From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V7 #56 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Friday, February 13 1998 Volume 07 : Number 056 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: did someone mention Neutral Milk Hotel? :) [Bayard ] Re: Titanic [Eb ] " it is happening again...: [dwdudic@erols.com (luther)] Re: Titanic [Capuchin ] (0%RH) Re: " it is happening again...: [hal brandt ] Re: Mulder, are you there? This is Diane. . . [The Great Quail ] Re: We are family [Terrence M Marks ] Re: Titanic [Eb ] Re: Writing Titanic Driver [Eb ] Re: Mulder, are you there? This is Diane. . . [hal brandt Subject: Re: did someone mention Neutral Milk Hotel? :) welcome back lj! > There's a fairly lengthy article in last week's New York Press about > Neutral Milk Hotel, and the "Elephant Six". More rave reviews! AND > they're currently touring with my sweet Superchunk, so they *must* have > some cred. Guess I will have to go record shopping. I note with interest that they are also touring next month with Glass Flesh contributors ELF POWER. They appear to be labelmates. As you recall, Elf Power did the scary whispery "Surgery". Modest Mr Brown, are you still among us? Email me if you get a chance. watch those Titanic spoilers, Eb. not everyone has seen it yet-- only almost everyone. =b ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 13:57:13 +1300 (NZDT) From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: We are family Danielle wrote: >>And just about every time a new sweet young thing introduces herself to >>the list, the whole "Surreal Posse" starts strutting and prancing about, >>flashing their peacock feathers.... >Gee, I've been slighted! Where's *my* strutting surreal posse, boys? ;p ah, but I know you've got a partner. Our wackiest surrealist, Eb, already knows about your 'endearing foibles' from other lists, and everyone else was still recovering from the great "The Welsh are coming!" debacle. Just a case of bad timing, I'm afraid. Terrence a dit: >The only three pieces of music that I own and >dislike are The Kinks' Preservation II, a truly hideous Soft Boys demo, >and XTC's oranges and lemons oooh! What you said! That should rile about 75% of the list, one way or another! >And I would like to add that I do not do this in order to look clever or >to show off any supposed "creativity." I do it because it is fun, and I >like this List, and I enjoy immensely the weird responses I get -- as I >enjoy creating fun replies to other postings, all of which frequently >knock me out by their sheer imaginativeness. We have some of the finest >minds on this List, and they all amaze me: the wild creativity of Mark >and Dave, the quick wit of James, LJ, and Nick, the endless compassion of >Bayard, the storytelling abilities of Capuchin, the effervescent >dexterity of Susan, the tireless talents of Mike, the playful >intelligence of Natalie, the boundless skill of the eternal Woj, the >refreshing openess of Terrence, the omnipresent friendliness of Eddie and >Tom, the welcome ministrations and Feg experience of Jay, Tracey, Russ, >Miles, John, Gene . . . and of course, the vast musical knowledge and >piercing critical capacities of Eb. . . . and many, many more . . . all >these form the rich and glorious tapestry that is the Feg List! touching... but, yes, that is what this list is about. And as Eb himself should know (He's on the Eno list). This list is much more fun than one with no silliness. Of the lists I'm on, this is the one that feels most like family. The XTC list can, at times, but it can be way too cutesy. The Church list is pretty staid and factually based. The NZ music list is family, but it's pretty dysfunctional, with more internecine warfare than is really necessary. The Eno list is po-faced. And the King Crimson list is just too damn big for surrealism to work well, so it's becomes pretty opinionated rather than fun. This is home. Of course, as homes go, it resembles the Addams Family mansion, but that's another story. James ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 14:15:55 +1300 (NZDT) From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: Re: Oscar >>I just thought it was interesting. Other than that, the nominations were >>predictable and painful. (Kate Winslet? She acts like a tenth grade >>pseudogoth drama queen. > >Does Ms. Winslet deserve a nomination for TITANIC -- nah. depending on your definition of actress, the award should go to the Titanic itself (and its stunt