Am I the only one who thinks of the ending to that Simpsons episode where Martin stands in the middle of his former swimming pool, which is now rubble? A bully rips off Martin's trunks and the kid stands there, naked. "Summer Wind" starts to play and Martin begins singing as the camera pulls away. Credits. Am I?
"Visions of Johanna" - Bob Dylan
Not my favorite Dylan record, but I dig it.
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin
Aretha somehow feels underrated. You just don't hear much about her.
"Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" - Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye gets a lot of love. I wonder what Cameron Crowe's biopic with Will Smith would've been like...
"Peace Like a River" - Paul Simon
My favorite song from Simon is still, unashamedly, "Call Me Al."
"Lively Up Yourself" - Bob Marley and The Wailers
It's Marley, man. I don't think there's a something from him i've disliked.
I also read an article about Stephen Frears being this close to directing Queen with Sacha Baron Cohen as Freddie Mercury. I hope this happens. It really could be something special.
It could also be a train wreck, but I'm hopeful. Anyway, I read this just before leaving work, so on the way home I listened to some Queen classics:
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
"You're My Best Friend"
"Under Pressure"
"I Want to Break Free"
"We Will Rock You"
Not a big day for music. I'm really not good at this.
And, another death. Rest in peace, Mr. Sendak. Where the Wild Things Are and Pierre were my childhood. As I write this, I have Spike Jonze's adaptation of Wild Things playing on my TV. I love this movie. So...perfect. It's exactly what it wants to be.
And, so is the soundtrack. I really dig Karen O's stuff.
Turns out, a chunk of my music choices are responsive. Case in point: I picked up Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation at Best Buy, and so I felt the need to listen to the soundtrack - just like Wild Things above.
And, damn, what a collection of tunes. I was introduced to both Phoenix ("Too Young") and My Bloody Valentine ("Sometimes") here. A little late, yeah. But, I was technically late to the Beatles, given that I was born nearly two decades after they broke up.
I also find that I'm interested in too many things. Instead if trying to find something new to listen to, I'm reading, or looking for something to watch, or writing, or eating, or writing about watching a movie about people eating. I'm not focused. At all. So, my tastes are fairly superficial.
But, that's fine with me. I love what I love. I'm not going to pretend to like something just because all of the "cool kids" like it, too. Hell, I don't even drink. It's gross. Not going to pretend there. Why pretend with art?
Also, I know it's not music, but I've been listening to the Nerdist podcast recently and have been really enjoying it. Today, I listened to Seth Green and began Kevin Smith.
So, I'm doing this thing again, and I'm going to try and be a bit more...well, I'm going to explore why it is I listen to what I listen to when I listen to it. As for today, I stayed home and listened to Beastie Boys, yet again. Mostly License to Ill. Never would have thought I'd be affected by MCA's death, and yet I was. I mean, I wasn't crying or anything. But, it's got me thinking a lot more than when Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston died. I guess it's because I listened to these guys (and, therefore MCA) a lot more than the other two.
Still, it's been great to re-visit some great hip hop.
Later in the afternoon, I pulled out some old (circa 2002) mix-CDs and listened as I made dinner.
Some thoughts:
A lot of the stuff on those mixes were borderline Top 40.
Most of those tunes are from artists that no longer exist.
There were two live tracks: Guns N' Roses' "November Rain" from Live Era: '87-'93 and Pearl Jam's "Black" from one of their bootlegs
I hadn't listened to most of these songs in at least five years
I have traditions whenever "holidays" or Hallmark card days come around, and they all involve movies. For Christmas, I watch Love Actually. On Halloween, I watch...John Carpenter's Halloween. On Groundhog Day, it's Groundhog Day. On July 4th, it's Independence Day (actually, I have watched this in the last few years).
On my birthday, I watch two new movies. I've done this for ten years. This year is the anniversary of that first time.
And so, on V-Day, I watch Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.
Years before the second film, I saw the first one on cable (more than likely HBO, but I cannot for the life of me remember), and I immediately loved it. This love, I came to discover, was two-fold: I love dialogue-filled movies, and I'm a sucker for romantic flicks. Hell, I'll even put up with the avergae Hollywood-modern-romantic-comedy.
Thankfully, these movies are actually great. I love them, from beginning to end. From the opening shots of Vienna to Celine doing her Nina Simone impression, I love these films so damn much.
The first film is made up of many conversations between the two. It's romantic as hell, and it ends in a cliffhanger made so that cynics and optimists get something out of the movie. I loved it. Even as a tween (long before the word existed), I loved the film. And, I did believe they met six months later.
Within the second film's ten minutes, we learn that SPOILER ALERT they did not meet up. And, here we are, nine years later, and they are meeting for the first time since then.
Before Sunset is made up of one conversation. Jesse has a flight to catch, so the two talk for about seventy minutes. It feels like what it is: a mature sequel to a young, romantic story about young, romantic people. As we grow old, and we live, we change. And, yet, we don't. That's what the movie gets right. Clearly, these two have grown as individuals, but together once again, they fall right into the rhythm of talking. And, talking is what makes them what they are.
Jesse and Celine love one another. We know this because they talk. More than that, we know this because how they talk, and how no matter what (he really needs to catch that flight), they will keep talking. They want to be around each other.
