MOOOON!

I forgot to mention that last night my dad and I watched Duncan Jones's movie "Moon" starring Sam Rockwell.  Duncan Jones, for the record, is David Bowie's son, so I found it very interesting that Ziggy Stardust's offspring has created one of the best science fiction movies of the past decade.

I love it when a science fiction movie comes along that is about ideas, and not about action. I think if you wanted to screen a double bill of thought-provoking sci-fi cinema, "Moon" would go nicely with "Gattaca".

I won't give away anything about "Moon", except that you should try to see it if you can.  I bought it on blu-ray a week ago, and the image quality is astounding.

But I think the most interesting aspect of the film is its treatment of technology. Traditionally in cinema, humanity's relationship with machines and so-called artificial intelligences is generally viewed with animosity and skepticism.  The increased presence of technology is viewed as a dehumanizing aspect of our progress.  Inevitably, artificial intelligences usually end up turning against us, and wind up being our downfall.  "Moon" doesn't seem to fall into that easy trap, and I think paints a picture of technology and robotics that is more copacetic with our own experiences from today.  Again, if you were to want to screen this movie with another sci-fi movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey" would be another good choice, as the comparison between the two I think would end up shocking the audience.

Later tonight I'm hoping to find time to watch Wim Wenders's 1988 film "Wings of Desire", which I picked up on blu-ray at the same time as "Moon".

In September of 2004, a plane crashed...

In just two days the final season of "Lost" begins!  It is an exciting time, and I'm very pleased that there have been so few spoilers floating around about what happens this season.  I've kept myself well behaved too, I think, in terms of hunting out spoilers.  I really want to be totally blown away and surprised by what happens this year (something I haven't been very disciplined about for previous seasons).

I firmly believe that "Lost" will go down in history as a revolutionary program for modern television.  How often is a TV show allowed to end on its own terms when its ratings are still quite good?  It is a show that kept its story as the topmost priority, and it was definitely not afraid to take huge risks.

Unless they somehow completely screw it up this final season (which I highly doubt), "Lost" will be one of those TV shows that will stand the test of time, and will truly be a piece of storytelling that deserves its place among other great works of literary science fiction.

Anyways, I can't wait for Tuesday to get here.  They did a screening of the first hour on a beach yesterday in Hawaii (where the show is filmed), but I've kept myself from reading anything about what took place in the episode.  I'm really going to enjoy this run...

Thursday: The Man

Syme sprang to his feet, shaking from head to foot.  'I see everything,' he cried, 'everything that there is.  Why does each thing on the earth war against each other thing?  Why does each small thing in the world have to fight against the world itself?  Why does a fly have to fight the whole universe?  Why does a dandelion have to fight the whole universe?  For the same reason that I had to be alone in the dreadful Council of Days.  So that each thing that obeys law may have the glory and isolation of the anarchist.  So that each man fighting for order may be as brave and good a man as the dynamiter.  So that the real lie of Satan may be flung back in the face of this blasphemer, so that by tears and torture we may earn the right to say to this man, "You lie!"  No agonies can be too great to buy the right to say to this accuser, "We also have suffered."


That is a paragraph near the end of G.K. Chesterton's masterpiece, "The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare", which I finished reading this morning.  It's a fascinating little book from 1908, a time when there were a great deal of anarchy movements throughout Europe (Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassins had ties to an anarchy group.)  Though I think it is just as relevant today.  Each generation must feel that it is on the precipice of collapse into chaos and anarchy.  Are the problems we face today any more or less severe than those that faced the generation witnessing the complete destruction of Europe in 1914, and again in 1939?  Are our problems today any worse than those that faced the Romans as the Huns sacked and pillaged their city?  The world is always on the brink of collapse, and it would easily plunge into anarchy but for the actions of those small few who would see the world not collapse.

