Wednesday, March 31, 2004
REALITY TV
watched this documentary series called "The New Americans" on PBS last night and was blown away. it focuses on recent immigrants' experiences around moving to the U.S... but it's so much more than that. it provides historical background--a well-developed sense of context for each person they highlight.
you know, showing the actual faces of folks who survive these struggles really prevents a privileged american such as myself from ignoring the realities of "those people" (you know, the rest of the world; the people your political enemies are always saying "have it so much worse and, really, you shouldn't complain about injustices in this country because "those people" have it so much worse..." which is bullshit, anyway, but you get the point), which is part of why i really like this series. it's "reality tv" but, when placed alongside shows like "Average Joe" and "The Apprentice" and "Fear Factor" and all the others expose those shows for what they really are. "The New Americans" gives you a real-life drama, a life-and-death struggle that you can tap into as a (still privileged) viewer, but it affects you in a way that other crap doesn't. it makes you want to do something to make the world a better place.
and by "you," of course, i mean "me."
it also exposes the lie behind the above statement that "people elsewhere have it so much worse so you screaming liberals should just shut up about this country." because, clearly, a lot of the folks highlighted in the show do not find america to be the land of opportunity they initially thought. nor do a lot of other folks who freakin' live here and have lived here for generations, even. hmm. hmm hmm hmmmm.
watched this documentary series called "The New Americans" on PBS last night and was blown away. it focuses on recent immigrants' experiences around moving to the U.S... but it's so much more than that. it provides historical background--a well-developed sense of context for each person they highlight.
you know, showing the actual faces of folks who survive these struggles really prevents a privileged american such as myself from ignoring the realities of "those people" (you know, the rest of the world; the people your political enemies are always saying "have it so much worse and, really, you shouldn't complain about injustices in this country because "those people" have it so much worse..." which is bullshit, anyway, but you get the point), which is part of why i really like this series. it's "reality tv" but, when placed alongside shows like "Average Joe" and "The Apprentice" and "Fear Factor" and all the others expose those shows for what they really are. "The New Americans" gives you a real-life drama, a life-and-death struggle that you can tap into as a (still privileged) viewer, but it affects you in a way that other crap doesn't. it makes you want to do something to make the world a better place.
and by "you," of course, i mean "me."
it also exposes the lie behind the above statement that "people elsewhere have it so much worse so you screaming liberals should just shut up about this country." because, clearly, a lot of the folks highlighted in the show do not find america to be the land of opportunity they initially thought. nor do a lot of other folks who freakin' live here and have lived here for generations, even. hmm. hmm hmm hmmmm.
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
to add to the list:
Jeffrey, starring all kinds of cool folks. note that this link comes from the "Patrick Stewart Network (PSN)," which i just discovered today. WOW.
Jeffrey, starring all kinds of cool folks. note that this link comes from the "Patrick Stewart Network (PSN)," which i just discovered today. WOW.
Monday, March 29, 2004
TAKING YOUR MONEY
shelled out eight bucks apiece to see the film Taking Lives this weekend. i give it a C. in other words, don't bother. i want that eight bucks back, not to mention the 2 hours we spent in the theater... or however long it was. the plot was predictable, acting blah (even for talented actors like the ever-creepy Kiefer Sutherland, the sometimes-brilliant Angelina Jolie, and the i-only-really-liked-him-in-Gattaca Ethan Hawke), cinematography standard. Angelina's character is not believable in neither of her two roles in the movie: as the stone-cold, kinda-strange, kick-ass cop from the States and as the sniveling wreck she morphs into briefly toward the end of the film. plus, there's a really pathetic sex scene (man, i could've written & directed that one better) and lots of people-jumping-out-at-you sort of scary stuff, which serves absolutely no purpose except to make you cringe at several points throughout the film when you know it's coming (and, believe me, you know).
enough of that. i also finished American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon this weekend--great, great book. i'm not sure i know exactly how to rank it on my little A-F scale. depends on what you're looking for. the premise of the book is that Jesus as an iconic figure (no, Stephen Prothero doesn't focus on him as a religious figure, which is refreshing to me) has been profoundly shaped by American culture in distinctly American ways. Prothero provides quite a bit of historical detail, which i appreciate, but if you're just looking for the gist of the book, i'd suggest checking out the introduction and the conclusion. if your interest is piqued, then go for the rest of the book.
