007-Up

Caught my favorite James Bond movie, From Russia with Love earlier tonight on the bigscreen. It's the best of all the Bond pix, at least in my opinion. Istanbul, where much of it is filmed, is a cool-looking city, the architecture exotic to these American eyes. I'd like to see more movies set there(well, there's Topkapi) .

Along with the other James Bond movies, I remember seeing From Russia with Love as a kid, in the theatre, and particularly enjoying the big fight scene on the train, where Bond barely wins thanks to the attache case he almost didn't want to bring along originally('I don't see how I'll be needing this. M: 'take it anyway, you might need it'.)

And of course the scene where Klebb and Kronsteen are both standing before #1(whom you never see, just hands petting a white cat-and of course he's wearing the special "spectre ring")trying to 'splain what went wrong and blaming each other to avoid being killed themselves. A henchman is signalled into the room and clicks his boots to open a poison-filled spike from one. Just when you think Klebb is gonna get the boot, by #1's words('we do not tolerate failure, #3- you know the penalty') and the henchman's malevolent stare, the henchman turns and kicks a flabbergasted Kronsteen, who falls to the floor. (Actually if you watch closely you'll see that the actor playing Kronsteen apparently makes a funny face from the floor at the henchman guy, who stifles a laugh, as the scene goes back to #1 addressing Klebb). Klebb, as we find out near the end of the movie, also "walks the walk" as far as having the special poison-spiked shoes..


The original Bond movies were made back in the 60's, and it's something how different some of the basic societal attitudes were at that time. Women were either sexpots or secretaries, and it was the guys who did all the thinking. What would be considered a Stepford Wives kinda thing now was de rigueur then. Plus the technology of course: reel-to-reel tape recorders were state of the art. The hot new items.

So I'd imagine, since they pretty much ooze male chauvinism(another example, from Goldfinger: where Bond pats the ass of his ladyfriend 'Dink'--who, to recommend her, is quite fetching--to shoo her off while he talks to Felix Liter, saying "man stuff".), most women probably HATE these early James Bond flicks. Whether they're name-hyphenatin' feminists or not. The Stooges and early Bond: not for the ladies, generally speaking.


As a male watching this stuff, I like to look at the babes in the movies(particularly Luciana Paluzzi from Thunderball, who has great tits)and enjoy the gadgetry and the action scenes. I note the chauvinistic attitudes, but not having a direct identification with it(again, I'm a guy)am not appalled by them. But I can see how they'd be offensive.Still, they're fun for us guys. Give me some nice sophomoric Stooge humor and early Bond movies anytime(well, unless I have a lady over). I guess I'm a purist in my appreciation, in that I really only like the Bond movies with Sean Connery, though Moonraker(with Roger Moore)had its moments.


Oh yeah, another notable moment in Thunderball(besides those showcasing Ms Paluzzi's copious cleavage), is The Other Cool Scene with #1, where SPECTRE agents from all over the world are assembled in two rows of fancy chairs(which turn out to be 'zap-o-loungers'), about 10 feet above which #1 presides, face shielded by a visor but hands visible- and once again, petting white cat. He's listening to the Area Financial Reports from various SPECTRE agents, and becomes skeptical of the accounting from the two American agents. As he accuses them of embezzlement, one sits calmly(smugly really)and the other apprehensively.


Just like in From Russia with Love, the punishment falls on the one who feels he's somehow exonerated. The calm guy gets the piss shocked out of him from his chair. And of course, being cold-blooded bahstads, they just proceed with business as usual as the electrocuted guy is lowered and then dumped and his chair returns to its upright position without him in it.Great stuff.

The Bodhissatva Pimp

It doesn't happen that often, but once in a great while you see a movie that touches you so powerfully you feel like it changes your life! Something in it provides you with a spiritual jolt, a kind of satori-experience wherein suddenly the mysteries of life unfold before your eyes and spiritual riches drop at your feet.

Such a film, for me, would be Snoop Dogg's "Boss n' Up". It's a beautiful allegory of a spiritual seeker who breaks free of the shackles of his ego and attains a very high level of enlightenment, a very pure state. But instead of continuing his spiritual advancement, Snoop's Siddhartha chooses to stay here and help the struggling souls in this realm, this vibration- the bodhisattva role as it's known in Buddhism.What's remarkable to me about the movie is the setting in which Snoop Dogg couches his story of spiritual growth, as a pimp(the seeker)getting out of Prison(his ego), and then coming back to help other seekers(young wannabe pimps), and of course throughout the film advice and guidance from The Master Pimp(usually from inside his limo) as he proceeds on the long and bumpy path to enlightenment. Other very high beings make their presence known in the movie, all of them having attained a state of sahaj samadhi --of course symbolized by big hats, fancy cars, and of course fancy women. What a beautiful transposition of noble and ignoble- the world's most noble quest and the world's most ignoble occupation

.Oh, wait a minute! He's serious!!FUCK!!!!He's talking, not figuratively but literally, about getting women to fuck guys for money, 99% of which you keep. And he really seems to hold these guys who do that in some kind of esteem. After all, there are actual pimps playing themselves here--and they are billed in the credits as such. That testimony in itself says it all.


