♥ my daily walk to class. ♥ finally finishing my nerdiest of papers. ♥ the geeks were right. ♥ stimulating conversations on blackface and the effectiveness of protest. ♥ thanksgiving plans. ♥ antiquated maps of the world. ♥ scarves. ♥ springy hotel beds and executive lounges. ♥ belgian beer.
♥ meeting joey comeau (he gave me a lockpick pornography button). ♥ laughing at the foxes in the street. ♥ piling on absurd amounts of jewellery. ♥ watching the queen age on the currency. ♥ the prospect of further body modification. ♥ deception.
if we've ever discussed film, you'll have heard me wax lyrical on funny games (2008 american remake) and its director michael haneke. his films are beautifully disturbing and ridden with social commentary. the cinematography is brilliant; the characters are psychopaths; the soundtracks are short.
My films are intended as polemical statements against the American 'barrel down' cinema and its dis-empowerment of the spectator. They are an appeal for a cinema of insistent questions instead of false (because too quick) answers, for clarifying distance in place of violating closeness, for provocation and dialogue instead of consumption and consensus.
without further ado:
funny games (2008)
haneke's best work: an elegantly created critique of the modern media and audience complacency with violence— though as the director of a violent film, haneke's complacent too. there is no motive for the violence, though:
You shouldn't forget the importance of entertainment.
throughout the film the killers are exceptionally polite. bloodshed is a light game in this movie: bets are placed and children's rhymes accent the torture. haneke breaks the fourth wall, turning the viewers into passive characters. the final dialogue on the boat most subtly addresses this, and if you're not listening you'd miss it.
clearly the remake is bigger budget, and it's visually more bleak: everything's white in stark contrast to the blood which inevitably spills.
caché (hidden) (2005)
funny games might be my favourite but my haneke love affair began with caché. i watched with some friends who "didn't get it" for a french assignment in high school. the [literally] cut-throat scenes force you to stare (i considered making a clerks II comparison here, but it seemed a bit low-brow) and the empathetic guilt is intense. again, issues with media play a central thematic role, this time accented with french-arab race relations.
code inconnu (code unknown) (2000)
before watching this film you should be informed that you probably won't enjoy it. the multiple story-lines are intersected only by a brief encounter in the first scene, leaving the audience confused and dissatisfied by the end. the shots are excruciatingly long and generally still because the camera doesn't bother to follow the movements of the characters. the message: a complete lack of communication. it features seven languages to emphasise this point (though if you can bear the entire 117 minutes you will fully understand— only after you think haneke has failed to communicate a message do you realise that miscommunication itself is the message). there's also commentary on the failures of multiculturalism in europe. the significance of the title is lost on me, but perhaps i wasn't paying proper attention. if you expect to be entertained watch zombieland instead.
benny's video (1992) doesn't have a trailer on youtube, but there is the opening scene (NOTE: as haneke would have it, expect to be disturbed). this sets the awkward theme for the film: violence experienced through the media of film, typical of and central to haneke's directing. benny sees his world through a camera lens, enabled and neglected by his parents.
Did you make this film? How was it, with the pig? I mean, have you ever seen a dead person—a real one, I mean? No. I once saw a TV program about the tricks they use in action films. It's all ketchup and plastic.
the violence is graphic, but the most horrific scenes occur just off camera. immediately following the gruesome events, benny eats a snack, arranges a night out with a friend, and edits his film. the best scene shows the father dispassionately listing the family's options in dealing with the situation. every character is deliberately disinterested and passive with the exception of the mother, who confuses her son and is chastised by her husband as she sobs. more often that not the audience is viewing a monitor, or through a video camera. while i don't endorse the logic of video-games → desensitization of violence → violence in the youth, this is a good commentary on how we live our lives with the "pics or it didn't happen" mentality and our apathy towards brutality.
now taking suggestions on semi-obscure horror-film directors...
i recently wrote a paper on soviet propaganda (stalinist imagery, to be precise) and have, in my oh-so extensive research, reached conclusions on how to be a revolutionary à la vladimir lenin. more specifically, how to lead the march and disseminate your message:
pick your cause. be particular and devote yourself to the most dire of objectives. by focusing your energy you can make a deeper impact. only branch out after you've established yourself in the field.
be authoritative. seize the leadership position in your chosen organization by listening, consolidating and relaying what the majority expresses. alternatively, get close to the leader (i.e. figurehead) and strike out influence through them.
display yourself as a worker for the people. this isn't just for show: if people view you as their voice, they will respect and support you. reach out to the mediocre; write for the layman.
use familiar imagery. people like pictures: they carry subconscious connotations and generally make any message more appealing. pick images that hold meaning consistent with your goals. use liberally.
invoke emotion. there's less hesitation there than with reason. find what makes people fiercely angry, overwhelmingly sad, or ecstatic. use these pressure points whenever necessary.
stand on the shoulders of giants. draw a connection between yourself and those who already command respect. stalin constantly used lenin's image in conjunction with his own despite lenin's frequent condemnation while he was alive.
emphasise your achievements. remind people why they should listen to you.
but, don't be too arrogant. no one will follow a conceited prick. avoid making yourself a god-king too soon.
be prepared for counter-propaganda. know what the conformists are selling and be ready to reject their message while replacing it with your own. pre-emptively refute their criticism by proving yourself (and your cause) as worthy of attention.
of course, these require that you step and attempt to change what you don't like. otherwise, you'll be one of the many who inevitably follows such a leader. remember: if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
notes on the outfit: i felt very professional without the stiff snobbery. these tights are my favourite (so is the skirt, and the top, and the jewellery...). my bracelets clanged against each other all night and it was wonderful. i wore practically this same thing out blues dancing in fort collins last week, though it was much less appropriate and dancing in a pencil skirt is a difficult task. tonight however, warranted dressing up.
