"11:14" and Other Examples of Non-Linear Film

This post was originally written as part of an on-line forum submission for the "Art of Film" class that I'm presently taking:

I happened to catch "11:14" (dir. Greg Marcks, 2003) the other night on IFC. The film reminded me of "Memento" (dir. Christopher Nolan, 2000), in that the plot does not unfold in the typical linear fashion. (Special thanks to Livi for giving me the DVD!). In "Memento", the film progresses as a sequence of 5 minute scenes shown in reverse time order. The technique is used to simulate the inability of Guy Pierce's character to record long term memories.

In "11:14", a period of approximately 20 minutes is explored from 5 different points of view, each shown in its entirety. This makes for an engaging plot as initially unexplained and baffling events slowly become understandable in the context of their contemporaneous occurrence. It's almost like the film was a painting where the essential image is discernible from the start, but over time, continued enhancements transform it from a line drawing into a finished work of art.

The film's non-linear nature is comparable to "Sliding Doors" (dir. Peter Howitt, 1998) and "Run Lola Run" (German: "Lola Rennt") (dir. Tom Tykwer, 1999). In "Sliding Doors" we see Gwyneth Paltrow's character explore two different and mutually exclusive realities simultaneously using a "split-screen" editing technique, while in "Run Lola Run", the same time period is re-explored sequentially, with Franka Potente's character attempting to find the optimal solution to a situational conundrum (the death/incarceration of her boyfriend).

Continuing with "11:14", the cast consists of several recognizable actors including Barbara Hershey ("Beaches"), Clark Gregg ("The New Adventures of Old Christine"), Hilary Swank ("Million Dollar Baby"), Patrick Swayze ("Dirty Dancing"), Rachael Leigh Cook ("She's All That"), and Jason Segel ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall"), among others.

The plot is a bit harsh with two deaths being graphically portrayed. The one occurring somewhat comically "in flagrante", is contrasted with a commonplace happening (pedestrian/vehicular altercation). Both force the viewer to acknowledge the waste of a life cut short, and how our daily innoculous-seeming choices can affect our future.

Reduction to a single number

This is an article preview, with information that is still being collected and compiled:

The following is a video of Nassim Nicholas discussing the cause and possible effects of the financial meltdown.


The following is a link to a discuss of the same on Slashdot:
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/01/04/2253247

So, it turns out I'm unique

Browsing Amazonthis morning, I stumbled on a Personality Test. Below is a link for you to take the test. Turns out that 0% of the other people in the world are like me; I'm a Romantic Spiritual Builder. Who'd a thunk it?

I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm a Romantic Spiritual Builder

The Benefits of Tact

Editor's note: Livi's been on my butt (appropriately so) because I've haven't written any blog entries in the past month. Well, today, I had to tell a story in Speech class about a "learning experience" I had. It had to include a moral. I told the following story.

About 15 years ago, I worked at a Data Processing Service Bureau. It was an exciting time, as my job was to migrate Mainframe computer applications from our clients’ systems onto ours.

One day, I was called into my boss’s office to discuss some problems we were having migrating a particular application that the client had developed in-house.

Now I had discussed this previously with my boss and others, and we had collectively determined that the problem was that the application had been poorly written. It had been written with a number of assumptions about its operating environment “hardcoded” into the program, and since the operating environment was changing, these assumptions were no longer correct. But because they were written into the system, they were very difficult to isolate and correct.

Being young (at the time) and brash, I was in favor of overhauling the entire application, completely re-writing it if necessary, and fixing the problem once and for all.

Anyway, I walked into my boss’s office, and was told that the owner of our company was on the speakerphone and wanted to understand the problems we were having with this client’s migration.

Well, it was at this point that I launched into a tirade about the poor quality of the client’s application, using phrases like “crap-code” and “scrap-completely”, when I heard an unfamiliar voice come out of the speakerphone that shouted “There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with our system, and if there’s anything that is full of CRAP around here, it’s YOU!”

It turns out that the owner of our company had been having a meeting with the IT manager of the company whose systems we were migrating, and the two of them had decided to call my boss to get a status of the overall project.

It gets worse, as it turns out that the IT manager had been the programmer that had originally wrote this system that I had just finished calling crap!

