CUANDO ALGO ACABA

Cuando algo acaba, busco a la señorita Vida y le pregunto:

-Bueno. Y ahora qué?

Y ella me responde

-Sabes que Miguelito? No tengo la menor idea.

Y es como estar desnudo bajo la ducha sin saber que el agua que te va a caer vendra heladísima, como la quieres o te quemara la piel de la cara, de lo puro caliente.

Aunque la mayor parte del tiempo saben lo que pasa?

Qué no viene nada y te la tienes que pasar esperando sin saber por qué o para cuándo.

William Z Snyder's Book Promo

Call me Patron of the Arts or Maecenas, but I don't think YouTube is reaaally big enough. For this classy act the spotlight of Guelyland is what you need. And, what you got. Now, go and get them Thail... i mean tiger!

"Big O", says: "I like!"

HARRISON FORD

If I have to name my favorite actor and only one second to answer, that would be: Harrison Ford. Today he turns 68. Here, some wisdom and quotations from The Man himself.

"I'm like old shoes. I've never been hip. I think the reason I'm still here is that i was never enough in fashion that I had to be replaced by something new."

"Being happy is something you have to learn. I often surprise myself saying "Wow this is it. I guess I'm happy, Igot a home I love. A career I love. I'm even feeling more and moreat peace with myself. If there's something else to happiness, let me know. I'm ambitious for that too."

"Whoever had the bright idea of putting Indiana Jones in a leather jacket and a fedora in the jungle ought to be dragged into the street and shot"

"The third time you say a thing it sounds like a lie."

"When I started, the studio producer told me, Kid you have no future in the business. I say Why?. He said, When Tony curtis first walked onscreen carrying a bag of groceries I took a look at him and said THAT'S a movie star! I said Weren't you supposed to say, That's a grocery delivery boy?"

"I never wanted to be the boss"

"I think I did have a reputation for being grumpy. I have opinions. I have an independent vision. I am a purposeful person. But on a daily basis. I think i'm other than grumpy. I think it is a case where I am coming to do business and not there just to be flattered and cajoled and used."

"I'm an assistent storyteller. It's like being a waiter or a gasstation attendant, but I'm waiting on six million people a week, if I'm lucky."

"As a conscientious objector during the Vietnam war I confused them so badly that they never took action on my petition. My conscientious objection wasn't based on a history of religious affiliation, which made it difficult at the time. I remembered Paul Tillich's phrase, "If you have trouble with the word God, take whatever is central or most meaningfull to your life and call that God". I always had trouble with the notion of God in a stand-up form. So I developed a thesis and took the biblical injuction to love the neighbor as thyself as the central and most meaningful thing in my life. I combined it all and typed for days and sent it off and never heard a word. Never got it called in."

"I don't use any particular method. I'm from the lets pretend school of acting."

"The loss of anonimity is something that nobody can prepare you for. When it happened, I recognized that I'd lost one of the most valuable things in life. to this day, i'm not all that happy about it."

"I choosed to be an actor because I was a failure in all other fields."

INTO THE WILD

"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods;

There is a rapture on the lonely shore;

There is society, where none intrudes,

By the deep sea, and music in its roar;

I love not man the less, but Nature more..."

- Lord Byron

Into the Wild (Sean Penn, 2007) is a geographic and psychological journey. An essential road movie, a trek with freedom for north star. The story of a solo adventurer sharing the last remains of his love for fellow humans all the way. A movie not afraid to preach the love for the man as an individual, instead then society, not without some mysanthropy. The voyager of a fugitive running away from hypocrisy, false security, materialism and even his own name. At the same time an homage to the giant beauty of America and his wilderness and marginal roads, as seen from the perspective of a young man that wanna see it with his own naked eyes, just as we wanna see the person we love. Even if he is always is gonna be "followed" far above by jet trails he will continue to his utopical Alaska, his end of the planet, his destiny. Our lone heroe is a monk of the road, a sort of Kwai Chang Cane who's philosophy was taken not from budhism but from Jack London, Tolstoi, Pasternak and Thoreau. A younger Allie Fox (The Mosquito Coast) pushed away by the false values of his parents to that utopical blank spot in the map up away in Alaska. A big dreamer with no less then one similarity to the idealistic main character from Motorcycle Diaries, but with a little, little, bit of kind madness like the other Alaska lover Timothy Treadwell (Grizzly Man). He will let pass love and friendship leaving his mark people that will learn to love him and try to keep him on the safer side of the track.

