Once again it's time for a round of things Chris enjoys;

item 1 - Primer



Katie and I watched this a few weeks ago and...well, did you watch Memento?

Well, this makes Memento look like an episode of Cheers. I have never been so confused and yet so amazed at the same time. It is at it's core a tale of time travel, but it actually deals with it in a realistic and respectful way, and actually draws out the ramifications of being able to see into the future.

It was also made for (literally) $7,000. That is 7 $100 bills. It is an amazing piece of work that people are still arguing about today, almost 5 years after it premiered at Sundance. And you can stream it on Netflix if you have a subscription.

Item 2 - The World Without Us

 

What I at first glance took to ba a simple reflection on what the world would become were all human influence to be removed in an instant has actually turned into a remarkably literate and engrossing look at all the ways in which humans have influenced the world, since our very earliest years on the planet. Yes it does look at the massive amounts of plastic in our oceans and the chemicals in our soils that will take literally tens of thousands of years to finally bidegrade. But it also looks at how the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea has quite unexpectedely turned into a nature preserve unlike any other in Asia, how 10,00 year-old underground cities in modern day Turkey will outlast all of our modern infrastructure; and it brings to light the remarkable resiliance of nature and the opportunity we have to change our habits and comsumption to ensure that the only things we leave behind aren't grocery bags and heavy metals.

Item 3 - These girls



Yes...they are growing up. And yes...I know how cute they are.

Judge out.

You know what I'm talking about...that steadily growing stack of books/movies/music/etc that you know you really should read....but you just can't seem to bring yourself to do it.

Well, I'm trying to face that pile, head on.

I first tried reading Crime and Punishment. That didn't go so well.

So I thought I would ease into it by reading The Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

Yikes.



The reason I haven't already read this is quite simple. My Junior year of high school I took the senior level english (brit lit.) so that I could take college english the following year. This actually mad a lot of sense, and I enjoyed the accelerated program...but I missed out a little bit, I think.

That being said, coming to Lord of the Flies with a newcomers perspective was a very interesting experience. Needles to say, it deserves every bit of the accolades it has received. Even on a first reading I was struck by how such a slim book, and one so somply written, could have such a depth of imagery and symbolism, not to mention such a truthful and honest depiction of the minds of children. Not once does Ralph, Jack, Piggy or any of the other on the island seem anything less than what they are; scared, hungry, desperate children. It really is a rather unrelentingly bleak novel, with very little light shining through the darkness.

Speaking of darkness, Katie and I were talking about the main thrust of the novel. It would be easy to see it as an allegory of good vs. evil...but that seems a slight misreading. To me, the main conflict seems to be between order and chaos, personified not really between Jack (chaos) and Ralph, but between Jack and Piggy (order).

__________________________________________________________________

Having concluded the lecture portion of my blog post, I would like to point out a few of the more egregious offenders on my Pile of Shame, and invite you to submit your own.

Books
Crime and Punishment
The Brothers Karamazov
Pride and Predjudice
(Most of the classics, come to think of it)
The Orthodox Way
No Country for Old Men
Les Miserables (I know, I KNOW!)
To Know as We are Known
The Little Prince

Movies (pulled at random from my Netflix que)
Chinatown
The French Connection
North by Northwest
All the Presidents Men
Seven Samurai
The Graduate
High Noon
The Dark Crystal

Come on...don't be shy. This is a safe place...