In the midst of making my presentation for tomorrow. Eyes tired and about to droop. Head empty and useless. Legs and shoulders tense and not rested. The stupid bruise on my knee seems to be getting bigger every day. It's starting to piss me off. It's dark and disgusting and I can't cover it up with tights or long pants because it's probably about 30 degrees outside. I realized I haven't written anything since last Thursday, but that's mostly because:
1. I was busy working on two video projects, one almost done, another in the making.
2. Trying to pack because in a week I have to move out and hop on the train to Chicago.
3. I have nothing to write about. I am just extremely sad about leaving.
So I know I am supposed to be excited about getting out of Blo-No and all that. I am supposed to be excited to be going to London. Don't get me wrong. I am really excited about London. I am really excited to see my parents because the last time I saw them was January 4th (or around that date). I am excited only a little bit about Prague and quite a bit about Russia (a mix of excitement and terror). But I can't imagine leaving this place for 7 months.. That's MORE than half a year. That's basically moving out and leaving, and then coming back as if it's a new place. I got so used to this place, the people here, my friends and everyone, and now I have to leave all this for 7 months, all this that I worked so hard to achieve in the last 2 years... This is too much. I am going to be really really emotional until I get back. I am probably going to be in a bad mood a lot of days, especially in Prague, especially when all my friends from Prague will be gone. At one point, I am going to be completely alone in Prague for two weeks or something. No parents, no friends, still no job though hopefully I will find one. Only my internship which I think will only be on Mondays and Fridays. What the hell am I gonna do with all of this time????
This is sort of my confession. This is what I am scared of. I will get over it, I hope.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
anger. Tarkovsky. Andrei Rublev
First of all - alert! This is going to be a very angry message.
I've talked about ignorance before, but it never stops surprising me. How the hell do people go on with their life when their heads are full of nothing but conversations with their friend about what happened last night. How do they have conversations when they have nothing to talk about. How do they go through college with such an attitude and so much ignorance. How how how.
This is not the first time, nor the last. She (I don't know who. It's just a she). She was talking loudly whilst we were watching a Tarkovsky film. She was talking during a very important scene in Andrei Rublev. Important because all of them are important! She dared tell me I should read subtitles. How do subtitles compare to the real language, the tone of the voice, the choice of words, the littlest sounds of the leaves and the air swishing in between breaths of the actors? Ok enough niceties. WHO THE FUCK TALKS DURING A FILM IN A CLASS IN COLLEGE. ARE WE BACK TO JUNIOR HIGH??????????? No, more like kindergarden. Or even before. She needs to go back to being a toddler, because with her intelligence, that's where she would fit in.
I am so sick of people's ignorance. And the attitude that if they KNOW they are ignorant and don't understand anything, they act like they are smarter than the crap being shown to them, because of course some bitch from the mid-west that will probably never have a proper job and instead get married to some jock and spend the rest of her life between nappies and pots, is so much more intelligent than the masters of art, cinema, icon painting, etc etc etc. Fuck, she probably doesn't know what an icon is. I bet you if I sat next to her in class, I would have heard "wtf is an icon?" Because the other day we watched Ivan the Terrible and I heard "who the fuck is Ivan" half way through the film. Why are they wasting their parents' money to go to a fancy liberal arts college when they can't even sit still for 3 hours to watch an epic film that is probably more important than who did who last night in your stupid sorority. I'm just saying. I AM SICK OF THIS SHIT.
On top of it all, my stomach hurts so much today I actually considered leaving class. But how can I do that, I can't leave whilst watching only one of the most important films in the history of films OH EM GEE.
I don't care if I come off as a snob, a bitch, a terrible stuck-up whore whatever. I think the thing that upset me was NOT that she called me a bitch, but the fact that nobody agreed with me. Or the fact that she even exists. The idea of "SHE". Maybe I am too sick of this country and their less-than-normal standards of stupidity of the general public. I don't know. I just want people to be smarter.
But moving on to the actual film.
Andrei Rublev. What a film... I don't know if I like it more or less than Stalker. I loved everything about this film. The terrifying music. The tense silence. The violence. The torture. The cinematography. The scenery!!!
Old masters are strict, they want to "terrify" people. Andrei is like a bird, he wants nothing to do with terrifying people. He witnesses so much terror and violence, his soul, no longer pure, in the end still follows art and painting, and in the end, he paints the most calm and serene icons anyone has ever seen. His faith is not to fear God, and neither is his art. He is just, sensible, he wishes freedom. All this is a contrast to the events in his life. I think my favorite shot was after the Tatar invasion. It is a shot of a boy running away. Somehow he managed to escape. He is running through the trees and doesn't notice a Tatar with a bow and arrow pointed to his back. The boy is shot. The slow motion has the boy moving in desperation through the birches, his arm extended, as if he wants to grab something that's right there in front of him, but there isn't anything. He comes closer to the camera, splashing the water and the droplets land on the camera lens. The image is misty. It is so incredibly beautiful.
And then time. Years go by without any routine. 1405-06 is followed by 1408 and then 1412. The seasons however, go as they should, none missing. I think it's interesting how that gives the film a fluidity even though the years are all over the place, and the action is missing several years, which makes it a bit confusing. But the seasons go in their order, that's just fascinating. It makes it seem that no years are missing in between.
Recurring images - dark splashes on white. Horses. I still have to figure it all out, my head is buzzing with ideas and images.
Blood, violence and beautiful icons. So much contrast.
Here is some of Andrei Rublev art:
I've talked about ignorance before, but it never stops surprising me. How the hell do people go on with their life when their heads are full of nothing but conversations with their friend about what happened last night. How do they have conversations when they have nothing to talk about. How do they go through college with such an attitude and so much ignorance. How how how.
This is not the first time, nor the last. She (I don't know who. It's just a she). She was talking loudly whilst we were watching a Tarkovsky film. She was talking during a very important scene in Andrei Rublev. Important because all of them are important! She dared tell me I should read subtitles. How do subtitles compare to the real language, the tone of the voice, the choice of words, the littlest sounds of the leaves and the air swishing in between breaths of the actors? Ok enough niceties. WHO THE FUCK TALKS DURING A FILM IN A CLASS IN COLLEGE. ARE WE BACK TO JUNIOR HIGH??????????? No, more like kindergarden. Or even before. She needs to go back to being a toddler, because with her intelligence, that's where she would fit in.
