Coldplay- Live 2012

Slow It Down, Mr. Martin

Coldplay hit the road this year in support of their latest release Mylo Xyloto, and last week released Live 2012, which featured many of the MX songs and other favorites.  The release is not encouraging for anyone who wondered if they wanted to see a Coldplay show.

The main problem with the set is lead singer Chris Martin's performance.  Coldplay's live shows are spectacles; they're heavy on the visuals and very high energy, and the high energy is where Martin gets in trouble. " Viva La Vida" features really rough vocals, and it sounds like Martin is pogoing across the stage.  "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall", the set closer, is nearly unlistenable, as all the movement sends Martin off-key.  And Martin's delivery and choices on older songs like "Yellow" and "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" makes him seem distracted, as if he's more interested in the spectacle than the show.

It's not all bad news, though.  "Us Against The World", a beautiful song from Mylo Xyloto, is performed on guitar, and "Clocks" (a high energy song, but with Martin planted on the piano) is still a highlight of Coldplay sets.  The overall impression, though, is of a solid live band with a singer whose head is in the crowd.
 

Movie Review- Silver Linings Playbook

Director:  David O. Russell

Stars:  Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, Jacki Weaver.

Plot Outline:  Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) is checked out of a mental institution by his mother (Jacki Weaver), unbeknownst to his father (Robert DeNiro). Diagnosed as bi-polar, Pat struggles to get his life back together in the belief that his estranged wife Nikki will take him back.  At a dinner with his friend Ronnie, he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), and there is an instant attraction, since Tiffany is a widow dealing with her husband's death and also has personality issues.

Review:  It's hard to know where to begin praising this film.  The ensemble in this movie is so strong- DeNiro is a bit nutty as a rabid Eagles fan and bookie who believes that individual people affect the outcome of the Eagles game, and he has a checkered past as well when it comes to Eagles games, having been banned for life for fighting at a game, and he just wants Pat to spend some time and watch games.  Weaver, as Pat's mother, is soft spoken but strong willed.  Cooper's performance is the best thing I've ever seen him in- there's a itchiness, an edginess he has as Pat that fills the movie with suspense, and the second Tiffany walks on screen the dynamic changes, as both of them struggle with their mouths and go too far in insulting each other, yet there's still an understanding of why that happens.  There are some beautiful scenes with the two, and because they're both so vulnerable, it's hard not to root for them.  Silver Linings Playbook is up there as one of the best films of the year so far.

Phillip Phillips- The World From The Side of The Moon

American Idol winner Philip Phillips released his first studio album this week.  It'll be interesting to see how many copies it sells, since Idol seems to be on the downswing (can anyone name the winner before Phillips?) and in renovation mode (the new judges Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj, and Keith Urban may overshadow the talent, never a good thing for a talent show).  

It's always a challenge for the new Idol to gain any momentum six months after their win, but the debut album is their chance to show a different side and their own creativity, since they're no longer performing a minute and a half of someone else's song. Phillips, when performing, also had moves like Matthews (Dave, that is), he had them moves like Matthews, so of interest also was if there would be any musical influence from Matthews, and apart from having saxophone and violin on some songs, there really isn't, apart from perhaps the cheesy side of Matthews' songwriting ("Get Up Get Down, "Drive Me"). 

The problem with The World is that there isn't anything distinctive- there's not a signature groove or a memorable lyric.  The best song is "Home", which has been out for months, but even that isn't distinctive because of Phillips, but because his most well-known song has close similarities to Mumford and Sons songs.  Phillips voice is also extremely grating after 14 songs, as it alternates between a growl and a more plaintive tone.  Hopefully, the next American Idol winner does better.


 

Music Review- Kylie Minogue- The Abbey Road Sessions

Kylie Minogue, The Abbey Road Sessions

 

Overview:  Kylie Minogue reworks 16 of her hits, including "Locomotion" (the song she might be best known for in the States) and "Can't Get You Out of My Head" with an orchestra.  Nick Cave duets with Minogue on "Where The Wild Roses Grow".
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My first thought when I saw this on the list of new releases is that I never thought I'd see the words "Abbey Road" (synonymous with The Beatles) and the name Kylie Minogue in the same sentence, let alone on the same album cover. So Kylie Minogue, best known for her dance hits, decides to give her songs the orchestral treatment.  It's an odd thought, an out-there kind of thought, but Minogue is very well known in Europe (in the States she's probably still best-known for "Locomotion"), so perhaps her devoted fans over there might go for a different side of Kylie.

The problem, though, is that the concept seldom works with this set of songs.  Several songs, like "All The Lovers" and "On a Night Like This", are bland and forgettable.  A song like "The Devil You Know", a more intimate tune about taking a lover back, is just not convincing with Minogue's thin voice.  And that's the major problem with "The Abbey Road Sessions"- Minogue's voice just isn't up to the task of conveying deep emotion.  A song like "Hand on My Heart" could be a country classic for a singer with more firepower.  

There are a couple of bright spots:  "Slow" sounds good reworked with a jazzy vibe, and "Can't Get You Out of My Head" is still fun with strings.  Overall, though, this is one to skip.



 

Skyfall

Skyfall

Director:  Sam Mendes

Stars:  Daniel Craig, Dame Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes

Plot Outline:  At the outset of Skyfall, times are tough for the MI6 operation and James Bond himself.  Bond is hurt in a mission in Turkey, and the head of MI6, M, is being pressured to retire, as many feel she is too old for the job.  The MI6 office is bombed, and the attack is revealed to be the work of Raoul Silva, a former operative under M who seeks revenge for what he perceives as betrayal.

The Verdict:   Skyfall is a first-rate roller coaster from the title sequence on. It's an incredibly stylish film- the opening credits alone are stunning, and there is an action sequence near the top of a Turkish skyscraper that uses color and shadows very effectively.  Craig is superb as Bond, and there is great chemistry between Bond and M, which makes Bardem's presence as Silva even more ghoulish and unsettling.  Great action, performances, special effects and music make Skyfall very entertaining and a must-see in theaters. 

Flight

Flight

Director:  Robert Zemeckis

Star:  Denzel Washington

Plot Outline:  Whip Whitaker (Washington) spends the night before a flight getting drunk and using cocaine.  Said flight seems doomed to crash-land and kill everyone aboard due to equipment malfunctioning, but Whitaker manages to land the plane in a field.  This does result in six deaths, but Whitaker is hailed as a hero for averting further loss of life.  After the crash, Whitaker is grounded, so he returns to heavy alcohol consumption, jeopardizing efforts to save his reputation as details of his pre-flight carousing emerge.

Overall impression:  This is the best performance I've ever seen from Washington.  It is utterly maddening to see Washington play someone who spins so far out of control, having seen him be so in control in films such as Remember The Titans and Crimson Tide.  His character makes bad decision after bad decision, and his steadfast denial that he has a problem leads to some heartbreaking scenes.  Flight isn't a perfect film- I would have liked to have seen the film played entirely seriously, (especially late in the film with so much riding on the outcome), and the film uses some cliche movie songs ("Feelin Alright), but Washington's performance really does carry the day.