Grey
The post-apocalyptic landscape of The Road is cold and bleak, warmed only by the father's love for his son and the determination to bring him to whatever small salvation may yet remain. This is a movie that reaches into your sense of mortality and shakes it hard, leaving dread and a taste of ashes, even as it offers a final hope. I see why Cormac McCarthy was so happy to endorse the resultant film of his novel: it's better, even while remaining so largely faithful as to be almost bookish itself. It's a hard emotional task to watch this film, like few others before it, but it would have been harder still to have missed it and to deny its power.
31 January 2010
26 January 2010
Bush Walking with the Ex
Ex-Father-in-law, that is, and only virtually. Russell Atkinson has finally published a sequel (of sorts) to Diary of a Drop-Out: Gone Bush. This is the story of the period during which Russell was well and truly a drop-out, not just an "alternative", but living off the grid up in Bellingen, NSW, and making one good decision after every bad one (if not quite to such an equivalence). The chapters are short and not entirely sequential in time, but each rely on the characteristic Australian dry, ironic sense of humor, although it is a vein of humor that has a fairly universal appeal. I could wish for more - no, really, I do wish for more, as I know there is more to come. When you're ready, Russell, but don't wait so long this time.
Ex-Father-in-law, that is, and only virtually. Russell Atkinson has finally published a sequel (of sorts) to Diary of a Drop-Out: Gone Bush. This is the story of the period during which Russell was well and truly a drop-out, not just an "alternative", but living off the grid up in Bellingen, NSW, and making one good decision after every bad one (if not quite to such an equivalence). The chapters are short and not entirely sequential in time, but each rely on the characteristic Australian dry, ironic sense of humor, although it is a vein of humor that has a fairly universal appeal. I could wish for more - no, really, I do wish for more, as I know there is more to come. When you're ready, Russell, but don't wait so long this time.
24 January 2010
Daylight Cinema Limitations
I've kind of made it a practice to wait a couple of weekends before hitting any new releases at the movies and to attend early sessions. This ensures good seat selection and few immediate neighbors, which latter can be important when the room between the edge of my seat and the seat-back in front is restricted to the minimum required by your average dwarf. It can be a problem when the movie selection is something like Fantastic Mr. Fox, at least insofar as the former principle of movie-attendance, due to the increased likelihood of small children. Who were surprisingly better behaved than their parents, who choose to read aloud and otherwise narrate pretty much throughout, due to the children being a little on the too-young side, which became especially apparent at about an hour in when they all started needing to be taken to the toilets. I had hoped that the more "realistic" elements of the film, the growling and other more animalistic behaviors, would send a few out in tears, but you can't have everything.
Mr. Fox was very entertaining, if a little mannered, although it's hard to see how that could have been avoided. Roald Dahl was not a childhood staple for me, so I hadn't encountered this story before, but it's got the same element of not talking-down to kids that Charlie & the Chocolate Factory had, the one Dahl book that came into the household while I was still reading such fare. I enjoyed the animation - and to say the characters were animated should be taken in both senses of the word: yes, puppets; and yes, expressive, active, lively. Wes Anderson's done a good job with the material, and I look forward, as ever, to his next film, whatever it may be.
I've kind of made it a practice to wait a couple of weekends before hitting any new releases at the movies and to attend early sessions. This ensures good seat selection and few immediate neighbors, which latter can be important when the room between the edge of my seat and the seat-back in front is restricted to the minimum required by your average dwarf. It can be a problem when the movie selection is something like Fantastic Mr. Fox, at least insofar as the former principle of movie-attendance, due to the increased likelihood of small children. Who were surprisingly better behaved than their parents, who choose to read aloud and otherwise narrate pretty much throughout, due to the children being a little on the too-young side, which became especially apparent at about an hour in when they all started needing to be taken to the toilets. I had hoped that the more "realistic" elements of the film, the growling and other more animalistic behaviors, would send a few out in tears, but you can't have everything.
Mr. Fox was very entertaining, if a little mannered, although it's hard to see how that could have been avoided. Roald Dahl was not a childhood staple for me, so I hadn't encountered this story before, but it's got the same element of not talking-down to kids that Charlie & the Chocolate Factory had, the one Dahl book that came into the household while I was still reading such fare. I enjoyed the animation - and to say the characters were animated should be taken in both senses of the word: yes, puppets; and yes, expressive, active, lively. Wes Anderson's done a good job with the material, and I look forward, as ever, to his next film, whatever it may be.
22 January 2010
Bush Legacy: Supreme Court Hates Democracy
The latest ruling from the Supreme Court, making corporations more equal than people in regard to campaign finance, ensures our elected officials will act to the benefit of business - big business, at that - rather than those of us who actually vote. I suppose a 5-4 decision offers some hope that we can get a law back in place, maybe even something more far-reaching than we've had before, but with the teabaggers and haters in a position now to stand pat and block anything from happening, it doesn't seem likely. This is the Reagan-Bush-Bush legacy for the country: democracy doesn't live in America anymore.
