Obstructions & Great Documentaries...
Today I saw the film The Five Obstructions by Jorgen Leth and Lars Von Trier. More details later...
I also watched a brilliant, hilarious film called Danny Deckchair. It's about an average guy who tries to liven up his life with pranks and stunts, then accidently ends up going airborne on a deckchair with a bunch of helium filled balloons tied to it. His journey takes him out of the city and into a small town far away where he starts a new life, untill his old life catches up with him. It's a beautiful romantic comedy that everyone should see!
One final note for today. I have begun watching The Up Series. It is the amazing documentary project by Michael Apted, where he started back in 1964 with a group of 7 year olds from various types of schools and family backgrounds and interviews them in their environments and also initially sees how they all behave together on a trip to the zoo in London. Every 7 years he has made another documentary with the same subjects. To see how they progress and how the different backgrounds tend to play a huge role in what they do and who they become in life. I have only watched the first two so far (age 7 and 14) and am anxious to get the next few from the video store tomorrow. I also find it fascinating to watch since these children are from the UK, so they are all brought up much more proper than we are in America.
I will continue to write about the series as I watch them grow up and study the way the film creator compares from volume to volume...
...Not a love song
Here's todays entry for tv and film viewing...
The day started off with a few minutes of trash tv when I watched some Jerry Springer for old times sake. I hadn't watched it in a long time, so it was funny how the show now starts off with the proud statement that they have won no awards, and do the show because they have lots of money. Could it get any sleazier? But I can't stop watching! Something about how in a few minutes I know that 2 transvestites will be fighting, tearing at each others throats...ripping off their wigs. Sure enough it happened. As if scripted. Perhaps the show is so ridiculous these days because it is scripted? Anyways, luckily I had more important things to do (go to school) so I turned it off after a little bit.
This evening I watched BBC World News and a couple tabloid shows (Access Hollywood and I forget the other one). On Access Hollywood the host was talking about how happy he was that he was listed in Paris Hilton's address book, even if in the past couple days he had received thousands of messages thanks to someone hacking into TMobile and getting Paris' contact info. Most celebs on the list had changed their numbers, but he was enjoying the attention apparently...and actually looking at the messages people sent.
Then I caught some American Idol, but forgot to vote for the best contestant since I was wrapped up in my homework. After American Idol I put in a DVD of a great horror/thriller film from the UK (Scottish I think) called "This Is Not A Love Song" by Bille Eltringham. It was a dark look at a friendship between two old friends (after one just gets out of prison). On their way to starting a new life something goes horribly wrong and one of the men accidently shoots a girl. So for most of the film we are following these two men as they run through Yorkshire's vast country landscape as an angry mob is searching for them (with the intent to kill). It's a story of friendship, betrayal, and ultimately revenge. It actually was a Grand Jury Prize nominee for the AFI Fest a couple years ago, which is no surprise since it is cinematography is brilliant.
