i was in lost angeles this weekend, visiting hmc and trying to avoid questions about whether i’m going back to taiwan or not.
which was relatively successful, although hmc has this odd habit recently of falling asleep early on saturday nights, leaving me to my own devices, forcing me to go and hang out with strippers and disco dancers all night. or watch dvd’s. one of those.
we did get to see hero at the arclight, which was gorgeous and wonderful, and i don’t know what xz is all about. it clearly makes sense to me. maybe xz just isn’t chinese enough.
also, the pixies played back home this weekend, which i willingly missed. i had decided long ago not to see the big reunion tour. not that i don’t love the pixies, i do love the pixies! i do! i think they’re one of the best bands ever. but i don’t know, maybe it was the fact that when they play, they just stand around just like they mocked themselves in that here comes your man video. or maybe it was all of that reunion tour bandwagon thing. or that it’s all paying for frank black’s therapy.
but when it actually came around, i was regretted not going.
fortunately, hmc saw that air was playing at the hollywood bowl this weekend with a full orchestra. and stereolab was opening.
so we went to that instead. it was nice and orchestral. and under the open sky, in the beautiful hollywood bowl. and we brought booze and fancy sandwiches. and egg salad.
plus, beck and some guy jason falkner came out for one song.
take that, frank’s therapist!
Posted at September 28, 2004 10:08 AMi am so chinese! i’m like, hyper-chinese. except white and jewish.
i didn’t say it didn’t make sense. i said there was no character development; we’re just asked to take it for granted that the king is a bad man or that falling snow hates him or whatever. ergo, i had a hard time caring about what happened.
i did like it, just not as much as CTHD.
Posted by: xz at September 28, 2004 3:34 PM***spoiler***
no, they didn’t say that. the whole point that the king *wasn’t* a bad man. or that he was bad from the view of the people he was taking over, but good from the view of people who want a united society for the better of all. which is a very communist point of view.
the assassins agreed to everything because they hate the king because he’s invading and destroying their contries and identities.
the character development is whether nameless agrees with his “greater good” or not.
i’ve got to say that it’s the opposite for me. i liked CTHD, but i *loved* H.
Posted by: e at September 28, 2004 5:22 PMah. but we’re asked to take this overwhelming anger at the king as a point of fact. if i had SEEN the cruelty of the king (for the common good or no) then i’d be rooting for nameless to kill him and i’d join in his transformation when he realizes he should not: drama.
just being told the king is hated does not make me hate him/want him dead so i’m just an observer: lack of drama.
in the same way, falling snow and, uh, broken sword? whatever his name was are lovers who are estranged — but i don’t see their love. i don’t know why they’re estranged. i’m just told about it and so don’t care if they reunite or hack each other to death. it’s the difference between hearing your friend’s engaged and hearing some guy in spokane got married. in one case, you know and share in the emotion and in the other it’s just a fact.
i’m never told much about who nameless is. i do not empathize with him. there’s lots of kung fu in beautiful color but everything i know about the characters i’m told, not shown. and most of what i’m told ends up being a lie.
maybe you just feel more connected culturally to this tale for obvious reasons.
i saw li mu bai’s love. i wanted him to enjoy it one day. his sacrifice felt like a personal loss to me.
Posted by: xz at September 29, 2004 9:59 AMbut isn’t that the whole point? that we don’t know what part of the story is true? that we don’t know what perspective is true? that we’re trying to figure out what version is the real version? or even if there is a real version.
like rashomon.
maybe all of the stories are a little true. or maybe it doesn’t matter, as long as the country survives.
Posted by: e at September 29, 2004 5:07 PMComments are now closed for this entry. Thank you for playing.