Last posts on film

Jewish intellectualism lives

2008-09-22T02:55:00+02:00

From the Fall 2008 issue of the Nextbook Reader, on Israeli-American-German filmmaker Omer Fast's Spielberg's List:

"The beginning of the film seems like just so much more Holocaust testimony: first-person descriptions of the camps, the smokestacks, the dogs, the hunger, the widely plumbed range of Nazi inhumanity. One might watch this testimony with the same measures of sadness and respect and anger and exhaustion with which most Holocaust testimony, at this point, is taken."But the film starts to breed some strange incongruities ... The interviewees, it begins to become clear, aren't talking about their experiences in the camps themselves but about their experiences as extras in the film Schindler's List...."Where the woman in Poland had actually been at a fake place, the medic in Jerusalem seemed to have been absent from something real: His participation in a real event was a far less emotional experience than her participation in a staged one."

Also some interesting stuff on dybbuks and women, the "Jewess" and Obama hate this month.

Ask The Photo Experts Landscapes

2008-08-04T09:51:49+02:00

Dear Photo Experts,I travel quite a bit, and love to take pictures of landmarks and other landscapes. I have a good digital camera with 6 MP, but my pictures never come out looking anything like the postcards of the same landmarks. They just look flat, or something. What can I do to make better landscape pictures?Picture CrazyAloha Picture Crazy!You say you have a good camera, and 6 MP is plenty enough resolution of capture to make really beautiful photographs of anything! But the size of capture isn’t the only criteria to determining the quality of cameras. If your camera is an SLR, which means you view through the actual picture-taking lens to frame your shot, that’s better. And if you have the option of shooting on ‘Manual’, where you control the shutter speed and aperture, even better yet!Even if your camera is an all automatic, point-and-shoot, there are still things you can do to improve your landscape pictures. One of the easiest and more dramatic improvements you can make is to add a Polarizing Filter to the camera lens. These filters greatly reduce UV rays and increase the contrast and color saturation of your images. Especially in the sky and water.Another huge improvement can be effected with the addition of a sturdy tripod to hold your camera. A good tripod is invaluable, particularly when shooting in the very early morning, or late afternoon, and especially if you add a Polarizing Filter, which in addition to adding contrast and saturation, blocks some light. In lower light situations your camera will need a longer shutter speed, and without a tripod to hold your camera very still, you can tend to get a blurred photograph.Which brings us to the time of day that is best to photograph landscapes. What time of day is that? That depends on a number of factors. From where you want to take a picture, what is the path of the sun? What time is the sun at the point in the sky where the landscape is illuminated, but there are also shadows which add definition and contrast to the scene? That is the best time to make a landscape photograph. So, as in many things, timing is crucial in making a great photograph.Three things you can do to improve your landscape photographs are 1) Use a Polarizing Filter, 2) Put your camera on a sturdy tripod, and 3) Time your picture taking so the sun is illuminating the landscape well, but also creating shadows that add depth and contrast.About the author: Stan P. Cox II runs a Portrait and Commercial photography studio in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has been a professional Hawaii photographer for 31 years. His web address is: http://www.ParamountPhotography.com This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

BergmanFest!: Winter Light

2008-03-05T21:59:18+01:00

I've uploaded another PDF file for anyone to use, a backgrounder for Winter Light (1962), the third in the BergmanFest! series I'm hosting now.

BergmanFest!: Wild Strawberries

2008-02-24T02:50:28+01:00

I've uploaded two PDF files for anyone to use, an Ingmar Bergman backgrounder and a backgrounder for Wild Strawberries (1957), the first in the BergmanFest! series I'm hosting this coming month.

Cloverfield

2008-01-22T14:05:37+01:00

Excellent movie. Equal parts Godzilla, Lovecraft, Half-Life, and Youtube, all by the producer of LOST. Neat set-up, then terrifying monster chase.

Hopefully the sequel is of the same night, but from the military's point of view.

Bergman Fest

2007-10-19T13:15:00+02:00

(Don't those words just seem made for each other? :-))

So, I am planning a Bergman film festival in January, the bleakest month I could find in the northern hemisphere. Four weeks, four austere downers, from lightest to darkest.

My plan is to show these films in the order recorded below. I'm posting this here now so that anyone with suggestions for different films, different order, food and drink to serve each time, etc., will be in touch. Re food, my thinking is black and white food, with perhaps strawberries for the first film, and chocolate hob nobs when I show the spoof film at the end ... did you know there is also a wine called Hob Nob? I have a bottle of the Pinot Noir in my house now.

The four films tentatively scheduled are two from a supposed trilogy (Bergman both confirmed and denied, at various times, that "The Silence" was meant to be part of the trilogy; it doesn't feel like it is to me, so I am not including it in this series) and two others, perhaps less well known than Persona, Fanny and Alexander, and The Seventh Seal. All are in Swedish, with subtitles.

