Blog Posts Like Blossom Petals Caught in the Breeze (Yes, More Randomness)
Current Song on Infinite Repeat: "Pompeii am Götterdämmerung" by the Flaming Lips.
At War With the Mystics
As my friend "Geosomin" has stated in her blog, The Flaming Lips have a new album out, At War With the Mystics. (all art by band leader Wayne Coyne) I really like what I have been hearing on their website, sounds very strong. Of course I have mainly been listening to one track - a very Pink Floyd inspired track, á la "Echoes" and "Animals". The bass line sounds as though it had been pulled right out of "Echoes", which is okay since Pink Floyd's bass line for "One of These Days..." was pulled right out of the theme for Dr. Who.
Who be Who?
Well the new season of Dr. Who is finally about to arrive here in Canada. Last year we got to see it two weeks behind the UK because of the hockey strike. Hockey's back and is the CBC's top ratings grabber, so everything else gets pre-empted until after the Stanley Cup Final. Still not sure what I think of the new Doctor played by David Tennent. I've been a fan of Christopher Eccleston's acting for a while and he's the primary reason I started watching the show. Great accent. The Christmas Special was nothing special so I am going into this new season with a certain amount of reservation.
Still, I like the idea the my friend Gavin and I came up with for a North American version of Doctor Who. Gavin had been complaining that he wanted to see and British Indian or Pakistani actor play the Doctor. (a capital idea, I agree) We got to talking and came up with the idea of casting Samual L. Jackson as the Doctor, something along the lines of his characters in Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, but as a good guy. It could be shot in Montreal for the flavour that city provides. Yaphet Kotto, now a Canadian citizen, could be cast as The Master or some other bad-ass for the Doctor to tangle with.
A Jackson version of the Doctor could feature dialogue like this:
"It's called the T.A.R.D.I.S... although in your case I may just have to rename it re-TARDIS. Damn man, how'dju get so stupid?"
"Ain't no thang baby, it's just my sonic screwdriver."
"... for you will know that I am the Time Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee!"
Although the strong language usually associated with Jackson would definitely have to be dialed down. Jackson has stated in an interview on a PBS programme that he feels it is good for him as an actor to genre hop, so why not give him a lead in a Sci-Fi series?
Samurai!
The Pacific Cinematheque has been running their fifteenth Samurai film festival these past couple of weeks, and at least half of the films are brand new 35mm prints. Some of the usual suspects are present - Kurosawa's Yojimbo, Sanjuro, (brilliant sequal to Yojimbo) The Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood (his adaptation of MacBeth, a personal favourite) and The Hidden Fortress. (one of my least favourite Kurosawa films) The festival also included Masaki Kobayashi's Harakiri, (Seppuku in Japan) which I have sadly missed seeing.
Sword of Doom is an odd film that I have seen recently on DVD. It is the only film of director Kihachi Okamoto's that I have seen, but apparently his other films are equally odd often to the point of absurdity. Still, Sword of Doom is worth checking out if you are an afficiando of Japanese jidai-geki. (period films) The ending is entirely memorable. Okamoto's over-the-top Kill! is also
playing and both of his films star the excellent Tatsuya Nakadai, who also plays the villians in both Yojimbo and Sanjuro. (Sanjuro has one of the best quick draw sword duels of all time, btw)
Almost all the films at the festival star the great Toshiro Mifune, who was also in Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Saga. I saw Samurai Saga last night. It is a Japanese re-telling of Cyrano de Bergerac. Not a bad film, but certainly dated in a way that most of the jidai-geki presented in the festival are not.
At War With the Mystics
As my friend "Geosomin" has stated in her blog, The Flaming Lips have a new album out, At War With the Mystics. (all art by band leader Wayne Coyne) I really like what I have been hearing on their website, sounds very strong. Of course I have mainly been listening to one track - a very Pink Floyd inspired track, á la "Echoes" and "Animals". The bass line sounds as though it had been pulled right out of "Echoes", which is okay since Pink Floyd's bass line for "One of These Days..." was pulled right out of the theme for Dr. Who.
Who be Who?
Well the new season of Dr. Who is finally about to arrive here in Canada. Last year we got to see it two weeks behind the UK because of the hockey strike. Hockey's back and is the CBC's top ratings grabber, so everything else gets pre-empted until after the Stanley Cup Final. Still not sure what I think of the new Doctor played by David Tennent. I've been a fan of Christopher Eccleston's acting for a while and he's the primary reason I started watching the show. Great accent. The Christmas Special was nothing special so I am going into this new season with a certain amount of reservation.
