According to contemporary sources...
"Kwaidan" literally translates to "ghost story", and sure enough, the film is composed of four unrelated stories.
Ghost stories, that is. *dun dun duuun*
As with most of Asian horror, the film does not rely on gore or violence to strike fear into the audience's hearts. Instead, it relies on the fear of the unknown, done with a slow and steady buildup of psychological tension.
I'd say that as with other Asian horror films, this one is good, but the obviously fabricated backdrops degrade from its effectiveness. In my opinion, of course.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Y Tu Mama Tambien
According to contemporary sources...
It's about two teenage guys with a twenty-something wimman. Now, that can't get any better (or worse).
I remember seeing this a few years back. Apparently, my brother was required to watch it as well. Back then, it struck me as being overly sexual. It still does, and it looks like most rating systems have deemed the film inappropriate for young audiences.
I will spoil the ending, ha! It is revealed at the end that the wimman has a terminal disease, and thus her behavior. Hurrah for the realization of the temporal nature of life.
Carpe diem!
It's about two teenage guys with a twenty-something wimman. Now, that can't get any better (or worse).
I remember seeing this a few years back. Apparently, my brother was required to watch it as well. Back then, it struck me as being overly sexual. It still does, and it looks like most rating systems have deemed the film inappropriate for young audiences.
I will spoil the ending, ha! It is revealed at the end that the wimman has a terminal disease, and thus her behavior. Hurrah for the realization of the temporal nature of life.
Carpe diem!
Tonari no Totoro
According to contemporary sources...
It's an animated film that is apparently intended for children; this becomes even more apparent when one discovers that it involves forest spirits and whatnot. It being intended for children, however, does not necessarily make it a children's movie, seeing as how this was included in the list of movies to watch. XD
Apparently, the most fascinating part of the movie is the utter lack of an antagonist. It's, well, a story. The creativity of it all, however, makes up for the lack of an engaging plot.
I'm not so sure as to why it's so seemingly popular, though.
It's an animated film that is apparently intended for children; this becomes even more apparent when one discovers that it involves forest spirits and whatnot. It being intended for children, however, does not necessarily make it a children's movie, seeing as how this was included in the list of movies to watch. XD
Apparently, the most fascinating part of the movie is the utter lack of an antagonist. It's, well, a story. The creativity of it all, however, makes up for the lack of an engaging plot.
I'm not so sure as to why it's so seemingly popular, though.
Raise the Red Lantern
According to contemporary sources...
The film is genius, a great product of our Chinese friends. It follows the story of a concubine who, in the end, sees the entire business of competing for the master's attention as entirely pointless; they are compared to pieces of cloth which the owner can wear and discard at any time. In the end, the main character - the third concubine - goes insane.
Apparently, the Chinese gov't initially banned the film as some critics thought it was a criticism of the Chinese government. It's not hard to see why, though, seeing as how the entire household metaphorically morphs into a prison as the story progresses.
Tally-ho.
The film is genius, a great product of our Chinese friends. It follows the story of a concubine who, in the end, sees the entire business of competing for the master's attention as entirely pointless; they are compared to pieces of cloth which the owner can wear and discard at any time. In the end, the main character - the third concubine - goes insane.
Apparently, the Chinese gov't initially banned the film as some critics thought it was a criticism of the Chinese government. It's not hard to see why, though, seeing as how the entire household metaphorically morphs into a prison as the story progresses.
Tally-ho.
The Bicycle Thief
According to contemporary sources...
It's a rather simple story. The guy's bicycle - a job essential - gets stolen, so he goes around searching for it. After a failed search, he then attempts to steal a bicycle to keep his job. He gets caught and is humiliated in front of his son, and the story ends there.
I disagree with the conclusion that the main character is on equal moral grounds with the thief.
The effect of an action is not all that there is to be judged - one must include the intention, for the intention is a large determinant of the individual's probability to repeat the act in question.
In this case, it would be prudent to say that the main character stands on morally superior grounds if only in the realm of intention, for he did it to keep his job and feed his son. But then again, the original bicycle thief could have similar reasons for stealing it in the first place. Hmm.
One can never be too sure.
It's a rather simple story. The guy's bicycle - a job essential - gets stolen, so he goes around searching for it. After a failed search, he then attempts to steal a bicycle to keep his job. He gets caught and is humiliated in front of his son, and the story ends there.
I disagree with the conclusion that the main character is on equal moral grounds with the thief.
