channeling Leonard Maltin: V for Vendetta

found this review of V for Vendetta on the blog of one of my literary heroes, William Gibson. Let me say I heartily recommend the film. It is challenging, relevant artifice. And it is a voice against a sort of shadow of totalarianism that we can almost see if we squint and let our vision defocus.

"There are people who are going to hate this movie; people who don’t like to think, the brain dead, the fools. Referencing the still unseen film, one member of a politically minded film forum was quick to declare: “You can’t make a movie about a terrorist now without endorsing bin Laden”. It’s that mindset, which has become so ingrained in all of us since 9/11, that makes V for Vendetta so unsettling. At times it almost feels like you’re watching something forbidden, like you’re seeing something you shouldn’t be allowed to see. It’s shocking that a movie like this, especially in these times, ever actually got made. It’s even more unbelievable that it was made by a major Hollywood studio. It’s fun to accuse Hollywood of liberal activism, but you don’t expect this kind of real filmmaking bravery from corporate America or a company like Warner Bros. It’s a purposefully uncomfortable film, one that will affect different people differently depending on what you bring in with you."

--Joshua Tyler, CINEMA BLEND

One can hate this movie for many reasons, but it is definitely not for those who want to be reassured that everything is fine.

For myself, I like the authors' comments in the graphic novel, penned in 80's England when Thatcher was prognosticating a conservative deathlock on government for the next century.

'This is a movie for people who don't turn off the news when the sitcoms and game shows are over.'

And one can love this movie for many reasons. It is well done. The Matrix brothers excel their opus and show their command of the art in the restraint of this film. It could have become cartoonishness so many times but rode the line without falling.

Natalie Portman performs with depth and rawness.

Hugo Weaving unleashes the talent of his voice as I have not quite heard before. It is magnified in how it must carry the main character and really the power of the whole itselfwithin istelf.

I wonder if many will understand how hard Hugo's performance is? How much virtuosity is in it. How so very few could ever try it and fewer still succeed. I doubt a typical Academy voter will get it. Maybe a few directors. I am glad for him.I don't go in for awards much, but I hope he get his acknowledgement for this work.

and so i'm back...

And so I'm back,
From outer space.
I just dropped by to see you there,
With that sad look upon your face.

I see no one has changed the locks on me while I've been gone. Texas was nice. for not being Oregon. ;?p

Had a brain-busting good time learning about what rattles around inside peoples' skulls. With a little luck and some chicken bones I should be able to render a few insights to my customers with this new-fangled knowledge of mine.

thank you, my kami

Am reading Shogun at the moment.

One of the words that pops up again and again in the book is kami. Characters invoke the kami or "guardian spirits" of their families. Well there are many kinds of kami, but it is the "guardian spirit" I like at the moment.

Writing like this with you, my invisible kami readers, is very comforting in turbulent times. You are out there, looking in on me from time to time and sharing a kind word.

It may seem an odd thing, but I don't really long for much more than the occasional comment that you already lend.

Instead of managing an onslaught of regular commentators, I can attend to each appearance. I don't have to dread the obligation of responding to an inbox full of messages. You remain rewarding little surprises in my day.

Well, so thank you, my kami. It is nice having you out there.

domo arigato gozaimashita

xbox

I think I may have lost my inner child.

I have been offered an xbox that someone won (and has no use for) and I am a little dumbfounded by the thing.

Yeah, I guess I'd like to have it. But I'm a bit rusty on video game playing. Between work and home and school and kids and blah blah blah I don't know how much video-gaming I am going to do.

If I played anything it'd be one of those perplexing japanese games that doesn't involve shooting anything or solving boring riddles.

There's this one game where you roll a "magnetic" ball around, collecting household miscellany that stick to the ball as you roll over them. The ball of "stuff" just gets bigger and bigger and the scale of the game goes up from thumb-tack sized stuff to furniture...the bigger your ball gets, the bigger stuff you can roll over with it.

Just watching someone else play it was fascinating.

I confess, my greatest motivation with this game would be to roll over the cat. Here kitty kitty... ;?)

12 x 12 x 12

To situation is: My job may be going away in 3 months.

The question is: Do I accelerate my Grad studies and dive into 12 credits for 12 weeks while holding up a 4-day work week of 12-hour days?

Seems like a pretty rough combo, but it gets me to "almost done." With luck I can finish my degree by the winter and be done. and more "employable."

I rounded out my undergrad under similar conditions. And I did it.

I will have no life. My posts will return to the quality of late-night hallucinations. It is do-able. Just.

mudsucked

Well, I'll be...

Got a disturbing request from my boss just minutes before end-of-day on a Friday.

'Be prepared to start looking for another job.'

Nice message for a Friday. Feels rather like the tugging of a certain rug... But not entirely un-expected.

We are going through some re-focusing of our team mission, and could be the Powers don't want a staff of 6 doing some reduced amount of training. I am #3 trainer of the three we have, time-in-service-wise, though I will always be #1 in my book.

Nothing definite yet, but after 5 years in the same department and 4 years in the same job now may be a good time to enbrace entropy.

So, I am covering my bases; keeping my options open; updating my resume; listening to the tracks; reading the tea leaves; checking the listings; being proactive; and looking forward to a stiff drink tonight.

On the plus side, I am going up to the mountain tomorrow to play in the snow, drink cocoa and maybe crack open a James Clavell book. Better take Noble House. Plenty thick...

hasta

chubby snow

We are in the middle of a strange March snow.

Not a big deal to the eastern reaches of the country, I am sure. But around here it is odd and fun.

Big chubby flakes coming down. So big I can see them reflected in puddles, looking like the snow it "bouncing" when it hits the ground.

Also big enough to see higher up. Looks like a swarm of locusts. Or what I imagine a swarm would look like. Can't remember if I've ever been in one.

Dad? Any swarms over Riyadh when we were there?

life gets back out of the way

Well, I said I bin bizzy, but really it's just normal life getting in the way of blogging.

That's maybe more comfort to me than it is to you, neh? ;?)

I finally have a few pictures from Christmas up. Naturally they feature the two most perfect little girls in the world.*

-shake shake- "Hmm, sounds like raisins..."

"I wonder if this comes in red..."

"Ho Ho, Now I am the most beautiful one of all!"

"Goody! It does come in red!"

*Even when they are being perfect little beasts! ;?p

been bizzy

Sorry, been doing some rather longish homework the last couple of days.

I'll be back posting next week.

Hab a gut veekent!

(whatever the hell that spelling was supposed to mean)