flahute » Movies

Poetry Friday

flahute — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:26:59 +0000

HEROIC SIMILE

When the swordsman fell in Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai
in the gray rain,
in Cinemascope and the Tokugawa dynasty,
he fell straight as a pine, he fell
as Ajax fell in Homer
in chanted dactyls and the tree was so huge
the woodsman returned for two days
to that lucky place before he was done with the sawing
and on the third day he brought his uncle.

They stacked logs in the resinous air,
hacking the small limbs off,
tying those bundles separately.
The slabs near the root
were quartered and still they were awkwardly large;
the logs from midtree they halved:
ten bundles and four great piles of fragrant wood,
moons and quarter moons and half moons
ridged by the saw’s tooth.

The woodsman and the old man his uncle
are standing in midforest
on a floor of pine silt and spring mud.
They have stopped working
because they are tired and because
I have imagined no pack animal
or primitive wagon. They are too canny
to call in neighbors and come home
with a few logs after three days’ work.
They are waiting for me to do something
or for the overseer of the Great Lord
to come and arrest them.

How patient they are!
The old man smokes a pipe and spits.
The young man is thinking he would be rich
if he were already rich and had a mule.
Ten days of hauling
and on the seventh day they’ll probably
be caught, go home empty-handed
or worse. I don’t know
whether they’re Japanese or Mycenaean
and there’s nothing I can do.
The path from here to that village
is not translated. A hero, dying,
gives off stillness to the air.
A man and a woman walk from the movies
to the house in the silence of separate fidelities.
There are limits to imagination.

— Robert Hass (b. 1941), American Poet Laureate [1995-1997].

IFC (Independent Film Channel) showing ads mid-film?

flahute — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 02:38:34 +0000

I am completely ticked off by Rainbow Media’s recent decision to start adding commercial breaks in the middle of the films being shown on IFC (the Independent Film Channel). IFC is a premium channel on Comcast, so I am already paying extra for the privilege of watching films on IFC … but I am NOT paying for ads in the middle of my movies.

According to an article about the change on AdvertisingAge:

Now IFC is taking its turn, adjusting programming in a bid for more viewers and, perhaps more importantly, taking regular commercials for the first time. Instead of art-house films backed by sponsorship messages, IFC is increasingly running accessible indie movies, original series, reruns of cult comedies — and traditional commercials.

But the channel doesn’t want to change too much, risking the young, affluent, well-educated and often hipster crowd that already watches it — even as they watch less TV overall and stream more stuff online. “We’re not looking to be all things to all people,” said Evan Shapiro, president of IFC. “We didn’t want to become a general-entertainment brand. There’s still a very important segment of the population watching less TV. So we’re opening up our programming so we can do things like ‘Onion News Network,’ which is the most expensive thing we’ve ever done by far.”

via More Commercials and Comedies for IFC, Less Art House Flicks – Advertising Age – MediaWorks.

I can see that the films are still unedited/uncut, but the placement of the commercial breaks is really obnoxious. I don’t mind commercials in-between programs which is the way it was done on commercial channels in Europe when I lived there … never have, never will. If I wanted to watch the next program after one ended, I watched the advertisements.

Commercials in the middle of original programming, where suitable breaks for commercials would be part of the development of the show would be entirely understandable. But seriously, commercials in the middle of movies completely interrupts the flow of the film itself. In other words, a channel that prided itself on catering to the film buff with promises of uncut, unedited, uninterrupted is now driving us away.

Essentially, what IFC has done is drive me to do is cut-back on my premium channel line-up and start to use Netflix‘s streaming service even more … IFC is losing my eyeballs instead of gaining more eyeballs, and they won’t get me back until they go back to showing UNINTERRUPTED movies.

I just hope that the Sundance Channel (another property of Rainbow Media) doesn’t go the same route during its movies …

2010 Ride #2

flahute — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:38:50 +0000

View Ascent activity on 30-Jan-10 at 02:01PM in a larger map

Ride #2 for the year, and it’s obvious that whatever fitness I gained on my trip to Arizona over Christmas is now gone. With an AvgHR over 160, peaking out at 179, I was definitely struggling on anything even remotely resembling a climb … not to mention the actual climbs.

Funny thing, though … even though my pulse was really high throughout the entire ride, on the flats I felt like I was cruising easy. So maybe I’m not in quite as bad shape as I think, and it’s the air that’s causing the problems.

Tomorrow should be a ski day; at least that’s the current plan. The rest of today will be spent relaxing, doing laundry, and watching Steven Soderbergh’s Che. I watched the first part, which covers the Cuban Revolution, a couple days ago … watched a documentary on the making of the movie this morning, and am now watching the second part, covering the Bolivian years. Excellent movie. Highly recommended.

Coffee & Cigarettes

flahute — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:35:22 +0000

Sunday mornings

flahute — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 17:10:04 +0000

I’ve always enjoyed Sunday mornings … from going to Sunday School and then services at First Baptist Church of Chattanooga, Tennessee with my great-grandmother when my age was still in the single-digits, to my current more adult-oriented fare (no, not porn) of double cappuccino, CBS Sunday Morning, Face the Nation, and the New York Times.

Even when I’m getting ready for a bike ride or a ski day, my Sunday mornings are supposed to be slow and easy and relaxing … sometimes so slow and easy and relaxing that before I know it, it’s Sunday afternoon.

Sometimes, when the weather isn’t really conducive to being outside, the remainder of the day will be spent listening to music and reading, or watching movies, preferably on IFC or the Sundance Channel; documentaries such as Microcosmos or Genesis, quirky indie films like The History Boys or foreign dramas like Zwartboek (Black Book) or Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others).

Today, I’m watching what I think is one of the greatest movies of all time … The Shawshank Redemption.

