a cure for malaise

"Some music a day, keeps the malaise away." I figured it was about time to get to the second word in the title of this blog... (its become obvious that Keith's advice got a little out of hand on the first:-). I really do think that there is something about music that gets at a core part of our being, I'm not so good at describing it, but sometimes you just hear something good, and it changes your whole attitude and disposition... Just as film gets at the stories of the human condition, music has effects on our human condition, and sometimes it can reach toward the transcendent.
I have decided, somewhat in the vein of Keith and Jason's blog for a year, that I would attempt to put more music up on this site. I also discovered pandora.com (works on Internet Explorer, rather than Firefox, btw) over the weekend and heard some cool new tunes (Hat tip to Chris over at Culture. ish.). Pandora is an online radio station program where you type in an artist of song that you like and it plays songs by that artist and others who are similar, it also explains why they are similar. It already made me buy three new CD's from Amazon (I'll write about those when they come in the mail). So over the next while I will try to make suggestions about music that has changed my day, even if for just a little bit. It will probably end up being a few artists a week.

Today's featured artist is: Dave Barnes. I actually heard about him from Infuze Magazine, an online journal. He is similar in some ways to John Mayer- a sort of pop-folk sensibility. make the station on pandora and you get some interesting stuff...well, OK, stuff that I enjoy.

Later: just found out that he is coming to Geneva College later this year...don't know the date.

Batman Begins - 7

Here's crossing my fingers that Nolan will get to direct the next X-men, it could use the help. I wrote about this film when I saw it in theatres. What I want to add is the main reason that I love this film. I love how the film is about fear, not in making the audience scared -like a horror film, but rather to explore the depths of human fear and how it drives human action. This film does not set up a clear dichotomy between good and evil, or between fear and hope. Rather it shows that how we respond to the fear that is within and without, becomes to define us. This also helps to explain why no love story develops, as is the case with most comic book/films. Self discovery precedes intimacy with others. The metaphor of fear and how is works in this story, is important because I think it translates into the metaphors and stories our everyday lives. That is what makes this film great.
All of the characters are well developed (Det. Gordon being the weakest) and the acting is well done (Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, and Tom Wilkinson) and I can't not mention that Katie Holmes needs to be killed off or replaced for the sequel.

Notorious - 7

This is Hitchcock's subtle thriller. And the suspense works, you can visually see the tension rising. The plot is interesting and timely. The time is 1946 and the story involves Nazi's living in America. Alicia's (Ingrid Bergman) father is imprisoned for treason, and she is lowered to being a fluzzy (her disregard for her reputation turns her into a slave to alcoholic and men), the film doesn't say any of this, but you can see that this is true (that's called good filmmaking). She soon meets Agent Devlin (Cary Grant) who convinces her to become a spy in Rio De Janeiro. All of this slowly develops and the film really is about the relationship that develops between Alicia and Devlin, even thought Alicia eventually marries the guy who is to be brought down. It is a slowly developing film that pays off in the end. What interests me is the timing of the film, the fact that Nazi's are in it seems somewhat ahead of its time, they come of as the enemy, but not as evil incarnate (like most later movies) I wonder how much was known about the Holocaust in America at the time? This film is a good one and should be seen by anyone who considers themselves a moderate to extreme film buff.

The Departed - 7

Martin Scorsese, using the story of Hong Kong filmmakers Felix Chong and Siu Fai Mak, has made one of the best films of his career. This film follows in the tradition of his other great films: Taxi Driver, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, and Bringing Out the Dead.
The story is what holds the film together, all the other elements are there, but it is the story that you walk away with. Two men graduate from the Boston State Police Academy, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) plays the part of upstanding cop in order to give information to the man who has brought him up- Mafia boss, Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). The other, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), has no family left and is recruited to work undercover and infiltrate Costello's team (Martin Sheen and Mark Walberg are great as his contacts within the unit). They end up having to try to find the other, and it is a test of their character, as they have to use deception, while trying to understand how they can stay true to themselves. There is also the added love interest (Vera Farmiga - unfortunately Scorsese is not very good at portraying women characters, so it remains somewhat of a guy film) between the two men, which highlights the fact that pretty much everyone has to live somewhat of a double life, knowing when to lie and when to tell the truth. A great story about the human condition, and the internal struggle between good and evil. Early in the film, after the death of Billy's mother, a note on here casket reads "Heaven holds the faithful departed." There is a reason this film is just called, The Departed. Your next task, go see the original- Infernal Affairs.

