Top 25 Movie Highlights (10 - 6)

10. 'Blood Simple'

Frances McDormand is chased around a dark apartment in the dieing scenes of ’Blood Simple’, with no idea why. The man chasing her nevertheless has been intricately involved in her life spiraling out of control. The story of ‘Blood Simple’ one of murder and betrayal is simply executed with brilliant moments of tension and dark humour. The unbearable silence between Mc Dormand being broken by a news paper being flung at the door is one of those moments that no amount of scripting or description could describe the effectiveness of. It is a cinematic moment. The dark shadowy surrounds match perfectly the poor people skills shown by the characters, who slowly self destruct through their lies. An excellent noir-ish thriller.

9. 'Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark'

Taking inspiration from shows and movies that filled their childhoods Steven Spielberg and George Lucas delivered in Raiders of the Lost Ark an icon of cinema, a thrill ride rarely matched and the trilogy of films that umbrellas my time spent loving film. Little can be said that hasn’t already at this point about the fun in these films. For me, as I have delved more into the making of these films, reading of the friendship of Lucas and Spielberg, Harrison Ford being second choice for the role and great moments such as River Phoenix being whipped on the chin in ‘The Last Crusade‘, bringing a scar on Ford’s chin from a carpentry accident into the story, all add to the mythos of these films.

8. ‘Manhattan Murder Mystery’

I always knew of Woody Allen, I truly discovered him with ‘Manhattan Murder Mystery’, which it turns out was the original concept for ‘Annie Hall’ before that movie went down the route of neurotic relationship analysis. Introducing me to this revelatory world of sarcastic and self-deprecatory humour as well as my constant favourite - murder mystery, the film was tailor designed for my tastes. Of course I have come across, ’the early funny ones’ and also have enjoyed the recent output which barely manage a theatrical release, ’Manhattan Murder Mystery’ was just the right side of accessible for my fragile young mind and a cross section of bitter sweet observation and farce that I’ve grown to love. ‘Bullets over Broadway‘, also deserves a special mention, firstly for being hilarious and secondly for introducing me to John Cusack.

7. Charlie Kauffman Charlie Kauffman admits he has difficulty finishing his stories, so as a sly nod to this at the end of ‘Adaptation’ he lets the story rip free descending into a chase a world away from the film we have been watching. Until now we have been following the story of a writer (Nicholas Cage) suffering from writers block who has trouble adapting the novel ‘The Black Orchid‘. Charlie Kauffman turned the story of his own frustration of adapting the real world novel ‘The Black Orchid’ into the premise of a film. Staying true to real life we see his character as played by Cage wander around the soundstage of ‘Being John Malcovich’, with scenes seen being acted out, a film Kauffman had just completed. I could watch and wallow forever in the intelligence and humour of this film. The mind of Kauffman bowls me over. Adding a twin brother to the mix, with Chris Cooper and Meryl Streep the characters of a story within a story, there are layers of enjoyment at play in this film. The more I thought about this film as I wrote about it, the more I wanted to throw it in the DVD player.

6. 'Superman Returns'

I was lucky enough to see this movie, opening weekend on an IMAX screen with 20 minutes or so in 3D in Auckland, New Zealand. I followed minutely every step of the making of this film, as a fan of Superman I waited with all the anticipation of a Star Wars fanatic or some other zealot I would normally laugh at. A new entry into the Superman film canon, the first in 19 years was an 'event' for me in every sense of the word. The film thankfully lived up to my expectations, though of course praise for it was not universal. The film was an ode to the Christopher Reeve films, imbuing an old world sense of romance and adventure. The world of Superman successfully recreated, one which will hopefully be enhanced in the next movie, capitalising on the potential of the character.

Top 25 Movie Highlights (15 - 11)

15. 'Groundhod Day’

Rita (Andie Mc Dowell) - What did you do today? Phil - 'Oh same old,same old'

There is so much to praise in such a quick remark, taking a bog standard reply and having the audience in on the joke so as to appreciate all the more the great wit and classic delivery from Bill Murray. It just encapsulates this whole film for me. The simple undemanding story of this film means we don’t think to appreciate the great work each of the supporting characters put in re-creating scenes immaculately. Creating humour is commendable enough, creating it and maintaining it the repeated events of one day is stellar.

