Bytes of Culture

The Dark Knight, by the way, is worth the hype it has received. Besides Ledger's stunning display being every bit as good as everyone wants it to be, it's just nice to see a blockbustering action flick packing some depth into its story. That's the way it should be, isn't it? And seeing it done so successfully makes me wonder where and why we lost that. Seeing this forced me to pick up Batman Begins which I never took the time to watch, which is also just as good as everyone said it was a few summers ago.

On a very different side of the spectrum, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days was also just as good as the few people who were talking about it said it was, and probably even better. It's a Romanian film telling the story of a friend helping another friend perform a do-it-yourself abortion when such procedures were illegal under Communism. With a setup like that, it's obviously a tough watch in the truest sense, which makes me hesitant to recommend it, not because it's irresponsible with content or more trouble than it's worth, but simply because it's so heavy. One moment in particular brought me to tears in a way no other movie has, tears of pure sorrow and disturbance.

Why in the world, then, should you watch it? Well, besides being a close-to-flawless work of art (the interview with the director illuminates so many of his insightful decisions) and a masterfully-told story, it's a history lesson, a real-life suspense film, a tale of close friendship, a chance to truly and easily get into another person's shoes, and a powerful examination of issues surrounding the abortion debate. I hesitate to mention the abortion debate, because doing so might cause the viewer to look at the movie through only one lens, which would be quite unfortunate. On the other hand, nowhere else will you see a true and honest depiction of horrors of abortion, while also seeing the hard implications of making such procedures illegal. At any rate, the movie blew me away, and if it's technically from 2007, it would have been up in the top five, and if it's practically from 2008, you'll hear me talk about it again in January.

In music, I took Paste's advice and picked up some Bon Iver. While I would venture to guess his falsetto won't be for everyone, I really enjoy the music a lot. At the same time, though, something about his music reminds me of Jose Gonzalez--stripped down presentation, layered vocals, songs that sort of confuse themselves among each other--which makes me nervous that he'll grow old and forgettable rather quickly for me. Time will tell, but I'm enjoying him for now. Check him out on Daytrotter and Take Away Shows in two parts.

In literature, I just picked up some of Tagore's poetry, Gitanjali, upon Stan and Kyle's recommendations. I'm moved by the little bit that I've browsed, and anxious to do some more.

I'm not sure what I'd do without the Barnes and Noble giftcards I received from students last year. I'm finding ways to make them last all year long, which is becoming sort of like having a library where returning materials isn't required.

And finally, if you live in the area and aren't leaving for Labor Day Weekend, I'll be having what might be the most legitimate 'gig' of my adulthood so far. Dan has organized a night at Wired Gallery on Main Street in Bethlehem, where three artists will be painting murals on the walls throughout the evening. They need accompaniment, of course, so Kyle and I will be in a corner somewhere playing some really nerdy, improvish instrumental music using as many of my odd instruments as possible. We were tempted to round it out and make it a trio, but we decided to challenge ourselves with the creative constraint of keeping it a duet, realizing we each have four limbs to keep busy with something, which is pretty much exactly like having an eight-person band. There will be plenty of accordion, ukulele, and desk bells, among many other things. Two people surrounded by a flea-market of instruments; what could be better? Probably a lot of things. But you're invited, and I'm told the event goes from 5 to 9, with the main action happening from 7 to 9. Yes, I'm very nervous.

Hey--be sure to enjoy your final weeks of summer. I hope it's just as beautiful where you are as it is here.