Frazier vrs Ali

I've decided that if I could only have one film genre it would be documentary. Unlike the majority of studio pics, in which the bottom line is the most important factor in its production, often resulting in stodgy loose films, with poor scripts and acting more wooden than Ron Jeremy on one of his horny days, documentaries are usually manifestos of obsession and the truly extra ordinary.

No matter how affecting a studio film is, there is always the underlying truth that it is artifice. Documentaries on the other hand, are by there very nature rooted in reality and fact. Whilst it is true that prejudice and direction always skew Absolute Truth, therein lays the skill and art of the director, to produce a film which manages to hold a narrative and argument which engages and prompts the viewer to question there own perceptions, or emotionally pull in the viewer to feel what that situations reality really is or was.

Most studio film goers are pea brained morons, who for the most part erroneously think that Mel Gibson is hard and that Sly can speak English, and therefore studios produce films with no quality or as Mark Kermode puts it, we live in the age of "the death of narrative cinema". Documentaries on the other hand don't usually have that box office pull, so in order to get made have to usually come from obsession, or at the very minimum a truly engaging story. This makes for a more heart felt, honest and in my opinion seductive viewing experience. In short, documentaries are monuments to human genius, strength, loss, struggle, triumph, even just the plane ordinary and any other qualities that makes us the human race. An examination of the Human Condition.

All this is leading up to an incredible documentary that I watched yesterday. Titled Thriller in Manila, it was far more than just a movie about a fight. This was a movie about accepted perception of a living legend, about politics and about the nature of obsession and revenge. I cant give to much away as the film does itself have a narrative arc (unlike many documentaries). During the film I swung from sympathy for Joe Frazier and contempt for Mohammad Ali, to mutual respect for both, and culminating in pity. I strongly recommend that if you can, you should watch this film. The film was affecting to the degree that my next art work is in many ways based on the fight and rivalry. I watched another documentary later on last night called "Am I black enough for you?", and mention this because both films are set in Philadelphia. Another topic of discussion (why certain cities and times bring out certain qualities and movements?".

It also made me lament for our dearth of true boxing quality in the heavyweight division presently, and the cancellation of the Pacquiao Mayweather fight. Those years of 65-75 seemed to involve the Greatest Fight of all Time every few years or so. When was the last time a fight could claim to live up to that kind of billing?? Pacquiao Mayweather would have had the right to call itself a fight between the two best boxers this side of the millennium.

Anyway, I don't have time presently to go into detail of all the documentaries that Ive watched and been affected by, but here is a list of some of the best:

Touching the Void (obviously)

Capturing the Friedmans

Spellbound

Etre et Avoir - To Be and to Have (one of my personal favorites)

Gandhi (Hollywood its true but a Classic)

to name but a few.


http://www.film4.com/reviews/2008/thriller-in-manila

Shooby Taylor/ B J Snowden

Starting from when I was around 10 years old or so, I used to stay up all night watching T.V. I have seen many weird and macabre things, not least those two odd welsh people who used to do an alternative movie review show.

One night I switched on and decided to watch a program on channel 4 called Songs in the Key of Z, about outsider music. I must say that this program has had a strong effect on my sensibilities and strengthened my interest in the odd and those things outside of the mainstream.

Needless to say I bought the album and included are these two gems that I have included above, Shooby Taylor the human horn and B J Snowden. Shooby led a tragic life, and not many of his works survive. I used to know all the lyrics to his songs. As for B J and her unnatural admiration for all things Canadian, she is a music teacher in the states believe it or not. My favorite bit of the song is the word Saskatchewan. I provide a link to amazon should you be sufficiently impressed to want to purchase the album yourselves.

http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Key-Curious-Universe-Outsider/dp/1556523726/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264592356&sr=8-1

A ford escort, a ford escort, mini mini mini mini and a ford escort


Jim Rob


4 Trees


Manx Kippers - a common misconception is that Scottish Kippers are the best. I was well unpopular in school on our 'Kipper for Breakfast days', which was regular after any of my fathers numerous trips the Isle of Man. Smaller and more flavoursome than its Scottish counterpart, Manx Kippers the King of Kippers as far as I'm concerned. If you do purchase a Scottish Kipper I recommend Loch Fyne Kippers. Kippers merit there own blog, which will perhaps be forthcoming. Finally, a piece of advice - stay away from Welsh Kippers.

Wu Tang Vrs The Beatles

http://www.teasearecords.net/wuvsbeatles/

Whats not to like? Combination of my 2 favorite groups.doesnt get better - instant classic.

