Bad Lieutenant Port of Call New Orleans

Today I was thinking about what are some great films that I've seen recently.  I saw recently the film called Bad Lieutenant Port of Call New Orleans. The film was both absurd, sick, funny, twisted, you name it.

It explained why he did bad things in the first place to a certain extent, and also showed him to be in some respects a sympathetic character.  I thought it did an excellent job in that respect.  It also narrowly confined the subject matter to his psychological state, and the relations between him, his wife, father, and other policemen.  It also had a interesting twist.  You expected things to come crashing down on him but instead there was a kind of happy ending, although even that was spoiled, yes he did get better in some ways, but in the end he is back were he started. 

Literally the film also returns to beginning since he meets the guy who he injured himself trying to save, the guy in turn takes him to an aquarium away from a mountain of cocain.

The physical explanation for his psychological condition is also great, his injury helps explain his descent into madness, drug use, and bad behavior.  Morally it doesn't take a side on whether he is a good or bad person, although he saves the criminal from being shot near the end, but then he is back to shaking down party goers.

It's quite rare that a film doesn't take a moral stance, and yet is not celebrating some pathology.  The Saw movies seem to be the latter.  I would say that film Crash is similar in that respect for developing a problem, a way of looking at things.

It is always much more interesting to draw ones own moral conclusions when watching a film rather than leave it to the film maker to explain everything.  The film Inception was extremely quite shallow in this respect.  It didn't really trust the viewer to make up their own mind.

If you compare it to Cube, which also had a kind of universe with multiple levels, there was at least real dialogue.  The characters talked as if they were all trapped in a elevator, but the world was fantastical, yet theoretically not possible.

By contrast, Inception had to explain each element.  The characters were dream builders, part of a secret society of people able to go into the dream world, professional globe trotting specialists.  They were basically similar to highly paid multinational employees, flying around the world working for huge business tycoons.

They were working for a client, the main character was all business, get the target to think a certain thing.  But, who cares, the only element that made you care slightly was that he was framed for murder.  So you had this element of  The Fugitive.

Personally I had no reason to care about this character, other than that he was a famous person.  Contrast this with Catch Me If You Can, or The Titanic.  Both effectively explained the characters motivations.  One a kid running away from his father, another a young hobo trying his luck.

Canada for sale

Every now and again I read an article that confirms to me that any part of Canada can be sold for any price. Case in point:



I mean how disgusting is it that the biggest Canadian mining companies are all now owned by foreigners.

Here is a quote from the article in the FT.

A Toronto-based mining banker said the conservative government’s “blindly free-market” attitude to takeovers was seldom matched in the home country of a bidding company. “If Barrick became a $300bn corporation, could it take over Vale?” the banker asked. He was referring to Vale, the Brazilian iron ore champion and Barrick Gold, the Canadian gold miner.

When I read this I feel like vomiting. But, such is the way of business in Canada these days, forget about National champions. The sad thing is that you know it will not be reciprocal. As this banker aptly points out, Brazil, China, India, etc... will not allow us to take over any of their huge companies.

A very interesting evening

I managed to find a really interesting part of Tokyo today. I went to a station called Shimo-kitazawa.  It has lots of good 2nd hand clothing shops, although the prices at a lot of them were a bit high.  Interestingly enough the first one I went into had really good prices.  I got a couple of t-shirts and a jacket, but I could easily have bought more, the prices of most things was 5 or 10 $.  Not exactly that cheap, but cheap considering the quality.

I also met up with my friend at the gym while I was doing a shoulder workout.  I saw his new Kindle E-Reader.  I was somewhat impressed with the readability of it.  I did think that the size was a little small, but the price is pretty amazing.

I was thinking about what to do for my papers in Corporate Law, and also thinking about setting up a law office in Vietnam or China if the position at the College in Montreal does not come to fruition.

There are so many excellent things to do with the kinds of a qualifications I have, the future is really promising right now.

Tokyo has been surprisingly hot, today was close to 30 degrees, although it was not that humid which was quite good.

I should be drinking more fluids during the day.  I actually ran into this women who was from Osaka, she found Tokyo to be a bit overwhelming.   

