Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 1960s, arctic monkeys, barack obama, bob dylan, cinema, daniel day-lewis, film, france, guy bourdin, idealistic bullshit, iraq, jean-luc godard, jeremy irons, joy division, lolita, manchester, music, new york city, noel gallagher, oasis, paris, paul thomas anderson, photography, politics, richard avedon, stanley kubrick, survey, the rolling stones, versailles, whoa, woodstock, wtf
I found this and I thought it would be a good thing to fill out on here. It’s Sunday and I have time to do nothing aka this blog entry. Honestly, this is so difficult I don’t know how accurate it will be. Bear with me, I promise you this is interesting.
Name 5 People that Inspire You the Most:
Well this is hard, I think I’m going to choose 1 person from different areas of my interests… you’ll see.
1. Barack Obama. Could that be any more cliche at this point, but it’s true. America has never felt like home to me, but as soon as I got involved in politics and heavily involved in the Obama campaign it started to feel like home. The entire process just made me feel American; and as soon as he got elected I wasn’t ashamed anymore to say it. Maybe when I travel this year I’ll talk loudly in my obnoxious accent without feeling ashamed. I mean, you all know how I feel about this man so it’s useless to talk about it anymore 
2. Richard Avedon. Easily my favourite photographer of all time (he might only POSSIBLY compete with Leibovitz, Mick Rock, or maybe Furmanovsky for favourite). I felt ridiculously uninspired in photography over the last 6 or 8 months until I came across his book Performance in Barnes & Noble. I had a fucking epiphany looking through it. I think the way he captures people on film is something only very, very, very few people are truly good at. He is the ultimate master of studio photography. I honestly get emotional looking at his pictures. I just think he’s incredible.
3. My friends. Meaning my true friends. Most of them don’t live here. Most of them are in the same situation as I am, hating where they live and using art to escape mentally from some type of prison. The people that are reading this are probably who I’m talking about. Most of them take amazing pictures and inspire me every day. They are the only people I know that ask me what’s up with me, that ask me what’s going on, that give me music recommendations and can talk to me about anything. People around here are just waiting to talk, my other friends are just waiting to listen. And that alone is inspiring, to know that there are at least SOME people like that in the world.
4. Jean-Luc Godard/Stanley Kubrick/Paul Thomas Anderson. I can’t pick one. Godard for increasing my love for cinema and breaking all the rules. Kubrick for making a good majority of my favourite and (and what I believe to be) best films ever. And Paul Thomas Anderson for making There Will Be Blood, that introduced me to cinema and the art that it is.
5. Noel Gallagher. As lame as it sounds, this man is inspiring to me. He isn’t a poet and I don’t really think he’s an artist. Some of his lyrics are flat out ridiculous. Who cares? Noel is a hope that you can do anything you want to do. Absolutely anything (this actually kind of relates back to Obama; is there a theme going on here?!). You can get out of whatever situation you’re in and you can really make a living doing the only thing you know how to do and the only thing you love the most to spend your life doing. I hate the people that tell you you can’t do things. Wtf? Of course you can. You can do absolutely anything and part of the reason why I believe that is because of my freakish love for Noel.
Name 5 Songs You Can’t Live Without:
1. Love Will Tear Us Apart – Joy Division. I don’t even know how to talk about this song. I think it’s fucking magic, and that’s about all I can say on that.
2. Don’t Look Back In Anger - Oasis. Okay picking 5 songs is impossible. I could go with essentially any Oasis song except “Little By Little” and listen to it every day for the rest of my life and never get tired. I don’t know what this song is about and I don’t give a fuck. It’s almost the best. I have like, 25 versions of this song or something. I’d take any one of them.
3. A Certain Romance – Arctic Monkeys. This is the best song of the last decade. Don’t even bother arguing with me.
4. Like A Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan. Picking a Dylan song was nearly impossible but I think this song is necessary on anyone’s list of 5 songs you can’t live without.
5. Tumbling Dice – The Rolling Stones. This was my first “favourite song ever.” The Stones are still the best band from the ’60s hands down and this is from the best (yes, you heard me, THE best) album ever made, Exile on Main Street. No other Stones song is as good as this. It just makes me think of hanging out with Mick Keith and the Boys in the French Riviera in the summer of 71 just kickin back and making the best piece of music ever. Whoa.
