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back cover descriptioin from the great plains to glittering hollywood, was traverses the american landscape to reveal the whirling funnel cloud at the core of our personal and cultural fantasies. it is a powerful, moving story about survival, and about the power of human imagination to transcend the bleakest circumstances.
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i love sharing things that i love... here are a few recommendations from me to you...
portrait of a young man drowning - charles perry
::: just love this book :::
set in the world of brooklyn gangsters and juvenile delinquents, portrait of a young man drowning reveals a character caught in a whirlpool of street crime and oedipal passion, driven by circumstances beyond his control into acts of self-destruction and twisted sexuality.
was - geoff ryman
::: just love this book :::
this haunting, magical, wildly original novel explores the lives of several characters entwined by the wizard of oz - both the novel written by l. frank baum and the iconic, strangely resonant 1939 film. it is the story of the "real" dorothy gale, an orphan living a hardscrabble life with abusive relatives on a kansas frontier settlement, and of the kindly substitute teacher who decides to write the story of the life she ought to have had. was is also the story of judy garland and her unhappy fame. it's about jonathan, an actor now dying of AIDS, whose intense attachment to oz dates back to his troubled childhood. and it's the story of jonathan's therapist, whose work at an asylum also unwittingly intersects the path of the yellow brick road.
low life : lures and snares of old new york - luc sante
::: my favorite era in history - just love this book :::
there are very few classics in the field of pop culture--the academic stuff tends to be too dry and the fun stuff is too quickly dated. this book by luc sante is the exception--in fluid prose liberally sprinkled with astute metaphors, sante tells the story of new york's lower east side, circa 1840-1920. the personal histories of criminals, prostitutes, losers, and swindlers bring to life the social and statistical history that the author has meticulously researched. not limiting himself to the usual sources, sante finds his history in old copies of police gazette as well as actual police, fire, and social service records. above all, what really makes this book work is the writing, which brings to life a culture of the streets that continues to form a silent influence on our contemporary popular culture.
the mole people : life in the tunnels beneath new york city - jennifer toth
::: i've actually walked through subway tunnels :::
alligators breeding in the sewers of new york city is an urban legend; thousands of people living in the tunnels beneath new york is not. ms. toth has written a compelling, compassionate and extraordinary documentary about the "mole people."
hornito : my lie life - mike albo
::: mike is a good friend of mine :::
softly lit, as if by a disco ball and a vintage lava lamp, mike albo's rich and funny novel hinges on his protagonist and alter ego's visit home to suburban springfield for labor day weekend, where he reminisces about his standard-issue american childhood and seeks a remedy for crabs, while obsessing about an unattainable trick of his named eric, a dancer at freon in manhattan: "he is a human candy bar impulse buy--moving effortlessly and beautifully up there with a king-size snickers down his white cutoffs." there is no plot to speak of in hornito, but a few events occur to strike off sparks of recollection. the driving force is albo's unquenchable libido, which leads him into the sex clubs of new york and the dismal local gay hangouts of his parents' hometown, just as it led him into satin shorts and eyeliner during his warped 1980s adolescence. among the best gay books of 2000, hornito speaks to the geeky and emotionally hungry boy in even the coolest man.
why the long face? : the adventures of a truly independent actor - craig chester
::: craig is a good friend of mine :::
craig chester's witty and wry observations on his life and those who have occupied it come together to create this funny, sentimental, yet irreverent collection of essays. from the backroads of texas to the boardrooms of hollywood, craig is unabashedly honest about the pain and the unique rewards of remaining an outsider in an insider's world.
while his family prepares to watch the apocalypse from their rooftop with a bucket of KFC, craig is trying to climb the social ladder at school by saving his neighbors from their sinful ways and speaking in tongues (with not-so-successful results). along the way craig experiences gender confusion at a grade-school summer camp and has massive reconstructive surgery to correct his deformed teenage face, only to emerge and realize that hollywood success isn't always measured in externals, but also in the machinations of the heart and how much you don't show. all along he expertly captures the feeling of what it's like to not always fit in - and have that be okay - with a comic timing that's tuned in to the heart and soul of trying to get by day to day.
his tales of life, from growing up in the bible belt to starring in nine films, prove that the average american life is anything but normal.
