##New Look for CarneyWeb!

Well, I did it. I changed the look to [[CarneyWeb]].
I have to say, it’s about time! It’s looked exactly
the same for a couple of years now.

##Moving to MediaOne!!!

This is just awesome! I forgot how nice it is to have
a really fast connection to the internet.

[McCain’s Heroic Story](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,35535,00.html)
is one of the reasons that I’m a supporter.
As he says in the article, “You can’t scare me… I’ve been scared by
professionals…”
I want a guy like this in the President’s chair… someone
that won’t just do what’s politically expedient, but will
do what’s right.

Here’s a fun article on
[The Art of Film Fighting](http://www.web-vue.com/fight1.htm.)
The guy seems to know what he’s talking about. Now I
understand a bit better why Chuck Norris (one of the
best real fighters on the planet) looks so stilted
onscreen. It’s an entirely different talent that’s required
to be a good *movie* fighter.

Wonderful adaptation of a Stephen King novel that takes us into the lives of the people on death row.

##Polish of the Oscar right now!

Before I get into the meat of this review, I’d like to thank the guy that
stars as John Coffey (I forget his name at the moment). I don’t know how he
did it, but he completely pulled me into the character he was playing, and
that doesn’t happen very often. Most of the time, you realize that you’re
watching an actor play a part. This time, I believed in John Coffey.

If he doesn’t win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, there’s something
seriously wrong.

##Happy Millenial Eve!!!

Yes, I know that it’s not mathematically the millenium
(don’t we all know that by now). But, I say that it’s time
we fix the calendar and just call next year the first year
of the new decade/century/millenium and be done with it.
Let’s face it, the only reason the birth of Christ wasn’t
designated as year zero was that the Romans didn’t understand
the concept of zero. Had they, we wouldn’t now be suffering with the
stupidity that 2000 is the last year of the 1000’s millenium, the 1900’s
century, and the 1990’s decade.

The calendar has had adjustments in the past, adding in the concept of a
leap year and removing some 20 days from the calendar when the
seasons started to get out of sync. In the past this took a papal decree, or
a royal declaration. But today, we the people have the power, and it’s time
to stop the madness.

Henceforth, all majoral calendar events start when nines turn to zeros.
End of discussion!

Review: [[The Green Mile]]

Review: [[Pink Floyd: The Wall]]

Incredible journey into the mind of rock star slowly going insane.

For a more complete analysis that I could ever dream up, check out
“Pink Floyd’s The Wall: A Complete Analysis”.

**The Wall** is the semi-autobiographical story of Roger Water’s
childhood and Syd Barret’s adulthood (with some gray areas in the middle).
As such, most of the events in the film have actually happened to either
Roger or Syd.

##Pure Art

I’m not sure I’ve seen a movie either before or since that is more purely
a work of art than this one.

[[theWall]]
The structure of the film is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.In a way,
it’s like a painting by Pablo Picasso; On the surface, there’s no rhyme or
reason to what you see, but by the time it’s all done the whole makes
perfect sense.

There’s really no sense of chronology to the story. There’s no beginning,
middle, and end, per se. But rather, we meet the main character Pink right
as he’s on the cusp of ending up insane and from there travel into his
mind to see what brought him to this point, and how he now sees himself.

At the same time, it’s important to remember that the exact chronology
isn’t necessarily important (just like it’s not important to remember
every childhood event in the exact order that they happened. The important
thing is to remember that they happened). For a complete understanding of
the movie, I think it’s important to keep in mind that the question of
*what” is much more important than the question of ”when*.

And as for the delusions (the Nazi rallies, the shedding of the old skin,
the animations), the important thing, again, is *what* they represent.
Taken literally, one might think that Roger Waters (being the writer of
the music and movie) is condoning anti-semitism, homophobia, essentially
hatred of any kind. But the exact opposite is actually the truth.

##And Now for something completely different

The present takes place in a hotel room somewhere in Los Angeles during a
concert tour. It’s this that’s our anchor for the telling of the story.

As we watch Pink go insane, we see flashes of his past that helped to shape
who he finally became. Each of these significant events become bricks in
his wall that he erects to protect himself from being emotionally injured
again.

