I’m having a lot of fun being a part of 600 seconds thanks to my friend Sharon, who came up with the idea in the first place — or at least had the good sense to steal it from her friend Ben. It’s a collaborative weblog, ten minutes each weekday on a given topic, and so far I’m really pleased with the results and looking foward to seeing where this goes. Why not check it out and let us know what you think.
Day: June 12, 2002
In his periodic e-mail newsletter, bad signal, Warren Ellis writes:
In the excellent book on 60’s/70’s Hollywood, EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS, a conversation with the EXORCIST director William Friedkin is reported, that took place immediately after he saw STAR WARS. Friedkin, who had just completed the difficult SORCERER, turned to Jeanne Moreau and said, “I dunno, sweet little robots and stuff, maybe we’re on the wrong horse.”
Elsewhere in the film world, I discover that apparently Morgan Freeman is at work on an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s novel Rendezvous With Rama. David Fincher, who is slated to direct, describes it as “what it would be like if five satellite repairmen rather than scientists had first contact with extraterrestrial intelligence.”
Now I guess I finally have to read it.
Some interesting thoughts on the arrest of so-called “dirty bomber” Abdullah al Mujahir. Courtesy of Rebecca’s Pocket (well, originally) and This Modern World, respectively. Ah, the blissful illusion of safety. Thanks, Mr. Ashcroft, you’re swell!
Reading the second volume of The Lord of the Rings, I am reminded of something Eric Lipton wrote about the first film in the series:
Under the auspices of a lesser director, watching the film could be like watching a freight train go by. This happens, then this happens, then this happens, then this happens — as our characters are tossed from action scene to action scene. Tolkien got away with this in the books because his writing was extraordinarily boring. You could never really tell you were being overstimulated.
I’m enjoying The Two Towers, certainly, but there are times when you can definitely tell Tolkien was a linguist and historian first and a storyteller second.