Ashes of Time

Dust motes! Just one of the many wacky animated inanimate objects on display in Michelangelo Frammartino's meditation, LE QUATTRO VOLTE (THE FOUR TIMES), which I attempt to explain over at GreenCine.

Five Film Friday

Alternate Alliterative Title:

"Philip's Failure to Find Five Minutes to Fashion (and Finish) a Fitting Tribute to Two Fine DVDs"

It's been a lousy coupla weeks for me to keep up with a blog that, as much as I (sometimes) enjoy writing, doesn't pay a bloody penny (or generate comments). That said, I need to clear the decks and do an unfortunately brief run-down of two fantastic releases by (who else?) The Criterion Collection: THE COMPLETE JEAN VIGO and Chang-dong Lee's SECRET SUNSHINE. So I'll bang these out and clear my to-do list (and conscience) so as to enjoy a weekend getaway with my bride.

While I'm Stalling, Here's This

Buzz Nano had had a busy Solar Unit. He’d taken a tube car over to West Dakota in order to secure a breathing license. With that done, he was settling in for a laser drink with his robot friend, Gr0x Gearsley.

“Th1s stuff 1s g00d,” Gr0x bleeped, pouring the laser into his taste portal.

Buzz adjusted his visor.

“Yup.”

They sat in contented silence. With one metal finger, Gr0x smoothed out the steel wool on top of his head. He scanned the bar, hoping to get lucky with a G-Bot.

“I wonder what the weather’s like on Europa right now,” Buzz mumbled. “I could use a mooncation.”

“Can’t y0u get the S0larCast 0n y0ur v1s0r?” Gr0x asked.

“Nope.”

- excerpted from my forthcoming, 800-page sci-fi paperback, Men of Metal, Book One of the Ursa Minor Chronicles. 

Crickets... (actually, cicadas)

TROPICAL MALADY (2003, A. Weerasethakul)

THIRST FOR LOVE (1967, K. Kurahara)

Awfully quiet around here. Especially since I'm waaaay overdue for my pieces on SECRET SUNSHINE and Criterion's revelatory release of THE COMPLETE JEAN VIGO. Please stand by...

Look! Here's a wooden ball playing Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" in the middle of a Japanese forest: