Summer Reading

Started by The Silver Bullet, July 24, 2003, 05:01:09 AM

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The Silver Bullet

July 24, 2003, 05:01:09 AM
Act Passively, Pass Actively by Jill Stauffer [via GreenCine].

Heavy, but worth the time it takes to get through it.
RABBIT n. pl. rab·bits or rabbit[list=1]
  • Any of various long-eared, short-tailed, burrowing mammals of the family Leporidae.
  • A hare.
    [/list:o][/size]

Redlum

#1
July 24, 2003, 05:58:55 AM
"it insists there are some mistakes we never should have made: we knew better, even at the time. Magnolia explores all this in the form of an implicit question: what does it take to do good?"

this sounds like a good'un.

Also,
http://www.ptanderson.com/featurefilms/magnolia/articlesandinterviews/thatscene.htm

THIS IS THAT SCENE.

Has anyone finished this monster yet. I started with the Punch Drunk Love review like she says and its one of the best I've read.
\"I wanted to make a film for kids, something that would present them with a kind of elementary morality. Because nowadays nobody bothers to tell those kids, \'Hey, this is right and this is wrong\'.\"
  -  George Lucas

fulty

#2
July 24, 2003, 10:35:03 AM
Quote from: The Silver BulletHeavy, but worth the time it takes to get through it.
Jeez...
I gotta go get a new dictionary.
What does "hubris" mean?

Anyway, this is the kind of stuff I love.

Thanks for the link.
Tinapop  

I used to be smart.... now I'm just stupid.

SoNowThen

#3
July 24, 2003, 10:40:57 AM
I wanna read the whole essay, with all the theory and everything in tact... will Greg be posting that too, or just the "slimmed down" one?
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

SoNowThen

#4
July 24, 2003, 11:43:08 AM
Quote from: The Silver BulletAct Passively, Pass Actively by Jill Stauffer [via GreenCine].

Heavy, but worth the time it takes to get through it.

Great essay. I would just like to point out one thing that's incorrect: when Donnie's in the bathroom, he's not reciting Exodus 8:2. The "sins of the father" line is from earlier on in Exodus (chapter 5, I believe... ). As we all know, the 8:2 bit is about the rain of frogs. Don't know why I felt the need to write this.

BTW, I own one of those prop frogs. A buddy got it for me off ebay for Christmas. Yay.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

ono

#5
July 24, 2003, 01:10:56 PM
Quote from: fultyWhat does "hubris" mean?
It means "aspiring to something you aren't capable of," I believe.

EDIT: Just looked it up, and yeah, I was pretty much right: it's overbearing pride, presumptuousness, or arrogance.

fulty

#6
July 24, 2003, 03:20:22 PM
Quote from: Onomatopoeia"aspiring to something you aren't capable of," .
Well, that would be me....... trying to read this article.

I've only gotten through 5 paragraphs,
and already spent more time looking up words than reading..!!
Ellipsis...I can use that.

So, maybe hubris is TJ Mackey at his seminar.?

Hope to be smarter in a few days.

Thanks   :)
Tinapop  

I used to be smart.... now I'm just stupid.

ono

#7
July 24, 2003, 03:32:35 PM
Well, it's more like thinking you can do something that you really can't.  So yeah, well, Frank T.J. Mackey may be an example.  But we've never seen him in "action" -- that is, trying to get the ladies.

The Silver Bullet

#8
July 24, 2003, 06:25:25 PM
QuoteI wanna read the whole essay, with all the theory and everything in tact...
Me too, the auteur theory is one of my favourite topics, and I was really disheartened when I realised the 74 page thesis was, well, long but nevertheless incomplete [not that I didn't download it anyway...going to read it when I get home from where I am currently at]. Maybe we should shout out to Greg about it...?
RABBIT n. pl. rab·bits or rabbit[list=1]
  • Any of various long-eared, short-tailed, burrowing mammals of the family Leporidae.
  • A hare.
    [/list:o][/size]

ono

#9
July 24, 2003, 11:26:54 PM
Quote from: The Silver BulletAct Passively, Pass Actively by Jill Stauffer
I thought this was a nice observation:

Quote from: Jill StaufferDavid Strauss pointed out to me that Stanley pees his pants at the 2 hour mark, which is precisely when everyone else in the theater really needs a bathroom break.
:lol:

And yes, I'm about 28 pages into her 72-page ordeal, and I'd love to read the full work.

Alethia

#10
July 24, 2003, 11:46:42 PM
my fucking mac wont let me download it...........someone wanna post it here......it would be long but greatly appreciate.........nah u dont havta

The Silver Bullet

#11
August 01, 2003, 09:43:52 AM
Just finished reading This Is That Scene, the thesis, and I loved it. It really isn't as long as you'd think [it's double-spaced, and on size twelve], but still, some of it is quite analytically heavy, but if you're a real fan of Magnolia [although I think she really nails her section of Boogie Nights more than any other], you should be able to get through it quite easily. Definitely worth the effort.

Just quickly, two points: one where I agree with what she's said, the other with which I don't.

Firstly, I think she's completely right about Punch-Drunk Love feeling, more than the other films I think, like it's completely Paul Thomas Anderson, no frills. Secondly, I disagree with her when she says that "Jim and Donnie are friends." Now, I'm assuming that she means they were friends previously, before the rain of frogs, which I don't think they were. Maybe, slightly, afterwards, but definitely not before.

Meanwhile, more summer reading, this time from myself [shameless plug]. I wrote a short piece about the current irrelevance of the Sight & Sound poll, and why and how the S&S system needs to change. Check it out [you know, if you want, I mean...]

EDIT: Just fixing a broken link.
RABBIT n. pl. rab·bits or rabbit[list=1]
  • Any of various long-eared, short-tailed, burrowing mammals of the family Leporidae.
  • A hare.
    [/list:o][/size]

ono

#12
August 01, 2003, 10:52:48 AM
I'd love to read it, but I load up the page and can't see a thing.  It's just blank, with the banner at the top.  My guess is you have some funky HTML in there somewhere preventing the tables from showing; that, or the page isn't loading all the way.  I view the source, and see a portion of it.

EDIT: Okay, it's finally come up in full.  Never mind.

Also, this is the proper link.  It's August now.  ;)

Alright, I read it.  Really good stuff.  :)  I agree with you about Memento, disagree about Fight Club and Fargo.  But our tastes are rather similar, too.

SoNowThen

#13
August 01, 2003, 11:27:26 AM
Quote from: The Silver BulletMeanwhile, more summer reading, this time from myself [shameless plug]. I wrote a short piece about the current irrelevance of the Sight & Sound poll, and why and how the S&S system needs to change. Check it out [you know, if you want, I mean...]

I liked it. Nice little essay. Though I did find it kind of odd that no Fellini or Godard were on either of your lists. Oh well.

But we definitely need to represent more contemporary films on the "best of" lists.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

The Silver Bullet

#14
August 01, 2003, 06:38:43 PM
There is a perfectly logical [but by no means acceptable] reason behind the lack of Godard and Fellini on my lists. I haven't seen any Godard or Fellini.

My lists however are ever evolving, and I'm constantly consuming the material, so expect to see some there in the near future.
RABBIT n. pl. rab·bits or rabbit[list=1]
  • Any of various long-eared, short-tailed, burrowing mammals of the family Leporidae.
  • A hare.
    [/list:o][/size]
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