Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Darkest Day

Roomate snapped my dvd.  Will update eventually.
I win!

Friday, November 20, 2009

foreshadowing to the extreme.

"its like i said, i love this film. i've seen it over 100 times" Bronco outside of Heidi II at the Alpine Theater...Is Bill SO smart he knew....he knew that I would be watching this very film over 100 times?

70

I've come to the end of me. There's no way out now. I just want you to remember we had a beautiful day together once.

67,68,69...

I'm going to be done on weds. that has been decided. and i will give thanks for being done.

The Power of Positive Drinking

Got through #63-65 last night and finally passed out midway through #66 (I made it to the Joff torture scene).  I also decided that I'm never drinking again.  Or, at least never drinking straight vodka until 3AM on a thursday while trying to watch a swedish film.


...in November...

...wearing a white tshirt.

I'm off to Boston after work today, but I refuse to give up the ghost while Cole powers ahead.  I will not go quietly into the good night.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

67

it's like this mountain...and there's a peak...and i can see it...and i just keep on hiking...mild jog turns into a sprint this weekend, three days off again with no serious plans...if i can hit a solid viewing sunday, monday and tuesday 6 viewings a day...it shall be almost done...so close i can taste it. it tastes like bacon. and it's delicious.

Update

I'm still planning on posting up the second part to my theory that Bergman kills sins/viewpoints instead of people, but I have to work it out a bit in my head first.  I figured that I'd post up the fast that I finished #63 and #64.  I took a break and played a little pong with the roomate for an hour or so but I should still be able to get #65 in, and maybe #66, though I might not finish that tonight.  The real key will be whether I can make myself watch  T7S more than a few times while in Boston.  I have some very close friends to catch up with, but I know that if I take the whole weekend off again, this late in the game, it will seal my defeat.

An Observation

I did pick up on something while watching last night, and I thought I'd mention it.  On the commentary track Peter Cowie opines that Bergman often portrays the most simple-minded characters as being the most spiritually innocent.  This of course is how we see Joff, Mia and Michael in T7S, and why they are the only ones to escape Death's clutches.  Sure, I'll play along with that.  However, two sticking points in this theory are Plogg the blacksmith, who is about as simple-minded as you can get, and Mia, who has a very deep, spiritually-enlighten conversation with Antonius Block.  According to Cowie's assertion Plogg should have survived and Mia should have died.  Why didn't Bergman have things fall out that way?  Did he shy away from killing Mia because he couldn't figure out a way to remove her and retain Joff and Michael?

I offer an alternate theory, though one that raises a few more questions.  Perhaps Bergman was killing sins instead of people; charicatures instead of characters.  Raval of course is as base and degenerate as they come, so his death makes "sense".  The witch, though not actually affiliated with Satan, has deluded herself into believing in her own corruption.  Plogg is a man controlled by rage and drunkedness, and his wife Lisa is of course a slattern.  That leaves MG, Block, Jons and Karin, and Block and Jons are both admitted Atheists (though Block desperately wants to have faith).  There is an even more intriguing explanation for MG and Karin, as in the final scene when Death is shown leading his charges in a dancing line off to the netherworld...MG and Karin are not present.

Now I did a little research, and it turns out that none of the original actors actually took part in that final scene; extras were used as the headline cast was off the set, but Cowie himself even comments that Karin and the MG aren't present, and has no explanation for their absense.

The one flaw in this overlay is Joff.  The simpleton who is almost annoying cheerfull throughout the film commits the crime of theft as he flees from Raval in the inn.  True, the bracelet that he takes was already stolen property, but if sins are punished by death in T7S he rightfully should have died as well.

I have a theory on that too, one that I'll go into later, but here's a clue:
"The Angel of Death flies overhead, and he is very large!"

Another 4 spot

#59-62 last night, and I started #63 this morning at 6AM.  I only got about half an hour in (to the church confessional scene) before I desperately needed more sleep, but it's a start.  I'm holding the carrot in front of my face that if I can maintain the 4x daily pace i'll now be done in 10 days.  This can happen.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

AH!

If I hear/read Larry uselessly use the phrase "prima donnas" one more time!!!!
Why? Why this phrase, was it a popular catch phrase? does it relate to anything else? it's said so many times in the first 40 minutes and then they realize it's not funny and never use it again.
Also Phil should have fixed that damned pot hole he kept falling into...selfish b******.

and breathe one two, almost at the end....

66

Really?

Burned at 65

I'm not liking how at times my life and attitude mimics that of Phil...work is driving me to the point of kidnapping a groundhog and going for a joy ride...without the leap off a cliff of course. Mindlessly watching 65 and 66, it's the best escape from a stressful world.
Mainly right now I keep thinking about how much fun it would be to have a pickup and a groundhog. best day ever.

The Fever

Or should I say "the plague"?  I've been thinking about T7S all day; about watching it, about reading about it, about drinking games that could be played with it, everything.  I think the 4xdaily watching is starting to feel natural.  I'm actually looking forward to a weekend mostly off in dismay even though I'm visiting friends and playing wiffleball.  I'm rolling around the idea of finishing in 11 days by watching 4x a day in my head like a pearl in an oyster, savoring it's sweetness and saltiness that's so similar to sweat and tears. If I could somehow manage to watch T7S 4x a day for 9 days, and slip in an extra 6 viewings somewhere, I could finish on Thanksgiving.  Could it be done?  I don't want anything more.  If I can make myself watch it once at 6AM every morning and then 4x after work I'd only get 5 1/2 hours of sleep a night, but I could be done in 8 days.  Can a human do this?  Am I more afraid of not trying than of going for it?  I had an epiphany this afternoon, when I was reading "Kingdom Come", a book about the end of the world as told through the life of Superman, a book that quotes the same passages of Revelations that T7S does, that this challenge was never about Nicole and I fighting against each other.  It's about pushing one's limits, and finding out if we pop like overfilled balloons, or expand into new dimensions that make allow us to see the world differently.  I started this journey as a man; could I finish as a type of Kwizatz Hadderach?

