Gridlock'd

Vondie Curtis Hall (the man playing the Reaper) has written and directed an absolute gem of a film that you may have never gotten around to seeing yet. If you haven't do yourself a favour and go see it now. It's not about much, two Junkies trying to get into a detox-rehabilitation programme and having very little luck. Along the way they get caught up in the lifestyle to which they have become a custom to and all that it can entail. The beauty of the film can be found in the dialogue, the pacing, the frustration but mainly from how likable these to characters are, essentially it's a very unorthodox buddy movie. It stars the legendary Tupac Shakur boasting some of his best acting ever, he's stripped of his gangster image and able to show a much wider range of his acting skills. Tim Roth, who in my opinion can fluctuate from greatness to just painfully bad (although these may be more of a reflection of the actual films themselves) is hysterical throughout the film. It also features Thandie Newton, though we mainly see her through a series of flashbacks, the chemistry between these three actors is fun to watch as they remain upbeat, mainly through drugs and humour. Gridlock'd is also probably in my Top Ten films. The soundtrack is amazing and features some great tracks from 2PAC himself.

A fantastic indie film with a great performance from the actor who was just hitting his stride when he was taking away from us.

HurlyBurly - Misogynistic?

I wouldn't personally consider the play or the film to be misogynistic really, some of it's characters act in such a way but face the consequences of their actions. It therefor, doesn't celebrate misogyny, instead it explores it through a journey in which the characters have become extremely lost in a sea of self destructive behaviour. It's message is not one that views women in a negative light, the three women in HurlyBurly are very different and very strong characters. Donna is the youngest of the women, but she is wise beyond her years. She is the one that Finally helps Eddie find peace with his thoughts, explaining to him that everything pertains to him, yet he has complete freedom on how he feels about things because the truth is, it doesn't make any difference what he thinks about anything. This complete futility actually brings him comfort. Finally realising that he has no control over anything is his epiphany as he says "I may never go to sleep again, I may stay awake forever"

There is a scene where all the guys are sat around drinking and chatting, Mickey is telling a very misogynistic story about Bonnie. We see the very different reactions of the three guys as they each deal with their disgust in very different ways. Mickey makes light of it as he always does with every thing, Phil shows no form of disgust as he looks for acceptance where ever he can get it and Eddie is the character who actually refuses to find any of it funny, he is repulsed by it and we sense there may be hope for him yet.

Darlene is the most adaptive and suitable to their world. She is a woman who has come between two friends and makes no apologies for her decision to play the field. Although seemingly the most "normal" of the three women, she is not necessarily the most respectable

Eddie Is up and down, all over the place. (HurlyBurly) He is the unification of all of the characters positive and negative qualities. Mickey Is Jaded, detached, manipulative and will continue to live a very guarded and numb existence. Phil commits suicide as he is the most miserable of them all. Phil's character is arguable repulsive and disgusting, but he has a very honest and raw edge to his personality. Each of these characters face a different reality based on the way they treat others, it does not celebrate misogyny in the slightest, it is actually a warning against it and the hedonistic lifestyle with which it is often associated.

To summarise. Just because there is misogyny present in the themes explored by the film, doesn't necessarily make the film misogynistic. How can you ever discuss and explore the negative aspects of misogyny without showing it in a film? You can't.

I stand by my opinion that HurlyBurly is a masterpiece and remains my favourite film of all time.

25th Hour

Without a doubt, one of my top 10 films of all time, Edward Norton had been wanting to collaborate with Spike ever since He got Game. which Norton considers to be a personal favourite

As far as I know (which means the following information is as reliable as your neighbours account of seeing Lord Lucan yesterday) this is the first film Spike Lee was a part of as a Director where he did not write the screenplay. He knew it had enormous potential obviously, the cast alone is enough to spark interest. It's the story of Monty, a guy who has one more day of freedom before he serves a 7 year sentence for dealing drugs. If that wasn't enough to deal with, he is left to ponder who sold him out and has been giving his girlfriend Naturelle some very uneasy looks as of late.

Monty's two friends Frank and Jacob lead very different lives. Jacob is a school teacher fantasising about one of his students. Frank is a high roller on Wall street flexing his ego by making bold moves on the stock market. Neither is arguably any less deviant in nature than Monty, instead, their lives and behaviour reflect the choices they have made.



