This morning I hustled. I put washing on before I was even really awake, so that I could hang it out when I was awake. I read some more of my book Wicked by Gregory Maguire (which I am loving, by the way) and out I came to meet Morgue. Morgue couldn't make it, which meant I had more time to do the errands I had to do.
Midday I saw Twelve and Holding a film the programme suggested could be this generation's Stand by Me. well, I'm not that into SbM but I loved this film. It was a sort of meditation on coming of age, cauterised by the senseless death of one of the gang right at the start. Then it followed nearly a year in the lives of those who survived him, showing the grieving, the effects on the kids who were his friends. It seemed to be a lesson for parents that just because you're older, doesn't mean you know better, and that you should listen to your children.
It wasn't an easy film to watch, full of scenes where a character could be making a terrible choice, and the consequences could be amazingly bad. ***SPOILERS*** It could also be the origin story for a superhero or villain. The choice of the surviving twin at the end is quite horrifying, the sort of thing you see being set up over the course of the movie and think "Oh God, he isn't going to, is he?" ***END SPOILERS***
Anyway, I came out feeling very intropective and a little upset, so I finished my graphic novel (Fables: storybook love, awesome.) Returned it to the library and came home. I am tempted to singstar a little to cheer myself up.
Movies yesterday:
Whole New Thing was like a smaller, more confined response to C.R.A.Z.Y. and the best movie I saw yesterday. It was hilarious, centred around a 13 year old going to school for the first time, falling in love with his male teacher and dealing with his parents and their strained marriage. It was dreamlike in feel, full of snow and unexpected choices, some of it very awkard as Emerson didn't seem to know anything about boundaries...but it was great.
American Cannibal. Following two film makers trying to get a project, any project made. Eventually they try to make "American Cannibal" a show where they stick people on an island without food, making them think that they'll eventually have to eat each other.
The film was good, although I found it hard to watch all the added sleaze. The two main guys ended up getting funding from a porn guy (the guy who sold the Paris Hilton video) and so a lot of the scenes with him were in his strip club. I dunno, it just seemed like they didn't have to *show* the girl who got naked because she was told to at the wrap party. The reactions of the film makers were classic, why did we have to watch her dance around with a tampon string hanging out? Why not just show their weirded out expressions?
Gah. Annoying.
John and Jane a doco about call centre workers in India, working for big American corporations. They organised the footage so it started with the guy who wanted to quit and went through about five people ending with the woman who claimed to be a natural blonde, very Americanised and wanted to find a nice, light skinned, blonde man to marry. The material was very good although I found the execution confusing. It was full of long 30 second takes of a person just looking into the camera, not saying anything, and long 30 second takes of different people sleeping. Why did we have to see them all sleep?
I dunno, I was pretty tired at this point so maybe I'm being unfair. The film was good, but I don't think I'll watch it again. The main message seemed to be about one culture being dissolved into another but after watching China Blue I kinda thought these guys had it pretty good.
PoF: pink and black pirate
CO: sleep