I don’t know how I just picked those. I can’t believe I didn’t have room for a Smiths song or “(Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister” by the Stone Roses. I know if you asked me tomorrow my answers might be different (bar the first two songs). I was always kind of against claiming a song/songs as your favourite/s. Setting apart 5 minutes of music as better than millions of other songs always got me.
Name 5 Places You’d Go to If You Could Time Travel:
1. Paris, 1968. Or Paris at any time 40 years of before. Seeing a film in Paris in the ’60s was an experience. My favourite thing ever is 1960s Paris. You know. I don’t need to explain. Jean-Paul Belmondo. That’s all I’m saying.
2. Woodstock, 1969. Before I got really into all the music I’m into now, classic rock was my thing. Those songs were my jams. Anything pre-1975 was just out. There was no way I was even going to think about listening to it. So, if I could go to Woodstock, get as high as a kite, and watch Jimi Hendrix, I don’t know what I’d do. It would be too good to even handle it.
3. Late 18th Century Versailles. I would go and somehow be a royal and get in with the whole Marie Antoinette crowd. That entire period fascinates me. But of course I would only stay until the revolution. I would get out of there before the shit hit the fan.
(yes I know that’s from the film, my friends, but come on, if it was ANYTHING like that, tell me you wouldn’t want to be hanging out with her).
4. 1960s New York City. You know where I’m going with this. Andy Warhol, Edie Sedgwick, the Velvet Underground, ???Bob Dylan???. In one of my previous posts I told you that I love this period but I don’t know anything about it. I would love to witness this in person.
5. 1980s Manchester. I would see the Smiths perform live. Necessary. I love that band so much. I would give my fucking first born to see them live.
5 Things You Hate:
lmfao. This is hard for me. I hate so many things. I’m not going to give you an explanation on why or else I will just get really, really infuriated.
1. Indifference. that is what I hate the most.
2. The Jonas Brothers/Miley Cyrus (they are one in the same).
3. When you’re drinking a big class of water and you have to tip the glass a lot and the ice cubes come crashing down on your face.
4. Jessica Alba
5. Not having all the clothes I want. This is what I really hate at the core of my being. Also not having the money to buy a Hasselblad. I fucking hate that.
5 Moments You Regret:
Ohhh shit, that’s deep. I really try not to regret. But I think all human beings regret about 5 things in their lives. I’ll write more trivial things for this one.
1. Not being in Grant Park, Chicago when Barack Obama won the 2008 election. I could have been, you know. Life’s about living, and I was too concerned with school, getting there and getting lost or being too far away. Chicago isn’t that far and I should have been there.
2. Being born a few years too late. I can’t really think of why, there are always so many times when I’m like “if I had just been born a couple years earlier…!” Nevermind.
3. Not taking as many risks as I should have.
4. Quitting my job. I kind of want it back. I’m skint.
5. I am not writing this here.
5 Names You Would Name Your Children and Why:
1. Liam. It wouldn’t be after Liam Gallagher so don’t get any ideas. I think Liam is a great name. I keep hearing it more and more which is odd. It’s so Irish, I fucking love it. My mom’s side would love me for that one.
2. François. I would do it, don’t dare me to. After Truffaut. Plus this name is just ballin.
3. Edie. I guess ever since I heard of Edie Sedgwick I always thought that was SUCH a cool name. It wouldn’t be in tribute to her or anything, I just think it’s a great name.
4. Anderson. I think Anderson Cooper has like, the best name ever. Anderson!? Like, are you kidding!? I love that name. I guess if I named my kid that I would say it was after a previously mentioned director in this entry. You don’t fuck with any Andersons.
5. Alright I need another girl’s name (obviously if I ever had a kid I’d want a boy). Er… Well… Let me think. Nothing ordinary. Girl’s names tend to be awful. Got it. Lucy. After Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.
I also think that CLAUS VON BULOW is the best name of all time. But I couldn’t name my child that because it would be child abuse.
5 Things People Might Find Weird About You:
Just five!?
1. Whenever I’m in church (no, I don’t go to church in my free time, whenever I have to go in school) I always follow the big chandeliers on the ceiling down to see who they would fall on if they fell. Am I a sadist? Probably.
2. I think a LOT of old guys are hot. I’m talking like, 50-60. I think Jeremy Irons is the hottest person ever, and I’d hit it now even though he’s 60 years old. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t. I think a lot of people harbour these thoughts. Actually it’s probably just me.
best looking old guy award. I honestly love that old-guy-intellectual thing. AND look what he’s wearing in all of those! asdfjkldsfjsdsklfgjeklrsjdtg. I’d take him over his (hot) son any day, btw. But let’s look at him when he was young and dashing (he still is, but even more), please.
