Concerts and Films (Again)
I've got some time to make up here. Two weeks ago, I went to three concerts, luckily right here in Portland, two of them were at a very small venue, Longfellow Center, which is right around the corner from my apartment. The first show was a new discovery for me, a Canadian folk artist that goes by the name The Weather Station. They were great. It was a rather mellow set, but that kind of lends itself to the venue. There were probably less than 50 people there, too, which made it feel nice and intimate. She is definitely an artist to check out.
And then, a couple of days later, I was lucky enough to see Wilco at the State Theatre, here in Portland. I cannot believe I've never seen them, because their live album "Kicking Television" is probably one of my favorite live albums. I'm sure I've had chances, but I've somehow missed them each time they've come around. I did get the chance to see Jeff Tweedy perform for free a couple of summers ago at L.L. Bean (which was awesome). The band, this time, though, is touring to promote their newly released album "Star Wars" which they played in its entirety. It was a great show, with lots of energy and rocking (even though they could technically be consider "dad, folk rock."
And then, finally on Friday night, I went back to Longfellow Center for an artist I've had a crush on for years, ever since I got her first album. Sonya Kitchell. It had been awhile since she'd released a new album, until this year and it was great that she thought to come to Portland, ME. A local artist who is just as equally talented, Sara Hailie Richardson, opened for her, as well. It was a great night.
Check out Sonya Kitchell. You won't be disappointed.
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"Room"
starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Joan Allen, William H. Macy
written by: Emma Donoghue
directed by: Lenny Abrahamson
This is a hard film to talk about with anyone who has not seen it (or read the book, for that matter), because you don't want to give anything away, except to say "Please, for the love of God, go see this movie so we can discuss it."
It is perhaps one of the most thrilling, absorbing, emotionally anguishing films I've seen in a very long time. I will not lie- I teared up several times throughout the film, but especially towards the last act of the film, because that's when things really heat up, emotionally.
What sells and owns this film are the performances by Brie Larson (playing a character called Ma, even though we find out later that she does have an actual name) and Jacob Tremblay (playing her 5 year old son, Jack) in performances that are so unforgettable, for both, but particularly the young boy, because just wow!
Jack (Tremblay) lives with Ma (Larson) in Room (no “the”), which is the only place on Earth the 5-year-old has ever known. Room is a spare and dingy toolshed supplied with nothing more than life’s essentials (a single bed where they both sleep, a toilet, dilapidated fridge, ancient TV, and unreachable skylight) where Jack and Ma go through their daily regimen of washing, exercising, reading, eating, etc. At night, Jack is sent to the closet when a man they call Old Nick (Bridgers) unlocks the keypad that keeps Room shuttered tight, and he proceeds to make loud and strange noises with Ma on the creaky bed.
We don't really know exactly what breaks her, but Ma gets the idea finally to attempt to escape, with Jack ultimately being their only hope.
Jack knows of no world outside of Room, and all the inanimate objects within are his friends and playmates. “Good morning, rug”; “good morning, table,” he cheerfully greets each object daily. As the film opens, Ma and Jack are celebrating his fifth birthday, and Ma decides that he’s now old enough to learn about the world outside of Room. She tells him she was “stolen” by Old Nick when she was 17, and then Jack entered her life two years later. Viewers can understand what Jack cannot: the horrible truth of her abduction and captivity, and that there are other human beings and animals in a world that is real and not some imaginary images they see on TV.
This piece of the film really tackles what it's like to be an innocent child, with ultimately nothing to support your ideas and concepts of what is real other than your own experiences and beliefs, as well as what your parents tell you. I looked at this whole part of the film (Jack as a simple, innocent, naive, and yet emotional stung little boy, trapped without really knowing the truth) as very fascinating.
And the second half of the film brings more characters as the story presents more about the psychological dimensions of the two main characters, mother and son, and how they approach the "new" world around them.
Do yourself a tremendous favor and watch this film. But bring the tissues.
.....................................................................................
"Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
starring: Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Kenny Chin, Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Jeremy Shamos, Andrea Riseborough, Katherine O'Sullivan, Damian Young, Edward Norton
written and directed by: Alejandro Gonzalez Irraitu
Okay. It took me over a year to see "Birdman" after it won the Academy Award for Best picture, as well as Best Director (among other awards). And, truth be told, I watched this film a little over a month ago and I think I finally understand it. It is certainly an interesting and thought-provoking film, but I was stuck wondering, is it being serious or is it being funny? It's a comedy (or errors and circumstances, I suppose).
Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton), a has-been Hollywood star mounting a Broadway play as his comeback vehicle, is visited on the street by the film's costumed title character, a superhero Riggan once played and now hears and sees in hallucinations. Birdman feeds his portrayer lines about how viewers just want action and destruction, not arty stuff like “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” the Raymond Carver short story that Riggan is adapting, directing, and starring in on stage. In a few invigorating moments, Birdman illustrates his point, causing explosions, helicopters, and a giant avian robot to materialize, in a spectacle that, per the film's ambiguous magical realism, hundreds of screaming New Yorkers may or may not actually be seeing. On the most visceral level, this scene is a simple depiction of how bracingly impactful special effects can be when used sparingly, as opposed to being a movie's primary draw. But more importantly, it's the one moment that viewers are allowed to feel for themselves the Hollywood skewering that Birdman constantly spoon-feeds like strained bananas.
This is a serious point and perhaps the titular concept behind the film, as we watch Riggan Thompson attempt to resurrect his career with this play, but nothing seems to be going right. What we have is a film about a day in the life of a has-been action movie star battling internal and external conflicts he faces while trying to singlehandedly bring a play to Broadway for his own selfish reasons. Director and co-writer Inarritu uses Broadway (rather cliche) as the arena for the battle between art versus entertainment. The entertainment side was clearly the only reason people know Riggan Thompson and many could potentially see his move to the stage as an insult to the stage, in fact one critic even tells him that in a brief conversation.
Inarritu allows the audience to feel a part of Riggan Thompson's journey to the stage and feel his internal struggles thanks in large part to the masterful direction. The audience shares Thompson's racing heart rate, especially when he's locked out of the backstage and has to walk around the building and through the crowded, busy streets of New York to get back in. The soundtrack that constantly plays in the background makes you feel like you're sitting in a free-jazz club, listening as the beats and tempo change in accordance with Thompson's mental state as the film progresses and his Broadway debut seems to be falling apart quite rapidly. And then, there's the amazing feat of shooting the film in very long one-shot continuous takes. In all, I believe there were only 7 breaks from shot-to-shot. This makes the film flow really well and allows the audience to almost literally be swept up by what's happening.
It takes awhile to digest it, but this is a great film and worth watching, as long as you know what you're getting yourself into, because I certainly was expecting something completely different, yet when it ended I felt satisfied, except I did not exactly know why!
And then, a couple of days later, I was lucky enough to see Wilco at the State Theatre, here in Portland. I cannot believe I've never seen them, because their live album "Kicking Television" is probably one of my favorite live albums. I'm sure I've had chances, but I've somehow missed them each time they've come around. I did get the chance to see Jeff Tweedy perform for free a couple of summers ago at L.L. Bean (which was awesome). The band, this time, though, is touring to promote their newly released album "Star Wars" which they played in its entirety. It was a great show, with lots of energy and rocking (even though they could technically be consider "dad, folk rock."
- First Set: "Star Wars" Album in its Entirety
- EKG
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- Second Set
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- Encore 1 - electric
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- Encore2 - acoustic
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(Billy Bragg & Wilco cover)
This setlist was incredible and everything I wanted to hear from them.
Check out Sonya Kitchell. You won't be disappointed.
.....................................................................................
"Room"
starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Joan Allen, William H. Macy
written by: Emma Donoghue
directed by: Lenny Abrahamson
This is a hard film to talk about with anyone who has not seen it (or read the book, for that matter), because you don't want to give anything away, except to say "Please, for the love of God, go see this movie so we can discuss it."
It is perhaps one of the most thrilling, absorbing, emotionally anguishing films I've seen in a very long time. I will not lie- I teared up several times throughout the film, but especially towards the last act of the film, because that's when things really heat up, emotionally.
What sells and owns this film are the performances by Brie Larson (playing a character called Ma, even though we find out later that she does have an actual name) and Jacob Tremblay (playing her 5 year old son, Jack) in performances that are so unforgettable, for both, but particularly the young boy, because just wow!
Jack (Tremblay) lives with Ma (Larson) in Room (no “the”), which is the only place on Earth the 5-year-old has ever known. Room is a spare and dingy toolshed supplied with nothing more than life’s essentials (a single bed where they both sleep, a toilet, dilapidated fridge, ancient TV, and unreachable skylight) where Jack and Ma go through their daily regimen of washing, exercising, reading, eating, etc. At night, Jack is sent to the closet when a man they call Old Nick (Bridgers) unlocks the keypad that keeps Room shuttered tight, and he proceeds to make loud and strange noises with Ma on the creaky bed.
