Tuesday, June 30, 2009
AOTW - Regina Spektor, Handsome Furs, Suicide, Prefuse 73
My bad for not posting about music as regularly as I once did. ANYWAY, here's some stuff I've been listening to recently.
Both me and the missus really dig Regina Spektor. She looks like an awful lot like Fiona Apple (which isn't a bad thing at all ;p) but she has her own great sound. I especially like her lyrics. She writes those "super simple yet so perfect" lyrics. Her new album, far, will take me a few listens to really, really love because it doesn't have that fresh new sound that Begin To Hope had for me. far is still awesome though. I bought it on Friday when it came out and I've listened to it every day since then. Anyway, here's "Laughing With":
Next up, Handsome Furs. I won their latest album "Face Control" from RTR radio. YAY! This is a really catchy album. It's like this 1980s electro beat stuff with punk-ish guitar or something. The vocals are RIDICULOUSLY familiar, but I can't pick which 80s band they're trying to rip off. Anyway, it's really cool and makes me dance around the house like a little indy kid or something. Here's the video for "I'm Confused", in which the black oil spreads itself around a party so that all the partygoers will become hosts to alien life forms :P
Next up, Suicide. Check this out:
The whole album sounds like this. It's this sweet electro punky duo. I was told about this band late last year, but it took me a while to find any of their stuff. I'm glad I did. This is cool. I feel like I've missed out on something huge not hearing these guys sooner. I've got their first self-titled album which came out in 1977 and as far as I know they're still going strong. Here's another track:
Awesome. Okay, next.
The latest album from Prefuse 73 is another wanky electro thing that I realy like. The album is called "Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian" and the cover looks like this:
I think that pretty much says it all. It has little moments that you can latch onto and dig, but then they are quickly taken away and replaced with all new moments. It's impossible to get bored with this album. I don't think it's one of those crazy jittery changing albums either. Grooves are held just long enough to get something from and hear and understand and then BAM! something different, like so:
...and that is all.
jej
Both me and the missus really dig Regina Spektor. She looks like an awful lot like Fiona Apple (which isn't a bad thing at all ;p) but she has her own great sound. I especially like her lyrics. She writes those "super simple yet so perfect" lyrics. Her new album, far, will take me a few listens to really, really love because it doesn't have that fresh new sound that Begin To Hope had for me. far is still awesome though. I bought it on Friday when it came out and I've listened to it every day since then. Anyway, here's "Laughing With":
Next up, Handsome Furs. I won their latest album "Face Control" from RTR radio. YAY! This is a really catchy album. It's like this 1980s electro beat stuff with punk-ish guitar or something. The vocals are RIDICULOUSLY familiar, but I can't pick which 80s band they're trying to rip off. Anyway, it's really cool and makes me dance around the house like a little indy kid or something. Here's the video for "I'm Confused", in which the black oil spreads itself around a party so that all the partygoers will become hosts to alien life forms :P
Next up, Suicide. Check this out:
The whole album sounds like this. It's this sweet electro punky duo. I was told about this band late last year, but it took me a while to find any of their stuff. I'm glad I did. This is cool. I feel like I've missed out on something huge not hearing these guys sooner. I've got their first self-titled album which came out in 1977 and as far as I know they're still going strong. Here's another track:
Awesome. Okay, next.
The latest album from Prefuse 73 is another wanky electro thing that I realy like. The album is called "Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian" and the cover looks like this:
I think that pretty much says it all. It has little moments that you can latch onto and dig, but then they are quickly taken away and replaced with all new moments. It's impossible to get bored with this album. I don't think it's one of those crazy jittery changing albums either. Grooves are held just long enough to get something from and hear and understand and then BAM! something different, like so:
...and that is all.
jej
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Whistling Dogs - Famous In Perth
Another fantastic CL05dimly production. The song is great too. I've seen these guys live and they have a really cool sound. That reminds me, I also played a set with these guys at a gig in Fremantle when I was in The Fallen Leaves. Ah, memories. Anyway, enjoy.