The latest ruling from the Supreme Court, making corporations more equal than people in regard to campaign finance, ensures our elected officials will act to the benefit of business - big business, at that - rather than those of us who actually vote. I suppose a 5-4 decision offers some hope that we can get a law back in place, maybe even something more far-reaching than we've had before, but with the teabaggers and haters in a position now to stand pat and block anything from happening, it doesn't seem likely. This is the Reagan-Bush-Bush legacy for the country: democracy doesn't live in America anymore.
17 January 2010
More Festival Festivities
Why do event promoters use thirty-year-old photos in their advertisements? John Cale's got to be like 70, so I'm not fooled. For Xmas, M. got me tickets to the show at the Enmore theatre. This is a nice, civilized venue, often putting on the best local, national, and international rock concerts anywhere in town. Cale put in a hard-rocking set, covering pretty much the full span of his early career, up to and including Sabotage. In some ways this was disappointing. I appreciate his early stuff, but it's largely characterized by screaming, crashing finishes after an extended period of seeming to be incapable of bringing the song to a conclusion. His pop sensibilities were perhaps a bit more honed later, and that might have been to the good for this set. Still, with a full band backing him, it was a relief that it wasn't to be a repeat of the last few shows I saw, with him reprising his catalog on solo piano. And thank goodness that his 90's turn into "classical" composition wasn't featured. Songs for Drella and his Dylan Thomas song cycle were dreadful. So, all up: a good night out and a fine performance from a grand old man of rock.
Why do event promoters use thirty-year-old photos in their advertisements? John Cale's got to be like 70, so I'm not fooled. For Xmas, M. got me tickets to the show at the Enmore theatre. This is a nice, civilized venue, often putting on the best local, national, and international rock concerts anywhere in town. Cale put in a hard-rocking set, covering pretty much the full span of his early career, up to and including Sabotage. In some ways this was disappointing. I appreciate his early stuff, but it's largely characterized by screaming, crashing finishes after an extended period of seeming to be incapable of bringing the song to a conclusion. His pop sensibilities were perhaps a bit more honed later, and that might have been to the good for this set. Still, with a full band backing him, it was a relief that it wasn't to be a repeat of the last few shows I saw, with him reprising his catalog on solo piano. And thank goodness that his 90's turn into "classical" composition wasn't featured. Songs for Drella and his Dylan Thomas song cycle were dreadful. So, all up: a good night out and a fine performance from a grand old man of rock.
16 January 2010
Running
Last year I focused in training in running on my forefoot. I found that I maintained strength in my legs for longer than when I allowed myself to land heel-first. Except for wet conditions, where it seemed a forefoot-strike slid more, I even maintained this gait during the half-marathon. So I was intrigued enough by a capsule article in Wired over Christmas to make a point of finding a local store here that carries the Newton running shoe and to spend more than I ever have on a shoe that wasn't going to get me back to Kansas. I've only been using it in the run-up to the May SMH half for three days now (and 20k) so I don't know if this is really going to work, but so far I like them and they really seem to work. Due to shipping errors, the shop only had my size in the racer, but since I already run this way, I figured the trainer was superfluous. We'll see how it lasts and whether, when the race time approaches, a new pair is required. I'm thinking I should get through the next couple of months o.k., but as I intend to also run the Blackmore's half in October, I probably will need to replace them.
Last year I focused in training in running on my forefoot. I found that I maintained strength in my legs for longer than when I allowed myself to land heel-first. Except for wet conditions, where it seemed a forefoot-strike slid more, I even maintained this gait during the half-marathon. So I was intrigued enough by a capsule article in Wired over Christmas to make a point of finding a local store here that carries the Newton running shoe and to spend more than I ever have on a shoe that wasn't going to get me back to Kansas. I've only been using it in the run-up to the May SMH half for three days now (and 20k) so I don't know if this is really going to work, but so far I like them and they really seem to work. Due to shipping errors, the shop only had my size in the racer, but since I already run this way, I figured the trainer was superfluous. We'll see how it lasts and whether, when the race time approaches, a new pair is required. I'm thinking I should get through the next couple of months o.k., but as I intend to also run the Blackmore's half in October, I probably will need to replace them.
