I watched this and the non-HD version a number of times, and finally decided that I could tell this one as better, even though it meant subjecting you twice to a teensy request for comment and rating. Not my request mind. Hopefully those two small rectangles at start and finish will not be intrusive. This movie could be terrific or terrible, as one youtube reviewer remarked. The bigger they are the harder they fall, supposedly. Although with all those amazing people in it, and the master's great story, it would be hard pressed for it to be less than something approaching stellar. I have, however, been wrong many a time before. :)Love the casting! I could - should I have the energy - spend a post about each of the actors in each of their roles. It's way too late for contemplation of that sort tonight at least. Enjoy the trailer, and hopefully later, the film itself in a venue of your choosing. Is it just me, or has the old time excitement for a special movie coming out nearly every weekend given way to once to thrice a year? This is one I look forward to in the theater, and I guess that makes 3 for me this year outside in the collective halls of visual delight.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Bowie & Albarn - Morning Coffee Alternative...?
Not much comes to mind to write. I think that's okay sometimes. Enjoyed the video. Hope you do too. The quality is good. The beat's solid, and all players seem happily in the groove. A bit of classic candy to catapult the day.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Lacrimal Song, White Album, Before 'Can You Take Me Back"
www.evonseah.blogspot.com Paul McCartney said that this was another one of John's songs from India.
It's followed by the short piece by Paul.
George (Martin?) plays the harmonium on this and two other songs, says Wikipedia.
I can't help but wonder if it was meant to be Harrison, but I'm guessing it's correct.
Just a guess, mind.
Its original lyrics were 'make your mother buy' rather than 'sigh.'
John may have disowned the song later, or it may have been a glitch in the interviewer's tape. Seems more is not known, often, than is known... about most things.
What is 'known' is easily open to interpretation, even by the self that said it before.
We stand on shifting sands where tears are immediately absorbed by arid land.All things considered, it was a good day - a day for contemplation and peace.
He was right to give it a chance and say those words aloud.
Thanks for being, John Lennon.
For trying to be conscious, most of all.Celebration and the music replace the tears -
A life lived fully, but shorter than was hoped by many.
A thought came: alive again and amongst us.
Jack White would have been a 'perfect circle,' I thought
but the math doesn't match.In the end the tears give way, evaporate, nourish the new.
We watch and remember.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
From Light to Light on December the Eighth
Light.
Where does it go when extinguished?
Where does it come from when glowing once more? Some people call December 8th the day -
yet another day
- when the music died.John Lennon, you have not died in me.
I remember where, when, what...
... and when I heard the shift
It was hard to reconcile the *why* part at the time,
And still is... to this 30th anniversary of your passing. A collective stay of breath.
What does this mean? Safe journey on, I wish you.
I will never forget you and all the many ways you gave..
We all take from this world.... and give something.
You gave a great deal to me, and I am just one of millions. My uncle also died on December 8th.
He did so by his own hand.
I miss him terribly.
Now you are somehow bound together in my heart.
An unlikely, but beautifully eccentric coupling.Safe journey on.
Safe journey all.
Watching The Wheels by John Lennon
Download now or listen on posterous
03-Watching_The_Wheels.mp3 (4926 KB) Download now or listen on posterous
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Lion in Winter
Thinking about favorite movies of days gone by this night, "The Lion in Winter" succeeds on all counts of film-going qualities in my book, but especially the portrayal of royal erm... disagreement. I thought I couldn't imagine sibling rivalry and parental favoritism on such a scale until I saw this screenplay and magnificent cast. Royalty found in all layers of the onion...
Polly Jean
PJ Harvey makes me search for just the right words. She possesses a quality that I can't easily access on demand.There's range. There's a mix of honesty and theatricality, though those two need not be mutually exclusive. There's beauty which spans the conventional and non. She tweaks it as need be or life carves. Even though I am practiced at watching the following videos, they still surprise me. I'm not really sure whether they'll proceed as they have done in the past or change midstream like real life.