I bought the book many many years ago, having heard Neil Gaiman talk about it on a few occasions, but I delayed in reading it up until now.  It will take me a good while, and probably another reading, to really wrap my head around all of the things going on in it.  It's not terribly long, clocking in at under 150 pages, but there's a lot of subtle, complicated ideas at play.

A man named Syme gets into an argument one evening with a man named Gregory.  Gregory, an impassioned anarchist and poet, says that only anarchy can give birth to true art, and only in anarchy can the spirit of man be truly fulfilled.  Syme disagrees with him, seeing the greatest art in the world being based in order.  He sees far greater beauty in a timely subway schedule than in the dazzling spectacle and ferocious power of a detonating stick of dynamite.  Whereas Gregory says mankind is full of sadness and lament for knowing that the subway will come on time, Syme argues the sheer magnificence and wonder that of all things that could happen in the universe, the train actually makes it to the station it intends, at the time that we expect it to arrive.

"Chaos is dull; because in chaos the train might indeed go anywhere, to Baker Street, or to Bagdad.  But man is a magician, and his whole magic is in this, that he does say Victoria, and lo! it is Victoria."


Syme eventually questions how serious of an anarchist Gregory is, which entices Gregory to prove his seriousness to Syme.  He decides to lead Syme somewhere significant, but first he first makes Syme promise not to tell anyone about what he may see that night.  Syme agrees, and Gregory reveals to him that he is part of a secret anarchist group; he also takes Syme to his branch's secret meeting room beneath a tavern, where his compatriots will soon meet to elect a new representative to the High Anarchist European Council.  Syme, astounded by what he sees, and just moments before the meeting is to take place, asks Gregory to return to him the promise that he himself has made, asking Gregory not to tell anyone what Syme might choose to reveal to him.  Gregory reluctantly agrees, and Syme then tells Gregory that he is actually an undercover detective, assigned the task of rooting out secret anarchist groups!

With both men bound by an oath to not reveal their true identities to anyone, Syme, through certain machinations, manages to get himself elected to the High Anarchist European Council, taking on the code name "Thursday."  (There are 7 members of the Council, all named after days of the week.)  It is then that Syme meets the leader of the group, Sunday, a man who seems to be as powerful, and as large, as a god might be.

The book ends up being quite funny and farcical.  But it also raises some very interesting theological questions about our relationship with God.  As I said, it will take me quite some time to wrap my head around all of what's going on in the book.  I will probably need to do some further research on the book to truly grasp what the point of it was.  But I'm guessing the bulk of the purpose of the book rests in the paragraph I posted above.  That the man who governs and fights for order suffers just as greatly for the cause as does the revolutionist.  And perhaps God is the one who suffers the most.  "Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of?"

I have another Chesterton book, "The Napoleon of Notting Hill", that I will have to read one day.  I also downloaded a bunch of audio recordings of his short stories "The Tales of Father Brown", which are a bunch of mystery stories with a Catholic Priest as the protagonist.  I'm very much looking forward to hearing those.  Chesterton also has a number of theological essays that I would like to read one day, if I can find a copy anywhere.

(For those who have read The Sandman, Chesterton makes a number of appearances in those comics, with the character of Gilbert being based on him.)

I'm not quite sure what I will read next.  I think I will try to tackle a few more Gene Wolfe short stories: specifically, "The Hero as Werwolf,"  and "The Death of Doctor Island."  Gene Wolfe is my go-to author.  Whenever I am not sure what I want to read next, I invariably end up reading something by him.  I never tire of him.

Incidentally, Gene Wolfe has a new book coming out in March, called "The Sorceror's House."  I love how he is well into his 80s, but still manages to release a new novel practically every year.  I wish I will one day be as productive as he is.

Now I must away myself from Blogger, to begin drafting a treatment of a short film idea I had a few weeks ago.  It's called "Coyote."