jej
jej
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Captain Kenievil
I didn't even know this existed until today. It looks incredible. My mind is being blown by the fact that Captain America is popping a wheely on his motorcycle, when all of a sudden CHRISTOPHER LEE is on the screen!!!!! Man, it doesn't get much better than this. I'm going to see Transformers 2 today and again on Saturday, and while I'm sure I'll get some enjoyment out of viewing super dooper special effects, it won't match the enjoyment I had from watching this 6 minutes and 42 seconds of 1979 Cap gold.
jej
jej
Monday, June 22, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Telly - One Tree Hill - The Z-list years
We recently finished viewing the season finale of One Tree Hill season six. It was a pretty satisfying conclusion. They didn't kill anyone else, for which I was grateful, and except for a couple of loose ends things were pretty much resolved. Then I saw the promo image for season seven:
I realise that not all of you are aware of the show, and the characters, etc, so let me explain in Simpsons terms. Imagine you saw a promo for the next series of the Simpsons that looked like this:
Now, I know this is a badly done image, but you get my point. I like Brooke Davis as much as I like Lisa Simpson, so it's cool that she's returning, but she's no Homer, and I don't really give a rats ass about the other two. Season 7 could be a doozy.
Here's what Hilarie Burton, one of the concrete stars of the show, has to say about leaving:
It almost feels like a "I'm leaving because I'm not getting paid enough or something, but please don't hate me fans!"
Oh well. I'll still be watching Season 7 come December like all the other teen soap schmucks. Let me end with a video that both scares me and makes me feel better about myself at the same time. I may be obsessed with television, but I'm not quite at this level just yet.
jej
I realise that not all of you are aware of the show, and the characters, etc, so let me explain in Simpsons terms. Imagine you saw a promo for the next series of the Simpsons that looked like this:
Now, I know this is a badly done image, but you get my point. I like Brooke Davis as much as I like Lisa Simpson, so it's cool that she's returning, but she's no Homer, and I don't really give a rats ass about the other two. Season 7 could be a doozy.
Here's what Hilarie Burton, one of the concrete stars of the show, has to say about leaving:
It almost feels like a "I'm leaving because I'm not getting paid enough or something, but please don't hate me fans!"
Oh well. I'll still be watching Season 7 come December like all the other teen soap schmucks. Let me end with a video that both scares me and makes me feel better about myself at the same time. I may be obsessed with television, but I'm not quite at this level just yet.
jej
Monday, June 15, 2009
Cap is coming back
Any comic readers out there will know that Steve Rogers died a year ago, and eventually Bucky took the role of Captain America. When Marvel started to tease that Rogers would be returning somehow I wasn't completely thrilled. I think Bucky needs to be Cap for longer. Anyhow, Ed Brubaker is a fantastic writer and I'm sure Rogers' return will be fantastic. This trailer for the Reborn series that's been teased for so long makes me pretty excited about the whole thing. Check it out.
jej
jej
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Two Months of Second Tuesdays
For whatever reason (let's go with exams and assignments taking all my time) I haven't posted about last month's book club yet, so here is a double helping of book club posts. You better sit down for this one. WOOT!
May's book of choice was made by Mister John Brown - A Rage To Live - a biography of Richard Burton by Mary Lovell. I cheated this month and read some stuff online to get the gist of who the guy was, but Noelene and John actually read the book. Noelene says that Burton fit an awful lot into his life, but she found the author hard to read. Lovell used heaps of commas innappropriately and it was a bit clunky, suggesting knowledge of what Burton felt at the time when she's really just making huge assumptions.
John also read another Burton bio, A Highly Civilized Man by Dane Kennedy (which is now on my bookshelf waiting to be read by me). He says that this book doesn't discuss his wife at all, while Lovell's book focusses on her quite a bit. Burton's wife controversially burned a lot of his work after his death because it contained content which would probably be seen as 'sexually deviant' and have soiled his name.