The earliest and most significant *brick* is the death of his father.
His father was killed at Anzio Beach in WWII during a German attempt to
push the English back. He was killed when Roger (Pink) was just an infant,
but growing up without a father became an incredibly bitter memory. There’s
an incredibly sad scene in which the young Pink is playing at a
playground, trying to find some man that’s willing to be his surrogate
father. It’s quite simply heartbreaking to watch.

Another series of flashbacks involves his time at a strict prep school.
The teachers here taught by intimidation and humiliation.

Overbearing Mother

Overzealous Fans

In The Delusion

As he slowly slips into madness, he starts to become the monster that he
loathed during his life.

The further he slips, the more hitlerian he becomes, finally seeing himself
as not simply an entertainer, but the leader of a movement. Instead of
concerts, he has rallies. Instead of singing songs to the audience, he
delivers speeches of hatred.

##Autobiographical

The movie and the album are autobiographical, with a twist. Most, if not
all, of the events in the early life of Pink come from the real life
experiences of Roger Waters. The later events and eventual slip into
insanity are from the life of a former member of the band, Syd Barret.

##DVD Notes

In general, the DVD of [[Pink Floyd: The Wall]] is spectacular. It’s packed
with more extras than just about any DVD I’ve seen so far.

The DVD was made from a pristine inter-positive print that Roger Waters had
at his home (supposedly). The picture is so clear! As is the audio (which
is at least as important to this movie).

The two documentaries that are on the DVD are wonderful and shed quite a
bit of light on the evolution of the movie, and the changes that were made
in the music from the album.

I do have one minor complaint though. The chapter list doesn’t include the
titles of the songs, so if you’re looking for a particular one, you kind of
have to guess which chapter number it is and then search around until you
find it. What a pain! This movie screams for chapter titles! Each chapter
title corresponding to one of the track titles on the album. What could
have possibly been more obvious?!?

Some thoughts for [[Thanksgiving 1999]]

It’s been another great year!

##It’s A Wonderful Life

I just finished watching [[It’s A Wonderful Life]]. What a wonderful movie. What an appropriate movie for Thanksgiving! If we pay close attention to the message of the film, we can realize that as long as we have friends and have been a good person, we can’t be a failure in life.

George Bailey considered himself to be a failure because he was never able to “make it” financially and get out of the two-horse town that he grew up in. But when he got a chance to see what life would have been like for everyone around him had he not been born, he realized that he was in fact a huge success. What an incredible gift to be given!

I heard an interview with Jimmy Stewart in which he said that the movie almost didn’t get made because it was too far fetched. But Frank Capra convinced the studio to let him do it. Jimmy didn’t need any convincing. “If you’re making it Frank, I’m in!” What a gift they gave us! Wherever you are Frank and Jimmy, thank you for reminding me of the important things in life!

##A time for reflection

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the life that we’ve made for ourselves, and to appreciate all the goodness that has come back around to us from those around us that care about us. It’s a time to remember the truly important things in our lives, the important things. It’s a time to remember that life is so much more than what we have. It’s about how we live and how we affect those around us.

Looking back on the year since[[Thanksgiving 1998]], I find that I have a lot to be thankful for.

###Some things to be thankful for:

• A wonderful vacation to Nova Scotia: [[August 1999 Trip Report]]
• A trip to the Montreal Jazz Festival: [[July 1999 Trip Report]]
• [[1999 Ryder Cup Thoughts]]
• [[Requiem For A saxophone]] It was time. And since I got the new one, I’ve had nothing but compliments about my playing. I guess sometimes new equipment can boost your confidence and help you play better.
• Good schools! I have to say that I’m tremendously happy with the schools that my children attend.
• My family! I can honestly say that I have nothing but pride in my family (both immediate and extended). They are all some of the best people I’ve ever known (especially you Mom)!

###Some things to remember:

• [[When You Least Expect It]]
• [[Requiem For A saxophone]]
• [[January 1999 Trip Report]]
• [[Payneful News]]
• Mel Torme. I can’t believe he’s gone! He had one of the most spectacular voices I’ve ever heard. His range and subtlety were amazing.
• Kenny Kirkland. Great piano player… he will be missed.
• Frank Sinatra. ‘Nuff said.