Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

May 16, 2016 By Fausta

Film: A look at the High-Rise

J. G. Ballard lived a tragic life, starting with an internment in a Japanese POW camp when he was a child. The film Empire of the Sun (starring the 12yr old Christian Bale) is based on his book which fictionalized some of his childhood experiences.

Ballard’s writing is brilliant at depicting human nature as a bestiary. There’s even a word for it, Ballardian,

adjective

  1. of James Graham Ballard (1930–2009), the British novelist, or his works

  2. resembling or suggestive of the conditions described in Ballard’s novels and stories, esp dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes, and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments

I was first introduced to Ballard’s work years ago when I audited a class on the avant-garde at Princeton University taught by Craig Dworkin, a brilliant lecturer who is now teaching in Utah (it sure was Princeton’s loss), so I knew what to expect from High-Rise, the film.

Back in the olden days High-Rise would have been rated X.

It is faithful to the novel, the actors are very good, it’s visually striking . . . and yet . . .

SPOILERS AHEAD
Ballard wrote the novel High-Rise in 1975, and the film takes place in that year (or so it seems, if you go by the electronics and the cars). Tom Hiddleston plays Laing, the central character, and his decay matches that of his surroundings. High-Rise depicts the violent class war between the unwashed in the lower floors who hang Che posters on their walls and the upper crust on the upper floors who fancy ABBA music played by Baroque ensembles, all of them alienated from the rest of the world.

Like in Saramago’s Blindness, the hoi polloi have no resources in the absence of a benevolent government, so be prepared for a lot of violence, sex, gore, and garbage when they take over.

I do mean garbage, as in, piles of Hefty bags, mold, and rotting corpses.

The film ends with a child sitting outside the building listening to Margaret Thatcher, who became prime minister of the UK in 1979, give a speech on capitalism. The ending is meant to match the end of the decade.

FORTY YEARS LATER,
Yet, forty years later, the places that turned out like the High-Rise exist where socialism has taken hold. The Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea stands empty, but Caracas has its own High-Rise slum, the Tower of David,

Hugo Chávez was its slumlord.

[For fans who want to see Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Irons working together but would rather be spared the rot, I recommend The Hollow Crown instead.]

UPDATE:
Linked to by Blazing Cat Fur. Thank you!

Share

Filed Under: books, films, Venezuela Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Jeremy Irons, Tom Hiddleston, Tower of David

March 4, 2016 By Fausta

The post-debate movie review: Counter-investigation

Rather than watch the debate, I clicked the TV app to Netflix, and came across a French murder-mystery, Counter-investigation (Contre-enquête, 2007), starring Jean Dujardin, the tap-dancing guy from The Artist, who also was in The Monuments Men.

Well, if Dujardin is in it, it may be worth watching.

It is.

Read my review here.

Share

Filed Under: entertainment, films Tagged With: Da Tech Guy Blog, Fausta's blog, Jean Dejardin

January 14, 2016 By Fausta

RIP, Alan Rickman

British actor Alan Rickman has died of cancer.

The Telegraph: Alan Rickman dies: British giant of stage and screen dies of cancer aged 69 – latestBritish film and theatre actor – famous for playing Severus Snape in Harry Potter and villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard – has passed away

• BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning actor dies from cancer at 69
• Star surrounded by family and friends as he passed away
• Shock for fans as he had not spoken publicly of his illness
• Best known for Die Hard role and as Prof Snape in Harry Potter
• ‘Such talent and wicked charm’: Tributes to giant of screen
• Gallery: Alan Rickman’s life and career in pictures

BBC:

Alan Rickman

Potter actor Alan Rickman dies aged 69

British actor Alan Rickman, known for films including Harry Potter, Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, has died aged 69, his family says.

  • Video ‘He changed the way villains were portrayed’

Full article Potter actor Alan Rickman dies aged 69

2016-01-14 09.34.49I was a fan years ago, from about 1990 (when he starred in Die Hard) until after his Private Lives performance on Broadway (2002), and the Private Lives autographed poster – a gift from a friend – hangs in my living room. Through the internet, I became friends with Suzanne Kurtz, who absolutely loved him and ran the Alan Rickman Fan Page. Suzanne was an extraordinary woman who greatly influenced my outlook on life.

