Stuck On Repeat
"Designer Drug" - Mayer Hawthorne
"So Much Music" - Liam Hayes
"Somebody Loves You" - Betty Who
"Modern Hearts" - The Knocks featuring St. Lucia
"You're In Love" - Betty Who
"Shouting Out Love" - The Emotions
"High Society" - Betty Who
"Here It Comes" - Emeli Sandé & Rick Smith
"Moving On Up" - M People
"I Miss You" - Kacey Musgraves
Cinema
Welcome to the Punch - There is one excellent scene in this film. It involves the grandmother of one of the protagonists' adversaries. Other than that scene, played with delightful comic menace, there isn't much enthusiasm behind anything going on in Welcome to the Punch, despite a cast full of people who have been in plenty of other British cop films and should be able to stir up some more excitement than they do here.
Spice World - I hadn't seen Spice World since my dad took me to see it when it was originally released, and it was fun to see it again, but not quite the nostalgia trip I had been expecting (not sure what kind of nostalgia one can exactly expect for middle school though). At least I was able to recognize and appreciate more/all of the cameos this time around.
Gimme the Loot -This film has a wonderful sense of atmosphere; it perfectly captures the vibe of a summer day in New York. The acting is also spot on, with all of the young leads exuding honesty and openness throughout their performances.
The Company You Keep - Pretty much everybody in this film is among the best-of-the-best (I am obviously not including Shia LaBeouf in that category). I suppose that's what happens when Robert Redford is at the helm. Since these folks are all old school professionals, the high wattage star power is delivered in a subtle way that serves the film; all of these actors represent their characters, rather than their big names. The story's examination of, and commentary on, choice and double lives is greatly compelling. Redford's acting is definitely a major driver in this, but the supporting cast (especially Nick Nolte, Julie Christie, and Susan Sarandon) add weight of their own. And fortunately Stanley Tucci, Brendan Gleeson, and Brit Marling are around to make up for what Shia is lacking in his scenes. To top everything off, the score is composed by Cliff Martinez. While one heavily used motif seems to be borrowed from Martinez's Drive score, that motif happens to be one of my favorites; it, along with the rest of the score, adds just the right atmosphere to the film.
Trance - Fantastic production design is primarily responsible for making this film work as well as it does, providing plausible grounding for a far-fetched, ultra twisty plot. If the aesthetic of the film didn't hold everything together so well, we might have had a lost cause on our hands. Instead, we get a bit of vintage Danny Boyle circa A Life Less Ordinary -- complete with all the recklessly desperate romance and throbbing music tracks one would expect from such an endeavor. Strong performances from Vincent Cassel, Rosario Dawson, and James McAvoy also keep things humming along nicely. While any picture with a few too many twists is bound to have flaws, the overall stylishness (and cheekiness) of the film made it easy to overlook them and focus on the bigger picture.
Play Misty for Me - Misty is my favorite Clint Eastwood film, and one that I originally watched on my laptop while living in England. Seeing it on the big screen was a real treat, since the sweeping panoramas of the Monterey coast are hardly done justice on a laptop. The cinema experience also serves to magnify just how creepy and nuts Jessica Walters' character truly is. Also, I want Clint's house from this film - too cool.
Beverly Hills Cop - One of my most favorite films made even better by the big screen. I can only imagine how awesome and thrilling it must have been to see this film when it was originally released. They truly don't make movies like this any more, and our summers are worse for it (this has always struck me as a summer film, even though its original release date was in December).
Oblivion - *LOVE* And not just because of Tom Cruise. Well, okay, mostly because of Tom Cruise(s). To go beyond that hint about my favorite scene would be too spoilery, since it's a major pivot point for the film. Even though this film was better when it was called Moon and starred Sam Rockwell, the many references to a plethora of Sci Fi films and the beautiful, sweeping landscapes of a decimated Tri-State Area make Oblivion worth seeing on its own merits. I am itching to see Oblivion a second time, but haven't yet been able to do so because there is just too much out at the cinema right now. In the meantime, I am content to have scenes from this movie keep playing in my head whenever my thoughts start to drift.
The Angels' Share - While The Angels' Share does a good job of not being the latest version of The Full Monty, Brassed Off, Calendar Girls, et al, its unevenness in story and tonality don't let it do a good job of being anything much at all. I also found it very annoying that the screening I attended included subtitles, which provided an unnecessary distraction and diluted my attention.
In the House (Dans la Maison) - This is an extremely engaging psychological thriller with a propulsively addictive framework. The way in which the film examines individual perceptions in relation to the overlap between fiction and reality is a stimulating intellectual exercise. Additionally, the young actor in the lead role can only be described as electrifying. Dans la Maison is one of the most satisfying films I have watched this year.
