The Third Man - why didn't I realize how absolutely perfect this movie was the first time I watched it? I must be a fool.
Nightmare Alley - this 1947 noir really surprised me. I was expecting mediocrity, but got something beautiful, morally complex, and absolutely compelling.
In The City of Sylvia - this is a beautiful French-Spanish co-production that writes the book on people-watching. 98.2% of the world would call it the most boring film they've ever seen, but I think its one of the most beautiful.
Encounters At the End of the World - Werner Herzog's new documentary may as well be his treatise on why he makes movies in the first place. All of his beautifully strange compulsions are on display here as he goes to the far corner of the world to find people as devoted to discovering the wondrous and the odd as he is.
Currently Reading
Paradise Lost - for too long I put off John Milton's epic poem thinking that it would be long, pointless, and unrewarding. None of these could ever describe this unimaginably brilliant piece of work. This book has a presence to it that I've never experienced while reading. Remarkable.
Notes From Underground - Dostoevsky writing as a depraved existentialist reminds me a lot of C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters. I can only handle so much of this, though ... it makes me want to hurt small animals.
Sculpting In Time - I always keep Tarkovsky's book with me when I need to be reminded of what art actually is. His words are empowering.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - are you seeing a trend? I thought it was a masterpiece the first time I read it. I've probably read it about six times now and my opinion hasn't changed. I find myself collecting copies of this book like Mel Gibson's character in Conspiracy Theory collects The Catcher In The Rye.
1 Comment
October 14, 2008 at 1:33 am
I will always remember this lake.