14. Action sequences

Admittedly this is kinda cheating but there are 25 choices so I am stickking to my theme: The train explosion in ‘Broken Arrow’/the explosion at the beginning of ‘Sword Fish’/the destruction the White House in ‘Independence Day’/the slo-mo bullets of the Matrix Trilogy/the helicopter-train sequence in Mission Impossible/the shoot outs in ’The Killer’/the Alien - Ripley showdown in ’Aliens’/the ’magazine’ fight in ’The Bourne Identity’/the Thames boat race in ’The World is Not Enough’ /the destruction of the Death Star in ’Star Wars’/the hotel room escape in ’Once Upon a Time in Mexico’/Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullocks escape from the bus in ’Speed’ /The Naktomi Tower climax in ‘Die Hard‘/The fulcrum jump in Mission Impossible III/The steam train driving the Delorean in ‘Back to the Future III‘/The chariot race in ‘Ben Hur’/The cliff jump in ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’/The final shoot out in ‘Bonnie and Clyde’/Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie go at it in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’/The barb wire bike jump in ‘The Great Escape’/Harold Lloyd hangs from a clock face in ‘Safety Last’/The ‘French Connection’ car chase,/The shoot out in ‘High Noon’/Bruce Lee takes on rival students in ‘Fists of Fury’/The Terminator (Robert Patrick) reforms from molten metal.

13. Russell Crowe

If I am to pick an actor, who’s career I envision evolving as my interest in movies did and who epitomises nobility and respect for his trade, in the same vein as Gary Cooper or Spencer Tracy it has to be Russell Crowe. His performance in ‘The Insider’ is one of the greatest I have ever seen and the greatest example I have known of an actor being engrossed in a role. ’Gladiator’, ’Cinderella Man’ and Curtis Hanson’s magnum opus, ’L.A. Confidential’ are each the richer for the credibility Crowe lends to any role. Personal lives, filtered through the sensationalist thesaurus of the press, will never factor into how I view a truly talented actor. For all the stories of Brando, Dean, Burton and Harris living their lives to the full there is no denying the respectability they brought to their trade. I will make my assessment of an actor based on what I see on screen. Of the other classic question of the great actors, that is, De Niro or Pacino?, I always answer - Nicholson.

12. 'Ed Wood’

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton are a magic pairing. To take a premise of telling the story of a man decried as the world’s worst director, shot in black and white, depicting a world of eccentricity and bizarre creation, is a sign of genius and I would class ‘Ed Wood’ as a modern master piece. The film is made all the better by being a true biographical tale and is laced with humour I struggle to encapsulate but know I enjoy. Words like visionary, character actor and artists can be used without any sense of grandiose in the context of these men. Martin Landau‘s portrayal of Bela Lugosi, a man desperately grasping at past glories is a stand-out. ‘Sleepy Hollow’, a lesser film deserves mention also, for being one of the most beautifully stylised films ever put on the screen, and Ichabod Crane’s constant fainting is one of my favourite running jokes. Speaking in the same breath as Martin Landau’s performance I feel here is apt to mention Willem Dafoe as Max Schrek in the eerie ’Shadow of the Vampire’.

11. 'The Lord of the Rings’ experience

I travelled with Tuathal around New Zealand and Australia last year. Tuathal gladly gives up as much time as I do to watching and enjoying movies and I am always greatful to him for that. In New Zealand, and particularly Wellington, hometown to Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, we got a great sense of the importance of these movies to the Kiwi nation. Over 23, 000 Kiwis were employed directly in the production of these movies, and their success meant film making surpassed agriculture as the No. 1 industry in New Zealand. Touring the country, little of its beautiful landscape had not been used to great effect in creating the world of the films. Importantly the public and private grounds are now in beter condition than they were previously to having caught the locations scouts eyes. Tours, cataloguing the history of the film and the locations of numerous scenes, were available at many stops. One of our tour guides wasted little time in providing a picture of him donned all in necessary layers of magic for his role as an extra in one the films, praising Jackson for the consistent employment he gave to many struggling actors. I loved this level of interaction with a momentous film series and have cheesy pictures of walking through gardens with a staff as Christopher Lee and Ian McKellen did at one point during filming to prove such interaction. The Lord of the Rings were the last movies I feel that marked a benchmark in film, I have my reservations about the untethered praise they have thrown at them, but I cannot deny they greater respect I have for these movies now knowing the scale and investment of talent involved.