Whiteout

I am typing this by my bedroom window, and I cannot see to the other side of the park because of all the snow falling.  It is a harsh, angry, blowing snow.  However, it is a nice change from the past few weeks, where rain and mild weather have made the snow that fell back in December all but vanish.  The only troubling part is that I am sure I'll need to do some shovelling of the driveway later on.  My back and shoulders are not in the best of shape, so it can be a bit of a challenge for me.  But I suppose it is a worthy price to pay, in order to see a field of solid white behind the house, rather than the usual vomitous collection of spotty browns, pale greens, and mysterious yellows.

I am starting to learn more about customizing this blog.  You may notice on the side I have added a twitter feed, where you can see all of my latest tweets.  My tweets are not all that interesting, but feel free to follow me if you are into that kind of thing.

More changes will come over time.  I am hoping to learn enough one day to completely redesign the site, so that it has more of a personal look, rather than just using a stock template.

Perhaps I should talk about what my day was like yesterday.

For the past two and a half weeks, up until yesterday, I had been working once more at my old job, which was as a casting assistant for a company that casts movies and television shows.  I had left the job in September, feeling that casting just wasn't right for me, and that I wanted to move on to different things.  However, in December the person who replaced me (though it's more complicated than that) asked if I could cover for her while she went on vacation in January.  I agreed.

It felt good to be back on the job, and thankfully it wasn't too crazy while I was there.  There was a lot of work, and I had plenty of late nights, but there was never anything that I wasn't able to handle.  The two and a half weeks flew by.

I suppose one of the big reasons I wanted to leave the job originally was because of the stress it was causing me.  And the stress I was feeling was often caused by circumstances way beyond my control, which made it worse.  If the stress I am feeling can be solved by me, then I can handle it fine; but if it is caused by other people (people I don't even know, and who are sometimes all the way on the other side of the country), then I go crazy because I still feel all the stress, but there's not one thing I can do about it.

Part of me does not enjoy having to trust other people to accomplish a task that is required for me to be successful in my job.  There ended up being so many moving parts involved that I felt overloaded and scrambled.  Whatever I end up doing next in life, I want it to be something where my work is more focused; where I'm not trying to quell fifty fires at once.

But for now I am back in the world of the unemployed.

Last night I watched Barack Obama's State of the Union.  Overall it seemed like an okay speech, though he was less inspirational than usual (but that might be a good thing.)  The speech seemed all over the place, but I guess that's what State of the Unions are usually like.

I'm not American, but I pay attention to American politics way more than Canadian politics, which is a shame, I know, especially since our government has its own heap of problems at the moment.

I think the part I liked best about President Obama's speech was where he discussed the severe paralysis affecting Washington these days.  It is true that politicians are locked in perpetual campaigns, where the safest way to keep your job is to do absolutely nothing at all.

The worst of them all is the Senate, which is sad, since that is supposed to be the most level-headed body in American politics.  But the Senate has transformed into a tired, old oligarchy, constantly stifling the will of the people in favour of special interests that will help them get re-elected.

It is time for congressmen and women to be subject to strict term limits.  Am I the only one who thinks it's ridiculous that a Senator should be allowed to stay in power for 40-plus years?  What good can that possibly do for anyone?  Even if he or she is constantly re-elected, I would argue that it is still undemocratic.  The representative position that the senator holds should be a far greater thing than the senator holding it.  The two should never become synonymous.

While we're at it, the whole American political system should be overhauled.  It is an ancient, inefficient, overly complicated system based on a model of class distinction.  One needs only look at the fall of the Roman Republic to see how that system of representation eventually turned out.

But I am starting to talk about things beyond my level of expertise, which is my signal to clam up before I say anything that is easily refutable or just plain wrong.

I will return again soon.  Perhaps I will discuss my take on "Avatar" when I next update.

The snow has stopped outside.  I can see across the park once more.

Realism

You think I'll run, not walk, to you

Why would I want to talk to you?

I want you crawling back to me

Down on your knees, yeah

Like an appendectomy

Sans anaesthesia.

