What do you get when you combine the top silent movie accompaniment, Alloy Orchestra, with a top-ten historic theater, The Landmark Oriental, and the newly restored Fritz Lang masterpiece, Metropolis?
Tears, euphoria, and two standing ovations.
Roger Ebert describes Alloy Orchestra as, "The best in the world at accompanying silent films." After hearing them perform their ear-shattering, soul-shaking, heart-wrenching (okay, okay, enough already) score live I think Ebert was being diplomatic. They're even better than that.
I listened to the raving fanaticism in the lobby afterward on Tuesday when I saw it, and again last night when I came out of a different film. They were talking about it as if they'd gleaned an indelible memory. Some were speechless, milling about like drugged penguins on an ice floe. They had so much to say to each other but lacked the words to communicate it properly.
That this was an event was clear to me before it happened. I was ready to fly to Berlin this year when the festival over there debuted the movie with the footage which was found in Argentina. I knew that was something significant, and the story was intriguing. That which was thought to have been lost forever had been found. Now we could see the film in the completeness which the director had fought for.
Honestly, I would have to see it again to appreciate what was added. I like that they filled in the unrecoverable frames with text describing the circumstances which we'd have seen on film. I also like that they didn't worry about changing the aspect ratio for the added footage. They simply left the black space when it didn't quite fill the frame. That was barely noticeable.
I can say that I didn't feel like I was watching a film for 2.5 hours when it was over. Although we surely could have used a break during those two intermissions within the film, the film's continuity kept us enthralled until the end.
I was so glad to see the film again on a big screen, and to see the incredible cinematography and vision of Lang again. So many films were derivative of this one. The cityscape was copied by movies like Blade Runner and The Fifth Element for sure.
But the message of the film is as resonant today as it was then, with the circumstances of our economy having separated the rich and poor by a divide which rivals that which existed during the time when this film was created. We all ought to learn from that which this film is trying to say.
Alloy really was incredible to witness do their thing. They certainly resembled their name with their score for this film. They used more industrial, metal sounding effects and more powerfully evocative music than the original score provided. There's no comparison, even though I liked the original score.
I will never forget the experience. It will be something that I can tell people I was part of for the rest of my life.
http://www.alloyorchestra.com/
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Perrier's Bounty: FILM REVIEW
What is it about the Irish dark comedy that I love so much? That's hard to contain succinctly.
Maybe it's as simple as the earthy Irish accent which can make expletive-laced tirades sound absolutely prosaic. I find myself getting in trouble with my wife after seeing a film like this one, which seems to me to call for a rating of "fecking brilliant."
It's certainly more than that. It helps to know the source of the darkness to understand the depth of the comedy in a film like Perrier's Bounty. Anyone who has a basic knowledge of the history of Ireland and Northern Ireland could begin to grasp that sharp-edged humor is a legacy which was borne of real suffering and conflict.
This was the second time I saw this film. I loved it when we screened it for the festival, and I have been talking about it since I saw it in the program.
For the sake of full-disclosure, let me say that I am biased toward Dublin as if it were my younger brother. I love it dearly. So the fact that the film is set there, and in the Wicklow Mountains to the north, bade well for it before I saw it at all.
The acting was superb. The sensitive mobster, the dying father, the dog-handlers, the manic neighbor girl, and the hit-men whose love could not be named are my faves... but that's almost all of them, isn't it? Cillian Murphy did well to erase the high creep-factor which I associate with him since his roles in Batman Begins and Red Eye. But Broadbent and Gleeson steal the show in this one for me. Let me suggest that it's very likely that you'll laugh the next time you see Nescafe.
There's a lot going on in this movie filled with characters. Gabriel Byrne voices the narrator who one finds to be the grim reaper at the close of the film. I missed that the first time, and so did a couple of others who saw the film with me. Regardless, his narration was perfect for the film, and I love the idea that this is a story told by the grim reaper, set in Dublin, about gangsters and witless accomplices.
It's violent, gritty, laced with profanity, and addresses a range of subjects which would make many uncomfortable. There's plenty for one to choose to be offended or affected by in this film, but it's wrapped up in that easy-to-swallow Irish package which is what takes this from Reservoir Dogs toward Hot Fuzz. It falls somewhere in between those two for me.
It was worth getting punched in the arm by the wife after this one ended when I described it with the rating which I thought was appropriate...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1003034/
Maybe it's as simple as the earthy Irish accent which can make expletive-laced tirades sound absolutely prosaic. I find myself getting in trouble with my wife after seeing a film like this one, which seems to me to call for a rating of "fecking brilliant."
It's certainly more than that. It helps to know the source of the darkness to understand the depth of the comedy in a film like Perrier's Bounty. Anyone who has a basic knowledge of the history of Ireland and Northern Ireland could begin to grasp that sharp-edged humor is a legacy which was borne of real suffering and conflict.
This was the second time I saw this film. I loved it when we screened it for the festival, and I have been talking about it since I saw it in the program.
For the sake of full-disclosure, let me say that I am biased toward Dublin as if it were my younger brother. I love it dearly. So the fact that the film is set there, and in the Wicklow Mountains to the north, bade well for it before I saw it at all.
The acting was superb. The sensitive mobster, the dying father, the dog-handlers, the manic neighbor girl, and the hit-men whose love could not be named are my faves... but that's almost all of them, isn't it? Cillian Murphy did well to erase the high creep-factor which I associate with him since his roles in Batman Begins and Red Eye. But Broadbent and Gleeson steal the show in this one for me. Let me suggest that it's very likely that you'll laugh the next time you see Nescafe.
There's a lot going on in this movie filled with characters. Gabriel Byrne voices the narrator who one finds to be the grim reaper at the close of the film. I missed that the first time, and so did a couple of others who saw the film with me. Regardless, his narration was perfect for the film, and I love the idea that this is a story told by the grim reaper, set in Dublin, about gangsters and witless accomplices.
It's violent, gritty, laced with profanity, and addresses a range of subjects which would make many uncomfortable. There's plenty for one to choose to be offended or affected by in this film, but it's wrapped up in that easy-to-swallow Irish package which is what takes this from Reservoir Dogs toward Hot Fuzz. It falls somewhere in between those two for me.
It was worth getting punched in the arm by the wife after this one ended when I described it with the rating which I thought was appropriate...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1003034/
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Da Bears Still...
I realized early on in that lopsided penalty-fest called a game last night that it would not be the Packers night. I should not have skipped festival films for the NFL. Never again.
Anyway, the NFL isn't something I trust in anymore. So I wasn't really angry last night after the loss. It's to be expected that any team which has more penalties than points will not win.
Now, several of the penalties were more than questionable and several for the winning team weren't called. In both cases, they were during the most crucial points of the game. The Bears have two wins on their record which were gifts from the zebras, and that does lead coworkers to sing that refrain which Packer fans like to trot out each year.
Congrats to the Bears fans I know. You've got three wins, now you need to become the team that deserves them.
http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2010/9/28/f659c241-4449-42d6-b801-a0f4bbb402d4.jpg
Anyway, the NFL isn't something I trust in anymore. So I wasn't really angry last night after the loss. It's to be expected that any team which has more penalties than points will not win.
Now, several of the penalties were more than questionable and several for the winning team weren't called. In both cases, they were during the most crucial points of the game. The Bears have two wins on their record which were gifts from the zebras, and that does lead coworkers to sing that refrain which Packer fans like to trot out each year.
Congrats to the Bears fans I know. You've got three wins, now you need to become the team that deserves them.
http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2010/9/28/f659c241-4449-42d6-b801-a0f4bbb402d4.jpg
Monday, September 27, 2010
A Tale Of Two Quarterbacks
Just an NFL factoid for today. After yesterday's game versus Detroit:
Brett Favre: 499 TDs
Brent Farse: 509 INTs
Both are tops all time by a large margin. I'd bet even the sad-eyed and disinterested qb would like to flip that script by the end of this season. If not, he's currently on pace for 518 and 535 respectively.
Brett Favre: 499 TDs
Brent Farse: 509 INTs
Both are tops all time by a large margin. I'd bet even the sad-eyed and disinterested qb would like to flip that script by the end of this season. If not, he's currently on pace for 518 and 535 respectively.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
It's Kind Of A Funny Story: FILM REVIEW
I loved this film. I loved the characters and Zack Galifianakis in particular in this film about teen identity and mental illness.
It made me think of a more mature remake of a Michael Cera film. It was certainly less silly and reliant on the lead to be quirky and self-depreciating than those films are, but it still had some of the same elements, done with a bit of a lighter touch.
I appreciated the use of animation within the film, and the scene where Keir Gilchrist sang in front of the residents in a hilarious fantasy sequence.
There were surely characters in the film which were stereotypical and somewhat strained at times, but less so than other teen angst films--which I categorize this as.
What makes me laugh now is that Jim Gaffigan actually was the "straight man" in this film, as unfunny as there could be. That's a bit odd, considering his transcendant humor based upon absurdity and self-depreciation. But, it was a tangible measure of the restraint this film displayed in some ways. Still, I think it was an odd choice, since I kept hoping he'd sing "Hot Pockets!"
Galifianakis and Gilchrist's relationship in the film is worth seeing it for. It's far more significan than the teen love relationship story which develops as a side story in the film. That was carefully drawn as well, and I was thankful that it wasn't the central point of the film. Teen love shouldn't be the balm for teen depression.
The therapist character was believable until she fumbled the Reinhold Niebuhr quote during therapy. First, Neibuhr is a faith figure, and having worked in juvenile residential treatment for several years, I can say that even the serenity prayer is left to religious institutions and groups like AA and N.A. which leave room for a higher power. Anyway, I may be the only one who thought that bit undermined her character.
