November 30, 2005
mini-review: "The Boondocks" TV program
Over Thanksgiving, I saw "The Boondocks" animated cartoon on Comeday Central (Adult Swim).
I guess I didn't realize how "edgy" the comic is until seeing it animated. The episode I saw was "Grandad's Fight," in which the "N-word" was used in profusion. The show seems to harken more to comic books than to comic strips in its use of explosive graphics and story-line. It also raises interesting questions re: how a different medium changes the reception and consumption of a work of art and/or social commentary such as "The Boondocks."
The comic strip (which I read daily) is rarely laugh-out-loud funny, but it often raises a smile. There was hardly anything to raise a smile (let along a laugh) in the episode I saw. I think that's OK. The show still has lots of value re: it's taking on issues of race and social justice. And the actual animation and artwork is also quite innovative and drawn to a very high standard (I wonder to what extent Aaron McGruder is involved in the production of the show).
The show is well deserving the good critical reviews its getting, though I can't see such a show surviving on a non-cable station. I look forward to renting future episodes on DVD (don't have cable here).
I think the show website is quite well-done as well, especially in the way it comments on its own materiality as a comic strip in a different, digital, medium. Check it out:
Thanksgiving (TV) binging
I just got back from visiting my folks for Thanksgiving. It was, as it usually is, a time to connect with family. This visit was a little special in that my boyfriend Wallace was with me and was meeting my family (two three of my brothers, three nieces, and my parents, anyway) for the first time. I'm happy to report that he seemed to be well-received (and my family well-received by him).
He left after Thanksgiving dinner for his hometown of West Point, Georgia, which gave me an opportunity to give more of my attention to my family and...catch up on my television. My family, like most American families I suppose, watches a lot of TV. There are usually two, sometimes three, sometimes four TVs going, all of them hooked up to the cable.
My first morning, for instance, I got engrossed in a "Mythbusters" mini-marathon. I mean, who can resist these brilliant over-grown children trying to see if someone can survive a fall from an airplane, or can be lifted into the air using only pressurized water bottles? I couldn't.
That evening (or the next: the TV programs blur into one another after awhile) I saw, for the first time, "Pimp My Ride." I mean, who can resist these brilliant over-grown children turning a car into a multi-media studio on wheels? I couldn't. Seriously, I found it much more entertaining than I expected. And Xhibit is a fly fella for sure...
But I spent most of my TV time watching Comedy Central. I got to see a couple episodes of "Drawn Together," which I think is a lot of fun and quite well done. Also "Family Guy," which I still haven't completely warmed to, but I think is well worth watching, especially that little megalomaniacal toddler bent of world domination, Stuey.
I also saw an episode of "Lost" which I find more interesting as an online fan site phenomenon, but which is nonetheless quite engaging as pure television.
I didn't watch many movies, as I oftentimes do when I'm at my folks'. The last time I was there I stayed up until 4am one night watching the inimitable Dirk Bogarde as Sydney Carton in "A Tale of Two Cities." There was nothing this time which grabbed me like that.
It wasn't ALL TV watching. We also played cards a lot (and a round of golf!). Initially when the nieces were around, I was getting my butt kicked playing "Phase 10," but I closed out my visit with two consecutive victories against my mom and brother Ray (forgive me for publishing it here for the entire world to see!).
And now I'm back home, behind my piles of books, trying to get going on my reading for comps, coming up this spring.
November 22, 2005
mini-review: Capote
I saw Capote more than a week ago. It's still got me thinking.
It's worthy of the good reviews it's been getting. Philip Seymour Hoffman is uncanny as Capote--a brilliant performance (though I did notice some of the camera tricks they used to shorten the tall Hoffman playing the short pixie-ish Capote. Katherine Keener is also very good as Harper Lee, as is Chris Cooper as Alvin Dewey, not to mention Clifton Collins Jr. as one the killers, Perry Smith, with whom Capote (according to the film) falls in love.
The cinematography, showing the stark flat expanses of Kansas, is quite evocative, as is the almost minimalist score. Brilliant, low-key directing from Bennett Miller and terrific writing by Dan Futterman. It takes a good writer to write a good story about another writer, though Capote was certainly more colorful than most.
I don't know if this is the best film of the year, but it's certainly one of the bravest. Not only depicting the fey (but ruthless) Capote falling in love with a man, but falling in love with a murderer--and not only that, but showing Capote using the situation to land a story that he knew would make him rich and famous. And perhaps worst of all, sympathetically portraying Perry Smith, a killer (even making him into something of a sex symbol, pouty lips and all). And yet it all works.
To think I almost didn't see this film because I didn't want to see that fateful scene where the two killers murder a family of four. Happily, that scene was not the center of the film; in fact, the director does that scene in about 30 seconds (during which I had my eyes covered). And by that time in the film (near the end), after we've gotten to know Smith, the killing is seen as the terrible, tragic mistake that it was. The scene is not in the least bit gratuitous, and offers a message nonviolence.
It does this by showing how the cycle of violence works. How violence done to others in small ways leads eventually to larger acts of violence done by the victim, now become victimizer. Then become victim again, as the state takes his life.
