Moving Pictures

(Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)

By S.T. VanAirsdale

I'm not a very political guy, and I generally keep my views to myself. That said, the news of Benazir Bhutto's murder has eaten at me for much of the last 24 hours. Obviously it's anything but a purely political story; October's Bhutto assassination attempt and the resulting tumult in Pakistan bummed me out for its individual implications as well as its sobering reminder that nobody's in control of a country playing host to both al-Qaeda and an arsenal of nuclear weapons. In any event, this is a blog about movies; the impending apocalypse is topical only in so far as the authenticity of its depiction in I Am Legend. Or something.

Anyway, I can't help but point you to The NY Times slideshow of John Moore's photos from Thursday's rally, shooting and eventual suicide bombing in Rawalpindi. There is something extraordinarily cinematic about the images and their succession; the picture at right haunts me -- literally moves me at what feels like light speed -- more than any news video, raw footage or commentary I've seen or heard from the tragedy. I don't know what else to say, really. Anguish speaks for itself.

Posted at December 28, 2007 10:11 AM