Regardless, the film was one I would recommend. It's heart-warming and wrenching in subtle ways, and there are laughs to be found throughout. I felt so pleased when it was over that I decided that I needn't see another film that night. I went home early, pleased with life.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804497/
It made me think of a more mature remake of a Michael Cera film. It was certainly less silly and reliant on the lead to be quirky and self-depreciating than those films are, but it still had some of the same elements, done with a bit of a lighter touch.
I appreciated the use of animation within the film, and the scene where Keir Gilchrist sang in front of the residents in a hilarious fantasy sequence.
There were surely characters in the film which were stereotypical and somewhat strained at times, but less so than other teen angst films--which I categorize this as.
What makes me laugh now is that Jim Gaffigan actually was the "straight man" in this film, as unfunny as there could be. That's a bit odd, considering his transcendant humor based upon absurdity and self-depreciation. But, it was a tangible measure of the restraint this film displayed in some ways. Still, I think it was an odd choice, since I kept hoping he'd sing "Hot Pockets!"
Galifianakis and Gilchrist's relationship in the film is worth seeing it for. It's far more significan than the teen love relationship story which develops as a side story in the film. That was carefully drawn as well, and I was thankful that it wasn't the central point of the film. Teen love shouldn't be the balm for teen depression.
The therapist character was believable until she fumbled the Reinhold Niebuhr quote during therapy. First, Neibuhr is a faith figure, and having worked in juvenile residential treatment for several years, I can say that even the serenity prayer is left to religious institutions and groups like AA and N.A. which leave room for a higher power. Anyway, I may be the only one who thought that bit undermined her character.
Regardless, the film was one I would recommend. It's heart-warming and wrenching in subtle ways, and there are laughs to be found throughout. I felt so pleased when it was over that I decided that I needn't see another film that night. I went home early, pleased with life.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804497/
Ajami: FILM REVIEW
This film was one I had high hopes for. The billing as the film which won best picture in Israel was touted as a complex look at the interconnected conflicts between Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Israel and the occupied territories.
It was, but it was also rather confusing for me as a westerner. I had trouble distinguishing who was supposed to be representing what group, and the film started with a linear storyline but quickly split into many parallel stories which eventually intersected in ways I am still not clear about.
I would have to see this again, and take notes as to the relationships and identities of each character. What got in the way for me also was the way the film was perpetually backtracking like a less clever version of Memento. When it did backtrack the film didn't follow through so that one knew for sure it had. I mean the flashbacks never returned to an established point in the present.
At the end it seemed to bring all of the relationships and situations together. I couldn't help thinking of the joke, "they all look the same" which was said about white folk in the film OSS 117 last night. I felt like the characters in this film looked so much alike and had so much in common in culture and habit that the only way I could tell who was what was by the parenthetical notations on occasional subtitles. (Arabic) or (Hebrew) for example.
The acting appeared superb, but since I was reading subtitles and struggling to keep my head above water with following the multiple plot lines, I hardly had time to notice. I was a bit exhausted when the credits rolled.
But maybe that's the point at the heart of the film. The differences between these cultures were so insignificant that one cannot tell them apart without a cheat sheet or family tree. Considering that all trace their lineage back to Abraham, one might argue that they are part of the same divided family. That was fully in my mind as I watched the film, and could have got in the way of the message of the film.
What that message was is unclear to me. I do sense a great sense of mournful sadness about the conflicts between these cultures, the violence, and the hopelessness of relations which we hear about so often. It's timely that our country is currently making another push toward a cease fire between Israel and Palestine, and that the concept of a free Palestinian state is being suggested.
I mean, that's what Israel fought for themselves. Shouldn't they understand this? Christians are adopted into the faith tradition of Abraham, and should be more aware of the historical nature of the conflict and instead of focusing on proselytizing, they might work toward mediation and objectivity. I'd think that they could find some common interests to pursue for the sake of peace.
Regardless, this film didn't work for me after one viewing. I struggled to watch this film. But it would be worth a second careful screening. I'd love to hear the thoughts of the director about the motivation and the use of a regressively additive storyline.
The film puts forth a rather grim story which can loosely be seen as a prophetic warning about the violent end which all these cultures will meet if a peaceful solution to normalize relations doesn't become the top priority. It's not simple, and the film does not suggest solutions.
It's a film which should be followed by a talkback session or a table discussion. It's got to be interpreted by a group of individuals, I think. It was too much for me to grasp alone.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077262/
It was, but it was also rather confusing for me as a westerner. I had trouble distinguishing who was supposed to be representing what group, and the film started with a linear storyline but quickly split into many parallel stories which eventually intersected in ways I am still not clear about.
I would have to see this again, and take notes as to the relationships and identities of each character. What got in the way for me also was the way the film was perpetually backtracking like a less clever version of Memento. When it did backtrack the film didn't follow through so that one knew for sure it had. I mean the flashbacks never returned to an established point in the present.
At the end it seemed to bring all of the relationships and situations together. I couldn't help thinking of the joke, "they all look the same" which was said about white folk in the film OSS 117 last night. I felt like the characters in this film looked so much alike and had so much in common in culture and habit that the only way I could tell who was what was by the parenthetical notations on occasional subtitles. (Arabic) or (Hebrew) for example.
The acting appeared superb, but since I was reading subtitles and struggling to keep my head above water with following the multiple plot lines, I hardly had time to notice. I was a bit exhausted when the credits rolled.
But maybe that's the point at the heart of the film. The differences between these cultures were so insignificant that one cannot tell them apart without a cheat sheet or family tree. Considering that all trace their lineage back to Abraham, one might argue that they are part of the same divided family. That was fully in my mind as I watched the film, and could have got in the way of the message of the film.
What that message was is unclear to me. I do sense a great sense of mournful sadness about the conflicts between these cultures, the violence, and the hopelessness of relations which we hear about so often. It's timely that our country is currently making another push toward a cease fire between Israel and Palestine, and that the concept of a free Palestinian state is being suggested.
I mean, that's what Israel fought for themselves. Shouldn't they understand this? Christians are adopted into the faith tradition of Abraham, and should be more aware of the historical nature of the conflict and instead of focusing on proselytizing, they might work toward mediation and objectivity. I'd think that they could find some common interests to pursue for the sake of peace.
Regardless, this film didn't work for me after one viewing. I struggled to watch this film. But it would be worth a second careful screening. I'd love to hear the thoughts of the director about the motivation and the use of a regressively additive storyline.
The film puts forth a rather grim story which can loosely be seen as a prophetic warning about the violent end which all these cultures will meet if a peaceful solution to normalize relations doesn't become the top priority. It's not simple, and the film does not suggest solutions.
It's a film which should be followed by a talkback session or a table discussion. It's got to be interpreted by a group of individuals, I think. It was too much for me to grasp alone.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077262/
Waiting For Superman: FILM REVIEW
As I stood in line with the throng of folks waiting to see this film the question was asked, "Are you a teacher?" I am not, and considering that this questioner had cut in front of me in the line of passholders/VIP folks, I wasn't particularly receptive to the question.
She remarked, "We need more of this," pointing toward the sign for the film's title above the heavy wooden doors to the main theater at the Landmark Oriental. She was trying to indicate some level of support for education, or for something this movie is about, but I wasn't sure. I was still thinking about her cutting in line.
I said, "Ma'am, the line begins behind me," and made a crowd-depreciative remark about us passholder types not knowing how to wait in lines. Outside the theater there stood a line of over 300 folks who merely have tickets (and cannot go in early and stand by the entry doors or mingle and get popcorn and sundries in a more stress-free environ. There was a stark difference between the accessibility and the treatment which we were receiving inside this grandiose space.
I had the luxury of being annoyed by the apparent entitlement of someone not used to standing in a line and waiting for things. When I confronted her she excused herself and slid back by the man she was with somewhat orthagonally to me in my periphery. She said, "It's so excellent having passes so that we can come past the crowd directly inside like this isn't it."
"I'll never go back to tickets," I said, "Ever since I got a pass last year I have been ruined for waiting in long lines."
I thought that we'd achieved an equilibrium of understanding about our own line positioning when she greeted someone ahead of me in line and slid back in front of me. Her escort made a half-hearted motion toward her to return to her position in line, but I was not going to be so patient or passive. I whispered to the person ahead of me that I would be heading to the balcony, where I could assure myself that no one would get in front of me.
Even this was a sign of my privelege. The balcony is technically shut down, but since I know VIPs for the festival, I feel like I own the place, and come and go as I please. Last year I chose the balcony as often as I could, and it was my way of enjoying the movie without the annoyances of kicked seats and people talking.
I'm writing this from before the start of the film, in the balcony, where there is now a loud group of folks flowing in around me, now accessing even this that I held dear. But this is a palpable metaphor for the state of education in America. It's not lost on me that there are folks who cannot get access to the same priveleges and opportunities that I have had, either because of arbitrary factors like skin color, ethnicity, or social class. The zipcode which someone lives in determines an awful lot about what choices and opportunities that they will have.
I've lived many places, including now in the inner-city. The difference for me has always been that I am able to come and go as I please. I've always had options. I have the luxury of choosing to live in the 'hood. I wasn't raised here, and don't suffer the long-term effects of classism or the psychosis of poverty. I can still feel entitled, and I am passionate about asserting my rights.
So, now, having seen the film I must say that I realize that it is the apathy and that attitude of entitled luxury which has led to the erosion of our national education system. It's led to the failed Milwaukee Public School system. Because, if folks like me actually cared, and learned to prioritize things by their relative imporatance, this would be solved overnight.