"Promentory" - Productive Background Music for Artistry
This song from "The Last of the Mohicans" is part of my soundtrack of music to write by. Important that it not have lyrics for concentration sake. Inspiring for that special turning point, beginning, or ending. The actual scene is poignant beyond words; I try not to picture it or I'll be drawn away by fey beings. If you are a writer or a creative soul at heart, it is handy to have background music at times, especially when you're in need of an especially tailored mood to help you along.Have you not seen this movie? Depends what you like, of course, but I recommend it. I absolutely did not want this scene from the movie for this video. Even I wouldn't spoil that piece of cinematic magic. Better to close your eyes if not writing, painting, or dancing and let your mind's own pictures go where they will.~*~I remember in college - the second round - when this book was part of an Independent Study I signed up for in American Literature. My heart sank when I began to read its language, the first few pages of the hearty tome. It soon transfixed, however, surprising me with its definitive slice of time - here once and then gone forever. When I eventually closed the book after reading the last page, I had tears on my face. I was grateful that James Fenimore Cooper took the time and effort, the keen observation and careful transcription of a period now past. I always picture an early scene, that of now-extinct birds blackening the sky with their unlimited numbers. So many details so beautifully and poignantly set down for the future. Hard choices and eternal patterns despite the disappearing setting. There are those who are writing, photographing, drawing, and more... right now, capturing this time as it passes forever into the misty background of time. Minstrels to carry the word forward across the globe.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Elephant Grief
www.elephantherd.multiply.com I am a selfish being. I care about others as they have an impact on my quality of life. I tell myself that I do it for their sake, and while it does serve that purpose at the same time, does that absolve me of my intent?
My concern is for her well-being, naturally, and it comes from my own desire as it will never be less than an utterly heartbreaking thing to lose her. She lies down in front of me, perhaps for the last time. I will visit again and always.
I am affected. That’s all I really know how to say. I feel something lurking that knows it shouldn’t be ‘about me,’ and it isn’t, not really. It’s about us as sisters...a bonded pair. What we do affects one another. This can help me to understand better my impact as well.
I feel so close to her, and yet I know there will be a big change coming... in one part of myself. As she lies here winnowing down, I am witness.
I feel for you, Sa, and I don’t want you to leave this life without peace.
Is everything always all about us? It has to be, doesn’t it? As the lens through which we interact with reality and consciousness, it seems like it would have to be true.
I will see you off on your journey. I will stand here forever if that is what you need. I can tell even though you make no sound. Eternal journey. Endless visit.
In The Cold, Cold Night by The White Stripes
Download now or listen on posterous
The White Stripes - Elephant - In The Cold, Cold Night.mp3 (5580 KB) Download now or listen on posterous
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Pandora Peace Upside
www.myspaceantics.comIt's been a moody day of sharing.... because of events, and well... mood.Like Hope caught behind, last left after all ills departed Pandora's not-to-be-opened box, let peace rule the day when all is said and done.
December fourth - you have been instructive, and for that and life I am grateful.
December fifth to follow, and I'd like to be here for it.
Peace and sweetness - Hope and encouragement to all.
Richard Feynman - What's Going on in this Corner?
I have admired Richard Feynman for years. To me, the mark of true genius is to take the complexities of - in his case physics - and paint the picture simply enough for non-physicists to apprehend its essential truth. Once one gets to the core, that truth can then be applied to innumerable fields and examples. If that isn't magical, I'm not sure what is. Analogy opens locked boxes everywhere.
'lurdanhelhart commented on YouTube under the following video:' "Proof that knowledge makes life more joyous, more hopeful, more ineffably __beautiful__, than all those who claim "ignorance is bliss" can possibly imagine."Intriguing. Stunning.
'lurdanhelhart commented on YouTube under the following video:' "Proof that knowledge makes life more joyous, more hopeful, more ineffably __beautiful__, than all those who claim "ignorance is bliss" can possibly imagine."Intriguing. Stunning.
