Are we talking literary or literally? Well, I read an article on the importance of writing and storytelling, and the author recalled a time when he was a paramedic… so no, we cannot literally save lives, as in resuscitate a person with words (literally), but we can save lives in other ways. It may seem like a simple realization but it’s one we need to remind ourselves of every so often. Looking at news reports of plane crashes and the military assault on Gaza - what can writing do - those people are dead? But writing can communicate the truth and inform those still living. Educate the present so the future doesn't reflect the past. Then there is also the nobility and catharsis, of just telling their stories. I was talking to a friend of mine recently, and she was sharing her recent trials and quite frankly, life threatening ordeals working with (reforming) drug dealers and gangsters – and her blunt reply about writing when I mentioned to her that it can’t save lives, was simply: “but it can”. One day I will write her story… And I'm sure it will reach out to someone in a dire situation in need of motivation through their struggles, even if it’s just that one person. On a more basic level, how does education work, how do we learn – through books, through writing, communication – without these simple elements - like textbooks, how many lives would’ve been lost? How did the medical profession come about? Someone had to be the pioneer, to analyse the human body and record their findings. Corpses were involved, and would not have been pretty, or perhaps even legal, but in that, in some way, the dead served to preserve the living... hows that for a story? So, I encountered this issue because I am a true believer – a believer in stories, writing and storytelling, and because I’m tired of the mediocre and the dilution and saturation of art. To further put this in context, I’ve been wrestling with an article on story, and the essential organs of it as it applies to a very popular TV series – and thence the temptation to dismiss it all and banish it to the box of “it’s just a TV show/it’s just a movie” – because this is what modern films, especially, have taught us with their lack of quality storytelling.
And so, we’re meant to sift through the dregs, to locate the stories we’re allowed to make a fuss over because there’s a place for the serious stuff, and a place for things like superheroes. Because we’re allowed to take fantasy series’ or books seriously, but not cartoons… Where do you draw the line, because there IS a line? Believe it or not, words are life – language, communication – words feed souls. We are on this journey and yet do not understand how there is a link between health (physical, spiritual and mental) and the power of words. What we see, and hear affects the way we feel, how we act and perceive things. We shall all die one day, and there is plenty of depression, misery and depravity in this world – and you may find that often some will not offer any solutions to the problems we’re facing, but will merely explore the problems further, holding up mirrors to it. I feel that part of being a writer is to feed the soul and in some way provide a light or a way point in the journey of discovering the meaning of this thing called life – for those curios about it – and stories are one such medium of discovering those morsels of meaning, so that regardless of your existential beliefs, it is not all for naught. Stories. They’re the beating heart and simultaneous nerve-center of us writers. They’re in and apart of us just as much as they abound everywhere. The plain truth is, our brains crave stories... "Classical story design charts the vast interconnectedness of life from the obvious to the impenetrable, from the intimate to the epic, from individual identity to the international infosphere. It lays bare the network of chain-linked causalities that when understood, give life meaning.” "In storytelling, the stimulus of words brings about the production of inner images, an extraordinarily creative play involving the entire brain. Each new story requires a whole new set of neural connections and reorganizations of visual activity within - a major challenge for the brain. . . . So neural potential goes unrealized and development is impaired - unless storytelling and play are provided on a regular basis." [Images: via pinterest, unless otherwise stated] Related posts: Why I write What will Matter The Flaw in Game of Thrones Category: Writing "Human beings devised writing to explore why we are here..."