double). >Kate is a marvellous actor, a fact that can be gleaned from even >the most casual viewing of SENSE & SENSIBILITY or JUDE. and Heavenly Creatures (hmmm. I can Baconise myself to one degree of separation from Kate W, since a friend of mine had a supporting role in Heavenly Creatures!) >For playing a non-human female with weird shit in her head: > Sigourney Weaver, "Alien Resurrection" > Mila Jovanovich, "Fifth Element" (/political comment mode ON) I'd like to nominate New Zealand's Prime Minister. (/political comment mode OFF) >I didn't mean that as a catty remark. And Julia Roberts is horrifying in >both acting ability and appearance (boyo, I'm ASKING for trouble). AGREED! >- ------Michael K., who would love to see the Kate Winslet look surpass >the >Kate Moss look. as Dawn French once said (and I'm paraphrasing cause I can't find the damn quote!): "If I'd been around in Goya's time, I'd have been a supermodel, and they'd have been queuing up to paint me. Kate Moss? She'd have been the paintbrush." James James Dignan___________________________________ You talk to me Deptmt of Psychology, Otago University As if from a distance ya zhivu v' 50 Norfolk Street And I reply. . . . . . . . . . Dunedin, New Zealand with impressions chosen from another time steam megaphone (03) 455-7807 (Brian Eno - "By this River") ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 17:52:07 -0800 From: Nick Winkworth Subject: The Plot Thickens! My fellow Fegs, Today, while innocently searching the Web - looking for something totally unrelated - I stumbled across what may be the Rosetta Stone of the Feg conspiracy, recently unearthed by members of this very mailing list. As we all know, Robyn started his musical career and formed the his band, The Soft Boys, in the University town of Cambridge, England. Indeed I myself was witness to some of those early events. But in all the time I spent there (mostly in an alcoholic haze, I will admit) I never once even suspected the presence of a certain "Sedgewick College". The following text is taken from the official history of the College - only now made available to the public, and the story of piscine fixation, English eccentricity and the Welsh language -- when linked with the exact geographic location of the birth of Robyn's music is far too much to be a co-incidence. Incredulity becomes even too mild a term when we ask from which academic establishment did that ruffian known to us as "Professor Fane" receive his Doctorate? If I am not mistaken, I think you will find it to be none other than Sedgewick College, Cambridge. (1977, I think - the year of the first Soft Boys release. Another coincidence? I think not.) And who is this Feg known to us as "Gary" - a relative of Sir George Gareth Graham Sedgewick perchance? A plant? Stool Pidgeon? (And also note: "Gareth" ..a well known Welsh name.) If you value your sanity - and enjoy the work of Hitchcock, Peake, Python et. al., I strongly recommend pointing your browser to: http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/users/grc21/sedgewck/sedgwck.htm For the browser impoverished I reproduced a few choice excerpts below: - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ What is now Sedgewick College, Cambridge, began its life in 1538 as the College of St Anthony and St Theresa and All Angels and God. It was founded by Vasco da Caldo Verde, a Portuguese sea captain who, having set sail for Madeira, lost consciousness in a storm and came to, days later, drifting in the tranquil waters of the Cam, [He] threw himself upon the mercy of the academics, whose initial suspicion evaporated when they discovered his cargo. Caldo Verde had been transporting eight hundred barrels of Port Wine, and furthermore had, by the means of his arrival, evaded the Customs and Excise. [...] Speaking no English, Caldo Verde was readily assimilated into the academic community and decided to set up a College, there being very little else to do. The original College statutes made provision for a Master, Pro-Vice-Master and seventeen Fellows; fifty Poor Scholars, [...] and several Officers including the Dean, the Bursar and the Special Haddock Pre-Proctor. This last post, generally believed unique to the College, was established, according to the statutes, "to insure… that the Scoulars placed under tutelage herin, are most adequateley emprovided for in of the Fysche that they doe require in our Lyfe this journeye". [...snip...] The many gifts and provisions donated to the College