Operatic Metropolis

Raff came over yesterday to screen my brand new copy of The Complete Metropolis Blu-Ray.  I had screened it shortly after its arrival a couple weeks ago, but it's a whole different experience when you're watching with someone else, conferring, riffing and looking at a piece of cinematic and cultural history with new eyes.

One thing that Raff said that really made sense is that watching most silent films is like watching opera.  The acting is histrionic, the blocking a large-scale pantomime.  Most modern audiences (aside from the history geeks, film geeks and film history geeks) simply don't have the skills required to watch and enjoy a vintage silent film.  Culturally, our attention span has atrophied.  After 80+ years of war, cultural revolution and political scandal, we've become jaded.  The general populace finds it impossible to watch, say, Lon Chaney's Hunchback of Notre Dame without muttering a collective, "How quaint," or, "You mean I have to read these title cards?" or, "Bored now - is American Idol on?"

As a film student, I was forced to watch several silent classics.  Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari were among them.  We got some Mack Sennett and some Harold Lloyd, some Buster Keaton and some D.W. Griffith.  I even did my final report on Charlie Chaplin.  And although my vintage film aesthetics were honed in a scholastic setting, for whatever reason Fritz Lang's Metropolis wasn't part of the curriculum.  I had to seek it out later - first in the form of a public domain chop-fest based on the American brutalization of the original, then in the form of Giorgio Moroder's glorified music video, and finally in its 2002 restored version.  But I was not prepared for what is essentially Lang's original cut (minus 5 or so minutes we'll probably never find), with a brand new symphonic recording of Gottfried Huppertz's original score.  It was like watching a whole different film, with characters and entire plot threads resurrected when they'd previously been excised.

So, while silent film appreciation is a dying critical discipline of a dead art form, The Complete Metropolis is nonetheless a compelling and gorgeous restoration of an influential science fiction masterpiece, full of social commentary and not-so-thinly disguised forecasts of the future.
 

Without Lang...

...there would be no Blade Runner.

Without Maria...

...no C-3PO.

Also, it's especially enjoyable with Kelpie.

Best Drunk Blog Post

Ever.

Thanks, Dad Gone Mad!

Epiphanies, Breakthroughs and Beer

Yesterday began with getting Tyler to school, and it didn't let up until I crashed at 1:30AM this morning.

Got email correspondence and some graphics hunting done, the latter for Gavin's first project management gig with Deep7. Exercised and showered. Made a bank deposit. Got sushi at the new and improved QFC deli, where there is now a dedicated (and actually Japanese) sushi chef on hand. Two sushi trays and two green teas were half what I would have paid at Subway for sandwiches. And since both Raechelle and I have spent way too much this month on dating and generally going out, half is a good thing... and it made her happy.

We had a nice picnic out by Lake Union. Too brief, but baking in the sun ain't exactly the best idea for this Celtic warrior. Grabbed an Italian soda at Uptown Espresso by the West Seattle Bridge, as I had a few minutes to kill and didn't want to drive all the way home and then drive all the way back to the bridge for my counseling appointment. Got a text from Dan about the Duo pitch. No news to share yet.

Had a really eye-opening counseling session, just one on one. Much to ponder and process, all of it very encouraging. Raechelle and I will have a few things to discuss this weekend. Came home and checked email, made an appointment to look at a couple houses on Saturday. Dashed off with Tyler to the Charlestown for dinner with Mom, Bob & Gavin. After that, we drove by one of the houses on our list and took a look at the outside. Even though my mom isn't our agent (she referred an awesome lady in the local office), she's keeping pretty hands-on with pulling possible homes from the MLS reports.

Then Tyler and I headed up to Ballard, with a brief detour down First Ave to the El Gaucho, inside which is a cool little 21-and-over movie theater with a full bar where they run first run films (The Big Picture). I got two of the last four tickets for the Saturday night showing of The Dark Knight. Raechelle and I are double-dating with JD and Alison.

In Ballard, we picked up Kayleigh from Katherine's place, where she'd been hanging out all day, swimming and cycling. We dropped by Raechelle's apartment and hung out for a few minutes.

Once at home, the kids took Wiley for a walk. and by the time they got back, I could tell all hell was going to break loose. Screaming, whining, provoking... flip-flops were thrown, tears were shed. Tyler and I had words. Tyler was proactive and called Gavin himself so that he could be removed from the house and get a breather. I got Kayleigh ready for bed, had a couple beers and vented on the phone to Raechelle, who was incredibly supportive and soothing. We hung up and I went back upstairs to finish up for the day.

More email, more beer. Crashed at the aforementioned 1:30AM. Awoke at 6:30AM. Gah.

Today should hopefully be calmer, since Tyler is usually somewhat contrite after these meltdowns. And there were three aspects to this one that made it easier than some of the more extreme ones in the past: 1) it's been some time since his last removal to Gavin's house; 2) he initiated it, which shows that he is more self-aware regarding when he needs a break; 3) it was quite a bit milder than previous outbursts.