I changed all of my video game characters names to "Antonius Block".  I am the crusader knight.

Updates

#55-#58 done last night, and it wasn't too-too bad.  I have to say that I'm not really noticing anything new at this point, which makes the viewings drag a bit more.  I've tried to come up with some more hidden messages and analysis but really the only thing that jars is the incredible discrepancy between the subtitles and the English dubbing.  For example, in the scene where Plogg confronts Skat and they exchange insults the subtitle has Plogg calling Skat a "dung heap" (actually he says "shit pile" in Swedish, but they changed it for the American release) and the dub has "strutting peacock".  Later the subtitle has "juggle" and the dub is "recite monologues".  I can't stand it at this point.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Worrywarts and 63

It has nothing to do with beating Nils...honestly it has everything to do with wanting to finish. I respect Nils, and I have this feeling he will win. With my work schedule being the way it is it's impossible for me to watch during the work week...and so Nils is being an Apprehensive Andy...he has his family on his side, they're all willing to watch T7S over thanksgiving...my family would rather boot me to the street than watch GHD with me...he has the holiday advantage. My goal is to hit 70 by sunday...this needs to end.
I feel like Phil, first not understanding what's going on, then abusing the power of the situation and finally learning what it is that I must do to win and to end this...

Update

Whew, okay.  Cole's really been making a push in the last week and i'm starting to get a bit worried.  I know that there's no way I'd ever do this challenge again with anyone, so it's eminently crucial that I win this.  I thought that if I did 4 viewings per day until the weekend I'd be able to catch up but that's just not cutting it with Cole having today off of work.  I'm going to brainstorm some strategies, but if anyone else has a suggestion post it in the comments...it's time to get serious before it's too late.

#54 Down

And it was brutal...Just after the attempted rape scene I had to relocate back to my bedroom because I was in danger of falling asleep in the lobby.  I was actually talking to Cole and said I was going to europe when I meant to say "work".  I set my alarm for 6 to try and get one in before work this morning but I slept through it and was 5min late.  Nothing to do but power through and go for another 4 viewings tonight to try and catch up though.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Puxatawney Purgatory

French makes everything seem more philosophical. So here's my idea...Phil died in a car accident on the way back to Pittsburgh and he is now stuck in purgatory, it's mediocre at best, it could be worse, it could be better. And only when he realizes his sins, and can amend for them will he be allowed into the glorious gates of heaven.
I often thought of purgatory being a dusty beige waiting room with supremely outdated subscriptions...and maybe it's simply my own state of mind, but yes, we're in purgatory.

#53 down

On to #54, because yes, Cole has informed me that she's going for #58.

Le Ned Ryerson

Watching GHD with various musical soundtracks, and french subtitles....there's no translation for BING!

Dental Records

Rita's teeth are yellow and it bothers me, she should get them bleached and should lay off red wine, coffee and cigarettes.
That post was like a PSA

Flaw in the Death Theory

So I just watched the strawberries and milk scene again and Joff does take a sip of milk after Block, which means that there's no way that Block or Jons could be the original carriers of the plague that eventually dooms the party at the end.  This does reaffirm my third hypothesis of Skat and Raval being original independant carriers though.

Midseason Polling Results

Okay, so the 10 day poll is finished, and the results came out as such:

2 voted that they thought I would reach 100 first
6 voted that they thought Nicole would reach 100 first
2 votes that they thought neither of us would reach 100 viewings

I'm going to take down the old poll and try and get a new one up every 10 days, so keep your eyes open and make sure to vote!

Another quote!

"Oh, they'll look...a grinning skull is more captivating than a naked woman." - The Painter in the Church

Midseason Awards!

Okay, so I'm finishing up #52 as I'm working on this, and since I liked Cole's recap so much I'm going to steal it for mine (imitation being the sincerest form of flattery).  Here are my quick hits after viewing #50:

Best line #1: "I am unknowing" - Death

Best scene #1: The witch making her unearthly moan as she's splattered with the blood and bile of a dog.

Best costume #1: Skat with his cloth bells over split tights and rooster-themed cap.

Best line #2 "If everything is imperfect in this imperfect world, then love is most perfect in it's perfect imperfection." - Jons

Best scene #2: Joff manages to pretend to eat a chicken leg and yet doesn't actually take a single piece of chicken into his mouth.  Seriously, watch it.  He takes about 6 "bites" that don't remove any chicken, and then licks his fingers.  It's like watching someone without teeth try and eat corn on the cob.

Best action sequence: Jons slamming Raval down to the table and nearly slitting his throat, but holding back at the last second.

Worst action sequence: Joff's "bear dance".

Best cameo: The squirrel who pops up onto the stump of Skat's tree after it was cut down.  It wasn't staged at all, which means that the squirrel ran onto a movie set directly towards a tree that was falling.

Best makeup: Bengt Ekarot as Death.  They actually used enough white makeup that he didn't have full use of his face, which kept it frozen in a terrible unflinching mask.

Best speech: Still Anders Eck's.  Really, the movie makes itself in that scene alone.  Watch it.

Best line #3: "This is my hand.  The veins pump blood through it.  The sun is still in the sky.  And I, I Antonius Block, am playing chess with Death." - Antonius Block

Best use of music: The first appearance of Death.  Bergman introduces Block and Jons buffetted by blasting sea breeze and surrounded by crashing waves, then immediately fades them down to a whisper as Death is suddenly standing a few feet away.  It's such a drastic and gut-wrenching jolt into silence that it's almost as if the natural world itself holds its' breath in fear and respect for the grim messenger.

