Before There Was Tarantino, There Was Kathryn Bigelow

It's hard to describe how giddy I was last night seeing Kathryn Bigelow get two Oscars. I don't usually care too much about who gets the actual awards, I watch for the clothes and stuff...I mean, it's the Gay Superbowl. I love it. If you love the Superbowl, then maybe you might know how I feel about the Oscars. Hey...it felt really cool seeing someone I admire so much who has been working without the kind of critical acclaim or interest partly due to her working within genre stories get major mainstream recognition.

I am wondering what movie rentals might come out of Bigelow winning Oscars last night. I can just see someone saying "Hey honey, let's rent Blue Steel, it's made by that lady director". I liked Blue Steel very much but it's not uplifting the genre B-movies...it's not trying to rise above or bend the genre content. I'm trying to imagine Oprah discovering some of Bigelow's movies this week. I love Oprah and all but I can't imagine her enjoying the vampire horror film Near Dark. Not because of violence but because so many genre films are not considered "classy" or high-brow. Bigelow in many ways is a classic director her interests are in pushing technique and the viewing experience, rather than genre-bending. Bigelow movies have never seemed to shy away from the campy elements of genre movies or the sex and violence. Where a movie like Basic Instinct had aspirations of being Hitchcockian...Bigelow's films seem to accept their own history. They are embracing Russ Meyer or Al Adamson or Roger Corman genres rather than trying to tart it up. Much like QT. (and Sam Raimi, Eli Roth, Rob Zombie)

The thing is...so many people love to trash movies. Especially on the internet. A film maker like Bigelow is exactly the kind of director that weeds out the real lovers of movies. Bigelow makes movies for people who love movies. Kind of like QT, if you think about his work. It's no accident that Bigelow's nomination and Tarantino's nomination inspired the Academy Awards to dedicate part of the programming to the horror genre last night. Long fucking overdue. I can't imagine my movie-going history without the camp, without the spectacle and mess of genre movies. And I am so glad that someone like Bigelow might help bring more creds to horror and action movies. Maybe her filmography will knock all those film snobs over and we can all start to discuss the wide history of storytelling without worrying about whether we are fucking authentic high brow or not. Or tasteful.

Yipppeee Kathryn Bigelow!!! Bigelow hadn't been able to finance a movie for 7 years!!! Not since the commercial failure of The Widowmaker. So more than anything I hope people might open themselves up to the low-brow genre side of film history and Bigelow will surely get all kinds of funding now. Yahoo!



Probably the only movie a lot of people might have seen by Kathryn Bigelow is 1995s Strange Days produced by her then Ex James Cameron. They are friends to this day contrary to media games of trying to put them at odds in Oscar race. Above is the opening scene and it's pretty cool. Bigelow got a fair bit of word-of-mouth success with Point Break and established herself easily as a cult film maker. Tom Sizemore is in three of her movies including this one...which is kind of interesting Bigelow and her former husband Cameron have often cast the same actors in several of their films making for a near-ensemble company crossover in each of their movies (same cast for Aliens as for Near Dark). I've always thought this was a good sign of being great to work with these two directors. Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars and wrote, "The movie is a technical tour de force ... The pacing is relentless, and the editing, by Howard Smith, creates an urgency and desperation". In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin praised the performances of Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett: "Mr. Fiennes gleefully captures Lenny's sleaziness while also showing there is something about this schlockmeister that is worth saving, despite much evidence to the contrary. As for Ms. Bassett, she looks great and radiates inner strength even without the bone-crunching physical feats to which she is often assigned"Rolling Stone magazine's Peter Travers called the film Bigelow's "magnum opus"


In Blue Steel you can see a lovely young Tom Sizemore, and the late Ron Silver. Tom Sizemore was in Celebrity Rehab just this season and his recovery and story is really moving, I hope he gets better because we stlll have yet to see what else he can do acting. Ron Silver just passed away a few months ago. Jamie-I-take-off-my-shirt-Curtis is terrific in this campy action flick. Bigelow seems to work and respect the tradition of the genres she explores, sometimes via camp, or role transgressions and with violence and action. Sound familiar?

The first time I ever saw Willem Dafoe was in this cool movie The Loveless.

Above is a quite long clip from The Loveless and can give you a good idea of the style and flavour Bigelow achieved.

Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson in the same movie! What more do you want?

I was really glad to see Keanu Reeves introduce The Hurt Locker last night on tv seeing as he was awesome in one of her early movies...and one of my favourite movies...Point Break.

Check out about 50 seconds into this clip...totally something we might see QT use...with the little mirror action and then re-creating it for the screen.

I've watched Point Break maybe 50 times. I mean, really, it's nuts how much I love this movie. Above is one of the best chase scenes and you can really see what Bigelow is made up of, she rocks! This chase starts out ina car but ends up as one of the best foot chase scenes ever. At the time of the movie's release, 1991, it felt unique. We've seen this recently in The Bourne Identity and Casino Royale but when Bigelow did this I thought it wa such a great idea, so organic and she made back yards very exciting. That's the wonderful Patrick Swaze in the Reagan mask btw.