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--- Artist Feature --- "For me, what I do is about giving birth to an idea. I become obsessive about my ideas. I dream them; they live inside of me. But to be able to stay true to your vision until the bitter end? That's success – there's nothing higher than that." Her eyes light up. "Everything else is just bullshit." It’s been a while since I’ve done an artist feature, so, taking a break from politics and shifting gears but not toning down the mood at all that has been permeating on this blog. So here's an infusion of music; we all need it, even if we don’t know it. Lykke Li (pronounced Lick-E-Lee for those wondering) is synonymous with a variety of instrumental work and her wispy, oft sombre, retro, child-like vocals. She’s been described as being “sweetly melancholic”. Born to self professed hippy parents (a musician father and photographer mother) she says that although she was born in Sweden, she traveled so much that she doesn’t identify with the country of her birth. By the time she skipped out at 19 yrs old and go to NY to pursue a singing career, her family were living in Morocco. So, she’s Swedish without being Swedish… Personally I can’t place why I’m a fan of hers, but I suppose if I must say, then it has something to do with that trademark nostalgia to her sound. It speaks of things past – what we can never get back again, and this is evidenced within some of the song titles – ‘I Never Learn’, ‘Just Like a Dream’ and ‘Never gonna Love Again’. I was only introduced to her late (comparatively) via her second studio album ‘Wounded Rhymes’. The first song I heard was ‘Rich Kids Blues’ and the landmark ‘I follow Rivers’ which had an arguably longer life span thanks to the many dance remixes around (most notably by that of DJ ‘The Magician’). I like the fact that she’s somewhat stand-offish with both her music and her fans, perhaps its just me being a writer, but even though we know a lot of facts about Lykke Li, she still retains an enigmatic air. Otherwise, I just find her paradoxically refreshing. She says touring often pains her, where she was once even diagnosed with PTSD, because in reality, she’s an introvert, so becoming a pop star was probably not the best thing for her, health wise. Coming Soon: Her latest Album 'I Never Learn' (see cover art below) makes its world debut on 5 May. Lykke Li: [Image Credits: prefixmag.com, discodemon.net, facebook.com/lykkeli, followfrisby.files.wordpress.com, studiotota.com, wikipedia.com, ilistenbecauseican.wordpress.com, pastemagazine.com, wanttickets.com] “It's not a very sane thing to try to be great all the time. You want to make something magical; you want to make something wonderful; you want to give to everybody; you want to heal people; you want to still be inspired. That's not easy.” Finding cheer in the world can often be difficult when looking at current events. People tend to complicate matters further resulting in a distorted view of things. Many people allow themselves to be overwhelmed by all the negatives in the world and then ultimately only add on to that negativity. But this is not so much a post about people. I thought of this because there’s a lot of beauty in the world, but some of it you really have to look for. Some beauty needs to be searched for, and some are only revealed fleetingly, to a random observant passer-by, merely finding it in the right moment or a specific time of day or within a certain context. Some paintings can be intriguing and beautiful in their own way even if you can’t explain why, it may not be pretty, but it somehow carries its own haunting beauty that can often resonate deeper than the ‘louder’ more outwardly captivating piece. Sometimes the beauty can be an act of defiance, or even an inaction amidst chaos. It can be a glimpse of what once was – that unique air of ancient glory, now long gone, or it can be quietness of abandon – a place; beautiful simply because it was left alone, and in its solitude, nature and anonymity gave it a different message, a place with no purpose – a forgotten purpose or one that had been served, long since finished. One man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure – it applies greatly to art. Then again one man’s labour and ingenuity can mean another man’s woe, pain and death. Take weapons for instance, the craftsmanship, elegance, discipline and dedication behind sword making – there is a beauty there, in the craft as well in the result – the instrument itself is a thing of beauty, if only for man to complicate matters, for its purpose is ultimately a tool of death. Although some might bestow greater nobility in it, claiming it as a tool of defense, virtue and honour in servitude. Perhaps even something of an heirloom, something to be earned. For me, the concept or existence of beauty, that can be construed as ugly, is in many ways a symbolism of hope. A hope that can transcend place and time and purpose… for what would the world be like without beauty? So when one can see it, or read it, in the most improbable of places, it instils that inherent hope, that there is light even in the darkest of places. That there is life, even when all you see is desolation. Here’s an assorted gallery of examples of portraits of ‘Ugly’ beauty, just exemplifying the different faces of it, of how we perceive it, how we pursue it, because it is so changeable, so diverse – whether in a subtle message, a whisper, an arid landscape, or a fear and awe inspiring act of nature – beauty is something that cannot be harnessed or quantified, because it is not one thing – not in this natural and finite