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June 14, 2009
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February 20, 2009
Favorite Films of 2008
Here is a smattering of wonderful films that I have seen this year:
25. RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
24. THE SHAFT
23. MY WINNIPEG
22. LEONERA
21. THE CHASER
20. ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
19. SUMMER HOURS
18. LINHA DE PASSE
Linha de Passe is Brazilian melodrama that fits into the grand tradition seen since the birth of fictional cinema and is, its current form, perhaps more indebted to days of the neo-realists. The film concerns a poor, fatherless family struggling to survive in the hell that is a major world city. Whether Rome or Mexico City, these stories often portray families and their struggles to maintain their marginality while battling morality and the demons that ofter them futile hope. This time the place is São Paulo and the family is comprised of (Cannes Best Actress Award winner) Cleusa and her four sons, all half-brothers. Each son faces a different harsh reality. Two of the more poignant belong to Dario, who seems to have the skills to be a professional soccer player and little Reginaldo, who has a difficult time dealing with being darker than his siblings. As the film's name implies, soccer comes to represent the most obtainable way out--though how obtainable a goal it is remains to be seen. This scenario certainly sounds dire but as A.O. Scott so beautifully put it recently: it is the story of Sisyphus, the man who must push a boulder up-hill everyday for the rest of eternity. That he does so is a majesty inherent in human nature that has allowed us to perform similarly throughout history. Perhaps this is the greatest story ever told.
17. IL DIVO
16. MAN ON WIRE
I feel bad putting Man On Wire above Standard Operating Procedure because without Errol Morris, Man On Wire would not be possible. Errol is the person who mastered the cinematic re-enactment aesthetic found commonplace in investigative documentary films nowadays. It is even arguable that documentaries are profitable today because of this very aesthetic. Anyways, I'll just say that Man On Wire is one of the best films Errol never made. It must be stated that the film's aesthetic ultimately concedes to Philippe Petit. The fact is that Petit truly has us in the palm of his hand by the end of the first sentence he speaks. Sure, the results of what happened are no mystery. It is, after all, history. Don't let that hesitate you from watching this immediately. Man on Wire, along with Petit, soars.
15. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
The other teenage vampire movie. Only this one is one of the year's very best films. Loosely named after a Morrissey song, Let the Right One in concerns Oskar, a young Swedish boy, who leads a quiet, tormented life. He is a loner until he meets Eli, a young girl who may not be who she appears to be. The ice-cold landscape of Sweden is used to great effect in order to contrast the warmth provided by the sweet, blossoming love between the protagonists. Let the Right One exists within a mythology with all its gory details but it is about much more than a simple vampire story: it is about love, gender, and the awkwardness of youth. You will be talking about it for days.
14. CHE
Biopics were everywhere in 2008 and perhaps the most misunderstood of all is this film. It's subject matter, Che Guevara, is equally misunderstood. Most of the talk concerning this project has been either about its profit-making potential at 4 hours or the ambitions of the director and stars. This is clearly a work of love folks, so fuck off. The first half of the film takes after the Guevara's book on guerilla warfare. Quotes and re-enactments of Che's talks and interviews are intercut between the actions and events leading up to the Cuban Revolution. Che (the film) sticks close to the book by sticking its methodology and staying away from the mythologizing that has led Che to be on the t-shirts of many uncultured, ennui-filled kids--Guevara is probably rolling in his grave right now, though probably more so for all the problems Wall Street has created recently. This is Soderbergh's best film. People just don't seem to understand that the bloodshed is what led to the revolution; it is ok for Che to be a war film. I give Soderbergh credit for making Che human and somewhat vague, as he does with Fidel as well. A nice little scene is when Che hurts his arm. He is rising up the ranks and becoming a celebrity at that point and suddenly appears with a bandage. Someone asks him how he got hurt and before Che answers the shot cuts. The film doesn't have time for that kind of nonsense; there's a revolution to be won.
