…it’s off to work we go. Yes, they called to confirm. I will be working by tomorrow. Something stunningly mundane, no doubt, but money is money. A few invitations have popped up so hopefully my friends’ll be able to keep me sane…I’m relying on you!
Amongst other things it turns out I do need a hallowe’en costume after all; I’d been sort of hoping that I’d get a year off from having to come up with something. The last two years’ über-vamp (cape and all!) and vampire hunter went down rather well, but I can never really win: if I go as a vampire, people complain I haven’t really “dressed up”, while if I don’t people complain I haven’t brought my fangs…
I’m serious considering opting for the Wednesday Addams method this year, and it’s a winner for anyone who usually looks out of the ordinary. Just dress as “normal” as possible and if anyone asks, stare at them blankly for a moment before explaining in a bland, serious, deadpan voice, “I’m a homicidal maniac…they look just like everyone else.”
Wandering through Beanos, I found a DVD by a Japanese director I’ve been trying to hunt down, Takashii Ishii. His masterpiece is supposedly Gonin which I have not yet been able to get hold of, but The Black Angel which I bought and watched is a rather dark but stylish revenge thriller. If Tarantino has a Japanese counterpart, then Ishii is definitely it: inventive cinematography, skewed camera angles, semi-close-ups, but with Japanese touches involving long atmospheric sequences without dialogue. There’s an awesome seven-minute scene during which the camera never cuts away, following the disoriented heroine as she struggles to escape, traumatised by torture.
My other Japanese flick this weekend was Battle Royale. I’d recommend this one too for its weird brand of dark amusement. Think Lord of the Flies on steroids. And then some. A bunch of Japanese schoolkids are dumped on an island, told to kill each other and only the last surviving player will be released. Violent mayhem ensues naturally, but the film looks at how humans (and more specifically, adolescents) might react under such circumstances. Friendships are strained and ruined, some will happily stab others in the back, a few would kill themselves rather than classmates, while some remain more worried about lovers (or even crushes) than themselves.
UPDATE, 5:17PM – Just got a call to say the work’s been postponed. >=o| Will hopefully have something by Thursday…
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