June 24, 2010
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Tomorrow!
Is today. So this thing may have me updating everyday which is weird for me considering even my ‘regular’ updates were usually 2 weeks apart at the very least. I’ll just say this before I hot up the next question; what the fuck, Xanga? You’ve changed the format of the blogging page so that now I can’t add my watching/listening to/playing, etc. thing, there’s no word count and I can’t seem to add audio files to my post (hence the links in the previous, rather than nice, instantly accessible inserts straight from my audio xanga. Why? Call me a bluff old traditionalist but I’ve always been lead to believe that upgrading makes things better?
Day 2 : Your Favourite Movie
I’m gonna have to address a few movies here. First I should point out that the Star Wars movies as a whole qualify. All 6. Yes, all 6. Those whining little bitches who refuse to acknowledge the prequels; just get over yourselves. If you hadn’t been 7 when you saw Star Wars: A New Hope and 30 when you saw Star Wars: The Phantom Menace I seriously doubt you’d find such room for complaining. Episode 4 is a superior film to Episode 1, in my opinion, but if you’d been 30 when Star Wars first hit the big screen, carrying yourself with that same self-important attitude, you’d likely have hated it too. Anyway, Star Wars.
I’ve always had a remarkable fondness for these movies too. Far and Away. I can’t quite tell you why. Generally I like Ron Howard as a film-maker. I have an ancestral soft-spot for the whole Irishy-Celticy thing. And the whole Leaving In Search Of Adventure has always struck a chord with me too. Willow. Another one of George Lucas’. There’s something wonderful about Willow. Part of it is captured with the New Zealand-based cinematography. I’ve always liked swords-and-sorcery fantasy (done well) and it carries a similar innate charm as the Star Wars movies. Big Trouble In Little China. My cult classic of choice. Everything about this movie is frickin’ awesome and hilarious! The thing is this movie is so unique in its style, so very esoteric in its appeal, most people will not appreciate it the same way I do (with the notable exceptions of Nathan and Balex!) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. My foreign language movie of choice is also my martial arts movie of choice. Maybe cos, much as I love a straight up martial arts flick, my sensitive NF side needs the emotional overtones, the tortured heroine and the smatterings of Taoist philosophy given a very human voice. This movie also pays homage to the wu xia traditions of Chinese legend and story-telling, something I wished we could see more of. I also love to imagine myself gliding over rooftops, leaping off the surface of water and engaging in dazzling aerial sword combat amongst gently swaying bamboo.
But finally I must give you the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And not just for that special magic the country of New Zealand seems to give movies. it’s just a complete, working epic. No corners were cut, no dumbing down to make it digestible for the primitive attention span of the average serf. What’s more I think it does a better job than the original texts of bringing an amazing world and story to life. I tip my hat to Tolkien just as I do to Lucas in creating something truly timeless that has captured the imagination of the planet. But both Lucas and Tolkien, I feel, don’t tell a story so well. Lucas is not wordy enough. Tolkien is too wordy. The movies give us the heart and soul of the Lord of the Rings in a way I feel Tolkien himself never really gets down to. Just my opinion. These movies are magisterial. And I think Andy Sirkis deserves an Oscar for his performance as Gollum.
Comments (3)
they probably assumed that most people would know how to go to their audio manager, copy the “Audio HTML” code, and paste it in.
i’d forgotten that you like far and away. *cough*gay*cough* …yeah, it’s on my list, too. and bonus points because enya sings the theme song.
tolkien can be too wordy, but it works for him, i think. his wordiness is what gives middle earth the amazing depth and richness that made us fall in love with it — the languages and histories and incredibly detailed descriptions, and he really captures the tenderness and hopefulness in small moments, like my favorite passage in return of the king when frodo and sam are crossing mordor and sam sees a star. that was the heart and soul of the stories for me.
@mercurialmusic - and “most people” would probably assume that when one upgrades from a version that has ‘audio’ marked and ready for attachment the subsequent ‘upgrade’ would be a step forward, not backwards
i’m not being *cough*gay*cough*ed at by someone who watches Glee. but yes, the enya music was a factor too.
i’m not saying Tolkien is a bad writer. not at all. nor am i saying that the detail is a bad thing. it’s great. i lapped up the appendixes and histories when i first read it. i just feel he could have achieved those awe-inspiring descriptions a little more concisely. and spent more time on the actual characters and their development
what?! don’t stop already!