I am so sick of people's ignorance. And the attitude that if they KNOW they are ignorant and don't understand anything, they act like they are smarter than the crap being shown to them, because of course some bitch from the mid-west that will probably never have a proper job and instead get married to some jock and spend the rest of her life between nappies and pots, is so much more intelligent than the masters of art, cinema, icon painting, etc etc etc. Fuck, she probably doesn't know what an icon is. I bet you if I sat next to her in class, I would have heard "wtf is an icon?" Because the other day we watched Ivan the Terrible and I heard "who the fuck is Ivan" half way through the film. Why are they wasting their parents' money to go to a fancy liberal arts college when they can't even sit still for 3 hours to watch an epic film that is probably more important than who did who last night in your stupid sorority. I'm just saying. I AM SICK OF THIS SHIT.
On top of it all, my stomach hurts so much today I actually considered leaving class. But how can I do that, I can't leave whilst watching only one of the most important films in the history of films OH EM GEE.
I don't care if I come off as a snob, a bitch, a terrible stuck-up whore whatever. I think the thing that upset me was NOT that she called me a bitch, but the fact that nobody agreed with me. Or the fact that she even exists. The idea of "SHE". Maybe I am too sick of this country and their less-than-normal standards of stupidity of the general public. I don't know. I just want people to be smarter.
But moving on to the actual film.
Andrei Rublev. What a film... I don't know if I like it more or less than Stalker. I loved everything about this film. The terrifying music. The tense silence. The violence. The torture. The cinematography. The scenery!!!
Old masters are strict, they want to "terrify" people. Andrei is like a bird, he wants nothing to do with terrifying people. He witnesses so much terror and violence, his soul, no longer pure, in the end still follows art and painting, and in the end, he paints the most calm and serene icons anyone has ever seen. His faith is not to fear God, and neither is his art. He is just, sensible, he wishes freedom. All this is a contrast to the events in his life. I think my favorite shot was after the Tatar invasion. It is a shot of a boy running away. Somehow he managed to escape. He is running through the trees and doesn't notice a Tatar with a bow and arrow pointed to his back. The boy is shot. The slow motion has the boy moving in desperation through the birches, his arm extended, as if he wants to grab something that's right there in front of him, but there isn't anything. He comes closer to the camera, splashing the water and the droplets land on the camera lens. The image is misty. It is so incredibly beautiful.
And then time. Years go by without any routine. 1405-06 is followed by 1408 and then 1412. The seasons however, go as they should, none missing. I think it's interesting how that gives the film a fluidity even though the years are all over the place, and the action is missing several years, which makes it a bit confusing. But the seasons go in their order, that's just fascinating. It makes it seem that no years are missing in between.
Recurring images - dark splashes on white. Horses. I still have to figure it all out, my head is buzzing with ideas and images.
Blood, violence and beautiful icons. So much contrast.
Here is some of Andrei Rublev art:
Monday, May 17, 2010
that's hilarious! but oh so dangerous.
I came out of the shower today after getting out of class early (for once..), only to find this article posted by someone on FB from the Guardian website:
The Texas schools rewrite American history
You MUST read this article. There are so many good points in it, but I think what I enjoyed the most was the clear bias against conservative Christian bullshit, which of course only harms the authenticity of the article, but it doesn't even read as "biased" to most people (because most people who would read this article are haters of the conservative Christian bullshit). Because to us, the absurdity of the conservative Christian bullshit is so clear that we forget that the other liberal side is full of bias as well.
However, whether the article is biased of not is irrelevant here, and that's what I like about the article. The most important of course is the idea that conservative religious bastards are taking over the educational system, slowly. First it's Texas (is anybody even surprised that it had to be Texas? I am not), but they won't stop there. They will never stop!!!!! They are like horrible pests!!! Multiplying and spreading their horrid teachings to us, normal sane people. They are the enemy! Kill kill kill!
Okay clearly I've gone a bit crazy. But the point is, nobody should stand for this spew of religious and conservative indoctrination. Do we really need more guns and more George W. Bush followers and more lies in teaching history? History is already biased, why do we need to make it even more biased than it is? Everybody knows that history is written by winners, not losers. But do we really need to make the winning side even more glorious, so that it completely stops being any sort of history and just becomes disgustingly obvious propaganda? I just realized this morning how much I hate 1. conservatives 2. religious idiots 3. Christian indoctrination esp. in this country 4. the saying "one nation under God" and anything to do with how this country is God-given and God-made and God-whatever. I hate it so much that I will be thinking about this article for the whole day and it will make me angry and agitated. As if I am already not angry and agitated. Today is such a stupid day. And this Texan woman Cynthia Dunbar (I love how she hates the local schools because they are tyrannical and tools of perversion hahahaha!!) is so stupid. I am just afraid that this stupidity will climax into something really dangerous. Such radical conservatives are dangerous!!! (no I am not going to give some obvious over-used dictatorship example from 20th century history. We all know what happened). Come on why doesn't someone stop them just for once... Bleh.
The Mighty Kitten is upset, disappointed and just outright angry. Я хочу рвать и метать. It's funny cause this sentence was used in the last film we watched in class, "Volga-Volga". Comrade Byvalov used it a lot in the beginning of the film. I feel for him though. Nothing works in the stupid town where he was stationed. They don't have roads, his telegram doesn't even reach him because the stupid raft is broken, they don't have cars, the telephone doesn't work, his driver is sleeping and his horses are not available. On top of it all, he is surrounded by provincial idiots that don't do any work and instead sing propagandistic songs and act like Stalin and the Soviet Union is NOT killing millions of people that year, and as if the shitty town/village where they live is the happiest place on Earth. I would go crazy too, just like comrade Byvalov.
Time to go to lunch.
