Ein Zitat ist besser als ein Argument. Man kann damit in einem Streit die Oberhand gewinnen, ohne den Gegner überzeugt zu haben.

Gabriel Laub, 24.10.1928 – 03.02.1998

tüv- mann oder -frau: Du nervst! Und zwar extrem! Du erinnerst mich an Wilfried. Der will uns mit seinen Kalauern auch immer irgendwas wichtiges mitteilen, was keiner kapiert und man hört wie alle Hörer ihren Kopf schütteln.

DON´T PANIC

I want you to hit me as hard as you can

This year it’s Fight Club’s tenth anniversary. I think I’ve seen a few special dvds are going to be coming out, or maybe I just dreamt that.. I dunno.

This film doesn’t feel like it’s a decade old. It doesn’t look like it’s a decade old.

It’s quite simply brilliant.

I can’t remember how old I was when I watched this, but I must have been in high school. It had come on tv and my older sister had told me to tape it and watch it cause it was great. I didn’t know anything about the film, the ending, nothing. So I was blissfully unaware of plot twists and what not. No Bruce Willis is actually dead malarkey here.

When I finished watching the film I rewound the tape and watched it again.

It completely blew me away.

Now first off yes I’m a girl. I’ve checked and so have others. I know this is firmly classed as a “guys film” but to me it isn’t. Yes, the appeal of Brad Pitt’s naked torso must appeal to the ladies, but I don’t think this is a film you could watch purely because you fancy the leads. I say leads because I love Edward Norton, both as an actor (I would say he’s my favourite) and as a lovely face. More so than Brad Pitt (ooh controversial).

Yes it’s violent, and grimey and about men rebelling against metrosexualism but I absolutely love it and it’s without a doubt my favourite film of all time. Sorry Lord of the Rings, you come close yes, but no cigar.

Hating against consumerism is something any gender can identify with. Feeling lost in society and hating the banality of 9-5 is something anyone can identify with.

I’m not a film expert. If I was back in college and doing an essay on Fight Club, which actually I kind of did when looking at if David Fincher was an auteur or not, I would probably look in depth at the films themes, and characters and all that jazz. But I’m not going to, I’ll leave that to the experts.

It’s a brilliantly funny and subversive film and so so crazy. Marla Singer saying she has more right to be at the testicular cancer support group because the narrator still has his balls? Stealing fat from a liposuction clinic to make soap with?

Creating a whole other persona to escape yourself and your life?

Woah.

I love that this film divided people’s opinions when it first came out. I hear only good things about it now, so I assume it doesn’t anymore!

The thing that is so brilliant about this film, which I think is so so rare, is that it’s a completely different film when you’ve watched it the second time. Armed with the knowledge that Tyler and the narrator are the same person gives the film a whole new dimension. When you see them on the plane together, it’s just crazy that he’s sitting there talking to nothing. “We’ve got the same briefcase” becomes a big ooooooooooooh kinda moment, and then when you watch it again and see Tyler’s face you kinda get that obviously he knows what’s going on the sly bastard.

Seeing the things you never spotted before, seeing how well the film hides the fact that they are one and the same is so mental and makes the film that much more enjoyable. That film will never be the same as it was on first viewing. It becomes more and more every single time you watch it.

And that’s the thing. It’s not a Sixth Sense, whereby you watch it once, then you watch it again and then after that there’s no need to ever watch the film again. The plot twist in Fight Club doesn’t just demand a second viewing and then leaves your head forever. The plot twist makes the film and the narrator even crazier. It makes him hitting golf balls into the distance even more hilarious cos he’s doing it by himself. He threw himself down those steps! He’s crazy!

You can watch it for the twentieth time, and it never gets old or boring. You just sit there going “my god”. And the big reveal, when the narrator realises what’s going on still gets you. That moment of clarity you wait for throughout the entire film.

Fight Club is not a mindless violent film. It’s smart, funny, ingenious..

And fucking cool.

The first rule of  fight club is you do not talk about fight club… the legendary dialogue from the movie Fight Club. Hollywood has made some  really cool and awesome movies on Mixed Martial Arts… Fight Club, Never Back Down, Red Belt, each of these leave one awe struck!

All the awesome workout sessions, your head automatically has the Rocky Balboa, “Eye of the Tiger,” playing…  Shootfighters have all of these amazing training sessions, that would transport you to any one of these flicks… strengthening exercises, conditioning, free- running… all of that you can ask for!

But there is a catch! When it comes to Shootfighters, there is more than what meets the eye… there is always something new and exciting to be offered by Shootfighters… While speaking of MMA, we have, taken this term very seriously and to the point!

Ashwin has been practising martial arts for over 2 decades now… and these arts range from Karate, Kickboxing, Brazilian Jujutsu, a bit of Sambo, Taekwondo, Aikido, Jujutsu, Kalaripayattu, Tamil Kalaripayattu, Wing-Tsun, Kenjutsu, Garadi, Vajramushti, Judo, Tai Chi, Baghuazhang, Various types of Kung Fu- Eagle Claw, Tiger, Snake and a bit of Manthis… and each of these forms have been blended in Shootfighters…

This unique blend makes the classes, complete fun and totally exciting. Martial Arts has a huge history, and there are wide array of arts… each place has adapted and taken an art form to suit their own needs and requirements. Thus, the existence of this melting pot of so to say, martial arts under one roof… makes it a complete martial treat!

