Kazhes pierakstu burtnīca

You should know a song from this film, the one that goes "I was born... born to be wild", and "Steppenwolf" is that head bangin` band that played it. Maybe it`s the best part of the film, when you wave your hair listening to its rhyth and looking at two cool guys riding on their bikes through the US of A. Not that there`s much more in the film than those two guys on their bikes. One of them is the good looking one, and Peter Fonda is the guy who plays him. Wyatt (that`s the guy`s name) drives a cool bike in the national colours in a matching suit, while Billy is just a strange cowboy like character. On their trip after getting a load of money from a drug deal they encounter several people, among whom is a young Jack Nicholson who plays an alcoholic lawyer. What`s the problem for the heroes - that nobody accepts them - long haired motorbiking people, they are looked upon as weed junkies (which they are) and gay sissies (which they most definetely aren`t). The final is quite sad - Nicholson is killed in sleep by some morons, while the others are later shot by some stupid farmer, because like Jack said - people who like talking about freedom don`t like looking at people that are free. If you like movies with beautiful landscapes and good rock music, this one is a good choice, otherwise - try something a bit less sleepy.

I guess I can`t call myself particulary interested in musicals. And I have my reasons for that: first, the music is usually quite cheeky and the singing - awful. Second, the storyline of the average musical is not more complicated than that of a Swedish porn movie. And last but not least I think that adoring musicals shows the person`s bad taste. Then why did I watch this one? Because I was told that it was good. I did have my doubts though - Nicole Kidman as the leading actress is a good thing for sure, but what else could a film about a French sluthouse offer? Ok, I know that the red Mill wasn`t exactly a sluthouse, but basically it still was. Now come to think about the film. The story is stilly quite simple - a young writer from Switzerland comes to Paris and falls in love with the best courtisane of Moulin Rouge. And she falls in love with him. But a rich duke who invests loads of money into Moulin Rouge also craves her, and it brings up the problems. The plot as such can`t score big points for the film. But as for the music - it rocks! Could you imagine a cabaret in early 1900s the people sing "Here we are now - entertain us" or a dude who apparantly has written "The One" by Elton John. Or a performance of "Roxanne" (The Police)? It`s totally cool, although I still prefer the original versions, but this surely is one weird musical.

This is probably the only band to come out of Moldova that`s at least a bit known outside its native country. The style of music can be at best described as some weird ethno-pop with elements of rap, rock`n`roll and a lot of other stuff. The closest thing to that can be probably Emir Kusturica and the No Smoking Orchestra. Why? Because the music is bound to make you shake like a jelly fish (a quote from "Crazy little thing called love" by Queen) and because the band doesn`t have no real musical virtuousos and the singer is kinda lame. But that`s surely a part of the show. Probably I wouldn`t care about the band, hadn`t it participated in the crappy thing called Eurovision. From this album a few tracks seem more memorable than the rest - "Hora cosmica" and "Videli noch" which is the only song sung in Russian.