The effect of an action is not all that there is to be judged - one must include the intention, for the intention is a large determinant of the individual's probability to repeat the act in question.
In this case, it would be prudent to say that the main character stands on morally superior grounds if only in the realm of intention, for he did it to keep his job and feed his son. But then again, the original bicycle thief could have similar reasons for stealing it in the first place. Hmm.
One can never be too sure.
Casablanca
According to contemporary sources...
it's a classic depiction of a moral quandary - love, or the right thing?
So, wimman A hooks up with guy B because guy A, her husband, was thought to have died in a Nazi concentration camp. Turns out that guy A survived, which prompted wimman A to immediately leave guy B to get back with guy A. Ugh. So, guy B has the "power" to allow guy A to escape, because guy A is actively being sought out by the Nazis.
Apparently, wimman A still loves guy B, so guy B helps guy A escape, and wimman A plans to stay behind.
However, guy B, being the moral and rational guy, forces the wimman to escape with guy A for the greater good. If she stayed, he said, she might regret it. Thus, his actions are for the greater good.
Great show. One of them solid, classic films which all adults know about.
it's a classic depiction of a moral quandary - love, or the right thing?
So, wimman A hooks up with guy B because guy A, her husband, was thought to have died in a Nazi concentration camp. Turns out that guy A survived, which prompted wimman A to immediately leave guy B to get back with guy A. Ugh. So, guy B has the "power" to allow guy A to escape, because guy A is actively being sought out by the Nazis.
Apparently, wimman A still loves guy B, so guy B helps guy A escape, and wimman A plans to stay behind.
However, guy B, being the moral and rational guy, forces the wimman to escape with guy A for the greater good. If she stayed, he said, she might regret it. Thus, his actions are for the greater good.
Great show. One of them solid, classic films which all adults know about.
Dr. Strangelove
According to contemporary sources...
it's one of those cold war mockeries. Since it involves nuclear weapons and a madman who addresses the president as 'Mein Fuhrer', there is much reason to believe that it is one of the best movies ever.
Of course, it talks of nuclear war, and against prevalent ideas, the commanding officer thought otherwise. 10 to 20 million deaths at the most, he says. Mutually assured destruction? Only if both sides start hitting each other at the same time, apparently. That's more I like it, cold and rational.
Incidentally, this film is where the image of a man riding a nuclear bomb came from. Rock and roll.
it's one of those cold war mockeries. Since it involves nuclear weapons and a madman who addresses the president as 'Mein Fuhrer', there is much reason to believe that it is one of the best movies ever.
Of course, it talks of nuclear war, and against prevalent ideas, the commanding officer thought otherwise. 10 to 20 million deaths at the most, he says. Mutually assured destruction? Only if both sides start hitting each other at the same time, apparently. That's more I like it, cold and rational.
Incidentally, this film is where the image of a man riding a nuclear bomb came from. Rock and roll.
Einstein's Dreams
Einstein's Dreams - Alan Lightman
10.09.07
Obviously, these are not Einstein's dreams. If they were, then the author would be Einstein himself, for how the hell would Alan Lightman come to know of Einstein's dreams? Instead, the stories contained herein revolve around various conceptions of time, as the author understands it.
A few scenarios are, as Wikipedia puts is, "exaggerations of true phenomena related to relativity," e.g. the stilts, the flying buildings; the others are simply fantastic, or nonsensical (time going backwards? Yeah, right.). It's interesting, but its value to me ends there. A glaring problem for me is that in most, if not all of the fantastical scenarios, the properties of "time" change, whereas the physical laws as we currently know them remain constant. Nonsense!
It's a nice time-waster. It can get you to think about time, but there are other books more suited to the topic.
10.09.07
Obviously, these are not Einstein's dreams. If they were, then the author would be Einstein himself, for how the hell would Alan Lightman come to know of Einstein's dreams? Instead, the stories contained herein revolve around various conceptions of time, as the author understands it.
A few scenarios are, as Wikipedia puts is, "exaggerations of true phenomena related to relativity," e.g. the stilts, the flying buildings; the others are simply fantastic, or nonsensical (time going backwards? Yeah, right.). It's interesting, but its value to me ends there. A glaring problem for me is that in most, if not all of the fantastical scenarios, the properties of "time" change, whereas the physical laws as we currently know them remain constant. Nonsense!
