DVD: Starting Out in the Evening

Starting Out in the Evening is the most captivating, intelligent, and romantic movie I have seen since Richard Linklater's Before Sunset. This quietly stunning film stars Six Feet Under's Lauren Ambrose as Grad student Heather Wolfe, who is writing her thesis on Leonard Schiller (Frank Langella), the reclusive novelist whom she adores.



Being the bookworm that I am, I greatly enjoyed the dialogue revolving around renowned authors and novels. As Langella's character remarks, it's simply refreshing to encounter a young person (even a fictional one) who actually reads. Lauren Ambrose is absolutely charming as the bright and bold Heather, and I believe she may be the most beautiful and talented actress of my generation.

The film also contains a fascinating examination of the painful transition from enthusiast to critic, as well as the tempestuous relationship that exists between critics and artists. The brewing conflict finally comes to the fore during the pivotal scene in which Wolfe voices the unreasonable expectations we as fans often have for the work of our most beloved artists - be they authors, filmmakers, or musicians - and Schiller reacts with the righteous frustration of an artist whose creative freedom and evolving talent has been called into question by a demanding admirer.

The secondary plot involving Schiller's daughter Ariel - played by Lili Taylor of I Shot Andy Warhol and Say Anything - and her rekindled romance with Casey (Adrian Lester of Primary Colors and Love's Labour's Lost) is at first merely a pleasant diversion, as the most mesmeric scenes are those of the two magnificent main characters. But as the central storyline moves painfully toward its conclusion, the dynamic between Ariel and Casey becomes much more compelling.

However, what I love most about this film is the sweet sexual tension that simmers between the brazen young Wolfe and hesitant, weary Schiller. The most sensual scenes possess the subtle artistry of classic films - such as the obvious effect that Wolfe's innocent removal of her boots and subsequent revealing of her ankles has on the aging novelist. I hate to spoil the film for those who haven't seen it yet, but I personally think that the tableau in which Schiller hovers his hand over Wolfe without actually touching her is one of the most erotic and emotional moments in cinematic history. Even the simple act of Schiller taking Heather's hand and touching her hair is full of such graceful passion that the kiss that follows seems anti-climatic.

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2 Days In Paris

I finally saw 2 Days In Paris and I loved it! The film was written, directed, casted, and starred in by French singer-actress Julie Delpy. The vignette is a somewhat similar Euro-American travel dialogue as Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise and Before Sunset (both of which Delpy starred in). However, 2 Days In Paris forgoes dreamily dramatic romance in favor of comically mundane realism. Marion and Jack (Adam Goldberg) are not the endearing lovebirds that Linklater's Celine and Jesse (Ethan Hawk) were, but Delpy's characters are painfully, amusingly authentic and relatable. Especially for those of us that are one half of a transatlantic couple.



French Marion and American Jack spend two anguished days in Paris (hence the name!) visiting her wacky family and enduring awkward encounters with Marion's myriad of ex-lovers. While Goldberg's anxious and sarcastic Jack has garnered comparisons to Woody Allen, it's really Delpy's basket case of a character that more closely resembles the notoriously neurotic director. Though it may be more accurate to say Marion is a modern French version of an Allen character portrayed by Diane Keaton - a composite of Louise Bryant in Reds and the title character from Annie Hall.

I didn't realize while watching it that Delpy's real mother and father play her fictional parents in the film. They are obviously the source of Julie's clever wit. Marie Pillet is charmingly bizarre as her melodramatic mother, who giddily reveals she was once lover to a certain deceased rock icon. Albert Delpy plays Marion's inquisitive and somewhat perverted father who is as susceptible to angry outbursts as he is to maniacal laughter.

Poor Jack is soon subjected to the ridicule of his in-laws over a photograph depicting a certain risqué balloon display. A similar photo and the aforementioned parade of ex-lovers serve as catalyst for the disintegration of Jack and Marion's already strained relationship, as Jack sees Marion in a new, wanton light.

In between the relationship and familial mayhem are several seemingly inconsequential yet extremely hilarious moments. Sexual blunders, personifications of American and European stereotypes, and most entertaining of all is the brief appearance of a very creepy man on a subway platform.

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Right At Your Door

I had not heard of Right At Your Door until my husband found the DVD in our local library's A/V department. It was surprisingly good given the movie's anonymity and relatively unknown cast. It's the first film directed by Chris Gorak, who worked as art director on The Man Who Wasn't There, Fight Club and Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. Rory Cochrane of Empire Records and Mary McCormack of 1408 star as a married couple who face a horrible moral dilemma during a terrorist attack.



