When He’s Right…

Posted on January 30, 2006
Filed Under And another thing..., politics, rant | Leave a Comment

…he’s worth repeating. Barack Obama gets to the point: “There’s one way to guarantee that the judges who are appointed to the Supreme Court are judges that reflect our values. And that’s to win elections.”

Ladytron-Black Plastic

Posted on January 30, 2006
Filed Under Song of the Day, music | Leave a Comment


Headphones-Pink and Brown

Posted on January 28, 2006
Filed Under Song of the Day, music | Leave a Comment


Baby, that’s devotion!

Posted on January 28, 2006
Filed Under And another thing..., Pennsylvania, sports in general | Leave a Comment

Washington, PA has renamed itself Steeler until after the super bowl. Go Steelers!

Performances

Posted on January 28, 2006
Filed Under Blather, art, films, music, photography | 2 Comments

I’ve been fairly busy with work this week, so it’s nice that I’ve twice been able to get out and take in a dose of something you might call art.

On Tuesday, my friend John came down from Portland and he, Ez, and I all went to see Deerhoof at the Middle East. The opening acts were a mixed bag–to put it kindly. First up was L’Ocelle Mare. Honestly, I didn’t think he was so bad. He basically did these sort of spastic little one-man jams on an electrified acoustic guitar, clomping his feet down on some boards and using various other little musical devices here and there (bells, rattles, a harmonica, etc.). It was sort of abstract–not really your typical music. I can’t say that I loved it, but he was charming–kept grinning and nodding sheepishly at the end of each piece–and it wasn’t horrible.

I’m a little mixed up on the order of things, but I think next up was the evening’s first selection of films by Martha Colburn. Like the opening acts as a whole, these were a mixed bag. I kind of liked the brightness and brash colorfulness of them, and some of the images were fun. I feel like the second batch of films, which came later, was less impressive because it seemed to be harping over and over on the same somewhat meaningless sexual imagery. I was surrounded by a bunch of guffawing college guys, and they all really liked the sex films, if that tells you anything.

hypnotism

The second musical act was Le Ton Mite. I found him tiring and a bit embarrassing. I don’t know… his schtick (as Ezra would say) just didn’t work for me.

After another round of films, we were all told that we had to step back and clear a space of about 1/4 of the entire floor, as this would be the “stage” for the Leg & Pants Dans Theeatre performance. This was really annoying and awkward, and it underscores my main problem with their part of the show–it just would have worked much better in a different space and setting. Half of the audience really wasn’t interested, and forcing the audience to crush together and then sit down on top of each other on a dirty, nasty floor didn’t exactly draw us in.

leaving behind

But putting all of that aside… there were some things about their performance that I really liked. They used slides, and that might have worked well if they’d had someone other than one of the dancers actually advancing the slides and if the slides had been projected larger–maybe on a bigger screen. The speaking part that went along with their dance was a bit silly. Maybe if they hadn’t been preceded by Le Ton Mite I would have taken that aspect of their performance more seriously. Visually, I liked a good bit of what they did. I had fun taking photos of their performance. It would have been even more fun to photograph if I hadn’t been jammed in on the floor with my knees on random guys’ elbows and such.

Standing

Then, finally, Deerhoof played. By then, Ezra had succumb to his illness and had to go home. It’s a shame, because beyond the experience/spectacle aspect of the opening acts, Ezra really missed what was–by about a mile–the most worthwhile portion of the night. Deerhoof were quite good–and very loud. They played a lot of songs from their latest record. Their music is a little hard to describe, but I guess I’d say it’s experimental, arty, and noisy. Sometimes I hear jazz and funk in their music, and halfway through their set last night, I thought of My Bloody Valentine. I guess I wasn’t far off, because for their encore they did a cover of one of my favorite My Bloody Valentine songs, “Lose My Breath.” (I overheard one of their guitarists telling someone after the show that it was the first time they’d played that song live.) My vantage point and the lighting weren’t conducive to great picture-taking, but of course I snapped away regardless.

Deerhoof in light

Then, last night, Ez and I saw Sartre’s No Exit at the ART (American Repertory Theatre). Though it’s a very famous play, and though the basic gist is apparent from its title, it was new to me because I’d never seen nor read it. The cast was phenomenal–we’ve seen each of the four actors in other ART productions and they’re all very good. Karen MacDonald, who plays Estelle, is one of my personal favorites. She was fantastic as Simonne Evrard in Marat/Sade (which, by the way, was mind-blowingly great and one of the best theatrical performances I’ve ever seen). Paula Plum is great as Inez. I’d seen her in Lysistrata, and maybe something else, too, but I don’t feel like I really saw her in a great role until last night.