That's at least my view. I know that teacher's unions and government officials would have some say in that. I expect that there would be a fight. Still, if the vast majority of those of us with access to more choices and more influence would speak up and advocate for the strategies which this movie displays as proven methods that work instead of failed policies like "No Child Left Behind", an optimistic/simplistic bipartisan effort of George W Bush and Ted Kennedy.
Milwaukee was featured prominently in the film, as they interviewed former MPS Superintendents and dealt with the issue of choice schools and vouchers, which we've been on the forefront of in many ways.
This film is full of passionate ideas and persistent parents. It's optimistic and realistic simultaneously. You'll be inspired and devastated if you see this film, and you should.
I like how one urban school in particular not only broke the stagnant education gap which has ran like parallel lines for decades, it superceded the best of the suburban elite schools. It is a shining example that testifies that urban kids form challenged backgrounds and minority backgrounds not only can learn, but they can thrive.
I won't say more than that about the film.
I don't have children, despite having a loving 15-year marriage. Part of the reason I find it hard to consider parenting is that there are so many obstacles for children at present, and that there is such a gap between rich and poor. I'm certainly not in either category, but life is a struggle at times, and I have no legacy which I can guarantee for any child I were to parent. That's where I am at this moment, at least, on the cusp of 40.
It is the devastation of a school system like MPS, and the segregation in our city of Milwaukee, with all the problems that this brings to the social I sometimes feel paralyzed by the troubles I see in this segregated city, with a male graduation rate from MPS of under 40%.
Like is touched upon briefly in the film, it has been said that poverty leads to a deteriorated educational system and eventually crime. But the reality is much more the inverse. Our neglected schools have been the problem which lead to these other things. May we all learn to promote education as the cornerstone of our collective goals and aspirations. We succeed or fail together.
The Art Of The Steal: FILM REVIEW
Film can change minds and inform a viewer of things which are obscured from view otherwise. That's what this film did for me in two significant ways. It gave me glimpses of Albert C. Barnes' private collection of art for the first time as a whole and it exposed some things about some entities which I have supported uncritically.
The Pew Charitable Trust, Annenberg Foundation, and even NPR (by their complicity) have done me wrong. They've not told the story of this most significant collection of modernist and post-modernist/impressionist works as the tragedy that it is. I've only heard about the positive thing that it is for all of us that the works will be showcased in a new facility downtown in Philadelphia. The fact that Pew, Annenberg, and others are key contributors to NPR and other arts organizations has certainly cut the legs out from under the reporting of what has to be described as a crime.
But it's a crime with so many nemeses, material supporters, political gleaners, monetizers, and egotists that blame is hard to portion. It's a crime which has taken decades to pull off, and it's the biggest heist in world history.
25 billion in art has been stolen from the trust of the owner, despite what should have been an airtight will, and an inexpensive maintenance of his estate. He'd taken great pains to insure his collection would not be taken from the place he chose to showcase it, among the educational art program which he had been so passionate about while alive.
Alas, his vision to acquire such most significant pieces by folks like Picasso and Matisse before the rest of the world art community wanted them, resulted in a collection which has been coveted for myriad reasons in subsequent years.
There are reams of writings about the works, and about Barnes, who is often painted as an "irascible" character, as a maladroit, or as a selfish miser who has chosen to keep these works from view by the regular public.
http://www.barnesfoundation.org/h_main.html
I'd fallen prey to these overwhelming voices. But these characterizations are part of the machinery of this theft. They're propaganda which built the foundation for the justification of the "eminent domain" actions taken by governments, foundations, and charities.
You see, greed, power, and crime is not exclusive to any political party. In this film I am reminded that even charity can be a racket, and that Democrats can do the same sort of things which Republicans have been resoundingly accused of for the last 10 years. The reasons and methods aren't so different. But in this case, the powers that be chose to play upon the charitable hearts of the masses, and pass this off as a way to "protect" the collection, and to "insure" that it survives, and to make sure that it becomes "accessible" to the public.
All of those things are grandiose lies, and the most despicable thing is that they're wrapped with motives advertised as so noble and well-intentioned.
That doesn't change the fact that this is a modern story of an epic theft which reads on screen like a tale of espionage. It's also an object lesson about property rights, the nature and scope of private ownership, greed corrupting good motives, with a bit of art history instruction as a backdrop.
Maybe Barnes has won after all. We're talking about the art, and learning about the politics within and without, the latter which he despised and the former which he adored.
I have already spoken with the wife about a pilgrimage to the current site of the Barnes Foundation, to see the art as it was intended by the collector, before the big theft becomes finalized in 2012. *sigh*
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1326733/
The Pew Charitable Trust, Annenberg Foundation, and even NPR (by their complicity) have done me wrong. They've not told the story of this most significant collection of modernist and post-modernist/impressionist works as the tragedy that it is. I've only heard about the positive thing that it is for all of us that the works will be showcased in a new facility downtown in Philadelphia. The fact that Pew, Annenberg, and others are key contributors to NPR and other arts organizations has certainly cut the legs out from under the reporting of what has to be described as a crime.
But it's a crime with so many nemeses, material supporters, political gleaners, monetizers, and egotists that blame is hard to portion. It's a crime which has taken decades to pull off, and it's the biggest heist in world history.
25 billion in art has been stolen from the trust of the owner, despite what should have been an airtight will, and an inexpensive maintenance of his estate. He'd taken great pains to insure his collection would not be taken from the place he chose to showcase it, among the educational art program which he had been so passionate about while alive.
Alas, his vision to acquire such most significant pieces by folks like Picasso and Matisse before the rest of the world art community wanted them, resulted in a collection which has been coveted for myriad reasons in subsequent years.
There are reams of writings about the works, and about Barnes, who is often painted as an "irascible" character, as a maladroit, or as a selfish miser who has chosen to keep these works from view by the regular public.
http://www.barnesfoundation.org/h_main.html
I'd fallen prey to these overwhelming voices. But these characterizations are part of the machinery of this theft. They're propaganda which built the foundation for the justification of the "eminent domain" actions taken by governments, foundations, and charities.
You see, greed, power, and crime is not exclusive to any political party. In this film I am reminded that even charity can be a racket, and that Democrats can do the same sort of things which Republicans have been resoundingly accused of for the last 10 years. The reasons and methods aren't so different. But in this case, the powers that be chose to play upon the charitable hearts of the masses, and pass this off as a way to "protect" the collection, and to "insure" that it survives, and to make sure that it becomes "accessible" to the public.
All of those things are grandiose lies, and the most despicable thing is that they're wrapped with motives advertised as so noble and well-intentioned.
That doesn't change the fact that this is a modern story of an epic theft which reads on screen like a tale of espionage. It's also an object lesson about property rights, the nature and scope of private ownership, greed corrupting good motives, with a bit of art history instruction as a backdrop.
Maybe Barnes has won after all. We're talking about the art, and learning about the politics within and without, the latter which he despised and the former which he adored.
I have already spoken with the wife about a pilgrimage to the current site of the Barnes Foundation, to see the art as it was intended by the collector, before the big theft becomes finalized in 2012. *sigh*
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1326733/
Best Worst Movie/Troll II: DOUBLE FEATURE FILM REVIEW
Having seen the documentary about the subculture phenomenon surrounding this straight to VHS film first, I was somehow sad that I had not seen seen "Troll II" before it. I knew some of the punchlines (dialogue) before they were spoken, knew the motivation of the writer of the screenplay (her annoyance with a group of vegetarian friends), and the reasons which I was supposed to laugh.
I would invert the double-feature if I had it to do over.
But I loved seeing the documentary again. It was really funny, thoughtful, and heart-warming. The small-town Alabama dentist featured in the film was a pleasure to watch on screen, a person of tireless optimism and an empowering smile. From start to finish he'll have you smiling.
"BEST WORST MOVIE, directed by TROLL 2’s once-disgraced child star, Michael Paul Stephenson, unravels the stories of these unforgettable real-life characters and the colorful army of devotees who continue to revel in the film’s perfectly flawed brilliance."
The film's own website says it better than I can. I love that the child star whose career hopes were obliterated by this movie (heck, even an entire Christmas was), finds redemption in creating this film. That was a really accessible message within it. But, as good documentary films do, this one didn't start with that premise and craft cinematic support for an agenda. It unfolded naturally and brings the viewer through the metamorphoses as a participant.
If you haven't seen both films, there's another double-feature (one $10 ticket for both films) sceduled next Saturday, October 2nd at 10:15pm at the Marcus Ridge Cinema.
Be sure to bring plenty of popcorn and double-decker bologna sandwiches if you do. You'll not be sorry.
http://bestworstmovie.com/
I would invert the double-feature if I had it to do over.
But I loved seeing the documentary again. It was really funny, thoughtful, and heart-warming. The small-town Alabama dentist featured in the film was a pleasure to watch on screen, a person of tireless optimism and an empowering smile. From start to finish he'll have you smiling.
"BEST WORST MOVIE, directed by TROLL 2’s once-disgraced child star, Michael Paul Stephenson, unravels the stories of these unforgettable real-life characters and the colorful army of devotees who continue to revel in the film’s perfectly flawed brilliance."
The film's own website says it better than I can. I love that the child star whose career hopes were obliterated by this movie (heck, even an entire Christmas was), finds redemption in creating this film. That was a really accessible message within it. But, as good documentary films do, this one didn't start with that premise and craft cinematic support for an agenda. It unfolded naturally and brings the viewer through the metamorphoses as a participant.
If you haven't seen both films, there's another double-feature (one $10 ticket for both films) sceduled next Saturday, October 2nd at 10:15pm at the Marcus Ridge Cinema.
