Saturday, October 09, 2004
Fillums, votes, words and names.
Donnie Darko.
Having bought the DVD (in HMV for £3.99, which is fractionally more expensive than renting the thing), today I saw the film for the first time (well there has to be a data point on the tail end of the curve, otherwise it wouldn't be there). My response:
Wow, no wonder people sent the stats for the site crazy [crazy being a relative term] once I mentioned the Gary Jules and Michael Andrews version of Mad World [subtle plug]. It's a stunning film. It's left me with strangely post-David Lynch feeling. I did have slightly weird moment whilst standing in the bathroom, where as I heard a plane passing unusually low over head, part of my reflection appeared to be distorted. But that's what you get for living under the junction of two flight paths and having mirrors with greasy marks.
And now I want to see it again, to figure out just quite how everything works.
It wasn't quite what I expected, but I'm not sure what that was. It's just a shame the DVD is so minimal. It has the options of play film and select scene. And that's it. Nothing else. Not even subtitles. The only extra seems to be a comical anti-piracy film, complete with exploding tapes and tyrannical blacksmith, with a big red X. Obviously the makers are advertising failed images in Internet Explorer. Unless there's a series, and the others include a glowing triangle, square and circle, in which case it's to promote Playstation, Early Learning Centre shape recognition toys, or possibly Playschool (please don't point out that it had an arched window, not a X-shaped window).
Earlier in the week I saw another £3.99 DVD. Taxi. It's a French film, set in a picturesque arrondissement of Paris called Marseille (well all French films are set in Paris, so it must be part of Paris right?). It's a silly French film. I hadn't seen it beforehand, but meant to when it came out. Silly, and sweet, with guns, and explosions, car chases, car crashes, freaky moped action [the French have motorbike cavalcades for no apparent reason, although when I saw it, it probably happened because there was nothing else to do in Le Harve], semi-gratuitous nudity [mais il est français, donc il est obligatoire], cultural and social stereotyping, and a token bit of romance. Something for everyone. Provide one doesn't mind have the English subtitles on permanently. They apparently count as part of the image, not as subtitles. No songs though, so not quite nicking stuff from every genre. Although it does have some lapses in reality that are only fit for a musical. But then if I sat there criticising every small fault, I'd never enjoy any film (though I'd probably being running quite a few successive blogs, newsgroups and fanzines).
But for the price, it doesn't matter. It's a fun film, which doesn't require heavy thought, or leave one struggling to be certain that up is in fact up.
The third film I bought in this cluster was Blue Juice, which I haven't watched on DVD yet, but have seen before. Again a silly film, but I really don't mind that. I also find something encouraging in the notion that there could be such a thing as Smuggler FM. That was until I heard BBC Radio Devon [although Southern Counties is just as bad, but it's much more professional dross]. But I remember watching the film years ago and loving it. But I hadn't seen it recently as my brother had the only copy, and the [ex-]girlfriend of one of his [ex-]flatmates recorded over the top of it [to "see if the video recorder was working"]. So I got an odd look from the girl serving me [well it might have been the same look lingering because I bought Linkin Park and Morcheeba at the same time] when I presented two copies for Blue Juice, one for my brother, as thank-you for letting me stay (and to replace the traditional bottle of wine I never get round to buying).
The DVD has a few more DVD type things, but I haven't played yet [not that I've ever seen a film with the commentary option switched on]. It also has Catherine Zeta Jones (the cover features her name much more prominently than the original publicity did. Of course only the American version is online) in her pre-plasticised Hollywood days. So robustly good looking in a thoroughly normal way.
In other news from today.
The Scottish Parliament building is officially open. Cue the BBC showing shots of bagpipe-laden military parades described as "formal pageantry", and then cutting to a shot of "street theatre", which is, um, a man playing bagpipes. They also had a clip of Sean Connery being asked what it was like to walk amongst the "normal people" [it might have been "ordinary people". Whatever it was, it was pretty damn damning]. As for the building itself, I've always wondered quite why it was necessary to invoke the titles of a James Bond film on a parliament building. What else could that montage of gun-shapes be about? And I glad it's not just me which sees them as that - although seeing paint splodges as witches and explosions instead of a butterfly, and another butterfly, respectively, might have something to do with it. I jest by the way, being so thoroughly lacking in imagination as to see random blobs of paint as anything much beyond paint. That and never quite having the nerve to worry the person testing me.
