ph: Yu Tsai
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
Rarely Heard: Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Autumn's Child
Captain Beefheart - Autumn's Child - MyVideo
I don't think I'll need to explain much about Captain Beefheart - and His Magic Band. If he's not actually rarely heard, he's certainly not heard enough. I've been a fan since my teens and I still lsiten into his albums on a regular basis. Autumn's Child is in IMHO his prettiest song from their debut album Safe As Milk which is a fairly approachable album compared to his late 60s classics (which I will be presenting over time as well.
First Lines: Greil Marcus - Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock'n'Roll Music
Our story begins just after midnight, not so long ago.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
A look at Wolverine's early life, in particular his time with the government squad Team X and the impact it will have on his later years.
Fast-paced and action-packed, very professionaly produced, but without much of a suspenseful plot.
Maltin**1/2: "Slick but heavy-handed and formulaic, this film lacks the sense of wonder and discovery that marks the first two X-MEN movies, and focuses instead on Wolverine and his adversaries beating the living daylights out of each other. Jackman gives it his best."
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Rarely Heard: Battle of Mice - Cave of Spleen
I came across Battle of Mice by detour. I first heard about singer Julie Christmas and her band Made Out of Babies in a short documentary on the French-German TV program Arte and found their music interesting. Then, in 2006 I heard that Pere Ubu guitarist Tony Maimone and Book of Knots drummer Joel Hamilton were putting a band together with her and releasing the album Day of Nights (which would remain their only one). Allmusic.com calls the band a "post-metal/post-rock supergroup of sorts" and that pretty much describes their music, which I'm very fond of: it's very dark, heavy and at times a bit artsy, but always intriguing.
Manhattan (1979)
The life of a divorced television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.
On par with his previous masterpiece Annie Hall Woody Allen's study of love life amidst New York intellectuals scores with beautiful b6w cinematography and most subtle humor than before.
Halliwell****: "As close to a summation of Woody Allen's views and oeuvre as anybody needs; some smart jabs about the lives we lead are sometimes bogged down in earnestness and half-comic despair."
Maltin***1/2: "Bittersweet slice-of-life...; blisteringly accurate and ultimately poignant, a worthy follow-up to Woody's ANNIE HALL. Magnificently photographed (in b&w) by Gordon Willis, with splendid use og Gershwin's music on the soundtrack."
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
New York, I Love You (2008)
Several love stories set in one of the most loved cities of the world, New York.
Like so many omnibus collaborations the segments are of varying quality and the result is only intermittently entertaining.
Maltin**: "Lacklustre follow-up to PARIS JE T'AIME...most of them [episodes] are slight and boring; these vignettes about the city that never sleeps just may put you to sleep."
New Stuff: His Name Is Alive
The new album is supposedly a prog-rock opera - so I'm quite curious what this sounds like...
Mrs. Ratcliffe's Revolution (2007)
A 1960's-era clan of British communists choose to leave their beloved Britain to seek out Utopian bliss in East Germany.
A good idea gets a very frumpy production with only bits of humor here and there.