You will love the guy, the story, the dialogues, the characters, the landscapes, the songs, the quotations, the friendship, the innocent sincerity. You will take the journey as well. But, unlike our dear Alexander Supertramp, you will be thinking about it after the movie ends.

LOOK! IS... OR?

“Todos tenemos un doble que vive en las antípodas.

Pero encontrarlo es muy difícil porque los dobles

tienden siempre en efectuar el movimiento contrario”.

Doblaje. J.R. Ribeyro

A bit like not so perfect drawings, there is something fishy with the people portraited here. That's because they are not whom they appear to be. Just impersonators. I remember one anecdote that tells how, long time ago, there was one Chaplin lookalike contest and the real one got the second place.

I gonna leave the names to you. If you don't see the resemblance better leave them unlabeled because they don't deserve it, and if you see it ...well, there's no need, then.

KENNEDY AND LINCOLN AMAZING COINCIDENCES? I DON'T THINK SO

This one goes as an answer to my friend Alberto "El Cuy". And of course to all of you that were amazed by these coincidences and really not so coincidences.

First the "evidence" en español:

and here in english:

In Guelyland we love Marilyn Monroe and even if we got really many books about her we don't need to check them to find out that she died in 1962 (august, 5th) and Kennedy was shot in november of 1963. My ex was a Kennedy expert and thanks to her I remember that Oswald went from a book depository to a movie theater, for movies you know? Lincoln secretaries? John G. Nicolay and John Hay not Kennedy, no sir! Another lie/"mistake"John Wilkes Booth the Lincoln murderer was born in 1838 not in 1839.

So if you ever were mystified by this mistery this is your chance to turn on the light and see it clearly. I live you this link here and this other one here that spare me the whole explanation.

Pastoral

Un pequeño experimento con la cámara la primavera pasada.

A little experiment with the camera, last spring.

WALTZ WITH BASHIR

War is a too short word. It should be longer. It should be uglier. It should give us a better picture of what it really means. I don't know what porcentage of people in the history of humanity has been in one. But until now, and I live in neutral Sweden, I've never been there. Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman,Israel, 2008) throw me in the middle of one.

Animation can be a way to make you feel surreal against the real. But here, for me, here , it work the other way around. It's trip. A freaky bad one.

A recurrent nightmare about the war in Lebanon is told by a friend of our protagonist. Then he realices that his memory has been blocked and doesn't remember a think about his participation in the cruel episode. And he was there as well. So, he goes to his old comrades and dig, and dig, until he remembers in an awaking ending the details of the infamous massacre of Sabra and Shatila during september 1,982 in Lebannon.

It's animation but is a documentary. And, while we are watching it, we realice that is not about flags, ideals or sides but about humanity and stoping the things while we can and that the best time for it is always now. Somehow all wars are the same. Death, pain, abuse, fear. And then, it doesn't matter the time or the place. It could be anytime, anywhere. It is anytime, anywhere. And we, the humanity, the cherry on the top of the evolution (or the creation if you prefer) are the judge, the executor, and the offer. Because we are only killing ourselves and no one else but ourselves.

You were right Tito (my bro, not the dictator).

I give you the beginning of the movie. You take care of the rest.

SUNNY SUMMER, A BEACH, A GIRL AND...NOOOO!!!

Exploitation movie posters about monsters that wait under the water have a weakness for bikini girls. Great White (Enzo Castellari, 1981).

