Thomas Hayden Church with Actress Mia Zottoli
Thomas Hayden Church
Plays "Flint Marko" / "Sandman"
6th Annual Tribeca Film Festival
"Spider-Man 3" US Premiere
Monday, April 30, 2007
Thomas Haden Church and Mia Zottoli
Thomas Hayden Church with Actress Mia Zottoli
Thomas Hayden Church
Plays "Flint Marko" / "Sandman"
6th Annual Tribeca Film Festival
"Spider-Man 3" US Premiere
Krezip - Plug It In
"Plug it in and turn me on"
Thanks to a recommendation from an alienhits reader, I've recently discovered the remarkable Krezip. The band is from the Netherlands and plays ultra catchy pop music. They've got a new album coming out in a few weeks and Plug It In is the first single from that. If you liked Dover from a few weeks ago, chances are that you will love Krezip, for they've got a similar female-fronted sound. From what I can tell, the band started out with a rockier sound and have gradually moved towards poppier, almost bubblegum songs. Plug It In is unfortunately too catchy to ever be a hit outside of mainland Europe, but, at the very least, it certainly deserves to be appreciated outside of the Netherlands.
Krezip - Plug It In (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the single here)
"Plug it in and turn me on"
Thanks to a recommendation from an alienhits reader, I've recently discovered the remarkable Krezip. The band is from the Netherlands and plays ultra catchy pop music. They've got a new album coming out in a few weeks and Plug It In is the first single from that. If you liked Dover from a few weeks ago, chances are that you will love Krezip, for they've got a similar female-fronted sound. From what I can tell, the band started out with a rockier sound and have gradually moved towards poppier, almost bubblegum songs. Plug It In is unfortunately too catchy to ever be a hit outside of mainland Europe, but, at the very least, it certainly deserves to be appreciated outside of the Netherlands.
Krezip - Plug It In (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the single here)
Petra Nemcova and Olga Nemcova
Petra Nemcova and Olga Nemcova
6th Annual Tribeca Film Festival
"The Gardener of Eden" New York Premiere
Bryan Thomas
Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Thomas #99 New York Jets
6th Annual Tribeca Film Festival
"The Grand" World Premiere
Sunday, April 29, 2007
TFF - NOBEL SON
Jody Savin & Randall MillerNobel Son , showing at the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), is a dark mystery/thriller (about the kidnapping of the son of a professor on his way to receive the Nobel Prize award in Sweden) from the writing/directing/producing team of Jody Savin & Randall Miller .
Stylishly directed, with very interesting cinematography, it features exceptional acting from a large and noteworthy cast, including Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Shawn Hatosy, Mary Steenburgen, Bill Pullman, Eliza Dushku, Danny DeVito, and Ted Danson.
Nobel Son is co-presented by the Sloan Foundation as part of the Sloan Science and technology Series at Tribeca.
Towards Darkness
Roberto Urbina, Antonio Negret Tony Plana
Mr. And Mrs.Antonio Negretm (center/Right)
Tony Plana, (Director),
Roberto Urbina,
Carlos Camacho
6Th Annual Tribeca Film Festival
"Towards Darkness" New York Premiere
Dennis Farina
Dennis Farina Signs Autographs for fans
6Th Annual Tribeca Film Festival
"You Kill Me" New York Premiere
Benson Lee
Director: Benson Lee on Stage
6 th Annual Tribeca Film Festival
"Planet B-Boy" World Documentary Competition.
A powerful documentary about break dancing.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
ON THE LOT -- MORE DETAILS
Some details have finally been released on how On The Lot (OTL) is going to work.
OTL is a version of Apprentice/Idol/Survivor for filmmakers, with Steven Spielberg as the central figure and Mark Burnett as the TV producer.
From 12,000 submissions, 50 filmmakers were picked to go to Hollywood for "boot camp". 18 of those will make it to the final competition. Their (short) films will be judged by a panel that includes Carrie Fisher, Brett Ratner, Garry Marshall, and Jon Avnet.
Ultimately, the final choices will be made by public voting, based on the films made by the filmmakers each week, with the lowest vote-getting director eliminated on each episode.
The show premieres May 22 on Fox.
The OTL web site can become a central meeting place for filmmakers, as well as a magnet for the viewers of the TV show, if the show's producers put a little more work into making the site user-friendly. (For one thing, it needs really good internal navigation, including a good search engine for films. Right now, navigation assistance is minimal.) The site includes community bulletin boards and blogs, filmmaker and actor profiles, and tens of thousands of interesting short films.
My own film is up there:
FRAGILE (Sonnet 65) with Intro
http://films.thelot.com/films/25479
Sarah Michelle Gellar, with husband Freddie Prinze, Jr.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, with husband Freddie Prinze, Jr.
6th Annual Tribeca Film Festival
"Suburban girl" New York Premiere
Friday, April 27, 2007
Jane Rosenthal with Juliana Hatkoff
Jane Rosenthal with Juliana Hatkoff
6th Annual Tribeca Film Festival
Bloom - Everyday
"How do you feel?"
I've got some catchy Swedish pop for you today. Bloom are not really well known and, actually, their album's a bit iffy, but Everyday is so damn catchy and soaring that you almost can't help but like it, even if everything inside of you is telling you to run away. The song is poppy to the point of being a bit saccharine, but it's got enough of a rock edge to make it very radio friendly as well. The closest comparison I can give you is Lambretta, the band that Linda Sundblad used to front before she went solo. Strangely enough, Bloom have seemed to disappear off of the face of the earth. No website, no touring... nothing, really.
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
TFF - SLOAN SPONSORS READING OF FILM ABOUT MATHEMATICIAN RAMANUJAN
Lead actor Amir Arison -- will play Ramanujan
The Sloan Foundation, which has a large, ongoing project to encourage plays and films dealing with scientists and scientific issues, is sponsoring (together with the Tribeca Film Institute, at the Tribeca Film Festival -- TFF) a reading on Sunday of a screenplay in development (A First Class Man by David Freeman), about the Indian mathematician, Ramanujan (Srinivasa Aiyangar Ramanujan).
Ramanujan was famous for producing amazingly startling mathematical results, without providing standard mathematical proofs.
The play deals with philosophical issues related to the nature of mathematics, and human issues highlighted by the strong relationship between Ramanujan and the traditional mathematician, Hardy, at Cambridge (two people whose personalities were possibly even more different than their mathematical philosophies).
Author David Freeman
The screenplay, originally a staged play, has had a long development process, and is being championed, among others, by its lead actor, Amir Arison.
Olivia D'Abo is also participating in the reading, which will be followed by a panel discussion that includes the author and mathematicians Krishnaswami Alladi and George Andrews (number theorists who have worked on problems inspired by Ramanujan) and will be moderated by NPR’s Ira Flatow. The event will be held on Sunday April 29th at 2:00pm at the Soho Playhouse,15 Vandam Street. Contact TFF for tickets.