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>> Smultronstället -- WILD STRAWBERRIES (1957), 91 minutes, B&W

Synopsis: (A somewhat uneven and overly symbolic film, but the warmest and lightest of the series!) "Explores the disillusionment of an elderly physician, Professor Isak Borg, as he reflects upon his life and begins to perceive his mortality. As he travels to Lund to receive an honorary award after 50 years of medical practice, he finds himself repeatedly affected by intrusive dreams and hallucinations that expose his darkest fears. He slowly comes to realize that the choices he made in the past have created a cold and empty life, devoid of real meaning or value. Finally, he achieves redemption and reintegration through forgiveness and the love of his family." http://www.bergmanorama.com/films/wild_strawberries.htm

Excerpt: "[I]f I should be asked to express an opinion about someone else, I would be considerably more cautious. There is the greatest danger in passing such judgment. In all probability one is guilty of errors, exaggerations, even tremendous lies. Rather than commit such follies, I remain silent. As a result, I have of my own free will withdrawn almost completely from society, because one's relationship with other people consists mainly of discussing and evaluating one's neighbor's conduct. Therefore I have found myself rather alone in my old age. This is not a regret but a statement of fact."

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>> Såsom i en spegel -- THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY (1961), first in the trilogy, sometimes seen as depicting "conquered certainty." 89 minutes, B&W.

Synopsis: "A young woman, Karin, has recently returned to the family island after spending some time in a mental hospital. On the island with her is her lonely brother and her kind, but increasingly desperate, husband. They are joined by Karin's father, who is a world-traveling author estranged from his children. The film depicts how Karin's grip on reality slowly slips away and how the bonds between the family members are changing in light of this fact." http://www.bergmanorama.com/films/through_a_glass_darkly.htm

Bergman on Through A Glass Darkly: "The epilogue has, with some justification, been criticized for being loosely tacked onto the end. In this scene between David and Minus, the boy's final line is 'Daddy spoke to me!' I suppose that was written out of my need to be didactic. Perhaps I put it there in order to say something that had not yet been said; I don't know. I feel ill at ease when confronted with the epilogue today. Throughout the film runs a false tone, hardly detectable to others, which may account for the scene." -- Ingmar Bergman, Images: My Life in Film

"Through a Glass Darkly I feel has a serious element of escapism and gross unveracity about it. A sort of desperate desire for security. An attempt to present a solution. A sort of weariness at always arriving at the question and never getting an answer. "

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>> Nattvardsgästerna - WINTER LIGHT (1962), second in the trilogy, sometimes seen as depicting "penetrated certainty." 81 minutes, B&W. (My favourite Bergman film.)

Synopsis/review: "The middle part of Bergman's trilogy about God's silence, ... and the most austere. Winter Light focuses on a small group of parishioners found at the beginning of the film attending Holy Communion. The village pastor is realizing he has become an atheist since his wife's death. His faith is further tested by an offer of marriage from a school-teacher tortured with eczema, and the solace demanded by a man suicidally depressed by the threat of nuclear war. The pastor fails on both counts, and Bergman gives us an ambiguous ending back in the church service -- what he himself called 'certainty unmasked.' Never a comfortable film, it's finely acted by a familiar Bergman ensemble, and the awesomely cold vistas form a perfect counterpoint to the spiritual freeze." http://www.bergmanorama.com/films/winter_light.htm

Bergman on Winter Light: Bergman told an interviewer in 1964: "I made Winter Light because I really wanted to, and I made it with no concessions to the public. I know it's a difficult film but I think that at last I came close to the truth concerning the spiritual crisis I had been striving for years to describe."

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>> Viskningar och rop - CRIES AND WHISPERS (1972), 91 minutes

Review: "Ingmar Bergman's magnificent, moving and very mysterious new film, Cries and Whispers...[has] a focus so sharp that it seems to have the clarity of something seen through the medium of fever. Every sense has been heightened to a supernatural degree. Fears, wishes and suspicions never spoken occasionally rustle through the house like wind. We can even hear the newly dead talk, distantly and somewhat reproachfully, mindless of the rapidity with which physical decay sets in....[ Cries and Whispers] is not an easy film to describe or to endure. It stands alone and it reduces almost everything else you're likely to see this season to the size of a small cinder."

Synopsis here: http://www.bergmanorama.com/films/cries_and_whispers.htm

Commentary: "Although all the characters in Cries and Whispers have different and very well delineated personalities, they all share a profound agony. In a sense, Cries and Whispers is a film about pain, either emotional or physical, [and it] offers a bleak and depressing portrayal of pain, as all the characters are unable to find any relief from the pain through either medicine or religion. This does not come as a complete surprise. After all, religion's failure to comfort a tormented soul is a theme that dominates Bergman's oeuvre." Marco Lanzagorta, commentary on Cries and Whispers at Scenes of Cinema

"Within the context of the narrative, cries are related to emotional conditions such as pain, anguish, impotency, loneliness, guilt and suffocation. In contrast, whispers are associated with feelings of tenderness, tolerance, love and compassion. All the characters in Cries and Whispers appear to be trapped in a complex web of emotions, unsure if they want to cry or to whisper at any given time, as if they were being torn apart by their conflicting feelings." -- Lanzagorta

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My plan is to follow all of this with the hilarious 7-minute-long French & Saunders spoof of several of Bergman's films (including Persona, The Seventh Seal, and Through a Glass Darkly). (My version doesn't have French subtitles like this YouTube video.)

