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ironymaidentranscribed
the smell of the leather journal is comforting, a tonic of peace and familiarity. i was supposed to have Bianca today, but all things that use batteries have failed me. (i failed them. phone never got attached to charger, Bianca was plugged into the spare battery but not into the wall...and open so not hibernating. it's been a stressful few days for me and it shows in the little things that slide.) i was up late with D&D last night but it was worthwhile. many hobgoblins died for my mental health.
C found my lost schedule. it turns out that i did have the weekend ready to go. so now i am in my favorite row at the Neptune (just under the balcony with extra legroom). this film is one i'm looking forward to, but the word of mouth on the quality of the print is bad.
today's slate: The Yes Men Fix the World
Tulpan
I'm No Dummy
Bronson (a maybe, depending on how tired i am)
i adored The Yes Men Fix the World. The Yes Men are a hoaxing organization focused on corporate responsibility. the film chronicles several of their exploits. watching this in the wake of reading a discussion on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
debunkingwhite about using humor and shaming in civil disobedience made me think harder about what i was seeing. what made the film for me was that The Yes Men question the value of their efforts. they recognize that they could be harming the people they set out to help and that their acts signify nothing.
there are questions that remain unresolved for me, the greatest being who finances these exploits? would they have helped more people by giving the money - spent on plane tickets, cameras, swag, props, etc - to the clinic they visited in Bhopal in the film? perhaps it is all worthwhile if they keep reminding people of the unresolved issues in Bhopal and in New Orleans, of the toll that we take every day on the environment that will be paid by our children's children.
this year SIFF brought back Talking Pictures, where they have local experts discuss the film. great choices - a UW history prof specializing in civil disobedience, and a Seattle U prof that teaches business ethics. so very cool to hear a discussion of The Yes Men related back to John Brown.
the film itself just rocks. it's a grand entertainment, but still a little thoughtful. the sugar is so very good that we may not notice what we swallowed until later. highly recommended - i expect it won't get a typical distribution ;) (this was the last Seattle showing, but it may be better to see it at home anyway. the digital projection at the Neptune is just as lousy as it was last year. dammit SIFF.)
Tulpan was film-festival good. we peer into an alien world, the steppes of Kazakhstan. as the programmers said, it reminds me of The Story of the Weeping Camel, but with a looser narrative arc. i think i missed a couple of early bits of important info, so the plot wasn't as clear as i would have liked. but really, this one was about seeing inside the yurt. will Asa get the girl and get to be a herder? if you won't be satisfied with "maybe" and the tractor decorated with porn cutouts, you might want to spend time elsewhere.
I'm No Dummy is a documentary about ventriloquists. high production values, great archival footage, and well-chosen bits of performances. it mixes clips with talking heads and manages to be both informative and entertaining. see it today for the Q&A.
the smell of the leather journal is comforting, a tonic of peace and familiarity. i was supposed to have Bianca today, but all things that use batteries have failed me. (i failed them. phone never got attached to charger, Bianca was plugged into the spare battery but not into the wall...and open so not hibernating. it's been a stressful few days for me and it shows in the little things that slide.) i was up late with D&D last night but it was worthwhile. many hobgoblins died for my mental health.
C found my lost schedule. it turns out that i did have the weekend ready to go. so now i am in my favorite row at the Neptune (just under the balcony with extra legroom). this film is one i'm looking forward to, but the word of mouth on the quality of the print is bad.
today's slate: The Yes Men Fix the World
Tulpan
I'm No Dummy
Bronson (a maybe, depending on how tired i am)
i adored The Yes Men Fix the World. The Yes Men are a hoaxing organization focused on corporate responsibility. the film chronicles several of their exploits. watching this in the wake of reading a discussion on
debunkingwhite about using humor and shaming in civil disobedience made me think harder about what i was seeing. what made the film for me was that The Yes Men question the value of their efforts. they recognize that they could be harming the people they set out to help and that their acts signify nothing.there are questions that remain unresolved for me, the greatest being who finances these exploits? would they have helped more people by giving the money - spent on plane tickets, cameras, swag, props, etc - to the clinic they visited in Bhopal in the film? perhaps it is all worthwhile if they keep reminding people of the unresolved issues in Bhopal and in New Orleans, of the toll that we take every day on the environment that will be paid by our children's children.
this year SIFF brought back Talking Pictures, where they have local experts discuss the film. great choices - a UW history prof specializing in civil disobedience, and a Seattle U prof that teaches business ethics. so very cool to hear a discussion of The Yes Men related back to John Brown.
the film itself just rocks. it's a grand entertainment, but still a little thoughtful. the sugar is so very good that we may not notice what we swallowed until later. highly recommended - i expect it won't get a typical distribution ;) (this was the last Seattle showing, but it may be better to see it at home anyway. the digital projection at the Neptune is just as lousy as it was last year. dammit SIFF.)
Tulpan was film-festival good. we peer into an alien world, the steppes of Kazakhstan. as the programmers said, it reminds me of The Story of the Weeping Camel, but with a looser narrative arc. i think i missed a couple of early bits of important info, so the plot wasn't as clear as i would have liked. but really, this one was about seeing inside the yurt. will Asa get the girl and get to be a herder? if you won't be satisfied with "maybe" and the tractor decorated with porn cutouts, you might want to spend time elsewhere.
I'm No Dummy is a documentary about ventriloquists. high production values, great archival footage, and well-chosen bits of performances. it mixes clips with talking heads and manages to be both informative and entertaining. see it today for the Q&A.