world. It is perhaps the one true signature of something beyond the natural, something elemental, but yet, something otherworldly, the signatures in this world that speaks vividly and subtly of a link, long ago severed, with perhaps a heavenly place... that this now is a distant shadowy relative of that place called Eden. ... I will never be their kind of pretty My pretty is like a sad song with lyrics that make you cry and a haunting melody. --- poem extract "My Pretty", poem by Blankpages on Allpoetry.com Until the end of the 19th century the goals of art were beauty and originality… The new theme was: Art must be a quest for truth, however brutal, and not a quest for beauty. So the question became: What is the truth of art? Upon the Arid Lakes Poem by Mark R Slaughter Someplace A field of flowers Rousing under remnants of the dawn: Out there! from death, I rose Above the silent many – A distant will-o'-the-wisp Reflecting under airs of minor ninths – How rich the ambience they threw! What theme of prosody Had rendered me? – Tho’ silent were its words: A broken soul in pulsing pain – Thou mustn’t guess what goes behind The sick and ghostly screen of war! In sallow-grey and other ashen hues, Disrobed of warming flesh That reassures the bones, A twisted pose Portrayed my physicality – Not unlike the carcass of a prey; --- read more... What would be ugly in a garden constitutes beauty in a mountain. Nothing is beautiful, only man: on this piece of naivete rests all aesthetics, it is the first truth of aesthetics. Let us immediately add its second: nothing is ugly but degenerate man - the domain of aesthetic judgment is therewith defined. [Image credits: 2summers.files.wordpress.com, northlandknives.se, pinterest,com, staticflickr.com, paintingsIlove.com, wandurlust.co.uk, wallmay.net, hotelclub.com, slimbolala.blogspot.com, business.mega.mu, Royalarmouries.org, blightly.co.za, lugaresesquecidos.com.br, talesfromfarpoint.blogspot.com, samouel.deviantart.com, osnatfineart.com, stories.namibiatourism.com.na, Orbiscatholicussecundus.blogspot.com, AviationIntel.com, inspirefirst.com, tactical-life.com, graffuturism.com, static.panoramio.com, buzzfeed.com] Interesting link: take a look at Chernobyl, 25 years after the Fallout... Widely acknowledged as Hollywood’s greatest cinematic accomplishment, bringing Middle Earth to film in The Lord of The Rings trilogy and now the lesser (critically) the Hobbit films (based on the book – consisting of only one modest volume). So, why then has the Tolkien Estate, led by J.R.R. Tolkien’s surviving son Christopher (responsible for the streamlining/completing/editing and then publishing of his father’s early work The Silmarillion) turned their back on the film adaptations? This may be old news to some since Le Monde's revelatory interview with Christopher Tolkien was conducted back in 2012, but the implications and sentiments are just as, if not more prevalent now in light of the liberties taken with the Hobbit adaptations currently in big screens. These latest films by Peter Jackson have famously been the most brazen in adapting the source material, the biggest move being to convert the single volume book 'The Hobbit - There and Back Again' into a trilogy of films. But let me first explain my perspective: I write this as someone who hasn’t read any Tolkien book, ever. I can’t even remember the last time I picked one up… the closest I’ve come is reading the synopsis for the recently published (previously unfinished work – then completed and edited by Tolkien’s son Christopher) book ‘Children of Hurin’ (2007) – this may not sound like much because it’s only a synopsis, but I must say, the several page affair read like a short story (as full synopsis’ should) and made for some fascinating stuff. It manages to draw you in enough so that, partnered with your already developed knowledge of Middle Earth, culminates in a very captivating and involved experience… but would I buy/read the book, knowing what I know about it – perhaps, but I’m in no rush. It’s a curious case. That ‘must read-but don’t really want to’ scenarios. This is partly because I’m not a major adventure fantasy fan. Now before you go on about how the books overlap genres and involve a whole lot more than those two elements, I’m fully aware of that, and I’d probably enjoy the books once I got into them. The truth is, I just lack the motivation to do so, my immediate literary interests lie elsewhere, meaning I’m more than content to preoccupy myself with the films (as lazy as this is, mind you). I enjoyed the films and have even seen the latest two Hobbit installments, but I still would not call myself an out and out fan, as in fanatical. Tolkien and his works however, remain a fascinating subject, and the fact that it is so, even for someone who has no immediate will to read said works, is testament to their magnitude, influence and impact on contemporary literature and the media in general. So, now that I’ve mentioned that I enjoyed the films, taking into consideration the understandable compromise that needed to be made – alluding to many