push - sapphire
::: just love this book :::
claireece precious jones endures unimaginable hardships in her young life. abused by her mother, raped by her father, she grows up poor, angry, illiterate, fat, unloved and generally unnoticed. so what better way to learn about her than through her own, halting dialect. that is the device deployed in the first novel by poet and singer sapphire. "sometimes i wish i was not alive," precious says. "but I don't know how to die. ain' no plug to pull out. 'n no matter how bad I feel my heart don't stop beating and my eyes open in the morning." an intense story of adversity and the mechanisms to cope with it.
the banquet years - the origins of the avant garde in france, 1885 to WWI:
alfred jarry, henry rousseau, erik satie and guillaume apollinair - roger shattuck
::: my favorite era in history, great book :::
portrays the cultural bohemia of turn-of-the-century paris who carried the arts into a period of renewal and accomplishment, who laid the ground-work for dadaism and surrealism.
when i woke - rusted root
::: favorite band :::
they're a strongly percussive group, often using vocals to reinforce their rhythms, which are sometimes straight-ahead driving, sometimes more subtle and blended. the vocals are intricate and varied - a lot of sounds and a lot of harmonies. on various tracks, you'll hear harmonica, pennywhistle, flute, congas, bongos, talking drum, and marimba in addition to some really excellent guitar work. this is not rock music by a long shot. rather, it's tribal and funky. rusted root is an eclectic band that mixes beats from the middle east, africa, and latin america together to form a sound that is not only glorious and original, but very free flowing. 
between darkness and wonder - lamb
::: other favorite band :::
springing from the trip-hop revolution, lamb have proved themselves to be masters of their genre. with between darkness and wonder, they consolidate earlier advances rather than invade new territories. recorded in a farmhouse just outside bath, their fourth album has singer lou robinson and techno-wizard andy barlow in fine form. though the opening "darkness" is a mess of burbles, scratches and disjointed synths, they quickly find their feet with the quiet clatter and beautifully blended vocals of "stronger" and the smooth bass and swirling effects of "sugar 5". following the instrumental "angelica", they introduce a deft folky guitar for the excellent and eventually storming augury of "till the clouds clear", and this remains in place for the intimate, innocent "wonder" and mildly rocking "sun". throughout, barlow creates a series of blissful, sometimes turbulent backdrops for robinson's sweet voice, cast somewhere between beth gibbons and victoria williams. in turn, she explores the minutiae of problematic relationships while remaining ever positive. the album suffers somewhat from the addition of three extra remixes, mj cole's take on "gabriel" being inappropriately festive and clunky, while nellee hooper's version of the same track is tasteful but, naturally, reminiscent of björk. between darkness and wonder could easily stand without them.
what sound [import] - lamb
::: other favorite band :::
despite commercial success eluding them, lamb remain the unacknowledged masters of the studio beat and brooding atmospherica. especially here. out goes skittering, jazzy drum'n'bass, in comes soft sequencer patterns, william orbit-style textures and chiming krautonica. with louise rhodes' rapturous tonsils and its post-coital heartbeat, what sound is closer to the cocteau twins' heaven or las vegas than it is to moloko. in a word: autumnal.
[note] also included on this australian edition is an enhanced component which features the video to 'gabriel' along with a live performance of 'cotton wool' & 'little things'.
fear of fours - lamb
::: other favorite band :::
three years elapsed between the release of lamb's highly acclaimed debut and this CD, making fans of their moody trip-hop impatient. Does Fear of Fours deliver? Yes, but like many sophomore efforts, this one can't help but fall short of expectations. There is more of Lamb's full, emotional sound here, but while songs off the debut such as "Gorecki" and "Cottonwool" were beyond epic, most of the tracks on Fear of Fours merely get the job done. Where Louise Rhodes's vocals were near operatic, they are now more spoken wordish. And rather than complementing the lush orchestral instrumentation of partner Andy Barlow, the two more often collide. But there is beauty in chaos and nobody knows that better than Lamb. When Fear of Fours shines, it really shines. Take the drum & bass-influenced beat frenzy on "Ear Parcel" and the uplifting aria, "Fly". These alone are a testament to why so many fell for this Manchester duo in the first place.
lamb - lamb
::: other favorite band :::
"an appreciation of contradiction", as described within the sleeve notes of lamb's eponymously titled debut album, acts as the first clue to content. andy barlow's competent production embraces the best elements of a number of genres, sounding full even in the more stripped down pieces while working with as opposed to crowding out louise rhodes' claustrophobic songwriting. the music itself makes for a fascinating hybrid. the dubbed analogues of "trans fatty acid" grate against the complex beats and pensive lyrics of "cotton wool". whereas the haunting vocals of "feela," which absorb a simple piano movement with washes of reverbed feedback, kept in check by brooding strings. a chance encounter in a manchester studio lead to a stunning debut...wintry vocals backed with all that is good about drum and bass.
