A Thousand Cuts in the Philippines

The War on Drugs has been an excuse to justify dictatorial powers.  When the government clamps down on human rights, journalism is a key counterpoint.  There is more to this story, but parallels to the current situation with Donald Trump are hard to miss.

Rodrigo Duterte, lawyer got elected in 2016 in large part for his campaign promise to get rid of drugs.  He had been the first elected president from Mindanao and the oldest at 71.  Rodrigo carried a .38 caliber gun in his waistband.  Once said (among other incendiary comments) "Forget the laws over human rights."

He had a few run ins with Americans.  At one point he called Barrack Obama "a son of a whore."  He challenged Trump to a fistfight after the American president said he would prevent all Filipinos from coming to America.  He also said Trump was a bigot, but he, Rodrigo was not.

Maria Ressa, born and raised until 10 in the Philippines moved to New Jersey in America with her mother and step father.  Refined her English and became president of her high school class three times and performed in plays.  Later educated at Princeton.

She went on to work for CNN in Manila and Jakarta investigating terrorism among other issues.  Although an American citizen she chose to live and work in the Philippines and was a founder of the news network, Rappeler.  In that function she ran up against Duterte and his human rights abuses.  Many were killed and undoubtedly many of them were drug pushers, but also users were often included and few were given court procedures.  The poor were the most common victims.  I am reminded of Obama who is credited with saying that inequality was a major cause of crime.

Duterte was able to put lots of misinformation on social media and manipulate it so his viewpoint dominated.  He corrupted many Filipinos and had avid supporters.  He and his staff claimed Rappeler was only "fake news."  The climax (now well known historically) was Maria Ressa was appealing a conviction for cyber libel.  As in America, a would be dictator identifies journalists as enemy number one.  Maria somehow overcame her legal concern (see below) and in 2021 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize shared with a Russian journalist.

The documentary film made an impression and here are some of the other connections.

Ramona S. Diaz was director, writer and producer.  She was born and raised in the Philippines.  She graduated from Stanford and now she lives in Baltimore.  Ramona has won an Emmy.  She has 10 credits as a producer, 9 for directing and 6 for writing.  

Gabriel Goodenough was a cinematographer.  He has 9 credits for cinematography, 16 for camera and electrical department and 8 as producer including "The Sopranos" (2002) and "A Beautiful Mind" (2002).

Sam Lipman was the composer.  He has 14 composing credits, 5 for the music department and 1 sound department.

Leah Marino was the editor.  She has 28 editor credits and 5 for the editorial department and 5 for producing.

Amal Clooney appeared as a support and counsel for Maria Ressa.  Born in Lebanon, her father was a Druze and her mother a Sunni Muslim.  Raised in England and got her law degree from NYU School of Law.  She can speak English, French and Arabic.  In 2016 with her husband George Clooney she founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice.  She had worked under future Supreme Court judge, Sonia Sotomayer.  Amal was interested in international human rights and did her job as a prosecutor and a defender.  Maria Ressa was one of her journalist clients who were being attacked by autocrats.  A recent campaign was to charge Russia with war crimes against Ukraine.

This film got some very negative reviews on Imdb as she had touched the nerves of Duerte supporters.  Reminds me of Al Gore with the responses to and on the other side Donald Trump uses similar tactics.  It was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020 and released for limited theatres and online.  PBS bought it and showed it on their Frontlline tv. show.  No distributor would dare buy it for the Philippines distribution, but Youtube made it available and got over 230,000 views within 24 hours.  It has won numerous awards and I would like to highlight from the Doc Edge in New Zealand.

The title comes from the fact that drastic changes can creep up in small increments and need to fight back one by one.

 I saw this film from a borrowed DVD.   

An earlier blog for Maria Ressa's book: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/07/how-to-stand-up-to-dictator.html

Against the Grain

Author quote:  "And is there anything sweeter than going against the grain and realizing that the marks you leave behind are the new grain?  I think not."

Those words were used to identify 18 individuals and one group as subjects to devote a chapter in "Against the Grain."  Some familiar names, but some maybe not so well known and with an emphasis on their early struggles.  Included are those who overcame ridicule to make a positive benefit for the rest of mankind.

A lot of interesting people to choose from, but a blog is not a book.  A few highlights to make a few points.

