"Border Radio" and "Fires on the Plain"

So what did I do on my 40th birthday? Laid around and watched movies!





So the first movie, "Border Radio". What an odd film. Done on the cheap in the eighties by a trio of UCLA Film School students using b&w film and a number LA punk luminaries. This little gem tells the tale of one man's existential crisis and its effect on those people around him. The movie took 4 years to complete and in the end cost in 80,000 dollar range to make. It is DIY before that was a cable channel. Anyroad the length of production time shows in all kinds of continuity errors, editing mistakes and most importantly, these guys had time to wait for the right light. There are some truly beautiful shots to be seen in this movie. Another casualty of the production length was the story, it just kept changing and reality this isn't bad thing because the movie gets progressively lighter and funnier, so no harm done really. So is it classic, sure for its spirit and simply being a brave effort
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"Fires on the Plain", what to say? Appalling, terrifying, um let's see what else,a meditational portrait of what happens to men in war? I don't know really but it just does an exellent job showing the effects of war on soldiers, especially ones who are losing, starving and going out of their minds. This movie created by the man who brought us Burmese Harp is not for the faint hearted. It is set at the end of WWII in the Philippines and some Japanese soldiers are losing the war and their humanity. It is odd because it feels like a documentary. There really isn't a series of physical events just a slow slide into madness and murder. The movie however isn't hard to watch in that it is not a gore-fest. The actors are excellent and play the roles well. There even some darkly humorous moments. So do I recommend it, yes but, it is creepy and affective. If you want your war movies heroic and apple pie warm, this isn't for you.

Serge Gainsbourg

Who? Serge Gainsbourg was a brilliant, obnoxious, iconoclastic, often drunk French singer and provocateur. Yes, he was and is an Important Artist of Our Times. Why? Well because to him nothing and everything was sacred. Sure he let everyone and everything that pissed him off have a taste of temper. But was he just always ranting? No he wasn't, he could also express the joy and wonder to be found in this world when he found it. Don't speak French? No worries check out Mick Harvey's two excellent collections of Gainsbourg's songs "Intoxicated Man" and "Pink Elephants". These don't deviate all that far from the originals but enough to freshen them up and bring them swinging into these times.

Highly reccomended if you like retro-pop specifically or good pop music generally.

Here's Harvey's video of Harley Davidson from his MySpace site.

Harley Davidson

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Burmese Harp

This is a 1950's Japanese film that the deals with the changes that come over a Japanese soldier in Burma at the close of WWII as he deals with wasteful deaths and the souls of the dead. The movie is shot in b&w, image above is from 1985 color remake, and is attractive to look at but, it is not beautiful. The actors used in the movie are all very ordinary looking, which is a strength. These two simplifying aspects force the viewer to consider the process of change that the main character goes through as he finds his life's calling in Burma. It is a sad, slow-moving contemplative type of movie who's soundtrack, when the soldiers aren't singing, gently pushes scenes along. I enjoyed the movie and I disagree with other commentators that the image of Japanese soldiers as happy-go-lucky choirboys is misleading. Yes the Japanese commented atrocities, they weren't the first and they won't be the last. This movie isn't about soldiering it is about a soldier and his life altering confrontations with death.

Trailer

My oh My just Dreadful few days

DCU loses to the w w wan wizards. 2-4 no less. The third was just a punch below the belt. Well, 3 man back-line just isn't cutting it. The rally to two all was good then but, as I said, the third goal right before half was just brutal.

Anyroad life goes on and I get to work Monday and all the work I did on Friday for the project due Monday is gone. Power outage on Sat and a bunch lost files. Oh happy day!!!! Well I rebuilt parts of the project but I'm put back a few days. We'll see.

So any good news but of course.

Watched the entirety of Strange, see picture above. Nice supernatural thriller, chasing demons, so and so forth. Nice 6 part series plus pilot. Given the usual "Why are you trusting some-one you just met" moments, the interactions between the major characters are believable and understandable given their histories as explained within series. So we have well crafted characters. What about the world it is set in? It's our world with modern,UK, concerns. So good characters and believable setting lead to a worthy watch. PS not a Buffy clone!!!!

Also watched the last two Dr. Who installments. Nice
1. The Shakespeare Code.
2. Gridlock

So are we to make of this year's Dr. Who? Well the stories are fun and not to taxing, yet. By that I mean the stories are concentrating on action and danger and a bit character development. Just enough development to keep things moving without over explaining and slowing things down. The special effects are modern but are continuing the intentionally cheesy bits to keep the "Dr. Who feel". I especially enjoyed "The Shakespeare Code". (Double double, toil and trouble) The story is draws on the idea of a muse and how the muse may well be using the inspired.

Vonnegut and Libraries

Kurt Vonnegut on libraries.

"While on the subject of burning books, I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their physical strength, who, all over this country, have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books from their shelves, and destroyed records rather than have to reveal to thought police the names of persons who have checked out those titles.

So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House, the Supreme Court, the Senate, the House of Representatives, or the media. The America I loved still exists at the front desks of our public libraries."



from: http://books.guardian.co.uk/extracts/story/0,,1691370,00.html © 2005 Kurt Vonnegut Extracted from A Man Without a Country: A Memoir of Life in George W Bush's America, to be published by Bloomsbury on February 6, price £14.99

Unleash the Librarians (even if they are halflings!!!)

No joke people -> Librarians save the world!!!!!!!

The Sea Beggars or Les gueux de mer

Les gueux de mer

Well just finished book 2 of Paul Kearney's Sea Beggars series and what fun. So to get you up to speed. Sea Beggars is a series written by Paul Kearney. It contains two books so far: Mark of Ran (bk 1) and This Forsaken Earth (bk2). This is action adventure, nautical fiction and fantasy all rolled up into one nice beach ready or metro commutable package. Forrester and O'Brian fans this one is especially for you. So we have the main character, Rol Cortishane, who is truly a piece of work and who has a lot "maturing" to do. Over the course of the two books he does change, mature, in a believable manner and the sequence of events that shape him are well descibed. No miraculous changes here, Rol gains a gradual understanding of his own faults and strengths through experiencing some pretty grim stuff and occasionally the darkness does glimmer with a bit joy. Other points in this series favor are; that important characters die, yes this is good. Kearney doesn't keep the same people appearing over and over again. Kearney writes about what is at times heroic seamanship in an engaging and understandable way, at least for us landlubbers that is. I think those of you that like Forrester and O'Brian will find these sections excellent if at times a bit short and that brings us to the final strength: Characters. Kearney does a great balancing act between character development and action. Not always easy in fantasy where the author has to describe a whole new world and the peoples in it. This can lead to some fantasy writing being mostly description and short on characters. Not here as Kearney chooses to set his characters and story in a world not far from our own. Less description is required and increases the believability of his world. So with world building out of the way Kearney concentrates on his characters. They are full of range of human strengths, weaknesses, desires and needs. Even if they aren't always human. Cheers and Happy Reading.

HMS Surprise

Crummy Week then better.

Ugh! Lose at Chivas. Lose at Crapids. Crummy Crummy week. We played a decent game at Chivas but it were subpar against Crapids. UGH UGH UGH. Not a good week.

Reading-wise I've polished off three books in three days. Bks 1 & 2 of MacHale's Pendragon series. Great for the 14 yr old or there-abouts set. Bk 1 of Kearney's Sea Beggars Series. Great adult sea fantasy, fans of O'Brian and Forrester take note, this is good sea faring stuff.

New Anime Series I've been following:

Kurau: Phantom Memory 1 part 1



Kurau: Phantom Memory 1 part 2



Kurau: Phantom Memory 1 part 3