Monday, April 23, 2007
Where have all the words gone?
This is becoming a real struggle. It probably didn't help getting that drunk at my Mom's birthday meal that I collapsed on the settee, once I had got home, and didn't move for the rest of the evening.
(Yes, I am ashamed of myself. It's not going to happen again.)
I don't know how I got through today. Quick reviews. It's all I can manage
"Leben der Anderen, Das" at the Electric Cinema, last Friday.
East Germany. 1984. Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler (played by Ulrich Mühe) is a stasi agent ordered to monitor a successful playwright Georg Dreyman (played by Sebastian Koch). Wiesler is quiet, methodical, dedicated and professional. He believes in what he is doing. He is also lonely and a man who empty on the inside. As time goes by, the lives of Dreyman and Dreyman's girlfriend Christa-Maria Sieland (played by Martina Gedeck) start to impact on him and then, in at first very subtle ways, he starts to impact on them.
It was the second time I attempted to see "Leben der Anderen, Das". The first time the projector broke down with half an hour to go. (To be honest, a crucial half an hour, detailing the dramatic end of the main story, the rise of Gorbachev, the fall of Communism, the reunification of Germany and the reconciliation of Germany's past. Big subjects.) I'm glad I made the effort.
"Leben der Anderen, Das" is a great movie. Brilliantly written and acted. A worthy winner of the Foreign Film Oscar this year. Incredibly moving and tragic and thoughtful and startling. Lorraine was in tears by the end of it. The best movies are movies about people. Very important to understand how true that is.
I heard that there is an American remake in the works.
Oh, fuck off... For God's sake...
After the film we stayed to watch The Electric Cinema Film Orchestra.
The Electric Cinema Film Orchestra have been formed by the Electric's owner Tom Lawes, who is a session musician and soundtrack composer. They play pop and rock music associated with well known movies, with clips of said movies showing behind them. What would you call that? A multi-media presentation?
Anyway, to my battle scarred ears the gig was not nearly loud enough, and although Tom Lawes is a really great guitarist, he is not the greatest vocalist in world. Other than that, it was a very good gig. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The band managed pretty good approximations of a dizzying range of tunes. Here are some of them. You can work out the films for yourselves.
"I Wanna Be Your Dog", "Riders On The Storm", "Comfortably Numb", "Brown Sugar", "Sympathy For The Devil", "You Never Can Tell", "Shake A Tail Feather", "Green Onions", "Folsom Prison Blues".
Lots of others.
We stayed out late. I drank several alcoholic specials. Nice.
Mom's birthday went well. I drank too much, Lorraine was pissed off at me, but it was still a good time. I seem to remember that Mad Aunt Delilah turned up with some strange woman. A special friend, said my Mom raising an eyebrow.
Fuck, who gives a shit? I don't. If my Aunt has finally managed to admit after nearly 67 years that she likes girls, then good for her. Maybe it will make her less crazy. I'll tell you about her madness, some time.
This is becoming a real struggle. It probably didn't help getting that drunk at my Mom's birthday meal that I collapsed on the settee, once I had got home, and didn't move for the rest of the evening.
(Yes, I am ashamed of myself. It's not going to happen again.)
I don't know how I got through today. Quick reviews. It's all I can manage
"Leben der Anderen, Das" at the Electric Cinema, last Friday.
East Germany. 1984. Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler (played by Ulrich Mühe) is a stasi agent ordered to monitor a successful playwright Georg Dreyman (played by Sebastian Koch). Wiesler is quiet, methodical, dedicated and professional. He believes in what he is doing. He is also lonely and a man who empty on the inside. As time goes by, the lives of Dreyman and Dreyman's girlfriend Christa-Maria Sieland (played by Martina Gedeck) start to impact on him and then, in at first very subtle ways, he starts to impact on them.
It was the second time I attempted to see "Leben der Anderen, Das". The first time the projector broke down with half an hour to go. (To be honest, a crucial half an hour, detailing the dramatic end of the main story, the rise of Gorbachev, the fall of Communism, the reunification of Germany and the reconciliation of Germany's past. Big subjects.) I'm glad I made the effort.
"Leben der Anderen, Das" is a great movie. Brilliantly written and acted. A worthy winner of the Foreign Film Oscar this year. Incredibly moving and tragic and thoughtful and startling. Lorraine was in tears by the end of it. The best movies are movies about people. Very important to understand how true that is.
I heard that there is an American remake in the works.
Oh, fuck off... For God's sake...
After the film we stayed to watch The Electric Cinema Film Orchestra.
The Electric Cinema Film Orchestra have been formed by the Electric's owner Tom Lawes, who is a session musician and soundtrack composer. They play pop and rock music associated with well known movies, with clips of said movies showing behind them. What would you call that? A multi-media presentation?
Anyway, to my battle scarred ears the gig was not nearly loud enough, and although Tom Lawes is a really great guitarist, he is not the greatest vocalist in world. Other than that, it was a very good gig. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The band managed pretty good approximations of a dizzying range of tunes. Here are some of them. You can work out the films for yourselves.
"I Wanna Be Your Dog", "Riders On The Storm", "Comfortably Numb", "Brown Sugar", "Sympathy For The Devil", "You Never Can Tell", "Shake A Tail Feather", "Green Onions", "Folsom Prison Blues".
Lots of others.
We stayed out late. I drank several alcoholic specials. Nice.
Mom's birthday went well. I drank too much, Lorraine was pissed off at me, but it was still a good time. I seem to remember that Mad Aunt Delilah turned up with some strange woman. A special friend, said my Mom raising an eyebrow.
Fuck, who gives a shit? I don't. If my Aunt has finally managed to admit after nearly 67 years that she likes girls, then good for her. Maybe it will make her less crazy. I'll tell you about her madness, some time.
# posted by Pynchon @ 10:07 pm 
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My jaw hit the floor when I read the line about your aunt. You'll have to devote an entire blog post to that story. Sounds like a juicy one, no pun intended. I think I'll go throw up now.
Leben der Anderen, Das is playing here at a local Arts cinema. I am dying to see it. It is under a different name though. "The Lives of others". I guess that is the English translation of the German title? (duh...) You would think that since they gave it an English title in the states it would be in English? no, it is in German. I wish they had kept the German title. They never keep the foreign titles on any of the movies here. Silly.
Leben der Anderen, Das is playing here at a local Arts cinema. I am dying to see it. It is under a different name though. "The Lives of others". I guess that is the English translation of the German title? (duh...) You would think that since they gave it an English title in the states it would be in English? no, it is in German. I wish they had kept the German title. They never keep the foreign titles on any of the movies here. Silly.
skywolf: A couple of years ago I would have said that you could have my mad Aunt, but my opinion has changed a little. I think she has been unhappy and lonely for a long time. I did go out of my way to talk to her on Sunday, which wasn't always the case.
oopsy daisy: No doubt there will be a post about my Aunt at some point. It's... complicated.
Yes, "Leben der Anderen, Das" is also showing over here under the title of "The Lives Of Others", but I have decided to be pedantic in future about calling movies by their right titles. Not everybody speaks English.
It is a great movie. You should see it.
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oopsy daisy: No doubt there will be a post about my Aunt at some point. It's... complicated.
Yes, "Leben der Anderen, Das" is also showing over here under the title of "The Lives Of Others", but I have decided to be pedantic in future about calling movies by their right titles. Not everybody speaks English.
It is a great movie. You should see it.
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