PC Stuff

I'm plugging this mostly because I have the most sensitive touch pad in the world so using my keypad makes life easier but also because the Mozilla Firefox people really have called this 'Fancy Numbered Tabs'. Install the function and you can just press CTRL + (The number of the tab) and you'll be laughing. This almost tops the guy I dealt with at work today whose name actually was Mr. Fun! (No, seriously).

Also maybe this is old news but I am slowly becoming addicted to Stumble Upon, basically a tool which finds pages based on your interests, which you can pass a verdict on and then said page will be added to your favourites. If your browing is feeling a bit limited this is the solution, the randomness of the suggested pages is excellent. The 'Stumble' and 'Google' tool bars are now the most important on my browser.

Richard Delevan fired from the Tribune

Richard Delevan of the Sunday Tribune who's blog is here was fired today. The rumor has it that is because of this article. Which sourced blog. Now people are jumping on the conspircy bandwagon straight away, but I wonder is it due to the Tribune's sales figures maybe? Anyway Tribune employee Damian has more details.

Hollywood Writers Strike

I've borrowed this from CNN - its a loose breakdown of the impact of the writers strike if it is to go ahead unresolved for the foreseeabel future. Obviously the impact will be felt more in America but it is interesting nevertheless to follow. The most frustrating element is that reality shows will go unaffected, they are like dam cockroaches. The effects

• Immediately: Late-night talk shows, which depend on topical material, will go to reruns
• In about one month: Daytime soap operas will go to reruns
• By January-February: Current prime-time shows will likely run out of fresh episodes
• Reality shows unaffected;
• Fox, with fewer hours to program and powerhouse "American Idol" returning in January, in best shape if strike continues, according to The Hollywood Reporter
• ABC has stockpiled several new shows, could put them on in midseason if strike persists
• TV networks have stockpiled TV movies
• Movie studios in decent shape for now

Top 25 Movie Highlights (20 - 16)

20. Nattevagten

The idea of a horror movie, wrecking your nerve as much by what is unseen as what is, is an idea so poorly delivered upon so often. The less said about the recent spate of horror porn the better, the less said about the lazy teen lead stab-a-thon that began after Scream revitalised horror in the 90s, again, the better. The opening sequence to Scream with Drew Barrymore, is brilliantly executed and does deserve mention for its influence on film making in the last 10 years. So too the daddy of them all ‘Halloween’ is a master class in creating fear and genuine tension. My choice though when I want to flinch and quake at every movement of a shadow, is a Danish film ‘Nattevagten’ which follows the mantra set out by ’Halloween’ of creating untold fear in simple surrounds. Following a law student working by night in a city morgue, the victims of a serial killer under his watch, it consistently unnerves me no matter how many times I go back to it. Walking down a hallway and turning on a light switch become the true test of a mans valour. A discovery late one Saturday night this is my choice for encompassing all that can be achieved in this genre. I obviously recommend it, unfortunately the lesser Ewan McGregor remake may be more easily accessible. When it comes to gore, only Peter Jackson’s ’Brain Dead’ will do.

19. ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?’

Invariably at the Oscars each year there are clips strung together of classic movies, full of revered actors playing defining roles which nurtures in me a sense of an old romanticised view of Hollywood that I am sure never existed. ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ is the type of movie which should serve as a definition for the word classic. It epitomises a time when people sought to achieve something through art, with the holy trinity of Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier bringing such mature dignity to their roles. The decency of the characters, playing out their concerns with restraint, highlights how unreasonable prejudices are. I remember reading only 2 years ago how Will Smith commented people had difficulties with his pairing with Eva Mendez in the romantic comedy ‘Hitch’, showing worrying signs of little changing in the 30 years since the story of inter racial marriage in ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?’ One of the great stories of movie making is that Hepburn’s tears were real for Spencer Tracy’s final words in the film, the actor in poor health at the time died 17 days after his final scenes. Enjoy those last lines here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061735/quotes. As for Poitier, he will forever be Virgil Tibbs in ‘In the Heat of the Night’, a must see.

