(no subject)
May. 30th, 2010 11:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
floatingleafSo what have I been up to this lovely long weekend? Shopping, mostly. Groceries, toiletries, underwear, sleepwear, shoes... basic stuff, really. I just realized I hadn't actually gone clothes-shopping since 2008 (!). I was so freaked out by the gradual, mysterious decline of my bank account balance that I decided to put ALL unnecessary purchases on hold; but then I think I went a bit too far and ended up wearing stuff that had already started to come apart at the seams. Seriously, I was beginning to look like a hobo.:/ My financial situation is not THAT bad, for heaven's sake. I CAN afford a few pieces of clothing every once in a while, or a new pair of shoes to replace those old black loafers I had bought in Poland about 10 years ago. I kid you not - I still wear them, even though they are terribly scuffed, and the soles are cracking in a few places. The thing is, I LOVED those shoes, and I didn't want to part with them until I found a new pair in a similar style. Which I finally did. Today.:) So the old loafers can be eventually put to rest. After so many years of faithful service, I think I should give them a funeral.:D
Oh, and btw, the "excuse" for most of these shopping trips was trying to find a gift for my dad's upcoming birthday. Needless to say, I didn't find anything that he might possibly want or need - but I found a lot of stuff for myself instead.:) Like those pretty frilly nightgowns, or the fancy bar of organic French soap smelling of verbena. *inhales ecstatically* ;) Not a necessity, I suppose (a plainer, cheaper soap would do) - but a woman NEEDS to indulge sometimes, right? No matter how little money she has... RIGHT?
Also, I have seen some amazing movies lately. I don't feel up to writing extensive reviews, but I just need to mention a few titles briefly before I forget to do it.
1) XXY - the story of a 15-year-old hermaphrodite, struggling with her/his adolescent hormones and gender confusion (as well as the feeling of isolation that comes with keeping such an unusual secret). Despite being regarded by her parents and friends as a girl, the kid finally decides he might actually, emotionally, be a boy - and a gay one at that. Compelling and full of surprises. Made in 2007 in Argentina. The main part is brilliantly played by Ines Efron.
2) Live and Become - a Christian boy from an Ethiopian refugee camp is sent by his mother to accompany a Jewish woman, whose real son had died, to Israel, where the Ethiopian Jews are being evacuated. The boy doesn't speak Hebrew or understand Jewish culture - and his Jewish 'mother' dies soon after arriving in Israel. The culture shock and alienation transforms the bewildered 9-year-old into a classic "problem kid", withdrawn and violent. He is finally adopted by a nice couple with two kids - who, of course, have no idea that he's not really Jewish (all the kid knows is that he can't tell anyone, or they'll send him back to Ethiopia). Or that his real mother is still alive back in Africa. So the boy grows up Jewish, then falls in love with a girl whose orthodox family rejects him because he's black. In the meantime, he never stops trying to secretly get in touch with his mother. Finally he goes to Paris to study medicine, joins Doctors Without Borders and returns to Ethiopia. So, the role is actually played by three different actors - child, adolescent and adult. All three are amazing. And so are others - notably, Yael Abecassis who plays his adoptive Jewish mother. A heartbreakingly beautiful story throughout, with haunting music and an impressive cast of believable characters. Filmed in 2005.
3) Before the Rain - a Macedonian photographer, living in London, tries to make amends for the death he inadvertently caused while covering the war in Bosnia. Meanwhile, in his native village in Macedonia, there is escalating hostility between Christian and Muslim (Albanian) families. An Albanian girl, accused of killing a Macedonian, seeks refuge in a monastery, where she is protected by a young monk who had taken a vow of silence. The photographer is torn between his troubled homeland and the married British woman he loves. The absurdity of violence and pointless revenge escalates into a terrifying mayhem that defies all understanding. The film is, however, more than just a statement on the wrongness of war. It goes deeper than that. It is profoundly symbolic, carefully structured and so beautifully shot it leaves you gasping. The violence is deliberate and disturbing, like in Cronenberg's films - it makes you FEEL how utterly terrible and unjustifiable it is. The rugged, idyllic beauty of Balkan landscapes stands in stark contrast to the unfolding tragedy. The music is stunning too - I would love to get the soundtrack, if I can ever find it. The film was made in 1994, and I think I saw it on TV in Poland many years ago - but I didn't remember much of it. Now it's firmly stuck in my head, though, never to be forgotten again.
Btw, The Road DVD doesn't have all that much extra material on it. The Making Of featurette is very short, and there are a few deleted scenes (even shorter). As well as director's commentary, which I haven't listened to yet (might do that tomorrow). Haven't had the guts to rewatch the film itself yet, either - might be easier with commentary, though. I need to know more about the sacrifices Viggo made for the integrity of artistic vision. That's a topic I can never possibly get bored with... LOL.
Oh, and btw, the "excuse" for most of these shopping trips was trying to find a gift for my dad's upcoming birthday. Needless to say, I didn't find anything that he might possibly want or need - but I found a lot of stuff for myself instead.:) Like those pretty frilly nightgowns, or the fancy bar of organic French soap smelling of verbena. *inhales ecstatically* ;) Not a necessity, I suppose (a plainer, cheaper soap would do) - but a woman NEEDS to indulge sometimes, right? No matter how little money she has... RIGHT?
