The Culture Enthusiast

10 films game

Batman 8:30 AM

I found this great 10 films game on The Owl Club. The questions were very intriguing and thought provoking. Plus, I just love questionnaires. Here're my answers:

1. A film you saw as a child (if you never saw any one until the brink of adulthood leave this space blank): The Lion King.

I don't know how many times I've seen this movie. I knew, and maybe I still do, most dialogues by heart. I have goosebumps just by thinking in the stampede scene (or perhaps it's the strong air conditioning in this room). Then I grow up and it gets better: I realize it's based on Hamlet.

2. A film you haven't seen but anticipate very highly and positively: Why?

You guys so know my answer already: The Dark Knight Rises. Sorry if it's too predictable but I haven't been going to the movies, so this is the only movie I'm antecipating. (It opens today, let's all watch right now at 10 am!)

The reason I'm antecipating is that a) it's Batman, the only superhero I care about. Ok, that's a bit harsh. He's the one I most care about. Sure, I'd marry Captain America, but I'm not going to watch The Avengers for it, but I digress. b) the amazing sequel The Dark Knight c) Killer supporting cast.

3. A film a friend turned you onto or gave you as a blind gift not sure whether you would like it or not, or something you were invited to in a similar sense and felt gravely disappointed. What impression, if any, has it left?: To Kill a Mocking Bird.

I know, I know, it's such a huge classic but this movie was such a bad experience. There are some things that just didn't convince me, the story is long and seems to go nowhere. Plus, Peck's voice is so boring.

4. A film you stumbled onto without knowing what it was about and the impression it left on you: Stay

I caught this one day half way through on Tv and it blew my mind. It has everything I like disturbed painters, mysterious plots with a lot of elements to interpret and analyse and hotties like Ewan McGregor and Ryan Gosling.

5. The kind of film you would be willing to subject a child to, be it your own or somebody else’s, on the idea that they ought to be opened up to that kind of experience: Jumanji

I loved this movie as a child and even now. A lot of people take Jumanji for granted but they forget that their modern adaptation/sequel with Tim Robbins sucked. Moreover, many new children movies don’t keep you interested from beginning to end. I think this is a really successful movie because unlike other movies from my childhood (like Honey I shrunk the kids and Home Alone) I can still watch this today. On a different note, this movie also has a stampede.

6. The kind of film your father and/or mother would like. If they have separate tastes, feel free to put in two entries on this number.

My parents have more or less a similar taste. I guess the difference is that my dad likes 80’s comedies such as The Blues Brothers and my mother movies that make you think such as The Machinist. But one I believe they both would like is Appaloosa. It’s a modern western with a slow pace but amazing actors.

7. The kind of film you would fear may someday be banned in your own country. Why? For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada.

This movie is just an example of the type of movie that I fear it would be - not banned per se - but poorly advertised, you know? It's the type of movie it would go straight to Dvd if it ever came out at all.

8. A film that strikes you as honest and genuine, something that is at the top of its form or without comparison: Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood really thought of everything in this movie. There’s amazing characters, true and genuine drama without poser-type acting or politically correct agendas. There’s a bit of comedy sometimes, amazing commentary on current times and Christian symbolism. Oh yeah, and this greatsong by Jamie Cullum and…Clint Eastwood.

9. A film that has tried to strike the same chord in you as number 8 but ended up being something lowly and pathetically predictable by the end: Shutter Island.

Just like Stay, Shutter Island seems to demand a lot of the viewer but for nothing. It also deals with crazy people and you don’t really know what’s happening. The thing is in the end there’s no possible logical interpretation – Scorsese decided to pull a David Lynch and fool us.

10. If there’s one film that was to be sent off to a distant life-inhabited planet somewhere or perhaps to an uncharted and unexplored island or nation somewhere whose people never knew anything of film, what would you send them?
Oh my, that's such a big imaginary responsibility. I'd say Three Colors: Blue.

This movie has so much poetry in it and it's beautifully shot. (I didn't like the other movies of this trilogy though).

Images via 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10

I'd love to read your answers! Let me know if you participate. See you all on the Batman premiere!

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Change of taste, change of heart

Books 10:31 AM

The other day I was cleaning my book shelf, sorting through all the titles, cleaning the books, setting aside the ones that were too old and needed to be restored.

Three of the books that were falling apart called my attention: The Stranger and Madame Bovary

These copies were all worn out of all the many times I’ve read and re-read these stories. Many notes filled the small blank space on the bottom and the sides of their pages. That means these are my favorite books right? While I was holding them, I suddenly realized: I could give these books away and not care.

They were indeed favorite books, but now they don’t appear so appealing anymore. I actually haven’t re-read them lately.

I opened them, read a few lines and noticed how similar the three main characters are to each other, in the sense that they are people that suffer too much, while making others miserable as well. Most importantle what they all have in common is: they were all my past selves. I used to be Emma and Mersault. I'm not anymore - at least I don't want to be.

Two of them were discovered at the same age even: around 2007 I read both Madame Bovary and The Stranger and became quite obsessed over them. About the first I wrote papers in college, read critical books about it and kept saying to others that Madame Bovary, c’est moi.

In The Stranger there was Mersault whose cold detachment from others I envied. I didn’t consider him misanthropic or bad but blasé and cool. I kept quoting those infamous first lines with enormous excitement: Maman died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t really know.

However, I don't feel that connection now. I considered just giving the books away and not restoring them. On one hand, it's pretty sad to say goodbye to my old crowd. On the other, it's like I'm ready to befriend a completely different group of people - and that's exciting.

Images via 1, 2

Do you change tastes often? Is there a book you once loved and now you can't stand?

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