Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Question of the Day
Question of the Day: "Is baggage a word?" ~ Anthony Colistro
Answer: Yes...yes, baggage is, in fact, a word.
For additional information on this topic, see The Dictionary.
If you have any questions of your own, please feel free to ask and I will gladly give you a taste of the fountain of knowledge I like to refer to as my 'conscious self'. Take care.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Goodbye Lenin! - Movie
David Bruhl in Goodbye Lenin!...
Okay, this is a good one. Goodbye Lenin! is a German film which, upon it's release there, was one of the biggest box-office attraction of the year in the country. It's one of those movies that makes you laugh, choke up a little and *gasp* think.
The story goes a little like this:
It opens with a short narrated introduction to the early years of the lead character Alex's (Daniel Bruhl) life, focusing on his fascination with space flight, his father leaving and his mother's subsequent problems. After the few hard years after his father leaves, Alex's mom becomes an avid East German Socialist and "replaces the love she had (for her husband) for her love and devotion to the Party".
Then the narrative ends and Alex is now a young man. A socialist demonstration that he is participating in quickly turns into a chaotic mess of civil unrest and he is arrested. As he is being beaten and dragged towards the truck in which he will be confined, he catches sight of his mother standing on the corner with tears in her eyes. He calls out to her as she suddenly collapses to the pavement and remains lying there until he can no longer see her. Alex is released from prison upon hearing that his mother has suffered from a heart attack.
She lies comatose in a hospital bed for 8 months. Alex visits her regularly, becoming quite fond of one of the nurses, Lara. The state of things in Germany is rapidly changing; with the Fall of the Wall, East and West are united and capitalism is slowly embraced (which is depicted by massive Coca-Cola logos littering trucks and buildings *gag* along with the introduction of large billboards and even blimps made for advertising), slowly westernizing Alex's mother's beloved socialist Western Germany as she lay silent with her son by her side.
She unexpectedly awakens, innocent and unaware, and Alex must protect her from knowing the state of things; a truth that, in her condition, will undoubtably kill her. Thus begins a rediculously implausable and entertaining sharade in which Alex seems to turn back the hands of time, recreating a world which yeilds to his mothers frail state of being and inextinguished political state of heart.
This includes reconstructing their home exactly as it was, desparately hunting for the old east German products no longer carried in the newly introduced grocery supermarket chains, an even getting a friend to help him put together fake news programs to show his mother that everything is going well in her proletarian paradise. Alex gets carried away as he tries to recreate a past for his mother, and it becomes slowly evident that he is doing all this for himself as well. He is attempting to maintain, through nostalgic indulgence, a past in which he enjoyed financial and emotional security of life in his socialist family. A past of which, in reality, is slowly being shredded apart with each new billboard and bought-out boutique.
The film is made and directed well, is visually pleasing and the characters are as charming as the story's sentiment. We won't see any American political-comedy box office films of this calibur for a very long time, if ever, and that in itself is a good reason to check it out.
PS~ this site takes long to load unless you have a fast connection, but it is VERY cool.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
"The Awful Sweetness of Escaping Sweat" - Poem/Song Lyrics
Written by Conor Oberst, A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997
We escape from the house as the day disappears from the sky into night
We became what we wanted to be,
Like a dream
Or a ghost
I collapsed out of turn near a house
Lying still in the grass and felt the heat from the ground
Rising up to contract
And expand
Like a breath
We leave from that place soaked with sweat and the poison we drank
Fill the bathtub with ice and hope this fever will break
Like a heart,
Easily
But I do not recall all the words that were formed
On those wire lips as they greeted me
A promise was made without thought as the temperature climbed
And I started to sink like the moon tends to do if you stare at it so long
Then you blink
And it's gone,
And we crawl
To our sleep with the dawn
And isn't it the same mistake? And isn't it the same mistake?
There's not much you can escape
And isn't it the same?