 

Terry O'Reilly's background is advertising and he offers two examples of men who changed conventional thinking, Albert Lasker and Bill Bernbach.  One point for me was to see the advantage in the disadvantage such as used by Avis, the number 2 who tries harder and the small Volkswagen.  

As a blogger I will take this opportunity for my own advertising contribution.  I was a big basketball fan and managed to get involved with the inaugural idea of the Buffalo Braves playing some games at Maple Leaf Gardens.  They let me sell a few tickets in a reserved section.  Frustrated that it wasn't as overwhelming as I had hoped, I got the idea for a unique ad and asked if I could run it in the Oakville paper that I worked for as a district circulation manager.  Given the okay I came up with the idea that Canadians weren't aware of the 24 second rule that assured lots of action.  I got photos of Pete Maravich and Bob McAdoo opposing each other with the caption "24 second shoot em up."  Maple Leaf Gardens also copied it in their big Toronto ads.

Bogota in Colombia had a reputation of being one of the most dangerous cities in the world.  Antonas Mockus, a non politician had been in trouble, but he decided to run for mayor.  He used creative, even contra intuitive methods to deal with alcohol and guns.  He used ridicule to curb violence.  One example was to hire mimes stationed near high traffic accident areas to mock drivers who ignored rules.  His unorthodox methods that dramatically reduced accidents, homicide rates and even water wastage.

Scientists are often thought of as innovators, but as in other professions there is an establishment that likes to protect itself.  O'Reilly gives us four examples of medical doctors who literally went through periods of being ridiculed before their innovations became normal.  One was the simplest of washing ones' hands before delivering babies.  The others also helped save lives, literally millions of lives.

Suzanne Simard from a young age decided she wanted to be involved with forestry.  She worked for the government  and for private business.  A standard practice was to replace cut trees with new commercially viable plantings carefully spaced apart so they would not "compete" against one another.  Advocating for a role for birch trees some critics labelled her "Miss Birch" to her face and likely switched one letter on her back.  Suzanne discovered that in fact different types of trees and even mushrooms interconnect to be healthier.  We have known for awhile that  trees soak up carbon dioxide and send out oxygen, but she found a mixed forest provided a healthy environment for humans and provided justification for the term "forest bathing."

Due to the popularity of "King Richard" even many non sports fans know Richard Williams played a critical role in the development of two world famous tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams.  The story has a long background covering Richard's poor youth that including racism and poverty.  He was also involved in fighting.  He had almost no awareness of tennis when he saw a news item about a woman (from Romania) winning $40,000 in a tournament.  Venus and Serena were not yet born, but he became obsessed with the idea of making them international tennis stars.  Richard's strategy was more than just practicing the game itself, but required school discipline and encouraging them to earn money on their own.

These are just a few highlights not really conveying the struggles involved.  Some better known people are included like Taylor Swift, Norman Lear and Dick Fosbury.  A few lesser known others have contributed to society against odds.  A reader will find lots of inspiration and perhaps an openness to other people who have innovative ideas that might seem a little off the wall. 

Another interesting book by Terry O'Reilly was "My Best Mistake".  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/06/my-best-mistake.html

The Lake Triology from Slovenia

 One idea behind watching foreign films is to see something different and to also appreciate the similarities.  When I grew up Slovenia was unheard of as it was part of Yugoslavia.  After Tito died the several ethnic groups fought for their own independent state.  Most of us became conscious of constant fighting.

Now Slovenia is making its mark in the world.  One of my newspaper carriers was from there.  The most famous name for me is Luka Doncic.  Now I am becoming conscious there is more to the country.  "The Lake Triology" ("Jezero")  is a television series about detectives chasing murderers.  A familiar theme for us English speaking entertainment seekers.

To be honest the DVD layout didn't match the IMDB writeup.  The DVD title was "The Lake Triology" and came with three discs.  Over the three discs with 11 episodes.  Checking out IMDB cast and crew it seemed to be based on 6 episodes.  It now seems the grouped three stories, but didn't spread them evenly over the 3 discs.   It is really three stories and they are linked.

From a few episodes I became aware of a mountainous  country with scenic lakes.  They seem sophisticated enough, compared to our more familiar detectives.  Perhaps to get our attention they seem open about sex and nudity and of course there is female detective who is as smart as any male. 

In the second story there is a switch,  Tina is now Taras' boss and we learn she has a live in boyfriend.  In the third story Taras has left the police and is now a private detective.

This is an engaging and good quality product.  In the expectation of learning future connections here are some of the people who contributed.

