cinema addict

Going Ape

I've really missed out all these years, now I can say it, I finally saw Planet of the Apes. It had all the elements that make a good film - socio commentary (lot's of anti-war messages, deconstruction of racism, questioning violence, mocking authority, etc.), good special effects for 1968, and an exciting adventure plot. And to hear Charlton Heston's anti-war monologue in the beginning was worth it.
My question is, did Charlton Heston know what this film was trying to accomplish? or was it one of those "Don't tell him it's about two gay guys" kind of thing like Gore Vidal did for Ben-Hur.

Rhetoric 101

An interesting thought on the Spanish election controversy from Steve Weissman on Truthout.org:

"   "Al Qaeda won the election," Vinocur quoted a former conservative member of the Spanish Parliament. "It's appeasement. The terrorists have gotten away with it."
  Political veterans will recognize the technique. To make their muck, the smear-mongers lump together Al-Qaeda terrorists, "cowardly" Spanish voters, and ? when they can - "American appeasers" like me who applaud the new direction Spain appears to be taking. Think of their smear as the flip side of the bogus electioneering mantra, "A Vote Against Bush Is A Vote For Bin-Laden," which is the kind of blank check the Spanish voters wisely refused to endorse.

A majority of Spanish voters could have opted to stay home after such tragic events, but instead they used the power of democracy and voted in record numbers (75%). In other places this would be called Democracy, but here it's called "appeasement".

Saying it is Believing it

From the New York Times, a very ironic quote from Bremer:

"In a morning meeting on Wednesday, Mr. Bremer warned the Iraqi leaders that they risked isolating themselves and their country if they continued to snub the United Nations. According to Iraqi and American officials, Mr. Bremer pointedly warned them of a "confrontation" with the United States if the Iraqis failed to invite the organization back.

What's wrong with this picture? Sounds eerily fimiliar.

The Passion of Antoine Doinel

As a fan of Francois Truffaut, I very much anticipated a box set of the Antione Doinel series from Criterion Collection. And that's what I got for my birthday, The Adventures of Antoine Doinel. Francois Truffaut's semi-autobiographical collection is a portrait of Antoine from adolescence to adult-hood. In 400 Blows, a juvenile delinquent, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Leaud) navigates through a life with aloof parents, uncaring teachers, and petty crime. The second installment of the Antoine saga, Antoine and Colette is also included in the DVD. This time around he is living on his own and pursuing a love affair unsuccessfully. The third installment is Stolen Kisses. Antoine gets kicked out of the army and has to fend for himself. Perpetually love-struck, he is almost determined to get into trouble. In Bed and Board, the fourth installment, Antoine is married to Christine (Claude Jade). Once again, Antoine travails through married live, infidelity, and becoming an adult. The last installment, Love on the Run, Antoine has experienced relative success as a writer but, as always, love gets in the way. He still has some growing up to do.
Truffaut portrays this parallel life in bittersweet light. Antoine is certainly not perfect. He can be egotistical, illogical, flighty, and irresponsible, but he is still lovable. Imperfection, unpredictability, and passion make this homage to love a new wave treat.

Been gone for a while.

And now I'm back! I've been ridiculously busy with school, life, and etc.
Being a news junkie, I'm sometime privileged enough to find news that reminds me of satirical news like the Onion...but isn't. For instance a county in Tennessee trying to outlaw homosexuality. Did someone from the Onion slip this in the AP? It seems to me some people are scared that queer people might actually gain the right to marry. Pulling this stunt is a very desperate tactic indeed.

heh.

Apparently, Bill Gates was esquired by the Queen of England today. The Guardian UK lists some interesting facts about Sir Bill in wake of the event. Sir Bill is embarking on a quest to "rid the world of spam, malaria and Aids" but "er, not predatory monopolies!" Maybe Kenneth Lay should be next!

here we go-again.

The Department of Homeland Security plans to implement a computerized system to probe all passengers boarding flights in the US. According to a Washington Post article this may be in effect next month. I thinks this sucks. Why? Not only do I hate airports and airplanes but now this! This phobia of airports and everything that has to do with it stems from: 1) I've had some really nasty experiences due to my non-citizen status (mostly international flights) 2) I have severe plane phobia ( I must be sedated before getting on a plane).