by Sedgewick included a brand new Fishery, a hundred-foot-high statue of himself erected in the central court, and the famous Tower Tower, an almost unique architectural piece which can only be described as a tower surmounted by a tower. The renowned wit and social reformer, the Reverend Sydney Smith is said to have remarked: "On seeing this feature ^^^^^^ … one would find it curiously difficult to determine … where the Tower ends, and the Tower begins." [...snip...] A net exporter only of freshwater sea-bass, the College gained some ^^^^ small advantage by its non-abolition of slavery, but was ultimately forced into rather more desperate measures in securing its economic survival: the notorious Jirrem's Light was attached to the Master's Lodge for the purpose of luring boats on the Cam, half a mile away, onto the treacherous and jagged bank, at which point armed Fellows would overpower the crews and make off with whatever they could find on board. [...snip...] SFSU set up a number of facilities run by and for students, including a Welsh Interest Noticeboard, the razor-blade exchange scheme, a weekly ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ discothèque and the Shelley-Devoto Room .... - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ What is the exact connection between Robyn and Sedgewick College? Could this in fact be his Alma Mater? If so, why would this be such a closely held secret? Is the college demanding money - or worse - from its alumni in order to secure its future in academe (not to mention reviving the flagging fishery business)? I have said enough. Be watchful. Trust no-one. ~N ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 17:59:08 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Titanic > I mean, after half an hour of the ship slowly >sinking, there were still all those hoity-toity passengers in their tuxes and >dresses sloshing around that room with the chandelier. Yeah, like rich folks >aren't looking to save their own skins? Right! No, I suspect THAT was fairly realistic. It wasn't that they weren't looking to save their own skins -- they just foolishly didn't believe that the ship was in any real danger. They didn't really figure out the situation until a bit later, when they felt things tilting. Eb ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 01:53:20 GMT From: dwdudic@erols.com (luther) Subject: " it is happening again...: On Thu, 12 Feb 1998 19:15:36 -0500 (EST), you wrote: >I'm still hoping that Twin Peaks can continue on it's own >somehow/someday. >There are still plenty of stories to resolve in Peaks. After all, Laura >told Coop >she'd see him "in 25 years". Harley Peyton or Mark Frost could do it if >Lynch >wasn't interested. Well, A) The irony was missed, I guess: DUCHOVNY WAS IN TWIN PEAKS, AS THE CROSS DRESSING FBI AGENT! b) David lynch has given up on TP, cus the movie flopped, and he no longer speaks to Frost. c) Kyle refuses to be agent cooper again- trying to avoid being typecast. Sure, BOB (not the SubGenius one) is dead, Dept. Andy >is dead, Senor Droolcup is dead, Mayor Milford is dead and Annie is >wearing rollerskates these days, but plenty of great plot threads are >still dangling. When did these cast members die? of what? Back off to watch wcw thunder... -luther ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 19:33:26 -0800 (PST) From: Capuchin Subject: Re: Titanic On Thu, 12 Feb 1998, Eb wrote: > And of course, Celine "Monster Noggin" Dion is high, high, high on my > hate list. Oh dear. I can barely breathe. That's about the funniest thing I've read this month. (Or maybe I'm just giddy today. The caption beside THE picture oblues legend Robert Johnson in this Q Magazine I was reading read "A new exclusive photo of Robert Johnson" and I burst a loud "HA!" that probably wasn't entirely deserved.) But oh dear, Celine Dion can't be allowed to continue. I saw a commercial on television yesterday (and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that) reminding me that her new album is called "Let's talk about love" and available at Target. First, I'd like to see a breakdown of where Ms. Dion sells most albums. I'm guessing Target's a good front runner. Second, the album is called "Let's Talk About Love"?!? What the fuck is that all about? Now, I've expressed my opinion on the lack of imagination and wasted words in love songs, so I won't rehash that here. But what ELSE does Celine Dion sing about? Does she have a good song about grocery shopping