the wrong man

the wrong man is the latest of the hitchcock films that i've watched. i would say that, compared with vertigo or north by northwest, the suspense just isn't there. it is a study in ordinary film making. by that i mean ordinary reality is what is being captured, a story that really could happen. and it did happen. the movie is based on a real story, if hitchcock is to be believed. but it's not hollywood-slick and suspenseful like a typical hitchcock film. even so, i'm glad to have seen it. henry fonda is a good everyman who just was in the wrong place at the wrong time, like so many hitchcock protagonists, and got himself into something (being accused of a series of crimes) he had no idea he was getting into. it is interesting to note, according to several sources i've heard from, that hitchcock himself, as a five year old boy, spent five minutes in jail, as a warning from his father, which may have had a psychological impact eventually leading to this film. hitchcock himself was the original wrong man, spending an eternity of five minutes locked up as a small child. i would say, however, in evaluating this film, the "ordinary" quality of the film makes it one of the less enjoyable of the hitchcock films.

anne murray, coldplay, joan osborne

anne murray---- amazing grace

coldplay---- don't panic

joan osborne---- one of us

these are the songs that i've been listening to a bit lately.

i really appreciate the film garden state. coldplay's song is on that soundtrack.

i have been getting more into coldplay. good stuff. the other two are more religious, and that is good sometimes. faith in Jesus is an ongoing thing, and worship can be in many various ways.

don't panic is probably a reference to the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy and those books. good stuff. i'm going to re-read those soon.

the main problem: ok, earth is a problem. waiting for a solution. do we believe in capitalism? or do we want to create a solution that is beyond capitalism? where every child has shoes, where every hungry stomach is fed? is there a way to do that other than our current system? douglas adams talks a bit about that. most of our problems seem to have to do with money on this planet. but it's not the green pieces of paper that are unhappy.

zero 7

i can't get over how much i love the songs of zero 7, particularly

somersault.

there is something to be said for chilled out music, slowed down tempo music, music for relaxation, not to get all hyped up.

shenandoah

i am still on my quest to see every jimmy stewart movie, and tonight's film was shenandoah.

it's not a bad film. there are moments that make it worthwhile. overall it is a very sweet film, with moments of adventure. it's about a man who's the father of a number of grown children, living on a farm in virginia during the civil war. though he initially doesn't want to take sides in the war, he eventually needs to get involved when his son mistakenly gets taken captive. more than that i will not say, in order not to reveal the plot.

the best moments in the film are when jimmy stewart is just being the lovable, somewhat strict father with a sense of humor, and with a great reverence for the conventions of life. the best moments are when he's speaking to his dead wife at her grave site. also, when he's giving advice on how to deal with a woman, his sincerity and love of women is admirable. jimmy stewart is a man we come to know through his many films, who loves life and loves to follow what is right and good. he is in many ways the essence of a good man.

we mainly see jimmy stewart through either political idealism (mr. smith goes to washington), or hitchcock films, or adventure films set in the 19th century, westerns. i think respect is due where respect has been earned, and jimmy stewart certainly earned deep respect just for being a good man.

a whole story from beginning to end 10/19/2008

the idea of valuing an entire Story from beginning to end

was impressed upon me and spiritually made me aware

that i wasn't really being true to the spirit of the film makers

if i watched just part of a film and believed that that's all i needed to do.

and even now, there are people who do that

they value a Story only insofar as watching parts of it, then flipping the channel.

no, what i have become convinced of is: take the time. take the time to watch the entire film.

if you're reading a book, read the entire book. novel. history. whatever kind of book it is.

and if you don't understand the meaning or intent behind a particular sentence, stay with it

until you do understand clearly the meaning or intent of the sentence.

in terms of life itself, life is a Story. don't treat life as a TV set that you can just flip channels

any time you want.

no, life as a Story is sacred. with all of the ups and downs of a life,

it makes up an entire life. you know the people you know. you have to cultivate those friendships

the way a garden might be cultivated. give your attention, your time, your friendship, and the friendships will blossom and continue to live.

and believe that there is One above, there is a Man Upstairs, who will reward the just.

i always believe in the Biblical saying (to paraphrase the Proverbs) that

the bountiful heart shall be blessed, for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

in other words, if you are bountiful, if you are generous, you will receive it back from the Lord.

so don't give up hoping for the best life. continue to be generous, and eventually God will be generous with you.

and of course, be thankful for the blessings you already have.

when telling a Story, if there is no time limit, tell the whole Story, but only if there is a good point to the Story,

in other words, if the point of the Story is resting in good intentions and goodness in general

----to pay someone to listen to you tell a Story is crazy, to be honest.

that's why i think those who have been deceived by the allure of counseling are mixed up in something crazy----

you cannot buy friendship. it's putting a dollar value on communication. and that's not real friendship. nothing ain't nothing if it ain't free, says janis joplin

i.g.y.

listening to i.g.y. by donald fagen (the song i.g.y., or international geophysical year)

is a thing that brings back a lot of emotions. my older brothers used to listen to this album a lot.

nightfly. each song on it tells a story.

