Stuck On Repeat
"Reset" - Miles Fisher
"Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke
"Treasure" - Bruno Mars
"Gold Rush" - Ed Sheeran
Cinema
Before Midnight - It took me a little while to get into the rhythm of this film, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ethan Hawke has definitely gotten better with age and Julie Delpy is just as fantastic as ever. People talking has never been as captivating as it is when Jesse and Celine are the ones doing the speaking.
Shadow Dancer - As IRA movies go, this one is pretty good, with a nice sense of ambiguity and fine performances from Clive Owen and Andrea Riseborough. Shadow Dancer is a very serious film without being too heavy handed or melodramatic. Owen's performance in particular is quite memorable, especially his last scene, which is expertly done in every way. This is a small, quiet film, but more than worth two hours of your day.
Much Ado About Nothing - Much Ado is my favorite piece of Shakespeare. I have adored the Kenneth Branagh film version for as long as I can remember, and as soon as I saw a trailer for Joss Wedon's new take, I knew this would be my most anticipated film of the summer. Please keep your superheroes (well, maybe not all of them - see Man of Steel below), I'll take some Shakespeare filmed in black and white, thanks very much. The man who brought us Firefly did not disappoint. This is one of the most beautiful, lush, richly toned black and white films I've ever seen and the soundtrack is beyond perfect. The masked party scene alone is a triumph of film (if a film of The Night Circus is ever made, the whole thing should look like that one scene). I pretty much want to live in this movie. Reed Diamond and Clark Gregg, both of whom coincidentally seem to never age, were the standouts for me. I liked Alexis Denisof as Benedick -- his eyes express an incredible depth of feeling, his comic timing is spot-on, and his physical comedy is a thing of pure delight; however, I thought his performance aped a few too many things from Branagh's take on the part. Branagh's version of Much Ado is a glass of prosecco, whereas Whedon's is tequila on the rocks -- each refreshing, tart, and sharp in their own ways.
Wish You Were Here - Joel Edgerton can do amazing things in small Australian films. Wish You Were Here is one of the better domestic thrillers that I have seen in a while. The way the story unfolds over the course of the film is well done and somewhat unexpected. The editing and the way in which relationship dynamics are stretched and explored kept me guessing for quite a while. When a film centers on two couples, I am often reminded of a stage play; Wish You Were Here has the psychological heft to hold up to such a comparison. This film got little attention and an even narrower release, but it is more than worth seeking out.
Star Trek Into Darkness - Since I found it rather difficult to take in all the action on the screen at any one time when I saw this film in IMAX, I had to see it again on a regular screen. The showpiece sequences were even more impressive when the whole scene could be viewed in one go. The jokes and one-liners didn't seem quite as fresh the second time around, but the film was certainly still very satisfying and entertaining. However, due to its sequel status and Wrath of Kahn rehash, it doesn't stand up to repeated viewings as well as its predecessor does.
Iron Man 3 - It took me quite a while to get around to the cinema for this one, and I'm still not sure why I wanted to see it at all, since I haven't exactly loved the previous two Iron Man films. This one was okay. RDJ is always entertaining, and the twist with The Mandarin was sort of clever, but the final battle sequence didn't do much for me at all. The whole film struck me as rather formulaic, just checking off the boxes, much I was just checking the movie off my summer list.
The East - I loved Another Earth so much that I just keep going to see Brit Marling's films, hoping she'll repeat that magic. Unfortunately, The East has much more in common with Sound of My Voice, with the added annoyance of Ellen Page. That being said, the majority of the performances were well done and nicely layered. The chemistry between Marling and Alexander Skarsgard was excellent and boosted the momentum of the second half of the film. Marling did an superb job conveying her character's crisis of conscience, even though the film seems to gloss over the very issues that it makes a point of raising. The continuation of the story alluded to during a closing credits montage seems like it deserved to be a true part of the film rather than a barely rendered footnote. However, all three of Marling's films do an admirable job examining the inner struggles of individuals grappling with "what is right" within the context of their varying world-views. With such a robust and coherent body of work already under her belt, I can't wait to see what Marling brings us next.