It's a nice time-waster. It can get you to think about time, but there are other books more suited to the topic.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Persepolis
Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi
10.07.07
Apparently, it was created with the motive of changing the reader's general opinion of Iran. Instead of viewing Iran as a country run by extremists, the author shows you everything from the eyes of a religious moderate, whatever that means.
Yes, yes, a religious person who wants to have both his religion (the cherry-picked parts) and his science is generally a docile one, but only because the beliefs are cherry-picked. Anyone who has read Sam Harris' The End of Faith, would know that such moderates play a large role in the continued existence of, well, stupidity.
Ah, and I still think rather badly of Iran. Any country that lacks a separation of Church and State is not on my list of countries to spare in my world domination schemes.
10.07.07
Apparently, it was created with the motive of changing the reader's general opinion of Iran. Instead of viewing Iran as a country run by extremists, the author shows you everything from the eyes of a religious moderate, whatever that means.
Yes, yes, a religious person who wants to have both his religion (the cherry-picked parts) and his science is generally a docile one, but only because the beliefs are cherry-picked. Anyone who has read Sam Harris' The End of Faith, would know that such moderates play a large role in the continued existence of, well, stupidity.
Ah, and I still think rather badly of Iran. Any country that lacks a separation of Church and State is not on my list of countries to spare in my world domination schemes.
The Metamorphosis
The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
10.07.07
A philo prof told my block in a workshop that one must not be pretentious. He said that if one does not like or understand Franz Kafka, one must not deliberately lie to others just to fit in. He said that his reaction to The Metamorphosis was: "Bakit naging bug?"
True, true. Bandwagoners suck.
My reaction was no different. I was all "wtf?", quickly followed by "okay..."
It seemed pointless to me, and it still does, unless one is willing to do some analytical acrobatics to derive something from it. A friend told me that it had something to do with human loneliness or whatnot.
Okay.
10.07.07
A philo prof told my block in a workshop that one must not be pretentious. He said that if one does not like or understand Franz Kafka, one must not deliberately lie to others just to fit in. He said that his reaction to The Metamorphosis was: "Bakit naging bug?"
True, true. Bandwagoners suck.
My reaction was no different. I was all "wtf?", quickly followed by "okay..."
It seemed pointless to me, and it still does, unless one is willing to do some analytical acrobatics to derive something from it. A friend told me that it had something to do with human loneliness or whatnot.
Okay.
The Falling Girl
The Falling Girl - Dino Buzzati
10.07.07
Honestly, I was exasperated when I reached the middle of the story. I thought that it was "more of that chick/wimman/feminism-related crap."
When I reached the end, I still felt that way.
Today, I still feel that way.
It's a rather simple commentary on how the female youth of today are easily sucked in by their foolish desires which ironically destroy them.
Yes, we already know that, thank you. No need for the elaborate metaphors.
10.07.07
Honestly, I was exasperated when I reached the middle of the story. I thought that it was "more of that chick/wimman/feminism-related crap."
When I reached the end, I still felt that way.
Today, I still feel that way.
It's a rather simple commentary on how the female youth of today are easily sucked in by their foolish desires which ironically destroy them.
Yes, we already know that, thank you. No need for the elaborate metaphors.
The Demon Lover
The Demon Lover - Elizabeth Bowen
10.07.07
In a bombed out English city (London?), some wimman walks around in her bombed out house, packing some stuff. She finds a letter concerning the fulfillment of a past lover's "promise", and amazingly, she cannot recall what the promise is; she can't even recall his face.
She goes on with her business with great paranoia, and she leaves her house. She gets a cab, but when she sees the driver, she screaaaaaaaaaaams. The cab then drives of. She is still screaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaming.
So yeah, it is a bit of a horror-ish story, and in this sense, it is an effective piece of work. It's a classic, which means that it does not rely on violence to scare people, unlike contemporary stories. It uses the fear of the unknown effectively. I mean, she can't even remember the guy's face, and we have no idea as to why she screamed in the cab. Actually, we've no idea about a whole lot of things!
Scary.
Scary is good.
10.07.07
In a bombed out English city (London?), some wimman walks around in her bombed out house, packing some stuff. She finds a letter concerning the fulfillment of a past lover's "promise", and amazingly, she cannot recall what the promise is; she can't even recall his face.
She goes on with her business with great paranoia, and she leaves her house. She gets a cab, but when she sees the driver, she screaaaaaaaaaaams. The cab then drives of. She is still screaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaming.
