Saturday, October 4, 2014
First Lines: Anna Maria Ortese - The Iguana
As you know, dear Reader, every year, when it is spring, the Milanese go out into the world in search of land to buy.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Rarely Heard: Everything But the Girl - On My Mind
The British group Everything But the Girl aren't that unknown anymore: in 1994 they collaborated with Massive Attack and helped turn the song Protection into a trip-hop anthem. Before that, however, they were a relatively unknown light-jazz duo in the early 80s. On My head is from their beginnings and arguably their best song.
Balada triste de trompeta (2010)
A young trapeze artist must decide between her lust for Sergio, the
Happy Clown, or her affection for Javier, the Sad Clown, both of whom
are deeply disturbed.
Madcap and surreal menage a troi brilliantly directed taking the story as far as the imagination can go; not for the squeamish, though.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Rarely Heard: Danielle Dax - 16 Candles
Danielle Dax is an English experimental musician, artist and producer who started off in the famously outrageous New Wave band the Lemon Kittens in the 70s, thereafter going solo. While her heavy makeup and colossal hair aligned her with the thriving "Batcave" scene, she steadfastly avoided easy pigeonholing, even making the leap into film with appearances in Neil Jordan's adult fable The Company of Wolves. Her music is often wildy experimental, but she also has a sense for a good popr song.
The Movies I Watched in September
Even the Rain 2010 6
Johnny English Reborn 2011 5
Le Plaisir 1952 7
Marriage Italian Style 1964 6
My Week with Marilyn 2011 5
Nevada Smith 1966 6
One Week 2008 6
Requiem for a Killer 2011 4
September 1987 6
Sherlock Holmes 2009 5
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For 2014 7
Sleeping Beauty 2011 5
Stage Beauty 2004 6
The Outer Limits: The Architects of Fear 1963 6
The Caine Mutiny 1954 7
The Outer Limits: The Galaxy Being 1963 6
The Godfather 1972 10
The Godfather: Part II 1974 10
The Godfather: Part III 1990 7
The Outer Limits: The Hundred Days of the Dragon 1963 7
The Lost Bladesman 2011 6
The Outer Limits: The Man with the Power 1963 6
The Shipping News 2001 6
The Outer Limits: The Sixth Finger 1963 7
Under Suspicion 2000 6
Urban Legend 1998 5
Johnny English Reborn 2011 5
Le Plaisir 1952 7
Marriage Italian Style 1964 6
My Week with Marilyn 2011 5
Nevada Smith 1966 6
One Week 2008 6
Requiem for a Killer 2011 4
September 1987 6
Sherlock Holmes 2009 5
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For 2014 7
Sleeping Beauty 2011 5
Stage Beauty 2004 6
The Outer Limits: The Architects of Fear 1963 6
The Caine Mutiny 1954 7
The Outer Limits: The Galaxy Being 1963 6
The Godfather 1972 10
The Godfather: Part II 1974 10
The Godfather: Part III 1990 7
The Outer Limits: The Hundred Days of the Dragon 1963 7
The Lost Bladesman 2011 6
The Outer Limits: The Man with the Power 1963 6
The Shipping News 2001 6
The Outer Limits: The Sixth Finger 1963 7
Under Suspicion 2000 6
Urban Legend 1998 5
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
September (1987)
At a summer house in Vermont, neighbor Howard falls in love with Lane,
who's in a relationship with Peter, who's falling for Stephanie, who's
married with children.
Good performances by the complete cast can't help this over the top psychological drama, an Ingmar Bergman clone on the verge of being a parody; I found myself asking about where are real people with real problems.
Halliwell (no star): "Allen in his melancholy Bergman mode."
Maltin**: "Intelligent and well acted, but after a while it dawns on you that there's no earthly reason to be interested in these people and their whining. Stritch is a standout as Mia's flamboyant mom, and it's hard to completely dislike a film that plugs jazz pianist Art Tatum so vigorously....Writer-director Allen fared better with his earlier drama, INTERIORS."
The Outer Limits: The Sixth Finger (1963)
A scientist experimenting with speeding up human evolution, hires on uneducated, but bright young man, from the nearby Welsh mining town.
Scientifically probably a bad idea, but David McCallum's metamorphosis into a weird superior being of the future is quite entertaining.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Rarely Heard: Chrome - Nova Feedback
Formed in San Francisco in 1977 as one of the first industrial bands I ignored them at the time deaming their sound 'too commercial', but I was wrong, of course."One of the original forefathers in the industrial boom of the 1980s, Chrome's amalgam of distorted guitars and vocals, samples from TV, and a raw punk aesthetic (inspired by the Stooges) became much more popular in the early '90s than it ever was while the band was around in the '70s and '80s. Although active for only six years, Chrome left behind a huge discography, including nine full LPs (several of which were released posthumously) and numerous EPs and singles." (Allmusic.com) However, they have reunited and released a new album this year, Feell It Like a Scientist, to critical acclaim (and which I may purchase sometime soon.)
