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bobquasit.
1. Total number of films I own on DVD/video:
Only about 80 or so, and mostly videos that I've picked up in bulk lots.
2. The last film I bought:
A boxload of about 20.
3. The last film I watched:
Ummm... Would you believe Ace Ventura: Pet Detective? Will be seeing Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy however this weekend.
4. Five films that I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me:
Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. For the future!
Costa Greves' Missing. I didn't have much faith in parliamentary democracy after seeing this film. I still don't.
Bertolucci's Nova Cento, aka 1900. A history of the first half of the twentieth century from the eyes of an Italian peasant. Europe was pretty amazing from 1900-1945 in so many ways, right and wrong.
Candida Royalle's Eyes of Desire (and Eyes of Desire 2). Yes, an "adult" film. With plot and characterisation etc. Proof that it can be done.
David Cronenberg's Videodrome. For converting a pop-sociology perspective to a weird break-down in reality.. Voted scariest film to watch on acid on alt.drugs in 1993. They're right. All hail the new flesh!
5. Tag 5 People and have them put this in their journal:
Are there still five people out there who haven't done this?
chesirenoir
daoistraver
ravensbreath
greenglowgirl
tornspacetime
Fromjassyjay.
1. Total number of books owned?
Easily over a thousand. Five bookcases filled to the brim plus a dozen or so archive boxes.
2. The last book I bought?
Rolemaster/Fantasy Hero Campaign Classic Mythic Egypt.
3. The last book I read?
India: Myths and Legends, Donald Mackenzie. A scholarly, albeit quite old, book republished some ten years ago.
4. 5 books that mean a lot to me?
RuneQuest, second edition. Steve Perrin and Ray Turney, Chaosium, 1980. The first role playing game that I participated in all those years ago and a brilliant example of how gamist, simulationist and narrativist orientations can co-exist simultaneously (OK, so it was a little weak on the narrativist side). Compared to other role playing games at the time (such as Dungeons and Dragons), RuneQuest was years ahead of them. Notably, the collapse of RQ wasn't due to anything wrong with the game per se, but rather a commercial and organisational failure. It serves as due warning to any who want to get into role playing design to make money out of it.
Legitimation Crisis, Jurgen Habermas, 1973 (original title "Legitimationsprobleme im Spatkaitalismus"). A careful, cautious and even stodgy text that, in a mere 163 pages, outlines the key features of social formations, how they fall apart, how modern capitalism has been transformed and the serious structural issues they face. Habermas neither alarms nor appeases. He is not writing this to beat a political drum, but rather to alert people that there are structural issues that simply cannot be ignored if one's society is to maintain the claim of being free and democratic.
The Last Days of Socrates, Plato. The Trail and Death of Socrates is possibly one of the most profound and simple studies of the establishment of moral principles and keeping those principles in the face of death. Socrates has been accussed of "corrupting the youth" and "bringing strange Gods into the city" (i.e., his conscience). Instead of defending himself, he takes on his accusers, but accepts the imposition of the death penalty. He dispenses with naturalistic attempts to escape his situation - "I am a human and the polis is my home", combines the true, the just and the beautiful as one and the same, rejects punishment-based systems and proposes that one should only consider the opinions of those who are wise in their field.
The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien, 1977. Much maligned by those who expected something as populist as The Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion is Tolkien's metaphysical epic. It is difficult to read, almost biblical, but it also contains some of the finest descriptive pieces I havesceneseen in English literature (the fall of Fingolfin in particular). As a teenager I felt a particular affinity to the Noldor who were prepared to give up even their realm in the heavens in their quest for magic and beauty.
Nova Express, William S. Burroughs, 1977?. Drug police (Nova Police) start infiltrating world of drug pushers (Nova Mob). Aliens start infiltrating world of the 1950s. As the story develops, the police gradually become indistinguishable from the mob, the science fiction reality becomes indistinguishable from the 1950s reality and the grammatical structure of the text starts to break down. By the end of the book you are left with random words which make structural sense only if you have read the thing all the way through. Brilliant.
5. Tag 5 people and have them fill this out on their LJs
caseopaya. Well, if anyone knows the best of adolscent literature...
claudine_c. Who must be a reader of some care and distinction.
bobquasit. Heh. Got you back for the video/DVD one ;-)
extimelord. This will be good...
greg. I bet you've read a few good books!
From
bobquasit. 1. Total number of films I own on DVD/video:
Only about 80 or so, and mostly videos that I've picked up in bulk lots.
2. The last film I bought:
A boxload of about 20.
3. The last film I watched:
Ummm... Would you believe Ace Ventura: Pet Detective? Will be seeing Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy however this weekend.
4. Five films that I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me:
Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. For the future!
Costa Greves' Missing. I didn't have much faith in parliamentary democracy after seeing this film. I still don't.