scenes, stories and elements left out from the books because they are quite long – in bringing these them to cinema, it did surprise me to learn that Christopher Tolkien (and the entire remaining Tolkien Estate) does not support these well-loved films, which have been so effective in introducing this literature to younger generations. The Lord of the Rings trilogy in particular is an amazing feat, and there is a growing consensus out there that it is Hollywood’s very best offering (more than just as far as adaptations go). Considering the magnitude of production, the logistics and the previous sentiment that such a story was impossible to bring to film (or un-filmable) – they merely proved what is possible with celluloid. [picture credits: stylefavor.com, hdwallpapers.com, walldaz.com] So with such a virtuoso undertaking, lauded by fans and critics alike, why have the Tolkien’s turned their backs? Well, in part its due to the fact that they were largely excluded (by New Line Cinema) from the creative process and could do what they wanted with the films; and Credit to them for not straying from the source material. However, the recent Hobbit trilogy is a greater indictment of the fears the Tolkien’s expressed… since there was only one book – but the studios could not pass up this money spinning opportunity. And then there’s the issue of adding an entire character to the films as well (despite most lauding the decision – it simply highlights deviation, which fuels discontent). By the way, zero of the proceeds of this film trilogy and merchandising go to the Tolkien Estate (in fact they haven’t seen a cent from the LOTR success due to the old and liberal contract signed by Tolkien when he himself was cash strapped). You can read more about it in this interview with Christopher Tolkien, and it’s not sour grapes either. Here’s a man that knows the works like it was his own and who has dedicated his like to completing his father’s work. Hence it’s not surprising that he would be so passionate about the films, but that he would go so far as to label them simply action films. Does this revelation diminish the accomplishment of the films in any way – I don’t think so, but it does add a sad note to the works mainly because its a timeous reminder of the times we live in. As a film critic myself (and a writer), I can only judge the films - and they are a magnificent achievement (but of course film will never be as timeless as the written word). "They eviscerated the book by making it an action movie for young people aged 15 to 25,.. And it seems that The Hobbit will be the same kind of film." That sadness though is not surprising since we are at the business end of things. In a way it illustrates that moment when art and business can coexist to produce something great, but such coexistence will always be temporary, and despite the harmonious amity, sacrifices and compromises need to be made… so not all will be happy, and in this case, its those at the heart of the work in question, those for whom the work means the most. So ultimately if this is Hollywood’s best yet, then it’s come at a cost – a very deep cost – in typical tinsel town fashion. What’s more, and this is strangely often the case, is the vaguely prophetic writings of J.R.R. Tolkien as they apply to his works and his legacy as a whole. Here we are, or corporates at least, nudging and fighting over who receives the material wealth… kind of like the fate of the Ring in his most famous trilogy, and then there’s the case of his family… Who will continue upholding the Tolkien name after Christopher dies – he is an old man now but is the most outspoken about his father's work – and though I’m sure nothing as tragic as his character experience in his stories will befall the Children, or child and grandchildren of Tolkien, the corporate snub and creative cold shoulder is perhaps akin to echoes of those fictional distant tragedies, transformed into those of a different kind, resonating in this money driven world. We may not have the enemies of old, or even of fictional foes like that of Smaug, Morgorth or Sauron, but in the literary sense, in these modern times where good and evil are often hard to distinguish, we are witnessing the battles in the corporate realm, and this is one the Tolkien’s have lost. This is due to the brand that is 'Tolkien' - it is no longer a family name denoting an artist and deeply, vastly imaginative creative genius of an author, it is now a corporate monster - a money making machine, grown beyond humble control and/or opposition. Despite this though, the family retains the moral high ground. It is a position of slight, a faint glimmer of the remaining but eroded artistic moral and ethic - but was this not the same sort of faint glimmer of integrity in a dark world that Frodo faced before his epic quest? The odds are rarely in your favour. Here's the link to the translated Christopher Tolkien interview with Le Monde, via thetolkiensociety.org "My Father's 'Eviscerated' work' - J.R.R. Tolkien's son breaks 40 year silence. You're welcome to share your thoughts on this