Tadej Golob  wrote the novel for the stories and helped write the script.  He has 2 writing credits.

Matevez Luzar was a director and writer.  He has 8 directing credits, 12 for writing and 2 for acting.

Davor Herceg was the composer.  He has 28 composing credits and 1 for soundtrack.

Milos Srdic was the cinematographer.  He has 48 cinematography credits, 3 for producing and 2 for the camera and electrical department.

Ivana Fumic was the editor.  He has 53 editor credits, 1 for assistant director and 1 for script and continuity.

Sebastian Cavazza played Taras the main detective.  He has 77 acting credits including for "The Lion King" (2019).

Nika Rozman played Tina, the new detective.  She got her start in theatre.  She has been a popular host for a children's program.  Nika was a founder for the Screen Actors Guild of Slovenia.  She has 23 acting credits.

Gaja Filac played the daughter Monica.  She has 15 acting credits including several episodes on a British mini series, "Love, Lies and Record" ( 2017).

Jani Zombari played a police officer.  He has 14 acting credits, plus 3 for assistant director and 2 for stunts including "No Time To Die" (2021).

Andrei Lenart played another police officer.  He has 48 acting credits and 1 for stunts including "Hotel Portofino" (2024).

The world is expanding and you will find lots of foreign films engaging and entertaining.  I picked the DVD from my local library.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen. They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally I found them worthy of my time. If you follow the links you should be able to determine if a particular film is worth following up.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

The title was known, but it took a suggestion from Charity Norman Facebook friend and author from New Zealand for me to make a closer look.  I knew nothing of the author, except she was considered a role model.

She certainly had a life far removed from my experience.  Takes from early age when her mother left her with a grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas, a small southern town during the Depression all the way to 16 in Oakland, California and a life changing event, a birth.

After my first two paragraphs I took a foray to a Wikipedia biography.  She had a life full of writing, acting, dancing, singing and civil rights.  She lived in a variety of places in America, but also Africa and met a lot of interesting and historical figures.  She read a poem at Bill Clinton's inauguaration.  She was later honored by Barrack Obama.

She published "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" in 1969 and was recognized for her uniqueness in writing.  The book encountered criticism and was removed from some shelves.  It was very candid about black discrimination and sex.

A pivotal event happened at age 8; she was raped by her mother's boyfriend while living in St. Louis, Missouri..  She told her mother and testified against the man in court.  He was jailed for one day, but shortly after was beaten to death, likely by her uncles.  This experience rendered her with guilt and she was mute for about five years.  A teacher helped steer her to reading where she said her first hero was the white William Shakespeare.  She developed an interest in poetry.  

She went with her mother to Oakland California.  At a young age she had a fair share of adventure, such as a trip to Mexico with her mother's new boyfriend and drove a car with very little instruction.  She fancied the life of a street car conductor and persisted  until she became San Francisco's first black conductor.  Like many young girls she had a curiosity about sex worrying about her late physical development and wondering if she was a lesbian.  She approached a barely known boy and invited him to have sex with her.  The one time experiment led to pregnancy.  Her mother and her boyfriend were accepting and helped her get adjusted.  That is where the story ends.

There was something about her that enabled her to digest a variety of experiences and move forward.  There were a number of pivotal people, perhaps starting with her parents who had a tumultuous marriage, her grandmother, her brother Bailey a teacher in Stamps and at least two of her mother's boyfriends.  Moving between St. Louis, Stamps and Oakland would naturally give a different perspective on life styles.  In my life the contrast between living in an industrial city and a rural tourist area changed my view of life.  My views on the rural-urban divide, http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/10/the-rural-urban-divide.html 

Most of her early life she was among black people even avoiding whites.  Whites seemed arrogant and expecting blacks to be deferential.  Moving to bigger cities she could detect blacks who had been living in southern areas.  From California she briefly was aware of the Japanese and then they disappeared (during World War II).  She also encountered Mexicans, who seemed more relaxed and learning a little Spanish.   In the book she uses the term "negro"  whereas we would say "black" or "African American," not because she was ignorant, but because it reflected the atmosphere of the time.

It sort of snuck up on me starting with mostly every day events, but as I read more it seemed every thing built up towards a maturing black woman.  Maya Angelou has had a positive impact for the modern black woman.  Well worth reading.

A Maya Angelou quote suggested by my sister, Rebecca:  "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."