Last night, at midnight, I rushed to my computer, logged in to iTunes, and purchased the new Magnetic Fields record, entitled "Realism."  I am a huge Magnetic Fields fan, and have been since around 2001 or 2002.  My sister was a fan to start with, and I heard a few of their songs that she had downloaded, namely "Take Ecstasy With Me", but I gave them very little thought.  However, I soon discovered that one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, was a very big fan of theirs as well (he thanked Stephin Merritt in the acknowledgments section of "American Gods".)  Seeing as how my life-long dream is to somehow transmogrify into Neil Gaiman, I decided to give The Magnetic Fields a second chance.

I haven't looked back since.  For my money, Stephin Merritt (front man and songwriter for the band) is one of the finest songwriters and lyricists on the planet today.  His songs are beautiful, ironic, heart-breaking, and joyous, usually all at once.  The melodies take unexpected turns, and there is usually a hidden level of malice in the lyrics (just listen to "California Girls" for an example of this).  He's also mastered the art of storytelling through song. 

His songs are highly identifiable too.  I don't think there's one song of his I haven't identified with in some way.  Well... maybe "Zombie Boy".

I've been really anticipating this new release from them because I'm going to see them in concert in just under two weeks.  They are coming to Toronto and will be playing at the Queen Elizabeth Theater.  I've never seen them play live, so I'm very excited about that. 

Anyway, back to "Realism" (released by Nonesuch Records).  This record seems to be a bit like their 2004 release "I", in that it is heavily focused on acoustic recordings with a folk flavour.  Though it is also quite dissimilar to "I".  Whereas "I" had a consistent melancholy streak in it (the first song on it is "I Die"), "Realism", at least on the first few listens, seems more flirtatious and free.  Though of course, this flirtatiousness often plunges sadly and suddenly into dark pits of despair.  You should always anticipate this in a Magnetic Fields song.  Even up until the last line.

Songs like "We are Having a Hootenanny", "The Dolls' Tea Party", and "Everything is One Big Christmas Tree" exemplify this free-spirited attitude.  For example, on "Everything is One Big Christmas Tree", for no discernible reason Stephin starts singing the second half of the song in German, and with as big and over the top a voice as if he were suddenly performing in a Bavarian beer hall.  It makes the song just as playful and silly as its title.

But perhaps the best way to describe the record is that it is a marked contrast to the band's previous release "Distortion".  "Distortion" was an album where every melody, every emotion, was crushed ruthlessly under heavy, mind-swimming, headache-inducing feedback.  It was a very difficult record, and certainly the band's greatest experiment (and one I've found to be very rewarding after multiple listens). 

"Realism", on the other hand, is an entirely acoustic record.  The liner notes proudly proclaim NO SYNTHS (though Claudia Gonson is credited with playing "leaves").  The melodies are given free reign to grow and stand up on their own.  Thus we are given a musical experience free of artifice and confusion.

Or are we?

The title, after all, is "Realism", not "Reality".  And Realism is just as much a lie as anything that is distorted; only it doesn't have the courtesy to tell you it's a lie.  

I'm looking forward to listening to "Distortion" and "Realism" back to back, as I think there will be unexpected results.  The two records are certainly intended to be linked together as companion pieces.  Stephin Merritt has said this publically, and the album artwork for both records shares the same design concept: bathroom door symbols ("Distortion" has the man, while "Realism" has the woman). 

I won't pretend that I understand what the point of it all is: what these records are meant to be saying.  Maybe they aren't saying anything.  Art never needs to have a point to it.  In fact, art is often stronger when there is no point.  That way the art can be appreciated for the thing itself, and not just be seen as some kind of vehicle to pass on a veiled meaning or message.

I will spend more time with the record over the next few months and years.  I'm interested to see how my attitude towards it changes as I become more familiar with it.  My first listen to any record is always an awkward experience, as I find I often allow myself to get distracted while listening, and my main desire is usually to get through the whole thing as quickly as possible.  Only over time, when I have listened to the songs many times, do I usually gain a true appreciation for what is going on in any given record. 