Best line #4: "Your life, oh fool, hangs by a thread...short is your day." - Skat, acting as Death

I officially love this movie.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

In summary of the big 50

I'm still amazed how fast this competition has gone. i thought it would take a year, and it would really drag...
I remembered the fears and giddy excitement Nils and I shared before pressing play for the first time; remembering the first 10 views thinking, this is painful, this is horrible, i want to never see this movie again. Then focusing more on the routine, feeling odd in the absence of the familiar characters, songs, themes. With such a hectic job and crazy hours, there was something comforting in his daily routine. And before I knew it, I was at 50.
Yes there was a struggle, Nils started to pull so far ahead and with such gusto, i was afraid that my work schedule would never allow me to get ahead, but with some kindness of a friend/competitor, and some words of encouragement, I caught up and here we are tied again. It's not determination keeping me from finishing first, it's free hours in the day.
I've enjoyed people's reactions to this epic battle, some, most, all think it's a giant waste of time...but all, most, some are seriously envious of the saga.

Cheers to Nils, a formidable opponent, he is dealing with a serious film, and I admire his analysis. He has been more generous than necessary, perhaps. I admire his determination, he just pushes me to go further, to finish, to say that yes, I am the one person in this world who has seen this movie 100 times. To be that person to say "don't throw that phrase around lightly kid...100 times is not easy, could you really, seriously watch one movie, one hundred times and it's not pretty"

My hats off to you Nils for getting to 50, first, let the battle/race/bout continue!!!!!!



Holy Shit foreshadowing?!
I just realized he says "Someday someone is going to see me interviewing a groundhog and think i don't have a future" don't have a future, get it?!

The Big 50 Most, Least,

Least favorite character:
the wimpy psychiatrist he's not funny.
Favorite character:
Bill Murray...the man can act. Imagine if they had gone with Tom Hanks as originally planned? Grand failure.
Favorite Scene:
Bill Murray shoving that cake in his mouth in one foul swoop, I'm dying to try that!
Favorite Line:
Wanna throw up here or in the car
I think, both
Least Favorite Line:
Ever had deja vu?
I could check with the kitchen
Other favorite line:
You say this is your first lesson?
Yes, but my father was a piano mover
Other Other favorite line:
Larry, quit staring, these are excellent.
Other favorite scene:
Bronco and the french maid
Most painful
Her speech on the perfect man...loooord
Most romantic
when they're playing cards on the bed, this seems to be the most sincere of all the attractions

just like a swedish winter get him where the sun don't shine

that's a direct quote from my friend in Chicago, yet another vote of support.
Note:
"hot water"
"no there wouldn't be any today"
what does that even mean? seriously? this line doesn't make sense, it's a B&B, they have power, they aren't using a well, it's not the 1920s.
Also why is he sharing a bathroom, he's a celebrity, in an emergency?
Also I disapprove of his piano teachers cowboy boots (this is prior to her being a piano teacher and her being the woman in the street that says "We're going to Gobbler's Knob"
Oh Ned...You are...You have...the most fantastic run.
Speaking of repetition of characters you can see the waiter who Phil outs, dancing like a broadway showstopper on the kiosk.
More to come...super excited for the 50 best of, I'm on 49 now...50 is next and it's going to be the best viewing ever.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Midseason

I got to #50 last night, and in the process watched both #49 and #50 in full-on Swedish with no subtitles.  I picked up a couple of more phrases, but I won't share them because I probably have the spelling HORRIBLY wrong.  I'll spend the weekend in deep meditation and post up my midseason report likely sometime on monday!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Shout out

Realizing there isn't much time in the who do you think will win vote...I'd like to give a shout out to all my fans who have voted for me, and supported me on this journey. I couldn't be where I am without you....this would probably be more poignant if i was in the lead...however i'll do a victory dance regardless. The people, they like me.

GHD therapy

15 hour day on my feet...lots of chaos...I come home and eat cold chicken noodle soup (i wouldn't recommend it) and watch GHD which warmed my soul, the familiar sounds, and faces...the jokes, the songs, and dances...it was so comforting.
I'm scared.
As well I should be.
Hoping to hit 50 by sunday. I'll only be able to get one viewing in a day until sunday where I can get two...so, doing the math quickly in my head...yes it is possible.
I plan on my own favorite 50 for the blog as well, highlights and lowlights, favorites and least favorites.

you should probably be looking forward to this...I am.

Push to midseason

I got to #48 yesterday as I wanted, but was prevented from getting to that all-important halfway mark due to my friend Katie's birthday party.  Fun time, lots of cuties, and luck willing I should still be able to get 2-3 watches in tonight to get the ball rolling passed #50.  I'm planning on doing some special posts to commemorate the event (first half MVPs, best watches, etc) so hopefully I'll be able to get to those this weekend while I take 3 whole days off from watching T7S.  I'd like to be more than 4 up on Cole going into my little "vacation" but I think that we're both still too far away from 100 to make a serious push for it yet.  I'm planning on doing that around #80 or so, and that's still a few weeks away.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Pay for this?!

I am paying for this. I'm paying dearly for this...at least you have the lead...

#47 Down

Just like last time, I was in error when I thought I was hungover.  I was drunk...and NOW I'm hungover.  Cole, you shall pay for this...

#46 Down

Here comes #47.  Definitely still hungover to the point that people who pass through the lobby are doing double-takes at me as they pass.  At least I overrode my first inclination and changed into real clothes from my pajamas before coming down.

41-45

Watched T7S 4 times last night while drinking heavily with Cole, once this morning while being incredibly hung over with Cole.  One was better than the other.

