Filed under: music | Tags: 2009, actor, akron/family, andrew bird, antony & the johnsons, antony hegarty, best albums, best albums of 2009, best music, best music 2009, best of 2009, bitte orca, built to spill, dark days/light years, embryonic, grizzly bear, jim o'rourke, joy, medeski martin & wood, mos def, noble beast, phish, radiolarians, set em wild set em free, st. vincent, steve earle, sufjan stevens, super furry animals, the bqe, the crying light, the dirty projectors, the ecstatic, the flaming lips, the visitor, there is no enemy, tight knit, top ten of 2009, townes, townes van zandt, veckatimest, vetiver, wilco, wilco the album
All in all, 2009 was a disappointing year for music. It seemed everything I looked forward to was a bit underwhelming. Animal Collective (queue the disagreements), Bob Dylan, Neko Case, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Monsters of Folk, Neil Young, etc. It says something that my three favorite records are from bands I hadn’t heard prior to this year, or in the case of my favorite record, a band that hadn’t won me over with their previous releases. So, while the old standbys seemed to fall by the wayside there were surprises found in some new places. Mostly Brooklyn.
Biggest Disappointment
The first Flaming Lips album in well over a decade I haven’t been able to find much in. I do applaud them for changing it up instead of going back to the well that seemed to be drying up with At War With Mystics, but this record just feels… unfinished to me. There aren’t really any songs on it. Which can work, granted, but I don’t find their ‘psychic explorations’ very intriguing. Certainly not as catchy as the more melodic stuff they’ve been doing since 1993. It’s not an awful record, but given the high expectations I had, I was more than a bit disappointed.
Honorable Mentions
In alphabetical order, by artist:
Antony & The Johnsons – The Crying Light: I gave I Am A Bird Now more than a few listens, and I could never get past the fact that while Antony’s voice was powerful and emotive, something about it irked me. On the recommendation of a friend I gave The Crying Light a go, and from the first track I was won over. Beautiful orchestral pop, and for some reason, The Crying Light seems to have been the key that’s allowed me to go back and unlock I Am A Bird Now. I get it now.
Andrew Bird – Noble Beast: After The Mysterious Production of Eggs and Armchair Apocrypha, I found Noble Beast a bit of a letdown. However, the more I come back to it the more I find to appreciate. It features many of his best songs (Anonanimal, Effigy, Natural Disaster) even if there are some cuts that don’t click with me, places where it feels like he’s reaching a bit too much (Not a Robot, But a Ghost). But still, a strong enough record to recommend.
Steve Earle – Townes: “Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I’ll stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.” Steve Earle attempts to back up that bold statement with his latest album, Townes. And while I don’t agree with it, he makes a hell of a case. It’s not my favorite Steve Earle record, perhaps because many of Townes’ recordings are better than Steve’s, sorry to say. But there is something poetic in today’s most underappreciated singer-songwriter recording a tribute to his 70’s counterpart.
Mos Def – The Ecstatic: Not a great album, but such a comeback from the unlistenable True Magic and The New Danger, it’s hard not to feel Ecstatic about it. It feels like Mos actually cares about making good music again. There are some really strong cuts here. And it bodes well for his future. One that, after the superlative Black on Both Sides and Black Star, I was close to giving up on.
Phish – Joy: Probably the most controversial choice on the list. Alot of Phish fans have been disappointed with Joy, but I think it is a solid pop record. Phish’s more progressive compositions and raging jams have never translated well to the studio. Their best record, and last with Steve Lillywhite prior to Joy, Billy Breathes is also a pop record. Joy is on par with something like Farmhouse and a huge improvement from Round Room and Undermind.
Jazz Album of the Year
Medeski, Martin & Wood’s first entry in the Radiolarians series didn’t really impress me. It felt a bit disjointed, unpolished, and I was afraid the subsequent volumes would follow suit. But with Radiolarians II & III their gamble has paid off and they have put out some of the best music they’ve recorded since their Gramavision days. Two deep groovy fun records with plenty of replay value.
