Thursday, January 31st, 2008
almost wisdom
If you come to a chicken crossing the road, fork it.
English
Monday, January 14th, 2008
Tim Burton – Sweeney Todd (2)
There is a hole in the world like a great black pit, and the vermin of the world inhabit it. Not entirely taken with the beginning of the venture – the opening credits looked less than good, and Todd’s song to his knives seemed drawn out and overacted to the verge of embarrassment – but from judge’s failed shave on in I enjoyed every last drop of it. And of dripping there is aplenty, of course.
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
Antonio Damasio – Looking for Spinoza (2)
I found this a somewhat strange book. The central neuroscientific idea put forth is a fascinating one. When we separate feeling from emotion by declaring the former to be the inner state and the latter to be the outward expression of that state, we find complex interactions between the two, and a convincing argument can be made, that feeling in essence is a mapping of internal body states, and that the sinking feeling int he gut, the racing heart, the tenseness in the chest, aren’t side effects of feelings, they are in a sense what feelings are. They are their substance.
Even more interesting is Damasios suggestion that we can turn these insights into practical advice, by uncoupling the stimuli that would generate negative feelings from those feelings, so that we can register the stimulus without the turmoil and detriment that is often so detrimental even to solving the situation that caused it.
All this I found highly interesting. The parallel attempt to introduce me to Spinoza’s life and work, however, I must consider a failure. While I find it interesting that Spinoza would have suggested similar notions such a long time ago, I didn’t really see the relevance of any of it and have to admit to skipping over parts of Spinoza’s life story. It felt like two books, only one of which I actually wanted to read. But that one turned out quite good.
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
Big Love (1)
A fascinating glimpse into a way of life both far removed from mainstream culture and morals, and very close to them at the same time. A well written drama, an audacious subject, and an even handed and balanced presentation of the subject make this a delightful foray into the foundations of human social mores, by example rather than by lecture. A tremendous cast, a gripping cliffhanger. Season two, here I come.
Saturday, January 12th, 2008
Park Chan-wook – Chinjeolhan Geumjassi (1)
Would you? Or wouldn’t you? And are the artificial plot settings the question arises in only superficially important or does it change the quality of your answer that you may never be in a situation that’s remotely close to the one depicted in this movie? In other words, is the moral conundrum this movie seems to present only applicable within its own stylized universe? If even within that universe, the kathartic act falls short, and everybody seems more upset after it than before, should these people have trusted their instincts? And am I falling into Park’s trap, asking all these questions instead of just enjoying a wildly original ride?
Saturday, January 12th, 2008
Steven Aldiss – Haiku Humor (1)
One umbrella
The person more in love
gets wet
Even the winner
of the argument
has a hard time sleeping
By saying not to worry
he says something
worrisome.
Saturday, January 12th, 2008
Jonathan Lethem – The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye (2)
A wonderfully inventive collection of stories, and again a work of Science Fiction as it should be written, with regards not only for the abstract gimmicky idea or the strange and attractive world, but for the mundane experiences of both the characters and the readers in such a situation, and well rounded and balanced characters. Or so they should be, but somehow they fail to make me care about them. Maybe that’s my fault.
Monday, January 7th, 2008
Tamara Jenkins – The Savages (2)
Quirky, drab, touching and depressing, all at the same time, this is the story of a father slowly dying, and his estranged children struggling to find their place in what unfolds. I’m not entirely sure of its quality objectively – I suspect it’s rather good, if you must know -, for it hit close to home for me on a personal level. Having been in a similar situation just recently, I found myself both relating to the characters’ confusion, and back in my own bewildered state at the same time. And when we left the theater, I heard an old gentleman tell his wife “that was really sad”, in a broken voice, which was both sweeter and sadder than anything within the movie, and that’s in spite of that Lenya song and the ending.