i haven't done one of these in a while...so, bear with me...
Mister Chandler says...
"It is easy to fake; brutality is not strength, flipness is not wit, edge-of-the-chair writing can be as boring as flat writing; dalliance with promiscuous blondes can be very dull stuff when described by goaty young men with no other purpose in mind than to describe dalliance with promiscuous blondes."
the juggernaut says...
"Her peers had no intention of letting her out of the box they'd put her in; she was punished for even trying to break free. I had several classes with her, and was able to observe Dodie"s ruination at first hand. I saw her smile fade, saw the light in her eyes first dim and then go out."
Old Bill says...
"We seek out the unknown, the unrewarded. The man who stopped and helped. Those who take in strays. The Johnsons of the world. We sanction the shits and reward the Johnsons."
Monkey says...
"Don't worry about me,' said Monkey. 'I know what I am about."
The philosopher says...
"You vine! Why do you praise me? Did I not cut you? I am cruel, you bleed; what does your praise of my drunken cruelty mean?"
Ms. Walker says...
"But why, I can hear you wondering, am I up at this hour, and have been up all night? I will tell you."
the pornographer says...
"I have tae get a move on. I should stay cool, look out from a distance to see who comes out that door, to be sure one way or the other instead of this torture in my head, but no, ah need tae get as far away fae this fuckin hospital as ah can. That cunt is real. He lives. He is outside."
Ms. Butler says...
"Finally, she looked at him, studied him with such intensity he began to feel uncomfortable. His discomfort amazed him. He was more accustomed to making other people uncomfortable. And he did not like her appraising stare - as though she were deciding whether or not to buy him."
the good doctor says...
"The growing emancipation and independence of woman have enabled her to exercise greater freedom and initiative in the choice of a mate and in the expression of her sexual needs."
the free man says...
"I was now left to my fate. I was all alone, and within the walls of a stone prison. But for a few days before, and I was full of hope. I expected to have been safe in a land of freedom; but now I was covered with gloom, sunk down to the utmost despair. I thought the possibility of freedom was gone."
the legend says...
"I'm alive, Jimmy told himself. That's something."
September 27, 2008
September 18, 2008
was it really only eight years ago...
the company i work for is moving to a new building...so today, while cleaning one of my file cabinets, i found a wall street journal money & investing section lining the bottom of one of the drawers...dated March 27, 2000...this was the above the fold feature story...
(clicking makes it grow)
were we so optimistic that we were actually looking for the end...that was just around the corner...if i remember correct...i just got hired...or was about to be...at janus funds...a year later...only a year later...a whole slew of us were laid off...along with every other shmoe in the lower echelons of the corporate ladder...
yet, i remember thinking that was a temporary setback...that jobs were plentiful, and i would soon fall into another plum position in some cubicle somewhere...
boy we've come a long way...
i also find this little tidbit interesting...
(clicking makes it grow)were we so optimistic that we were actually looking for the end...that was just around the corner...if i remember correct...i just got hired...or was about to be...at janus funds...a year later...only a year later...a whole slew of us were laid off...along with every other shmoe in the lower echelons of the corporate ladder...
yet, i remember thinking that was a temporary setback...that jobs were plentiful, and i would soon fall into another plum position in some cubicle somewhere...
boy we've come a long way...
i also find this little tidbit interesting...
September 15, 2008
monday night movie...The Man Who Wasn't There...
prepping for Burn After Reading, tonight's selection is, in my opinion, their best work...although Miller's Crossing is still my favorite...
(clicking makes it grow)
of the 150+ movies in my collection, 5 of them are Coen Bros movies...second only to my collection of Steven Soderbergh movies...i may have to do a month of Soderbergh...
anyway...i love this movie...sometimes i just turn off the television and listen to it play on the stereo...one of the rare cases of good voice over...
this one has the Coen Bros and all their best tricks...done to perfection...taut storytelling...hilarious dialogue...beautiful cinematography...meticulous set design...it helps that this movie is the best use of billy bob thornton's hangdog face...it helps that this is the best performance james gandolfini has done in a motion picture...it helps that this was my first exposure to scarlett jo...
yeah, i love this movie...