“One needs to enjoy what they teach… and I would personally find only striking pretty boring… after sometime plain old kickboxing without grappling, take-downs… gets very boring. It is not even practical in a real fight, where you are grabbed, pushed, clawed, slapped. Also, in most cases, you are up against more than one opponent… where one person does the hitting, while the others do the holding.” Says Ashwin.

Hmmm, only strikes and kicks seem like so much of a constriction here… one needs to know different techniques and ways to get out of any attack situation. Shootfighters Inc, takes in all the useful martial arts and makes it a part of their course curriculum.

Sounds fun right! Different martial arts, being blended and taught with some really cool moves… but behind all of this is a serious effort made, with tremendous hard work, and passion for Martial arts.

Ashwin has been in constant touch with different people in the world of Martial art, making friends, getting to know their art forms. Many masters do not teach you some art forms that easily… they need to know whether one can handle it. Ashwin had to go through years of patient waiting before he was introduced into numerous arts.

“It is a complete course you need to go through, most teachers do not teach you what part you want and leave the rest… you need to wait it out patiently and get the useful information out. Every martial art has some very useful and amazing techniques, and some may not work.”

With real-time experience of numerous fights, Ashwin knows that one needs to have a multitude of techniques that work.

“My instructors like Siddarth are very good fighters, because they have only learnt techniques that work and nothing else.” Adds Ashwin.

The most tough to capture have been the Indian Martial Arts… these seem to be very well hidden and shrouded, many have been lost and left only to a chosen few., as they need to make sure whether one can wield the power given by the arts.

The organization is doing a lot to preserve and document lesser known Indian martial arts such as Garadi, Vajramushti, Varmakalai, Silammbam so that they don’t die out entirely.

“I had this curiosity to understand and know, why an agriculture based civilization would need Martial Arts. Hunters and gatherers, it is understandable, but Indus Valley Civilization, the first civilization to develop a deep cultural setup of Martial arts was something I wanted to learn about.” Says Ashwin.

The great sages of India like Agastyar, Thirumular, Boghanathar… all of them have made huge contributions to Martial Arts, also incidentally the word ‘Chi‘ is derived from Chivaya (a tamil way of saying Shiva). The insights provided by them in Martial arts is very profound and deep. It set a base for the growth of martial arts all over the world.

“Martial arts, is about being strong, self-defence and all of that… but then there is more to Martial arts… it has a deeper ethereal meaning. When many students had signed up for self-defence or fitness, they continued classes even after achieving fitness and self-defence. Out of sheer curiosity I enquired, and found out that they felt a sense of achievement and strong confidence while be a part of our classes.” Says Ashwin.

Thus, martial arts works directly on the mind of the person, which in turn reflects in the body. “Martial arts is like Kundalini Yoga, where the aim is to achieve enlightenment, thus sages like Agastyar practised the arts. In order to see a mental change, physical vigour need to be done, once there is a mental change it is seen in the spirit… all of them are interconnected. “ Adds Ashwin.

The best part about these arts are, they are very nicely blended and gelled in to make a perfect school for martial arts- Independent Shootfighters Inc.

After four days of zero views, and many more of zero updates I thought I’d FINALLY do something about it.

So, Here we are.

Happy Turkey Day, unless you aren’t eating turkey– I understand that a lot of people are weirdo vegetarians or happen to like meats besides gobble-gobbles.  I get that.  I love veggies, but I feel that becoming a vegetarian would be awfully mean to all of those veggies out there.  I read an icon, once, it said:

“I’m not a vegetarian because I love animals, I’m a vegetarian because I hate vegetables.”

Ah ha.  That’s hilarious, I love it.  I wish I was a vegetarian so that I could wear a pin that says that.

Speaking, though, of icons.  I think they’re the bumper stickers of our generation.  I mean, you used to look for bumper stickers to get your fill of witty quotes, but now you go to icons.  Truthfully, I like the change– because icons are easier to find a cheaper to use, while you actually have to buy bumper stickers.

I think everyone thanks whatever for the same stuff, generally.  Food, a job, money, a house, and especially friends and family.  But we stood around the table, held hands, and said: “over the lips, past the gums, look out stomach, here it comes.”  That was our blessing, told by my grandfather it was absolutely beautiful.

Reminds me of a scene in Gran Torino, in fact, the first scene.  ”Spectacles, testicles, wallet, and watch.”  I don’t know about you guys, but I thought that was a fabulous movie.  I also should’ve been thankful for all of the fantastic movies out there, I don’t know what the world would be like without people like Chuck Palahniuk and Will Smith.

By the way, has anyone seen the movie Choke?  I read the book, but I have heard next to nothing about the movie, and yet if it was written by Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club) it has to be good, no?  I heard it won something, or something, but I’m not entirely sure what.  Gimme a second, I’ll look it up.

Well, it got a 6.7/10 on IMBD, but is that good?  Truthfully, I don’t really know. D=  I thought it came out a while ago, but it actually came out last year (2008), which is kind of shocking.  That I can see, it didn’t win anything too notable.

“A sex-addicted con-man pays for his mother’s hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who rescue him from choking to death.” That about sums it up, doesn’t it?  Great book thought, if you have a chance– read it, before you watch the movie.

I’ll check out the movie and write up one of those lame little reviews I like so much.

Oh, lemme do what I came here to do: Happy Thanksgiving.

