** Music **
Badly Drawn Boy: The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Damon Gough is Badly Drawn Boy. He knows how to make music. The guy quite frankly has a quavering voice that tends to stray from the pitch, but he uses it to great effect. The album is mostly guitar based, acoustic and electric. The songs are pieced together in a manner that may remind the listener of a zoo. Everything fits together, but the transition is a little strange and every part is excitingly different. The most outstanding song on the album would have to be "The Shining", track 1. After a minute long horn and strings intro, Gough sings wistfully above much the same instrumentation. He adds guitar but doesn't lose the almost inspiring feel produced instruments not found on every rock record. The song was probably my favorite for over a month last year. The album, 64 minutes, doesn't lose any steam from there and is well worth the time spent listening.
The Clash: London Calling
This is easily one of the finest CDs I own. It is burned which means it's not quite as nice and the Joe Strummer and Mick Jones' vocals take some getting used to, but good lord, this thing rocks! 19 songs, a 66-minute double album, it literally oozes with creativity. Sometimes it may seem that a group basically redid a single song about 10 times, slapped together some lyrics and marketed it to the record-buying public. There have to be at least five or six different songs here that make you question whether it's even the same group. Happily that is not because of variation in quality, only in style. Although the Clash were branded as "punk", they had always thought themselves to be something more and this album is a shining example of why they did. I would probably buy the CD just to hear "Lost In The Supermarket", and when you realize that 18 other songs on the disc are of similar quality, it's almost unreal.
Bob Dylan: Live At Royal Albert Hall
I listened to Bob Dylan's Live At Albert Hall 2-disc set today. The first disc is Bob, the guitar, and a piercing harmonica. In my opinion it's the better of the two discs and all around great. The second is Bob backed by his band who would later basically become The Band. Loud, plugged in, but still Dylan. This is the "confrontational" disc in which the performers are mocked by the crowd at various points and someone shouts "Judas!" in Dylan's general direction. He seems rather nonplussed and they just keep going. Although still a good performance, I don't enjoy the songs and lyrics quite as much as those on the first disc.
Dave Matthews Band: Before These Crowded Streets
I also listened today to Before These Crowded Streets by Dave Matthews Band. Though it was as musically interesting as the rest of their stuff which came before Everyday, it lacked any sort of device to pull me in or impel me to listen to their playing. I was never annoyed by the violins, weird stuff, etc. thrown in but it none of it really intrigued me either.
Pearl Jam: No Code
Some people think Pearl Jam sucks. They are dumb. Some people think Pearl Jam was cool back in the early 90's when grunge was popular but now they are irrelevant. These people are also dumb. Pearl Jam is now and has always been good. They used to have a somewhat different sound, for example, "Jeremy" and "Black" sound quite different from "Wishlist" and "Nothing As It Seems". This does not mean that Pearl Jam is now bad or has never been good, it simply means that they have matured and changed. No Code doesn't seem to be a typical Pearl Jam album, if there is such a thing. It's got the slow, quiet, rather lengthy "Off He Goes" smack dab in the middle as well as the rather unique "Who You Are" with its "tribal" drumming and almost choral singing. "Mankind" almost sounds like Weezer, probably not Pearl Jam's closest musical brethren. It is by no means a bad CD, though, and does include Eddie Vedder on vocals and Pearl Jam's usual excellent guitar.
Radiohead: OK Computer
I listened to Radiohead's OK Computer today. I can't find fault with Radiohead. The only thing I noticed aside from the overall high quality of the music was that Thom Yorke never yells, screams, or does anything else like that vocally which is so prevalent in rock. Especially the sort of rock Radiohead makes, which is not for happy people. At first I thought maybe that was a detraction but then realized that even if it would sound right, it wouldn't exactly fit in with the band's geist, so I was satisfied.
The Velvet Underground: White Light/White Heat
Rolling Stone just named this the coolest album of all time. I can't personally say whether that is true, but it certainly must lie near the top of the heap. It opens with "White Light/White Heat". The Velvet Underground doing a song about drugs is kind of like Kid Rock singing about white trash, except the Velvets are good. "The Gift" is actually an interesting tale by itself, but is made much cooler when the reading in the left channel by John Cale is accompanied in the right channel by Lou Reed and company making their trademark noise. The album's sixth and final song is called "Sister Ray" and lasts a full 17 minutes. You may have to be in a certain mood to stomach it but it certainly isn't lacking in creativity or good sound. It would probably stand up quite well to the first third of most other bands attempts at rock music.
