Tuesday, March 06, 2007

T Fox meets a film genius, who thinks women's eyes just suck you in

Why did you start to do films?
I didn't want to just watch films, so I bought a camera and started doing my own. That simple.

How do you finance your films?
I don't.

How have you met all the famous people, like Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and Yoko Ono?
I've no particular interest in famous people. They all have come to me.

Have you got any favourite Hollywood film makers?
Yes. If you have to sit at your computer all the day, your body needs action too. I love action films.
I've seen John Wayne movies 40 times each. I watch them. I forget them immediately. I watch the again. It' so refreshing.

Do you know any Finnish film makers?
Not particularly.
But you are so lucky, you know, you are the only ones who won Soviet Union.

What is your method?
I'm interested in happiness. I leave depression and sadness to the others. I want
to catch the fleeting moments of everyday happiness, which people don't pay attention to, because everyone seeks for drama.

Have you got any goals in your life? Dreams?
No.

So you just go with the flow?
I've got feet on the ground. I don't go with the flow, you know, I'm not a fish.

Who?

20 comments:

Dave said...

'Beat' rather than 'won'? But perhaps he wasn't speaking in English (in which language one shouldn't start a sentence with the word 'but' either, incidentally).

You are now, I think, the only person in the whole world to have two links on my side-bar. Congratulations!

Notice the way I have pointedly ignored the subject of your post, knowing nothing about film-makers.

Taiga the Fox said...

As you might have expected that is my bad use of your language, as always. I must say I just picked bits and pieces and buts of long lasting talking. He is New Yorker, so I suppose he knows beats and buts better than me. I was just staring at him with my eye.

Also, Thank You! I feel so somebody who is the only person in the world having two links in your side-bar now. Gosh.

Anonymous said...

Is that you?

Taiga the Fox said...

Yes.

Occasional Poster of Comments said...

I disagree on the 'but' thing. But I probably would. And beginning a sentence with 'and' is ok too. It's a matter of style rather than grammar.

And did Jonas Mekas mean 'defeated' the Soviet Union? In which case, beat would have been fine.

So, you're only one remove away from Dali now? Excellent. And two from Luis Buñuel. I'll stop before this turns in to Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Occasional Poster of Comments said...

>>And did Jonas Mekas mean 'defeated' the Soviet Union?<<

Which you did, didn't you? Unlike Lithuania, Mekas's homeland. So, in fact, 'won' would be bad grammar.

Occasional Poster of Comments said...

Sorry, got confused by that opening question of Dave's - it was kind of ambiguous. I read it as Dave saying that it should have been 'won' instead of 'beat' and thought you'd then changed it to 'won' on his advice. Which, of course, you hadn't, because Mekas was speaking English anyway. Thought it was odd for Dave to have got a grammar quibble wrong.

I stand by the 'but' thing, though.


All of which is entirely beside the point, really, but anyway....

Taiga the Fox said...

My Granny used to say:
Quit your quarrel and butter between.

And don't worry, OPC, I read it like you meant, even if you read it wrong at first. And you both can quibble about my grammar abuse as much you like.

Hmm. I really can't remember anymore if he said "won" or not. Most probably did, because his English isn't perfect, even if he seems to be. The text I wrote is based on his talking and his answers to some of the questions we asked, so some words might actually be "mine", but the message is his.

Taiga the Fox said...

My point actually was, please do visit his new web site. He seems to have an interesting new project 365 Films. Every day a new short film and the download is free on the day of release.

Today:
At Cremcafe,
downtown New York,
Benn and myself
we talk about the
eyes of women.

miss-cellany said...

By the two degrees of separation thing (and yes, please let's leave Kevin Bacon out of it) You now also have the same honour of having nearly met Elvis ( there's a great preview film thingy on his site.)

That's pretty cool.

Taiga the Fox said...

More precious moments of the Fox life:
Arnold Schwarzenegger has given me a t-shirt.

[listens to the silence]

I've actually met Yoko Ono, so I've nearly met John Lennon twice.

CT said...

Wow! You get to interview famous film makers...i am impressed Taiga

miss-cellany said...

Did Arnie sweat on the T shirt? In some terrifying Terminator style glitch, that means that you might have already met the future president of the US.

Gosh.

If the plan could work to swap Arnie for John - that would be nice. Since you know a famous film maker, perhaps he could sort it out using the magic of movies.

Then we would all be safe.

Taiga the Fox said...

Unfortunately I think it's no to all.

And I really can't say I know any of the named persons well, least of them Arnie. I was just walking on the road and suddenly saw him in front of me, when he visited Helsinki 1996.

His father (or was it his brother, or a cousin possibly, well anyway) asked me if I could speak any German.
I said Ja ein Bisschen and Arnie tossed me a non-sweatty Planet Hollywood - T shirt and said something like Here you jar. I'll be back.

miss-cellany said...

Das ist keine ferhnsenapparat...

(very wrong spelling - it's the best/only German I know)

Taiga the Fox said...

I have to ask you why can you say that in German?

miss-cellany said...

[something to do with the English education system in the days of O' levels?]

It's actually been quite useful - as I'm generally right if I say that phrase and point at things, always a good way to start up conversation in the Black Forrest.

Goes along with my one word of dutch 'fitzpomp'.

Taiga the Fox said...

I wonder if I had been wise enough to reply him Das ist keine Fernsehenapparat, Fizpomp! would I be Mrs Governor now?

Occasional Poster of Comments said...

Yep, visited the Mekas site when you posted yester-blur. Really interesting project. Saw the Jarmusch and Tom Waits films there and was most intrigued. Apparently you had to pay for those, though, unfortunately.

Still, I downloaded and watched the At Cremcafe film to-blur. Confirmed what I thought from your post, he must have been a most interesting interviewee.

Ooh, just realised, you're only a couple of removes away from Tom Waits too...

Taiga the Fox said...

I thought you'd like some of them. Hopefully you're not too blurred :)

Actually, if I think more about that couple of removes away from thing I nearly know quite a many, to name some: Sir Stirling Moss, Charles M. Schulz, Queen Noor of Jordan, Mick Jagger and Madonna. Huh. I nearly fainted now.