Carly's not taking things seriously

So last night was Episode 8 of Final Cut for semester one. Like always we began at 8pm sharp following on after The TigerFace Show and things started off quite well… for like the first 30 seconds anyway. That’s when I forgot half of what I was supposed to say for the introduction and Diane kept talking over the music because she assumed the mics were turned down; funny at the time, kind of embarrassing in hindsight. Since the big film of the week was New Moon, we decided to focus our New Releases reviews on that. The only other film of significance to come recently (that we haven’t reviewed already) was Jim Carey’s A Christmas Carol, but we’ve decided to save that until at least December, out of principal if nothing else.

Lady D hard at work

Here’s a brief list of what we covered last night:

1. Intro – Pulp Fiction Theme.
2. We commenced the show with this week’s movie news:
3. Joss Whedon to the PGA Vanguard Award for general awesomeness.
4. Stephen King to pen a sequel to The Shining.
5. The Lovely Bones Charity Film Premiere in London.
6. Kat Dennings to join the cast of Thor.
7. First images of Shrek 4 released along with news that Kristen Schall will play an ogre-hunting witch.
8. Played Holding Out For a Hero by Frou Frou. (Shrek 2)
9. Decode by Paramore. (Twilght)
10. Reviewed New Moon.
11. Got into a few arguments visa vi Team Edward vs Team Jacob.
12. Played Possibility by Lyyke Li. (New Moon)
13. Shooting the Moon by Ok Go. (New Moon)
14. Ciarán and James broke the first two rules of Fight Club this week on Cult Classics.
15. Played Where Is My Mind? by The Pixies (Fight Club)
16. During The Rant we discussed Cinema Blends Best Cinematic Music Moments of the Noughties and played snippets from each song and all of the winner.
17. Played Little Dancer by Elton John. (Almost Famous)
18. Diane’s Pretty Boy of the Week – Up for a vote Robert Pattinson or Taylor Lautner. Go to our Twitter or Facebook Page and cast your vote!
19. Carly’s Pretty Girl of the Week – Kat Dennings.
20. Close – Metal Module up next.

So yeah, that was the show. Some of you might be asking why we didn’t play the more prominent songs from New Moon, like Death Cab or The Editors. Well the reason for that is simply because we reported on the release of the OST a few weeks ago and had already ran some of those tracks. It was a personal thing really, I just didn’t want to recycle songs, and I felt like it wouldn’t be fair to the people who listen to us every week. Besides, ‘Meet Me on the Equinox‘ isn’t even in the film, (Wtf?) whereas Possibility is played during one of its few good scenes. Lykke Li is someone you should check out.

Jamey Baby gettin' ready to rock and/or roll

Anyway, this week was a bit different because we actually had Ciarán and James in the studio with us doing Cult Classics live, as opposed to pre-recorded. They sounded really good live, most likely because for the past fortnight they’ve been getting some good practice in. (Listen to ‘Homophonic’ Mondays at 9pm!) I also had Ciarán on photo duty since I wanted some pictures of us at work for both here and our Facebook Page. In summation, I was quite pleased with how everything turned out. The Rant sounded great, which was a huge relief since I was pretty worried that playing the snippets (unedited) might be a bit glitchy, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The Wookiee working the desk during Cult Classics

Next week we’ll probably be looking at The Road; Viggo Mortensen’s new movie set in a post-apocalyptic world about man and his son trying desperately to survive. Hopefully we’ll also get to review Paranormal Activity; providing it gets a semi-widespread release. The commercials I’ve seen for it look really clever. They’re advertising it as one of the scariest movies this decade but instead of playing us clips of the movie itself, they show us the audience’s reactions. Colour me intrigued.

That’s about it for this week at college. Even though I finished my Media Studies assignment today, (design a book cover and write a document to accompany it explaining the conceptualisation, process, semiotics, etc. We did The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon) another one has snuck up on me. Damn you Research Methods! I also have Video Production, Crime and the Media and a media studies exam at the end of the semester. Suffice to say, I’m a tad stressed. Luckily I’m only working Saturday evening and 10 hours on Sunday, (which despite how it may seem, is actually a lot less than what I usually do) so tomorrow will be spent doing research in the morning, and a lot of sitting down with Ciarán and James in the evening. This pleases me.

You guys should check out DCUfm. I know you’re probably sick to death of me plugging it, but what is the internet good for if not self-promotion. Diane and I are back next Wednesday at 8pm with another Final Cut, and if you want some more of the audible chocolate that is James Buckley, (alongside Ciarán’s awesome producing skills) check out Homophonic, Mondays at 9pm. Click the link on the left to Listen Live right now.

An diese erinnern mich Eure Zugriffe auf mein Blog. Scheinbar sind alle äusserst aufmerksam, wenn zwei XY sich streiten. Aber wenn manx versucht das Thema zu wechseln und Leser denken müsste, dann kommt nix.

Also betreibe ich hier eine BILD?

Das wird geändert!

DON´T PANIC

Irgendwann wieder!

42

Fight Club remake for Brad Pitt ’s Fight Club. Vikram Chopra has directed this multistarrer. He utterly failed to give the feel of original. In Hollywood this was an action film.

But Vikram and writer Sohail Khan added some drama and sentiment to it and spoiled the script.  This movie utterly failed to win Box Office. Story is about the illegal boxing matches. Serious Boxing matches appears like kiddish games in this movie.

Movie has very huge star cast  like Zayed khan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Dino Moria,Diya Mirza and Ashmit Patel. Sunil Shetty, Amrita Arora and Aashish Caudhary are the other crew in this movie. Neha Dupia made a cameo appearance.