the book is a well-constructed blend of disciplines, including: history, sociology, anthropology, religious studies, and cultural studies. Prothero's style is particularly appealing; his keen observations carry you through the book like a tempered wave. my only complaint is, while i appreciate the thinking behind organizing the book as he did, i sometimes found it a little difficult to keep up with his jumping back and forth across historical epochs as he wrote about the 1960's on the heels of the mid-nineteenth century. but, overall, well worth the read.
shelled out eight bucks apiece to see the film Taking Lives this weekend. i give it a C. in other words, don't bother. i want that eight bucks back, not to mention the 2 hours we spent in the theater... or however long it was. the plot was predictable, acting blah (even for talented actors like the ever-creepy Kiefer Sutherland, the sometimes-brilliant Angelina Jolie, and the i-only-really-liked-him-in-Gattaca Ethan Hawke), cinematography standard. Angelina's character is not believable in neither of her two roles in the movie: as the stone-cold, kinda-strange, kick-ass cop from the States and as the sniveling wreck she morphs into briefly toward the end of the film. plus, there's a really pathetic sex scene (man, i could've written & directed that one better) and lots of people-jumping-out-at-you sort of scary stuff, which serves absolutely no purpose except to make you cringe at several points throughout the film when you know it's coming (and, believe me, you know).
enough of that. i also finished American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon this weekend--great, great book. i'm not sure i know exactly how to rank it on my little A-F scale. depends on what you're looking for. the premise of the book is that Jesus as an iconic figure (no, Stephen Prothero doesn't focus on him as a religious figure, which is refreshing to me) has been profoundly shaped by American culture in distinctly American ways. Prothero provides quite a bit of historical detail, which i appreciate, but if you're just looking for the gist of the book, i'd suggest checking out the introduction and the conclusion. if your interest is piqued, then go for the rest of the book.
the book is a well-constructed blend of disciplines, including: history, sociology, anthropology, religious studies, and cultural studies. Prothero's style is particularly appealing; his keen observations carry you through the book like a tempered wave. my only complaint is, while i appreciate the thinking behind organizing the book as he did, i sometimes found it a little difficult to keep up with his jumping back and forth across historical epochs as he wrote about the 1960's on the heels of the mid-nineteenth century. but, overall, well worth the read.
TAKING YOUR MONEY
shelled out eight bucks apiece to see the film Taking Lives this weekend. i give it a C. in other words, don't bother. i want that eight bucks back, not to mention the 2 hours we spent in the theater... or however long it was. the plot was predictable, acting blah (even for talented actors like the ever-creepy Kiefer Sutherland, the sometimes-brilliant Angelina Jolie, and the i-only-really-liked-him-in-Gattaca Ethan Hawke), cinematography standard. Angelina's character is not believable in neither of her two roles in the movie: as the stone-cold, kinda-strange, kick-ass cop from the States and as the sniveling wreck she morphs into briefly toward the end of the film. plus, there's a really pathetic sex scene (man, i could've written & directed that one better) and lots of people-jumping-out-at-you sort of scary stuff, which serves absolutely no purpose except to make you cringe at several points throughout the film when you know it's coming (and, believe me, you know).
enough of that. i also finished American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon this weekend--great, great book. i'm not sure i know exactly how to rank it on my little A-F scale. depends on what you're looking for. the premise of the book is that Jesus as an iconic figure (no, Stephen Prothero doesn't focus on him as a religious figure, which is refreshing to me) has been profoundly shaped by American culture in distinctly American ways. Prothero provides quite a bit of historical detail, which i appreciate, but if you're just looking for the gist of the book, i'd suggest checking out the introduction and the conclusion. if your interest is piqued, then go for the rest of the book.
the book is a well-constructed blend of disciplines, including: history, sociology, anthropology, religious studies, and cultural studies. Prothero's style is particularly appealing; his keen observations carry you through the book like a tempered wave. my only complaint is, while i appreciate the thinking behind organizing the book as he did, i sometimes found it a little difficult to keep up with his jumping back and forth across historical epochs as he wrote about the 1960's on the heels of the mid-nineteenth century. but, overall, well worth the read.
shelled out eight bucks apiece to see the film Taking Lives this weekend. i give it a C. in other words, don't bother. i want that eight bucks back, not to mention the 2 hours we spent in the theater... or however long it was. the plot was predictable, acting blah (even for talented actors like the ever-creepy Kiefer Sutherland, the sometimes-brilliant Angelina Jolie, and the i-only-really-liked-him-in-Gattaca Ethan Hawke), cinematography standard. Angelina's character is not believable in neither of her two roles in the movie: as the stone-cold, kinda-strange, kick-ass cop from the States and as the sniveling wreck she morphs into briefly toward the end of the film. plus, there's a really pathetic sex scene (man, i could've written & directed that one better) and lots of people-jumping-out-at-you sort of scary stuff, which serves absolutely no purpose except to make you cringe at several points throughout the film when you know it's coming (and, believe me, you know).
enough of that. i also finished American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon this weekend--great, great book. i'm not sure i know exactly how to rank it on my little A-F scale. depends on what you're looking for. the premise of the book is that Jesus as an iconic figure (no, Stephen Prothero doesn't focus on him as a religious figure, which is refreshing to me) has been profoundly shaped by American culture in distinctly American ways. Prothero provides quite a bit of historical detail, which i appreciate, but if you're just looking for the gist of the book, i'd suggest checking out the introduction and the conclusion. if your interest is piqued, then go for the rest of the book.
the book is a well-constructed blend of disciplines, including: history, sociology, anthropology, religious studies, and cultural studies. Prothero's style is particularly appealing; his keen observations carry you through the book like a tempered wave. my only complaint is, while i appreciate the thinking behind organizing the book as he did, i sometimes found it a little difficult to keep up with his jumping back and forth across historical epochs as he wrote about the 1960's on the heels of the mid-nineteenth century. but, overall, well worth the read.
Saturday, March 27, 2004
IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN A TEMP...
then the movie we watched last night, Clockwatchers, might appeal to you.
Overall, I give it a B+. It's kindof a more artsy, intelligent version of Office Space, which i would also give a B+. i felt that the ambivalent, transient, purgatorial feeling exhibited by 1. the actors in the movie, 2. the plot line, 3. the dialogue, 4. the cinematography represented my understanding of what it's like to be a temp. if you like the funky feeling you get from the British TV series "The Office," i'm 93% certain you'd like this movie.
then the movie we watched last night, Clockwatchers, might appeal to you.
Overall, I give it a B+. It's kindof a more artsy, intelligent version of Office Space, which i would also give a B+. i felt that the ambivalent, transient, purgatorial feeling exhibited by 1. the actors in the movie, 2. the plot line, 3. the dialogue, 4. the cinematography represented my understanding of what it's like to be a temp. if you like the funky feeling you get from the British TV series "The Office," i'm 93% certain you'd like this movie.
Thursday, March 25, 2004
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BUH?
we'll start with the "bad," or "significantly less good":
rented Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, a British film about a family trying to figure out which man fits with it best. i give it a B-, maaaaaybe a B. the main character, a fairly spineless, almost simpering woman who spends most of the film crying (not that that's not a valid role; it just fits into so many stereotypes that it made me a little sick), must choose between the boring, car-obsessed reject and the criminal, self-absorbed bully--not much of a choice, is it? guess who she ends up picking? my favorite character in the movie is the loud neighbor/sister-of-bully, and my second favorite character is her husband who, at the beginning of the film, has been kicked out of the house for behaving like an American cowboy. I think. but I was unimpressed, for the most part.
now, the GOOD! no, the great, the splendid, the wonderful, even sumptuous! got to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind this weekend, and wow-EE. I give it an easy A; well worth the six bucks i spent to see it. even worth the eight bucks other folks might pay to see it. a word of warning, though: if you're expecting to see an Ace Ventura-type Jim Carrey film, or a Titanic-type Kate Winslet film, or a Spiderman-type Kirsten Dunst, or even a Lord-of-the-Rings-type Elijah Wood film, this is not the flick for you. the concept behind the film is creative and spunky (i won't tell you so you can be as thoroughly intrigued as i was), the acting was right on-the-mark, the direction was out of this world, the casting was fabulous...ohmgod, just go see the film, will ya? so i can stop gushing about it.