Olivia D'Abo is also participating in the reading, which will be followed by a panel discussion that includes the author and mathematicians Krishnaswami Alladi and George Andrews (number theorists who have worked on problems inspired by Ramanujan) and will be moderated by NPR’s Ira Flatow. The event will be held on Sunday April 29th at 2:00pm at the Soho Playhouse,15 Vandam Street. Contact TFF for tickets.
BARNEY FRANK INTRODUCES BILL TO LEGALIZE ONLINE GAMBLING
Congressman Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and one of the most intelligent, shrewd and knowledgeable members of Congress, introduced a bill to legalize online gambling.
According to a statement on his website, "By continuing to prohibit Internet gambling in the U.S., the U.S. has left Americans who choose to gamble online without meaningful consumer protections. The proposed legislation would institute practical and enforceable standards to bring transparency to Internet gambling and provide consumers the protections they expect and deserve."
The legislation (or other concurrent legislation) probably needs also to consider the issue of spam and all kinds of e-mail abuses. Gambling sites, like sex sites, in the past have been "aggressive" in their use of web communications.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Saturna - Just For Thrills
"You know I'm never gonna be with you again"
I get a lot of music sent to me these days. Some of it really isn't that good, and the vast majority of it doesn't really fit with the kind of stuff that I post on this blog, but I love listening to it just the same. Just For Thrills by Saturna is definitely more of a straightforward rocker than most of the stuff on Alienhits, but I love its simple catchiness and the directness of the melody. Weirdly enough, it actually kind of reminds me of what a Snow Patrol song could sound like if it was really amped up. Maybe that's just me, but see what you think. Also, the band is from Portland, Oregon, which just happens to be where I was born. Putting that aside, though, the band plays blissed out, fuzzy rock and roll that is actually quite good.
Saturna - Just For Thrills (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
"You know I'm never gonna be with you again"
I get a lot of music sent to me these days. Some of it really isn't that good, and the vast majority of it doesn't really fit with the kind of stuff that I post on this blog, but I love listening to it just the same. Just For Thrills by Saturna is definitely more of a straightforward rocker than most of the stuff on Alienhits, but I love its simple catchiness and the directness of the melody. Weirdly enough, it actually kind of reminds me of what a Snow Patrol song could sound like if it was really amped up. Maybe that's just me, but see what you think. Also, the band is from Portland, Oregon, which just happens to be where I was born. Putting that aside, though, the band plays blissed out, fuzzy rock and roll that is actually quite good.
Saturna - Just For Thrills (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
User - Miss Wanted
"It's gonna hit your heart this time"
Combine a bit of Lambretta, a bit of the Sounds, and a lot of pop energy, and you've got User's Miss Wanted. User (technically called User Of A Common Name, but I think that's a bit of a mouthful) released this track back in 2004 in Scandinavia and I remember liking it a lot back then. So, I was delighted to find the single for very cheap in Stockholm and even more delighted when the song held up and I liked it just as much as I remembered. Best of all, I can guarantee you'll like it as well, for it really is just a nifty slice of radio pop/rock. Nothing more, nothing less... just quite catchy and fun. User are still at it, releasing a sorta greatest hits/deluxe package last year. Their big break may yet to have come, though.
User - Miss Wanted (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
"It's gonna hit your heart this time"
Combine a bit of Lambretta, a bit of the Sounds, and a lot of pop energy, and you've got User's Miss Wanted. User (technically called User Of A Common Name, but I think that's a bit of a mouthful) released this track back in 2004 in Scandinavia and I remember liking it a lot back then. So, I was delighted to find the single for very cheap in Stockholm and even more delighted when the song held up and I liked it just as much as I remembered. Best of all, I can guarantee you'll like it as well, for it really is just a nifty slice of radio pop/rock. Nothing more, nothing less... just quite catchy and fun. User are still at it, releasing a sorta greatest hits/deluxe package last year. Their big break may yet to have come, though.
User - Miss Wanted (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The Legends - Darling
"Why didn't you stay here for another day?"
The Legends have famously declared their music as "a hate for dancefloors combined with dance music." I have been a very casual fan of theirs for some time but decided to pick up their most recent release based on the strength of the singles, the wonderful cover art, and the fact that I got it at a bargain at a used cd store. While their music can sometimes be a bit too background music-ish for me, the stunning Darling single-handedly gives these guys the "Pet Shop Boys of Scandinavia" label from me. The song is absolutely, drop dead gorgeous. The chorus, married to a startlingly beautiful synth refrain, is about as perfect as you can get. In fact, the whole thing is pretty damn flawless.
The Legends - Darling (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
"Why didn't you stay here for another day?"
The Legends have famously declared their music as "a hate for dancefloors combined with dance music." I have been a very casual fan of theirs for some time but decided to pick up their most recent release based on the strength of the singles, the wonderful cover art, and the fact that I got it at a bargain at a used cd store. While their music can sometimes be a bit too background music-ish for me, the stunning Darling single-handedly gives these guys the "Pet Shop Boys of Scandinavia" label from me. The song is absolutely, drop dead gorgeous. The chorus, married to a startlingly beautiful synth refrain, is about as perfect as you can get. In fact, the whole thing is pretty damn flawless.
The Legends - Darling (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
Monday, April 23, 2007
TFF -- LADY CHATTERLEY
Lady Chatterley (coming to the Tribeca Film Festival) is a (very) French film based on D H Lawrence's second version (there were three) of the story of Lady Chatterley. (It was published as John Thomas and Lady Jane. The well-known version is #3, published as Lady Chatterley's Lover.) It was directed and co-written by Pascale Ferran, with Marina Hands playing Lady Chatterley, and Jean-Louis Coulloc'h, her lover.
I found the film life-affirming and charming.
I do sometimes find myself a little distanced by films in one language portraying people in another. (For example, I found the well-crafted British accents to be at odds with the hoodlum like behavior of the Romans they were portraying in the TV series Rome.) This film is, of course, spoken in French; but more important, it has a French sensibility; it is filmed in a French landscape, and it feels French, though the characters, of course, are English and live on an English estate.
There are several aspects to the novel. The writer/director was very selective in picking which to emphasize.
She chose to tone down the class difference between the Lady and the gamekeeper. Her husband calls the gamekeeper uncouth; but he is quite couth. (The actor, actually, resembles Marlon Brando quite strongly at times.) He is sensitive, caring, well (though simply) spoken and very well dressed in elegantly rough clothes. (The costume designer could have taken it a bit easier, I think, on his outfits, though she did win an award for her effort). The characters do refer to their relative positions, but it is more a simple fact than a central element in their relationship.
The director concentrated heavily on the role of nature, which she felt was particularly prominent in this version of the novel. The film is very close to the earth, the changing seasons, the flowers, the flow of water, and the rest of nature. The cinematography is excellent.