14 January 2010
Devastation
Haiti would have been entirely unprepared for the earthquake, such events being probably quite rare in the region, not to mention decades of endemic poverty and governmental corruption. I don’t doubt that the death toll will be terribly high and that recovery will be a very long time coming. I can’t even imagine coming back from this without some very open and forthright assistance from the wealthy nations of the world. I worry that the response will be great pledges of aid that come to little actually spent and less spent where it’s really needed. This is often the problem with underdeveloped countries with entrenched governments with high levels of corruption or despotism, that they insist on sovereignty and keep much of what passes through their hands, favoring this contractor or that who themselves operate similarly, not to mention that charities and even donor nations have “administrative” costs built into their pledges. A million dollars pledged in aid isn’t a million dollars spent on the ground rebuilding homes and hospitals. A better system is needed. Humanitarianism needs to be more open at both the giving and receiving ends.
Meanwhile, could God please call Pat Robertson home, heaven or hell, I don’t care, just please get him off the planet: who knew that Toussaint L’ouverture was the Devil? (Maybe if a white man had freed Haiti from the French it would have been o.k. with Pat?)
Haiti would have been entirely unprepared for the earthquake, such events being probably quite rare in the region, not to mention decades of endemic poverty and governmental corruption. I don’t doubt that the death toll will be terribly high and that recovery will be a very long time coming. I can’t even imagine coming back from this without some very open and forthright assistance from the wealthy nations of the world. I worry that the response will be great pledges of aid that come to little actually spent and less spent where it’s really needed. This is often the problem with underdeveloped countries with entrenched governments with high levels of corruption or despotism, that they insist on sovereignty and keep much of what passes through their hands, favoring this contractor or that who themselves operate similarly, not to mention that charities and even donor nations have “administrative” costs built into their pledges. A million dollars pledged in aid isn’t a million dollars spent on the ground rebuilding homes and hospitals. A better system is needed. Humanitarianism needs to be more open at both the giving and receiving ends.
Meanwhile, could God please call Pat Robertson home, heaven or hell, I don’t care, just please get him off the planet: who knew that Toussaint L’ouverture was the Devil? (Maybe if a white man had freed Haiti from the French it would have been o.k. with Pat?)
13 January 2010
A Fan’s Notes
To Neko Case Monday, thanks to the intervention of a Sydney Festival staff member, to exorcise the songs from Middle Cyclone that play on endless repeat in my head day and night. Well, that didn’t work.
The venue is home to the Australian Chamber Orchestra, which may explain the acoustics, unless it’s just the curse of trying to build a concert hall. Has anyone ever successfully built a “sound” opera house? As Ms. Case commenced the first song of the set, she stopped on the first note, taken aback by the room’s lack of acoustical warmth. For someone with such a tin ear as I’ve got, the sound had to be bad that I noticed it, too (but I’d have thought Neko would have noted the quality in the sound-check; guess not). So it was an odd show, and for other reasons, too. For one thing, the backup singer seemed to run most of the stage patter. And while I knew nearly all the songs inside and out (a couple of pieces at the end were from albums I haven’t heard), the lack of warmth, if I can continue to use that expression, kept the experience from replicating or exceeding that of listening to the recordings. I probably should have made more of an effort to get out to the Blue Mountains for the set she did in Katoomba, which was a pub venue.
Finally, the show was perhaps somewhat rushed and shorter than it might have been, which probably affected the performance, due to the fact that Grizzly Bear were due to take the stage at 8:30. This meant Neko was operating with a curfew, annoyingly, especially as I can’t stand Grizzly Bear so see no reason for them to be preferenced. For a band with one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2009, I just don’t get them.
Glad I went, happy not to miss out, just the same.
To Neko Case Monday, thanks to the intervention of a Sydney Festival staff member, to exorcise the songs from Middle Cyclone that play on endless repeat in my head day and night. Well, that didn’t work.
The venue is home to the Australian Chamber Orchestra, which may explain the acoustics, unless it’s just the curse of trying to build a concert hall. Has anyone ever successfully built a “sound” opera house? As Ms. Case commenced the first song of the set, she stopped on the first note, taken aback by the room’s lack of acoustical warmth. For someone with such a tin ear as I’ve got, the sound had to be bad that I noticed it, too (but I’d have thought Neko would have noted the quality in the sound-check; guess not). So it was an odd show, and for other reasons, too. For one thing, the backup singer seemed to run most of the stage patter. And while I knew nearly all the songs inside and out (a couple of pieces at the end were from albums I haven’t heard), the lack of warmth, if I can continue to use that expression, kept the experience from replicating or exceeding that of listening to the recordings. I probably should have made more of an effort to get out to the Blue Mountains for the set she did in Katoomba, which was a pub venue.
Finally, the show was perhaps somewhat rushed and shorter than it might have been, which probably affected the performance, due to the fact that Grizzly Bear were due to take the stage at 8:30. This meant Neko was operating with a curfew, annoyingly, especially as I can’t stand Grizzly Bear so see no reason for them to be preferenced. For a band with one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2009, I just don’t get them.
Glad I went, happy not to miss out, just the same.