I suppose the big and obvious “wow” about this performance that knocks people out right off is the staging. The audience sits in a U-shape around the elevated square stage. The stage is on some kind of central pivot, and it literally rises and falls with the weight of the actors as they move across it. This makes for some very striking stuff. As Ezra said, if cameras were allowed, you would be seeing loads of pictures (the photo above is from the ART site). I found the set very surrealist–the stage suspended in space, with lighting that literally made it appear as though it existed more or less in nothing, a classical sculpture in one corner, a tall door leading to nowhere, no walls. It’s a sparse scene with a few brightly colored objects thrown in.

This Boston Globe article says a few interesting things about this version and the play itself. Really, we’re lucky to have the ART here.

The Passenger

Posted on January 16, 2006
Filed Under Blather, films | 2 Comments

Last night Ezra and I went to the 9:30 showing of The Passenger at The Brattle.

In this 1975 film, Jack Nicholson plays David Locke, a British-born American-raised reporter working on a documentary somewhere in Africa. When a man who bears a striking resemblance to Locke dies in the room next to him at his hotel, he decides to switch identities with him. His wife and employers back in London think he’s dead, and he discovers that the man whose identity he has taken is a gun runner for a secret organization.

the passenger

The film begins in Africa, moves to London, and then is set largely in and around Barcelona (swoon!). In Barcelona, Locke meets a young tourist who is intrigued by his situation. She joins up with him and they travel together, trying to elude pursuers from both his old identity (his wife, his former employer) and his new one (arms traffickers).

Michaelangelo Antonioni (Blowup, L’Avventura) directed. There’s a lot in the film about seeing, being seen, and how one sees the world and his or her self. In spots, it jumps around in time, but just as the film doesn’t provide a manipulative orchestral soundtrack, the jumps back and forth in time happen without a lot of fanfare. It’s all just a part of the picture being presented to the viewer, and the viewer is entrusted with making up his or her own mind about what’s going on and what it all means. The filming itself is also artful and clever–some long shots and panning shots seem almost impossible, and some shots are beautifully framed (the very last shot comes to mind, along with a wedding shot earlier in the film).

This was a discovery for me, and I was totally affected by it. It was time well spent. I recommend it.

if you’re feeling like you’re looking for that chance then let go…

Posted on January 15, 2006
Filed Under And another thing..., music | Leave a Comment

Broadcast’s latest album, Tender Buttons, just keeps getting better. I’ve always liked them, and I like their other albums, but I feel like this is the record I’ve been hanging around for them to make. It’s very good. It’s got all the things a good album should have–it all fits together. The songs are good and the lyrics are good. They stand up to repeated listenings.

On some of their other records, it almost seems like they purposely crafted the sound to create a feeling of discomfort and distance. I guess you could say that listening to one of those albums sometimes feels like being on the outside looking in. It all looks pretty interesting, but as a listener I don’t always feel welcome. This album still feels like Broadcast, but there’s more depth, and the listener isn’t held so much at arm’s length.

Whatever a Terri-album is, this is one.

White Cheddar Rice Cakes

Posted on January 14, 2006
Filed Under And another thing... | 2 Comments

They’re yummy. That’s about as much observation as I can muster at 1:36 AM.

The Like Young-”Tempt Me”

Posted on January 14, 2006
Filed Under Song of the Day | Leave a Comment


Our latest sensations old movie-wise

Posted on January 14, 2006
Filed Under Blather, films, the telly | 1 Comment

If we were watching a lot of old movies before, the Tivo we got for Christmas is enabling us to watch even more.

I think in the past when I heard too much about a particular iconic film, I tended to discredit it in my mind. I guess it became cliched for me. I’m learning to get past that (lesson #1), as I’ve seen some really great films lately that I ignored in the past.

Two such films are Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Hustler–both Paul Newman films, now that I mention it. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is over the top, but it’s supposed to be. It’s Tennessee Williams, and I tend to really like Tennessee Williams. Some of the characters annoy me, and some of the performances annoy me, too. But I think they’re supposed to annoy me. Part of the fascination for me has to be that I saw this film for the first time in December, and I couldn’t get over the fact that it stars Burl Ives–and he’s really pretty darn good. I didn’t know that Burl Ives was in films. I’m a fool, of course, because he was in lots, including other adaptations of dramatic literature (Desire Under the Elms, East of Eden). So that’s lesson #2.