Monty's father played by the great Brian Cox is a retired fireman with a bar. Monty's loyalty to his father is reflected in his actions throughout the film, his father had put up his bar as collateral for Monty's pre-sentence freedom.

One of the most powerful scenes in the film comes when Monty gives his angry summary of New York city's neighbourhoods and it's residents of different backgrounds. It all begins with a "Fuck you" on the mirror, it ends with Monty's reflection telling him to take a better look at himself, to stop blaming others for his predicament and take responsibility for his choices in life. It's a scene that pertains to the film but is also a separate message, to New York but also to the world. At the end of the film we see a message left with a heart stating, "You can't stop New York city" It's very powerful. You must remember this is one of (if not the) first films released after 9/11. The view above Frank's apartment is the closest they could get to the remains of Ground Zero. Frank and Jacob bicker about Monty's predicament and display different levels of sympathy dealing with it as their own fears become more apparent. Frank in particular practically sentences Monty to death with his opinions yet later on in the club when Monty says similar things about his chances, Frank argues that this is nonsense and he'll survive just fine. The conversation with Jacob is the first in the film that really emphasises that Monty is a Dead man no matter what choice he makes between Suicide, running or facing the music. The film is about mortality and without the presence of death lingering in the limelight. The choices we make have real consequences. Monty asks Jacob to take dog that Monty saved from being left for dead. Monty identified with the little fighter and when Jacob questions the size of his apartment Monty replies in a suspiciously optimistic manner. The emotional distance of describing the himself through the dog gives him temporary comfort as he comes to terms with his fate.

Doyle's a tough dog, he'll learn to live in a small space, he'll survive

Spike has always liked his dolly shots and their is a real gem featuring Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the club, shortly after he imposes himself romantically (I say that loosely) on his student Mary, we see him moving in front of the camera with a look so indescribable it deserves a watch. Feel free to laugh as you feel sympathy for him!

As the three friends stare into the ocean in the early hours of dawn, Monty suggests living the life of working on a tugboat. It seems so nice because from the outside it looks like three guys discussing the possibilities of life, but it actually stings with pain as Norton is an hour or two away from prison.

It's followed by one of the most uncomfortable scenes I've ever witnessed comes from Monty asking Frank to beat him to the point of ugliness. Monty is scared and doesn't want to go into prison looking all pretty... arrogant much!?!? Kind of like the Scene in Gridlock'd where Tupac asks Roth to stab him, only without the humour! It's a horrible scene to watch but it's actually admirable in a repulsively sick way, how many people could actually do that to someone as a favour in the spirit of friendship? Not many I'd imagine, but I guess it doesn't come up that much...

One of the coolest moments of the film comes as Monty views all of the members of the neighbourhood that he insulted earlier. A young boy on the bus spells out his name in the window as Monty does the same. Tom (almost Monty backwards) takes off in the opposite direction both on the road and hopefully, in life.

The end of the film is very sobering, the consequences have seemingly been dodged as we believe Monty has decided to run at the last minute as his Father drives him to the West Coast to start a fresh. But he's still in the car, dreaming of a life that "came so close to never happening"

The Penn is mightier than the sword

Got Milk?

One of the greatest actors of our generation takes on his most important and challenging roles yet (Other than HurlyBurly of course...)

I am yet to watch "The Wrestler" yet but Rourke's performance is going to have to be pretty weighty in order to top the sensational effort put forward by Sean Penn. Harvey Milk was another brave soul who was chosen to lead a fight against homophobia, civil-rights-violations and just general stupidity.

Towards the beginning of Milk's journey into politics he is sent a death threat which his lover is startled by and keen to put out of sight, Milk refuses to do so. Instead, he pins it to the refrigerator where it loses it's power to shock, scare and repulse. It's fitting that hate exposed by ignorance loses credibility from mass exposure, where as love, compassion, tolerance and acceptance of others is contagious and unstoppable when spread amongst people who exercise their rights to the most basic of freedoms.

Most of us live our lives in a comfortable, small world of love and hate which remains moderately safe for us. The great men that fight their causes are thrown into an amplified arena of love and hate that forces them to make great sacrifices, but yet, also leads them to make great changes for the benefit of society as a whole.

It's astounding to look back at times when voices of such ignorance and stupidity were elected to speak on behalf of the masses (Not so long ago I hear you say?). Milk was an inevitability of his time in America, a time when fear, a lack of understanding and acceptance were manifested in it's politics. America has always had a tendency to cry outrage about the threat to "Family values" and a "Christian way of life". These non-sensical phrases are brainwashing McTerms that have managed to influence a nation of people always on the look-out for a scapegoat.