(clicking makes it grow)of the 150+ movies in my collection, 5 of them are Coen Bros movies...second only to my collection of Steven Soderbergh movies...i may have to do a month of Soderbergh...
anyway...i love this movie...sometimes i just turn off the television and listen to it play on the stereo...one of the rare cases of good voice over...
this one has the Coen Bros and all their best tricks...done to perfection...taut storytelling...hilarious dialogue...beautiful cinematography...meticulous set design...it helps that this movie is the best use of billy bob thornton's hangdog face...it helps that this is the best performance james gandolfini has done in a motion picture...it helps that this was my first exposure to scarlett jo...
yeah, i love this movie...
September 14, 2008
random sunday musings...
in my wanderings today...i ran into Craig, owner of ism gallery...when i was a barista over at Armazem coffee house...the precursor to Hooked on Colfax...Craig and i used to talk about his gallery...the ongoing development on the block...art...girls...
anyway...
we caught up a bit with each other, and he mentioned that he was written up this year in westword...which was mostly positive...and for an art gallery in Denver, a positive notice in the westword is good for business...the thing i can't help but be amused by is that they describe him as a..."budding artist"...
here's Craig...42 years old...business owner...painting for most of his adult life...and he's "budding"...sorry, but this is the kind of shit that makes professional critics sound like fools...to say the least...no respect for a lifetime of study and work...whatev...
i can't wait to be a "budding writer"...
also, went to see Traitor last night...now that we have a new enemy hollywood seems to be hitting it's stride with mature, entertaining espionage stories...see it...you might like it...
just finished The Shack...i read this book because it's about a man who undergoes a spiritual awakening of extraordinary circumstance...call it research...
i bought copies of this book and gave them to my friends...to see what their reactions might be...that was in may...it seems i'm the first one to finish...
i can't say i liked this book...i didn't hate it either...this book is meant to be a message...so i had to overlook some of the hacky parts...because it's a parable...or is that allegory...doesn't matter...the book is meant to teach...or preach...again, doesn't matter...as a piece of fiction i thought it was poor...at best...as a religious tract...it was as entertaining as a religious tract can be...
oh and Mad Men...oh boy...
anyway...
we caught up a bit with each other, and he mentioned that he was written up this year in westword...which was mostly positive...and for an art gallery in Denver, a positive notice in the westword is good for business...the thing i can't help but be amused by is that they describe him as a..."budding artist"...
here's Craig...42 years old...business owner...painting for most of his adult life...and he's "budding"...sorry, but this is the kind of shit that makes professional critics sound like fools...to say the least...no respect for a lifetime of study and work...whatev...
i can't wait to be a "budding writer"...
also, went to see Traitor last night...now that we have a new enemy hollywood seems to be hitting it's stride with mature, entertaining espionage stories...see it...you might like it...
just finished The Shack...i read this book because it's about a man who undergoes a spiritual awakening of extraordinary circumstance...call it research...
i bought copies of this book and gave them to my friends...to see what their reactions might be...that was in may...it seems i'm the first one to finish...
i can't say i liked this book...i didn't hate it either...this book is meant to be a message...so i had to overlook some of the hacky parts...because it's a parable...or is that allegory...doesn't matter...the book is meant to teach...or preach...again, doesn't matter...as a piece of fiction i thought it was poor...at best...as a religious tract...it was as entertaining as a religious tract can be...
oh and Mad Men...oh boy...
September 12, 2008
September 9, 2008
NYC movie week wrap up...
new york has been on my mind all week...and not just for the obvious reason...thank you Mad Men...also this week's monday night movie...Roger Dodger...and to a lesser extent, Elegy...you just can't make Canada look like NYC...and tonight...Joshua...
first up...Mad Men...
great episode...I suspected Don was gonna have to pay for his dalliances, and it looks like the shit storm has come to town...what will our man Don Draper do now...I can't wait...
and then we have Roger...