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Bergman quotes:

"Earlier I played the guardian....My fictional people were not left alone; I interfered with their actions and their destinies. Since Through a Glass Darkly I can let them live their own lives." -- Ingmar Bergman, Dagens nyheter (1962)

"The salvation-damnation issue [portrayed in Bergman's early film and theater work], for me, was never political. It was religious. For me, in those days, the great question was: Does God exist? Or doesn't God exist? Can we, by an attitude of faith, attain to a sense of community and a better world? Or, if God doesn't exist, what do we do then? What does our world look like then?" -- Bergman, Bergman on Bergman: Interviews with Ingmar Bergman by Stig Bjorkman, Torsten Manns and Jonas Sima, 1970

"Our very nature, qua human beings, is that inside us we always carry around destructive tendencies, conscious or unconscious, aimed both at ourselves and at the outside world. ... Unmotivated cruelty is something which never ceases to fascinate me; and I'd very much like to know the reason for it. Its source is obscure and I'd very much like to get at it." -- Bergman on Bergman

"Isn't it a fact that children are always feeling deeply humiliated in their relations with grown-ups and each other? I have a feeling children spend a good deal of their time humiliating one another. Our whole education is just one long humiliation, and it was even more so when I was a child. One of the wounds I've found hardest to bear in my adult life has been the fear of humiliation, and the sense of being humiliated... To humiliate and be humiliated, I think, is a crucial element in our whole social structure." -- Bergman on Bergman

"Well, we're grasping for two things at once. Partly for communion with others -- that's the deepest instinct in us. And partly, we're seeking security. By constant communion with others we hope we shall be able to accept the horrible fact of our total solitude. We're always reaching out for new projects, new structure, new systems in order to abolish -- partly or wholly -- our insight into our loneliness. If it weren't so, religious systems would never arise." -- Bergman on Bergman

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Bergman Resources:

The Religious Affiliation of Director Ingmar Bergman

The Influence of Foreign Films by Dr. Charles Frost, Middle Tennessee State University (scroll down)

Ingmar Bergman, in Memory by Roger Ebert

NYT obituary, 30 July 2007

Bergman at Wikipedia

Roger Ebert on Cries and Whispers

Winter Light: Film Notes

Derek Malcolm on Wild Strawberries, in The Guardian

Branagh's ”As You Like It”

2007-08-26T14:00:00+02:00

My thoughts on the Branagh/HBO "As You Like It":- The one truly interesting decision Branagh made here was to have Rosalind not even try to disguise herself. The Boston Herald's generally negative review did not pick up on this; early on, when she and Orlando speak, and she asks Orlando to call her Rosalind, it's apparent that he knows that she's Rosalind and that she knows that her "disguise" is hardly a disguise at all. - Bryce Dallas Howard's eyes are creepy. (And they flit around too much during close-ups.)- Was Charles the Sumo Wrestler the only reason why Branagh decided to set this film in 19th century Japan?

Contrary to Popular Belief/Opinion, I Have Never Had a Schoolgirl Crush on Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

2007-08-22T18:50:00+02:00

Hamlet's no prince. When the country he's supposed to inherit is in trouble, he goes away to school. After his father is murdered, he reads books and stages performances (his own "antic disposition" and The Mousetrap) instead of bravely avenging the murder, addressing Claudius' crime and perhaps even Gertrude's complicity. His "performance," unlike Hieronomo's in The Spanish Tragedy, doesn't do anything. (I fear that my blog is often more empiricist than I am.)In his asking "should I kill myself?" instead of "should I face Claudius and take my place on the throne?," Hamlet's rather ... annoying. Michael Almereyda's Hamlet is one of my favorite adaptations because Almereyda and Ethan Hawke play this annoyingness well: Hamlet's a film student who should stand up for his father, but all he can do is make films about his own life, his own situation.The translation from stage to film -- on both levels -- captures the total failure of "The Mousetrap." The "to be or not to be" soliloquy is recited in the action section of a Blockbuster store; instead of drawing from these films the inspiration to act, Hamlet thinks about his own life and death. Courtney Lehmann's Shakespeare Remains, which supplies a (fairly) good model for working media theory on Shakespeare without overlooking the historical conditions of Early Modern play and book production, calls the Almereyda/Hawke Hamlet's filmmaking a "search for a new technology of representation" (95). For those interested in a psychoanalytic/"hauntological" reading of the film, Lehmann's chapter on this film is worth a read. I won't get into my specific critiques of her reading, though, because that's dissertation/article material, which will not appear here. This is more of a venue for arguments like "damn, Hamlet's annoying." Remember!

Film Noir Quotes

2007-08-14T21:30:00+02:00

Writer and crime novel reviewer Sarah Weinman is soliciting favourite film noir quotes as a tribute to the genre. A couple gems, both from The Way of the Gun, from the comments on her blog:

"Karma's justice without the satisfaction. I don't believe in justice."

"So, you the brains of this outfit, or is he?"

"Tell ya the truth, I don't think this is a brains kind of operation."

