Creation requires input

I awoke at 10:32 this morning. The curtains were closed so I couldn't tell what the weather was like, but the lack of sunshine filtering between the drapery suggested that it was overcast. I felt I should get up. I had promised myself that today would be the day I would start writing again. Those of you who check my blog from time to time will have noticed that my posts have kind of dried up. I guess I ran out of steam. There came a point when I had gotten so behind with the blogs I had planned to write, that I kind of got stuck in a rut. The prospect of trying to catch up didn't generate any enthusiasm within me and at the same time I refused to start writing anything new. So I just haven't written anything. That is, until now.

However, despite the promise I had made to myself I couldn't get up. I couldn't get excited about getting dressed and going to the internet cafe and trying to be creative. I mean I have so much to write about until now I didn't know where to begin. Anyway I got up briefly to make a cup of tea and hang some washing out. Then I went back to bed. I decided to watch the end of a dreadful movie I started watching the night before. I don't even know the title because it was in Japanese and for once there was no English translation on the cover. It starred Jennifer Aniston. (So of course it was bad.) God knows why I rented it. The premise was ridiculous - the story of the 'real life' granddaughter of Mrs Robinson who discovers that 'The Graduate' may in fact be her real father. What a load of nonsense.

The movie left me so uninspired that I decided to watch another one. I felt guilty about staying in bed watching movies at lunchtime but what the heck. I was in no mood to write anyway. So I plonked another of my rentals in the DVD player. I had no idea what it was about. I just rented it because I liked the name "Me and you and Everyone we Know." Plus I instinctively felt that it was not going to be an example of mainstream Hollywood fluff so might be worth watching. Within minutes I knew I was going to love it. For those of you who are interested I suggest you visit this website - http://www.meandyoumovie.com You can watch the trailer and read about the story and cast etc.

I am tempted to write my own review of it but that is not what this blog is about and for those of you who aren't film buffs it may prove to be uninteresting reading. What I will say though is this. Miranda July (who until this morning was an unknown name to me) is brilliant. She wrote, directed and starred in this film. I didn't want it to end. It is a truly original, daring and human work and is proof that art is a necessary part of life. Art, for that is what this movie is, has the power to reflect existence, to reassure and to inspire. This movie is comical in it's strangeness. Yet it's quirky perceptions show us so much of what goes unnoticed or unconsidered in life. It made me realise that I am not the only person who has weird ideas about things. "Me and You and Everyone we Know" is the reason I jumped out of bed and literally ran to the internet cafe to start writing.

So this is my first blog for quite some time. Given that I don't tend to plan my blogs I don't quite know in which direction this will flow. Will I talk about the coincidental meeting I had at the Park Hyatt hotel last night? Or will I talk about my new theory on art? Hmmm. Perhaps both. As part of my theory on art requires, I have been watching a lot of films lately. Therefore I will begin the next part of this blog with a list of the best films I have seen since arriving in Japan. I must note that although I love foreign language films I am unable to watch them because the DVDs don't seem to offer English subtitles. (I rented "The Sea Inside" and "March of the Penguins" and was hugely disappointed to find that this was the case so haven't taken the chance since.)

Anyway, in no particular order....

1) "Stories of Lost Souls" 2005 (short films by various directors) 6/10
Tagline - What defies expectations leads to the unpredictable.... Six short stories of conquest, desperation and the will to overcome.

It smacks of "Coffee and Cigarettes" (which is one of my favourite films of all time) possibly due in part to another brilliant scene with Cate Blanchett.

2) "Dear Wendy" by Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg 9/10

Pacifism and Guns....

Check out the brilliant website for more info - http://www.dearwendythemovie.com

3) "Elephant" by Gus van Sant 6/10

High school shootings.

4) "Syriana" by Stephen Gaghan 6.5/10

A complex political thriller about the oil industry

5) "The Weatherman" by Gore Verbinski 6/10

I don't usually like Nicholas Cage but I really liked this.

6) "Everything's Illuminated" by Liev Schreiber 9.5/10

It is quite literally brilliant. You must watch it.

7) "Manderlay" by Lars von Trier 9/10

The sequel (although complete in it's own right) to "Dogville". As always von Trier proves to be a genius. Theme of slavery and racism shot in accordance to the Dogme95 manifesto. (In theory.) See http://www.dogme95.dk

8) "Bullets over Broadway" by Woody Allen 7/10

To my joy I discovered the Woody Allen section in Tsutaya. Hoorah!

9) "Jarhead" by Sam Mendes 7/10

War in the Middle East. It couldn't be more different from Mendes' "American Beauty" (another favourite) but well worth seeing.

10) "Me and You and Everyone we Know" by Miranda July 9/10

Gloriously odd!

So, briefly....

ART = INPUT + TECHNIQUE + INSTINCT

Therefore as part of my required 'input' I have been watching films and reading books and listening to music. More about the theory another time I think.

Books I recommend are:

1)"Status Anxiety" by Alain de Botton
2)"Conditions of Love" by John Armstrong
3)"The Brooklyn Follies" by Paul Auster
4)"Factotum" by Charles Bukowski
5)"A short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Over and out.