March 30, 2005
Before Sunset
Look sappy? Predictable romance plot? Not on a chance. If you didn't see the original, that's okay. This one is much better. A continuation of "Before Sunrise," which ended somewhat abruptly, Before Sunset revisits the couple nine years after their original meeting. A dramatic promise to meet in Vienna in six months after their 14 hour whilrwind romance was never kept and now life has taken them in different directions. This film explores the reality of romantic love and its inevitable death in the context of modern day relationships. The movie is seamless and done in almost one complete shot as they spend the afternoon talking and walking around Paris. Don't worry I won't give the ending away and neither does the director.
The Strokes: This is definitely it!
George commented earlier this week that out of all the albums he's listened to recently, he would recommend this one. I would have to agree. The Strokes defy modern day rock types and have morphed into a band part classic rock, part alternative, and all their own. A band this original hasn't stumbled into the limelight since Cake. A hard driving beat and a complex, layered instrumentation make their music irresistable. As for vocals, they come out scratchy, distorted and so catchy that they replay in your head for days. You find yourself humming songs from their album you didn't even know you knew yet. They have a newer album, "Room on Fire" that is also excellent and are rumored to be releasing number three shortly.
March 24, 2005
Take a Vacation!
As the snow piles higher and higher outside on the ledge and the trees bough their tired, aching limbs full of snowy tufts and fling them to the ground, I can think of only one word. Carribean. With the forecast predicting a healthy dose of snow everyday this week, I am clamouring for sunshine and the chance to see my toes again. In stores, I find myself oddly attracted to anything that bears resemblance to that indescribably lovely color of blue that makes a tropical island look like heaven even in the sorching heat. If you are one of the few lucky people who get to escape for spring break... send me some white sand and maybe a photo of a lone palm tree. Our last Carribean destination was three years ago when we honeymooned in Belize. We haven't had a real vacation since, tropical or otherwise. So take a vacation! If not for yourself , do it for me...
BBC: An intelligent perspective
Online, I get my news updates from the BBC. George set it up in my browser so all I have to do is click "Latest Headlines," and a current list from the BBC website of tops stories pops up and I can open them at will without having to search through the main page of their website. Their website is, in my opinion, better organized and more savvy than American network news. Go figure. They tend to have way more world news, as well as a good daily dose of updates from the science and technology fields. Also, I find the vocabulary in the articles less watered down and their writing seems to be, shall we say, more fact based? I've always really liked the BBC. The other day we were watching the Daily Show do a spoof at the Michael Jackson trial and no one would talk on camera except a reporter from the BBC. Professional but not above being made fun of in public. Hmmmm... how refreshing. Those Brits!
March 17, 2005
Magnolia: Bittersweet Symphony
Magnolia is one thing George and I have always agreed on. It's our favorite movie ever, hands down. The cinematography is incredible yet subtle, the soundtrack, by Amie Mann, weaves seamlessly into the film. In fact, the director was such an Amie Mann fan that he said he actually came to her with the basic outlines of the movie and then she made the soudntrack and he shaped the film around it. Magnolia has a strange cast with such big names as Tom Cruise and Julianne Moore sharing the spotlight with lesser knowns William H. Macy and Jeremy Blackman. The film moves gracefully between all the different characters and their plotlines and threads them together like beads on a necklace. It's a film about the heart wrenching trauma and suffering of being human, but also the scattered moments of truth and joy. For those of you who saw the preview or heard about the frogs falling from the sky and thought, not a movie for me, don't worry. It's meant to be a symbolic act and lasts only for five brief minutes of this beautiful and brilliant story.
Liz Phair: Foul mouthed fairie
Liz Phair looks like exactly the kind of woman I would hate. Not to help matters any, she's blonde, although there is some question as to her natural hair color. And her last album was a bit on the "pop" side, for which she unabashedly admits to and attributes to a need to play the game and make real money. All counts against her in my book, but I love her stuff and I find her crude honesty, juxtaposed with those cutsie pop riffs enormously ironic and talented. Her last album I got on a whim and surprisingly, with my femi-nazi past, had never really gotten into Liz Phair previously. I found myself humming it constantly and playing it non stop. So I went back and revisited some of her older stuff, including "Exile in Guyville". I haven't found a song of hers yet whose twisted, lewd sensibilities didn't make me smile. Revisit Liz's stuff yourself and remember why her first raw, garage band sound was such a shock to culture the first time around.
March 9, 2005
Deadwood: How HBO made westerns cool again
We stumbled across Deadwood in its first season, probably because it aired on Sunday nights after Six Feet Under or the Sopranos. I think I was probably the person who initially wanted to watch it. Being an old movie buff, I have to confess to having enjoyed at least one or two westerns and was interested in seeing what HBO had in mind. They bypassed cheezy, formulaic and old timey and went straight to god damn interesting and compelling, mostly due to the talents of Ian McShane, aka Al Swearengen. The immortal bad guy, this saloon owner is more complex than first impression would lead one to believe and the human dramas that play out between himself and other characters are laden with subtle clues. Once again, HBO shows themselves the masters when it comes to creating a series that transcends plot and tries to explore something more complex about the human soul, like the struggle between morality and the neccesities of survival that epitomized the old west.
Hit the Road
A sudden onset of warm (or at least warmer) weather has the hardcore riders coming out in droves. Layered for warmth and heavy with leathers, they sport ear to ear grins as they weave and wind through the canyons, dodging the rocks the spring always strews across the road. Jealous down to even my little pinkie toe, I long for it to be warm enough for me to drag my bike out of the garage and see if she'll turn over this year. (And with my bike, it's always a question) It's not warm enough for me to risk it yet without immense amounts of suffering, but I'm starting to gear up, practicing not braking in turns and remembering the feel of the bike. It's amazing how quick it comes back to you each year. Last year, my second year as a full fledged rider, I was concerned about whether or not my motorcycle skills would be too rusty from a winter of disuse. It took me coasting down the length of the driveway to realize that even when I don't conciously remember, my body flies on its own instincts. Can't wait to get back in the groove this spring. And, as always, keeping my eye out on curbsides and in the paper for that new motocycle, the perfect ride. After a long winter though, any ride is perfect.
March 1, 2005
No Doubt: The Singles
Not originally a big fan of No Doubt, I picked up this album because I had lost "Tragic Kingdom" somewhere and since I only really liked a couple songs on it, thought I might try their greatest hits, which had just come out. I hate blondes and I think Gwen tries too hard to be alternative and punk, but its hard to deny her raw talent and the band's excellence. This CD is on continuous play in my car and I'd forgotten how much I liked some of the songs. I really think some of their lesser known ones, like "Bathwater" and "Trapped in a Box" are the best but you be the judge. You'll like this album, no doubt. Sorry, folks. Couldn't resist the pun.
"I Spy" with my little eye
I get one of these books every Christmas from George because he gets such a kick of the way I pour over them like a little kid. Seriously, these are so fun! As a kid, I probably would have gotten totally frustrated and thrown it across the room, but as an adult, I love 'em. I have two or three in my collection, and I can always go back and do them again because, of course, I forget where everything is. I love the intricate pictures and the subtle clues that sometimes require more interpretation than you realize. Got an extra hour or two or a long, long car trip ahead- pick up one of the "I Spy" series. It's better than the license plate alphabet game, that's for sure.