Be sure to bring plenty of popcorn and double-decker bologna sandwiches if you do. You'll not be sorry.
http://bestworstmovie.com/
OSS 117: Lost In Rio
As I was talking with two friends about this film at our seats as the credits rolled, the woman in front of me said, "The previous one in the series was even funnier."
That was hard for me to imagine. During the screening of this film the theater was filled with raucous laughter so consistently that it seemed like the film has a laugh track. But not all the laughter was for the same reasons, which might have left us exhausted by the time the outtakes rolled along side the credits.
We laughed because of pratfalls and silliness. We laughed with awkwardness because of the hard-boiled nature of the misogyny, racism, and arrogance of the man we're watching deconstruct the fascination we have with James Bond and the like. It was a more sophisticated version of a lampoon movie, and though it was over-the-top, it was French, so it felt different than other films of this type.
There were a couple of things I liked a lot about the movie, besides the gorgous setting in Rio. I loved the homage to two Hitchcock classics, Vertigo and North By Northwest in the climactic scene. I won't ruin it for you, but let's just say that the French came up with the word homage, and it was as if they owned the concept as well. I also nearly had an aneurysm laughing about a couple of exceptionally subtle moments of humor. The first was a slow-moving chase scene in the hospital (so funny--my wife would love it). The second was a series of events which put him in a tux and car later in the film because of a "gardener" who left them behind.
It was a film which got the second-most loud ovation of my festival so far when it ended, and surely illicited the most laughs. It's not a film for those easily offended, unless you can get the fact that they're actually poking the thing which might be offensive to you squarely in the eye. Much of the humor is edgy and dark. But humor is often a healthy way to slay the sort of evil with this comedic autopsy laid bare. It reminds me of how my Mother used dark humor to cope so effectively with over 30 surgeries and chemotherapy--a genius coping mechanism that invigorates the living so that fear and sadness might not destroy our lives.
Now I want badly to see the prequel, OSS 117: Cairo, Nest Of Spies. Is it possible that a film could make me laugh for so many reasons again, with even more success? Well, a man can hope for another transcendent comedy to revitalize ones humanity. *added to Netflix queue*
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1167660/
That was hard for me to imagine. During the screening of this film the theater was filled with raucous laughter so consistently that it seemed like the film has a laugh track. But not all the laughter was for the same reasons, which might have left us exhausted by the time the outtakes rolled along side the credits.
We laughed because of pratfalls and silliness. We laughed with awkwardness because of the hard-boiled nature of the misogyny, racism, and arrogance of the man we're watching deconstruct the fascination we have with James Bond and the like. It was a more sophisticated version of a lampoon movie, and though it was over-the-top, it was French, so it felt different than other films of this type.
There were a couple of things I liked a lot about the movie, besides the gorgous setting in Rio. I loved the homage to two Hitchcock classics, Vertigo and North By Northwest in the climactic scene. I won't ruin it for you, but let's just say that the French came up with the word homage, and it was as if they owned the concept as well. I also nearly had an aneurysm laughing about a couple of exceptionally subtle moments of humor. The first was a slow-moving chase scene in the hospital (so funny--my wife would love it). The second was a series of events which put him in a tux and car later in the film because of a "gardener" who left them behind.
It was a film which got the second-most loud ovation of my festival so far when it ended, and surely illicited the most laughs. It's not a film for those easily offended, unless you can get the fact that they're actually poking the thing which might be offensive to you squarely in the eye. Much of the humor is edgy and dark. But humor is often a healthy way to slay the sort of evil with this comedic autopsy laid bare. It reminds me of how my Mother used dark humor to cope so effectively with over 30 surgeries and chemotherapy--a genius coping mechanism that invigorates the living so that fear and sadness might not destroy our lives.
Now I want badly to see the prequel, OSS 117: Cairo, Nest Of Spies. Is it possible that a film could make me laugh for so many reasons again, with even more success? Well, a man can hope for another transcendent comedy to revitalize ones humanity. *added to Netflix queue*
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1167660/
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The Revenant: FILM REVIEW
It was a midnight showing of this film which leads me to type this at 3am, so it's going to be a brief review. I'm not sure I was fully engaged in this film, the fourth of my day...
That said, I can say that it was a bloody, humorous, disturbing, reworking of a vampire mythology, in a new context. It's a dead buddy comedy in some ways, with memorable exchanges, and a horror spoof in others. Still, the storyline is fresher than the corpse who rises from the dead to become a "revenant" leader of a two-man vigilante team.
I found the ending a bit disjointed from the rest of the film. I wasn't quite sure what I was to think about it. Still, I was operating on limited brainpower.
I'd have liked to see the film end with a tragic second-death for the main character. Instead, the ending led me to think of sci-fi films or the recent incarnation of Dr. Who. I did also glean a reference to Aliens in this film when a head remains alive and able to communicate.
There is more gore and dark humor in this than most films you'll see. It's also bright and sharp and quick-witted. I was surprised at what the film was, versus what I expected it to be. I thought it would be more like "Dawn" and less like "Shaun of the Dead". But I was delightfully wrong.
http://www.therevenantmovie.com/
That said, I can say that it was a bloody, humorous, disturbing, reworking of a vampire mythology, in a new context. It's a dead buddy comedy in some ways, with memorable exchanges, and a horror spoof in others. Still, the storyline is fresher than the corpse who rises from the dead to become a "revenant" leader of a two-man vigilante team.
I found the ending a bit disjointed from the rest of the film. I wasn't quite sure what I was to think about it. Still, I was operating on limited brainpower.
I'd have liked to see the film end with a tragic second-death for the main character. Instead, the ending led me to think of sci-fi films or the recent incarnation of Dr. Who. I did also glean a reference to Aliens in this film when a head remains alive and able to communicate.
There is more gore and dark humor in this than most films you'll see. It's also bright and sharp and quick-witted. I was surprised at what the film was, versus what I expected it to be. I thought it would be more like "Dawn" and less like "Shaun of the Dead". But I was delightfully wrong.
http://www.therevenantmovie.com/
Winnebago Man: FILM REVIEW
I am Jack Rebney, the "angriest guy in America." At least I feel that way at times. I've been an angry man fighting to tamp back the rage and desperation for much of my life, long before I could be called a man, actually.
The so-called "Winnebago Man" whose outtakes taken from a series of promotional videos for the aforementioned company which makes recreational vehicles went viral years ago, is given a chance to show us the man behind the meme in this film. Heck, he was viral before the interet, with VHS tapes of his montage being copied over and over and passed hand to hand.
The film I saw which shares the nickname with Jack does well to outline the history of the tape, and the viral video phenomenon in generally hilarious and thoughtful ways. Two threads which ran throughout the film were the questions of what the effect of these videos had on the lives of the people who were featured, often against their will. And the question of what made the films popular. Were we laughing at the person? Were we laughing at ourselves? What was it about?
No one asks these questions with more vehemence and persistence than Jack Rebney himself. As his best friend tells it, "Jack seeks an audience, but he also wants to live as a hermit." Well, for years he's had the latter, and this film has given him the former.
But he wasn't quick to warm up to the idea. Still, the struggle is both exhausting and entertaining to watch. There's a particularly brilliant moment in front of a local Wal-Mart, and make sure you stay for the outtakes. That's a special sort of ironic twist at the end of this film about a man whose outtakes became a source of laughter and inspiration.
I wanted to know so much more about Jack while this film was running. Jack didn't seem to want to let the audience know much about himself. However, when he finally faces an audience of his fans it seems that he comes to some sort of agreement with himself that this wasn't all bad. It was profound, yet subtle. Jack doesn't usually pair with that word, subtle, but beneath the histrionics, the foul-mouthed rants, and the violent outbursts there shines a glimpse of an introspective Jack Rebney. He becomes a bit less jaded for an instant or two.
I identify with that quote about Jack's duality. I'm a hermit to some, and an egotistical socialite to others. I do like to hear myself talk. But I prefer to spend "cave time" decompressing. It's been something which has led me to feel a bit like a bi-polar diagnosee at times, which does scare me. I fear mental illness as a destination.
Seeing this film, with Jack living with his emotions turned inside-out, speaking with such reckless abandon, was liberating to my mind and heart. I don't need to model myself after Jack. But I ought to live with more courage and less pessimism. Jack learns a powerful lesson that others have thought well of him when he didn't think the same of himself, and was paranoid about their interest in him and his viral self.
There's a wise saying which goes something like, "if you only realized how little of the time people are actually thinking about you, you'd change your life." Why? Because other people are also too busy to worry about your failures and inadequacies due to the fact that they're terrified of how their own are seen. We all suffer under the weight of our foibles and transgressions.
This film gave me hope that even in our public failures, wisdom can be gleaned for all involved. We're all able to find the good within each other if we look to the source of the problems we see. And when we don't see that source, I reckon we ought to think the better of the other person--give them the benefit of the doubt.
I've not laughed so hard at myself while watching a film about another actual person before. It felt really good to be okay with me, anger and all. I hope you feel the same about yourself.
Friday, September 24, 2010
My Dog Tulip: FILM REVIEW
My wife and I owned a dog briefly, our first dog of our lives, and it had to be put to sleep just before Christmas, nearly three years ago. We still cry about Eddie.
This animated film was a cross-species love story with a language barrier. I know that latter issue is something which anyone who has owned a dog has felt desperation over. We've suffered under the weight of our ability to speak with our pets. We've wanted to know how to serve their needs, protect them, and to learn from their unconditional love. But we just cannot bridge that divide in an absolute way.
Well, this film, based on a 60 year old British book of the same name by J.R. Ackerley , is a study in that relationship in softly drawn images. It's touching and tragic. One is struck by how many common behaviors all breeds of dogs share with Tulip, yet how poorly we humans have been at translate them. Some people claim to know what dogs think, but they're surely fooling themselves, and could possibly just be asserting Alpha dog status upon the canine species which illicits fairly predictable subservience and behavior.
We won't know unless we meet our pets in the afterlife. If we do I am sure our dog Eddie will have a lot to say about how clueless we were as owners, but all the same how he was happier with us than his previous family or in the humane society cage. It was clear that something had happened to our dear pooch before it had been given up.
Tulip shared the same sort of narrative before the author adopted her. He thought that he made a difference for her from very early on in their relationship, which started with a lot of uneasiness and stress on both parts, but ended gracefully. This movie is a memoir about a dog, and it works.
Now, this movie is not for children. This film contains more mating attempts and canine bodily functions drawn with pencil than I have ever seen in person. The Director said it is a "dirty film, but done tastefully", and I have to agree. But one must not hope that this film would be a soft-edged children's book. It's not.
This film is a gritty, semi-sane look at a dog and its introspective owner. There are different animation techniques used to show different realities on screen. The artist is said to have done the real-time scenes in color, the remembrance moments in monochromatic drawings, and the fantasy/dream sequences in sparse line drawings which often drew Tulip as an anthropomorphized person, along with her dog counterparts as the same, including quite a bit of animated nudity.
Christopher Plummer's voice was an excellent choice, apparently completed in three days of recording. Isabella Rossellini and Lynn Redgrave also round out a great voice cast. And the art was worth seeing this film for alone. This is a film for the art film crowd, particularly those who return home every day to the unfailing love from a four-legged friend.
May a film like this one teach all of us how to value each other, and to give love across special/cultural/political language barriers. We need that now so desperately in this country. We need to be patient and long-suffering in love toward each other in that perplexing way that a dog gives so freely, so resiliently.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0843358/
This animated film was a cross-species love story with a language barrier. I know that latter issue is something which anyone who has owned a dog has felt desperation over. We've suffered under the weight of our ability to speak with our pets. We've wanted to know how to serve their needs, protect them, and to learn from their unconditional love. But we just cannot bridge that divide in an absolute way.
Well, this film, based on a 60 year old British book of the same name by J.R. Ackerley , is a study in that relationship in softly drawn images. It's touching and tragic. One is struck by how many common behaviors all breeds of dogs share with Tulip, yet how poorly we humans have been at translate them. Some people claim to know what dogs think, but they're surely fooling themselves, and could possibly just be asserting Alpha dog status upon the canine species which illicits fairly predictable subservience and behavior.
We won't know unless we meet our pets in the afterlife. If we do I am sure our dog Eddie will have a lot to say about how clueless we were as owners, but all the same how he was happier with us than his previous family or in the humane society cage. It was clear that something had happened to our dear pooch before it had been given up.
Tulip shared the same sort of narrative before the author adopted her. He thought that he made a difference for her from very early on in their relationship, which started with a lot of uneasiness and stress on both parts, but ended gracefully. This movie is a memoir about a dog, and it works.
Now, this movie is not for children. This film contains more mating attempts and canine bodily functions drawn with pencil than I have ever seen in person. The Director said it is a "dirty film, but done tastefully", and I have to agree. But one must not hope that this film would be a soft-edged children's book. It's not.
This film is a gritty, semi-sane look at a dog and its introspective owner. There are different animation techniques used to show different realities on screen. The artist is said to have done the real-time scenes in color, the remembrance moments in monochromatic drawings, and the fantasy/dream sequences in sparse line drawings which often drew Tulip as an anthropomorphized person, along with her dog counterparts as the same, including quite a bit of animated nudity.
Christopher Plummer's voice was an excellent choice, apparently completed in three days of recording. Isabella Rossellini and Lynn Redgrave also round out a great voice cast. And the art was worth seeing this film for alone. This is a film for the art film crowd, particularly those who return home every day to the unfailing love from a four-legged friend.
May a film like this one teach all of us how to value each other, and to give love across special/cultural/political language barriers. We need that now so desperately in this country. We need to be patient and long-suffering in love toward each other in that perplexing way that a dog gives so freely, so resiliently.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0843358/
3 Idiots: FILM REVIEW
Before I went in to see this film I joked with some friends that I have always been looking for the other two idiots in every room. Well, I surely didn't find any in this theater. We came out like the geniuses tonight.
I'm floored. This film is best described by me as the most enjoyable film which I have ever seen. It was so thoroughly enjoyable, packed with humor, music, pageantry, superb acting, gorgeous scenery and costuming, and that was just the wrapping.
Within all that goodness was a film with a strong heartbeat. It spoke wisdom about life which transcends the Indian culture, even though it does poke fun at cultural conventions in that context. But thie film was transcendant both onscreen and off. It's message was universal.
I can see why this film is getting such rave reviews in the west. It's got a strong flavor of independence and free-thinking which we so often take for granted. But put the challenge of breaking with convention in this way within the confines of a strong, foreign culture like this, with all the best that Bollywood has to offer, and you have a film which felt more like an event than a film.
35 Film Screenings In Eleven Days
So here it is, the optimistic schedule of my screenings. All films I am seeing are at the Landmark Oriental Theater on the fashionable east side, unless noted. It's one of the top ten historic theaters in USA. I adore the place so much.
Last night I screened "Blue Valentine" at the beautiful Marcus North Shore theater. It has been getting a lot of oscar buzz, and for good reason. The acting was superb. It was so very real. That's part of what made it hard to watch, because the tragedy of the relationship in the film envelops the viewer. I barely breathed throughout.
When I left I was sure to kiss my wife and tell her how much I loved her when I picked her up to head to the gala. I'm a hopeless romantic, and that film helped me to appreciate my 15 year marriage, and how we've come through some shaky waters together. I'm more in love now than ever.
But I digress:
Today, September 24th, I am seeing four films:
3:30-5:50 3 Idiots
7:00-8:32 My Dog Tulip
9:45-11:25 Winnebago Man
Midnight-1:50am The Remnant
I am excited to see the animated film "Tulip", which looks really interesting. And "Winnebago Man" is a film which follows up on the internet meme which occurred when video of a Winnebago salesman's brutal outtakes became a web sensation. That should be interesting.
Saturday the 25th
1:30-3:11 The Art of the Steal
3:30-5:50 Let's Get Animated
7:15-8:52 OSS:117 Lost In Rio
DOUBLE FEATURE!!
10:15-11:48 Best Worst Movie
Midnight-1:35am Troll II
Lots of breat stuff here. OSS is a Frech spy spoof which has some "Get Smart" and "Pink Panther" comparisons. And my work on the features committee is part of why the double-feature is happening with "Troll II" is screening at midnight. We saw "Best Worst Movie", a hilarious documentary about the aftermath of the cult following of the film designated as the worst film of all time, Troll II. It was our group which said that we needed to do a double-feature, and we're so glad they are. I've deliberately avoided seeing the actual film until tonight... CAN'T WAIT!
Sunday the 26th
2:00-3:42 Waiting 4 Superman
4:15-6:15 Ajami
7:15-8:56 It's Kind Of A Funny Story
9:00-10:13 Alamar
There's a lot of hoopla surrounding "Superman", a film about the state of U.S. education. And there will be a panel discussion at 4:30 and a reception at 6pm with hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. I might skip Ajami for that reason. But at least I don't have to miss a Packer game today.
Monday the 27th
5:30-7:10 All That I Love
Ok, only one film this night. I have to admit that I am skipping the later shows to watch the MNF matchup of the Green Bay Packers v. Chicago Bears. They're both 2-0 and it's the most significant matchup between the oldest rivalry in the NFL in several years. GO PACK GO!
Tuesday the 28th
7:00-9:27 Metropolis with the Alloy Orchestra
9:45-11:13 Perrier's Bounty
THIS IS THE DAY MY DREAM COMES TRUE. I wanted to fly to Berlin when they debuted the completely restored Metropolis, the prophetic sci-fi silent film which had almost thirty minutes of lost footage from the original. The story is almost as intriguing enough for a separate film... *scratches head* Anyway, the full film as it was meant to be seen is now coming to USA. We're one of the first places to see it and I am stoked! The big thing we're also doing is bringing the Alloy Orchestra, arguably the best musical accompaniment to silent films in the world, to do the music score LIVE. It's gonna be profoundly significant--added to that the fact that it's at The Oriental.
And Perrier's Bounty is a film I screened and endorsed strongly, a hilarious Irish black comedy which is so brilliant that words escape me. Jenni is coming with me to both, which will make this a night to remember.
Wednesday the 29th
6:00-7:24 Wild & Scenic Film Festival
7:45-8:57 Marwencol
9:45-11:38 Mesrine: Killer Instinct PART I
This will be another great day. PT at 7am, and a day of work, followed by three screenings which I really have been anticipating. Marencol comes the most highly recommended, as TJ Fackelman told me last night that it was a must-see.
Thursday the 30th
7:15-9:08 Uncle Boonmee: Who Can Recall His Past Lives
9:15-10:42 Rise, Rise, Roar
"Boonmee" looks like it's right up my alley. It's got a lot of pre-festival buzz. And Jenni and I were at one of the concerts in that tour which is featured in the film "Rise" -- a film which covers David Byrne as he travels with his music. We love the Talking Heads as kids of the 80's, but his new music is also excellent, and the concert we saw at The Pabst was so moving that folks gave him a 15 minute standing ovation.
There will also be an event this night, the grand re-opening of the remodeled Alterra Prospect/Cafe. Free Fair Trade Coffee, Food, and FREE BEER! I'm there. The open house is from 2-7, with a Milwaukee Film after-party from 7-11 to follow. I'll be stopping in when I can.