I found a few errors in the movie too:

1) When Death cuts down the tree to kill Jonas Skat, he uses a handsaw and cuts from the right side.  The tree when it falls does so to Death's left, which is impossible.  If you cut a tree on it's right side it will always fall to it's right, unless it was cockeyed to start with, or someone is pulling it.  You also can't cut a tree that size with a hand saw the way that Death does (namely, a straight horizontal cut).  You have to cut at an angle otherwise the saw blade will bind and prevent you from finishing the cut.

2) When Jons helps to push the witch's cart out of the mud, you can clearly see a woman in a white dress walking in the background.  Those particular scenes were filmed in the back lot of the studio in Sweden, so the woman was likely just walking down the street and had no idea that she'd be in a Bergman movie.

Okay, I'm starting 46 right now.  I'm pushing for 50 watches by the end of the day, and then a few more tomorrow night before I take the weekend off.  Oh, and happy Veteran's Day!

42

My head hurts. I blame drinking games. and Andie MacDowell.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Starting to Fade

Yeah, I just, in sucession, thought my phone rang when it didn't, thought someone sent me an instant message when they didn't (I wrote them a message to which they responded "dude...we haven't talked in MONTHS and you tell me 'the movie's going well thanks'?"), got hungry to the point that I almost ordered a pizza, and then so tired I almost blacked out for a second.  This happened between 10:15 and 10:32PM.

I'm starting to get excited.

Goethe

What was the artist trying to do?
Bergman here was trying to show how the fear of death is actually more destructive than Death.

How well did he do it?



He does it quite well, but having very different characters respond to the fear of dying (Skat becomes sniveling, the townspeople fluctuate from terror to sadism, Block see-saws from self-doubt to salvation and back again, etc) in different, all destructive ways.  He also gives the family of Mia, Joff and Michael as a "control" example, a group unaffected by the fear of Death as they are too simple.

Was it worth doing?
In a historical context, definitely.  At the time of the movie's release the Cold War was gripping all of the civilized world in fear, and there's definitely a parallel with the knight Block contesting against Death in T7S.  In a contemporary sense the connection is a bit more tenuous (Cowie says that the same feelings apply to the fear of AIDS, but I really don't see the same level of fear between those two instances) but is still worthy of examination just in how it dissects the human condition, and in addition the meaning of life.

sticky buns

Does it bother anyone else how Dorris refers to the sticky buns?
Rita: These sticky buns are just heaven
Doris: Aren't they?
and as she says it she looks at Phil with such intensity and seduction, i wonder if she put something in the sticky buns, or if it's one she dropped on the floor.
Also I wonder about the bartender, I feel like he's in it too, his sideways glance, his quirky smile as if he knows.


I'm turning into Phil paranoid that everyone is in on the joke...maybe it is one big joke?


Nils and I discussed the humor of watching our films in reverse. I would watch Phil fall into a deeper and darker and more bitter place, Nils' film wouldn't fluctuate much, more full circle.

Next post, in honor of my old playwriting teacher will be dissecting the film using Goethe's three points of critique:
What was the artist trying to do?
How well did he do it?
Was it worth doing?
I challenge Nils to do the same.

record breaker

I hadn't realized that i had watched groundhog day seven times in one day. new record. the seventh seal. I am now caught up to nils, again. it's mind numbing, it's irritating, and if i hear him talk about a tiny town in western Pennsylvania again I'll probably go mad, if I haven't already.
I've gotten two votes of support from friends, not on the blog but elsewhere, truly believing in me.

#38 down

Right back into #39.

I noticed something at the end of #38 that I wanted to point out though.  In the audio commentary Peter Cowie references that there's a "Last Supper" feeling for the scene where Lisa, Plogg, Jons, Block, MG and Karin are eating breakfast before Death takes them away.  He also points out that Bergman achieves that vibe while avoiding the traditional, Da Vinci inspired setup for that occasion.  My point is that to set them up like that wouldn't have worked because the "Jesus" figure in T7S isn't Block, but instead is represented by the child Michael, and so wasn't present at the breakfast scene.

Now I've been reading this movie as a bittersweet tale, with some characters finishing in despair and some escaping Death, but this viewing of the breakfast scene really puts emphasis on the optimistic outlook.  The Last Supper of course is a harbringer of the end of Jesus's mortal life, but in Bergman's vision Jesus doesn't die.  Does this mean that he doesn't expiate the sins of the main characters?  Does it mean that salvation is still forthcoming?  Or, because Cowie later explains that Bergman was an Atheist, does is mean that there IS no salvation because there is no afterlife?  I'll have to think on it a bit more, but it was definitely a new way to watch the scene.

Update

So Cole caught me this afternoon, which means that it's time to rev the engine back up and crush some dreams.  I'm shooting for 3 viewings tonight to get me to 40 total, and then I'll pack on a few more tomorrow before veteran's day, which I have totally off work.  The record so far for one day is 6 viewings, so I might try and equal that, and then if I can get a few in thursday night it should push me well past the 50 mark for my weekend off with my cousin.

I talked to Cole about the "taking days off" deal that's been happening recently, and we threw out the idea of not allowing leads of more than 5 viewings until one of us reaches #75.  It's attractive because Cole was pretty close to dropping out once I'd gotten ahead 37-30, but honestly I think that once we get passed #50 it'll really be rolling downhill and it'll be hard for me to stop.  Thoughts of being finished by Thanksgiving are just about shot, but it's Christmas or Bust for this cabajerro.

Kind Gentleman

I took all of Sunday off to let Cole catch up a bit.  Ironically, the first thing I could think of to do when I got some free time was watch a movie.  I watched Cube, and it was wonderful.  I also completely shaved my head, and I looked eerily like Bengt Ekarot's portrayal of Death in T&S.  I might need to get a fake tan just so I don't start scaring myself in the mirror.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

le sigh

ahh that familiar theme song...thanks to a cheerful canadian on the violence across america tour, the competition is back on...and i'm "gleefully" working on 34...and oddly i have a raging headache to boot. When this is over, I will be in a happier place. Not Punxatawny.