Still, I like the idea the my friend Gavin and I came up with for a North American version of Doctor Who. Gavin had been complaining that he wanted to see and British Indian or Pakistani actor play the Doctor. (a capital idea, I agree) We got to talking and came up with the idea of casting Samual L. Jackson as the Doctor, something along the lines of his characters in Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, but as a good guy. It could be shot in Montreal for the flavour that city provides. Yaphet Kotto, now a Canadian citizen, could be cast as The Master or some other bad-ass for the Doctor to tangle with.
A Jackson version of the Doctor could feature dialogue like this:
"It's called the T.A.R.D.I.S... although in your case I may just have to rename it re-TARDIS. Damn man, how'dju get so stupid?"
"Ain't no thang baby, it's just my sonic screwdriver."
"... for you will know that I am the Time Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee!"
Although the strong language usually associated with Jackson would definitely have to be dialed down. Jackson has stated in an interview on a PBS programme that he feels it is good for him as an actor to genre hop, so why not give him a lead in a Sci-Fi series?
Samurai!
The Pacific Cinematheque has been running their fifteenth Samurai film festival these past couple of weeks, and at least half of the films are brand new 35mm prints. Some of the usual suspects are present - Kurosawa's Yojimbo, Sanjuro, (brilliant sequal to Yojimbo) The Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood (his adaptation of MacBeth, a personal favourite) and The Hidden Fortress. (one of my least favourite Kurosawa films) The festival also included Masaki Kobayashi's Harakiri, (Seppuku in Japan) which I have sadly missed seeing.
Sword of Doom is an odd film that I have seen recently on DVD. It is the only film of director Kihachi Okamoto's that I have seen, but apparently his other films are equally odd often to the point of absurdity. Still, Sword of Doom is worth checking out if you are an afficiando of Japanese jidai-geki. (period films) The ending is entirely memorable. Okamoto's over-the-top Kill! is also
playing and both of his films star the excellent Tatsuya Nakadai, who also plays the villians in both Yojimbo and Sanjuro. (Sanjuro has one of the best quick draw sword duels of all time, btw)
Almost all the films at the festival star the great Toshiro Mifune, who was also in Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Saga. I saw Samurai Saga last night. It is a Japanese re-telling of Cyrano de Bergerac. Not a bad film, but certainly dated in a way that most of the jidai-geki presented in the festival are not.
posted by Magnus at 14:56
6 Comments:
I have to be honest, I haven't seen any of the new "Dr.Who" yet, but as they just started airing them here in the states, I figure I have some time yet. I've conned my mom in to taping them for me, since I refuse to get cable.
As for the post, I totally forgot about Phillip K. Dick, which is odd since I just put that book "..High Castle" on hold at the library today after hearing someone else mention it. And I actually think I have "The Quiet American" around here somewhere; I know I've read "The End of the Affair".
Oh, and definitely the Seamus Heaney translation; I read that a couple of years ago.
Thanks for popping by. I found your blog just randomly surfing through Blogger. Graham Greene's books are worth reading. I haven't read as much as I should, but I have read The Power and the Glory, Journey Without Maps, The Honourary Consul and his screenplay The Third Man.
Samurai Film Festival...oh man I am so jealous.
SOOOOOOOOO jealous.
As for the new doctor - I am not sure yet, but I've got no reason to be worried yet, after last season. I do wish we could watch it and not hockey tho, as I can't check out the BBC stuff anymore as I might accidentally spoil things for myself...as long as Paul Cornell is still involved with the show I'm thrilled. He's a brilliant author and wrote one of my favorite Dr. Who books and episodes.
As for the new Flaming Lips - oh yeah it's good! It's not all as Pink Flloydy as the one track but it is once again fresh and new and happy and wierd and there isn't a song on the album I dislike and a few I absolutel love. It's a little rougher than their last album, but a great happy listen to. Especially singing along with the squeaks of Wayne in the first song Yeah Yeah Yeah...I always worry when a band I like puts out a new album, as they might move on somewhere I don't like, but I wasn't dissapointed at all.
Have a good weekend!
These are the people who I most want to see play the Doctor
i.) Ben Kingsley
ii.) Michael Caine (not likely, but I can dream)
iii.) Terence Stamp
iv.) The guy who played Rimmer on Red Dwarf (somebody tell me his name).
There is of course the controversy as to whether a woman could play the Doctor. There was a time I would have said no, but now I'm not sure.
You are thinking of Chris Barrie.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Barrie
I was thinking about a black man playing the Doctor just yesterday. Which is funny that Rimmer from Red Dwarf got mentioned 'cuz I had thought the guy who played Cat would be cool as the Doctor.
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