Helen Hayes e Ingrid Bergman - cena de um grande confronto.

# Anastacia – A Princesa Esquecida

O assassinato da família real russa foi um dos atos mais simbólicos do Exército Vermelho durante a Revolução Russa. O mistério que se seguiu quanto o destino dos restos mortais, deu origem a uns dos mais instingantes mitos do século XX, aquele que versa sobre a sobrevivência da Grã-Duquesa Anastásia Nikolaevna Romanov. Quarta filha do czar, Anástasia teria resistido a seus ferimentos e escapado da Rússia com poucas memórias da vida na corte.

Muitas foram aquelas que alegaram ser Anastásia e apelaram pelo acolhimento dos Ramanov espalhados pelas famílias reais européias.  Anna Anderson tornou-se a mais famosa destas levando seu caso aos tribunais alemães e causando muitas controvérsias. Após a sua morte,  foi confirmado (através de exames de DNA) que ela não tinha descendia dos monarcas russos . Neste filme, conta-se uma versão romanceada de sua farsa.

General Bounine (Yul Brynner) é um vigarista que sonha com a fortuna antigo czar e pretende por as mãos nela valendo-se da lenda da princesa perdida. Justamente quando seu orçamento está prestes a acabar, a candidata perfeita aparece. Egressa de uma instituição de saúde mental e cheia de lacunas na memória, Anna Anderson (Ingrid Bergman) apresenta duas características ainda mais cruciais: alta sugestabilidade e uma beleza estonteante.

Grandioso, para os padrões da época,  o filme de Anatole Litvak vale-se de duas grandes atrizes. Ingrid Bergman encarna com vivacidade o papel de uma mulher que nem mesmo a reconquista da identidade (seja lá qual essa for) poderia reparar suas imensas perdas. Helen Hayes, por sua vez, interpreta a Imperatriz Maria, avó paterna da personagem título. Fria, compreensiva, calejada e esperançosa, a Imperatriz imprime outro teor à narrativa desde sua primeira aparição – ainda que esta seja levemente tardia. E embora Bergman tenha ganhado o Oscar, é de Hayes a grande interpretação.

Ideal para quem gosta de grandes atrizes, clássicos ou os irresistíveis romances não usuais de Ingrid Bergman.

Trailer:

# Clube da Luta

No Brasil, Clube da Luta (Fight Club, Estados Unidos, 1999) tornou-se um título notório quando um atirador alvejou espectadores no cinema durante uma sessão do filme. O então estudante de Medicina, acabou matando três pessoas e deixando outras quatro feridas. A despeito disso, o filme conquistou uma base forte de fãs seduzidos pelo seu discurso de protesto quanto o lado ordinário da vida.

Clube da Luta acompanha a vida de seu narrador, e como ele deixou de ser o protótipo de homem urbano bem-sucedido através da auto-destruição e da iconoclastia. Seu “despertar” é promovido por Tyler Dunder. Figura imponente e persuasiva, Dunder arrastará para sua órbita destrutiva um exército de seguidores. Seus argumentos são simples: toda a mediocridade que cerca as relações sociais é sustentada por pequenas convenções, símbolos de poder, e estrutura de controle. E pequenos atos contrário a isto são capazes de provocar grandes impactos.

Tyler manterá uma relação estreita apenas com o confuso narrador que apesar de ignorar o porquê e a extensão dos planos de Dunder irá envolver-se com estes até o pescoço. O mistério sobre o encontro destes dois, porém, é uma surpresa reservada para o final da narrativa. Ainda assim, a  resposta está lá no “acordar” do protagonista (ou talvez em seu não dormir representado aqui por uma eterna insônia).

Edward Norton (Narrador) e Brad Pitt (Dunder) estão ótimos em seus papéis. Desesperados, nervosos e levemente insanos, os atores dão humanidade a personagens não muito críveis. O elo mais frágil do elenco, do filme em geral, é sem dúvida Helena Boham Carter e sua personagem Marla. Esta mais parece Beatriz Lestrange (bruxa histérica que atriz intrepreta na série Harry Potter) perdida no filme errado: exagerada, sem graça e não sexy, Carter derruba quase todas as cenas em que está presente. Curioso que a partir desta experiência em todos seus trabalhos subsequentes ela se deu ao trabalho de repetir a mesma caracterização. A razão disto é realmente difícil de entender.

Trailer:

# O Diário de Bridget Jones

Antes de flertar com a anorexia, Renée Zellweger inspirou centenas de mulheres na pele de Bridget Jones: solteira de 30 anos, fumante compulsiva e acima do peso, a heroína sonhava em arranjar um namorado, perder peso e largar o tabagismo. E como se já não bastassem seus próprios problemas, seus pais sexagenários se divorciam quando sua mãe arranja um amante.

Dona de uma personalidade quase histriônica, a mãe de Bridget ainda insiste em lembrá-la que Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) está solteiro. Porém, onde a mãe enxerga um príncipe, a filha vê um sapo. Mesmo porque esta já foi fisgada pelo charme do grande rival de Darcy: Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant).

Inspirado no divertido livro homônimo de Helen Fielding (que também assina o roteiro), O Diário de Bridget Jones (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Inglaterra, 2001) está entre as melhores comédias da década. Tal distinção deve-se especialmente ao carisma da personagem central e da atriz que a anima. Bridget não é somente atrapalhada e impulsa, ela parece tão real quanto alguma mulher que você conhece bem.