Andy Garcia/ Sandra Bollocks

Upon reading that Sandra Bollocks had won a Golden Globe for her lead role in The Proposal, I was going to do an irritated kind of blog about how defunct these award ceremonies are, tasteless pathetic and redundant and all that, but instead during research I had a 'Finkle -Einhorn, Finkle - Einhorn, Einhorn - Finkle" moment ..... " Einhorn is Finkle, Finkle is Einhorn..... SANDRA BOLLOCKS IS ANDY GARCIA, ANDY GARCIA IS SANDRA BOLLOCKS...... SANDRA BOLLOCKS IS A MAN!!!!"

Drew Barrymore won best actress in a T.V. Mini Series or movie made for T.V. - don't get me started.

Plane que idiots

In my opinion people can be divided into groups in many different ways, (Reginald D Hunter divides by those who have seen there own arsehole and those who have not), and my way is those who que for their seat in airports and those who sit watching those imbeciles. YOU WILL STILL GET TO SIT IN YOUR SEAT WHETHER YOU WAIT FOR 10 MINUETS IN A QUE OR NOT. THE FLIGHT WILL LAST UPWARDS OF 5 HOURS WHEN YOU WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO REMAIN WITHIN THIS POTENTIAL METAL TUBULAR COFFIN BOX. There are three appendages to this rule i)a cheap airlines flight and you are traveling with a partner and you want to sit together, ii) you have large hand luggage and you want to ensure overhead room is adequate iii) your legs ache and you want to combine stretching them with queuing - in those and only those cases, then fair enough. But for any usual pre-ordained seat allocation flight, why wait?


Even me - as a card carrying member of the sit down literati, am still somewhat caught out by the fact that even if you wait till the very end, there's always a que in that corridor that leads to the plane proper. You can never win, only minimise the suffering.

Miep Gies

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8453331.stm

its a respect thing

Don Quixote

In a village in La Mancha, whose name I do not care to recall, there lived, not very long ago, one of those gentlemen who keep a lance in the lance-rack, an ancient shield, a skinny old horse, and a fast greyhound.

After approx. 2 years of reading Don Quixote, I can announce that I have finally finished! In my defense I read Frankenstein (not very long) and re read A Short History of Nearly Everything (You'd think it would still be massive but actually its a mid sized book. Easily one of my favorite books of all time. The quintessential toilet read in my opinion, and I'm looking forward to Mr. Bryson's new release in a similar vein but dealing with social history) and also lots of A Lost Continent (by the same author ( also pretty small), also mostly on the lav.)

Not the easiest book too read anyhow, I think I made my task somewhat harder by buying an early 18th century translation in order to stay true to the spirit in which the book was originally written. Although I could and regularly did put the book down, I found the book entertaining, humorous and thought provoking. I have heard that some editions cut out many of the literary excursions the book takes. What a shame as the moral heart of the book lay within these stories. I must admit to a true sense of achievement upon the books completion.

Sancho Panca is the comedic foil for Don Quixote and my favorite character in the book, but the true genius of his character is the fact that within this fool some of the most erudite and meaningful lines in the book exist

"...while I am asleep, I feel neither hope nor despair; I am free from pain and insensible of glory. Now blessings light on him that first invented this same sleep: it covers man a man all over, thoughts and all like a cloak; its is meat for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, heat for the cold, and cold for the hot. It is the current coin that purchases all the pleasures of the world cheap; and the balance that sets the king and the Shepard, the fool and the wise man even. There is only one thing, which somebody put into my head, that i dislike in sleep; it is, that it resembles death; there is very little difference between a man in his first sleep, and a man in his last sleep." Although he is almost always long winded and filled with a never ending stream of proverbs and witticisms.
A full appraisal of the book is beyond the scope of my blog and the time of night, but i will finish by heartily recommending that if you have a spare few years - get the book, you wont be disappointed. My next stop A Botany of Desire then The Yiddish Policemans Union which I want to read befor eit gets made into the film directed by the Coen bro's.

Jerky boyz

This one is for you Lewin. Used to love this shit back in the day. My favorite is Sol Rosenberg (same voice as Family Guy's Mort). I remember that me and Mo used to lay awake at night and listen to the tapes. I can still vividly remember the quality of the light in the room and the adolescent uneasiness of being a 13 year old.I hear the movie is awful. I wonder what Mark Kermode would make of it.