Really charming and engaging. First half sways you one way: “Helvetica is so awesome! Greatest font ever!” Second half sways you in the opposite direction: “Helvetica is an evil tool of capitalism! Evil!”
Interviewees are both enigmatic and completely entertaining. Totally enjoyable flick!
Really really bad movie. But I knew it would be — only rented it for the Angel eye candy. I love the color of his hair here. That’s what I was going for the last time but there’s way too much blonde in mine currently.
You know, I bought Amy Winehouse‘s album a long time ago, before it came out in the US, but I’m not sure I’ve ever listened to it. I remember starting to once and not being in the mood… Gotta find out what all the fuss is about. Didn’t read this interview, but there are a couple really nice B&W photos in it.
New tunes: KT Tunstall “Drastic Fantastic” coming out in September. I really liked her first album although I didn’t think she was very good live.
New York-band The National. People keep mentioning them.
Voxtrot. Do I already own this? Have I listened? I’m drawing a blank.
Another little blurb on Rie Rasmussen and Angel-A (just mentioned in EW also). They like the visuals of Rasmussen and of Paris (the city), and suggest it could have been magic as a silent film.
Wow, I think it’s been 20 years since I’ve seen this movie. Sometimes you just need a little Matt Dillon in your day.
It’s beautifully filmed in B&W with lots of cool shots of clouds and reflections and the coloring-in effect of the fish is really before its time, isn’t it. Although technically an 80s flick, it feels like a 50s/70s combination given the sock-hop feel of the stylin’ combined with the general 70s vibe, particularly Laurence Fishburne’s look. The fight scenes are very coolly choreographed. Diane Lane was just as gorgeous then, was she not? Same year, same director, same author, and some of the same co-stars (Lane, Tom Waits) as “The Outsiders” but totally different feel. As with many movies from back in the day, lots and lots of people you don’t realize are in this just popping out of the woodwork.
Other Matt Dillon recommendations: “Mr. Wonderful” (so cheesy but one of my favorite movies EVER!), “Singles” (!!), “Drugstore Cowboy,” “In & Out.” (And he is quite powerful in “Crash” but I’m hesitant to recommend it as people are always yelling at me about how wrong I am and much they hate that movie.)
Not recommended: “You, Me and Dupree,” which I randomly caught on cable last night while pin-basteing (and then BREAKING my quilt frame, but that’s a-whole-nother story). One of those “wow, I can’t believe these actors are in this horrific movie” experiences.
Pretty intriguing premise: Grace’s husband vanishes on what she assumes is one of his regular “missing for 3 days, returns like he’s never been gone” jaunts. So she keeps up appearances, pretends he’s at work, or traveling, messes up his clothes to fool the cleaning lady, lies to her/his parents, etc. Yet this time, it’s not three days or three weeks or…
Yet not only does her deception seem to be working incredibly well, others report citings of Laz, or emails. Is he really gone for good, or…
A lot of good stuff in here — plus it’s a good New York/Chicago book with lots of landmarks and reminders from both cities.
Hilariously, raucously, side-splittingly funny = Yes.
Offensive, gross and sometimes downright icky, and I’m not referring to the scatological humor but rather the male/female relationships and general ideas about women you cannot help but get from this(ese) movie(s) = Also Yes.
I’ve sort of lost my patience for these male fantasy movies where the boy and his friends are nearly the lowest level of human possible (other than being cute, I guess he could be all that this boy is AND be ugly, that would be lower), yet the prettiest girl in the room falls for him. Oh, of course! And the very few (very FEW) things he eventually does to make himself even somewhat acceptable after the initial breaking off, the girl isn’t even aware of when she decides “Yes”.
There’s a lot more I could say about this, but really: why bother. (You can email me if you really want to know.) That really isn’t a world I’m interested in living in.
I feel pretty much the same way about this movie as I felt about “Waitress”: Great performance by the lead actress. But pretty disappointed by the flick overall.
I had actually bought The Maccabees album the other day when I was wandering Virgin and it was playing in the store but I hadn’t gotten around to listening yet, so it was a pleasant surprise to find they were playing before The Noisettes. The lead singer has an amazing voice, despite his bizarre stage antics. My friends were postulating various illnesses/handicaps/etc., but I think it was more a case of nerves / nowhere to put his hands. Maybe he needs something to hold while he’s on stage. Someone give that boy a tambourine! They’re being hyped as the next Franz Ferdinand/best new British band/etc. etc., which as you know can often spell a band’s downfall trying to live up to the hype (Arctic Monkeys?) . Based on their live performance, I have to think these guys have a chance: they were polished and together, none of the odd gaffes you often see in a band’s early tours. And they sounded great! Interesting lyrics, rockin’ guitar licks. Have finally started listening to the album post-show: Thumbs Up for “Colour It In”.
While equally compelling in concert, musically The Noisettes are an entirely different ball game. I’ve been racking my brain all morning trying to think of others to compare them to. Thrashing, yelling, jumping = super super high energy, loud, badass performance. I’d call them “punk” before anything else. (And in an odd coincidence of timing, one of their songs was on The Sopranos finale!) Here’s a review and this one describes the lead singer as “Billie Holiday on PCP.” A lot of fun but I don’t spend a lot of time listening to this album since a) I’m not going to the gym these days (I think it’d be perfect workout music) and b) stuff that is this high energy feels very POSITIVE to me and you know I’m all about the negative.
[p.s. and this site has a photo from the same concert.]
Opener: The Reds and the Blues. Nothing that inspiring, but definitely unforgettable. Come on, when was the last time you saw a bassoon on-stage in a rock band?
what better time to read about music?
In addition to “Love Is a Mix Tape,” “High Fidelity” and “The Wishbones”, all of which I recommend, I just read a couple great reviews of “Perfect From Now On” by John Sellers. Sadly I have to work the night of his first reading in Chicago and already have tkts to something else on the 7th.
His book is definitely on my list.
NPR has a number of summer book lists up, this one has a lot of good stuff on it: new Michael Ondaatje!; book #3 in the “Bangkok 8” series (oops, I haven’t read #2 yet); Bruce Chatwin is definitely great summer fare, always making his way through steamy places; this is the second place today I’ve read about “The Dud Avocado”; “The Children’s Hospital” sounds good; and I’ve been a fan of Anne Fadiman for quite some time now.
Now if it weren’t for the two stacks of books I bought at the Printer’s Row Book Fair this weekend, as well as the two shelves of unreads I’ve lately been giving books away from in despair that they’ll ever find a reader….
Brocha holds the braided candle, and Isaac says the prayer marking the end of Shabbat. After he says the last words, Hamavdil ben kodesh lihol, Nina asks, “What do you think is the best translation for that?”
“Blessed be he who separates the holy from the profane,” Isaac says.
“The sacred from the secular,” puts in Elizabeth.
“The transcendent moment from the workaday world,” suggests old Rabbi Sobel in his quaverying voice.
“Mm.” they pause around the smoking candle.
–from “Kaaterskill Falls” by Allegra Goodman