this is my fourth or fifth viewing of this one...i've come to see it differently since 2002...i first saw this as a descendant of honest movies about the darker side of american manhood...think jack nicholson in Carnal Knowledge...not roger...roger swanson is what passes for an alpha male at the opening of the 21st century...a silver tongued, sharp eyed word shyster...an ad man...he probably thinks he's a modern Don Draper...roger couldn't carry Don Draper's piss in his shoes...it takes his 16 year old nephew nick...played with a perfect balance of innocence and worldliness by jesse eisenberg...to show roger just how pathetic his life is...
still a good entertainment...and the opening dialogue is brilliant bullshit...but this one may have to come off of my shelf...
saw this one last weekend...and Penelope Cruz is having a great year...first vicky cristina...and now this...she's not only gorgeous to look at in this movie...and in a completely different way than VCB...she delivers this movie's heart...she's more than just eye candy...
problem is, i didn't buy Toronto...Vancouver...or is it Montreal...as NYC...i never do...producers would be better off ponying up the dough and filming the real thing...if a creepy small budget movie like Joshua can pull it off...surely a movie with Ben Kingsley, Dennis Hopper, the aformentioned Ms. Cruz...and Patricia Clarkson...Best Supporting Actress, anyone...can afford to shoot on location...
this one just popped up in my queue...creepy and tense, i wanted to see it last year, but ms scribe doesn't like the scary...oh well...a great way to spend an hour and 45 minutes...if you can ignore a gap in logic or two...i won't give too much away except to say they could easily call this movie...Dexter: The Beginning...
that is all...
first up...Mad Men...
great episode...I suspected Don was gonna have to pay for his dalliances, and it looks like the shit storm has come to town...what will our man Don Draper do now...I can't wait...
and then we have Roger...
this is my fourth or fifth viewing of this one...i've come to see it differently since 2002...i first saw this as a descendant of honest movies about the darker side of american manhood...think jack nicholson in Carnal Knowledge...not roger...roger swanson is what passes for an alpha male at the opening of the 21st century...a silver tongued, sharp eyed word shyster...an ad man...he probably thinks he's a modern Don Draper...roger couldn't carry Don Draper's piss in his shoes...it takes his 16 year old nephew nick...played with a perfect balance of innocence and worldliness by jesse eisenberg...to show roger just how pathetic his life is...
still a good entertainment...and the opening dialogue is brilliant bullshit...but this one may have to come off of my shelf...
saw this one last weekend...and Penelope Cruz is having a great year...first vicky cristina...and now this...she's not only gorgeous to look at in this movie...and in a completely different way than VCB...she delivers this movie's heart...she's more than just eye candy...
problem is, i didn't buy Toronto...Vancouver...or is it Montreal...as NYC...i never do...producers would be better off ponying up the dough and filming the real thing...if a creepy small budget movie like Joshua can pull it off...surely a movie with Ben Kingsley, Dennis Hopper, the aformentioned Ms. Cruz...and Patricia Clarkson...Best Supporting Actress, anyone...can afford to shoot on location...
this one just popped up in my queue...creepy and tense, i wanted to see it last year, but ms scribe doesn't like the scary...oh well...a great way to spend an hour and 45 minutes...if you can ignore a gap in logic or two...i won't give too much away except to say they could easily call this movie...Dexter: The Beginning...
that is all...
September 2, 2008
an evolution of archetypes...
as previously noted, the seeds for the new thing i'm working on...started with...the western lands...here are excerpts from my notes...dated 6.23.01...
consider Burrough's seven souls as a model for an archetype set...
ren: the leader. arrogant, powerful, driven. can be benevolent, can be a destroyer. always has others to do the work for him, most likely sekem types, either by power or charisma. the man with the plan, but doesn't bother with the details. this makes sekem, the detail man, his most powerful ally and his mortal foe. at best, a philanthropist. at worst, a despot. can be either sex, but a very masculine energy.
identifying phrase: I WILL
sekem: the technician. intelligent, good with her hands, takes care of the detail work. she designs the machine and pushes the buttons. a natural fit with ren, but can be easily turned because she finds ren’s arrogance contemptible. saves her best work to be used against ren.