David Lynch Cafe :)

One part of the cafe

This was the David Lynch Cafe.  I saw it last year or in the winter, and this time I managed to find it again.  The first time I just remarked at how cool it was, but this time I actually got a coffee, and it was quite delicious.

Here is a quote from Lynch, "Sex is a doorway to something so powerful and mystical, but movies usually depict it in a completely flat way."

The man himself, so so cool.  We talked about movies, and art.  I showed her my family pictures, and she showed me her paintings.  It was a very fun and relaxing time.

My Russian friend enjoying her Coffee
and me posing for a cool picture as usual.

I don't actually think it is called the David Lynch cafe, but it is for me at least.

I found the aesthetic of the place to be reminiscent of his film Eraserhead or Moholand Drive.  It had a kind of Western kitchey feel, while at the same time having antique style furnishings.  If I owned a cafe it would be hard to top this in terms of style.

It almost felt like an antique shop, mostly because of the hunks of old looking metal hung about the place, what is apparent about these pieces is that they are not the kind of things you normally see in those trendy shops, in other words not the typical things like Green lamp with gold trimmings, or the telephone with the brass and varnished wood.

Kamakura

Cool Baker

I went into this awesome bakery while I was in Kamakura.  This lady spoke perfect english and told me all about growing up in the Bay Area of California.
I told her about how much I liked David Lynch.  I have no idea how we got on that subject.  Oh wait, now I recall.  I was telling her that I was in Montreal this past week, and had a chance to catch some outdoor screenings, and that I saw both Blue Velvet and the Shining.


Blue Velvet was awesome because everything that Lynch does is great.  What I especially like about his films is how he captures the inescapable way that real life is so random.  He isn't trying to give you the usual story.  For most films I find that I go on autopilot because you feel like you have the basic concept  down. This guy is the tough one, that guy is the smart one, this girl is the nerd, etc... It is the rare film that gives you complex human emotion. 

The bread in the store was all organic and natural,  I nibbled on a raisin role on my way home and thought it was quite delicious.

Fitness, learning, variety

I read recently in the NYT that when you want to remember some piece of information well, it helps to learn it in the context of an activity, and a mess of other information, and not simply learn it in isolation. Similarly it helps to change locations, and circumstances when you want to learn something. So for example, if you go study at a cafe, go chat about an issue, read about it on the train, etc... you are actually learning better than if you simply sat in one place and tried to do the same thing for hrs. It is universally known that taking breaks and going for walks is also a good way to remember things.

What is remarkable is how this same principle is operating in a multiplicity of contexts. When it comes to weight training and developing your body it is also true that variety is the spice of life. If you do the same weight activities again and again, in the same way your body will adjust and you will simply be stalling any new progression. But, if you simply add variation every time, and once in awhile completely change you workout plan you force your body to make subtle adjustments. You start to be in a position where your body has to keep trying to keep striving to do better.

It is also true that in order to progress in anything you really need to mark your progress and record the amounts you are doing and what not. It is impossible to lift more, or even add variety if you simply go into the gym each time without knowing your training program.

I really hope things in the world start to go better in terms of the economy, but also politically. I'm kinda of scared about what is happening in the USA right now with the Tea Party movement. They seem to be angry that's for sure, but their anger is directed at the federal government when in reality they should be angry at the banks, and people who are really running society.

Canada seems to be becoming more and more part of the USA. I see all kinds of things now. For example, politically the Conservatives are now very similar to the Republicans. In addition, the US is starting to list Canadian cities and provinces on all kinds of sources, News, websites, you name it. I don't know how I feel about this. I have the feeling that it is purely functional and that there is not much of a perception about how we are different or that sort of thing.

Inception

I saw the film Inception the other day. In many ways it is typical of the films that are coming out of Hollywood these days. The film starts with the main character played by Lionardo Dicaprio in a dream, the dream of his target, a wealthy Japanese businessman, played by Ken Wantabe. The Dicaprio character is in the dream to extract some secret information that is being sought by his employer, some company. In the dream there is another dream, and the Wantabe character is smart enough to figure out that the 2nd dream is not real life, and that he is still dreaming. They fail to extract the information, and therefore must run away. After waking they are about to leave Japan, when Mr. Wantabe intercepts them and lets them know that the whole exercise has been a test, and that he wishes to hire them to put an idea into the mind of his competitor, a Robert Fisher.