in the comments... {*** Happy New Year to all, wishing you a blessed 2014. This is going to be a great year! God Bless and thanks for visiting the first post of the new year... Regards Steven. ***} Shining Lights and Smoke and Mirrors - Perhaps when the color came, along with the dollar signs, and the misplaced value of things… I was looking at old black and whites of Hollywood stars of yesteryear, from candids to set photos – it looked like, and was, an entire world away. Was it that the advent of color contributed to the gradual fading away of that world? Before, seeing images and films was like seeing something several degrees removed from reality. We see things in colour of course, so the B&W aspect was reserved for the stars (apart from your family photo albums – but even then, those were records of ‘special’ moments and occasions) – Hollywood was a special occasion unto itself – for all the rest of the us, it may as well have been permanently in Black and White – the world of celluloid existed within a special moment - they were those characters. (Allowing a moment for a special nod to that equally marvelous Technicolor decades of the 60’s and early 70’s) Nowadays, we look for the broken, the incomplete hero, the tormented soul, the dirt behind the velvet curtain, the drugs in the drawer, the running mascara… it’s all about the real (and the advent of reality TV), when celebrities are portrayed as just people, as they always have been, flawed. Of course Hollywood has long been known as the place of lights and shattered dreams, but that’s not why I wrote this. I want to know if there’s a suitable compromise. At best we’re treated to rare occurrences where a modern film can transcend era’s to offer something that would succeed anywhere and still hold true to that sense of mystery, prestige and allure that was the bread and butter of ‘old Hollywood’. We can talk about art and life, integrity and business, and how one side of the industry needs the other to survive, and how the audience will watch what they’re given, or whatever the hype machine spews out… the talk of blockbuster tent-pole productions and that Hollywood is no longer so much a community as it once was, the exclusive hallowed league it once was (or was thought to be) – can that element ever be replicated? In today’s tinsel industry, money is the currency, where talent once was (or at the very least it was more of a narrower contest). We’re desensitized, to the extent that now people seem to want the wool to be pulled back over their eyes, because gritty realism just isn’t real enough, because once Hollywood finds a formula (and makes it a cliché), it will grind it out till every morsel is had. It’s the ‘golden woman’ – that complex that promises everything and brings you so far, but still only ‘so far’, always keeping that last little something out of your reach, because as an audience, we can never be satisfied. I am in a position to look upon those old images with nostalgia because I have the benefit of hindsight – looking at a past I was never a part of and can never be… so it will always seem that much more romantic and appealing, or was it just that appealing? Of course it could’ve been made to look so because the world was a different place, with World Wars, dark and unknown patches remained in the world, no internet… and the media was a different animal too, sort of… but the stars still carried a natural air of class and whimsy though. So, with surrounds made up mostly of dark things, the glamour, appeal and shine of that old-school tinsel, was made that much more brighter, stars glinting – because the world wanted the mystery, because everyday reality was often not such a great dwelling place. Shining lights and Smoke and mirrors – it’s what the world needed back then… and maybe, probably, it’s what the industry- the world – needs right now, again, even if we ignore the dust on the lights, the fire causing the smoke, and the cracks in the old mirrors. "I'm not interested in money, I just want to be wonderful." - Marilyn Monroe Perhaps its wishful thinking in hoping we can get some of that essence back, considering that the central totem to what made ‘old Hollywood’ so endearing, was the warped innocence of those stars, themselves struggling to come to terms with fame, shoved into the limelight and experiencing the two edged sword of a thing called celebrity - the virgin superstar. You’re not a mega star, until the people make you one. I suppose we'll always hope, and we'll always have... Such things were not meant to last,perhaps, for if they did, we would not hold them in such high regard - (one cannot have caviar, everyday, forever...) *** {article/letter/retrospective by Steven Benjamin... Images from easyart.com, unless otherwise stated} Let’s look at this book – for that is what it is, a book. What separates it from all others though, is that it unashamedly claims to be the Word of God. That is, a message, or messages from the one who created everything in the Universe has found its way to its pages… this ‘claim’ alone, whether you believe it or not, is