And sex is approached as something the characters discover in each other and themselves, as they timidly develop a relationship. Except in teen movies, where it is often played just for laughs or embarrassment, films usually skip over those stages of a relationship where both physical and emotional intimacy develop. Mostly, in films, characters meet, time passes somehow, and then they are sexually involved. That "somehow," with the evolution of sexual activities responding to the level of emotional involvement is a strong focus in this film. (The film features both male and female nudity, but sexual relations are not portrayed with the same level of detail as in, say, 9 Songs.)
It should be noted that the film moves ahead at a very languid pace, and it is very long (168 min). I suspect the director would really have liked for the film to evolve in real-time (and several years pass from the beginning to the end).
I found the film to be sometimes funny, and -- when the characters' behavior goes over the top (as in the rain-dance in the picture above) -- sometimes even a bit silly, in the way that improv comedy may suddenly discover a ridiculous truth.
The production won Cesar awards in France for Best Film, Best Actress: Marina Hands, Best Writing: Pascale Ferran, as well as awards for best costume design and cinematography; it also had nominations for Best Director, sound, and production design. Curiously, although Marina Hands won the Best Actress award, she was nominated but did not win as Most Promising Actress. (Perhaps a logician decided that her acting had passed the promising stage and so she was not eligible to win that award.) Her acting is quite wonderful (love to watch her eyes).
Emmon - Make It Up
"We can make it up, honey"
I posted a track by Emmon (Wake Up Time) to great popularity a few months ago, and when I was in Sweden I was finally able to pick up her full album, The Art And The Evil. It's full of atmospheric electro-pop similar to Wake Up Time, with Make It Up being one of the catchiest tracks. If you're a fan of artists like Bertine Zetlitz and Margaret Berger, or even more pop minded singers like Madonna, you're sure to love this girl. Plus, she's recently done a remix of Melody Club's Fever Fever, one of the best pop songs of the year by one of the bands in my Holy Trinity of Swedish Music, so there you go.
Emmon - Make It Up (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
"We can make it up, honey"
I posted a track by Emmon (Wake Up Time) to great popularity a few months ago, and when I was in Sweden I was finally able to pick up her full album, The Art And The Evil. It's full of atmospheric electro-pop similar to Wake Up Time, with Make It Up being one of the catchiest tracks. If you're a fan of artists like Bertine Zetlitz and Margaret Berger, or even more pop minded singers like Madonna, you're sure to love this girl. Plus, she's recently done a remix of Melody Club's Fever Fever, one of the best pop songs of the year by one of the bands in my Holy Trinity of Swedish Music, so there you go.
Emmon - Make It Up (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
Lucky Soul - The Great Unwanted
Release Date: April 9, 2007
Label: Vital
There’s been a welcome resurgence of the Phil Spector 60’s sound of late. The Pipettes perfected it with their single Pullshapes, Johnny Boy matured it with the soaring You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve, and now Lucky Soul have contemporized it with their debut, The Great Unwanted.
Earlier singles Lips Are Unhappy and Ain’t Never Been Cool hinted at the greatness of this English band… a sort of Ronettes meets the Cardigans sound that seemed quite unstoppable. Their full length debut is not quite the masterpiece that it first seemed it would be, but it is nonetheless an exercise in fantastic retro pop. Bouncy new single Add Your Light To Mine, Baby opens the album on an uptempo note, followed by the wistful One Kiss Don’t Make A Summer and the pure 60’s bliss of Struck Dumb. The best songs on here, though, are the aforementioned singles, although the pounding title track does come close. Unfortunately, there are also a few missteps. Get Outta Town tries to be much more fun than it is, while It’s Yours and Last Song offer a bit of a snooze-fest as a closer. In other words, the album could benefit from just a little bit of pruning.
Still, the sound is remarkably consistent without becoming tiring and the whole thing sounds like a collection of could-be singles, even though they might have to travel back forty years or so to become real hits. But, if you’re looking for an album to soundtrack your barbeques this summer, you couldn‘t do much better than The Great Unwanted. B
Key Tracks: Lips Are Unhappy, Ain’t Never Been Cool, The Great Unwanted
Release Date: April 9, 2007
Label: Vital
There’s been a welcome resurgence of the Phil Spector 60’s sound of late. The Pipettes perfected it with their single Pullshapes, Johnny Boy matured it with the soaring You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve, and now Lucky Soul have contemporized it with their debut, The Great Unwanted.
Earlier singles Lips Are Unhappy and Ain’t Never Been Cool hinted at the greatness of this English band… a sort of Ronettes meets the Cardigans sound that seemed quite unstoppable. Their full length debut is not quite the masterpiece that it first seemed it would be, but it is nonetheless an exercise in fantastic retro pop. Bouncy new single Add Your Light To Mine, Baby opens the album on an uptempo note, followed by the wistful One Kiss Don’t Make A Summer and the pure 60’s bliss of Struck Dumb. The best songs on here, though, are the aforementioned singles, although the pounding title track does come close. Unfortunately, there are also a few missteps. Get Outta Town tries to be much more fun than it is, while It’s Yours and Last Song offer a bit of a snooze-fest as a closer. In other words, the album could benefit from just a little bit of pruning.
Still, the sound is remarkably consistent without becoming tiring and the whole thing sounds like a collection of could-be singles, even though they might have to travel back forty years or so to become real hits. But, if you’re looking for an album to soundtrack your barbeques this summer, you couldn‘t do much better than The Great Unwanted. B
Key Tracks: Lips Are Unhappy, Ain’t Never Been Cool, The Great Unwanted
Sunday, April 22, 2007
TFF - THE LETTER THAT WAS NEVER SENT
Among the restored/classic/historical films at the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) is the 1959 Russian film The Letter That Was Never Sent (Neotpravlennoye pismo (1959)). Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov with cinematography by Sergei Urusevsky (who is also the assistant director / second unit director), it chronicles a search for diamonds in Siberia.
The style of direction, writing, and cinematography is Russian heroism. These are patriots who will do anything, no matter how difficult or dangerous, to advance Soviet industry and thereby become famous for their historical, important discoveries, through pioneering the wilds of Siberia to discover diamonds.
The style of direction, writing, and cinematography is Russian heroism. These are patriots who will do anything, no matter how difficult or dangerous, to advance Soviet industry and thereby become famous for their historical, important discoveries, through pioneering the wilds of Siberia to discover diamonds.
The beautiful black and white cinematography frames the characters in the most heroic poses, and dramatizes the desolate environment. The directorial set pieces are amazing.
The acting is much more naturalistic than the other elements of the film.
As a footnote to the film, it is ironic to relate the optimism of the characters here, who believe that discovering diamonds will be the seed that spawns a great industrial complex in Siberia, with the despair that Blood Diamond describes as the fate of Sierra Leone because of the discovery of diamonds there.
Sahara Hotnights - What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
Release Date: April 18th, 2007
Label: Universal
For their fourth time out, Sahara Hotnights came at us with an almost completely new sound. The single Cheek To Cheek promised a pop-minded, more dance-conscious side to the group. With its galloping beat and saxophone breakdown, it is the pinnacle of the band’s career so far. And, nothing on their new album, What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing, can match it.
