This movie is really good of course. Aside from giving me some really good music for my senior year of high school, the movie was groundbreaking and saved John Travolta (and Bruce Willis) from a downward spiral of Look Who's Talking movies.
What more can I say about Pulp Fiction that hasn't been said by Wikipedia? Nothing really. I did find this video that puts the many plots in chronological order, which was fun:
I'm going to leave this entry at that. I enjoyed watching the film again, and now I want to move on to watching The French Connection! I'm going to SF on Friday, and I'd really like to get one more movie down before I go.
First things first: I'm having a hard time believing that this film wasn't even listed in 1998. What the hell. I'm also having a hard time believing that the film was set in - well, you know:
Ok now that I've gotten that out of the way....
From the start, Blade Runner really captures a mood: the cinematography and soundtrack give performances almost as powerful as the actors. The blu-ray version of the Final Cut of the film is just breathtaking. Totally my favorite [by the way, Warner Brothers is releasing a 4K version of the film in September, ahead of the release of Blade Runner 2049].
So why was it included other than being awesome? I don't know. The awesomeness of this movie is such that no other reasons are necessary if you ask me. But I'll make some guesses.
1) The emphasis on philosophical questions about humanity, like: Can robots have empathy? At what point does AI become "enslaved"? As technology increasingly becomes part of our lives, these questions are coming forward even more. I, for one, have to stop myself from correcting people who don't say please or thank you to Siri or Alexa.
So what would/could make AI "human"? On the flip side of that is the question of what makes a person human. Questions like these were to be raised years later in the epic film The Big Lebowski (Coen, Coen, 1998):
The Big Lebowski: What makes a man, Mr. Lebowski?
The Dude: Dude.
The Big Lebowski: Huh?
The Dude: Uhh... I don't know sir.
The Big Lebowski: Is it being prepared to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Isn't that what makes a man?
The Dude: Hmmm... Sure, that and a pair of testicles.
2) The successful use of film noir techniques (with the exception of the voiceover, which was notoriously unsuccessful) like chiaroscuro cinematography to create a truly immersive (and eerie) science fiction world:
above: Blade Runner (Scott, 1982)
above: Double Indemnity (Wilder, 1944)
3) The huge cult following it developed, and its influence on cultural objects, often directly stated by producers. For instance, in 2008 Ronald D. Moore and David Eick cited it as a major influence on the 2004 version of Battlestar Galactica, it has been listed by several organizations as the best science fiction movie of all times, the Visual Effects Society lists it as the second-most visually influential, and it has been one of the most musically sampled films (sources). It is also listed in the National Film Registry.
4) The extensive use of this movie in classes and academic writing - surely that must count for something. I mean, check it out: there are even "study guides" online (i.e. essay questions to cheat off of, not that I am holding a grudge from when students used to cheat in my classes or anything).
Blade Runner the film has definitely come to be a very influential cultural object. It was based on a book by Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, first published all the way back in 1968 (at which time it was supposed to happen in 1992 LOL). I read the book a few years ago, but it was a bit confusing because it's VERY different from the movie.
Some of the differences are things that don't really matter to me in the long run - Mercerism, his wife, the poor little goat. However, there are things about the book that I wish had been in the film, like the explanation of why Sebastian's building was empty. On the other hand, there are really interesting things that are in the film that aren't in the book: the ambiguousness of Deckard's replicant-ness, for instance. Blade Runner just wouldn't be the same if we all knew one way or another whether he's a human or robot.
One final thing about the movie: it is supposed to take place in 2019. Obviously LA is not really on track to be there by 2019.
I enjoyed this movie, although I wish I hadn't watched the documentary about it. I really think the director is a piece of work, and not in a good way. He gives me the heebie-jeebies. Sorry, but I need to be honest with you.
Anyway, there are a few reasons I think this film was included in the AFI list (the second time):
1) critics say the performances were really amazing - four of the actors were nominated for Academy Awards, and Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman won (you go girls!!)
