Gary Shteyngart - Absurdistan

http://www.litteraturnu.dk/univers.php?action=read&id=1252

The Dark Knight

I won't make this long. Let me just say that this time you should believe the hype, brilliant brilliant brilliant.

10/10

Edit 1/8:

I've seen it twice now. And though still amazingly entertaining, there are a few plot holes and times when the suspension of disbelief doesn't work that stood out on the second viewing. Also I'm not so sure about the casting of Maggie Gyllenhal, she's a bit to quirky for the part, and although she's extremely charming she's not exactly classically beautiful. Also Aaron Eckhart is a close second in acting performance, right after Ledger.

9/10

Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons - Watchmen

Watchmen is a so called graphic novel, which is basically a marketing term I gather, it's a comic all right. Author Allan Moore is one of the big shots in this genre, among his more prominent works are V for Vendetta, From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Swamp Thing. The three first have been made into films as you may know, with mixed success (Moore hates these adaptations, and usually has his name removed from the credits).

Watchmen is a masterpiece if ever there was one. I caught myself stroking the cover while I cackled maniacally as I was reading it. When I finished it I walked around shaking my head in disbelief over the brilliance of it. It's that good.


It's about superheroes, well more like masked adventurers really, because there is only one of them that has superpowers. The party is over, the population don't like them any more, so they got banned in '77. Only two government hired heroes are operative, one being the one with super powers - Dr. Manhatten, and the other - The Comedian - just got murdered, which is where the story begins.

It's all set in an alternate reality, Dr. Manhatten's powers helped USA win the Vietnam War, Nixon is still in office (the present in the story is '86). The masked heroes of the past, have gotten fat, depressed, insane, killed - times are hard. As the story progresses we jump from perspective to perspective, each piece unravelling the puzzle of the past and adding to the complexity of the present.

The story and drawings work so well together, you get totally sucked in to the universe. The characters are psychologically very complex, and are so believable they spring out of the pages. The attention to detail is extreme, like in a panel in the start you see a guy take a bunch of wrapped sugar cubes from a bowl, 30 pages later he takes one out of his pocket and eat it, 10 pages later a guy is making coffee and can't understand where the sugar went etc. That's just one example of many, it makes for a very coherent world. The same applies to names, shops, events you name it.

The comic uses some elaborate story telling mechanics, like first-person point-of-view, flashback, symmetrical stories etc. etc. It also has a wonderful piece of metafiction, a young boy reading a comic in the comic (see picture above). The action in the comic-in-comic is juxtaposed against the action in the "reality", underlining the drama of these events.

I could go on and on, but I hope you got the picture by now. And don't take my word for it, Watchmen is the only comic to win a Hugo award, as well as the only to appear on Time's list over the 100 greatest books from '23 'till today. The film (of which the photos I've seen looks promising - but of course it could be catastrophe), is being made by Zack "300" Snyder, due out in 2009.

Still from the film. Compare with panel above.

If you want a great literary and aesthetic experience, you should read Watchmen.

The Host, Memories of Murder

I've seen quite a number of South Korean films - but only from two directors: Kim Ki-Duk, almost always brilliant, beautiful and frightening poetics films, and Park Chan-Wook, maker of the vengeance trilogy, which are absolutely stunning. Recently I got to know a third Korean director Boon Joon-Ho. I've seen two films by him, The Host and Memories of Murder. He can mix tragedy and comedy like no other, right in a specific scene it will go from heart-wrenchingly tragic to laugh-out-loud funny, I think that's a real quality


The Host is a monster picture, metaphorically I guess. I really liked the characters, how it moved almost seamlessly between genres, and of course the elegant mix of tragedy and comedy. It does get a bit erratic though, and the ending feels pretty forced. Plus monster pics aren't really that interesting, metaphorical or not. 7/10


Memories of Murder is about a serial killer (true story) wreaking havoc in a small Korean community in '86. His victims are all young girls, raped and strangled. The two local detectives are more interested in closing the case than solving it, and repeatedly try to pin it on random innocent towns people, usually by beating them until they confess. That changes when Mr. big-city detective volunteers to solve the case. This film can also be interpreted allegorically, as a criticism on the government and methods of that period, but you don't have to to enjoy it. As a serial killer film, it's one of the best I've ever seen. I would rank it right up there with Seven, not because the story is brilliantly clever, but because it's parts work so well together. There is a real sense of true character development, and again it moves elegantly between tragedy and comedy. I can't recommend this enough, unless you're squeamish of course, 'cause it is certainly dark (and funny). 10/10

Notwist, Black Angels, Bon Iver

New music I'm listening to:


The Notwist - The Devil, You + Me
The original indietronica act have released the long awaited follow-up to the masterpiece Neon Golden, as predicted it doesn't quite live up to the expectations but it's still a very good album.