Festivals and Picnics

2007-08-14T19:50:00+02:00

I saw the film 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama yesterday. It was, as the advertising said, part travelogue, part biography, part politics (primarily between China and Tibet), and partly these questions and answers for the Dalai Lama, the supposed reincarnation of the Buddha, although this Dalai Lama (the 14th reincarnation, Tenzin Gyatso) contends that he is just a regular guy and not divine.

I went to the film thinking that the DL's responses to the 10 questions would be the highlight, but they were the least interesting part of the film to me. The most intellectually interesting for me was the history of China's occupation of Tibet and the brief biography of the Dalai Lama himself. The most sensorily interesting was the landscape of both Tibet and Dharamsala (India), which is the home of the Tibetan government in exile and therefore the DL's home; it reminded me of the mountainous terrain of Into Great Silence, except that the Indian and Tibetan landscape is like a de-nuded version. The most affecting aspect of the film was the light-hearted, rather child-like quality of the Dalai Lama.

The questions and answers were these (as best I can recall, and not in order):

* How can we be non-violent in the face of violence?

Actually, it's OK to hit someone who is hitting you. Violence in the cause of self-defense is OK, because otherwise how would you live to get your point across another day? (Yes, he said this.) But don't destroy your foe, because in our interconnected world, to destroy the other is to destroy the self. Doing harm to so-called enemies ends up harming us. Killing others is "out of date" (that seemed to be a code phrase for "bad" in several instances, and it seemed laughable in this instance -- was it ever really timely?)

* Why do the poor seem happier than the rich?

They have less to worry about, less to have to hold on to and protect. The rich want more and more and are never satisfied. (Filmmaker Rick Ray seems to base his assumption that the poor are happier simply on his observation that they smile more, and more widely, than the rich.)

* Is there hope for peace in the Middle East?

Yes -- they should all have more festivals and picnics, get to know each other, and then try to talk about the hard stuff. Later, the DL's personal secretary commented that the DL himself doesn't enjoy festivals and such, although the Tibetans have a lot of them and he attends many. This interested me, because I also have a (vague) belief that fun public events are a good way to build community, and yet I don't like them myself. In the DL's case, his distaste may come from his always being the centre of these celebrations, having a leadership role and all the expectations that come with that.

* Should we engage China?

Absolutely. The DL doesn't advocate boycotting products from China but rather engaging with China -- not only in terms of commerce, but more importantly, in terms of democracy. The film explains that the young DL trusted the Chinese at first, to bring desirable modernisation and technlology to Tibet while leaving Tibet's customs and tradition alone. He believed that until Mao leaned over and whispered in the DL's ear that "religion is poison" and must be expunged from a society. Even afterwards (and perhaps still), the DL wrote lots of letters to the Chinese leaders, not willing to disengage even with a government that has exiled him and many others, that massacred his people, that's turned Ladakh into a tacky Chinese tourist town complete with spy cameras and military police in monks' clothing, that tortures and executes those who don't follow the party line.

The DL will tolerate no violence against the Chinese in his name, and he has spent time counseling monks who have been tortured by the Chinese and who no longer believe that peace works, to persuade them that violence doesn't work, either. Violence, the DL says, is powerful in the short-term, but in the long-term, it's Truth that wields the true power.

Although the film does rather paint the Chinese as evil to the core and the Tibetans as hapless victims (endlessly swinging their hand-held prayer wheels), the DL at least makes a distinction between the Chinese government and the millions of ordinary Chinese, whom he says would welcome democracy.

* Should Tibet's traditions be preserved?

The DL said that some should, such as close family bonds and reverence for sentient life, and some should not, such as the way women have been treated and the caste system (they are "out of date").

* Why do people in the West, who have so much freedom, seem so angry and commit so much crime? (Or something like that ... )

Greed, limitless desire, and lack of self-discipline. Actions and speech are not disciplined, so if we feel 'negative emotions' or strong desires, we express them without considering the consequences to ourselves and others. Self-discipline is needed.

* Will there be another Dalai Lama?

The Tibetans chose a panchen lama, the monk who leads the search for the next dalai lama, but the Chinese have imprisoned him and his family and he has not been heard from in years. The Chinese have chosen their own panchen lama, whom they say will chose the next (Chinese-serving) dalai lama. The DL hopes there will be another (true) DL but he said it all depends on the will of the Tibetan people.

* How can you be so tolerant of other religions and faiths?

The DL believes there is good in every religion. He has been to Jerusalem twice, often participates in interfaith services and ceremonies, and has met people of all faiths who seem peaceful.

* Can we save our environment?

He didn't answer that, but he did say that to do so, we have to reduce the population. "Quality is more important than quantity!" the DL exclaimed, and laughed. He noted that Buddhists believe that each human life is precious, but now each life is threatening the life of all humans on Earth.

Obviously, I've forgotten one ...

As Holly Fulgham says in an article on the film, filmaker Rick "Ray does an undeniably fantastic job of showing His Holiness in a genuine light. Little effort is made to convince the audience of his character, and we are left to absorb the smiles, laughter and wisdom he exudes. As the movie shifts gears toward the interview portion, it seems that the questions and answers become irrelevant, and the most important thing to take away is a new attitude." This is how it feels to me, too.