13. MILK
Milk is unapologetic from the start. Right away it tells you that its sole mission is to seduce you. And it most certainly does. Milk is (unfortunately) timely but then, it would have been even if the backwards Prop 8 didn't pass last year. Sean Penn gives the best American performance of the year portraying a man who lead a life far richer (and sassier) than most of us can ever hope for. He is surrounded by an equally excellent cast of actors who embody the spirit needed to create positive change. From my understanding, making the film was a guerrilla-like process. One quick thing that I would like to point out from a screening with producer James Schamus is that the film contrasts Brokeback Mountain (which Schamus also produced) in that it feels "gayer" than Brokeback does simply because by the time in history in which Milk takes place, gay culture (aesthetic, language, ect.) already exists. The dudes in Brokeback didn't know how to "act" gay. With figures like Harvey Milk in its history, and figures like him made known, the gay movement will surely see justice one day soon.
12. THE HEADLESS WOMAN
11. A CHRISTMAS TALE
One of two films on my list about the lives of an upper-class family. As good as Summer Hours is (it is in my top 20 after all) I only love it because it has so much to say about culture moving through generations. I couldn't care less about the family itself and I don't feel bad saying it. Fuck the rich--unless of course we can have some fun with them; and this is what we get with A Christmas Tale. I suspect the French always knew about this sinister relationship. Since the 19th century, much of their literature has snarkly revolved around gauche moments in high society. Though much can be compared to the O.C., some of it was downright perverse, like the inspiration to the film La Ronde, which is said to be about syphilis spreading around some precarious ne'er-do-wells. A Christmas Tale works similarly in this regard. Here we have one fucked-up family whose last wish would be to be around each other during the holidays. But an ailing mother needs bekons them. A Christmas Tale is a film more about individual moments--and we get a lot of them given the film's length. Director Arnaud Desplechin is now a master of this type of filmmaking, which I think he perfected in Kings and Queen, a film which plays similarly with in regards to the dynamics of drama and comedy and with employing the great Mathieu Amalric as an similar charming fuckhead. Rarely do holiday movies have this much filmmaking muscle.
10. IN BRUGES
This film about reluctant vacationers is the most unlikely pick of the bunch. I mean, Colin Farrell? It goes to show what I know. Theater director Martin McDonagh makes a spectacular feature film debut. The entire cast turns in wonderful performances (though expected from such highly esteemed players) including Farrell, from whom McDonagh extracts a poignantly sad, vulnerable, and child-like character. Again this should be expected considering the involvement of a good actor's director. In Bruges is a fantastically light yet tight exercise in narrative filmmaking that certainly gains from its association to theater. The unexpected mise-en-scene of Bruges at the end of the film is as beautiful a thing as you will see all year. To sum up, In Bruges does nothing new but it does everything right: it is both fucking hilarious and uncommonly affective. The film is absolute, delicious perfection.
09. THE BEACHES OF AGNES
One of the great directors, the now unbelievably 80 year old--yet just as rambunctious--Agnès Varda takes us on a leisurely ride through her storied, distinguished life and the beaches she always made sure to live and work nearby. We follow Agnès' memories from the turmoil of WWII to the whirlwind of the French New Wave and past her romance with her beloved husband, director Jacques Demy of the Umbrellas of Cherbourg fame. Luckily for us, we witness every moment through her slyly observant and boundlessly quirky purview. The beaches of Agnès, like Ms. Varda herself, is an absolute treasure.
08. THE DARK KNIGHT
Is there really anything that I can add? Basically, Christopher Nolan returns to his reinvented franchise and ups himself. The Dark Knight is the greatest Hollywood action film ever made. Strangely enough, the action takes a back seat to a human drama that is acted gracefully and earnestly. It is as serious as Heat, the last great American crime film and reflects on the humanity of heroes and villains like the old French crime greats. Yes, Heath Leger was great but so was Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman. In a strange way, The Dark Knight makes me wish for an end to comic book films since it is so vastly superior to every other film in the genre. Ironman sabotaged itself with an absolutely stupid second half just to "stay true" to the "form." And why do we need The Watchmen in film form? Why not a animation? Please, make it stop. The Dark Knight may not renew my faith in Hollywood, but it will certainly keep me interested--at least until the next film.
07. 35 SHOTS OF RUM
I can't say much about the plot since this is a film that relishes in slowly revealing itself.