somewhere? Does she have a less publicized album called "Let's Talk About Bowling"? UGH!!! > I don't often use record sales as a defense, but the soundtrack's > performance on the pop charts is absolutely REMARKABLE. That's gotta speak > well for Horner's work. And it's not just because the movie's a hit -- I > mean, what chart position did the Jurassic Park soundtrack attain? I > believe I heard that the Titanic score is the first album on a classical > label EVER to reach #1. Garsh! You go, James! I don't buy this. Didn't Gorecki's Symphony No. 3 with Dawn Upshaw go to #1 on the pop chart a few years back? After taking a peak at the CD, I see it's on Elektra Nonesuch. I guess that might not be a wholly classical label. > As for the film itself, I went only for the special effects, which are also > remarkable. The more you learn, the more impressive it is. I've been seeing > these "Making of Titanic"-type clips on ET and Extra, etc. lately...wow. So > the ship never even FLOATED? It was just a huge shipdeck elevated off the > ground, with the sides of the ship and the water added later with > computers?? Whoa! It's amazing how little of the setting is real. Yeah, the effects were mostly cool. But the "epic" directing took away from nearly every visual effect. It became spectacle rather than authentic storytelling. But I would say the effects shots were easily the high points. The folks falling off the uptilted ship were cool. By the way, did anyone else notice that there's no chance in hell those were DiCaprio's hands drawing that picture? They're way older. WAY older and bigger. > I didn't have much response to her beyond "Huh, whatever." ;) Cameron's screenplay was clever to people with no brain at all. This woman, pardon me for saying, has apparently no imagination of her own at all. > Eb, wondering why Capuchin knows that Winslet has gained precisely *13* > pounds...hmm, you sure you're not weight-fixated? ;) YIPES! Don't attribute that one to me! Someone else posted that response. I just said she looks like she'd more comfortable about 50 pounds heavier. Defensively J. ________________________________________________________ J A Brelin Capuchin ________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 21:12:56 -0700 From: hal brandt Subject: (0%RH) Re: " it is happening again...: luther wrote: > Well, > A) The irony was missed, I guess: > DUCHOVNY WAS IN TWIN PEAKS, AS THE CROSS DRESSING FBI AGENT! > b) David lynch has given up on TP, cus the movie flopped, > and he no longer speaks to Frost. > c) Kyle refuses to be agent cooper again- trying to avoid > being typecast. No irony missed, so no need to YELL. If you would have read more carefully, rather than responding in haste, you would have seen that I wrote: > Mulder is not Bryson. Meaning Agt. Mulder in X-Files is not Agt. Dennis/Denise Bryson in Twin Peaks. That would lend itself to some serious continuity errors between the two series, hence my contention that such a crossover will never happen. As for your other points, David Lynch has not flatly said he will never return to the world of Twin Peaks, although it does seem unlikely. He directed new intros for the Bravo rebroadcasts, and has done Twin Peaks commercials in Japan for Georgia Coffee (post-cancellation), so anything is possible. I don't think he ever claimed he wasn't speaking with Frost but they certainly aren't collaborating anymore. Who knows whether Lynch would have to be involved with any future Peaks projects; he wasn't the only creative force involved with the series. Kyle M. initially was wary of being typecast as Coop, but relented and did appear (albeit briefly) in Fire Walk With Me. Since his subsequent movie career has tanked, he may be interested in reprising his most famous role sometime in the future if the script was good, who knows? He's already come back to the tube in a new Fox series (Invisible Man). It's all speculation, nothing is set in stone. > > Sure, BOB (not the SubGenius one) is dead, Dept. Andy > >is dead, Senor Droolcup is dead, Mayor Milford is dead and Annie is > >wearing rollerskates these days, but plenty of great plot threads are > >still dangling. > > When did these cast members die? of what? The hotel waiter and the mayor of old age, Dept. Andy (Harry Goaz) of AIDS, and Frank Silva (BOB) of heart problems, I believe. Annie (Heather Graham) isn't dead, just rollerskating (Boogie Nights). /hal ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 98 00:29:43 -0400 From: The Great