Saw Rize, the David LaChapelle documentary, which has amazing footage, and the whole image of ghetto clowns furiously dancing is a beautifully insane metaphor in search of a connection. (He does begin with L.A. riot footage, implying that L.A. willfully ignores its black communities, and that this fierce dancing is partly the result.) But the doc is a bit shapeless — though the dancing was wonderfully edited, I thought — there were about 4 endings too many. Out of the clown dancing emerged a splinter group — Krumpers. And the ending should probably have been the big showdown between the Clowns and the Krumpers. It’s amazing, unifying and all that. But then would we have missed the footage of someone saying they are krumping for Christ? Maybe.
Watching nature documentaries with Malu.
The lyrebird of Australia imitates other birds — and other sounds as well. It puts on a real performance, clearing a space in the bush and then stringing all its accomplishments together in a 5-minute extravaganza, ending with, in this footage, the sounds of a camera shutter, a car alarm, loggers’ footsteps and finally the sound of the loggers’ chainsaws cutting through a tree — these last were perfect, impeccable mimicry, like recordings!
“Rationality will not save us” — Robert McNamara