06. THE TREELESS MOUNTAIN
05. GOMORRA
04. HUNGER
Controversial, opinionated, but certainly not polemicist, Hunger is a film with a purpose, a quality RARELY seen in cinema or within ourselves these days.
03. TONY MANERO
Holy shit. Tony Manero is about a psychopathic serial killer roaming the streets of late 1970s Pinochet-era Chile, who dreams of being Saturday Night Fever's Tony Manero character incarnate. The film follows "Tony" as he wrangles up a rag-tag dance troop in order to enter a nationally televised dance contest. Around him the world is so savage and absurd that it barely notices Tony or his brutal actions. What is so special about the film is how damning an allegory it is for Chilean society as a whole at the time. Tony Manero is a portrait of the Chile that accepted an authoritarian monster as a dictator just for the alleged sake of democracy, globalization, and capitalist prosperity--and lest not we forget in order to combat the "evil" Socialism as well. Certainly a knowledge of Chilean history enriches the film immensely but, luckily, the film, created in a raw, realist manner, still manages to get its point across while being grossly provocative. A masterpiece.
02. TOKYO SONATA
Tokyo Sonata is about a family on the verge of falling apart during the current economic crisis in Japan. Ryuhei Sasaki, the father, is a man deeply embedded in the Japanese partriarchal/capitalist sphere (guess who is taking classes at a liberal university?) who suddenly loses his job and struggles to come to terms with a social order falling apart. While this happens, all the family members deal with their own issues and places in life: the mother, Megumi, searches for a purpose outside the domesticated housewife locus; the eldest son thinks about joining the military (under the U.S.' control); and the youngest son does all he can to learn to play the piano, a cause seen unworthy to his father. The film plays like a contemporary-absurdest-socialist-realist-melodrama. Yeah. The director, Kurosawa Kiyoshi, best known for some of the finest horror films of the decade, can be considered a master filmmaker. Tokyo Sonata is flawlessly made and is an extraordinary of example astute, knowledgeable, and maverick filmmaking. The sense of control is so great, it feels like Kurosawa is the only director that ever went to film school. The cinematography and mise-en-scene are tight, purposeful, and mesmerizing throughout, and the narrative even breaks into a disrupted modernist mode appropriately in line with the content. Top. Fucking. Notch. Tokyo Sonata is a rare treat that is well worth savoring cause' they don't come around like this too often.
01. THE MILK OF SORROW
The Milk of Sorrow, winner of the prestigious Golden Bear, is a film about the affects of trauma across a generation of a Peruvian family and the efforts to put their memory to rest. Surprisingly, it has a terrific sense of humor at times, particularly when it presents some of the wonderful quirks of Latin American culture. The film follows the solemnly beautiful Fausta as she tries to raise money in order to bury her recently deceased mother, a victim of a savage attack that is part of the a history of anti-native violence that has plagued Peru. Fausta has a hard time fitting into contemporary culture while both working as a maid for a famous pianist and as a wedding events assistant for the people in her neighborhood. If you see the film and are wondering about the weddings: yes; I am proud to say that some are very much like that! The film stars the wonderfully restraint and doe-eyed Magaly Solier, whom the director discovered and convinced to try acting. Magaly is simply one of the most devastatingly gorgeous women my eyes have ever gazed upon--sorry but I had to get it out of my system. Apparently, she is now a famous singer in Peru. Something tells me we will be hearing about her here in the states soon.
And another 10 for good luck:
26. I’M GONNA EXPLODE
27. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
28. WALL-E
29. SYNECDOCHE, NY
30. HAPPY GO LUCKY
31. STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
32. GONZO
33. BELLAMY
34. THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE WEIRD
35. ACHILLES AND THE TORTOISE
Posted by Fran at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 13, 2008
Favorite Records of 2008
-
---THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A WORK IN PROGRESS--
20: WIRE - Object 47
A few words coming soon!
19: MAX TUNDRA - Parallax Error Beheads You
A few words coming soon!