Two Films by Hirokazu Koreeda

Initially learned of and started to watch series "Asura" (2025) and then learned of film"Monster".  A lot of difficulty as my computer was not able to access Monster and finally learned I could catch it at a library computer.

Admired Hirokazu Koreeda for his previous films and thought I would combine coverage of both.  A series does offer more character development and room for more complicated plots.  On the other hand a film can make a definite point in short order.

Asura was an 8 part series that had been adapted from earlier Korean versions.   The really key part is how 4 adult sisters with different situations got along.  At times one could detect jealousy, but at others they would support each other.

The second youngest, Takiki hires a detective to follow her father and learns he has another family including a son.  The sisters aren't sure how to handle it, not wanting to upset their mother and ideally stop the relationship.  Takiki was thought of as too plain looking and too stiff to ever get married or even have much of a relationship with a man.  She herself  had given up hope of ever getting married, but the detective likes her, a lot.  He is a decent enough fellow who later confesses to the father that he was the one who spied on him.

Another development was the youngest and most attractive sister, lives with a boxer who has some initial success, but boxing is a dangerous game.

There are complications.  The sisters don't always see eye to eye on how to handle their father and even become more aware of the other woman and her son.  The father sees nothing wrong with his arrangement having two families.  Enough said.

 Hirokazu Koreeda is the link between these two films.  He is the director, writer and editor for both films.  He has 35 credits as director,  20 as a writer and 18 as editor including "Like Father, Like Son" (2013), "Our Little Sister" (2015), "The Third Murder" (2017), "Shoplifters" (2018) and "Broker" (2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/07/broker-japanese-korean-collaboration.html

Hajiri Taguchi was the producer for both films.  He has 31 producer credits including "Still Walking" (2008) Like Father, Like Son" (2013), "Our Little Sister" (2015), "The Third Murder" (2017), "Shoplifters" (2018).

Miyuki Fukuma was a producer for "Asura".  He has 6 producer credits and 3 for additional crew including "Still Walking" (2008), "The Third Murder" (2017) and "Broker" ( 2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/07/broker-japanese-korean-collaboration.html

Yu Aoi played Takiki.  She has 93 acting credits including"Hula Girls" (2006).

Rie Miyazawa played Tsunako.  She once posed in the nude and consequently was dropped by her studio and had to find another studio.  She has 65 acting credits.

Michiko Ono played Makita.  She has 117 acting credits including "Like Father, Like Son" (2013) and "Light of my Lion" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/12/light-of-my-lion.html

Suzu Hirose played Sakito.  She has 51 acting credits and 3 for soundtrack including, "Our Little Sister" (2015), "The Third Murder" (2017) and "Who Saw the Peacock Dance in the Jungle?" (2025). See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/03/who-saw-peacock-dance-in-jungle.html  That is her on the poster

Jun Kunimura played the father.  He has 232 acting credits including "Kill Bill: Vol 1" (2003), "The Wailing" (2016), "Japan Sinks:  People of Hope" (2021) and "The Boy and the Heron" (2023).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/12/japan-sinks-people-of-hope-emigration.html

Masahiro Motoki played Takao, the husband of Tsunako.  He has 59 acting credits.  He had to learn to play the cello to play the lead in the foreign film Oscar winner, "Departures" (2009).

"Monster" used flashbacks to point out there is more than one side to any event.  The director stated that all the characters were like prisoners.  A young boy exhibits strange behavior.  His mother goes to the school as she believes one teacher had used violence and insults against her son.  She meets with the principle, other teachers and the teacher Hori.  All are apologetic, but don't seem willing to do more than promise the incidents will not be repeated.  She is not satisfied.

Nothing is quite the total truth when you first experience an event.  Through the flashbacks we are given some background of the teacher, the principle and the other teachers.  We also view a friend of Minato, Yuri and learn more of the background of the two boys.  One phrase that comes to mind is "don't judge the book by the cover."

Ryuici Sakamoto was the composer who died shortly after this film and had it dedicated to him.  Born in Japan he did much of his composing in America.  He had provided some music for the Opening Ceremonies for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.  He had 124 composing credits, 44 for the music department and 22 for acting including "The Last Emperor" (1987) which won an Oscar for him, "Wuthering Heights" (1992), "The Revenant" (2015) and "Call Me By Your Name" (2017).   

 Soya Kurokawa played Minata, the lead.  Despite his youth he has 13 acting credits.