Far from the rockier sound the group has ridden to success in the past, Leaving attempts to show a more mature side. Embracing elements of roots music, country and 80’s pop, most of the songs are interesting experiments for the girls. Opener Visit To Vienna is an unqualified success, a rollicking stomper that sounds like nothing they have ever done yet retains the simple catchiness of their past material. Other tracks are a bit more subdued, which is surprising for a band who used to be so boisterous. And, while everything sounds technically great, there just aren’t enough melodies that really entrench themselves deeply enough to prove memorable. Of the new rootsy sound (which does suit the band surprisingly well), Salty Lips is definitely the standout, a back porch singalong perched somewhere between Pat Benatar and the Dixie Chicks. The record looses a lot of its punch in its final third, though. Puppy and Static are about as boring as their titles, while album closer If Anyone Matters It’s You is Leaving’s most ineffective ballad.
While What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing tries on a new sound for Sahara Hotnights, it also seems to have forgotten that new sounds still require great songs. They’ve got at least three here, Cheek To Cheek being an absolute classic, and the rest comes dangerously close to filler. One can hope that this is just a transitional album and they’ll kick it into high gear next time. C+
Key Tracks: Cheek To Cheek, Visit To Vienna, Salty Lips
Release Date: April 18th, 2007
Label: Universal
For their fourth time out, Sahara Hotnights came at us with an almost completely new sound. The single Cheek To Cheek promised a pop-minded, more dance-conscious side to the group. With its galloping beat and saxophone breakdown, it is the pinnacle of the band’s career so far. And, nothing on their new album, What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing, can match it.
Far from the rockier sound the group has ridden to success in the past, Leaving attempts to show a more mature side. Embracing elements of roots music, country and 80’s pop, most of the songs are interesting experiments for the girls. Opener Visit To Vienna is an unqualified success, a rollicking stomper that sounds like nothing they have ever done yet retains the simple catchiness of their past material. Other tracks are a bit more subdued, which is surprising for a band who used to be so boisterous. And, while everything sounds technically great, there just aren’t enough melodies that really entrench themselves deeply enough to prove memorable. Of the new rootsy sound (which does suit the band surprisingly well), Salty Lips is definitely the standout, a back porch singalong perched somewhere between Pat Benatar and the Dixie Chicks. The record looses a lot of its punch in its final third, though. Puppy and Static are about as boring as their titles, while album closer If Anyone Matters It’s You is Leaving’s most ineffective ballad.
While What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing tries on a new sound for Sahara Hotnights, it also seems to have forgotten that new sounds still require great songs. They’ve got at least three here, Cheek To Cheek being an absolute classic, and the rest comes dangerously close to filler. One can hope that this is just a transitional album and they’ll kick it into high gear next time. C+
Key Tracks: Cheek To Cheek, Visit To Vienna, Salty Lips
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Video Premiere: Scissor Sisters - Kiss You Off
While I would still rather see Might Tell You Tonight as a single, the video to this Ana led track is one of the best off of the album so far. The Sisters described it as their most polished looking clip yet, and they weren't lying. It is very stylish and perfectly put together. I hope this does well for them because I am sick of tracks off of the wonderful Ta-Dah flopping.
Video Premiere: Laakso - Italy vs. Helsinki (ft. Peter Jöback)
This is one of my favorite singles this year so far. It is at once campy/completely over-the-top and beautiful. The video is absolutely fantastic. It's got sailors, crucifixion, flying, choirs... basically everything that you could ever want. It's very funny and also very well done. It may end up being one of my favorite videos of the year as well.
While I would still rather see Might Tell You Tonight as a single, the video to this Ana led track is one of the best off of the album so far. The Sisters described it as their most polished looking clip yet, and they weren't lying. It is very stylish and perfectly put together. I hope this does well for them because I am sick of tracks off of the wonderful Ta-Dah flopping.
Video Premiere: Laakso - Italy vs. Helsinki (ft. Peter Jöback)
This is one of my favorite singles this year so far. It is at once campy/completely over-the-top and beautiful. The video is absolutely fantastic. It's got sailors, crucifixion, flying, choirs... basically everything that you could ever want. It's very funny and also very well done. It may end up being one of my favorite videos of the year as well.
SALEM LUDWIG 1915-2007
Salem Ludwig, an actor, director and teacher died on April 1, 2007 at the age of 91.
He studied at the Actor's Studio, and appeared in dozens & dozens of movies , TV shows and plays, as early as 1947 (actually even earlier -- as a dancer in Sweet Surrender in 1936), and as recently as 2007, in Savages with Laura Linney and Philip Bosco.
He taught acting and directing for many years at the HB Studio. Until very recently he was still climbing, with no complaints!, to his third floor classroom. He was a gentle man who gave strong and clear directions. (He also had strong political opinions and was blacklisted for years at what should have been the center of his career.)
I took several classes with him, both acting and directing, and always came away with useful information and, somehow, a feeling of encouragement and progress.
A terrific description can be found (NY Times registration may be needed for access) in Alvin Klein's 1989 review of Broadway Bound, in The New York Times:
"Best of all is Salem Ludwig as Eugene's stubborn, Trotsky-spouting grandfather, Ben, who urges the boys to become political satirists, not just joke machines. With masterful timing, the veteran actor finds the warmth in a man who says: ''I don't trust affection. Sometimes people give it instead of the truth.'' "
He will be missed.
Friday, April 20, 2007
TFF TICKET ALERT! (ACTUALLY 2 ALERTS)
Some events at the Tribeca Film Festival have already sold out!
It's a good idea to get tickets as soon as possible!
But note also (alert #2!) that tickets are honored only up to 30 miniutes before event time. Ticket holders must come at least 30 minutes before show time or the seat may be given away to someone on the wait line! (Good news for the standby line! Bad news for latecomers!)
Evan - Dance With Me
"A reflection of you, and reflection of me"
Time for some unabashed Swedish pop cheese today. I've heard Evan's name volleyed around a bit in the past, with musical comparisons like Erasure. Personally, I would compare his singing more to a goat. I don't think there's a melody out there that this guy wouldn't love to latch his over-the-top vibrato onto. The guy competed in Melodifestivalen, so he's entitled to a little cheese, but he really does push it to the euro pop edge. Under Your Spell, the big single off this album, is a stunning piece of dance pop, though. I'm not going to post that because you can probably find it everywhere. Instead, I'll post the almost-as-stellar (and extremely goat-like) Dance With Me. Surrender to the camp, at least for one day!
Evan - Dance With Me (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
"A reflection of you, and reflection of me"
Time for some unabashed Swedish pop cheese today. I've heard Evan's name volleyed around a bit in the past, with musical comparisons like Erasure. Personally, I would compare his singing more to a goat. I don't think there's a melody out there that this guy wouldn't love to latch his over-the-top vibrato onto. The guy competed in Melodifestivalen, so he's entitled to a little cheese, but he really does push it to the euro pop edge. Under Your Spell, the big single off this album, is a stunning piece of dance pop, though. I'm not going to post that because you can probably find it everywhere. Instead, I'll post the almost-as-stellar (and extremely goat-like) Dance With Me. Surrender to the camp, at least for one day!