Burton seemed to swap religions, depending on which culture he was studying or trying to immerse himself in. He seems to be positive about Islam in Africa, but condescending and negative towards Christianity in central Africa. John says that Burton was negative towards religion's effect, not religion itself. He used religion for his own purpose.
He was extremely self interested, but not manipulative. Mary Lovell is totally in love with him and defends him against biographical damnation. It's interesting to see the effects of cultural impersonation have on him later in life. He was a probably a bitter old guy who was passed over and posted in Damascus, which went badly, but he didn't blame himself. Burton did a lot of things that no one had done and they were harder to do back then. Lots of travel and mapping areas and rivers, sending back lots of soil samples and that sort of thing.
Anyway, interesting guy.
Adrian read The Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel. Strobel was an athiest journalist who asks questions of scientists who believe in a creator God. Strobel says that his wife became a christian and she seemed to become a 'more authentic person' so he looked into it. Adrian says that he believed in evolution but after reading this there are gaps in his belief. He sees evolution as probably arising as a result of materialist philosophy rather than science. It assumes that metaphysical answers are not valid. Guy says that no other idea or theory explains it. Darwin was not out to murder God, but rather explain the universe. John says that evolution came at a time when people were open to new theories. Darwin doesn't have a universal view; mountains don't evolve. Evolution doesn't apply to anything that's not biological. Adrian says there are answers that should be explored. Noelene says that any book that makes you question and think about your beliefs is a good thing. This conversation all started to sound way too familiar to many we've had in the book club before, so we moved on.
Adrian also read The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin. Waitzkin is a chess and martial arts master who like Spider-man :D. He was a natural at chess at 6 years of age. He applied his approach to chess to other fields with success. He can detect opponents moves, subtlely influencing them. Adrian found his writing accessable.
Guy started reading the only authorised biography of Tom Waits, The Many Lives of Tom Waits by Patrick Humphries. Tom Waits has lots of great one liners and stories in interviews, but Guy sees them as one liners that deflect away from his private life.
Noelene read Kate Grenville's dreamhouse and didn't like it. It's about a London couple who move to Tuscany. Noelene has been to both Tuscany and London and didn't feel like Grenville knew the places by the way she wrote of them. There's an analogy of a broken house being like their marriage, and there are ideas of affairs that didn't happen. Noelene couldn't see what Grenville was trying to link everything to and she didn't care about the characters.
John read Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5 and said it wasn't as good or as fresh as previous volumes. It's still hilarious and clever in places, but he thinks it will probably end on an annoyingly ambiguous note.
He also re-read The Inmitable Jeeves by Wodehouse and it's as funny as he remembers. The chapters are nice, brief, 6 pages long. There are small plot arcs and an overarching arc. He uses characetures but they are in depth enough to be interesting. It reads like a really, really great sitcom. He also read more of Glynn Christian's How To Cook Without Recipes. Christian's is very anti some cooks who use a pinch of certain things to make it look cool, but that would not change the taste of the meal in any way whatsoever. He thinks that you should take the flavour from a meal, like something sharp and creamy, and then create a new meal with that mix of tastes.
He also read How To Learn Any Language by Barry Farber. Farber says we should all stop learning French because it sounds cool and is almost English anyway, and learn languages that would be useful, like Mandarin, Spanish, and Arabic. I still want to learn French, but I totally see his point.
I read Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Achebe writes an African story from an African point of view but in English and in the bourgeois format of the novel. It's about a tribe pre-colonization and it's kind of told in a fairy tale-ish style, but with a strange African sensibility that kind of clashes. The hero of the novel, Okonkwo, beats his wife and this kind of thing. Achebe doesn't really praise or criticise this; it's just in there. When white colonizers come we get to read the experience from the point of view of the African people. It's a well told story that seems simple, but when read there is so much to take from it and think about.
I also read another post-colonian novel, A House For Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul. This was a brick of a book, but very easy to read. It's kind of a dark comedy. Funny things happen throughout, but they're all kind of tragic also. While reading I was kind of aware that I wasn't quite grasping everything, but it's a great novel all the same that I should probably read again at some point in the future.