So that was my day... that, and something humorous and bizarre which requires a second post.

Happy Birthday, Redux

This weekend was PACKED. And when I say "PACKED", I want you to take my full meaning.


Friday evening arrived, and so did Gavin & Michelle to hang with the kids and have pizza movie (over)night. I packed a bag and headed to Raechelle's for her former co-worker/occasional roomie Jessica's going away bash. We walked down to King's Hardware, a bar in Ballard which was crowded and very loud. Very meat-market. I had fun hanging with Raechelle and her work friends, and we proceeded to drink like a couple of adults with no kid-responsibilities. I haven't been able to just go pub crawling since the night of the fire. It was good, although there were apparently some ghosts for Raechelle, and she made a couple declarations later about not visiting certain establishments or drinking certain cocktails anymore, which I fully support.

We went back to Rae's apartment and got some sleep. The girl was a bit delicate in the morning, but I did not have any kind of hangover (blessings counted). Said goodbye to Jessica and Sam as they departed for Bellingham, then headed out to Costco to get the pies for the birthday party. In and out of Costco in 20 minutes flat, back to the apartment to shower and get dressed. Turned out to be way too hot to be wearing my new black paisley tie, but hey - I tried.

We met Trish and Dan at the Ballard Oddfellows Hall at Noon, set up for the party, hosted somewhere around 30 or so folks for Dan's & my combo platter of a 40th birthday party. Trish got movie popcorn bags and Sharpies for folks to write personal abuse to us. Dan made some beautiful remarks that exemplified why I love having him as a creative collaborator. Gavin showed up with the kids, and Doug & Ann were in fine form. Natasha Sims from OA was there, and ended up making new friends in Raechelle and Ann. Apparently there is to be some sort of shopping trip. Shoes may be involved. I find it best to not ask too many questions - just stand aside.

After we cleaned up the party, we took the kids back to Raechelle's apartment so that I could pack up and she could throw a bag together for that night. Kayleigh rode with Raechelle and Tyler rode with me back to West Seattle. We met up with Trish, Dan & Raff, chatted and worked on finishing the keg, then went to dinner at West 5 at the Junction. Back home for a movie screening: Death at a Funeral - loved it. About halfway through, Caleb & Shandalla showed up. They watched the rest of the film with us, then when it was over, everyone cleared out, leaving a very exhausted couple to hit the sack.

Went out to coffee this morning at the B&N Starbucks (I remarked that I almost felt like I was cheating on Ron - "This was our place!"), then headed to Target so Raechelle could look at some summer wear to take to West Virginia on her trip. Then back home where we just... chilled. And it was soooo nice. We had lots of good downtime, hanging with the kids and the pets, making plans and cracking each other up. Later, Rae's friend Jamie (whom I'd met previously), came out to the house, and we all piled into my rig for dinner at the Elliott Bay pub to celebrate Independence Day (aka Raechelle's first anniversary of The Breakup).

Raechelle finally left at 8:30PM. It's feeling more and more natural to have her here. We're planning dinner Tuesday night with one of her best friends (her "big brother"), whom I've heard tons about and can't wait to meet. Then Thursday night she'll stay over night so I can drive her to the airport bright and early Friday morning.

It'll be an interesting week with her out of state - I fully expect the absence will only cement things in a good way.

In the meantime, still waiting to hear back on the Duo pitch. Hold the good thought.

This Deserves a Second Post

I recently added Dad Gone Mad to the blogroll on the right. He's funny. Like, milk-out-the-nose funny. You know, like I am. Anyway, his post today really hits home to those of us work-at-home creative types. I'm especially familiar with #3.

Had a good counseling session today - just me. It was extremely valuable in illuminating the differences in how I process and communicate in contrast to how others do. Good insight there.

Tyler decided to nitpick his way into a fight today. I told him to finish his chore of unloading the dishwasher before going to his room to play games. Now, we've always defined "unloading the dishwasher" to include the step of "putting away the dishes". It's always been that way, and at no time has it ever not been that way. So imagine my surprise when I came in for some water after doing 3/4 of the front yard to find all the clean dishes stacked on the counter next to the dirty ones.

So off Dad marches to yank the plug from his computer in mid-play, to be returned only after the job is complete. Of course, this is now an opportunity for Tyler to poke and prod: "But you never SAID to put the dishes away..." And no amount of my explaining that "putting away the dishes has been included in the chore entitled Unloading the Dishwasher ever since the dawn of the dishwasher" has any effect - he's in Teenager Land. All attitude, all entitlement, no substance.

Now I know why nobody gave me the benefit of the doubt when I was 14. Of course, in my own defense, I was way ahead in social maturity by his age. We each had totally different childhood environments and traumas, so comparing us is like apples and oranges. In two years, he will be the age I was when Sam & I got together. Yeah. How's that for perspective?

So anyway, the net result is a 3/4 finished yard, an empty dishwasher and a pissed off dad smelling like grass and sweat. I need a shower and a beer.