Quail Subject: Re: Mulder, are you there? This is Diane. . . More X-Files mania, Hal writes, >The worlds of Twin Peaks and the X-Files will NEVER cross-over. >Mulder is not Bryson. Scully's dad is not Maj. Briggs. >Having watched both series, IMHO Peaks is >ten times the show the X-Files is. I disagree. (There's a suprise lately, eh?) Twin Peaks started brilliantly, but really ran out of steam after Lynch let it go, and didn't pick back up again until the very end. Both shows have a very different atmosphere, too . . . and my opinion, based only on my taste, tends towards Twin Peaks, because I am quite fond of creepy surreal things. Heck, I've even dated a few. But I still think X-Files is one of the best things on TV, along with Babylon 5 and the Simpsons. >Such a collaboration would be like >McCartney guesting on a new Rolling Stones CD. Um . . . I can't tell which part is supposed to be cringeful, as I think they both have expend most of their genius long ago! >Any connection between >the two series is tenuous at best. OK, the FBI and otherworldy subplots >are in both >shows, No way, Hal! My disagreement meter is going "zzzt zzzt." I mean, think about it -- both involve boyishly charming and open minded FBI agents who explore situations that are touched by the paranormal. Both also include the shadowy involvement of things that could be aliens. Both are also filmed in the Pacific Northwest. . . . Sure the atmosphere and intent of both shows are different, but I think that's a very big basis for comparason. Much bigger than, say, "Miami Vice" and "Wallace and Gromit." > but you might as well wish for Jodie Foster to walk through >X-Files as Clarisse from Silence of the Lambs if all it takes is an FBI >agent >to have a crossover plot. SotL had no overt paranormal aspects, though. . . . I think that is the real telling difference. And oh, yeah -- God do I love that movie! God do I love Jodie Foster! >I'm still hoping that Twin Peaks can continue on it's own >somehow/someday. I too would love to see TP continue, especially given the major cliffhanger ending! >Harley Peyton or Mark Frost could do it if >Lynch >wasn't interested. No way . . . that I would not want to see. I think Lynch's detatchment is what made for a mediocre middle. . . . >That one was on the same level as the Little Nicky and James >Hurley/Evelyn subplots in Peaks! A true lo-o-o-o-w. A Chucky/Chinga >crossover, I'd believe. Ha! Hee hee . . . Hey Jack, Chuckie's Back! Well, here;s to the Gibson episode! Cheepies, - --Quail (Jesus Buddha, I am posting a lot this week!) PS: I hope my above "God do I love Jody Foster" comments cause no undue alarm. . . . I understand there's been trouble in that arena before. . . . PPS: But anyway, do you think if I throw a pie at Tipper Gore, Jodie will be impressed with me? - ---------------------------------+-------------------------------- The Great Quail, K.S.C. | Literature Site - The Libyrinth: TheQuail@cthulhu.microserve.com | www.rpg.net/quail/libyrinth www.rpg.net/quail | Vampire Site - New York by Night: riverrun Discordian Society | www.rpg.net/quail/NYBN 73 De Chirico Street | Arkham, Orbis Tertius 2112-42 | ** What is FEGMANIA? ** "The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents." -- H.P. Lovecraft ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 98 00:29:47 -0400 From: The Great Quail Subject: Writing Titanic Driver First of all, I am sorry for forgetting Minnie Driver's name! Lack-of-coffee-induced amnesia, I suppose . . . I had planned to go back and fill it in before I sent the post, then I forgot . . . must have been too-much-damn-coffee-induced amnesia. . . . And another thing, I am very aware that this, as well as my last few posts, have essentially been disagreements with good folks -- Eb, Hal, Capuchin, etc. (I bet Jeffrey is happy!) I assure you I am not in a cranky or grouchy mood, it's just that a few topics close to me heart have popped up. I don't want to seem overly negative, but I sometimes can't help leaping in to defend certain things. . . . I promise you that shortly I will initiate my regular pattern, which is fading back into the woodwork for a week or so and then posting something terribly surreal in a vain attempt to pick up chicks. So here's Quail disagreement #2 and #3: Capuchin writes, >Acting, like writing, shouldn't be >noticed the first time through. While I can sympathize somewhat with your comments on acting, your comment about writing is completely a subjective opinion based