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Today we're going to dispel the myth of chaos in the Democratic ranks. This is a really popular one, because everybody knows that the conservative movement has spent 40 years building a network of think tanks, foundations, funding, and so on. Progressives can't compare. Wring your hands.

This apocalyptic vision fails to take into account the utility of the Internet, which makes a huge difference when you're trying to build a movement. Thankfully, someone figured this out. Make no mistake: Howard Dean will be as responsible for a Kerry victory as anyone.

So what's it look like in the field? I turn you over to Harold Meyerson, who says "Those liberal organizations that already knew how to do politics -- the AFL-CIO, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and a few others -- are doing it better than they have before. Those liberal groups that stayed aloof from elections or phumphered ineffectually are now playing the game like seasoned pros."

He goes on to talk about the organizational umbrella provided by America Votes. I hadn't been paying attention to those guys, and clearly I should have been -- their membership list is startlingly comprehensive. As Meyerson says, this is a new high water mark for left-wing unity.

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I overheard the best conversation ever at my comic book store today. Two teenage girls were sitting around provoking the guy who runs the place, who was sitting around being amused. Teenager one picks up a copy of Transmetropolitan.

"Hey," she says, "Is this guy a metrosexual?" She's pointing at the cover, which is of course Spider Jerusalem.

"No," says the comic book guy. "He's completely not metrosexual."

"Then why is he carrying a man bag?"

"He keeps his laptop in it. He's a journalist!"

"Mmm," says teenager two. "Then he should carry a laptop bag or a briefcase or something. That's a man bag. He's a metrosexual."

"Yeah," says teenager one. "And what's with him not wearing a shirt?"

"He's got tattoos," says the guy. "He's got a right to show 'em off."

"Yeah, well, he should take off the jacket, then. Instead of being some metrosexual Rico Suave."

So there you have it. Spider Jerusalem, underground journalist and metrosexual Rico Suave.

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I've been intrigued by Ryuhei Kitamura's Azumi since I saw the trailer back at FanTasia. I finally found a Korean DVD with English subtitles, and now I have watched it, and I am replete with satisfaction. More or less.

For the first hour or so, you could mistake Azumi for a fairly serious chambara piece. There's cool action and swordplay and while your typical chambara movie does not star a teenage girl, the plot -- ninjas must kill the warlords who threaten the Tokugawa Shogunate -- is pretty straightforward. There are certainly some oddball characters, but the main thrust of the movie is your basic warriors wandering the land, facing the occasional moral crisis and fighting for what will hopefully prove to be justice.

Once Bijomaru shows up, though, the movie is freed from convention. He's a poetic bishonen killer who lives for violence, waltzing through the movie in pure white robes; his sword has no hand guard, because he has never needed to block an opponent's blow. High camp. In fact, it started to remind me of Cutie Honey. Azumi is an adaptation of a manga, and like Cutie Honey it is unabashedly over the top (although not half as, well, cute).

All in all, it gave me what I want out of an action movie. The only real quibble I had was that the swordplay wasn't top-notch. It was OK, and it was well choreographed, particularly in Azumi's last battle when she cuts loose against an entire town. I really liked the way she kept moving to minimize the number of people attacking her at once. I also liked the way every sword was treated as deadly; this isn't a kung-fu movie where people take a lot of damage, it's a chambara movie where one cut with a sword brings death. However, few of the actors were quick enough to make me totally believe in their martial arts ability.

Kitamura's hyperkinetic camerawork made up for a lot, though. He compensated for any lack of fluidity on the part of the actors with elegant snappy cuts. I tend to expect quick cuts to detract from fight scenes, because you lose track of what's going on. Kitamura's cuts flow with the scene, punctuating the action rather than chopping it to pieces. His visual sense is very much on target.

So in the final analysis, it's a thumbs up. Particularly if you're fond of female action heroes with great costumes.