Tilda before the big time

When Tilda Swinton reacted with disbelief upon hearing herself named 'Best Supporting Actress' for her role in Michael Clayton, she mirrored the reactions of many around the world, including mine. Having been a longtime fan of Tilda, I never would have imagined that such an outsider would be named the Hollywood equivalent of the prom queen.

For me, Tilda Swinton was the only good thing about The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She was chillingly memorable as the villain in an otherwise bland piece of Christian propaganda. Without a doubt, this role prompted Hollywood to sit up and take notice when she went on to play a role in Michael Clayton.

I first noticed Tilda when she starred in the 1992 film, Orlando. I had read a review of the movie in Eye Weekly and, at the time, I was crazy for the Quebecois actor, Lothaire Bluteau. He had a small part in the film so I invited a longtime friend to make the trek downtown to the one artsy cinema that was actually screening the movie in Toronto. My anticipation for the film was so high that when a car in front of our bus burst into flames, instead of marvelling at my front row seats to a spectacular explosion, I worried that we would not be able to make it in time for the screening. (To put this in context: the car was empty and parked on the side of the road, and missing the screening time meant not seeing the film at all since my friend and I both had curfews and we couldn't come downtown very often.)

We actually arrived and settled into our seats just as Orlando started. Orlando encapsulated everything I was into at the time: Lothaire Bluteau, strong visuals in art house films and androgyny. Tilda Swinton transformed from a male to a female effortlessly and looked great doing it. After the film, I was completely exhilarated and expected the same reaction from my best friend since Grade 3. "It was okay," she said, "When Orlando spoke directly to the camera, it was annoying." Our friendship was never the same afterwards.

This being a time before the dominance of the internet, I had to feed my obsession for Tilda Swinton and Orlando the hard way. I collected as many newspapers and magazines with reviews and photos of the movie as I could. What I could not acquire, I stole from the public library - for instance, a beautiful photo spread featuring Tilda Swinton wearing the Orlando costumes in an issue of Vogue that was no longer on the stands.

Unfortunately, Tilda Swinton drifted in and out of my consciousness afterwards. She appeared in films like The War Zone, The Beach and Young Adam - none of which I have seen because she looked so grimy in all of them. I did not see Tilda on film again until 2005, which turned into a breakout year: the Keanu Reeves vehicle, Constantine, in which she once again played a male character, the archangel Gabriel; a brief role in Bill Murray's Broken Flowers; then came The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

I have not yet seen Michael Clayton but fully intend to. I'll admit that I had forgotten about Tilda Swinton and Orlando until Tilda's Oscar nomination and then, her surprising win. Who would have thought that popular approval would bring back memories of being an outsider in love with a celluloid one.

Pouting in the trenches

Since Toshiba threw in the towel in their battle against Sony for High Definition DVD supremacy, I suddenly understand how it must have felt to be a Confederate/Nazi/Maple Leaf fan. You invest all your hopes and dreams into one side of a war (HD DVD) and then the leaders of your camp throw up the white flag while you're still engaged in battle (at the cash register).

A less offensive comparison to the HD DVD vs Blu-ray Disc (BD) format war would be the Beta vs VHS showdown of the 1980s. VHS won out in the end as the people's choice due to its longer tape time. A lesser known fact is that VHS's win was helped by the support of the porn industry and its legions of fans; Beta's creator, Sony chose a strict anti-porn stance. Several years after Beta sales became flaccid, Sony abandoned Beta and joined the VHS bandwagon.

Yet, I'm going to return to my previous 'soldier betrayed by the officers' analogy because it is more accurate. Sales have not dictated the winner in the HD DVD vs BD battle since consumers have pretty much waited on the sidelines. It was the slow sales of both formats that prompted companies like Warner Bros., Wal-Mart and Best Buy to make the choice for consumers. And unfortunately for consumers, they chose the format that will probably cost more down the line because it is more expensive to produce.

Having chosen the HD DVD side during the most recent Boxing Day frenzy, I feel resentful that my choice, or any buyer's choice, has factored so little in the final result. Adding salt to the wound is how quickly Toshiba has chosen to surrender rather than support their market.