UPDATE: oh, hey, Ann saw it (and loved it), too.
now the Buh? we watched a quasi-documentary called "The Pill" via the American Experience on PBS last night, purportedly about... you guessed it, the contraceptive pill... its development, initial health risks, controversies around it, whathaveyou... but it stopped in 1970. and it featured only a few token comments from people of color--an expert on the trials of the Pill in Puerto Rico and a commentator on the perspectives of black women in the 60's and 70's, who made the point that black women were encouraged to view the Pill as a way for the white medical institution to control black women's fertility. important points, but not at all well developed in the documentary. and what about the time since the 70's? last time i checked, there still was controversy around the Pill, especially since other types of Pills have been developed. and there was no commentary from younger women of my generation or thereabouts. yeah, like i said, buh? i think i said "hey, WTF?!" at the screen when it was finished. and i still maintain that stance.
we'll start with the "bad," or "significantly less good":
rented Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, a British film about a family trying to figure out which man fits with it best. i give it a B-, maaaaaybe a B. the main character, a fairly spineless, almost simpering woman who spends most of the film crying (not that that's not a valid role; it just fits into so many stereotypes that it made me a little sick), must choose between the boring, car-obsessed reject and the criminal, self-absorbed bully--not much of a choice, is it? guess who she ends up picking? my favorite character in the movie is the loud neighbor/sister-of-bully, and my second favorite character is her husband who, at the beginning of the film, has been kicked out of the house for behaving like an American cowboy. I think. but I was unimpressed, for the most part.
now, the GOOD! no, the great, the splendid, the wonderful, even sumptuous! got to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind this weekend, and wow-EE. I give it an easy A; well worth the six bucks i spent to see it. even worth the eight bucks other folks might pay to see it. a word of warning, though: if you're expecting to see an Ace Ventura-type Jim Carrey film, or a Titanic-type Kate Winslet film, or a Spiderman-type Kirsten Dunst, or even a Lord-of-the-Rings-type Elijah Wood film, this is not the flick for you. the concept behind the film is creative and spunky (i won't tell you so you can be as thoroughly intrigued as i was), the acting was right on-the-mark, the direction was out of this world, the casting was fabulous...ohmgod, just go see the film, will ya? so i can stop gushing about it.
UPDATE: oh, hey, Ann saw it (and loved it), too.
now the Buh? we watched a quasi-documentary called "The Pill" via the American Experience on PBS last night, purportedly about... you guessed it, the contraceptive pill... its development, initial health risks, controversies around it, whathaveyou... but it stopped in 1970. and it featured only a few token comments from people of color--an expert on the trials of the Pill in Puerto Rico and a commentator on the perspectives of black women in the 60's and 70's, who made the point that black women were encouraged to view the Pill as a way for the white medical institution to control black women's fertility. important points, but not at all well developed in the documentary. and what about the time since the 70's? last time i checked, there still was controversy around the Pill, especially since other types of Pills have been developed. and there was no commentary from younger women of my generation or thereabouts. yeah, like i said, buh? i think i said "hey, WTF?!" at the screen when it was finished. and i still maintain that stance.
Thursday, March 18, 2004
STICK IT IN MY EAR
here are some albums i've kept in my environs of late and why i think they're awesome--or, at least, awesome for my mood at this point in time.
Kristin Hersh, Hips and Makers
now, some folks (and you know who you are) think Kristin Hersh is too screamy. well, y'all are entitled to your opinions. and i'll admit, she has the type of voice that may grate on some folks' ears. what i love about Kristin Hersh, though, fall into four categories:
1. her use of odd, often visually-stimulating images
(for example, in "Teeth," "This hairdo's truly evil/I'm not sure it's mine.")
2. her quirky mannerisms when performing
(for example, the fact that, in order to remember her lyrics, she has to focus on a spot in the distance. when she's playing, it makes her look like she's transporting herself to another dimension.)