out of the fierce parade - the velvet teen
::: another favorite band :::
as the name implies, the velvet teen's debut is soft to the senses, yet heralds a youthful exuberance that keeps the music fresh and vibrant. the california group's set of smart and charming indie-pop songs sound as if they could have been imported from the other side of the atlantic. whether mixing singer judah nagler's elegant falsetto with hushed keyboards on a delicate lullaby such as "the prize fighter," or furious guitar riffs over booming drumbeats on "your last words," the 10 tracks from out of the fierce parade convey an intimacy matched by few. the velvet teen's smooth brand of rock will romance even the most callous of listeners.
sissor sisters - scissor sisters
::: singer jake is a friend of mine :::
scissor sisters are five electro-glam reprobates from new york who have produced one of the coolest records of 2004 without even trying. ignoring the zeitgeist sounds of the strokes & stellastarr (there's no way that these guys own a television album) the scissor sisters have missed out on becoming trendy scenesters to plough their own furrow in the plentiful fields of camp party music. like fellow genre-splicing nutters electric six, scissor sisters are a band who won't be categorized. influenced by vintage bowie, roxy music & elton john & with the audacity to cover pink floyd, the scissor sisters are one of the most unique & exciting bands around. their self-titled debut album is chock-full of cheesy-yet-awesome tunes that incorporate disco, soft rock & everything in between. the floyd cover 'comfortably numb' evokes 'saturday night fever' era bee gees whilst 'mary' is a wonderful pastiche of toto.
comfortably numb - scissor sisters
::: singer jake is a friend of mine :::
camp new york disco merchants covering serious prog specialists pink floyd!! sounds horrendous, but thankfully 'comfortably numb' by the scissor sisters is a glam-stomp monster of a track. the fun loving, feisty fivesome update floyd's classic rock into a floor-filling, booty-shaking, disco anthem. the title track is backed with 'comfortably numb' (fatboy extended mix), 'rock my spot' (crevice canyon), & 'comfortably numb' (video).
space under sun - ari gold
::: i designed this album and jacket :::
"...infinite possibility, if I can only break down this fourth wall/i'm living in a room for everyone, finding my space under the sun..." and so goes the title track of ari gold's sophomore release, space under sun. in a market saturated with manufactured stars who for the most part are perfectly content churning out the same old cliché's, gold is determined to shake pop up and find a space for his music in a postmodern world. "i wanted to make an album that i didn't have when i was growing up," ari told larry flick of billboard magazine in 2001 regarding his first album as an openly gay pop singer which would later take home the outmusic award for outstanding debut recording. with space under sun gold goes even further musically & lyrically and creates a pop landscape that goes beyond boundaries and labels.
so let it come down - spiritualized
::: great band and great album jacket :::
spiritualized frontman jason pierce was recently labeled "the worst boss in britain" by a major london magazine. no wonder. he has sacked virtually every lineup of spiritualized since 1992, seemingly with the arrival of each new album. so let it come down is essentially a solo affair, but you couldn't tell by its expansive sound. incorporating a full orchestra, gospel choir, and crack team of extremely tolerant british rock musicians, like 1997's breakthrough ladies and gentlemen, we are floating in space this has all the markings of a classic--from the heartbreaking choruses ("stop your crying") and ramshackle rock workouts ("i didn't mean to hurt you") to the rhapsodic lullabies ("you won't get too heaven"). it is a record as unconventional and enlightening as a pair of other records helmed by egomaniacal psychedelic geniuses: pink floyd's the piper at the gates of dawn and love's forever changes.
the complex - blue man group
::: second cd from off-broadway performance group :::
take equal measures of gallagher and kraftwerk, mix in a 15-year supply of blue body paint and shake with a double-shot of modern marketing savvy and you might have something akin to blue man group. this ambitious second album by new york performance artists cum entrepreneurs matt goldman, phil stanton, and chris wink expands their central artistic contradiction--mainstreaming the alternative--with a propulsive cocktail of rhythm, irony, self-invented instrumentation, and bona fide song structures that feature turns from guest stars dave matthews (the music hall dirge "sing along") and tracy bonham ("up to the roof," and with rob swift, "shadows pt.2"). the conceit is vaguely reminiscent of the tubes' tongue-in-cheek ode to '80s corporate rock, "the completion backwards principle," right down to being so convincing the irony often melts away. fans of their live performances will appreciate its wall-to-wall rhythmic thrust and quirky textures, while aficionados and newcomers alike should welcome its surprising, seductive melodies and mature songwriting.