Milk visits the Opera towards the end of the film and he knows his time is coming to an end as the fat lady does indeed begin to warm up her voice. His demise is shown to be rather theatrical, remaining consistent with his life's work, seeing the beauty of the world around him, even in the final moments of his death. Like Malcom, Martin, Tupac and other figures who predicted their own death correctly, Harvey Milk was aware that his life was a sacrifice made for the greater good. As he said, It's not about ego or personal gain, it's a movement for the preservation of the youth, to guarantee that they don't have to feel persecuted for simply being whatever they happen to be.

The film's best moments derive from observing Milk embarrass his political opponents with what seem to be very obvious facts about the nature of Homosexuality. I hope he would forgive me for saying the stupidity of his opponents beliefs and arguments seemed to personify his own ability to deliver fantastic one liners with such sharp wit. There should have been a bit more of this shown as it really does celebrate the essence of who he was, like watching an artist at work. You could see the pleasure he got from changing people's minds and influencing people to question certain prejudices. It would be fair to say that he was armed with such truth and support that charisma wasn't necessary to clinch his political victories, all he had to do is show up and allow his good natured intentions to shine through. The camera work does a nice job of capturing the era of a restless crowd rallying in the streets of San Fransisco.

I've found it extremely rewarding to read many reviews of this film. Mainly because there has been countless mentions from people that cannot usually stand the sight of Sean Penn who have been pleasantly surprised by his amazing ability to capture the essence of this historically brave man. I consider Sean Penn to be one of, if not the greatest actor of his generation so his performance is no surprise to me at all. Perhaps it is fitting then that two men who seem so desperately misunderstood (obviously to very different degrees of importance), merge into one character on the big screen to deliver such an important message to the world.

Dan White - Two guys can't reproduce

Harvey Milk - But we keep on trying!

Valkyrie

I watched Valkyrie last night and was rather inspired and depressed simultaneously! It offers a very much needed insight into history and to the fact that not all German's should be held accountable for the horrors of Hitler's actions during world war II. A Jewish friend of mine tells me that Tom's character was actually very much a hater of the Jewish people that just so happened to also hate Hitler. Regardless of this, the film is necessary to remind people that there are always degrees of variance in people's beliefs and that the honourable and brave plights of the these particularly group of people should be acknowledged and respected. Cruise's performance was moderately impressive, the choice of roles was not a big stretch for him though in my opinion. I'd like to see if he could take on a self-destructive character, those being the more interesting ones to watch on screen!

It's arguably much like John Cusack's "MAX" which bravely attempts to put a human face on Hitler and explain his descent through social and economical circumstances. It attempts to do this rather than just reduce him to a character of pure evil, however much this may bring us a strange sense of comfort in our world of absolutes.

The concept of thinking "too much"

Just reflecting on the better moments of my life so far, it would be a fair evaluation to say that many of those moments involved very little thought; "going with the flow" as people often say. Don't get me wrong, a feeling of connection with the world often comes from a certain degree of thinking about our situations we find ourselves in, but is there anything to be said for the argument that too much thinking can lead to insanity. There is a thin line between insanity and genius but are these conscequences of two very different schools of thought? From reading some of Anthony Peake's work alone it can be argued that individuals suffering from Schizophrenia for example, are experiencing an overload of influence from the Daemon, but could it also be argued that too much thought from the Eidolon will little Daemon guidence results in mental sickness? A wanderer with little guidence is much more likely to get lost perhaps?



