2011

Quite a year, eh?

Many deaths all year around and we are slowly losing the older generation as was supposed to happen. Still, we aren´t as far ahead in biotechnology-research as I would like it to be. Still no partial immortality possible, which really disappoints me. I mean, I do not care for jetpacks and flying cars, but hell, I care for getting cybernetic implants!

Merry Christmas!

Because I am currently involved in other affairs only so much today.

To everyone of you, Merry Christmas. To those of you on the more anglo-saxon side, just try to think I wish this to you one day later. So, cherioo.

Deutsche Medien

Es ist doch wirklich nett von der Weltwirtschafts-/ und Bankenkrise, sich eine Auszeit für die deutsche Medienlandschaft zu nehmen. Immerhin haben wir so den Platz, um über den Herrn Wulff herzuziehen. Argh.

Smoke

So, today I saw SMOKE, a movie adapted from a story by Paul Auster. I like Paul Auster, he writes good stories and I consider his City of Glass to be of highest quality among many. But SMOKE is not like these. I´ve come to build a certain expectation from Auster-stories. Absurdity, Life and the questions surrounding it, Conflicts between Man and Nature etc. These are well, in part missing in the movie. To say there is a plot would be stretching it.

The movie revolves around Auggie Wren, a 50something played by Harvey Keitel. Only, it really doesn´t. What it does, is revolve around Auggie and the people around him as he works in and for the Brooklyn Cigar Co. It´s summer of 1990 and in episodic tales we meet people and see a part of their life. How it currently goes. Many questions in this movie go unanswered and we never get to see many solutions, but to hope for these goes besides what the movie actually has to offer.

SMOKE was interesting to see, because it has this feeling of authenticity I am missing in many movies nowadays. You know, this feeling, like this could really happen. It feels human in that way. Unfortunately, there is much more to it, than I could fathom in one viewing, but I will restrict myself to that one and I advise others to do the same. The movie might be viewed on deeper levels, but at the same time leaves the viewer unsatisfied and further viewings won´t solve that. Not to mention, that I believe a certain level of pretentiousness to be in there, that is, within the movie. If anything, watch the ending. Auggies christmas story is worth a watch and the ending credits support that wholly.

If I were to give a single worded opinion, I´d say it is Ok.

The human animal?

Can it be so wrong to believe man still to be an animal? Man, at times, can be animalistic. But to be animalistic, means also, that there are times when he is not. An animal is at all times such, but man seems not to be. Because of his quality of self-reflection? Is man really beyond these base urge? Or is it but a mask he wears for others? 

Not to mix words, nor to mix different groups of thoughts. How much is changed by our perception and how much by our ..this is not important for the moment. Does man transcend the status of animal yet, that is the question. Is man an animal, so he must be taught and held as one. For if he is not, if he truly transcends this notion of being, then he must have become something different altogether. I wonder, where then did I err?

Wieder einer dieser Tage

Falls ich es nicht schon erwähnt haben sollte, ich kann die Tage an denen ich eigentlich nichts zu sagen habe, nicht ausstehen. Warte auf SWTOR-Headstart. Vertreibe mir die Zeit mit sehr sinnfreien Sachen. Wie üblich also. Ärgerlich.

Apropos, der Film "Arriety the Borrower" von Studio Ghibli ist sehr schön anzukucken. Optisch defintiv ein Genuss, als Film wohl eher was für die Kleinlinge, wenngleich nicht wie Ponyo für die ganz Kleinen. Ansonsten hab ich die Tage "Children who chase lost voices from deep below" gesehen. Fand ich auch ganz gut, wenngleich die Geschichte in manchen Aspekten sicherlich vorhersehbar wahr, die Message sowieso, und ich beim Gedanken an Agartha inzwischen eher an das von Illwinter denke.

Dabei kann ich noch erwähnen, dass ich momentan gedenke, mein Spielbericht vom Jahr des Feuers wiederaufzunehmen. Ich weiss bis heute nicht, was dazu geführt hat, dass ich den damals abgebrochen habe. Sehr frustrierend.

EU-Vertragsänderungen

In die größeren Niederungen der Änderungsvorschläge und den abstrusen Vorstellungen von Merkozy muss es hier nicht gehen, das mag traurig sein, ist aber so. Bringt auch wenig, höchsten mich auf die Palme. Jetzt haben unsere Hirnzwerge aber endlich geschafft. 

