Tuesday, August 31, 2004
The trailer is up for Hou Hsiao-Hsien latest film, Cafe Lumiére. This one is a tribute to the much beloved Japanese director, Yasujiro Ozo, and was filmed in Japan. I can hardly wait to have a chance to see it. Hou’s last film, Millennium Mambo, has also finally been released on a R1 DVD by Palm Pictures, and I highly recommend checking it out - it’s one of my very favorite movies.
It seems like the DVD releases are kicking into overdrive - so much I intend to pick up, so much I’m excited about. There’s the original Star Trek’s finally coming out in three box sets before the end of the year - the first set just came out this week and should be arriving here tomorrow - the first season alone is supposedly 29 episodes long (8 discs!) that’s a lot of Star Trek. It has been so long since I watched these, maybe fifteen years, so I’m really looking forward to it - Star Trek is the first TV I remember watching, 70s re-runs as a wee tot. Lots more Takashi Miike films are making their way to R1 before the end of the year, and the latest releases are the Black Society Trilogy. Videodrome, another favorite of mine, is just out from Criterion. And still to come this month is a big, but inexpensive box of Hitchcock films, a few of which I’ve never ever seen before (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Slacker & a box set of five Cassavetes films from Criterion, La Dolce Vita - the best Fellini film (probably), Jim Jarmusch’s latest film, Coffee and Cigarettes, which I’ve yet to see, and the original Star Wars box set. Yipes!
Meanwhile I’m going through I mini-SF kick with the books I want to read. Just finished my first Samuel Delany, Nova, and now I’m reading my first Theodore Sturgeon, More Than Human, trying to branch out a little from the always dependable Philip K. Dick (although I’m planning to pick up his recently re-released, The Penultimate Truth this weekend). Three day weekend so I’m looking forward to getting to it!
It seems like the DVD releases are kicking into overdrive - so much I intend to pick up, so much I’m excited about. There’s the original Star Trek’s finally coming out in three box sets before the end of the year - the first set just came out this week and should be arriving here tomorrow - the first season alone is supposedly 29 episodes long (8 discs!) that’s a lot of Star Trek. It has been so long since I watched these, maybe fifteen years, so I’m really looking forward to it - Star Trek is the first TV I remember watching, 70s re-runs as a wee tot. Lots more Takashi Miike films are making their way to R1 before the end of the year, and the latest releases are the Black Society Trilogy. Videodrome, another favorite of mine, is just out from Criterion. And still to come this month is a big, but inexpensive box of Hitchcock films, a few of which I’ve never ever seen before (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Slacker & a box set of five Cassavetes films from Criterion, La Dolce Vita - the best Fellini film (probably), Jim Jarmusch’s latest film, Coffee and Cigarettes, which I’ve yet to see, and the original Star Wars box set. Yipes!
Meanwhile I’m going through I mini-SF kick with the books I want to read. Just finished my first Samuel Delany, Nova, and now I’m reading my first Theodore Sturgeon, More Than Human, trying to branch out a little from the always dependable Philip K. Dick (although I’m planning to pick up his recently re-released, The Penultimate Truth this weekend). Three day weekend so I’m looking forward to getting to it!
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
I just finished reading Yasunari Kawabata’s The Sound of the Mountain from 1971. It’s the first of his books that I’ve read, and I really got a lot out of it, really loved it. It’s the basically the story of a grandfather’s relation to his family, but in the best of ways, there’s almost no plot, just careful observation, just looking at the world a little slower than normal. For me, it was one of those books that seemed to offer the possibility of seeing the days with new eyes. I’m definitely looking forward to reading some more of Kawabata’s books soon. Fortunately quite a few have been translated into English.
Monday, August 23, 2004
Here's something quite interesting, an audio archive of the interviews Truffaut made with Hitchcock for their famous book in 1962. The first twenty-one half hours of their conversations have already been posted (more to come). The programs have short introductions in French, but the interviews are done with the help of a translator (Hitch answers in English), and the sound quality is plenty good.