Evan - Dance With Me (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
Thursday, April 19, 2007
TFF - THE TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL
Checked in today for my Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) Press Credentials.
This is one mighty festival. There are 157 feature films and 88 shorts, showing between April 25 and May 6. 73 films have their world premiere. Almost all are showing for the first time in New York. Seven important restored or re-discovered films from around the world are being presented.
Films come from 47 different countries. Only Africa seems to be under-represented. Eighteen "narrative" films and 16 documentaries are in competition.
Among the genres represented are a series of midnight features (horror and all that), family films, and sports films.
There are numerous panel discussions and special events. Spider-man gets special treatment. And Julia Stiles has a film that she directed in the shorts program. Many directors will be in attendance, along with celebrity and less well known actors.
The festival was created "in the wake of September 11," by Robert De Niro and others in 2002, largely to help re-vitalize downtown New York. It now does much more than that.
The festival program can be downloaded as a PDF file and printed out. It is one of the best organized festival film programs I've seen.
Video Premiere: The Ark - The Worrying Kind
I was a bit upset that we didn't get a video for Absolutely No Decorum, as the song was just screaming for it, but this brilliant little clip makes up for it. I love everything about this video. I love it's lack of concept... just throwing everything in there. I love the glam elements, the dancers, Adam & Eve... it's just such a fun video and really does show a different side of the band. It's like a Swedish smorgasbord of the tastiest kind. And Ola, of course, is fantastic in it!
I was a bit upset that we didn't get a video for Absolutely No Decorum, as the song was just screaming for it, but this brilliant little clip makes up for it. I love everything about this video. I love it's lack of concept... just throwing everything in there. I love the glam elements, the dancers, Adam & Eve... it's just such a fun video and really does show a different side of the band. It's like a Swedish smorgasbord of the tastiest kind. And Ola, of course, is fantastic in it!
The Lady Kills- Why I Love Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Giles: “Into each generation, a slayer is born. One girl, in all the world, a chosen one. One born with the ...”
Buffy: “… the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of evil, blah blah, I’ve heard it, okay?” – Welcome To The Hellmouth.
I would like to say that this was the biggest incredible scenario of the whole series (which it is though) but what is more incredible is the fact that one of the successful and influential series in our time is the second chance of a preposterously silly film back in 1992 starring Kirsten Swanson, a film so silly that it became a massive flop and something most critics didn’t bother remembering. Cut to March 1997 on the WB and I’ll bet all those memories of said silly film came flooding back. If I had seen the movie before tuning into the series, I certainly wouldn’t have been enthusiastic to have sat through this show. It might be good thing that I didn’t.
The concept is pretty simple – a bright and perky sixteen year old blonde girl named Buffy Summers discovers that her destiny is to slay all kinds of supernatural nasties in an attempt to protect the world while following orders from a group of disciplinarian men called watchers. Her watcher in LA being Merrick, her attempts of doing her slayer role forced her to burn down a gym and get a transfer to Sunnydale as her parents’ marriage collapse.
Damn this girl already has got it hard, so it’s a good job that you’ve got an actress as charismatic and dare I say it, convincing as Sarah Michelle Gellar taking on what is essentially a surprising. This may be fantasy aimed at teenagers but this is show in which the writing was strictly on an adult thinking while successfully giving off the message that teenagers can be flawed and engaging to watch. Again this series succeeded more than it failed.
While the first season of Buffy is easily my least favourite (don’t kill me), it is on the other hand, one of the best debut seasons to any series (Six Feet Under IMO will be remaining at Number 1 for the foreseeable future) and it’s opening episodes “Welcome To The Hellmouth” and “The Harvest” saw convention turned on it’s head in a big way. Instead of a pretty blonde girl in an abandoned school in the middle of the night being a prey for a randy jock, the poor said ending being her snack. That pretty blonde girl being Darla, who when you look back is incredibly influential in the a lot of the series’ vampire based mythology (Angelus, The Master, Spike, Drusilla).
Our main blonde butt kicker Buffy stemmed out of creator Joss Whedon’s love of horror and unabashed sympathy of the blonde girl always getting a grisly ending. Buffy would face a mess load of hardships in the seven TV years we got to know her but in the end she would always come out of top and as a dedicated viewer you would want her too as well. Gellar perfectly played and added lairs to a character that in the hands of inferior writing and casting would have suffered the same fate as the 1992 movie had suffered.
But Gellar was far from the only casting joy on this show. Nope, there was British actor Anthony Stewart as her trustworthy and slightly uptight watcher Rupert Giles (who was more or less Buffy’s surrogate father), Nicholas Brendan as goofy but kind hearted geek Xander Harris, Alyson Hannigan as the meek computer nerd/all mighty powerful Wicca Willow Rosenberg, Charisma Carpenter as the delightfully bitchy Cordelia Chase and David Boreanaz as the dark and mysterious and tortured ensouled vampire Angel.
Throughout Season One I enjoyed learning about Angel’s dark past, Cordelia and her array of caustic putdown, the ongoing saga with The Master and of course, Buffy’s reluctant acceptance of Willow, Xander and Giles as her allies. Instead of being accessories and random people for Buffy to always save, they became part of the reason why she won many of her battle.
The one thing I always loved about Buffy though is the fact while in later years we lost Angel and Cordelia to a spin off for Buffy’s tortured lover and even Oz (werewolf/musician boyfriend of Willow’s for three years and all round nice guy), the show’s constant need to reinvent itself and stay fresh made it even more addictive. I loved Seasons One to Three. I loved the high school angst, the slow break ups and reboots Buffy went through with the Scoobies and her parents, I loved the study of her slayer calling, the introduction of the Watcher Council and darker side of being a slayer as wonderfully demonstrated through Faith but some odd reason, I love Seasons Four to Seven just a little bit.
Why? Probably because it was in those final four years of the series life that I felt the series was really taking risks. The writers went from having Willow into a mousey girl into the most powerful woman in the universe and how sensitively and realistically her relationships with both Tara and Kennedy showed the kind of authentically of same sex relationships that even now many shows consistently get wrong. I liked how Xander did his ample best to mature and be adult. In a lot of ways, him ditching Anya at the altar did show maturity as his fears of turning into his parents did get him to be honest with her. Hell even having Buffy self destruct every once in a while and the series’ history rewritten to justify the presence of sister Dawn had its pros. We may have needed to see Buffy become something of a mentor but it didn’t the series any harm either.
I also liked that this show could do an episode of pure silence (“Hush”), an intriguing and disturbing honest depiction of a personal death (“The Body”) and even a musical episode (“Once More, With Feeling”) with such relish and care. Like many people, I still having trouble understanding this series was constantly denied Emmy accolades. It more than deserved them.
