Close But No Cigar
Quote of the day:
It's a bunch of sad strangers photographed beautifully and all the rich fuckers who appreciate art say it's beautiful because that's what they want to see...the exhibition is reassuring, which makes it a lie, and everyone loves a big fat lie.
Yes, that's the character of Alice, currently being photographed beautifully in Patrick Marber's biggest hit - Closer. I saw this play twice when Steppenwolf did it a couple of years ago; I even found myself inadvertently quoting from it only two weeks ago. It's got some lines that are hard to forget. It's also probably the most cynical "exploration" of relationships to come along in awhile; and that's saying something. A lot is being made of the fact that Mike Nichols, who directed the movie, also directed the most cynical relationship movie of the 1970's, Carnal Knowledge (which I saw in New York in 1990 and subsequently directed and acted in for my BFA thesis project in college). "Closer" is mostly just a vamped-up rehashing of the same chronic alienation that gave "Carnal Knowledge" its bite. An almost identical critical response is starting to trickle in; young people think it's sexy and "soooo true!", older people shrug and say "Been there. Done that." If you're feeling good about relationships and feel you need to be rattled a bit, check it out. If you're a little more mature – and demand more for your entertainment dollar – go see Sideways instead.
2 Comments:
I'm more likely to see Sideways than Closer but you have to admit that Natalie Portman is better looking than Paul Giamatti.
For years I had experienced a particular type of dozing consciousness, where I was neither asleep nor awake. I characterise it as being three quarters asleep, one quarter awake - no desire, no emotion, very little thinking. It came on after an exhausting day at work, when fear and hate had been strong.
This stress physiologically affected my kidneys (my dreams of that time indicated that my left kidney was in trouble), and they repeatedly generated referred pain in the lower back (pain that originated in the kidneys but was felt as back pain). In other words, treacle consciousness is a mild form of stupor ; if perpetuated then, in my view, it may lead eventually to uraemia.
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