About the season finale of Lost, that is.
I mean, I'm glad they're trying to open up and reveal more secrets and whatnot.. but geez! What happened to that original story, where they landed on an island, there were big mechanical monsters, black smoke and they kept seeing things? All of that has disappeared now in favour of hatches, Others and statues with four toes. It's interesting and all, but I feel like they didn't really have direction in the beginning and are now pulling all this crap out of their asses to make an interesting story.
I want to know what was up with that 'Adam & Eve' that the Losties found in the beginning! I want more Sayid! (They got rid of him for about 10 episodes in the middle there. : ( Shame.) I want them to focus less on backstory and tying-all-the-characters-to-one-another, and more on the actual story of the island, of the Others if you must, of the Losties themselves, of all the Losties who we haven't seen yet but are always there in the background.
That would be awesome. This feels like I'm watching a show where the writers have just discovered they have another 2 seasons booked and are now trying to stretch their content and come up with crazy stunts to fill the time. Four-toed statues? As if they didn't have enough content to go off of already – black smoke, mechanical security system, the French woman and her daughter, Fake Henry and his troop of Others, the various hatches, electromagnetism, Claire, Charlie and the baby, not to mention all the Losties who have not yet been looked at. But no. They had to introduce another element to the show – a four-toed statue!
I'll still watch, because I'm a sucker for punishment like that, but geez. I've gone from watching it because it was interesting, to watching it because I need to see an ending. The show is completely absurd!
I've been watching Boston Legal and I'm a big fan. There are those who criticise it for various reasons, but their criticisms tend to stem from the fact that they don't understand that this show is a satire in its finest form. They watch the show as though everything presented there is being done so in a serious manner. This isn't usually the case. Sure, they have some very serious moments, but everything in between is presented as a satirical comment on today's culture and the society we're living in. That's the beauty of it!
I love the issues it tackles, but most of all, I love the fact that it tackles these issues at all. Has anyone beside me noticed the general decline of political commentary and criticism in the mass media? Everything gets eaten up, straight from the spoon that is feeding the masses. There aren't many voices left in the mainstream who are not afraid to stand up, look around and criticise what they see is wrong with their government and their country. They are not being unpatriotic by doing so – in fact, patriotism depends on regular people speaking up when the time calls for it. How else will a nation keep its leaders in check?
And so, when there are shows like this, it tickles me in the funniest way. Finally, a 'mainstream' TV show with the balls to attack the things that they feel are wrong in our society. You may not agree with their choices of critiques, but you have to admit that they're brilliant for criticising in this way at all, because in doing so, they are opening the door for others to do the same.
And so we have Boston Legal. I'll talk more about the show itself another time. This time I just wanted to share an excerpt of an episode which was aired not long ago, which espouses the very ideas I've been talking about, and shows just how ballsy they are in taking a stand and saying the things that need to be said. The case deals with Melissa Hughes, who chose not to pay her taxes as a form of protest, and is now being prosecuted. Alan Shore was called in to defend her, and gives this scathing speech as his closing argument. It is a speech that every American should listen to.
You can watch the movie here. (Can't do embedding here. What's up with that?)
There are no specific spoilers here, but I think this post gives away a little too much about the general theme of the movie. If you're planning on seeing it and don't like surprises, read on. Otherwise, keep away from this post! : ) This is mostly for those who have already seen it, and aren't sure what to make of it.
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The theme of this movie is hidden.
Literally. It is literally hidden. You actually have to delve a little to understand it. You can't just sit there and expect to be entertained. This is not entertainment. This is art, with a message and a conscience. If you want to be entertained, go see Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. That's some high grade quality entertainment, right there. But Caché/Hidden is not for you.
But as someone who can appreciate intricacies which are not immediately obvious, I loved it. It had so much depth, and so much meaning; and many levels of it!
More specifically: The lack of 'ending' was brilliant. I like that they didn't try to explain everything away and wrap it all up nicely in the end. It means that whatever allegorical interpretation you understood from the movie is left intact. I found it fascinating that for once, a movie seemed to be more 'true to life' than the usual glossy images you see in movies.
This is why I loved it so much. Whereas most movies are coded with 'answers', that tell you how you're supposed to interpret and receive a film, this one doesn't. This movie challenges each member of the audience to make something of it for themselves. It doesn't provide the answers to you, wrapped in a neat package. Nup. Instead, you're forced to make up your own mind. The clues are there, and you just have to sit down, have a think about it and figure it out. For those who are willing and able, it makes the movie experience all the more satisfying. For everyone else, this movie will be written off as a pretentious arthouse piece of crap.
I prefer to think of it as a brilliant film.
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What do you think?
For those not in the know, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are the two friends in Shakespeare's Hamlet, who are called upon to help figure out what's wrong with Hamlet. They are very minor characters in the play, and we know nothing about them.
That is, of course, until you see this film; Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. It's a fairly slow movie, so probably requires the right mood for watching. It has a distinct lack of special effects, action scenes or blockbuster appeal. Instead, the film focuses on the dialogue and character development. The dialogue is often very fast paced and clever, requiring you to pay attention with a keen ear. It's worth it though. Some of the exchanges between Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are particularly well done; the dialogue is superbly written and the delivery is perfect!
The story takes you on a wander through the lives of the two characters, who don't realise that their lives are governed by the play they are taking part in; Hamlet. This causes them frustration, and leads to them asking themselves the hard questions of 'what is the purpose of life', 'why are we here' and 'what is our role'. The film doesn't seem like it's trying to be funny though, which is good. It feels natural, though definitely a little quirky.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is a 1990 film, directed by Tom Stoppard, and starring the delightful Gary Oldman and Tim Roth.