The Dalai Lama comes across as a man who is playful, optimistic, light-hearted, spontaneous, curious, open, steadfast, and slightly weary. The quality of his that most impressed me (though it wasn't evidenced in the film, just remarked on by his close associates) is his quickness to adopt another's opinion or belief the moment it seems correct or right to him. He is said to be very willing to be convinced.

❒ பாலபாரதியின் புகை பகை

2007-07-26T10:40:00+02:00

பாலபாரதி புகையை நிறுத்திய சூட்டோடு புகை எதிர்ப்புப் பிரச்சாரப் படமும் தயாரிக்க ஆரம்பித்து விட்டார். அவர் எடுத்த சினிமாவை காண இங்கே செல்லவும். குறும்படப் போட்டியில் பரிசு பெற்ற பாலாவுக்கும் சாரா. கேசஹி, இன்பாவுக்கும் வாழ்த்துக்கள். போட்டி நடத்திய மலைநாடானுக்கு நன்றி.அடுத்த போட்டியில் நிறைய பேர் பலந்து கொண்டு சிறப்பிக்க வேண்டும்.ஒரு நிமிட குறும்படங்கள்1. எல்லைவரை தொட்டுச் செல்ல -சாரா2. பகை - பாலபாரதி3. சஹாரப்பூக்கள் - கேசஹி4. வீதியில் இசைத்தாலும்- இன்பா

Four-Eyed Monsters/Les monstres à quatre yeux

2007-07-06T10:40:00+02:00

New York. Arin and Susan are young, loveless, and frustrated creatives struggling to cope with the Artist's Way, a market unfriendly to their work, and angst. She's a wannabe artist, he's a wannabe filmmaker. Their meeting is a love affair, an experiment in conceptual art and the making of a 70-minute film that, incredibly, seems to be turning into a historical word-of-mouth independent filmmaking success made over the internet. I ask you, nay, I urge you to find an hour to watch this clever, creative, witty, funny and moving film. When you think of some of the really poor films you have been misled into paying money to see, and then view a video of this quality for free on the internet, you realize there is really something wrong with the system. The flesh-and-blood Arin and Susan have overindebted themselves for real to make this flick, and by visiting their site at http://foureyedmonsters.com/watch/you can join many others helping them erase their debt and raise funds for a next movie. It's simple - you take a free membership with Spout.com, a movie-lovers' website, and Spout gives them a dollar. So far they have accumulated almost 40,000 dollars towards their 100,000 dollar debt. You can also learn more about their new way of sidestepping the filmmaking industry machine, purchase high-quality DVDs of the film, see other independent films they have posted on their site...New York. Arin et Susan sont jeunes, sans amour. Des créatifs frustrés qui lutte avec le Chemin de l'Artiste, avec un marché peu acceuillant pour leur travail, avec l'angst. Elle rêve créer de l'art, il rêve créer des films. Leur rencontre est une affaire d'amour, une expérience d'art conceptuelle, et la fabrication d'un film de 70 minutes qui, incroyablement, a bien l'air de devenir un succès de film indépendent historique, fait par la bouche à l'oreille, et réalisé entièrement à travers l'internet. Quand tu pense à quelques-uns des films vraiment mauvais pour lesquels tu a payé de l'argent comptant au cinéma, et ensuite tu vois une vidéo de cette qualité gracieusement sur le web, tu te rends compte qu'il y a vraiment quelque chose qui va pas avec le système.L'Arin et la Susan en chair et os sont surendettés pour du vrai pour réaliser ce film, et en rendant visite à leur site àhttp://foureyedmonsters.com/watch/vous pouvez vous joindre aux autres qui les aide à effacer leur dette et à trouver les fonds pour un prochain film. C'est facile - vous devenez membre (gratuit) de Spout.com, un site de cinéphiles, et Spout leur donne un dollar. Jusqu'ici ils ont accumulé presque 40.000 dollars contre leur dette de 100.000 dollars. Vous pouvez également apprendre plus concernant leur façon de contourner la machine de l'industrie de film, vous pouvez acheter des DVDs de haute qualité de leur film, voir d'autres films indépendents qu'ils ont chargés sur leur site...

Into Great Silence

2007-07-05T20:03:00+02:00

Last week, I saw the film Into Great Silence, Philip Gröning's depiction of the daily life of Carthusian monks at Grande Chartreuse in the French Alps. The advertising says that the film "embodies" the monastery more than it depicts it, but it felt like a documentary depiction to me, and not a particularly "poetic" one, but a somewhat choppy, herky-jerky, can't-decide-on-a-focus depiction. (One critic noted the collection of potential screen-saver images -- that's how it felt to me, too.) Most film critics, however, via Rotten Tomatoes, really like it.

I wish I could say that I liked the film more, or that I thought it was interesting, transporting, well-filmed. I can't honestly say any of those things. My experience of it was multifaceted, but if I had to sum up, I'd say I was bored most of the time, partly by the snail's pace, partly by the repetition, and partly because the activities and images didn't seem to intertwine convincingly.

And perhaps that's the idea, to give the audience the experience of the monks, by filming some images and activities over and over, until the tedium is overwhelming. While I was groaning, "Oh, no, not the artsy image of the red candle again!," the monks might be thinking, "Oh, no, not another bowl of wholesome soup in my cell again!" or "Not those relentless bells again!"

