Some sobering news in an otherwise unsually drunken weekend included the revelations that polar ice, ancient, always there
perennial ice had molten and that in the opinion of James Lovelock, the guy who brought up the Gaia holistic-earth theory and pointed out decades before anyone noticed that CFC emissions were damaging the ozone, that the Amazon rainforest is turning into desert.
So we're all doomed. Who needs to try and instigate WWIV as the End Times are here anyway? But it'll be fairly nice in the north of Scotland. So I'll be alright, Jack.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Friday, September 08, 2006
Back Door
I'm getting a small, but growing, trickle of people asking to see Enoch's Vault, my first novel. If you're interested don't feel shy. Whether you like it or not, pass it on. I'm getting even more tempted to just put it into a downloadable, readable format.
The Tarantata, as it is now, is finished and due a critique next week. For me it is the simplest story I've told in a while, but I'm happy with it. Primero is with another magazine and I may have one last punt of Enoch's Vault to a small Scottish publisher.
The Tarantata, as it is now, is finished and due a critique next week. For me it is the simplest story I've told in a while, but I'm happy with it. Primero is with another magazine and I may have one last punt of Enoch's Vault to a small Scottish publisher.
Quadrilogy
I saw several films recently and it is interesting to compare and contrast. In order of viewing, I saw Innocent Voices, Volver, Little Miss Sunshine and A Scanner Darkly. I don't think any of them could be considered mainstream viewing. Two are in spanish and two are American 'indie' films.
Innocent Voices is the only one which remains with me. It is set in ElSalvador and an 11 year old boy is the 'man of the house' and trying to avoid conscription by both the government and rebel forces. Apart from a single moment of what seems like convenient timing the story is shocking, grim and haunting, and is apparently a true tale. If you can go see it.
Volver is a film by Almodovar. At first it appears a mother has died and is haunting her children and her granddaughter. Alas this would actually have been a better and more interesting premise. Penelope Cruz stars and is getting many plaudits, but I found her wooden and a vacuumn in the center of the film that the rest of the cast do well to ignore. Otherwise there is no real sense of resolution.
Little Miss Sunshine is billed as having a standing ovation at Sundance and is a comedy. It's funny, but it isn't a comedy. Most of the laughs are in the last half hour, unless you've not seen the trailer. However, it is a fabulous study of a family in crisis and the finale is unexpected, apt and superb.
Finally, A Scanner Darkly. If you've seen Arnie in Total Recall go and watch that again. This is dull, goes over the same ground and is less a waste of your money and time. Ohh it's rotoscoped. Why? It adds nothing to the film but nausea. Really it is five hours of Robert Downey Junior doing a turn as a druggy.
Innocent Voices is the only one which remains with me. It is set in ElSalvador and an 11 year old boy is the 'man of the house' and trying to avoid conscription by both the government and rebel forces. Apart from a single moment of what seems like convenient timing the story is shocking, grim and haunting, and is apparently a true tale. If you can go see it.
Volver is a film by Almodovar. At first it appears a mother has died and is haunting her children and her granddaughter. Alas this would actually have been a better and more interesting premise. Penelope Cruz stars and is getting many plaudits, but I found her wooden and a vacuumn in the center of the film that the rest of the cast do well to ignore. Otherwise there is no real sense of resolution.
Little Miss Sunshine is billed as having a standing ovation at Sundance and is a comedy. It's funny, but it isn't a comedy. Most of the laughs are in the last half hour, unless you've not seen the trailer. However, it is a fabulous study of a family in crisis and the finale is unexpected, apt and superb.
Finally, A Scanner Darkly. If you've seen Arnie in Total Recall go and watch that again. This is dull, goes over the same ground and is less a waste of your money and time. Ohh it's rotoscoped. Why? It adds nothing to the film but nausea. Really it is five hours of Robert Downey Junior doing a turn as a druggy.
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