John Hurt -- born January 22nd, 1940 -- was an English actor whose career spanned over half a century. He made three films of libertarian interest, all of them focused on the dangers of totalitarian states, and all of them among the most dead-on libertarian films ever made. Two are included in this website's top 25 list and the third is included in other libertarian top … [Read more...]
Four Libertarian Films For Martin Luther King Day
It's something of an irony that the Left still claims to be the champion of equality and tolerance but has nowadays officially dropped both of those things in favor of identity politics. The Martin Luther King vision of a world in which people "will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character," can't be squared with demands for people to be … [Read more...]
Aaron Swartz, Internet Wunderkind, Died On This Day
On January 11th, 2013, Aaron Swartz — the wunderkind genius who contributed much to the early development of the Internet, including Reddit, Creative Commons, RSS, and more — committed suicide. He was just 26. Aaron Swartz was driven to take his own life by aggressive prosecutors enforcing tragically defective technology law, law that is still on the books. Aaron’s story is … [Read more...]
Anthem (Libertarian) Film Festival: Are You Coming?
The 2024 Anthem Film Festival -- the annual screening of the latest libertarian films and documentaries -- will be held at The Mirage Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, July 10-13. It is part of the larger FreedomFest event. You may purchase registration here. This once-a-year event is the world's biggest libertarian film festival, and features narrative films as well as … [Read more...]
Fire Alarm, Shots Fired At Nakatomi Plaza
A Los-Angeles-based local news station reports: "Police, SWAT, and FBI are surrounding Nakatomi Plaza at this hour after a police officer was reportedly fired upon. The police officer had stopped by the building after receiving what was initially reported as a false fire alarm on the 32nd floor." It's probably nothing. … [Read more...]
Die Hard: A Christmas Movie For Libertarians
Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Film statistician Stephen Fellows cranked the numbers, looking at everything related to the film from Google hits to Die Hard posters to Wikipedia references, and he concludes that even if it wasn't intended to be a Christmas movie, "it most certainly is now." How did it get that way? Here are nine good reasons. Perhaps more importantly, Die … [Read more...]
12 Libertarian DVD Holiday Gifts Under $10
Need some quick gift ideas for that special libertarian friend? Here are twelve films currently for sale on DVD for less than $10 at Amazon. Richard Jewell Security guard Richard Jewell saves hundreds of lives from an exploding pipe bomb at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, only to be railroaded as the prime suspect by an incompetent FBI and cynical press. Based on a true … [Read more...]
Capitalist Villain In Christmas Movie Sets Record Straight
In this article from McSweeney's, Winston George Higgensbooth Sr., real estate tycoon and capitalist villain of a Hallmark Christmas movie, defends shutting down a small town's only toy shop. "So why am I a villain? Oh, right, because I believe the most valuable commercial space in town could be used for something more vital than a store solely dedicated to Santa hats. Yeah, … [Read more...]
Happy Bill Of Rights Day!
December 15th is Bill of Rights Day. I was delighted to find this short educational video performed by middle school students from the excellent Meritas private school network. It explains the Bill of Rights to the tune of Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off." Teachers: The Bill of Rights Institute offers free lesson plans and activities for middle and high school students, … [Read more...]
Private Property Defended: Glitter Bombs vs. Thieves
Two million packages are stolen from porches and doorways in the US every year. Ex-NASA engineer Mark Rober is doing his bit to take on these thieves with his brilliantly-designed "glitter bombs," fake packages that explode with glitter and noxious smells, and best of all -- record the entire experience via hidden cameras. There are some definite law-enforcement possibilities … [Read more...]