Top 10 after the break. (more…)
Filed under: film
The latest quiz from the wonderful Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule.
1) Second-favorite Coen Brothers movie.
There are about four different answers to this question. I’ll go with Miller’s Crossing, as it seems to be the least lauded of the bunch.
2) Movie seen only on home format that you would pay to see on the biggest movie screen possible? (Question submitted by Peter Nellhaus)
L’Avventura seems like a good choice.
3) Japan or France? (Question submitted by Bob Westal)
My heart is in France.
4) Favorite moment/line from a western.
Dean Martin & Ricky Nelson entertaining themselves with a song during a lull in the impeccable Rio Bravo.
5) Of all the arts the movies draw upon to become what they are, which is the most important, or the one you value most?
Tough question, I think I love movies so much because at their peak they function as a beautiful synthesis of the arts. Music may be my favorite of the non-cinematic arts, if that’s what the question is asking. But if it’s asking what’s most integral to film, I’m hard pressed to choose between visual art and storytelling.
6) Most misunderstood movie of the 2000s (The Naughties?).
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Also, Marie Antoinette and Miami Vice.
7) Name a filmmaker/actor/actress/film you once unashamedly loved who has fallen furthest in your esteem.
Kevin Smith. I was young and dumb.
Herbert Lom or Patrick Magee?
Who?
9) Which is your least favorite David Lynch film (Submitted by Tony Dayoub)
Lost Highway.
10) Gordon Willis or Conrad Hall? (Submitted by Peet Gelderblom)
Gordon Willis.
11) Second favorite Don Siegel movie.
The Killers
12) Last movie you saw on DVD/Blu-ray? In theaters?
Bong Joon-Ho’s Mother. Where the Wild Things Are.
13) Which DVD in your private collection screams hardest to be replaced by a Blu-ray? (Submitted by Peet Gelderblom)
Once Upon a Time in the West would look ravishing in Blu.
14) Eddie Deezen or Christopher Mintz-Plasse?
Mr. Mintz-Plasse, solely because he inspired these guys.
15) Actor/actress who you feel automatically elevates whatever project they are in, or whom you would watch in virtually anything.
Such a difficult question, my gut is telling me to go with Mathieu Amalric.
16) Fight Club — yes or no?
The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club.
17) Teresa Wright or Olivia De Havilland?
I think I have to go with Teresa Wright, if only for Shadow of a Doubt.
18) Favorite moment/line from a film noir.
Oh geez, favorite line is impossible. Moment? How about the kiss in Notorious. It is after all, my wonderful header.
19) Best (or worst) death scene involving an obvious dummy substituting for a human or any otherunsuccessful special effect(s)—see the wonderful blog Destructible Man for inspiration.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is the first one that comes to mind.
20) What’s the least you’ve spent on a film and still regretted it? (Submitted by Lucas McNelly)
Whatever I spent on my ticket to see 300.
21) Van Johnson or Van Heflin?
I’m sad to say though I’ve seen a few of their films, I can’t recall any of their performances.
22) Favorite Alan Rudolph film.
Another strike.
23) Name a documentary that you believe more people should see.
I’m fond of Wordplay, but it may just be the fact that I’m a crossword fiend. Gates of Heaven?
24) In deference to this quiz’s professor, name a favorite film which revolves around someone becoming stranded.
Dawn of the Dead.
25) Is there a moment when your knowledge of film, or lack thereof, caused you an unusual degree of embarrassment and/or humiliation? If so, please share.
Today when my cousin was excited about seeing The Blind Side this weekend, I realized most of my distant relations probably assume the large amount of time I spend watching movies is spent consuming Roland Emmerich films and Sandra Bullock vehicles.
26) Ann Sheridan or Geraldine Fitzgerald? (Submitted by Larry Aydlette)
Ann Sheridan was quite the gun moll.
27) Do you or any of your family members physically resemble movie actors or other notable figures in the film world? If so, who?
I have a cousin that looks like Audrey Tautou. She’s taken.