solely on taste, cleverly couched as a truism. Now I admit that my personal bias is *very* heavy in the post-structuralist school of thought, but the idea of "transparent writing = good writing" has been quite exploded by most modern literary theory from Barthes onwards. (Actually, from Oscar Wilde onwards, more likely.) Of course, there are times when writing should be as transparent as possible -- like a technical manual or instructions on how *not* to start a flame war about Titanic -- but a good deal of modern literature is based on the very fact that writing *is* an artifice, and is very deliberate. For instance: Joyce, Beckett, Woolf, Eliot, Stoppard, Burroughs, Barth, Barthelme, and Pynchon are very notable examples, and to a lesser extent, Burgess, Mailer, DeLillo, Ginsberg, Garcia Marquez, and Nabokov. . . . Your comment would dismiss most of the works created by these writers. I am not saying that you are wrong, mind you -- just that your statement is not as "matter of fact" as you would have it. Indeed, many people *do* favor writing that conforms to your standards, and I am willing to bet that you would rather read "The Old Man and the Sea" than "Ulysses" or "Gravity's Rainbow." Just different -- but equally valid -- styles. Now . . . I promised I was NOT going to get pulled into a Titanic discussion. . . . Sigh. Ebbie says, >So I liked the film mostly based on such high-tech issues. And it had a >good dose of emotional pull at times, certainly. But I started getting >REALLY exasperated in the last half-hour or so, when all the main >characters seemed to want to do ANYTHING but survive. I let out a loud >"ARRRGH!" in the theater when Winslet jumped out of that lowering lifeboat >to dangle on the side of the ship. Now you see, that's kind of interesting. That very scene triggered a full round of discussions at a party I was at recently. The question was, "Would you have jumped back onto the boat?" Yes, a very intriguing question . . . it really amounts to a view of love, doesn't it? All I can say is this: I would have jumped. Back on the Titanic. To be with the one I loved. No matter what. . . . So that's why that scene really got to me, and I don't think it was manipulative at all. I think those who are in love, or have been in love, would give serious consideration to jumping back out. . . . at the party, I noticed that all those who said Rose was stupid for doing it, most of them were pretty cynical people. (Eb -- You are not cynical, are you?) I find that the scene -- the implied question -- really stimulates some good conversation. . . . and I also discovered that I am indeed a romantic fool at heart. Now I want to make this CLEAR: I don't know Eb well enough to know his love-life, so I am NOT implying that Eb is a cynical grouch who has never found true love. That would be arrogant and foolish of me, and I wouldn't even try to jokingly imply it. Love is so . . . so big, and weird, and so *different* for all of us, that for all I know Eb is totally in love with someone, and he would not have jumped back on because he knows that she would want him to go on and live, and maybe that's the bigger sacrifice. . . . but still, interesting questions, no? >Ridiculous and manipulative, as was that >whole save-Dawson-from-the-handcuffs sequence (where she split the cuffs >with an axe...WITH HER EYES CLOSED?). Oh, come on! That was just plain fun! >It just started getting silly after >that. The snobby, self-centered fiance would rather chase the lovers with a >gun than save himself? Please. True on that one. . . . >And she takes all these incredible risks for >a guy she's known like two days? Please. There we go again. . . . I suppose you don't beleive in love at first sight, then? Well, I completely understood her mind. I was there, man. Fuck, I myself might have jumped back up for a guy like Dawson! >And how about the fact that Dawson >is just about the only person on the entire boat not wearing a life jacket? >How come? Easy. That way, the director could get that poetic shot of him >sinking below the surface at film's end. There wouldn't have been any >poetry, if poor Capricio had just turned into a floating popsicle like >everyone else. Lotsa cheap dramatic devices there. Oh, Eb . . . I love you, man. I'd jump back into the boat for you, buddy. And thanks for the comments about the soundtrack -- you made some good points, and I think I may need to rethink my earlier opinion. Capuchin writes again, >Here's the biggest problem, those