One Picture and One Song II

Lover Boy -- Billy Ocean

Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray (1970, Italy, Germany, UK) -- from Wrong Side of Art

Why don't movie posters look like this anymore?

2008 Favorites: Films

In both blockbuster and art house venues this has been a great year for film.

Despite what the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards think, I still hold that The Dark Knight is the best movie I saw this year.

You see most movies exist singularly, in a specific sphere and they stick to it. You don't go see, say Transformers for the amazing story, or superb acting; you go to gorge your eyes with special effects and action. Similarly, you don't go see No Country For Old Men or There Will Be Blood for the round house kicks or giant robots, but for the cinematography, the plot twists, character development, and the acting. This is why Nolan's snub for Best Director as well as the snub for Best Picture is so grossly unfortunate, because when you sit down to enjoy The Dark Knight you are able to get the story, cinematography, and acting of art house favorites like No Country for Old Men, as well as the 'biff bam boom' FX and action expected from multi-million dollar blockbusters. This has been done before (Star Wars comes to mind), but it is a rare occurrence, and while I had no delusions that the Caped Crusader's would win for Best Picture, I thought for sure it would have at least been nominated (just as Star Wars was), because FOR SURE it deserves it.

The more I think about it the more flames appear on the side of my face.




I have stepped down off my soap box; I could rant for hours over the brilliance of that film, but I won't.

I have been busy this year and haven't seen as many films as I usually do which I don't think will ever be possible again to see as many as I used to with by new goal of growing the hell up but I still manage to sneak in more than a fair amount. Here are the other films excited me this year in ranked order:







Man on Wire (Easily the second best film of the year)

















Iron Man (all comic book, nay action movies, take heed)














Slumdog Millionaire








The Incredible Hulk
Wall-E
Curious Case of Benjamin Button (though I preferred it when it was about a guy sitting on a bench and running a lot)
Appaloosa
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
The Fall


Many movies are released later over here so I haven't had the chance to see many of the major contenders in the Oscar race, but many are coming out this month so this list may grow soon. I will be seeing Frost/Nixon this week as well as The Wrestler, and Gran Torino.

I am very much wanting to see Synecdoche, New York, and Hunger.

2008 Favorites: Albums

To avoid the convolution of previous years I have decided to break up my 2008 list into segments.

Obviously this bit covers my favorite albums from the last year. I chose this first because it is the most difficult for me; there are not many albums that can keep my finger off the skip button for at least one song, making it then impossible for me to say that it is a favorite album. I have recently realized that this is perhaps too stringent, too annoying. Still, change is hard, and I am lazy; so rut stuck remain.

These are the albums I heard this year that I enjoyed every song:



Nine Inch Nails -- The Slip
sample: 1,000,000

I am not as vocal about my admiration for NIN as I am about my love for, say, all things acoustic, so this choice may surprise some. This of course by no means diminishes the fact that Trent Reznor is a man with few equals in the realm of music.


Mogwai -- The Hawk Is Howling
sample:
Batcat
Danphe and the Brain

Constant. They have a predictable soft-loud-soft-loud pattern, but methinks it will never get old.



Bon Iver -- For Emma, Forever Ago
sample: Flume

ahh, like a cool breeze when you are not cold...and you have some sweat going.





Horse Feathers -- House With No Home
sample: Curs in Weeds

Though not as good as their last album, this one still had me hooked from note one.





Meursault --Pissing On Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues
sample:
Salt Pt.1
A Small Stretch of Land
A Few Kind Words

If it weren't for Mr. Iver, this would be my favorite offering from 2008.



Short list, I know. My next post should be heftier.

Also, I added a new gadget some time ago that will assist in listening to these without having to open up a new window, just hit the play button next to the song and it will start playing the song from this page, and will go right to the next link.

Film Stills

I have recently joined an online group that posts stills from films. I have been spending far too much valuable time sifting through the archives but I feel vindicated as I have found nuggets of nostalgic gold.

I am interested in seeing how well my friends know their films, so I am posting a few of these unearthed nuggets to see of you can guess what movies they belong to. In the interest of fairness, I will try and use movies that I would think that the majority of folks have seen, nothing too obsolete. Or are they?

I will try and choose still with enough clues to be able to figure it out regardless of whether you have seen the movie. But I think for many it will entirely be up to to if you have seen the movie or not.

Some may prove easy. Others, if you're anything like me, will stir a memory and you will KNOW that you know it, but the name just sits in the dark parts of your brain not wanting to come into the light and you will be driven mad. Or, perhaps you will just know them all.

A dollar to anyone who gets them all right.

And by a dollar I of course mean my respect.

































That is probably enough for now. If this proves to be good fun, I think I will do this periodically as I have a massive collection now, and this is all I can think to do with it.