Die Eurozone wird wirtschaftlich getrennt, verschiedene Staaten gehen in kleinen Cliquen eigene Wege und spalten so die Union weiter bis eines Tages das ganze Konstrukt über den Köpfen unserer Herren Administratoren zusammenbricht und alle sich wundern, wie das denn passieren konnte und welche Tragödie das wäre. 

Man mag vom Altkanzler Kohl ja viel halten, aber ich hätte mir gewünscht, dass er den Satz "Die macht mir mein Europa kaputt." wirklich gesagt hätte bzw. wenn er ihn gesagt hat, nicht dementieren würde. Denn genau das geschieht momentan. Eine Dekonstruktion des vereinigten Europas. Bis 2000 waren wir auf einem richtig guten Weg. 

Dann Schröder für inländische Probleme und die Merkel für die ausländischen. Kein Wunder dass sie sich den Westerwelle als öffentlichen Punching-Bag geholt hat. Besser als den Hampelmann kann man seine Politik ja garnicht kaschieren. 

Aber ich seh es ja schon kommen, bei der nächsten Wahl gibts dann wieder große Koalition, damit Merkel auch ja ihre 12 Jahre vollbekommt. Und jetzt krieg ich schon wieder einen Anfall wenn ich nur an diesen Schwachfug denke...gnaa gnaa gnaa...

Movicember

So, I had the chance to see some interesting, some bad, some good movies. Let´s see.

We begin with LOVE. It´s an interesting movie, basically a sci-fi flick and a cast of only a few. But it´s also a metaphysical journey trough time and man itself. What loneliness does to us and means to all mankind. While psycadelic enough to be made in the 60s, I was reminded of HAL and a few select Hitchcocks, though the latter more in tone than in view, it still goes on to carry it´s basic message. So yeah, I liked it, but I do advise you to beware, it´s not for everyone.

Next up was the SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO. A sorta b-movie real-actor adaption of an older anime from 1974. Let´s be honest here, b-movie does not cut it. Stretched beyond all belief, padded into extinction, a friend of mine said while watching it, this movie not only goes trough all pathos but also doesn´t seem able to ever break out of its cliches. I mean, I know you have a basis from which to work from and there are concession to be made to the old crowd of fanst, but even in revising this stuff, I could see plot twists and ideas from a mile ago. And very often the movie has plot holes I could get a battleship trough with. Several times. The effects are ok at best, but definitely cheaper looking than they have any right to. It´s just sad, after watching I just know, this could have been so much better. Too bad then, it wasn´t.

So, we come to COWBOYS & ALIENS. Ford, Craig and Wilde play contemporary individuals during the late 19th century. 1873, if wikipedia was to be believed, the movie only ever indicated playing after the civil war. Anyway, I only had the chance to see the extended cut and while it was by no means bad, it also was a very boring movie at times. The premise seems to look for so much more. I mean, the landscapes fascinated me more, than anything the movies plot ever delivered. But Olivia Wilde was nice to look at. Too bad that scene didn´t last any longer. Still, it´s passable. It´s not really better than YAMATO above, but it has the better cast and the greater budget to speak for it. It´d give it a passable grade, if only because it has a certain kind of campy charm to it. Sorta like a really expensive trash movie. You know, this could have been awesome if made by Troma Studios.

Next up is FRIGHT NIGHT. A remake of an older movie from, I think the 70s or at latest the early 80s, this was one helluva good movie. You can just see Colin Farrell relishing the opportunity to play a badass vampire. Not a fairy like in Twilight but one intelligent, evil, predator. Awesome, and you should definitely watch this, if only to see Dr.Who get on as a fantastic bastard actor. It´s in fact quite intelligent. And if you ask me, but then who does these days..., anyway, after seeing this movie I am convinced that Christopher Mintze-Plasse is either immortal or stopped aging somewhere at 18 or 19. Given a few centimeters for growing up, McLoving looks almost EXACTLY the same. And once again a great opportunity for fun and game.

Last in todays entry is the newest Gosling movie DRIVE. This movie has a meta-level of it´s own, but that has to come later. Ryan Gosling plays an empty man. A stunt driver and mechanic at day and criminal getaway driver at night, his life changes once a woman comes into it. Granted, this time its a woman and child, but you know the drill. The thing about this movie, for me, was the way it was shot, the story was told and the music accompanying it. Great piece, too bad Christina Hendricks didn´t have more screentime (*RAWR*) bad good all the way trough. Definietly go see this, though I fear the movie might alienate some.