Quick Hits- Daft Punk and John Fogerty

I couldn't really get into Daft Punk's Random Access Memories as much as I was hoping to.  There are some catchy songs, but there are some awfully repetitive ones and some just plain worn-out concepts.  "Instant Crush" repeats its refrain to the point of exhaustion similar. "Touch", while having an intriguing beginning, becomes pretty soggy by the time it's (over)done.  "Giorgio By Moroder" uses an interesting technique:  Moroder introduces himself and explains how he got into music, and then the song kicks into gear.  It's one of the best tracks on the album, but perhaps DP would have been better served spreading this into two tracks, as repeated listening of the intro gets a bit annoying.  The last few songs are the strongest (concluding with "Contact", which sounds like a space shuttle's re-entry to Earth) and leave a good impression in the listener's memory, but the middle of RAM prevents it from being great.







I was surprised by how much I really got into Wrote A Song For Everyone, which features John Fogerty reworking his Creedence Clearwater Revival songs with other artists.  I think I've heard CCR on the radio about as much as I've heard John Mellencamp, which means that they're pretty burned into my brain.  I didn't have high expectations when I started listening, mostly because I've seen Fogerty perform his songs live on television a few times and he seemed pleasant enough, but kind of bland and boring.

I was thrilled that Fogerty really let his collaborators give their flavor to his songs, and having him in on it still lets in some of the original flavor.  Fogerty mostly trades verses on these songs, and it's a fired-up Fogerty.  The Foo Fighters rock the opening "Fortunate Son", Zac Brown Band lends their jammy country sounds to "Bad Moon Rising", and the title track is a soulful collaboration with Miranda Lambert and Tom Morello.  Fogerty sounds like he's having a blast, and Wrote A Song is a treat to listen to.  It's also an excellent choice for a long drive, as most of the songs are upbeat and pretty free-wheeling.
 

Poem- Wake Up

I programmed the alarm
Six thirty am
And though I'm slow to go
I was never programmed to hit the snooze

Five thirty comes and I turn on the radio news
Listening to the stories
I'm grateful to have this day
Blessed to have the roof over my head
In so many different aspects of life

Sting had it right when he sang
About how fragile we are
How close we are to nightmare sometimes
But in denial place ourselves far

Gratitude means being thankful for our reality even when
The sun is days away from shining
Humility is showing respect for others
Whose paths we do not travel
Whose shoes we do not walk in
Whose troubles we do not know
Or may not even be able to  imagine

As I get older I am especially aware
How grateful I need to be for good health
And to never think that it will last forever
I've seen it taken away
Sometimes it's regained, sometimes lost forever












 

Django Unchained

2012

R (and a very hard R)

Director:  Quentin Tarantino

Stars:  Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington


In Django Unchained, Django (Foxx) is freed by Dr. King Schultz (Waltz), a dentist turned bounty hunter.  Django and Schultz join forces as bounty hunters and then scheme to free Django's wife Broomhilde from Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).

While I very much enjoyed the performances by Waltz, Foxx, and DiCaprio, I found Django Unchained to be a long and brutally violent slog.  Waltz is excellent as Schultz, a slick talker and schemer who can find his way out of just about anything.  I enjoyed the interaction between Schultz and Django, especially how Schultz stuns everyone by treating Django as an equal.  Schultz gets Django involved in a tough world, but one that Django will bear in order to have a chance to set his wife free.  Eventually, they cross paths with Candie, and the battle of wits between Schultz and Candie is extremely entertaining.

Beyond the performances, though, I wasn't thrilled with Django Unchained.  It's an extremely violent film, with blood spilled and organs exploding throughout.  Perhaps Tarantino just isn't my cup of tea, but I just didn't see the point of all the blood being spilled everywhere.  There's no question that the world of the 1850s and 1860s was full of brutal and inhumane behavior towards slaves, and some of that is portrayed here (including some very disturbing slave-fighting), but I just didn't think the amount of blood and gore needed to be shown to get that point across. 

Django had some moments that also just seemed unfocused, such as a scene in which KKK members have trouble keeping their masks on, so they debate whether to keep their masks on and raid Django and Schultz.  It seemed like a cutaway on Family Guy. 

Overall, Django for me was an example of how performances can only carry a film so far.  I can't recommend this film, especially to the squeamish.

Brandi Carlile- Live at Benaroya Hall

In 2011, Brandi Carlile released her first live CD, Live at Benaroya Hall, which featured Carlile and her band accompanied by the Seattle Symphony.  The concert featured works from Carlile's third album Giving Up The Ghost, as well as songs from her other albums and a few covers as well. 

Before listening, I was interested to hear what effect an orchestra would have on Carlile's live show.  Having seen her once in Milwaukee, I knew that Carlile had incredible stage presence, but my fear was that her music and band (as has happened to others) would be drowned out by an orchestra, the music's impact made melodramatic. 

For the most part, that didn't happen at Benaroya Hall, as the orchestra nicely completed Carlile and her band.  The quieter songs (such as "Shadow On The Wall") retained their intimacy, while the more uptempo songs ("Dreams") got a not-too-overbearing kick.  Carlile showed her sometimes McCartneyesque rapport with the audience, leading a sing-along on "Turpentine" and telling the audience they sounded amazing.