Uhoh

"Windows Media Player cannot play this DVD because there is a problem with digital copy protection between your DVD drive, decoder, and video card. Try installing an updated driver for your video card."
My computer told me this. My laptop is rejecting the movie. Technical difficulties will put the full viewing of 33 on hold....

32

This morning I woke in an attempt to finish 32, and in the middle I got sidetracked by an incredible desire to listen to Seu Jorge's cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity". The one I found had an attachment to bits from the film "Life Aquatic", simply by watching excerpts from a better movie I was brought to tears...well nearly. Just the idea of watching a better film filled me with such joy. I wanted to tear GHD out of my laptop and smash it to the floor.
Ironic that the film I wanted to watch instead still involved Bill Murray.
32 is done.
33 is next.

Nancy? Nancy Taylor!

On the 31st viewing I started wondering about our dear friend Nancy, Nancy Taylor. Typically floozies travel in packs. And yet each time we see her, she's totally alone. If there's an event, you'd think you would call your equally loose girlfriends to see if they would attend with you, and grab some coffee and a heavenly sticky bun.
She's alone at the cafe, she's alone at Gobbler's Knob, she's alone when she walks in front of the movie theater. Where are her friends? What is her backstory? She's obviously a lonely girl, so willing to accept a marriage proposal from a boy she rejected back in the day. Nancy, Nancy Taylor why are you alone?

Saturday, November 7, 2009

37 Down

Time for that sandwich...

Update

Okay, so I've gone back-to-back-to-back so far today and had scotch for lunch and honestly I'm tripping a bit.  I'm at 1:10:00 on viewing #37 and Mia just said "I don't like the moon tonight" and I completely agree with her.  It's all pale and circular and intrusive. It reminds me of an episode of Clone High where JFK smokes a joint mad from raisins and thinks the moon is following him.  I think I should make a sandwich and take a nap.  Cole and I are playing drinking games tonight after Fedor kills Bret Rogers and I need to be awake for it.  We're playing a top secret game called Dicecards! that I helped invent and it's merciless against the already-drunk.



I also just read this: http://drunkard.com/issues/08-04/08-04-van-gogh.htm and it put me in the mood to try and pick a day to watch T7S 10 times.  Maybe when I get to 90 I'll take a sick day and try it?  What would happen to a person who spent 16 straight hours watching the same thing?  Would my eyes burn out?  Would I start talking in Swedish?

I also shaved my head into a mohawk last night.  I'd like to say I blame the egg rolls and not the ecstasy*, but I didn't take any ecstasy so it was probably the aforementioned scotch.


*That's a quote, I don't actually take drugs. Unless "drugs" are black and white movies from 1956 Sweden.

Just call me butter

Cause i'm on a roll?  I powered through #35 and #36 this morning before lunch and I'm starting #37 now.  I'm not sure if I'll get to #40 today but I figure that I can get close.  I feel a bit bad watching while Cole is working doubles, but again if I'm taking all of next weekend off she'll have essentially 3 days to catch up where I won't be able to watch.

work vs. contest

I may need to quit my job. doubles (18 hour days) vs. prime hours to surpass nils is just not working out for me...time to think about some serious life decisions...career? or trophy?

Friday, November 6, 2009

32 and 33

Definitely still hung over from last night, but I've loaded up on gatorade and powered through two viewings already tonight.  I'd like to get two more in (and I just started #34) but we'll have to see.

Day Off

After a night of 50 cent beers and drunken texts from Nicole updating me on my dwindling lead I started #32.  I made it exactly 8:42 in before passing out.  Birthday party was great so I don't regret it, but I have some serious watching to do this weekend.  I'm staying in tonight to get at least 3-4 in and I'm shooting to be close to 40 by the time Cole and I talk tomorrow night.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

drunken 30

it took some vegan cuisine, and a bottle of wine...but 28, 29 and 30 are all complete. now to pass out.

Onto 28 and beyond

Currently watching GHD for the 28th time. Will watch 29 at the dinner party, the novelty of this competition is expansive...and I'll hit 30 before bed tonight...watch out Nils, I'm coming after you.

new levels of madness

Today I kept telling the boys I work with "if you feel you're warming up, I'm your weatherman"...they gave me an odd look....but that's not new.
What's new is a dinner party my friends are hosting tonight, and I asked, in all seriousness...can I bring my copy of GHD? We could all watch it! It'd be fun! They could all become a member of this heroic experience.

I'm now at the point that GHD is the new hostess gift...instead of wine I bring a crappy movie from 1993.

Cheers.

Clark Kent Syndrome

Okay, so as I've posted before my eyes have been a little strained recently because of all of the movie watching.  Well, it just went one step further: I just had a 2 minute stretch where I couldn't focus on my computer screen at all.  Everything was super blurry, even when I squinted.  I'm fine now, but hoo boy that wasn't fun.  I'm thinking that I'll take today completely off.

No Morning Watch

I tried, I really did, but waking up in the pitch darkness of 6AM after staying up until 1 the night before is no conducive to movie-watching, especially a black and white film with a classical soundtrack.  I'm still hoping to sneak one viewing in today but it'll be a lot tougher than it would have been this AM.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

i'm not too worried about nils gaining a couple more viewings in tonight. i'm favored to win after all...nils may be one of my oldest friends, but i have learned some new tricks, the lead will soon be mine, and shall remain so.

Update

I stealth-attacked Cole with #31.  Yup, I'm a big man.

Showertime

The shower in the bed and breakfast does not have hot water on groundhog day....can we now safely assume that Bill Murray's character did not shower for 10 years, 100 years? You'd think he'd look a lot greasier...props to him for looking so fresh.

