Director: Milo Forman
Writer: Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski
Starring: Woodie Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton
This film was nowhere near as good I hoped it would be. I had been wanting to see it for several years ever since I studied media regulations
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117318/
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Burn After Reading
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Writer: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring: George Clooney, Frances McDomand, John Malcovich, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt
In the words of one of the CIA agents following the story (and I paraphrase), "call me when it makes sense." Such is the situation we find ourselves in for the entirety of Burn After Reading a tragic comedy that's comically tragic. The story is as strange as you would expect from a Coen Brothers' movie, but that problem is that it has no meaning. At no point during the film do you wonder the impact of any of the actions. It seems to be simply a fly-on-the-wall view of five very strange people.
The closest to a central character is Osbourne Cox (Malcovich) who is fired from his position in the CIA in the opening sequence. This firing sets off a chain reaction of events as we learn his wife (Swinton) is cheating on him with a friend Harry Pfarrer (Clooney) and plans on divorcing him. After going to a law firm and leaving a copy of all financial records in their hands, the lawyer's secretary leaves it at the gym where Chad Feldheimer (Pitt) and Linda Litzke (McDormand) discover it, mistaking it for top secret government information. Naturally, the only thing to do with it is attempt to bribe Osbourne so that Litzke can get money for her plastic surgery and impress the men she meets online, one of them being Pfarrer.
No one character knows the whole of the story surrounding this precarious situation which, from the opening's ominous music, you know will end unhappily for at least one person.
The movie is at times laugh out loud funny and other times not sure whether to laugh or not funny. You get the sense that these people are simply playing a role. It is simply unbelievable that all could be happening in real life. And while it is a movie (and thus did not happen in real life) you are very aware the whole time that it is a movie.
It is certainly not the best Coen Brothers film but it is not without its merits. Clooney's character gets progressively more demented and he plays the part perfectly with expert enunciation and body movement. And the sections that are funny are worth the wait.
I would not categorize this as a bad movie but rather as a mediocre one. I neither recommend it nor shy anyone away from it. It's a fun watch but not a necessity.
Wikipedia - Burn After Reading
IMDB - Burn After Reading
Official Site - Burn After Reading
Writer: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring: George Clooney, Frances McDomand, John Malcovich, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt
In the words of one of the CIA agents following the story (and I paraphrase), "call me when it makes sense." Such is the situation we find ourselves in for the entirety of Burn After Reading a tragic comedy that's comically tragic. The story is as strange as you would expect from a Coen Brothers' movie, but that problem is that it has no meaning. At no point during the film do you wonder the impact of any of the actions. It seems to be simply a fly-on-the-wall view of five very strange people.
The closest to a central character is Osbourne Cox (Malcovich) who is fired from his position in the CIA in the opening sequence. This firing sets off a chain reaction of events as we learn his wife (Swinton) is cheating on him with a friend Harry Pfarrer (Clooney) and plans on divorcing him. After going to a law firm and leaving a copy of all financial records in their hands, the lawyer's secretary leaves it at the gym where Chad Feldheimer (Pitt) and Linda Litzke (McDormand) discover it, mistaking it for top secret government information. Naturally, the only thing to do with it is attempt to bribe Osbourne so that Litzke can get money for her plastic surgery and impress the men she meets online, one of them being Pfarrer.
No one character knows the whole of the story surrounding this precarious situation which, from the opening's ominous music, you know will end unhappily for at least one person.
The movie is at times laugh out loud funny and other times not sure whether to laugh or not funny. You get the sense that these people are simply playing a role. It is simply unbelievable that all could be happening in real life. And while it is a movie (and thus did not happen in real life) you are very aware the whole time that it is a movie.
It is certainly not the best Coen Brothers film but it is not without its merits. Clooney's character gets progressively more demented and he plays the part perfectly with expert enunciation and body movement. And the sections that are funny are worth the wait.
I would not categorize this as a bad movie but rather as a mediocre one. I neither recommend it nor shy anyone away from it. It's a fun watch but not a necessity.
Wikipedia - Burn After Reading
IMDB - Burn After Reading
Official Site - Burn After Reading
Thursday, October 2, 2008
We All Belong - Dr. Dog
Upon first listening to Dr. Dog's second full length album, We All Belong, you are immediately seized with a faint memory of hearing this music before. Has your friend played it for you? Was it on the radio? A bar?
While those answers may be, and should be, "yes," the sensation of familiarity may be caused by the music simply being that good and comfortable. With influences drawn from classic rock (most notably George Harrison) and contemporary musicians, it is no surprise that the songs are at once refreshingly new and easy to fall in love with.
From the percussive beginnings of "Old News" to the melodic ending of "We All Belong," this album is nearly 40 minutes of pure aural bliss. Each song is sufficiently different from every other and sufficiently catchy to make you want to listen again and again. Lyrically the songs can be lacking (as in the beginning of "The Way the Lazy Do") but they make up for it with verses such as "Even gluttons gotta eat / well I ain't weak / but I hunger for your love" from "Keep a Friend."
It's not simply the lyrics or the music that make this album; it's also about how the songs are sung. Scott McMicken and Toby Leaman expertly tap into the emotion and energy that words are capable of portraying on their own, but require that extra vocal skill to make them believable.
The one fault I find happens in the middle. "Weekend" lacks in songwriting and production in all aspects. The lyrics are cliche. None of the instruments sound like they are being played with feeling. Its volume is vastly louder than the other songs. I first heard this album when I downloaded it and it was conveniently missing "Weekend." Maybe the bootlegger knew that it was not worth hearing. When I bought the album I was at once surprised and confused by its inclusion. We All Belong is a much better experience by skipping track six.
Wikipedia - Dr Dog
Allmusic - Dr Dog
While those answers may be, and should be, "yes," the sensation of familiarity may be caused by the music simply being that good and comfortable. With influences drawn from classic rock (most notably George Harrison) and contemporary musicians, it is no surprise that the songs are at once refreshingly new and easy to fall in love with.
From the percussive beginnings of "Old News" to the melodic ending of "We All Belong," this album is nearly 40 minutes of pure aural bliss. Each song is sufficiently different from every other and sufficiently catchy to make you want to listen again and again. Lyrically the songs can be lacking (as in the beginning of "The Way the Lazy Do") but they make up for it with verses such as "Even gluttons gotta eat / well I ain't weak / but I hunger for your love" from "Keep a Friend."
It's not simply the lyrics or the music that make this album; it's also about how the songs are sung. Scott McMicken and Toby Leaman expertly tap into the emotion and energy that words are capable of portraying on their own, but require that extra vocal skill to make them believable.
The one fault I find happens in the middle. "Weekend" lacks in songwriting and production in all aspects. The lyrics are cliche. None of the instruments sound like they are being played with feeling. Its volume is vastly louder than the other songs. I first heard this album when I downloaded it and it was conveniently missing "Weekend." Maybe the bootlegger knew that it was not worth hearing. When I bought the album I was at once surprised and confused by its inclusion. We All Belong is a much better experience by skipping track six.
Wikipedia - Dr Dog
Allmusic - Dr Dog
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)