Through her website, Suzanne ran a guestbook which was very popular. With the contributions of hundreds of fans around the world, I put together a fan website called The Rickmanista Review while teaching myself HTML.

Unfortunately I was put off by Mr. Rickman’s politics, and grew bored after several dull movies he participated in later in his career. Suzanne kindly took over the Review for her Alan Rickman Fan Page, and, after her passing, the website closed. I am thankful to have met Suzanne and honored to have become her friend.

This was one of her favorites,

#Throwback Thursday,

#TBT 2002 #AlanRickman pic.twitter.com/Y64eODSP2p

— Fausta (@Fausta) January 14, 2016

Trending on Memeorandum.

Share

Filed Under: entertainment, films Tagged With: Alan Rickman, Fausta's blog

January 16, 2015 By Fausta

Film: Boyhood

My son recommended #BoyhoodMovie; it ‘s close to being the near-perfect Great American Movie of all time.

Read my review here.



Share

Filed Under: entertainment, films Tagged With: Boyhood, Da Tech Guy Blog, Fausta's blog

January 6, 2013 By Fausta

Sunday morning Suo Gan


Yesterday I was watching Empire of the Sun, which is a troubling movie in many levels (but not quite as troubling as JG Ballard’s other works), and the Welsh lullaby Suo Gân punctuates a key scene of the film.

Bryn Terfel performs my favorite version of Suo Gân. You can buy the MP3 from Amazon, but it was also used in this beautiful short film, The Dinner Guest by Joe Gleason, to great effect:

Here’s Bryn, with a piano accompanist,

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany. May God bless you and your family and loved ones.

Share

Filed Under: Bryn Terfel, entertainment, Fausta's blog, films, movies, music Tagged With: Fausta's blog

April 21, 2011 By Fausta

Restrepo director and photographer killed in Libya; film playing tonight on PU campus

Restrepo co-director Tim Hetherington was killed in Libya,

Two photojournalists — Oscar-nominated filmmaker Tim Hetherington and Getty photographer Chris Hondros — were killed on Wednesday after coming under fire in the besieged Libyan town of Misrata.

Hetherington, co-director of Afghan war documentary “Restrepo”, and Hondros were among a group working together on Tripoli Street, a main thoroughfare and scene of fighting between rebels and forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.

“It was quiet and we were trying to get away and then a mortar landed and we heard explosions,” Spanish photographer Guillermo Cervera said.

Doctors first said that Hetherington had died while Hondros had suffered brain injuries. Getty Images later released a statement saying Hondros had died of his injuries.

Hetherington, who won the 2007 World Press Photo of the Year award, co-directed with Sebastian Junger the 2010 documentary “Restrepo”, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary

Restrepo is playing tonight at 8PM on campus. Attendance is limited to Princeton University students and staff.

25986
Share

Filed Under: Afghanistan, films, Princeton University Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Restrepo, Tim Hetherington

December 18, 2010 By Fausta

Sicko banned in Cuba for portraying Cuban medical apartheid

Ah, the irony: Right after Michael Moore goes and pays for Assange’s bail, Wikileaks goes out and bites him in the butt,
WikiLeaks: Cuba banned Sicko for depicting ‘mythical’ healthcare system
Authorities feared footage of gleaming hospital in Michael Moore’s Oscar-nominated film would provoke a popular backlash
(emphasis added)

Cuba banned Michael Moore’s 2007 documentary, Sicko, because it painted such a “mythically” favourable picture of Cuba’s healthcare system that the authorities feared it could lead to a “popular backlash”, according to US diplomats in Havana.

The revelation, contained in a confidential US embassy cable released by WikiLeaks , is surprising, given that the film attempted to discredit the US healthcare system by highlighting what it claimed was the excellence of the Cuban system.

But the memo reveals that when the film was shown to a group of Cuban doctors, some became so “disturbed at the blatant misrepresentation of healthcare in Cuba that they left the room”.