The Texas schools rewrite American history
You MUST read this article. There are so many good points in it, but I think what I enjoyed the most was the clear bias against conservative Christian bullshit, which of course only harms the authenticity of the article, but it doesn't even read as "biased" to most people (because most people who would read this article are haters of the conservative Christian bullshit). Because to us, the absurdity of the conservative Christian bullshit is so clear that we forget that the other liberal side is full of bias as well.
However, whether the article is biased of not is irrelevant here, and that's what I like about the article. The most important of course is the idea that conservative religious bastards are taking over the educational system, slowly. First it's Texas (is anybody even surprised that it had to be Texas? I am not), but they won't stop there. They will never stop!!!!! They are like horrible pests!!! Multiplying and spreading their horrid teachings to us, normal sane people. They are the enemy! Kill kill kill!
Okay clearly I've gone a bit crazy. But the point is, nobody should stand for this spew of religious and conservative indoctrination. Do we really need more guns and more George W. Bush followers and more lies in teaching history? History is already biased, why do we need to make it even more biased than it is? Everybody knows that history is written by winners, not losers. But do we really need to make the winning side even more glorious, so that it completely stops being any sort of history and just becomes disgustingly obvious propaganda? I just realized this morning how much I hate 1. conservatives 2. religious idiots 3. Christian indoctrination esp. in this country 4. the saying "one nation under God" and anything to do with how this country is God-given and God-made and God-whatever. I hate it so much that I will be thinking about this article for the whole day and it will make me angry and agitated. As if I am already not angry and agitated. Today is such a stupid day. And this Texan woman Cynthia Dunbar (I love how she hates the local schools because they are tyrannical and tools of perversion hahahaha!!) is so stupid. I am just afraid that this stupidity will climax into something really dangerous. Such radical conservatives are dangerous!!! (no I am not going to give some obvious over-used dictatorship example from 20th century history. We all know what happened). Come on why doesn't someone stop them just for once... Bleh.
The Mighty Kitten is upset, disappointed and just outright angry. Я хочу рвать и метать. It's funny cause this sentence was used in the last film we watched in class, "Volga-Volga". Comrade Byvalov used it a lot in the beginning of the film. I feel for him though. Nothing works in the stupid town where he was stationed. They don't have roads, his telegram doesn't even reach him because the stupid raft is broken, they don't have cars, the telephone doesn't work, his driver is sleeping and his horses are not available. On top of it all, he is surrounded by provincial idiots that don't do any work and instead sing propagandistic songs and act like Stalin and the Soviet Union is NOT killing millions of people that year, and as if the shitty town/village where they live is the happiest place on Earth. I would go crazy too, just like comrade Byvalov.
Time to go to lunch.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
sicko
I sit here feeling incredibly sick. I feel like complaining. The day is kind of shitty, I haven't done any work that I promised I would do but guess what... last night was so much fun!!!! And Amy took some hilarious pictures of me, which when / if she posts them on FB, I will repost them here. Ryan and I had a good hearty talk, and when I passed out Zig drew inappropriate things on my arms with his art pens. Good night! And a big thanks to James for driving me home. I was paranoid the whole 2 minutes of the drive that I rolled down the window but then I got very cold so I was caught between the open and not open window choice, it made the car ride hell. I remember I met this guy last night and had a talk with him, and he said his name probably 3 times and yet I can't remember what his name was... oh well.
I have absolutely nothing to blog about because my brain is dead and I am just killing time before Jordyn gets here with my Popsicle and my pizza and I can comfortably be a slob until 9pm when I will have to get out and go film. Oh life.. sometimes it is so hard.
I realized a few days ago that I can't decide whether I am satisfied with my height or if I hate it. Some days I just really wish I was taller. Like when I wanted to try modelling when I lived in Prague and wanted a simple job. This one agency we found had really ugly girls on their webpage so their standards were looooow but unfortunately the height requirement is always so high, it's unreachable for a person who is 5'3-5'4. Other days I am really like being short and small because it makes me cute and different. And I can wear anything and not be afraid that it's gonna look weird on my long body. Come to think of it, there are very few clothes that I can't pull off, the main one being STRAPLESS shirts/dresses. Because my shoulders are just the wrong proportions for it.
Being short means I have a short torso, but thankfully I have long legs (for my size) so it's not so awkward. I think it would be so much worse if I had short legs and a long torso... haha! It would just look incredibly funny. Being short means I can't reach anything on shelves, I always need to stand on a chair, or ask someone to help. I don't have to lower my head walking down the stairs in Ihouse, but people like Ryan have to!!! Haha. But I think that for me, I would love to be 5'7. That's the best height, I think. I guess if I would have done sports when I was still growing, I would have been able to be taller, especially if I played volleyball or something. But instead of doing sports I had extra German classes and extra drawing/painting classes, so it's all fine. At least I swim now, that's the most exercise I've gotten since I stopped playing floorball in school. They call it something else in this country, I don't remember what.
Swimming is so beautiful. The movement of bodies through the water is just so graceful, and (proper)swimmer bodies are so lean and gorgeous. Swimming is relaxing, it's not degrading like running or something where you get as red as a tomato and sweat profusely. Swimming is one motion, the body makes one motion with all the muscles. Oh yeah, swimming trains all your muscles and it's easy on your joints too. If I was an animal that lives in the water, I'd want to be a 1. whale 2. seal 3. deep-water scary creature. Whales are soooooo beautiful and full of grace and just completely gorgeous. Their slow movements, they are like big patient gods. They are incredible. And they are damn smart too. Seals are fun and beautiful too, and deep-water creatures are just so fascinating!!
This post is going in no direction. I am just really hungry and I can't wait for that pizza mmmmmmmmmm so hungry I could eat a vegetarian. hhaha.
I have absolutely nothing to blog about because my brain is dead and I am just killing time before Jordyn gets here with my Popsicle and my pizza and I can comfortably be a slob until 9pm when I will have to get out and go film. Oh life.. sometimes it is so hard.