28) Is there a movie you have purposely avoided seeing? If so, why?
I’m afraid of Clarie Denis’s Trouble Every Day.
29) Movie with the most palpable or otherwise effective wintry atmosphere or ambience.
Fargo, another of the possible answers for question number 1. Just that opening credit sequence alone.
30) Gerrit Graham or Jeffrey Jones?
Jeffrey Jones, quite easily.
31) The best cinematic antidote to a cultural stereotype (sexual, political, regional, whatever).
The films of Ramin Bahrani.
32) Second favorite John Wayne movie.
The Searchers.
33) Favorite movie car chase.
Death Proof.
34) In the spirit of His Girl Friday, propose a gender-switched remake of a classic or not-so-classic film. (Submitted by Patrick Robbins)
Hmm, I can’t think of any other than His Girl Friday, so I’m going to jump to the small screen and say Battlestar Galactica.
35) Barbara Rhoades or Barbara Feldon?
Barbara Feldon, Pittsburgh always wins with me.
36) Favorite Andre De Toth movie.
Strike three.
37) If you could take one filmmaker’s entire body of work and erase it from all time and memory, as if it had never happened, whose oeuvre would it be? (Submitted by Tom Sutpen)
But if we erase the memory of them we’re likely to repeat their mistakes.
38) Name a film you actively hated when you first encountered it, only to see it again later in life and fall in love with it.
There are several, the big one that’s coming to mind is The New World. Though I’m not sure I ever hated it, I went from dismissing it as ‘pretty pictures’ to considering it one of the decade’s best films. Thanks Justine.
39) Max Ophuls or Marcel Ophuls? (Submitted by Tom Sutpen)
I want to give it to Marcel if only for the scenes he inspired in Annie Hall.
40) In which club would you most want an active membership, the Delta Tau Chi fraternity, the Cutters or the Warriors? And which member would you most resemble, either physically or in personality?
Chalk me up as One for the Cutters.
41) Your favorite movie cliché.
I’m not sure I have one, they are usually groan inducing. I do enjoy subverted cliches, is that a cliche yet?
42) Vincente Minnelli or Stanley Donen? (Submitted by Bob Westal)
Vincente Minnelli
43) Favorite Christmas-themed horror movie or sequence.
I really need to see Black Christmas.
44) Favorite moment of self- or selfless sacrifice in a movie.
It feels like this one should be easier. I’m going to say The Last Waltz, which probably does not quite fit, but I’m listening to The Band right now and nothing else is coming to mind.
45) If you were the cinematic Spanish Inquisition, which movie cult (or cult movie) would you decimate? (Submitted by Bob Westal)
Right now, I’m tempted to say the Twilight series.
46) Caroline Munro or Veronica Carlson?
Caroline Munro.
47) Favorite eye-patch wearing director. (Submitted by Patty Cozzalio)
Nicholas Ray.
48) Favorite ambiguous movie ending. (Original somewhat ambiguous submission—“Something about ambiguous movie endings!”– by Jim Emerson, who may have some inspiration of his own to offer you.)
It’s tempting to say No Country for Men just to spite Jim 
. Broken Flowers, it’s a shame the rest of the film isn’t quite up to that ending.
49) In giving thanks for the movies this year, what are you most thankful for?
I’m thankful for Pixar continuing to brighten otherwise dismal summers. I’m thankful for Greg Mottola making an excellent film in my favorite city. I’m thankful for Sion Sono for being crazy enough to make Love Exposure. I’m thankful I still have movies with as promising as Bright Star and A Serious Man on the horizon.
50) George Kennedy or Alan North? (Submitted by Peet Gelderblom)
George Kennedy? I guess?
Filed under: film | Tags: isaach de bankole, jim jarmusch, the limits of control
Usted no habla espanol, verdad?