18: STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS - Real Emotional Trash
Real Emotional Trash is up here or that Amon Düül II Soap Shop Rock homage in Baltimore alone. The rest of the jamz aren't that bad either. Just for the hell of it, I'll end this in the structuralist fashion Malkmus seems to love: asxzcxzvwergxcvdvfdxg
17: FUCK BUTTONS Street Horrrsing
Street Horrrsing is a continuation of the post-Boredoms tradition (which includes NYC's Black Dice). Unlike the latter, Fuck Buttons seems to adhere more to their noise/hardcore roots, though mostly through the use of violent processed vocals which Wolf Eyes brought to prominence again this decade in the art/noise scene like Eye (who would have guessed) did in the late 80s. However this is clearly a secondary element, submitting to the ultra fuzzed out drones that dominate. This is not hardcore/noise. In between these elements is drumming that recalls the Byrne/Eno My Life in the Bush of Ghost sense of live rhythmic drum sampling for transcendence's sake. Ultimately, you get something blissful; if you can believe it.
16: THE FUN YEARS - Baby Its Cold Inside
The turntable and guitar duo, The Fun Years, is quickly becoming the official barometer of ambient/soundscape music. Last year's record suffered from playing it a bit too safe. That they know their craft (and know it exceedingly well) was never a question, but I needed a sense of adventure to distinguish it from the canon. Half the fun of drone music is not knowing if it will stick its landing. This time around, they make great strides in making something that is their own and the results are lovely, lovely, lovely. They are now making music with confidence now and the results are as good as that of the best of them.
15: EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING - Primary Colours
I am going to go ahead and state it: this is better than their last album. The very fact that *I* am mentioning a (real) punk band when discussing my favorite music goes to show how much I loved that self-titled record. I AM THRILLED PEOPLE ARE TURNING ON TO THIS BAND! It may just be that Eddy Current Suppression Ring is the most charming band of recent memory. I hate to get all weird here but, since 9/11, I haven't had much of a sense of humor for the punk attitude (among many other styles; but I won't insult punk by comparing it to emo, which along with college a capella represents all that is wrong with American culture). However, these Aussies have changed all of that now--though of course it might just have been that all other punk bands suck.
14: LOS LLAMARADA - Take The Sky
You know that nifty MGMT video where the pretty nuveau hippie model boys talk about youth and all that good stuff suits miss out on? Well, THIS IS NOTHING LIKE THAT. Here we get a great survey of everything good about the lo-fi amplified basement/loft rock circuit by way of Mexico. Caustic, yet inviting--if you are up for it--and certainly aware of its scuzzy, bombed-out roots. THIS is the music that makes me long for my fleeting youth. I bet they look good too.
13: KEVIN DRUMM - Imperial Distortion
A few words coming soon!
12: KELLEY POLAR - I Need You To Hold On While The Sky Is Falling
I am willing to bet that I probably regard this album higher than some folks but I don't see the imperfections some do. I put it ahead of other NYC disco album that came out this year from that other label. I will concede the fact that A Dream in Three Parts is a horrible track, but the digital age quickly takes care of it. In a world in which Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson are gazillionaires (for good reason--to a certain point), that Kelley Polar is not up there does not make sense at all, especially with the blissful Sea of Soundwaves. SERIOUSLY. Listen to that fucker.
11: EARTH - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull
A few words coming soon!
10: LUOMO - Convivial
Sasu Ripatti, under his Luomo moniker, returns to form with a record that can stand-up to his utterly classic Vocalcity, a house masterpiece that rewrote the book of a genre mired by the tepidity that the lifestyle commonly associated with it brings. As much as I would love to discuss that album, let's fast forward to the present where Mr. Ripatti and a slew of special guest singers await with meticulously un-folding, expansive vocal house productions. Aside from the top quality production, what is fascinating is what Ripatti does with convention. The vocals--house vocals (I can't stress this enough)--are always foregrounded, though the lyrics really are never that important since one can say every house track is the same story. However, Ripetti uses the sheer length of the tracks to his advantage and is able to somehow make narratives out the singing, something much harder than it seems considering that this is house music, not exactly singer-songwriter material. Mr. Ripatti is a magician.
