(no subject)
Can my plans change any more? Can they? Old plan was: Russia in July, Costa Rica or Nicaragua in the autumn. But it turns out that our timing was wrong. So now Jenia's poor mom has to go back to the OVIR office for another application for my visa. I need to buy a counterfeit Russian passport, it would make things easier. I would only ever be discovered if someone in Russia tried to speak Russian to me, and really, what are the odds of that? Foolproof. Tentative schedule is now LA the weekend of may 20, then memorial day here, then maybe charan and pagantz to phoenix the 2-3, then my sister's graduation in Reno the 10th, then going to Spain(or somewhere else relatively close on the continent, preferably that Ryanair flies to) the first week of July (by way of Ireland), and then waiting to go back to russia until august or so. and then nothing for a bit except weekend trips and latin america next year, except my mom wants to go to hawaii sometime also, and my brother may want to go to mexico.
in the meantime, i'm almost finished with netflix's selection of Bergman movies...that will be a sad day. i've gone through fellini, woody allen, and keislowski completely. there is only 1 tarkovsky left(and 1 at the library). bergman will be exhausted relatively soon. i think next will be Bresson. oh, and i really suck at GTA: San Andreas. i must be getting old. also, the Chingon CD will play in the PC, but not in the Mac. Why does Robert Rodriguez hate Mac users? Just for that, I may have to pirate Sin City 2.
i've been reading so much oscar wilde lately that i am not content for any other author to merely note the existence of an object anymore. they must also say that it was 'finely embezzled with gold' or 'delicate chinese silk' and of course nobody must ever merely sit down...no, they must fling themselves down(and onto what, we must have all the details). next i'll be lunching at the club in between dinner parties...kind of like how after i read a few thousand pages of james clavell i had the urge for the longest time to demand honor from people, curse whites as filthy barbarians, and call all women mealy-mouths.
some movies:
Smiles of a Summer Night -- Bergman shows he can make a commercial romantic comedy when he feels like it. I'll put the dialogue here, especially the conversation with the actress and her mother, up against Preston Sturges any old time. A refreshing break from the 'personality destruction' or 'world of shit' series that he went through later.
The Constant Gardner -- kind of like Syriana, except instead of the oil industry, it's the big pharmaceuticals, and they are fucking Africa, and there is nothing anyone is willing to do about it. Well a few, before they get their dicks cut off and stuck in their mouth before being crucified (literally). I think that the moral of the story is stay out of Africa.
Jesus of Montreal -- i loved The Barbarian Invasions, but this shit tries too hard. if the teachings of Jesus were taken literally we'd have a social revolution of epic proportions on our hands? the stodgy traditions of the Church have stripped the revolutionary character of jesus from our consciousness? Crass commercialism tries to ruin all good intentions? check. i think gb shaw covered this a while ago.
Down by Law -- goddamn it if Tom Waits isn't the coolest motherfucker that ever lived. I don't know who could beat him in a cool-off. Nobody, I think. Jim Jarmusch did it all in B&W, looks great. I have a Keanu Reeves theory, where you've made a good movie if even Keanu Reeves being in it can't fuck it up. I feel similarly about Roberto Benigni, and he works here, so, Jimmy made a good movie.
SRV: Live at Montreaux - Stevie wore some shit that nobody else can ever get away with again. Ever. Also, no editor in the history of the world has ever understood how to cut this shit together. It's like they feel like they have to cut away, warn their money. No, you assholes, just hold a fucking steady cam on Stevie. You hear how the bass always does the same thing? You see how the drummer looks bored!? We don't need to see those assholes, ever, and we especially don't need to see the goddamn crowd. Who cares what a bunch of French-Canadiens are doing?
in the meantime, i'm almost finished with netflix's selection of Bergman movies...that will be a sad day. i've gone through fellini, woody allen, and keislowski completely. there is only 1 tarkovsky left(and 1 at the library). bergman will be exhausted relatively soon. i think next will be Bresson. oh, and i really suck at GTA: San Andreas. i must be getting old. also, the Chingon CD will play in the PC, but not in the Mac. Why does Robert Rodriguez hate Mac users? Just for that, I may have to pirate Sin City 2.
i've been reading so much oscar wilde lately that i am not content for any other author to merely note the existence of an object anymore. they must also say that it was 'finely embezzled with gold' or 'delicate chinese silk' and of course nobody must ever merely sit down...no, they must fling themselves down(and onto what, we must have all the details). next i'll be lunching at the club in between dinner parties...kind of like how after i read a few thousand pages of james clavell i had the urge for the longest time to demand honor from people, curse whites as filthy barbarians, and call all women mealy-mouths.
some movies:
Smiles of a Summer Night -- Bergman shows he can make a commercial romantic comedy when he feels like it. I'll put the dialogue here, especially the conversation with the actress and her mother, up against Preston Sturges any old time. A refreshing break from the 'personality destruction' or 'world of shit' series that he went through later.
The Constant Gardner -- kind of like Syriana, except instead of the oil industry, it's the big pharmaceuticals, and they are fucking Africa, and there is nothing anyone is willing to do about it. Well a few, before they get their dicks cut off and stuck in their mouth before being crucified (literally). I think that the moral of the story is stay out of Africa.
Jesus of Montreal -- i loved The Barbarian Invasions, but this shit tries too hard. if the teachings of Jesus were taken literally we'd have a social revolution of epic proportions on our hands? the stodgy traditions of the Church have stripped the revolutionary character of jesus from our consciousness? Crass commercialism tries to ruin all good intentions? check. i think gb shaw covered this a while ago.
Down by Law -- goddamn it if Tom Waits isn't the coolest motherfucker that ever lived. I don't know who could beat him in a cool-off. Nobody, I think. Jim Jarmusch did it all in B&W, looks great. I have a Keanu Reeves theory, where you've made a good movie if even Keanu Reeves being in it can't fuck it up. I feel similarly about Roberto Benigni, and he works here, so, Jimmy made a good movie.
SRV: Live at Montreaux - Stevie wore some shit that nobody else can ever get away with again. Ever. Also, no editor in the history of the world has ever understood how to cut this shit together. It's like they feel like they have to cut away, warn their money. No, you assholes, just hold a fucking steady cam on Stevie. You hear how the bass always does the same thing? You see how the drummer looks bored!? We don't need to see those assholes, ever, and we especially don't need to see the goddamn crowd. Who cares what a bunch of French-Canadiens are doing?