Friday, April 24, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Blogging elsewhere
Just a quick post to let anyone who actually looks at this site know I'm blogging at fiddlingwhileitburns.wordpress.com. It's an assessment task for my journalism degree, covering terrorism and national security, and I'll be posting at least twice a week over six weeks. In a little while I'll be doing another, separate blog about local news in the Wollongong area, although I can't imagine anyone would be particularly concerned with that one. Anyway, it seems like I'll be posting even less than I have in the past if I'm going to be maintaining multiple blogs at once.
Thanks for reading,
Noodle36
Thanks for reading,
Noodle36
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Global recession and the rebirth of violent non-revolution
I've probably read half a dozen articles in the last few weeks trying to sell the "financial crisis will cause violent revolution" angle, with varying degrees of sympathy to the prospect, but because of my short attention span and generally dismissive attitude I've pretty much pushed them out of my mind.
However, the recent Real IRA attacks have given me pause over that. Although it's very anecdotal, it's a really good anecdote. A settled issue, with previously no popular support for violence, has suddenly resurfaced, in the developed nation that has probably had the most dramatic reversal of fortunes in the global financial crisis. (Well, not technically IN it, but let's not be pedantic.) Combined with a little bit of time spent with the notion of the Depression causing German support for Nazism, and suddenly I'm coming over to the other side.
Certainly the long-suffering socialists are keen on the idea. Tune in to Phillip Adams on Late Night Live anytime you feel like hearing an old pinko gloating.
However, one could argue that this is a revival of an anti-globalisation and subtextually anti-capitalist movement that has been sleeping for a while - which I guess is a contribution we can chalk up to Bush, as it's hard to get angry about the relaxing of tariffs and foreign investment regulations when someone's torturing innocent people because they're easier to catch than terrorists. Ironically Bush has probably done more to threaten capitalism than anyone since Stalin, by fueling a massive debt bubble while undermining the world economy with almost deliberately incompetent wars, and simultaneously inspiring the organisation of vast grassroots networks of leftists. He got them mad, he got them marching and he gave them a pretext.
So maybe we'll see a return to marching in the streets. The protest bunnies have always horrified me with their incoherent, intellectually bankrupt ideas and methods that seem to be a lot more geared towards trying to impress girls than accomplishing any sort of change. Still, in a way I hope for a massive protest movement to erupt. I miss those innocent days when I could be outraged over the terrible violation of civil rights that was riot police breaking up peaceful protests. Well, actually that's a way of covering with irony the sick heaviness of knowing that more people will die to accomplish nothing, but saying it is a bit of a downer, isn't it?
On a peripherally related note, here's another good article by Ross Gittins on the recession.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The best summation of the Bush years
I missed this one at the time, but here it is now.
Although the tear-jerker line right at the end might be wearing a little thin six weeks on.
Although the tear-jerker line right at the end might be wearing a little thin six weeks on.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Watchmen
Watchmen is getting reviewed and dissected all over the internet, and that volume of chatter on a topic normally puts me off, because I'm stil under the delusion that I can somehow accomplish something original, but I'm a fan of the graphic novel and having just seen it last night I have some bile to spray. So here tis.
It was, frankly, shocking. The first work to take comics seriously as an art form, and to force non-comics lovers to take them seriously as well, the first graphic novel to have deep fully realised characters with motivations, peccadilloes and multiple dimensions, had been translated as a cheesy tossed off gore-porn spectacular, which to a non-fan must seem like an 80 minute movie crammed into 3 hours. I spent the whole movie wincing at the titters of the audience, wanting to stand up and shout to the cinema at large, "No! You don't understand! The graphic novel isn't like this! It's actually an elegant, eloquent work of art! You can't take this seriously!!"
The acting was shocking, the script clumsy and although many scenes from the comic were faithfully recreated, the lack of vision in realising the live action was enough to have me questioning whether the original was any good at all.
