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 It's pictures like these that remind me why I exist. On the surface, this image itself conveys only so much…but below that surface… there lays the idea which finds me wrapped eagerly around my keyboard [at 3:17 am on 3/17/06 for those of you that care], capturing my thoughts to share with you this fine moment! It is the same idea that has driven me throughout my existence…throughout all I have created and all I will come to create. To encapsulate that idea and convey it in a simple thought is a blessedly rare and tricky thing to do…so I will not attempt to do that here. Instead, I hope to share merely a glimmer of that idea, perhaps, before you return to whatever else you have competing for your valuable attention.
The image is the cover to V For Vendetta , a story which was first published through the medium of comic books over two decades ago, written by one of my greatest influences--Mr. Allan Moore--and which has recently been adapted into a film that is having it's theatrical debut today. I have just returned from seeing an advanced viewing, which impressed the hell out of me. Of course, of all of Allan's works, this is one of the few I have not yet read…something I will amend for, promptly…so I have no way of knowing what sort of liberties the filmmakers took with the work, but I'll get back that in a moment.
I'm not here to blather on about how amazing the film was, or to even share with you the story's plot—for that is but a vessel for the idea. The idea, though…now that is something. It carries beyond plot…beyond the imagery and the story. It follows you home…shadowing you as you move throughout your day…going about your business. It is the sort of idea that won't let you sleep…that'll drag you repeatedly out of bed demanding to be dealt with—to effect change through your thoughts, words and actions. I believe they call them muses. Whatever the meme, this one has grabbed me, and bid me write.
I have a lot of work to catch up on before I can really offer to the world ideas of such potency …so for now I will compromise with delivering you this brief statement…
…urging each and every one of you to see this film and/or read the book, if you haven't already.
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Of course, the story isn't complete unless you know about the tragic ironic twist concerning Allan Moore having long been repeatedly $@#&*%! out of ownership of his intellectual property by DC comics and how that has led him to completely and utterly disassociate himself from those works and their (usually) botched derivatives… V included [Allan supposedly called the screenplay for Vendetta , “rubbish.” Maybe I'd be saying the same thing if I'd read the book first, but right now I've got to say I felt the movie rocked—so I can only imagine that the complete, original work is something to behold. For the record, what I saw of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was a farce, I essentially avoided Hellblazer …*cough*…, I mean, uh, “ Constantine ” on principal alone, and I forgot to even consider checking out From Hell …which is the other major book of his I still haven't read. Some fan I am, huh? ]. If you're really interested in Allan's story, his work and all those primal layers, here's a recent article that more or less sums it up:
Vendetta against "v For Vendetta"
Oops! the New York Times apparently has a time limit for new articles before they want you signup and eventually
edit 3/21/06: pay for them! Here's a link to an excerpt of the article on the Allan Moore fan site...
edit 2 3/21/06: ok, I went and logged in and got a copy of the full article. Hopefully this lasts. I backed it up as a microsoft word doc just in case.
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Incidentally, a couple weeks back my lovely and talented sister Alyssa took a break from her busy cross-country tour schedule to send a link to her family and friends—a site which she felt was too important not to pass along--featuring a documentary about the various questionable events surrounding the Sept. 11 th attacks:
Loose Change 2nd edition
Like Alyssa, I usually avoid forwarding things in general…but after viewing the documentary and doing a bit of research myself I decided I'd at least pass along what I'd found and let people do with it what they will. I'm sure you've all been bombarded with 9 -11 conspiracy forwards in the past—we've all seen enough of that since the disaster--but If you do decide to watch it, I recommend visiting and exploring this site afterwards: http://911review.com/myth/index.html . It helped clear up some confusion I had about certain details on the matter, and shed some light on the strengths and weaknesses of this and other documentaries, stressing the need to focus on truths and to point out disinformation and the obvious negative influences it has for those seeking the truth.
The site does favor the argument that there has been government cover-up and offers evidence to support those theories, but either way, I found them to be very convincing in their pursuit of truth and the need to separate that from what is fantasy. I'm not claiming to say I know that these guys have all their facts straight, but it seemed as straight forward, comprehensive and thorough as anything I've seen so far.
If you're already familiar with V for Vendetta and consider yourself knowledgeable about the details concerning 9 -11, then I'm sure you can see--in part--what has motivated me to throw all of this at you straight out of the blue. If not, hopefully you will take some time to change that. Having seen them both raises a lot of interesting thoughts and questions in my mind…all the more reason I gotta' read the book.
R egardless how you take any of this, I now feel content that I have dutifully followed my muse to completion…so I bid you all adieu, until next time.
Oh…and may you all have a fun and safe St. Patrick's Day !
Peace,
Mr. E--- |
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