That's it for May. June's book was chosen by Noelene; Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.
This month's book club was the smallest yet, but it's all good. We will continue regardless. I started this thing so I could talk about books at least once a month, and that will still happen even if it's just Noelene and I.
Anyway, we both saw the film version of this and loved it, so reading the book seemed like a good idea. I'm glad we did. Both Noelene and I loved this. Noelene says that she was immediately hooked into the story. She couldn't read it in bed before sleep because she didn't want to drift off and miss things. She wanted to savour the whole book and read attentively. I also dug it. I think that Yates is one of those 'less is more' writers. Unless Yate's is inhuman or something I think he must have spent a whole lot of time editing this book, because it reads so sharp. Not a word is wasted. All the characters are essential too. There are maybe 8 or 9 characters throughout, and they all serve an important purpose in the novel. Yates also writes those great simple lines that mean more than they seem. The writing seems so real too. The novel is about the breakdown of a marriage, and it feels so honest and real, but I think it's also about what society had become in 1961. I think it's kind of sad that it's still so relevant. Not that much has changed since then. People still end up in relationships like this; both friends and romantic relationships. It's like a smack in the face to read. Early on I almost felt like it was a bit much, the way Frank Wheeler felt he was above everything, but as the novel played out it all made sense and wasn't being too preachy or anything. It's just really sad. The tragic end, which you can see coming a mile away, was sad, but it was everything preceding it that I found most upsetting.
Both Noelene and I agree that everyone should read this novel. We were kind of bummed that no one came this month because this is something that more people should read.
I also read a whole smack of poetry as study for my exam, so no other novels were read by me.
Next month's book? Luna Park, by Bret Easton Ellis.
jej
May's book of choice was made by Mister John Brown - A Rage To Live - a biography of Richard Burton by Mary Lovell. I cheated this month and read some stuff online to get the gist of who the guy was, but Noelene and John actually read the book. Noelene says that Burton fit an awful lot into his life, but she found the author hard to read. Lovell used heaps of commas innappropriately and it was a bit clunky, suggesting knowledge of what Burton felt at the time when she's really just making huge assumptions.John also read another Burton bio, A Highly Civilized Man by Dane Kennedy (which is now on my bookshelf waiting to be read by me). He says that this book doesn't discuss his wife at all, while Lovell's book focusses on her quite a bit. Burton's wife controversially burned a lot of his work after his death because it contained content which would probably be seen as 'sexually deviant' and have soiled his name.
Burton seemed to swap religions, depending on which culture he was studying or trying to immerse himself in. He seems to be positive about Islam in Africa, but condescending and negative towards Christianity in central Africa. John says that Burton was negative towards religion's effect, not religion itself. He used religion for his own purpose.
He was extremely self interested, but not manipulative. Mary Lovell is totally in love with him and defends him against biographical damnation. It's interesting to see the effects of cultural impersonation have on him later in life. He was a probably a bitter old guy who was passed over and posted in Damascus, which went badly, but he didn't blame himself. Burton did a lot of things that no one had done and they were harder to do back then. Lots of travel and mapping areas and rivers, sending back lots of soil samples and that sort of thing.
Anyway, interesting guy.
Adrian read The Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel. Strobel was an athiest journalist who asks questions of scientists who believe in a creator God. Strobel says that his wife became a christian and she seemed to become a 'more authentic person' so he looked into it. Adrian says that he believed in evolution but after reading this there are gaps in his belief. He sees evolution as probably arising as a result of materialist philosophy rather than science. It assumes that metaphysical answers are not valid. Guy says that no other idea or theory explains it. Darwin was not out to murder God, but rather explain the universe. John says that evolution came at a time when people were open to new theories. Darwin doesn't have a universal view; mountains don't evolve. Evolution doesn't apply to anything that's not biological. Adrian says there are answers that should be explored. Noelene says that any book that makes you question and think about your beliefs is a good thing. This conversation all started to sound way too familiar to many we've had in the book club before, so we moved on.