one of the central reasons why it is the world’s bestselling book, and has been for generations. Plot Synopsis The Story starts with all creation and the creation of Man, and then after that, God created Woman. It then progresses to the fall of man (with the intervention of Satan and the realization of Good and Evil), who chooses himself over his creator, severing that bond and welcoming sin, and death, into the world. His descendants then strive to rule the world and each other. But the story continues, focusing on an array of people and their unique walk/lives and relationship with God. God though (the creator of it all), is angered by his creation’s choice of disobedience, and the subsequent slavery to sin and death. Despite that, God still loves the world, so much so he sends his only son. The plan is to reunite his people to himself and break the bondage that sin has over his people. Enter Jesus (A coming which was prophesized). The son of God would then be beaten, tortured and crucified, killed… a man, who was without sin, who was pure, would carry the weight of sin on himself. An ordinary man, who was born in Heaven, would form the crux of existence, as his death and subsequent resurrection would break the hold that sin has over this world, forming a spiritual gateway to reunite Man with his creator. Target You. It’s for every man, woman and child walking this earth. Another reason it’s a bestseller – because it has such wide appeal. Bottom Line “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son…” – you’ve heard that line countless times that it’s almost become a religious cliché. What’s really at the centre of it though, is the coming together of two different worlds – a material one, and a spiritual one. In the Beginning (another cliché) these two worlds were very close (God and Man had open conversations, the world was a beautiful Eden), but then came the fall, and the separation. Ever since, God has tried to find a way back for us, as we in turn have tried to find the answers to the existential questions we have about ourselves. As the bible says, Man was never intended to have to deal with death, sin was never part of creation, women were never meant to experience pain in childbirth… every pain we endure is thus simply echoes of the pain felt in that fateful moment when man disobeyed God (*** The First physical wound experienced in the Bible is by Adam, when God removes his rib to form Eve - yet there's no record of pain being felt, and the healing was instantaneous - because God did the healing himself***). Hence the two worlds have separated – the material world held ransom to sin and slavery (ruled by Satan), and God’s quest to free Man… and aid him in the realization that he is not of this world, to reawaken his spiritual existence. In a stunning move (call it the checkmate move) God sacrificed his only beloved son. (when Jesus is hanging on the cross he screams “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” – this marks the first time the son addresses his father as ‘God’, indicative of the separation. God turned his back on his son for that moment, so that we (mankind) may be reconciled with our spiritual father). But Satan has no hold over Jesus (heaven’s own), and a material death of his fleshly body does not (cannot) hold. As a book, this is a fantastic story, when you think of it in a finite sense, with authors and writers that compose stories, books, bestsellers etc.one has to wonder, who could conceive this story, who came up with such a work, with such daring portrayals and claims. Well, it wasn’t one man or woman, it was many (over 40 authors – there were incomplete gospels that weren’t included, as well as number of anonymous authors), and it was written and compiled over a period of over 1500 years. It truly is a special book – I almost said ‘one of a kind’ but then my thoughts turned to the Torah (focussing on the narrative of the Jewish people) and Quran (the central religious text of Islam and greatest piece of literature in the Arabic language) … the fact that these three books/manuscripts/compilations are so similar is a staggering thought. Are they plagiarized – copies of one another just taken with different meanings and interpretations, and emphasis on different events? What’s certain is that they have far more similarities than differences. (The one glaring difference is the regard or emphasis placed on the life of Jesus – he is central to the Bible, but a bit-part player, almost cameo in the other two by comparison). But back to the Bible (which doesn’t have one spelling error in any copy I’ve seen) – since I don’t speak Hebrew/Aramaic or Arabic unfortunately – it must be said that it warrants a read simply because of the questions it poses of oneself (whether you’re willing to accept the answers it offers, is up to you.) The fact that it can be used as a daily devotional guide and life study book is also indicative of its influence and power – and it’s hard to argue against the fact that this book has power – even if its just in a material sense. (My grandmother, a woman well