-In short, very little. It's atrociously cold. Stay inside and warm your toes.
-Play Cityville. Yes, i'm being serious. It's all the rage, and within 10 seconds, Zynga will have already ensured your addiction with bright colors, snappy sounds, and the devilishly ingenious scoring system popularized by Farmville.*
-The Quakertown Senior High School Winter Choral Concert is tonight.
-I forgot how to use the credit card machine at work today. I thought there was a special trick, and then I turned the card around. It's been a while...
To do list
-See Tron
-See Blackswan
-See True Grit
-See The King's Speech
-Find something other than movies to occupy time.
-Oh, torrent the new Nic Cage movie. I'm sure it'll be full to bursting with screaming, and more screaming.
*I am not paid to advertise Cityville. I just need neighbors to expand my Jitter Bug coffee house franchise into. I admit, I have problems.
After the David Lynch marathon, I had to follow up with an equally prolific director. Stanley Kubrick is one of my favorites and made perfect sense as a sequel. We watched, in this order:
The Killing (1956)
Dr. Strangelove and How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Total run-time: 8.9 hours
I specifically chose these movies to span Kubrick’s career and showcase his style. I also tried to avoid redundant themes and genres. Let’s see how I did.
The Killing
B/W 1956 Starring: Sterling Hayden
The Killing is hailed as a masterpiece heist movie. Much like his later movies, Kubrick defined a genre with his take. Movie critics often reference The Killing as Tarantino’s influence for Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. An auspicious beginning to his career and our marathon.
The Killing is divided into two acts: the heist set-up, and the execution, centered on Johnny Clay.
In the first act, he brings together normal men with talents or positions vital for pulling off a $2 million robbery of a racetrack. Heavy dialogue carries the plot and the characters reveal themselves and their flaws- a jealous husband, a meticulous planner, a gold-digging wench, and so on. Johnny personifies Kubrick for his mechanical attention to detail and intensity. Little wonder he was drawn to the project.
The narrator carries the second act. In a deadpan voice, he announces the time and location for each player in the heist. Even as the characters meet tragedy, the narrator plows on. The juxtaposition of structured story telling over the derailment of the plotted plan is excellent.
Seeing as film noir was going out of fashion, Kubrick took a small chance with the The Killing. Nevertheless, the film performed well, kicking his career off to a good start. Most importantly for the marathon, many of his signatures are present:
-Dialogue driven plot
-Narrator
-Two acts
-Using “The End” before the credits roll
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (-omb)
B/W 1964 Starring: Peter Sellers, Sterling Hayden
I chose this film because it’s one of my favorites and shows off Kubrick’s sense of humor. He employs Peter Seller’s acting talents to play three wildly different characters, much like he did in Lolita.
Tyler Perry, eat your heart out
For those who don’t know storyline behind Dr. Strangelove, it explores the possibility of nuclear war. Sterling Hayden (from The Killing) orders an attack on the Russians. The situation is ludicrous- the attack can't be called off because of the bureaucracy set in place, but if the planes drop their payload the Doomsday machine will be triggered and destroy most of human life. The president of the U.S.A. and prime minister of Russia discuss the issue and agree to shoot down the planes. Of course, one plane gets through and the desperately manages to reach the target. The finale is a series of nuclear explosions set to “We’ll Meet Again”. Brilliant. Kubrick certainly had some balls to make this movie. He satirizes commie paranoia and makes war into a sad joke, during the time of LBJ and Vietnam propaganda.
Eyes Wide Shut
1999 Starring: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman
This is actually the last movie Stanley Kubrick did before he died. It’s also one of the sexiest movies he ever worked on and there’s a reason the movie was placed in this rotation- we had to wait for a certain younger sibling to leave the house.
Eyes Wide Shut is a “psycho-sexual” adventure. Tom goes on a dark seedy adventure after his wife, Nicole, confesses her lecherous feelings for another man. Each encounter is a contained exploration of the sexual mind, and in the end, we are forced to consider what really gets us hot and bothered. Does gender matter? Is sex something to be open about, or a dark mysterious subject? How much does context play a role? And of course, the topic of fidelity in marriage plays a major role. Eyes Wide Shut is long, methodical and makes you think and even after six viewings it still feels fresh.
Plus, I had a surprise for my guests- the unedited international version, released stateside in 2007. When it was first released in 1999, much of the cultish orgy mansion was obscured by digital silouhettes. The orgy scene is interesting. It’s pornographic, no doubt, but choreographed Kubrick style. It’s classy and seems planned. The actors are clearly not improvising, but following their scheduled humping (humphink?) with a mechanical rhythm. I wonder if Kubrick intended the viewer to make this observation. In other scenes the sex is passionate and organic, but in the mansion it is distant. The exhibitionists also wear masks, hiding both their identities and their organic (orgasmic?) reactions, making the whole act even more removed from humanity.
