Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Off the back of the deck

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  • Craig Ranapia,

    Heh. The 'Chanson des jumelles' song just about ruined my life for a week after seeing that film.

    the Auckland Film Society had a Jacques Demy retrospective last year, and Les parapluies de Cherbourg and Les demoiselles de Rochefort are certainly a candy-coloured shock to the system if your picture of French cinema is painted in the more austere (and politically engaged) shades of Truffaut, Goddard, Melville, Chabrol, and Rohmer. Let alone the chilly formal experimentation of Jacques Rivette or Alain Resnais. They have their charms, but there is something uniquely disconcerting about French pop music. Unless it's Italian disco.

    And it's rather sad seeing Francoise Dorleac -- the sister of Catherine Deneuve, who here was still to find her niche playing psychotic loons or frigid, masochistic whores -- who burned to death in a car-crash a few weeks before she was due to attend the British premiere of 'Rochefort'.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    Good point, StuffnThings.

    My standard snark at Ferrit used to be "why didn't they just buy Pricespy?" Because Pricespy works extremely well in its sphere of computer-related gear. I use it all the time and love its simplicity and effectiveness.

    But actually, when you think about it, computer parts etc are fairly unusual products, a) because 90% if not all of what the buyer needs to know can be summed up in a list of technical attributes and b) because the purchaser usually has a very specific idea what they need, probably even before they go looking. So a catalogue-type approach works really well online, just as it does for dead-trees mail order.

    Ferrit had the problem that they used a single interface to display all kinds of products, including the sort where you really need an interface appropriate to the product (colour swatches, rotating 3d view, whatever).

    I actually did use Ferrit towards the end, but just as a sort of guide to the going rate before looking on Trademe or setting off on foot into town.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • Joanna,

    while our family stages a lightning raid on Wellington.

    Hey baby, if you're looking for a good time while you're down here, give the Wellingtonista a call...

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 746 posts Report Reply

  • Jackie Clark,

    All together now:

    Nous sommes deux soeurs jumelles
    Nées sous le signe des gémeaux
    Mi fa sol la mi ré, ré mi fa sol sol sol ré do
    Toutes deux demoiselles
    Ayant eu des amants très tôt
    Mi fa sol la mi ré, ré mi fa sol sol sol ré do

    GAH!

    Gratuitous use of French on a Thursday afternoon? Check.

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report Reply

  • Geoff Lealand,

    the Auckland Film Society had a Jacques Demy retrospective last year

    The chap sitting next to me muttered, "If they open their mouths to sing again, I am going to leave", and did so. I wished I had had his courage.

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    The chap sitting next to me muttered, "If they open their mouths to sing again, I am going to leave", and did so. I wished I had had his courage.

    Philistines!

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • stephen walker,

    re your two Gaza-related links, they both look like garbage, imho.

    the Israeli effort against Hamas

    i wonder if Mr. Fallows' opening sentence might not be a giveaway to the fact that he doesn't know shit?

    "Israeli effort against Hamas"? oh, right, the one where UN schools and houses full of families get bombed on purpose. That effort. I'm sorry to have to lower the tone, but to Mr. Fallows, I say: Fuck off.

    and as for Mr. Marshall:

    an ugly, defining watershed for Israeli democracy

    oh, that would be the democracy that runs an apartheid system for its own citizens and a Warsaw Ghetto system for its subhuman neighbours? i think the "ugly, defining watershed for Israeli democracy" happened in 1948 when they decided to "clear the natives" through violence and theft, creating the longest-running refugee crisis of modern times. Millions of people crowded into refugee camps for 60 years? There's democracy for ya, then!

    Here's my own summary of Israeli strategy and tactics:
    "If we bomb them hard enough, will they stop complaining?"

    nagano • Since Nov 2006 • 646 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    The chap sitting next to me muttered, "If they open their mouths to sing again, I am going to leave", and did so. I wished I had had his courage.

    But you sat through the season of dreary German films on the profound theme of the general suck-i-tude of being a woman? (I was waiting for some angst-stoned automaton to turn and wink at the camera, but no such luck.) And I swear I stayed awake through Antonioni's The Passenger and still felt like I'd missed a couple of reels. Confirms my lingering suspicion that you could put every frame he's ever shot on an art gallery wall. It's when you run them through a projector, at a rate of 24 a second, that things become problematic.

    But that's the thing about putting your cash down for a Film Society membership. You're not going to like every thing on the program -- unless you're so open minded nothing will touch the sides on the way down -- but you just hope there's going to be enough to enjoy, or at least find interesting, that the cost-benefit analysis works. And I really did enjoy the Charles Burnett films (though I came out of The Glass Shield muttering "I HATE WHITE PEOPLE") and the season of Korean films was a hoot.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Withers,

    I'm at work, but those links to the Ferguson "Ascent of Money" video appear to be dead. We have no trouble accessing YouTube, but who knows. I'll test them when I get home.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 312 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    Apropos KiwiPolitico - can't say the comments are adding anything to the posts thus far...

