plato's cave sixty three (being a film journal)

7.4.2018 - 7.31.2018
David Simon & Ed Burns - The Wire Season One episode Ten through Season Two Episode Five - 2002-2008

Characters from Season One and their notable roles:

Dominic West (Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty)
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby - 2001, The Affair

Wendell Pierce (Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland)

Malcolm X - 1992, Manhattan Murder Mystery - 1993, Selma - 2014, Ray Donovan, The Gift - 2015

Lance Reddick (Lt. Cedric Daniels)
The Corner, Oz, John Wick I & II, Bosch

Sonja Sohn (Det. Shakima 'Kima' Greggs)
Bringing Out the Dead - 1999, Luke Cage - 2016

Clarke Peters (Det. Lester Freamon)

Mona Lisa - 1986, The Corner, Oz, K-PAX - 2001, True Detective - 2014, John Wick - 2014, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - 2017

Seth Gilliam (Det. Ellis Carver)
Oz, Homeland, The Walking Dead

Domenick Lombardozzi (Det. Thomas 'Herc' Hauk)

A Bronx Tale - 1993, Oz, Miami Vice - 2006, Public Enemies - 2009, God's Pocket - 2014, Boardwalk Empire, Daredevil, Bridge of Spies - 2015

Jim True-Frost (Det. Roland 'Prez' Pryzbylewski)
Singles - 1992, The Hudsucker Proxy - 1994, Homicide: Life on the Street, Affliction - 1997, Boardwalk Empire

Corey Parker Robinson (Det. Leander Sydnor)
Homicide: Life on the Street, The Corner, Boardwalk Empire

John Doman (Maj. William A. Rawls)
Die Hard with a Vengeance - 1995, Cop Land - 1997, The Sopranos, Oz, Mystic River - 2003, Blue Valentine - 2010, House of Cards, The Affair, You Were Never Really Here - 2017

Frankie Faison (Dep. Comm. for Operations Ervin H. Burrell)
Manhunter - 1986, Coming to America - 1988, Mississippi Burning - 1988, Do the Right Thing - 1989, The Silence of the Lambs - 1991, Oz, My Blueberry Nights - 2007

Nat Benchley (Det. Augustus Polk)
Broadcast News -1987

Tom Quinn (Det. Patrick Mahon)
Homicide: Life on the Street

Richard DeAngelis (Maj. Raymond Foerster)
Broadcast News - 1987

Robert F. Colesberry (Det. Ray Cole)
Mississippi Burning - 1988, The Corner (Mostly known as a producer)

Delaney Williams (Sgt. Jay Landsman)
Homicide: Life on the Street, The Corner, The Punisher

Al Brown (Maj. Stanislaus Valchek)
Homicide: Life on the Street

Michael Salconi (Off. Michael 'Sanny' Santangelo / Det. Michael 'Sanny' Santangelo)
Homicide: Life on the Street

Wood Harris (Avon Barksdale)
Oz, Southland, Creed - 2015, Blade Runner 2049 - 2017

Idris Elba (Russell 'Stringer' Bell)

28 Weeks Later - 2007, American Gangster - 2007, The Office - 2009, Prometheus - 2012, Thor: Ragnarok - 2017

Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (D'Angelo Barksdale)
Homicide: Life on the Street, Trees Lounge - 1996, Gangs of New York - 2002, The Machinist - 2004, Southland - 2012, The Walking Dead

J.D. Williams (Preston 'Bodie' Broadus)
The Sopranos, Oz, The Night Of

Michael B. Jordan (Wallace)
The Sopranos, Fruitvale Station - 2013, Creed - 2015, Black Panther - 2018

Hassan Johnson (Roland 'Wee-Bey' Brice)
Brooklyn's Finest - 2009

Clayton LeBouef (Wendell 'Orlando' Blocker)
Homicide: Life on the Street & The Corner

Michael Kenneth Williams (Omar Little)
Bringing Out the Dead - 1999, The Sopranos - 2001, Gone Baby Gone - 2007, Brooklyn's Finest - 2009, 12 Years a Slave - 2013, Inherent Vice - 2014, Boardwalk Empire, Triple 9 - 2016

Andre Royo (Reginald 'Bubbles' Cousins)
Super - 2010

Leo Fitzpatrick (Johnny Weeks)
Kids - 1995, Fay Grim - 2006, Sons of Anarchy

Deirdre Lovejoy (Asst. State's Atty. Rhonda Pearlman)
Seinfeld, The Talented Mr. Ripley - 1999

Peter Gerety (Judge Daniel Phelan)

Homicide: Life on the Street, Inside Man - 2006, Charlie Wilson's War - 2007, Public Enemies - 2009, Flight - 2012, God's Pocket - 2014, A Most Violent Year - 2014, Daredevil - 2015