I realized a few days ago that I can't decide whether I am satisfied with my height or if I hate it. Some days I just really wish I was taller. Like when I wanted to try modelling when I lived in Prague and wanted a simple job. This one agency we found had really ugly girls on their webpage so their standards were looooow but unfortunately the height requirement is always so high, it's unreachable for a person who is 5'3-5'4. Other days I am really like being short and small because it makes me cute and different. And I can wear anything and not be afraid that it's gonna look weird on my long body. Come to think of it, there are very few clothes that I can't pull off, the main one being STRAPLESS shirts/dresses. Because my shoulders are just the wrong proportions for it.
Being short means I have a short torso, but thankfully I have long legs (for my size) so it's not so awkward. I think it would be so much worse if I had short legs and a long torso... haha! It would just look incredibly funny. Being short means I can't reach anything on shelves, I always need to stand on a chair, or ask someone to help. I don't have to lower my head walking down the stairs in Ihouse, but people like Ryan have to!!! Haha. But I think that for me, I would love to be 5'7. That's the best height, I think. I guess if I would have done sports when I was still growing, I would have been able to be taller, especially if I played volleyball or something. But instead of doing sports I had extra German classes and extra drawing/painting classes, so it's all fine. At least I swim now, that's the most exercise I've gotten since I stopped playing floorball in school. They call it something else in this country, I don't remember what.
Swimming is so beautiful. The movement of bodies through the water is just so graceful, and (proper)swimmer bodies are so lean and gorgeous. Swimming is relaxing, it's not degrading like running or something where you get as red as a tomato and sweat profusely. Swimming is one motion, the body makes one motion with all the muscles. Oh yeah, swimming trains all your muscles and it's easy on your joints too. If I was an animal that lives in the water, I'd want to be a 1. whale 2. seal 3. deep-water scary creature. Whales are soooooo beautiful and full of grace and just completely gorgeous. Their slow movements, they are like big patient gods. They are incredible. And they are damn smart too. Seals are fun and beautiful too, and deep-water creatures are just so fascinating!!
This post is going in no direction. I am just really hungry and I can't wait for that pizza mmmmmmmmmm so hungry I could eat a vegetarian. hhaha.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
oh Terry Richardson... but apart from him, Russian silent cinema!!
Note: for some reason, some of the Russian is not showing up properly in this post, but it's not important.
First of all, you should all go read this article about Terry the perv, which I just found out from Tavi's blog. My only comment is, I agree with all the rational "feminists" haha. He's pretty disgusting in my opinion, no matter how artsiful his photos are. Respect should come before art... now saying that, I think art comes first before anything. So... yeah he basically has gone too far. Now, again saying that, in the industry that uses stick-thin barely just teenage girls to wear fancy pretty clothes that just don't fit what they are, AT ALL, it's all quite confusing. Oh yeah and there are a lot more pervs in this industry, so Terry's not alone.
Okay now onto other things.
My May Term class is very entertaining/annoying. Now, there are a few reason for that. I hope only the right people read this entry and if any of the wrong ones do, and start claiming that I say bad things behind people's backs (actually... not really behind, more like in the privacy of my own room at the expense of this free speech they claim to have in this country) then let them. I've never really cared for what others think of me oh how original and indie and hipster and fullofmyself this comment sounds. But really... I am going off topic.
Imagine this: there are 26 people in this class, which is about Russian culture and history through Russian (Soviet) film. There are all the "Russian" people present, such as myself, Vadim, and Yuliana. I put "Russian" in q.marks because honestly I am the only true Russian. I lived there for 11 years, and actually lived in Russia, not in a place that was part of the Soviet Union. Vadim is from Moldova and left it when he was still like 5 or something. Yuliana is actually from the Ukraine but lived mostly in Israel. All three of us speak Russian, on different levels. Also present in this class are most of the Russian students, as in students who studied Russian at this uni of ours. Plus some intellectuals, and some total randoms.
I agree, I have very high expectations for people's intelligence, and this seems to be a problem, especially here in America. Though it wasn't any different in Prague. I expect people to know the history of Soviet Union to a certain degree if they're going to be in a 200 level class about Russian History/Culture/Film. I also expect people to have patience for silent films and the fact that it's hard for everyone to grasp them, not just you average middle-class white American trash. Hm.. that sounded a bit harsh. I am so elitist sometimes, it makes me angry with myself. But moving on.
The fact that I don't understand some things in those films doesn't mean I have to ask the dumbest questions in class, or what's worse, say things that are so completely obvious that nobody says them, because everyone takes them for granted. But you have to say them, don't you? Even when the professor makes a joke and everyone laughs, you have to actually tell everyone in class how it really was, because of course, only you understand the reality, right? Because jokes are funny for some other reason, right?
Ok I am starting to repeat myself. I guess saying that Dovzhenko had some homosexual content in his film is going a bit too far, but I think that agreeing with the professor that it is going to far, and then adding that the reason the two men appear closer to each other is to make the woman feel more excluded, which is exactly what we've been discussing for the last hour, is too much. None of this will make sense unless you've seen the movie and have met the subject of my utmost adoration which is this lovely lady who says the loveliest things.
Of course, she is not alone. Other people don't appear to be the brightest in my class. The boring presentations that simply repeat what the professor already said, or presentations that simply tell us what happened in the movie. No, my favorite type of presentation is the one where the student tells us one interesting aspect of the film, and for the next five minutes gives continuous examples that get repetitive, everyone starts yawning, including the professor, and I leave to go drink water so my ears don't fall off my head.
I sound so conceited, egotistical and arrogant. Who is to say that I don't say the dumbest shit in class? Well, since this is my blog, I can say whatever I want. That's the point of the blog, isn't it...
Less of the petty disappointment in the human nature, and more of the real analysis please.
So far we've seen "Battleship Potemkin", "Mother", "October", "Man with a Movie Camera", "Bed and Sofa", "Earth" and some awful Soviet documentary about those films.
Battleship Potemkin (Броненосец «Потёмкин»)
This film has a lot of very beautiful shots, especially the contrast between the mass fear and the tragedy of the individual. In my opinion, those are the most amazing shots in this film. The first part of the film is a bit slow moving, though the opening scenes with the grotesque meat and the maggots/worms are stunning. Even more so because the black and white makes it even more striking - first you just see the meat, but you look closer and it's full of thriving life. The other scene that simply gripped my heart was right before the mutiny, where the soldiers were ordered to shoot the sailors, the tension done beautifully by the montage of the fear of the sailors under the white sheet, and the cruelty of the commander, and just seconds before their death, the tension in the rifles.. aaaahhh it drove me crazy.
