ESSENTIAL VIEWING THIS MONTH:
After a successful spell at film festivals across the globe, Richard Linklater’s Boyhood finally arrives in theatres this month. After casting six year old Ellar Coltrane in 2002, the film comes twelve years in the making and is unlike anything you’ve ever seen on screen. Thankfully, it doesn’t do much to advertise the brilliance of the experiment, but instead focuses on the story which is allowed to develop naturally over the course of young Mason’s upbringing. It is an absolute treat of a cinematic experience, a film that allows for you to make it your own in any way you desire, while always being honest and – most importantly – entertaining in the process. Featuring two stellar turns from Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke, as well as from newcomer Coltrane, this should be a certain contender for every piece of silverware out there come this award season. The best film of the year so far.
Steven Knight is mostly known for his writing work on David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises and Stephen Frear’s Dirty Pretty Things (which earned him an Oscar nomination), but this month sees the release of his much talked about second feature in the director’s chair. Locke is a fascinating piece of filmmaking, with an absolute cracking performance in the center. Starring Tom Hardy, still building on one of the most impressive line of roles over the past five years, and located in the passenger seat of the one and only character ever present onscreen. It’s a thriller without major thrills, but with an incredible ability to create tension and emotion by using the most simple of tricks. Hardy, who as Ivan Locke deviates from his route home from work to take care of some unfinished and until now undisclosed business, is a study in controlled outrage and a graceful breakdown. Despite the premise, it is one of his most ambitious and challenging roles to date, in a brilliantly executed drama that stays with you for much longer than its modest running time.
After announcing his retirement from the film business, it was comforting to know that director Steven Soderbergh was working on several projects for the small screen. One of which arrives this month on Cinemax. The Knick is a look at the life around the medical practice of New York’s Knickerbocker Hospital a century ago, starring the always reliable Clive Owen. Upon the airing of the pilot episode, the show was immediately picked up for a second season, meaning there are a good 20 episodes to look forward to. Three shows in, it’s easy to understand why. This is a fascinating and educational tale of the incredible development in the field of medicine, making it sometimes unbelievable and even horrifying to look at. Writers Jack Amiel and Michael Begler have created one of the freshest, valuable and entertaining shows in a long time, guaranteed to be one of the most talked about new dramas of this year.
ESSENTIAL LISTENING THIS MONTH:
New Jersey rock band The Gaslight Anthem has been mentioned on this site before, and their new record Get Hurt deserves them another paragraph. The band’s fifth studio album is another smart and tasteful collection of old fashioned rock tracks, with one or two nudges towards a more modern performance style. Their love for both punk rock and melodic pop tunes probably make this their most accessible album yet, with Brian Fallon’s strong vocal still the connecting point to count on. Pure Americana, with a sense of love and great respect for their genre.
After several successful live shows across the country, including a sold out tour supporting Sivert Høyem, Thea & The Wild are ready to present their debut album this month. Strangers and Lovers is a solid, if sometimes too predictable record that shows great promise more than anything, with some wonderful pop tunes and catchy beats. Frontgirl Thea Glenton Raknes deliver each song with a delicate punch, in possession of a playful attitude towards her audience. Pop music that wants to be alternative often goes wrong, but in this case it is one of the most pleasant Norwegian surprises of the year which hopefully will earn the band both plaudits and even more skills before their next outing.
The best album of 2012 was according to this writer the debut album from the folk rocking Londoners Dry the River. This month, two years after the release of Shallow Bed their much anticipated sequel arrives, lovely titled Alarms in the Heart. It has been a long process, with recording starting over a year ago under the production of Valgeir Sigurðsson, whose resume includes Sigur Ròs, Damon Albarn and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy to name a few. The album is perhaps still a bit too fresh in the ears of this writer to properly weigh and compare it up against their debut, but there is no doubt that there is much to enjoy on this record as well. Each listener’s perception of the band will depend a lot on their take on lead singer Peter Liddle, who still comes across as one of the most original and creative vocalists around. The music can still be categorized in their previous folk rock / indie terms, but there are also elements of art pop and even vague touches of electronica. This is a committed and determined follow-up that should ensure everyone that these Brits are planning to stick around for a while, something an ever growing fan base will be thankful for.
The second single off the album, Everlasting Light, is a joy from start to finish.
