiling-water design, nor are spent fuel rods stored in the same building as reactors—though there are spent fuel rods in separate buildings on the San Onofre site, he indicated. Recent news reports have revealed that only enough potassium iodide for residents within 10 miles of San Onofre has been stockpiled. In Japan, the U.S. has urged its citizens to evacuate an 80 km zone and high radiation levels have been found 30 km from the plan. Potassium iodide, taken immediately by people exposed to high levels of radiation, can prevent thyroid cancer, studies after Russia’s Chernobyl nuclear disaster found. The boiling-water design used in the failed nuclear reactors at Fukushima are found in 29 nuclear plants already in the U.S., raising serious concerns about their safety. But other plants’ safety has also been called into question. The New York Times reports that the Union of Concerned Scientists on Thursday issued a report documenting 14 instances of significant problems at U.S. reactors that set off special federal inspections characterized by regulators as "near misses." The UCS accused the federal Nuclear Regulatory commission of allowing companies that operate plants to ignore or delay repairs to problems that could escalate into something serious. Plant operators named included Pacific Gas & Electric in California, operator of Diablo Canyon, and others. Greg Palast, an investigative journalist whose reports can be seen on BBC TV and who has won numerous journalism awards, previously worked as an insurance investigator and served as lead investigator in several government nuclear plant fraud and racketeering investigations. In a recent article written for the website Truthout, he revealed, “The failure of emergency systems at Japan’s nuclear plants comes as no surprise to those of us who have worked in the field.” Palast explained that nuclear plants worldwide must be certified for Seismic Qualification (SQ). “That is, the owners swear that all components are designed for the maximum conceivable shaking event, be it from an earthquake or an exploding Christmas card from Al Qaeda,” Palast stated. “The most inexpensive way to meet your SQ is to lie. The industry does it all the time.” According to Palast, the government team he worked with caught plant operators at the Shoreham plant in New York cheating. “Correcting the SQ problem at Shoreham would have cost a cool billion, so engineers were told to change the tests from `failed’ to `passed’,” Palast wrote. The company that put in the false safety report was Stone & Webster, now the nuclear unit of Shaw Construction slated to work with Tokyo Electric to build new nu8clear reactors on the Gulf Coast of Texas—along with Tokyo Electric, operator of the failed Japanese reactors. Moreover, Palast observes, the reactor will be made substantially in Japan by Toshiba—the same company that built one of the failing reactors at Fukushima and that designed the emergency diesel system that failed. Worse, Palast reveals, “Back in the day, when we checked the emergency back-up diesels in America, a mind-blowing number flunked. “ Tests done by plant operators “were faked, the disels run for just a short time at low speed,” Palast found. “When the diesels were put through a real test under emergency-like conditions, the crankshaft on the first one snapped in about an hour, then the second and third. We nicknamed the disels “Snap, Crackle and Pop.” Note: Moments after I wrote that sentence, word came that two of three diesels failed at the Tokai Station as well.” The Obama administration is planning a total of $65 billion in loans to build nuclear reactors across America—a prospect that Palast finds alarming. He notes that industry promises that levels of radiation are not dangerous should be viewed with skepticism, since the industry has not shown itself to be trustworthy and repeatedly said
WEATHER ALERT ISSUED FOR STORM SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY
March 18, 2011 (San Diego) – The National Weather Service has issued a severe weather alert for San Diego County due to a strong storm system forecast to reach our region Sunday night and Monday. Light showers may occur earlier and extend through Tuesday. Significant rain, gusty winds and mountain snow is predicted starting Sunday night. The storm is expected to drop up to one to two inches in some areas, with precipitation highest in the mountains, where snow level could lower to 4500-5000 feet Monday. Desert areas should receive less rain, around one-quarter to one-half inch. Mountains could see wind gusts near 55 mph, with lower elevations having gusts 20-35 mph. Rain will cause slick roads and possible rock or mud slides, the NWS cautions. Flooding may occur in poorly drained low-lying areas. Blowing snow and dense fog will make travel hazardous in mountain areas. Travelers are advised to stay informed on the latest conditions.
JAMUL RANCH HAND, A “FREQUENT BORDER CROSSER,” ARRAIGNED IN VIOLENT DEATH OF WOMAN
By Billie Jo Jannen For East County Magazine March 18, 2011 (Jamul) — Jamul resident Miguel Medina Sanchez, age 32, was arraigned yesterday afternoon in the murder of Maria Irma Palos De Rubio, who is also believed by officials to be a resident of Jamul. Deputy District Attorney Claudia Grosso, the prosecutor assigned to the case, said charges include a special circumstances charge of using a knife, which would add a year to Sanchez’ sentence if he is convicted. Sanchez pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail pending appointment of a public defender, Sanchez said. The charges carry a possible sentence of 25 years to life in prison. Sanchez was the subject of a brief manhunt after Rubio, age 44, was found dead in his home. He was discovered on Monday, March 14 at Sharp Grossmont Hospital where he had been admitted under the name of Lorenzo Marcario. Deputies were called to an upscale estate home on the 15000 block of Lyons Valley Road on Saturday, March 12, by one of the homeowners on the property. Sanchez lived in a smaller residence and works there as a ranch hand, according to Sheriff’s Lt. Dennis Brugos in a press release. Brugos said that the body was initially believed to be that of Sanchez, but upon entry to the house, deputies, instead, found Rubio already dead and Sanchez, absent. He was arrested at the hospital and booked into San Diego Central Jail on March 15. Sanchez also uses the alias Macario Lopez Merino. Grosso said Sanchez is believed to be his real name and his immigration status is currently under review. Sanchez is described by deputies as a Mexican national and a “frequent border crosser.” Rubio died of stab wounds to her torso, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s website. Though the murder weapon has been described as a machete in various news accounts, the medical examiner did not confirm this, nor will San Diego County deputies discuss it. “Not everything you read … is always true,” Sheriff’s Sgt. Roy Frank said noncommitally. Prosecutor Grosso said, “A machete was found at the scene,” but added that a knife had also been found and she has yet to learn which weapon might have been used to stab Rubio. Rubio’s time of death has not been given, though Sanchez was admitted to Grossmont on Friday, March 11, a day before deputies were called to the scene. The case is scheduled for a readiness conference on March 25 in Dept. 2, Grosso said, and a preliminary hearing on March 30. The latter, she added, will probably be rescheduled to a later date.