oldhipster.com - "Time Marches On"

Who Ran The Iron Horse?

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 21:35:03 -0400

Tonight, I listened to "20/20" by The Beach Boys - a weird, complicated, convoluted, gorgeous, powerful, wonderful album. Some of the tracks, believe it or don't, wouldn't sound out of place on "Loaded" by The Velvet Underground. The lead-out of 'Our Prayer' and 'Cabinessence' lifts listeners from the earlier, Earthbound, gritty rock into some otherworldly territory. Awesome!

Bears

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 14:41:46 -0400

I saw "Grizzly Man" by Werner Herzog - pretty intense juxtaposition (ugh, what a rotten word) of deeply wounded, human neuroses and utterly ruthless natural impulses. It examines the bizarre life and horrendous death of Timothy Treadwell, an eccentric ex-actor who frequently spent his summers in rugged Kodiak, Alaska, fraternizing with large bears. Mr. Treadwell was eventually killed by one of the massive beasts, but not before collecting 13 summers worth of stunning videotaped footage as part of his personal diary.

Treadwell, The Grizzly Man, himself, was obviously out of step with the world - stalking around the most inhospitable surroundings, speaking to bears and foxes in an affected, high-pitched tone, he comes across more like a children's-show host lost in the forest than any kind of credible naturalist. Yet, he genuinely loved the wild creatures he had chosen as his comrades, preferring their company to that of mundane humans. The film's power comes from the gap evidenced between Treadwell's boundless, adoring enthusiasm for Nature and Nature's complete obliviousness to that joy.

Identity

Sun, 02 Oct 2005 17:21:10 -0400

This weekend, I saw two very interesting films. The first was 'Guerrilla-The Taking Of Patty Hearst.' The second was 'A History Of Violence,' the latest from everybody's pal, the talented Mr. David Cronenberg. Each was impressive in its powerful and individual interpretations of similar themes.

'Guerrilla-The Taking Of Patty Hearst,' as one might expect, details the kidnapping of Patricia Hearst by the SLA, or Symbionese Liberation Army. The flick makes short shrift of the actual, physical abduction and, instead, concentrates on the transformation of Ms. Heart from Possibly The Wealthiest College Sophomore In America to Tania, The Girl In The Car With The Glasses And The Gun (namecheck for all you Screamers fans out there.) By juxtaposing the limited sights and sounds of Increasingly Radicalized Patty (those made available to the media by her captors) with images of Sunshine-y, Soft-Voiced Patty, the flickmakers create an uneasiness of identity. What was Ms. Hearst capable of doing? Do what degree was she coerced? To what extent was she a willing participant in bank stick-ups and other anti-social behaviors? Hrrmmmmmmmmmm...

Bullseye

Thu, 29 Sep 2005 20:30:16 -0400

Is it possible that The Wes Archer, who directed some episodes of 'Futurama' and 'The Simpsons,' is The Same Wes Archer who directed 'Jack Mack And Rad Boy Go!'? This evil short film about a couple of mean-spirited adolescents was broadcast and, subsequently, re-rebroadcast on USA Night Flight. This was back in The Roaring Eighties, when everyone had The Insomnia. Scared the hell out of me - both the flick and the Eighties.

Dream #1

Thu, 29 Sep 2005 00:55:04 -0400

I recently had a dream involving a highly-modernized hotel, a bunch of music critics and some toucans. It wasn't as bad as it sounds. I also envisioned a car that I swore I would remember. I can't remember it.