"All the little things that make up a memory"I saw
Gangs of New York this evening. I'd heard a lot of things about the film - some good, most bad - and my expectations were low. I enjoyed the first half of the movie, and I remember telling myself, "hey, this ain't so bad. It's actually pretty good. Who knew?" And then things started sliding. The next hour or so - out of the total almost-three-hour, way-too-long running time - was very mixed, but the bad outweighed the good and ended up ruining what might have been a spectacular movie. So - a disappointment, then, although worth watching simply because of the scope, the set design, and
Daniel Day-Lewis' performance. Rarely has a character like his Bill the Butcher come to life in such an explosive and nuanced manner. It's easily the best performance of 2002, and if Day-Lewis doesn't get an Oscar for this, there's absolutely no justice in the world.
(I know there isn't, but he should
still get an Academy Award. After all, this might be the last part he ever plays. He's spent the past five years apprenticing as a cobbler in Florence, Italy. Yes, really. He doesn't much like acting.)
It seems like everyone's putting together their "Best of 2002" movie lists, and I guess I should do the same, if for no other reason than the fact that I like to, uh, 'share' (read 'force') my opinion with (on) others. So look for that later this weekend, and feel free to deride me afterwards. That's what top ten lists are for, after all.
I still haven't had the opportunity to put together a read-lately-and-can-recommend laundry list of non-genre literature, but here's a couple of non-fiction books I've been reading, in case you're interested:
Arkon Daraul's
Secret Societies: A History is not nearly as exploitative as its lurid cover may imply. It's actually a respected and thorough investigation into, well, secret socities throughout history. Logically enough. If you're intrigued by the Knights Templar, the Rosicrucians, the Assassins, and the Illuminati, this might be a book for you. I picked it up for research, but it's actually quite entertaining.
Ancient Mysteries by Peter James and Nick Thorpe is another reasonably thorough, and easy-to-read, compilation of the greatest historical puzzles and mysteries - from Sodom and Gomorrah and Stonehenge, to the myths of Robin Hood and King Arthur. It's not hugely detailed, nor does it attempt to be a "serious" work - although it's based around scientific research, and not mysticism - but it's an intriguing read, and it covers a great deal of ancient history both well known and obscure. Again, it's primarily for research, but I can heartily recommend it to anyone who's interested in this stuff.
Although I'm wary about books that "Teach you writing!(TM)", I'm also reading Christopher Vogler's
The Writer's Journey, which uses Joseph Campbell's writings on myth and storytelling as a basis for a book specifically about screenwriting, and about how to use a mythic structure to create narrative in film. It's interesting, and well applied, but it basically takes everything Campbell said and wrote and rewrites it in modern screenwriting terminology. So not a work of genius, then, but a clever and commercial interpretation of an original work of genius. Still, it's an inspirational read, and probably well worth it if you're at all interested in the storytelling craft. Although, to be fair, you'd be better off reading Joseph Campbell instead of Christopher Vogler. From the horse's mouth, and all that.
Sleepy now.