Friday the 1st of October
3:15-4:50 Last Train Home
5:15-6:52 My Perestroika
I cannot decide between...
7:00 His & Hers (Ireland) and
7:00-8:45 A Somewhat Gentle Man
9:45-11:43 Mesrine: PART II
Midnight-1:26am Tucker & Dale V. Evil
So many choices tonight. Tucker & Dale looks like a hoot (maybe plus enanny...). I'm going to have to miss some films I would otherwise love this year, and this day is no exception. But I will likely choose His & Hers, since it's one of several films of Irish origin, and was sponsored by the Irish Fest Foundation.
Saturday the 2nd
3:00-4:20 Home Sweet Home
5:00-7:00 The Milwaukee Show
10:00-11:15 Blood Junkie
Midnight-1:25 The Best... (Shorts)
Jenni and I are doing a date at the first two of these films, and a nice dinner out. It will be a way to thank her for allowing me to be absent and obsessed for 11 days. "Home" is a collection of shorts from Ireland, so I am sure both Jen and I will cry. The Milwaukee Show is a collection of local shorts, and our beloved Anna Krutzik will be making her festival debut, with one of her films being featured. We're beaming with pride!
Sunday the 3rd
11:00-12:59 About Elly
1:15-2:30 My Way Home
3:00-4:22 Budrus
4:45-6:17 Feed The Fish
7:00-8:35 Buried
So it ends with a big bang in 2010. "Fish" is a film which features Wisconsinite Tony Shalhoub in a film which was shot in Door County (he'll be in town). "Budrus" is the best contemporary documentary about a powerful non-violent protest which worked, and from a perspective we rarely see. "Buried" is getting great press. It seems to me it's like a cinematic Poe short story. I'm really going to appreciate it; I can tell.
I'll have to miss the Lions v. Packers game, but by the time the day is done the festival will be over and the Pack will be 4-0. *sigh* I love fall in Milwaukee, and I love Milwaukee Film
Last night I screened "Blue Valentine" at the beautiful Marcus North Shore theater. It has been getting a lot of oscar buzz, and for good reason. The acting was superb. It was so very real. That's part of what made it hard to watch, because the tragedy of the relationship in the film envelops the viewer. I barely breathed throughout.
When I left I was sure to kiss my wife and tell her how much I loved her when I picked her up to head to the gala. I'm a hopeless romantic, and that film helped me to appreciate my 15 year marriage, and how we've come through some shaky waters together. I'm more in love now than ever.
But I digress:
Today, September 24th, I am seeing four films:
3:30-5:50 3 Idiots
7:00-8:32 My Dog Tulip
9:45-11:25 Winnebago Man
Midnight-1:50am The Remnant
I am excited to see the animated film "Tulip", which looks really interesting. And "Winnebago Man" is a film which follows up on the internet meme which occurred when video of a Winnebago salesman's brutal outtakes became a web sensation. That should be interesting.
Saturday the 25th
1:30-3:11 The Art of the Steal
3:30-5:50 Let's Get Animated
7:15-8:52 OSS:117 Lost In Rio
DOUBLE FEATURE!!
10:15-11:48 Best Worst Movie
Midnight-1:35am Troll II
Lots of breat stuff here. OSS is a Frech spy spoof which has some "Get Smart" and "Pink Panther" comparisons. And my work on the features committee is part of why the double-feature is happening with "Troll II" is screening at midnight. We saw "Best Worst Movie", a hilarious documentary about the aftermath of the cult following of the film designated as the worst film of all time, Troll II. It was our group which said that we needed to do a double-feature, and we're so glad they are. I've deliberately avoided seeing the actual film until tonight... CAN'T WAIT!
Sunday the 26th
2:00-3:42 Waiting 4 Superman
4:15-6:15 Ajami
7:15-8:56 It's Kind Of A Funny Story
9:00-10:13 Alamar
There's a lot of hoopla surrounding "Superman", a film about the state of U.S. education. And there will be a panel discussion at 4:30 and a reception at 6pm with hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. I might skip Ajami for that reason. But at least I don't have to miss a Packer game today.
Monday the 27th
5:30-7:10 All That I Love
Ok, only one film this night. I have to admit that I am skipping the later shows to watch the MNF matchup of the Green Bay Packers v. Chicago Bears. They're both 2-0 and it's the most significant matchup between the oldest rivalry in the NFL in several years. GO PACK GO!
Tuesday the 28th
7:00-9:27 Metropolis with the Alloy Orchestra
9:45-11:13 Perrier's Bounty
THIS IS THE DAY MY DREAM COMES TRUE. I wanted to fly to Berlin when they debuted the completely restored Metropolis, the prophetic sci-fi silent film which had almost thirty minutes of lost footage from the original. The story is almost as intriguing enough for a separate film... *scratches head* Anyway, the full film as it was meant to be seen is now coming to USA. We're one of the first places to see it and I am stoked! The big thing we're also doing is bringing the Alloy Orchestra, arguably the best musical accompaniment to silent films in the world, to do the music score LIVE. It's gonna be profoundly significant--added to that the fact that it's at The Oriental.
And Perrier's Bounty is a film I screened and endorsed strongly, a hilarious Irish black comedy which is so brilliant that words escape me. Jenni is coming with me to both, which will make this a night to remember.
Wednesday the 29th
6:00-7:24 Wild & Scenic Film Festival
7:45-8:57 Marwencol
9:45-11:38 Mesrine: Killer Instinct PART I
This will be another great day. PT at 7am, and a day of work, followed by three screenings which I really have been anticipating. Marencol comes the most highly recommended, as TJ Fackelman told me last night that it was a must-see.
Thursday the 30th
7:15-9:08 Uncle Boonmee: Who Can Recall His Past Lives
9:15-10:42 Rise, Rise, Roar
"Boonmee" looks like it's right up my alley. It's got a lot of pre-festival buzz. And Jenni and I were at one of the concerts in that tour which is featured in the film "Rise" -- a film which covers David Byrne as he travels with his music. We love the Talking Heads as kids of the 80's, but his new music is also excellent, and the concert we saw at The Pabst was so moving that folks gave him a 15 minute standing ovation.
There will also be an event this night, the grand re-opening of the remodeled Alterra Prospect/Cafe. Free Fair Trade Coffee, Food, and FREE BEER! I'm there. The open house is from 2-7, with a Milwaukee Film after-party from 7-11 to follow. I'll be stopping in when I can.
Friday the 1st of October
3:15-4:50 Last Train Home
5:15-6:52 My Perestroika
I cannot decide between...
7:00 His & Hers (Ireland) and
7:00-8:45 A Somewhat Gentle Man
9:45-11:43 Mesrine: PART II
Midnight-1:26am Tucker & Dale V. Evil
So many choices tonight. Tucker & Dale looks like a hoot (maybe plus enanny...). I'm going to have to miss some films I would otherwise love this year, and this day is no exception. But I will likely choose His & Hers, since it's one of several films of Irish origin, and was sponsored by the Irish Fest Foundation.
Saturday the 2nd
3:00-4:20 Home Sweet Home
5:00-7:00 The Milwaukee Show
10:00-11:15 Blood Junkie
Midnight-1:25 The Best... (Shorts)
Jenni and I are doing a date at the first two of these films, and a nice dinner out. It will be a way to thank her for allowing me to be absent and obsessed for 11 days. "Home" is a collection of shorts from Ireland, so I am sure both Jen and I will cry. The Milwaukee Show is a collection of local shorts, and our beloved Anna Krutzik will be making her festival debut, with one of her films being featured. We're beaming with pride!
Sunday the 3rd
11:00-12:59 About Elly
1:15-2:30 My Way Home
3:00-4:22 Budrus
4:45-6:17 Feed The Fish
7:00-8:35 Buried
So it ends with a big bang in 2010. "Fish" is a film which features Wisconsinite Tony Shalhoub in a film which was shot in Door County (he'll be in town). "Budrus" is the best contemporary documentary about a powerful non-violent protest which worked, and from a perspective we rarely see. "Buried" is getting great press. It seems to me it's like a cinematic Poe short story. I'm really going to appreciate it; I can tell.
I'll have to miss the Lions v. Packers game, but by the time the day is done the festival will be over and the Pack will be 4-0. *sigh* I love fall in Milwaukee, and I love Milwaukee Film
A Festival Begins In Brewtown
Last night Milwaukee Film opened its second festival with fanfare and great success. There were two showings of the critically acclaimed film, "Blue Valentine" at Marcus North Shore and The Landmark Oriental, and by all accounts, it's starting with more momentum than in 2009.
The opening gala at Discovery World was a blast, and Jenni and I tried to shut the place down, but I had to get up this morning for PT at 7. I did, and now I need a nap before my four film feast this afternoon and evening.
I loved the 88.9 Radio Milwaukee DJ show and music at the gala. We got to see Tarik in action, our fave local deejay. We also loved the location, and that we could hang out on the balcony outside of the upper floor of Discovery World and gaze out over the Dennis Sullivan, Calatrava, harbor, and the glittering skyline. I do wish that the Calatrava had been open and lit like last year, but the wind certainly precluded the former. But lights would have been a treat. I hope that gets done next year.
I also liked the projection of the schedule on the wall of the structure at Discovery World, where they project actual films during certain Friday nights for Fish Fry and a Film in the summertime. And the huge tent attached to the museum was also a great idea. What I missed terribly was the open area in the basement with the aquarium, which was a great place to hang out last year. Again, I hope that's opened up again.
