Saturday, January 10, 2015
photographs by michelle groskopf
Such interesting colors, composition and subject matter in these pieces by L.A photographer Michelle Groskopf. Follow her tumblr, Daily Street, here.
Friday, January 9, 2015
film score friday!
2014 was a rich year for song-driven soundtracks (particularly thinking of Wild, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, and Boyhood) but there have also been some gems in original scores.
Here are some of my favorites.
This was one of the more riskier scores (and movies) of the year. Basically a crashing melee of splashy drums and subtle moments of background stringscapes (the movie also includes some well-known classical pieces). The music continuously halts and jerks around to the chaos of a theater production and the pitter patter of the main character's turmoil and roiling psyche.
Touches of menace and mystery abound in this rich orchestral score of bass dirges, winds (clarinets weave in and out), prickly, rubbery string sounds (spiders are a visual motif), and the hits of timpanis and oddball percussion.
Here's a score that is pretty much perfection and because the film is so shifty tonally, likely exceptionally tricky to have composed. The muted marimbas and itchy static distortions in "Sugar Storm" and the clue unraveling scenes are now familiar Reznor & Ross territory, but I was struck in particular by the pretty swaths of slow chord changes in the flashbacks that recalled the vibe of Angelo Badalamenti, especially "Twin Peaks." When a grisly murder scene occurs, the repetition of loud, devilish drone tones synced with blazing fade-out edits, brilliantly becomes an aural and visual shock to the senses in a score and film that is otherwise so quietly sly.
It's pretty remarkable how productive Desplat has been over the last decade and a half. His music for milquetoast flicks (like this year's The Imitation Game) is always quietly sturdy and reliable, but his recent collaborations with Wes Anderson seem to shake loose something in him that gives way to more adventurous instrumentation and melodies. His score for Grand Budapest Hotel is super sprightly, winsome, and madcap (love the little snare drum moments) and perfectly pitched to Anderson's painterly pastel mis-en-scene.
I've never been a huge fan of Howard's usually too-on-the-nose, intrusive (and often, melodically unmemorable) movie scores. As expected, I ran hot and cold with his work on Nightcrawler which was often too loud, frenetic, cloying and more apt for his defining decade of 90s action flick film music than what this moody thriller needed. But he may have been the perfect choice to offer up a darkly comic main theme (thrumming electric guitar and all) that recalls the simultaneously urgent and uplifting cheese of local news music.
The main theme from this movie has been going through my head since I've seen it. The fragile music box melodic strain mimics the lead character's starlet dreams and the electro tuned 80s VHS horror vibes are well-suited to the movie's aura. Luckily, Waxwork is planning an album release. This week I reviewed this underrated horror indie here.
Joe Hisaishi's gorgeous music adds intensely to the joy and deep melancholy of this elegantly animated Studio Ghibli fable. The often plaintive score ultimately bursts into a soaring, major-keyed song of "Celestial Beings"--a stirring resolution to this film's unique journey.
Like Enemy, Under the Skin relies more on imagery and atmosphere than dialogue. Levi's mesmerizing score provides a swirly, unbalanced background of distorted strings and synth beds and in the surrealistic "death" sequences, slides into the creepiest, crawliest violin riffs since Herrmann's Psycho.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
starry eyes
I was mesmerized throughout Starry Eyes: a beguiling L.A.-set, indie splatter film. Young, aspiring actress Sarah (Alex Essoe) waitresses at a Hooters-esque grille until landing an audition and a dream callback for a film called The Silver Scream produced by shady Astraeus Pictures. Despite the company's ominous vibe and its creepy demands, Sarah is desperate. Once she comprises herself, a terrifyingly wrenching physical transformation and bloodbath ensues.
Directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, with particular attention to atmosphere, the movie is a recent gem of the horror genre. It recalls elements of many other female-centered dread-inducing films such as Mulholland Drive, Black Swan, Repulsion, and Rosemary's Baby. Led by Essoe's quietly striking performance, the cast is quirky and memorable. Standouts include Maria Olsen as kooky casting director, Louis Dezseran as the bug-eyed, sleazy producer, and Fabianne Therese as flaky, passive-aggressive "friend" Erin.
The catchy, somewhat coy music score by Jonathan Snipes consists of a twinkly music box motif and stuttering synths--
balancing the film's vibe of deep horror and glaze of light black humor.
Starry Eyes was funded in part by Kickstarter, and there's a DIY element within the story line of some of these characters scraping for their dreams (the dissatisfaction of her ragtag Hollywood friends--Sofia Coppola-fever dreamily-filmed yet plausibly portrayed--is palpable). You get the sense that those involved with this project have experienced some of the disappointing travails of the film world especially when the movie literally takes us into the Hollywood hills for some devil worshiping. It makes this gory little Tinseltown terror flick knowing and dare I say... lovable. ***
-Jeffery Berg
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Monday, January 5, 2015
justin lockwood's top 10, very idiosyncratic entertainment of 2014
Snowpiercer
This movie was fantastic. The dystopian sci-fi thing’s been done to death; so has the 1% versus the little people allegory. But Joon Ho-Bong’s tale of a near future in which Earth’s survivors are forced onto a train after the planet freezes over, and the impoverished “coach class” stages a revolt against their oppressive overlords, is completely original. By turns scary, funny, dramatic, and philosophical, this is a movie that builds its world thoroughly and unforgettably. Tilda Swinton stands out as the hilariously snobbish face of the ruling class, but the whole cast, from veteran actor John Hurt to Chris Evans and Octavia Spencer, is terrific.