 Sukura Ando played Minata's mother.  Her great grandfather had been the Japanese Prime Minister Tsyohi).  She has 74 acting credits including "Shoplifters" (2018).

Eta Nagayama played Hori, the teacher.  He has 96 acting credits, 1 for directing and 1 for writing.

Shida Nakaumura played Yuri's father.  He has 107 acting credits and 1 for directing.  One of his films was "Letters from Iwo Jima" (2006), directed by Clint Eastwood.

The films by Hirokazu Koreeda are noted for their understanding of human nature.  "Asura" is on Netflix with subtitles or dubbed.  "Monster" was seen on Hoopla which is free with some library cards.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally I found them worthy of my time.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if a particular film is worth following up.

Romantics Anonymous

 When I started to research for "Romantics Anonymous" (2025) I discovered I had already seen an earlier version, "Romantics Anonymous" (2010), seen over a decade ago.  In truth I don't remember much about the earlier French-Belgian version, but there were some differences. 

The 2010 version was an 80 minute movie while the Japanese version ('Romanchikku Anonimusu") was an 8 part series, giving them the advantage of character development.  The emphasis on the French-Belgian version ("Les emotifs anonymes") was on extreme shyness making it difficult for a couple to break the ice.  The more modern version chose to handicap each of the leading characters with unusual disabilities, one anxious about being touched (but not autistic) and the other anxious about eye contact known as scopophobia.  There is also a parallel romance  that complicated the main couple.

One common denominator is a focus on chocolate.  You will be tempted to taste some chocolates and they are very addictive.  There is a cut throat business angle with everyone wanting a cheap price, good quality and above all a profit.  Another angle is the father-son within the corporate structure.  Many of Sosuke's ideas are dismissed, but he does go beyond his father's wishes.  

By the second and third episodes the two leading actors become aware of each other's vulnerabilities, but each assures the other they will not fall in love.  Hana in fact has a crush on Hiro, a Kendo colleague who happens to be a close friend of Sosuke and oblivious to her.  Because of her scopophobia Hana avoids a lot of attention that comes with eye contact.  Her well regarded mentor, Kenji trained her and encouraged her to present her chocolate creations anonymously, but in effect not part of any company.  She hides her secret, although everyone is envious of her creations she is perceived as a shy nobody .

It takes a talented crew to engage your attention over the series.  Here are a few key ones.

 Sho Tsukikawa was the director.  He has 32 director credits, 10 for writing and 7 as editor.

Yoshikazu Okada was a writer who helped adapt the French/Belgian script.  He has 79 writing credits plus 2 for directing.

Jean-Pierre Ameris was the writer for the original "Romantics Anonymous" (2010).  He has 19 writing credits plus 24 for directing and one for producing including "L'homme qui rit"(2012).

 

 

 

 

 

Dalpalan was the composer.  He has 27 composing credits and 4 for the music department including "The Good the Bad the Weird" (2008), "The Thieves" (2012), "For the Emperor" (2014), "Assassination" (2015), "The Wailing" (2016), "My Name is Loh Kinan" (2024) and "Killer Paradox" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/03/a-killer-paradox.html

 Kosuke Yamada was the cinematographer.  He has 24 cinematography credits and 4 for the camera and electrical department including "Beyond Goodbye" (2024).

Jinmo Yang was the editor.  He was educated in the United States.  He has 28 editor credits, 11 for the editorial department and 2 for visual effects including "Snowpiercer" (2013), "The Beauty Inside" (2015), "Train to Busan" (2016), "Okja" (2017), "Parasite" (2019) and "Mickey 17" (2015).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/09/parasite-breaks-oscar-tradition.html

Syd Lim was the executive producer.  He has 24 producer rests, plus 1 for acting and another for additional crew including "Oldboy" (2003), "The Beauty Inside" (2015) and "The Handmaiden" (2016).

Shun Oguri played Sosuke.  He has 137 acting credits, 1 for directing and 1 for writing including "Japan Sinks: People of Hope" (2021).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/12/japan-sinks-people-of-hope-emigration.html

 Han Hyo-joo played Hana Lee and is Korean.  She has 35 acting credits plus 1 for composing and 1 for soundtrack including "The Beauty Inside" (2015).

Jin Akanishi, played Hiro, close friend to Sosuke, a Kendo trainee and a jazz musician.  In reality he was a well established singer and song writer.  He has 24 acting credits and 1 for the music department and 2 for soundtrack including the Hollywood version of "47 Ronin" (2013).