eternal youth - future bible heroes
::: great band, claudia gonson formerly of magnetic fields :::
the future bible heroes first full-length since 1997's memories of love is a loose concept album about the undead and other everlasting life forms. designed to appeal to indie rockers and club kids alike, the band features three complementary talents. wordsmith stephin merritt (magnetic field, 6ths, gothic archies) remains endlessly quotable and droll. chris ewen's synth pop recalls a more twee bauhaus or a wittier cure. finally, claudia gonson delivers the same kind of breathy vocals that broke hearts on the magnetic fields' 1999 69 love songs box set. "i'm a vampire" ought to be a dance-floor hit ("i am what i am / and i'm impossibly glam"). "the world is a disco ball" posits that "we're little mirrors, one and all." these tunes are rich with comedic pathos, as well as romantic empathy.
( ) - sigur rós
::: amazing band - great on headphones :::
are iceland's sigur rós the saviors of 21st-century rock or true heirs to the silk-robed-and-platform-booted, pompous progressive rock of the '70s? on their third album (first for a major label), they are a little bit of both. the group continues to mix the most interesting aspects of U2 (the anthem), low (the maximalist slow-mo thing), radiohead (the utter lack of irony in the quest to make meaningful art for stadium crowds), and my bloody valentine (guitar as texture), while not sounding like anyone else on this planet. the average song length on the eight untitled tracks is eight minutes, with cascades of moaning, bowed guitars colliding with low-end keyboards while the lovely, alien-registered vocals of singer jónsi float on top. dynamics are employed spectacularly, but half of the album is spooky soundtrack music that never really goes anywhere. however, the actual songs on two sausages kissing (or whatever you want to call it) - the third, sixth, eighth, and especially fourth tracks - are mind-blowers, spectacularly worth the price of admission. if they just stopped trying to reinvent the wheel all the time, sigur rós could really be a band for the ages.
ágætis byrjun - sigur rós
::: amazing band - best album :::
reykjavík-based noise quartet sigur rós are the biggest band in their native iceland, which should say much, much more about the collective insanity of that earthquake-ridden, blizzard-beaten crag of an island than anything to do with sigur rós' sound. But in their music, sigur rós reflect all the breathtaking glory of the icelandic wastes--a fairy-tale explosion of unhinged elemental majesty that's finally crystallized here, their debut european release. poised somewhere between the haunting soundscapes of labradford and the lilting celtic falsetto of enya, ágætis byrjun is a truly breathtaking listen. frontman jon por birgisson sings in a language that sigur rós dub "hopelandic"--an otherworldly mutation of icelandic, sung in the falsetto cadence of angels; similarly, he plays his guitar with a violin bow, opening the floodgates for brilliant waves of feedback. and while it's the opening "svefn-g-englar" that's sigur rós' moment to date, there's far more that they have to offer; listen to the pomp and flourish of a full orchestra on "flugufrelsarinn," or the awe-inspiring near-religious mantra of "ny batteri."
tales of the inexpressible - shpongle
::: dance meditation, if you will :::
shpongle is not a collection of dull ambient soundscapes, it is a bright multi coloured journey into an audio hyper reality, full of adventure and imagination. the latest album reaches further into the realms of the outside world with unique fusions using live musicians and vocalists blending acoustic guitars, turkish operatic singing, latin percussion, arabic atmospheres and raja's unmistakable flute lines all sonically manipulated by simon's incredible production skills.
shimmering, warm & bright - bel canto
::: moody :::
bel canto is a duo from the northern reaches of norway, where the climate and landscape help make for picturesque scenes of innocence and tranquility. not surprisingly, bel canto relies on such a glowing world for creating enchanting pop music on the aptly titled shimmering, warm & bright. this, its third album, provides both the warmth of earthly passions and the chill of technology in a manner that complements each, using electronics to augment the strings, woodwinds and mandolin, and vice versa. the orchestral arrangements evoke pictures of ice floes and refined, supple formations. anneli marian drecker's operatic vocals provide the spark behind the passion, her vocals (in english, french and german) breathing life into the diverse musical incantations, which also include hints at middle eastern and oriental rhythms.
