Monday, October 29, 2007

quote of the week

Reading/writing people, we are finished, we are ghosts witnessing the end of the literary era[...]”

(Philip Roth, Exit Ghost (2007))

Thursday, October 25, 2007

The artist seclusion: a curse or a remedy?



Obviously, in most cases (and I speak from own experience here) it is a sheer necessity, nothing less. But that one fact alone does hardly answer the question, does it? Over the years I’ve witnessed time and again how all kinds of art people, creatives of whatever medium or standing, chose to shut themselves off from the outside world. At times in order to concentrate on their work, at others to recharge, or to revitalize their flagging spirits. Be it musicians, writers, or the fine arts individual, even team-working people can display astonishingly fierce outbreaks of autistic behaviour. Is it for better or worse, I wonder? Does it help in fighting off our demons, or does such introspection only serve to exacerbate the turmoil, all that’s confusing within us, fear-laden and irresolvable anyway, conditio humana? Is it not that these fits account for some if not most of that aloofness and detachment we observe in so much of contemporary art?

The travails of self-expression that precede and trigger all art are both, elucidating and incomplete; they should never be tempered with. What we have come to understand of L’art dégagé, does it not suggest that such concept is nothing but a gross self-contradiction? So much so in fact, that any attempt at an escape into its assumed safety is the fleeing of life itself? At the end of the day, there is no redemption, only a consciousness and maybe memory to answer to. And that alone can easily consume a lifetime.
Like Don DeLillo rightfully said: the artist, certainly the writer, has their life on the fringes; it can’t be otherwise. But we are all social beings nonetheless and bear a special, a very real and pressing responsibility to our embedding on whatever scale.
I’m not sure about any of this, after all I too feel the urge to cut myself away from all outside interference, the world at large, every so often – but always appreciate what good advice or open remark comes my way. For it is a dialogue, still.


(pic©http://voyages.nicolas.delerue.org)

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

“the torch” #18 – Coming to a theatre near you, soon?




Singapore film prospers, and with many a film or expert director winning awards and international as well as increasing local acclaim, all seems fine on the island, or does it? As ever more money is being washed into the system, and luckily no notable drain of the creative brains is to be observed to counter the surge, we have every reason to expect a healthy future for the industry’s renaissance. Yet there is no end to complaining, apparently, and much still remains to be wished for: funding-wise, in terms of professionalism and in overall appreciation for the art of filmmaking. All these can be remedied with time and will be addressed if those in a position to do so really mean what they say and decide to put their money where it is needed. Arguably however, any nature will only run its course where there is life and a receptivity to match the occasion.
Therefore: start dreaming! Wish and aim for better films to make the future of our cinema shine ever brighter, says: The Torch.


(pic©mo)

Monday, October 22, 2007

quote of the week

“Those who have an orphan's sense of history love history.”
(Michael Ondaatje, Divisadero (2007))

Monday, October 15, 2007

quote of the week

“In gewisser Weise sind Schach und Halma ja auch Kriegsspiele, allein unsere Graphiken sind heutzutage besser.” / “In a way chess and halma* are also war games, only today our graphics are better.”
(Burkhard Spinnen (2007))
* aka Chinese Checkers

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

“the torch” #17 – On building a sinema community




When speaking about a community in whatever context, we certainly think of things to do with interrelated networking, with sociability and solidarity, in short we assume the term to read as, and meaningfully translate into an integrated system of co-operation. “Emergence” being the proper word for that phenomenon where a set of isolated components adds up to something larger than the sole elements’ combined value, “The Torch” this week takes a look at what it all means in real fact. Filmmaking requires a strong social framework on the ground, especially where independent projects without much monetary backing are concerned. What then does all this nice talk about presumed coziness come down to if there’s no substantial reaching out to the audiences to go along with it? The pedagogic implications of a community that aims for self-sustainability without being reclusive are being discussed: here.

(pic©mo)

Monday, October 08, 2007

quote of the week

“I may be incompetent, but I'm good with guns.”
(Desu nôto: The last name, Kaneko Shusuke (2006))

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Ready for the OscarS?



It's been a well covered story, I know, but I wanted to see for myself and have a go at the film first before joining in with the flock of congratulators (besides, this makes for a fitting post to mark our National Holiday, you'll see). Now I honestly can: director Fatih Akin after winning the Berlinale and in Cannes as well, has now been named the official selection as Germany's entry in the category of Best Foreign Language Film for next year's 80th Academy Awards, aka “the Oscars”, with his latest masterpiece “Auf der anderen Seite” / “The Edge of Heaven”. It is a very deserving nomination indeed and hopefully will be recognized as such by the academy members making their choice. I for one can only recommend this film wholeheartedly as one of the very best I've seen over the course of the year so far, guaranteeing you a powerful, challenging and suspenseful movie experience – exactly like what we've come to know his films' most distinguishing feature to be. It is a well written, well acted movie, and above all he trusts his camera best like any director should.
As far as I am concerned it isn't so much about whether this one will be shortlisted or even bring the third trophy in six years back home to our (multi-cultured) shores. What counts is that “Auf der anderen Seite” hopefully succeeds in affecting its audiences worldwide and bring an understanding of split lives, which seems to me like one of the most pressing and determining issues of our times.

BTW, if this shouldn't work out for Akin, well, he actually has two strings to his bow as “Takva: A Man's Fear of God” is Turkey's selection for the same category naturally (and he is a co-producer of this one). I saw it earlier in the year at the Berlinale and thought it a well done and strong film also (here), a good choice by all means.
So do have a look at both of these if you can, it is worth it! (And in case you haven't seen “Gegen die Wand” / “Head-On” yet, first installment in that projected trilogy “Liebe-Tod-und Teufel” / “Love-Death-and-the Devil” that “The Edge of Heaven” is the second part of, try that one too, it is Fatih's best.)


(pic©REUTERS)

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

HU-Japanologie: Screenings in October



While the Japan Film-AG continues to rest in peace throughout the month of October, the Arsenal brings us “Nippon-koku Furayashiki mura” (1982) by late director Ogawa Shinsuke, and in OmU. Details.

(pic©hu-berlin.de)

Monday, October 01, 2007

quote of the week

“There are teachers. Teachers who have us for a while, allow us to see particular things, and then send us on, without regard to how we may have come to feel about them. We depart, wondering if now, perhaps, we will not be in a state of departure forever.”
(Thomas R. Pynchon, Against The Day (2006))