I loved the diverse range of baddies we got too. While the first two seasons delighted us with fantastic vampires such as The Master, Darla, Spike, Drusilla and Angelus, remaining seasons thought more outside the box. Okay while The Initiative and Adam in Season Four along with the nerds, Warren, Andrew and Jonathan in Season Six weren’t as effective as oh say, The Mayor in Season Three, Uber-goddess Glory in Season Five or even The First Evil and Caleb in Season Seven, they still made for more interesting villains in comparison to a lot of other series though.
I got into the series back in 1999. When I was watching it at first, I was a casual viewer but by the time I had seen “Becoming Part 2”, casual fan became obsessive fan and boy, did I have many a person in my school take the piss out of me for being addicted to this series. Back then I didn’t care, now I care even less because this show was so freaking amazing, it’s almost inconceivable to me that anyone would not like it.
Sure there was some flaws and things that griped, mainly poor development for a character like Riley, Tara’s cruel death and the clumsy manner in the way the series tried to incorporate Andrew into the Scoobies and played down Spike’s attempted rape on Buffy but the fact that this show dared to take risks even when they didn’t do them much good is a testament that many other shows can’t brag. Sure during and since Buffy’s exit there has been plenty of shows vying for the Slayer’s mantle but look at the odds. Charmed is/was too monumentally stupid that even comparing to Buffy feels laughable, Alias nearly got there but the last few seasons lagged and Supernatural, although brilliant needs to up the ante so we really made of before it can properly be considered a genuine successor. The only show that has the same kind of feelings that Buffy did for me is the new Doctor Who.
I spent five years watching 144 episodes of sheer and undeniable joy. I spent five years forming an emotional bond to an extraordinary array of fictional and getting animated and engrossed (as well as occasionally creeped out and tearful) of their many, many dilemmas. Buffy was the first, it isn’t the last but it will be the most significant show to have that kind of an impact on me. By the time I saw “Chosen”, I was ready to let this series go, I wasn’t totally happy about it but at least I knew that this was a show that came into the world amazing people like myself and left doing the same thing. Again that is not something you say about many TV series. I want to thank Joss Whedon and everyone involved in this series for actually opening up my mind to what I can and should expect from a television show.
Buffy: “… the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of evil, blah blah, I’ve heard it, okay?” – Welcome To The Hellmouth.
I would like to say that this was the biggest incredible scenario of the whole series (which it is though) but what is more incredible is the fact that one of the successful and influential series in our time is the second chance of a preposterously silly film back in 1992 starring Kirsten Swanson, a film so silly that it became a massive flop and something most critics didn’t bother remembering. Cut to March 1997 on the WB and I’ll bet all those memories of said silly film came flooding back. If I had seen the movie before tuning into the series, I certainly wouldn’t have been enthusiastic to have sat through this show. It might be good thing that I didn’t.
The concept is pretty simple – a bright and perky sixteen year old blonde girl named Buffy Summers discovers that her destiny is to slay all kinds of supernatural nasties in an attempt to protect the world while following orders from a group of disciplinarian men called watchers. Her watcher in LA being Merrick, her attempts of doing her slayer role forced her to burn down a gym and get a transfer to Sunnydale as her parents’ marriage collapse.
Damn this girl already has got it hard, so it’s a good job that you’ve got an actress as charismatic and dare I say it, convincing as Sarah Michelle Gellar taking on what is essentially a surprising. This may be fantasy aimed at teenagers but this is show in which the writing was strictly on an adult thinking while successfully giving off the message that teenagers can be flawed and engaging to watch. Again this series succeeded more than it failed.
While the first season of Buffy is easily my least favourite (don’t kill me), it is on the other hand, one of the best debut seasons to any series (Six Feet Under IMO will be remaining at Number 1 for the foreseeable future) and it’s opening episodes “Welcome To The Hellmouth” and “The Harvest” saw convention turned on it’s head in a big way. Instead of a pretty blonde girl in an abandoned school in the middle of the night being a prey for a randy jock, the poor said ending being her snack. That pretty blonde girl being Darla, who when you look back is incredibly influential in the a lot of the series’ vampire based mythology (Angelus, The Master, Spike, Drusilla).
Our main blonde butt kicker Buffy stemmed out of creator Joss Whedon’s love of horror and unabashed sympathy of the blonde girl always getting a grisly ending. Buffy would face a mess load of hardships in the seven TV years we got to know her but in the end she would always come out of top and as a dedicated viewer you would want her too as well. Gellar perfectly played and added lairs to a character that in the hands of inferior writing and casting would have suffered the same fate as the 1992 movie had suffered.
But Gellar was far from the only casting joy on this show. Nope, there was British actor Anthony Stewart as her trustworthy and slightly uptight watcher Rupert Giles (who was more or less Buffy’s surrogate father), Nicholas Brendan as goofy but kind hearted geek Xander Harris, Alyson Hannigan as the meek computer nerd/all mighty powerful Wicca Willow Rosenberg, Charisma Carpenter as the delightfully bitchy Cordelia Chase and David Boreanaz as the dark and mysterious and tortured ensouled vampire Angel.
Throughout Season One I enjoyed learning about Angel’s dark past, Cordelia and her array of caustic putdown, the ongoing saga with The Master and of course, Buffy’s reluctant acceptance of Willow, Xander and Giles as her allies. Instead of being accessories and random people for Buffy to always save, they became part of the reason why she won many of her battle.
The one thing I always loved about Buffy though is the fact while in later years we lost Angel and Cordelia to a spin off for Buffy’s tortured lover and even Oz (werewolf/musician boyfriend of Willow’s for three years and all round nice guy), the show’s constant need to reinvent itself and stay fresh made it even more addictive. I loved Seasons One to Three. I loved the high school angst, the slow break ups and reboots Buffy went through with the Scoobies and her parents, I loved the study of her slayer calling, the introduction of the Watcher Council and darker side of being a slayer as wonderfully demonstrated through Faith but some odd reason, I love Seasons Four to Seven just a little bit.
Why? Probably because it was in those final four years of the series life that I felt the series was really taking risks. The writers went from having Willow into a mousey girl into the most powerful woman in the universe and how sensitively and realistically her relationships with both Tara and Kennedy showed the kind of authentically of same sex relationships that even now many shows consistently get wrong. I liked how Xander did his ample best to mature and be adult. In a lot of ways, him ditching Anya at the altar did show maturity as his fears of turning into his parents did get him to be honest with her. Hell even having Buffy self destruct every once in a while and the series’ history rewritten to justify the presence of sister Dawn had its pros. We may have needed to see Buffy become something of a mentor but it didn’t the series any harm either.
I also liked that this show could do an episode of pure silence (“Hush”), an intriguing and disturbing honest depiction of a personal death (“The Body”) and even a musical episode (“Once More, With Feeling”) with such relish and care. Like many people, I still having trouble understanding this series was constantly denied Emmy accolades. It more than deserved them.