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stars and topsoil, a collection (1982-1990) [import] - cocteau twins
::: moody :::
album description
stars and topsoil, a collection (1982-1990) is the first 'best of' retrospective to span the entire period scotland's ethereal alternative trio recorded for 4AD. 18 track overview of their first eight years together. featured are tracks from their acclaimed albums as well as choice tunes from select singles. a perfect introduction to what is generally considered their best era. all tracks have been remastered as well.
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a new stereophonic sound spectacular - hooverphonic
::: great sex music :::
pitchfork media.com review
ever walk into that room at the party where they have the walls painted black, there's an icing of smoke clinging to the ceiling, and a group of sleepy faces slowly chat about the importance of semantics? from the speakers upon which rest the buddha collection, there is invariably something tinkling with the right flavor for just such a place, something like hooverphonic's a new stereophonic sound spectacular. spooky electro-instrumental backdrops framing the sparse and wispy voice of liesje callier. shimmering mutant jazz and hip-hop that's spent too much time awake to clamor for your attention, it caresses and whispers its delicacies with hushed breath. like a daydream, it flirts from one style to another, but never really loses its cohesion until you emerge.
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the lord of the rings - the return of the king
::: my favorite trilogy :::
amazon.com review
the greatest trilogy in film history, presented in the most ambitious sets in dvd history, comes to a grand conclusion with the extended edition of the lord of the rings: the return of the king. not only is the third and final installment of peter jackson's adaptation of the works of j.r.r. tolkien the longest of the three, but a full 50 minutes of new material pushes the running time to a whopping 4 hours and 10 minutes. the new scenes are welcome, and the bonus features maintain the high bar set by the first two films. if you want to completely immerse yourself in peter jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do.
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the lord of the rings - the fellowship of the ring
::: my favorite trilogy :::
amazon.com review
in every aspect, the extended-edition dvd of peter jackson's epic fantasy the lord of the rings: the fellowship of the ring blows away the theatrical-version dvd. no one who cares at all about the film should ever need to watch the original version again. well, maybe the impatient and the squeamish will still prefer the theatrical version, because the extended edition makes a long film 30 minutes longer and there's a bit more violence (though both versions are rated PG-13). but the changes--sometimes whole scenes, sometimes merely a few seconds--make for a richer film. there's more of the spirit of j.r.r. tolkien, embodied in more songs and a longer opening focusing on hobbiton. there's more character development, and more background into what is to come in the two subsequent films, such as galadriel's gifts to the fellowship and aragorn's burden of lineage. and some additions make more sense to the plot, or are merely worth seeing, such as the wood elves leaving middle-earth or the view of caras galadhon (but sorry, there's still no tom bombadil). extremely useful are the chapter menus that indicate which scenes are new or extended.
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the lord of the rings - the two towers
::: my favorite trilogy :::
amazon.com review
while it may seem that there would be nothing left to say after the bevy of features on the extended fellowship, the four commentary tracks and two discs of supplements on the two towers remain informative, fascinating, and funny, far surpassing the recycled materials on the two-disc theatrical version. highlights of the 6.5 hours' worth of documentaries offer insight on the stunts, the design work, the locations, and the creation of gollum, and--most intriguing for rabid fans--the film's writers (including jackson) discuss why they created events that weren't in the book. providing variety are animatics, rough footage, countless sketches, and a sound-mixing demonstration. again, the most interesting commentary tracks are by jackson and writers fran walsh and philippa boyens and by 16 members of the cast (eight of whom didn't appear in the first film, and even including john noble, whose denethor character only appears in this extended cut). the first two installments of peter jackson's trilogy have established themselves as the best fantasy films of all time, and among the best film trilogies of all time, and their extended-edition dvd sets have set a new standard for expanding on the already-epic films and providing comprehensive bonus features.