42 - When it came time to see 42, I put it off for a week or so because I just couldn't get all that excited about it. However, I reminded myself that I've never met a baseball movie I don't like, and built my excitement around the fact that all the reviews said Harrison Ford hammed up his role. There are few things I enjoy more than Harrison throwing out a few bon mots, and he certainly delivered here; bonus that many of them were colored with Bible references. In addition to Harrison, the supporting cast was excellent, especially Lucas Black, Brett Cullen, and Alan Tudyk (turning in a strong performance against his usual affable type). In the end, I found 42 a perfectly enjoyable movie, but nothing that would sit alongside my favorite baseball films (Bull Durham, For Love of the Game, other movies not featuring Kevin Costner, etc.).
At Any Price - I watch Dennis Quaid every week on CBS's Vegas, and I had sort of forgotten how much he phones it in on that show (don't get me wrong, it's a great show and Quaid is perfect for his part). In At Any Price, Quaid turns in a powerful, layered performance that is completely captivating. The misguided facade he creates in order to be all things to all people (his father, his son, his mistress, his customers, his fellow farmers) is fascinating to observe. Here is a man trying to hide his insecurity with bombast and over-enthusiasm while not realizing that the only person he is fooling is himself. The moral ambiguity that arises late in the story causes Quaid's character to become self aware in a way that he has clearly never done before. Zac Efron also puts in a decent performance, bringing dimension to his own character's realizations and transformations, though he is out-shined by Maika Monroe as his savvier-than-she-looks girlfriend.
Mud - I really like movies about the South that mimic the pace of life in the region they depict. Mud moves along as slowly as the river on which its action takes place, but that isn't a bad thing. Living in the North, I tend to forget how slowly people can talk and what it's like to not be in a hurry. The main characters in Mud are good at taking life as it comes and knowing when they can nudge it just a bit in a more favorable direction, or at least try to do so. Matthew McConaughey takes a backseat to the two boys at the center of this film, both of whom are excellent. The youthful optimism that pervades this story, even at its lowest moments, is such a beautiful thing. While Mud incorporates elements of Huckleberry Finn, Stand By Me, and The Goonies, this new film is a timeless coming of age story that will one day take its rightful place alongside those forerunners and others of similar ilk.
Kon-Tiki - I wanted to end the month on an epic note, and Kon-Tiki certainly delivered. Despite the fact that the book on which this film is based has been on my shelf for years, I have never gotten around to reading it. However, I knew this was a big screen film, and decided to break my general book-before-movie rule. Of course now I want to read the book as soon as my schedule permits, since, to make sweeping generalizations, Kon-Tiki is pretty much a cross between Michener's South Pacific and WFB's Racing Through Paradise (with far less champagne and far fewer navigational computers). I highly recommend this movie for those who enjoy the ocean, a boundless sense of adventure, and toned, tanned, bearded Scandinavian men often not wearing very many clothes. I don't recommend this movie to those who have a fear of sharks. As expected, the cinematography is gorgeously breathtaking -- a perfect match to the awe-inspiring story. The soundtrack is spot-on throughout (soundtracks are back in a big way for me this year). A truly stunning film well worth seeking out, even though its several shark scenes make Jaws seem like a walk in the park.
Book Shelf
Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
Not all protagonists have to be likable, but it helps if there is some remotely redemptive quality that makes me want to root for them even just a little (see: Don Draper). Unfortunately, the couple at the center of Gone Girl are two individuals with nary a redeeming or sympathetic quality between them. Still, I found the mysterious nature of this story, and all the psychological machinations that went along with it, quite addictive. The twists kept me guessing up to the very end of the book, which made for a fun, quick read.
The Racketeer, John Grisham
Like Gone Girl, The Racketeer had me in the dark about the direction it was going for quite a while. There seems to be plenty of duplicitousness and hidden agendas to go around these days (see also Running Blind, below). I've been reading Grisham books for years, and I greatly admire his ability to keep things fresh and interesting, while still dropping hallmarks, like swanky tropical destinations, into his stories.
Tai-Pan, James Clavell
I really love this book. Once it got going, I wanted to know everything I could about the cast of characters that populates Clavell's Hong Kong at the birth of the colony. No one is given short shrift here, and Clavell makes it clear that no detail is too trivial when life and death -- of people, principles, and nation -- hang in the balance each and every day. This book is shorter than Shōgun, but it packs in just as much action and intrigue, all with a great sense of urgency. Just one example of a fantastic multi-layered scene that makes Tai-Pan a true page turner is the supurb description of a boxing match that is one of the best I've ever read. It's always nice to finish a book and be left wanting more.
Running Blind, Lee Child
These Jack Reacher books keep getting better and better. This one hits the ground running (excuse the horrible pun, but it's true). It took me no time at all to be drawn into and become engaged with the story. This was a bit of a problem with the three previous books, so I was relieved that things got going quickly -- and never let up -- in this fourth installment. I was proud of myself for making a few correct educated guesses about the bad guy in this story, especially since Child/Reacher kept their cards extra close to the vest until the very end.
Post title from: "Siren," from Meadowlands, by Louise Glück
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