Sparklehorse, R.I.P.

Oscar Predictions...For Ink Casualty

I don't usually make many Oscar predictions but my buddy Ink Casualty wants to make a bet with me so I am going to post my preditions here.

I am not big on making predictions because well...I watch not so much for the awards but for the spectacle. I like a bunch of clothes and seeing the actors and directors. I don't thik this year is going to be a very big surprise. The real guessing game is between Avatar and The Hurt Locker.

I love both thoe directors...I've been following Katerine Bigelow's movies for her whole career and I am glad now other people will know who she is and maybe rent some of her movies. Some people assume there is bad blood with James Cameron...but he is a much cooler guy than people give him credit for...Last week James Cameron was asked how he felt being up against his former wife, Bigelow, who is also still one of his good friends (Cameron helped produce some of her movies and is a huge supporter of her work for decades)...he said "its a win win because he will be very happy if she is finally recognized after 25 years of being an excellent film maker".

I am having a hard time making a prediction about best picture because it might be a case were the voters want to support a female director. Bigelow would be the first woman director to win an Oscar for directing. But...as good as The Hurt Locker is...I am not sure I feel it's a "best picture" movie. I think...Avatar is a better more fully realized movie. I think Bigelow should get best director. Her direction is stunning in The Hurt Locker exciting and innovative and brings the viewer into the emotional truth of the work portrayed by the characters. But...I think Avatar is such a brilliant innovative, emotional and spiritual film set within a good old-fashioned adventure story, it outshines any other movie this year.

It actually makes me feel bad to say that. Because I have been such a long time fan of Bigelows.

Okay...so my guesses for tonights outcome...at the persistence of Ink Casualty forcing me to make this post...ha ha...are:

Best make-up for Star Trek, my wish for best animated movie is Fantastic Mr. Fox...but some kiddie crap will probably win. Best cinematography The Hurt Locker. If Avatar wasn't made this year...I would have totally gone with Inglorious Basterds: the most under-rated movie this year. Monique, Sandra Bullock, Christolph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Katherine Bigelow and Avatar.

The more I think about it...the more I love Star Trek and Inglorious Basterds and if it wasn't such a good year for movies they might have had a chance at being recognized for their worth. Both incredible scripts, incredible cinematography and acting and stories.

Jeff Bridges! Go Man!

I used to have this movie poster hanging up in my living room. I thought Bridges should have been nominated for that role. Bridges has been nominated about 5 times for Academy Awards...but if you go through his movies it's amazing he hasn't been nominated 20 times, he's just that righteous.


One of my very very favourite movies is The Last Picture Show adapted from the wonderful Larry McMurty book. (who also wrote Lonesome Dove)

There are so many really good movies that Bridges has been in that it's crazy to list them all...even the genre movies like Tron and Starman have excellent performances and ambience with Jeff Bridges. (he was nominated for an Academy Award for Starman)Of course his role as the Dude is a beloved role and movie. I watched Starman at least half a dozen times, and I've lost count on TBL viewings.



Fearless is a movie that took big risks. Spiritual themed movies are very difficult to market and get people interested in seeing. Fearless is really such a good movie and many people have not even seen it.

I know three other people who loved Heaven's Gate along with me. I have been teased over and over because I love this Hollywood "bomb". I can't even imagine how someone couldn't like this movie...it's got everything and is super fucking cool! I LOVED this movie and it's one of the worlds most famous flops. It's so good I've owned it on vhs and dvd.

"Over 50 percent - maybe it's as high as 80 percent - of the moviegoing experience depends on what kind of baggage the audience is bringing in with them and what kinds of reviews they've read. A movie like Heaven's Gate was doomed, because of that initial hysterical review [written by Vincent Canby in The New York Times] that ruined other people's experience of seeing the movie. Everyone saw it through the filter of this critic's eyes. He was supposed to know what a good movie is and he missed it." Jeff Bridges

Gary Busey and Bridges

What Is Stephen Harper Reading?

As visitors know, I am not a fan of Prime Minister Harper. I throw up in my mouth a little as type his name with the head of Canadian government. Ew. I am not a fan of programs, or traffic laws or public money spent on government offices and redecorating or limos. (I feel civil servants should ride bikes to work or take public transit as part of their job description...and meet in coffee shops instead of office buildings...allowing the current government offices to be reclaimed for low-income housing)

I think Canadian writer Yann Martel has made a brilliant pet project regarding Harper.

If you've ever read the fantastic novel Life of Pi you might be interested to know that it's author, Yann Martel, sends Stephen Harper a book every two weeks.

Here is Yann Martel's website where you can see the list of books he has sent so far plus the following sort of "mission statement"...