Remember, remember the Fifth of November, The Gunpowder Treason and Plot, I know of no reason Why the Gunpowder Treason Should ever be forgot.
notes on the night out: tonight was guy fawkes night, affectionately known otherwise as bonfire night. fireworks! burning effigies of the pope! general debauchery! i was invited to the member's-only naval & military club with an acquaintance held in high esteem, where we had hella fancy food in a library/dining room (apparently the dining room proper was booked for an event). it was all quite historical and very, very english. to put it mildly, it was decadent: stimulating conversation in an environment so fancy that i felt a bit uncomfortable— and i'm usually really good with that kind of thing!
of course, i'll be celebrating for the next few days along with the rest of the city. it's a holiday commemorating [the thwarting of] an attempted explosion! it's all about fire and religious tensions, so count me in. it's hard to say, but i think guy fawkes day may have hallowe'en beat in my book.
silly kiss-blowing shoe shot; relaxed morgan is relaxed.
outfit details ♥ oversized white tank top with flower details: forever 21 ♥ black pencil skirt: ebay ♥ black patterned tights: target ♥ black boots: payless ♥ black suit jacket: h&m (london) ♥ silver bracelets: heirlooms, the big one apparently "african" ♥ black necklaces: heirlooms as well ♥ white banded/blue faced watch: fossil (not pictured, my jacket covers it)
♥ autumn leaves on the ground ♥ shifting perceptions of what relationships "should be" ♥ doing incredibly well in class ♥ hallowe'en and november/thanksgiving time ♥ we heart it (beautiful and inspiring images as per above &below) ♥ meeting a wonderful old jewish man on the trans-atlantic flight ♥ tiny hidden wine bars + cheese fondue + good conversation ♥ a planned trip in the works ♥ daydreaming about snow ♥ decorating my flat via feng shui ♥ being on fabulous terms with my professors
♥ reading: currently, the book thief ♥ cute emails from a cute boy ♥ museum exhibits... in denver! genghis khan: nifty indeed, even if not extraordinary ♥ waking up each morning to the guardian ♥ impressing my ever-influential highschool history teacher by chance (via hair salon) ♥ playing with my brother's iphone and realising that i much prefer my blackberry
“let there be spaces in your togetherness.” —kahlil gibran
details ♥ vintage dress worn as a blouse: heirloom ♥ black fitted skirt: forever 21 ♥ black pea coat: m&s ♥ black scarf and patterned black tights: target ♥ black purse: h&m (london) ♥ black boots: payless ♥ coloured wooden bracelets with beads: heirlooms ♥ asian(?) head necklaces: heirlooms
this is what i wore to see zombieland with my brother/his friend. it was a good time (and i'd recommend the film to lovers of such folly).
the heirlooms all belonged to my grandmother; she owned a boutique in chicago for some time and most of her jewellery was sold there (she wore it with the price tags dangling innocuously from their clasps). i now have pieces originating from pakistan to new york city to ethiopia, and some ambiguously labelled "african", for instance. you'll no doubt see more of them soon.
unfortunately my camera battery died on my trip back to the states and this was the only outfit i was able to photograph— though it should be noted that it snowed something fierce and my apparel after that was mostly sweaters, jeans, baggy-girly tanktops and my boy's clothing.
the ruins of a roman ampitheatre in caerleon, wales more photos here
this past weekend my friend anjali and i took an overnight trip to wales: specifically cardiff (the capital), newport and caerleon. departing from the bus station in victoria on saturday morning, we arrived in cardiff the early afternoon and searched for a nice welsh food joint. as it turns out, that was a difficult task. cardiff seemed filled with the same types of "authentic" pub chains that litter london, and their high street was dotted with starbucks (and a random fashion show that looked like this). the bay was nice, but we spent most of the first day inside between cafés and running to our trains and buses, because (due to our scheduling inadequacies) our hotel was in newport, the next city over; as per usual, we were late.
newport castle, literally right next to a freeway.
after a frustrating late-night bus ride full of drunken welsh chavs, we arrived. our hotel had a darling full breakfast and a girl at the front desk suggested we check out newport castle and caerleon, a village with ancient roman ruins. we hopped a cab and marveled at the greenery. (note: none of these photographs are shopped to enhance the colors. it was so beautiful).
everything was so green. the weather went from sunny to rainy every few minutes (seriously) and it was rather muddy. in fact, i slipped and fell in the mud running down into the centre of the ampitheatre. had it been less dreary (as in, lovely) we would have had a picnic in the middle. in case you're wondering, anjali's outfit is pretty much entirely thrifted from brick lane or "borrowed" from a boy.
a short summary: cardiff was mediocre, but entertaining. newport was more "welsh" which we liked. caerleon was gorgeous and home to under-known ancient ruins; definitely our favourite part of the trip. should you go to wales if given the chance? yes.
final note: my apologies for the quiet around here. this past week was all midterms and papers and presentations and travelling, but rest assured that there will be outfit photos abound with my newly acquired antique wardrobe!
pick your cause. be particular and devote yourself to the most dire of objectives. by focusing your energy you can make a deeper impact. only branch out after you've established yourself in the field.
