I went to see Cosmopolis written and directed by David Cronenberg. I wish I had something to say about it but I didn’t get it. I was lucky enough to get a free movie ticket to see it so I stayed until the end, because I was waiting for the story arc to reveal something masterful. Ergh. Was I dead wrong. It was a movie that was preaching to itself all the way through. I also stayed because my brother Bleu actually paid and he wasn’t leaving but we sat across each other at dinner with blank faces. We tried talking about it but really the words that kept coming out of our mouths were along the lines of “WTF was that?!” or “I don’t get it.” This was a movie that had expository writing the whole way through, so much so that I wanted some of them to shut the hell up. At the end of the film, someone in the audience clapped his hands…I think he was clapping because it was finally over. Or perhaps he thought it was genius….perhaps…but I think I missed the point of it. Oh and I cannot believe Cronenberg actually had Juliette Binoche writhing on the floor of a limo. Seriously?!

Now I am a huge fan of David Cronenberg and I know he has a strong inclination towards the obscure, which is mostly fine so long as I can follow a thread, some semblance of logic or illogic. His works like Crash (1996), History of Violence (2005) and Eastern Promises (2007) to name a few are complex and intelligent films.

Cosmopolis is a total miss for me. Both the subject matter (financial capitalist enterprise) and the storytelling kept everything at the surface level. When we reached the conclusion of the film, I could care one whit about Erik Packer (the protagonist). And his impending death was both trite and obvious. *big yawn*

Now I wish I had gone to see the latest Bourne flick. Mainstream candy. No nutritional value.
OH WAIT!! On a more positive spin

The History Channel ran a repeat of the Hatfield and McCoys mini-series…and that was really well done. Holy Hell!! The cast was fantastic. And I have a new found respect for Kevin Costner. There has  only been one movie that he was really good in: Dances with Wolves. Everything else *shrug* just didn’t make an impact BUT Costner was nuanced in this performance. So very glad I was able to catch it this time around.

Last bit, I think I mentioned earlier that I was reading Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt and that I love her writing. I hit up a very good friend with an extensive library and wrangled up six more titles to read. So I’ve been reading The Talented Mr. Ripley and I’m finding the story gripping…because Highsmith knows how to create tension within a character. She does it so well that I could feel the neurotic temperament of Tom Ripley. Hoorah!

Okay, I’m off to work on my own writing.

Peace,


L~

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2012 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Pablo Alborán with Carminho - Perdoname

I came across this song as I was hunting for new music and loved it...Pablo Alborán and Carminho sing Perdoname.  I love the harmonies between these two singers and have listened to this song non-stop since Friday. 

So of course I searched out some more songs from both these artists and found this one: Cuando Te Alejas.  The song really gets to me at around 2:20 when the tempo changes and I wish he sung this part twice because it's so lovely. 

Let's see... today I'm in a fog.  I have been like this since yesterday. Shall I blame it on the rain?  Today I didn't work on the novel and I feel a little lost for not having spent any time on it.  The writing has slowed down...but it's okay as long as I keep working on it.  Just today my lack of focus got in the way of sitting quietly and writing. 

Last night, I had dinner with some friends and then we went to see Uncle Vanya at Soho Rep directed by Sam Gold.  It was a decent performance but the staircase risers where the audience sat was uber-uncomfortable.  The first part of the play was very good but the second part was...how shall we say this...some of the actors decided to play their characters sleepy.  And the energy just went down the tubes.
They had some very good moments and the play stayed with me for a good long while afterwards. 

It was 10:30 pm by the time the play let out and I walked to the subway alone.  The night was humid and a hot wind would blow from time to time through the intersections.  The streets were dark and quiet and the traffic noise had died down. I passed some guys skateboarding in a parking lot trying to do stunts and wiping out with hands, elbows and legs splayed out in all directions.  Made me actually wince to see how hard they fell but they'd get back up again and try again.

Anyway, I don't have very much to write today....so I'm off to find myself a strong cup of Earl Grey tea.

Peace,

L~ 
 
All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2012 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Literary Geeks Rise Up!

The last couple of days I have been spring cleaning.  I know it's late summer but I just have a need to clear out the clutter. No, I'm not procrastinating on the writing. I actually need to make some space on my desk to actually do it. Anyway, I've set a pile of books to give away and leave in random places so folks can pick them up.  Hopefully I won't get a ticket for littering. I have another pile of books to ship out to friends, returning things that I've held on for a long while...hmmm.  And I know there is more to get rid of.  Desk drawers and file cabinets full of random wires and old electronic equipment and past magazines that need to be read or thrown out.

Earlier today I read the following Joss Whedon article on Wired (May 2012): http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/05/joss-whedon/
For crying out loud, Whedon quotes Roland Barthes... this is the point when the literary geek girl in me swoons.  Loved the article, completely inspired me and I enjoyed even reading about those moments of insecurity when he works on his projects.  He talks about his success, his misfires and about his writing craft.  LOVED IT!!

On the train ride home, I was reading Patricia Highsmith's The Price of Salt.  I'm midway through this novel and I wish I had  known about this writer sooner in my life.  The way she handles the internal dialogue of the protagonist is doing my head in (in a good way).  There is so much internal strife and she handles it delicately between a handful of lines.  Beautifully done. Can't wait to read more.  Altho' my eyes feel like they might pop out of my head from too much computer/reading/writing today.

Lastly, tonight I spent the night working on my novel.  I wrote for three hours (1,500 words) and I feel good, decent and productive.  While I was on the train reading Highsmith...something about my novel clicked for me.  I realized how to introduce the betrayal that I've been struggling with almost from the beginning.  It wasn't even what I was reading instead...my brain is constantly working on this story in the background somewhere...looking at the problems...trying to figure out the next solution.  Working on this story makes sense again.  I'm also rethinking the title.  Just don't know yet what it needs to be.  I'll keep calling it Indigo until the new title comes...until then...I keep writing.

Peace,

Lily~


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2012 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.