So yeah, it is a bit of a horror-ish story, and in this sense, it is an effective piece of work. It's a classic, which means that it does not rely on violence to scare people, unlike contemporary stories. It uses the fear of the unknown effectively. I mean, she can't even remember the guy's face, and we have no idea as to why she screamed in the cab. Actually, we've no idea about a whole lot of things!
Scary.
Scary is good.
Shatterday
Shatterday - Harlan Ellison
10.07.07
Ah, yet another impossible scenario. Some guy calls his own house by mistake only to find himself answering the phone. What is this, cloning? Probably not.
Let us now completely ignore the law of matter and energy conservation.
I'd say this is what happens when you give a writer some of Jung's concepts. You get a weird story trying to touch on any person's fragmented self. Good enough concept.
I must say, I like the playfulness in the naming of the days of the week.
Moanday
Duesday
Freeday
I mean, Moan day. Effin' A.
10.07.07
Ah, yet another impossible scenario. Some guy calls his own house by mistake only to find himself answering the phone. What is this, cloning? Probably not.
Let us now completely ignore the law of matter and energy conservation.
I'd say this is what happens when you give a writer some of Jung's concepts. You get a weird story trying to touch on any person's fragmented self. Good enough concept.
I must say, I like the playfulness in the naming of the days of the week.
Moanday
Duesday
Freeday
I mean, Moan day. Effin' A.
The Rocking Horse Winner
The Rocking Horse Winner - DH Lawrence
10.07.07
Lookie, another version of reality. Houses talk, and riding on a toy horse allows you to see the winner of the nearest horse race.
That's what this one is all about, really. We need money, parents say. House says to the kid that they need money. Kid gambles and wins. Keeps gambling until he abruptly dies.
I'm not sure what this is supposed to achieve.
What, am I supposed to sympathize or something?
10.07.07
Lookie, another version of reality. Houses talk, and riding on a toy horse allows you to see the winner of the nearest horse race.
That's what this one is all about, really. We need money, parents say. House says to the kid that they need money. Kid gambles and wins. Keeps gambling until he abruptly dies.
I'm not sure what this is supposed to achieve.
What, am I supposed to sympathize or something?
Monday, October 1, 2007
A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orance - Anthony Burgess
10.01.07
The novel is quite violent. Graphic, too. I find to to be basically filled to the brim with gratuitous violence; I was very much infuriated by the first half of the book. I saw it to be pointless and anarchistic - I found myself vehemently disagreeing with the protagonist's whims and decisions.
The second part, however, decreased a bit on the violent part, but I still disagreed with it on a different level.
It provides us with a dichotomy - "free" agents freely willing evil or restricted agents forced to do the good? The novel seems to indicate that the former is "good", but I wholly disagree, for it begs the question that "freedom", as popularly understood, is intrinsically good, but I do not concur. Freedom is desirable, true, but it should not be so desirable as to override the security of others. To elevate it in such a manner would be making murder legal because it is done in the interest of freedom of expression. In short, the effect or utility of any action should be the focus of moral judgment, for I see the intention to be of little or no consequence; at best, the intention should be part of a different investigation other than ethics, such as psychology.
I still think it's too violent. I'll tolchock every last one of the characters in this thing if they existed.
10.01.07
The novel is quite violent. Graphic, too. I find to to be basically filled to the brim with gratuitous violence; I was very much infuriated by the first half of the book. I saw it to be pointless and anarchistic - I found myself vehemently disagreeing with the protagonist's whims and decisions.
The second part, however, decreased a bit on the violent part, but I still disagreed with it on a different level.
It provides us with a dichotomy - "free" agents freely willing evil or restricted agents forced to do the good? The novel seems to indicate that the former is "good", but I wholly disagree, for it begs the question that "freedom", as popularly understood, is intrinsically good, but I do not concur. Freedom is desirable, true, but it should not be so desirable as to override the security of others. To elevate it in such a manner would be making murder legal because it is done in the interest of freedom of expression. In short, the effect or utility of any action should be the focus of moral judgment, for I see the intention to be of little or no consequence; at best, the intention should be part of a different investigation other than ethics, such as psychology.
I still think it's too violent. I'll tolchock every last one of the characters in this thing if they existed.
Harrison Bergeron
Harrison Bergeron - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
10.01.07
Another dystopian story, but this time, in lieu of communism or capitalism run amok, the story illustrates a society wherein egalitarianism has run amok. When people are made physically equal by having weights put on the stronger people, something is bound to go wrong.
