I apologise for the lack of entries, but normal service will resume fairly shortly.
That is, after my BSSC short has completed and posted itself; after the V+ box stops turning my new TV picture green; after my back has stopped aching so much I can use my laptop for more than 5 minutes; after my successful labotomy which will allow me to watch Channel 4 after 8pm; after I stop moaning - no, I won't take that long.
I thank you.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Pirates of the Caribbean 3
**Mini Spoiler Alert**
"A new overseas opening record of $214 million was set by Disney international distributor Buena Vista International as "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" blasted off on 17,500 screens in 102 territories over the weekend." Hollywood Reporter International
That's a lot of non-U.S. bums on seats and a serious wad of non-U.S. moolah, but with a budget in the region of approx. USD300million, I bet there are some happy execs puffing on cigars today.
Congratulatory news aside, I'm afraid I am still not clear on what it was really about. I made some very brief notes on my popcorn carton which stated:
- Opens like "Oliver!". But where's Fagin?
- Kid slips into song - more "Oliver!" - may break into rendition of "Where is Love?"
- The tedious parts of "The Two Towers" meets epic vistas of "Troy"
- Dialogue moments of "Spartacus"; but Barbossa (Rush)...trying out a bit of "Dirty Harry"?
- For those who didn't know Keith Richards - he had a guitar identifier. Subtle.
All in all, I am sure the kids will love it. I am not going to attempt to trawl through the entire story as my head still hurts thinking about it - and also that would spoil the confusion for anyone off to see it themselves. Keira does her pouts beautifully, Orlando does Errol beautifully, Johnny does Johnny beautifully and overall, the performances are a sterling piece of work. Just thank god they don't all do each other. I would have just given up and gone home.
The cinematography is fantastic, the sound is great - it's just...wtf is it about? What was the plot - actually I'm not sure which plot I mean. Half way through (we had a convenient 10 minute break in our screening...) I turned to The Glenster and asked him "What exactly is this film, about?". He looked at me like I was a nutter (probably wondering if I had forgotten I had seen the other two films) and then shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno. Pirates?" Mmmmmm. Dunno, indeed.
At one point in the movie Captain Jack 'Sparra' (Depp) swings from the mast of one ship to another. The line of dialogue following is, ”Do you think he plans it all or just makes it up as he goes along?". He may as well have - and so might the rest of the cast in a film where, if they stood still long enough, they too would have been CGI'd to Hell - or World's End - whichever came first.
And having given up nearly three hours of my life, I fear the latter is quite possibly far worse.
"A new overseas opening record of $214 million was set by Disney international distributor Buena Vista International as "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" blasted off on 17,500 screens in 102 territories over the weekend." Hollywood Reporter International
That's a lot of non-U.S. bums on seats and a serious wad of non-U.S. moolah, but with a budget in the region of approx. USD300million, I bet there are some happy execs puffing on cigars today.
Congratulatory news aside, I'm afraid I am still not clear on what it was really about. I made some very brief notes on my popcorn carton which stated:
- Opens like "Oliver!". But where's Fagin?
- Kid slips into song - more "Oliver!" - may break into rendition of "Where is Love?"
- The tedious parts of "The Two Towers" meets epic vistas of "Troy"
- Dialogue moments of "Spartacus"; but Barbossa (Rush)...trying out a bit of "Dirty Harry"?
- For those who didn't know Keith Richards - he had a guitar identifier. Subtle.
All in all, I am sure the kids will love it. I am not going to attempt to trawl through the entire story as my head still hurts thinking about it - and also that would spoil the confusion for anyone off to see it themselves. Keira does her pouts beautifully, Orlando does Errol beautifully, Johnny does Johnny beautifully and overall, the performances are a sterling piece of work. Just thank god they don't all do each other. I would have just given up and gone home.
The cinematography is fantastic, the sound is great - it's just...wtf is it about? What was the plot - actually I'm not sure which plot I mean. Half way through (we had a convenient 10 minute break in our screening...) I turned to The Glenster and asked him "What exactly is this film, about?". He looked at me like I was a nutter (probably wondering if I had forgotten I had seen the other two films) and then shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno. Pirates?" Mmmmmm. Dunno, indeed.
At one point in the movie Captain Jack 'Sparra' (Depp) swings from the mast of one ship to another. The line of dialogue following is, ”Do you think he plans it all or just makes it up as he goes along?". He may as well have - and so might the rest of the cast in a film where, if they stood still long enough, they too would have been CGI'd to Hell - or World's End - whichever came first.
And having given up nearly three hours of my life, I fear the latter is quite possibly far worse.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Calling Time
Today, I saw "Pirates of the Caribbean 3 Hours: At The End of My Tether" - I mean - "Part 3: At World's End ". I am so CGI-d out I will have to consider overnight what the film was actually about before I can commit any words to screen tomorrow.
To round up a very 'being' weekend and to ease you gently into the post Bank Holiday working week, here is that little, plaster-dusted down poem, "Calling Time", as mentioned in this post. It is about obsessively trying to control time (but time is actually controlling you) and then being able to laugh at yourself regardless. I hope you like it.
As I get older, and the days become shorter
The weeks seem to fly by, months ain't what they oughtta.
No longer in bed, passing hours do I lie,
For fear of a year that flits past my heavy eye.
So, alert I must be, checking last night's long list
Of 'things to do', in case today, I should miss
The opportunity of a lifetime thus presenting itself
In the guise of necessity wrapped up in sheer wealth.
And tonight I will ponder my day so spry
I'll audit the calendar, check a year hasn't gone by
During the whisper of an eyelash, as you never do know
When a decade or a lifetime may surely go.