Šo nedēļu darbā pabeidzu ar pēdējo "nenopietno" Bītlu albūmu, par kura saturu vēl ir atļauts izteikties bez nepārvaramas pietāties un kurā vēl joprojām parādās ne pašu grupas dalībnieku sacerētas kompozīcijas. Pirmā puse no albūma dziesmām ir atrodamas arī šāda paša nosaukuma filmā, kuru skatījos pirms pāris gadiem un kura ir Mēsls (ar lielo burtu). Taču dziesma "Help!" nekļūst aiz to sliktāka, ne uz to pusi. Tu taču zini to enerģisko sākumu: "Help! I Need Somebody! Help! Not just anybody! Help! You know I need someone! Heeeelp!" un panti, kuros Lenons apgalvo, ka tagad viņam palīdzība ir nepieciešama, ne tā kā agrāk, turklāt šī dziesma pat esot raksturojusi viņa tābrīža sajūtas dzīvē (turklāt tā nav dziesma par mīlestības tematiku, kas arī ir rādītājs). "You`ve Got to Hide Your Love Away" ir interesanta ne tikai ar savu savdabīgo (tam laikam) aranžējumu, bet galvenokārt ar to, ka arī love songi bītlu izpildījumā sāk palikt izsmalcinātāki un sarežģītāki, atsakoties no pārmērīga primitīvisma. Te jau patiešām var izjust Lenona vēlmi līdzināties tam mazajam ebreju puišelim, ko par Robertu Cimermanu dēvē. Dziesmu "Another girl" es gan nespēju saprast - kur džeks lielās beibei, ka viņam ir parādījusies klāt pie viņas vēl viena draudzene, šo dziesmu es mēdzu klausīties tālā pagātnē, kad man, protams, nebija ne tikai "Another girl", bet arī "One girl" (lai gan arī tagad, loģiski, man "another girl" nava). Viena no albūma iespaidīgākajām dziesmām, varbūt pat pati iespaidīgākā, ir "Ticket to ride" (par kuru es gan joprojām nesaprotu to frāzi - "she`s got a ticket to ride", kas par biļeti viņai ir?). Arī ar šo dziesmu man saistās atmiņas, tikai jau pavisam "senīlas". Tēvam lentē bija (un patiesībā joprojām ir) kaut kāda ļoti pamatīga bītlu izlase (laikam Blue album+Red album), kuru es savulaik ļoti regulāri klausījos (līdzās Elvisam) un tā bija viena no nedaudzajām dziesmām, kas mani jau tolaik "paķēra" (otra atmiņa no šīs izlases ir tāda, ka man allaž piegriezās koda "Hey Jude" beigās; trešā - "Back In The USSR"). Kopumā dziesmu daudzveidība "Help!" ir jau ievērojami lielāka nekā "primārajos" albūmos un tikai dažas dziesmas ir bālākas un pieminēšanas ne-vērtas ("The Night Before", "I Need You"). Protams, es zinu, ka neesmu vēl pieminējis vienu dziesmu, kas mitinās šajā platē. Varu pačukstēt, ka to izpilda Pols Makartnijs vienatnē un ka viņu tur pavada stīgu kvartets. Ļoti sērīga dziesmiņa. Joprojām nav ideju? "Yesterday". Tā noteikti ir viena no visu laiku spožākajām pop dziesmām un kas par to, ka es to īpaši nespēju klausīties, jo esmu to dzirdējis jau vismaz kādas 5000 reizes?

(valoda: vācu) Šis ir pirmais Maksa Friša romāns, kas tapis uzrakstīts, kad viņam bija apmēram tikpat gadu, cik man tagad. Un jāatzīst, ka pretēji savām prognozēm, es nejūtos nemaz tik ļoti pazemots, kā varētu. Tomēr jāatzīst, ka literatūrā ne visi ģēniji tā kā sportā savus lielākos panākumus gūst vēl gandrīz pusaudža vecumā. Jirgs Reinhārts ir stāsts par kādu jaunu vīrieti, kas sākumā gandrīz tiek no baroneses pavedināts, bet tad "satusē" ar vienu jaunu meiteni, tad viņš aizbrauc, viņai piemetas kaut kāda kaite, no kuras viņa nonāk komā, viņš atgriežas un izpilda viņai eitanāziju. Tieši šis nobeigums ir vienīgais elements, kas manās acīs paceļ šo Friša darbu pāri "sviesta" līmenim, kas citādi šajā grāmatā ir diezgan augsts, romāns līdz tam ir vairāk vai mazāk tradicionāls, prognozējams, nedrošu roku rakstīts, nē, protams, var nojaust, ka Makss Frišs nav gluži trešās šķiras rakstnieks, bet viņa talants, šo grāmatu rakstot, vēl nebija noslīpēts, nebija tur kaut kā tāda, kas viņu vēlāk padarīja par sava laikmeta Kafku. Tas ir tā - lasīt to, protams, var, tāpat kā pēc analoģijas var klausīties arī visus agrīnos bītlu albūmus, taču tā saturiskā puse ir diezgan blāva un pārējas puses arī nav diži spožākas.

I don`t know why but I thought a bit differently what this film was going about than what it actually happened to be about. To start with I never was a fan of gangster films (I guess I`ve already mentioned it on the factoid but I have no intention to check that up right now), and that means that I will never drool and rave about a certain piece of cinematic work only because somebody mentions the name of Al Capone in it, even if Al Capone was the greatest person of the 20th century. Neither am I wild about Tom Hanks. Ok, that`s no wonder for I`m not into guys. But I mean that Tom Hanks ain`t my favourite actor in the whole wide world. So in this film he plays a hitman who`s family except for one son is murdered by the son of Hanks`s boss. Since he doesn`t know a better way, Hanks goes on a mission of revenge. A bit similar to Kill Bill, by the way, only the boss`s son and Hanks were never lovers. So, the film is quite touching and it ain`t that brutal and it`s cool how Michael Sullivan (that`s Hank`s name) tries to save his son from ending up on a road to perdition. Yeah, that`s good that Michael Jr. never came to some revenge mission of his own. But the great depression and the whole thing about this movie don`t really fall into the category I`d call "mine". So that`s the point I`m trying to make.