Well okay I didn't really think this was in any way allegorical. Just fuckin' with ya there. But I did think it was a parody aways into the movie, and at a point his earnestness seemed to dawn on me--okay I guess that was my satori, that sort-of chilling realization.Why did I think it was a parody? Strangely enough, by its very earnestness. The 'sage' advice given from the Pimp Master contained in its tone the same love and reverence one would have for something involving real effort and requiring real skill- such as being a fine musician, or fine athlete, or fine anything but user..


On the other hand, aside from the whole human subjugation/ Sexual Dictatorship thing here(yes, most reprehensible to be sure, but at least Snoop, to commend him, is non-violent toward his pelvic posse , contrary to advice from Da Mastah as far as keeping discipline), it would be pretty cool to have a whole crew of great-looking women, any of whom you could fuck any time you wanted to. That plus all that damn money would certainly be fun. Definitely put you in the closest thing to sahaj samadhi on this side of the Veil..


Actually I think prostitution should be legal throughout the whole country, not just parts of Nevada. But if there's any kind of management, a much more benevolent and less controlling one--maybe like the Henry Winkler and Michael Keaton characters in Night Shift: love brokers..

So. Boss n' Up. Parody or allegory? Maybe both, maybe neither. I anxiously await his next cinematic opus-especially if he has more fine-looking women in it like this time. Not sure what month this was released, I'm thinking December. Regardless, I watched it over Christmas, and it definitely gives a different meaning to "ho ho ho"...

The Passion of the Gibson

It's happened more than once where I work. Somebody has a CD or DVD that's too 'weird' or too intense for them and they lay it on me to see if it even redlines the "Smith-o-meter". I got a Kid Rock CD that way(still enjoy it from time to time, whether or not it's my actual thing as far as style), and watched a Lars Von Trier movie I ended up finding kinda static and boring(but not too weird!). Can't remember the name of it, but it was English-speaking and had some pretty well-known thespian folk in it. Of Von Trier, I do like "The Kingdom" and "The Idiots", but not that one..

This time it was the Mel Gibson film "The Passion of the Christ". I must say he's turned out some fine films- Braveheart and The Patriot among them. This one may require another viewing to really take everything in, but there were definitely some things that caught my eye first time around.For one thing, there seemed to be a great care in giving things and folks some degree of historical accuracy. I didn't see anyone wearing a wristwatch--as in Ben Hur--or anyone with a flattop haircut(like Kirk Douglas in Spartacus), which was a plus right off the bat. And no one spoke English. Taras Bulba was a cool movie to me as a kid, but as a grown-up, Tony Curtis's Brooklyn accent just shot it to hell.. I guess language coaches came later.

One little detail seen to, as far as 'historical accuracy' was right down to the teeth. At the time of Christ, dental care was about a millenium away. Many of the characters had scummy, rotten teeth, as you'd figure in the absence of toothpaste and dental floss. The first you noticed in this regard was Barabbas, as he was released from his cell. One eye missing, and a gnarly set of choppers. Probably stunk to high heaven too, but fortunately this isn't able to just waft through the TV screen(not yet anyway.). Dinner was hard enough to down lookin' at them teefers...

As far as the 'metaphysical' special effects, they're employed subtlely. No grandiloquent Cecil B DeMille stuff here, more of a flicker than a flame. Judas's demons of guilt(after he's betrayed Jesus) appear first as a duo of young boys offering assistance, the gargoyle nature within them flashing occasionally across their otherwise innocent features. Much scarier that way.

Likewise, Christ's messages to humanity were beautifully stated, without the heavy-handed moralism that would be all too easy to fall into(that some older directors, with a more bombastic approach, would have a field day with). The film probably could've used more of the speeches.

What it did labor over, though, was the ass-whipping Christ received at the hands of the Roman guards. It was a powerful image though, albeit in an overly long scene, of Christ, solid-red body shredded by whipping, being dragged across a white marble floor. On the whole, though, I could've done with much more talking(more 'speechifyin', if you will)and much less ass-whuppin'.Anyway, those are things I noted in a first viewing. Definitely worth a second one.