The King - 4

It seems obvious that this film is making reference to Elvis Presley - The King. The main character, Elvis Valderez (Gael Garcia Bernal), is a recently discharge from the Navy, and goes in search of his father. His mother has died and he has never met his father, he only know his name. He discovers that his father (William Hurt) is the pastor of a Pentecostal church in Texas (yeah, I thought of The Apostle too- a superior film). He initially is rejected by his father as a mistake from his past. But Elvis is tenacious, and as this process gets more and more sinister, the plot gets predictable. You can check the boxes as the events unfold. And at the end, it is not Elvis and the American Dream that succeed, rather it is the tragedy of failed love. The film starts out rather well, and shows rather than tells the story of Elvis as a loner, but as the film proceeds it takes a turn toward obscurity. Beside that the reference to The King became lost and muddled. I think part of it is a critique of the challenge of culture to Christianity, but that line of thought doesn't continue to the end of the film.

Kicking and Screaming (1995) - 7

No, this is not the hilarious Will Ferrell film where he coaches his son's little league soccer team. This film actually came out ten years earlier and is written and directed by Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Mr. Jealousy, co-writer of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). It reminded me of Richard Linklater's films Slacker and a little of Waking Life for its focus on deep conversations (minus the animation) and loosely to Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. The film follows four college friends after they graduate from college and stick around town and try to figure out what to do with there lives. The main character, Grover, sees his girlfriend leave him to study in Prague, and each of them goes in and out of relationships on the search for fulfillment. What they come to realize is that life is meant to be lived, experiences, and learned from. In some ways this film is a precursor to The Last Kiss, although with more subtle choices. Like most of Baumbach's films it is rather academic (which means I like it) and mostly engages the questions of abstractions as they relate to relationships and life. The film is heavy on conversations where characters are just standing around or sitting around a table. Not an action film, but a thoughtful one.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 7

This is the second time I have seen this film, and it probably won't be the last. This is a great film. The first time I watched this film I was more focused on the idea of memory and how that played into the film. But in fact the film is really about love. I also love how the narrative of the film makes the story clear, without making dialogue that has to explain what is going. I also like that it doesn't pretend to be a thriller, ala Vanilla Sky. While the film involves technology we don't yet have, it doesn't focus on it, but rather gets at what is fundamental about the human condition: the human need for love, intimacy, and relationship. Although the film is subtle, it is one of the great love story films of this generation.

This film was written by Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation) and directed by Michel Gondry (The Science of Sleep) and has an all-star cast including Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo (You Can Count On Me), and Kirsten Dunst. Wikipedia has tons of info for this film entry.

not so evanescence

Two new albums came out this week. The Killers' sophomore album, Sam's Town. This album is more U2 influenced than their first album. My favorite song so far is Read My Mind. Evanescence also came out with their sophomore album, which picks up right where they left off from their first album (which means that if you like that one, you'll like this one, if you hated it, well then you'll...) So for all of you out their that hoped that their name was prophetic, they may be around longer than a Beaver Valley morning mist.

later: check out these reviews in Rolling Stone (K) (E), Evanescence actually got the better review.