Irons is Lolita is just about the best thing ever.
3. Another old-guy-intellectual I find INCREDIBLE and INCREDIBLE-LOOKING is Daniel Day-Lewis. I don’t know what about DDL is fucking hot, I can’t pin point it and I don’t want to.
and he is my favourite actor of all time.
4. I always think about food poisoning when I’m not eating at my house. Any other place I eat I think of food poisoning.
5. This probably relates to the last one, but I am terrified of throwing up. TERRIFIED. I haven’t done it in like, 8 years. I am absolutely horrified of it.
And Finally, 5 Things You Want to Happen in the Next 10 Years:
can these be idealistic?
1. We’ll be out of Iraq. There is no question in my mind. I just need it to happen. Now. 2 more Americans died today, this is getting ridiculous.
2. The United States will stop relying on foreign oil and use much alternative energy.
3. I will move to Paris or London with my hot boyfriend and never see anyone from this place ever again. 
Yeah.
4. I’ll be fucking rich.
5. The world will agree to abolish nuclear weapons. This won’t happen, but I like to be delusional.
WOW. Now that was difficult. I hope you all do that. it would be interesting to read. Let’s end on this note.
a shot buy Guy Bourdin. I was looking at his photos last night. Inspiration.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: anna karina, band of outsiders, bande a part, film, french new wave, jean-luc godard, serge gainsbourg
I am trying to get away from writing a paper right now. Or editing it. I wrote it, but it’s so bad I can’t even pass it for writing.
So as a result I’m sitting on youtube watching all my favourite scenes from Bande A Part / Band Of Outsiders. It is without a doubt my favourite Godard film. That says a lot considering he made Breathless…. Contempt…
If I could advise you to watch any film of Godard’s it would without a doubt be Band of Outsiders. Anna Karina is one of my inspirations.
How badly do you need her glasses?!!?!? And look at Serge, he looks 15 years old in that. <3
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2001: a space odyssey, a clockwork orange, alfie, alfred hitchcock, audrey hepburn, austin powers, band of outsiders, breathless, buster keaton, children of men, cinema, clint eastwood, film, gangs of new york, get carter, grace kelly, greta garbo, high noon, hitchcock, it's a wonderful life, jean-luc godard, jean-paul belmondo, jimmy stewart, last tango in paris, louis garrel, marlon brando, martin scorsese, masculin feminin, michael caine, movies, mr smith goes to washington, play misty for me, psycho, queen christina, rear window, regular lovers, stanley kubrick, the dark knight, the departed, the italian job, the shining, vertigo
Happy December.
The more and more I get into film, I think about how different the film industry is now compared to how it was, you know, then. There are some cases where I think you really get a sense of old school film, like in Garrel’s Les Amants réguliers, but those cases are extremely rare.
Well anyway. today I was thinking about some actors and directors that just have never been able to be replaced. Guess they shouldn’t be though. They are gone (or really old in some cases) but they are immortal really.
Buster Keaton. the funniest man I have ever seen on screen. He is funny without saying anything (well, ok no pun intended….). Looking at him cheers me up. His looks are funny but sometimes also heartbreaking. Comedians these days just cannot touch this man, no one carries as much emotion in a face as Buster (no, not even Chaplin, sorry).
Jean-Paul Belmondo was, and still is, the pinnacle of a Frenchman to me. He embodies everything I think most people think of when French actors come to mind. His never ending nonchalance and cool just blow my mind. I don’t think anyone has ever been this strangely appealing since his appearance in Pierrot Le Fou. He even made it into Donovan’s famous “Sunny South Kensington.” Jean-Paul probably was the first person that made you want to wear a suit every day and chain smoke cigarettes.
Marlon Brando is, of course, the epitome of the American movie star. No one since has had the perfect mixture of beauty and talent. Of course he is genius as the Godfather, but I think his performance in Last Tango in Paris is just stellar. Not many folk can make the characters he played sympathetic the way he did. Marlon has a lot of what I don’t think many actors have, which is respect from his peers, no matter what.
Clint Eastwood is the man. Even some of these ridiculous films he made, like Play Misty For Me, are enjoyable because his performances are mesmerizing. His acting is above most others, but what is most stunning about this man is the control he took of his own career and how he used his talent to make films. He is without a doubt the best actor/director out there.