Yuri Nakamura played Irene and on and off romantic interest for Hiro.  She has 135 acting credits including "Like Father, Like Son" (2013).

You might be put off by the initial demonstrations of the two leading characters' mental afflictions, but it does not become cartoonish and eventually you will feel a little of the anxiety caused by the sensitivities.  It is a typical enjoyable romance, with misunderstandings and a happy ending.  Available on Netflix with subtitles or dubbing.  If you like chocolates you will find that part of the film of interest.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally I found them worthy of my time.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if a particular film is worth following up.

Who Killed the Montreal Expos?

 "Who Killed the Monteal Expos?" has hit a nerve.  Although basketball has been my favorite sport since high school I was definitely a baseball fan.  During the players' strike 1994 the decision was made to sell the Expos to American interests.  At the time they were leading the majors.  The good players were traded or sold with little value in return.  In 2004 the team was sold to interests in Washington, D.C.

I felt betrayed.  I switched my interests to other sports and now basketball, my favorite was getting more accessible on tv and even in person. 

Montreal had a baseball history.  Jackie Robinson played there on a farm club as well as other blacks.  It was not the smallest market and did much of the time have good attendance.

The bottom line was money.  The documentary names names, but the truth is if more (a lot more) money had been available Montreal would likely still have the Expos.  By the 1980's player salaries had started to escalate and to make it worse that money was in American currency while revenues were in Canadian dollars which were declining in value.  Quebec politics drove out many anglophones who had been a significant portion of the fans.  There were no billionaires in Quebec and attempts to consolidate lesser fortunes started to fail.  

Near the end circumstances had conspired to make broadcast revenues shrink.  In one year TSN offered the Expos $5,000 per game while offering the Toronto Blue Jays $200,000 per game.  French broadcast rights were also difficult, yet vital for future success.

In 1994 the strike led to the season not being completed.  The players had long felt they were not getting their fair share of the money brought in by the fans.  The owners felt that the rising salaries were hurting the poorer teams (like Montreal) affecting the competitiveness needed to draw crowds.  Revenue sharing was seen as one solution, but was resisted by some owners.  Of course they all wanted to keep salaries under control.  As we know they kept growing, helping to freeze out prospective  Quebec and Canadian owners.

In addition to interviews in French and English with business people there were many conversations with former players, a few in French, notably Felipe Alou and the senior Vladimir Guerrero.  Alou who went on to being a successful and popular manager put his children into French schools.  One fan recalled that when she gave birth she had insisted a tv. would be put in the room so she could watch an Expos game.  

In my research I was reminded of some players.  Rusty Staub was an early star and with his reddish hair was nicknamed "Le Grand Orange."  He endeared himself to fans by learning French.  The Expos had 9 former players get elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Olympic Stadium had become a liability.  Parts of the building had collapsed and players were reluctant to play there for the poor playing conditions.  A new stadium was identified as a necessity, but gathering funds was very difficult.  Most American teams were able to get money from government, but Premier Lucian Bouchard was quoted as saying Quebec was closing hospitals and could therefore not open stadiums.

Jeffrey Loria and has stepson, David Samson are pointed as the main villains by some.  They had good intentions at the beginning in 1999, but felt frustrated with all the mostly money squabbles.  When Jeffrey sold the Expos that became the Washington Nationals he used the money to invest in the Miami Marlins taking all the Expo resources he could, including one computer an interviewee pointed out.

Here in Blue Jays territory Vladimir Guerrro, Jr. is a big star and it is nice to realize his father was a big star for the Expos.

Jean-Francois Poisson was the director of the film,  His experience has been mostly with documentaries in the Quebec market.  He has 14 directing credits, 11 for writing and 3 as editor.  Check out "Who Killed the Montreal Expos" on Netflix--subtitled for the French, but it is mostly in English.

I better understand the situation, but it also reinforces my feeling that money is the power that (mostly) guides our lives.  Just enjoy what you can with what access you have. 

There is interest in getting baseball back to Montreal.  Surprisingly considering many critical details it was stated in the credits that film was done "with the participation of Major League Baseball.  There undoubtedly will be a lot of competition.  

I already loved basketball, but the failure of the Montreal Expos played a part in my sports priorities.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/06/my-60-year-love-affair-with-basketball.html