The Black Angels - Directions to see a Ghost
Texas retro-psych-rockers releases their second album. My initial feelings is that it is a bit weaker than the first, but I might end up going either way.


Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
He might be another bearded man with a guitar, but this is one beautiful album.

Pride & Prejudice - Atonement

Joe Wright and Keira Knightley - what a great duo. Wright is the instructor of both the newest adaptation of Pride & Prejudice from 2005, and the amazing film Atonement based on Ian McEwan's novel by the same name. Now amidst all my film snobbery, I have a serious soft spot for romantic and intelligent films like these two, and Wright certainly made two great films. Pride & Prejudice of course suffers somewhat from the unfavourable comparison to the amazing BBC series from 1995 (really there can be no other Mr. Darcy than Colin Firth), who of course is the authorative adaption. But regarding the film for itself, and not an adaptation of Jane Austen's famous novel (which I have yet to read), it most certainly is amazing in every way. The casting is spot on, and the camera work is absolutely sublime.


Last years Atonement is also very British, but moved up to the countryside in the 1930's. Here again Wright spoils us again with an absolute perfect cast and wonderful wonderful cinematography (the one-take of the Dunkirk beach evacuation, need I say more?), and McEwans great and tragic love story (which I have read, and also highly recommends). The tempo, the mood the costumes, the Oscar winning score - all marvellous.

If you have an ounce of romanticism in you, you should see both of the great films - 9/10 to both - Gods, can you ever get tired of looking at Keira Knightley's stunning visage?

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

A new Indiana Jones film?! Jesus, don't those money-grubbing Hollywood whores hold anything sacred. Harrison Ford can never be replaced, they should know that. Oh he still plays Indy? Isn't he like in a wheel chair? 66 huh? We'll I guess that's all right then, and Spielberg and Lucas too huh? Still, you know it's going to be one of those films full of this ridiculous meta-humour, where it keeps referring to the old films, and how funny it is that they are making a new one but now the actors are old. You know with all the old elements, juxtaposed so the joy of recognition will make the audience applaud.

Actually the film was awesome, and I was entertained from start to finish. Ford does a wonderful job, and the aging Indy thing is all handled very sensible and elegant. It's a great reprise by Marion, who of course was the only woman for Indy, and the sparks still fly when the two of them are in a scene together. The effects are awesome (especially the nuke wink wink), and the CGI is realistic and well-made - except perhaps for the goffers. The story is a bit weak and incoherent, and the villain (Cate Blanchet) was a bit too cartoonish for my taste, but all in all it was everything it should and could be, and an awesome trip down childhood lane.

7/10

Lust, Caution

Ang Lee certainly is a versatile film maker. From Hulk to Brokeback Mountain and everything in between. This time he's created a great historical piece, romance and espionage thriller, with the depth and breadth of an epic. Incredible the film manages to work on all these levels, not at least thanks to an amazing cast - the well-established Tony Leung (stars in everything from Woo's early Hong Kong action flicks to Wong Kar-Wai's art house films), debutante Wei Tang, who does an incredible job, and Joan Chen (aka Josie Packard) who actually speaks Chinese.
Set in China during the Japanese occupation during the second world war, it revolves around a Chinese collaborator (Leung), and the plot to murder him by a small resistance group. Tang's character goes undercover to get close to him, and becomes his mistress. A function she at first despises, but since grows to enjoy.
As a historical piece, it's beautifully done. Big Shangai street scenes, with bustling traffic of rickshaw's zipping to and fro take your breath away, and costumes, hair and so forth all looks completely authentic. As a thriller, it's very exciting and unpredictable, and finally the romantic aspect of it, might just be the most gripping. The relationship between Leung and Tang is an odd one. At first you are repulsed by it, but since then it becomes beautiful and tender - and of course tragic. The sex scenes between the two, are extremely explicit (not for the weak of heart - you actually see Tony Leung's hairy balls) and frequent - perfectly illustrating the direction their relationship is undergoing, from brutal rape-like sex to tender and affectionate love-making.
It's a great film Lee has composed, and should hold an interest to a wide aspect of a mature audience.