Neil Young: Silver & Gold
Neil Young has many, many sounds. Country, classic rock, grunge, folk; he does it all, except maybe hip hop. On Silver & Gold he pretty much sticks to a twangy, slow country sound. "Long May You Run", the last song on Decade from the late 70's would fit perfectly here. His voice sounds older, but then again, with Young's trademark high, thin voice, this may not be a bad thing. He's no Bob Dylan [listen to Time Out of Mind or Love & Theft, the man hardly has vocal chords], he still sounds normal in front of a microphone. The record worked well for me, but didn't really capture me at all.
** Film **
Abre Los Ojos
I watched Abre Los Ojos last night at Sumo. It is supposed to be the original, Spanish version of Vanilla Sky, set in Madrid. César, the main character, has been convicted of a murder. The movie takes place as a flashback, while César recounts his story to his psychiatrist. He had his face disfigured in a horrible accident which killed his supposedly-dead ex-lover Núria. Half the time his face seems to be disfigured and the other half it is normal. In the same way, about half the the time his girlfriend is Núria and half the time a woman he met at his birthday party before his accident who is called Sofía. He must sort through all that has happened to him to discover the solution and put his life back in order. The movie was pretty good although it didn't grab me quite like some do.
The Big Lebowski
The Dude abides. That is the absolute most important thing to take away from The Big Lebowski. The Dude is one Jeffrey Lebowski who bowls, tokes and drives around town listening to Creedence. He is most definitely my idol. John Goodman is hilarious as his sidekick. Steve Buscemi does his job, I guess, but could have been used more in my opinion. The bad guys were not that intriguing but as the story mainly focused on the Dude, that was ok. The fantasy sequences were interesting.
Citizen Kane
The greatest movie ever made. That is what the American Film Institute says. At first I didn't quite catch on. I couldn't grasp what it was that made it the greatest movie of all time. I certainly enjoyed it while watching. However, I began to realize afterward what was so special about it. I hadn't a single complaint about the movie. Not one. I tried to think of a criticism and I couldn't. Orson Welles did an amazing job in all aspects and I have to say that I can't argue with AFI. They may be right.
Dead Man Walking
Amnesty International recently showed Dead Man Walking for the National Week of Action on the death penalty. Although I had been through all the debates before and felt pretty well informed about the death penalty, the movie was still very good. For those who don't know the storyline: Sister Helen Prejean develops a relationship with a death row inmate, sees him through to the end, and deals with all that results from her decision. Though the movie doesn't necessarily condemn the system, it does try to shed light on the death penalty, expose the flaws it may have and impart the emotional trauma inherent in it for all involved.
The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element looked a little disappointing at first. An alien spaceship lands at an archćological site where the director seems to be discovering the secret of the universe or something equally spectacular. I prepared myself for the cheesiest of movies, but was delightfully surprised to see that the film didn't take itself too seriously. The villian, for example, has a ghastly haircut and a wicked southern accent. I wouldn't say the film was great, but it was entertaining, especially Chris Tucker.
Full Metal Jacket
Last night I watched Full Metal Jacket in the living room on DVD. Since I rented from Family Video I had no case, and didn't know prior to watching that this was the pan-and-scan version of the movie. The cinematography was still great. The sound was quite good as well [this was the first movie I watched with our new center speaker and subwoofer]. The first part of the movie was very good. There was nothing but drill sergeant blather for the first fifteen minutes and not much but gunfire for the last fifteen. It was on the whole interesting but not totally captivating. I liked the irony and the attitude and didn't mind the action, but the movie just didn't have any profound statement in the end which sort of disappointed me.
Ghost World
Ghost World was great in that I was engrossed for 111 minutes solid, not even pausing to scrutinize it during the slow parts. It was so good that I didn't have time to analyze anything during the movie because I was too busy being entertained. Most of the time this occurs with a movie like Dumb and Dumber when I am laughing too hard to think about how bad it is. This movie definitely stands up to criticism though. Thora Birch was great, not perfect or self-righteous, but eminently likeable and very believable. Steve Buscemi and the rest of the cast were great as well. I especially liked the sarcastic, somewhat dark mood that wasn't overdone. It was set in an appropriately sunny Los Angeles yet retained its lovably loathing attitude. I couldn't find anything wrong with the movie. I may have to buy it and watch it again just to see if I can dislike some part of it.