And then of course, the tragedy on the steps of Odessa was just incredible. My favorite was NOT the lady with the baby carriage, it was the lady with the boy in her arms walking towards the shooting soldiers.
The expression on her face and the lack of any emotional response from the soldiers created incredible emotions in the audience.. well it did in me. You have to be a hardcore bastard not to feel anything in this scene. Another favorite, which I share with Francis Bacon, is the lady with the broken glasses:
This shot is just so sickeningly violent, I think my heart skipped a beat when this scene suddenly appeared on the screen.
Oh Eisenstein, in the words of my father "чудовищно мерзко-лживый" which he actually said about "Ivan the Terrible" film, but it can be applied to any Eisenstein film, especially "October". (Literal translation of my father's words: monstrously nastily falsified)
October (Октябрь (Десять дней, которые потрясли мир) )
I don't really know what to say about this film. Some of the scenes were beautiful, again, my favorites include the dead white horse hanging off the opening bridge. Unfortunately I can't find an image online.
Another scene that I love for it's hilarity is the "fake" Lenin. Fake - because it was an actor, but he really looks like Lenin! It's incredible. The whole scene is hilarious - Lenin is elevated, and you can't see what he is standing on, so it looks like he is floating above the crowds of people, and there is a flag in front of him, it's almost like a cheap advertisement!
Finally, another scene I loved was the arrival of the Women's Battalion in the Winter Palace and Eisenstein's smart montage of comparing them to the beautiful classical statues in the Palace. Priceless.
Oh, and who can forget the shameless smashing of the wine cellar? All that wine, too aristocratic! So good.
I don't know who is going to read my endless rambling about this, but who cares.
I don't have much to say about Mother (Мать) because I didn't see it in class and had very little patience to watch it in my room, so I only watched parts of it. It was wonderful at the beginning: the scene at the "local pub" and the home of the poor family that literally have to belongings, the wretched father and the amazingly theatrical and beautiful mother. I also liked the mother during the scene in the court, she was just aaahhhhh takes my breath away!
Bed and Sofa (Третья Мещанская). For some reason Wikipedia says it's called "Третья Мещанская" in Russian, but I am pretty sure it said something else on the DVD. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I saw it as a Soviet take on Hollywood entertainment (Hollywood at that time of course). It was entertaining, so it fulfilled its purpose. Again, some of the scenes were amazing. The morning routine of the husband was amazing, his grimaces, gestures, were just really great. Of course, I enjoyed the comparison of the wife to the cat. But also little details, like the decoration of their room, all those little Russian details made me want to go to Russia almost painfully. I guess this happens when you live all over the world. I wonder if one day I will watch a Czech film and see knedliki and pivicko and socks in sandals, and mullets and hairy armpits and painfully want to go visit... Probably not. But, I am moving away from the subject.
Man with a Movie Camera (Кино-глаз) was very beautiful, rhythmic, but also completely exhausting to watch, especially before noon on any day that you have to wake up at 8:30, with only a cereal bar for food and no tea. Amazingly, no one in class had anything to say about it. I guess I am not surprised. The idea of two perspectives was crazy, like looking in the mirror infinitely. The director films, and he is being filmed at the same time. And then we watch what was filmed by this camera man. A very confusing and excruciatingly philosophical, theoretic, etc etc idea. I want to learn how they manipulated images in those times with the film strips, like how did he put himself in a beer bottle??? Haha that was great.
Finally, my favorite was actually the film Earth (Земля)
There were a lot of amazing parts in this film. The three kulaks, dressed beautifully and elegantly (as far as peasant clothing permits), грызут семечки (I am sorry, there is NO translation to this as this is a very very Russian thing to do), filmed from the bottom against a beautiful summer sky, smirking and slyly smiling. The ripeness of the fruit and abundance of the harvest, as if famine and shortage of food never happens to Russian people. The lovely old man dying, his great philosophy of life, and his friend's. How amazing is the scene when his friend leans over the old man's grave and tries to talk to him through the soil? And the naughty children make fun of him? The dance performed by the young man in the middle of the night on the way home is in itself a stunning piece of cinematography. The ending of the film is just a bit predictable, but I guess that's everything with Soviet cinema. Though the shot of the kulak writhing around with his head in the soil and his ass sticking out is quite shocking and humorous. I think my favorite shot though is from the beginning, with the old man eating the pear. The slight gesture of his hands, the way the pear sits in his hand, so majestically but modestly, his beautiful wrinkled face and his soft and yet purposeful posture ... these are all other-worldly details of GOD. He is the kind and patient God of the old ways of farming and harvesting and peasant life. I love him.
That's enough analysis for today. My brain is now empty without any thoughts, so that I can finish the storyboard for Teaadora's video! And start on James's film. I have to write a schedule, contact the actors, think of lighting, etc etc... stuff that I love to do. I think I am going to find a camera before I go to Russia so that I can film there, maybe come up with some sort of artsy film / documentary. We'll see. I enjoy how my class is a preparation for my trip this June. Every time I go to Russia, I need about a month to prepare emotionally and such.
First of all, you should all go read this article about Terry the perv, which I just found out from Tavi's blog. My only comment is, I agree with all the rational "feminists" haha. He's pretty disgusting in my opinion, no matter how artsiful his photos are. Respect should come before art... now saying that, I think art comes first before anything. So... yeah he basically has gone too far. Now, again saying that, in the industry that uses stick-thin barely just teenage girls to wear fancy pretty clothes that just don't fit what they are, AT ALL, it's all quite confusing. Oh yeah and there are a lot more pervs in this industry, so Terry's not alone.
Okay now onto other things.
My May Term class is very entertaining/annoying. Now, there are a few reason for that. I hope only the right people read this entry and if any of the wrong ones do, and start claiming that I say bad things behind people's backs (actually... not really behind, more like in the privacy of my own room at the expense of this free speech they claim to have in this country) then let them. I've never really cared for what others think of me oh how original and indie and hipster and fullofmyself this comment sounds. But really... I am going off topic.