identifying phrase: I CAN
khu: the protector. empathic, sacrificing, other centered. externally motivated interests/activities. can be allied for/against any of the other types, tending to fall in with whatever ka is pushing. a very feminine energy.
identifying phrase: YOU ARE
ba: the lover. sensual, materialistic, earthy. somewhat short-sighted, living moment to moment w/o thought to consequences. most closely aligned with ka and ren because they are best able to provide experiences she seeks.
identifying phrase: I WANT
ka: the player. charming, gregarious, team-builder. like ren, values using others to achieve goals, but less self centered. can move easily with any of the other types, though not comfortable with khaibit's sociopathic tendencies.
identifying phrase: LET’S GO
khaibit: the seeker. curious, enigmatic, explorer. an outsider interested in asking questions and testing boundaries for the purpose of observing and recording the human experience. this type has a deep connection with mystery. the degree of awareness of this connection is reflected in the science/religion split that can occur in this type. higher levels of awareness in this type makes them less experimental and more reverent towards mystery. lower levels of awareness makes them more extreme.
identifying phrase: WHY
sekhu: the sheep. the nameless, faceless, mass. this is the vast sea of humanity. cacophonous voice, but can serve as chorus to main players. they like ren, as long as he has a benevolent facade. generally suspicious of sekem. looks to ba to guide them on what beauty/truth/art is.
additional notes:
each of the souls exists as part of an individual's personality. what makes each individual distinctive is which souls, in what combination, are dominant and what souls, if any, are dormant. obvious factors like trigger events, conflict (interior et exterior), growth, loss, obstacles, and alliances constitute story elements.
this is a basic framework. more structure and details can be added. my instinct is to keep it open and not choke it to death with rigidity. life is flexible. death is stiff...
consider Burrough's seven souls as a model for an archetype set...
ren: the leader. arrogant, powerful, driven. can be benevolent, can be a destroyer. always has others to do the work for him, most likely sekem types, either by power or charisma. the man with the plan, but doesn't bother with the details. this makes sekem, the detail man, his most powerful ally and his mortal foe. at best, a philanthropist. at worst, a despot. can be either sex, but a very masculine energy.
identifying phrase: I WILL
sekem: the technician. intelligent, good with her hands, takes care of the detail work. she designs the machine and pushes the buttons. a natural fit with ren, but can be easily turned because she finds ren’s arrogance contemptible. saves her best work to be used against ren.
identifying phrase: I CAN
khu: the protector. empathic, sacrificing, other centered. externally motivated interests/activities. can be allied for/against any of the other types, tending to fall in with whatever ka is pushing. a very feminine energy.
identifying phrase: YOU ARE
ba: the lover. sensual, materialistic, earthy. somewhat short-sighted, living moment to moment w/o thought to consequences. most closely aligned with ka and ren because they are best able to provide experiences she seeks.
identifying phrase: I WANT
ka: the player. charming, gregarious, team-builder. like ren, values using others to achieve goals, but less self centered. can move easily with any of the other types, though not comfortable with khaibit's sociopathic tendencies.
identifying phrase: LET’S GO
khaibit: the seeker. curious, enigmatic, explorer. an outsider interested in asking questions and testing boundaries for the purpose of observing and recording the human experience. this type has a deep connection with mystery. the degree of awareness of this connection is reflected in the science/religion split that can occur in this type. higher levels of awareness in this type makes them less experimental and more reverent towards mystery. lower levels of awareness makes them more extreme.
identifying phrase: WHY
sekhu: the sheep. the nameless, faceless, mass. this is the vast sea of humanity. cacophonous voice, but can serve as chorus to main players. they like ren, as long as he has a benevolent facade. generally suspicious of sekem. looks to ba to guide them on what beauty/truth/art is.
additional notes:
each of the souls exists as part of an individual's personality. what makes each individual distinctive is which souls, in what combination, are dominant and what souls, if any, are dormant. obvious factors like trigger events, conflict (interior et exterior), growth, loss, obstacles, and alliances constitute story elements.
this is a basic framework. more structure and details can be added. my instinct is to keep it open and not choke it to death with rigidity. life is flexible. death is stiff...
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