Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Essential March '10

Essential viewing this March:
- One of the most exciting young filmmakers working in America today is Wes Anderson. Previous films of his include Rushmore, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and his greatest triumph so far, The Royal Tenenbaums. Now he is back and with a brand new bag indeed. Attempting his luck at animation Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of his most interesting pictures to date. Now that the entire industry of feature animation films mainly are computer generated it is surprisingly refreshing to see a film made with models and puppets again. Based on the book by Roald Dahl the story is well known, but the script is original and the poppy dialogue works well whether it is spoken by the mad farmers or Mr. Fox himself. A wonderful picture that brings back an old label that is rarely used right anymore: a great family film.
- Hans Petter Moland is one of Norways most acclaimed filmmakers though his work rarely manages to fill the theatres for a long degree of time. That might change this year with his new film En Ganske Snill Mann (A Somewhat Gentle Man). As usual Moland is collecting rave reviews with this dark and grim comedy. Stellan SkarsgĂ„rd is in top form as leading man Ulrik, just released from prison and trying to pick up the pieces he never knew how to put together in the first place. Surrounded by a great ensemble you’re always in good company, but it gets a bit too crowded towards the end and some of the great ideas are worn out a bit too soon. A filthy pleasure that might have benefitted from knowing when to stop.
- The work of director Werner Herzog rarely gets a long life in cinemas and that is again the case this time around with his new feature Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Considered a remake of Abel Ferrara’s classic from 1993, the part of the questionable officer is played by Nicolas Cage this time. And this is Cage back to the form that made him a cult hero in his early work. Completely out of control and unafraid he is an absolute thrill to watch. The mood of the picture is great and the photography makes you feel the humidity of the south on your skin as you take it all in. It is definitely an acquired taste, but if you’re willing to be a respectful and quiet viewer, though sometimes it might require discipline, you’re in for a great piece of off road entertainment.

Essential listening this March:
- Gluecifer was a terrific Norwegian rock band who retired a few years ago and one of the members was Captain Poon, the guitar virtuoso who went on to form a new band of his own, Bloodlights. After their self titled debut in 2007 they are now back with their sophomore outing, Simple Pleasures and in my opinion it is something as rare as a better second coming. The recipe is quite simple and straight forward rock & roll, but most of the songs hit their target dead on and all together it is a very enjoyable mix of tracks that serves any listener looking to have a good time well.
- One of the most overlooked British pop bands of the past few years, Thirteen Senses, finally return with their third album. Well, close enough. It has not yet hit stores, but you can hear it in its entirety on their website, thirteensenses.com. After their successful debut in 2005, they failed to reach an equal audience with their second record two years later. But with their latest effort, Crystal Sounds, they might be able to bring some of the old believers back. Wisely, they are going for quality over quantity with a modest nine track album, and each one is a delight. Wonderful arrangements, light beats and well written lyrics add up to a very pleasurable sound that hopefully locates many pop loving hearts this year.
- Vidar Vang is one of Norways finest singer / songwriters, a label that is becoming more and more vast and insignificant, but this man can still rightly claim such a title. His fourth studio album Sleepless Songs is a terrific achievement and like before he visits many departments. There are strong rock songs, mellow pop tracks and a good piece of country. His strongest work still remains 2002’s Rodeo, but give this beauty a few weeks on your iPod and it might be able to pick a fight with its superior older brother soon enough.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Bonzo

Meet Bonzo. He's two.

After knowing him for three days, here's what I've learned:

Despite being a dog, he is useless at getting the newspaper.
Not a big fan of stairs.
He needs to say hello to everyone he meets.
It is impossible not to laugh when he snorts inwards.
His grandmother was the half sister of my previous dog's mother.
He loves food, but does not eat crumbs.
He's a great listener.
Does not understand the difference between 'your bed' and 'my bed'.
He prefers company.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

"Weary"

there are no other options after this
it's hard to make sense in the cold
alone outside the drugstore window
there are no miracles here

was it worth the seduction this time
a lonesome look in the opposite direction
with eyes that expect too much
a map of your hometown is useless here

an empty house with a hallway full of shoes
a panel of enemies to set you straight
the world slowly turns while we wait
an address can not lead you home

a ghostly shape in the mirror
still digging at rock bottom
please driver, count this money one more time
your cold body cross my weary bones

as i come clean i feel the pain
i felt you the most when you were slowing down

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Oscar Time

This coming Sunday the annual Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are held in Los Angeles, CA. When the nominations were announced in January it became clear that unfortunately this was not going to be a year with many surprises. And even more than usual I felt that far too many films of last year were shamelessly overlooked. There were no nominations of any kind for terrific films such as The Road, Synecdoche, New York or Moon to name a few, and once again the Academy showed that comedy has no place in their prestigious company, leaving titles such as The Hangover and (500) Days of Summer without any recognition at all. As expected there was plenty of attention for Avatar (which surely will sweep the board in all the technical categories), Inglourious Basterds (a sure thing for supporting actor and an outsider for Tarantino's screenplay), Up In The Air, The Hurt Locker (although people probably didn't expect a whopping nine nominations) and Precious.
So here are the ones I think will walk away with the statue from the major categories, and then who I think deserve it, or who may deserve it more (because I actually do agree with the Academy in some categories - shame!).

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
Who deserved it more: Moon
Best Leading Actress: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Who deserved it more: Carey Mulligan, An Education
Best Leading Actor: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Who may have deserved it more: Sam Rockwell, Moon
Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, Precious
Who deserved it more: Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Who may have deserved it more: Tom Noonan, Synecdoche, New York
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Who deserved it more: Duncan Jones, Moon
Best Original Screenplay: Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Who deserved it more: Nathan Parker, Moon
Best Adapted Screenplay: Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up In The Air
Who may have deserved it more: Joe Penhall, The Road

So there you have it; my Oscar picks.
Lord knows I've been wrong before.