Steve Earle (Walon)
Nashville - 1975 (as concert goer)

Robert F. Chew (Joseph 'Proposition Joe' Stewart)
Homicide: Life on the Street & The Corner

Isiah Whitlock Jr. (State Sen. R. Clayton 'Clay' Davis)
Goodfellas - 1990, 25th Hour - 2002, Brooklyn's Finest - 2009, Louie

(mostly did this post because there were hardly any images of these great actors in good quality on line. they all set a new standard. Still from season two to follow)

plato's cave sixty two (being a film journal)

7.8.2018
John Krasinski - A Quiet Place - 2018
Not a bad film.

7.9.2018
Jaume Collet-Serra - The Commuter - 2018

The building I work in 5 days a week is in this film, Liam Neeson works there and leaves early on in the film.

7.16.2018
Chris Weitz - The Twilight Saga: New Moon - 2009

7.16.2018
Phillip Noyce - Patriot Games - 1992
This film is actually pretty good. Had never seen and properly enjoyed it.

7.22.2018
Sidney Lumet - Running on Empty - 1988

Very good film, had never seen. Strange how they leave the dog in the street though, I had a problem with that small part.

Nicholas Ray - Rebel Without A Cause - 1955

A good double feature with above film, from a family moving around a lot, high school, the strange unrelating dad to unnecessary dog killing.

Martin Scorsese & Paul Schrader - Taxi Driver with audio commentary

Use to have this on laserdisc a long time ago. One damn good commentary. Now on filmstruck.

7.23.2018
Elia Kazan - East of Eden - 1955
Second time seeing this. Wonderful film, I much prefer Rebel though.

7.27.2018
Zach Braff - Garden State - 2004

First time seeing this, I understand it was made independently, away from the Hollywood system, and thus an independent film.

7.28.2018
Gust Van Sant - Good Will Hunting - 1997
On vacation and watched this on the hotel along with the above film. This one I have seen many a time and enjoy very much.

7.29.2018
Mike Leigh - Secrets and Lies - 1996
Almost watch this film yearly.

7.30.2018
John Huston - Key Largo - 1948
About time to go through a Bogart obsessive rewatch. Some great actors including Marc Lawrence from Asphalt Jungle, Claire Trevor from Stagecoach, the great Lionel Barrymore and Edward G. Robinson, Thomas Gomez from Force of Evil. Shot by the great Karl Freund.

oiseaux invisibles | caged in light .:. freed in darkness

cage is shut. cage is open. oiseaux invisibles operations have ceased in this present world of Time and Light. devotees and wanderers thank ambassadors slow, lightowler and swiezynski for their forming of fledglings into musical birds unseen. the shape of these sounds pleases me. the movement of intention from their creators is felt in the dark, & so should these sounds continue henceforth in the dark. & as the darkness moves the sounds move with it & shall continue to move in magnanimity, in anonymity, to those who will receive it. the gradient of light pleases me. the movement of darkness pleases me. thank you oiseaux invisibles for gradients of light. for sounds unheard.

continue reading here

Thanks very much to Adrian Dziewanski at The Alcohol Seed for writing this very flattering article on the Invisible Birds record label, focusing on the history, cultural significance and relationship to medieval anti-ornithological movements in Great Britain.

plato's cave sixty one (being a film journal)

6.03.2018
Greta Gerwig - Lady Bird - 2017
Second time. I like this film, very good.

6.4.2018 - 6.25.2018
Michael Connelly etc. - Bosch Season One - Four - 2014-2018

Started watching this last year and did the first season and a half or more, and quit. Trying a second time. I love Noir-infused Los Angeles and the dirt and grit and grime and who-gives-a-fuckery of modernist City of Angels, an endlessly mystifying city full of whores, whoremongers, and charmless nihilism. The show has some moments. Titus Welliver has some good moves.

6.08.2018
Clint Eastwood - A Perfect World - 1993
Third time seeing this film, a hugely rewatchable film for me.

6.9.2018
Ari Aster - Hereditary - 2018

Frightening film.  Colin Stetson soundtrack really good, worked well throughout the film, subtle most of the times and intense here and there. Interesting editing and cinematography as well, Aster is obviously influenced by the masters and has learned from them. Some extremely liminal fright in this film which really gave it strength. The end of the film overly simplistic though.... 

6.10.2018
Paul Schrader - Hardcore - 1979

Endless hours spent watching this film.  Most classic of the classic 70s. The finale with slow to fast motion rage through fake walls after the Kramer-like Ratan is like a drug direct to the blood stream. Tracey Walter working a dirtbag bookstore/video store, what could be better?

6.11.2018
Paul Schrader - Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters - 1985

Being an enthusiast of Mr. Schrader's films I have tried this film previously and not really enjoyed. Same this viewing.