Also, I have seen some amazing movies lately. I don't feel up to writing extensive reviews, but I just need to mention a few titles briefly before I forget to do it.
1) XXY - the story of a 15-year-old hermaphrodite, struggling with her/his adolescent hormones and gender confusion (as well as the feeling of isolation that comes with keeping such an unusual secret). Despite being regarded by her parents and friends as a girl, the kid finally decides he might actually, emotionally, be a boy - and a gay one at that. Compelling and full of surprises. Made in 2007 in Argentina. The main part is brilliantly played by Ines Efron.
2) Live and Become - a Christian boy from an Ethiopian refugee camp is sent by his mother to accompany a Jewish woman, whose real son had died, to Israel, where the Ethiopian Jews are being evacuated. The boy doesn't speak Hebrew or understand Jewish culture - and his Jewish 'mother' dies soon after arriving in Israel. The culture shock and alienation transforms the bewildered 9-year-old into a classic "problem kid", withdrawn and violent. He is finally adopted by a nice couple with two kids - who, of course, have no idea that he's not really Jewish (all the kid knows is that he can't tell anyone, or they'll send him back to Ethiopia). Or that his real mother is still alive back in Africa. So the boy grows up Jewish, then falls in love with a girl whose orthodox family rejects him because he's black. In the meantime, he never stops trying to secretly get in touch with his mother. Finally he goes to Paris to study medicine, joins Doctors Without Borders and returns to Ethiopia. So, the role is actually played by three different actors - child, adolescent and adult. All three are amazing. And so are others - notably, Yael Abecassis who plays his adoptive Jewish mother. A heartbreakingly beautiful story throughout, with haunting music and an impressive cast of believable characters. Filmed in 2005.
3) Before the Rain - a Macedonian photographer, living in London, tries to make amends for the death he inadvertently caused while covering the war in Bosnia. Meanwhile, in his native village in Macedonia, there is escalating hostility between Christian and Muslim (Albanian) families. An Albanian girl, accused of killing a Macedonian, seeks refuge in a monastery, where she is protected by a young monk who had taken a vow of silence. The photographer is torn between his troubled homeland and the married British woman he loves. The absurdity of violence and pointless revenge escalates into a terrifying mayhem that defies all understanding. The film is, however, more than just a statement on the wrongness of war. It goes deeper than that. It is profoundly symbolic, carefully structured and so beautifully shot it leaves you gasping. The violence is deliberate and disturbing, like in Cronenberg's films - it makes you FEEL how utterly terrible and unjustifiable it is. The rugged, idyllic beauty of Balkan landscapes stands in stark contrast to the unfolding tragedy. The music is stunning too - I would love to get the soundtrack, if I can ever find it. The film was made in 1994, and I think I saw it on TV in Poland many years ago - but I didn't remember much of it. Now it's firmly stuck in my head, though, never to be forgotten again.
Btw, The Road DVD doesn't have all that much extra material on it. The Making Of featurette is very short, and there are a few deleted scenes (even shorter). As well as director's commentary, which I haven't listened to yet (might do that tomorrow). Haven't had the guts to rewatch the film itself yet, either - might be easier with commentary, though. I need to know more about the sacrifices Viggo made for the integrity of artistic vision. That's a topic I can never possibly get bored with... LOL.
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(no subject)
Date: 2010-06-23 11:44 pm (UTC)It's the content, not the form of delivery, that matters when it comes to art.
*orgasms from total Sentence!LOVE*
Oh yesss, the cassette tapes.. so much nostalgia hiding in them! Not even the same litening to something that was once on a raspy-sounding tape. Hmm..I wonder where all of mine are - I´ve been moving far too many times, but I know I´ll get overwhelmed when I find them sometime in the future.
I hhave a tape-player (fairly modern one) that haven´t been used in ages. You are safe dear =)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-06-27 01:55 am (UTC)See, I am probably the most sentimental person you will ever meet.;)
You are safe dear =)
That's good to know. *clings to you, your tape player and all the memories we can share or create together* <333
(no subject)
Date: 2010-06-29 11:38 pm (UTC)You must have been Greek in another life.
See, I am probably the most sentimental person you will ever meet
Nothing wrong with being sentimental, dear. All we have in the end are memories to cling to and I think it´s lovely that Life contains those things to look back on and refer to - they shape us into unique beings, make us who we are.
*clings to you, your tape player and all the memories we can share or create together*
Awwwww.... *dusts it off, recovers your lost tapes and morphs into Zorba*
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-03 06:33 pm (UTC)Yes, and I lived on Lesbos.:P
recovers your lost tapes and morphs into Zorba
You don't need to morph into anyone, darling. Just be your own wonderful self. *Greek-dances with you into the sunset*
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-05 02:26 am (UTC)Of course, that´s where the wild things grow.
*tries figuring out the wonderful self & simply loves you for even trying*
*sunset!sparkles*