Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Fermented Fragments

 The Book of Boba Fett: Why is the dialogue so clunky? Both in the writing and directing. Everything feels so forced. Really makes me miss the first season of the Mandalorian, which used words very carefully.

What purpose did it serve to show Grogu's training? And why show so much of Luke? Why show him at all. I kind of wished they would only show his back or from the waist down and never have him speak any lines on screen.

It's indicative as Star Wars as a whole, I feel. They're reluctant to let the viewer do any of the work. I can also feel the focus testing behind the scenes, where they strive to make sure even the lowest common denominator can understand everything that's happening. It's part of the whole pop culture thing, I suppose. Gotta dumb it down for the masses.

And man is Star Wars self obsessed. It just can't tell a story without linking it back to a major existing character. Can we be done with the Skywalkers, pretty please? The universe and its style is so rich (Vespa chic robo gang notwithstanding) that there has got to be some stories to be told without relying on what's come before. Imagine if the Beatles, still all alive, decided to get back together as a cover band. WHY?! They have the talent and people and resources, so make something new and different. You know, like what Star Wars was when it first came out. Take some risks, damn it.

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Go watch The Landscapers. It's on one of those HBO services I can't be bothered to differentiate between.

It might seem pretty standard if you're into true crime thriller-esque shows, with two versions of events that collide. Yes, the craft of the show is great - acting, directing, cinematography, writing, it's all there. It's refined and tight and you couldn't ask for much more if you're into this genre. But it delivers more anyways.

It is the best use of the 4th wall that I've yet seen in movies or TV. It's not a subtle nod and cliche wink to the viewer at key moments. It's carefully, deliberately scattered throughout in such simple and complex ways that it makes your head spin with the confusion of the plot. It's masterful. It's not a gimmick. It reinforces the theme in such a clever and unusual way that it keeps you off balance. You'll find yourself wondering, "Wait, what? What am I watching here?" It's such an appropriate device given the context of the story. A natural fit for the most unnatural way of storytelling.

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I’ve been listening to some of Adam Savage’s livestreams recently and found them to be fantastic. The guy is a natural storyteller and has a great sense of enthusiasm and optimism about the world and his passion. There are two tidbits I’d like to record here, just in case I ever stumble back this way in a moment where such things are needed.

1) Treat things like a job, even if they aren't. Take on and see projects through as if someone is watching.

2) There was this author who spoke about creative block. She said that when she was stumped, she made a point of sitting down and copying other author's works in longhand. The point is to sit down and write, so that's what she did. Eventually those fragment's of inspiration would knock the internal crud loose and she could proceed with her own creations. 

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I'm working on my 240z and met this guy who's restoring one to a factory finish. He came and looked at my wiring and then invited me to go and look at his (for the coolant routing and several other things). And there was his 240z, under his McLaren on the lift, in a detached garage with granny suite, on a property near downtown, with a massive new contemporary home on the lot. Talking with him he drops the fact that he's had a few different classic Porsches, a BMW i8, an NSX, and a bajillion other Hondas. Dude's well off, and made some passing remark about 'owning some IT companies, including a couple overseas'.  And, to his credit, he was very welcoming and down to Earth.

I mean, come on. At least if he was a stuck up bastard I could hate him a bit. I don't make a bad wage, but this is something else. In the few occasions I've poked my head into the lives of the wealthy half of society, I've become immediately uncomfortable. It's hard to pinpoint why that is, but I think it's a mix of coming from a lower class background and feeling out of place, plus a bit of envy that this kind of lifestyle will always be out of reach for me. Even a taste of this life will always be beyond my grasp.

Here I am struggling to save up money to buy a garage and maybe a used Cayman to put in it, and this guy makes some off hand casual remark how he owned a Cayman S once, among a string of other Porsches, like it's no big deal. And that he saw the new Top Gun, which featured a 964, so now he kinda wants one. As if it was some special controller he saw a streamer using once and wants to try it out.

It's a different world, man. One in which I am undoubtedly an alien.

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I'd just like to take a quick moment to profess my love for Everything Everywhere All at Once. What a weird-ass script with fantastic production value. Editing, directing, acting, writing, set design, it's all there. And the more you look closely, the more there is to discover. It was such a marvel of human storytelling inside an absurd, abstract vessel. You have no idea where it was going, but everything seemed to fit together just so. Probably the most original film I've seen in years. So original that the best analogy I can come up with is how I felt watching The Matrix for the first time. This one had a bit more soul to it, though.

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So we'd been working our way through Under the Banner of Heaven and we got to the part where the main character realizes that the LDS church might not be what it seems. He has this red book called "Mormonism: Shadow or Reality?" in his lap that he knows weighs more than the combination of its physical dimensions.

In a weird knee-jerk reaction to the scenario, I (internally) told him not to open the book. Oh, the total freefall that knowledge unleashes. Sure, the rug gets pulled. But so does the floor and foundation below it. It's scary shit to not only realize that what you were taught wasn't true, but that you were actively mislead by the very thing your entire life was built on.

It's a testament to the strength of the writing, directing, and acting of the show that it surfaced such a guttural instinct in me. I guess I may have walked away from the church, and I like to think I've discarded most of my baggage. But it's like the church poked little holes clean through my skin and soul, and whenever I move in some directions, the cool air finding its way inside my body is too jarring to ignore. 

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Sometimes songs are like sticks. Some are longer, or more crooked, or curl around to the left and down a bit with a little sprig at the end. Keep in mind, though, that you're soul is in a full-body cast, and you know you have an itch to scratch. Or maybe two or three or twelve. 

And that's how I end up in front of my computer for an hour after I should've gone to bed. I'm digging through my drawers of different songs, looking for the right one(s) to reach and ease that certain discomfort that's been driving me crazy. 

Sure, I'm checking my RSS feeds and poking Reddit and writing my way through these odd little thoughts, but it's all an excuse to keep listening. I'm just getting lost in my music library, taking some of the trusty hits for a spin and rediscovering the neglected gems.

I could just stay up all night scratching. I don't know if it's for the relief or just an honest joy for twigs.

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-Cril


Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find
Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find

And it's something quite peculiar
Something shimmering and white
Leads you here, despite your destination
Under the Milky Way tonight

The Church - Under the Milky Way