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • Mark Harris,

    Apropos KiwiPolitico - can't say the comments are adding anything to the posts thus far...

    I saw Redbaiter in the "Recent Comments" list and thought "Why bother?"

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    I'd welcome a function that let me identify plonkers like that and have all their comments made invisible.

    Maybe once the italics is stable and the clamouring for an Edit button has died down..

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Actually the trick would be persuading the sites that really need it to implement it..

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    I'd welcome a function that let me identify plonkers like that and have all their comments made invisible.

    Usenet's old *plonk*, oh, how I miss it theee. Although it's a testament to PAS that I wouldn't have any use for it here.

    re your two Gaza-related links, they both look like garbage, imho.

    Let's all agree with Philip's review of Waltz with Bashir. (And go see the film, it's so worth it.)

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    It's on at the Paramount (at least) until next Wednesday at the following times: 1.15pm, 5.00pm, 6.40pm

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Heather W.,

    Steven,

    According to flicks.co.nz Waltz with Bashir is playing at the Paramount in Wellington.

    North Shore • Since Nov 2008 • 189 posts Report Reply

  • Heather W.,

    I can live without an Edit button - I want a "someone else has already replied so don't post" flashing light.

    North Shore • Since Nov 2008 • 189 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    I'd welcome a function that let me identify plonkers like that and have all their comments made invisible.

    Really? I'm continuing to think the 2008 Purge of Political Blogs from my RSS reader was (unintentionally) the smartest thing I ever did. the vicious circle of bloggers writing troll bait, getting exactly what they were looking for, and coming over all outraged about it is tiresome. I'd rather waste time enormous amounts of time working through Proust.

    Let's all agree with Philip's review of Waltz with Bashir.

    Must we? I find something a little Pseud's Corner-ish about a sentence like "only to suddenly and audaciously give way to actual news footage of the event. We’re pulled out of animation’s communal dream-state into real suffering, real anguish." I don't think there's much in the way of aesthetic brownie points in getting your war porn through a different channel.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    Nope, when it comes to this particular film too much information is never enough. Did I mention it's on at the Paramount. At least until Wednesday, is what I hear.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    My last post directed at Heather W. obviously.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Dodgy Insider,

    My take on the Ferrit thing was that Telecom (and the departed Ms Gattung in particular) saw how much TradeMe was looking like selling for (I assume they were offered the chance to buy it and passed).

    There was then a decision that they had to create a Web 2.0 property, *any* Web 2.0 property as quickly as possible. Somebody suggested a shopping comparison site and in the absence of any better ideas, they went for it with a budget of a few tens of millions.

    Being a half-baked idea badly executed to boot, it had no chance long term. But it probably lifted the share price a few cents for a few weeks.

    See also: CDMA, AAPT, staunching it out with the government on broadband, etc, etc..

    NZ • Since Jan 2009 • 6 posts Report Reply

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    Let's all agree with Philip's review of Waltz with Bashir.

    Must we?

    Hear Hear!

    Any film critic who includes a comment like this:

    Ari Folman’s animated documentary – is that a first?

    Isn't deserving of the name :-)

    No, it is not the first.

    There have been several animated documentaries, not least Disney's Victory Through Air Power . And if its live action segments take it out of the running, then why not Our Friend the Atom , or Of Stars and Men ?

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report Reply

  • Don Christie,

    There have been several animated documentaries

    and, of course, Watership Down.

    Part 1 for the PAS terrorist out there:

    http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=3gYpLGxAetg

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report Reply

  • samuel walker,

    Spiritualized the other night at the power station ? gee it was really pretty great , one of the best . We were almost shot into
    orbit

    oh, indeed, i actually broke free of gravity a couple of times, just for a few moments like....

    @ ferrit
    my take on ferrit is that it probably hindered several companies from having truly effective websites, beyond just e-shops. dse for example; they would have reasonable turnover online but would be responsible for securing a LOT more trade for the actual stores. ferrit damaged that for those involved.

    Since Nov 2006 • 203 posts Report Reply

  • Peter Ashby,

    I'm rather attached to Alison Moyet's version of Windmills of Your Mind from her Voice album. I find it meditative rather than melancholy. But then I am one of those people who have never found Pink Floyd depressing (but then I have all their stuff, not just Dark Side).

    Dundee, Scotland • Since May 2007 • 425 posts Report Reply

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