Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Quote of the Day (Sean Penn, Showing Why He Should Stick to His Day Job)



“The conflicted principle here, is that which all too often defines and limits our pride as Americans who, in deference to an omnipresent filter of mono-culturalism, isolationism and division, are consistently prone toward behaviors and words, as insensitive and disrespectful, while at foremost counterproductive for the generations of young Americans who will follow us.”—Sean Penn, Oscar-winning actor, “Ambassador-at-Large for Haiti,” and Would-Be Writer, “Breached Piñatas,” The Huffington Post, December 20, 2012

Among other things, this article, veering from one subject to another, makes an impassioned plea for “the recognition and treatment of mental health.” The star of Gangster Squad—a new film criticized in reviews for “excessive violence,” “over-the-top violence,” “ridiculous violence,” a “numbing barrage of screen violence” (well, you get the picture)—also calls for “legislations [sic] of necessary gun controls.”

After reading this piece, I wanted to understand how Sean Penn came to be so “diligent to the nature of the human brain,” given that he shows so little close attention to his own. If any of you reading this knows, please call me right away.

If all actors could express themselves as Penn does here, I think it safe to say that we would have full employment among Hollywood screenwriters. He goes a long way toward proving my contention that no movie star should be allowed in front of a computer screen, because in his hands, a keyboard truly becomes a lethal weapon.

(Photo by Ted Sorensen shows Sean Penn arriving at Warner Bros. Pictures' “Gangster Squad” premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on January 7, 2013 in Hollywood.)

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