Saturday, 18 October 2008 06:18 pm
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deckardcanineFunny how some timings work out for me. I moved Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to the top of my Netflix queue and saw it this week, without realizing ahead of time that (1) it turns 50 this year and (2) it's the first Paul Newman film I've seen since his death three weeks ago. Both these facts mean something to a film nut like me. Subconscious?
More interesting are the latest "coincidences." Having just finished a book, I decided to get started on No Plot? No Problem, a guide written by NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty on writing 50,000 words in 30 days. That's right: I have tentative plans to try it again this year, and I'd like more preparation. Well, the day after I started the book, I got an email from Chris Baty reminding me to sign in at the Web site and update my info.
Not all that surprising, I realize. But the next day, today, I discovered that the film I rented semi-randomly from Potomac Video features a protagonist who gives herself an intensive novel-writing deadline -- a detail that was not mentioned on the DVD case. (It is mentioned in the Netflix description, so this may be more subconscious work, but sheesh.) This is someone who feels she's been wasting her time by reading a lot and writing corny lyrics to famous songs -- both of which I've done this week. Her writing genre is fantasy, also in accordance with my tentative plans. She has little to no faith in her talent or the usefulness thereof, even tho several people beg to differ. Her performance in other areas suffers more during her writing period, but she considers the price worthwhile. Oh, and we see her cross off October 18th on the calendar.
It's kinda mortifying to see my situation mirrored in a junior high student, probably half my age.
It's Whisper of the Heart, only the second anime movie I've seen that is not fantasy or science fiction. The first was the well-made but horribly tragic Grave of the Fireflies. Thankfully, WotH came from Studio Ghibli and had Hayao Miyazaki as a writer, so I could expect more fun than woe. Mind you, I've seen all nine feature films directed by Miyazaki.
It's identified as a prequel to The Cat Returns (despite the title implying the opposite sequence), yet the two films have very little in common. Sure, there's the Baron statuette, but it never comes to life except in a few brief daydreams. There's a fat cat named Muta, but he doesn't do anything a normal RL cat couldn't. Both of these characters look different from before. Neither here is more than a vehicle to set humans in motion.
WotH often feels closer to My Neighbor Totoro or Kiki's Delivery Service, what with the realistically slow pace, the lack of any villains, and the sense of untapped potential. It does have a somewhat more focused plot than either of those movies, tho still simple. Unsurprisingly, it never quite matches their cuteness, even with the junior high love saga.
Disappointed? A little. But I'm glad I watched.
More interesting are the latest "coincidences." Having just finished a book, I decided to get started on No Plot? No Problem, a guide written by NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty on writing 50,000 words in 30 days. That's right: I have tentative plans to try it again this year, and I'd like more preparation. Well, the day after I started the book, I got an email from Chris Baty reminding me to sign in at the Web site and update my info.
Not all that surprising, I realize. But the next day, today, I discovered that the film I rented semi-randomly from Potomac Video features a protagonist who gives herself an intensive novel-writing deadline -- a detail that was not mentioned on the DVD case. (It is mentioned in the Netflix description, so this may be more subconscious work, but sheesh.) This is someone who feels she's been wasting her time by reading a lot and writing corny lyrics to famous songs -- both of which I've done this week. Her writing genre is fantasy, also in accordance with my tentative plans. She has little to no faith in her talent or the usefulness thereof, even tho several people beg to differ. Her performance in other areas suffers more during her writing period, but she considers the price worthwhile. Oh, and we see her cross off October 18th on the calendar.
It's kinda mortifying to see my situation mirrored in a junior high student, probably half my age.
It's Whisper of the Heart, only the second anime movie I've seen that is not fantasy or science fiction. The first was the well-made but horribly tragic Grave of the Fireflies. Thankfully, WotH came from Studio Ghibli and had Hayao Miyazaki as a writer, so I could expect more fun than woe. Mind you, I've seen all nine feature films directed by Miyazaki.
It's identified as a prequel to The Cat Returns (despite the title implying the opposite sequence), yet the two films have very little in common. Sure, there's the Baron statuette, but it never comes to life except in a few brief daydreams. There's a fat cat named Muta, but he doesn't do anything a normal RL cat couldn't. Both of these characters look different from before. Neither here is more than a vehicle to set humans in motion.
WotH often feels closer to My Neighbor Totoro or Kiki's Delivery Service, what with the realistically slow pace, the lack of any villains, and the sense of untapped potential. It does have a somewhat more focused plot than either of those movies, tho still simple. Unsurprisingly, it never quite matches their cuteness, even with the junior high love saga.
Disappointed? A little. But I'm glad I watched.