Alligator (Lewis Teague,1980)

Piranha (Joe Dante, 1978)

Kraken: Tentacles of Death (Tybor Takács, 2006)

(Cirio H. Santiago, 1987)

Piranha Part Two: The Spawnning (1981) This is a James Cameron movie!

Not even the sand is safe anymore. Blood Beach (Jeffrey Bloom, 1980)

And, since we are not sexist at Guelyland, we went to deeper waters to get you a poster with a male victim (a gondolier, for you romantic girls) from Sharks in Venice (Danny Lerner, 2008)

BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES

From time to time i just take a short leave and fly to the planet of the apes. In my mind, i mean. Got the movies, the books, the music,... the Works. Plus, now we have the internet that makes everything much easier. Anyway, today I was going to tell you things about "Beneath", a trip to Beneath the Planet of the Apes (Ted Post, 1970).Is typical to say my favorite is the first and so, and in this account "Beneath" usually gets a low rating. Not in my book.Let's point out that Beneath The Planet of the Apes is the second of five movies and it picks up where Planet of the Apes ends (and even before).

Zira, Nova and Cornelius

In those days there were not sequels that use to continue the storyline of the first films. In those days (excepting "2001: A space Odissey", but that was Kubrick) the science fiction movies were not "intelligent films" so this couple started a trend that would go on during the seventies until the first star wars movie came out in 1977.A nihilistic movie,"Beneath" has the cojones of giving us the mother of all the unhappy endings. I remember falling for days in some kind of depression after I saw this film (I was like 12 or 13 at then, on peruvian TV for the first time in my life) and I could almost understand and agree with the Heston character for doing what he did after what happent to his dear Nova. I remember as well, and very, that a new dimention of musical terror was born in my mind with the off key chorus of gospell mutants.

The Mutants

As in the first movie the creationism versus evolution subtext of this entry in the series was quite daring , and seeing upside down crucified apes burn and been crushed by a bleeding giant statue of their religious patriarch in the middle of the desert or witnessing a mass attended by nuclear bomb worshiper skinless mutants beneath the ruins of New York didn't exactly add points in favor of the "creationist team".

Greetings from New York 3955 A.D. !

The thing is that it doesn't says that evolution is better either. It's just a fact and at the end we can't handle it . It is a tough merciless flick with no room for redemption or a crowd pleasing happy ending. Apes, humans and mutants (they are "technically" humans gone wrong, but you know what i mean) they all have his share in writting the ultimate destiny for the planet.

Only the beautiful Nova is out of guilt or responsability.

Take your stinky paws of her your double face uncredited mutant!

Now, something about the cast. Heston agreed to do the sequel with the condition that he should be killed cos didn't wanna hear more about it (at the end they agreed that he would be at the begining and the end).

Franciscus and Miss Harrison. Not in Kansas anymore...

James Franciscus (they couldn't get Burt Reynolds, in the first hand) kind of take over like a mini Heston (which is not as bad as it sounds). Linda Harrison as Nova is back (anyway she was the girlfriend of 20Th Century Fox mogul Zanuck). Natalie Trundy, as the mutant Albina (was the wife of producer Arthur P. Jacobs. Anyway). The great character actor James Gregory (they couldn't get Orson ) plays the militar gorilla Ursus.

General Ursus

As Cornelious is not Roddy McDowall (busy making his own movie in Scotland) but some David Watson. Maurice Evans and Kim Hunter are back as Dr. Zaius and Zira. Then we have the teve actor Don Pedro Colley playing a mutant credited simply as "Negro".

Of course you have to see the first movie to get this one. "Beneath" was made for half the budget of POTA (they didn't have to make or build so much stuff cos they had it from the first movie) so, unless you don't pay attention to the cheapy pull out masks that the extras show too often it looks quite cool (they re-use some sets from "Hello, Dolly!" and even the crashed spaceship is part of the "Jupiter I" from the Lost in Space series).