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trembling before g-d
::: film by my good friend sandi dubowski :::
all movie guide review
director sandi simcha dubowski makes his feature-length film debut with the documentary trembling before g-d, a look at gays and lesbians in hasidic and orthodox judaism. made over several years in new york, california, israel, brittain, and florida, the film follows the lives of several people struggling to express both their faith and their sexuality. in l.a., pianist david is an orthodox gay man who has been through over ten years of therapy to supposedly "cure" his homosexuality. he visits the chabad rabbi whom he first came out to over 20 years before. michelle is a hasidic lesbian who lives in brooklyn. having married only to please her family, she's been ostracized from her community ever since the divorce. also in brooklyn, israel is a gay man who's abandoned much of his hasidic life and hasn't seen his father in over 20 years. in london, twentysomething mark is a the son of an orthodox rabbi. he came out during a trip to israel, which was supposed to rid him of his sexual questioning. some participants prefer to remain anonymous or at least slightly obscured, including a lesbian couple who met in hebrew school and an ultra-orthodox closeted lesbian. the film also features some footage with various doctors and religious leaders, including the progressive psychotherapist shlomo ashkinazy and the first openly gay orthodox rabbi, steve greenberg.
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the wall - live in berlin
::: the greatest music ever :::
[edited] amazon.com review
the wall (live in berlin) seemed uninspired and gimmicky in 1990 but looks and sounds terrifically compelling on DVD, thanks to its vivid image quality and greatly improved audio mixes. the freshly mineswept potsdamer platz--a once-thriving plaza destroyed by allied bombing in 1943--proved the perfect place to mark the opening of the berlin wall with an all-star production of pink floyd's magnum opus: a wall for a wall. an unlikely assemblage of musicians augments roger waters's impressive house band (led by guitarist rick difonzo and organ wizard nick glennie-smith), with everyone from the scorpions to joni mitchell to the military orchestra of the soviet army getting in on the rock-opera action. cyndi lauper, bryan adams, sinead o'connor, james galway, thomas dolby, and albert finney all turn in tasty cameos. the documentary is thorough and juicy, and producer tony hollingsworth offers an above-par essay in the booklet.
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spellbound
::: a surprisingly amazing film :::
amazon.com review
who would have thought that a documentary about spelling-bee contestants could be as suspenseful as a hitchcock thriller? spellbound, which follows eight kids from their early victories in regional spelling bees to the national competition in washington, d.c., is an out-and-out nail-biter. each of the kids--who range from a quietly driven african american girl from a run-down d.c. neighborhood, to a genial connecticut girl who talks about bringing her au pair to a previous competition, to an almost zombie-like boy whose immigrant father has paid 1,000 people back in india to pray for the boy's success--gets captured so vividly that you can't help but get emotionally immersed in their brave, nerve-wracking struggle to spell slippery, treacherous words. along the way, spellbound contrasts the crazily different populations that make up the u.s. and shows how this facet of intelligence truly makes everyone equal on the podium. a riveting, wrenching, must-see movie.
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the hours
::: such a beautiful film :::
amazon.com review
delicate and hypnotic, the hours interweaves three stories with remarkable skill: in the 1920s virginia woolf (nicole kidman) grapples with her inner demons and slowly works on her novel mrs. dalloway; in 1949 housewife laura brown (julianne moore) feels her own destructive impulses; and in 1999 book editor clarissa vaughn (meryl streep)--much like the title character of woolf's novel--prepares to throw a party, in honor of her dearest friend, a seriously ill poet (ed harris). small details reverberate from story to story as a powerhouse cast (including allison janney, toni collette, claire danes, jeff daniels, john c. reilly, stephen dillane, and miranda richardson) gives subtle and beautifully modulated performances. in the hands of director stephen daldry (billy elliot), the hours is almost more a piece of music than a story, and like music, it may move you in unexpected ways.
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moulin rouge
::: from my favorite era in history, a musical hoot :::
amazon.com review
a dazzling and yet frequently maddening bid to bring the movie musical kicking and screaming into the 21st century, baz luhrmann's moulin rouge bears no relation to the many previous films set in the famous parisian nightclub. this may appear to be paris in the 1890s, with can-can dancers, bohemian denizens like toulouse-lautrec (john leguizamo), and ribaldry at every turn, but it's really luhrmann's pop-cultural wonderland. everyone and everything is encouraged to shatter boundaries of time and texture, colliding and careening in a fast-cutting frenzy that thinks nothing of casting elton john's "your song" 80 years before its time. nothing is original in this kaleidoscopic, absinthe-inspired love tragedy--the words, the music, it's all been heard before. but when filtered through luhrmann's love for pop songs and timeless showmanship, you're reminded of the cinema's power to renew itself while paying homage to its past.
