Saturday, September 3, 2011
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
Years before Father Lancaster Merrin helped save Regan MacNeil's soul, he first encounters the demon Pazuzu in East Africa.
Entertaining, but quite silly horror thriller adding up mysterious creepy events to the final inevitable exorcism.
First Lines: The Bible
(art: Robert Crumb)
In the beginning, when God began to create the heavens and th earth, the earth had no form and was void; darkness was over the deep and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.
Songs in the key of my life: Brenda Lee - I'm Sorry
Brenda Lee's 'I'm Sorry is probably the first song I consciously considered as a favourite song. It was sometime in the mid 60s, when I found my Dad's collection of 45s and a small protable record player.
There were mayeb about 30 or 40 singles, a nice little stack, and I soon learnt how to operate the record player by myself. Although I did listen to all the records, A and B sides, the only artist I can fully remember is Brenda Lee. (I'm quite certain there was some Elvis Presly there, but he never really made a great impression on me). Both her songs, 'I'm Sorry' and 'Sweet Nothin's' made a huge impression on me. Especially, 'I'm Sorry' was probably the first song I intently listened to concerning composition and lyrics. To me as a young child it was the perfect musical expression of regret, and I imagined the singer to be the most beautiful woman in the world, solely based on her singing, since none of those singles had any picture sleeves. Little did I knowthat the song was actually recorded, when Brenda Lee was 15 years old, and held back for publication, because it was thought that nobody could believe that such a young teenager could sing such a heartfelt song of broken love. They were wrong, of course...
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Movies I Watched in August
9 rota (2005) 6
A Guide For the Married Man (1967) 4
Astérix aux jeux olympiques (2008) 5
Komm, süsser Tod (2000) 6
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) 6
Formula 51 (2000) 5
Grizzly Man (2005) 8
Peyton Place (1957) 8
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) 6
Superman Returns (2006) 6
The Human Stain (2003) 6
The Kentuckian (1955) 6
The Last Castle (2001) 6
The White Ribbon (2007) 7
A Guide For the Married Man (1967) 4
Astérix aux jeux olympiques (2008) 5
Komm, süsser Tod (2000) 6
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) 6
Formula 51 (2000) 5
Grizzly Man (2005) 8
Peyton Place (1957) 8
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) 6
Superman Returns (2006) 6
The Human Stain (2003) 6
The Kentuckian (1955) 6
The Last Castle (2001) 6
The White Ribbon (2007) 7
New Stuff: Destroy All Monsters
A legendary band finally with a comprehensice collection of their music.
First Lines: Samuel Beckett - Watt
Mr Hackett turned the corner and saw, in the failing light, at some little distance, his seat.
Grizzly Man (2005)
A documentary on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzlies in Alaska.
Largely using Timothy Treadwell's own footage this is a fascinating and at times disturbing anaylsis on a man living (and dying) on the fringe.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
First Lines: Haruki Murakami - Kafka on the Shore
"So you're all set for money, then?" the boy named Crow asks in his typical sluggish voice.
Shuttle (2008)
A late night airport shuttle ride home descends into darkness.
Suspenseful and well- crafted horror thriller with a downbeat ending.
A Guide for the Married Man (1967)
A man gives his co-worker a series of lessons on how to cheat on one's wife without being caught.
Unfunny and dated sex farce from a director who usually did better work.
New Stuff. King Crimson
Although not much liked by critics I always loved this live album for its rough sound and the killer version of '21st Schizoid Man'.
New Stuff: Meredith Monk
I'm a big longtime admirer of Meredith Monk's art and happy that she is still working on new projects.
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