Adrian also read The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin. Waitzkin is a chess and martial arts master who like Spider-man :D. He was a natural at chess at 6 years of age. He applied his approach to chess to other fields with success. He can detect opponents moves, subtlely influencing them. Adrian found his writing accessable.
Guy started reading the only authorised biography of Tom Waits, The Many Lives of Tom Waits by Patrick Humphries. Tom Waits has lots of great one liners and stories in interviews, but Guy sees them as one liners that deflect away from his private life.
Noelene read Kate Grenville's dreamhouse and didn't like it. It's about a London couple who move to Tuscany. Noelene has been to both Tuscany and London and didn't feel like Grenville knew the places by the way she wrote of them. There's an analogy of a broken house being like their marriage, and there are ideas of affairs that didn't happen. Noelene couldn't see what Grenville was trying to link everything to and she didn't care about the characters.
John read Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5 and said it wasn't as good or as fresh as previous volumes. It's still hilarious and clever in places, but he thinks it will probably end on an annoyingly ambiguous note.
He also re-read The Inmitable Jeeves by Wodehouse and it's as funny as he remembers. The chapters are nice, brief, 6 pages long. There are small plot arcs and an overarching arc. He uses characetures but they are in depth enough to be interesting. It reads like a really, really great sitcom. He also read more of Glynn Christian's How To Cook Without Recipes. Christian's is very anti some cooks who use a pinch of certain things to make it look cool, but that would not change the taste of the meal in any way whatsoever. He thinks that you should take the flavour from a meal, like something sharp and creamy, and then create a new meal with that mix of tastes.
He also read How To Learn Any Language by Barry Farber. Farber says we should all stop learning French because it sounds cool and is almost English anyway, and learn languages that would be useful, like Mandarin, Spanish, and Arabic. I still want to learn French, but I totally see his point.
I read Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Achebe writes an African story from an African point of view but in English and in the bourgeois format of the novel. It's about a tribe pre-colonization and it's kind of told in a fairy tale-ish style, but with a strange African sensibility that kind of clashes. The hero of the novel, Okonkwo, beats his wife and this kind of thing. Achebe doesn't really praise or criticise this; it's just in there. When white colonizers come we get to read the experience from the point of view of the African people. It's a well told story that seems simple, but when read there is so much to take from it and think about.
I also read another post-colonian novel, A House For Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul. This was a brick of a book, but very easy to read. It's kind of a dark comedy. Funny things happen throughout, but they're all kind of tragic also. While reading I was kind of aware that I wasn't quite grasping everything, but it's a great novel all the same that I should probably read again at some point in the future.
That's it for May. June's book was chosen by Noelene; Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.
This month's book club was the smallest yet, but it's all good. We will continue regardless. I started this thing so I could talk about books at least once a month, and that will still happen even if it's just Noelene and I.
Anyway, we both saw the film version of this and loved it, so reading the book seemed like a good idea. I'm glad we did. Both Noelene and I loved this. Noelene says that she was immediately hooked into the story. She couldn't read it in bed before sleep because she didn't want to drift off and miss things. She wanted to savour the whole book and read attentively. I also dug it. I think that Yates is one of those 'less is more' writers. Unless Yate's is inhuman or something I think he must have spent a whole lot of time editing this book, because it reads so sharp. Not a word is wasted. All the characters are essential too. There are maybe 8 or 9 characters throughout, and they all serve an important purpose in the novel. Yates also writes those great simple lines that mean more than they seem. The writing seems so real too. The novel is about the breakdown of a marriage, and it feels so honest and real, but I think it's also about what society had become in 1961. I think it's kind of sad that it's still so relevant. Not that much has changed since then. People still end up in relationships like this; both friends and romantic relationships. It's like a smack in the face to read. Early on I almost felt like it was a bit much, the way Frank Wheeler felt he was above everything, but as the novel played out it all made sense and wasn't being too preachy or anything. It's just really sad. The tragic end, which you can see coming a mile away, was sad, but it was everything preceding it that I found most upsetting.
