Summer Vacation 'Open Mike' has begun!

We are all ears here!
Waiting eagerly for any little tidbits.
Juicy or otherwise.
RE any and all subject matter.

Discussion of "Czech Dream" Has Begun!

"Avoid the Exhibition Grounds, the fortune teller warned me..."
(duped Czech consumer)



I think this song written for the ‘Czech Dream’ ad campaign sums it up well:

“What is happiness like?
What makes a dream full?
How can anything be bright when the day is so dull?
You see what you want.
No need to idealize.
Life lasts but a second
So want truth, not lies.

Try to see as a child.
Many things will seem wild.
The world’s yours so take it.
All you need is to want it.

(Horns, Strings & Harmony)

It will be a nice big bash
And if you got no cash
Get a loan and scream
I want to fulfill my dream!”

Get a loan and scream. And do we ever. I like that this film lets no one off the hook. Not the filmmakers , not the advertisers, and not the consumers. We are all in cahoots.

“I think people like to be persuaded. I mean, people need solid footing and ads provide that for them.” ( Martin Prikryl of BBDO Advertising)

I agree with the young VERY hip Mr. Prikryl that we do seek this solid footing. The ads, the longing they instill and the purchaces we then make do give us a quick fix . An aquired addiction. And like any addiction , by consuming endlessly we are consumed. The question is, through what channels can we truly find a solid footing? Perhaps by accepting the fact that there is no such thing. That the rug will constantly be pulled out from under us and that this is acceptable. We must all find our own way to peace and my guess is it ain't through a credit card.

Alan Clarke Film Festival Has Been Extended! It will end on June 14th.

"He just doesn't blink, Allen, in any of his work. I think that is one of the things that pinpoints him, picks him out as an individual filmmaker. He's not interested in blinking."

Quote from director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting)



Welcome to our discussion of one of my favorite directors, Alan Clarke. We will be focussing on his films 'Made in Britain', 'The Firm/Elephant' and 'Scum.'
Let the fun begin with David's commentary:

"Thanks for bringing Clarke's films to my attention! I think Oldman is right: in Hollywood, these would have been turned into bland, common "tragedies of the human soul," instead of what Clarke has made: a series of in your face films that say "look at the world that exists, not the world you want."

I too, did not know what was going on in Elephant, but all I needed was the words Northern Ireland for ALL OF IT to fall into place. In the 1930's they could make "The Informer," a movie about N. Ireland with people with real lives outside of ‘The Struggle’. Clarke could only show killing after killing after killing. (AND THEY SAY THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS PROGRESS!)

Watching both versions of "Scum" showed that even the mighty Clarke had to compromise for his audience. The original BBC version had better acting, more disturbing content, and a raw edge. The re-make was a bit too smooth. And there is no comparison between the portraits of the Archer character. In the BBC version this kid was a smart ass, in the movie version he became almost Christ-like. And the whole gay lover angle was taken out. Don’t get me wrong, there was still plenty to be disturbed about...

”The Firm” had the simplest message of all, as spoken by one of the characters: "Maybe we just like to beat people up." If these hooligans could stand the organization required, we might re-create the gladiator contests, and have them duke it out before or after a match, in the stadium, before a cheering crowd. A hooligan may have a respectable day job, but his heart is in the fights. “(Fight Club”, anyone?)

But my favorite was "Made in Britain." The main character (Trevor) was not born into a split society like N Ireland. He was not a common criminal who abused others and was abused in turn. He didn't lead a dual life, hoping to make it through. He was a kid who gave up on it all. He had no real beliefs, he just wanted to fight. Borstal was his goal and his joy when he made it (in the closing shot) was that of a boy who has finally won the girl after wooing her for years. At first I thought he was like the Ed Norton character in "American History X," but Ed really believed what he fought for. Trevor did not.

Thank you Alan, for producing a series of films that showed a Britain that is bleak and depressing. It is a nice change from all those stylized period pieces we see on film."

(Thanks David!)

Discussion of "The Business of Being Born" has begun!

-" 'If I could do that I could do anything.' That's the POWER of birthing, and THAT is what we are taking away from women."

-Giving birth, “This is what it could be if you trusted it. If you believed in this woman. If you believed in her body and her ability.”

-“There really is no informed consent from these women..”

-“People in our culture spend more time and effort researching to buy a car stereo system…than they do checking out what their choices are for birth.”


I am a fifty-one year old woman, am still fertile and have had more than one abortion in my lifetime. I knew from a very young age that I did not want to be a mother, that I had no more interest in having children than I did in being an astronaut or in pole vaulting. I have never felt any maternal yearnings or instincts. Throughout my adulthood when this subject arose and I made my feelings clear the most common reaction was that of surprise and disbelief. “Oh, you’ll change your mind, you’ll see.” people would say. Unbelievably , I had this same experience less than a month ago. I am half a century old and people still think I am going to change my mind!

I am not. However, I have to tell you that watching this film brought up a lot of feelings and thoughts that were very new to me.

Foremost, how could I have grown up as a female in a ‘modern’ society, with a high level of education and access to information and yet have been TOTALLY in the dark regarding the process of birthing. How could I not have questioned the system of mechanized birthing and ‘obstetric intervention’ that exists in our country? How did I, Miss Gotta-know-the-real-deal-behind-every-door, TOTALLY miss the boat on this one? I never questioned the system. Never asked how, what, or why. I can let myself off the hook a little by saying that as I never intended to give birth why should I do the research. But that doesn’t cut it for me. I allowed myself to be duped, hoodwinked, brainwashed. The only picture I had in my head of giving birth was of a woman screaming in agony as a bunch of medically clad humans yelled at her to PUSH, goddamnit, PUSH! Lying on a cold white sheeted table, vulnerable, exposed, and totally dependent on a doctor, usually male, to get this thing out of her once and for all. Followed by "thank god that hellacious experience is over." Never thought about it, never questioned it, never cared.

Man, did this film blast open my world . It was if I was being forced to wake up from a dream, a BAD dream at that, and be dragged into the reality, the beauty, the awe, the truth that I had never seen and it hurt! It hurt like hell to realize that all my views and conceptions about the process of having a baby were wrong. That it could all be very different. It could be private and intimate, loving and warm. It could be sensuous, emancipating. It could be bliss. It could be an experience worth having, worth remembering, worth anticipating. It could be an experience that puts me in touch with the living universe in a way that could change me and enhance my connections to and understanding of nature.

Had I been aware of all this, had I known what I was missing, would my decisions have been any different? Would I have chosen to give birth and have the child be adopted? My mind has reeled with the impact of these questions. I watched the film a second time with my partner David and I cried a lot. Cried for what I missed out on, the experience I will never have.

So I said to David, "You know, I could still probably do it. I could get pregnant, give birth, and give the child to parents who would love it." Together we pondered this, we let our imaginations fly, thought about a couple we know who are looking to adopt, how would it feel to give them a baby. Ultimately I decided, no, I do not wish to do this.

In the past, I chose not to give birth to and or raise a child. And now I choose it again. But this time with full, informed consent.

And THAT is empowering.