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The first time I really saw a significant chunk of The Hustler, I tuned in when Eddie (Newman) has already hooked up with Sarah (Piper Laurie). I think my ignorant view of this film had been negatively impacted by the fact that its 1986 sequel stars Tom Cruise and has a 1986 soundtrack (Don Henley, Robert Palmer, Phil Collins, Mark Knopfler–you get the idea). I didn’t realize that Piper Laurie was even in the movie–didn’t know about that part of the movie, or about George C. Scott’s role. Well… duh. For me, that right there is the best part of the film. It’s another sort of over-the-top one, but I kind of love it. Laurie and Scott are both great in it, and it has tons of atmosphere. Doesn’t hurt in my book that it’s 1961, either (got to admit the positive biases along with the negative ones). I think Ezra, being a Twin Peaks fan, got a kick out of seeing Piper Laurie in it, too. Needless to say, I’ve now seen the whole film from beginning to end. It’s quite dark, and not in the silly way that I thought it might be. To me, the fact that Eddie plays pool is really not the point. The emotional stuff, the stuff about self-worth and self-loathing (and more)… that’s all more interesting to me.

I’d never seen a Bette Davis film before, either–really! That was another case of something too-over-hyped, and I’d never seen the proof that she was this great actress “everyone” said she was. Well, I’ve seen three films over the last several months that have changed my mind about Bette Davis.

The first I saw was The Petrified Forest, a 1936 film starring Davis, Leslie Howard, and Humphrey Bogart and based on a Robert E. Sherwood play. I think I’d always seen pictures of Bette Davis in All About Eve–a later picture–so it was new for me to see her in a role where she was supposed to be very young and beautiful. Davis, Howard, and Bogart are all quite good, as is much of the supporting cast.

Next I saw June Bride. I’m not sure what made me Tivo this one, but I’m glad I did. It’s one of her few comedies–a light and witty 1948 romance with Robert Montgomery (another discovery–thanks TCM!). In it, Davis plays a smart, independent women’s magazine editor. Montgomery, a writer and an old flame, is assigned to work with her on the magazine when opportunities for him as a foreign correspondent dry up after the war. They take their crew out to Indiana to cover a charming June wedding–in February. It’s fluff, but it’s good fluff, and their banter is pretty great (I hear they weren’t too palsy off-screen). My only gripe–the ending could have been handled differently. Though it wasn’t unexpected, it was still a disappointment. Supporting actress Mary Wickes (she played Emma in White Christmas and has lots of other films and TV roles to her credit) shows up in this one, too.

In fact, she’s also in the other Bette Davis film I just saw–the best of the bunch–Now, Voyager. It’s quite melodramatic and there are so many heart-breaking goodbyes–between the same two people!–that as a viewer you sometimes feel emotionally tormented along with them. But, you suppress cynicism (at least I did) with no trouble and you’re rewarded for it. Ez and I turned this one on at 11:00 one night. I thought we’d just have a peek and watch the rest some other night. Ha ha–fat chance. There was no convenient place to stop, and I didn’t want to. It sucked me in! Bette Davis plays Charlotte Vale, an unmarried woman in a distinguished Boston family, a late daughter of an awful, controlling mother (played with loads of venom by Gladys Cooper) who keeps her from having any sort of a life. Charlotte spends a few months in a sanitarium under the care of Dr. Jaquith (Claude Rains) who helps her become her own person. She then goes on a cruise and slips into a wonderful romance with the married Jerry Durrance (played fantastically by another Casablanca alum, Paul Henreid*). When she returns to her family after the cruise a new person, their shock and her reaction are delicious.

now, voyager

But the movie doesn’t stop there. Charlotte and Jerry cross paths again and again. Anyway, if you haven’t seen it, I can’t give it all away (though it’s one of those movies that a lot of people probably know about even without having seen it). It’s clearly taken from a novel (I’d love to read it), and a lot happens. There are some great smoking scenes. That’s another thing I’ve discovered–Bette Davis was one hell of a smoker. She smokes like a chimney in June Bride and she and Henreid share some rather intimate cigarettes in Now, Voyager. Anyway, go see that one.

*OK–technically Now, Voyager was released in the US about a month before Casablanca.

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