Le guitariste lies naked upon my bed
Questioning the Limits of Control
Without art there is no escape
Le guitariste lies naked upon my bed
I refuse to engage her
Without art there is no escape
From boundaries imposed on us by capitalism
I refuse to engage her
The guitar is the key
From boundaries imposed on us by capitalism
It will save me
The guitar is the key
I listen as they sing and dance
It will save me
As I float off into the world
I listen as they sing and dance
Questioning the Limits of Control
As I float off into the world
Usted no habla espanol, verdad?
Filed under: film | Tags: black narcissus, michael powell, emeric pressburger, the archers, fish tank, michael fassbender, andrea arnold, cannes, a good day to me, alan del rio, peanuts, humpday, mumblecore, mark duplass, lynn shelton, joshua leonard, where the wild things are, maurice sendak, spike jonze, dave eggers
I only saw 10 films this month. Blame Josh for making me rewatch The Wire. Black Narcissus is far and away the best of what I saw.
Black Narcissus (Powell & Pressburger, 1947)
Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, 2009)
A Good Day to Me (Alan Del Rio & Aaron Brown) Watch Here
Humpday (Lynn Shelton, 2009)
Where the Wild Things Are (Spike Jonze, 2009)
Filed under: lit
“Howard could not figure out exactly how long Levi’d been in the pool, but, as his own speech had ended and the applause faded, everyone had noticed at the same time that there was a lone swimmer, and then almost everyone had asked their neighbor whether they recalled Cheever’s story. Academics lack range.”
-Zadie Smith, On Beauty
Filed under: film
Broken Embraces (Almodovar, 2009)
Hell’s Hinges (Swickard, 1916)
Kiss Me Deadly (Aldrich, 1955)
Love Exposure (Sono, 2009)
Odd Man Out (Reed, 1948)
Filed under: film | Tags: blaze tracy, hell's hinges, silent film, the caledonia mission, william s. hart
I was turned on to Hell’s Hinges (1916) by friends of mine, The Caledonia Mission, they wrote a great song for Esopus Magazine titled “The Ballad of Blaze Tracy” which was inspired by the film. You can listen to it here, and I encourage you to do so. The film was a bit tough to track down, but eventually I found it, and it ended up being worth the effort.
Hell’s Hinges establishes itself as a very religious film from the very first scene, which features a preacher who enjoys preaching more for the thrill he gets from performing in front of hiscongregation than any divine inspiration. The head of the church, sensing this and his potential to succumb to temptation, decides to send him to a church in the country “where people live simply and closer to God.” His sister, none-too-subtly named Faith, accompanies him to Hell’s Hinges, which it doesn’t seem could be any further away from God. As the title card declares, the good people of the town are “a drop of water in a barrel of rum.”
The town is run by “Silk” Miller, who runs a saloon slash whorehouse slash gambling parlor, and the outlaw “Blaze Tracy”, portrayed here by William S. Hart. A quick aside, William S. Hart was apparently was one of the first American movie stars. In the 1910’s his star-power and critical acclaim rivaled that of Pickford, Fairbanks and Chaplin. Unfortunately many of his films have been lost and his star seems to have faded over the years, while Chaplin’s has grown and eclipsed the other icons of the era.
Back to the film, Silk Miller and Blaze Tracy have sworn to keep law and religion out of Hell’s Hinges. So when the priest arrives and starts a church they conspire to undermine his efforts. This works until Blaze sets eyes upon Faith, “One who is evil, looking for the first time upon that which is good.” He, seemingly more in devotion to her than God, decides to stand up against Silk Miller and protect the church. Miller schemes to discredit the preacher, Blaze attempts to come to terms with God, and it all builds to an exciting fiery climax.
Hell’s Hinges has quickly become one of my favorite westerns as well as one of the best silent films I’ve seen (an area in which I’ll gladly admit I’m lacking). Hart didn’t get into film until he was in his late 40s, and part of his inspiration was his displeasure with Westerns at the time. He revamped the genre, and the influence of the stark, emotional, moralist brand of Western he pioneered can be seen even today in films like Unforgiven, which in many ways bears a strong resemblance to Hell’s Hinges.