Edmond - 5

Having just finished reading Walker Percy's The Moviegoer, I can see the influence of it on this David Mamet screenplay. William H. Macy plays a middle-aged man who takes a fortune tellers word that he is not where he belongs and proceeds to leave his wife, and look for a way out of his loneliness and malaise. It turns out much more tragically for Edmond Burke than for Jack Bolling. Edmond never really finds what he is looking for, and he ends up alienated by everyone and everything, mostly because of the anger and frustration that come out of his search. In the end, a rather good film as a character study with lots of allusions to how close Edmond might be to resolution only to have Fortune cause him to stumble. (While I love Macy as an actor this is not his best work.)

It Happened One Night - 7

This is one of the classics. In 1935 it won most of the major Academy Awards. Staring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert this film is the start of what would later be called the screwball comedy- perfected by Hitchcock in Mr. & Mrs. Smith. It also has elements of what would be called today a romantic comedy. Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn was also influenced by this film. In this film a newspaper man runs into a runaway heiress, who is trying to rebel and elope with a fighter pilot that her father disapproves of. The two eventually make a deal for the each others benefit. After a few days of charading to keep their cover, and making wicked insults at each other. They start to realize that maybe they were made for each other. But as all comedy's go; mis-communication leads to what looks like a tragic end, only to have a great reversal and a killer last line. Highly recommended, especially if you like old films, or the history of film.

The Science of Sleep - 7

Looking for a recipe for dreams? The film opens with scenes from a low production cooking show (inside the main character's mind) where dreams are mixed and boiled; the results are a stunning sequence of colors and motions.
This is Michel Gondry's first project since the indie hit Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. While Eternal was from a Charlie Kaufman script, this film is Gondry's own imagination at work. Part autobiographical (Gondry plays drums, and got a degree in graphic design), and part art project to make his dream world come to life. The story is a dialogue between the imagination and heroism of infatuation/love and the harsh reality of unrequited love. The constant question in the film is how reality shapes the dream world and how dreams infiltrate our everyday lives.
Stephane, played by Gael Garcia Bernal, has been set up to move to Paris from Mexico, after his father has died, and starts a job in graphic design (turns out to be more of a low-level cut and paste job). He moves into his mother's apartment, and makes friends with the neighbor across the hall, Stephanie. Initially he is attracted to doing art projects with Stephanie, and soon discovers how good a friendship they have developed. Stephane, in his youthful eagerness, then mistakes his dream world with reality only to find that Stephanie has her own opinion on the subject. While she relates to Stephane, she does not see it as a romance. The story has a wonderful interplay of humor and sadness that is shown beautifully in the 'crazy' visuals of Stephane's sleeping life.

The Descent - 5

In what seems to be an anomaly, Paul has actually given a film a higher ranking than me. It is a good review, and actually made me consider this film further than I had initially. First, of all, I am not a huge fan of the horror genre to begin with. It helped that I knew going in to look at the psychological and traumatic aspects of the characters rather than the general plot outline. I would suggest the same if you plan on seeing this. The plot just gets more and more outrageous until the point of unbelief (part of a good film's excellence comes from its ability to allow the audience to suspend unbelief). The fear that the characters feel and violence that lies deep beneath the surface is shown with vivid realism. I liked how patient the film was, its first startle moment is probably 45 minutes in. There are two endings to the film. Originally made in the UK, that ending focuses on the psychological and can be seen here. The US version is only a little shorter and ends on a startle moment rather than having some resolve.

The Truman Show - 7

It has been 8 years since I first saw this film on its release in 1998. Directed by Peter Weir (Master and Commander, Dead Poets Society, The Mosquito Coast, Witness, Fearless, etc) and written by Andrew Niccol (Gattaca - 7, Simone - 7, Lord of War - 6, The Terminal - 3), this film is a commentary on reality TV, before it really took off with Survivor. In this case, Christof, a multi-millionaire, creates an experiment where a boy, Truman, is born into a massive studio where his life is created for him. He is the only real person in this town. The start of the film is his beginning to see the world around him in a new way, he is suspicious and wants to leave for Fiji. As Christof et al, try to prevent that by manipulating the environment, Truman has many great conversations with others, and eventually takes to the sea (his one great fear that keeps him on the island) this reaches a climax as he survives Christof's attempts to kill him off and eventually runs into the wall that is the boundary of the studio. His struggle become the struggle of the human condition for freedom and truth. This film is great for discussion especially about important topics like how we know reality, what we can trust, and how humans think about God. The film also features great performances by Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, and Ed Harris.

