Marie Antoinette- oh biopics how i am virtually indifferent about you. yet, i still got my butt to the theater this past weekend to watch Sofia Coppola's retelling of the doomed French queen played by waify Kirsten Dunst. i was excited for the film because of my pure love for Lost in Translation and Coppola's unbelievable talent as a director. at first glance the movie looks amazing. shot on location in Versailles it sparkles with glitz, glamour and enough things French to make me want my girlfriend to throw on a corset. yet there were a lot of things about this movie a liked and lot i didn't.
i can see why this movie has polarized a lot of the critics in the blogosphere world. to sum it up in a simple way i liked it but there were some problems. instead of choosing to focus on politics she decided on the simple way of life. ultimately a better choice but also made things kinda dry and slow. the absolute absence of plot (which doesn't bother me) makes some parts of this film tiresome. there isn't anything of substance till about an hour and 15ish into the thing. the ending was rushed and thrown together to include the important historical landmarks and pitfalls of the queen.
yet, i can't sit and bash it openly because it is a good film in theory. by far the best actor/scene stealer is my go to favorite Jason Schwartzmann. he is dry and so darn funny in his virtual ineptitude of lovemaking/king doing stuff. one scene where him and dunst are having dinner for the first time and she asks him if he likes keys and he simply says "yes" and keeps eating. perfectly acted hilarious scene. there are a lot of gems of innocence and debauchery throughout this film. i think dunst was boring at time and kind of flat but ultimately i don't think anyone else could have done the job. the supoorting cast does a good job with what they are given and all in all it is an interesting film to watch. it was boring at times but that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch it to make your own opinion. just for the pure fact that dunst is half naked throughout much of whole film and Sofia Coppola is absolutely amazing as a director and writer. that right there was enough for me to go see it.
My Chemical Romance- The Black Parade yes folks it's a review of one of the Hot Topic emo parade's foremost bands My Chemical Romance. i know how cliche it is for me to talk about emo bands and to tell you the truth i have been getting out of the scene and moving to much better and interesting music. but i still have a soft spot in my heart for the heart on your livejournal style bands and i was actually excited for this record.
i bougth MCR's last record the day it came out and was one of the first people to start the big push as i knew these guys were gonna be huge. now i'm sitting here two years later as the poster boy emo boys win MTV movie awards, dot teenybobber magazines, and get bottles thrown at them in England. are these bands my Grunge era like most of the early 90s folks, and the answer is yes. am i proud of that, well i don't know yet i need more alcohol and years to contemplate this thought.
but onto the record. like the last one it is a rock opera of sorts about death and hell and love and blah blah blah. the lyrics themselves are not too much of a departure from the last album but ultimately that isn't a bad thing. i can't blame frontman Gerad Way from breaking new ground with the lyrical material, it sold records last time and it should this time.
the big thing i want to talk about is the sound. much like the new Killers record MCR try to break into the arena rock style but instead of the Boss they decided to channel Freddie Mercury and turn it up to 11 Queen/Spinal Tap style. the songs are gawdy and expansive with brief stops to add piano, acoustic guitar, and Liza "Lucille 2" Minnelli. The best song on the record by far is the single "Welcome to the Black Parade" because it combines all the good things of Bohemian Rhapsody and throws on the black t-shirt of the emo crowd. But when listening to the record you can totally tell that it is the single and a total set up for the marketing folks.
listening to this record i didn't quite know what to think. one thing is for sure i love that the boys from Jersey took a small chance and tried to blow off the doors to classic rock/emo punk barrier that a lot of bands have thought about doing. i think they have more style and songwriting craft to be able to stay for more than 5 years like most of these bands will. but i could be wrong this could be their 2nd trick of a 2 or 3 trick bag and they will peter out quicker than 15 year old virgins first time in the sack. but you can see they are trying to do something different and in some cases they succeed. "Cancer" which is mostly a piano based track is well put together. But ironically the song that sticks in my head the most is the prototypical emo/punk "Famous Last Words" which just sticks in your head right after you hear it.
so pick it up if you are a fan and if you're not get a hold of it somehow to see if you agree with me or not. it is at least an interesting analysis of the dominant music culture right now and it gets all the bloggers riled up to discuss what is emo and why this is bad and blah blah blah. enjoy.