2) it is a slice of life film portraying the way television changed our communities and lifestyles, and the way small towns in the West were changing as people started moving away into bigger cities
3) it launched the careers of several actors and the director
4) it was one of the first movies to not have a score - the music in the film was all songs of the time and interestingly, was always diegetic, coming from car radios, record players, jukeboxes, etc
Overall, I'd say it was good, and I'm glad I saw it. It is definitely a film that will stick with me and I really appreciated the performances of the actors and the some of the choices the director made, such as shooting in black and white to capture the time period, to better convey a mood, and to make use of a greater depth of field (this was a tip he got from his BFF Orson Welles apparently).
One thing that stood out to me was the interactions between the older and younger generations, especially as I find myself reaching that point lately where I'm switching to the other side (NBD I'M OK WITH IT TOTALLY I AM). The younger generation seemed restless, uncertain, trying to find their way making such obvious but sincere and heartfelt mistakes (growing pains). The older generation seemed more reserved, having wisdom that could be shared but that was not always received. "Hey you sweet youngsters, do you want some advice? No? Ok just do your own thing. I'm cool."
It's interesting that the director was only 31 at the time, and in the documentary he talks about hiring the younger generation first, along with the male older generation actor (he had a connection to Western director John Ford so Bogdanovich knew who he wanted from the start); he had more trouble finding the "older women" actors (around 40 = "older women" NBD). He had to ask people for suggestions because he literally had no idea. Like the older generation was literally a second thought, which is how the younger generation seemed to perceive the older generation in the film as well. [The director clearly identified more with the younger generation - he started a relationship with Cybill Shepard who was about 14 at the time (gross, NBD).]
Either way, Bogdanovich ended up with some good people in the end, obviously. Especially Cloris Leachman, who will always be one of my favorite actresses. I hated in the film how Sonny talked about Cybill's character being so much prettier than Cloris' in the context of how well he treated her, like prettiness is the most important characteristic when determining how to treat someone. I guess when you get to be my/our age, you finally understand that prettiness is a fleeting characteristic and not something that should be used to determine how well to treat someone anyway.
**********
P.S. A side benefit to this is learning so much more about filmmaking technique and theory. I actually learned what diegetic sound was from watching Archer (seriously) but now I know more about depth of field too.
I've mentioned the May Minimalism Challenge before and threatened to write about it - I even posted some photos on Instagram in case you don't believe I actually got rid of anything (see below, music by Uncle Earl). The idea was to get rid of one thing on May 1, two things on May 2, and so on. I got up to the early 20s I think!
Even though I didn't finish, this was a very useful activity. I got rid of a few things (YAY) but more importantly, I challenged myself to get rid of some things! I broke through the inertia of collecting junk, which was very important for me.
Before I finished the challenge several "life" (and death) things occurred that interfered with my ability to sort and get rid of things (it's hard to sort/toss/donate when you are hundreds of miles away) and when I got back, the thought of getting rid of so much stuff at once was just overwhelming (25 + 26 + 27 + #@$(&@). That's why I've decided to get rid of 40 things by 40.
My sister-in-law, like others I've known, regularly goes through her house getting rid of things they don't need. It helps her because she doesn't like to have lots of stuff around. Sometimes she gives away gifts people have given her and sometimes she gives away things that she likes - it's not about that. It's about making a space where she and her family can feel uncluttered and unfettered.
Last time she did this I visited her afterwards and saw a present I'd given my niece in a bag to be taken away. At first I was a little sad but then after that first twinge I realized that my niece is learning the importance of making space for herself, and figuring out how to part with things guilt-free, and I was so happy about this that I didn't even mind.
On some level I know that this inability to get rid of meaningless "stuff" is basically allowing myself to be controlled by it and that's no good. That's why in my list of goals I call this one 40 Unbroken Chains. I really feel like that's what they are - chains. Which is weird because it makes me wonder why I can't just throw them all away at once. I guess it just takes a little practice. :-)
I really can't believe I had never seen this movie but I've seen it now and won't forget it. It was really hard to watch at the end. I knew it started as a comedy(-ish) and ended on a darker note but I wasn't really ready to watch Radio Raheem be murdered by the police in front of a crowd of people. The people started chanting "HOWARD BEACH" and I had to look it up but there were several African-American young men beaten to death in NYC all around the same time, and one of the events occurred at Howard Beach. One of the murders happened the year this film was released. The Howard Beach incident was the one that inspired the film in part, with the location in a pizzeria as a clear reference to the actual event (although in that event, the murderers were a group of white teenagers, not the police).