We awake in the light feeling hollow and selfishly warm
Close the blinds and retreat until what's burning is gone
And its light
Is away
Then we're back in the dark chasing nothing through backyards and trees
You ripped your shirt on a fence, but it didn't get me
Yeah, it's fear,
It makes you slow
And these creatures look crooked, their shadows cut lines through my face
And the concrete is fire where my bare feet are placed
In a line
Next to yours
And I guess I'm not sure if it's fear that was born
As those awful eyes laid their claim on us
I put my hands on the fence, said your name, and I started to climb
And it must have been sweat but I drank it like wine
It was sweet, my mouth was dry
I heard your scream but I made no reply
I can still taste it now if I try
We escape from the house as the day disappears from the sky into night
We became what we wanted to be,
Like a dream
Or a ghost
I collapsed out of turn near a house
Lying still in the grass and felt the heat from the ground
Rising up to contract
And expand
Like a breath
We leave from that place soaked with sweat and the poison we drank
Fill the bathtub with ice and hope this fever will break
Like a heart,
Easily
But I do not recall all the words that were formed
On those wire lips as they greeted me
A promise was made without thought as the temperature climbed
And I started to sink like the moon tends to do if you stare at it so long
Then you blink
And it's gone,
And we crawl
To our sleep with the dawn
And isn't it the same mistake? And isn't it the same mistake?
There's not much you can escape
And isn't it the same?
We awake in the light feeling hollow and selfishly warm
Close the blinds and retreat until what's burning is gone
And its light
Is away
Then we're back in the dark chasing nothing through backyards and trees
You ripped your shirt on a fence, but it didn't get me
Yeah, it's fear,
It makes you slow
And these creatures look crooked, their shadows cut lines through my face
And the concrete is fire where my bare feet are placed
In a line
Next to yours
And I guess I'm not sure if it's fear that was born
As those awful eyes laid their claim on us
I put my hands on the fence, said your name, and I started to climb
And it must have been sweat but I drank it like wine
It was sweet, my mouth was dry
I heard your scream but I made no reply
I can still taste it now if I try
Movie - Blade: Trinity
Um...yeah.
A few nights ago I went out with some old friends to the theatre and caught this new flick. Hahaha. The only justification I really have for doing so was spending time with some pretty cool kids and the fact that the Blade series is one of my guilty pleasures. I watch the first Blade at least once every two months...I couldn't miss the final chapter, and I happened to have nothing else better to do that night.
The basic set up for the film is Blade (aka Wesley Snipes) getting set up by a group of Vampires to look like a psychotic serial murderer. These vampires (among them is Parker Posey (which is kind of cool) and Triple H (not cool in any way shape or form)) have awakened Dracula from hibernation with the aims to have him wipe out Blade and help them in their quest of domination over the human race. Blade teams up with a group of human vampire hunters (Jessica Biel, Ryan Reynolds (aka Van Wilder) and some others) to stop all this from happening and save humanity. The action was choppy but entertaining and the acting was mediocre at best; I was waiting for those badass, action movie hasta la vista, baby lines and they were never delivered. Wesley Snipes had about three lines and Ryan Reynolds just sucked it up all over the place. Sorry, boy...there is only one Jason Lee. I guess some of his lines were alright when he was punking on the vampires as they held him hostage...but nothing really worth repeating or remembering for that matter. Some of the weapons were cool and I thought the soundtrack was unusual but enjoyable. To be quite frank, it was alright as a movie, I've seen worse...but it was most definately the longest iPod commercial I have EVER seen. I suppose it's better than that U2 bs. Oh, well.
Final Synopsis: If you are a true blue fan, I suppose you should catch it while it's out in theatres...maybe wait for the showings at the local $1.50 theatre. Otherwise, save your money and your time and, oh...I don't know...read a book.
Monday, December 13, 2004
Battle Royale - Movie
BR
Last night I rented and watched another Japanese film called Battle Royale. Now this is an intense film. I'm not sure what you could categoize it under, probably action, but it is considered the sister film to the movie Suicide Club. The plots to the two movies really don't have that much in common except maybe sharing actors and the idea of out-of-control youth.
The plot, basically, opens explaining how, at the beginning of the new millenium country started falling apart. Unemployment was high (10 million were out of work) and over 800, 000 kids were boycotting school...so the adults passed an act, the BR Act, in hopes of retaining some control over the dissolving order of their nation. It was explained in the movie that this BR Act was excersized once every year (I guess in the book it was carried out 50 times a year) and this is what it entailed:
One 9th grade class is randomly selected and thrown on a bus, told they are going on a class trip. They are then drugged and taken to a deserted island where, once they wake up, they find themsleves sprawled all over a room with their bags, and what appears to be some odd design of Nike watch, wrapped around their neck. Most are completely confused. A group of soldiers enters the room and shows them a video explaining that they have been chosen for the Battle Royal. It gives all the details; everyone in the class will be given a bag of supplies, a map and a weapon, each person gets a different weapon (to eliminate natural advantages). It is explained that the nature of this battle is "last man standing wins", and it will last for three days. The bands around each persons neck is a monitor and control device which reveals each students location and whether they still have a pulse. Also, if the band is tampered with or the person wearing it is causing trouble, it will explode.
