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Friday, June 1, 2001 - 11:56 a.m. -
I saw "Bartleby" last night. I really wanted to like it, but it was thoroughly dreadful. I think it was directed by the screenwriter as most of the lines came out stilted and awkward, as if he simply couldn't bear to adapt his paper brilliance to the screen. Crispin Glover, in the title role, seemed to be just playing himself playing a creepy character. Many scenes were apparently shot in only a take or two and...forget it. I don't have time for this. Don't bother. Read Melville.
Friday, June 1, 2001 - 11:56 a.m. -
I saw "Bartleby" last night. I really wanted to like it, but it was thoroughly dreadful. I think it was directed by the screenwriter as most of the lines came out stilted and awkward, as if he simply couldn't bear to adapt his paper brilliance to the screen. Crispin Glover, in the title role, seemed to be just playing himself playing a creepy character. Many scenes were apparently shot in only a take or two and...forget it. I don't have time for this. Don't bother. Read Melville.
Thursday, May 31, 2001 - 10:36 a.m. -
Brilliant new "virus."
People are so, well, dumb. And I just saw another variant of that old "Bill Gates is tracking e-mail forwarding and will pay you $1,000" chestnut. What is this world coming to?
Tuesday, May 29, 2001 - 04:04 p.m. -
Another All Your Base thing.
Worth a click. (Thanks, TOm.)
Friday, May 25, 2001 - 12:50 p.m. -
SIFF films I want to see:
(Note that I haven't picked up tix, decided on showtimes, etc. Contact me soon if you want a cheap date!)
Ali Zoua
Angels of the Universe
The Attic Expeditions
Bangkok: Dangerous
Barking Dogs Never Bite
Bartleby
Battle Royale
Brother
Chopper
The Crimson Rivers
Cure
Dead or Alive
Disco Pigs
Diva
Film Noir
Gen-X Cops
Ghost World
Ginger Snaps
If...
Joint Security Area
Little Otik
Miracles
Mortal Transfer
The Princess and the Warrior
Le Rat
Scratch
Vengo
Viva Las Nowhere
Wild Zero
Jeez. Twenty-nine. No way I'll see 'em all. Come with me, won't you?
Wednesday, May 23, 2001 - 11:57 a.m. -
Another feel-good-about-the-end-times story.
Wednesday, May 23, 2001 - 11:22 a.m. -
I used to hope for beneficial virii.
Now there's one for Linux. Of course.
Tuesday, May 22, 2001 - 10:39 a.m. -
Black tea = solid teeth.
This is how it happens; I've swallowed my mistrust of industry-sponsored research. At least this time.
Monday, May 21, 2001 - 12:20 p.m. -
Don't read if you sleep in motels or hotels.
Or maybe especially read if you sleep in such establishments. Appalling but maybe not so surprising, really.
Thursday, May 17, 2001 - 11:46 a.m. -
So I'm reading this book for work and just shuddering with delight over the preface. About half of it is devoted to the postmodern reader and critic, explaining that they should just get over themselves and read the book more or less at face value. Happy quotes:
'I am not an ironic, self-reflexive narrator, and my purpose is not to reveal the "ideology of representation." These are very valuable means and purposes that deserve serious consideration, but these are not my means and purposes.'
'My respect for the people and things I represent is paralleled by the most abject and nevertheless constitutive lack of respect: I can silence them, transform their meaning by misquoting them, and so on.'
'My account is no more and no less definitive than the actors'. It is just different.'
[Rob again] Good lord, does every book now have to ram an epic apologia for straightforwardness down the readers' wordholes? Maybe this should be condensed to a paragraph and added to the copyright page:
Though the author uses the rhetorical and literary tools of oppresive power structures, s/he wishes to make it clear to the reader that the intent is to undermine those structures, or at least withhold support. Also, there's no such thing as "author," "reader," or "intent."
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