And, that's beautiful to me. And, that's why I watch these movies every February 14th.
Thanks to Kickstarter, and of course all of the humans surrounding the project, $109,000 was raised in order for this anthology graphic novel to see print. What is it exactly? Well, according to the official site, Womanthology is an anthology graphic novel created entirely by women for Charity, the purpose of which is to showcase the works of female creators of every age and experience levels.
I definitely backed this. It's not brand-spanking-new news that there are so few women working in mainstream comics. Fine. But, girls who are interested in comics and the like should know of and have access to things like this. It allows for inspiration. They see someone like them doing it and they get the confidence to realize their own potential.
I saw a lot, read a lot, heard a lot, and ate a lot of stuff this year, but nothing felt bigger than this. Heck, even I got into it and donated the second I found out about it (thanks, Twitter!). Got myself a sketchbook. And, the opportunity to buy this book at Amazon. That's pretty great to me.
This is by no means a complete list. This is simply the best new films I saw in 2011. There are plenty I have yet to see. This explains why you may think this list is horrible. Well, that and my lack of taste.
10. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Who would've thought that this movie was going to be worth a damn? Well, it was. From Andy Serkis's Oscar-caliber performance as the film's lead Caesar to that "No!" this flick had so much. Hell, who would've thought anyone would be saying "Why cookie rocket?" in the summer of 2011.
9. Bridesmaids
Easily the funniest movie of the year. I was rooting for Melissa McCarthey to get an Oscar nod immediately after walking out of the theater as the credits rolled. Looks like her chances are really high. Oh, and Kristen Wiig. God, I love her.
8. Red State
And, the award for the movie most taken to the shit house be critics? Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked? Nope. Sorry. This title belongs to Kevin Smith's audacious Red State. Shit, I still can't believe Michael Parks is not going to get some love during awards season. Guess awards really don't mean much. Unless, of course, I win. Still, I loved the hell out of this film.
7. We Bought a Zoo
I went to see this movie for New Year's and it was a packed house. Leaving the theater, there was a line of about twenty people ready for the next showing. I'm hoping word-of-mouth helps Cameron Crowe's latest out. Because I'm hopelessly in love with this film. The final scene is one of my favorites from this year.
6. Super 8
I don't give a shit what people said. I felt the human story and the alien story both worked. And, they worked hand-in-hand. J.J. Abrams pulled it off. And, I still get misty-eyed when Joe lets go of the locket.
5. Contagion
Yes, yes - lots of stars in this one. But, the thing is, they act the shit out of this flick. The prom night ending is another favorite scene of my mine from this year. I also loved the scene where Kate Winslet calls her boss to apologize for not finishing. Her tears, man. It got me. Oh, and Jude Law is a son-of-a-bitch in this one. Sign of a good actor. He gets me to like him. And, gets me to hate him. Bravo.
4. Drive
A lot of people have this movie on their best of lists. Some have it on their worst. To each her own. I dug this flick, from the opening "action" scene to the Driver driving off into the sunset. And, let me just say, there's not much that can beat Carey Mulligan walking in slow motion.
3. 50/50
Anna Kendrick. Try watching this movie and see if you can resist falling for her character. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is really good in this, too. Jonathan Levine delivered on the promise made with The Wackness. He's got a good eye and a good ear. This movie's got some great music. I loved this movie.
2. The Tree of Life
And, the award for most ambitious live-action poster for a motion picture goes to. . . Terrence Malick's transcendent film. I get the love for this film. I also completely get the hate. It reminds me of the final episode of Lost. Some got it - and I mean really got it - and others didn't. Some that got it, loved it. Others that got it, didn't.
Wait. Hold up. Isn't that every movie that gets released? Contrary to what anyone has ever said, no one likes, loves, hates, or feels the same about anything and everything. It all truly is in the eye of the beholder. I mean, for the love of God, there are people in this world who truly believe that Jessica Alba is not hot. But, they are entitled to their beliefs and opnions. This list is mine. I loved The Tree of Life, though not as much as Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain.
Finally. . .
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
The second film almost made it into my top ten in 2002. The third film did. As did the fifth and seventh. This one, though - holy shit. What an ending. Though I still prefer the novel, director David Yates, screenwriter Steve Kloves, and everyone involved in this picture pulled it off. Check Rotten Tomatoes. Read the reviews. People loved this movie. It's damn good. And, it's pretty damn moving. From the moment Harry steps into Snape's memories to him dropping the resurrection stone, those twenty minutes are simply great cinematic storytelling.
Together as one movie, I personally feel that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the best film of the decade...so far. Obviously. Still, this film is the one that everything I see for the next eight years must measure up to. For some, that may mean the bar is not very high. For me, it's damn near impossible to even see over it. And yet, come Oscar nominations-morning, I doubt we'll see much love for it. And, that may be the biggest shame to come out of this film.
What else needs to be said? It's a good movie. Based on a great story from the great Grant Morrison and the great Frank Quietly.
Having just seen Sam Liu and Dwayne McDuffie's adaptation, I want to revisit the story again. Hell, I'm seriously considering putting up cash for that Absolute edition. Looks gorgeous.
Like most adaptations, one is simply better off reading the source material. But, unlike a lot of adaptations, this one translated pretty well. I Rebox-ed it. But, I'm probably going to own this title by the end of the year.