Transparent
What great television. Amazon knocked it out of the park with this fiercely original dramedy about a transwoman (Jeffrey Tambor, let’s go ahead and call him an Emmy winner already) and her dysfunctional adult children. Show runner Jill Solloway has crafted a gorgeously shot, utterly believable program that does a better job than most indie movies at depicting messy modern life. The fact that the kids are sometimes hard to like is probably part of the point, but you won’t be bored watching them, or their “mappa.”
Ultraviolence
I don’t care what the haters say. Lana Del Rey is a goddess. With her sultry delivery, often graphic lyrics, and hypnotic beats, she’s a true original. Ultraviolence isn’t as good as her first album—does anybody beat the sophomore curse?—but it’s got four incredible tracks (“Fucked My Way Up to the Top” is probably my favorite) and nary a false note on the rest.
“Too Many Cooks”
Yes, that “Too Many Cooks.” You may think of it as just that viral video with the annoyingly catchy theme song, but I was stunned by this oddity’s creativity and its potent subtext about our media addicted culture.
Olive Kitteridge
I discovered this HBO miniseries almost by accident—I’d never heard of it, my roommate was curious—and it turned out to be one of the best things I saw all year. Director Lisa Choldenko evokes a strong sense of place in this New England character study boasting top notch performances by Francis McDormand, Richard Jenkins, and Bill Murray. It's effortlessly real and engrossing.
Stage Fright
I’d been looking forward to this slasher musical for a few years, so if I was a little disappointed, I may have been suffering from high expectations. Jerome Sable and Eli Battalion’s movie is a campy extravaganza with an excellent score, fine performances, and wit to spare. It’s probably the most fun I had at the movies this year.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Speaking of fun, Marvel’s “riskiest” production turned out to be its best. James Gunn’s saga of interstellar misfits benefitted from a great script, delightful performances—even the ones by CGI talking trees and raccoons—and the best 70s soundtrack since Running With Scissors. If every summer movie was this good, the industry would probably be saved.
The Comeback
I was lucky enough to discover the cult favorite "The Comeback" this year, just before star Lisa Kudrow and co-creator Michael Patrick King revived it on HBO. The new season nails the original’s curious blend of awkward humor, pop commentary, and emotional poignancy. Kudrow is perhaps even better this time around as the desperate, long suffering former sitcom star who’s subjected to endless indignities when she signs up to play a skewed version of herself on her old enemy Paulie G’s “edgy” HBO show. The show, meanwhile, imbues its merciless satire with genuine heart and humanism.
Palo Alto
James Franco’s thisclose to eye rolling punchline status for his endless stream of projects, but Palo Alto, adapted from his short story collection and costarring the man himself, is outstanding. Director Gia Coppola—seriously, what is it with that family?—proves herself both a dazzling visual stylist and a skilled director of actors. It’s one of the best movies about teenagers I’ve ever seen, with the kids played by excellent performers like Emma Roberts—probably our best young actress these days—and breakout Nat Wolff. Even Franco acquits himself admirably by playing a hunky soccer coach who spoofs his real-life persona almost as well as This Is the End did.
The Canal
Horror fans who complain the genre’s in a slump should skip studio dreck like Ouija and seek out indies like this one. Irish director Ivan Kavanagh builds suspense and dread masterfully in this tale of a troubled family man (Rupert Evans, utterly compelling) who’s either being haunted by ghosts or losing his mind. It’s not perfect, but it’s so effective and sumptuously executed that anyone who likes scary movies owes it to themselves to check it out.
Bad Hair
The first movie I saw at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival was also one of the best. This intimate Venezuelan drama about a boy (an astonishing Samuel Lange Zambrano) whose quest for straight hair incites homophobic panic in his stressed out mom (Samantha Castillo) plays like a slice of life. In its quiet, unassuming way, Bad Hair depicts the bleak realities of Venezuela and the sometimes painful way parents treat their children. It’s devastating, but you can’t take your eyes off it.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Thursday, January 1, 2015
top 10 albums of the year: #1
1.
Miranda Lambert - Platinum
Surprise, surprise... my favorite album of the year is a mainstream country record. With crackling confidence, Lambert delivers a cohesive yet varied set of tunes. Singles "Automatic" (a nostalgic trip) and "Somethin' Bad" (the scorching duet with Carrie Underwood) are just fine, but there's much more fun and heartache to be had in Lambert's collection: hoppy heartbreaker folk jam ("All That's Left), burlesque blues song on aging ("Gravity is a B**ch"), hard rockin' power anthem ("Little Red Wagon"), circus dirge ("Two Rings Shy") and the flippant, catchy as f title track which, in Dolly Parton-esque fashion, cunningly marries the word (has it not been done before?) with blondes and record-sellin' (I listened to it over and over).
"I feel like I have a little more humor in this record than ever before, and that’s a lot attributed to Blake because he's hilarious and has such a great sense of humor and such a great disposition, and he really rubs off on me in that area. And I need it because I’ll take myself way too seriously sometimes and just be too intense, I think.
So those elements may be a surprise to some people, especially if they've never heard the past records. But also I feel like this album, Platinum, is setting up for where I’m headed as an artist for the next phase of my career and the next phase of me as a woman. It’s setting up for what I’m getting into. And I don’t really know what that is exactly, but I feel like I’m headed in a good direction." -Lambert
My Top 10 Albums of '14: Full List
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