So one part of the story is a battle between two business tycoons, one wants the other one to break up a business empire. The second part is that the Dicaprio character is being haunted by the guilt of having been responsible for the suicide of his wife, who is now following him in the dream world.

Added to this is the idea that you need someone to construct the dream, and all the characters can participate in the same dream, and interact with each other. Furthermore, within the dreamworld the dreamer can produce armies to attack any interloper who is in his dream. So when the crack team led by Dicaprio enter the dream of the Tycoon Fischer, they are attacked by his mind which has been prepped to deal intruders.

Needless to say you have to take a lot of this stuff on face value. Why are ideas hidden in dreams, and not simply memory. How the hell can multiple people participate in the same dream, which remains mostly under the control of the dreamer, or a select person.

Unfortunately the movie devolves into a simple shoot em up action film, the various philosophical or theoretical issues are pushed aside. You are left with a whole lot of questions and very few answers.

The film doesn't really lead you to disappointment since the pacing implies a thoughtless and simple story line. It reminds me a lot of his previous film "The Prestige", or even "The Dark Knight". Needless to say you are left with a kind of empty feeling, which is surprising considering the potential.

I like science fiction, but this film falls far short of adequacy. A slightly entertaining action film is the best that can be said, with some cool visual effects, but nothing you haven't seen before. The first Matrix was much better and more profound.


On a personal note I am back in Tokyo. I started my first class on friday. It looks to be a very good class with lots of interesting discussions and material. I look forward to my writing assignments. The professor is really good also.

Jet-lag insomnia

I'm back at my apt. and having a really hard time falling asleep. Feels like the usual feeling I have when I come from North America to Asia. But, this feeling is more pronounced. I also have a guest staying over at my apt.

I think the best think I could have done would not have slept while I was on the plane, or else done some exercise before I when to sleep like going for a jog, although that doesn't always work. Maybe staying up all night in Montreal would have been good. Anyhow I have no idea about it right now, but it sure feels frustrating.

I think I'm also keeping my guest up because it is such a small place, and that is not that great since, I don't want my insomnia to impact on anyone else.

I really miss the guys at the gym, it will be tough to change gyms and no longer see them anymore. I wonder if staying in Japan would be a good idea for the long term, some people seem to really love it, although others have expressed reservations about having done it.

I guess like most things in life it depends on who you ask, and when you ask them. For example, one of my friends is going to be heading back to Canada to work as a lawyer, and he spent a number of years here post law school just teaching english, and also working in legal translation.

That's the thing, you can build decent connections and that kind of thing doing anything, but I think the key point is to stay in one place for awhile.

Up in the Air

I saw the film "Up in the Air" the night before I left for Japan. The film stared George Cloney as a specialist whose principle employment duties involve flying from city to city to fire employees of other companies. Scared bosses contract the termination duties out to the company he works for. He is a life long bachelor who has no interest in settling down. He meets up with his female opposite, who is also flying around the country, although it isn't clear what she does. She is his romantic counterpart in the film. He is further joined by this young graduate who proposes to his boss that they shut down the traveling aspect of their job and simply fire employees via webcam. The George Cloney character is really upset by this development since he enjoys the perks of traveling first class and accumulating frequent flier miles.

The film was a fairly straight forward tale of the unavailable emotionally isolated bachelor finally coming to want to stay in one place and build a relationship. It works on the level of taping into the cultural phenomenom of the life long bachelor, and Cloney is well cast since his actual life mirrors that of his character. The film traces the familiar path of the tough guy who finally starts to care.

What I found most disipointing about the film was the utter lack of substance. The main premiss was that a whole heap of people were being fired, the characters don't seem to reflect much on their role in the whole process, and also don't seem to have any concept of societial implications, they are focused solely on thier personal lives, and on the difficulties of the job itself.

