Errata is a web journal written by Robert Davis who has neither spent a night in a ghost town nor pulled a turnip from the earth. He doesn't even know if turnips grow in the ground. Perhaps on trees, like candy corn. Therefore, Errata is a non-commercial project.

Observation #1: It may be appropriate, when leaving a movie theater, to say "mysterious."

Observation #2: It may be appropriate, when leaving a movie theater, to say "mysterious" at the top of your lungs. Bring your eyebrows together before you say it. Effective!

Observation #3: Same for books. Even at libraries.

There is a prize for people who correctly guess the thing about Metropolis, Nevada.

Except where the text specifically states otherwise, Errata's vagaries are indicated vaguely and its authors are indistinct in the traditional way of the Internet, except where the authors lay claim to their work. In some cases Robert Davis lays claim to work that is not his own but has been abandoned like so many ghost towns. Except where held presently, fistfuls of dirt are suspended via dispersal, or dispersed via suspension (in the air), and thus their dissolution is their transcendence, or their transcendence is their dissolution. And yet our eyes tear, and our vision is impaired, demonstrating for the umpteenth time that one entity's gain is another's fit of sneezes. Except where indicated, storms shall outlive the clay upon which they rain, unless storms are improperly delimited by their clouds, which dissolve, rather than by their inevitable return. Thus the clay loses, unless the clay is said to own the storm, to use it to make itself heavy, to make itself cling to white garments, refuse dispersal, cake upon the facades of abandoned buildings, and sit like Man [sic] upon the earth where it is pelted by a storm that it owns. In which case the clay still loses, if you ask us.

Some of the above is legally binding and should be considered a mental contract between Errata and those upon whom it acts. The bit about the prize should be considered an overstatement insofar as prizes differ from dirt and prize dispersal differs from dirt dispersal. Please recall that ownership is a weight and, therefore, hope that you do not win the prize.

One day Errata or its representatives will call upon you for a favor. It is expected that you will hop-to without delay.

You may contact Robert Davis by email unless it's about the rock that was thrown in anger. The rock is more properly called a clod. Why do you continue to raise the topic?

8 July 2004

This Week

Here's what I'm considering for this week: a couple of trashy movies, some silents, and a TV documentary.

Spider-Man 2 — Every once in a while I get excited about a blockbuster, and the last one that I approached with eager anticipation — I'm not sure why — was the first Spider-Man movie. Actually, I can take a few guesses. As a fan of Sam Raimi (Evil Dead 2, Darkman) I'd been lamenting his Hollywood output of the last decade until A Simple Plan renewed my hope. Then there was that teaser trailer, pulled from circulation after September 11, in which the high-tech thieves' helicopter is caught in a giant web slung between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Of course I'm usually disappointed by these roller coasters, but here I am, ready to get in line again. Maybe it's the surprisingly positive critical response that the sequel is receiving — none of which I've read, but, to paraphrase Seinfeld, it's like looking at the sun... you get a sense of it and look away. Or maybe it's the fact that the villain is played by Alfred Molina who was so great and two-armed and un-villain like in Coffee & Cigarettes. Whatever the reason, I may see this one. Too bad it's only showing every hour, on the hour, at half the theaters in town.

SF Silent Film Festival — Yep, another festival, but this one has a big advantage: nobody makes silent movies any more, so the festival only lasts two days, Saturday and Sunday, and all of the movies are at a single theater. You really can see them all. Read David Hudson's excellent introduction at GreenCine Daily for all the reasons why the festival is worth a weekend. If you only have time for one film, why not make it Chaplin's The Circus, playing Sunday night? It's often forgotten, sandwiched as it is between The Gold Rush and City Lights, two classics for the ages. The Circus is sentimental without quite reaching the dramatic heights of those two, but it's nevertheless among Chaplin's funniest and most visually beautiful features, and the sweetness is gentle, maybe because he doesn't try too hard to tug at our heartstrings. The automaton-with-blackjack gag — wonderfully scored by Chaplin — makes me laugh every time, and the tightrope scenes are priceless. Also, you'll hear an elderly Chaplin singing the opening song, since the festival will be showing the version with Chaplin's own orchestral score, recorded in 1968.

Fanny & Alexander — If the silent fest isn't your thing, the PFA has begun a great Bergman series. On Saturday and Sunday they'll be showing Fanny & Alexander, but silent film fans need not worry; the Castro will be showing the film for a full week in August, and will host a number of the other Bergman films, too.

Rollercoaster — As a fan of fast rides, I have trouble resisting this one when it falls into my line of sight, ridiculous as it is. I just never expected to see it projected at the Pacific Film Archive, as it will be on Wednesday. Timothy Bottoms is a mad bomber being tracked by George Segal. Will Segal stop him before he destroys Magic Mountain's Revolution on its opening weekend? The PFA is rigging up something similar to Sensurround so the audience will feel the rumbling of trains and bombs, as they were intended to. I'm sure this will enhance the film a great deal. True story: I gave my brother a poster like the one on the PFA site for Christmas one year.

Life and Nothing More (aka And Life Goes On) — On Thursday, the PFA will switch gears dramatically to show Kiarostami's dramatization of his attempt to return to the village where he filmed Where is the Friend's House, recently struck by a devastating earthquake. In this movie, an actor plays Kiarostami, who is shown driving from Tehran with his son amid the aftermath of a natural disaster. It draws parallels between city and rural life and contrasts the importance of movies with the importance of food, water, shelter, communication, and companionship. It's one of Kiarostami's best films, and Sensurround won't be required.

PBS: Thirst — On their POV series this week, PBS will be showing a documentary about attempts to privatize water supplies. Although I've mentioned this series of documentaries previously, I keep missing them. (Oh, to have a Tivo.) I'm going to try hard to catch this one, because I've had a real interest, lately, for several reasons, in the somewhat related topic of water rights in California.

Continuing movies that I can recommend: Control Room, Fahrenheit 9/11 (join the national discussion), and Before Sunset.

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