Imagine this: there are 26 people in this class, which is about Russian culture and history through Russian (Soviet) film. There are all the "Russian" people present, such as myself, Vadim, and Yuliana. I put "Russian" in q.marks because honestly I am the only true Russian. I lived there for 11 years, and actually lived in Russia, not in a place that was part of the Soviet Union. Vadim is from Moldova and left it when he was still like 5 or something. Yuliana is actually from the Ukraine but lived mostly in Israel. All three of us speak Russian, on different levels. Also present in this class are most of the Russian students, as in students who studied Russian at this uni of ours. Plus some intellectuals, and some total randoms.
I agree, I have very high expectations for people's intelligence, and this seems to be a problem, especially here in America. Though it wasn't any different in Prague. I expect people to know the history of Soviet Union to a certain degree if they're going to be in a 200 level class about Russian History/Culture/Film. I also expect people to have patience for silent films and the fact that it's hard for everyone to grasp them, not just you average middle-class white American trash. Hm.. that sounded a bit harsh. I am so elitist sometimes, it makes me angry with myself. But moving on.
The fact that I don't understand some things in those films doesn't mean I have to ask the dumbest questions in class, or what's worse, say things that are so completely obvious that nobody says them, because everyone takes them for granted. But you have to say them, don't you? Even when the professor makes a joke and everyone laughs, you have to actually tell everyone in class how it really was, because of course, only you understand the reality, right? Because jokes are funny for some other reason, right?
Ok I am starting to repeat myself. I guess saying that Dovzhenko had some homosexual content in his film is going a bit too far, but I think that agreeing with the professor that it is going to far, and then adding that the reason the two men appear closer to each other is to make the woman feel more excluded, which is exactly what we've been discussing for the last hour, is too much. None of this will make sense unless you've seen the movie and have met the subject of my utmost adoration which is this lovely lady who says the loveliest things.
Of course, she is not alone. Other people don't appear to be the brightest in my class. The boring presentations that simply repeat what the professor already said, or presentations that simply tell us what happened in the movie. No, my favorite type of presentation is the one where the student tells us one interesting aspect of the film, and for the next five minutes gives continuous examples that get repetitive, everyone starts yawning, including the professor, and I leave to go drink water so my ears don't fall off my head.
I sound so conceited, egotistical and arrogant. Who is to say that I don't say the dumbest shit in class? Well, since this is my blog, I can say whatever I want. That's the point of the blog, isn't it...
Less of the petty disappointment in the human nature, and more of the real analysis please.
So far we've seen "Battleship Potemkin", "Mother", "October", "Man with a Movie Camera", "Bed and Sofa", "Earth" and some awful Soviet documentary about those films.
Battleship Potemkin (Броненосец «Потёмкин»)
This film has a lot of very beautiful shots, especially the contrast between the mass fear and the tragedy of the individual. In my opinion, those are the most amazing shots in this film. The first part of the film is a bit slow moving, though the opening scenes with the grotesque meat and the maggots/worms are stunning. Even more so because the black and white makes it even more striking - first you just see the meat, but you look closer and it's full of thriving life. The other scene that simply gripped my heart was right before the mutiny, where the soldiers were ordered to shoot the sailors, the tension done beautifully by the montage of the fear of the sailors under the white sheet, and the cruelty of the commander, and just seconds before their death, the tension in the rifles.. aaaahhh it drove me crazy.
And then of course, the tragedy on the steps of Odessa was just incredible. My favorite was NOT the lady with the baby carriage, it was the lady with the boy in her arms walking towards the shooting soldiers.
The expression on her face and the lack of any emotional response from the soldiers created incredible emotions in the audience.. well it did in me. You have to be a hardcore bastard not to feel anything in this scene. Another favorite, which I share with Francis Bacon, is the lady with the broken glasses:
This shot is just so sickeningly violent, I think my heart skipped a beat when this scene suddenly appeared on the screen.
Oh Eisenstein, in the words of my father "чудовищно мерзко-лживый" which he actually said about "Ivan the Terrible" film, but it can be applied to any Eisenstein film, especially "October". (Literal translation of my father's words: monstrously nastily falsified)
October (Октябрь (Десять дней, которые потрясли мир) )
I don't really know what to say about this film. Some of the scenes were beautiful, again, my favorites include the dead white horse hanging off the opening bridge. Unfortunately I can't find an image online.
Another scene that I love for it's hilarity is the "fake" Lenin. Fake - because it was an actor, but he really looks like Lenin! It's incredible. The whole scene is hilarious - Lenin is elevated, and you can't see what he is standing on, so it looks like he is floating above the crowds of people, and there is a flag in front of him, it's almost like a cheap advertisement!
Finally, another scene I loved was the arrival of the Women's Battalion in the Winter Palace and Eisenstein's smart montage of comparing them to the beautiful classical statues in the Palace. Priceless.
Oh, and who can forget the shameless smashing of the wine cellar? All that wine, too aristocratic! So good.
I don't know who is going to read my endless rambling about this, but who cares.
I don't have much to say about Mother (Мать) because I didn't see it in class and had very little patience to watch it in my room, so I only watched parts of it. It was wonderful at the beginning: the scene at the "local pub" and the home of the poor family that literally have to belongings, the wretched father and the amazingly theatrical and beautiful mother. I also liked the mother during the scene in the court, she was just aaahhhhh takes my breath away!
Bed and Sofa (Третья Мещанская). For some reason Wikipedia says it's called "Третья Мещанская" in Russian, but I am pretty sure it said something else on the DVD. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I saw it as a Soviet take on Hollywood entertainment (Hollywood at that time of course). It was entertaining, so it fulfilled its purpose. Again, some of the scenes were amazing. The morning routine of the husband was amazing, his grimaces, gestures, were just really great. Of course, I enjoyed the comparison of the wife to the cat. But also little details, like the decoration of their room, all those little Russian details made me want to go to Russia almost painfully. I guess this happens when you live all over the world. I wonder if one day I will watch a Czech film and see knedliki and pivicko and socks in sandals, and mullets and hairy armpits and painfully want to go visit... Probably not. But, I am moving away from the subject.