We don't really know exactly what breaks her, but Ma gets the idea finally to attempt to escape, with Jack ultimately being their only hope.
Jack knows of no world outside of Room, and all the inanimate objects within are his friends and playmates. “Good morning, rug”; “good morning, table,” he cheerfully greets each object daily. As the film opens, Ma and Jack are celebrating his fifth birthday, and Ma decides that he’s now old enough to learn about the world outside of Room. She tells him she was “stolen” by Old Nick when she was 17, and then Jack entered her life two years later. Viewers can understand what Jack cannot: the horrible truth of her abduction and captivity, and that there are other human beings and animals in a world that is real and not some imaginary images they see on TV.
This piece of the film really tackles what it's like to be an innocent child, with ultimately nothing to support your ideas and concepts of what is real other than your own experiences and beliefs, as well as what your parents tell you. I looked at this whole part of the film (Jack as a simple, innocent, naive, and yet emotional stung little boy, trapped without really knowing the truth) as very fascinating.
And the second half of the film brings more characters as the story presents more about the psychological dimensions of the two main characters, mother and son, and how they approach the "new" world around them.
Do yourself a tremendous favor and watch this film. But bring the tissues.
.....................................................................................
"Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
starring: Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Kenny Chin, Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Jeremy Shamos, Andrea Riseborough, Katherine O'Sullivan, Damian Young, Edward Norton
written and directed by: Alejandro Gonzalez Irraitu
Okay. It took me over a year to see "Birdman" after it won the Academy Award for Best picture, as well as Best Director (among other awards). And, truth be told, I watched this film a little over a month ago and I think I finally understand it. It is certainly an interesting and thought-provoking film, but I was stuck wondering, is it being serious or is it being funny? It's a comedy (or errors and circumstances, I suppose).
Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton), a has-been Hollywood star mounting a Broadway play as his comeback vehicle, is visited on the street by the film's costumed title character, a superhero Riggan once played and now hears and sees in hallucinations. Birdman feeds his portrayer lines about how viewers just want action and destruction, not arty stuff like “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” the Raymond Carver short story that Riggan is adapting, directing, and starring in on stage. In a few invigorating moments, Birdman illustrates his point, causing explosions, helicopters, and a giant avian robot to materialize, in a spectacle that, per the film's ambiguous magical realism, hundreds of screaming New Yorkers may or may not actually be seeing. On the most visceral level, this scene is a simple depiction of how bracingly impactful special effects can be when used sparingly, as opposed to being a movie's primary draw. But more importantly, it's the one moment that viewers are allowed to feel for themselves the Hollywood skewering that Birdman constantly spoon-feeds like strained bananas.
This is a serious point and perhaps the titular concept behind the film, as we watch Riggan Thompson attempt to resurrect his career with this play, but nothing seems to be going right. What we have is a film about a day in the life of a has-been action movie star battling internal and external conflicts he faces while trying to singlehandedly bring a play to Broadway for his own selfish reasons. Director and co-writer Inarritu uses Broadway (rather cliche) as the arena for the battle between art versus entertainment. The entertainment side was clearly the only reason people know Riggan Thompson and many could potentially see his move to the stage as an insult to the stage, in fact one critic even tells him that in a brief conversation.
Inarritu allows the audience to feel a part of Riggan Thompson's journey to the stage and feel his internal struggles thanks in large part to the masterful direction. The audience shares Thompson's racing heart rate, especially when he's locked out of the backstage and has to walk around the building and through the crowded, busy streets of New York to get back in. The soundtrack that constantly plays in the background makes you feel like you're sitting in a free-jazz club, listening as the beats and tempo change in accordance with Thompson's mental state as the film progresses and his Broadway debut seems to be falling apart quite rapidly. And then, there's the amazing feat of shooting the film in very long one-shot continuous takes. In all, I believe there were only 7 breaks from shot-to-shot. This makes the film flow really well and allows the audience to almost literally be swept up by what's happening.
It takes awhile to digest it, but this is a great film and worth watching, as long as you know what you're getting yourself into, because I certainly was expecting something completely different, yet when it ended I felt satisfied, except I did not exactly know why!
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