Both Noelene and I agree that everyone should read this novel. We were kind of bummed that no one came this month because this is something that more people should read.
I also read a whole smack of poetry as study for my exam, so no other novels were read by me.
Next month's book? Luna Park, by Bret Easton Ellis.
jej
Thursday, June 04, 2009
David Carradine - R.I.P.
Yep, it's true. David Carradine is no longer of this world. Early reports from Fox say that he was found hanging from curtain cords in his Bangkok hotel room. He was 72. Anyway, he made some great telly and moofies in his time, so here's to you, Mr. Carradine.
jej
jej
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Monday, June 01, 2009
Saturday Night Montage
After a grueling 3 hour literary exam I went out with a bunch of awesome people and moshed to some grind bands. It was fantastic.
That is all.
jej
That is all.
jej
Flash Rebirth Toony Recaps
Ethan Van Sciver is doing a fantastic job on the art for Geoff Johns The Flash: Rebirth. Ethan's brother Noah is doing an even better job at recapping entire issues in four panels. WARNING: if you didn't read Flash: Rebirth #1 and #2 then these probably aren't all that funny. For those who did, enjoy:
I could do with recaps like these on a few more titles ;p For more Van Sciver goodness check out his website.
jej
I could do with recaps like these on a few more titles ;p For more Van Sciver goodness check out his website.
jej
Moofies - Synechdoche, A Film With Moran in it, Dying Breed, Valkyrie
Moofie rant time.
I went to see Synechdoche, New York on my own on a Saturday morning in a tiny little cinema. It was fantastic. Then two days later I went to see it again on a Monday night with my brother. It was great to see it twice in close succession. I think I picked up a few more things the second time around because it was all still fresh in my mind.
Anyhow, this is Charlie Kaufman's first time writing AND directing. I really, really dig his earlier films, especially Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I hope that Kaufman and Michel Gondry work together again at some point. There was just something perfect about that film for me. ANYWAY, Synechdoche's plot, I finally picked up on the second viewing (spoilers) is that the main character is dead and spends the film in a "kind of anti stasis". It starts of almost normal, with Philip Seymour Hoffman playing a playwright who has a wife and kid. There are strange cartoons on the television, lots and lots of wordplay and mishearing of words, until the scene that clinched the strangeness factor for me. Samantha Morton is looking at a house to buy with a real estate agent. It is perpetually on fire. I'm still not quite sure what that's about, (although I dig it and it's funny for some reason) but there are other not so cryptic aspects to this film that are done perfectly.
One of the actors that Hoffman uses in his plays, Tom I think his name was, is forever conscious about the way he acts. He's always checking with Hoffman about how he did and that kind of thing. Anyway, Hoffman (called Caden Cotard, but whatever. It's Philip Seymoour Hoffman) gets an arts grant to do some major work, so he hires out this huge warehouse and creates a replica of New York inside, hiring actors to play citizens, to play his wife and friends, and eventually to play himself. Anyhow, within these huge walls the play goes on and at one point Hoffman sees Tom walking. He tells him that he should stop trying to walk and just walk. Tom tries it three times and each time he can't just simply "be". He's extremely self-conscious and I thought that was done really well.
There is a lot about life and the way people communicate with each other in there. There is some really horrific stuff too, like the relationship (or lack of one) that Hoffman has with his daughter.
Anyway, this is a film that could have been too wanky, but I think there's enough humour and honesty to pull it off. I totally love it and look forward to re-watching it many times. It's lovely and interesting in all the right ways. It also has an amazing cast. Seriously, click here and check it out. If I was making a movie I would totally want all these people in it.
Okay, NEXT!
Dylan Moran is the king, so choosing to go and see this film was a no brainer.
