February Favorites

...Like Clockwork, Queens of the Stone Age: If I had been with it enough to actually purchase this album in 2013, it would have easily made it to my Top Ten list at the end of the year. It took seeing Josh Homme (who I've always rather fancied) on the GRAMMY finale to spur me to finally purchase a few QOTSA albums. I hate it when I realize that, through no one's fault but my own, I've been missing out on a great thing for far too long. I guess I should be grateful that at least I've finally seen the light and get to enjoy this awesome album going forward, especially the songs "I Sat By the Ocean" and "I Appear Missing;" both are utterly outstanding tracks on a rock-solid album.

Stranger by the Lake: This movie is very French (read: lots of nudity! and sex!), but it is also very haunting. It does an extraordinary job deeply developing the three main characters and exploring their psychology within a very limited set of circumstances. The ease and naturalness of the lead performances only serve to enhance the sinister undertones of the plot. Stranger by the Lake performs the neat trick of being set entirely outdoors, yet becoming increasingly claustrophobic as the story develops. I was riveted for the duration of the film, and its images still haunt me.

Endless Love: Being me, of course I watched the original (1981) version of this film just a few weeks before seeing the remake. And of course, the reason that I watched the original is that Tom Cruise is in one scene. In his brief moment on screen, he could not rescue the film from its goofy psychodrama. Nor could James Spader for that matter, and he was easily the best thing about the entire movie, as is often the case when it comes to Mr. Spader. But enough about the past, I just had to see this 2014 update on 80s schlock because the trailer looked so sappy and cheesy and melodramatic, plus it featured a weird, slow (yet oddly appealing after repeated exposure) cover of Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love." I don't think I was the intended target audience for this film, but the trailer spoke to me, and I ended up enjoying the movie quite a bit. Alexander Pettyfer (as David) and Gabriella Wilde (as Jade) have excellent chemistry, while Bruce Greenwood goes a bit too far in playing the father as a first-class jerk. I was seriously hoping that the mother would stand up to him and put him in his place, but that would have taken away so much of the teenage angst going on every other minute. On the whole, the updates made to the story and characters are for the better, with everyone except the dad being kinder, gentler, and more sympathetic. Martin Hewitt was pretty creepy as the obsessive boyfriend in the original, but there are no such problems with Pettyfer here. Altering the story so that Jade and David's infatuation is mutual makes this new Endless Love infinitely more watchable than its predecessor.

The Ceremonies: I saw this band of brothers open for Glasvegas two nights in a row, but it only took one and a half songs on the first night to get me hooked. Their richly layered sound brings together elements as diverse as solid surf guitar reminiscent of Hershel Yatovitz (of Chris Isaak's band), Beach Boys-esque background vocal stylings during choruses, and many nods to 80s post-punk. The result is an infectiously appealing collection of songs that isn't quite like anything I've heard before. On top of making great music, Matthew, Michael, and Mark are really nice guys; they were totally sweet when I went to the merch booth to buy their EP (yay free stickers!). And now that I have said EP, I can't stop listening to "Nightlight" and "Land of Gathering."

Pomme Palais: After visiting Saks to take advantage of the spring beauty event and restock on Creed, I found myself in the rare position of heading east and running smack dab into the New York Palace Hotel. This is notable since the hotel is home to one of the hot new patisseries on the scene. Since I enjoy a fine croissant as much as I enjoy a good thin burger, I just had to stop in and see if the hype surrounding Michel Richard's venture was warranted. I am happy to report that it is. The croissant I had was marvelously light with a good balance of buttery flavor. I am not sure that this croissant is necessarily better than my current favorites at Cafe M and Payard, but it is at least on the same level as those indulgent paragons of viennoiserie.

"Calling All Hearts", DJ Cassidy feat. Robin Thicke & Jessie J: Every year there is a song that comes out just before Spring Break (aka my birthday) that becomes my ready-for-spring anthem. This year, "Calling All Hearts" is that song. It has classic R&B hooks, Robin Thicke's smooooooth croon, Jessie J doing her best Fergie impression nine seconds into the song, and horns galore. I can't help but get a bounce in my step or dance in my chair when this song comes on (or when I keep hitting the repeat button). And remember, "It's okay to mingle if you're single" -- Spring Break here I come!