Over analytical characters are the most interesting characters throughout all forms of entertainment, indeed, my favourite film HurlyBurly provides much insight to this. The main character learning that his hedonistic ways will lead to nothing but trying to find answers in the wrong place. So could it be said that it's not the amount of thinking that we commit ourselves to, but indeed, the value of the thought we give things? Then there's good ol' Holden Caulfield, perhaps one of the most popular "over-thinkers" in literary history. Why is it we adore sweet Holden so much? Holden clearly has an unhealthy mind, but there is something admirable and enjoyable about the way he thinks that millions have related to over the years. It's much more than just simple adolesance, it's coming to terms with the world and finding a way to cope with all the things that repulse us so much. In the Legend of Baggar Vance, a struggling alcoholic and golfer is trying to find his form again. Matt Damon's character learns how there is one perfect shot for every hole, allowing himself to become one with everything he is able to find this "perfect shot" This has been applied to all sorts of sports, throughout film in particular. As i've mentioned several times before, Basketball players descibe being "In the zone" as when they hit a certain rhythm that allows them to excell to standards above and beyond their competitors by just being in the moment and letting things happen. If you still believe thinking too much can be such a bad thing, then you need look no further than the performance of the England Football squad during those wonderful moments of penalties over the years! Even things as simple as planning a New Years eve celebration, too much thought, expectation and planning seems to put people off this holiday now, where as a spontanious evening that catches us off-guard seems to spark a great deal of pleasure in our often conditioned and routined lives.

This is clearly just a very superficial thing to point out but how do you all feel about this? Think about some of the best times on your life, did they come from feeling one with the elements, did they come from acheiving something through application of thought? Clearly there are times we experience both, but is there any link between these two very different ways of behaving and the Eidolon/Daemon roles we have observed?

Much like with the double-slit experiment where the act of observing effects the outcome, too much thought has blocked our ability to feel a oneness with the elements and just be. "Clear your mind" - At the same time, it's trite cliche that gets over used in movies! But also, it is practiced in Yoga and many forms of meditation that prove to be very beneficial.

Just a thought.

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend. - Bruce Lee

A prophet or a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Tupac Shakur was an incredibley talented and versitaile artist. Perhaps the greatest thing about him was his honesty as a human being, he was good bad, creative, destructive, he personified the entire human spectrum. Many people didn't not see this talent due to the gangsta rap image he went out of his way to create in order to hide his entirely intense female side.

There are many conspiracey theories regarding 2pac's death. For those of you that aren't familiar with his work, 2pac predicted his own death in his lyrics on a very regular occasion, he even acted it out in an extremely eiree music video "I ain't mad at cha". This is why he spent so much time in the studio and that over 10 years after his death he still has material being released. A year or two before he died, Tupac changed his name to Makaveli. It is a common misconception that Machiavelli faked his own death. There is no historical evidence that he did, despite this the connections were made and motives were established for this change of identity.

Are people that predict these kind of things tuned into the future, or are they simply creating it out of the need for attention or creative frustration? Or is there another link between creative writing and an ability to predict the future events?

In the event of my Demise
when my heart can beat no more
I Hope I Die For A Principle
or A Belief that I had Lived 4
I will die Before My Time
Because I feel the shadow's Depth
so much I wanted 2 accomplish
before I reached my Death
I have come 2 grips with the possibility
and wiped the last tear from My eyes
I Loved All who were Positive
In the event of my Demise


I recommend you check out a film called Gridlock'd starring Tim Roth and Tupac, he was an extremely talented actor who was just reaching his peak when he died! Tupac had an incredible talent for poetry, obviously as he wrote rap lyrics for a career. He has had several books of poems published that would surprise many, some dedicated to his mother, one dedicated to Marilyn Monroe.

If in my quest 2 achieve my goals
I stumble or crumble and lose my soul
Those that knew me would easily co-sign
There was never life as hard as mine
No father-no money-no chance and no guide
I only follow my voice inside
if it guides me wrong and I do not win
I'll learn from mistakes and try 2 achieve again.

Some more of his poetry here if you care to read it here

My favourite Tupac story was told by one of his entourage. Tupac was in the car listening to music and a young hip-hop fan of his came jogging up alongside the car to greet him. "What's this?" the guy said reffering to the music he was listening to. "Oh just the radio" replied Tupac. It wasn't the radio, it was a cranberries cd he liked.

I think this story beatifully illustrates his issues with worrying about his image and how it was one of his greatest qualities aswell as his biggest downfall.

Eternal Sunshie of the Spotless mind

Blessed are the forgetful for they get the better even of their blunders - Frederich Nietzsche




Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet give their best performances to date in this beautiful story of a couple and their history. Depending on your criteria for what makes a good movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind could easily be argued as the best film of the past twenty or thirty years. Charlie Kaufman has written a screenplay that connects with memories you didn't even realised you had. Jim Carrey (Joel) has shed his cartoon character style persona and can act as well if not better than anyone. Kate Winslet (Clementine) has the versatility of any Oscar winning actress and has shown this to be true time and time again. All of these talented individuals combine for one of the greatest films you are likely to ever have the pleasure of watching. We all have memories, we all have dreams, we all have weird moments that defy explanation. No film has ever displayed these indescribable moments of lucid dreaming and the beautiful world of the mind in such a poetic manner. The movie defies words yet you get the feeling this is exactly what Kaufman had in his head while he was writing it.