18. ‘Five Easy Pieces’

Don’t get me wrong, this is an outstanding film throughout but the final scene is a stand-out for me, and tapped into some deep seeded urge I often have to drop everything and leave, exactly as Jack Nicholson does here. Not even bothering to take a jacket, wallet or other trace of his life he leaves his girlfriend at a gas station, bumming a ride from a trucker to head into the unknown. Having buried his father, in a detached daze he severs any ties to a life and people he has tolerated out of necessity. Picking a single Jack Nicholson role is a futile endeavour, I will say however his work in ’Five Easy Pieces’ and in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’

17.Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet, whatever the quality of the film, delivers without fail. Her role choices are unique, varied and challenging. And yes I even include her role in ‘The Holiday’, her performances are classic examples of a good thing that can come from a poor movie. Endlessly Oscar nominated, she has earned the reverence of established Hollywood but so too portrays herself as being down to earth, with a wry sense of humour and taste, involving herself in films like ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind;, ‘Heavenly Creatures’ and of course her role in ‘Extras’. She exhibits a respect for her trade that places her above the pressures female actors seem subjected to, being judged by her talent. Of course her weight, looks and personal life are scrutinised but not by anyone interesting. She is the actress I feel best encompasses the type of performances and roles I enjoy watching most. I feel here is the place to mention Brenda Blethyn, or more specifically her performance in ‘Secrets and Lies’, my outright choice for one of the great female performances.

16. 'Dirty, Pretty Things'

Dirty, Pretty Things is the most obviously issue driven selection, it is the most harrowing I think too but also one of the most hopeful films I have ever seen. Illegal aliens, struggling to survive in London, having every ounce of their dignity eroded by those out to exploit them. So solid are the performances and so noble the characters that you genuinely feel for them. The final scene at an airport is the most tragically sad farewell I have seen. This is not your standard romantic comedy happy resolution, this is a real world refusal to happily end the story, choices and great ideas like destiny never getting a look in. Bleak but a film that gets into your pores.

Top 25 Movie Highlights

This week marks my 25th year on the planet so I have decided as a self indulgent exercise to list 25 movie highlights that have stood out for me over that time. I had no trouble arriving at 25 entries, trying to put them in an order have been another issue altogether. I set no limits, other than being true to myself. It goes without saying a list of the best movie moments should include the likes of Brando in 'On the Waterfront' or make reference to 'Citizen Kane' and though I know why these are classics what I want to capture in this list are the movies that have developed my tastes and interests. I often wonder what others do with the time I spend thinking about and watching movies, but then there are few things I would rather be doing. Movies bring the best of everything together - the word, the sound, the image - it is a full experience. There will be 5 entries over the next 5 days (hopefully) so in the spirit of knowing how to count find below 25 - 21.

25. ‘The Fifth Element’

There is something slightly off centre about this film. Luc Besson, let loose with the biggest film budget France had ever witnessed and in Bruce Willis, a huge name, creates a singularly unique blockbuster despite the conventions at play. This Fifth Element is one of the best examples of an idea bandied about so often - that of being engrossed in the world created within a film. For adventure which doesn’t take itself too seriously, to still thrill with a story of a small band of people out to save the world from destruction more than merits a place here. The stand out sequence is watching Milla Jovovich tackle a gang of heavies while Willis sits entranced by a unique operatic performance. And yes I will concede Chris Tucker does make you want to gnaw your arm off. I cannot of course mention Luc Besson without mentioning ‘Leon’, a film that succeeds in finding such heart in an unconventional setting. I do believe Natalie Portman will be one of the great actresses of our generation.

24. 'Assault on Precinct 13'

John Carpenter does well directing stories with simple premises. In Assault on Precinct 13 the cast never leave a besieged police station in an L. A. ghetto for the running time of the film. Nevertheless, Carpenter also on scripting duties manages to find tension, chemistry between characters and action within the claustrophobic confines of the station. A film like this done well, has you quickly empathise with and get to know the characters so you feel their struggles all the more. This film was made for only $100, 000, (that wouldn’t have even begun to cover Ethan Hawke’s salary in the 2005 remake), the film is a testament to skilled and focused artists, a B movie classic and an example of the output that has the 70s revered as a golden age in cinema.