You see this girl naked, repeatedly

Ichigo Mashimaro

Nobody does cute like the Japanese, and this show is certainly evidence to that claim. Nothing really happens, well very little, but maybe I should talk about the set-up first. It's about these four 11-12 year old girls, and an older girl, who is the bigger sister of one of them. It's brilliant, but don't take my word for it, see for yourself, I can't really describe it.




All the episodes can be seen here.

Bret Easton Ellis- The Rules of Attraction

This book made me feel like doing drugs, getting drunk, and having lots of sex with everything. It also has a very funny joke about an elephant, and has the sentence 'a rat the size of Norman Mailer' (which is probably why Gore Vidal recommends it on the cover as seen above)- in short, all the trademarks of great literature.

Ian Banks - The Bridge

You know you're reading a good book, when you start to slow down as you're reaching the end, to make it last longer, and when you're kinda sad when it's over. That's how I felt with The Bridge (1986) by Scotsman Ian Banks.
It's retty elaborately constructed, it starts of with a man getting in a car accident on a bridge, and subsequently going in a coma. The rest of the book is then his imaginations and dreams, divided in different realities. The main dream is about a life on The Bridge, which is similiar in that he has also been in an accident which has given him amnesia. The Bridge in this dream is a huge structure, and infinitely long, full of buildings clinging to the top or side. It's sort of a steam-punk world: gentlemen with hats and canes, string quartets in the elevators, and lot's steampowered machines. It's a very cool universe and excellently described.
The second dream (or reality) is this man's dreams, of which the most common is of a brute barbarian (who talks in a very difficult Scottish accent), who enjoys rapping and killing, and who has a very intelligent familiar on his shoulder guiding him. These scenes are very funny, especially when he descends into Dante's hell, and ruins all the punishments by helping the tormented (and turning Charon to stone in the process). The third, is actually the 'real' man's (the one in a coma) memories, of youth and adulthood, and especially about the love story between him and his girlfriend - very touching and engaging.
It's not actually as hard to keep track of, as I might have made, and the different settings works great with one another. Besides the clever plot, it is also very well written. I think this is one of those rare books that I might actually read again.

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

I Feel I deserve to recommend Vampire Weekend, because upon my first listening I thought it was so bad, that I deleted it, but since then I've given it another shot, and have now heard it quite a lot. It's very very good pop music, which puts you in a good mood, neat when 95 percent of your music collection is clinically depressed. Catchy and addictive, recommended if you need a shot of sunshine.

Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing

Oh my god - this is the sweetest noise you could ever imagine. Pain and bliss all in one delicious package. Hear it!

Portishead - Third

While not as good as their first two albums, Third by Portishead is still very very good. Especially the first track "Silence" is amazing, the rest is a little up and down. If you are a Portishead fan, this long expected album will please you, if not live up to all your expectations.

Haruki Murakami - Dance Dance Dance

It's the good old Murakami magic. An amazing cast of characters and a metaphysical awakening/noirish detective story. It takes a while to get of it's feet, but once it grips you you can't let it go. Highly recommended.

My Blueberry Nights

This is Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai's first attempt with Hollywood, and he actually pulled it of without losing any integrity. People who have seen Chungking Express and In The Mood For Love will instantly recognize the style and themes.
New York girl Norah Jones gets her heart broken, and seeks the company of café owner Jude Law. She decides to go away to get away from her pain, and in her travels south, she comes across different colourful characters, until she finally returns to New York.
That sounded pretty dull, and actually it kinda is. Norah Jones might be an amazing singer, but she sure is a drab (but cute) actress, and Jude Law is, well Jude Law. What really boosts the film is the characters that Jones meet on her travels.
In Memphis she meets David Strathairn (you know his face, not his name), who gives an excellent performance as a drunken, sad cop, and Rachel Weisz his wife, who looks more stunning than ever, and does a great job as the part of a southern femme fatale. In Nevada she meets Natalie Portman, who plays the part of a somewhat dangerous card player, she also looks gorgeous as ever.
It's a very aesthetic, sensual film, which is beautifully shot. It features a lot of Wai's trademarks, like the slow motion sequences and the erotic food analogies. Cat Power (Chan Marshall), who appears in a tiny role, supplies the beautiful music, together with Norah Jones herself.

8/10

Beach House - Devotion

I just discovered this band (me being a Pitchfork whore). It's hauntingly beautiful dream pop, that seems to grow on you on each play. It also has organs galore. Highly recommended.

Philip Roth - The Human Stain

Philip Roth, may or may not be the best living writer in USA today, I don't really know enough about American writers to cast judgement on that. What I do know, is that he certainly is one of the top writers in the world today, and that The Human Stain is a remarkable book.