I spent the first third or so of the film carrying on an interior monologue in the absence of any plot on the screen. I wondered to myself why some of the images are so grainy and blurry while others are sharp (I've read since that the filmmaker could film using only the light naturally available). I wondered where their fruit, with those little fruit labels clearly visible, come from and who goes to town to get it, or is it delivered. I wondered why the filmmaker seemed to spend so much time filming a black man, the only one in the monastery as far as I could tell. I was thinking how being in this particular monastery would be like being in prison, with no dogs around (though there are feral cats). Etc. Etc.

It was a little like doing meditation but much more noisy, because my mind and body were recording consecutive images and sounds (there's not a lot of talking in the movie but there are sounds aplenty) and working to make some sense of them, whereas when I meditate I am looking at the same spot all the time and the sounds around me are familiar. And, when meditating, the idea is to notice thoughts, images, meaning-making, memory, planning, etc., and to just let it go rather than to get caught up in it; but watching a movie is a wholly different task, in which the viewer hopes to actively attend to the images, sounds, plot, meaning, etc., and to hear the story in them. Films are all about following the storyline; meditation is about not following the story.

After a while, my mind quieted enough that I could absorb the slowness, the repetition, the images and sounds, rather than try to push the plot along. In a few places, I actually laughed -- particularly during the outdoor activities among the monks, but also during the ridiculous (imo) chanting of theological analysis -- and was mesmerized, as when watching one man methodically massage another -- very wiry -- man, and when looking at the men's faces that were briefly and individually shown.

I appreciate the film's progress through the natural year; I would also have preferred progress through the course of one day (maybe one per season) rather than jumping around among individual activities, communal activities, particular jobs of the monks (cutting wood, growing veg, cobbling, tailoring, cooking, delivering food, etc.), images of the monks, art and architecture photos, and travel and nature photos.

All this said, I realise that my life -- which is very solitary, silent, and repetitious most of the time -- would probably bore 99% of viewers if it were filmed as it really is. Living a life is very different from observing one.

Not for the easily offended...

2007-04-13T03:20:00+02:00

Not for the easily offended
Remember when i raved on about Blood: The Last Vampire a couple of years ago?? Here's a peak! Don't watch if your squemish!

And finally, One Love, held every year on Bob Marley's birthday and my dear nation's national day. Wanna see white kids like me try to dance?

Into Great Silence

2007-04-06T20:31:40+02:00

Antony saw the new (in the U.S.) movie, Into Great Silence by Philip Groening, about life in a Carthusian monastery, and responds to it:

"This film made me want to live closer to the land, to the seasons. It made me want to grow flowers and vegetables.

"This film made me want to simplify my life in every regard. I think I'll start with my diet.

"This film made me want to be a Carthusian."

I hope it shows around here soon.

Soylent Green is People

2007-04-02T02:30:59+02:00

On NPR's Sunday Weekend Edition this morning:

"Weekend Edition is underwritten in part by The Soylent Corporation, makers of protein-rich products in a range of colors. Soylent Green is people!"

Think they were inspired by this?

for Malcolm in the middle lovers

2007-03-28T13:02:13+02:00

It brings me smile, laugh, joy and fun...yes, "Malcolm in the middle" is one of the best serie ever. They didn't need to play it with suspens to lure and to hook us...we become already addicted. how can we miss MALCOLM, the clever guy with an Q.I. of 165, not that simple to be intelligent ! REESE, always the starter for playing tricks and traps...playing the fool also everywhere... DEWEY, so cute ...but so manipulator! FRANCIS, challenging his mom, it is his speciality ! HAL, taking the life from the good way, drop responsabilities ! LOIS, no question to make her mad...otherwise you are done ! and JAMIE, the little boy is already like his bro ! OH yes! they did a great job! it is a total distraction, 100% of fun during 7 seasons for a total of 151 episodes. Figures testify and confirm the huge sucess of that serie. For the 7 years of existance Malcolm won not less than 35 rewards ! more than 26 millions audience; Thanks to Actors, directors, script-writer, cameramen, decorators, photographes... more than 250 poeple working on Malcolm ! however, there are no more episodes as the production has been stopped :( "You're not the boss of me now, and you're not so big. Life is unfair…" that's what we are going to remmember 8) if you like malcolm or have any comment or critics, don't hesitate to send your comment ! i have already a fun club of malcom, joining us is free, be numerous !

Weather and cigs.

2007-02-08T19:10:00+01:00

Was a bit upset earlier, taped a film with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton last night. Missed the last ten minutes. Please did Jack get Diane? I think he will have done but what happened to the young doctor? It's really cold in the north west of England today. TV news filled with stories and pictures of snow. Granddaughter in Nuneaton sent me a text, (she knows how much I hate snow,) she told us there was no school for them today. We have had a few flakes but up to now, nothing much. I bet I wake up in the morning and all will be white. I really hope not.On day 39 of not smoking. Not bad but I still get the crave and it wouldn't take much for me to crack! I really hope not.

Critique The Critic!

2006-12-07T17:48:32+01:00

Are literary and film critics capable of giving an unbiased review when it comes to the “Terrible Three?”

In a nutshell, apparently not.

For decades, movie lovers have either listened to or ignored the voices of the critics. Critics are often highly paid, very picky, and in some genres, they remain clueless.

The three genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror have all been thrown together more times than fans can count. Despite their commercial popularity, critics usually give these films poor marks for the exact same reasons. Typically, we can assume it is simply because the critics themselves do not like the genres and, therefore, allow their personal feelings to cloud their judgment.

They have deemed the genres of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror together because most professionals in the industry regard them as such. Writers and authors already have a good idea of how these are perceived by the attitude of publishers. So many have, “We do not accept fantasy, science fiction, or horror,” blatantly posted across their web sites.

What many who shun these genres fail to recognize is that these are popular areas. We live in a world where Stephen King has sold far more books and created far more movies than such writers as Jackie Collins. Yet, it seems with most publishers that drama, romance, and erotica are more accepted and published.

American audiences seem to prefer much different material than is often acceptable. For example, look at Lifetime Network. Initially, most non-viewers think of drama, something with intellectual meaning and purpose that is thoroughly positive and constructive. Yet, look through the movies. The majority involves mystery, and others involve the paranormal and much darker themes than mere romance. Add to that the syndication of the popular television series, “Medium,” and it firmly declares that American audiences prefer material with darker themes.

The film industry is much like the writing industry in professional genre preference. Movie critics adore dramas. They love the weepy, “tear-jerker” films that leave everyone feeling good, or sends whatever message they can create from it.

Yet, when a horror movie surfaces, they always return to the same criticism. “One-sided characters, poor pacing, bad plot, poor writing, bad acting, etc.” What are fans of these genres to do for expert advice on what films to see? Sadly, we have no known critic specifically for these three wonderful genres.

A movie critic, “in general,” is a farce from the beginning due to their one-sided nature. They will have a biased opinion prior to ever seeing a film. They, much like editors, will have their own specific tastes and preferences. Very few critics can actually provide a totally unbiased opinion on a movie or book for the entire spectrum of the industry.

Look at such blockbusters as, “The Ring,” “X-Men,” or, “Lord of the Rings.” They were mega-movies with audiences who have returned to watch again and again. This doesn’t even touch on the fan base of “Star Wars,” or, “Star Trek.” Can we consider how many, “X-Philes” there are who loved Mulder and Scully? Yet, how many saw as much recognition as, “Titanic,” or, “Friends?” None. Naomi Watts gave a stellar performance as “Rachel,” in the Ring movies, but never received the much deserved recognition. Even Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz were amazing in, “Gothika,” but little attention was brought to this role.

Fans of the “Terrible Three,” (horror, science fiction, fantasy) seem to be far greater in number than those of many other genres. It is apparent when movies are released and in home video sales. Yet, we still wait for a critic who can adequately discuss these films with interest and intelligence.

Which Side? Peace?

2006-08-06T14:40:00+02:00

With all the fighting going on in the middle east and emotions starting to arise within developing countries, have we stood back and really stop thinking about which side is right or wrong but how to stop the killing? For example Mel Gibson ranting about Jewish people being responsible for war. His supposed drunken outrage was showing that he is a one sided person. He is not looking for the whole which is peace for everyone. After seeing many documentaries on our boys and girls who are over in Iraq fighting for the US, it is hard for me to believe many of them have true hate in their hearts.

The documentary Operation Dreamland follows a platoon of soldiers in Faluqua. They come from different backgrounds and most got into the army because they were not doing anything with their lives. After living in a war zone and talking to the people and getting reports from the pentagon, many of these soldiers saw this war for power and oil. A few who lost buddies from insurgents turned into warmongers. Stating things like they didn’t care about the Iraqis and it didn’t bother them that they killed them. They are working off grief. Most of these soldiers felt that if they were an Iraqi they would be pissed if someone came into their homes looking for bombs. So, when they forced their way into a home, they moved the women and children to safety and aggressively questioned the men and moved on when they were done. They saw this as their job, not as something they liked doing.

I am writing this from the safety of my own home. I have not lost any love ones in the war(s) nor am I connected to any government job. I feel like I am another one of those ranters who wants peace but I am helpless to do anything about it. Sure I can vote democratic, sure I can write letters to the White House but I wish I could be the one with the voice to get inside everyone’s hearts and tell them to stop and not pick a side just live peacefully.

Anyone out there have any suggestions on how to literally get into peoples souls?

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

2006-07-16T07:22:38+02:00

The movie received a lot of bad criticisms from “movie experts”. Some say the film is boring, lacking the excitement that even the first installment failed to deliver. Others say that the movie is filled with meaningless scenes. Well, after watching the movie last night, I am glad that I was not discouraged by the bad reviews.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is not the type of movie that movie experts, or those trying to pretend to be one, would give a good review. But for simple human beings who simply want to enjoy a movie for what it is made for—and that is for ENTERTAINMENT—the movie is definitely more than just “good enough”.

So if you want to have a good time this weekend, or any time next week, ignore the critics and watch the Pirates movie. Because if you’ll only rely on what movie “critics” are saying, you might end up missing the entertaining movies and only watch the good—according to their standards—but boring ones.