Twenty Feet from Stardom - I am not sure that I've been able to gush about Lisa Fischer much on this blog, since I don't really review concerts or CDs from the early 1990s, but I am a huge fan of this woman. I didn't even know she existed until I saw her perform with Chris Botti last July, and the chance of seeing her again spurred me to catch one of Chris's Blue Note residency shows in December. This second live performance blew me away just as much as the first one did. The thing that has me totally in awe of Lisa Fischer is her vocal
control and her ability to create a mood with sounds and not words, as demonstrated by several sequences in Twenty Feet from Stardom, her improvised introduction to Sting's "The Hounds of Winter" among them. In this love letter of a documentary, Ms. Fischer -- along with others like Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, and the Waters Family -- finally gets the spotlight she deserves. While all the performances showcased are something to behold, the film itself lacks a solid, compelling narrative thread that left me wanting something more from the viewing experience.
Man of Steel - This is the first non-X-Men superhero movie I have truly loved since Captain America. I think both of these films appeal to me because of their old-fashionedness and their strong moral centers. Both Captain America and Superman do the right thing because they truly believe in it. Even amidst the SciFi elements of Man of Steel, Superman himself seems so much more grounded and relatable than many of the superheroes out there these days; to a great extent, he is just a regular guy trying to live up to the greatness of the two men who loom large in his consciousness. I have never been much of a Superman girl, but felt I had to give this film a shot because Kevin Costner's performance as Pa Kent looked amazing just in the trailers alone. Kevin didn't let me down, and Russell Crowe gave an equally soulful and masterful performance as Jor-El, the other dad in the movie. I'm not gonna lie, seeing Man of Steel mostly just made me want to go and re-watch Gladiator - now that's an action movie! As for Superman himself, Henry Cavill is quite the charmer (amazing smile), despite giving a rather sexless performance. I am pretty sure there couldn't be less heat between Clark and Lois if they tried. I thought it was a rather brilliant move to cast Richard Schiff -- aka Toby from West Wing, loather of DARPA -- as someone who works at DARPA. In fact, the casting was insanely good all around, except for Amy Adams as Lois, who never clicked for me. I can't wait to get Man of Steel on DVD so that I can watch it again, but be able to fast forward through all the overly long battle sequences.
This Is The End - This is kind of a goofy movie, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. The finale is quite spectacular, and provides almost as much joy as the popcorn sequence at the end of Real Genius. Jay Baruchel continues to be quite the charmer (reminder: if you haven't seen Goon yet, put it at the top of your Netflix queue), and James Franco wasn't annoying in the least, which was a pleasant surprise. All the celeb cameos at the beginning of the film are a treat. The irreverence that underlies all the performances is a wonderful contrast to the apocalyptic backdrop. The fun that these guys had making this film is not only apparent, but also infectious.
Unfinished Song - Terrance Stamp is pretty great, and he is the reason to see this film. His performance stands out against a story that is trying to be too many different things at once and too many characters that seem to exist only for window dressing. If you want to see a film about old British people singing, Quartet would be a better bet.
The Bling Ring - Flat. This is the only word that comes to mind to describe this movie. It's about as satisfying as reading Us or OK. Watching dumb, shallow kids be dumb and shallow is not especially interesting, nor is it entertaining.
Byzantium - As vampire movies go, this one is pretty old school, which is what I was hoping for from Neil Jordan who did such a lovely job with Interview with the Vampire back in the day. While I personally would have liked a deeper exploration of the backstory in Byzantium, Jordan does a nice job of unfolding the pasts of his protagonists while still leaving some blanks for the viewer to fill in. Some of the visuals, namely at the carnival and on a mysterious island, are quite stunning and leave a lasting impression. Saoirse Ronan owns this film, and rightly so - her eyes can switch from vacantly reflective to deeper than the sea in less than a blink as she struggles with the truths of isolation.
Book Shelf
Noble House, James Clavell
At over 1300 pages, Noble House is a serious commitment, but one that is well worth making. Of course, it needs to be so long since it is a spy novel, a story of corporate espionage, and the end of the saga that goes all the way back to Shōgun. With so much intrigue, a few natural disasters, and a compressed time frame, Clavell keeps all of his stories moving at a quick pace without sacrificing detail or muddying any waters. All of the plot threads are so deftly intertwined that nothing ever gets lost or dropped. While Noble House can certainly stand on it's own, the story is much richer and more nuanced if Shōgun, Tai-Pan, Gai-Jin, and King Rat are in your back pocket.
Without Fail, Lee Child
I am deep into the final three seasons of West Wing right now, so it's fitting that this Jack Reacher outing is also set inside the Beltway. The story's central mystery is quite beguiling, and the look inside the Secret Service is fascinating. However, the story itself seems to run out of steam a bit on the early side, which leaves Reacher with a climax that's well below what I've come to expect from him and these books.
Post title from: "August," from The Seven Ages, by Louise Glück
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