As Toshiba shares rise in the aftermath of their seppuku display, we'll be burning and pillaging our way through HD DVD fire sales that have already begun.

Gone Facebooking

It has been almost half a year since my last post and the simple reason is that I have become obsessed with Facebook.

Blogging has been less than rewarding at times because it frequently feels like I'm talking to a wall. Some of my friends occasionally leave encouraging comments out of pity, but usually, it's just me ranting to myself.

So, Facebook was a refreshing change. I collected 'Friends', left messages that were returned, and shared hilarious videos and photos. I got response and recognition.

But the problem with Facebook is that it's like a cocktail party. No one really wants to discuss anything of importance when they have the option of Superpoking you. And I am too much of a coward to air my views without a degree of anonymity.

So, I'm back to blogging even if it means talking to myself again.

Random Thoughts: Coming Attractions

I recently checked out some coming attractions on the Quicktime movie webpage and found a lot to get excited about - enough to start a new entry in my blog.

Two different takes on vengeance
The story lines are very similar: protagonist loses a loved one to random thug violence. The system fails to right wrongs and the protagonist is left to turn to vigilante justice to regain power. However, Death Sentence stars Kevin Bacon and is directed by the guy who did Saw. The Brave One stars Jodie foster and is directed by the guy behind The Crying Game. Can you guess which one approaches the topic of revenge like an raging orgy of violence and which one focuses on the uneasy transition from victim to vigilante?
Clue: In the trailer, Kevin Bacon changes from mild-mannered suit into a crazed skinhead. Jodie Foster sports hair reminiscent of her character in The Accused. Think about it.

Another very special little boy
Being the cash cow that it was, The Lord of the Rings movies have spawned a lot of crappy clones: Eragon, The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (protest all you want but the best thing about that movie was Tilda Swinton as the Witch), and now, The Seeker: The Dark is Rising. Once again, we have a seemingly ordinary boy who turns out to be the saviour of the world. This one, played by Alexander Ludwig, appears to have the charisma of particle board.
Do we really need another story about a special little boy? At least with the upcoming release of The Golden Compass, I can look forward to the story of a very special little girl. That's different!

Miscellaneous crap

The trailer for The Kingdom appears very 'us vs them' about the Middle East, which I found very strange in this day and age. That kind of black and white cinematic depiction was harmless fun back in the 80s but it hits too close to home in the post 9/11 world. Of course, a promotional behind-the-scenes feature about the movie shows the gung-ho Americans (Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner) cooperating with a helpful Arab cop. However, the overwhelming story arc in the trailer is of an "elite FBI team" entering "a hostile country" to investigate the bombing of a wholesome game of softball (!) in an American compound in Saudi Arabia. Then one of their team members is taken hostage and this throws everyone into a tizzy. If the only way this movie feels that it can compel its audience to care is to put American characters in danger then I know that The Kingdom is as bad as any boneheaded anti-Arab action movie of the past.

Things We Lost in the Fire - Harlequin romance in the guise of a deep drama. Woman loses husband unexpectedly, husband's no good friend moves into the house to "help", woman ends up becoming attracted to friend, everyone gets angsty and guilty. My favourite scene from the trailer: Halle Berry convinces Benicio Del Toro, the no good friend of her husband, to climb into bed with her so that she can hold onto some male flesh and thereby, overcome her insomnia. Second favourite scene: Halle Berry frolicking in a bikini. Berry muses, "I don't know if I'll ever feel happy again" but is there ever any doubt when Benicio is lurking in the background?

Into the Wild - you suspect that this movie is pretentious because it lists 10 actors' names before the title even shows up. Then you know it will fart in your general direction because it is written and directed by Sean Penn. The movie is about a well-to-do hippie kid who decides to literally burn his money and become an adventurer headed for Alaska. This is the kind of movie that is supposed to make you regret scratching your ass while sitting in the movie theatre. Yet, I find myself wishing Sean Penn had filmed himself burning his millions in a bonfire then treking through the wilderness of America without any hair pomade. Not going to happen.