The festival has great people running it like Jonathan, TJ, Kyle, Andrea, Anna, Andrew. I was happy to interact with all of them last night, as well as hanging with Cassandra, the manager at Marcus North Shore, a person I enjoyed hanging with during my time on the Features Screening Committee. We had so much fun people watching, talking about film and life.
Man, today is going to be great. I'm gonna post my entire schedule of films (four today) and blog about each film as much as possible. But time will be sparse this next ten days. I'll be working full-time and screening the rest. My wife is a Film Fest widow, for the most part.
The opening gala at Discovery World was a blast, and Jenni and I tried to shut the place down, but I had to get up this morning for PT at 7. I did, and now I need a nap before my four film feast this afternoon and evening.
I loved the 88.9 Radio Milwaukee DJ show and music at the gala. We got to see Tarik in action, our fave local deejay. We also loved the location, and that we could hang out on the balcony outside of the upper floor of Discovery World and gaze out over the Dennis Sullivan, Calatrava, harbor, and the glittering skyline. I do wish that the Calatrava had been open and lit like last year, but the wind certainly precluded the former. But lights would have been a treat. I hope that gets done next year.
I also liked the projection of the schedule on the wall of the structure at Discovery World, where they project actual films during certain Friday nights for Fish Fry and a Film in the summertime. And the huge tent attached to the museum was also a great idea. What I missed terribly was the open area in the basement with the aquarium, which was a great place to hang out last year. Again, I hope that's opened up again.
The festival has great people running it like Jonathan, TJ, Kyle, Andrea, Anna, Andrew. I was happy to interact with all of them last night, as well as hanging with Cassandra, the manager at Marcus North Shore, a person I enjoyed hanging with during my time on the Features Screening Committee. We had so much fun people watching, talking about film and life.
Man, today is going to be great. I'm gonna post my entire schedule of films (four today) and blog about each film as much as possible. But time will be sparse this next ten days. I'll be working full-time and screening the rest. My wife is a Film Fest widow, for the most part.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Political Paralysis
"In constant pursuit of money to finance campaigns, the political system is simply unable to function. Its deliberative powers are paralyzed." - John Rawls
I have no party. I am politically paralyzed. The hope which Obama instilled in me to vote for my first Democratic President has been squandered and undermined so wholly by my former party, the GOP, that I am increasingly politically isolated.
I was a member of the far religious right who voted a straight ticket for years, but the Bush Presidencies (both of them) obliterated any confidence I had in that party. The sheer greed and callous disregard for the middle class and the poor was the most significant reason. They allowed everything possible to be monetized.
"It is preoccupation with possession, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly."
- Bertrand Russell, Principles of Social Reconstruction, 1917
"Don't you know that if people could bottle the air they would? Don't you know that there would be an American Air-bottling Association? And don't you know that they would allow thousands and millions to die for want of breath, if they could not pay for air? I am not blaming anybody. I am just telling how it is." - Robert Ingersoll, A Lay Sermon
"As soon as the land of any country has all become private property, the landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed, and demand a rent even for its natural produce." - Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations
I'd never been able to vote on the Democratic side, until the last federal election. I decided that, instead of voting for people I supported from the Republican Party who didn't win the nominations and weren't electable.as write-ins (I used to think this was a way to inform the party as to my interests), that I might choose people to support who said what they believed, and did their best to keep their promises, even if it went against party lines. The Democrats have so often earned the vote of those who need the government to act on their behalf, but then lacked the political courage or the objectivity to do what was needed for them.
Russ Feingold, a politician who I had once derided, became a hero, for example. He has shown real courage, even if I haven't agreed with him more than half of the time.
Since then, I have been elected (reluctantly) to a union leadership position at my local university. I've become active for Democratic campaigns, albeit half-heartedly. It's a funny story as to how that happened. I was honest about my background as a Republican, and my former anti-union stance. "We need all types." was the response I got. That was refreshing.
I was ready to jump into the Democratic fray with two feet if Obama did what he said he would. He's done some of that, but he's backpedaled far too often, and his pragmatism leads him to compromise on interests which really ought to be shared by both parties.
I've never seen a President so undermined, but so well-intentioned. OK, Jimmy Carter was given a bad hand, but not with the vehemence and bitter rhetoric that we see today, particularly when it is coming from the mouths of "astroturf" movements that are paid for by folks like the Koch brothers.
I'm a fan of the book, "Getting to 'YES'", and I think that our political system is so wholly committed to divisiveness and position-based politics, that we never serve the interests that all people share. A quote from Ury in another book, "Getting to Peace."
"Getting along does not mean harmony, after all, but rather a great cooperative struggle to resolve our differences with a minimum of harmful strife.
Getting along is not the absence of conflict, but the strenuous processing of conflicting needs and interests."
I'm getting too old to continue hoping that this country will turn this around. I'm losing faith in America. I've heard it said, "I love this country, but I think it's time to begin seeing other people."
Monday, September 20, 2010
Twain's Travel Quotes
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
That's been true for me whether it refers to my travels abroad, or within the Christian communion. I've worshiped in Christian churches of no fewer than 20 denominations, and on native reservations, overseas, and in the inner-city of major metropolitan centers.
I've also traveled a bit of the world, having traced my roots in Norway, studied the peace process overseas in Northern Ireland, and seen 25 of our fifty states while traveling for work or pleasure.
I've lived in the inner-city of the most segregated city in USA for 10 years now, and have worked as a volunteer in urban projects from Cabrini Green to Milwaukee's North Side.
I've also served the homeless, worked on an AODA unit with conduct-disorder juveniles, worked with gang-bangers in residential facilities, worked as a parking enforcement office, built telecom infrastructure in 10 states, taught technical skills, been a SME, audited the technical work of a telecom company in three states, worked in university admissions, worked in customer service, done lots of writing, created a bit of art, become an uber-geek in several realms, learned to play German strategy games, learned Spanish, and learned to love Nordic noir...
I've also become as diverse in my musical experiences and tastes: Milwaukee urban technopunk (a term I coined); 80's alt; bluegrass; celtic; George Winston; Norwegian groups like Royksopp and Madcon; Gnarls Barkley; Justin Timberlake; Shakira; Sixpence None The Richer; Grits; Sup the Chemist; SFC; Keith Green; Petra; alt-country; and so much more. Too much to try and do more than simply sample.
I'm a complicated person, and tend to be a contrarian/devil's advocate when I encounter absolutism or narrow thinking. This leads me to Twain's next quote:
"I have found out there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them."
-Tom Sawyer Abroad
I was once responsible for the stopping of a car on a narrow Fjordside road in Norway. I was with four good friends and we had begun talking about faith and politics and I had said, "I don't know how George W Bush gets up and prays to the same God I do." I was trying to say that there was no way that a Christian evangelical as Bush claimed to be (now proven to be a hoax) would be able to seek the Lord and find the go-ahead in prayer to start a war in Iraq, or to do some of the other things he was doing.
This went over like a lead balloon.
I don't take joy in bursting bubbles or upsetting apple carts, at least not when I am doing so with friends or family. I also make some effort to be civil and diplomatic for those who do not fit those categories. However, I have a tendency to use words as weapons when attacked. Sometimes even when I perceive wrongly that I have been attacked. It's a real character flaw of mine, one which I hope to work out with some counseling.
It's so pathetic that even playing strategy board games brings this evil out from within me. I can be thoroughly enjoying a game with friends and someone makes a strategic decision in an attempt to win the game which costs me something that I have built and I can quickly qualify for the DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar.disorder.
Honestly, lately I think that there is a tangible possibility that I have nothing short of signs that I have some amount of bipolar tendencies. It runs in my family. Let's just say that I wouldn't be the only one with a manic-depressive/bipolar.diagnosis if that were to occur.
That said, I also feel closer to the divine than ever before, and don't feel so much guilt and shame as I usually do. I've been paralyzed by such things for as long as I remember. Fear, guilt, shame and self-loathing have been my companions, like the little sheep in Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. Lately I have been feeling like the Shepherd is close to me, keeping me safe, and it's been a real source of joy.
But that joy is borne of such ingrown anger and bitterness from my past that I have to tend it to keep it from being suffocated by my old self. The tendency to tread back down well-worn paths of despair always remains for me. These habits are poisonous to my spirit, and they pollute the life around me so that other suffer on account of my despair.
One thing I have always tried to avoid is causing the suffering of any other person. In my dysfunctional home as a kid I was the "hero" for much of my childhood. I tried to steady the waves and keep the peace on behalf of my sisters, but most of all trying to engineer situations where chaos and conflict would not have a chance of arising. I usually failed, but this was still my strongest motivation.
So now when I am struggling with some of the same tendencies to create suffering for those who love and know me, I am confounded, and it kicks me deeper down the path of sorrow. It's actually made me a bit troll-like, rationing my interactions with other people so that they might not know who I am, often paranoid about what sort of things they think of me based upon what poor behaviors I have already displayed. I seek to make it through social engagements without episodes, and ask friends and my wife about "how I did."
But I have digressed. Let me conclude with a statement and a final quote from Twain. I believe that my inner wanderlust and plethoric search for my identity is tied to my fear of becoming either bipolar and manic-depressive or an ingrown, bitter person, locked away in a basement of my own creation. I'm neither an extrovert nor an introvert. I'm a perfectionist and an artist. I'm a writer and a reader. I'm so often overwhelmed with anything short of simplicity, but yet I seek complexity. I don't know what I want or who I am yet.
"It liberates the vandal to travel--you never saw a bigoted, opinionated, stubborn, narrow-minded, self-conceited, almighty mean man in your life but he had stuck in one place since he was born and thought God made the world and dyspepsia and bile for his especial comfort and satisfaction."