Man with a Movie Camera (Кино-глаз) was very beautiful, rhythmic, but also completely exhausting to watch, especially before noon on any day that you have to wake up at 8:30, with only a cereal bar for food and no tea. Amazingly, no one in class had anything to say about it. I guess I am not surprised. The idea of two perspectives was crazy, like looking in the mirror infinitely. The director films, and he is being filmed at the same time. And then we watch what was filmed by this camera man. A very confusing and excruciatingly philosophical, theoretic, etc etc idea. I want to learn how they manipulated images in those times with the film strips, like how did he put himself in a beer bottle??? Haha that was great.
Finally, my favorite was actually the film Earth (Земля)
There were a lot of amazing parts in this film. The three kulaks, dressed beautifully and elegantly (as far as peasant clothing permits), грызут семечки (I am sorry, there is NO translation to this as this is a very very Russian thing to do), filmed from the bottom against a beautiful summer sky, smirking and slyly smiling. The ripeness of the fruit and abundance of the harvest, as if famine and shortage of food never happens to Russian people. The lovely old man dying, his great philosophy of life, and his friend's. How amazing is the scene when his friend leans over the old man's grave and tries to talk to him through the soil? And the naughty children make fun of him? The dance performed by the young man in the middle of the night on the way home is in itself a stunning piece of cinematography. The ending of the film is just a bit predictable, but I guess that's everything with Soviet cinema. Though the shot of the kulak writhing around with his head in the soil and his ass sticking out is quite shocking and humorous. I think my favorite shot though is from the beginning, with the old man eating the pear. The slight gesture of his hands, the way the pear sits in his hand, so majestically but modestly, his beautiful wrinkled face and his soft and yet purposeful posture ... these are all other-worldly details of GOD. He is the kind and patient God of the old ways of farming and harvesting and peasant life. I love him.
That's enough analysis for today. My brain is now empty without any thoughts, so that I can finish the storyboard for Teaadora's video! And start on James's film. I have to write a schedule, contact the actors, think of lighting, etc etc... stuff that I love to do. I think I am going to find a camera before I go to Russia so that I can film there, maybe come up with some sort of artsy film / documentary. We'll see. I enjoy how my class is a preparation for my trip this June. Every time I go to Russia, I need about a month to prepare emotionally and such.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Flight of the .. what? gel!!!
So I've become obsessed once again with the Flight of the Conchords troupe (??). I think a troupe is for 3 people. I guess they are three people, in a way - Jemaine, Bret and Murray (is that how you spell his weird name?). Sometimes David joins them. Then there is Mel, her husband, and Greg. In the last episode there was also the New Zealand Prime Minister!! And Gary the sheep. And some woman who's name I can't remember.
Anyways, this episode had another song that's one of my ultimate favorites from the show, "Fashion is Danger".
My favorite lines: "Jazzasize - Lipgloss" and "Posing with my leg" !!!!!!!!
Their hairstyles are pretty awesome too, I am not surprised they used up all the gel!
As for the bloggershmetkNJSFNLDFGNM today I will be posting a bunch of pics that I found on my computer, mine and not mine, and just post them cause I feel too lazy to think about writing anything in pretty smart intelligent words. Expect art, cats, and weird stuff. (and maybe just a little bit of this dangerrrrrous fashion)
Beckmann - "Christ with Adulteress"
Hopper - "Office at Night"
When we were studying this painting in class, my classmate asked "Are they, like, dating?" Hahaa.
Morris Louis - "Tet"
Morris Louis - "Alpha Phi"
I usually hate abstract expressionism, but for some reason quite a fan of Morris Louis.
Francis Bacon - "Painting"
Well, that was the most intelligent part of the post.
Here are some funny/weird/cool things.
My favorite is the insect/alien one.
Who cares :P
In case someone didn't get it, these are urinals.
And now for some catsssss.
First of all, of course, Valik's Cat! (whose name is Cat....)
Now, the infamous Mysh
Hopefully this summer I will get older pics from my old computer at home and retrieve the photos of my Siamese, Asya!! And also the crazy angry old Hrusha.
To end today's post, here is some fashion stuff I like lately:
Miu Miu Spring 2010 RTW collection (some details)
And two cool images just for the sake of it:
Vogue Italia
from models.com
Till next time!
Anyways, this episode had another song that's one of my ultimate favorites from the show, "Fashion is Danger".
My favorite lines: "Jazzasize - Lipgloss" and "Posing with my leg" !!!!!!!!
Their hairstyles are pretty awesome too, I am not surprised they used up all the gel!
As for the bloggershmetkNJSFNLDFGNM today I will be posting a bunch of pics that I found on my computer, mine and not mine, and just post them cause I feel too lazy to think about writing anything in pretty smart intelligent words. Expect art, cats, and weird stuff. (and maybe just a little bit of this dangerrrrrous fashion)
Beckmann - "Christ with Adulteress"
Hopper - "Office at Night"
When we were studying this painting in class, my classmate asked "Are they, like, dating?" Hahaa.
Morris Louis - "Tet"
Morris Louis - "Alpha Phi"
I usually hate abstract expressionism, but for some reason quite a fan of Morris Louis.
Francis Bacon - "Painting"
Well, that was the most intelligent part of the post.
Here are some funny/weird/cool things.
My favorite is the insect/alien one.
Who cares :P
In case someone didn't get it, these are urinals.
And now for some catsssss.
First of all, of course, Valik's Cat! (whose name is Cat....)
Now, the infamous Mysh
Hopefully this summer I will get older pics from my old computer at home and retrieve the photos of my Siamese, Asya!! And also the crazy angry old Hrusha.
To end today's post, here is some fashion stuff I like lately:
Miu Miu Spring 2010 RTW collection (some details)
And two cool images just for the sake of it:
Vogue Italia
from models.com
Till next time!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Sunday coldness and laziness
Argh today I woke up in an amazingly good mood, and had a pretty good morning. Now though, trying to do some work and failing... meh Sundays are the laziest ever!!!!
