Hey folks,
That was a long break, wasn't it?
I've decided to change the format of this Blog yet again, committing to a weekly entry of potpourri that may involve but will not be limited to the happenings of my life, music and film reviews and politics. Heres what I have on tap for this week:
State of Blake week of 2/15
As many of you know I'm loving my new job. This has made the immediate future quite manageable but has led me to question my long term goals. For a long time I've been trying to reconcile two very different parts of me: essentially my right and left brain. Part of me wants a career spent working on policy, the other critiquing or creating art. Unfortunately some decisions need to be made fairly quickly as I complete my Bachelors degree.
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Politics:
I've really been hit with a sense of disillusionment and cynicism when it comes to politics. This is rather common for most folks, but uncommon for me. From the Sam Adams scandal and reaction to it to the complete clusterfuck that was the recovery plan a lot of people I put a great deal of trust in have disappointed me. Thats really all I have for now, I may not have as much to say about politics until the 2010 cycle.
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Film:
I've had a great month when it comes to movies. I finally saw 1976's Network and was really moved by its timelessness and quality, still amazing that Rocky won the best picture oscar that year (As much as I liked Network, Taxi Driver should have won).
Speaking of (possible?) Oscar mistakes I could not have been more underwhelmed by Slumdog Millionaire. I have a laundry list of problems with this film. The base level of acting that I require to be invested in a film was just not there. The dialog was atrocious. The plot "twists" could not have been telegraphed in a more obvious way. The story was incredibly contrived - the appeal for this kind of fairy tale escapism should have faded in the 1970's. I suppose its admirable that this film put a spotlight on the poor people of India but it a certain sense it does them a disservice by letting us walk out of the movie with a happy ending. The soundtrack was also particularly irritating, and will make this movie seem incredibly dated thirty years from now in the same way that Easy Rider feels today. I think this resonates with a lot of people who like the idea of watching a foriegn/bollywood flick but are too afraid they wouldn't get it.
At the opposite end of the spectrum this year was The Wrestler. A lot has been written about Rourke's performance (deservedly so) but Aronofsky should be getting some more recognition for his fabulous writing and directing job. While mainstream Holywood probably would have made a film about a pro-wrestler coming up through the indies working hard and eventually winning the world title (fade to black, inspirational song over the credits) Aronofsky decided to make a film about what happens after someone has had their defining moment. Aronofsky did an amazing amount of research on the often misunderstood world of pro-wrestling, Randy "The Ram" is reminiscent of many past wrestling stars who languish in indie obscurity. Its shot in a way thats somewhere between documentary and fly on the wall. Bruce Springsteen's "The Wrestler" starts after the last scene but before the credits, a nice touch. This thing sat like a brick. Just the way I like it.
Milk also kicked all kinds of ass. Probably the best acting in a film this year, both by Sean Penn and the whole cast - Emile Hirsch, James Franco and Josh Brolin all give amazing performances. This biopic could not have been released at a better time. Out of the films nominated I'd give it best picture.
I saw The Reader, another very heavy film. While I think that there should be a 20 year moratorium on any film dealing with the holocaust or WW2 (its not very hard to make a movie featuring the most dramatic event in history seem dramatic is it?) it touched on several themes of love and dealing with the past in a way that was very worthwhile. Highly recommended. Now I need to see Frost/Nixon, Revolutionary Road and Rachel Getting Married and I'll feel good about American movies released in 2008. I have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to foreign movies.
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Music:
A pretty boring year for music so far. I like the new Elvis Perkins, and the new M Ward. I'm still not sure about Springsteen's Working on a Dream. It just doesn't have the weight that Magic had, I listened to Magic the other day on Vinyl and it stands up very well. I'm not sure this will.
Well thats it for this week,
Blake
