eight and a half, and a bit of Darwin Deez

Today I finally got around to watching Greenaway's "8 1/2 Women".

I am losing my attention lately. I am distracted by a debate about art with two people, and my hunger, and visual stimulants lying on my table, consisting of three thrifted bookies I bought today and a fourth, big book in French with absolutely amazing photos of interiors during Impressionist's times. I will destroy this book because I will be using it as art ref, and cut it up into bits and pieces. Frankly, this is the best that could have happened to it, considering it was probably on the bookshelf for many years, so dusty and too cheap. And I can't take it with me in full volume because it is too heavy and I already have too many things to take back.

But the film... well, I had the feeling again that I've seen this before, even though I swear I haven't. Greenaway is very recognizable of course, and his Japanese mania is making me go crazy because I am developing a bit of a Japanese mania myself. I loved it, because I love everything that P.G. throws into the world, or at least everything I've seen so far. One thing disappointed me, I wish there was more about the horse and pig loving woman. I think my favorite parts were these:

1. The very beginning, the sequence when the son comes back to Geneva and how they spend their time in the house before they leave to Japan.

2. The scene during the kabuki performance. I loved the tension between the actors and the woman who wanted to be more of a woman.

3. The scene in the hospital with the woman who fell off her horse, at night, with the room in total darkness, and her in that weird harness and the four glowing poles of the bed - visually orgasmic cosmos.

4. This scene:

5. The death of the first woman they acquired, after this scene happened:

6. The last part, the death of the father. It was so calm and serene, it reminded me of the ending to the Pillowbook, after the death of the boyfriend.

Altogether, I really enjoyed this, it was highly intellectually stimulating, if I want to sound like an idiot. Next on my list to watch is The Belly of an Architect. Let's see how many months it will take me to get to that. I have lost interest in film all over again. Argh I just wish I hadn't because I am interested in the visual aspect of course, but I just hate how long they are and the plot lines and I just wish they were all about the visuals. I guess that's why I love Greenaway because his films are mostly about the visual, but the story line is still very important, and that is why it takes me forever to convince myself to watch the next one. Once I've seen one film though, I can rewatch it a million times, because I know what happens and I don't have to worry about the plot any more.

As for other things, I am hating the cold weather but I found a way to escape it: walk a lot and really fast. It's also good for the general health because walking briskly is considered exercise. Also, big sweaters work too. I used to hate wearing wool stuff because I believed they were all itchy and scratchy. That was before I realized only the real wool ones are, and the synthetic ones are much softer and kinder to your skin, also they are very cuddly and awesome. I also bought my first pink garment today, and it looks surprisingly good on me. Though to be fair, its more like salmon colored than anything.

I am so excited about going to see BATHS on Monday night, and still contemplating whether I should go see Islet tomorrow. They have two supporters and I have to wake up at 4am the next day. I am probably not gonna end up going. I mean I saw them live once before, and though they are great live, their music is not exactly something that I enjoy on a daily basis. Then again, the gig is practically around the corner. Argh.

Which brings me to my last point! I had a great time listening to gee-tar indieness today, namely Everything Everything and Darwin Deez. Surprisingly really loved it, especially Darwin Deez. He was my sunshine in the gloom of London coldness and my sing along pal for the half hour walk from the tube station. He really really made me happy at that point, because I was feeling quite miserable - didn't catch the bus so had to walk, tired from having traveled from new cross gate to whitechapel to kings cross to euston and then back on the victoria to highbury, and before that having spent considerable amount of time in the cold cold studio. Also, was very hungry and the stomach was giving me painful stabs and also my shoulder was dying from carrying heavy loads of art crap around all day. But Darwin Deez just made it all go away with his purring "there's a million little lights when the sky turns black tonight" and "you and i are sitting on the ocean floor, you were tired of swimming and you're so bored" and finally "cause every day ought to be a bad day for you" (that's actually my favorite song on the album, and also the bomb song, but frankly I love all of them). Who would have thought that Alice's screech-lover, Salem worshiper, and Boys Noize adopted fan cat would actually like happy indie normality once again? It could be only because Darwin Deez is so goddamn talented and comes up with the most awesome lyrics and really just makes me happy. Newest obsession perhaps? To go hand in hand with obsession over Japan?