Last night watched the last of the Star Wars six-ology (is that a word...), the Return of the Jedi. Wow. I didn't think Star Wars could get as good as that (I've never seen the original movies before). So yeah, pretty cool.
Not much to blog about today, except I like this model:
Abbey Lee Kershaw. She's an Australian, which reminds me of the Australian girlfriend episode in the Flight of the Conchords that I watched yesterday. She robbed their apartment while Jemaine (who was the boyfriend) waited for her so that they could elope together. She fucked him over and robbed their apartment instead, also taping Bret to the door:
Really good episode, especially because it starts off with the amazing "Too Many Dicks on the Floor" song, probably one of the best in the second season. Together with "Fashion" of course.
But back to Abbey Lee. I read she fainted at the Alexander McQueen runway show some time ago because "her corset was too tight". True? False? Who the fuck knows. I am surprised more models are not fainting at runway shows all the time.
And to end this blog today, here is Fake Blood remix of "Stuck on Repeat" (original by Little Boots)
Click to see the video
On the last note, I think the last Hot Chip album is amaaaazing (I've been listening to it non-stop for 2 days now)
Gotta love the communist undertones of this picture (which is from one of their videos).
Meow. Off to do real work now.
Last night watched the last of the Star Wars six-ology (is that a word...), the Return of the Jedi. Wow. I didn't think Star Wars could get as good as that (I've never seen the original movies before). So yeah, pretty cool.
Not much to blog about today, except I like this model:
Abbey Lee Kershaw. She's an Australian, which reminds me of the Australian girlfriend episode in the Flight of the Conchords that I watched yesterday. She robbed their apartment while Jemaine (who was the boyfriend) waited for her so that they could elope together. She fucked him over and robbed their apartment instead, also taping Bret to the door:
Really good episode, especially because it starts off with the amazing "Too Many Dicks on the Floor" song, probably one of the best in the second season. Together with "Fashion" of course.
But back to Abbey Lee. I read she fainted at the Alexander McQueen runway show some time ago because "her corset was too tight". True? False? Who the fuck knows. I am surprised more models are not fainting at runway shows all the time.
And to end this blog today, here is Fake Blood remix of "Stuck on Repeat" (original by Little Boots)
Click to see the video
On the last note, I think the last Hot Chip album is amaaaazing (I've been listening to it non-stop for 2 days now)
Gotta love the communist undertones of this picture (which is from one of their videos).
Meow. Off to do real work now.
Friday, May 7, 2010
SUPER!!!! erm...
Woke up super late today (super seems to be the word of the week for me... kind of lame 90s word for a girl growing up in post-Soviet Russia). СУПЕР!!!
Enough of that. Last night I went to sleep at 10:30 and today I woke up at noon. That's almost 14 hours of sleep. What the hell???? But I feel soooooo good. Incredible, like I am capable of doing anything, and I am sure that I am actually capable of doing absolutely anything! I am so excited for this day, even though I have nothing to do but you know... Everything is going incredibly well so I am waiting for some really amazing things to happen.
This is what Jordyn posted on my FB today:
The laser suit from likecool.com
How cool is this? Ok next rave/electro/etc party, I am wearing this.. (I wish.. if only I knew where to get one or had the money for it.. sigh...)
Also on likecool, spotted this little thing:
A table wearing shoes! Cinderella shoes! Ok pretty amazing in my opinion.
Some art I've been studying this past semester that I actually really enjoyed:
Richard Estes - Telephone Booths
Richard Estes - Central Savings
And now for some of my own "art", here are two of my own videos.
IAMX - My Secret Friend
Crystal Castles - Courtship Dating
Right now I am working on some new videos! Me and James (disdainful hipster media blog ) are making a film that's outrageously weird and gross, featuring the one and only Barbecue Boy. And then I am making a music video for Teaadora Nikolova. By the end of May, both of these will be done! (hopefully...)
I am about to finish this anime I've been watching for a while, called "Azumanga Daioh". The last one I watched, the obsessed-with-cute-things Sakaki finally unites with a beautiful kitty. Such a good episode!
Speaking of anime, has anyone seen Howl's Moving Castle? I've seen it a few times and last night I fell asleep to it. Wonderful film, though Jordyn thinks it's boring. Meh we disagree all the time, so no big deal. Here to end today's blog, is a beautiful image from it:
Enough of that. Last night I went to sleep at 10:30 and today I woke up at noon. That's almost 14 hours of sleep. What the hell???? But I feel soooooo good. Incredible, like I am capable of doing anything, and I am sure that I am actually capable of doing absolutely anything! I am so excited for this day, even though I have nothing to do but you know... Everything is going incredibly well so I am waiting for some really amazing things to happen.
This is what Jordyn posted on my FB today:
The laser suit from likecool.com
How cool is this? Ok next rave/electro/etc party, I am wearing this.. (I wish.. if only I knew where to get one or had the money for it.. sigh...)
Also on likecool, spotted this little thing:
A table wearing shoes! Cinderella shoes! Ok pretty amazing in my opinion.
Some art I've been studying this past semester that I actually really enjoyed:
Richard Estes - Telephone Booths
Richard Estes - Central Savings
And now for some of my own "art", here are two of my own videos.
IAMX - My Secret Friend
Crystal Castles - Courtship Dating
Right now I am working on some new videos! Me and James (disdainful hipster media blog ) are making a film that's outrageously weird and gross, featuring the one and only Barbecue Boy. And then I am making a music video for Teaadora Nikolova. By the end of May, both of these will be done! (hopefully...)
I am about to finish this anime I've been watching for a while, called "Azumanga Daioh". The last one I watched, the obsessed-with-cute-things Sakaki finally unites with a beautiful kitty. Such a good episode!
Speaking of anime, has anyone seen Howl's Moving Castle? I've seen it a few times and last night I fell asleep to it. Wonderful film, though Jordyn thinks it's boring. Meh we disagree all the time, so no big deal. Here to end today's blog, is a beautiful image from it:
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Actual day of class - the robot twins!!!
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