It is also a brilliant parable of the process of literary creation, which often depends on an act of betrayal (see Jean Genet). Capote must betray a human being he loves in order to get the great story--and ensuing fame--he loves more. And then the guilt, along with alcohol--the film suggests--slowly poisons and kills him.
Here is where Keener's low-key performance as Harper Lee shines. The great question is why Lee never followed up her smash success with To Kill a Mockingbird, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize. You can see why in Keener's performance: she saw her dear friend destroy himself for fame, and wanted none of it for herself. She chose obscurity--and survival.
I can see this film landing a few awards come Oscar time. As much as I get tired of seeing swishy gay men win Academy Awards (hello William Hurt in Kiss of the Spiderwoman), Hoffman deserves the Oscar, mostly because he portrays Capote as heroically swishy and fabulous, with a will as steely as the most macho action hero.
I hope everyone else wins too: Keener, Cooper, Miller, and Futterman. Though I think this film may be a little too edgy to get the big Oscars. We'll see.
Meanwhile, I may need to see this film again. Especially now that I know exactly where to cover my eyes...
I also recommend the film web site. Nothing fancy, as stark as the story and cinematography, but very functional. Though I found it ironic that they chose a typing motif for the design, given that one of Capote's more famous bon mots was in reference to Jack Kerouac's writing of On the Road: "That's not writing--that's typing." Here's the URL:
Gates of Paradise: Plate 19
I've been sitting on this one for a while now. Don't have much to say, since its visual design is primitive, and all words. I'm intrigued by the proto-hypertextual nature of the plate. Where does one go with the "key" except back to the original image? That's where it performs as hypertext.
What of the text?
"Serpent reasonings." "Two-horned reasoning." "Rational truth root of evil and good." Typical distrust of reason. Some symbols we see in later Blake texts: the veil, the mandrake root, the hermaphrodite. Typical mistrust of women. Absolutely bizarre, but logical in Blake's world. At least I don't have to say that it defies reason that Blake meant this plate to be included in a emblem book for children--because this plate was added to that, as part of "For the Sexes"; it was not included in the original set.
I wish I had the time to actually take the plate and add some links to it, to make it truly hypertexual. But I'll have to leave that for another time.
One more plate of words, and then a last bizarre image...
November 14, 2005
mini-review: Al Fashawi internet cafe
I just went to an internet bar in my neighborhood. It's called Al Fashawi. Don't have the address. Don't know if I recommend it.
It used to be a strip joint, and you can tell: it has a pole in the middle of the room, mirrors, stage, etc. Only they try to off-play it with lot's of computer monitors, which sit there encircling and staring at you, because they're all off, because no one comes there (I was there around 6pm and there were only a couple other people briefly there; maybe it has a lively night crowd, but I doubt it).
On the plus side, there are hookahs, if you're into such things. And chess and checker boards. It's a place where people who don't own computers can come and plug into the net. There's wireless connection.
And there was Al Jazeera on the TV over the bar. I'd say that's a plus, for folks to see the world through un-American eyes. It's good to look at a major media source in the Middle-East and see what a lot of Muslim and Arab eyes are seeing.
But tea came in a styrofoam cup. A big thumbs down on styrofoam. And there's really no one working there but this old Arab guy. Maybe we should go to support the old Arab guy. But it's really dirty. In an iffy neighborhood.
I didn't take a picture. In my coding system, in my review, that means a thumbs down. Can't recommend it.
November 5, 2005
my new acquisition
OK, here's my question. I just scanned and then processed/color corrected an engraving found in a book originally published in the late 18th century. That puts it in the public domain, right? I now own that image, right?
If they want to take it back, let them pry it from my cold, dead...pixels.
so it's come to that 2
I recently read how in his early days in London the essayist Thomas De Quincey often went hungry in order to buy books.
I may have to skip food shopping this week myself after spending $67 on used books.
Oh well, like De Quincey, I can live on tea for a week.
review of Second Story Books
On October 21, in this blog, I did a sort-of review of a used book-store in Washington, DC (Kultura's Books on Connecticut Ave.). You can read it below (don't make me link it for you).
Now I'd like to offer another sort-of review of another used book-store, this one only a couple blocks from Kultura's.
The store in question is Second Story Books, on P St. (there are two other locations in the DC area).
I put to this store the challenge I put to Kultura's: to provide me with 18th and 19th century works, and lit crit on the period, to fill some holes in my book list for my comprehensive exams.
Once again, I scored some great books.
I found a 1926 Oxford U. Press hardback edition of Cowper's Poetical Works for $12.50 (needed The Task for my list).
I found a 1963 Everyman's Library edition (hardback) of William Hazlitt's Lectures on the English Comic Writers, with "On the Periodical Essayists" and "On the Works of Hogarth," both of which I wanted for the list.
I found a beautiful 1927 Macmillan hardback edition of Edgar Lee Masters's Spoon River Anthology. Since this is a work of early-20th century American poetry, it doesn't belong on my list. But I remember fondly reading the Anthology in college (when I was a prize-winning poet!) and being very impressed with it. And, as I said, it's a beautiful book, with a nice embossed cover, and attractive font and layout. And it was only $5! I double-checked with the cashier guy, but he confirmed the price written in pencil on the cover page, so I bought it.