Without dragging this into an essay on sexuality. Eyes Wide Shut takes you on an anxious thrilling ride. See it. Especially if you like Nicole Kidman.
2001: A Space Odyssey 1968
I'll start with the spoilers and work backwards for this one. Here's what happened at the end:
Okay, so that big black monolith in the beginning? Yeah, that was created by aliens some millions and billions of years ago and it influenced the monkeys to start evolving into modern man. In the end, when the astronaut sees all the crazy colors, the monolith is present again. The colors represent the astronaut's transformation into an alien being. The crazy shit is all the brilliance of the universe.
When he comes to in a weird bedroom, that's the visualization of his transformation and aging. The fetus at the end is his rebirth as an alien, or a higher being.
Got it? Good. 'Cause I don't have much else to write about this movie. It's the quintessential sci-fi movie by one of the best directors/visionaries/awesome guys of all time.
Stanley Kubrick is a pretty cool guy who doesn't afraid of anything. Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
Construction is well under way! Foundation is laid and walls are being put up. Some other little effects are being added as well, such a large LED lights that will light up the back wall and have the capacity to change color. Nice.
Most of the visitors are interested in the expansion with a mix of excitement. Others, however, decide to spout off their corporate paranoia at ME, as if I signed off on the multi-million dollar project. After filling out a survey, one guy demanded a spiel about the expansion. I explained that it’s replacing the old vistor’s center and will have room for blah blah blah.
“I am fearful of this expansion! New parking lot, right? All that grass torn up, of course. Sheesh.” And off he went. I looked at his survey. He didn’t just write his complaints, he carved his comlplaints.
I am fearful that this new expansion will ruin the integrity of the original building. Corporations just adding on all the time, no thought to the precious arifacts. What’s next, a STARBUCKS???
The word “Starbucks” was enormous and double-underlined. And precious artifacts? Okay, Gollum.
I guess this guy doesn’t realize that the Mercer Museum is a business, driven by revenue from visitors, events, and renters and that the expansion will keep his treasures safe.
The best part was how annoyed he was. I tried to explain a few of these things but he just burned my toast and walked out. The last thing I noticed, he had the “ohm” symbol tattooed on his earlobe. Nice. I guess a clear mind really means an unused mind.
Anyway, the visitor’s center opens Spring 2011! See you then.
I work at the front desk of the Mercer Museum. I take people's money and answer the phone. Generally, it's an easy job- it's leisurely and I get to read. Except today, I was thrown a curveball in the form of a vicious Trojan virus.
It was hungry.
My reception computer was a juicy steak.
Isn't "extended pleasure" dependent on the wearer?
Before the museum opened its doors for visitors, I was lightly surfing the internet (as in, only two tabs open, no downloading, no power reloading) and ended up reading the instructions for installing Rosetta Stone on a Mac. Keep in mind, no downloading.
I exited Internet Explorer and it suddenly became Internet Exploder.
"Need a light?"
Pop-up after pop-up ingloriously intruded on my "Vista Gateway" (not Windows Vista). It got even more hilarious when Viagra ads made their debut in harmonious synchronization with the arrival of a group of retired Floridians. I threw down my book and pounced on the computer mouse with the dexterity and grace of a retarded pelican and calmly welcomed them to the wonderful Mercer Museum.
And I thought my job was easy. Phew.
Never fear, the tech guy managed to clear it up (reboot in safe mode, launch a couple sweep cleaners, one more reboot) and my job was saved. By the way, I'm really not supposed to surf the internet using my work computer. I now understand why.
p.s. I Google image searched "Trojan Condom" and was fearful of the results. My eyes were spared. Thank you, SafeSearch.
p.p.s. The infinite scroll on image searching... about damn time. That's tight.
I found some videos from the Black Keys concert on July 30th.
The first is Kurt Vile.
For reference, at the very beginning you can see a guy in a striped fedora. I was sitting about eight feet to his right. Also, fedora guy kept yelling out "Play Stairway to Freebird!" Classic.
School is around the corner and I'm burning up the last few days. What's in store for Better Live?
Well first, I'm planning a Stanley Kubrick movie marathon. Won't be a mind-bender like the Lynchathon but should turn us deeply introspective.
The plan: The Killing (1956) Dr. Strangelove (1964) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Spans his entire career (ignoring a couple movies before The Killing) and four different genres. Genius-level inspiration- highly anticipated.
AU and D.C. will give me plenty to write about especially when I rejoin forces with the Tin Can Partier- Benjamin Miller. I see only glory and fortune in the future. Pretty similar to what I see in the mirror...
So here it is- the post on the David Lynch movie marathon. What's that? You weren't anxiously awaiting its arrival? Hush your mouth, young one.
David Lynch is one of those crazy bastards that directs movies so intense he dares you to ridicule them. Assuming, of course, you weren't lobotomized by the time the credits roll, and rendered able to only groan in anguish. I approach these guys like a challenge, to see if I can beat them.
