Book: Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut

Reading this Kurt Vonnegut book is sort of like when I listened to the entire Beatles White Album for the first time. I thought, "Wow - The Beatles are amazing! This would be wildly innovative and ground breaking music TODAY but it came out 40 YEARS AGO!" It made all other music since seem not so innovative. It was the same way watching Fellinni's oddly autobiographical film about writer's-block, 8 1/2, made me think about the Charlie Kaufman written, Spike Jonze directed film Adaptation. It didn't seems quite so unique afterwards. Except for with Vonnegut I can't quite figure out what the comparison is, besides all modern writing since.

The closest thing I can get at is, in fact, a Kaufman written movie, like Being John Malkevich, the aforementioned Adaptation, or Synechdoche, NY. He uses a meandering plotline - jumping from one point in time to another along the timeline of the character (although this is explained by constant time travel) - to discuss heavy-hitting themes with a whimsical, informal style. He's basically saying, "It's so disgusting and wrong and inexplicable that its funny." The main character Billy Pilgrim's attitude is representative of the philosophy of the whole book, which is a passive acceptance of fate, expressed often after a death is described with the phrase, "so it goes."

The book describes the life of Billy Pilgrim through nonlinear time travel from one point of his life to another. This can happen at any time (and actually includes being abducted by aliens and taken to their home planet, Tralfamadore). The thing about Billy is that nothing really surprises him because he's already travelled all over his life and knows what is coming - and he just seems to accept it. The focus event of the book and of Billy Pilgrim's life is one that Vonnegut actually experienced himself: the fire bombing at Dresden, Germany, during World War II. Tens of thousands of German civilians were killed when the town was obliterated by Allied forces right near the end of the war. Vonnegut compares it to Hiroshima, and hints it might have even been worse than that in some ways. He writes himself into the book as the narrator, although his role and that of his friend O'hare, are mostly fictionalized.

But it really is so fun to read. While Dresden is central to the book, it covers the extent of Billy's whole life as he goes to optometry school, marries the school owner's daughterValencia, is abducted by the Tralfamadorians, wanders and is transported as a POW in Germany, among other things. One quick episode describes a morphine-induced dream Billy has after being injured in the war. He imagines himself in a garden with giraffes: "Billy was a giraffe, too. he ate a pear. It was a hard one. It fought back against his grinding teeth. It snapped in juicy protest." Or the one that goes, "Billy heard Eliot Rosewater come in and lie down. Rosewater's bedsprings talked a lot about that." Or the way he describes warfare as "the incredible artificial weather that Earthlings sometimes create for other Earthlings when they don't want those other Earthlings to inhabit Earth anymore." I find these little passages delightful.

And there is so much more than what I've touched on. Billy Pilgrim is such a pleasant character. As the narrator says, "Everything was pretty much all right with Billy." He sort of lets life flow over him. He finds his own existence an inconvenience, although he's not depressed. He doesn't like being around his mother for knowing what she had to go through to bring him to this life.  The book is often on banned book lists for some profanity and others interpreted it as anti-Christian or immoral or fatalist. I'm not sure about any of that. I might not agree with Vonnegut on everything, but Billy says something near the end of the book that I like. He says, "Everything is all right, and everybody has to do exactly what he does." Does that mean Vonnegut is saying the terrible tragedy of Dresden is ok? (although he does give the US Army its due explanation as to why it was strategically sound). I think he's talking about how relieving it can be to accept the world around you, or rather, accept things as they happen. You should go and enjoy this book before you die. Even though many people probably don't read it before they die. So it goes.

Book: How Music Works - David Byrne

What a great read for anyone interested in the creative process, the music industry, or exploring what art is and how it affects us. A little bit biography, a lot music theory and thinking, this book by the Talking Heads front man David Byrne takes a universal look at music. 

With chapters focusing on different aspects of the medium - creation, recording, business, theory, nature, etc. - he touches on his own experience as well as a roundup of interesting findings and a survey of experts. Byrne takes an anything-goes approach, accepting that there are many different perspectives on every topic. He shares how he has done things and approached them in his own career, but tries to bring in many other points of view as well. The discussion on music in the natural world, for example, compiles some compelling evidence as to why the 12-note and 7-note scales may be biological fact rather than just a cultural development.

The aspiring professional musician might make use of his practical, realistic approach to making a living in the music business as he shares a forward-looking description of the options on how to make it work. A great read all the way through, or you can pick and choose the chapters that seems most intriguing. Give it all a chance, though, and keep a computer nearby so you can look up samples of the many works he mentions throughout.

Film: Gravity

Since its release last weekend I've seen Gravity described as the masterpiece of Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón. It is. It's a visually astonishing film that cohesively uses all its elements - cinematography, sound, acting, plot, visual effects, etc. - to tell a beautiful, and gripping story. While at face value it's a thrilling portrayal of a perilous struggle for survival, Gravity offers a deeper exploration into how each of us deals with adversity in life.

When I first saw the teaser trailer for Gravity I was instantly enthralled and excited. A couple of things stood out to me. First, I was in the theater when I saw it so I got the full audiovisual experience and the film looked beautiful and thrilling. I was instantly gripped, even though I really had no idea what it was about - no more than astronauts in trouble in space. The second thing I noticed were the names attached to it. Alfonso Cuarón is an increasingly recognized director with only a few titles under his belt, but they are diverse and told with style and meaning (He directed the best Harry Potter film, Prisoner of Azkaban, among other things). Seeing something so different with his name on it is good reason to get excited. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are both great actors as well. Expectations were forming and I had a hunch this was going to be great. My ears were perked and I was paying close attention. I was dying to see it. That's what a good trailer does.

