What. The. Fuck.

I remember: getting a text from Jon, ushering him into my abode, and cracking open a bit of champers (or whatever the ‘wine-that-is-not-made-in-Champagne’ is called)… later I remember falling into bed with a lopsided grin on my face (alone).

I don’t even think I got that drunk. WSH. No broken bones or dismembered bodies this time, though, which is GREAT. A new JonText alludes to all kinds of madness and ends with “check your blog :D”. So I did.

Erm, it’s my birthday. I’m 19. But you already knew that. More later.

PS - Star Wars Battlefront: hard as nails or what?!

…TO ME.

I can barely type. I bloody love all of you. Thank you to friends sending text messages. WHY ARE YOU UP SO LATE?! My birthday, mine! The rest of you can send your messages during daylight hours.
Please thank my gorgeous and hugely talented friend Jon who has driven 6 miles in the dark to get me legless, and spell check and format this message for me. Without him, life would be a chore. [He’s going to regret this in the morning! - Jon]

This amused me a lot. It’s a brick film directed by Nate Burr of Bluntmation films, one of his old ones that I hadn’t got round to watching until now. It’s around 5 minutes long, and there’s little story, just a lot of great animation (seriously some of the best stop-motion around) and some great dialogue. If a piss-poor ninja with a husky Aussie voice doesn’t sound funny, then you may want to skip it.

Otherwise, click here. [RealMedia .rm file, 13mb]

Othographic Challenge

Found this little list of fiendish words today - pick the correct spellings from those offered.

Click here for the answers.

Awakenings (1990)
I was quietly touched by this film.

Perhaps there is some sentimentalisation of their particular awakenings - they are always human in some way, never really cold and unlikeable as perhaps they should have been shown. In this way the story arc is perhaps less profound and the film is less affecting when things begin to happen. However, imagine the opposite: a clinical film; an exact history of Sayers research and findings, Leonards recovery. How could we relate to a story that is quintessentially about human emotion and life if it was told in a way which didn’t appeal (however zealously) to these emotions? Awakenings is an affecting story told in an affecting manner, with an ending that’s a suitable conclusion to a story that speaks precisely of hope, happiness, sorrow and carpe diem.

Time to get a little more autobiographical than usual. Apologies to those who will be none-the-wiser.

Currently feeling a little left-behind with the majority of my friends shipping off to far-and-wide to study various things, at various institutions. At the same time I know I’m doing the right thing for delaying my own departure til next year. Still, can’t help but feel a little awkward at gatherings for leaving-friends. I’m the proud hugging one where they’re the teary eyed trailblazers. Mixed emotions.

The other night I was called someone’s “rock” for the first time in my life - in a wholly affectionate manner I might add. And then later by the same (slightly frazzled) person, a “pillar of salt” (so as not to misquote totally, it was pulled from a running conversation where my friend was describing everyone in turn by a film-quote) I still have no idea what she meant (bloody drunks ;p), but it was a none-too-subtle reference to Once Upon a Time in America, where Noodles is the ‘pillar of salt’ in question. Our favourite film. I love you Jess, you’re a total, total winner. And good luck to the rest of you guys going off to Uni. Miss you lots.

*ahem*

Right..normal blog service will continue shortly.

Tonight I watched a film called Chungking Express. It’s a film about dreams told by dreamers. And it’s ace.

I would write more, but browsing VideoIsland I came across Russian Ark, and was suddenly reminded of the brilliance of that film. Quite honestly I want to strap people down and force them to watch this film or go and live in caves for the rest of their lives, skullshafted by unseen stalactites. From my (thankfully restrained) near-auto gush just posted as a review:

After two costly and time-consuming restarts, all involved perform magnificently under pressure. The camera glides spectrally throughout the palace, sometimes taking POV shots, sometimes gracefully surveying the action. Its pacing is entrancing and deliberate, gradually revealing scene after scene of drama from Russian periods past, and a tour round an “art gallery” that few will ever visit. One for anyone who wants to see an entracing, poetic film about history and art - certainly not only cinephiles or students as others have asserted. The film is not short on emotion, and anyone who denies either the joy of earler scenes or the increasingly over-arching poignancy as the journey draws to a close is purely cynical.

Simply a masterpiece of modern cinema, choreographically, directorally and with priceless performances from the actors, Russian Ark defies viewers to speak only of its record-breaking one-take set-piece. This is a film to watch and treasure.

JUST SEE IT. OR CAVE.

HAH.
HAH.
HAH.
HAH.
HAH.
HAH.

FUCKING SCUM.

This is a weird one, I think. A french band covering a number of rock hits in a bossa-nova/lounge groove style.

Amazon: “Nouvelle Vague is a French electronica project initialised by multi-instrumentalists and producers Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux…Nouvelle Vague which translates to “new wave” in English, and bossa nova in Portuguese, revisits a number of both Marc and Olivier’s favourite tracks from the early eighties, taking in bands such as The Clash, Joy Division, and the Cure in a stunning combination of bossa nova, jazz and sixties pop”

I’m not sure if the covers are ridiculous adaptations because I’m no fan of the originals - but for me hearing the eight (specially selected) female vocalists singing songs like The Dead Kennedy’s Too Drunk To Fuck, or The Undertones’ Teenage Kicks in a carefree, relaxed manner was a little different. It’s an awesome album, I think. You can’t take the adaptation work too seriously, you just have to enjoy the fusion of new wave and bossa nova styles - with a touch of nostalgia/melancholia.

Try it!

The imdb forums feature both the worst and best discussions on the interweb. I just hate the FUCKING PEONS. So I put them straight.

“5) Mullholland Dr. is not pointless obsfucation. For a start it is mostly (arguably) set inside the mind(s) of a character(s) who are confused and emotionally traumatized, nay - if you follow this line of thinking - about to die. Hence the sometimes images spill out in a seemingly random order, but sometimes need reassembly and construction by the viewer. This is A GOOD THING.
“

link to the IMDB thread in question.