23. ‘Marnie’

Marnie is my second experience of Hitchcock, at least with an awareness of who he was. I have seen it only once. Firstly, I had known Connery only for Bond and it was such a curve ball to see him play such a similar character to Bond yet have solely malevolent characteristics shine through. For me though, the scene which stayed with me and literally epitomised edge of seat nervousness, was early in the film where Tippi Hedren’s Marnie is pacing slowly away from the office safe she has relieved of its cash and suddenly becomes aware of a cleaning lady mopping the floor nearby and her escape could slip away if the lady looks up. She walks slowly to the door, not looking back. True suspense.

22. ‘Body Heat’

So much of the impact of movies like ‘Double Indemnity’ and ‘Gilda’ rest in the magnetic power of their leading ladies. The femme fatale is a stalwart of movie making with everyone from Jessica Rabbit to Nora Zehetner in last years ‘Brick’ casting that magic net of power of fallible men in only the way a determined and not unattractive woman can. My introduction to the idea of film noir and a femme fatale came courtesy of 'Body Heat' and Kathleen Turner in her debut role. Arriving, donned all in white, glistening in the heat of the humid summer and delivering dynamite dialogue with her sandpaper voice (‘You’re not too smart are you. I like that in a man.’), I would have gladly stepped in William Hurts shoes and done Turners bidding. The film is both an excellent thriller and a brilliant ode to classic noir. Linda Fiorentino also burns up the screen, with some highly kinky enticements, in ‘The Last Seduction’, is an example of modern noir done well. ‘Double Indemnity’ and ‘Gilda’ though have to be my favourites of the standard setters.

21. 'A Night at the Opera'

I could and have spent the best part of some of my days reading Marx Brother quotes as well as of course watching their movies. ’Duck Soup’ is a favourite of mine but I’m going to give their entry to ’A Night at the Opera’, a film I watched a morning over the Christmas holidays a few years back. So often we are told a movie is a classic or enjoyable and go in with expectations and never get to enjoy them untainted with some view, that isn’t our own instinctive reaction. We look at cinema listings and make decisions to go based on names and the strength of advertising for fear of going to see something ’you know nothing about’ or ’never heard of’. You take a chance, on a movie like this, and you just might discover a movie that could become a favourite. I remember exactly where I was when I first saw this movie, its wise cracking racer speed humour made such an impression on me and most importantly it had me laughing out loud.

Otis B. driftwood: It's all right, that's in every contract. That's what they call a sanity clause. [Fiorello laughs loudly] Fiorello: You can't fool me! There ain't no Sanity Claus!

Hollywood Writers to Strike from Monday

A long anticipated and feared prospect comes to bear on Monday as movie and TV writers lay down pens and strike. With their role being undermined by reality TV and also not getting a cut of the profits TV networks are making from putting shows online, Hollywood will experience its first strike since the 5 month walk out in 1988. The immediate impact will be on show like The Daily Show and the late night talk shows (Leno, Letterman etc.) who are obviously scripted daily based on the days events - repeats of each show will begin airing on Monday evening bar a last minute deal. Otherwise TV shows like Heroes and Greys Anatomy should have a reserve of episodes built up to deliver until January, then TV screens will look pretty barren. The impact on movies is uncertain as of yet. I will be following this one.

Cheap Shot

The amount of time this person must have put into this collage deems it worthy of a post in my books no matter how easy Bush bashing is these days. Get a clearer view here.

Top 6 Friday : Disguises

In the spirit of the time of year and with Halloween being mid-week so that its celebration has almost been extended to a week I have given some thought to great disguises. Alter egos, costume parties, alternative lives - its all part of an escape we seem to enjoy. The sequence in Mission Impossible III, where Philip Seymour Hoffman’s face is constructed from a piece of mould so as to enable Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt impersonate him is a gem. Not everyone has those facilities at their disposal though and have had to be a bit more imaginative.