Nicole > T7S

Just found out that an 11th body was discovered in the house of the Cleveland Killer, which officially makes him a more successfull murderer than Death in The Seventh Seal, who only kills 10 people: Skat, the unnamed villager Raval robs, Raval, the witch, Jons, Block, Lisa, Plogg and MG.  Way to go Nicole, your city is more deadly than 14th century Sweden during the height of the Black Death!

Update

Just finished #30.  I MIGHT go for #31 tonight but I really want to try the 6AM viewing at least once, and since I'm taking tomorrow night off for Derek's birthday that might be the time to do it.

Question for the readers

Does anyone know how to post pictures?  I've been sketching scenes from T7S the last few viewings and I figured that I could post them up here.

Voting

I hope you guys who voted are joking too...there's no way I'll lose to a Maine emigrant.  My winter is so much colder all I HAVE to do is watch this movie.

Oh, and I did have another observation:

When we meet Skat, Mia and Joff for the second time (right around mark 34:00) they're performing a skit where Mia dances to Joff's drumming, and then is wooed away by Skat and his pipe-playing.  Now Joff's costume gives him horns, which is a symbol for a cuckold, or a man whose wife cheats on him, and Skat's gives him the head of a rooster, or "cock", signifying virility.  The fun part is that this play neatly parallels what happens in real life just a minute or so later.  Skat, still appropriately dressed as a rooster, seduces the laviscious Lisa despite her marriage to Plogg.  If you REALLY want to read into the symbols here, you can even make the point that when Skat first kisses Lisa and she laughs the sound is drowned out by the sound effect of a rooster crowing.  So, just like Mia pretended to be overwhelmed by Skat the character's virility, Lisa is just moments later truly overcome by Skat the man's same quality.

Or, I might have just watched this movie too much already...but it's something that jumped out at me during #30 and I wanted to mention it.

Update

Watched #29 when I got home today, and I think taking yesterday off was a bad idea.  It was BRUTAL, and i've definitely got some eye strain.  To quote Kenny Powers: "I feel like an asian guy trying to jerk off".  Well, not that bad probably, but I think I'm going to get #30 in and then call it a night.  I got a text from Nicole and she had to work a double shift at the restaurant so she was still at work around 8, and is still stuck on #26.  I can live with being 4 up going into tomorrow, though I really want to try the 6AM viewing.  I had my alarm all set this morning but when I woke up I realized that I'd left T7S in my laptop downstairs.  Yeah...I didn't *quite* make it downstairs to retrieve the dvd.

The Day Off

Honestly it was so nice.  I watched Blade Runner and it was incredible hearing different voices, seeing different colors, and enjoying a non-classical soundtrack.  It felt incredible to be watching a movie for pleasure rather than competition.  I awoke refreshed for the first time in a week and a half and I'm ready to make a charge today.  I'm thinking at least 4 watchings, though if I somehow got to 5 I could be one third done after 13 days, which would be awesome.

Nice to see Cole up posting too!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Final Decree

My brother was unable to respond in time, so we in turn went to Nils' older brother...he stated that since the rules of "lunch" were not declared from the getgo the lunch break watchings count. Congrats Nils...this only makes it one million times more impressive when I beat you.

Bing again.

Alright folks it's time i gave some thoughts to this whole crazy shingdig. I would like to note that I did not get a week off work due to illness, and though many of you would probably not care to know this, I continued cooking fine product for our patrons while violently ill with the bacon flu. I was sent home early, and got a few more viewings in than normal but would like to note that I did indeed still work a 50 hour work week. Should i truly be punished for not having the luxuries of a lunchbreak and water cooler conversation? True it was my choice to become a chef, and not to fiddle away in a cubicle with a ficus. However I feel that only the time spent outside the office is apt viewing time. I will allow all previous viewings that Nils has completed but will accept no future ones.
Onto notes of the movie and this experience as a whole...seriously.
Seriously I doubted my own abilities to join into such an experience but here we are 10 days in, and 26 viewings complete. originally I had believed to pace myself, two viewings a week would be simple, and easy, and a relaxing way to hit the one year mark. After my first GHD experience I wanted to die, the initial viewing was painful, a horrendous and repetitive film latent with bad acting and worse writing. There are some saving grace moments, but on the whole a superficial film with little to read into, and less to grab the attention of the viewer. Bill Murray though charming is not acting at his full capacity, due mostly to off screen arguments with the writer as to whether or not this film should be shown as a comedy or a philosophy, mr. murray leaning towards the latter...apparently the two have not spoken since the release of this film.
My own concept of reality has become slightly skewed. I hear the opening music in my head each morning as I start my day, as i cross E.122 i find i do the same skip, as i open the door to the kitchen it's all in the same motions. I have my own Ned that greets me every morning, though instead of a dweeb of an insurance agent it's a rotund gentlemen, always in a sweatsuit who comments on my necklace whether i'm wearing one or not...lovely. I am living my own groundhog day...with a more captivating story line. I come home from work, i watch a redundant film as I eat my dinner and as I fall asleep. Only to arise to the same hell. I live in Cleveland which has a Puxatony feel...perhaps by the end of this challenge i too will play piano and become a gifted ice sculptor, with a knack to bring cheer to all.
I promise to buy Nils his own groundhog at the completion of this challenge, so that he may live with the burden that he has bestowed upon me.
Cheers.

And on the 12th day, Nils rested

Just got an email from Cole and we've called a truce for tonight.  Her and Lindsay are watching GHD once, and I said I wouldn't watch it more than once.  Honestly I might take the night off completely and then catch an early show around 6 tomorrow morning.

Update

Haven't heard back from Cole yet on the "watching at work" issue so I held off on starting #29 during lunch.  I guess that I'll have to pull 4 watches the old fashioned way tonight, though that means if I start when I get home at 5:45 I won't be finished until 12:13, and that's assuming that watch it on loop.  Maybe 3 watches would be better, and maybe I'll wake up at 6:00 tomorrow morning and get one in before I leave for work.  Again, I really need to build up a cushion if I'm going to take 4 of the next 14 days off...Cole's just devious enough to leave me in the dust if I stumble...