3. the fact that she sings about being a mom in what seems to me to be a more truthful, honest, and realistic (if edgy and sometimes jarring) way
4. the time in my life her music represents
Indigo Girls, Nomads Indians Saints
the more i listen to this album, the more i'm like, damn, they're great lyricists. and then i'm like, damn, they do a great job with their harmonies. and then i'm like, damn, i love their guitar work. and it goes on to a little love-fest from there. there isn't a whole lot i dislike about the Indigo Girls, in fact, excluding some of their later albums. yeah, i sortof gave up after Come On Now Social, but i haven't heard their latest. maybe i just need to be re-introduced.
every so often, i'll get a craving for one of their songs, and i'll pop in the cd and be struck by how great it is. what generally happens next is that i listen to the cd obsessively for about a month, then i return it to its place in my custom-built cd rack (thank you, Mel and dad). i'll forget about it for a while. repeat cycle.
one of the things that i love most about their music is its often stark dichotomy. you have, on the one hand, Emily Saliers, who sings the gentler, more homey, often idealistic sort of stuff--what i listen to when i'm feeling particularly content in my little queer existence. on the other hand, there's Amy Ray, who's music is louder, harder, painful (in a personal, productive sort of way) and more explicitly political--what i listen to when i'm feeling the need to rage (against the System, against myself, against a particular Institution, etc.). BUT... but... they're not so different that they don't share some of the same struggles, that their music doesn't mesh. they are both white, new-england-born lesbians, after all. and they trace their roots to activism, to progressive social change. but their differing perspectives, personalities, and, subsequently, songs point toward a persistent struggle-within-the-struggle: the need for both celebration and critical reflection; for joy and for sadness; for looking on the bright side and for stark honesty. they achieve the fulfillment of these goals and keep me stomping my feet and thumping my chest, sometimes simultaneously.
[more to come]
here are some albums i've kept in my environs of late and why i think they're awesome--or, at least, awesome for my mood at this point in time.
Kristin Hersh, Hips and Makers
now, some folks (and you know who you are) think Kristin Hersh is too screamy. well, y'all are entitled to your opinions. and i'll admit, she has the type of voice that may grate on some folks' ears. what i love about Kristin Hersh, though, fall into four categories:
1. her use of odd, often visually-stimulating images
(for example, in "Teeth," "This hairdo's truly evil/I'm not sure it's mine.")
2. her quirky mannerisms when performing
(for example, the fact that, in order to remember her lyrics, she has to focus on a spot in the distance. when she's playing, it makes her look like she's transporting herself to another dimension.)
3. the fact that she sings about being a mom in what seems to me to be a more truthful, honest, and realistic (if edgy and sometimes jarring) way
4. the time in my life her music represents
Indigo Girls, Nomads Indians Saints
the more i listen to this album, the more i'm like, damn, they're great lyricists. and then i'm like, damn, they do a great job with their harmonies. and then i'm like, damn, i love their guitar work. and it goes on to a little love-fest from there. there isn't a whole lot i dislike about the Indigo Girls, in fact, excluding some of their later albums. yeah, i sortof gave up after Come On Now Social, but i haven't heard their latest. maybe i just need to be re-introduced.
every so often, i'll get a craving for one of their songs, and i'll pop in the cd and be struck by how great it is. what generally happens next is that i listen to the cd obsessively for about a month, then i return it to its place in my custom-built cd rack (thank you, Mel and dad). i'll forget about it for a while. repeat cycle.
one of the things that i love most about their music is its often stark dichotomy. you have, on the one hand, Emily Saliers, who sings the gentler, more homey, often idealistic sort of stuff--what i listen to when i'm feeling particularly content in my little queer existence. on the other hand, there's Amy Ray, who's music is louder, harder, painful (in a personal, productive sort of way) and more explicitly political--what i listen to when i'm feeling the need to rage (against the System, against myself, against a particular Institution, etc.). BUT... but... they're not so different that they don't share some of the same struggles, that their music doesn't mesh. they are both white, new-england-born lesbians, after all. and they trace their roots to activism, to progressive social change. but their differing perspectives, personalities, and, subsequently, songs point toward a persistent struggle-within-the-struggle: the need for both celebration and critical reflection; for joy and for sadness; for looking on the bright side and for stark honesty. they achieve the fulfillment of these goals and keep me stomping my feet and thumping my chest, sometimes simultaneously.