I think it's sketchy to rely on a computer to decide who gets the red or orange alert. Sounds like more absurd posturing by the White House to garnish more support for GW.

Film Recap

Fantasy is in right now, at least with me. Recently, i've been drawn to film adaptations of literary works, such as Tipping the Velvet (made for BBC) and of course, The Return of the King.
I read the trilogy by Tolkien first before watching the Peter Jackson adaptation, but with Tipping the Velvet I saw the BBC adaptation before reading the book. Of course I couldn't wait to see ROTK and had to see it the week it came out. I braved the long lines and cranky holiday shoppers. I even tolerated the packed theater with people rushing to get their popcorn and sodas making it impossible to start the movie on time. It was worth it. This last installment of the trilogy was melancholy, dark, and captivating. Not one moment was wasted ( I think the extended version will probably fill some holes in the narrative), the journey through Middle Earth is coming to an end and Jackson lets us know it. The next time I see it I'm going to bring a box of kleenex with me because the entire film is a big cry-fest. The trilogy sets the standards for all epic and fantasy films to come.
Tipping the Velvet is a lighter costume drama BBC production. With "light" I don't mean fluffy or stupid, the story itself contains many real life scenarios and a bit of social commentary. Set in the late 1800's, the story begins in Whitstable where we meet a young woman, Nan Astley. Nan works at her father's oyster parlor and leads a relatively normal life until she meets a "masher" (male impersonator), Kitty Butler at a local music hall. In love, Nan follows Kitty to London where Nan begins her story of self-discovery. Through she has many mishaps and practices poor judgment, she finally finds a home for herself. It's nice to see a costume drama about poor people for a change and not another tiresome (though I do enjoy them quite a bit) story about society people in their lush country home.

Music to my Ears

Criterion Collection released another classic worthy of their name, Frederico Fellini's neo-realist classic, La Strada (1954). La Strada opens with Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina) walking at the seaside picking up sticks for fire-burning, lost in her thoughts she is interrupted by her siblings- a man, Zampano (Anthony Quinn) has bad news to tell. Her sister died and he needs another wife to assist him with his traveling circus telling the mother he can "even teach dogs" therefore Gelsomina can be taught new tricks. Zampano offers the mother money and Gelsomina leaves her sheltered life to go with him. Little time has passed and we witness the brutality Zampano inflicts on Gelsomina. Because of Gelsomina's Chaplinesque movements and child-like innocence, she seems shielded from his cruelty. Zamapano, with his strong man circus routine, is a caricature, an empty being, unable to feel humanity and empathy.Fellini uses imagery he frequently indulges in- circuses, religious iconography, parades, freaks, and music. Gelsomina's song, written by Nino Rota, is a constant reminder that music is central to her life. After a tragedy, Gelsomina becomes crazy and ultimately it takes her life. Zampano moves on, seemingly unmoved by her death, until he hears her song and realizes there was love there all along.

Disposable Plastic Turkeys

Well, at least I hope that sooner or later we'll get rid of one...Today from The Washington Times there's an amusing account on Bush's surprise T-Day visit. The turkey in his hands are fake, plastic, a mere photo-op (the turkey was made for pure asthetics not for eating). One can look into this further and think the bird isn't the only thing fake in the picture.
Innocent enough, but if you look at the facts you'll see that there was a purpose to this vist other than supporting the troops. He was there for only an hour of pure theatrics. According to The Washington Times article his overall approval has gone up since the covert visit:

"A poll conducted four days after Thanksgiving by the National Annenberg Election Survey put Bush's job approval rating at 61 percent, up from 56 percent during the four days before the holiday. His job disapproval rating dropped from 41 percent to 36 percent. His personal popularity increased from 65 percent to 72 percent. The polls of 789 people before Thanksgiving and 847 people after Thanksgiving each had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points."

Not that you can really count on these polls, it's just amazing how a photo-op can possibly change things a little compassion here and there we're sold.