6. Sydney Bristow , Alias We may have had Roger Moore layering on disguises in ’The Saint’ and James Bond, infiltrating various meglomaniac’s layers with any number of guises but they never achieved the same effect as the characters created by Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) in ’Alias’. Every week, the costume department on this show were let loose and Garner ably played a broad range of parts.

5. Arnie, Total Recall Enjoy this clip, Arnie’s high tec equipment is not as successfully deployed as in MI: III.

4. Ghost Face costume from 'Scream', a serial killer fashion statement as strong as those made by the likes of Jason, Michael and Freddy. Does not provide the same durability as that enjoyed by aforementioned serial killers who seem invulnrable.

3. Jaye Davidson as a woman in ‘The Crying Game’ OK, so I’m sure it is far from appropriate to describe a decision to dress as the opposite gender as a disguise , but this is a movie after all and is a standard selection whenever the great twists are discussed.

2. E.T. as an old woman An alien, dolled up so as to escape detection out trick or treating on Halloween night, this has to be included. Unfortunately I had no luck with a picture.

1. Michelle Pfeiffer, bin liners, this was one of those lists where the No. 1 was never in doubt - Cat Woman in Batman Returns.(This in no way includes that Halle Berry afront to humanity more recent Cat Woman movie.)

Disney Images

Where can you you see Beyonce, Oliver Platt and Lyle Lovett playing characters from Alice in Wonderland? - why as part of the Year of a Million Dreams celebrations at Disney theme parks of course. That you would wish to see such an imagee is another matter altogether! Roger Federer, David Beckham and Scarlett Johansson also line out to portray other Disney characters. I have chosen the lovely Rachel Weiss in a pitch perfect recreation of Snow White. Sadly there are no dwarves. View the rest here.

Ireland 5th in Globalised Nation Ranking

It seems the nations small size has compelled us to reach beyond our borders and enter into commerce with our neighbours and beyond to such an extent that we are ranked 5th in Foreign Policys annual ranking of the most globalised nations in the world. Economic integration and personal connectivity (the term used to capture our willingness to travel and communicate) are our strong points, with technological innovation and political engagement lagging behind. Though seemingly our new membership of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, whatever that talking shop may be, has boosted our political engagement standing. With Singapore taking the No. 1 spot, smaller nations and our need to rely on more than domestic markets, means the US and Canada are the only large countries in the Top 10. Pore over the detail and breakdown here.

Returning TV

It is usually closer to Christmas before we get a sense of the new TV shows that will have established themselves as must see TV in the US and receive the most hype when they reach our shores. Big names continue to head for the small screen, of note is 'Damages' which RTE1 is alreadys howing on Saturday nights, starring Glenn Close. While we wait I have been watching new episodes of 'Heroes' and 'Dexter' both of which I've plugged here before and both of which I'm glad to say have upped their quality for their second years. 'Heroes' has dived head first into the series arc and every episode has the production value of a summer blockbuster. So too 'Dexter' is excelling in developing its story, making a hero of sorts of a serial killer. Advertisment free, successive episodes is slowly becoming the only way my family can watch TV. My parents and sibling will gladly sit and watch episodes of 'Prison Break' uninterupted, something of an achievement with a movie of ober 2 hours normally being a big ask of them. High concept TV is big business since the success of 'Lost' and everyone from Flash Gordon to the Bionic Woman are being rehashed this year as well as novel premises centreing on death ('Reaper'), secret government agencies ('Chuck') and as ever dysfunctional families ('The Riches', 'Dirty Sexy Money').

Fake FEMA News Conference

FEMA, the US emergency management body, certainly don't like to make life easy for themselves. Reviled for the poor co-ordination of the response to Hurricane Katrina it emerged last week that they held a 'fake' news conference, detailing their management of the Californina fires. Giving only 15 minutes notice to genuine news broadcasters, they instead filled the room with their own employees posing as reporters, who asked conveniently straightforward questions. Read more of the craziness of this situation here. They should have gotten advice from the guys who faked the moon landing.

Redesign

Yednnek has done an impressive redesign of his blog. Check it out here.