Jimmy Stewart, who most people know is one of my all time favourite actors. Not only did he execute some of the best, most memorable Hitchcock films (i.e. Rear Window, Vertigo) but created one of the best actor-director relationships ever in my opinion with the man. His accent, his slightly awkward looks and choice in films makes him one of the best loved, most unique, and most missed actors that has never been replaced. Mr Smith Goes to Washington and It’s A Wonderful Life are just unforgettable.
Audrey Hepburn, who doesn’t even really need an explanation. She set the bar for actresses after her. Her performances are so convincing and emotional. She immortalized so many things, like little black dresses, the 1960s style, and beauty. Although she is gone so many girls still look up to her as a role model for being yourself and expressing it.
Greta Garbo. Queen Christina. So unusually beautiful and mesmerizing. {edit} apparently the photo I used to have here was of Joan Crawford. tbh I couldn’t tell the difference and I know nothing about joan crawford. but this photo now IS Greta!
Grace Kelly. I think watching and looking at Grace in films like Rear Window and High Noon is where you can really see a definite difference between Old Hollywood and what’s around today. Of course she was beautiful, but she was beautiful in a way that was so enhanced by her talent. Not to diss on most actresses today, but it seems to me that a lot of them are popular because of how “hot” they are. Grace is a perfect example to me of a beautiful, talented woman. I would go as far as to call her an artist. Even alongside stars like Jimmy Stewart and Gary Cooper, she stole every film she was in.
Michael Caine is by far the coolest man on earth today. He could very well be my all time favourite. What sets him apart from others is that after all these years (40+) he continues to make great, great films, and immortalize his characters. Of course there are the obvious greats like Alfie, Get Carter and The Italian Job (okay people, anyone who watches the new version of this film and hasn’t seen the original/prefers the new version honestly has a mental disorder) but like Brando, a lot of his lesser known roles are just as brilliant. His newer roles are also just as memorable as the old ones, if not more. He is Alfred in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, he is Jasper in Children of Men, and he is Nigel in Austin Powers (the only thing that makes the AP movies tolerable). Plus, all the kids love ‘im. They just don’t know who he is. Tsk tsk.
Stanley Kubrick is the best director of all time, and anyone who wants to argue with me is wrong. He might not be your favourite, but he is the best. Tons of people make good films. A smaller amount of people make great films. But Stanley is the only one, the ONLY one who made truly stylistic, artistic, gorgeous, unrepeatable films art. Almost every one he made is on people’s Best Films Ever lists. How can you even try to compete with A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and 2001: A Space Odyssey? There just is no competition for a more innovative director ever. The way he utilized symmetry and colour is copied in every film you ever see. Every single one (a la There Will Be Blood, closing scene anyone?). Be thankful this man existed, or else the world wouldn’t have directors like Paul Thomas Anderson, or hell, anyone really.
Alfred Hitchcock is the ultimate master of suspense. Everyone has seen a Hitch film whether they are aware of it or not. He used so many weird techniques it almost became surreal at some points (points to the scene falling-down-the-stairs-scene in Psycho) but so many traditional ones with a spin. He made you afraid of so many daily, normal things. Because of him, you are scared of showers in an empty house, and of course, you are afraid of birds.
Martin Scorsese is the epitome of American filmmaking. He might be the youngest person in this post, but he is a veteran of the film industry. He is like Michael Caine in that he continues to make AMAZING FILM after AMAZING FILM. Dude, like, Gangs of New York and The Departed are two of his best films and they were both made this decade. Everyone wants to work with him, which is not something a lot of people can claim. No one does it like Marty does.
I was almost not doing to talk about Jean-Luc Godard because I have no idea how to. I really don’t know how to articulate what he does or why it is attractive. Breathless is the best French film ever made but Band Of Outsiders and Masulin Feminin are so, so fucking great. I really don’t even know how to say it. He’s just amazing and inspirational. I think he was one of the first directors to purposefully and successfully make art out of what he shot.
Those are just some of my favourites though, off the top of my head. There are so many I didn’t name, like Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Anna Karina, Christopher Plummer, James Dean, Gene Kelly, Chaplin (as a filmmaker), Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Francois Truffaut, Bernardo Bertolucci, and more, who are all amazing. The talent that existed in those times is honestly incomprehensible to me.