Looking for the Grail?

2006-02-24T01:25:00+01:00

These won't help you find it, unless of course you swallowed Dan Brown's book whole. The film is coming out in May, so I expect a few more lost souls will be trying to follow these little round disks across town. They actually do follow the original Paris Meridien, used in France back before GMT was established. But these little bronze plaques are actually part of the largest "work of art" in Paris, created by an artist in 1995 to honor the French astronomer Arago, who mapped out the line at the Paris Observatory in the 17th century. The little disks can be found from Montmartre to the Parc Montsouris.

This one is at the Palais Royal: in the background is the Hotel du Louvre, and even further back on the left a peek of the Louvre Museum.

Naughty Valentine's Soirée

2006-02-13T21:00:00+01:00

Are all of those chocolate hearts and sappy cards making you malade? *Head over to OPA (9 rue Biscornet, 11th, M° Bastille or Ledru Rollin) for the Soirée Valentin Musiques Secrètes by Gutaï Records, featuring vintage porn film clips from the early 20th century accompanied by "mystical and orgasmic" improvised music. I can't imagine how this won't be a good laugh! February 14, 8pm-2am. No cover. * Interesting note: "vomit" is the same in French and English (pronounced vo-mee' in French)

On loving life...

2005-03-21T11:30:00+01:00

...because i do love my life! The movie i saw with Bree was 'Closer' with Natalie Portman, Clive Owen, Julia Roberts & Jude Law. The reviews i read in the sunday papers all concluded that it was depressing and had a rather grim view of love. I totally disagree though - although it portrayed lovers constantly betraying each other, it was such a feel-good movie for me. I can't describe why but it might have something to do with me not being in a place where i *need* to be with someone so i don't have that fear of being betrayed. The final shot of Natalie Portman walking down a New York street looking so free was exhilerating (kind of like how i feel now). I'm so in love with the song that plays during that final shot but have no idea who it's by (can anyone help me out with that one??)Bree is such a beautiful person, and although it is a cliche to say that, i have never met another person who personifies that idea more than her. She is bubbly and so full of life, and although she has her down moments, i never feel anything other than total rejuvanation after every time i meet up with her. She just sent me a text of her in the gorgeous boho skirt she bought today and thanked me so much for seeing her today because she loves the time we spend together; i have to say the same about her. I love her outlook on life!Walking back through the city tonight after dropping Bree off at her busstop i realised how completely happy i am with who i am right now. The city can be portrayed as a dark and alienating environment (think Edward Hopper) but although i was alone i wasn't lonely. Walking down Courtney Place past drunks and so-in-love couples, yet knowing that i don't *need* anyone in my life right now because i feel so complete (for lack of a better word). And i feel so accepted for who i am, yet i don't *need* that acceptance to be happy.Also, there was a promo on tv just now about an artist who is obsessed with time and mortality, who expressed their obsession in an ingenious way (is that the word i'm looking for?). The works were a blank black canvas, each with a date written in a plain white font (i'm assuming the date the date someone died) and written in a different date format.I feel so inspired - i want to write words and paint pretty pictures and write beautiful songs so that when i'm having a down day i can remember this wonderful feeling i have right now

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind

2005-03-12T03:00:00+01:00

Another film i saw with J.After the end of their relationship, Clementine and Joel both go through a procedure to have their memories of each other erased. The narrative unravels as each of the memories is erased, moving from the most recent to their earliest memories of each other. One theme the film deals with is fate. No matter what Clementine and Joel do (such as erasing the other from their minds) they were always destined to meet. Even when they have no recollection of the history they shared together, they are still drawn to each other.Highlight: Kirsten Dunst as the psychiatrist's old flame.

Blood: The Last Vampire

2005-03-10T04:15:00+01:00

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005NG6U/002-7289028-7904853?v=glanceGot this for J's b-day present. Actually got him the new Nirvana box set, but he took it in and exchanged it for this DVD, an old Mars Volta CD, and another manga film i can't remember rhe name of.The graphics are oh so beautifully dark.

Constantine

2005-03-09T04:55:00+01:00

Got the train out to J's suburb last Thurs to go see this with him. It was opening night yet during the evening sitting there were only eight people in the whole cinema!Essentially John Constantine is a man who's on borrowed time: after trying to commit suicide as a teenager because he could see things, he's taken to destroying 'half-breed' demons who upset the balance between heaven and hell on earth. The chain-smoking Constantine has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and has to try and buy his way into heaven before his time is up. Hell isn't an attractive option for the best of us, but it'd be worse for Constantine as he'd be in the company of the many demons he's returned there. However, as attempting suicide is a mortal sin, it is unlikely that God is going to look kindly upon the doomed Constantine...This is the first film i've seen in so long which i didn't get bored in. Although every time there was a close up shot of Constantine's cigarette i got nicotine cravings.Highlights: Keanu Reeves, conflict between heaven and hell, Gavin Rossdale as Balthazar, a brilliant Angel Gabriel, suicide, cigarettes, and A Perfect Circle playing during one of the bar scenes - what more can a girl want...Lowlights: Constantine's cheesy one-liners; the cheesy God-has-a-plan-for-us-all moral.