The Departed- started the fall movie binge this past weekend with our screening of the new Scorese flick. just to start off with amazing film and deserves all the praise that it is getting. maybe the academy will finally give martin his due in the directing oscar but my money's on someone else because he never wins....he's the Susan Lucci of the oscars. but that is besides the point, let's get back to the movie.
here are some key points.... jack nicholson is one crazy bastard (well no shit) leo can kind of actually act matt damon is still a douche bag (MATT DAMON! [thank you Team America]) Vera Farmiga (the chick in the movie) did a great job Scroese reminds folks of what great movies are like violence is awesome
i am not the biggest proponent of Scorese flicks around. i like his stuff and see the relevance but i am not going to get up on my soapbox for this guy. i think the thing that i liked about this movie is that fact that it is an actual amazingly well done flick in a movie of lackluster surprises. superman didn't impress me, x-men was ok, V-for Vendetta arguably one of the best movies of the year doesn't have any of the sizzle this one does. the movie itself is well timed, intense, and above all else has amazing character development. huge ensemble cast that actually delivers and makes you love and hate everyone with in the flick.
some of the things that i didn't like which are only a few are.....the ending is severly drawn out. granted in some of those scenes there is unbelievable intensity and drama. yet, it just slows down near the end until two of the last scenes which i won't reveal anything. also, some of the scenes have so much weight and silence in them that they falter a little. when leo or matt damon seemingly have the weight on their shoulders they just stop talking and you are left with a dramatic pause which is distracting.
i think the two performances that stole a lot of scenes were Mark (Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch) Wahlberg with his leud and creud detective which is just funny as hell with the Boston accent. and Vera Farmiga as the tortourted girlfriend/mistress of both leo and matt. she is coy and sexy but in a mess she can't get out of.
so right now this is pretty much the only movie this year that has lived up to expectations and delievered the goods. it isn't my favorite of the year but with the performances and the direction it is technically the best movie of the year so far. but it is also the first contender so we will see what comes through the pipeline in the next couple of weeks.
so this post doesn't really have to much of a purpose. bored at work so i thought i vomit some words about some musical interests of late. as me, and all the other members of the blogger world know the new Hold Steady came out last week and i absolutely love it. if Springsteen drank more and smoked more cigarettes that would encompass Craig Finn and his barroom voice to match the "drink a bottle of Jack" gritty guitar of this amazing new album. i think for me it just makes sense for this album to be released into my life right now. the reasons for that are self indulgent and of no real interest to the three people that read this site but hey let's just say it works for me.
stand out tracks by far are "Citrus" which is the simple acoustic song on the record but right now in contention for my favorite line of the year. "i've had kisses that make Judas seem sincere." these guys are perfect. when you are looking for the boozing, drug addled lyrics of the midwestern hipsters the lyrics on this album deliver. and the thing that i think is the most interesting is that you can actually believe the lyrics are genuine. some albums such as this you might not believe the story that is being told but i believe Finn.
ok enough critical handjobing. other bands and songs interesting me right now. Demetri Martin- hilarious NY comic along the lines of Mitch Hedburg. finally got a hold of his cd and it is quite fun. Yo La Tengo- I'm Not Afraid of You and I Will Be Your Ass: i have to thank my brother for getting me into Yo La Tengo. it took me some time to get into it but it is a fun album, especially for studying. My Morning Jacket- Okonokos: the live album from the MMJ boys which is the perfect late night car ride album. i loved Z which came out last year and this one just expands on that and in some cases sounds better than the recorded version.
that's it for now. stay tuned because in two weeks the new My Chemical Romance cd comes out and i'm interested to see what my reaction to that will be. peace.
The Killers....our best American British band tries to regain citizenship
so i thought i would add my own two cents about one of the most contested albums i have seen so far this year. everyone's favorite critical favorite/whipping boys The Killers are back with their new albums "Sam's Town" i have to admit i liked their first album a lot. Mr. Brightside is just genuis song writing no matter what way you slice the pie. at the time the Killers were everyone's favorite retro/new wave/80s revival/glam/*another crappy music adjective* band and i liked them but i didn't think they would stay. i made the quote back in the beginning that i don't think the Killers will be around in 5 years. well i may be wrong. the key word is may be.
when i first heard the lead single off the album i was flabbergasted. i thought it was the best arena rockish kindish that didn't come outta New Jersey or Dublin. it was everything a pop song should be, catchy, fast, and with lyrics mentioning jesus and the devil in relation to the American way. so i was excited for the record but then i started reading the initial reviews. everyone either seemed to love the album and it's bold change in musical form. others hated it because either it was uncontrolled and unbelievable.
so the real question is what do i think of the record. first of all listen to it, the damn thing is out of control. choirs, saxophone solos, hooks on top of choruses on top of hooks, and good ole Americana lyrics. this thing had it all plus probably a couple of Las Vegas hookers all stuffed under the hood. a lot of the critics have been saying this is a bad thing...but truthfully i can of like it. i agree that their is no restraint and some songs just spiral into sonic booms and crashes with Brandon Flowers bellowing at the top of his lungs. Two examples are "The River is Wild" and "When I Stop Counting" both start off really slow and by the end it is just insane. Basically take the "i've got soul but i'm not a solider" line from "All These Things I Have Done" and turned the fucker up to 11. but like i said it isn't bad because it is kind of fun. if a band like the Killers can go from super glam to Springsteen on meth i am behind them. that is just fun to watch and frankly i like the band is taking on the critics and generally the rest of the rock world. not an amazing album but still better than most bands are putting out these days.