It is rumored that while Charles Swickard received the directing credit, Hart shouldered much of the load. He would go on to direct many of his films, and I am very eager to check out more of his work. If he’s somewhat unconventional in appearance, he has a very strong screen presence nonetheless. There are some arresting shot compositions in Hell’s Hinges, and it’s a powerful story. The skewed moral sense it has and the third act reminded me very much of Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. Whether he was influenced by Hart, or influenced by those who were influenced by Hart is hard to say. Either way, based solely on Hell’s Hinges, Hart is a pioneer who deserves greater recognition today. I give this film my highest recommendation.
Filed under: film
Earlier this year, as I was tidying up my top ten of 2008, I considered writing an essay on the films of Kelly Reichardt and Ramin Bahrani. I played around with it a bit but couldn’t come up with anything I was really satisfied with. Since then A.O. Scott has penned an article on ‘Neo-Neorealism’ (I was going to title mine ‘A New American Realism’) and Roger Ebert has called Ramin Bahrani ‘the new great American director.’ So maybe it appears I’m hitching my apple wagon to their stars, but that’s beside the point. As someone who watches around 250 films for the first time each year, the vast majority of them disappear from my memory without a trace. However, even Man Push Cart, which I wasn’t sure I liked after my first viewing, stuck with me, improved in my mind over time, and colored my perception of the world. That is something special.
It was with Chop Shop that Ramin Bahrani went from someone I was interested in to someone I admired. It may have just been my difference in age, but it connected with me in a way Man Push Cart didn’t. Both films are similar in both style and substance, utilizing verite camerawork and unprofessional actors to create a documentary feel, focusing on the Sisyphean efforts of the impoverished to maintain happiness and optimism in a world seemingly tilted against them. The difference, I believe, lies in the main characters. Ale is joyful and infectious whereas Ahmad comes off as more than a little cold. It’s still a wonderfully assured debut, but in each of Bahrani’s films the performances have improved, and so, perhaps coincidentally, have the films.
Which brings us to Goodbye Solo. It is undeniably a Ramin Bahrani film, but in many ways serves as a departure from his first two films. We’re not in New York anymore, and while Solo is still an immigrant and far from wealthy, he is a step up the ladder from Ahmad and Ale, but those are just cosmetic differences. Solo features professional actors in the leading roles and makes use of conventional filmmaking devices like shot/reverse shot. There are also thematic differences, here instead of a man vs. society, Bahrani is examining the relationship between two men. And perhaps most startlingly, there is the presence of a linear plot.
Given the lyrical beauty of Chop Shop, it would be possible to view some of these developments as negatives, but as the last 15 minutes of Goodbye Solo prove, Bahrani has not lost his knack for poetry. Far from ’selling out’ (as the trailer may have suggested) Goodbye Solo is Bahrani being Bahrani, but adding some new tricks to his bag. He still utilizes months of rehearsal (for Bahrani rehearsal involves two actors going out for ice cream, or an actor working the job his character will have) and absurd numbers of takes to capture the naturalistic feel present in his earlier films. The more conventional additions to Solo only benefit the film, flourishes highlighting what is already present.
Bahrani’s next film is purported to be a Western set in the 19th century, an even more dramatic departure (coincidentally Kelly Reichardt has revealed her next project to be a Western as well). With Chop Shop he made one of the best films of 2008, and with Goodbye Solo he has one-upped himself and made one of the best films of 2009. It’s been about three years since I saw Man Push Cart and in that time Ramin Bahrani has proved himself to be, if not the “new great American director,” one of the most interesting young filmmakers working in an era seemingly dominated by the giants of the 90s.
Filed under: film
I saw so many good films in August that narrowing it down to just five was actually a bit tricky. Anyhow, here they are.
Christmas in July (1940, Preston Sturges)
Goodbye Solo (2009, Ramin Bahrani)
Hail the Conquering Hero (1944, Preston Sturges)
Inglourious Basterds (2009, Quentin Tarantino)
Smiles of a Summer Night (1955, Ingmar Bergman)