Sunday, August 22, 2004
I've really worn out my eyes with reading this weekend. There's so many books I hope to have the time to read and the list just keeps growing. It's really my favorite thing to spend time doing these days. I did take a short break to go to Hollywood yesterday and trade in some old CDs. In return I brought home "Sounds of the South," a 4-CD collection of recordings Alan Lomax gathered at the end of the 50s - the first "field" recordings he made in stereo, and I'm really impressed with the sound quality - I've only listened to the first disc so far, but I'm extremely glad I finally picked up the set - it's amazing stuff. I'd also just finished reading his interesting book that covers some of his experiences while making these recordings (and earlier ones), The Land Where The Blue Began. Even though the book had some boring sections, I definitely recommend it for the oral histories and scope of coverage of non-commercial southern music of the first half of the last century. I also picked up the first disc of his prison song recordings from Parchman in 47-48 but I've yet to have time to give it a spin.
The new issue of The Paris Review is very much worth tracking down for the high quality interviews (long, but I wish they were longer) with Paula Fox and Haruki Murakami. Now I'm really looking forward to Murakami's latest book, Kafka on the Shore coming out in English. Unfortunately we've still got to wait until April of 2005.
Friday and Saturday I tore through Jeffrey Toobin's book on the thirty-six days after the polls closed in the 2000 election, Too Close to Call. It's a great round up off all the different shit that went down. Ultimately reading it one can't help but be left feeling a little sick. I was also reminded of why I don't think Gore would have made a particularly good president. However, I still feel like he would have been so much better than the guy we got stuck with. I'm still really worried about the long term harm being done to this world's future by the current administration, and am extremely worried about what's going to happen here this November. The decidedly nasty road the 2004 election is already rolling down is making me even more nervous.
Today I read Larry McMurtry's relatively short, but still rambling collection of essays, Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen. His conversational tone, good sense and love of books is very appealing. A nice, enjoyable read, that also dangerously caused me to add five or six new books to my already massively out of control "wishlist."
The new issue of The Paris Review is very much worth tracking down for the high quality interviews (long, but I wish they were longer) with Paula Fox and Haruki Murakami. Now I'm really looking forward to Murakami's latest book, Kafka on the Shore coming out in English. Unfortunately we've still got to wait until April of 2005.
Friday and Saturday I tore through Jeffrey Toobin's book on the thirty-six days after the polls closed in the 2000 election, Too Close to Call. It's a great round up off all the different shit that went down. Ultimately reading it one can't help but be left feeling a little sick. I was also reminded of why I don't think Gore would have made a particularly good president. However, I still feel like he would have been so much better than the guy we got stuck with. I'm still really worried about the long term harm being done to this world's future by the current administration, and am extremely worried about what's going to happen here this November. The decidedly nasty road the 2004 election is already rolling down is making me even more nervous.
Today I read Larry McMurtry's relatively short, but still rambling collection of essays, Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen. His conversational tone, good sense and love of books is very appealing. A nice, enjoyable read, that also dangerously caused me to add five or six new books to my already massively out of control "wishlist."
Friday, August 20, 2004
You may want to note that Steve Earle's new hour long weekly radio show will begin airing this Sunday (8.22) @ 7 p.m. pacific on Air America Radio. The first week's guest will be filmmaker John Sayles. You can listen to it live on the ol' internet here.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
These last few weeks all I want to listen to is old time country and blues music - a complete change of tastes from the first half of this year and I don’t know why exactly (these sudden about faces seem to just happen). Maybe I’ve gotten my old ears from five years ago back, and it has been lots of fun digging out some of these long forgotten CDs again and hearing ’em anew. A small taste of what I've been playing includes Hank Snow, Roy Acuff, Blind Blake, Bill Monroe, the Delmore Brothers, and Skip James but if I had to pick one song that I’ve re-discovered that has knocked me the furthest off my feet, it would be Woody Guthrie’s minute and forty-nine second long “Car Song” from the Asch Recording Vol. 1.. Puts a big smile on my face every time. So simple, but so perfect.
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
It’s not scheduled to be released until December, but the preview for Wes Anderson’s new movie, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou can be viewed online here. To me it looks highly promising. Originally I felt pretty let down by The Royal Tenenbaums, his last feature, but it has since grown on me quite a bit. In fact, I think I’ll watch it again right now.