The island is gridded out into many different sectors and every few hours a new 'danger zone' is announced in which, if you find yourself there, you probably won't last long. Along with these announcements will be a list of those who have been eliminated.
After three days, if there is no winner, all the remaining contestants' neck bands will explode.
...Just the process of explanation leaves two dead, and they are all sent out onto the island to commence the battle. Friends are betrayed, truths are told and revenge is sought. Utter hysterics (in the crazy way, not the funny one). There is also some touching parts, people discover who their real friends are through sacrifice and honesty.
As each character is revealed, you get sucked deeper and deeper into the story. The simple revelation of each persons weapon is intriguing; they range from guns to knives, GPS's to binoculars, pot lids to fans. Some of the deaths are brutal...but that becomes incidental with each passing moment as there is a consant foreshadowing of each persons fate, tactics and motives. The tables are constantly turning.
I definately recommend this film to anyone who doesn't mind a little gore and subtitles. The direction was good and the cast is great (I think the psycho mace girl from Kill Bill is in it, as well as many actors that seem to appear in every japanese movie ever made)
What really intrigued me about it was the whole idea of being placed in that situation. Who do you think you could really rely on in a last man staning situation? Would you try to find a way out or eliminate anyone who crosses your path? Would you hunt or hide? Would you eliminate yourself? Nobody can really answer that for sure, considering the fact that those whom would be your enemies may be people you've known and gone to school with for years, they may be your best friends, they may be your lovers.
You can check out more about the film here.
Friday, December 10, 2004
Read Music, Speak Spanish...and completely forget what you're doing.
Desa
Well, I was compiling a 'feel good' indie mix in light of the ending of a hellish term, until I came around to my Desaparecidos tracks and got all depressed again. There's nothing like bitter commentary about modern, corporate, mainstream America to get you down. The music is great and unfortunately effective, I'm such a sucker for that boy's work. Anyways, when the spirit finds me again and I finish that mix, I'll be sure and post it. Maybe I'll put up my brief X-Mas list so you all can remind me of everything I forgot. It's Friday!
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Uzumaki - Movie
...
This past Thanksgiving break, I rented a Japanese film entitled Uzumaki. It was so interesing I think I may have to rent it again over winter break. The general outline of the plot is this: it takes place in a small Japanese town where everything seems to go as it should. Slowly, things begin to change, people begin to change...subtle foreshadowings that stand ominous but vague. Then a potter gets a request for a piece designed with spiral patterns, the girls in school wear their hair curled instead of straight, teachers scribblings become series of circling penmarks. Clouds begin to swirl, people begin to consume water as consistently as they breath air and they no longer eat but fixate on the spiraling patterns in thier soup, students only come to school when it rains. A man videotapes his suicide, filming a washing machine going round and round, stopping it, climbing inside and spinning to his death. His wife then assumes a spiral phobia, cutting off the skin on her fingertips to rid herself of the pattern of her fingerprints. What is going on? Towards the end, some evidence unfolds suggesting the possessions and fixation stem from writings uncovering the inherent meaning of this obscure symbiology. Spirals, snailshells, serpents...a lake? The plot is as spiraling as its subject and ends as chaoticly and crypitcly as most of these pictures tend to do. It's even seasoned with a little tragic romance amongst the twists and turns. Highly recomended. Check it out here.
"I, and a few others, know what must be done, if not to reduce evil, at least not to add to it. Perhaps we cannot prevent this world in which children are tortured. But we can reduce the number of tortured children."
~Camus
~Camus
Monday, December 06, 2004
What this is all about
So this is going to be the compliment, or sister, blog to my other site On The Balcony. I'll mostly be using this site less for musing and more for talking about music and books and movies and anything else along those lines that have my attention at the time. It will be like a links and interests page...or something like that. Of course there will be commentary and the like, I can't get by without running my mouth off every once and a while...you would know that if you read my other site. Anyways...thats all for know...I'll start building on it soon. Until then, take it easy.