In the Do the Right Thing: 20 Years Later special feature on the DVD, Spike Lee says that NYC has greatly improved since then (this special was filmed in 2009) but watching Radio Raheem die in a chokehold is just too similar to all of these videos of other black men being murdered by police for me to feel like it was a different time.
This Independence Day I just have to wonder if we will ever be able to live in a place where the murder of an uncharged (read: INNOCENT) person by the police is seen as a statistical anomaly or a freak event. If not I just don't see how police departments will ever earn back our trust. I appreciate them risking their lives but nobody ever said being a police officer was easy or safe.
Before he was murdered, Radio Raheem was at the center of a big fight and I was thinking to myself how glad I was that no one was carrying guns, and what a surprise that was to me. "Thank goodness this was before everyone carried a gun," I thought. "Or something very serious would have been happening." Then the police showed up.
I hate that our children are growing up in such a lethal environment. I can't help but think there must be a better way for us to live together. The Washington Post published a really good article about the film and the connection to present-day events after the death of Bill Nunn, who played Radio Raheem.
Before the specifics, I want to give a general update on stuff and things. I'll get into the details below.
As you may have seen, Collin and I went to Colorado last week for my sister-in-law's wedding, which was beautiful. I saw a place that did ziplining but we didn't have a chance to do it.
I've been thinking about ziplining though, because I'm planning my 40 trip! I'm hoping that we can take a road trip to Key West. The only problems are 1) it's still really hot down there in September and 2) it's also hurricane season. So yeah, we're thinking about it. :-)
I've been really busy and noticing as usual that the first thing I let go of is the self-care. Urgh. But I'm going to SF in two weeks and that will be awesome. I'm not sure I'll be able to get healthy before 40, at least not as healthy as I would have liked, but I can definitely improve, so that's something to look forward to.
So. Updates.
Forty Playlists:
Oh my gosh it's getting so hard to make these mixes! Somehow I managed to cut 1983 from 5 hours to 1.5 but whew it was tough. 1984 started as over 6 hours!! I was just deleting like crazy - I can't even remember what I deleted honestly. It's all a blur. But not Blur. They didn't form until 1988. So far I am thinking this is my favorite "before 40" activity!
Still not making much progress on getting through the top 100 or even the 40ish I haven't seen yet. I brought the DVDs with me to Colorado but it has been really busy lately, and it's hard to watch movies while making playlists. :-)
Still thinking, but not as much. At least I'm being honest about it!
Forty Chores:
The list keeps growing but that's ok.
1 - repair paint on carl
2 - get NC license plate
3 - get ivy from trees
4 - remove dead weeds from walkway [I feel like I've done this a million times and they keep coming back. I think that's the nature of weeds, which makes me wonder if I should take this off the list...]
5 - trim azalea
6 - file all paperwork 7 - update blog background 8 - replace filter on cat fountain
9 - do something about the doors
10 - plant something?
11 - get a new passport (need to wait until after July) 12 - go to the eye doctor
13 - go to the lady doctor
14 - go to the dentist
15 - go to the dermatologist?
16 - find a real doctor 17 - cancel Foreign Affairs subscription 18 - update address at SFFCU and get new debit card 19 - hang plants from ceiling 20 - hang intentions board 21 - edit video footage of Louis from 2015
22 - edit video footage of Collin from 2016 23 - edit video footage of Devon from 2017 24 - renew library books and return books that can't be renewed anymore 25 - fix slow draining shower!!!
26 - Write May Minimalism Challenge blog entry
27 - edit video footage of Greer's wedding from 2017
28 - finish year 1 (SF) photo book! :-)
29 - photobook for Greer!
30 - take donations away from the house!
