Ramblings of a Pseudo-Intellectual: Part Deux!

By Andrew Chung
January 18, 2006

The scatterbrain column of the century has returned. Why you ask? Have I run out of ideas once again? Well sort of. But looking back I felt this column was a good one. Good because it discussed the wide range of arts that I've indulged myself in as of recent. I thought it might be an excellent way to turn people on to some wonderful art that they may not have otherwise been attuned to. So without further ado let part deux begin!

I'm reading Paul Auster's New York Trilogy. I'm in the middle of the last book The Locked Room. Some of you may know City of Glass as it was adapted as a graphic novel by Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli under Art Spiegelman's wing. Strangely I read the graphic novel first and to say the least I came out of it highly confused. I'm not entirely sure if the graphic novel worked as an adaptation. When I got to reading the actual novel, I enjoyed it a whole lot more. The book is about a writer named Quinn who impersonates a supposed investigator by the name of Paul Auster, after receiving a mysterious phone call. At first it appears to be a complex detective story, but eventually the novel morphs into a philosophical journey into the self and the mind of a writer that struggles with the meaning of truth. It's a mindbender, so it may not be for everyone, but it's fascinating nonetheless.

Ghosts, the second novel in the trilogy, is a superb book. It's so eerie, strange and sad all at the same time. A man named Blue is hired by White to spy on a man named Black. The job at first seems monotonous and meaningless, but it turns into a dark conspiratorial affair that makes the main characters question the meaning of their existence.

"Because he needs me, says Black, still looking away. He needs my eyes looking at him. He needs me to prove he's alive."

The Locked Room is also great so far. It's about the mysterious disappearance of a reclusive writer named Fanshawe. If anything were to ever happen to him he had wished to have his works taken care of by his boyhood friend, the narrator. The narrator not only follows his wishes but indefinitely becomes entrenched in the life that Fanshawe once led. I'm looking forward to reading more.

I saw Steven Spielberg's Munich, a story about the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, over the Christmas holidays. It suffers from many of the same flaws that many of Spielberg's past films have fallen victim to. Mainly, it was long and arduous, causing some major pacing issues. Furthermore, the attempts at an 'artistic' portrayal of a man's psychological trauma resulting from the incessant violence, near the climax of the film, came off a bit pretentious and preposterous. The tiresome parallel between sex and violence near the end was stomach churning. Another downfall of the film is that some knowledge of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is required in order to follow the story. Outside of these things however, I was able to enjoy certain parts of the movie. Overall the story is absorbing and Eric Bana is exceptional. Also, the picture is filmed beautifully. The lighting, costume and set designs are all absolutely stunning.

I also watched Brokeback Mountain recently by Ang Lee based on the short story by Annie Proulx. It's a great love story and was filmed and acted beautifully. I can't say I wasn't a bit uncomfortable during some of the love scenes, being a straight man, but I still wish the film very much success. I was especially impressed by Heath Ledger, I normally find him really irritating, but here he's actually a very likable character.

Okay, enough about movies. Music, music, music. I haven't purchased much in the realm of music recently. However I did get Bullet in a Bible by Green Day. It's awesome. Green Day is one of the best live bands alive today, so a live album by them is the next best thing to their show. American Idiot is hands down their best album, and the DVD portion of Bullet in a Bible is a little chronicle of that. Jesus of Suburbia is an unbelievable song. The thing I love most about Green Day is that they can send a powerful message to a very wide audience. And they can do that because of the humour in their music that makes it easy to swallow for the general public. Something that most artists have trouble with.

I read Girls: Conception, the first collected volume of Girls by The Luna Brothers. Awesome, awesome book. I was so stunned by how great it was. It was so weird, original, funny, and affecting. It had most of the things you'd want in any type of book. It's also so different from Ultra, which I love. The Lunas do not get stuck into one type of story and it's so cool to see that from them. I'm not going to get into any details of the story because I feel it's best if you just go into the story completely blind. So definitely read it if you have the chance.

I read the sixth trade, Girl on Girl, of Y: The Last Man recently as well. Still my favourite book on the market. Intriguing, fascinating, funny, and always entertaining. Girl on Girl continues that trend, and the new setting of the high seas is a nice change of pace. And we see Yorick's love, Beth!

*sigh* I've been sick for the past three months. So it has been a blast. I've been feeling a bit better lately, so here's hoping that this time it really is the tail end of the party.

Until next time, rejoice.