09: NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Funny what growing a mustache can do, huh? Imagine if he goes the route of his guitarist, and Dirty Three founder, Warren Ellis.
It has been a pleasure to watch Nick Cave continuously plow through all the praise that has well-intentionally placed him at the apex of his career throughout these past few years. The truth is the man is still climbing. Cave is a fully realized artist right now: whether he works on a conceptually macho side project (really, who the fuck gets away with that?) or writing the screenplay to one of the finest films of 2005: The Proposition. Seeing an artist at this stage is rare, folks. Savor it.
Here we find the band executing extremely well crafted songs revolving around the journey of the Bible's very own Lazarus as he travels through the United States of America: from L.A. to New Hampshire. Mr. Ellis' cacophonous and discordant guitar playing makes its presence felt more than past albums but, as always, the lyrics are without a doubt where the main focus lies. Cave here is at his acerbic and literate best. Is Cave the finest songwriter alive? I can't think of any better.
08: FENNESZ - Black Sea and Transition
A few words coming soon!
07: THE FALL - Imperial Wax Solvent
It is completely redundant to say this but here goes: Mark E. Smith has made another out-of-left-field stunner. Imperial Wax Solvent is a take no prisoners attack on rock music. This is a heavily studio edited album and, because of this, has a sense of energetic urgency, something I am beginning to suspect Mr. Smith found missing in his previous bands (of which Mouse on Mars is certainly not a guilty party). So, what about the seemingly "free jazz" editing: as some might say, whatever it takes, man, whatever it takes. This album was a huge gamble and it paid off in spades. It almost dares you to take it on. Mark E. Smith is the best that ever was.
06: PHILIP JECK - Sand
A few words coming soon!
05: AUTECHRE - Quaristice + Versions
The kings of electronic music return with an unexpected album that, at first, seems like a concession to their followers who have all but given up on keeping up with them. It is an album equally about quick ideas and textures as it is about grand vision. Calling it a mere sketchpad or a 'non-work' (in lieu of their previous conceptual work) is ignorant since tremendous care is shown throughout. That a cohesive aesthetic is found in the album is secondary and should be left for the listener to decide. To make things even more interesting, the first print includes a bonus album of 'versions' of the tracks on Quarastice. It sheds insight into their creative process through its existence alone. The versions of the tracks here are more drawn out and foreground the edits found in the original album. Take from that what you will and don't ignore the Aphex Twin-isms either. What is most important is that Quaristice simply captures Autechre having fun doing what they were always meant to do, academic or otherwise.
04: PORTISHEAD – Third
What a treat it was to have a new Portishead album after so many years. Even better is the fact that they remain every bit as committed to their music and the art of the dig. How can you go wrong with Italian prog-rock? Well, how can you go wrong with Beth Gibbons for that matter? High School era and 2008 era Fran thank you for not dumbing it down just to cash out.
03: THOMAS BRINKMANN - When Horses Die
One of techno's true masters returns with this formidable beast. Always the adventurer (think of his last two misses), Mr. Brinkmann's work will always pique interest among his followers. This time around he channels his inner Michael Gira (Swans) when he sings to minimal gothic piano pieces. The second half of the record is no happier and it includes the best minimal techno we have heard in years, which should not be surprising since he is one of the godfathers of the current version of the genre. After having to settle on a huge influx of mediocre, and calling the techno dead more times than necessary, it is thrilling to hear it done right again.
02: WHEN -- You Are Silent
The under-appreciated purveyor of modern day psychedelic music storms in with this record that blends 60s era psychedelic vocals with cinematic sound collage and samples and dark and heavy overtones by way of that old reliable: the distortion pedal.
01: GANG GANG DANCE – Saint Dymphna
As much of continuation of God's Money as it is an evolution of it. A remarkable record and one that a culturally anemic New York City (thank you Mayor Bloomberg!) desperately needs to claim as its own.