Os coadjuvantes são também afiadíssimos. Colin Firth e Hugh Grant se alternam nos papéis de mocinho e vilão nas páginas do diário e sempre com muito charme e graça. Gemma Jones e Jim Broadbent fazem-se grandes como os pais da protagonista apesar do limitado screentime.

Outro aspecto da película que merece destaque é sua trilha sonora. Composta por hits da música pop (All By Myself, It’s Raining Man são exemplos) esta se encaixa perfeitamente em cenas que poderiam ser ridículas como uma luta no meio da rua, ou uma crise de choro em frente da TV.

Anos depois foi filmada uma continuação bastante inferior e caricata. Rumores dizem que a terceira parte está em pré-produção com os mesmos atores envolvidos. Renée Zellweger já declarou que não irá engordar novamente para fazer a personagem. E segundo anunciou Hugh Grant este será o último filme. Espera-se que seja um belo canto do cisne para ele, um ótimo ator que alcançou excelência na comédia-romântica sem nunca ter recebido os devidos louros.

All By Myself:

# A Casa das Coelhinhas

O estereótipo de loira burra e sensual é bastante usual no cinema americano. Marilyn Monroe, Jane Mansfield, dentre outras, tornaram-se ícones representando este papel em diversos filmes. Ao longo dos anos, contudo, devido também a mudanças diante do comportamento sexual e da relação entre os gêneros, o pareamento entre burrice/ingenuidade e sexo acabou vulgarizando-se e perdendo muito de seu glamour. Em A Casa das Coelhinhas (The Bunny House, Estados Unidos, 2008), Anna Faris mergulha fundo na figura de loira burra com um resultado positivo.

Faris interpreta Shelly, uma playmate levada a crer que é muito velha (aos 27 anos) para viver na mansão de Hugh Hefner. Na busca por um novo teto, Shelly chega à fraternidade ZETA onde vivem garotas que a despeito de frequentarem a faculdade ainda são típicas weirdos do high school. As garotas, entretanto, também correm risco de perder sua casa já que nenhuma caloura tem interesse de juntar-se a elas. Então, com a ajuda de Shelly elas tentarão encontrar seu lado sexy podendo assim atrair rapazes e popularidade. Pequenos romances perpassam o mote central.

Obviamente, as piadas são bastante óbvias e de conteúdo praticamente misógino. Mesmo a transformação das garotas da ZETA parece passar a mensagem de que beleza é realmente um padrão pelo qual vale a pena perder a individualidade. Mas há também um pequeno esforço em caracterizar Shelley e sua ocupação como um anti-exemplo para jovens e bonitas mulheres e de não julgamento por primeiras impressões.

Apesar da presença de  Katherine McPhee (ex- American Idol), Rumer Willis e Kat Jennings – ambas iniciantes já com certa notoriedade – é Anna Faris e seu excelente timing que sustenta todo o filme. E somente por isso, ela já mereceria melhores papeis em melhores filmes.

Trailer:

#Kramer Vs. Kramer

De todos os valores sociais que o Ocidente endossa talvez os mais caros sejam justamente aqueles ligados à família com todos as demandas que condicionam: casamento, amor maternal, monogamia, dentre outros. Conflitos ou sagas familiares sempre renderam boas histórias e mesmo a Bíblia está recheada deles. Kramer Vs. Kramer (Estados Unidos, 1979) explora um conflito familiar que corre não no ambiente doméstico e sim em seu lugar de excelência desde a aceitação social do divórico: os tribunais de justiça. Entre advogados e em frente a um juiz os Kramer tentam chegar a um acordo pela guarda de seu único filho. E diferentemente do que poderia parecer a questão vai além de um “simples” desquite.

Outrora um dona de casa, Joanna (Meryl Streep) abandonou seu filho e marido para “se encontrar”. E se num primeiro momento, Ted (Dustin Hoffman) achou que ela fosse voltar, cada nova dificuldade do papel de pai solteiro reitera a certeza dela. Na ausência da esposa, um novo Ted floresce e ele torna-se mais sensível quanto a parentalidade e necessidades de seu filho. Foi ela quem partiu, mas ele é quem se encontra.

O retorno de Joanna e seu desejo de brigar pela guarda da criança soam como um ultraje ao forte laço que se formou entre pai e filho.  Contudo, seus argumentos no tribunal (apoiados por uma excelente atuação de Streep) conseguem sustentar que talvez ela realmente mereça ter a guarda. Isso que torna  a obra interessante: a despeito de  motivações e interesses, uma disputa em família nem sempre conta com um vilão e um mocinho.

Apesar de Streep estar muito bem em seu papel, o filme é, de fato, de Dustin Hoffman. Todos seus momentos em tela são tocantes e conduzidos sem exageros ou manerismos. Por tudo isso, Kramer Vs. Kramer é recomendado àquelas que apreciam um bom drama.

Trailer:

E se eu tivesse que ordená-los:

1º O Diário de Bridget Jones

2º Anastacia – A Princesa Esquecida

3º Kramer Vs. Kramer

4º A Casa das Coelhinhas

5º Clube da Luta

Over the summer, I had the privilege of tagging along with Brian Tucci and Keir Johnson, kicking it a various skate spots in and around D.C.