Sunday, August 08, 2004
The Asphalt Jungle is everything I think of when somebody says film noir. The direction by John Huston is tight (certainly one of his best jobs, if not the best). The photography is crisp black and white. There’s a solid cast of not quite first-rank actors playing a motley assortment of corrupt cops, double crossing businessmen, ex-cons, floozies, and a genuinely gruff anti-hero (played by the endlessly grumpy Sterling Hayden). And perhaps most importantly, there’s a sleek, forward moving plot that truly shows no mercy. Recently released on DVD as part of WB’s inexpensive set of five classic film noirs, it’s very much worth a second look.
Looking up some info on the film tonight in Muller’s Dark City while passing some time in the wonderfully air-conditioned chain bookstore closest to my apartment, I was surprised to read more about Sterling Hayden, including that he had written a truly interesting sounding autobiography, called Wanderer. This description makes it sound like a must read... “Since its publication in 1963, Sterling Hayden's autobiography, Wanderer, has been surrounded by controversy. The author was at the peak of his earning power as a movie star when he suddenly quit. He walked out on Hollywood, walked out of a shattered marriage, defied the courts, broke as an outlaw, set sail with his four children in the schooner Wanderer-bound for the South Seas. His attempt to escape launched his autobiography. It is the candid, sometimes painfully revealing confession of a man who scrutinized his every self-defeat and self-betrayal in the unblinking light of conscience.”
Meanwhile I’ve been busy reading Larry McMurtry’s enjoyable epic, Moving On. Perhaps I identify a little too much with his characters. He writes so well about being on the road, it’s hard not to catch the next bus out of town. I wish I had the time to do at least a little traveling. Maybe a short trip down to Austin, TX?
Looking up some info on the film tonight in Muller’s Dark City while passing some time in the wonderfully air-conditioned chain bookstore closest to my apartment, I was surprised to read more about Sterling Hayden, including that he had written a truly interesting sounding autobiography, called Wanderer. This description makes it sound like a must read... “Since its publication in 1963, Sterling Hayden's autobiography, Wanderer, has been surrounded by controversy. The author was at the peak of his earning power as a movie star when he suddenly quit. He walked out on Hollywood, walked out of a shattered marriage, defied the courts, broke as an outlaw, set sail with his four children in the schooner Wanderer-bound for the South Seas. His attempt to escape launched his autobiography. It is the candid, sometimes painfully revealing confession of a man who scrutinized his every self-defeat and self-betrayal in the unblinking light of conscience.”
Meanwhile I’ve been busy reading Larry McMurtry’s enjoyable epic, Moving On. Perhaps I identify a little too much with his characters. He writes so well about being on the road, it’s hard not to catch the next bus out of town. I wish I had the time to do at least a little traveling. Maybe a short trip down to Austin, TX?
Thursday, August 05, 2004
The weeks are going awfully fast. I’m counting the days until November. Got my fingers crossed for change. It’s hard to believe we’re almost all the way through four years of Bush. I’m terrified of what will happen to this country and the world if we somehow get stuck with four more. I hope you all caught his latest wonderful quote, er... gaff , "Our enemies ... never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." It’s weird how often the guy “misspeaks” and doesn’t seem to even notice his “mistakes.” That whole speech can be watched here just click on the link, P. Bush signs H.R. 4613 (8/5/04)... though I don’t know how long c-span archives their video for. The quote comes after about eight minutes - wish I could see the faces of those gathered in the room.
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
I'm excited to note that Home Vision have upadated their October DVD release calendar to include The Yakuza Papers (Battles Without Honor and Humanity) boxed set. I've only seen the first of these movies and it's one of my favorites, so I'm thrilled to finally have the chance to see the four others that make up the first series. The box includes Battles w/o Honor and Humanity, Deadly Fight in Hiroshima, Proxy War, Police Tactics and Final Episode and I believe a sixth disc of bonus features (although the site isn't specific). It's in these films that Kinji Fukasaku really hit his stride, and brought a new intensity, a new life, energy and ruthlessness to the Yakuza genre film.
Sunday, August 01, 2004
Re-watched In The Mood For Love again tonight, and have to admit, it’s probably the single most perfect movie I’ve ever seen. It was strange to still pick up things I’d missed the first two times around. Especially in the first fifteen or twenty minutes, when things are moving very fast, and the scenes are very short. I love how they cut down a typically five minute long scene into just a line or two of dialog. Both the visuals and audio are so amazingly lush, the film just soaks right into me. Can’t wait to see Wong Kar-Wai’s latest, 2046, (but unfortunately I can't find a US release date yet).
