Part 1
Before delving into this week’s column, a quick reply to Mr. Noonan, the editor of the newspaper, about global warming: I’m not particularly offended that Mr. Noonan quotes that great unmarried marriage counselor, Bjorn Lombord, in his dismissal of global warming’s importance. Lombard, a political scientist, says just the right things to make head-in-the-sand folk feel warm and fuzzy. Meanwhile, I’ll stick with what actual climate scientists have to say.
I can’t let slip by without comment a (relatively) recent editorial from Mr. Noonan, the editor of this newspaper,
that blasted global warming as “junk science.” A few choice quotes:
“By hysterically mixing sober environmental sensitivity with global warming junk science, is it any wonder that only liberals believe Mr. Gore’s global warming gobbledy gook?”
In part 2 of our discussion on the intersection of bellydance and the goth subculture, Ariellah and I touch on more technical topics related to her dancing, as well as some of the larger issues and controversies that surround bellydance.
Part 1 of 2. In the wake of my forays into gothic bellydance through DVDs such as Gothic Bellydance and Bellydance Underworld, I contacted Ariellah Aflalo – one of the country’s foremost bellydancers in the genres of gothic and tribal fusion bellydance and a featured performer on both DVDs. Ariellah graciously took time out of her busy schedule touring and teaching to discuss at length, via eMail, questions on the gothic subculture, bellydance, and how the two intersect for her.
I love movies like this; dialogue-driven and character-focused, with a breezy theatricality that is almost documentary-like in its style. As with Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, Julie Delpys 2 Days in Paris is a film involving two people talking. And like Richard Linklaters films, Julie Delpy is one of those two people. But one difference is that this time the very skilled Delpy is the writer and director (as well as editor and composer). Another is that unlike the bittersweet romance of Linklaters films, 2 Days in Paris is about self-inflicted obstacles to meaningful love as the films couple, fresh from an unsuccessful trip to Venice, spends two confrontational days in Paris before heading home.
I have a dream.
One day, the lamb and the lion will share a cup of tea together.
One day, Ari Noonan and I will agree on something.
That day, obviously, hasnt come, as evidenced by my Fearless Editors response to my review of Somebodys Children (See A Voice for the Invisible, Aug. 23).
[Editors Note: Stree Katha was performed at the Electric Lodge, Friday, Aug. 17 through Sunday, Aug. 19.]
You know the feeling, Im sure. Somebody an acrobat, an athlete, a musician, what-have-you does something so astonishing, so remarkable, that you say to yourself, I wish I could do that! Whether you do or not is, of course, beside the point; the sentiment is really one of awe at something that moves you deeply and obviously cannot be done by just anyone. Classical Indian dance (like Bharatanatyam), particularly when performed live by skilled dancers like Mythili Prakash, inspires that sort of awe in me.
It seems a bit strange to think of poverty as having subcultures. Poor is poor, right? Yet in Jose Casas heavy, message-bearing play, Somebodys Children, its clear that poverty isnt only about the unkempt beggar on the palisades. Interestingly, the film The Pursuit of Happyness touched on the plays issue briefly. In several quickly passing scenes, Will Smiths character, based on the real-life Chris Gardner, is evicted from his apartment and forced to live in a motel with his son before melodrama forces him to move. In Somebodys Children, however, there is no rosy path from rags-to-riches as the play exposes and explores the plight of children whose families cannot afford to live in anything other than run-down motels. Unlike Smiths movie, there are no shifting gears to take the tragedy from bad to worse and then back up again in a melodramatic attempt to jerk tears. Somebodys Children reveals instead a grimmer picture: Children living in relentless, unchanging poverty with no obvious or lucky way out.
Question: Is Sunshine like a house in that it cant stand without a solid foundation?
Before getting to that, lets consider the films strong suits. Theres Danny Boyles direction, which commands beautiful imagery of space, the Sun and spaceships named Icarus. As with 28 Days Later, Boyle also displays a masterful technique that is as sensitive to the actors as to their environments, although hes prone to overdoing those lingering, self-loving shots when theres a beautiful special effect to show. Then theres the ensemble cast, which succeeds to some extent in overcoming script limitations to convey their characters personalities and the overall group chemistry.
With revelations of extraordinary rendition practices, enhanced interrogations, ever-increasing spying on just about everybody, and all the secrecy and unaccountability that comes with the package, films like The Bourne Ultimatum prove to be topically on the mark. Granted, its not a message movie. The condemnation of torture, assassination and secrecy is assumed rather than preached, giving the film an idealism that would be quaint in this day and age if it werent so sorely needed. But it does have a moral dimension to elevate the film above the usual espionage/action thriller.
