Reblog: Taufik Ismail tentang Chrisye

*transkrip ini didapat dari http://kambing.ui.ac.id/onnopurbo/library/library-islam/knowledge/ketika-mulut-tak-lagi-berkata.txt

Penyair Taufiq Ismail menulis sebuah artikel tentang Chrismansyah Rahadi(1949-2007) atau lebih dikenal sebagai Chrisye di majalah sastra HORISON. 

Chrismansyah Rahadi (1949-2007): KETIKA MULUT TAK LAGI BERKATA

- TAUFIQ ISMAIL

Di tahun 1997 saya bertemu Chrisye sehabis sebuah acara, dan dia berkata, "Bang, saya punya sebuah lagu. Saya sudah coba menuliskan kata-katanya, tapi saya tidak puas. Bisakah Abang tolong tuliskan liriknya?"

Karena saya suka lagu-lagu Chrisye, saya katakan bisa. Saya tanyakan kapan mesti selesai. Dia bilang sebulan. Menilik kegiatan saya yang lain, deadline sebulan itu bolehlah. Kaset lagu itu dikirimkannya, berikut keterangan berapa baris lirik diperlukan, dan untuk setiap larik berapa jumlah ketukannya, yang akan diisi dengan suku kata. Chrisye menginginkan puisi

relijius.

Signature

signature (noun): something (as a tune, style, or logo) that serves to set apart or identify; also : a characteristic mark [Merriam Webster Dictionary]

This morning, someone (a.k.a Tiffa) ask me via twitter, ‘Is Coraline Tim Burton’s movie?’. And my answer is : No, it’s not. But then, she ask one of her friends and the answer is : ‘it’s the same one with the maker of nightmare before christmas’. Nightmare Before Christmas is Tim Burton’s, so it means Coraline is Tim Burton’s? No, it’s not. Coraline is directed bya Henry Selick, the one who apparently direct the animation for Nightmare Before Christmas. So, Tiffa’s friend’s statement is right, as long as he/she wasn’t intended it to be Tim Burton.

Anyway, I want to talk about other thing based on it. People will jump to conclusion that Coraline is Tim Burton’s because of it similarity with Nightmare Before Christmas that is Tim Burton’s. And Tim Burton’s work is always known for its slightly dark aura and unconventional storyline, which also we can find in Coraline. So, naturally, people will perceive Coraline as Tim Burton’s work. I feel bad for Henry Selick though, it’s his work but people perceive it differently. Not that Tim Burton’s at fault, but his style is so strong that people remember it clearly to the point they just have to watch and recognize it. Dark and unconventional, that is Tim Burton’s signature.

We find this kind of signature in other things. The physical things like New York City and the Liberty Statue, The prefix ‘i’ to every digital device by Apple, the famous tune when you switch on your Nokia phone. To characters attached to human being and their works: Muhammad SAW and trustworthiness, Gandhi and his opposition to violence, the simple line ‘saya turut prihatin’ from Indonesia’s current president, SBY everytime he made a speech, appearance of ‘11.11’ in Joko Anwar’s work....

What is yours?

That question popped up in my mind immediately. What’s mine? Is there something unique in me that will always be remembered by others as mine?

Some of us own a signature that more to our physical trait or material attribute. Like how my friends really like to affiliate me with those chinese vampire creature because my house is located near chinese graveyard. To some point, it’s okay to be known by that kind of signature, but you know, like Steve Jobs’s boring black Issey Miyake shirt is just a little part of his profile, one day I want to be known for a greater cause too. Something that will always stays on people’s mind about me, something that valued, something that makes me be remembered by others when I’m gone. In Indonesia, we have the right proverb to express it:

“gajah mati meninggalkan gading, harimau mati meninggalkan belang”
[elephant dies leaving ivory, tiger dies leaving skins]

I’m still searching for it. And you, what unique point you want to be known as? How do you want to be known when you’re gone?

Kembali ke pojok : Late Night Gibberish

Seri kembali ke pojok ini adalah lanjutan dari yang ini. Atas permintaan sekenanya dari Gusti Ayu Meliati, akhirnya saya coba bikin sekuel. Pertama kali bikin sekuel.
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picture taken from here

“008?” katanya kemudian sambil nyengir. Saras langsung menarik tangannya cepat dan memandang Rako dengan wajah tertekuk.

Sudah puluhan tahun dari serial superhero lokal konyol dengan brand panggilan telepon international itu tayang di televisi, dan dia -yang dengan menyebalkannya punya nama yang sama- harus merasakan komentar refleks yang sama tiap kali ada orang yang mendengar namanya. Dalam hati dia ingin balas berteriak ‘basi! madingnya udah mau terbit!’, setidaknya AADC baru sepuluh tahun lalu.

Prometheus: How to make an Alien

Poster is taken from Wikipedia

These days, if you want to watch a movie, look who’s the director is, not the actors. This was what motivated me to watch Prometheus, because it is Ridley Scott’s. Scott is one of the earliest contender in thriller sci-fi genre. The world know him from creating one of the most visually horrible movie of all time: Alien. Remember all those disturbing scenes? not to mention that gigantic-pointy-head creature? yes, that’s all Scott’s brainchild. Now, Prometheus. The title is taken from the name of a titan in greek mythology, the one who gave fire to human race. 


In the movie, Prometheus is the name of a space ship manufactured by Weylan enterprise that travel the universe with a mission, to search the origin of mankind. Prometheus said to be the prequel of Alien, and yes, every bit of it is actually a step-by-step explanation of “how to create Alien”. So here’s I prepare you the recipe:

Ravenna, The Evil Queen

Movie poster taken from wikipedia

“mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all”


That line, maybe one of the most famous line from the fairytales universe. And the one that I loath the most, mirror? gah, fairest? gah! What is the point in asking a MIRROR how good looking you are? it’s like Narsiscus, spending his day groveling about his face and end up dying in the lake.

Okay, skip the cynicism, let’s move to the movie itself.

This year, there are two live action movie adapted from Brother Grimm’s Snow white, the first is satiric comedy Mirror Mirror (which I watched months ago) and the second is epic colossal Snow White and the Huntsman, which I watched last saturday. I just gonna talk about the second. 

First thing first, for me, the title of the movie is wrong, it should be “Ravenna, The Evil Queen”, because she’s the only great thing about the movie, anything else just mediocre.