Harrison Bergeron, an amazingly smart and amazingly strong kid, does something amazingly stupid. He barges in on a TV studio, shouts "I am the emperor," and proceeds to take a beautiful wimman and dances with her to the ceiling.
He then gets shot.
So. Society = egalitarian maniacs, Harrison = autocratic maniac. That's a crappy set of choices.
I disagree with the egalitarians. What kind of social equality is that? One must admit that there is always an imbalance, and everyone is never equal in all respects.
I disagree with Harrison. Good thing he got shot.
The moral of the story? Don't say that you are the emperor, for I am the emperor. XD
10.01.07
Another dystopian story, but this time, in lieu of communism or capitalism run amok, the story illustrates a society wherein egalitarianism has run amok. When people are made physically equal by having weights put on the stronger people, something is bound to go wrong.
Harrison Bergeron, an amazingly smart and amazingly strong kid, does something amazingly stupid. He barges in on a TV studio, shouts "I am the emperor," and proceeds to take a beautiful wimman and dances with her to the ceiling.
He then gets shot.
So. Society = egalitarian maniacs, Harrison = autocratic maniac. That's a crappy set of choices.
I disagree with the egalitarians. What kind of social equality is that? One must admit that there is always an imbalance, and everyone is never equal in all respects.
I disagree with Harrison. Good thing he got shot.
The moral of the story? Don't say that you are the emperor, for I am the emperor. XD
The Portable Phonograph
The Portable Phonograph - Walter Van Tilburg Clarke
10.01.07
A world war breaks out and apparently annihilates the entire civilized world - save for four men.
The amazing part here is that the entire world was ravaged without the use of nuclear weaponry. How sad.
So a doctor owns a phonograph and a few books which he protects with a very comfortable piece of lead pipe, just in case the others would want to take his belongings. This is only to be expected, however, for how does one manufacture a phonograph when almost all semblance of human technology has been blown to itty-little bits?
Regardless, I disapprove. I see Armageddon as an ideal and prudent time to exercise the democratic intuitions that natural selection saw fit to endow us with. A man with a lead pipe will not survive on his own. The chances of four men with four lead pipes will be much more preferable. XD
10.01.07
A world war breaks out and apparently annihilates the entire civilized world - save for four men.
The amazing part here is that the entire world was ravaged without the use of nuclear weaponry. How sad.
So a doctor owns a phonograph and a few books which he protects with a very comfortable piece of lead pipe, just in case the others would want to take his belongings. This is only to be expected, however, for how does one manufacture a phonograph when almost all semblance of human technology has been blown to itty-little bits?
Regardless, I disapprove. I see Armageddon as an ideal and prudent time to exercise the democratic intuitions that natural selection saw fit to endow us with. A man with a lead pipe will not survive on his own. The chances of four men with four lead pipes will be much more preferable. XD
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
10.01.07
Together with The Selfish Giant, I've already taken this up in high school.
We classified it to be a strain of magical realism, a story wherein the supernatural is treated in no special manner, as if it was part of everyday life, or at best, a rare event.
So a man with wings happens to drop into your backyard, muttering some incomprehensible dialect that probably sounds German - what do our protagonists do?
No, they don't call Homeland Security. They don't contact Health Services. They don't even contact the police. They contact a frickin' old wimman who is a supposed "specialist" in such things. Very infuriating.
Expectedly, she has no idea of the creature's origin. Who do they go to next? The church! My god, the church. Way to go for rationalism.
When the church fails them by not knowing/giving a shit, they turn the creature into some sort of a carnival attraction that is quickly superseded by a girl turned into a spider.
Yeah, sure. Why did they not call more competent people to investigate!? Ugh.
10.01.07
Together with The Selfish Giant, I've already taken this up in high school.
We classified it to be a strain of magical realism, a story wherein the supernatural is treated in no special manner, as if it was part of everyday life, or at best, a rare event.
So a man with wings happens to drop into your backyard, muttering some incomprehensible dialect that probably sounds German - what do our protagonists do?
No, they don't call Homeland Security. They don't contact Health Services. They don't even contact the police. They contact a frickin' old wimman who is a supposed "specialist" in such things. Very infuriating.
Expectedly, she has no idea of the creature's origin. Who do they go to next? The church! My god, the church. Way to go for rationalism.
When the church fails them by not knowing/giving a shit, they turn the creature into some sort of a carnival attraction that is quickly superseded by a girl turned into a spider.
Yeah, sure. Why did they not call more competent people to investigate!? Ugh.
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