Dr. Zaius

These Planet of the Apes movies are very special for me. Kind of my favorite film saga. Full of adventure, scientific fiction (just love time travel speculations), apes, philosophical debates, misanthropic outsiders, Linda Harrison, and chocking moments one after another. People who likes these movies can talk and talk forever about it and there will be never enough theories that will come up because there are so many layers to peel. A great pub topic! The kind of movie that I know I will always will see again.

The drawings that you see here are taked from the still forthcoming book, From Aldo to Zira: Lexicon of The Planet of the Apes by Hasslein Books (hopefully coming out at the end of 2010).

LA CULTURA DE LA BASURA SEGÚN VARGAS LLOSA

La definición de cúltura a través de los tiempos, según el polémico, casi siempre inteligente y genial novelista "Varguitas". Según él, ahora a cualquier cosa se le pega la etiqueta de "cultura" por miedo a pecar de incorrección política.

Yo pienso que algo no debe ser cultura y algo si. O será como cuando Los Prisioneros hablan de "La cultura de la basura" ó sólo cuestión semántica? A ver que opinan.

LA CULTURA DE LA BASURA

Escuchando radio Vamos al estadio

 Nos gusta el Julio Iglesias y el rockabilly 

Tenemos la cultura de la basura 

Tenemos la cabeza dura 

Comemos pan con pan

Leemos historietas 

La tele nos da sueño

pero de noche conservo un afiche de Raphael

y me peino como él 

Tengo un casete de Luis Miguel y colecciono servilletas de papel

De la cultura de la basura

Vamos al estadio Escuchando radio 

Nos carga Julio Iglesias y el jabón Lux 

Odiamos a los jefes de nuestra fábrica 

Copiamos a los jefes de nuestra fábrica 

Cenamos con los jefes de nuestra fábrica 

Marchamos por los jefes de nuestra fábrica 

De la cultura de la basura 

Somos la cultura de la basura tenemos la cabeza dura 

Somos la cultura de la basura tenemos toda el alma dura.

ÁLBUM DE ORO DEL CINE MUNDIAL

Este álbum fue concebido por la Editorial Almex (1959, Lima, Perú) con 390 cromos en 49 páginas. Lo que llamó mi atención en esta magnífica publicación fue que escapaba del ámbito típico de las estrellas de cine de Hollywood y locales, abarcando en cambio actores de industrias cinematográficas de muy diversos paises. Nos encontramos entonces con muchos actores que dependiendo de nuestra propia nacionalidad o interés en el tema podrían ser completamente desconocidos, interesantes y dignos de investigar. Sospecho que para los peruanos de 1959 los actores de cine americano, mexicano, argentino y español, pueden haber sido populares. No se que tanto sabían de cine japones, chino o malayo. La cosa es que aquí están y por eso ya tenian la chance de conocerlos. Me es difícil imaginar ahora, inclusive en nuestra sociedad globalizada, que un álbum de cromos (o cualquier esfuerzo editorial impreso) creado en el Perú le dedique páginas al cine cubano o alemán , por ejemplo.

Empezaba el álbum con un cromo de Ofelia Montesco (Ofelia Grabowski Edery. Loreto,1936- México,1983) que más conocida como "Carita de Cielo" de alguna manera representaría al Perú, aunque que su popularidad se debiera a una carrera hecha en Mexico (su extensa filmografía pasa por peliculas de Buñuel y El Santo).

Luego tenemos una selección de algunas página del cine de Hollywood con rotros muy familiares para los que gustamos del cine de entonces.

MEXICO

El cine mexicano, cuya industria era de las más populares por aquel entonces aparece aquí representada por sus grandes y queridas estrellas.

CUBA

El cine cubano, cuyas estrellas asumo pertenecen al periodo pre Castro son totalmente desconocidas para mí, lo que las hace más interesantes

ARGENTINA

ESPAÑA

FRANCIA

ITALIA

INGLATERRA

ALEMANIA

Mi hoy tan querido cine alemán y que por aquellos años no pasaba por su mejor momento tenía también sus estrellas internacionales (reconozco a Maria Schell ,Hortz Buchholz, Romy y Curt Jurgens)

CHINA Y MALASIA

JAPON