Whether spent alone or in the company of friends, my Sundays are a time of reflection and introspection; for thought and appreciation, rather than simply action and reaction.

I may not be a religious man, but I do set aside part of my weekend to appreciate not only all gifts that life has given me, but what it has given others as well, be it a talent for filmmaking, music, art or poetry; the ability to handcraft a fine bicycle frame or wristwatch; the ability to think and observe and yes, even to appreciate the ability to appreciate life itself.

I can honestly say …

flahute — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 07:13:18 +0000

… I’ve never seen so much penis on screen outside of a porno flick; and I’ve got a whole new understanding of blue balls.

Who’s watching the Watchmen? I did this evening.

Good movie; a bit more disjointed than I remember the graphic novel being, but it’s been several years since I last read it. Did pick up the hardcover version of the book a couple days ago, so will have to go back and re-read the whole thing to see just how faithful to the book the movie was.

As far as enjoyment of the film, I think I may have enjoyed V for Vendetta a little more … but Watchmen was still a pretty damned good movie.

Art vs. Copyright

flahute — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:28:40 +0000

Sita Sings the Copyright Blues

Boing Boing, Roger Ebert, and the Tribeca Film Festival all love Nina Paley’s brilliant cartoon, which links heartbreak, the Ramayana, and 1920s jazz. Copyright law, though? That’s another story. Find out why.

First things first. Sita Sings the Blues is a completely unique animated feature, mixing up personal pain, heartbreak, the boop-boop-a-doop jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, and the epic Indian poem the Ramayana. A painstakingly-animated passion project for director Nina Paley, Sita is the sum of five years of work and a touching story that showcases a disarmingly bright talent. It is safe to say that there is nothing quite like Sita playing at the multiplex. (It is also a film that some people obsess over—a coworker saw it at last year’s Festival and proceeded to preach the gospel of Sita anytime somebody mentioned anything almost related to it.)

So, for a film that’s won lots of awards and honors—including the Gotham Awards’ Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You—and that has played scores of festivals, including the Berlinale (where it won a Silver Bear) and the Tribeca Film Festival, why can’t the average moviegoer see it?

The answer, of course, is quite complicated for a tiny handmade indie film made by a “scrapster,” to quote Paley. And that’s where things get interesting. Media luminaries like Boing Boing, Roger Ebert, and the New York Times have written extensively about the modern absurdity of Paley’s plight, and what it reveals for artists, copyright, and the work that they want to make.

Read the rest of the article

Not only is this a great little animated film, currently streaming at Thirteen.org, but it will shortly be available for free download and distribution.

Go read the reviews and the articles about Ms. Paley’s plight; then watch the film. The go check out the film’s website and Ms. Paley’s blog to get the latest news … and perhaps donate a little cash to the cause while you’re there as well.

Allegories of life …

flahute — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:55:15 +0000

From The Legend of Bagger Vance:

Bagger Vance: Fix your eyes on Bobby Jones. Look at his practice swing. Almost like he’s searching for something. Then he finds it. Watch how he settle this up, right into the middle. Feel that focus. He’s got a lot of shots to choose from. Duffs and tops and skulls. There’s only one shot that’s in perfect harmony with the field. One shot that’s his… …authentic shot. That shot is gonna choose him. There’s a perfect shot trying to find every one of us. All we got to do is get ourselves out of its way… …and let it choose us.

Look at him, he in the field. You can’t see that flag as some dragon you got to slay. You’ve got to look with soft eyes. See the place where the tides, and the seasons… …the turning of the earth… …all come together. Where everything that is… …becomes one. You’ve got to seek that place, with your soul, Junuh.

Seek it with your hands, don’t think about it, feel it. Your hands are wiser than your head’s ever gonna be. I can’t take you there… …just hopes I can help you find a way.

It’s just you… …that ball… …that flag… … and all you are. Seek it with your hands, don’t think… … about it, feel it. There’s only one shot that’s in harmony with the field. The home of your authentic swing. That flag… … and all that you are.

Now, I know the movie is about golf, and not skiing or cycling, but the feeling rings true no matter what your sport. There was a time when I was at home on the bike, when I was one with the bike, and that’s the place where I’m trying to get once again.

Rannulph Junah needed to find his swing; I need to find my legs, but I know they’re still in there, because every so often I can feel a flash of legs of old.

You can. You ain’t alone. I’m right here with you. I’ve been here all along. Now play the game. Your game. The one that only you was meant to play. The one given to you when you was born. You ready? Come on, take your stance. Strike that ball, Junuh. Don’t hold nothing back. Now’s the time. Let yourself remember. Remember your swing. That’s right, Junuh. Settle yourself, that’s good. Now is the time, Junuh.

I remember … I remember my legs … I remember my pedal stroke, and I just need to settle in and keep spinning.

Inspiration

flahute — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:27:48 +0000

If I can become a tenth as good as these guys, then I will consider my ski “career” a success.

Go out and rent or buy this movie. Then watch it over and over and over for inspiration. Then go ski. And then watch it again. Then ski some more. Ski lots more. Then watch it yet again. And keep skiing.

I’m Not There

flahute — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:45:49 +0000

Great movie … rent it … watch it … then go buy some music, if you don’t already own it.

Description from Netflix:

Six actors portray six personas of music legend Bob Dylan in scenes depicting various stages in the musician’s life. Chronicling Dylan’s rise from unknown folksinger to international icon, the film reveals how he reinvented himself many times. Todd Haynes directs this stylized portrait, the first biography approved by the singer-songwriter. Marcus Carl Franklin, Ben Whishaw, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Cate Blanchett (in an Oscar-nominated role) star.

Incredible. Highly recommended.