Radio Free Beck: Morning Becomes Eclectic
There's something about acoustic music. Don't get me wrong. I love what electric can do for a smashing song, but I dig skeletons... bare bones sound and the talent to bring it forth simple and unabashed. I feel the same way about stories, peeled back to mythology, to folk tales, peeled back to dreams and experience, back to the human imprint internal if not eternal. There's something about Beck. Any way he serves it up, I will listen. You can too, if you so desire. Here are three acoustic pieces from a radio show presentation in November of 2008. They are: "Gamma Ray," "Orphans," and "Modern Guilt." I especially like these versions of the latter two. And just to be 'fair,' one great electric submission of live "Loser" to wrap up.Not much more to say. The mood is driving the music selection tonight. Sometimes it's the music that gets a person through to the other side. Here's hoping! Cheers!
Electric Alert: DO NOT stand in water, for safety sake:
Electric Alert: DO NOT stand in water, for safety sake:
"Trouble"
There will always be trouble. Misunderstanding, Distance, Loss. It is one side of a coin which cannot be separated from its more joyous face. The butterfly on the lotus petals of the heart alight first on one, then the other, and so it goes in neverending counterpoint and interplay. Trouble. How much and when? If it was known, then what would be different? Anything? When I first saw the movie, "Harold and Maude," it was a revelation. And the times after that. The story, images, set pieces. The acting, the soundtrack... has stayed with me so many years that I'm coming full circle, having turned from youth to age, running the gamut of character... Not quite. But someday soon I will wake up and think of Ruth Gordon in a new light: less as teacher than peer. I don't want to fear... trouble. This is life. Two versions follow, one from the movie and one by Eddie Vedder. Enjoy the light that comes from behind its contrast with roiling clouds.
Vanilla Sky: Another Ending - Spoilers a la Sigur Ros
I honestly don't know about this penchant of mine for posting spoilery film endings, but some contain the most moving moments in the whole piece. If you haven't seen either the American or Spanish movie renditions, don't let me spoil you if you think you might be interested someday. What brings the whole scene together for me is the beautiful "Nothing Song #4" by Icelandic band, Sigur Ros. The song is natively entitled, "Njosnavelin." No pronunciation guide included, I'm afraid....I'm still working it out myself. :) Genre: ethereal?
Molly Tuttle Amazes Me!
Molly Tuttle is a talented young woman from a family of musicians. She's been playing with them and on her own for years back into childhood. Many of the songs she performs are traditional folk tunes like this one: "Old Man at the Mill," but of late she's been writing her own songs as well. I've been watching her ramp up her already staggering talent for years, and I feel fairly certain that she is someone to watch in future. Besides her confidence and vocal range, in this video there is also her invigorating demonstration of clawhammer guitar, a personal favorite of mine. She has a natural feel for the content and emotional tone of the songs she sings. There are so many beautiful videos out there of her renditions, solo and with her brothers and the rest of the family, it was hard to pick what else to showcase... I'll leave that to you should you find interest here. Enjoy.
Bowie, Mellow in Acoustic Portuguese - Seu Jorge
http://www.platetectonicmusic.com/id150.htmlI was one of those people who loved Wes Anderson's movie, "Steve Zissou: The Life Aquatic."
It's one of those movies (and directors, most likely) that you either love or you don't.Just one of the myriad things I dig in it is the soundtrack, a portion of which is Seu Jorge singing Bowie songs accompanied by his acoustic guitar in character... and the beautiful language of Portugal and Brazil, Angola, among other places. Here are three from the movie: "Life On Mars," "Starman," and "Queen Bitch." The latter is played during the credits - and wow - what is that huge painting in the background?... Of course they add more in the context of the story and the character Jorge plays. These won't be for everyone, but I hope folks will like their mellow whimsy and acoustic Portuguese take on Bowie. An aside: I've been away from this blog for over a month. Hard for me to believe, and I hope to be back more consistently now. I was off participating in NaNoWriMo - (Inter)National Novel Writing Month - 50K words in 30 days. One of the best distractions I've ever had. I'll post about it separately, but since this is my first entry in such a long time, I thought I'd mention it.
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