Return Trip
The countdown has begun. In two months, the prodigal son returns.
Updates from March, 2004 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Brian Sawyer
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Brian Sawyer
My Bookplate
In The Island of Lost Maps, Miles Harvey supplies the following delicious quote, which evidently is inscribed somewhere in the library of a monastery in Barcelona:
For him that steals, or borrows and returns not, a book from its owner, let it change into a serpent in his hand and rend him. Let him be struck with palsy, and all his members blasted. Let him languish in pain crying aloud for mercy, and let there be no surcease to his agony till he sing in dissolution. Let bookworms gnaw at his entrails in token of the Worm that dieth not. And when at last he goes to his final punishment, let the flames of Hell consume him forever.
I’ve used this passage for my personalized bookplates.
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Brian Sawyer
Brave New Word (get it?!)
Thanks to Nicole Stockdale for introducing me to witzelsucht:
A morbid tendency to pun, make poor jokes, and tell pointless stories, while being oneself inordinately entertained thereby.
As I’ve mentioned before, I just love those distinctly German words.
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Brian Sawyer
Worst Album Covers, with Commentary
“10 worst album covers of all time,” with commentary, is just about the funniest thing I’ve seen online in many moons.
Make sure you also follow the link at the bottom of the page to 10 more offenders. Should be safe for work, as long as uncontrollable laughter is acceptable at your place of employment. (via Boing Boing)
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Brian Sawyer
Confessions at the Alter of the Printed Word
I’ve done the unthinkable and, for the first time, committed the most sacrilegious act of my young bibliophilic life: I’ve intentionally defaced a book.
I’ve taken a box cutter to my copy of A Suitable Boy, separating the first 397 pages from the 1,077 that follow. I did this quickly, in a moment of weakness. I just couldn’t bear the weight. And you know what? It actually felt good, really good. If I could go back to when I read Infinite Jest, I’d cut those end notes into a separate section in a heartbeat.
Is there any penance for such a sin? How many Hail Gutenbergs will it take to cleanse my mortal soul of this unpardonable crime?
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Brian Sawyer
Love Never Changes Its Spots
[Editor's note: as always, the opinions expressed by Joe Moser, my contributor at large, are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Olive Press ... boilerplate boilerplate ... As with his previous piece and the piece before that, this review covers something I haven't seen, so I'm in no position to concur or critique.]
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has the best cast of any movie I’ve seen in a long time. Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst and Mark Ruffalo all have central roles, and if you’re a fan of any of these actors you’ll want to do yourself a favor and see this film. Even Elijah Wood ties into a weaselly role that perfectly suits him, and Tom Wilkinson and comedian David Cross also have nice supporting parts.
Needless to say, if you’re a fan of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, run, cantor, or at least trot down to your local artsy cinema as soon as time permits. I have my qualms with Mr. Kaufman, but they are always overcome by the exuberant satisfaction I get from watching writer-driven films, which are in short supply, especially in the post-auteur, George Lucas/Jerry Bruckheimer era. However, if you’re like Frank Swietek of ONE GUY’S OPINION, you might have had your fill of this writer and regard Eternal Sunshine as, “Another unpleasantly glib, shallow demonstration of Kaufman’s self-satisfied cleverness, further marred by failed pretensions to profundity about romantic destiny.”
As for me, I’m more inclined to side with Peter Travers, who declares Sunshine, “A remarkable film that can coax a smile about making the same mistakes in love and then sneak up and quietly break your heart.” Though I’ve supremely enjoyed the three other Kaufman-penned films I’ve seen–Being John Malkovich, Human Nature, and Adaptation (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is the one I’ve missed)–his tendency toward misanthropy is mainly what keeps me from revisiting them. In particular, I find BJM, though amazingly complex and funny, a terribly depressing movie full of overwhelmingly desperate and deplorable characters. Eternal Sunshine showcases Kaufman at his most optimistic, as the film exhibits faith, not in “romantic destiny,” so much as romantic possibility–that people can retain their good memories, while confronting the dark corners of past relationships and refusing to repeat their mistakes.