[more to come]
TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE
since Mel and i tend to watch, like, all of our movies and whatnot together (well, at least most of our stuff), we thought it'd be a good idea to do this blog together. i've just invited her--let's see if this works.
we rented a movie called Searching for Paradise and watched it over the weekend. i give it a B-; i mean, it was good and all, but it didn't pull me in like i thought it should. while the acting on the part of Gilda was great, i was unimpressed with the remainder of the characters. granted that it's a low-ish-budget film, but it's yet another coming-of-age flick, and i wasn't too too impressed. worth a watch if you catch it on cable, though.
other Sundance-sponsored films i would recommend, though, include:
Scotland, PA, a Shakespeare's Macbeth set in the 70's. quite possibly the best interpretation of a Shakespeare play i've seen, next to Titus, of course. i give it an A-.
also, Mule Skinner Blues, a documentary about the making of a really, really low budget horror film in the town of Mayport, FL. i also give it an A-.
since Mel and i tend to watch, like, all of our movies and whatnot together (well, at least most of our stuff), we thought it'd be a good idea to do this blog together. i've just invited her--let's see if this works.
we rented a movie called Searching for Paradise and watched it over the weekend. i give it a B-; i mean, it was good and all, but it didn't pull me in like i thought it should. while the acting on the part of Gilda was great, i was unimpressed with the remainder of the characters. granted that it's a low-ish-budget film, but it's yet another coming-of-age flick, and i wasn't too too impressed. worth a watch if you catch it on cable, though.
other Sundance-sponsored films i would recommend, though, include:
Scotland, PA, a Shakespeare's Macbeth set in the 70's. quite possibly the best interpretation of a Shakespeare play i've seen, next to Titus, of course. i give it an A-.
also, Mule Skinner Blues, a documentary about the making of a really, really low budget horror film in the town of Mayport, FL. i also give it an A-.
Monday, March 15, 2004
POST-WEEKEND UPDATE
movies:
Hitchcock's Vertigo--a classic and well worth the watch, if you've never seen it. aside from the thrilling suspense part of it--it is a Hitchcock, after all--i particularly enjoyed the colors. was also intrigued by the character of Midge--Scottie's buddy who plays the sane counterpoint to the presumably less sane Madeline. i wonder if the girl-buddy character is more common in 1950's film. i haven't seen enough movies of that era to make a sound judgment. are there similar roles for women in contemporary cinema? hm.
I give it an A-
also, Monty Python's Life of Brian, which gets funnier every time i see it. not for folks who aren't fans of Monty Python's humor, though. my favorite line (in a deleted scene, no less): "aahhhh, sheep. terrific animals. just terrific."
it gets a B+
also from the recent past, in two lines or less...mostly:
Pieces of April gets an A-, heartwarming but not sappy
The Dancer Upstairs is a B+ for the soundtrack and acting.
note: watch the special features, if you rent the dvd, for historical context. it really takes place in Peru, even though it says simply "latin america." Mel and i both thought it was a little sketchy that Malkovich didn't go the whole hog and a) allow the actors to speak Spanish, and b) actually geographically locate the film.
Irreversible, which, as a gratuitious, violent, unintelligent knock-off of the much, much better Memento, gets a solid D-.
movies:
Hitchcock's Vertigo--a classic and well worth the watch, if you've never seen it. aside from the thrilling suspense part of it--it is a Hitchcock, after all--i particularly enjoyed the colors. was also intrigued by the character of Midge--Scottie's buddy who plays the sane counterpoint to the presumably less sane Madeline. i wonder if the girl-buddy character is more common in 1950's film. i haven't seen enough movies of that era to make a sound judgment. are there similar roles for women in contemporary cinema? hm.
