The way these Belgians ...

It's a movie.

Of course they're not going to be as technically polished as they would have been, had they grown up with the music in the USA. Ditto for their understanding the history behind the music or what the music really means. That is the point. The whole film was about a bunch of people who were going through the *process* of learning more about this musical genre from a far-off place that had caught their imagination, and how, the more they learned about a distant culture that they had heretofore romanticized and oversimplified, the more complicated things became for them.

As I pointed out in an earlier thread, you could have said the same things about those British kids who discovered American musical genres such as blues and rockabilly in the 1950s, and whose attempts to mimic what they heard probably sounded just as clunky, at least initially. You know, kids with names like Brian Jones, Eric Burdon, and John Lennon.

I am sorry but I feel you are oversimplifying the issue of stem cell research in terms of what was, and was not blocked (or vetoed) by George W Bush. You need to educate yourself further on the subject because his veto restricted federal funding on all new stem cell lines regardless of how they were obtained. Thousands of disused embryos are disposed of each day through IVF related procedures. At the time scientists were hoping to use these for stem cell research. However, his veto made it illegal to use these embryos for this purpose, so they were openly discarded! Not to mention the mass exodus of scientists who went to more 'forward-thinking' countries who permitted this type of research. Bush stated that on ethical grounds he could not support this type of research but many argue it was a decision driven by his not wanting to allocate funds, as opposed to his religious beliefs. Thankfully Obama recognised the importance of stem cell research and lifted the funding ban. Unfortunately, Bush's decision has cost us something that cannot be reversed; the loss of time. I suppose you are the same type of person that believes Bush invaded Iraq for the good of the people and not the multi-billion dollar oil contracts. It's ironic that North Korea has yet to be invaded!

Nevertheless the central character is looking to blame someone for his daughter's demise. In his mind he believed the U.S. was the ultimate place for one to pursue their dreams, but was faced with the harsh reality that even it has its own downsides.

Finally, to fully appreciate this film you have to be the parent of a child who has either survived (or perished) from childhood Leukemia. Thankfully I am a parent of the former but am haunted by the number of funerals we have had to attend over the years for children (kids, really) that we met in hospital who did not survive. My wife couldn't even watch the entire film on the account of how realistic the scenes were between the parents. Yes, suffice to say we have had similar arguments in our attempts to understand the disease, which looking back were fruitless. One such argument was around me parking to close to the gasoline pump with our son in the backseat. So, to say this film hit close to home is an understatement! I know by your 1 star rating that you simply didn't get the film (this is not a criticism), and I am thankful for this because you are clearly not the parent of a child who has battled cancer.

Wow. Just wow.

Have you seen that video by the band Cake for the song "short skirt long jacket'? Theres a guy in it that says he doesent like the song because it needs a better rising action or something. Well, that's you.

"And then there's the hidden anti-Bush agenda."

I wouldn't have called it hidden, I'd have called it blatant, which is the right thing to do. No one should support George W Bush in any way whatsoever. It's him we got to thank for the current terrorism, because he wanted to kick ass after 9/11. "Mission accomplished!"

Like f... it was.

Exactly, which is why my point is something completely different.

1/10

- don't worry, that's just my signature there.

So nobody with a green card can sing American music, is that what you're banging on about?