- The American Abroad speech, 1868
Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
That's been true for me whether it refers to my travels abroad, or within the Christian communion. I've worshiped in Christian churches of no fewer than 20 denominations, and on native reservations, overseas, and in the inner-city of major metropolitan centers.
I've also traveled a bit of the world, having traced my roots in Norway, studied the peace process overseas in Northern Ireland, and seen 25 of our fifty states while traveling for work or pleasure.
I've lived in the inner-city of the most segregated city in USA for 10 years now, and have worked as a volunteer in urban projects from Cabrini Green to Milwaukee's North Side.
I've also served the homeless, worked on an AODA unit with conduct-disorder juveniles, worked with gang-bangers in residential facilities, worked as a parking enforcement office, built telecom infrastructure in 10 states, taught technical skills, been a SME, audited the technical work of a telecom company in three states, worked in university admissions, worked in customer service, done lots of writing, created a bit of art, become an uber-geek in several realms, learned to play German strategy games, learned Spanish, and learned to love Nordic noir...
I've also become as diverse in my musical experiences and tastes: Milwaukee urban technopunk (a term I coined); 80's alt; bluegrass; celtic; George Winston; Norwegian groups like Royksopp and Madcon; Gnarls Barkley; Justin Timberlake; Shakira; Sixpence None The Richer; Grits; Sup the Chemist; SFC; Keith Green; Petra; alt-country; and so much more. Too much to try and do more than simply sample.
I'm a complicated person, and tend to be a contrarian/devil's advocate when I encounter absolutism or narrow thinking. This leads me to Twain's next quote:
"I have found out there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them."
-Tom Sawyer Abroad
I was once responsible for the stopping of a car on a narrow Fjordside road in Norway. I was with four good friends and we had begun talking about faith and politics and I had said, "I don't know how George W Bush gets up and prays to the same God I do." I was trying to say that there was no way that a Christian evangelical as Bush claimed to be (now proven to be a hoax) would be able to seek the Lord and find the go-ahead in prayer to start a war in Iraq, or to do some of the other things he was doing.
This went over like a lead balloon.
I don't take joy in bursting bubbles or upsetting apple carts, at least not when I am doing so with friends or family. I also make some effort to be civil and diplomatic for those who do not fit those categories. However, I have a tendency to use words as weapons when attacked. Sometimes even when I perceive wrongly that I have been attacked. It's a real character flaw of mine, one which I hope to work out with some counseling.
It's so pathetic that even playing strategy board games brings this evil out from within me. I can be thoroughly enjoying a game with friends and someone makes a strategic decision in an attempt to win the game which costs me something that I have built and I can quickly qualify for the DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar.disorder.
Honestly, lately I think that there is a tangible possibility that I have nothing short of signs that I have some amount of bipolar tendencies. It runs in my family. Let's just say that I wouldn't be the only one with a manic-depressive/bipolar.diagnosis if that were to occur.
That said, I also feel closer to the divine than ever before, and don't feel so much guilt and shame as I usually do. I've been paralyzed by such things for as long as I remember. Fear, guilt, shame and self-loathing have been my companions, like the little sheep in Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. Lately I have been feeling like the Shepherd is close to me, keeping me safe, and it's been a real source of joy.
But that joy is borne of such ingrown anger and bitterness from my past that I have to tend it to keep it from being suffocated by my old self. The tendency to tread back down well-worn paths of despair always remains for me. These habits are poisonous to my spirit, and they pollute the life around me so that other suffer on account of my despair.
One thing I have always tried to avoid is causing the suffering of any other person. In my dysfunctional home as a kid I was the "hero" for much of my childhood. I tried to steady the waves and keep the peace on behalf of my sisters, but most of all trying to engineer situations where chaos and conflict would not have a chance of arising. I usually failed, but this was still my strongest motivation.
So now when I am struggling with some of the same tendencies to create suffering for those who love and know me, I am confounded, and it kicks me deeper down the path of sorrow. It's actually made me a bit troll-like, rationing my interactions with other people so that they might not know who I am, often paranoid about what sort of things they think of me based upon what poor behaviors I have already displayed. I seek to make it through social engagements without episodes, and ask friends and my wife about "how I did."
But I have digressed. Let me conclude with a statement and a final quote from Twain. I believe that my inner wanderlust and plethoric search for my identity is tied to my fear of becoming either bipolar and manic-depressive or an ingrown, bitter person, locked away in a basement of my own creation. I'm neither an extrovert nor an introvert. I'm a perfectionist and an artist. I'm a writer and a reader. I'm so often overwhelmed with anything short of simplicity, but yet I seek complexity. I don't know what I want or who I am yet.
"It liberates the vandal to travel--you never saw a bigoted, opinionated, stubborn, narrow-minded, self-conceited, almighty mean man in your life but he had stuck in one place since he was born and thought God made the world and dyspepsia and bile for his especial comfort and satisfaction."
- The American Abroad speech, 1868
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Caveat Lector
CAVEAT LECTOR: A BLOG BEGINS
As I begin this new endeavor, a blog, I am enveloped in melancholy. Sure, it's going to be challenging, invigorating, trudging, empowering, languishing, and sometimes provoking (thoughts or otherwise). But there is a rather disturbing thing about the nature of online writing.
Unlike paper and pen (remember those?), one cannot insure that the written thought will be private or at least found upon ones demise, the online blog can never be wholly private. Therefore, I intend for it to be public. That provides an accountability and an audience, both which I appreciate.
I've already written and posted poetry online, via a hosting website named abstractvoice.com, which my brother-in-law had built. That site taught me something tragic and beautiful. When it crashed and I lost all of the works I had posted there (300 written, and 100 photographic), I was devastated.
I mourned the loss of that which I had created. I'd poured something of myself into each of them, and now they were lost in an ethereal black hole of hyperspace. They'd never be read or seen again. There was a part of me which never wanted to write again, never wanting to waste the effort or lose the history of my written path.
But twitter and facebook have re-invigorated me. I've been challenged to write things which will cause others to think; to break from well-worn paths; to become angry; to shed tears of joy and sorrow. I've been challenged to do the same by so many others.
We live in a time of the written word as a substitute for in-person relationships. We've reconnected with old friends in a virtual community. We've made new ones by meeting those with whom shared interests resonate. We've began recording more and more of our mundane daily activities and travels via the web. This is exciting and boring simultaneously.
But it is time for me to write again. I haven't ever written to hear myself speak through characters, or to glean praise from others. Instead, I feel that I must write. It's wired within me to get the thoughts I have out in some way.
Sometimes that's by talking. At other times it is by creating art or by shedding real tears of sorrow or joy. As long as I can let it out I can find peace with myself, even if I inspire conflict within the hearts of others.
I don't mean to be contrary. I mean to be inspiring. I hope to be challenging. I desire to be faithful. I long to be understood.
So, today, Sunday 9/19/2010, is the beginning of my journey toward understanding of who I am again. I've recently had a knee surgery, and I now have an ACL in my right knee for the first time since 1992, and I am viewing this as a new lease on my physical self. I also called my Rector yesterday to try and set up regular counseling appointments. That's how I hope to find my center of my sociospiritual self. I'll be likely to start T'ai Chi Ch'uan again, as a way to find balance and mystical centering. So this blog will be my journal for those things, a way to mark my pathway toward a better life.
Peace,
Christian
As I begin this new endeavor, a blog, I am enveloped in melancholy. Sure, it's going to be challenging, invigorating, trudging, empowering, languishing, and sometimes provoking (thoughts or otherwise). But there is a rather disturbing thing about the nature of online writing.
Unlike paper and pen (remember those?), one cannot insure that the written thought will be private or at least found upon ones demise, the online blog can never be wholly private. Therefore, I intend for it to be public. That provides an accountability and an audience, both which I appreciate.
I've already written and posted poetry online, via a hosting website named abstractvoice.com, which my brother-in-law had built. That site taught me something tragic and beautiful. When it crashed and I lost all of the works I had posted there (300 written, and 100 photographic), I was devastated.
I mourned the loss of that which I had created. I'd poured something of myself into each of them, and now they were lost in an ethereal black hole of hyperspace. They'd never be read or seen again. There was a part of me which never wanted to write again, never wanting to waste the effort or lose the history of my written path.
But twitter and facebook have re-invigorated me. I've been challenged to write things which will cause others to think; to break from well-worn paths; to become angry; to shed tears of joy and sorrow. I've been challenged to do the same by so many others.
We live in a time of the written word as a substitute for in-person relationships. We've reconnected with old friends in a virtual community. We've made new ones by meeting those with whom shared interests resonate. We've began recording more and more of our mundane daily activities and travels via the web. This is exciting and boring simultaneously.
But it is time for me to write again. I haven't ever written to hear myself speak through characters, or to glean praise from others. Instead, I feel that I must write. It's wired within me to get the thoughts I have out in some way.
Sometimes that's by talking. At other times it is by creating art or by shedding real tears of sorrow or joy. As long as I can let it out I can find peace with myself, even if I inspire conflict within the hearts of others.
I don't mean to be contrary. I mean to be inspiring. I hope to be challenging. I desire to be faithful. I long to be understood.
So, today, Sunday 9/19/2010, is the beginning of my journey toward understanding of who I am again. I've recently had a knee surgery, and I now have an ACL in my right knee for the first time since 1992, and I am viewing this as a new lease on my physical self. I also called my Rector yesterday to try and set up regular counseling appointments. That's how I hope to find my center of my sociospiritual self. I'll be likely to start T'ai Chi Ch'uan again, as a way to find balance and mystical centering. So this blog will be my journal for those things, a way to mark my pathway toward a better life.
Peace,
Christian
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