I give it an A-
also, Monty Python's Life of Brian, which gets funnier every time i see it. not for folks who aren't fans of Monty Python's humor, though. my favorite line (in a deleted scene, no less): "aahhhh, sheep. terrific animals. just terrific."
it gets a B+
also from the recent past, in two lines or less...mostly:
Pieces of April gets an A-, heartwarming but not sappy
The Dancer Upstairs is a B+ for the soundtrack and acting.
note: watch the special features, if you rent the dvd, for historical context. it really takes place in Peru, even though it says simply "latin america." Mel and i both thought it was a little sketchy that Malkovich didn't go the whole hog and a) allow the actors to speak Spanish, and b) actually geographically locate the film.
Irreversible, which, as a gratuitious, violent, unintelligent knock-off of the much, much better Memento, gets a solid D-.
Friday, March 12, 2004
COMMENT ME THIS, COMMENT ME THAT
here are the websites of a couple of NPR commentators ("All Things Considered") of which i'm particularly fond:
Andrei Codrescu, editor for Exquisite Corpse
Paul Ford's F Train
how does one get to be a commentator on "All Things Considered," i wonder? could it be as easy as NPR indicates? just send off an e-mail with your content in it? i wonder whose job it is to read all of those e-mailed commentaries? who gets to decide whose commentaries get read, and how can i bribe them to read something from someone i know so that i can be Famous?
here are the websites of a couple of NPR commentators ("All Things Considered") of which i'm particularly fond:
Andrei Codrescu, editor for Exquisite Corpse
Paul Ford's F Train
how does one get to be a commentator on "All Things Considered," i wonder? could it be as easy as NPR indicates? just send off an e-mail with your content in it? i wonder whose job it is to read all of those e-mailed commentaries? who gets to decide whose commentaries get read, and how can i bribe them to read something from someone i know so that i can be Famous?
FOREWARNING
posts in this weblog will be, for the most part, short and sweet. it's intended both to keep a log of what i'm seeing/reading/hearing/doing and to provide a reference for folks who're looking for a good movie to rent, book to read, art form to explore, whathaveyou. also, i don't pretend to have an "unbiased" view toward art in whatever form. honestly, i don't believe anyone can pretend to be "unbiased" at all--least of all, major network news sources.
i'm not sure what form this weblog will take in the future. maybe i'll change the name. maybe i'll change the structure. who knows?
for the moment, though, i'll hit the ground running with an old post from my very, very short-lived music-focused weblog, titled:
...WOULD MAKE A GOOD BAND NAME
i'm realizing that there's more to my life than text. there's a soundtrack, an audible dimension beyond the words and pictures. i'm looking to incorporate that into my conscious mind, and i'm starting with today's soundrack.
SOUNDTRACK
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Song: Wrote a Song for Everyone
Album: Green River
Key lyrics:
Saw the people standin' thousand years in chains.
Somebody said it's diff'rent now, look, it's just the same.
Pharoahs spin the message, round and round the truth.
They could have saved a million people, How can I tell you?
Wrote A Song For Ev'ryone,
Wrote a song for truth.
Wrote A Song For Ev'ryone
And I couldn't even talk to you.
Ruminations: I'm always thinking, when I hear Creedence twanging out of my frequently non-functional cd player, that, man, these are the roots. simple chords, straightforward lyrics, only minor embellishments. but, then i think, well, no, blues are the roots, pushed up a little more toward the mainstream by these skinny white guys, one of whom really knows how to say it and say it loud. there are arguments to be made that Creedence is another example of what white culture has appropriated from black histories of struggle, and i would be inclined to agree with these arguments.
be that as it may, Fogerty sings some mad protest tunes. i worry that folks appropriate his music, too, but for all the wrong reasons and without knowing, like, what the songs actually say. in my mind, there's a difference between Fogerty rooting his feet in songs about oppression and the Bush Sr. administration doing the same.
Sing it, JF. Sing it like you mean it.