31 - clear out cardboard boxes from downstairs
Forty Unbroken Chains:
My previously gathered things are getting lonely.
Forty Letters:
Hmm, need to do...
Forty Acts of Self-Love:
1 - facial steam (today)
2 - haircut
3 - rainbow mani-pedi
4 - massage chair at Collin's haircut
5 - lying out in the sun on the porch reading Borne
Forty Job Applications:
Ay caramba, I don't know how many I've done so far but I had two interviews in the past week (same place) so that feels pretty great!
Forty Photos:
2002 (age 25): Reynoldstown, Atlanta, getting ready for a Halloween party in the apartment I shared with my friend from college (the one dressed as Maggie the Cat) and her friend (not pictured). This was right around the time I started dating Collin (the first time). By the next Halloween my friend and I had "broken up" and so had Collin and I.
2003 (age 25): Spain with Mom to visit Baxter, who was studying abroad. I love this photo. It was taken by mom in the beautiful Atocha Train Station in Madrid, less than a year before the bomb attacks here.
2005 (age 27): Surrey (England) with Mom, who was doing some consulting work there. I studied for my prelim in Social Movements while she was working and had shortbread and tea with milk every morning for breakfast. We went for a long walk on some of the walking trails around there and found this neighborhood pub, where a barman named James served me a delicious "bitter" with a smile. Also that was my Power Puff Girls watch, which I miss.
In 1984 I changed schools for the first time, because my school was repurposed into an administration building. I remember playing in the big magnolia tree next door with all the neighborhood kids, and going to sleepovers at their houses. I remember trick-or-treating, trying to avoid the lady who gave out pennies, and I remember mom portioning out our Halloween candy for months later. I remember going to summer camps at the Y. I remember listening to music and watching MTV at my dad's house when we'd go visit for the weekends, taking trips in mom's little camper and listening to her sing along with the radio, roller skating, getting awesome grades, and losing teeth like crazy.
In my first grade photo, which was taken in 1983, I was missing both front teeth. The day before my second grade photo I ran into the magnolia tree, so my mom let me wear my favorite dress even though it didn't have a collar and she french braided my hair around the crown of my head. I still had a big scab in the middle of my forehead, but everyone told me that I'd laugh about it later and they were all right.
I remember going to a slumber party once for my friend's birthday, which was right around Valentine's Day. They had hung pink heart streamers in the basement, where they sat us down around the TV to watch Poltergeist (which was actually rated PG since they hadn't invented PG-13 yet). This was the first scary movie I saw and at one of the most terrifying moments, one of the streamers came down on us. We screamed and ran up and all piled on her dad's lap.
In 1984, Hollywood gave us Ghostbusters, Gremlins, the Terminator, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Karate Kid, Sixteen Candles, Purple Rain, Revenge of the Nerds, Footloose, Police Academy (the start of an empire), Splash, and The Muppets Take Manhattan. It also gave us Blood Simple, Dune, This is Spinal Tap, and Repo Man, which I didn't appreciate until later. I still haven't seen Children of the Corn and Firestarter. I remember watching Purple Rain at a sleepover at the Y. Really not sure how that happened, since the movie is rated R, but it's better not to question 1984 in its Infinite Wisdom.
I thought making the 1983 playlist was hard and it was but a few kind-of-big-deal albums came out in 1984, too, like, oh I don't know Born in the U.S.A. (Bruce Springsteen), Like a Virgin (Madonna), She's So Unusual (Cyndi Lauper), and the Purple Rain soundtrack so yeah, back up to 6 hours again to start.
After much nail-biting, I got it down to right around 2 hours and I'm going to leave it. I moved a couple of the songs to 1983 so now that one is up to 1.7 hours, too. I'm going to have to start tightening up because once I get to the early 90s things are going to get crazy at this rate.
Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry
Missing You - John Waite
Like a Virgin - Madonna
Pride (In the Name of Love) - U2
In a Big Country - Big Country
Out of Touch - Hall & Oates
Run to You - Bryan Adams
Footloose - Kenny Loggins
Ghostbusters - Ray Parker, Jr.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Let's Go Crazy - Prince
Jam On It - Newcleus
No Parking (On the Dance Floor) - Midnight Star
Let the Music Play - Shannon
I Didn't Mean to Turn You On - Cherrelle
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham!