How could the beautiful, graceful, textured graphic novel be transformed into something so goofy and cheesy that punk snotnose fourteen year olds are giggling at it? I wouldn't have liked that movie even if it hadn't apparently deliberately desecrated something I loved in the process of its birth.
Watching this film had the effect of both lionising the original to fans and pushing it out of reach of a lot of people who will now think of Watchmen as cheesy and childish. It made me realise that one of the novel's greatest achievements was its pacing, the way it doles out its exposition and expands its universe in novel and never boring ways. It's something that pops into your mind when you see the approach someone else has taken to telling the story, which largely amounts to having the characters shout it at the camera, in dialogue so well crafted that you know they thought about it for almost as long as it took to say the lines.
Something that was previously regarded as the most significant work in a particular medium is now being mocked by both elites and masses because it was smashed into a medium that everyone knew it didn't fit, for the sake of making a little extra money out of something already wildly profitable. A LOT of people will never read Watchmen because of this abortion. It's an act of vandalism.
Before the film, a lot of people hadn't heard of Watchmen - in fact, just about everyone I mention it to hasn't heard of it, although those of us who like to spend time discussing pop culture might not get that. Now, however, Watchmen is unlikely to be mentioned in my life for a long time without being followed by "Oh, you mean that movie? That was shit!"
Some fans are already looking forward to the director's cut, which they think might be more coherent and less insulting. However, isn't a superior director's cut something normally associated with talented directors, not people the studios like because they'll do whatever they're told without letting any sort of auterial vision or sense that they're anything more than technicians employed by a commercial enterprise? Nothing in Zack Snyder's previous work suggests that he is such a director.
Fuck this movie. Clearly hundreds of hours were spent on the CGI while the acting seems to have been the first take of amateurish actors, poorly directed.
The only suitable punishment for this movie would be for Zack Snyder to be contractually obliged to appear at every comics and sci fi convention in the industralised world for the next year, where he must do Q&A with fans for at least an hour.
Also, the first Watchmen fan to see him at each convention should rush up to him, and scream "FIRST!!" wetly in the face.
Then flick him in the balls.
UPDATE: Worst of all, the movie was an insult to the legacy of this masterwork!
It was, frankly, shocking. The first work to take comics seriously as an art form, and to force non-comics lovers to take them seriously as well, the first graphic novel to have deep fully realised characters with motivations, peccadilloes and multiple dimensions, had been translated as a cheesy tossed off gore-porn spectacular, which to a non-fan must seem like an 80 minute movie crammed into 3 hours. I spent the whole movie wincing at the titters of the audience, wanting to stand up and shout to the cinema at large, "No! You don't understand! The graphic novel isn't like this! It's actually an elegant, eloquent work of art! You can't take this seriously!!"
The acting was shocking, the script clumsy and although many scenes from the comic were faithfully recreated, the lack of vision in realising the live action was enough to have me questioning whether the original was any good at all.
How could the beautiful, graceful, textured graphic novel be transformed into something so goofy and cheesy that punk snotnose fourteen year olds are giggling at it? I wouldn't have liked that movie even if it hadn't apparently deliberately desecrated something I loved in the process of its birth.
Watching this film had the effect of both lionising the original to fans and pushing it out of reach of a lot of people who will now think of Watchmen as cheesy and childish. It made me realise that one of the novel's greatest achievements was its pacing, the way it doles out its exposition and expands its universe in novel and never boring ways. It's something that pops into your mind when you see the approach someone else has taken to telling the story, which largely amounts to having the characters shout it at the camera, in dialogue so well crafted that you know they thought about it for almost as long as it took to say the lines.
Something that was previously regarded as the most significant work in a particular medium is now being mocked by both elites and masses because it was smashed into a medium that everyone knew it didn't fit, for the sake of making a little extra money out of something already wildly profitable. A LOT of people will never read Watchmen because of this abortion. It's an act of vandalism.