Definitely recommended. And if anyone knows of any similar dialogue-heavy comedies, do let me know!
As soon as I entered the theatre hall for the production of The Fever, I knew that this would be something new and different. They weren't pretentious about their goals, though; it's simple, Theatre Simple, actually. Theatre Simple is the production company responsible for bringing The Fever to life on the theatrical stage. They put on a show of simplicity, as their name implies, and yet the show was not boring. Oh no, not at all. They took me on a ride through vast extremes between emotions and reactions. Perhaps it is their simplicity that helped this to happen. The focus of the theatre was not on the production, the props, stage setup or anything else superficial – it was purely on the text.
The Fever is definitely not for everyone. It's a 90 minute monologue delving into the awkward topics of war, politics and social inequities from the point of view of a feverish speaker, sick and alone in a hotel room in some random country. Anyone looking for cheap thrills need not apply. This is theatre which focuses on the dialogue. Luckily though, the dialogue was delivered charismatically and convincingly in the production I had the pleasure of seeing, and more than made up for the lack of other 'frills'.
The Fever was theatre at its best. It was a case of a well-written screenplay coming together with a talented actress to form a cacophony of words and images that stayed with me for long afterwards. It didn't try to force itself onto me, in the form of a nicely wrapped-up ending, and instead, allows each person to arrive at their own conclusions. The frantic words of the fevered speaker acted only as gentle coaxing, by drawing together various scenes, images and thoughts, without actually explaining what the conclusion was meant to be. It made for enthralling viewing.
Definitely recommended to anyone who is interested in socio-political issues, The Fever gets a gold star from me!
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Stereophonics is the band you get when you take soulful grooves, add some hard, rockin' anthemic tunes, then mix it all together in a series of kickass albums. They manage to pull together good songs in both the rock and acoustic formats. You'd think one would be weaker than the other, but they're musically as strong with just a guitar in their hands as they are with a full backing band.
This is why I love them. They're an energetic band, and their songs are so catchy that once I caught on to the words, I found that I had a hard time resisting the urge to bop along. Not a good look when you're listening to them on a portable CD player on the early morning bus. Heh.
Still! They're a great band for grooving along to. I'm surprised that more people don't know about them, because they're the perfect formula for mainstream success.
Give them a listen. You might just like what you hear! Try Doorman or Superman first, for a taste of the rockier, I Miss You Now, or Maybe Tomorrow for the softer acoustics, and Vegas Two Times or A Thousand Trees for a taste of their mid-range stuff.
Yup! That's right!
A couple weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be witness to my first ever experience of David Gray live. I'm not exactly a veteran of music concerts, having only recently discovered the beauty of live music. But since I've discovered music in the last two years or so, David Gray has consistently held my utmost respect as a musician. I respect his integrity with his music.
So. The concert.
I was a little nervous when I rocked up. I'd listened to Life In Slow Motion so many times that I couldn't imagine how a live concert could make the music any better. I was nervous, but so damn excited!
And, mate.. did he deliver.
Lior came out first though, the opening act. He was surprisingly good. So good, in fact, that I hunted down his album later on. He's a bit of a newbie, a bit fresh, but I have hopes for him because he shows promise. The crowd seemed to agree, and we all sat silently through his performance. Not bad for an opening act, considering they're usually just a filler, and talked over the top of. He even remarked on this himself and said he was very appreciative of being given the chance to sing without people talking, as is the norm. Heh. It was a good way to open the night.
Then came David Gray, in his dark, snappy suit.
He threw some red glitter in the air, as a cheesy gesture of opening the concert, then went straight into a slam-dunk rendition of Alibi. Song after song after song, he continued to perform with such style and with such ease. It was obvious that he was enjoying himself and getting into the music. He didn't talk much throughout the performance, and barely interacted with the crowd at all, but considering how much he gives of himself in his lyrics, I won't hold that against him.
He's not a great performer in terms of working the crowd. That's not his thing. But he stood out there for an entire two hours and poured his heart out to the audience through his songs. The sheer passion in his performance was enthralling to watch, and having returned home later and listened to his album yet again, it's safe to say that the album is flat compared to what he did up there on the stage. It was magic, for the pure and simple reason of his music. His music is the most important thing to him, and he showed that in everything he did on stage. It was all about the music.
He did all my favourite songs, and then some; Nos De Cariad, Slow Motion, Alibi, Disappearing World, Babylon, Flame Turns Blue, Shine. He played and sang for us for two hours, and every moment was musical heaven.
The crowd seemed reluctant to dance and 'party' to his music, but it didn't feel like a bored crowd. No. We were all rooted to our seats in awe and amazement. The music was .. divine!
And so ended my first David Gray concert. I'd end with some cheesy analogy to tell you just how much I enjoyed this concert, but honestly, one word will do: Beautiful. He was beautiful to listen to. It would have to be something pretty damn special to top that!
The Stepford Wives surprised me. Granted, I had 45 minutes in which to watch a 93 minute movie, so I skipped roughly half of it. But despite it's obvious flaws as a piece of girly Hollywood cheese, the themes were brilliant! Without giving away too much of the plot, the movie nicely touched upon issues of the constant demand for perfection, and the crazy things people do to attain it. Obviously, it was a little bit extreme in it's prediction and depictions, but I liked that a movie talked about this topic in such a frank and easy way.
I was forced to watch it for class, but I'm glad I saw it. Or, at least, glad I saw the half of it that I did. I still don't know what that one gay guy saw over that railing. It's ok though, I'm sure it's not that integral to the plot if I managed to understand the rest of it.
Perhaps not a clear choice when trying to decide which movie to watch tonight, but it was good in it's own respects.