Mark Doherty, playing Mark, lives with his girlfriend, his brother, and his dog. His bum mate Dylan Moran live upstairs. It's a dive of a place that's falling apart. Basically, the whole thing is like a classic comedy set up. It sort of reminded me of Death at a Funeral, the way it's a black comedy with a set up and then a pay off. The difference is that this was way darker and made me laugh more. Also, the characters were really likeable. Mark seems like this average guy who's just trying to do the right thing, and it's likeable. Also, Mark Doherty wrote the script, and he's talking about writing a script in the film, so there's this whole double layer thing going on. It's not going to change your life or anything, but it's a totally likeable film. Sure, the situation is absolutely ridiculous, but the characters are likeable enough that I didn't really care.
Now to some Aussie horror.
Nathan Phillips and Leigh Whannel are on their way to becoming Aussie horror icons I think. If they keep acting in films like this then it will happen. They totally should. There's something different about horror set in Australia. It just has the unique landscape that other films of this genre don't. Dying Breed looked like it might be just another Texas Chainsaw rip off, but it was different enough to warrant making I think. It could even become another series if it really wanted to. Basically some kids go to a tiny community in Tasmania looking for the Tasmanian devil and they find crazy rednecks descended from convicts. There's a nice slow build and it all goes extremely brutal by the end of the film. I think it's at least on par with the recent American horror films that have come out recently like My Bloody Valentine and Friday the 13th (13 or whatever it is). Probably a little more brutal and a little less fun, but I enjoyed it.
Last of all, Valkyrie.
Bill Nighy has a HUGE role in this film, along with a whole bunch of other awesome British actors, so you should see it. It starts off a little slow and serious, but by the end of it we have a basic action suspense thing going on with a bunch of awesome actors. Even having Tom Cruise in this was fine. He's good at looking all tense and stressed out. I think that's his thing. But seriously, Bill Nighy rules so watch this. I hate it, but I know I'm going to have to watch that bloody Underworld movie because he's in it, and I'll hate it. Oh well.
On another note, I guess I should mention something about the subject of Valkyrie. I think there are a bazillion films about the holocaust and that kind of thing, and there are a handful that are actually moving and decent and all the rest of it (unlike tha freaking Rutger Hauer one. Man, what were they thinking). In recent years it seems there's been a bit of a shift in films about WW2, and we're starting to see films that explore the subject from different angles. I haven't seen anything that I felt was in bad taste or lessened the seriousness of the whole thing. I'm sure I will (I don't watch every war film ever made) but it's nice to see some interesting alternative stories coming from film. Although it's not extremely moving or amazing, Valkyrie probably fits into that category. Bryan Singer is showing the world that there were a group of Germans who did not believe in what Hitler was doing and lost their lives trying to stop him. It's pretty much a blockbuster affair, but with decent acting so it's cool.
Anyhow, I think I've blabbed on enough now. Bye.
jej
I went to see Synechdoche, New York on my own on a Saturday morning in a tiny little cinema. It was fantastic. Then two days later I went to see it again on a Monday night with my brother. It was great to see it twice in close succession. I think I picked up a few more things the second time around because it was all still fresh in my mind.
Anyhow, this is Charlie Kaufman's first time writing AND directing. I really, really dig his earlier films, especially Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I hope that Kaufman and Michel Gondry work together again at some point. There was just something perfect about that film for me. ANYWAY, Synechdoche's plot, I finally picked up on the second viewing (spoilers) is that the main character is dead and spends the film in a "kind of anti stasis". It starts of almost normal, with Philip Seymour Hoffman playing a playwright who has a wife and kid. There are strange cartoons on the television, lots and lots of wordplay and mishearing of words, until the scene that clinched the strangeness factor for me. Samantha Morton is looking at a house to buy with a real estate agent. It is perpetually on fire. I'm still not quite sure what that's about, (although I dig it and it's funny for some reason) but there are other not so cryptic aspects to this film that are done perfectly.