For me, Benaroya Hall was a satisfying listen. Carlile's voice is breathtaking at times (such as on her haunting version of "Hallelujah"), and she's not afraid to showcase others (her twin guitarists perform a wonderful duet on "The Sound of Silence".  It did leave me wishing for a release of her and the band without the orchestra, especially since I won't be able to attend her July 3 Milwaukee show.

 

L'Herisson (The Hedgehog)

The Hedgehog is a French film with two storylines that eventually intersect.  The first story follows a very intelligent and very melancholy 11 year old girl named Paloma.   Paloma has a secret plan to do herself in on her twelfth birthday because she can't take the absurdity of the world.  She uses her father's videocamera to film the world being absurd and wants to make a movie before her twelfth birthday.

The second storyline involves Renee Michel, the superintendent of the building where Paloma lives.  Renee thinks very little of herself and tends to hide away in her hidden library.   A new tenant moves in and notices that she quotes a passage from literature, and that sparks his interest in her.  They begin to see each other more often, but she has to get past her own insecurities and low self-esteem.

This movie really had me going for a while, especially the second storyline.  Josiane Balasko gives a moving performance as Renee, as she plays Renee as someone who keeps everything in.  Paloma suspects that there's something beneath the gruff exterior, hence the film's title, and Renee does indeed let down her guard, which isn't easy for her.

I say the movie had me going for a while, because after a suspenseful set-up, the ending is totally infuriating.  I'm going to give this one a 7 out of 10 because of the ending and the fact that Paloma's storyline is weaker and less interesting.  I'm not entirely clear why Paloma is miserable to the point of being suicidal.  Her family life doesn't seem all that unhappy, and she goes out of her way to make them miserable (at one point, she kills her sister's goldfish with one of her mom's pills).  Overall, there's enough to recommend seeing The Hedgehog, but the ending takes some of the steam out of the recommendation.

Music I'm Allergic To

Is it possible to be allergic to music?  There are several songs on the radio whose opening notes get my fingers reaching for another channel.  These songs have always existed, really, and for various reasons.  Some were decent songs that were overplayed the day after they came out (and might be played on four different radio stations, so there's always the chance that they could be heard at any given moment).   Others are just plain annoying.  Here are some of my music allergies.

1.  "Some Nights" by fun.

Some nights I think you couldn't find a more melodramatic band.

2.  "Ho Hey" by The Lumineers

Ho!  Hey!  Another song that's overplayed but worms your way into your brain until you're singing it even when it's not on the radio.  After hearing it several hundred times, the "ho!  hey!" part is like a jab in the eardrum with a sharp q-tip.

3. "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift

Another insanely catchy song, my "trouble" is with her "trouble".  I don't really have too much of a problem with the rest of the song, but the way she says the word trouble sounds bratty and petulant instead of heartbroken.  I do, however, love the YouTube "goat screaming" version of this song.

4. "Don't You Worry Child" by Swedish House Mafia

I'm not worried.  I just wish the chorus didn't sound like it was yelling at me.

5.  "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)

I don't normally find P!nk to be shrill, but when she's had a __________ day and I've had a _________ day, I just want to change the channel.



 

The Place Beyond The Pines

The Place Beyond The Pines

Director:  Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine)

Stars:  Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Ray Liotta

The Place Beyond The Pines is a film in three parts.  The first part centers on Luke Glanton (Gosling), a circus stunt motorcycle rider.  After one of his races in Schenectady, he is visited by Romina (Mendes) and discovers that she has an infant son named Jason, and Jason is his son.  Romina has moved on and is with another man.  Luke wants to take care of Romina and Jason, or at the very least do the best he can for Jason.  He finds work as an auto mechanic, and the garage's owner suggests robbing banks as a way of making money.

Luke winds up in trouble with the law, and part two centers around the police officer involved with the aftermath of one of Luke's bank robberies.  Bradley Cooper plays Avery Cross, and Avery is hailed as a hero for his actions after a bank robbery, but Avery turns from being a hero to being party to police corruption.  During this time and during the third part of the film, Avery has difficulty connecting with his son AJ.  The third part is set 15 years in the future, and Avery and his wife have divorced, and he has political aspirations, which leads to him still not being much of a part of AJ's life.

Meanwhile, Luke's son is also having identity issues, as he never really got to know Luke, and his mom never told him much about him.  Luke and AJ become acquainted in high school, and their identity issues are explored and come to a crescendo in the film's third part.

The first two parts of The Place Beyond The Pines are first rate in terms of story, performance, and overall mood.  Gosling's performance is a stellar portrayal of persistence and then desperation and despair.  Ben Mendelsohn is the film's only comic relief as the garage owner/accomplice.  Bradley Cooper's character is a blank slate, a hero (especially in comparison to Luke), but Cooper is excellent as an ambitious policeman who falls in with the wrong crowd in the police force and tries to do the right thing.  It's also good to see a very menacing Ray Liotta, who is a squirmy presence throughout the second part.

The third part is the weak link, as more time is spent with Luke and Avery's sons.  Emory Cohen plays a high school stoner, and Cohen's performance is kind of distracting.  He plays AJ with a permanent sneer and mumble, and when he and Jason (Dane DeHaan) get together, the film becomes pretty monosyllabic and a little tedious.

Overall, The Place Beyond The Pines is worth recommending.  Cianfrance does an excellent job of storytelling for most of the film.  The film is suspenseful and unpredictable, and the mood is set with deft use of light and sound.

Rating:  8 out of 10 (worth checking out in the theater)