Point of Controversy (well, "half point")

I talked to Nicole this morning, and she raised an interesting point, though it's one that I contend is moot at this juncture.  As I stated in an earlier post I brought my laptop and copy of T7S to work and watched just under an hour of it during my lunch break.  Nicole, as she works as a chef, doesn't get a set lunch "break", and so is not afforded the same opportunity.  She contended this morning that because I could watch at work and she couldn't it was an unfair advantage, and so should be abolished.  I disagree completely, and for a few reasons:

1) There was no rule against watching at work set out at the start of the competition, though there were several others that were.  To make a rule now would be punishing a previously unrecognized advantage retroactively.
2) The "unfair" aspect doesn't really fly in my book because it has to do with things controlled by our employers, whom we selected when we chose to work at our respective jobs.  Nicole couldn't work last week because she had a head cold and works with food; I could have worked with a similar malady.  Is that fair?  Should she have to forfeit the viewings she did while sick at home because I wouldn't have been able to take those days off?  I don't think so.
3) The advantage is negligible.  I have an hour lunch break, which is barely enough to finish one half of a viewing.  It's not like I'm a night security guard at a mall who can actually watch T7S while i'm working.

But anyway, in the spirit of fairness we compromised and said that we'd appeal for a ruling to an impartial third party.  I put out the name of her brother, Paul, and await her yea/nay vote on that.

Nice Review

My friend Zack emailed me a third-party review of T7S that gives a pretty nice, basic outline of the plot.  I figured that I'd share:  http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-seventh-seal,34821/

Update

Finished #27 and #28 as I planned last night, but I'm really regretting not getting #29 out also.  I'd like to hit #33 tonight but watching 5 on a week night is pretty rough.

I also double-checked and the statues are of a different style, but appear to be of the same 2 saints.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Statuesque

I'm not entirely sure, but I think that the statue of the old man that you see at mark 1:27:00 is the same one as the one next to Block in the church scene at the beginning.  It kind of looks like St. Francis, but I'm not sure.  I'll have to check on that later.  Finishing up #26 right now, and then I'll break for dinner and some beer pong before #27 and #28.  I'm kind of hoping Nicole gets distracted by Lindsay and forgets to watch GHD more than once, haha.  Yesterday really took a toll.

54:00:00

That's how far I got today in viewing #26 during my lunch break.  The scary part is that it made me feel so much better compared to how I felt when I woke up this morning.  I really, REALLY hope that i'm not developing a dependancy on this movie.  All I could think to myself while watching it was "Ahh...those soothing black and white tones are so much better than the harsh sunlight and colors outside."  The plan is to finish #26 before dinner tonight and then watch it twice more before bed.  If I average 3 viewings a day I could conceivably finish the 100 before Thanksgiving, though I was planning on taking November 5th off for my roomate's birthday and November 13-15th off for my cousin's visit from Memphis.  Still, the plan of being done by March is obviously shot, and I know if I'm to beat Nicole I'll have to be finished no later than mid-December.

I may have watched T7S too many times yesterday...

I swear to God I just saw Bengt Ekarot's Death character walk through the parking lot of the office in full costume...I'm honestly a bit scared here. I'll keep it updated, but if I start hearing things I might need to take a coffee break.

Update

I finished #25 last night, and brought my laptop to work so I can start #26 during lunch. I got an email from Nicole too, and she finished #25 last night also with her friend Lindsay. So that's 1/4 of the way done within 10 days...and I almost thought that I saw Nils Poppe walk down a side street on my way to work this morning. He was in black and white and had his lute on his back. Maybe the cracks are starting to show? I could have sworn that I heard flute music too.

Theory about Death, Part II

Because of the problems with the "Infected Block" theory, especially the time of death aspect, I took some time analyzing the possibilities and came up with what I think it a better version. Skat, instead of Block, is now my original carrier. Take a look at the following flow chart and see if that makes a bit more sense:Skat- infects Lisa with a kiss, who- infects Plogg with a kiss, who- infects Jons by grabbing his arm in the scene where Skat "dies", then dies. Jons then- infects MG with a snuggle in the scene where they watch Raval die, and infects the witch when he gives her water. The witch then- infects Block when he gives her some drugs to dull the pain of burning alive, who then- infects Kurin when she gives him a caressSo this way Joff, Mia and Michael are safe, Skat's death is explained, and the fact that he is the first to die is also explained as he's been carrying the plague the longest. The others all catch the plague within half a day of each other and so it makes sense that they die at the same time in the end.This theory still has a few unexplained facts (why Raval dies, and why Death comes for Block first) but I think that the timing and the lack of connection between the plague and the chosen family is worth it. Ravel could have easily caught the plague when he robbed the dead, as it's shown that he does that for income. Death could also have come for Block for an reason related to his time fighting in the crusades as well. I like this theory also because it means that Block doesn't unwittingly do more hamr than good by postponing his death at the start. In this postulation Block only actually infects one person, his wife.

The last question would be how Skat originally catches the plague, and it would have had to be something that only he did, as he was travelling with Joff, Mia and Michael and they were unaffected. I was wracking my brain for hours today thinking of what it could be and then when it hit it was obvious. In the scene where the travelling players are first introduced Skat emerges from the wagon wearing a stylized mask of a skull, meant to represent...Death. So Skat, who actually "becomes" Death and reads a line from a play ("Your life, oh fool, hangs by a thread. Short is your day!") symbolically and literally brings death in the form of the plague into the movie. The Death mask gets hung on a branch off of the wagon and rests there until the end of the movie, casting a shadow over the party as they travel together. Bing!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

New Theories on Death, Part I

So earlier I'd talked about how I was puzzled as to why Death at the start of the movie wants to kill only Antonius Block, but that by the end of the movie he takes everyone in Block's party, and I put out the hypothesis that perhaps Jons had caught the plague from the dead monk near the start of the movie, and subsequently passed it on to the other members of the party. There were a few flaws in the theory though, namely that if it were true the painter would have to die, it didn't account for the fact that Death comes for Block first (before he could have been infected by Jons) and that it did not account for the death of Jonas Skat as he didn't have contact with anyone "infected" before dying.