I loved the diverse range of baddies we got too. While the first two seasons delighted us with fantastic vampires such as The Master, Darla, Spike, Drusilla and Angelus, remaining seasons thought more outside the box. Okay while The Initiative and Adam in Season Four along with the nerds, Warren, Andrew and Jonathan in Season Six weren’t as effective as oh say, The Mayor in Season Three, Uber-goddess Glory in Season Five or even The First Evil and Caleb in Season Seven, they still made for more interesting villains in comparison to a lot of other series though.
I got into the series back in 1999. When I was watching it at first, I was a casual viewer but by the time I had seen “Becoming Part 2”, casual fan became obsessive fan and boy, did I have many a person in my school take the piss out of me for being addicted to this series. Back then I didn’t care, now I care even less because this show was so freaking amazing, it’s almost inconceivable to me that anyone would not like it.
Sure there was some flaws and things that griped, mainly poor development for a character like Riley, Tara’s cruel death and the clumsy manner in the way the series tried to incorporate Andrew into the Scoobies and played down Spike’s attempted rape on Buffy but the fact that this show dared to take risks even when they didn’t do them much good is a testament that many other shows can’t brag. Sure during and since Buffy’s exit there has been plenty of shows vying for the Slayer’s mantle but look at the odds. Charmed is/was too monumentally stupid that even comparing to Buffy feels laughable, Alias nearly got there but the last few seasons lagged and Supernatural, although brilliant needs to up the ante so we really made of before it can properly be considered a genuine successor. The only show that has the same kind of feelings that Buffy did for me is the new Doctor Who.
I spent five years watching 144 episodes of sheer and undeniable joy. I spent five years forming an emotional bond to an extraordinary array of fictional and getting animated and engrossed (as well as occasionally creeped out and tearful) of their many, many dilemmas. Buffy was the first, it isn’t the last but it will be the most significant show to have that kind of an impact on me. By the time I saw “Chosen”, I was ready to let this series go, I wasn’t totally happy about it but at least I knew that this was a show that came into the world amazing people like myself and left doing the same thing. Again that is not something you say about many TV series. I want to thank Joss Whedon and everyone involved in this series for actually opening up my mind to what I can and should expect from a television show.
Kamera - Talk About
"Talk about love!"
Given that I was just in Stockholm for four days and did some bargain cd shopping, you should expect to hear about some great Swedish bands/artists (both old and new) in the upcoming days. The first band I'm going to highlight is Kamera. I've been wanting to post about them for some time, actually, but I've never been able to get ahold of any of their music before. They've released two albums, and Talk About is from their just released second cd Resurrection. Both albums are bursting with catchy 80's synth pop in the vein of bands like Protocol and Elkland. Both albums are also very good and contain what sound like a lot of potential hits. I chose Talk About, even though it's not a single, because it's got a great 80's synth sound that, to me, actually sounds quite different than what most similarly styled bands are doing right now. There's a soulful edge to it reminiscent of groups like ABC. And, of course, the entirely thing is almost sinfully catchy.
Kamera - Talk About (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
"Talk about love!"
Given that I was just in Stockholm for four days and did some bargain cd shopping, you should expect to hear about some great Swedish bands/artists (both old and new) in the upcoming days. The first band I'm going to highlight is Kamera. I've been wanting to post about them for some time, actually, but I've never been able to get ahold of any of their music before. They've released two albums, and Talk About is from their just released second cd Resurrection. Both albums are bursting with catchy 80's synth pop in the vein of bands like Protocol and Elkland. Both albums are also very good and contain what sound like a lot of potential hits. I chose Talk About, even though it's not a single, because it's got a great 80's synth sound that, to me, actually sounds quite different than what most similarly styled bands are doing right now. There's a soulful edge to it reminiscent of groups like ABC. And, of course, the entirely thing is almost sinfully catchy.
Kamera - Talk About (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
STUDENT FILM CONTEST -- LINCOLN CENTER / HBO
Here, direct from The Film Society of Lincoln Center, is an announcement for a very, very interesting film making contest for students. Submitted films will be viewed by an especially distinguished panel. The winning film will be used as a trailer before screenings at Lincoln Center. The winning filmmaker, in addition to credit for the film, will receive $5,000 and a trip to New York for the film's premiere, at the 2007 New York Film Festival.
"HBO Films and The Film Society of Lincoln Center are holding a nationwide competition that will provide college students with the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to create a trailer to precede film screenings at one of the world’s most important cultural institutions. Winner Will Receive Line Credit, $5,000 and Trip to New York For Trailer Premiere at Film Society’s 45th New York Film Festival in 2007.
"The Film Society of Lincoln Center, which has screened the works of countless legendary filmmakers including Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut and Stanley Kubrick—and which continues to showcase the work of celebrated and emerging filmmakers from all over the world—will premiere the winning work in the Student Trailer Competition at its 45th New York Film Festival, which will take place Sep 28 – Oct 14 at the Time Warner Center’s Rose Hall. The winning trailer will showcase the Film Society of Lincoln Center as well as highlight its major annual festivals, programs and events.
"The winner will receive a check for $5,000 and a trip to New York for the trailer’s premiere, as well as a line credit at the end of the trailer, which will be shown before every Film Society screening for the next two years. HBO Films producers will professionally finish the trailer.
"Judging the entries will be five respected film industry professionals. The panel includes Mira Nair, noted filmmaker and Director of The Namesake, Monsoon Wedding, Kama Sutra and Salaam Bombay, among many other films; Bob Berney, President of Picturehouse and marketing and distribution chief on several successful US film campaigns, including the triple Oscar winner Pan’s Labyrinth, Prairie Home Companion, The Passion of the Christ, Y Tu Mamá También and My Big Fat Greek Wedding; Nelson George, author, music and culture critic, and filmmaker whose film, Life Support, debuted on HBO on March 10th, 2007; Sam Martin, Vice President of Programming for HBO Films; Marian Masone, Managing Director, Festivals and Associate Director of Programming, for the Film Society of Lincoln Center; and Steve Perania, Creative Director who has overseen numerous major and independent film marketing campaigns.
"Chris Smith, then a senior at Brown University, won the inaugural Student Trailer Competition in 2005. His winning entry has preceded every Film Society screening since it debuted at the 2005 New Directors/New Films Festival, and will continue to do so until the premiere of the 2007 winner’s trailer.
"Through creative use of imagery and words in graphic montage or other means, the 60-second trailer should let audiences know they are seeing a presentation of The Film Society of Lincoln Center. The winning entry will be the one that best conveys the Film Society’s core image and mission, touches upon its major offerings, signals ways to learn more and get involved, and credit its underwriter and creator.
"In addition, the trailer should be layered, dynamic and sophisticated. It should implicitly or explicitly convey that the Film Society, a) has been on the cutting-edge of international film exhibition for four decades; b) offers a wide range of highly-popular and critically-acclaimed programs and events; c) annually brings the best in world cinema and international filmmaking talent to New York audiences; and d) is one of the most exciting, innovative and influential cinematheques in the world.