Before the film, a lot of people hadn't heard of Watchmen - in fact, just about everyone I mention it to hasn't heard of it, although those of us who like to spend time discussing pop culture might not get that. Now, however, Watchmen is unlikely to be mentioned in my life for a long time without being followed by "Oh, you mean that movie? That was shit!"
Some fans are already looking forward to the director's cut, which they think might be more coherent and less insulting. However, isn't a superior director's cut something normally associated with talented directors, not people the studios like because they'll do whatever they're told without letting any sort of auterial vision or sense that they're anything more than technicians employed by a commercial enterprise? Nothing in Zack Snyder's previous work suggests that he is such a director.
Fuck this movie. Clearly hundreds of hours were spent on the CGI while the acting seems to have been the first take of amateurish actors, poorly directed.
The only suitable punishment for this movie would be for Zack Snyder to be contractually obliged to appear at every comics and sci fi convention in the industralised world for the next year, where he must do Q&A with fans for at least an hour.
Also, the first Watchmen fan to see him at each convention should rush up to him, and scream "FIRST!!" wetly in the face.
Then flick him in the balls.
UPDATE: Worst of all, the movie was an insult to the legacy of this masterwork!
Friday, February 13, 2009
The change we've been waiting for is weak leaders
Today I’m frustrated by the weakness of leadership of both the Australian Labour Party and the US Democratic Party.
In both the US and Australia, the upper house conservative rump is blocking the stimulus packages of recently elected leaders with strong mandates. This seems to be largely a way of asserting some sort of relevance in the dark days of minority. The Coalition, however, has been at these tricks for nine months, since they decided to block budget legislation in May last year.
This goes strongly against the democratic principle that those who have most recently faced the electorate and won should be allowed their way with their core agenda. Unfortunately, political literacy in both nations is so low that very few people understand exactly how what is being done is wrong.
From here, the ALP has only one course of action left open to it, with two likely results. They must make the rogue Senators stand on their dignity and reject the stimulus package again, so the Prime Minister can pull the trigger on a double dissolution election. Let the Coalition face the electorate over their quibbling against a popular and necessary economic stimulus. Either the Coalition will be forced into a humiliating backdown, or Kevin Rudd will be returned with a more favourable Senate, more likely to recognise and respect the government’s democratic mandate.
The Democrats are in a similar position. They must have the courage to force the Republicans to actually filibuster them, to stand up on C-SPAN and justify themselves 24 hours a day, rather than meekly retiring from the field whenever they don’t have the requisite 60 votes.
In both nations, vital projects are being held back because of a lack of the intestinal fortitude it takes to accomplish anything in leadership. It’s enough to make you want to strike your colours and switch sides.
In both the US and Australia, the upper house conservative rump is blocking the stimulus packages of recently elected leaders with strong mandates. This seems to be largely a way of asserting some sort of relevance in the dark days of minority. The Coalition, however, has been at these tricks for nine months, since they decided to block budget legislation in May last year.
This goes strongly against the democratic principle that those who have most recently faced the electorate and won should be allowed their way with their core agenda. Unfortunately, political literacy in both nations is so low that very few people understand exactly how what is being done is wrong.
From here, the ALP has only one course of action left open to it, with two likely results. They must make the rogue Senators stand on their dignity and reject the stimulus package again, so the Prime Minister can pull the trigger on a double dissolution election. Let the Coalition face the electorate over their quibbling against a popular and necessary economic stimulus. Either the Coalition will be forced into a humiliating backdown, or Kevin Rudd will be returned with a more favourable Senate, more likely to recognise and respect the government’s democratic mandate.
The Democrats are in a similar position. They must have the courage to force the Republicans to actually filibuster them, to stand up on C-SPAN and justify themselves 24 hours a day, rather than meekly retiring from the field whenever they don’t have the requisite 60 votes.
In both nations, vital projects are being held back because of a lack of the intestinal fortitude it takes to accomplish anything in leadership. It’s enough to make you want to strike your colours and switch sides.
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