The Notorious Bettie Page - 6

This film is a biopic about Bettie Page (played well by Grethen Mol), who become notorious in the 1950's as the "the pin up girl of the universe," she also was photographed in bondage scenes. The film shows her early life in a strict Southern family from Nashville. The film also chronicles her Christian faith journey, which for most of her life went unquestioned and she did not see her work as rebelling against it. Later in life she recommitted her life and gave up working as a model. She was also called as a witness for a Senate investigation about the effects of bondage and nude pictures on society. She lead a very strange life, but the film is able to make it a coherent narrative of a woman on the search for transcendence and authenticity. The time period of the film is also associated to the cultural reactions to the work of Alfred Kinsey. The film is beautifully shot by Mary Harron, mostly using black and white, with a few small sequences in color.

Stagecoach - 6

John Ford and John Wayne team up for the first time in this film. Wayne eventually appeared in 35 of Ford's films, including the excellent The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. There is barely a scene in this film that is not copied in all the great films to follow, Ford was very influential on many later filmmakers. This is a classic western film, where a group of strangers- outlaws, whores, misfits, the uppity easterners, and doctor- take a trip by stagecoach across Arizona. The trip is taken with great risk as the Apache Indians have been raiding coaches passing through. The army can only go so far with the group, and they travel the rest of the way, eventually having to fight off Indians and the army arrives to the rescue. In the mean time the class barriers start to crumble and a love interest develops. This film also features what I would call the origin of the phrase, "riding shotgun." In this case, the sheriff calls it and literally sits beside the driver with a shotgun and looks out for trouble. Worth seeing if you love westerns or the history of film, less so if you are looking for straight up entertainment- although it has that as well.

Rear Window - 7

This is what film should be. A good story, a little mystery, relationships, social commentary, witty dialogue, some suspense, and good acting. This film has all of that. Jimmy Stewart plays the lead - LB Jefferies (Jeff), a photo-journalist, who has a broken leg and is confined to his apartment. Grace Kelly plays his love interest, there current conflict is lifestyle due to different jobs- she is in the fashion industry. (On a localism side note: both Stewart and Kelly are from Pennsylvania). Jeff takes to voyeurism through his back window which opens to the back side of another apartment building. Everything seems socially normal, neighbors having spats, keeping to themselves, or dancing in their underwear with the blinds up (This is Alfred Hitchcock pushing the limits of what could be shown in films). Eventually Jeff spots something unusual, a nagging wife has disappeared, and her husband has made many suspicious trips out in the middle of the night. It all adds up to murder? Or does it? You'll just have to see it. All around a great film- deserving of its status (#42).

Born into Brothels - 5

While the topic of this film is important the method is a bit fragmented and uncohesive. Two documentary filmmakers went to Calcutta to to chronicle the life of prostitutes in the red light district. Once they got there thought they realized that the children living there were a more interesting topic. Zana Briski, one of the directors of this film, starts to teach the children photography and eventually feels pushed toward helping the children get an education to escape their plight and the life that they will be forced into without it. The film both show cases the children's pictures, which are very good, as well as Zana's quest to get them to see the larger world that education and photography can show them. In the end, a few of the children get into boarding schools, and one boy, Avijit, gets to travel to Amsterdam to showcase his photography. The film remains hopeful that it is possible for these children, born into disadvantage can be shown hope, and teach all of us a thing or two. While a truly amazing story of education and sociology (maybe even social justice), the format the film makes this story less coherent than it could be.