It's about the college professor Coleman, who resigns after being accused of racism. The story is told by Roth's alter-ego Zuckerman.

The Human Stain works on many different levels, it's both a personal and a national story. The thing I find most interesting is the problems regarding statements, truth and knowledge. Because it is not an omniscient narrator, we can't just take every statement to be the truth. This poses some interesting questions, when for example the narrator tells us of the innermost feelings of a woman he has never met, is he just making stuff up, or what? It reminds me of Citizen Kane, in that the novel tries to do a exhaustive portrayal of a man, only to realize that it isn't possible. As the narrator Zuckerman states:

- You can't know anything. The things you know you don't know. Intention? Motive? Consequence? Meaning? All that we don't know is astonishing. Even more astonishing is what passes for knowledge.

On top of that, the book is so well written. The prose is absolutely beautiful, and also quite difficult if English isn't your first language. At times when I read it, I felt like applauding, because language, themes, characters and story all come together, and make for one of the best contemporary novels I've read.

Cormac McCarthy - Vejen

http://www.litteraturnu.dk/univers.php?action=read&id=1114

Six Feet Under

Wow

I just finished all 3376 minutes with my surrogate family - the Fishers and friends. Finished all five seasons of the HBO series Six Feet Under, created by Alan Ball (American Beauty), and I must admit it had a profound effect on my life. Really, calling it TV is almost an insult, this is a piece of art, in that it makes us question and think about such issues as death, sickness, grief, family, homosexuality, parenting - all of these huge and frightening themes, that so rarely are dared touched by any media. And this from a TV series! It's so fucking brave and beautiful, and at the same time entertaining and funny.

I can without hesitation say that this is the best series ever to come out of TV. I'll miss you.

Norman Mailer - The Naked and the Dead

I realise it's about time I recommended another book. It's not that I haven't read any, it's just than I haven't read any new ones, good enough to receive my recommendation. Also, I've started reviewing book for litteraturnu.dk, which I won't also bring on my blog. But, I can confidently recommend THE NAKED AND THE DEAD by recently deceased, and literary celebrity, Norman Mailer.

The book is about a squad of soldiers, fighting the Japanese for control over an island during the second world war. Mailer himself having fought the Japanese in the war, gives - what I believe - a very accurate description of the men and how the war worked. There's absolutely no romanticism or patriotism about the antagonists feelings towards the fighting, it's more a question of getting out alive and not losing your soul in the process. The old men in the squad are all completely broken and desillusioned, and have absolutely no faith in the US Army or their superiors. The rookies are regarded as little more than a nuisance, and no one wants to get close to them, because they're usually the first to die. There's no heroics in the short confusing fire fights, everyone is afraid and some are cowards.

The main event is a patrol the squad is sent on, the reasons for which, might be for personal glory rather than military significance, and which mainly consist of long devastating marches rather than combat. It's all very dark, but also excellently written and told. It is a bit long however (700 pages), and sometimes the pacing is of. But if this theme is of any interest, I highly recommend it.

Lev Tolstoj - Anna Karenina

http://www.litteraturnu.dk/univers.php?action=read&id=1091

"Things We Lost In The Fire" (Susanne Bier)

For some reason I don't really want to like Danish director Susanne Bier. I think it's still the mass appeal of "Den Eneste Ene", that causes me to categorise her with all the other uninteresting Danish Directors. But I liked "Brødre" I must admit, and I certainly like her new film "Things We Lost In the Fire". This is her first film in Hollywood, but she pulled it of nicely. The story is an emotional one, but it never goes over the top. Benicio del Toro (whom I loved ever since he played a fat drug-using Samoan Attorney) gives an amazing performance, and Halle manages her end very nicely as well. I also like the cutting of the film, which is not chronological. So if you like dramas and great acting, I highly recommend this.

Explosions In the Sky "All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone (Remixes)"

The post-rock genre can get quite stale and repetitive (pun intended), and maybe it has served it's purpose already. It's easy to hear the influence of post-rock on other genres, especially it's powerfull crescendos and climaxes are widely used. I was a bit dissapointed with Explosions in the Sky's latest album All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone, not that they had changed the style, rather they hadn't changed it enough. But then I heard the remix album, and was blown away. It starts of fantastic, with my new favorite song The Birth and Death Of the Day, remixed by my much beloved Jesú, and continues to on with great remixes by other artists I really love: Four Tet, The Paper Chase, Eluvium and more. It's still all instrumental, but very far from the original album. It's how it should have sounded in the first place, and breath of fresh air for the genre.