6.23.2018

Fred M. Wilcox - Forbidden Planet - 1956

Ashamed that I had not seen this film. It is a good one, one can see where basic ideas in Alien came from. My friend Harvey said it was one of his fav films and that I should check it out, said it was a retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Pretty sexy film too... some hot stuff in it. I grew up finding Mr. Leslie Nielsen's jokes quite funny, what a strange presence he has in this film, hugely comedic without really overtly displaying any comedy, just in his face it seems.

6.25.2018

Doug Liman - American Made - 2017

I like Liman's other films, especially Edge of Tomorrow which I have seen like 5 times.  This one was alright, Tom Cruise was good in it.

6.26.2018

John Badham - Saturday Night Fever - 1977

Use to watch often as a kid. Saw about 6 or so years ago and was pretty shocked how much sex was in it, and how serious the themes were. Such a great film, from the music to Travolta to the cinematography, etc. Serious film, worth many rewatches.

6.27.2018

Robert Mandel - School Ties - 1992

Second time seeing this film. I use to get it a little confused with Dead Poets Society (a film I really love), thinking that Matt Damon was in DPS. Took me watching DPS many times over the years to realize I had combined two films in my mind. School Ties is a good film, worth a rewatch here and there.

6.29.2018 - 7.3.2018

David Simon & Ed Burns - The Wire Season one episode One through Nine - 2002-2008

Fourth time seeing the first season. The Wire is endlessly rewarding, this viewer didn't start to understand the story until the third time, so this new viewing will yield good results. Someone who watches movies and television daily thinks of The Wire quite often as the actors show up in so much. From heavies like Idris Elba and Michael K. Williams to actors you see less often like Wendell Pierce. It is interesting that the second one of these actors enters the frame "The Wire" instantly enters the brain. Two classic moments from season one: 1. They attempt to move a desk from one office to another through a door opening without success, and finally realize both ends are pushing the desk. 2. Following the bullet trajectory in a case related to D'Angelo Barksdale, all dialogue consists of "fuck" and all its permutations.

6.30.2018
Jonathan Demme - The Silence of the Lambs - 1991

Purchased the Criterion bluray and watched for the 20th time or so. Love this film, I give it a 10/10 stars. Funny but I don't think I realized George Romero and Roger Corman were in it. Also I love Tracey Walter in this, the strange guy from Repo Man. The dp Tak Fujimoto also shot Badlands, Melvin and Howard (also Demme), Something Wild (also Demme), The Sixth Sense, The Replacements and many other well-known films. Never tire of it, looking forward to the commentary.

7.1.2018
Denis Villeneuve - Blade Runner 2049 - 2017
Second time seeing this film.  I have noticed much of the on line community and film podcasts pretty much destroying this film (as an example this disappointing podcast that lacks any sort of charisma or acumen) and honestly these responses are a bit mystifying.  It is certainly not the best film of 2017 but overall a very solid film with some truly stunning visuals, music, sound design, editing, alluring acting, and a story that is not exactly lackluster.  Is this a "having blinders on" gut response for people who fetishize the original? With the 1982 Blade Runner; it is a really damn good film but hard to say if it is worthy of this fetish (there are so many equally outstanding films that most people have never heard of like Charles Burnett's Killer of Sheep)? Villeneuve's Blade Runner relates to the original in many ways yet shouldn't it be given some room to breath on its own?

There appears to be this issue with many film viewers these days to pick a group of films and sort of construct a way of film viewing based around these works, and that all films must adhere to the ideas/style proposed within them. The result can be like putting blinders on before entering the theater or hitting the play button. This type of viewing damns the viewer to not actually see a film but only see it in relation to what they are comfortable with or in relation to others works. Maybe this is not a fair judgement and it is just a stinker of a film? But honestly my wife and I were ready to watch again right when it ended. Love the fucking dog in it too!

Also of note, this film features Wood Harris (Avon Barksdale) from The Wire, which I have been watching this last week. It would be interesting to just randomly start mentioning with each film the actors featured that existed in The Wire!

7.3.2018
Brian De Palma - Carrie - 1976
Many times seeing this film. A good way to pass the evening. "They're all going to laugh at you". I think De Palma's relationship to other films and film-makers (like Hitchcock) a bit strange.... not really hommages so much as a lack of creativity? The violin notes from Psycho used in this film really bring this question to mind. The film is strong enough, you can give him a pass but not sure about his other works. There are some pretty weak choices here in terms of music but it is a hell of a great film. Seeing two Travolta films this week was rewarding (Saturday Night Fever), quite an actor.

Catherine Hardwicke - Twilight - 2008
Watched this because I like Bob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. They are both visually stunning with some strong actorshippe, the film is most of the time mediocre but has some moments. The baseball scene really ruined it for this viewer though.