"Aight. Let's break this shit off. Spirit awards, in your mouth." - Rainn Wilson while hosting the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica earlier tonight.
I've been too busy studying to check out some of the indie films that I've been really hoping to see, such as The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Once, Rocket Science, etc. In order to try and catch up, but not get distracted, I got the soundtrack to Once.
I don't quite know how to effectively describe it. I feel like the music hearkens back to an early to mid 90's age of vocal melody. That's not a bad thing. I hear Marketa Irglova in "If You Want Me" and my brain goes to Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt. Some, if not most, of the songs are ones that you could find yourself playing in the background of your evening. They're tracks that belong on Chill Out Lounge XXIV (I just made up that title, but you get what I mean, right?) I really love the fact that the songs aren't overproduced and are simple. Just the singer-songwriters and their raw talent. I also enjoy the fact that the male vocal lead in the movie is Glen Hansard of The Frames, because his day-job band makes great music and it amuses me that their song "Pavement Tune" has been popping up in commercials for a seemingly mediocre NBC dramedy about 20somethings and their life crises. Psssshh. Whatever. Enjoy The Frames for who they are, not how they've been marketed to us recently.
Joy Division is one of my favorite 80's bands. Anton Corbijn is my favorite photographer.
Put those two together, and you have what will undoubtedly be an upcoming unforgettable film experience in Control. I think I've mentioned this film before, but I really cannot wait to see it.
The song that they are most famous for has always been very fascinating to me. The idea that love can tear things apart, that something so positive can create a negative? Well, it's very paradoxical is all. Or something intelligent along those lines which I currently cannot use my brain power to expand upon.
And what I've always thought was the direct opposition to Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart:" Captain and Tenille's "Love Will Keep Us Together."
So where do I side in the directly contradictory arguments between the Captain and Ian Curtis? I'm not really sure, haha. But they sure are fun to listen to.
To preface this, I enjoy Julie Taymor. So when I had initially heard about Across the Universe, I was delighted and intrigued.
After seeing it, you know, I didn't like it much.
I'm not going to discuss this at length. There were some great parts: Bono, Eddie Izzard, Salma Hayek, the song Let it Be. Joe Anderson, who played Max, was awesome.
The other evening, I went out and saw an early release of The Hunting Party, the movie based on the Scott K. Anderson's 2000 Esquire article, "What I Did On My Summer Vacation." Though there weren't many people in the theater, it seemed that everyone, including myself, had a great time and while walking out of the theater, conversations on the implications of the subject were immediately started. I had problems with the fictionalized "this is what should've happened" vigilante ending, but overall, the movie was really delightful, suspenseful, funny, and thought provoking all at once. Prior to this, I never truly considered the idea of bureaucracy in hunting for war criminals, but this movie put a new perspective on global politics for me.
I've had a very fun and relaxing weekend that concluded in such the right way that I came out of it feeling hyper and loved. I even had to explain to Cheryl when we met up that I was not at all drunk, but merely happy and probably full of ice cream. Dublin Mudslide = yum!
So here are my musical notes, anecdotes, and shout outs to sum up my weekend.
Happy Birthday, Cher!! I am looking forward to celebrating and showing you a great time. I'm also glad we got to have a Harold and Kumar moment in the ghetto that is Orange. You are the authority in lighthearted fun.
I remember we used to drive around in her car on the way to bowling or the movies and she would always have mixes in the cd player of stuff like Eve 6, Marvelous 3, and OK Go.
This video isn't OK Go (except for the music) but I loved the idea of someone's family putting this on as a dance skit for their daughter's wedding reception! It's sweet.
I hope you feel better, Ali! In an effort to speed up the process, here's that David Duchovny song you love. Plus, he has that new series on Showtime and though the reviews are awful, the billboards are great. And hey, he still has that second X-Files movie coming out eventually, which doesn't make any sense to me considering the Lone Gunmen are dead and Mulder ran away with Scully. What plot could they possibly come up with?
After eating dinner at Vynl, we were wandering to Penn Station to catch a train back to New Jersey (it's the new Shangri-la, I swear) and some drunk yeah-dudes said something to which I issued a standard death glare response and then let it slide (for once). Patrick; however, wanted to turn around on 9th ave and fight some guys in defense of my honor. He gets to be my knight in shining armor. Though I wasn't in the mood for a battle this time, if there's ever a next time, I won't stop him. I'll even throw the first punch.
A bunch of us (Jonathan, Jeremy, Cher, Patrick, myself) got together for a chill movie night and watched Velvet Goldmine. Hilariously, no one else liked it (I still enjoy the style and music and Oscar Wilde-inspired dialogue, but I'm partial, so I guess that's a neutral vote from me). Regardless, I look forward to our bringing back the glam rock hedonism and decadence once we've all established ourselves, and someone can smoke from a really long cigarette holder while Jonathan has a tranny entourage.
I had to go to the dentist today. I really loathe the dentist.
Steve Martin as Orin Scrivello DDS - Dentist. I thought I had a cavity, but after much painful poking and prodding, it turns out nothing was wrong at all. This furthers my idea that dentists enjoy inflicting pain on others and reminded me of Steve Martin's well portrayed sadistic dentist character in Little Shop of Horrors.
Weird Al Yankovic - Cavity Search. Weird Al's Cavity Search was one of my favorite songs off Bad Hair Day and is a parody of one of my favorite U2 songs too. Not only is it hilarious, but the song captures all the really tiny dental moments that are often forgotten about: parking validation, checking insurance, etc. In comparison to his other music, Cavity Search holds up as equally excellent. Though I don't listen to Weird Al a lot anymore, mainly because I'm not twelve, I still think his ability to parody and alter the music to fit his persona is brilliant.
I had to throw this video up here, because I adore Bill Murray and the fact that he improvised his lines. Besides, it shows that the only people who really enjoy going to the dentist are either dentists themselves or masochistic patients. Plus, Little Shop is really an amazing musical dark comedy. I love it more than Rocky Horror anyway as its music had a Broadway-accessibility to it far before it was even adapted to the stage.
amongst others.