Check out this short video, that features some skating, Tucci’s abstract art, and a trip to Fight Club:

For more Skate Videos of Keir :  Check this out

For more Skate Videos of Brian: Check this out

Shelf Life: Fight Club

By all accounts, 1999 was one of the best years in film history, featuring an amazing glut of debuts and career-defining follow-ups from a rich and varied roster of directors who are steadily working some ten years later. For example American Beauty, which was also released in ‘99, was one of the first films revisited in our “Shelf Life” series, and it seemed most likely to lose its luster, especially given its Oscar win and almost universal critical acclaim, but thankfully the film sustained most of its initial appeal and impact.

Fight Club, meanwhile, faced markedly more polarizing reactions from audiences and critics, although like Alan Ball’s film it captured a moment in the zeitgeist that made it important almost regardless of how good it was. Ten years later, Fox Home Entertainment just released the film on Blu-ray in a gorgeous new set, and after a decade of conspicuous consumption and ironic detachment, it’s time to see whether the weight of its message or meaning still holds relevance.

The Facts: Released on October 15, 1999, David Fincher’s Fight Club is an adaptation of the Chuck Palahniuk novel of the same name, adapted by screenwriter Jim Uhls. Its incendiary deconstruction of contemporary culture and the narcotizing effects of consumerism, particularly on men, was met with mixed reactions: some hailed it as a brilliant social commentary, while others condemned it as empty provocation, or worse, irresponsible.

Regardless, the film eventually earned $100 million domestically against its $63 million budget (reportedly $17.5 million of which went to star Brad Pitt), and enjoys an 80 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was nominated for only one Academy Award, for Sound Effects Editing, but it was also nominated for several awards by different critics groups including the Online Film Critics Society, and subsequently netted several awards for its DVD release, which featured several commentaries and featurettes exploring the world within the film.

What Still Works: While during its original release the film was deliberately, perhaps even conventionally reactionary (“f*ck Martha Stewart!”), it really serves as a powerful reminder that contemporary consumer culture is still designed to satisfy us in superficial ways and ultimately distract us from the human connections and more visceral accomplishments that prove more meaningful. Particularly with the benefit of hindsight, the film’s analysis of overmodulated consumption, broken down to the details and objects in our life that supposedly define us, is especially potent, and deserves to be revisited as a reminder to remain vigilant against that kind of complacency.

fight2

Meanwhile, I think especially now the film escapes being mere provocation or dangerous advocacy because it ultimately acknowledges that these characters are trading one oppressive structure for another, and that even the intentional absence of order eventually creates its own organized sense of routine, if not full-fledged cultural mores (hence Project Mayhem, the “space monkeys”‘ blind devotion to their anarchic causes, etc).

In terms of the performances, Pitt and Edward Norton are both really terrific as, essentially, the same guy, albeit in different iterations of his self-confidence, much less self-awareness. Fincher, coming off of the menacing polish of The Game, finds a gorgeously gritty aesthetic that really brings the narrator’s oblivious self-examination to life, and creates a truly subversive and valuable portrait of what is essential schizophrenia, filtered through both movie-star sheen and the thematically-reinforced, exacting opposite of stardom’s supposed “importance” – namely, that all of that beauty and truth is as illusory as anything else.

What Doesn’t Work: Surprisingly little, although the unwieldy structure, oddball rhythms of the storytelling and its eventual descent into (self-) destruction seem more shocking in the context of real-life events like 9/11, not to mention our culture’s subsequent escape even further into conventional, comfortable forms of entertainment. There’s lingering resonance to the destruction of the banks at the end of the film, both in terms of domestic and international terrorism and the current state of our economic system, but it’s subjective whether that’s a virtue or a shortcoming for film, since it certainly isn’t the film’s fault.

Otherwise, there is a degree to which the idea of white guys bemoaning their pampered, IKEA-sustained existence feels, well, so 1999, and that their reaction feels like a more than slightly self-indulgent rebellion that people with constructive minds wouldn’t act out. But as a parable and a perhaps necessary reminder of the complacency and boring blandness that can come from a life lived within the lines – and in light of the fact it’s meant not to be taken literally - Fight Club still transcends such criticisms.

What’s The Verdict: Fight Club is a really terrific movie and I am genuinely relieved to say that it holds up beautifully for the most part. Not only was it the first movie that I bought on DVD, but it was an important one in my adult, intellectual maturation, particularly in discovering that as conceptually appealing as such reckless behavior might be, it ultimately serves as mush as a prison as any other philosophy or paradigm. I think I still prefer Fincher’s previous film, The Game, if only because it was just so shocking and cathartic when I first saw it, but Fight Club is a wake-up call and a punch in the gut that needs to still be felt.

by Todd Gilchrist

“Ein allgemeines Verbot, E-Mails zu veröffentlichen, gibt es in Deutschland nicht. Lediglich aus dem Inhalt der Mail kann sich ein Recht des Autors ergeben, gegen die Veröffentlichung vorzugehen. Dabei sind verschiedene Rechtsfolgen möglich, die von Unterlassungsanspruch, zivilrechtlichem Schadensersatzanspruch in Geld bis zu strafrechtlicher Haftung reichen können, andere Rechtsfolgen sind möglich.”

E-Mail – Wikipedia

Verdammt,  ich habe mich reinlegen lassen!

DON´T PANIC

Der schwarze Drachenfisch hat unter seinen Augen Zellen, die Licht abstrahlen

Noch vor einigen Jahren nahm die Menschheit an in der Tiefsee gäbe es kein Leben. Seit dem Jahr 2000 arbeiten Forscher des “Census of Marine Life”-Projekts  an einer Bestandsaufnahme der Meere. “Denn”, so der Norweger Forscher Odd Aksel Bergstad, “von den Ozeanen wissen wir weniger als vom Mond.”