Morals: 1) Beware of speakerphones as you never know who is on the other end, and 2) its always best to temper ones opinions, no matter how correctly held, with plenty of tact.

Parade and in the dark

Presently watching the Rose Parade. I think that it's funny that there is rain pooring down on Stephanie and Bob! We really have had it too nice (New Year's Day wise) for too long. Oh and who is this new chick Michaela?

I do feel sorry for all the horses, etc. that have to trunge (is that a word?) through the monsoon.

Float-of-Note: The dolled-up hippopotamus. Did the designers ever consider the folks on the North side of Colorado Blvd. who would have the wonderful view of looking up a 30' hippopotamus' butt? I think not.

Had a five-hour power failure last night (7-12). That was the third one in seven days. Of course Livi (closer to the "power nexus" I guess), was well lit . If I have to be in the dark, I think everyone should be. Figuring the lights would be back on in no more than two hours, we sat around in the candlelight and chatted for a while. Then we got bored and watched National Treasure on my laptop. Surprisingly the battery lasted through the entire movie.

the power just went out again!!! Well at least we got to watch the end of the parade.

Tag! I'm it!

Wow, my first tagging! I've been so honored by Velma. Livi said you were gonna be in the area and, yep, I'm bummed we didn't cross paths too.

The Tag: You get one wish of anything, what would you ask for?
I know it might be corny, but I wish for more understanding and tolerance between people.

Wish for 6 more wishes.
1. Much Happiness for my wife and daughter
2. Interesting books to read.
3. Good grades and...
4. Enough brain cells to get them.
5. Motivation to get all my home projects done.
6. Lots of snow, but no road problems this winter

What animal would I be?
A coyote

Something you want to do in your life:
See the Southern Constellations

One song you could listen to over and over again: Deacon Blues by Steely Dan

Coke or Pepsi? Definitely Coke.

Something you currently desire: The Buddha suggests that desire leads to suffering, so I'll pass on this one.

One good deed you've done lately: Driving up the mountain one night, I noticed a man trying to catch a ride with a flashlight. Although I had already passed him, I stopped at the next turnout, turned around, and then came back and (after turning around again) picked him up and gave him a ride home. Turns out he had been walking for about 20 miles.

A funny moment in your life: Nothing comes to mind at the moment.


Thanks much, Velma

Yours,

sevej

I’m supposed to tag five other people, so here goes....

1. Livi, since she got me going writing my blog again
   
   ...and since I'm a bit new to the blogging thang, I'll just have to pick some people whose blogs I've been following, but may not know me:
   
   
2. Gigi, who I hope will have a great year
3. Steph, because I'm fascinated by her honesty and audacity
4. Test, because stopping smoking is a bitch, and one needs all the support they can get
   
   ...and
   
   
5. Hot Librarian, cuz' I love your handle.
   

Copy and paste the above questions into your blog, and then put in your answers. Happy 2006!

Workplace+Porn="bye bye"

I was in a meeting with my boss and a co-worker the other day, when female co-worker from the Finance department knocked on the door. She was upset because there was computer in department with, as she reported it, "half-naked women on it."

I was sent over to investigate. Sure enoungh, I found a rotating-image screensaver featuring what I would characterize as "soft-porn." True, there were "half-naked women" but what I saw were just backs and butts.

My initial impulse was to find the person and warn him that he was in violation of a couple of company policies, and de-install the screensaver, but I was overridden by my boss. Instead, the matter was referred to HR.

It turned out that the screensaver had been installed by a temporary employee that hadn't been working at the company for more than a week or two. In addition to the screensaver, a prominent desktop image of the same type had been installed as well. It turned out that the female employee that first reported the incident, was not the first person to either see the pictures or to report them. Another female employee that works in the same area was the first to notice the images (and take exception to them), and in fact she had already reported the matter to the HR department.

I found out the next day that the temp was summarily "let go."

So, lessons? Porn, in any form, is becoming less and less acceptable in workplace environments. Indeed, any behavior that can be considered offensive to others is being slowly and steadily curtailed by policy. For instance, starting at the beginning of next year, smoking will not be allowed on any of my employer's U.S. properties. So in such an atmosphere, what type of person considers it ok to install prurient images on a company computer? Evidentally, one who is not destined to remain employed for long.