Weekend Update

Music! with the iPod misbehaving, this playlist may be entered in something close to Real Time! That may lead to something.... Having gone a week without a post, I should try to make this more substantial. Like - what is happening in the blogosphere this week?

There are Blogathons going on and starting up: Simpsons blogathon, just concluding. A Ghibliathon just started - no roundup post up, but entries exist! UPDATE: now the headquarters post is up. And on Tuesday next - Film Experience hosts an Action Heroine blogathon - certain names come to mind... And (another late night update) - I didn't mean to forget Moviezzz' Grease 2-a-thon, Monday...

Discussions of films I don't plan to see: Dennis Cozzalio hosts a discussion of Hostel II. Michael Guillen posts a two-part interview with Eli Roth at the Evening Class: many others are less enthusiastic (more from Damian Arlyn). I don't have much to add to the comments I left at Moviezzz' place: there's no such thing as bad publicity; it really does matter what the film is about - texts and subtexts and context and all that; and I doubt it's about anything more significant than freaking the squares. Or maybe what I mean is - I can think of plenty of things to say about it, but it's all speculation without seeing the film, and I have no intention of doing that. Not because it's gross or evil or anything like that - because it sounds stupid. From what has been said (by defenders as well as distractors) it sounds like whatever meaning the film has, it has as a concept - "Torture Porn!" It may have some political implications, but I don't know if they depend on the film itself - just on the idea of what is in the film. It occurs to me, for instance, that Roth is to be commended for treating torture as a psycho-sexual pathology, instead of trying to pretend that real world torture (Abu Ghraib; Gitmo) has something to do with a "war on terror." Obviously not - it's all about causing pain, and symbolism - torture a Moslem as payback for 9/11. But that you can get from his interviews and the arguments; seeing the film seems superfluous.

And finally, updating links - either the Shamus has been on vacation in Bangkok, or has moved to a new location: Bad for the Glass.... Also some changes to the blogroll: a few additions; a sad subtraction - as we note the death of Steve Gilliard, an excellent political blogger and journalist. A good roundup of goodbyes can be found here.

And the Random Ten:

1. Liars - Hold Hands and It Will Happen Anyway ****
2. Eels - Novocaine for the Soul ****
3. Velvet Underground - Black Angels Death Song (live - thanks to Robert Quine)
4. Acid Mother's Temple - Stone Stoner [I'm listening this while reading Jim Emerson's response to a bit of Bill O'Reilly bullshit: somehow, seems right, especially when they get talking about dope. Legalize drugs, and this is what you will be hearing, from every car window!]
5. Sonic Youth - The Sprawl
6. Stanley Brothers - Man of Constant Sorrow ****
7. Miho Hatori - Barracuda
8. Byrds - Time Between
9. Burnt Sugar - Gibberish & Bushwhack
10. Feelies - Too Far Gone ***

And for video? Nice lot of songs up there, but let's add another. Nick Cave as Elvis!