1000 Wissenschaftler haben 17.650 neue Arten entdeckt. Davon leben knapp 6000 in einer Tiefe unter 1000 m. Unser Trommelfell kann schon in zehn Meter Tiefe kollabieren.

Und es gibt Leben in lebenswidrigsten Umständen.

Der Riesenröhrenwurm, der bis zu 1,70 Meter groß wird, lebt in der Nähe heisser Quellen.

Was machen wir uns also Sorgen? Der Mensch wird es nicht schaffen das Leben auf diesem Planeten zu zerstören. Er kann Tierarten ausrotten, das natürliche Gleichgewicht empfindlich stören, aber wir sollten die Arroganz ablegen uns als Herrscher dieses Planeten zu sehen. Das ist geradezu peinlich! Wir sollten uns lieber darüber freuen, dass wir in der Lage sind diese erstaunliche Welt wahrzunehmen und zu einem kleinem Teil zu verstehen!

DON´T PANIC

Mehr Infos und Bilder hier!

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
Todorov
Equilibrium: Harry Potter not knowing where a lot of the hallows are. Voldemort in power
Disruption: not being safe where they are, being chased by Death Eaters
Realisation: Finding out “Voldemort” is tabooed.
Quest: Going to find and kill the other horcruxes, ending in battle at Hogwarts.
New Equilibrium: Voldermort dead, “All was well”.

Propp
Hero: Harry Potter
Villain: Voldemort
Donor: Dumbledore, Snape, Aberforth.
Helper: Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger
Princess: Elder Wand, Ginny Weasley

Fight Club
Todorov
Equilibrium: Jack is unhappy, goes to health meetings
Disruption: Meets Tyler Durden who change his life and starts Project Mayhem
Realisation: Finds out him and Tyler are the same person.
Quest: Has to stop Project Mayhem.
New Equilibrium: Tyler is dead and the card company headquarters are gone.

Propp
Hero: Jack
Villain: Tyler Durden
Helper: Marla Singer
Princess: Marla Singer

Andrew Marr’s The Making of Modern Britain
Todorov
Equilibrium: Britain in the 20th Century, poor peasants.
Disruption: World War 1
Realisation: 50% men not healthy enough to join the army and fight WW1
Quest: Health Reform to improve everyones health
New Equilibrium: People healthier than before the war

Propp
Character Profiles dont fit with Historical Documentaries.
Instead have a Narrator presenting the information.

Das Schwierigste am Leben ist es, Herz und Kopf dazu zu bringen, zusammenzuarbeiten.

In meinem Fall verkehren sie noch nicht mal auf freundschaftlicher Basis.
Woody Allen

42

Your Fight Club is just that. If you are a fighter you can fight. If you aren’t you can watch. It is that simple. Ever wanted to test yourself? You know what I mean!!!!!!!!!! So let us say there is a place where all this could happen. Would you be interested???? Follow the blog we are going to be every where in no time flat. Subscribe to this blog to keep informed of whats going on. Be the first person to know  about us. You have never seen anything like this before. You won’t believe your eyes.

“(…) I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.”

( Fight Club)

You know how it is, you get up early because you have to go work, spend all night at the pub, wake up early on Monday morning because you just know that you should be studying for that exam you have the next day which you haven’t even looked at, spend the day procrastinating so you start all your studying at night, get up early on Tuesday to go to your exam, then Tuesday night you have to study for your even more important exam on Thursday because you know you won’t get anything done tomorrow. Gotta get up early to watch the Champions League and your mate is coming over later so you aren’t going to get anymore work done. Thursday you have to get up early for your second (and last exam) and you know you are going to spend the rest of the day/evening in the pub. You would sleep in on Friday morning but for the fact that you have work again first thing. And it continues…

I’m not sure who invented sleeping, but it does seem like an awful waste of time. Surely it’s not all that important. Surely we won’t all develop an anarchist luddite alter ego with a penchant for fighting and blowing shit up will we? That said, I have actually run out of soap… No, back on topic, I mean there’s only 24 hours in a day as it is, why do we need to spend all that time asleep. Don’t get me wrong, I love to sleep in, but that’s not always possible and I can’t go to bed early as there’s too much to do (by which I mean too many blogs to read, too many films to watch etc etc etc). But, if we are going to need sleep, I’d prefer it the way cats do it. Sleep wherever you want, whenever you want, wake up and chase a mouse around until you get bored then go and get someone else to feed you. You then spend the rest of the evening plotting how you can take a dump on the floor and pin it on the pet dog. In fact, I reckon it’d be pretty damn cool being a cat.

But we’re off topic again. I don’t really have much more to say on this, but I guess my point is that sleep is overrated. Damn you God, or whoever it was that put us here. I mean sure, thanks and all, but you could’ve solved the issue of the short battery life a bit earlier couldn’t you? It didn’t take Nokia or Apple that long…

Die  Schnackline höre ich; und ich scharre oft mit den Hufen; auf Dauer jedoch macht es mir keinen Spaß Alex zu kommentieren, zu kritisieren. Die Rolle des SchnacklineMax kann ich besser Reden als  Schreiben… !

Dieses Blog werde ich nicht einstellen und ab und zu auch mal meckern, aber nur noch, falls ich mal Bock drauf habe!