Castro’s government apparently went on to ban the film because, the leaked cable claims, it “knows the film is a myth and does not want to risk a popular backlash by showing to Cubans facilities that are clearly not available to the vast majority of them.”

Facilities that are clearly not available to the vast majority of them – which, by the way, it’s a point I’ve been making for nearly half a decade.

This is what ordinary Cubans get in a hospital, where you even need to bring your own sutures thread if you need surgery. Only foreigners and Cuba’s elite paying in US$ get to be treated at the best facilities, which aren’t all that great:

The memo points out that even the Cuban ruling elite leave Cuba when they need medical care. Fidel Castro, for example, brought in a Spanish doctor during his health crisis in 2006. The vice-minister of health, Abelardo Ramirez, went to France for gastric cancer surgery. The neurosurgeon whoheads CIMEQ [Centro de Investigaciones Médico-Quirúrgicas] hospital – widely regarded as one of the best in Cuba – came to England for eye surgery, returning periodically for checkups.

I must point out that Fidel Castro not only bright in a Spanish oncologist/gastroenterologist, the doctor had to bring his entire medical team and all the operating room equipment.

Moore’s response?

insists that “Sicko” was not banned in Cuba, and links to reports in the Cuban media that it was broadcast on Cuban TV.

In full and unedited, at that?

Via Hit & Run, you can read the memo here.

24338
Share

Filed Under: Communism, Cuba, films, Michael Moore Tagged With: Assange, Fausta's blog, Julian Assange, Sicko, Wikileaks

March 27, 2010 By Fausta

Sean Connery sings

It’s looking like Sean Connery Saturday here at casa de Fausta, so here he is singing – with an Irish accent,

You can read the story behind that scene, and a very nice bio of the great actor at Big Hollywood.

Share

Filed Under: entertainment, films, manly men, movies Tagged With: Fausta's blog, James Bond, Sean Connery

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 5
  • Next Page »
Tweets by @Fausta
retirees_raise-2015_300x250

Pages

  • About
  • Email

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Previous Posts

  • Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • You need to unfriend me
  • Go ahead and Kiss the Girl, if you dare
  • Ashamed

Recent Comments

  • John on Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! – PoliticalWitchDoctor.com on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! - AmericanTruthToday on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Did Venezuela’s Minister of Defense Back Out At The Last Minute? on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Roseanne Not Back, Khan not Invited, Operaman’s back, Jobs back, Fausta’s back (but not here yet) Thoughts under the fedora – Da Tech Guy Blog on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?

Archives

  • 2019
    • December 2019
    • May 2019
    • January 2019
  • 2018
    • December 2018
    • October 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
  • 2017
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
  • 2016
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
  • 2015
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
  • 2014
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
  • 2013
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
  • 2012
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
  • 2011
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
  • 2010
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • February 2010
    • January 2010
  • 2009
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009
    • July 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • April 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • January 2009
  • 2008
    • December 2008
    • November 2008
    • October 2008
    • September 2008
    • August 2008
    • July 2008
    • June 2008
    • May 2008
    • April 2008
    • March 2008
    • February 2008
    • January 2008
  • 2007
    • December 2007
    • November 2007
    • October 2007
    • September 2007
    • August 2007
    • July 2007
    • June 2007
    • May 2007
    • April 2007
    • March 2007
    • February 2007
    • January 2007
  • 2006
    • December 2006
    • November 2006
    • October 2006
    • September 2006
    • August 2006
    • July 2006
    • June 2006
    • May 2006
    • April 2006
    • March 2006
    • February 2006
    • January 2006
  • 2005
    • December 2005
    • November 2005
    • October 2005
    • September 2005
    • August 2005
    • July 2005
    • June 2005
    • May 2005
    • April 2005
    • March 2005
    • February 2005
    • January 2005
  • 2004
    • December 2004
    • November 2004
    • October 2004
    • September 2004
    • August 2004
    • July 2004
    • June 2004
    • May 2004
    • April 2004
    • March 2004
Content Copyright Fausta's Blog

Site Developed and Managed by 300m.com