Great Line

There is a great quote from Oscar Wilde mentioned in the letters in todays Irish Times. I saw and really enjoyed 'Stardust' last night and it just has put me in an aspirational, imagination fueled mood today. The quote fits that mood perfectly:

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

Moral Absolutes

The trouble with absolutes is they can never be agreed upon. You can take all the moral stances you like on anything from abortion to slavery and there are advocates for each side, unwilling to concede to a judgement on human actions. Reconciling the inconsistencies presented to us when we look at the big picture is a battle. Free will and choice scrap it out with fate and natural order and no matter how much time we give to these issues, this conflict ultimately goes on inside your head with life having no intention of waiting for you to choose its design. There are contexts to filter through, and we live in an age over flowing with information where the word ’fact’ has been reduced to a misnomer. We are confronted with a battle of civilisations, one of frighteningly polarised views and stark consequences, where what seems the nadir of human behaviour is justified in the mind of others as serving a greater cause. Any sanctity you can find in the idea of moral absolutes is lost the greater the number you try to group within a belief system, whether it be an a la carte Catholic neither following nor obliging the guidance set out by the Church, a young woman being primed to look an unsuspecting suicide bomber or a pan European governing body. So much disarray can offer little hope for a single guiding compass. I still can’t be a cynic in the midst of all this and choose to believe in a proportion and ideally a majority having a primordial trigger that helps us choose well and lead well. All we have is what we do. The unique eye of each beholder and the world around us leaves us construct very few absolutes, yet we can still proceed with a resolve to arm ourselves with informed views and act accordingly.

The Dossing Times DVD of the Month

DVD for October: 'Hidden' ('Cache' - French with subtitles)

There is a strange muted-ness to the performances in ‘Hidden’. The whole film seems an exercise in observation rather than one engrossing us in the world of the film. Cary Grant and Eva Saint Marie scaling Mount Rushmore in ‘North by North-West’ came to mind - even as they are hanging precariously to their lives, they manage somehow to maintain their poise. Just as Hitchcock’s eye for style means we don’t necessarily grow an attachment to the enigmatic everymen and ice cool blondes in his movies, the detachment from the characters here as played by Daniel Auteil and Juliette Binoche so too is a creation of a distinctive delivery. The view of their world seems that sent to us by a camcorder positioned on a stand, with characters walking off screen and overall minimal movement, so that you can‘t help but feel like the peeping tom of the movie they are threatened by. The distinction between when we are watching video tape and when we are following events of the film is blurred throughout and neither is there any score, a masterful touch, which adds to this idea of watching a recording. Some mention is due of course to the characters, with Auteil and Binocche, both French acting royalty, playing intellectuals, living comfortably in a monotone apartment shared with their son. They already seem emotionally muted before the events of the film cause further strain in their lives, again adding to the sense we are watching rather than empathising.

The absence of the score is a touch that intrigues me. I have come across this omission of a score only twice before (from what I can remember) - in an episode of ‘Buffy: The Vampire Slayer’, dealing with the sudden death of her mother and also in the original version of ‘The Stepford Wives’. The omission in both was to add a strange sombreness and unease to the images on screen and worked very well, and I feel it added immeasurably to ’Hidden’. As well as complimenting the shooting style, you are left unsure as how to feel, there is a greater sense of nerve at all points, you can only pick out recurring themes or make an impression of a character based on their words and actions not based on a score added in the editing room to create dramatic effect. The heart of the film still beats, finding a rhythm in the story.

Said story dapples briefly in politics - the supposed motives for the stalkers actions stemming from the killing of Algerian protesters in Paris in 1961, and indeed the director interviewed in the extras this is the type of film that could be set in any country, as our histories each have skeletons shadowing them. The film is just as successful watched purely as a thriller, as a web of lies and a sorry past come to bear consequences. I don’t doubt this film will divide opinions and in fact I chose to review it because I heard such polarised views. I am more than impressed with the finished product. I don’t want to be spoon fed stories and answers, I want to see innovation on screen. For many the chance to appreciate a film fully is curtailed so much more than the time we can give to a piece of music or a piece of writing. Pressing repeat is another 2 hour commitment. ‘Hidden’ for its two hours challenges and delivers, with singular scenes littering hints of deeper mystery and letting the audience be the judge of events. I will be re-watching this movie.