Joel discovers that his ex girlfriend Clementine has undergone a procedure to have all memories of him erased, in a spiteful reaction to this he seeks to have the same procedure but changes his mind during the procedure while he's asleep. Trapped inside his mind, he must hide her in non related memories in order to evade the complete deletion of her memory. Due to the nature of the story, it is, at times, extremely sad. Like all great romances though, the couple defeat the odds and without knowledge are brought back together by an unknown force, a force some would define as fate, others, true love. The story may be surreal but the relationship between these two opposites is far more accurate that that of many others portrayed in film. When Elijah Wood's character Patrick tries to replicate a memory for the purpose of winning Clementine's heart, she becomes unnerved feeling that something isn't right. This goes to the very nature of life, our memories are our memories, they cannot be replicated, they cannot be substituted and more importantly they cannot be replaced.

The scene in which the final memory of the couple is being erased is one of the most saddest and surreal i have seen in any film. Ever had a dream about a dream? Ever woke up from a dream and realised you were still dreaming? If this kind of thing fascinates you, you may find this film to be the best film you've ever seen. You could compare it with Mullholland drive except it has much more of a concrete storyline, the dream sequences however, are equally impressive. Co Starring Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood and Tom Wilkinson, this movie does more than simply offer something different, it makes us appreciate the beauty of memories, dreams and that which we have experienced. The strength of this film is not in the message, instead it's the way the message is delivered. Movie's are all about the art of story telling and Charlie Kaufman can indeed tell a bizarre story and make it seem so familiar. The story is non-linear, this can be dangerous in the wrong hands, but because it is done so well it adds to the story beautifully The soundtrack plays a huge role in helping to create the right atmosphere for particular scenes, this film more than others, benefits from music as it transcends the bridge between dreams and reality. Romance is simultaneously a sad , beautiful and painful thing. All of the bad memories in our life are necessary signposts on the way to our happier times and they cannot be skipped, life is a journey and a short cut can leave us more lost than we ever imagined.

A Study of Masculinity in the Gangster Genre.

After a great deal of hassle with scanning, I'm pleased to be able to post a copy of my Dissertation which I wrote in 2004.


A Study of Masculinity in the Gangster Genre - By Martin Huxter

Brain Plasticity.

The other week I finished "The Brain that Changes Itself" By Norman Doidge.

I absolutely love this book, I found it fascinating. The book explores the wonder of "Brain Plasticity" - The Brain's ability to change and re-wire/restructure itself in order to compensate for damage, environment or change in culture for example. There are many interesting examples to draw upon that illustrate the complex nature of this subject area. I found Chapter Four "Aquiring Tastes and Loves" particularly interesting. Based on the well established belief that "neurons that fire together, wire together" this chapter gives an interesting perspective on sexual attraction, habits (both good and bad) and why the brain has the capacity to change itself, but for rather obvious reasons, rarely does.

Throughout the book, but particularly towards the end, there is a lot of Neurological information about the differences between left and right hemisphere. A young girl had been born with no left hemisphere and her brain managed to adapt, there were however noticable problems which illustrate the way in which the brain's tasks are usually divided.

The section regarding "Phantom limbs" and pain was fascinating, especially the ways in which some of these patients were eventually helped. The chapter that explored the imagination explains how thinking about certain forms of physical activity/movement can have the same effects as it uses the same areas of the brain which, quite often cannot tell the difference.

There is a great deal of information about mental Illness and potential ways that can treat various symptoms such as O.C.D. I can admit that it did (quite often throughout the book actually) seem to make these solutions a bit too straight forward and simplistic, but I thin that was a reflection of the tone of the book (positive) more than anything else. I think it does accept there are exceptions and limitations, but I was happy to bask in the positivity of it's message. All I could say is that it's a little bit too exclusive of the limitations some of these solutions have in some areas, but as a whole, the books gives out a brilliant message to keep the brain active by shaking up your routine and trying new things. Reading this in a week compunded with watching Yes Man at the cinema has seriously contributed to giving me a wake-up call with regards to trying and learning new things.