One Picutre and One Song

Start a War by The National

Good and Even Better

Good.
Even better.from here

I Should Be...

....working on furthering my understanding of Scott's the Lay of the Last Minstrel for class in 40 minutes. but I'm clearly not.

I have stumbled upon another bit of honey and have to share. Okkervil River landed on a lot of year end lists last years with The Stage Names and last month they released a new album called The Stand Ins. It's an alight album worthy of a listen, but like their last effort I am sure this will grow on me.

But that's not the point. Here is the point: one of the innovative things Okkervil did to garner steam for this release was to solicit other musicians to perform the songs and submit videos of them which can be found here.

But what is truly blessed is that Bon Iver covered one. Like Midas, all he touches turns gold and what went from being an aright song that felt too long has been pared down and with the help of a classical guitar and untouchable falsetto has been made golden. If there is an MP3 version I can't find it so if you care to hear you'll have to watch the video.



yep.

Lucky

I don't have the slightest idea of when the divergence took place. It wasn't shocking enough or, by any means, hallowed enough an event to be entered into the annals of time, so like the mystery of what Dr. Claw actually looks like, we'll never know. However, there are now two distinct (albeit a blurry distinction) types of web logs: updaters and not updaters. There is nothing wrong with either camp, but there used to be but one.

In the halcyon days of yore the only person I knew with a web log was Joe and he wrote once a month, maybe, mostly maybe not even. Those were simpler times. Less informed and far less connected, but simpler. Simpler is not always better. I enjoy this little neighborhood of friends linked from page to page. It has been great to reconnect with Gillilliland and others while staying connected with James, Joe, Grant, my sisters, and all fine common folk over there on the right. Still, I am not an updater. Lindsey's web log will always be the one to check for daily anecdotes of Scot living. She is the uber Updater. Again, I am not. My posts are sporadic in topic and timeliness and will only grow more so as I delve into my schooling.

However, I have been asked to update my web log with an update on life. So, here is you have it, an update on my new life in the old world:

It is entirely satisfying to be back in the classroom. I can't even tell if my teachers are boring because I like listening to their accents so much I can't help but pay attention.

I have three classes this semester. They meet once a week from Tuesday to Thursday. That may seem like a dream for all the free time, but my professors plan to fill it. In my Walter Scott class alone I am assigned a novel of his a week, starting with Waverley. This say nothing for my Literary Studies class or The Theory of the Novel. the next semester I have 4 classes that also meet once a week and then the last semester is dedicated entirely to writing my dissertation.

Though still largely undecided on what to focus on for my dissertation I think that while here I should delve into the culture I am surrounded by and study 19th century Scottish authors, mostly Sir Walter Scott. I haven't really read much of his but my adviser thinks it impossible to study Scottish writers without studying Scott so I'm giving him a go. I can't even tell you the amount of sweat thinking about what I am going to write my dissertation on brings, it is ugly and not the least bit natural and should be the topic of some scientist's dissertation.

Mostly though, I find myself feeling lucky.

I will try to post when I can, but it will rarely be an "update". It will most likely be about movies, music, video games, comic books, Star Wars, and other nerdery.

Some photos I have taken thus far:

Moss and memory on a flat lying tombstone.

Tree -v- Wall. Tree wins.

River Don

View from Bridge of Balgownie. We live under those pipes in the background

Me on a felled tree

This Has Nothing To Do With Scotland, But......

...............I may have found the best music video of all time. It came out two years ago. This is my normal uptake on all-things-cool, about two years and a bit behind the rest of people keeping track of cool things (Joe, Matt). Regardless, I have now seen glory, and being so blessed feel duty bound to share for any even slower than I.

You see, I don't really watch MTV any more (they don't play videos any more so, i guess we're even) but, still the 90's in me misses those days filled with rockin videos that are so rockin' they are spelled rawkkin'. I want to be transported visually as well as aurally. Mitch (RIP) put it best when he was walking with a friend he said he heard music, Mitch said: "You're not special. That's how I receive it too..." I want to see the music.

Firstly, the song must be to my liking. After that, here is a list of criteria necessary for a video to even be considered for Best Video of My Life it is as follows:

at least one shot of a bird of prey
holograms
a ridiculously fast car, tricked out razor scooter, or motorcycle
cameo by Jean Cleaude Van Dame or Steven Segal (preferably the former)
wild west theme
lasers....and robots
a babe
badass kung fu-ness
a Lone Ranger mask
a babe riding a unicorn
hero with equally heroic mustache
a babe shooting lasers
furious karate chops and swooshing fists

Check the box if you see something in the video that is also on the list....let's see if this sweetness really rawkks.

I present "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse....hold the hell on:


yep, rawk.

No Segal or Van Dame but I still counted 12 out of 13, not bad at all. We have a winner. Best Music Video of My Life.