One of the actors that Hoffman uses in his plays, Tom I think his name was, is forever conscious about the way he acts. He's always checking with Hoffman about how he did and that kind of thing. Anyway, Hoffman (called Caden Cotard, but whatever. It's Philip Seymoour Hoffman) gets an arts grant to do some major work, so he hires out this huge warehouse and creates a replica of New York inside, hiring actors to play citizens, to play his wife and friends, and eventually to play himself. Anyhow, within these huge walls the play goes on and at one point Hoffman sees Tom walking. He tells him that he should stop trying to walk and just walk. Tom tries it three times and each time he can't just simply "be". He's extremely self-conscious and I thought that was done really well.
There is a lot about life and the way people communicate with each other in there. There is some really horrific stuff too, like the relationship (or lack of one) that Hoffman has with his daughter.
Anyway, this is a film that could have been too wanky, but I think there's enough humour and honesty to pull it off. I totally love it and look forward to re-watching it many times. It's lovely and interesting in all the right ways. It also has an amazing cast. Seriously, click here and check it out. If I was making a movie I would totally want all these people in it.
Okay, NEXT!
Dylan Moran is the king, so choosing to go and see this film was a no brainer.
Mark Doherty, playing Mark, lives with his girlfriend, his brother, and his dog. His bum mate Dylan Moran live upstairs. It's a dive of a place that's falling apart. Basically, the whole thing is like a classic comedy set up. It sort of reminded me of Death at a Funeral, the way it's a black comedy with a set up and then a pay off. The difference is that this was way darker and made me laugh more. Also, the characters were really likeable. Mark seems like this average guy who's just trying to do the right thing, and it's likeable. Also, Mark Doherty wrote the script, and he's talking about writing a script in the film, so there's this whole double layer thing going on. It's not going to change your life or anything, but it's a totally likeable film. Sure, the situation is absolutely ridiculous, but the characters are likeable enough that I didn't really care.
Now to some Aussie horror.
Nathan Phillips and Leigh Whannel are on their way to becoming Aussie horror icons I think. If they keep acting in films like this then it will happen. They totally should. There's something different about horror set in Australia. It just has the unique landscape that other films of this genre don't. Dying Breed looked like it might be just another Texas Chainsaw rip off, but it was different enough to warrant making I think. It could even become another series if it really wanted to. Basically some kids go to a tiny community in Tasmania looking for the Tasmanian devil and they find crazy rednecks descended from convicts. There's a nice slow build and it all goes extremely brutal by the end of the film. I think it's at least on par with the recent American horror films that have come out recently like My Bloody Valentine and Friday the 13th (13 or whatever it is). Probably a little more brutal and a little less fun, but I enjoyed it.
Last of all, Valkyrie.
Bill Nighy has a HUGE role in this film, along with a whole bunch of other awesome British actors, so you should see it. It starts off a little slow and serious, but by the end of it we have a basic action suspense thing going on with a bunch of awesome actors. Even having Tom Cruise in this was fine. He's good at looking all tense and stressed out. I think that's his thing. But seriously, Bill Nighy rules so watch this. I hate it, but I know I'm going to have to watch that bloody Underworld movie because he's in it, and I'll hate it. Oh well.
On another note, I guess I should mention something about the subject of Valkyrie. I think there are a bazillion films about the holocaust and that kind of thing, and there are a handful that are actually moving and decent and all the rest of it (unlike tha freaking Rutger Hauer one. Man, what were they thinking). In recent years it seems there's been a bit of a shift in films about WW2, and we're starting to see films that explore the subject from different angles. I haven't seen anything that I felt was in bad taste or lessened the seriousness of the whole thing. I'm sure I will (I don't watch every war film ever made) but it's nice to see some interesting alternative stories coming from film. Although it's not extremely moving or amazing, Valkyrie probably fits into that category. Bryan Singer is showing the world that there were a group of Germans who did not believe in what Hitler was doing and lost their lives trying to stop him. It's pretty much a blockbuster affair, but with decent acting so it's cool.
Anyhow, I think I've blabbed on enough now. Bye.
jej
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