Ar "Rubber Soul" bītli pirmo reizi paziņo, ka viņi ir NOPIETNA grupa, ambicioza grupa, kura spēj pacelties pāri "boy meets girl" tematikai tekstos un pāri vienkāršām melodijām dziesmu uzbūvē. Galvenie grāvēji, protams, ir zināmi visiem. "Drive My Car" - it kā pastāsts par puisi un meiteni un tomēr - vairāk par to. "Norwegian wood" - savdabīgs noveles veida stāstījums ar austrumu mūzikas elementiem un pirmo sītaras izmantošanu bītlu daiļradē. "Nowhere man" - absolūta klasika, kurā no mīlestības tēmas nav ne miņas. "Michelle" - vienkārša, nepretencioza mīlas balādīte, savā ziņā tipisks Makartnija produkts, no otras puses - lielisks Makartnija produkts. "Girl" - revolucionārā nopūta piedziedājumā padara šo dziesmu par stipri lielāku, nekā tā būtu savādāk. Un, protams, "In My Life". Dziesma, kas man vienmēr saistās ar vēl vienu "Life" dziesmu - "A Day in Life", tikai liriskāka un skaidrāka.

(valoda: vācu). Nezinu, vai Gerhards Rots ir radinieks tam vēl vienam austriešu rakstniekam Rotam, kura romānu lasīju pirms neilga laika, bet ja ir, tad jāatzīst, ka salīdzinoši ar savu priekšteci viņš man šķiet gaužām neinteresants. Viņa romāns ir vēstījums par kādu vīru vārdā Ascher (gandrīz kā tas reperis - Usher), kas aizbraucis uz kaut kādu lauku miestu cerībā paglābties no kaut kādiem mēsliem. Vēlāk gan izrādās, ka nemaz tik lieli tie mēsli nav - vienkārši Ascher ir ārsts, kuram gadījies kaut kādu pacientu nobendēt vai kaut kas tamlīdzīgs un tagad viņu vajā "slikta reputācija". Toties viss tas ciemats ir kaut kāds krīpfests. Pirmkārt, liela romāna daļa stāsta par medībām un medniekiem, kas nodarbojas ar suņu atšaušanu (gross). Tas pat mani gandrīz piespieda pārtraukt šī darba lasīšanu. Pēcāk, kad vēl klāt parādās kaut kāds sajucis prātā tips, kas pēc zaudēta tiesas procesa izlemj nošaut visus savus pretiniekus, grāmata kļūst vēl dzīvespriecīgāka. Un tas viss - ar augstu miegainības devu, kas austriešu rakstniekiem pēc maniem novērojumiem ir vēl raksturīgāka nekā viņu Vācijas brāļiem.

The master`s latest. Baudolino is an old man who has lived a life full of wonders. Born in a swamp, he became the stepson to the emperor Friedrich Barbarossa (you can guess that it happened in the 12th century). He was a very good liar and invented quite many christian myths. But his main quest in life was to find the king John who lived somewhere in the farest East and ruled over the three Indias and the mysterious people inhabiting them. Together with his friends Baudolino went on this voyage and almost got there. That`s strange about this book is that Eco unlike in his other stories about Medieval times gives us unbelievable things - like people who have only one leg or genitalia on their neck, etc. But you can`t be really sure what`s true and what isn`t since what we hear is the story Baudolino tells to a chronist named Nikita. The ending is a bit of surprise although not as much as it could have been. To be honest, I don`t really know why I rate this book that much lower than "Focaults Pendulum" but I still do it. Probably, it`s because there`s too much repetition in here, probably not. It`s still a very good book, and I honestly doubt that Eco would be able to write something not very good.

There aren`t that many people that openly proclaim themselves as geniuses and that probably ain`t lying at all. What undoubtedly is untrue though is the title "diary" given to this book for I`m pretty sure that the diary of Dali has less in common with a real diary than Phil Collins has with underground and alternative music. Not that the diary ain`t interesting, on the contrary Dali does write quite witty and pretty surrealistically as well. Which is no wonder for he really was a genius. There are several things Dali appears to like more than most people do, and those include farts and flies. In this book apart from the "journals" Dali proclaims to have written over the years I got a long essay entitled "The Art of Farting", which Dali claims to be written by some count Trubachevski, but who without a doubt was Dali himself. There`s some strange pseudo-serious text about flies as well. What was the most surprising thing about Dali for me is the fact that he was a romantic person after all - could you imagine a man of his ambition claiming that he loves his wife more than fame, more than art and even more than money? It`s weird isn`t it? Nobody has a doubt that Dali was a much better painter than a writer but at the second thing he was no slouch either. For instance the things he writes about his friends are so full of sarcasm that it`s no wonder the book broke his friendship with Louis Bunuel.