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Reposted by John "Chud" Chidley-Hill

[The Great War & Modern Memory] @ps9714.bsky.social · 1d

“What has taken place since January 20th, 2025, would make even President Nixon recoil. This is your legacy ... You have fundamentally transformed the Justice Department and left an enormous stain in American history," Sen. Dick #Durbin told Attorney General Pam #Bondi.

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 4h

I agree completely. He was excellent in both of those and probably deserved the award. Kinda crazy to punish a guy for being too consistently great

John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

Still, @tylerharper.bsky.social and I loved this film and had a great conversation about it afterwards. We ended up putting it in our A+ tier, ahead of Birdman but behind Unforgiven. That makes Forrest Gump the eighth best best picture of the 51 movies we've done. Up next? 1930's Cimarron (14/14)

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

Rewatching it as an adult, I find that Forrest Gump backed into a commentary that I don't think was intended but is nonetheless effective: Gump as an allegory for the baby boomer experience. He's exceptionally lucky and arguably fails upward in life (13/14)

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

I don't know where I stand on how it handles Forrest's possible neurodivergence. He's often insulted by other characters but, as I said above, others always defend him. The audience is never led to believe that Forrest is anything less than admirable. But I'm not part of the autism community (12/14)

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

The film also treats society's most vulnerable people with a lot of respect. Gump himself is unfailingly respectful of everyone, but he and Lt. Dan's disabilities are also handled thoughtfully. Bubba and his family are also depicted in a sympathetic (if unnuanced) light. (11/14)

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

What's really fun about Forrest Gump, however, is some of the broader commentary it makes. Like is Forrest actually dumb as many claim? Or is he on the autism spectrum? Those closest to him (his mom, Jenny, and Lt. Dan) certainly don't think he's stupid and on re-viewing, I agree with them (10/14)

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

it's broader impact isn't explored. There's also no indication if Forrest or Forrest Jr. are infected either. There's absurd leaps in the plot, like when Gump is running across the U.S. and somehow people don't know who he is. Given all he'd accomplished up to that point it'd be impossible (9/14)

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

That said, this movie isn't perfect. @tylerharper.bsky.social pointed out that although this movie is largely set in Alabama during the civil rights movement, the topic isn't met head on. Similarly, it's strongly implied that Jenny is an early victim of the AIDS epidemic but... (8/14)

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

There's a lot of other things that are great about Forrest Gump. The music and score are excellent, with several of the songs from the 1960s and 1970s charting again in the early 90s because of the soundtrack. The dialogue is hilarious. The special effects were groundbreaking for the time. (7/14)

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

This thread is already going too long, but I also have to underscore how great Gary Sinise and Robin Wright are as Lt. Dan and Jenny. IMHO, they were snubbed in the best supporting actor and best actress categories. The acting elevates a script that could have easily been too schmaltzy (6/14)

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

Hanks really shone in a couple of scenes: the battle scene; when Lt. Dan confronts Gump, asking if he knows what it's like to have no legs; when Gump proposes to Jenny; when he learns he's a father; when Gump speaks to Jenny's grave. He absolutely deserved the best actor winner that year (5/14)

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

What's really impressive is how physical Hanks is in the role. From the way he runs, to how he bobs his head when speaking, to how he snaps his head in surprise when reacting to things. The range of emotions he can express is amazing, especially since Gump is a relatively quiet character (4/14)

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

Forrest Gump's biggest strength is the acting. No one turns in a bad performance and Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise and Robin Wright are especially great. "He's so good at doing comedy and drama and making it seamless," said @tylerharper.bsky.social of Hanks and I can't help but agree. (3/14)

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

Both @tylerharper.bsky.social and I had fond memories of it from our childhoods but we wondered how well it aged. We also both felt that somehow it became "uncool" to like this very sentimental, maybe even schmaltzy, movie. Fortunately, no one would accuse us of being cool because we loved it (2/14)

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 17h

It's time for another installment of Rating Best Pictures with me and my Lt. Dan, @tylerharper.bsky.social. This time we're reviewing a movie that had the monoculture in an absolute chokehold in our adolescence: 1994's Forrest Gump. We've both seen this one many times but not recently (1/14)

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Reposted by John "Chud" Chidley-Hill

John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 1d

"I love the white hat. I still think the home white uniform is the best uniform. It's one of the better uniforms in baseball." - Pat Hentgen loves that the Toronto Blue Jays have made the 1992-styled white-panel caps their good-luck charm for this post-season. www.tsn.ca/mlb/article/...

Blue Jays’ great Hentgen loves return of Toronto’s white-panel caps

At least one member of the World Series champion Toronto Blue Jays approves of the return of the white-panelled caps.

www.tsn.ca

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Reposted by John "Chud" Chidley-Hill

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 1d

INBOX: The Chicago News Guild joined others in suing ICE for attacking journalists at the Broadview facility.

“Our members have a right, protected by the First Amendment, to do their jobs and report the news. They should not be targeted, injured or arrested for doing their jobs.”

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 1d

"I love the white hat. I still think the home white uniform is the best uniform. It's one of the better uniforms in baseball." - Pat Hentgen loves that the Toronto Blue Jays have made the 1992-styled white-panel caps their good-luck charm for this post-season. www.tsn.ca/mlb/article/...

Blue Jays’ great Hentgen loves return of Toronto’s white-panel caps

At least one member of the World Series champion Toronto Blue Jays approves of the return of the white-panelled caps.

www.tsn.ca

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Reposted by John "Chud" Chidley-Hill

Tyler Harper @tylerharper.bsky.social · 1d

On Saturday, a local church invited the public to have pets blessed during the annual Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Most were dogs, but one was a turkey named Aziza. I consider this story a gift from Heaven.

All dogs (and turkeys) go to heaven: Pets receive blessings at Nelson church

The pets were invited into St. Saviour's Pro-Cathedral to mark the annual Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

www.nelsonstar.com

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 1d

BRING BACK THE MONORAIL, YOU COWARDS!

Seriously though, wouldn't it make more sense financially to use the pre-existing monorail infrastructure and update it rather than build a whole new thing (that I imagine is more vulnerable to weather)

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Reposted by John "Chud" Chidley-Hill

Ryan Teague Beckwith @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social · 1d

Editor in chief, city editor, features editor

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 1d

An arbitrator for the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada took the rare step last week of making a selection *for* a national sport organization when she ruled that Cycling Canada must pick Dylan Bibic for the upcoming UCI Track Cycling World Championships. My story: www.cbc.ca/sports/olymp...

Arbitrator clears Dylan Bibic to race for Canada at track cycling world championships | CBC Sports

An arbitrator has made the rare decision to overturn a national sports organization's team selection, placing Dylan Bibic on Canada's team for the upcoming UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

www.cbc.ca

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 2d

Still true

John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 3d

The Toronto Blue Jays have never lost a post-season game to the New York Yankees.

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John "Chud" Chidley-Hill @jchidleyhill.bsky.social · 3d

The Toronto Blue Jays have never lost a post-season game to the New York Yankees.

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