You Might Think - The Cars
Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
2000 Miles - Pretenders
Against All Odds - Phil Collins
Wrapped Around Your Finger - The Police
How Soon Is Now? - The Smiths
I Can Dream About You - Dan Hartman
What's Love Got to Do With It - Tina Turner
Glory Days - Bruce Springsteen
*By the way, you may have to have a subscription to Apple Music to listen to this. You will almost certainly need iTunes and an Apple ID. If you'd rather I make you an actual mixtape, just remember that it's 2017 not 1977.
When I started editing 1983, I already had gathered 5+ hours of music. Somehow I managed to cut it down to less than 2 hours but I don't know how. I must have cut important songs but at this point I'll never know.
It's really getting fun/challenging because I have memories of hearing these songs on the radio now. Collin and I listened to this playlist (with the bonus tracks) last night, trying to figure out what to cut while considering where to go for our-my-birthday trip. Two years after his 40th he's getting excited about celebrating :-)
In addition to my early memories of these songs making it difficult to cut songs, there were also several really ground-breaking/awesome albums released this year: Borderline (Madonna), Let's Dance (David Bowie), Speaking in Tongues (Talking Heads), Synchronicity (The Police), Thriller (Michael Jackson)... At least my informal rule of only having one song per artist allowed (forced) me to cut quite a few songs!
This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) - Talking Heads
Every Breath You Take - The Police
Eyes Without a Face - Billy Idol
China Girl - David Bowie
Lucky Star - Madonna
Only You - Yaz
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
Rockit - Herbie Hancock
Freak-A-Zoid (Radio Edit) - Midnight Star
Rio (US Edit) - Duran Duran
Der Kommissar - After the Fire
Africa - Toto
One on One - Hall & Oates
Faithfully - Journey
Flashdance... What a Feeling (Radio Edit) - Irene Cara
Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler
Jeopardy - Greg Kihn Band
The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats
Come Dancing - The Kinks
A New England - Billy Bragg
Cherry Oh Baby - UB40
Break My Stride - Matthew Wilder
All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
*By the way, you may have to have a subscription to Apple Music to listen to this. You will almost certainly need iTunes and an Apple ID. If you'd rather I make you an actual mixtape, just remember that it's 2017 not 1977.
Don't Stop... Planet Rock (Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force
Mickey - Toni Basil
We Got the Beat - Go-Go's
I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow
I Know What Boys Like - The Waitresses
Gone Daddy Gone - Violent Femmes
Since You're Gone - The Cars
Save It For Later - The English Beat
I Melt With You - Modern English
Our House - Madness
Who Can It Be Now? - Men At Work
Hold Me - Fleetwood Mac
Eye in the Sky - The Alan Parsons Project
Southern Cross - Crosby, Stills, and Nash
Waiting for a Girl Like You - Foreigner
Maneater - Hall and Oates
Abracadabra - Steve Miller Band
The Girl is Mine (ft. Paul McCartney) - Michael Jackson
Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
1999 - Prince
The Message (ft. Melle Mel & Duke Bootee) - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
*By the way, you may have to have a subscription to Apple Music to listen to this. You will almost certainly need iTunes and an Apple ID. If you'd rather I make you an actual mixtape, just remember that it's 2017 not 1977.
Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
The Tide is High - Blondie
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da - The Police
Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt
Queen of Hearts - Juice Newton
Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington, Jr. with Bill Withers
The One That I Love- Air Supply
In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins
Under Pressure - Queen and David Bowie
I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) - Hall and Oates
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
Hold On Tight - ELO
Don't Stop the Music - Yarbrough & Peoples
Fantastic Voyage - Lakeside
Super Freak - Rick James
Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Zapp and Roger
*By the way, you may have to have a subscription to Apple Music to listen to this. You will almost certainly need iTunes and an Apple ID. If you'd rather I make you an actual mixtape, just remember that it's 2017 not 1977.