Gods And Monsters
I doubt anyone who has not seen this movie can picture Ian McKellen seducing Brendan Fraser. Actually, those who have seen it probably don't want to anyway, but that is beside the point. McKellen plays James Whale, a retired movie director credited with Frankenstein among other films, whose mind is slowly deteriorating due in part to a stroke. Brendan Fraser cuts the lawn and tends his gardens. McKellen is a "flaming queen" and Fraser is nothing of the sort. Fraser befriends McKellen when asked to model for him [he also draws and paints] and they develop a sort of bond. The relationship ends disastrously though with a rather disturbing and violent seduction scene. The movie depicted McKellen neither sympathetically nor judgementally, but simply as a gay man who was not afraid to flaunt his sexuality. He obviously did a great job. Fraser was nearly perfect for the role, both in his looks and features, and as a character who never seemed quite sure of what life was throwing at him, but tried his best anyway. The use of footage from Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, was interesting as well as McKellen's vivid hallucinations.
The Graduate
At the beginning of this movie I didn't like Dustin Hoffman very much. He simply walked around like a fool, avoiding everyone, not saying much, seeming rather uninteresting. As the movie progressed however, I realized that instead of revealing Hoffman's character's personality immediately in the beginning, director Mike Nichols simply let it develop. He began to seem more real and sensible than most movie characters because he seemed to leave a lot undone and unsaid, much like things happen in real life. Granted, his situation is a little strange: wealthy, sleeping with the wife and mother next door, in love with her daughter. There were many parts of Benjamin Braddock that I could identify with. Most broadly with the sense at the end that he has given up on trying to play by the world's rules, and must simply follow his heart's desire, hoping for contentment. The cinematography, though not amazing, was well done, the acting was superb, casting, writing, and especially the Simon & Garfunkel music added to the overall great effect of the picture.
Hedwig And The Angry Inch
SUMO showed Hedwig this weekend for Carleton's Pride Month. The film does a good job of addressing the issue of sexual identity but by no means does it take itself too seriously. Early in the movie, the band plays a song possibly called The Origin Of Love, accompanied by an interesting animation sequence. Essentially the story is about Hedwig, who grows up a mistreated boy in east Berlin but succeeds in coming to America when s|he marries a US Army officer by way of a surgical procedure. Hedwig is soon dumped and eventually gets around to starting a rock band. They are never successful but one of Hedwig's "other halves", Johnny Gnosis goes straight to the top with an album written almost completely by Hedwig. S|he never receives royalties or true love, but seems to come to terms with life, symbolized by the finality or new beginning, whatever it may be, at the end of the movie. I personally liked the movie quite a bit, I thought everything worked together very well. Hedwig was probably one of the most intriguing characters I have ever seen in a movie. Not only that, but the music was great throughout.
The Limey
I went to Film Society tonight and watched The Limey. It was an interesting movie, with a decent plot, and much attention paid to the moviemaking, with many unusual techniques having been used, such as flashing back and forth between shots of the same person in slightly different positions during a single monologue. Although I really appreciated the obvious work put into the making of the movie, the script, especially the character development, which I felt was left to the imagination for many of the characters, if it existed at all, didn't really grab me. That and I dislike Olin 149 as a movie venue in the first place. For those reasons I give The Limey
The Man Who Wasn't There
I like the Coen brothers fairly well. They have made The Hudsucker Proxy, The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou? in addition to The Man Who Wasn't There. This one was was a film noir made in 2001 but set in 1949. Ed Crane is a likeable hero, to me at least: incredibly methodical, quiet and interesting to observe. The rest of the world spins wildly around him and just sort of reacts, never getting too upset however. Plot is more important than style here, which becomes evident near the end. Although not boring, the final scene leaves a plot-driven fan wanting more; at least some meaning for all the events preceding. The movie is great because of the wit, the cinematography and the overall atmosphere it generates.
