If drawing “The bow” doesn’t lead to hit the mark December 27, 2006
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Dominated as it is by famous American and European filmmakers, western cinema might not know Kim Ki Duk. Yet, although appriciated by an audience keen on elitish movies mostly, I believe South Korean Ki Duk is lately becoming one of the most remarkable directors on the international cinema survey. Films such as 3-Iron (2003) and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2004), have introduced him to the western audience. Some of the Asian magic has been brought to the western cinema landscape, which often grants a privilege to something spectacular to the detriment of its contents (shame on American colossals).
Back from Christmas celebrations and blowouts, yesterday I decided to purge my self with a light dinner and rest. I granted my tried body with a warm bath. Plunged into soap bubbles I decided I would watch a movie. The choice fell on The bow by one of my favourite filmmakers; Kim Ki Duk precisely. Its second-last movie The Bow tells the surreal story of a 16-year-old young lady who has been spending the last 10 years of her life on a boat into high seas with an old fisherman. This latter planned to marry her when she had turned 17; in the meanwhile he took care of her and the two of them lived together peacefully. Tranquilliy is interrupted as life takes its course. Events change it. None of the two characters can either help it or interfere with destiny’s decisions.
Shot in a typical Kim Ki Duk’s zen style, with few and essential cues, The bow takes off promisingly. It is permeated by a sense of peace. A ship that floates unanchored off Korea’s western coast. The sunshine, the sea, the young actress’ fresh beauty. Few and simple framings capture small jewels. Within the last 15 minutes, though, the movie fizzles out. From a cetrain point on all the magic turns into something disappointingly improbable. By the end a series of confusing scenes follows one another climaxing up to a questionable conclusion. So that overall the film fails to satisfy.
With The bow Kim Ki Duk shoots an arrow that doesn’t hit the target. Pity.
It is the same the whole world over December 20, 2006
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Christmas is approaching. Tossed by several trips, with assignements to complete till the very last moment and with all the matters troubling my mind, I hadn’t realized it until few hours ago when I took a walk in the city centre of my town. Although the place where I live is not a huge city – 70.000 inhabitants for a town in the North West of Italy -, still by Christmas it becomes a real chaos.
What takes place in each city of the world during this period is likely to be the same. Together with lights and decorations, the city adorns itself with people’s frenzy which arises proportionally to Christmas drawing near. Therefore it becomes literally impossible to drive around without getting stuck into the traffic, no matter where you have to go. There’s no way you can buy anything without spending at least one hour in the queue to pay. It’s almost proved by statistics that average percentages of shoplifting increase dramatically by Christmas; this is because standing within a queue more than a certain number of hours drives people insane. Indeed, lately I’ve heard that doctors and specialists advice shoplifting as a good cure to avoid Chrismast frenzy.
Joking aside, we can basically single out two Christmas shopper typologies .
1) The well prepared. He bought his presents long time ago. He actually began thinking of Chrismast gifts during summer. No matter wher he went on holiday. Hanging around among market stalls in Peru or strolling along Montenapoleone avenue’s fashion boutiques in Italy, the well prepared shopper’s constant thought is: “Mmm, I might give this to … for Christmas.” By now then, he doesn’t need to get jostled about in the crowd. He can stand aside and laugh at all the common mortals who run and run to get the last gift. He keeps in his heart that warm that he had avoided Christmas bedlam.
2)The latecomer. As easily understandable he’s late. When he realizes he has to buy gifts it’s Christmas eve already. He runs from shop to shop, without any clue about what to buy. He dives litterally into the crowd, he keeps elbowing his way forward to the “stuff” and when finally he gets there, he melancholically stares at half empty shelves, already sacked, and eventually buys the last boring and trivial thing. Just because all the rest is over. He spends hours and hours in the queues, and of course when at the end of the shopping day reaches his car, he finds himself fined for parking in a “no parking” area.
To be continued…
Getting things done December 12, 2006
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Some time ago I came to read an article on my favourite Italian magazine. It was about an alleged awesome book called Getting things done. Apparently the author, American David Allen, has made piles of money by telling people how to get the best from their time, whilst they feel that 24 hours a day are actually too little to get all their things done.
It’s not new that from time to time, sparkling America pulls some new wonders out of the top hat. Sometimes it is a magic product that makes you loose nine kilos in nine hours, even if you fuel yourself with a stoke of TripleBigMacs, sometimes it’s a troubleshooter who promises to solve all your existential problems.
That’s the reason why, when I first read about this succesful book -thousands and thousands of copies sold in the US and all around the world- I raised my eyebrowses skeptically. Still when I went through the contents I was quite perplexed.
To cut a long story short, he basically suggested to write down things you have to do. Write them on a notebook, on a wall board, on a piece of paper, on your forehead. Write them wherever you like, but write them down. Well, believe me, it really seemed to me that Mr. Allen had discovered Columbus’s egg. Had he really earned millions of dollars by writing a book on such obvious suggetions?
However, after a first disappointment I told my self: there’s surely must be something beyond the obviousness. Therefore I tried. During periods of dizzy stress, periods I felt like my brain was so overfilled that if I had put something more in it, I would have blasted it for sure, I tried to make “to be done lists”. And I have to admite, with a bit of grudge, that actually yes, it works. I have to admit that writing thigs down helps amazingly.
Therefore I began mumbling. If creating lists for things helps to organize things in life, perhaps creating a blog might helps to file caoting things in my mind. Trying doesn’t cost a thing. Although I’m quite fickle in my decisions and when I decide to do something I barely continue to do it constantely, it might be worth to try.
Well so come on my brain, let’s go and get our things done!
We wish you a Merry Christmas. A sort of. December 20, 2006
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Streets are dreadfully crowded. Cars are literally everywhere as the tipical Italian way rules. Three ladies are on a bus that got stuck into the traffic. Random comments:
“People go around just to hang around.”,
“They don’t even buy anything. They go, watch and nothing else.”
“The town is crowded with no useful reason eventually, since people only watch the windows.”
“Monetary crisis is tangible”
“All the light decorations are there to make us confused”
“The lights force us to buy more. But we are not stupid, eh”
“The 25th December the town will be empty. You will see. I was there last year and no one around.”
Merry Christmas