On the subject of the Truth and Film

The truth tends to be something that can be more easily maintained. I was told once that "I'm not extramarital affair material". Its not entirely true. In a kind of fantasy life - I suppose I could be cheating on anyone and everyone. The fact that I never really have - emotional affairs nothwithstanding - doesn't tend to change the picture. I could.

Its more fun for me, however, to be on the straight and narrow - if simply for the fact that its more easily maintainable. I have secret desires. For example, right now a major desire of mine is to see "District 19". But like all desire, it can be made subject to will - I refuse to buy anything that isn't down to the floor in terms of DVD or BluRay Price. Thats how I was able to collect 1,700 films.

And its also why I gave them all away. Looking over my collection, I suppose its safe to say every film I've ever watched has been some kind of search for some sort of truth. "The Fountain".. "The Fifth Element".... "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?".. even french sex comedies are all , likely part of some kind of tapestry I am weaving. Blu Ray plays havoc with that.

Blu Ray is too vivid. Films like 'The Old Man and the Sea' were blurry, and the dialogue and scenes left a little to the imagination. But Blu-Ray hits you with these extremely sharp images. A big element of my film collection had to do with films that I would like to see twice. But a blu-ray experience can be so damned vivid it makes you wonder if you want to see it twice after all. The images are too sharp.

And in the end, almost all film is some kind of lie - looking for a home within you. They write characters that they hope you will follow and relate - they construct scenes that are intended to stay in your mind's eye. Like "Koyanaqaatsi", there are films that can stand on their own - and those films I know I could watch again. But certain films - even those that I truly like - are hard to rationalize viewing again simply because I remember them too well. True story: I was at a PTA meeting and I turned around and noticed the parents in the room next to me, and thought - wow, the resolution in this room is pretty good...

Tablet computing should free us again of this - a perfect image on a perfect screen in a perfect position in your living room can command almost staring-at-the-fire type attention. But a perfect image on a perfect screen in the middle of a forest, or washed in daylight, or out there on the edge of a dock over near the pier where the waves are crashing against the pylon and the salt spray blitzes across the screen - will end up being just enough for the city.

I applied for a job at Google today. My resume contained some minor lies. I hope I get it. But if I don't I'll be happy enough to just get the phone. I will get a good job somewhere else. No worries. And thats the truth.