sixpence none the richer

the song, don't dream it's over, sung by sixpence none the richer----

what i like about it (i know it's a cover) but what i like about it is

it tells a story of a somewhat totalitarian society. that's how i interpret the song.

and there is a sense of Christianity too in the song.

the ones who want to "build a wall between us" are the nazis

and the Christians say, let people love anyone they wish. no walls between people.

i love that song. i love the lead singer of sixpence none the richer (i know the band has broken up) but i love the band and the music anyway

because they are (were) a Christian band. and you don't get a lot of that. they really believed what they believed. God bless them, wherever they are now.

all's well that ends well

it is possible to generally follow the plot of a shakespeare play, when listening to it on cassette. you may not get all of the references, however. i listened to the complete play on cassette, all's well that ends well. i understood the basic points of the plot. and i appreciate the story that is told. but at some point in the future i'm going to have to see if the internet has some shakespeare study guides, or purchase them through an online bookstore, so that i can follow all of the uses of language that makes studying shakespeare unique.

sometimes in a comedy, two people exist in relation to each other, having problems or misunderstandings that prevent them from getting together, but by the end of the film or story they're together. a happy ending. a comedy. someone once said a happy story ends with two people getting together, but a tragedy ends in death. weddings and funerals. sex/love and death. i think anyone who wraps their mind around an entire shakespeare play, not to mention all of them, will come away with an expanded view of the human condition, the basic question, what does it mean to be a human being?

strangers on a train

i am still going through all of the films of hitchcock. tonight's viewing was of the film strangers on a train. hitchcock apparently always had one character (the evil, crazy one) who suggested murder as a fascinating, amusing concept in his films, or in a lot of his films. this film is no different. i will not reveal the plot points, or the ending, in case you haven't seen the film yet. as a hitchcock film, it's a little better than average, with a climax to the action of the film that's interesting, compelling, suspenseful.

so why am i researching all of the films of hitchcock? well, i guess as a film student i want to be 100 percent familiar with certain film makers. i sent away for a few of the films of akira kurosawa on dvd. that's another film maker that i want to know all about. "like kurosawa i make mad films. ok i don't make films. but if i did they'd have a samurai." sometime soon i will sit through the 7 samurai once again, though there are parts that i fast forward, i am ashamed to say.

i want to know 100 percent about all the films of hitchcock and also all of the plays of shakespeare. that's a starting point. for further learning. there was a man who was on death row, and a christian pastor went in there to his cell and the guy was there with papers and books and was studying. "i can get you a tv," the pastor said to the prisoner. "no," said the prisoner, "i have to study to become a lawyer." he was studying law books. he didn't care that he maybe had only 6 months in which to live. he was working on self improvement, for the improvement of his soul. i like that story and i remember it sometimes. i am a film student, and that is how i define myself, because i love stories that are told, either in words or in images. i believe God also loves stories. one rabbi said there is both good and evil in life because God loves a good story. all of us have lives that are told as a story.

the color purple

i bought the color purple on dvd in part because my Mom loved that movie.

it's a great film. it's good, heartwarming, and has many memorable moments, but having said that, it's more of a chick flick, but again, having said that, it's a great film.

there are moments of child birth, separation of people who love each other, people treating each other like dirt, friendship that lasts many years, even decades, moments of revenge. many turning points of people's lives. you get to know these people, in good times and bad. the main point is that freedom and liberty and self expression wins out over oppression and shame. the film is a celebration of the human spirit.

88 minutes

88 minutes, starring al pacino, is pretty much what i thought it would be.

that is to say, it was OK. not great. not poor quality. as always, al pacino is al pacino---- he goes a little wild and runs around wildly. he has a psycho killer after him. i won't say more in order to avoid giving away the plot.

but it's not a bad film. i try to see al pacino films when they come out.

the man who shot liberty valance

the man who shot liberty valance is my latest film in my quest to watch all the films of jimmy stewart. it's really not a bad film. there are some great moments in it, as it focuses on the life of a small western town beset by gunslinging villains, and a lawyer who goes west and seeks to restore law and order. it is interesting to have both jimmy stewart and john wayne in the same film, and to reveal more would perhaps reveal too much about the plot, so i will stop there. as i wrote earlier, i have a love of Westerns, because they deal with the basic human condition in stark contrasts, good vs. evil, love, and facing up to your fears. jimmy stewart, as always, is as decent and honorable a man as you are likely to find on film. and i really have nothing bad to say about john wayne. maybe when i am done watching all the films of jimmy stewart, all the films directed by hitchcock, then i may start with other actors and actresses of the golden era of american film.

westerns as a genre of film

there was a time that i didn't like westerns. i guess they just didn't appeal to me in those days when science fiction seemed to be the most exciting.

then i heard some of the great directors and film critics talk about Westerns as a great American genre. that people in general don't value Westerns as they should.

and then i realized that i, too, had not given credit where credit was due. i had not valued Westerns as they should be valued.

so i am going through all of the films of Jimmy Stewart. some of those are Westerns. i need to value Jimmy Stewart as a great american actor, having something to say on the question of "what it means to be a man." and Westerns, too, have something to say about "what it means to be a human being." (a good human being.)