"All entries must be received by May 31, 2007, and should be submitted to Film Society/HBO Films Student Trailer Competition, PO Box 5076, Blair, NE 68009-5076.
"To submit an entry, film students should visit www.filmlinc.com to print and complete both an Official Entry Form and a Competition Release Form. A complete list of the Official Rules is also available on the site.
"About the Film Society of Lincoln Center: The Film Society of Lincoln Center was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international cinema, to recognize and support new directors, and to enhance the awareness, accessibility and understanding of film. "
Kind Of Girl - Slave To Your Charms
"Fall from the sky and take me"
Denmark's Kind Of Girl is on the cusp of greatness. While I have been somewhat underwhelmed by many of their songs, they have a great sound that, despite its familiarity, actually comes across as kind of unique today. The chorus of this track is by far the high point, with a nice punch and lovely harmonies. Lead vocalist Sissel has a beautiful, if understated delivery which fits nicely with the gentle pop that this band produces. This is the kind of music that will not offend anybody, for sure. But, once in awhile that kind of sound is quite welcome.
Kind Of Girl - Slave To Your Charms (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Download more for free here)
"Fall from the sky and take me"
Denmark's Kind Of Girl is on the cusp of greatness. While I have been somewhat underwhelmed by many of their songs, they have a great sound that, despite its familiarity, actually comes across as kind of unique today. The chorus of this track is by far the high point, with a nice punch and lovely harmonies. Lead vocalist Sissel has a beautiful, if understated delivery which fits nicely with the gentle pop that this band produces. This is the kind of music that will not offend anybody, for sure. But, once in awhile that kind of sound is quite welcome.
Kind Of Girl - Slave To Your Charms (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Download more for free here)
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
QUICK FLICK WORLD LABYRINTH
If you are up for the challenge of making a short film in a week or two,
Quick Flick World's current month's theme is "Labyrinth" (with optional parameter "Loop"). Films (in NY) are due on May 5 (Derby Day!) and the screening party is (currently) scheduled for May 9 at MonkeyTown in Brooklyn, New York, with other parties in London, Sao Paulo, Berlin, Barcelona, Mexico DF, Buenos Aires, Mumbai, Beijing and Tokyo.
Participation is free. Some selected films may be screened at other parties around the world and featured on the website. Film must be 3 minutes or less. AVI MOV DV-NTSC. Check with the curators for exact specs.
Note: The location for the preliminary get-together where films will be submitted has not been announced; and information on the website may not be correct . Even the screening party is subject to change at the last moment. CHECK WITH THE CURATORS for exact information before the submission date and screening party!
Monkey Town -- 58 North 3rd St, btwn Kent + Wythe, Williamsburg, NYC
Neon Plastix - On Fire
"I'm on fire, flying fast, flying high"
With a name like Neon Plastix, I knew I'd love them even before my first listen. This young UK band churns out angular, disco-infused indie rock that is not unlike much of the UK's current output. Nonetheless, it still sounds great. On Fire, particularly, is a hit in waiting. All frantic synthesizers and persistant beats. The best part, though, is actually the instrumental breakdown towards the end. Utilizing the keyboards to their full extent, it's pure bliss. There is so much of this genre out on the market right now, which makes it all the more refreshing when a band comes along and sounds like they're actually having a good time. Plus, I love their promo pics.
Neon Plastix - On Fire (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the single here)
"I'm on fire, flying fast, flying high"
With a name like Neon Plastix, I knew I'd love them even before my first listen. This young UK band churns out angular, disco-infused indie rock that is not unlike much of the UK's current output. Nonetheless, it still sounds great. On Fire, particularly, is a hit in waiting. All frantic synthesizers and persistant beats. The best part, though, is actually the instrumental breakdown towards the end. Utilizing the keyboards to their full extent, it's pure bliss. There is so much of this genre out on the market right now, which makes it all the more refreshing when a band comes along and sounds like they're actually having a good time. Plus, I love their promo pics.
Neon Plastix - On Fire (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the single here)
Monday, April 16, 2007
The Dignity Of Labour - XRV
"Into the place where truth and sin collide"
I've got some straight ahead synth pop for you today. The Dignity Of Labour has a very... well, dignified sound. Their music is the kind of uber fashionable stuff that would sound good in almost any situation, though it'll probably never be played on the radio or produce any sizable hits. XRV, despite its underwhelming title, is a gorgeous slice of stately pop music that, while it might not bowl you over at first, definitely improves upon each listen. The group has been together since the 80's and have many releases under their belt, so if you like this kind of stuff, check out their catalog.
The Dignity Of Labour - XRV (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
"Into the place where truth and sin collide"
I've got some straight ahead synth pop for you today. The Dignity Of Labour has a very... well, dignified sound. Their music is the kind of uber fashionable stuff that would sound good in almost any situation, though it'll probably never be played on the radio or produce any sizable hits. XRV, despite its underwhelming title, is a gorgeous slice of stately pop music that, while it might not bowl you over at first, definitely improves upon each listen. The group has been together since the 80's and have many releases under their belt, so if you like this kind of stuff, check out their catalog.
The Dignity Of Labour - XRV (mp3) (zshare)
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)
THE KREUTZER SONATA (BEETHOVEN, TOLSTOY)
A recent program note from a concert at Carnegie Hall that included Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata, claimed that "... this music, of an intensity rare even for Beethoven, formed the basis for Tolstoy's novella about a passionate, adulterous love affair between a violinist and a pianist."
Seemed like it would enrich my appreciation of the music! ... so I decided to read the story.
I discovered the program note is completely wrong about the subject of the Tolstoy novella, "The Kreutzer Sonata". In fact, Tolstoy's story is about a hateful, jealous, narrow-minded, delusional, paranoid man who suspects -- imagines -- his wife (an amateur pianist) is having an affair with a (semi-professional) violinist who has played a few times with her, and performed (at the husband's request) a private concert where they played the Kreutzer Sonata, among other pieces. There was no affair. There was no passionate love.
Rather than casting a glow of love, this story spins a web of hate. It should definitely not be read to illuminate and enhance the music.
It may be read, however, to provide insight into murderous pathology. It is a fierce and uncompromising story.
DRIVE
Drive, the new show on Fox about an illegal, cross country, $32M & you get your wife back, cross country road race, doesn't make much sense, and has a bumpy narrative flow, but it has a lot of attractive characters and cheerful energy. It also has a vicious tease. One character is given a gun and asked to remove another character from the car in which she's riding. (We all know what that means!) Well, it turns out all she needs to do is move the character into her own car and everybody's happy. But there are other, frequent intimations that this is (a story about) a real reality contest/show in which winning is everything and murder is not just tolerated, it's actually, often actively, encouraged.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Versatile With New Recording Artist Maureen McShane
Recording Artist Maureen McShane
Verastile hanging with Maureen McShane in the New Lamborghini
Versatile with Lamborghini Model
For more information visit Versitile Records
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