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Living Martyrs: 01/01/2006 - 02/01/2006

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Movie Review: Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise

There's a nearby coffeeshop that's started showing a run of foreign films. It's a neat opportunity to sidestep the Hollywood machine, and witness culture through a completely different lens. Foreign films, it seems, are never created with the expectation of big audiences, and so have more freedom to delve into the nitty-gritty of life.

Vacuuming was just such a flick. It was obvious that this film's creators have had some experience selling. The detail and richness of the depravity of a salesman had me hooked; it struck a chord in me from my own (very) brief selling bout. And yet, fascinatingly, it leaves enough humanity intact that you are unable to entirely hate its lead. In fact, despite his saturation in cunning cynicism, there is enough there, both in the script and Timothy Spall's convincing delivery, to make one really believe that the character is still within reach of redemption. In spite of ourselves, we're actually pulling for this ragged, wretched creature.

The film shows Tommy Rag with a new sales protege, which is an excellent device to give insight into what makes Tommy tick. And the new guy, Pete (Michael Begley) nearly falls for the lifestyle, which goes a long way to show his own desperation.

If you like the pacing and novelty of foreign/independent films, here's one that pokes into the filthy sewer of the human condition and strikes something valuable.

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Tuesday, January 10, 2006

"Christian" Spam

I've got a message to the spammers who send "Christian" junk mail: Stop! I don't know if it's just because I work in a Christian organisation that I get bombarded with it, or whether the whole world is inundated equally, and I don't know which is scarier.

The problem is that it defines what's worst about Christianity. Little to no critical analysis, research or even thought informs it. It's knee-jerk reactionary. It's political not spiritual. And all that makes it downright offensive.

If your love of people isn't demonstrated in what you communicate, then I can't stand to be associated with you. And I don't care what demographic you're addressing, or in which context.

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