During the 22nd viewing I wondered instead if Block could possibly have been the original carrier. Suppose that he caught the plague upon his arrival to Sweden and Death comes for him because of it. Because of the reprieve caused by the chess match he's allowed enough time to touch Jons when he passes him food after the church scene, infecting him. Jons would then infect both Raval and the mute girl (whom I'll call MG from now on) by way of push and kiss respectively. Jons would then infect Plogg by way of a hug when he consoles him on the loss of his wife, Plogg would in turn infect Lisa when she kisses him, and Lisa would doom Skat when the actor pats her cheek before "killing" himself. Finally, Block himself would infect his wife Karin when he touches her hand near the end. Thus everyone that dies can be explained to have caught the plague, and the spreading traces itself back to a legitimate source in Antonius Block.

Still, though this theory explains why Death comes for Block first, it still leaves me unsatisfied. For one, it casts a very depressing pall over the entire movie because it means that Block is indirectly responsible for the deaths of all of his friends because he's too scared to accept his own Death at the beginning. There are also two fairly large problems left unreconciled. One, if Plogg were infected by Jons when they hug, he would have passed it on to Joff when he and Joff shake hands immediately after that scene. Joff survives, so that's a problem. Problem two has to do with the timing. Now it's fine to say that people die from the plague at different speeds, but in this construct Skat would have died mere seconds after catching it from Lisa, while Jons survives basically the entire film "infected". Block survives the longest, but I'm giving him a pass because he has the chess game to protect him.

23 down, and some new theories on Death

Powered through viewing #23, giving me a one-view lead while Cole has dinner at her parents' house, and I'm starting #24 as I type. I came up with a few more theories about the composition of the final group that Death takes off into the sunset and also did some digging around "Ariadne versus Kunigunda". I'll start with the latter first!

Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos of Crete, and she was the one who helped Theseus kill the fabled minotaur by navigating him through the labyrinth. She then left Crete with Theseus, but was abandoned on an island on the way home because Theseus discovered that she was already married to Dionysus, the Greek God of wine and debauchery. This actually makes quite a bit of sense in the context of T7S, as Lisa shares wine with Skat and then shares much more than that in the woods, only to be abandoned by him when her husband Plogg returns.

Kunigunda was the Queen of Bohemia in the mid to late 13th century. I found some personal information, but nothing to really indicate how Lisa may have resembled her. Maybe Lisa was just putting on airs by giving her name as that of a Queen?

I'm a little surprised that the dubbed name is the more accurate one, but at least now I know the reason why the editors might have changed the name from Kunigunda to Ariadne.

20 down

I'm starting 21 down in the apartment lobby right now, but I might need to take a break for some lunch. Nicole texted me last night that she watched #20 and #21 before going to bed, so if I can get #21 done early this afternoon I should be able to gain a lead tonight and then start putting some distance between us when she's working her overtime this week. I'm hoping to be at #30-33 at least by next weekend when I'll take at least one day off for the roommate's birthday.

Oh, and I apparently wasn't hungover this morning. I was drunk, and NOW i'm hungover. If anyone wants to deliver a cup of coffee and a powerade to the lobby of Promenade East Towers in Portland I'll promise everlasting friendship.

A thought

So Death wins the chess game at right around 1:25:00, but doesn't take Block. Putting aside the fact that according to the movie he's been trying to kill the knight since the very first scene, and should be anxious to get it over with, the only thing that happens from 1:25 until he reappears at 1:34:00 is that the group adds the knight's wife Kurin to their party. Is there a group discount on trips to the afterlife? I guess that it just doesn't make sense to me why Death would wait what's really only about an hour (I can gauge the time as being about an hour because Joff and Mia flee the campsite just before Death wins the game, and the horse that pulls their wagon couldn't have pulled it for more than an hour without stopping. They're not shown to have stopped until about the time that Block and the others reach the castle, and so it's inferred that Jof and Mia are no more than an hour away).

Then again, being killed at this point is almost a mercy to Kurin: in the last 10 years she's lost her husband, her friend Jon's wife, all of her servants, and then just when her husband returns home having aged HORRIBLY she finds that he's doomed to die. No wonder she's so polite to Death when he finally shows up.

1:13:44

Again with the witches' rack. I mean, really? She's not even wearing a bra, and apparently still has more support that the Livestrong campaign. I'm not even interested romantically; I just don't understand what i'm seeing.

1:04:59

There's a line here where Jonas Skat and Plogg are trading insults and Jons walks over to talk to Joff to say "In southern lands there are things called apes." Joff doesn't understand and says "What?" and Jons just blows him off with a "Never mind." I still can't figure out what Jons is commenting on here and it's driving me nuts. Is he comparing Plogg and Skat to apes? Is it a dig on their intelligence? I have no idea.

I still think that it's stupid that in the dubbed version they give Lisa's assumed name as Ariadne instead of Kunigunda too...there's just no point to changing it.

Joff

I'm watching the "dance like a bear!" scene and honestly, I'm not seeing it. How do bears dance? Like this apparently: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UeCRY1wciA. And Joff? He just kind of hops from foot to foot and makes his hands into claws. I understand that he's doing this under protest, but still, take some pride in putting effort into your work.

19 Down

Watched it this morning, VERY hungover from Halloween.