My friends and I watched, in this order-
Blue Velvet (1986)
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Inland Empire (2006)
Eraserhead (1976)
Total play time: approx. 8.9 hours.
We didn't give much thought to the order before watching. We started with Blue Velvet because my friend had already seen it. As for the others... it was whichever downloaded first. Turns out, we watched them in the perfect order, from the most straightforward to the most abstract.
Blue Velvet tells the story of a young man investigating the origins of an ear he found in a field. He uncovers a terrible underworld of drugs, sex, and evil within the charm of his small town. Starring Kyle MacLauchlan as Jeffrey Beaumont and Laura Dern as Sandy Williams. Isabella Rossellini plays Dorothy Vallens, a singer mentally ensnared by Frank Booth, played by Dennis Hopper. I'll say this here: Dennis Hopper is the most effed up actor in a mainstream movie. Take an early scene for example: Jeffrey Beaumont is hiding in a closet, hid there by Dorothy Vallens. Frank comes in to her apartment and begins what we can only assume to be a ritualistic rape, heavily breathing in a drug and crying out for his mommy, stuffing blue velvet in his mouth and Dorothy's. My friends and I were terrified. We were also dreading the rest of the night. Would things get worse?
With Mulholland Dr., yes and no. The tone of the movie was not so violent but started to feel more like a nightmare. Hailed as Lynch's masterpiece, MulhollandDrive is a ceaseless avalanche of his thoughts and imagination. I would try to give you a synopsis or a summary, but it's damn near impossible with a movie this abstract. Basically, Naomi Watts goes to Hollywood, meets Laura Harring, they have some steamy lesbian sex, and before you know it no one is who you thought they were. Or maybe they were all the same person. Like I said, the tone is nightmarish. I consulted Roger Ebert (hail the bastion of all things reel) to make some sense of the movie. His advice?
"This is a movie to surrender yourself to. If you require logic, see something else. "Mulholland Drive" works directly on the emotions, like music. Individual scenes play well by themselves, as they do in dreams, but they don't connect in a way that makes sense--again, like dreams."
So that's what I did. I sat back and let the scenes and colors and sounds wash over me. I feel stupefied. I felt drugged. But I did not feel happy. Ebert called them dreams, but I still disagree. Nightmares all the way. One thing did make me happy and that was the arrival of this character:
That is Billy Ray Cyrus being an asshole, mullet and all. WTF?
Midway through the marathon, the sun had set, dinner had been noshed on, and we were content in our seats once more. Time for Inland Empire.
Key locations: I was on the right side of the television with my laptop open in front of me. Lauren was directly across from me with a blanket. Lydia was behind me clutching a pillow. Tyler and Carolyn were far back into the room sharing a couch. These are important details.
Inland Empire is the Arc de Triomphe of abstract film. David Lynch calls upon Laura Dern's acting talents once more, to play an actress struggling against the temptation of her costar. An actress playing an actress struggling against an actor playing an actor. Inception, anyone?
Laura Dern has come a long way since Velvet.
At first I was \=, then I was [=, then I was D-:<
That final picture is one of the many startling scenes from Inland Empire. The plot barely kicks in before the crazy takes over. Allegedly, the movie is the projection of her psyche, going completely apeshit because of her conflicted feelings for her co-star. Whatever it is, it scared the bejeezus out of me and my friends. I realized at one point I was hiding behind my laptop, clutching the top of my screen. Lauren had the blanket at her nose and all I could see were the tips of her glasses. Lydia was trembling under her pillow. Tyler and Carolyn were petrified but safe because of their distance from the screen.
Three hours later, we could finally breathe easy. We had subjected ourselves to the most random assortment of nightmare imagery ever assembled this side of Holocaust documentaries. The time? Nearly midnight. We were exhausted, but not because of the hour.
Last on our list was Eraserhead. We started it, unsure of what we would encounter, but determined to finish the marathon. Nearing the end, we were emotionally drained and jaded. Nothing could freak us out, right?
Bzzzz, wrong! Look, the tagline of the movie even says, "Be warned. The nightmare has not gone away." A prescient statement for his earliest movie of the bunch.
Little in the movie made sense. The guy on the movie poster is a scared man in an industrial nightmare (look, that word again!). A mutant baby is thrust into his life, a temptress sucks him into a pool of metaphorical sex fluid, his head is turned into an eraser, and a woman with ovaries on her cheeks stomps on large, rubbery sperm. Oh God.
If someone can explain this video to me, I would love to hear you try. I need a good laugh.
And yet, for all the absurdity, I couldn't tear my eyes away. Eraserhead was the shortest of the four films, but certainly the strangest and the most atmospheric.
At the end, I was scared silly, drained of energy, and ready to collapse. One of the best ways to spend a day. Or three days... or maybe it was all a dream...