Bertolucci's Nova Cento, aka 1900. A history of the first half of the twentieth century from the eyes of an Italian peasant. Europe was pretty amazing from 1900-1945 in so many ways, right and wrong.
Candida Royalle's Eyes of Desire (and Eyes of Desire 2). Yes, an "adult" film. With plot and characterisation etc. Proof that it can be done.
David Cronenberg's Videodrome. For converting a pop-sociology perspective to a weird break-down in reality.. Voted scariest film to watch on acid on alt.drugs in 1993. They're right. All hail the new flesh!
5. Tag 5 People and have them put this in their journal:
Are there still five people out there who haven't done this?
chesirenoirdaoistraverravensbreathgreenglowgirltornspacetimeFrom
jassyjay. 1. Total number of books owned?
Easily over a thousand. Five bookcases filled to the brim plus a dozen or so archive boxes.
2. The last book I bought?
Rolemaster/Fantasy Hero Campaign Classic Mythic Egypt.
3. The last book I read?
India: Myths and Legends, Donald Mackenzie. A scholarly, albeit quite old, book republished some ten years ago.
4. 5 books that mean a lot to me?
RuneQuest, second edition. Steve Perrin and Ray Turney, Chaosium, 1980. The first role playing game that I participated in all those years ago and a brilliant example of how gamist, simulationist and narrativist orientations can co-exist simultaneously (OK, so it was a little weak on the narrativist side). Compared to other role playing games at the time (such as Dungeons and Dragons), RuneQuest was years ahead of them. Notably, the collapse of RQ wasn't due to anything wrong with the game per se, but rather a commercial and organisational failure. It serves as due warning to any who want to get into role playing design to make money out of it.
Legitimation Crisis, Jurgen Habermas, 1973 (original title "Legitimationsprobleme im Spatkaitalismus"). A careful, cautious and even stodgy text that, in a mere 163 pages, outlines the key features of social formations, how they fall apart, how modern capitalism has been transformed and the serious structural issues they face. Habermas neither alarms nor appeases. He is not writing this to beat a political drum, but rather to alert people that there are structural issues that simply cannot be ignored if one's society is to maintain the claim of being free and democratic.
The Last Days of Socrates, Plato. The Trail and Death of Socrates is possibly one of the most profound and simple studies of the establishment of moral principles and keeping those principles in the face of death. Socrates has been accussed of "corrupting the youth" and "bringing strange Gods into the city" (i.e., his conscience). Instead of defending himself, he takes on his accusers, but accepts the imposition of the death penalty. He dispenses with naturalistic attempts to escape his situation - "I am a human and the polis is my home", combines the true, the just and the beautiful as one and the same, rejects punishment-based systems and proposes that one should only consider the opinions of those who are wise in their field.
The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien, 1977. Much maligned by those who expected something as populist as The Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion is Tolkien's metaphysical epic. It is difficult to read, almost biblical, but it also contains some of the finest descriptive pieces I have
Nova Express, William S. Burroughs, 1977?. Drug police (Nova Police) start infiltrating world of drug pushers (Nova Mob). Aliens start infiltrating world of the 1950s. As the story develops, the police gradually become indistinguishable from the mob, the science fiction reality becomes indistinguishable from the 1950s reality and the grammatical structure of the text starts to break down. By the end of the book you are left with random words which make structural sense only if you have read the thing all the way through. Brilliant.
5. Tag 5 people and have them fill this out on their LJs
caseopaya. Well, if anyone knows the best of adolscent literature...claudine_c. Who must be a reader of some care and distinction. bobquasit. Heh. Got you back for the video/DVD one ;-)extimelord. This will be good...greg. I bet you've read a few good books!![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-05-25 05:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-25 07:09 pm (UTC)This post was initially composed a week and a bit a go - prior to Monte's demise and was reddeveloped a few days back when jassyjay hit me with part two of the meme. The last lines were finished this morning.
And yes, I'm working. This post is proof the wireless network is operational ;-)
no subject
Date: 2005-05-25 10:10 pm (UTC)The Fall of Fingolfin, and most of the War is a hard read. Frequently moves me to tears, but there are the odd scenes in The Lord of the Rings that will do that too. The first two or three sections of The Sil are probably my favourites, partly because I'm a sucker for creation and world-building stories, and partly because they're not as sad as what comes after.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-26 05:49 am (UTC)You're right the entire book is one epic tragedy after another... If it isn't Fingolfin getting the arse, it's the terrible love story of Beren and Luthien, the destruction of Gondolin, and the pride of Numenor.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-25 10:36 pm (UTC)and the rest of course. i never got around to reading the simlarillion, gotta do it some time.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-26 12:23 am (UTC)It's a bloody hard read if you don't realise what's going on... I figged it myself, but by that stage I was aware of what a smart-arse Burroghs could be.