It met my expectations. Gravity's storytelling is efficient. Everything is tied to the ultimate purpose of the story and the characters. I just have to say thank you to Cuarón for doing that so well. Most great movies do it, but few big budget flicks are among them. It opens with three astronauts during a spacewalk. The shuttle Explorer is attached to the Hubble satellite and Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is installing some hardware to assist in her research. It's her first time in space and Mission Control is getting readings indicating she's feeling a bit queasy. Matt Kowalski (George Clooney), on the other hand, is a seasoned veteran astronaut and zooms around with confidence. A third member of the team is enjoying himself as well. He's a nice guy with a family and you know instantly he is not making it out of this alive. The voice of Mission Control (Ed Harris... yes, the guy that was the head of Mission Control in Apollo 13... if you were paying attention) lets them know a Russian satellite was destroyed and has created some debris but no need to worry. Oh wait... yes there is need to worry. They get hit by a field of high velocity space shrapnel. Ryan is flung into space completely detached from the shuttle and her team. She starts to panic. Matt tries to settle her down on the radio but she can barely breathe.

This is all in the trailer. From there it's a series of obstacles that must be overcome one by one, each promising a great likelihood of failure and death. This is where we really get to know these characters and learn from their different approaches at dealing with extreme adversity. Because that's what Gravity is all about. It's a beautiful and extensive series of metaphors on life and how to deal with the unwelcome and unexpected. The movie is enjoyable as it is without the reflection, but some pondering may deepen its emotional impact. Dr. Stone has some difficult things from her past and has shut out the rest of the world. This seems to make the silence of space appealing to her. Matt is more fun-loving but with a sure will to survive and an unbreakable calm. There's going to be some real anxiety as you watch and consider how you would react in the same situation. You tell yourself these people have been trained for this, but only a true acceptance of the reality of death and life can really allow you to make jokes and listen to twangy country music as you drift in space with your oxygen ticking below 5%.

The physical situation in which Ryan Stone finds herself is symbolic of her emotional relationship with life and the rest of the human race. Isolated. Silent. Hopeless. As you watch you may begin to wonder if it mirrors aspects of your own life. Not in a desperate depressing sort of way, but in that this mortal life we all wander through, the chance for disaster is upon us at any moment and once it strikes - whatever flavor adversity comes in - it's hard to imagine that most people wouldn't panic too. Maybe it would be easiest to just drift off. To let go. It's a lot of work to stay afloat. Ryan must make a decision that most of us are never confronted with: to hold on to or let go of gravity. By the end of the film we learn that rather than the shared bond between two masses, gravity is also the shared bond between each of us and the rest of the human race (perhaps even a higher power?). The choice we are faced with is to hold on and accept gravity - despite all the weight that comes with that choice - or to let go and drift away.

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Sandra Bullock does a brilliant job. A little bit of research will tell you about the physical training she did for months to prepare for the role. What's more impressive about it too is how it's tied to her performance. The panic, the breathing, the distress, is all so authentic it hardly seems like acting but it's all rehearsed and practiced down to the rhythm and the depth of each gasp of air. Clooney is, of course, great. Cuarón likes long, moving shots which required precise sequences of motion from both actors. I think Bullock, though, is deserving of special attention for her role.

Maybe it would be easier to just drift away...

The cinematography was ground-breaking. Those long shots serve the story well as the unbroken motion from far back, to up-close, moving seamlessly from third-person perspective to first-person perspective inside the suit. You might not notice it, but that's quite alright. That style keeps you focused on the action while still giving you the full spectrum of what is happening without breaking the visual focus. The sound is right on, also flowing from one perspective to the next, while never creating a false environment by putting sound where it doesn't belong. Indeed, the most intense visual action is often made eerily serene as you witness the destruction happening in the silence of space. And the music, while not often present, hits the right notes at the right time, bringing the emotional journey all the way home in just the precise moments. Steven Price gets the top music credit and I think he's one to watch. Although he's worked on a number of impressive productions, he's relatively new to taking the lead.

But the full credit for this film's gravitas (get it) will fall on the shoulder's of Alfonso Cuarón. He fills or shares most of the top production credits as Director, Producer, Writer and Editor. The writing credit is shared with his son, Jonas. A quick perusal of Cuarón's (Alfonso, not Jonas) IMDb page reveals his two biggest aspirations in his youth were to become an astronaut and a filmmaker. This film seems like a culmination of his career thus far and a jumping-off point for the next phase. At a time when Hollywood seems all about creating soulless sequels pumped up to 3D to drive more revenue, the existence and box-office success of Gravity, a film whose soul purpose is to serve a beautiful story of redemption and building hope in life, dually builds a bit of hope in an industry that must not have it all wrong if it can put someone like Alfonso Cuarón at the helm of a production.

A note on 3D: As it was released Gravity became another one of those films that makes a lot of people that normally don't like 3D say, "This is a good argument for the validity of 3D." That caught my attention. I had the pleasure of seeing the film in IMAX 3D in a true, full-size IMAX theater. I'd recommend doing the same while its still in theaters. It was a really exciting, immersive experience.