A glimmer of hope
Not everything is crap. 2 Days in Paris looks hilarious. Who knew that Julie Delpy, the director, writer and lead for the movie, was such a brain in addition to being a looker? Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg play a New York couple on hoiday in Paris during which they encounter Julie's stereotypically French parents and numerous overly friendly ex-boyfriends. The film features the winning line spouted by Delpy's real-life mom: "Sex fun! Everyone with everyone." to which Adam Goldberg mutters, "The mother's a slut, too."

London Called - The End

This London trip story is really dragging on for too long. I'm starting to forget details. Here are the last two days of our trip in point form.

Day 5 - Greenwich

• took first Thames ferry to Greenwich, avoided the crowds, straddled the Prime Meridian, took photos
• did not see the historic ship, the Cutty Sark, because it was under restoration - a week later, vandals had burned most it down -this is in keeping with the disastrous effect I have on the cities I visit (ditto for New York and New Orleans)
• met up with Aunt Irene who drove us in her Renault to Bluewater Shopping Centre
• Bluewater was relatively empty due to the football finals being played out that afternoon; everyone was in the pubs or at home
• returned to Aunt Irene's house in East London - very exciting to see a real London house and suburb
• watched the overtime period then the shootout of the football final
• got a whirlwind tour of East London and the new financial district at night
• took the Tube back to hotel exhausted

Day 6 - Leftovers

• went bright and early to Spitalfield's Market - at 10am, walked cautiously around drunken Londoners coming out of clubs and punching each other in the face
• bought lots of great stuff at Spitalfield's - much better than Bluewater!
• went to the Victoria & Albert Museum - unfortunately, British Galleries were closed - no repression and hooped skirts for us
• walked over to Hyde Park (busy and large) and spent some time watching rollerbladers play a game of street hockey (at least 2 Russians and one Maple Leaf fan) - felt like eating Timbits and drinking maple syrup
• walked past Kensington Palace too late to visit plus it cost money
• ate final dinner in London at East Indian Restaurant again - curry lamb one more time

Day 7 - Flight home

• took an Air Canada plane that was just put into service in 2007
• had many choices of movies and chose to watch: Music & Lyrics (lame), Prête-moi ta main (Charlotte Gainsbourg's wardrobe was amazing), another movie I can't remember, and the first half hour of The Painted Veil (looked promising)
• my parents surprised us at the airport and drove us home - so nice!
• ate some takeout then loaded our photos onto the internet

I did not love London like I always believed I would. All those years of dreaming of the BBC, Sherlock Holmes and Depeche Mode did not match up to the reality: an impersonal and fast city with vestiges of a colonial attitude and an affinity for Big Brother cameras everywhere. Joe and I don't bar a return to London but it won't be at the top of our vacation list.

The End (finally).

A non-commercial break

My blog seems to have been taken over by my never-ending anecdotes about my trip to London. So, I'll talk briefly about my happiness over the withdrawal of "Freestyle" from the CBC Radio One afternoon schedule in Toronto. It was replaced about a month ago by "Q", an arts show hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, whom I loved during the run of "The National Playlist" and his stint hosting "Sounds like Canada" last summer. Needless to say, I am thrilled.

I never had a chance to rant about "Freestyle" when it was still on the air in Toronto and now that it is off, it feels a little late. Yet, I'm going it off my chest and hope that CBC mines the internet for criticism about their past mistakes.

1. Original hosts Cameron Phillips and Kelly Ryan sounded like they disliked eachother. To be more accurate, Kelly sounded like she thought Cameron was a moron. Typical Cameron and Kelly banter went like this (made up at the top of my head):

Cameron: I enjoy drinking a slushee really fast so that I get a
brain freeze. What about you, Kelly? Do you do that much?

Kelly: No, I can't say I do.

Cameron: What about when you were a kid? You used to do
that, right?

Kelly: No, I knew better, Cameron.