Der Faulere gibt nach!

Entweder man lebt,

oder man ist

konsequent.

Erich Kästner

DON´T PANIC

Alright, I got no money from you bros and broettes last time, and I really need it.  Seriously, I will die from laziness unless you help.  I’m like the cat who will starve himself to death because it’s brand of food was changed.

• Ninjas: Butterfingers of the East are Drunker Than You’d Believe…
• You Will Never (Un)see It Coming!
• A photo of Elisha Cuthbert, because I adore her (and her visible nipples)!
• Fight Club: Peru, or Project Mayhem: Peru.  Not really sure which.
• I once met Ludacris at a Waffle House.  I cried for two days after.
• WT Snacks is an 88lb idiot lol
• Anybody care to join me on a holiday filled with R&R?
• It’s a trailer for a film from Ireland.  Obviously.
• Alternate realities used to be more fun than this, don’t you think?
• Midichlorians are the easiest way to spin on your head.

And to put you in a giving mood, a fantastic song by an amazing band, The Rosebuds.

Hook me up with enough for the Wendy’s drive-thru, at least!  Stop being so greedy!

From the novel “Fight Club”:  “Getting fired is the best thing that could happen to any of us.  That way, we’d quit treading water and do something with our lives.”

Now, I technically wasn’t fired; my old job was eliminated. Same difference. Losing your job, however it happens, forces you to start doing something different with your life since you’re not ‘treading water’ working at that same old job anymore. Whatever you choose to do next — network, sit in your La-z-boy, volunteer — is up to you.

Finanskrisen kommer nog inte bli så mycket värre än såhär, men för oss som aldrig fick ett jobb “när det gick bra för Sverige” så har det inte varit så stor skillnad. Jag har fortfarande inte haft ett arbete, jag har fortfarande inte fått svar från alla hundratals jobbansökningar jag skickat runt, och jag slutar snart plugga på Komvux och sedan slängs jag ut i arbetslösheten och det osynliga ickefysiska våld som vår stat betvingar sig på oss. Men det var ju inte mig det här inlägget ska handla om, utan det ska handla om alla de här som har ett jobb, de som sliter på sina arbetsplatser för att vi har fått arbetslojalitet i bröstmjölken i det här chefsälskande skitlandet, de som en dag blir blåsta. Trots att du utfört världens arbete, jobbat över, tagit med jobbet hem, bjudit på fika, hälsat på chefen och skött dig väl – så måste du tyvärr gå. Hejdå, du är varslad. Hoppas det går bra.

Helt plötsligt känns inte chefens flinande och vinkande med handen så jävla roligt längre. Efter ett tag pratar ingen med dig om hur det blir att få gå. Att få gå. Du lägger ner en stor del av ditt liv på något du egentligen skiter i, tillslut kanske du börjar gilla det och bli Lojal, det värsta man kan bli gentemot ett företag. Då använder dom dig och din “lojalitet” och har du otur så ser dom till att du vänds emot dina arbetskamrater i olika situationer, typ att du blir arbetsfördelare, och då kan ju dispyter mellan dina kollegor och dig själv uppstå, fastän du inte är chef eller på något sätt är bättre än de du “bestämmer” över.

Företagen är rädda för att vi ska attackera dem när dom sparkar oss. Flera IT-företag har blivit utsatta för attacker internt och externt av medarbetare som tvingats gå, för att företaget inte investerar alla sina miljoner på börsen på att hålla kvar sina arbetare och hålla igång produktionen, utan hellre tar ut dessa pengar och stoppar i egen ficka och åker yatch och dricker dyr alkohol framåt helgen. Deras lyx betalar du, du, du, jag, du och du. Alla betalar deras lyx. Klassamhället uppenbara sig för en så fort man får ett arbete, när man inser att man och ens arbetskamrater sliter som djur och är skitiga under naglarna, medan eran chef sitter och degar på ett kontor, går på “viktiga möten” hela dagarna, luktar gott och har nystrykta rena kläder. Och tjänar mycket mycket mer, för mindre ansträngning. Tillslut inser man att det är helt sjukt.

Cheferna måste förstå att det är vi som ser till att dom har det som dom har. Vi bygger deras bilar, vi serverar deras mat, vi slaktar djuren som blir till deras kött, vi transporterar alkoholen, vi säljer alkoholen, vi städar på deras toaletter efter att dom spytt ner dom dagen efter firmafesten, det är vi som hämtar deras skitungar, svarar i telefonen, kopplar deras samtal, räcker över varorna vid disken, kör deras tåg, lagar deras trasiga ledningar, stryker deras dyra kavajer och kör deras slynor till döttrar hem från Stureplan. Vi driver det här samhället, medan ni sitter bakom med piskan och förväntar er att vi alltid ska springa dit ni kommenderar. Men en dag kommer vi att lessna, historien visar att samhällen där en klass hunsas av en annan tillslut lessnar när den andra förtryckande klassen gått över gränsen, det hände i Ryssland, det hände i England, i Tyskland, i USA, i Sverige, Norge, Kina, ja.. det har hänt överallt där det varit dåligt.

Och jag kan ju säga att den dagen som ni går över gränsen och vi hugger er med en skruvmejsel i nacken så blodet rinner ner längs Armani-kavajen, så kommer ingen ambulans och hämtar er, för ambulansförarna håller på bränna ner era hem.

Ursprungsartikeln och inspirationen till detta inlägg.

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