July 05, 2008

Creation vs. Consumption

Today I created, minimally and within narrowly proscribed bounds: I made a couple pens on my lathe. One of them came out brilliantly ... but after all's said and done, it's just a pen. Maybe somebody rich will use it to sign a check to me someday. Possible, but not likely.

This, incidentally, is why I don't much like watching tennis (or bowling): the range of possible things that might happen is frankly very narrow. This is why I've proposed innovations in these sports:

For tennis: the "clown set." For bowling: the "clown frame." Sadly, the linked pages have nothing to do with my innovative suggestions, which basically involve the insinuation of clowns into play at random times throughout these matches. Just to provide the possibility of something interesting happening.

I'm basking right now in that use of the word "insinuation," and indeed in the phrase "the insinuation of clowns." That's got some serious title potential, but I don't know if the Elmers would go for it ... after "Porn Mime," there might be some concern about being typecast or something.

Anyhow, I was talking about creation. The pens. Okay, I'm back. The consumption was of movies. I was going to talk about them, but here I am near the bottom of my post. So, briefly:

Dead Ringers: interesting but ultimately overrated. Bonus points for conjoined twin content.

Dead Creatures: Very interesting movie. This movie will stick with me for a few days probably. Not everyone's cup of tea, but if you're looking for a thoughtful English indie zombie flick that isn't funny or particularly terrifying, this might be it.

Hancock: I don't know what I was expecting, exactly, so I don't know whether this film disappointed me or not. Smith, Theron, and Bateman were all good, as one might expect. But I don't think that the film was as funny as it wanted to be or as touching and dramatic as it wanted to be. I'm also not sure there was a scene in the film that was as good as or better than those in the trailers (no, it's not surprising that the best scenes are in the trailers--after all, they're trying to sell the movie. But save something for the movie!).

Scanners: Can't believe I never saw this essential Patrick McGoohan-Michael Ironside vehicle. Interesting sibling stuff here, not terribly different from what's going on in Dead Ringers.

Oh, and yesterday I watched Grindhouse, which I would have liked if it hadn't been so damned precious and clever. Lots of interesting sibling stuff here as well, especially in the first film, which featured among other siblings the Crazy Babysitter Twins. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

2 comments:

Michael said...

Loved the last half of Grindhouse, as I noted last year on my Mixed Media blog. Didn't care for the first half except for Rose McGowan. Did you get to see it complete with all the fake trailers, scratchy film stock, and missing reels?

Just re-watched Scanners a couple of weeks ago. Not as good as I remember it, but still the best exploding head scene in movies. The book Dead Ringers was based on, Twins by Bari Wood, is a good pulp read (as I recall, though I read it way back in the last century).

JB said...

Yes, the download from Vongo (we're on a free trial and may or may not continue it) had the whole experience: missing reels, etc.

I thought the pace of the second movie was a problem, I have to admit ... so much time in the bar getting to know the characters, then pfft.

Kurt Russell is almost always fun to watch though, even when he's crying like a baby.