of us discussing the flick SAW it. That >means we voted for it. That means the studios were happily justified in >spending the big bucks and throwing out the major promotions. How many >GOOD films did we miss this month alone? And why did we go see Titanic >instead? I blame myself. Gee, Capuchin, that's pretty dire! I mean, first of all, Cameron had to fight to get this movie made. Cameron had a vision, and it was his will alone that kept this whole thing going. To typify him as a studio flunkey, or even to typify "Titanic" as a typical Big Studio Movie, well I think that is a misrepresentation. And I think it is also a misleading exaggeration to say that seeing one movie somehow eliminates seeing others . . . I would hardly call "Kundun" a commercial movie, and yet I fit it in, loved it, and thought it one of the top ten of the year. (And - -- unsurprisingly, just like "Jackie Brown" -- almost completely ignored by the hidebound, unimaginative, idiot, plays-sickeningly-PC-but-are-really-racist, crabby, stuffy, nauseatingly safe-playing Academy). And while I am on the subject, you know there are a lot of independent films out there which really are crap, too. . . . this whole "Big Studio vs. Independent Film" thing has really been getting on my nerves lately. I mean, who can really think Miramax is an Indie company any longer? Cameron really *worked* for his moment in the sun, and he made a movie that -- for me, and many others -- was truly breathtaking. This was an experience, in every way. Was it perfect? Of course not. (Only "Wings of Desire" and "Fellini's 8 1/2" were perfect movies :-) But I suppose what has been really irking me are the people who see "Titanic" and then nitpick or whine about stupid little details. (Which I do not think Eb was doing, by the way.) Honestly speaking, I think there are some people in our modern society that are just so freaking jaded. . . . I mean, how can you sit through that movie and not think, "Holy shit!" To quote Eb, "Titanic" made me go "Whhheeeeeeeeeee!" There are certain movies which can still fill me with wonder, awe, terror, and astonishment. Thank goodness. I could prattle on for a long time about "Titanic", but I think it's useless -- how often do we really change someone's opinion of a film? Taste, inclination, etc. . . . All I wanted to do was chime in on a firm Pro-Titanic note, like my pro-X-Files note, and my pro-Pillow Book note. . . . Hey, wait a minute . . . maybe I'm the guy who gets to be the anti-naysayer! - --The Unsinkable Molly Quail PS: Just so you all don't think I am a poor sap who likes EVERYTHING, there were a few movies I loathed this year . . . "Batman & Robin" tops the list! Ah, Tim, I miss ye! - ---------------------------------+-------------------------------- The Great Quail, K.S.C. | Literature Site - The Libyrinth: TheQuail@cthulhu.microserve.com | www.rpg.net/quail/libyrinth www.rpg.net/quail | Vampire Site - New York by Night: riverrun Discordian Society | www.rpg.net/quail/NYBN 73 De Chirico Street | Arkham, Orbis Tertius 2112-42 | ** What is FEGMANIA? ** "The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents." -- H.P. Lovecraft ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 23:38:10 -0500 (EST) From: Terrence M Marks Subject: Re: We are family James gavayet: > Terrence a dit: > >The only three pieces of music that I own and > >dislike are The Kinks' Preservation II, a truly hideous Soft Boys demo, > >and XTC's oranges and lemons > > oooh! What you said! That should rile about 75% of the list, one way or another! > If you think that's bad, you should see how the Kinks list reacted to that... Terrence Marks normal@grove.ufl.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 20:42:55 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Titanic >I don't buy this. Didn't Gorecki's Symphony No. 3 with Dawn Upshaw go to >#1 on the pop chart a few years back? That sold very well (esp. for a classical work), but I really doubt it got up to #1. Perhaps in the UK. >The folks falling off the uptilted ship were cool. I just wanted to isolate this sentence out of context. ;) >Cameron's screenplay was clever to people with no brain at all. This >woman, pardon me for saying, has apparently no imagination of her own at >all. Oof. I'm going to spare her this comment, nice guy that I am (ahem ;)). Actually, she's quite smart, when it comes to business and that sort of thing. I just don't respect her aesthetic tastes much. Who said Kate gained 13 pounds