(Uncomfortable chuckling from Cameron)

Kelly: Speaking of brain freeze, here's the latest Avril Lavigne
song.

Maybe Kelly's news background made her feel that she was above light, afternoon banter. In the end, she left "Freestyle" to return to news and was replaced by Marsha Lederman who is clearly more willing to join in on Cameron's silliness.

2. More than half of "Freestyle" consisted of easy listening radio. Exactly why CBC would feel a need to wade into the same waters as commercial radio is beyond me. I listen to CBC radio to avoid commercial radio.

I still remember the day CBC management came on "Ontario Today", then hosted by Alan Neal, to announce that "Ontario Today" would end broadcast in Toronto an hour early to make way for their new show, "Freestyle". As the suit droned on and on about markets and surveys, it was hard to ignore Alan's contempt, even in his brief questions.

Alan moved on to "Fuse," a music show, a bit later and I miss him. His mild voice usually led politicians and other guests he interviewed into a false sense of security. Then he would whip out a nasty question and not let up until the interviewee was clearly sweating through the phone. Hilarious!

Jian is back. Now, if only they would get Alan Neal his own show: a mash up of pleasant current events and public humiliation for the deserving.

London Called - Part 4

Day 4 - The South Bank

Looking back on our itinerary, we realize now that maybe we stuffed too much into each day. At the time, we were puzzled as to why were so tired and cranky. Yet, we understood enough to slow down on Day 4.

We started with a leisurely speed walk to the Tate Modern. I had dreamed of going to the Tate Modern, having seen photographs of an amazing installation by Louise Bourgeois in the Turbine Hall back in 2000 (seen above).

Unfortunately, our timing was terrible. The Gilbert & George exhibition has just closed, leaving the Turbine Hall completely empty and partially inaccessible. In the smaller galleries, the collection consisted of mostly paintings from the early to mid 20th century. In retrospect, it makes sense that the Tate Modern should feature 'Modern Art'; I had confused 'modern' with 'contemporary'.

One of the only things that brought my spirits up at the Tate Modern was a piece by one of my favourite artists, Maurizio Cattelan . Ave Maria (seen below), a piece commissioned by the Tate Modern, was on display side by side with some mid-20th century paintings. Photographs were not allowed but I had regretted not taking photos during our visit to St. Paul's and now decided to thumb my nose at the rules.

The other thing that made the trip to the Tate Modern worthwhile was the restaurant. After eating on the cheap for the duration of our stay so far, we decided to splurge on lunch. No matter how many photographs and movies I took, nothing could capture the view of the city from the floor to ceiling windows. I had the lamb and Joe had the fish, then we had some dessert. The bill came out to ₤50, which we were happy to pay because we had reassured ourselves that we would eat fast food for dinner and that we were celebrating my birthday, to come in a couple of months.

We left content with food but ready to piss on the Tate name as both the Tate Britain and the Tate Modern had disappointed us.

We walked on along the Thames and came across the London Eye, the gigantic ferris wheel. Londoners had been tricked into believing the tourist trap would be temporary but it has become the #1 attraction in London and hence, it is staying put. We decided to skip the London Eye due to the massive lineup and the price. Also, we had gotten a great view of the city from the stop of St. Paul's Cathedral, and with less congestion.

We made our way past Cleopatra's Needle and marveled at the shrapnel marks that still remain from World War I bombing that just missed the 3000+ years old obelisk. We then decided to make a run for The National Gallery, even though closing time was a mere hour and a half away.

It turned out that the National Gallery was kind of boring with the usual array of grandiose and pretty paintings that people usually consider "real art". Trafalgar Square outside the National Gallery was packed with tourists and pigeons but I enjoyed Marc Quinn's Alison Lapper Pregnant (seen on the right), which is supposed to be a temporary exhibition but has been on site since 2005.

We sped through the Gallery in record time then rushed out to the sides streets of Oxford Circus to do some windowshopping. We particularly enjoyed a Japanese store that featured simple and stylish objects for travel and everday living. When the shops closed at 7pm, we returned to our hotel, relatively sore-free.

End of Day 4.