lately,
i've been peeing
in the shower
and I seldom make
my bed
but
god is good
and i have a
clean shirt
and a new
haircut
Showing posts with label Society's Underbelly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Society's Underbelly. Show all posts
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
A good, swift, violent story
From The Postman Always Rings Twice by James Cain:
"You talk like it was all right."
"Who's going to know if it's all right or not, but you and me?"
"You and me."
"That's it, Frank. That's all that matters, isn't it? Not you and me and the road, or anything else but you and me."
"You must be a hell cat, though. You couldn't make me feel like this if you weren't."
"That's what we're going to do. Kiss me, Frank. On the mouth."
I kissed her. Her eyes were shining up at me like two blue stars. It was like being in church.
"You talk like it was all right."
"Who's going to know if it's all right or not, but you and me?"
"You and me."
"That's it, Frank. That's all that matters, isn't it? Not you and me and the road, or anything else but you and me."
"You must be a hell cat, though. You couldn't make me feel like this if you weren't."
"That's what we're going to do. Kiss me, Frank. On the mouth."
I kissed her. Her eyes were shining up at me like two blue stars. It was like being in church.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Great Characters in History: Omar Little
Unlike movies, where the narrow constraints of plot and length occasionally enable a single actor to dominate and carry the story, television series depend more heavily on the contributions of the supporting cast to facilitate plot development and sustain viewer interest over an extended series (years rather than hours).
Viewed as an allegory for the increasingly transparent political and economic processes in the information age, HBO's The Wire clearly presents the motives and actions of all its characters for viewer scrutiny. Rife with carefully examined subplots from elected officials down to the homeless informants and teenage dealers on the Baltimore streets, The Wire's dramatic tension is derived not from curious speculation (like in labrynthine plotted shows such as Lost, where nothing is simple or clear) but from the grim anticipation of knowing exactly what is happening.
This blunt and forthright form of storytelling is perhaps best exemplified in the story arc of shotgun toting stickup boy Omar Little (Michael K. Williams). Loosely based on the real exploits of Baltimore stickup boy Donnie Andrews and others , Omar, elegant and charismatic, robs drug dealers. While he does occasionally let some of his profits slip back to the needy in his community, he's no Robin Hood and banks most of what he takes, viewing his work as a profession like any other. In one memorable scene he is excoriated by a self righteous defense attorney for preying on the misguided and disadvantaged youth who work in the Baltimore drug trade; Omar narrows his eyes and retorts "Just like you, man. I got the shotgun, you got the briefcase."
Omar might not harbor any romantic illusions about his role in society, but he exhibits a strong sense of the unwritten rules that govern his work and that of his drug dealing colleagues. When angry dealers murder and brutally disfigure his lover Brandon early in the series, Omar takes the excessive nature of the crime personally and he escalates the focus and intensity of his own work. By turns sensitive and unapologetically violent, he has an affection for Greek mythology, whistling "Farmer in the Dell," frequent and emphatic use of the phrase "true indeed," and unlike nearly every other character on the show, never cusses.
Viewed as an allegory for the increasingly transparent political and economic processes in the information age, HBO's The Wire clearly presents the motives and actions of all its characters for viewer scrutiny. Rife with carefully examined subplots from elected officials down to the homeless informants and teenage dealers on the Baltimore streets, The Wire's dramatic tension is derived not from curious speculation (like in labrynthine plotted shows such as Lost, where nothing is simple or clear) but from the grim anticipation of knowing exactly what is happening.
This blunt and forthright form of storytelling is perhaps best exemplified in the story arc of shotgun toting stickup boy Omar Little (Michael K. Williams). Loosely based on the real exploits of Baltimore stickup boy Donnie Andrews and others , Omar, elegant and charismatic, robs drug dealers. While he does occasionally let some of his profits slip back to the needy in his community, he's no Robin Hood and banks most of what he takes, viewing his work as a profession like any other. In one memorable scene he is excoriated by a self righteous defense attorney for preying on the misguided and disadvantaged youth who work in the Baltimore drug trade; Omar narrows his eyes and retorts "Just like you, man. I got the shotgun, you got the briefcase."Omar might not harbor any romantic illusions about his role in society, but he exhibits a strong sense of the unwritten rules that govern his work and that of his drug dealing colleagues. When angry dealers murder and brutally disfigure his lover Brandon early in the series, Omar takes the excessive nature of the crime personally and he escalates the focus and intensity of his own work. By turns sensitive and unapologetically violent, he has an affection for Greek mythology, whistling "Farmer in the Dell," frequent and emphatic use of the phrase "true indeed," and unlike nearly every other character on the show, never cusses.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Who's Afraid of Ingmar Bergman?
I'm afraid of Ingmar Bergman.
The last three episodes of the Scenes From a Marriage miniseries have been sitting on my coffee table for almost a week now and I just can't bring myself to watch them. I've seen some unsettling films over the years; gruesome crimes; wanton animal slaughter and rape; pregnant women forcibly Caesarianed; Marlon Brando whispering sick-sweet nothings; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
But Marianne and Johan make me shiver.
I finished the first three episodes (over an uneasy five day span) and had to open all the windows and watch half a dozen mid-period Woody Allen movies (same themes and questions but mostly happy endings) just to feel right again.
Over two hours of gorgeously lit close-ups of Liv Ullman (most expressive face in cinema?) and Erland Josephson in their suddenly cruel relationship and I don't have any idea just when it started to go wrong but I do know that I'm not sure if I want to find out how it ends.
Two nights ago I opted to watch a Holocaust film instead. I thought it would be less emotionally jarring.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
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