To round up a very 'being' weekend and to ease you gently into the post Bank Holiday working week, here is that little, plaster-dusted down poem, "Calling Time", as mentioned in this post. It is about obsessively trying to control time (but time is actually controlling you) and then being able to laugh at yourself regardless. I hope you like it.
As I get older, and the days become shorter
The weeks seem to fly by, months ain't what they oughtta.
No longer in bed, passing hours do I lie,
For fear of a year that flits past my heavy eye.
So, alert I must be, checking last night's long list
Of 'things to do', in case today, I should miss
The opportunity of a lifetime thus presenting itself
In the guise of necessity wrapped up in sheer wealth.
And tonight I will ponder my day so spry
I'll audit the calendar, check a year hasn't gone by
During the whisper of an eyelash, as you never do know
When a decade or a lifetime may surely go.
Lara Greenway 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Breakfast With My Antagonist
Following on from yesterday's post, and the essence of "human beings doing", Good Dog reminded me of how little amount of time we, in general, dedicate to the most simple things in life. Simple but important things like sunrises and sunsets, the beautiful sweet aroma of roses and jasmine, the smell of grass after rainfall, the first genuine warmth from the sun after winter, the distant peal of a church bell, the silence created by snow fall.
Don't have a garden, park or nature reserve nearby? Stuck in the city? Try the mellow aroma of freshly ground coffee from your local coffee shop, a warm breeze that takes you by surprise as you turn a corner, the stale but tantilising waft from pub extractor fans, the warm, intricate mix of street smells of after a summer shower, planes slashing the blue sky far above the sky-scrapers.
The fundamental element of just 'being' and not 'doing' is allowing the senses to 'do' while you just 'be'. When I am writing I find I always start at a very 'base level' and include sensuous elements (that is, 'of the senses' as opposed to sensual, although they've been known to creep in now and again too!). Even if these don't make it to the first or final draft they are always there in my brain arena, hopefully enabling me to 'be' wholly part of the script/story and not just a creative bystander.
I often think a state of 'being' is entered when I start to write on a new project. Although I am mentally busy, I am not physically 'doing' much. I wine and dine my characters - the difference between dinner with your protagonist and then your antagonist is amazing, and not necessarily what you would think; kids characters I take to the zoo, the park or the Natural History Museum; sometimes I just 'observe' the entire screenplay character list (supporting artistes included) meeting in my local coffee shop. How do they interact - even the ones who never meet 'on paper'? What do they drink and eat? What are they wearing? How do they sit? What do they talk (or not) about? I guess in my case, this stems from my performance background but it's quite an interesting thing to try out as it tends to give your characters weight and vision in future drafts; more than anything, it gives you a firm grip on their history and backstory.
And all this because you were just 'being' instead of 'doing'. Amazing.
I just suddenly remembered my school motto was "Be Still And Know". I think they possibly had a point.
Don't have a garden, park or nature reserve nearby? Stuck in the city? Try the mellow aroma of freshly ground coffee from your local coffee shop, a warm breeze that takes you by surprise as you turn a corner, the stale but tantilising waft from pub extractor fans, the warm, intricate mix of street smells of after a summer shower, planes slashing the blue sky far above the sky-scrapers.
The fundamental element of just 'being' and not 'doing' is allowing the senses to 'do' while you just 'be'. When I am writing I find I always start at a very 'base level' and include sensuous elements (that is, 'of the senses' as opposed to sensual, although they've been known to creep in now and again too!). Even if these don't make it to the first or final draft they are always there in my brain arena, hopefully enabling me to 'be' wholly part of the script/story and not just a creative bystander.
I often think a state of 'being' is entered when I start to write on a new project. Although I am mentally busy, I am not physically 'doing' much. I wine and dine my characters - the difference between dinner with your protagonist and then your antagonist is amazing, and not necessarily what you would think; kids characters I take to the zoo, the park or the Natural History Museum; sometimes I just 'observe' the entire screenplay character list (supporting artistes included) meeting in my local coffee shop. How do they interact - even the ones who never meet 'on paper'? What do they drink and eat? What are they wearing? How do they sit? What do they talk (or not) about? I guess in my case, this stems from my performance background but it's quite an interesting thing to try out as it tends to give your characters weight and vision in future drafts; more than anything, it gives you a firm grip on their history and backstory.
And all this because you were just 'being' instead of 'doing'. Amazing.
I just suddenly remembered my school motto was "Be Still And Know". I think they possibly had a point.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Human Beings Doing
We were having a rare old time today over at Lianne's place. One part of that discussion in particular, focused around people who are 'always doing rather than being' and is the basis of a favourite saying of mine, "Try to be a human being not a human doing". Essentially it means being busy, busy all the time is not necessarily the right thing - sometimes you just have to stop and 'be'.
This also ties in with a previous post of mine - just by 'being' and not 'doing', you can sometimes save yourself a lot of flailing arms and misspent energy because what is meant to be, is just that - meant to be.
In my recent poetry phase I scribbled a little ditty which sums up trying to control time - or was it time trying to control me? Not sure there. Once I have unearthed it (probably in folder filled with the last - yippee! - of the plaster dust) I will post it here.
This also ties in with a previous post of mine - just by 'being' and not 'doing', you can sometimes save yourself a lot of flailing arms and misspent energy because what is meant to be, is just that - meant to be.
In my recent poetry phase I scribbled a little ditty which sums up trying to control time - or was it time trying to control me? Not sure there. Once I have unearthed it (probably in folder filled with the last - yippee! - of the plaster dust) I will post it here.
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