Tell me what you see in this picture?
I see death. It comes soon. Frank told me.
I see. Death? You're sure? Not a rabbit then?
I see a rabbit.
Oh that's good.
He's called Frank. He's got a metal face. He's standing over there.
It's either that or telling the tester that you can see 3, but if you squint you can see 81. And then see how long it takes them to realise they haven't given you the colour-blindness tests.
By the way. What was the name of the rabbit in that film...you know the one with the one from "It's a wonderful life"? IMDB to the rescue. The film is called Harvey. The plot of the film is based around a man seeing a big rabbit [which stands erect], and which [I think] suggests the man ought to do things.
The similarity hasn't gone unnoticed on the messageboards at IMDB. But as they seem to think Donnie Darko came first, and Harvey was produced by being left in a radioactive bunker, it's probably not that significant. Especially as one is a Pooka or púca, and one is a [see the film], I think I'm imagining more than there is.
And in what is the following true?
Afghanistan trumps Australia, both of which trump America.
The elections for countries beginning with A (but I haven't heard of anything in Austria or Azerbaijan), according to the BBC's running order. But to be fair, the American one is only in the pre-election debates stage.
But is Australia less important than Afghanistan?
I'm not sure how answer that question, or if I should be asking it at all. I'd say no, because of trade, and cultural and societal links. But then that goes against the grain of all lives being equal, and hence all countries should be. It's just that some are definitely more equal than others.
But then I'm related to someone who said "It's the Northwest Frontier. It's always been nasty. The Americans have never known which fight not to pick".
I dread to think that there is anywhere in the world where justice cannot prevail, where the notions of equality and democracy (or at least benign benevolency) cannot occur. But without the resources, which economically and culturally are not available, victory and stable occupation cannot occur. So unless it happens of its own free will [which is an oxymoron in this case], it won't happen. Which means justice cannot be reached. Yet, hopefully.
I watched Unreported World on channel 4 earlier, which was on the preparations for the Afghan elections. And it was much as you might expect. Depressing, with a touch of hope. But hope springs eternal, so that's no surprise.
Whereas I got live coverage of the Australian election results, via a well-placed staffer and the powers of SMS. Well, I would have done, had I turned my phone on. But I wasn't quite compus mentis enough to do so beforehand, having been very tired yesterday. Last night the last I remember was the first ad break in Green Wing. Next it was waking up when my alarm went off at 4:45 am. It was Saturday, I was fully clothed, lying awkwardly around the paper piled on half my bed, and with no clue as to how the television had been turned off. I think being incapable of staying up beyond 9:45 pm has be some kind of new record.
And speaking of psephology, do you even know what that is? I didn't, when I saw it mentioned in the Guardian the other day. A psephologist is someone who studies the statistics of elections. Think Jon Swingometer Snow [or the people who provide him with news of the 4% swings in Durham East]. Another word recently cribbed from the Guardian is milquetoasts. Which basically means wimpy [and there's a cartoon character involved somewhere]. Obviously there's some writer at the G who is fantastically keen on demonstrating the breadth of his thesaurus [and fulfilling his obscurity quota].
The other word of the week is Ariadne. Mrs O'Dwyer over at TTOBBT (or something like that) is considering calling her potential daughter that. She gives the other options as Elizabeth and Louise, although I'm not sure if it's a case of "pick one any one" or one of "all of the above". Or maybe I only see Elizabeth Louise Ariadne O'Dwyer as an option as I am someone in the latter camp (though one of those an incorrectly placed surname).
Anyway, Rachel seems to think she's the only one who likes Ariadne. She's not, and it's a damn sight more interesting than the first over-used two. And I know them to be over-used having spent the past couple of months playing round with data which contains a terrific amount of names. But at least all of them are better than Jade. Or Jaid. Or Jayde. Or Jeaide. But then I'm weird, and expect someone introduced to me as Chas to have Charles on his birth certificate. Parents: Give your children the option to defy your taste [at least in part]. Or be stuck calling a 30 year old Timmy. [Sorry incidental rant, which wasn't aimed RO'D].
So Ariadne gets my vote, even though I don't think voting was an option. But since when has that stopped me?
Anyway, I think I've run out of stuff to write about for now. Oh, and sorry for the absence, but I did mean to post, it's just that I only ever seemed to get two-thirds of the way through a post before the next blogworthy thing happened. So there should be completed drafts popping up in random places soon.
Anyhoo,