“The Prime Minister did not speak during our brief tribute, certainly not. I don’t think he even looked up. The snarling business of Question Period having just ended, he was shuffling papers. I tried to bring him close to me with my eyes.Who is this man? What makes him tick? No doubt he is busy. No doubt he is deluded by that busyness. No doubt being Prime Minister fills his entire consideration and froths his sense of busied importance to the very brim. And no doubt he sounds and governs like one who cares little for the arts.But he must have moments of stillness. And so this is what I propose to do: not to educate—that would be arrogant, less than that—to make suggestions to his stillness.
For as long as Stephen Harper is Prime Minister of Canada, I vow to send him every two weeks, mailed on a Monday, a book that has been known to expand stillness. That book will be inscribed and will be accompanied by a letter I will have written. I will faithfully report on every new book, every inscription, every letter, and any response I might get from the Prime Minister, on this website.”

Frances Yates

One of my favourite writers is Frances Yates. I've been revisiting her work in the past couple of weeks because I am inspired by her works for a story I am writing. I haven't read the above biography on her seen above, but I've ordered it from the library. I can't wait!

Botticelli Primavera

Durer Melancholy

An example of the kind of ideas Yates was interested in:

Yates argues that Botticelli’s famous painting, Primavera, was a Hermetic talisman designed, like other talismans, “to attract the favorable planets and to avoid Saturn.... The picture begins to be seen as a practical application of [Ficino’s magic], as a complex talisman, an ‘image of the world’ arranged so as to transmit only healthful, rejuvenating, anti-Saturnian influences to the beholder.” Other Renaissance art-works were also (according to Yates) magical talismans. She says that Dürer’s Melancholia was inspired by the Hermetist Cornelius Agrippa:

Whilst Ficino’s magic avoids Saturn, Agrippa’s magic seeks the Saturnian gifts of high abstract contemplation and pure mathematics. (Thus, as Botticelli’s predominantly Venus talisman, the Primavera, reflects the Ficinian type of magic, Dürer’s predominantly Saturnian talisman, the Melancholia engraving, reflects the Agrippan type of magic.) From here


The book I'm working through right now called Theatre of The World is centered on the structure of theatre designs in Renaissance England and focuses on mathemetician Robert Fludd and astronomer John Dee.

The argument of Theatre of the World is that the design of the theater built by James Burbage, which influenced the later theater movement, including Shakespeare's Globe, was based on classical theory on the design of the Roman theater as expounded in Vitruvius's book on architecture. The arguments used in building up this theory emphasize the fact that Vitruvius was known among the artisan class in Elizabethan London through the teaching and writings of John Dee and could therefore have been known to Burbage. Since the geometry of the ground plan of the classical theater was based on cosmology, I further argue that cosmic associations would have been implicit in the Shakespearean theater, and that the "Idea" or meaning of the Globe Theater would have been that of a "theater of the world," expressive of harmonies between macrocosm and microcosm. From a letter by Frances Yates.

Yates argues that the above design for a stage is based on "memory palaces"..what begins as a virtual image in the mid, is incorporated for stage design...(perhaps helping actors rememeber their lines and enable them to memorize entire plays?)

The method of loci (plural of Latin locus for place or location), also called the memory palace, is a general designation for mnemonic techniques that rely on memorised spatial relationships to establish, order and recollect memorial content. The term is most often found in specialised works on psychology, neurobiology and memory, though it was used in the same general way at least as early as the first half of the nineteenth century in works on Rhetoric, Logic and Philosophy. From Wiki

In classical rhetoric, images and text were mapped onto virtual places to aid the memory of orators. Memory was enormously important to orators because they were expected to deliver long speeches with total accuracy. In fact, memory was of such value that there developed an "art of memory" designed to strengthen the natural memory. Frances Yates explains that this artificial memory depended upon the recollection of images:

The artificial memory is established from places and images . . . A locus is a place easily grasped by the memory, such as a house, an intercolumnar space, a corner, an arch, or the like. Images are forms, marks or simulacra of what we wish to remember. For instance if we wish to recall the genus of a horse, of a lion, of an eagle, we must place their images on definite loci.

Artificial memory was a kind of "inner writing" the orator reviewed while presenting a speech, observing the places and their contents, the images, and recovering the memories for things (the subject matter) that those images represented. The orator used a series of places (the topoi of classical rhetoric in which one "found" arguments, known as inventio) in which he placed one of many sets of images, depending upon the speech he was to remember." . . . the loci remain in the memory and can be used again by placing another set of images for another set of material" (7). These images were to be easily memorized. The anonymous author of the Ad Herennium, a classical rhetoric, discusses which types of images the orator should use in order to best remember them. (summary of "Art of Memory")


Related Links:

1) Memory wheel cool site
2) Biography of Frances Yates
3) Art of Memory

Catching Up...

Madly trying to watch a couple more movies this week before the Oscars on Sunday. I wonder what will win "best picture"? Today on Oprah, Roger Ebert predicted that Kathern Bigelow will get best director. He's usually pretty good at guessing these things. He also thinks Hurt Locker will get best pic. It's a great choice of movies this year. Okay...back to the movie screen...