As much as this film recalls Kaufman’s other work, while watching it I was most reminded of The Truman Show. In both movies, Jim Carrey plays a man trying to break out of an artificial, inhumanly ideal world. While The Truman Show depicts his struggle to escape a sealed, TV-produced identity and landscape, Eternal Sunshine has him fighting to maintain his sense of self in a culture paradoxically obsessed with memory and forgetting. In this world, memories have become so essential, yet so oppressive, that eradicating them through a “procedure that really is brain damage” becomes a desirable option.
Carrey and Winslet both give particularly amazing, dynamic performances, seamlessly blending wacky humor, vengeful spite and childlike vulnerability, as Kaufman’s script demands. Though the film at times seems abstruse and somewhat punishing to watch, as the writer’s other films often do, I left marveling at how deceptively simple its statement really is. Love is not perfect: it’s no more spotless than the minds of any two given people.
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Brian Sawyer
Soccer News
Yesterday, the Black Knights United F.C. won a one-day, four-team mini tournament (mini, because we played only two games, a qualifier and a final, rather than a full four-game round-robin). After playing to an exciting 0-0 tie, the final was determined by penalty kicks. I was the second shooter for the Knights and, thankfully, I made mine.
Now, I must go. I’m almost too sore to type.
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Brian Sawyer
A Suitable Lengthy Read
I love a nice, long read, but it’s been quite a while since I’ve committed to one. The Crimson Petal and the White was pretty long, but it went so quickly that it didn’t seem so. And Infinite Jest and my longest achievement to date (In Search of Lost Time) now seem like ancient history.Anyway, based on the rave review (and gift) of my sister-in-law, I just started A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth. Weighing in at 1,474 pages, I imagine it will occupy the “Currently Reading” portion of my sidebar for a considerable amount of time.
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Brian Sawyer
“Recent Posts” Added to My Sidebar
Thanks to farkleberries for the code to add the new “Recent Posts” section to my sidebar. Thanks to Ben Hammersley for the lead.
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Brian Sawyer
Crazy, Random “Chris Rock Thing” is a true (at least, according to its author) account of a woman who gets Chris Rock’s old cell-phone number. Wackiness, of course, ensues:
CALLER: It’s Adam.
LAURA: Adam?
CALLER: [In a jovial manner] It’s Adam Sandler!
LAURA: [Realizes instantly it was indeed Adam Sandler -- there's no mistaking that distinctive voice of his] Oh, hi!
ADAM: Hi!
LAURA: Hi!
ADAM: Hi!
LAURA: [Overcome with sudden punchiness, from the craziness of one minute quietly winding down for bedtime, and then talking to Adam Sandler the next] So, are you calling Chris for business or pleasure?
ADAM: [Laughs, slightly taken off guard by this question, but still retaining his happy-go-lucky attitude] I’m calling Chris to say hello and chat. So… is he there?
LAURA: [Knows it's confession time, but tries her best to retain formerly buoyant personality] No, well… he’s not. You see, I’m actually just this random New York City girl who happened to get Chris’ old cell phone number….
ADAM: [Lets out a big laugh] Wow, that’s really funny! That’s great! You must be having a fun time with this!
LAURA: As a matter of fact, yes, I am! And what also makes it fun for me is that coincidentally, I write true stories about my life in New York City, and this will be another funny, true story to write about… Oh, I have number you can call to reach Chris….
ADAM: No, that’s okay… I have another number… Well, good luck to you, and sorry to have bothered you.
LAURA: Oh, no bother at all. Bye!
ADAM: Bye!
If you don’t read the whole thing, at least scan down to read all the dialogue. The variety of people trying to contact Chris Rock, in addition to the exchanges themselves, are quite funny. (via Boing Boing)
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jon 7:02 pm on October 2, 2005 Permalink |
We are trying to find good movie dvd video rental to take the kids this weekend. Good movie dvd video rental reviews are hard to find
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