01: GAS - Nah Und Fern
02: JAMES ZITRO - Zitro
03: THOMAS LEER - Contradictions
04: PAVEMENT - Brighten The Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition
05: JOE HIGGS - Life of Contradiction
06: DENNIS WILSON - Pacific Ocean Blue
07: DAMON AND NAOMI - More Sad Hits
08: VARIOUS - Soul Jazz Records Presents An England Story
09: VARIOUS - Sublime Frequencies Presents Radio Myanmar
10: VARIOUS - Honest Jons Records Presents Wareika Hill Sounds
11: VARIOUS - Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump
12: KAREN DALTON - In My Own Time
13: WOODEN SHJIPS - Volume 1
14: SIC ALPS - A Long Way Around to a Shortcut
OTHER RECOMMENDED RECORDINGS:
POCAHAUNTED & TOVAH OLSON - Tovahaunted 12"
OREN AMBARCHI - Destinationless Desire 12"
SHACKLETON - Death Is Not Final 12"
RICARDO VILLALOBOS - Vasco 12"
EZEKIEL HONIG - Surfaces Of A Broken Marching Band
JUANA MOLINA - Un Día
RAPHAEL SAADIQ - The Way I See It
SIC ALPS - U.S. Ez
EVANGELISTA - Hello Voyager
DÚMBALA CANALLA - M'enfango
SPECIAL THANKS: LISBONThe best dance party I attended this year took place in Lisbon, at a place called Bacalhoeiro, and was MC'ed by a terrific girl known there as Selecta Alice. The story of how I came upon the HQ of said art collective (of whom I and my straggler friends are happily card bearing members of) is quite amusing (at least to me) and is in itself a journey through Western Europe's musical culture (kind of).
Lux Fragil
Faro
Bacalhoeiro
To state the obvious, I danced like a giddy madman all night to an amazing selection of Balkan psych, beats, and grooves; Klezmer; Romani (Gypsy) music; hip-hop; CRAZY hand-clapping breakdowns; screams of '(a)opa!"; and everything else in that melange of pure culture. Again: thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Before I go, I'd like to give a shout out to my peeps in Barcelona. You certainly showed me a lot about the formidable Catalán folk music as well. Tradicionàrius was a blast. Also, I still have that list!
I am so happy we did you guys proud this time.
2008 will stand out as a significant point in my life. It is the year that I fully committed to film and made it my single primary focus. Those of you who know me realize that in order to do so I have regrettably had to overlook a significant passion of mine: music. Luckily, I, like so many others, have always had the tradition of taking this apt time to reflect on the past year and conduct a survey of the art that has inspired and given me a profound sense of purpose.
It has been a blast to spend this past week thinking long and hard about the great music did manage to sneak in on me during the last 12 months. Though, sadly, I have not been as "in it" as I previously was (and whatever other pretensions that entails, good or bad), at least, at this very moment I can stand back and honestly say that the following are records I wholeheartedly recommend.
**As Samuel Macklin aptly noticed, there were are a lot of albums that captured musicians perfecting their craft this year. Or as my boy Joe Biden said, "that's not change, it's more of the same!" Anyways, I'm (for once) not complainin'.**
My favorite records of 2008:
FAVORITE COMPILATIONS OR REISSUES FROM 2008:
Posted by Fran at 7:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 12, 2008
STATE OF THE UNION 2008
JAZZHAMMER. PRESENTS:
THE STATE OF THE UNION 2008
67M 42S
Happy holidays my friends!
Can you believe the events that transpired in 2008? Phew, I'm tired.
Before we get to work let's ring in the new year with some pop music, we deserve it.
01 MAX TUNDRA - Orphaned
02 THOMAS FUNCTION - Can't Say No
03 STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS - Cold Son
04 BEACH HOUSE - Wedding Bell
05 SIGUR ROS - Goobledigook
06 EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING - Which Way To Go
07 THE NEW YEAR - X Off Days
08 ENDLESS BOOGIE - Figs In The Yard
09 NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - Midnight Man
10 PORTISHEAD - The Rip
11 WIRE - One Of Us
12 HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR - Time Will
13 KELLEY POLAR - Sea Of Sine Waves
14 LIL WAYNE - Lolipop
15 NEON NEON - Raquel
16 AMADOU & MARIAM - Sabali
State Of The Union 2008
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