New Year and New Plans ...

Okay, first off the recent news:

Apocalypto
I watched Apocalypto at the cinema and I really liked it - the obvious comparison with the pride and possible slow-destruction that we may be inflicting on our own society is an interesting idea. visually it is amazing, although I am told they do take liberties with various types of art that are separated by hundreds of years shown in the same place. I think it has to be seen as a 'inspired by true events' type of story to set up an allegory on our own civilisation. I won't go into too much depth though because I can imagine people not watching it because of Gibson's anti-semetic views - if indeed they are true? or the extreme-graphical violence depicted. If you're brave, I think as long as you can sit through the destruction of the little village in the first 20 minutes, you should be okay for the rest of the film. Although I think I am going to change my MSN name to Jaguar Paw - Rudy Youngbloods performance is brilliant!

Rear Window
I had never seen this film and only watched it recently through my 'rental' list. What a great film!! James Stewart is so cocky and Grace Kelly is, indeed, quite beautiful. I think I am going to go through a Hitchcock period - maybe get Vertigo, North by Northwest ... etc etc next. Peter Bogdonavich explained on the documentary his style and technique and how he uses it throughout his own career.

U2
Okay, I do-o-o-o go on a fair bit about U2, but I have been reading the 'U2 by U2' book and I am in awe. Bono explains how alot of people want to take away your dreams when they have given up on theirs. I think that is true - as I head towards my own dream - I can only really agree if I reach it. Larry Mullen Jnr explains how he had the 'Jnr' part added to his name because when they released 'Boy' (The first U2 album) the tax forms were coming through to his house and his Dad would have to explain to the tax office how it wasn't HIS tax, but his Sons. Adam Clayton is a bad ass - he was told it wasn't worth him sticking school out because he was obviously going to fail. He used to set up a coffee canister in his lessons. Edge, on the other hand, nearly left the band - with Bono -after releasing 'Boy' because crazy Christians who Bono, Larry and Edge were praying with were telling them that being in a rock-band and being a christian is not really possible. Crazy fucking Christians may be the worst group of people in the world - they could easily have deprived the world from the best rock band ever. Madness.

Secondly, go to the U2 website and check out both videos to 'Window in the skies' - someone has mixed footage from loads of great musicians - Kurt Cobain, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Bob Marley, etc - to make it look like 6they are singing the song - which i great in itself. The second video just has a really cool 'slide-player' showing loads of pictures from the ol' days when U2 were starting out.

The Future
So, yeah, Pete and Rebeccas wedding coming up, putting together some short-films hopefully, learn Italian, go T-total for a few months and get a job teaching in London. Thats the future. If anyone can help me out with these goals, throw me a 'line'.

It'd be nice to write a script and rewatch Rocky I to V, finish reading John Dickie's 'Cosa Nostra' book and Julian Spaldings 'The Art of Seeing/The Wonder of Art'.