then, if not Capuchin? Eb ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 21:04:25 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Writing Titanic Driver >Yes, a very intriguing question . . . it really amounts to a view of >love, doesn't it? All I can say is this: I would have jumped. Back on the >Titanic. To be with the one I loved. OK, but could you fall that deeply in love after two days? So deeply that you value the love over life itself? After TWO DAYS? >Now I want to make this CLEAR: I don't know Eb well enough to know his >love-life, so I am NOT implying that Eb is a cynical grouch who has never >found true love. That would be arrogant and foolish of me, and I wouldn't >even try to jokingly imply it. Love is so . . . so big, and weird, and >so *different* for all of us, that for all I know Eb is totally in love >with someone, and he would not have jumped back on because he knows that >she would want him to go on and live, and maybe that's the bigger >sacrifice. . . . but still, interesting questions, no? No comment. ;P >There we go again. . . . I suppose you don't beleive in love at first >sight, then? Well, I completely understood her mind. I was there, man. >Fuck, I myself might have jumped back up for a guy like Dawson! Huh? I thought we were talking about Twin Peaks/X Files, not Dawson's Creek. Personally, I don't like Dawson that much. Kind of a sap. And he loves Spielberg, besides. But that Joey -- she's got spunk! >I mean, who can really think Miramax is an >Indie company any longer? Uh-huh. Miramax is almost like an indie-or-not-indie parallel to the A&M of the '70s/'80s. Eb, who thinks the original summer-replacement run of Twin Peaks was the greatest television he ever saw np: Einsturzende Neubauten/2x4 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 22:13:10 -0700 From: hal brandt Subject: Re: Mulder, are you there? This is Diane. . . The Great Quail wrote: > X-Files is one of > the best things on TV, along with Babylon 5 and the Simpsons. Simpsons gets paler and paler. It hasn't been the same since Conan O' Brien left. Watch an old rerun and compare it with a new one and you'll see. Hell, watch King Of The Hill right after a new Simpsons episode and you'll see that The Simpsons no longer leads the way humor-wise. > I mean, think > about it -- both (TP & XF) involve boyishly charming and open minded FBI agents > who explore situations that are touched by the paranormal. Both also include the shadowy involvement of things that could be aliens. Both are also > filmed in the Pacific Northwest. . . . Sure the atmosphere and intent of > both shows are different, but I think that's a very big basis for > comparason. I'm with you that the X-Files took/stole the most popular elements of Twin Peaks and made them palatable for the masses; those comparisons seem obvious. But continuity-wise, the two series just don't fit so they will never crossover. > I too would love to see TP continue, especially given the major > cliffhanger ending! Even though Lynch has stated that he hated leaving Coop in the Lodge, with FWWM we do get closure if you take into account the cyclical nature of the narrative. The repeating of dialogue in the first and last TV episodes, the prequel/sequel elements of FWWM (Annie in Laura's bed) and Coop in the White Lodge with Laura at the movie's end are satisfying as a finale even if Coop's doppleganger is left wreaking havoc in town and Sam Stanley and Bowie are time tripping somewhere. Don't get me wrong, I want more, too! > I think Lynch's detatchment is > what made for a mediocre middle. . . I agree that Lynch should have never taken his eyes off Peaks. But, Lynch never wanted to solve Laura's murder. That was the mystery that begat the other mysteries! Revealing Laura's killer was forced by the network and the public's demand. Between that and the slow start of the Windham Earle arc, you can see that there were plenty of other factors that slowed TP's momentum besides Lynch's commitment to filming Wild At Heart. For those who haven't seen the series and are bored by this, I apologize. But you owe it to yourself to watch it on video. /hal ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 02:09:27 EST From: KarmaFuzzz@aol.com Subject: Leonard Cohen [no Titanic] Has Leonard Cohen been elected to the Rock'N'Roll Hall of Fame? only curious, don't actually consider it a measure of worth, of course...... ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V7 #56 ******************************