"Realism" is a pretty short one, running just over half an hour.  I do wish it could have been a bit longer, but the album still manages to fit in 14 songs.  And, as with all their records, it never runs short of ideas.  After almost 20 years of releasing music, The Magnetic Fields are still vibrant, relevant, and surprising.

See you in two weeks!  I can't wait.

The Grand Experiment

Darkness.  It wraps around him, heavy and paralyzing, like a blanket weighted with lead.  He tries to move, but the darkness resists him.  The whole of Ocean may as well rest upon his shoulders.


There are voices in the darkness.  Shapeless mutterings.  He tries to make out the words, but they are just as intangible as the darkness.


The faint crackle of electricity; the smell of burnt air.  


The light erupts, cutting a shaft in the darkness.  It is the dimmest light there could ever be, but against the darkness it is the sun.  He feels the darkness slip away from him, and for once in a very long time he discovers that he can stand tall.  


He stares out at the darkness: a thing now separate from him; an other finally perceivable and with form.  He listens to the muttering voices in the darkness, and, after a time, plucks from it his own.

Errr... Hello.

My name is Michael, and this is my attempt at keeping a regular blog.  I had one many years ago, but it quickly fell out of use.  However, lately I have been feeling the urge to write down in some kind of public forum my thoughts and opinions on... well... pretty much anything and everything.  So I feel like now is the right time to try this out again.

Maybe someone out there will read what I write and find enjoyment from it.  Perhaps no one will even notice I am here.  Who knows what will happen?? That is the grand experiment, and shouldn't each and every one of us try to make our lives a grand experiment?

But perhaps that is selling this tiny little blog a bit too dearly.  There is always an implied amount of  narcissism whenever one keeps a public blog.  Keeping one is usually an exercise in self-indulgence; it is an attempt to separate yourself from the world around you, and to try to implant a false sense of authority and importance to what you have to say.  It is vainly shining a light upon yourself to separate yourself from the darkness.

Though we do not realize that the darkness before us is as thin as a sheet of paper, and that beyond it is another light, and another person shouting as loudly as they can.

Sometimes the light is what creates the darkness.

Or maybe not.  Oh well.  Metaphors are only metaphors, and they can only take you so far.  Eventually one must discard the metaphor and confront the thing itself.  The best map of the world is the world, as they say.  This is a blog I will write, and you will either read it, or you won't.

I'm not quite sure what this blog will be about.  I keep trying to write movies, but usually fail at it.  I'm sure I'll talk about that now and again.  I'm currently unemployed and thinking about pursuing a career in sound editing for film and TV, so I'm sure I'll write about that too.  I sometimes write music, and may post pieces here.  I will talk about movies I've seen, and books that I've read.  Once in a while, though not often, I will probably get political (though this will probably take the form of condemning both the left and the right at the same time, and just wondering why people can't bother to be nice to each other for a change).

In short, I'll write about whatever I feel like.  I'll write about things that I find interesting.  I will be very selfish, and I will always be right, and you will always be wrong.


Maybe it will help me become a better writer, as it will force me to make my thoughts on subjects more coherent and linear.  But we shall see.  There's no better practice for writing than just sitting down and shaping out sentences.


By the way, the title for this blog comes from a song of the same name by a band called The Gothic Archies.  It is another band fronted by Stephin Merritt, leading force behind The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, and Future Bible Heroes.  I'm guessing the line also appears somewhere in the children's novels "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events", as the sole reason for The Gothic Archies's existence was to make an album of music inspired by those novels.  I had debated between this title and "The World is a Very Scary Place".  But right now "Smile! No One Cares How You Feel" somehow felt more appropriate.  I might change it later.

So here we go!

He stares into the light.  He will keep staring until it blinds him.