06 January 2010
Traffic
There was a time in the States when holiday road deaths were publicised, and it may be that years in NYC made this less conspicuous to me, but it seems this time has long passed. So it was surprising to me to be seemingly barraged with details over each long weekend or holiday period with state-by-state deaths on the road figures, perhaps most especially because the figures never seemed so high as to warrant such attention. 10 deaths in NSW vs. 12 in QLD or wherever just didn’t seem statistically significant for a three+ day period. And because nothing ever seems to be done to alleviate what must be of concern to Australians, the focus of the reporting would better serve public interest by shifting to the do-nothing public servants.
Not that I take such criticism as does focus on government entirely seriously. There are an awful lot of pundits whose hearts just bleed over traffic light cameras and speed cameras – as if running a red light or exceeding the speed limit isn’t dangerous. These same commentators say little about the stepped-up holiday period random breath tests.
But it’s been a terrible time to be out on the roads this year, with a week to go, unofficially, for the holiday period, including a tremendous accident involving a petrol tanker exploding, killing the truck driver, two small children and their dad, and leaving the mother seriously injured. The visibility of the incident has people up in arms over the particular roadway where it took place and which is regarded as a neglected stretch of infrastructure and over long-haul truckers sharing space with passenger vehicles, particularly in regard to dangerous materials transport.
I don’t recall what prompted me to read Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says about Us), but I did, and it highlighted some things for me, not least that accidents between trucks and cars are most usually because the car driver does something stupid rather than that the truck driver is hopped-up on speed, overtired, or aggressive, but also that the large majority of car drivers are overconfident and under-trained.
Unfortunately, that’s not news, or not within the consciousness of journalists, anyway. Certainly any reporter pointing fingers at the majority among his or her audience is going to lose credibility. We all know it’s the truckies, the cyclists, the pedestrians, the government – not us behind the wheel. (You, that is, since I’m a life-long pedestrian.) I won’t say, and neither does Tom Vanderbilt, that these other parties don’t share blame, but the majority share should lie where it belongs. I’ve seen enough of Sydney traffic to know that aggression is pretty nearly a universally innate behavior once behind the wheel.
Tom Vanderbilt suggests taking the “How’s My Driving” technique to another level, where the driving performance of everybody is recorded and fed back into a system that rates them and offers penalties and incentives accordingly. The technology only partially exists, but it might focus our attention more appropriately than the usual “He did it” approach.
There was a time in the States when holiday road deaths were publicised, and it may be that years in NYC made this less conspicuous to me, but it seems this time has long passed. So it was surprising to me to be seemingly barraged with details over each long weekend or holiday period with state-by-state deaths on the road figures, perhaps most especially because the figures never seemed so high as to warrant such attention. 10 deaths in NSW vs. 12 in QLD or wherever just didn’t seem statistically significant for a three+ day period. And because nothing ever seems to be done to alleviate what must be of concern to Australians, the focus of the reporting would better serve public interest by shifting to the do-nothing public servants.
Not that I take such criticism as does focus on government entirely seriously. There are an awful lot of pundits whose hearts just bleed over traffic light cameras and speed cameras – as if running a red light or exceeding the speed limit isn’t dangerous. These same commentators say little about the stepped-up holiday period random breath tests.
But it’s been a terrible time to be out on the roads this year, with a week to go, unofficially, for the holiday period, including a tremendous accident involving a petrol tanker exploding, killing the truck driver, two small children and their dad, and leaving the mother seriously injured. The visibility of the incident has people up in arms over the particular roadway where it took place and which is regarded as a neglected stretch of infrastructure and over long-haul truckers sharing space with passenger vehicles, particularly in regard to dangerous materials transport.
I don’t recall what prompted me to read Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says about Us), but I did, and it highlighted some things for me, not least that accidents between trucks and cars are most usually because the car driver does something stupid rather than that the truck driver is hopped-up on speed, overtired, or aggressive, but also that the large majority of car drivers are overconfident and under-trained.
Unfortunately, that’s not news, or not within the consciousness of journalists, anyway. Certainly any reporter pointing fingers at the majority among his or her audience is going to lose credibility. We all know it’s the truckies, the cyclists, the pedestrians, the government – not us behind the wheel. (You, that is, since I’m a life-long pedestrian.) I won’t say, and neither does Tom Vanderbilt, that these other parties don’t share blame, but the majority share should lie where it belongs. I’ve seen enough of Sydney traffic to know that aggression is pretty nearly a universally innate behavior once behind the wheel.
Tom Vanderbilt suggests taking the “How’s My Driving” technique to another level, where the driving performance of everybody is recorded and fed back into a system that rates them and offers penalties and incentives accordingly. The technology only partially exists, but it might focus our attention more appropriately than the usual “He did it” approach.
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