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gangs of new york
::: again, from my favorite era in history :::
amazon.com review
gangs of new york may achieve greatness with the passage of time. mixed reviews were inevitable for a production this grand (and this troubled behind the scenes), but it's as distinguished as any of director martin scorsese's more celebrated new york stories. from its astonishing 1846 prologue to the city's infernal draft riots of 1863, the film aspires to erase the decorum of textbooks and chronicle 19th-century new york as a cauldron of street warfare. the hostility is embodied in a tale of primal vengeance between irish american son amsterdam vallon (leonardo dicaprio) and his father's ruthless killer and "nativist" gang leader bill "the butcher" cutting (daniel day-lewis, brutally inspired), so named for his lethal talent with knives. vallon's vengeance is only marginally compelling; dicaprio is arguably miscast, and cameron diaz (as vallon's pickpocket lover) is adrift in a film with little use for women. despite these weaknesses, scorsese's mastery blossoms in his expert melding of personal and political trajectories; this is american history written in blood, unflinching, authentic, and utterly spectacular.
[personal note: day-lewis should have won the academy award...]
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the laramie project
::: i was the graphic designer on this film :::
amazon.com review
even though the laramie project has been edited down from almost three hours (the original length of the play) to a lean 96 minutes, the harrowing nature of the subject matter--the brutal murder of matthew shepard--and the clarity of the voices of the inhabitants of laramie, wyoming, give this film a remarkable emotional power. the laramie project was created from over 200 interviews conducted with laramie residents before, during, and after the trials of the two boys who killed shepard; the interviews create an amazing cross-section of american views on homosexuality, religion, class, privacy, and so much more besides. even though it features an all-star cast--steve buscemi, janeane garofalo, christina ricci, peter fonda, and laura linney are only a few of the recognizable faces--the material has not been glamorized and the performances are both honest and intimate. even abbreviated, it's a remarkable piece of work.
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hedwig
::: i was a rough-cut screener on this film :::
amazon.com review
sometimes grace and hope come in surprising packages. the title character of hedwig and the angry inch, a would-be glam-rock star from east germany, undergoes a botched gender-change operation in order to escape from the soviet bloc, only to watch the berlin wall come down on tv after being abandoned in a trailer park in middle America. hedwig gets involved with tommy, an adolescent boy who steals her songs and becomes a stadium-filling musical act. suffering from a broken heart and a lust for revenge, hedwig follows tommy's tour, playing with her band (the angry inch) at tacky theme restaurants. into this simple storyline, writer-director-star john cameron mitchell packs an astonishing mix of sadness, yearning, humor, and kick-ass songs with a little platonic philosophy tucked inside for good measure. a visually dazzling gem of a movie.
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damage
::: unbelievable film - great performances :::
amazon.com review
the fascination of watching damage is similar to the fascination of watching a car crash in progress--you know something unpleasant is going to happen, but your attention is riveted to the scene of destruction. in the case of this acclaimed drama, adapted by playwright david hare from the novel by josephine hart, the destruction results from a collision of sexual attraction between a british governmental official (jeremy irons) and his son's fiancée (juliette binoche). blind to the damage they'll cause to others and themselves, they begin an obsessive affair based purely on impulsive attraction and the hidden emotions that feed into their immediate physical desires. as you could expect, this leads to emotional fallout for everyone concerned, lending multiple interpretations to the film's title and allowing miranda richardson (as irons's wife) to give a brilliant performance drawn from raw anger and betrayal. under the direction of louis malle, this forceful drama never resorts to sordid detail or gratuitous titillation. rather, malle and his esteemed cast have explored the ways in which the power of sexuality supercedes the rationality of logic, when mutual attraction is stronger than one's ability to resist temptation. damage makes it clear that such an indulgence will always come at considerable cost. the DVD of this fine film includes a behind-the-scenes featurette and the original theatrical trailer.
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dark days
::: i'm just fascinated by this subject :::
description
dark days is the multi-award winning documentary from marc singer about a community of homeless people living in a train tunnel beneath manhattan. the film depicts a way of life that is unimaginable to most of those who walk the streets above. in the pitch black of the tunnel, rats swarm through piles of garbage as high-speed trains leaving penn station tear through the darkness. for some of those who have gone underground, it has been home for as long as twenty-five years. the director abandoned life on the outside to spend all of his time in the tunnels, making it his home for two years. surprisingly entertaining and deeply moving, "dark days" is an eye-opening experience that shatters the myths of homelessness with the strength and universality of the people the film represents.
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