I'm Not There

If you haven't heard of this movie its a Bob Dylan biopic, with the musician being portrayd by 7 different actors. The trailer lists the cast, a mighty eye catching one. This film will be an oddity and garner some sort of cult following if nothing else.

Top 6 Friday: Great Reads

1. Hound of the Baskervilles

I picked up this book, part of a set of 5 I was given as a present, without even knowing it was a Sherlock Holmes story. If ever I was unable to put down a book it was this. Never a moment set aside to see what proportion of the bulk of pages I had made my way through or sense of reading a book I wanted to get to the end of (a bad habit I have developed recently). The story, the pace, the wit and logic of Holmes inspiring me. There is so much to be said for rooting out the source material for the characters that have survived the ages – Dracula, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde or even Bond and meeting them as originally intended. Holmes is a classic example of a character, who's name entered the vernacular, is readily recognised by attire we all associate him with but the fact is this is very far removed from the man on the page. Not unknown to dabbling in drugs, evading the rigours of the law and thining himself incapable of love, Holmes was the original and best at pulling a rabbit out of a hat to reveal to the comfused faces all around who had dunnit'.

2. To Kill a Mockingbird

The death of Tom Robinson, disrupted every convention I knew as to how a story should progress. Writers aim to shock with twists, there is an inevitability to them with so many of the stories told today. The build up to Robinsons trial, Atticus Finch ably defending him as the black people of the town watch segregated from the public gallery overhead and the unjust verdict were harpooned with the sudden news of Robinsons botched escape and killing. Boo Radley's reveal paled into significance to this. I still remember where I was sitting the day I read the line.I know it is an injustice to the book to highlight this moment, out of the countless rich characters and perfect descriptions throughout but this stays with me.

3. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

There are those small little moments of realisation that can destroy you. They can come from nowhere, a passing remark, an awakening to a situation you never realised, a reality check on yourself or someone you know. Stephen Dedalus has one of these. A great feeling of vindication he felt on having a dean confront a bully of his, while in secondary school in Clongowes Wood, something great time is given to in the book to enshrine its importance in his mind, is taken away in an instant. The dean in conversation with his father tells him he essentially laughed at the boy behind his back underining in such a subtle moment of devastation a truly important moment to him. So much achieved with such insightful writing.

4. Hamlet

The leaving cert play, it can never be appreciated for what it is. At that formative age when learning by rote was my chief concern, the moment where Hamlet meets the Norweigan Prince Fortinbras, whose undoubting resolve to head to war over a barren piece of land is the example I bring to bear when I want to get perspective on things. For Hamlet this adds to his questioning of his inaction over his fathers death, when this king is willing to fight and give up lives for a piece of worthless land. Hamlets comparison of himself to the neighbouring prince leads to him finally taking action. It is an important, smart tangent, often left out of adaptations (mistakenly I think) triggering the events of the final drama.

5. The Road

This book I finished just last night and was the reason I wrote this list. It is simply written but has imagery and poetry laden in every line. There is a lyrical essence to the book, a quiet tragic story with more meaning and impact than the most densely written tomes. One moment where the father and son of the story are sitting in dense blackness, has the father about to lose his temper waiting for the sons agreement only to realise that the boy has been nodding, unknown to him in the pitch dark. There are so many great touches like this and paragraphs of beautiful description you feel a life's worth of writing couldn't produce but have here.

6. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

I went through an Agatha Christie phase and John Grisham phase in quick succession. Neither are fine art, but Christies work I appreciate more, if for nothing else than her great ideas. People in her world come up with the most elaborate and precisely timed and consructed crimes, motivated more often than not by money they go to great extents, consructing new identities involving years of plotting. The final pages see some impecabbly dressed yet highly dysfunctional people gathered in a drawing room as we wait for the pieces to come together and read the logic appear on page. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is still the subject of discussion, for how it treats the reader and the type of information it provides. An unprecedented plot twist sees the storys narrator and Hercule Poirots assistant revealed as the murderer. Immediately you feel cheated, the murderer has been telling the story. Christie explained afterwards that everything the narrator had told us was true, he had however failed to include some vital information!The truth of course is that there are plenty of clues for those who chose to see them, which I did, on the second reading however.