Mulholland Drive
Don't watch this movie if you want to figure it out. Just don't. Even if you figure it out, it won't satisfy you. Only watch it if you can handle the premise that the movie be taken for its cinematic quality and nothing more. At first it seems just very hard to figure out, especially after the mysterious blue box changes everything. Then the credits roll and you almost feel exploited. If you are not pleased, you will walk out as some did, feeling like you have just wasted 2.5 hours of your life. If you can accept the movie, you should be able to appreciate it for what it is, a very interesting piece of filmmaking that is not easily resolved. It has things to say, many of them about Hollywood, and David Lynch obviously knows what he is doing, he simply chose not to tie up loose ends and produce a neat little package.
Office Space
I've seen this movie many times. Most recently I saw it at Sumo. It was as funny as ever. The characters are all perfect and don't lose a thing upon the third or fourth viewing. Ron Livingtson is one of my favorite slackers, or "uncommonly sane people", in any movie, rivaled by Kevin Spacey in American Beauty and Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski. Even high-energy go-getters must admire Livingston's honesty as he simply stops pretending that he enjoys work, his boss, or anything else tying him down to the corporate world. The movie does slow down for a little bit as it nears the conclusion, but only for a very short time. Additionally, any movie including the Geto Boys' "Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta" must have done something right.
Otesánek
I just watched Otesánek at Film Society. Think of any movie you have ever seen and this is weirder. Seriously. Ten times weirder. The film is from the Czech Republic, so it is in Czech with English subtitles. Here is a summary of the movie. Karel and Bozena Horák want a child desperately but cannot have one because they are both sterile. Karel decides to buy a house in the countryside, possibly to take his wife's mind off of her infertility. The neighbors, who have a nosy daughter, come out one day to help the Horák's get the place ready. Near the end of the day, Karel removes a stump which looks to him like a baby. He goes into his woodshop and comes out hours later with the thing shaped as much like a baby as a stump can baby. This is all too much for his wife, who has some sort of nervous breakdown and believes it to be real. This drives the husband nuts but she insists to the point of wearing padding for eight months to make everyone else believe she is pregnant. There are many, many problems with this situation, a few of them that the stump comes alive, that Bozena must cover him up in the baby carriage wherever they go, and that the stump, named Otesánek or Little Otik for short, has an insatiable appetite. The Horáks attempt to feed him milk, bread and carrot soup but those are not enough. When they come home one day to find that the cat has been eaten [hints: Otik is has grown quite a bit and there is a bloody cat skeleton on the floor] they decide to go all out and buy enormous amounts of pork for little Otik. He proceeds to eat the postman and a social worker [both complete with appropriately appetite-ruining blood and gore] before Karel locks him up in the basement of their apartment house against Bozena's wishes. The little girl who lives across the hall, Alzbetka, reads the legend of Otesánek [the man-eating stump] in a story book, and for some reason takes a liking to him. She manages to feed him Mr. Zlábek, the local pedophile, and both Karel and Bozena before something is done about it. In the end of the movie, as in the end of the legend, Otesánek eats a garden full of cabbages, which are his doom for the old lady who has been growing them puts a hoe into Otesánek's stomach and ends his nutritional rampage.
This movie would most definitely have been a schlocky horror film if an American had been forced to direct and produce it, however, as done by Jan Svankmajer, it somehow manages to come across as a real story, albeit a little wild. Alzbetka easily steals every scene she is in as one of the cleverest little girls I've ever seen on screen, although not completely, as she does have a soft spot for human-eating tree trunks. See it if you can, just not near mealtime.
Pulp Fiction
I have attempted to watch Pulp Fiction numerous times. I tried the first time after high school graduation. Sadly it was started much too late and I had to leave before it finished. I tried once again during New Student Week. I was too tired and had to forego the end of the movie once again. Last night I finally got through it. The movie seemed very strange the first time I saw it but since then I have been able to understand it better. The four short stories, all occurring in the same part of LA in the space of two days, are connected but separate. All the actors were splendid and the writing was great. A small amount of absurdity and a lot of dark comedy set the right mood. Now I need to see Reservoir Dogs.