But, the issue is not so much the characters since they are merely tools by which the director is telling us a story.

Granted I did not watch the ending of the film, so possibly he also finally starts to care about what he is doing.

All in all I found the film very slow paced, and not that interesting. How many times do I need to see George swipe a card at an airline terminal. And the relationship with his family seems trite.


I went out last night with my friend Dan, we went to a couple of bars on St. Laurent Street. The first one had more wierd hipsters. Although I did meet an interesting girl from Bagdad, who had a lot to say about the situation there.

Later on we went to this real fun bar with a mechanical bull. I got to ride it for about 20 seconds before I went flying. It was fun, but, I felt like there should have been more rope to grasp.

The people there were really great. Lots of cute french canadian girls, and lots of guys plainly dressed. Almost everyone looked friendly and open to having a good time, a much more amiable crowd than the previous bar. I can't for the life of me remember the names of the bars at the moment.

The flight is supposed to be another 14 hrs untill I reach Tokyo. I hope the in flight entertainment is good, and that the food is also delicious. I neglected to inform them 24hrs in advance that I wanted the vegitarian meal, so I'm stuck with whatever they give to everyone else. But, on the upside there will be lots of delicious Japanese snacks on the plane.

As I was getting off the plane I got to see the local US TV, and it was disturbing to say the least. No wonder the Daily Show has so much to make fun of. The Anchor-women was taking forever to question this wildlife guy about sharks in Cheaspeke Bay. Granted that is unusual, but given the global warming of the planet not that surprising. I could have sworn that she never mentioned global warming. I did get the impression that she was trying to milk the story as long as possible, and drag it out. I couldn't watch that kind of news, I would simply go crazy. I don't know who they are pitching it to, but the intelligence level is most definetely very low. Although even the BBC is getting more and more like that. I guess I think that we are graudually being made more and more braindead.

Interesting day

I saw my Auntie Blima today. We went for Vietnamese food. It was quite good and I enjoyed talking with her. She talked to me about the usual things, how much she admires me, and thinks I will be successful.

We also talked about the family. She talked about me getting married eventually and even suggested that she has the perfect girl in mind.

She gave me a watch much to my protestation. I saw her wearing a man's watch and asked if she had any others lying about. She didn't but said I should take that one. I guess it was one of those, my that watch looks nice, and then why don't you have it.

She told me a story which I found rather disturbing to say the least. It was 1945 or 46 in Poland and the Poles were throwing Jewish children from moving trains. Needless to say I was shocked. She also added that a priest saw the look on her childish face at the time and said "come here and sit down, or something like that".

She also mentioned Pope John Paul and how he acted to help jewish people while he was a young priest. She noted that she gets along well with Polish old ladies and that many of the Jewish old people she knows don't really appreciate that.

She also mentioned that she had a nanny as a young kid, so there was a kind of wealth at the time for her family. As usual she mentioned a kind of dislike for the woman my grandfather married before he passed away.

All in all though I have to say I'm impressed with how active she is for a women her age. She is 90 years old and she is still reading a learning about the world, going on trips, you name it.

Layoffs and humor

The Onion is a great source of satire, although personally I think they could be a bit more hard hitting. For example, I read their article on Martin Scorsese and Apple movie software. I would have thought they would hammer him about the utter lack of editing in his films to date.





But, if there was a dig at the fact that he regularly makes his movies 3hrs plus long, I didn't see it, but maybe the level of abstraction was really high.

I did appreciate the article they had on Boeing laying off the only guy who knows how to keep wings on planes.




It seems painfully obvious that the modern US Corporate approach to firing as many people as you can simply doesn't translate into better products or services. I often wondered why Japan which seemingly crushes any independent approach, or distinct thinking seems to come up with far more gadgets. The same is true of Germany.

I think it is rather simple, with the increased job security and cooperation between the employees and employer you have the makings of stability and therefore better products.

It is simply mind boggeling how many hrs are lost to workers changing jobs, or being fired.

Even the Economist is getting in on the act, although you don't really get a diagnostic about why there are such problems in the first place.