into her 80’s still faithfully attends weekly Bible study – this just exemplifies the fact that it has a lasting impression and that it does offer practically an unending fount of deep information. One could study this book your entire life, read it multiple times, and still find new meaning in it, daily – in fact, some say that performing this act will lead you to a better life, by applying something simple like the 10 Commandments to your life, and meditating on scripture. These practices have proven to have a profound effect on the individual and those around them. Truth be told it’s hard to write a book review on the bible because it is so vast and even prophesizes/predicts events yet to come (and lets not forget to mention that this book has proven quite reliable in that approximately 80% of the prophesies foretold in the Bible, have been fulfilled - to the letter - whilst the remaining prophesies reach further into our future!), but for an individual, if you’ve read this book, whether from beginning to end, or just jumping in in the middle somewhere (another unique feature), it might benefit you to review what you’ve read, as you would any other book. There are of course boring bits – this book does of course cover life, and the lives of many people, even some mundane bits, but that’s also part of the beauty, because it translates to everyone, to everyday life. In the Bible you’ll find beggars, Kings, prostitutes, fishermen, taxmen, farmers, murderers, doctors, philosophers, Angels, talking animals, carpenters, scholars, prophets, Demons, soldiers… people from every walk of life… many people, many generations, the creation of the world, and even a message of unconditional and undeserving Love. So, whether you believe that all these people were indeed onto something or that it’s just a collection of wild, outrageous and sometimes brutal stories collected and compiled over centuries (who or what drove so many people to write about this with such conviction, to be translated into so many languages and in varying versions et al.), you cannot deny it truly is fully worth its status as the world’s bestselling book, and why it's often referred to as the “Holy Bible” – the only book in the world claiming to be the actual ‘Word of God’. This is not a book about religion, its a book about reclaiming and restoring a lost Love; sacrificing everything and going to war for your true love. It may not look it, but war and love are on two sides of the same coin in this book, as they are in most books. Its a fight, a war for your heart... the message is, God wants you back, in his embrace. Humanity is often referred to as the 'bride of Christ', destined to join him in heaven; so the story effectively is about a man who sacrifices himself (appears as payment/exchange/ransom) to set free his captive, yet unfaithful love from the shackles of death. (There is no conceivable rating for such a book – it kind sets the standard) Question: if it indeed be true, if this is in fact the Word of God... what then, at the very least it should not be ignored. And, if this book is a work of fiction, then it is a fantastic piece, but since all art (since fiction is art) imitates life, what does this book say about reality? Mark Twain (notable fiction writer/author) said Truth is stranger than fiction, well for those who believe this to be a work of fiction... then I shudder to think of what truth lay as seed of inspiration for this work. Either way, plenty of food for many a deep thought! So awesome I had to share: the Film was officially released at a premiere on the 28th of September in Canada, but further screenings are still scheduled for later in October, so I'm unsure of when we can expect it to reach SA. This may be a "Ski" film (literally about Skiing), but Sherpas Cinema has proven itself in going beyond genre (and sport) and filming way more than simply extreme action sports films, as the trailer itself illustrates in a visual feast... I've never Skied in my life, but projects like this kind of get you interested, in the very least. Beyond that though, its just a kickass production that also happens to be a sports film. There is an actual storyline to this it too (in that its not just a bunch of cool segments that coincidentally have skier's doing their thing), its about rising to the ultimate challenge and risking your own mortality to achieve success. The sound editing, visual effects and score are all by Sherpa - a first for them as they sought to outdo their previous work, the award winning "All.I.Can" - you can view that trailer HERE. Enjoy! The word 'romance,' according to the dictionary, means excitement, adventure, and something extremely real. Romance should last a lifetime. Bonus video: Conrad Anker in Denali I added this for the warm feeling I got in my heart, the slight wetness on my eyes and the itch in my legs and feet - its just THAT beautiful... another reminder - hit the full screen tab! “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” |
[Banner illustration by Joel Kanar]
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