Film

What makes Nightcrawler a Great Film?

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As we know, in the US, a company can now be regarded as “a person”, in terms of being afforded the same essential rights as its citizens. To my mind, the main character in Nightcrawler is the anthropomorphic incarnation of this Company-as-Person.

Louis Bloom is single-minded in his quest to progress. He plays by the rules, but is not opposed to bending and even breaking them when the alternative is failure.

He speaks quickly and with purpose, always pitching. He lives, breathes, sleeps with the one-track purpose of building bigger/ better/ more-Efficiency/ more Power. He is a shark that never stops.

He treats people courteously (over-zealously, even) when he is trying to win them over, dispassionately explaining the advantages and disadvantages of coming on-board with him and expects the same dispassionate, logical consideration from others.

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A Digression, Film, Uncategorised

Is our new AI Genius or Cuckoo?

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I decided to try Bard recently (Google’s answer to Chat GPT). Later I tried the same with Chat GPT.
These conversations below. Not only are they clearly wrong (a number of times) for this easily-verifiable question, they can’t even admit it in full later. (“S” is me, lest there be any confusion)


BARD

 I’m trying to think of an actor who was in Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

There is no actor who appeared in both Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Amadeus is a 1984 historical drama film about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, directed by Miloš Forman. It stars Tom Hulce as Mozart and F. Murray Abraham as his rival Antonio Salieri.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a 1975 American psychological comedy-drama film directed by Miloš Forman. It tells the story of Randle Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), a new patient at a mental institution who rebels against the head nurse, Mildred Ratched (Louise Fletcher).

The two films were both nominated for multiple Academy Awards, with Amadeus winning eight and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest winning five. However, no actor appeared in both films.

You are wrong

I apologize for the mistake. You are correct, there is an actor who appeared in both Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. That actor is Danny DeVito. He played Martini in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the Emperor Joseph II in Amadeus.

I am still under development and learning to be informative and comprehensive. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Danny devito did not play the emporer

You are correct. Danny DeVito did not play the Emperor Joseph II in Amadeus. He played the role of Martini in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I apologize for the mistake. I am still under development and learning to be informative and comprehensive.

The actor who played the Emperor Joseph II in Amadeus is Jeffrey Jones.

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Uncategorised

Nietzsche

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Friedrich Nietzsche said “The great end of art is to strike the imagination with the power of a soul that refuses to admit defeat even in the midst of a collapsing world.“


I know what this means to me, but what does this mean to anyone else?

To me (and I don’t care so much if what he says is right or wrong, but it’s an interesting hypothesis) I believe it fits with how a great story draws to an end:

Something cataclysmic has happened. Our protagonist must be changed. Our protagonist remains the same. In that instant, he is both doomed and heroic, no matter how foolish his goal or mindset has appeared up to now.

We all end in doom, but who amongst us has the courage to remain steadfast to the end? Might we crumble in our final moments? Should we not consider the possibility we are wrong? Hedge our bets?

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Inception -what is it all about really?

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(posted similar some time ago, but here’s the cut-down version)

Marion Cotillard’s character in Inception insists Leonardo is in a dream and seeks to prove it, constantly questioning his reality, calling on him to “wake up”.

Inception-movie-poster

When they enter dreams, the “kicker” that’s used to pull people from their dreams is Je Ne Regret Rien, by Edith Piaf -as played by Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose just before making Inception. Why else would this (of all songs) be the chosen song? It’s layers within layers, etc. and the last one is outside the movie, where Cotillard is singing to Leonardo/ the audience, calling for a wake up. The soundtrack itself, with the blaring trumpets is from Je Ne Regret Rien, slowed down “a lot” -because time slows the deeper you go in dreams.

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Ireland, Kids, Simple Solution, THEORY

More Religion in Schools Now!

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I believe there is not enough religion in National Schools.

In fact isn’t it ridiculous that primary schools in Ireland are for the most part limited to just one? Rather than abolishing all religions wouldn’t it be great if kids were taught about all religions -or at least the bigger ones: Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Buddism -I’m sure there are other biggies slipping my mind at the moment.

Also included should be Atheism for an all-round healthy debate on which one (or none) a child might prefer. I would strongly argue also for the inclusion of ancient beliefs such as Greek, Norse, Egyptian deities.

There are many fine stories if nothing else in all of these religions and there is certainly something to be learnt by everyone from each.

Nobody could have a cause for complaint on this surely, since of course (given a choice) all kids would obviously gravitate towards “The One True Religion”.

So, whichever one that is for you, you can be happy you have nothing to fear by allowing your child learn what those false/ less-true ones are all about.

Kicking religion out of schools entirely only encourages sectarianism and fanatacism as various groups huddle together in each corner shouting for their voice to be heard.

By all means feel free to have Sunday schools, temple meet-ups, whatever-you’re-having-yourself too, but why should national schools exclude so many other belief systems?

Contact your local and national representatives TODAY and let them know you no longer wish your child to grow up ignorant of the world’s belief systems.

If nothing else it would give kids an insight into what the big boys and girls are fighting about all the time.