No Nude Body Stockings Here

John Cameron Mitchell of Hedwig fame has started this interesting project... He's going for this cinema verite, dogme style of filmmaking featuring real couples having sex on camera.
Ok. I'll stop smirking for a minute and say that while I thoroughly applaud the efforts - he's missing the point of raw sexuality. It's raw, as in natural... Unstaged. And... A very unassuming part of the plotline. Like films "Happy Together" and "Pola X" - the sex isn't the mainstay, the constant or even the climax (no pun intended) of the plot. Thus - You don't make a quirky relationship film with real sex unless there's something deeper at the core. Those cutting edge films he name checks certainly did take risks - but they had heavy handed themes to go along with the titilating scenes.
Think of the "raw scenes" as the salt on the rim of the movie's tequila shot. Porn is just "salt". Lars Von Trier is just "tequila".
Whatever.

Rather than sit complacently and not do anything about this war, I think I'll join this group... Afterall, they're protesting in prada and recognize the power of a good soundbite when you get one (i.e., "Do - smile for the camera", "Don't - be a silly bare-titted hippy in nothing but body paints and butterfly wings in a misguided effort to try to break the dominant paradigm. The dominant paradigm doesn't want to be broken just yet.")

Labrynth

In january, things seem to shift, change and fall into place. For most people, this sorting out happens in fall. But being in an industry that reshuffles every 4th quarter, you get used to the tsunami that is January. It also lends itself to a Pynchonian grid of conspiracies and secret societies that you never dreamed existed, and yet you are excited and terrified at their existence. I walk down the street and wonder what map my own secrets might make, or other's who have secrets over me. I am doubtful of conspiracies, though - no one is that organized i figure. There is no cigarette smoking man, no 4th gunman, no alien autopsies. At the end of the day - there's just us, dazed and wondering.
I am not out of the labrynth yet.
Speaking of politics...

And in the "if you tolerate this today..." Dept

Concerned about Reproductive Rights in America?
Then attend the ProChoice Rally. Right now!

Happy New Year.

Now the fun really begins. 2002 sucked for quite a few people... You mention the enthusiasm for the new Year and most people give a shellshocked groan. They've gotten past the horrific 2001 year, 2002 was just a constant low point. Politically, Socially, Economically and Culturally (proof = "The Bachelor" on TV). For me personally, 2002 wasn't so bad. I managed to stick to some of my resolutions and had some personal gains this year. Not to say it was a perfect year, but it turned out ok. So this is starting point zero, and like last year - 2003 has some deliverables for yours truly. Here they are:

• Determine what Education I Need and Fully Pursue it By End of the Year.
  
• I know this is going to annoy some of you - but Be a better person - give back to the community - Volunteer to do something... anything!
  
• Get back on the health kick, not the vanity trip
  
• Read More books, less periodicals (A book every 2-3 weeks)
  
• Cook more, improve my limited culinary skills into something tangible.
  
• Save Money.
  
• Be Less Cynical.
  
• Go through closets, storage and shed excess crap. Give to Charity.
  
• Enhance Website and Mac: Learn Midi and develop Mac tools more.
  
• Call old friends and relations more (another carryover from last year).
  

Basically, I'm carrying over about half of the resolutions from last year. I did pretty well in terms of the first one to go to the gym about every freakin day. I did stick with a strict regimen until June when I got lazy and it got hot. However, this year is all education, baby - I gotta get back into school somehow...
hmmm - on with the show...

Sigh - Does it have subtitles?

A tale of Distributors, Foreign Film and Sophia Loren's boobies in this article in Salon... While there are worse power struggles in the world, I think we should all realize how much power distributors hold...
It still amazes me that people can't get past the FORIEGN = OTHER = BAD paradigm. How frekkin 1950's can you be, Jack Valenti???
I recall meeting the director Alex Cox and how he explained how he got railroaded by the distributors for his film Highway Patrolman. Because it was a) entirely in Spanish b) filmed with unknowns and c) took place in Mexico (all of this a decade before Amores Perros finally broke the barrier)...
However - maybe distributors are just the voice of the complacent middle American public - the megaplex goers who think Soderbergh is difficult. Another amusing anecdote relayed by a coworker who lived in nameless-southern state: apparently, mainstream theaters had to publish in bold print that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon does contain subtitles and you will be required to read".
While we continue to hold onto our prejudices, I can only feel bad for poor Sophia who bared it all... (she looks great, btw!)

"In many ways, we are viewed as the rich guy living on the hill"

Hmmm... Interesting, this article.
I can't help but think this something that is always felt by someone at a party, but you're not quite sure -- am I uncouth, uncultured, loud, bourgoise? Or am I indeed adored? America and it's vanities... I think we're always asking people from other countries what they think of us. We know our limits, but we also know our compassion... but we never are told them to our face. We're the rich guy living on the hill. No one would dare say something... Perhaps we're the rich guy on the hill - Of rich guys on the hill - perhaps we're kind of like a shade paler of Jay Gatsby (we can't all look like Robert Redford), but we're a shade nicer than Tony Soprano (sometimes - depending on what our foriegn policy is)...
But America is never about asking how we look. We're over that. We know we look good. We've got money. We've got talent. We're gonna be somebody. Oh - we already are somebody? Why thank you, you are too kind! Who are you, again?

Get Stuffed!!