DMGRecent Movies
I've become quite enamored of the jwz-style movie roundup, so I'm just going to steal it and roll on. Here we go.
Incredible look into the lives of several men and women squatting in the subway tunnels of New York City. It struck me that these people might have been fine living in the country 150 years ago. Given a bit of land and a horse, they'd have been able to survive, and even thrive. And I realized once again, looking around my apartment, that I live in a state of unimaginable wealth compared to most of the people on this planet.
I got this from Netflix, and hogged it for more than two weeks, watching it over and over again. The Fontainebleau section is absolutely beautiful, and the camera work, the soundtrack and the editing all worked together to put you on the rock. Now, whenever I get on something thin, I can't help but hear Buck 65's "You Know the Science" start up in my head. And the tranquility of the Illinois woods makes me want to plan a trip.
This video was the final nudge my friends and I needed to get into bouldering. Not long after watching it (over and over and over...) I bought a crash pad, and our Wednesday-night bouldering sessions started.
I bought Dosage: Vol. 3 today. We'll see if it lives up to Vol. 2's promise.
R. Crumb is a deeply wierd human. His work has always given me a sense that he's just on the edge of being functional, in dire danger of giving in to his lust and rage and confusion. It's work produced by a man trying to figure out what his own work means, and not necessarily in control of that work. He goes where it takes him, and it's often pretty dark stuff, for all its pretense at comedy. And this movie certainly bears that out. Crumb's a guy who has become comfortable on the edge of a cliff. Me, I like the idea that art isn't safe, that when you go looking through a pile of magazines you might find something that'll crawl into your head and give you bad dreams.
Another climbing reel. It starts with an explanation that the group really wanted to hit New Zealand, but settled for Hueco Tanks instead, and I think it showed. It seemed unfocused, in the same odd way that my friends and I achieved when we set out to film ourselves skateboarding all those years ago. I wanted to see the stories and characters come out more. Evidently the trip to New Zealand happened (I think I read about it...) and appears in Big Game, which I'll check out if it appears on Netflix or I can find it cheap.
I think it's time I stopped watching bouldering videos for a while, though. I nearly bought a footbag today. (It's fun, and I used to be good, but I find the timing suspicious, especially given that nobody I know still plays with those things.)
The Rest
Aside from that, it's been a steady mix of The Sopranos and UFC videos. My interest in the UFC waxes and wanes with my attendance at Krav Maga class anyway, and the poor quality of the DVDs isn't helping. The editing and camera work are pretty bad, and the color commentary gets repetitive quickly. I'd love to head for Vegas one of these weekends and sit ringside, and see what that's like, but I'll be skimming the five star-rated DVDs from Netflix instead of going completely in order.
And of course, I'm waiting with bated breath for the third season of Deadwood on DVD.