And i sing it, too. Gives me strength--this song was written, this song was played, this song was recorded, this song pierced the ears of my parents' generation, and it needs to remain alive.
i fear that folks remember Creedence as flag-wavers. for all i know, john fogerty is ok with having just the beginnings of his classic protest tunes used as the backdrop for Ralph Lauren commericals. but i fear that people will lose a sense of time, a sense of context, a sense of history regarding their all-american music--much like i fear a loss of historical perspective and a flattening of meaning in regards to other distinctly american-pop-culture icons, items, and events.
given this quasi-historical context, i listened to this song a few times on my way in to work this morning. JF's lyrics ring like some kind of truth to me now. They have a timeless quality: oppression persists, the great Spin machine persists, and, worst of all, ignorance persists. what did JF do? he wrote a FREAKIN' song! he wrote it to get the truth he saw back when he wrote it out there to everyone because it's what he Does. there's a Lesson here: whack at the Machine, the Man, the System, the White Supremacist Patriarchy, Big Brother--whatever you call it--whack at it with whatever tools whatever deity you believe in has given you. whack at it like JF whacks at institutionalized silence with his voice. make it just as loud, just as piercing, just as true, and just as simple as possible.
posts in this weblog will be, for the most part, short and sweet. it's intended both to keep a log of what i'm seeing/reading/hearing/doing and to provide a reference for folks who're looking for a good movie to rent, book to read, art form to explore, whathaveyou. also, i don't pretend to have an "unbiased" view toward art in whatever form. honestly, i don't believe anyone can pretend to be "unbiased" at all--least of all, major network news sources.
i'm not sure what form this weblog will take in the future. maybe i'll change the name. maybe i'll change the structure. who knows?
for the moment, though, i'll hit the ground running with an old post from my very, very short-lived music-focused weblog, titled:
...WOULD MAKE A GOOD BAND NAME
i'm realizing that there's more to my life than text. there's a soundtrack, an audible dimension beyond the words and pictures. i'm looking to incorporate that into my conscious mind, and i'm starting with today's soundrack.
SOUNDTRACK
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Song: Wrote a Song for Everyone
Album: Green River
Key lyrics:
Saw the people standin' thousand years in chains.
Somebody said it's diff'rent now, look, it's just the same.
Pharoahs spin the message, round and round the truth.
They could have saved a million people, How can I tell you?
Wrote A Song For Ev'ryone,
Wrote a song for truth.
Wrote A Song For Ev'ryone
And I couldn't even talk to you.
Ruminations: I'm always thinking, when I hear Creedence twanging out of my frequently non-functional cd player, that, man, these are the roots. simple chords, straightforward lyrics, only minor embellishments. but, then i think, well, no, blues are the roots, pushed up a little more toward the mainstream by these skinny white guys, one of whom really knows how to say it and say it loud. there are arguments to be made that Creedence is another example of what white culture has appropriated from black histories of struggle, and i would be inclined to agree with these arguments.
be that as it may, Fogerty sings some mad protest tunes. i worry that folks appropriate his music, too, but for all the wrong reasons and without knowing, like, what the songs actually say. in my mind, there's a difference between Fogerty rooting his feet in songs about oppression and the Bush Sr. administration doing the same.
Sing it, JF. Sing it like you mean it.
And i sing it, too. Gives me strength--this song was written, this song was played, this song was recorded, this song pierced the ears of my parents' generation, and it needs to remain alive.
i fear that folks remember Creedence as flag-wavers. for all i know, john fogerty is ok with having just the beginnings of his classic protest tunes used as the backdrop for Ralph Lauren commericals. but i fear that people will lose a sense of time, a sense of context, a sense of history regarding their all-american music--much like i fear a loss of historical perspective and a flattening of meaning in regards to other distinctly american-pop-culture icons, items, and events.
given this quasi-historical context, i listened to this song a few times on my way in to work this morning. JF's lyrics ring like some kind of truth to me now. They have a timeless quality: oppression persists, the great Spin machine persists, and, worst of all, ignorance persists. what did JF do? he wrote a FREAKIN' song! he wrote it to get the truth he saw back when he wrote it out there to everyone because it's what he Does. there's a Lesson here: whack at the Machine, the Man, the System, the White Supremacist Patriarchy, Big Brother--whatever you call it--whack at it with whatever tools whatever deity you believe in has given you. whack at it like JF whacks at institutionalized silence with his voice. make it just as loud, just as piercing, just as true, and just as simple as possible.
