h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

if you get this channel then its a great way to see new films.

I saw 'Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress' last week.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/features/balzac.shtml
beautiful scenary, and restrained emotions in Pol Pots era.

This Saturday we have 'Kikujiro', a Japanese road movie.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/features/kikujiro.shtml

Saturday 19th Feb, an Icelandic film called 'Noi the Albino'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/features/noi-the-albino.shtml


Saturday 26th, a Brazilian film called 'As Tres Marias'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/features/three_marias.shtml

Ta!

Oddly enough, we just happened to turn off the kids' video and chase them upstairs just as 'Balzac and the Little Seamstress' was coming on. It created a tussle for a minute or two, because I had plans involving a DVD, but my wife had read the book only a couple of weeks previously. I'm glad she won, because I rather enjoyed it.

I'm trying to work out though...was the violinist guy gay?

I've got Noi the Albino on my Amazon list. Hmmm. With all these BBC4 things coming up, it looks like I'm wasting my money on Amazon this month.

Speaking of BBC4 - dod anyone happen to catch the Time Shift documentary on Prog Rock last week? It was painfully hilarious! All that stuff really was unspeakably awful....and I speak as someone who grew up listening to drivel like Yes and Genesis. Great quote from John Peel 'I went to see Emerson Lake and Palmer and they moved me to tears...because it was such tedious piffle.'

Aaaargh! And this saturday's one is by Beat Takeshi! Ain't no DVDs getting watched this month!

Didn't catch Time Shift but did see something last night on France and the way they are. It has inspired to start a philosophy club at the pub we already meet at for pagan moots. We thought theres no point being jealous of the french for being taught philosophy, lets get together and teach ourselves.

See you back here then after Saturday to discuss the film.

I didn't get the impression the violinist was gay, but he was more sensitive and shy which is why he didn't get the woman. But he was more help to her in the end, he didn't get her pregnant, helped with the abortion and also enabled her to get trainers and thus a way out of there.

Fantastic scenery though, I found the last scenes when the scenes were played out in the drowning houses very evocative. The ghosts of past events.

I was wondering if the reference to '...the first mention of homosexuality in Chinese history' was meant to be a clue. Plus maybe the bit where he couldn't whip his friend.

(Incidentally - one set of ideograms for 'homosexuality' in Chinese translates as 'male dragon preference' - which I think is rather cute )

Re. French philosophy classes. I gather that they, sensibly, don't focus on the dry teaching of different philosophers, but on the discussion of philosophical topics and the application of the philosophical method (what we might call 'thinking skills'.)

Regarding whipping his friend, an educated person from a city would know that drugs are the cure. He didn't have the conviction that whipping him would cure him and therefore found it difficult. She also found it difficult I thought, but found it more difficult to leave him there without trying to cure him, as she had a strong conviction that whipping would work.

Yep, philosophy can be dry and bollocks, just look at Freud. I want to stimulate discussion on things greater than soap operas and football! To make people think is often a rare thing nowadays.

'Devils advocate' can be a good game. People can discuss things from random, oppositional positions. You could try arguing that the contemporary soap opera is civilisation's highest cultural achievement.

I think for the first one we shall ask what 'personal responsibility means to people', anyway I havn't booked a night yet, so its early days yet.

Hmmm, not sure I liked it but I did appreciate some of it. Will have a think, what did you think?

PS can I put you on my friends list?

>>Hmmm, not sure I liked it but I did appreciate some of it. Will have a think, what did you think?

Not sure what this is about. 'Kikijuro'? I was looking forward to it, but was knackered and fell asleep. I woke up for the last 45 minutes, and rather enjoyed what I saw. My wife was trying to work out if there was any symbolism. I reckon that the point was that there *wasn't* any deep meaning. I'll have to investigate some of Beat Takeshi's other films.

And yes, feel free to ad me to your list.