Raging Bull
Raging Bull is about a nasty, nasty man. His name is Jake La Motta and he was a boxer. In fact, he was middleweight champion of the world for a time. He was a brawler, both in and out of the ring. His life must either be perfect, or he will rage against the world until it becomes so. It's not even that things go badly for La Motta, it's that doubt creeps into his mind that maybe not everyone respects him as being the best, and therefore he can't rest until he has pummeled into the ground every last one of his perceived detractors. I find it interesting that in most of the fight scenes, we are only shown the parts where Jake is severely beating the opponent, even he winds up losing the fight. He tries to put himself above everyone around him, succeeding at first but ultimately leading him to his doom.
In a movie that centers so heavily on one character, a savage one about whom the movie makes no apologies, it was hard for me to separate my opinion of the movie from my opinion of the boxer. The movie did portray a consummate jerk very well, including those around him. I will say that it was an intriguing story, but I can't say, however, that I thought it was great.
The Royal Tenenbaums
Due to the inexplicable complexities of the modern English alphabet, I have chosen to review The Royal Tenenbaums before Rushmore even though the latter was made first. They are both Wes Anderson films, and share quirks like child prodigy playwrights, at least one love story that becomes rather convoluted, and Kumar Pallana, who plays Pagoda in this movie and Mr. Littlejeans in Rushmore. This is the second time I saw The Royal Tenenbaums, and although I don't think I laughed as much or as loudly this time, I felt it was more cohesive, whereas before the suicide attempt and some of the other less comic elements seemed out of place to me. The Gypsy Cabs, the minor characters, the neuroses of the major characters, the design and the soundtrack were all more than satisfactory.
Rushmore
I watched Rushmore on my computer. It was written by Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson, who have more recently released The Royal Tenenbaums. I saw The Royal Tenenbaums first and this movie reminded me in parts of it. For example, the montage showing all the activities that Max participates in, as well as the ridiculousness inherent in the breadth and length of the list. The movie was also mainly a comedy, but with a somewhat serious plot running alongside that didn't fit in perfectly with the antics of the characters.
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
I'm not personally a huge Jimmy Stewart or Frank Capra fan. I'm also not one to claim that they don't make them like they used to with a hint of disdain for the Hollywood of today. However, I do enjoy classics and this one lives up to its billing as such. In fact, the trailer on the DVD fancies the movie to be the most important ever released, at least up to 1939 when the film came out in theaters. Mainly, political and economic heavyweight Jim Taylor is looking for someone to replace a senator from his state who has just passed away. The governor, trying to decide between a pushover and real politician, foregoes them both in favor of Jefferson Smith, a grown-up boy scout. He attempts to be a model senator, presenting a bill for a National Boys Camp, and doing what he should. He ends up the object of a smear campaign in the senate and only after a 24-hour filibuster is he vindicated.
Toy Story 2
I watched Toy Story 2 on my computer this weekend. I'd seen the first in the theater several years ago and was quite impressed by the animation and surprised at the very decent storyline. The second one did not disappoint in terms of animation, although I didn't notice anything more advanced, if it escaped me.
The Wedding Singer
This movie should be viewed directly after Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore or The Waterboy simply to prove that Adam Sandler is not only his slow-thinking Cajun-talking persona which carries him most of the time. This is the second time I have seen this movie and it certainly held up to repeat viewing. The Wedding Singer is surprisingly solid by Adam Sandler standards. Although I am a fan of Billy Madison, this is actually a REAL movie instead of, well, whatever Billy Madison is. Drew Barrymore is also decent, but the old guy in the bar easily has the best performance, it's not even really a contest. The movie is also a romance but I have not seen that turn anyone away, even big burly guys [not specifically Max]. Watching the movie is, just as the promo suggests, "like the 90's never happened!". The music is not bad, unless you are morally opposed the 80's. And it's got Billy Idol, that's hard to beat.
X-Men
I saw X-Men the first time last summer on DVD with a pretty good surround sound setup. SUMO this weekend did not provide the same experience but it was still decent. The story is interesting, requiring a bit of suspension of disbelief. The special effects are great for the most part and don't detract from the movie by being too garish. The first time I noticed the deeper themes of the movie which I had been alerted by a review read before, but the second time I saw it, it didn't draw me in the same way, and that may have been the reason I didn't get the same effect.
Zoolander
I saw Zoolander at William's house Saturday evening. I have heard from a few people that they think it looks stupid, but these are mainly people who have not yet seen the movie. Because right from the beginning the viewer discerns that the movie is merely making fun of everything it includes, especially itself, one loses any pretense of drama or serious moviemaking.