And since I got a nice book for $5, I decided it was OK for me to go ahead and buy The Doré Illustrated Edition of The Complete Poems of John Milton, published by Crown in 1936, for $20. I really need an edition of Milton for my library (though he won't be on my list), and the Doré illustrations were a big bonus (though they are a little washed out). The only thing better would have been an edition of Milton illustrated by William Blake.
Then when I thought I was done spending, I came across the music CDs.
I found a Dawn Upshaw compilation (Messiaen, Debussy, Golijov, and Fauré)--I really liked her singing on Gorecki's Symphony No. 3 recording (Elektra/Nonesuch 1992). And I found a Hyperion recording of "English Music in the Time of Beethoven" entitled The Romantic Muse. I grabbed that because I've been trying to build up a Romantic music soundtrack to listen to while reading Romantic literature. Most of that has been German classical and Romantic music (Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert)--but now I have actual English music of the period (which, strangely, includes Haydn, from when he was visiting London). I bought both those CDs for $9 each.
I thought the things I bought were reasonably priced, and there was a great selection, so I have to give Second Story Books in Dupont Circle four stars for a selection and prices even a grad student can enjoy.
* * * *
so it's come to that 1
So it's come to that, has it. After spending my days, and my week, reading books in 18th and 19th century British literature, I spend my Saturday night...going to a bookstore to look for and buy books in 18th and 19th century British literature.
At one point does bibliophilia become bibliomania?
And then I spend the rest of my Saturday night blogging about it.
November 3, 2005
phoku.31
WARNING: TOO MUCH INFORMATION
Don't know if I want to elaborate on this one. I have to trim my ear hair every week or so. It's kind of annoying, especially when my ear hair (and nostril hair) trimmer isn't working properly, like today. There are few things more unpleasant than having one's ear or nostril hair tweaked by a trimmer!
I'm looking at a picture of Mahatma Gandhi right now. His ear is very evident. There's no hair that I can see. Why can't I be more like Gandhi? Maybe if I took a bramacharya vow--life-long celibacy.
Then again, maybe I can learn to live with my ear hair. Non-attachment...
mini-review of Drew Carey's Green Screen Show
The evening following my visit with multi-media artist Jim Nevin (who uses blue screen film technology in his art; see entry below), I saw Drew Carey's Green Screen Show on Comedy Central.
As the title suggests, Carey uses similar technology, but in this case it's green instead of blue. I found the inprov very inspired, and funny. But what I really liked was its new media aspect. After the sketches are done, animators go to work creating video-animation hybrid versions of the sketches that are quite clever. In most cases, the animation fills out the premise of the sketch; sometimes it comments ironically upon it. You get to see, for instance, Drew miming the reading of a book, which the animators fill out with a cartoon book, and then when someone else in the sketch creates a verbal link to, say, a snake, then the animators turn the book into a snake, and then the snake into...something you'd only see on a late night comedy program on cable.
I wish I could give more examples. Even more so, I wish I had cable so I could watch this program more often (along with Drawn Together, another program I really like on Comedy Central).
the hills are alive...with artists
While in the Catskills I met a lot of interesting, artistic people. Lot's of artsy-craftsy types. There was a very interesting and engaging painter named "Grandma Hemp." She had a secondary interest which you can probably guess. Another artist told me that the Catskills has the highest concentration of artists in the country. I believe it.
This latter artist is named Jim Nevin. He's doing some very creative things with performance art and media. He's creating a show about mad scientist who has created an intelligence-enhancing drug that is slowly turning him into a monster. More interestingly, it has an interactive web site as background. Jim actually performs the piece against a blue screen, and then projects the image into the web interface.
When I got home, I was a little disappointed to discover that the web component is not very well developed--or rather it was, but Jim took it down to work on it some more. I for one would be interested in seeing a stand-alone website which had features the performance piece does not. But I guess at this point it's not a priority for Jim.
I'll put the URL up anyway in case sometime in the near future Jim puts it back online.
spinning away in the Catskills
I know it's been awhile. I spent a good part of the last two weeks visiting my boyfriend Wallace in the Catskills. He lives with four other people in an old farmhouse in Stamford, NY.
That is no excuse for not blogging however, since they had a wireless internet access and I had my laptop with me. In fact, on any given evening there were two or three people peering into their laptops in the parlor. These folks live an otherwise simple life, but living without internet access is not part of that equation. Yes, you can live a simple life and still have technology in your life. The Amish have their machines too, they just don't run them on electricity.
Kind of like the foot-pedal spinning wheel I was introduced to while visiting Stamford. I'm not quite ready to give up the drop spindle because it's so portable, but I know that someday I will have a wheel as well. It produces far more yarn at a much quicker pace. It's also as equally meditative as the drop spindle. Here's a picture of me in spinning, "Mother McCree" mode.
I think, however, when I do get a spinning wheel it will be the hand-turned model that Gandhi used. In fact, my dream is to create such a wheel using an old bicycle. It would go well with my drop spindle made of old CDs.