Right At Your Door begins with Brad (Cochrane) and Lexi (McCormack) going through the motions of a seemingly mundane, routine morning. Unemployed Brad stays home as Lexi leaves for work in nearby Los Angeles. Brad is later shocked to hear an announcement on the radio that explosions thought to be dirty bombs have gone off in the city.

The frantic husband races around town trying to get to his wife, but is prevented from leaving his neighborhood by police barricades. The radio newscaster warns that a toxic cloud of ash is hovering over the city and that a quarantine is being imposed by the authorities.

Eventually Brad reluctantly returns home and is joined by a stranger who was unable to get to back his own house. Urged by the radio's dire warnings, the two men begin sealing the windows and doors with duct tape and plastic and sit in pained silence as the toxic ash falls from the sky.

Cochrane gives a riveting emotional performance as his character struggles between his own instincts for survival and his love for his wife. The internal conflict intensifies dramatically when Brad's wife Lexi finally makes her way back to the house, coughing from obvious exposure to the unknown chemicals.

It is then that the film shifts from the chaotic panic-filled wake of the terrorist attack into a heart wrenching emotional drama, as Brad ultimately chooses self-preservation over his wife. Unfortunately, the intense emotion begins to wane and the story lags as the two characters wait out the aftermath on opposite sides of a plastic barrier.

The final act picks up the dramatic pace again, though, as a lethal form of martial law is imposed on the city. And there is an awesomely unexpected, outrageous twist at the end.

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Juno

I must add my voice to the chorus of bloggers who love Juno. I finally saw it yesterday, and it lived up to all the hype. I feared I would be annoyed by the stereotypical "indie"-ness of of the film, but that wasn't the case at all. The strength of the script, direction, and acting made the overtly quirky look and soundtrack charming rather than tedious. It all fit together into a surprisingly heartwarming, though unquestionably difficult story.



Juno seemed to be a mix of Freaks & Geeks, Ghost World, Napoleon Dynamite, and Knocked Up. There was even a small nod to My So-Called Life in the brief mention of "Tino". If you've heard anything about the film, you probably already know that Ellen Page plays the pregnant and extremely sarcastic 16 year old title character (who is pretty much a teen version of every character that Janeane Garofalo played in the 1990s) with Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman portraying the prospective adoptive couple.

Indie films rarely play on the big screens in my vicinity, but the critical buzz and casting of hometown darling Jennifer Garner seemed to help this one make it to local cinemas. Garner gives a strong performance in her supporting role, managing to balance the unlikableness of her uptight suburban character with the sympathetic emotion of a woman who yearns deeply for a child of her own. While Bateman has to tackle the opposite spectrum, shifting from a short-leashed husband obsessed with the grunge era into a selfish yet still somewhat empathetic guy who doesn't feel ready for the responsibility of adulthood.

But I must confess that the main reason I wanted to see the film was the hilarious sight of Michael Cera (aka George Michael from Arrested Development) as Bleeker - Ellen's "part-time lover, full-time friend" - in taxi cab yellow shorts and a Loverboy headband. That alone was worth the price of a movie ticket, I tell ya.

There were a lot of great lines in the movie - my two particular favourites being when Juno's father tells her to "find someone who loves you for exactly what you are" and when her stepmom says "someone else is going to find a blessing from Jesus in this garbage dump of a situation". I also liked Juno saying that she really didn't know what kind of girl she is, because I think that summed up her character's struggle throughout the movie. There is an unexpected and subtle theme of morality in the film, and it has nothing to do with how Juno came to be in her condition.

And I could not help but fall in love with a movie that not only uses the music of Kimya Dawson and The Moldy Peaches, but has Juno and Bleeker sing a duet of "Anyone Else But You".

The Terrordactyls (feat. Kimya Dawson) - Devices (mp3)

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Waitress

Waitress is a heartwarming, charming little film starring Keri Russell (Felicity, August Rush), Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Desperate Housewives), Jeremy Sisto (Six Feet Under), and director Adrienne Shelly, who was tragically murdered shortly before the film's release. Waitress didn't make it to any of my pathetic local cinemas (neither did Once) , so I had to wait until its DVD release this week to see it. I feared the prolonged anticipation would diminish my enjoyment of the movie, but it more than lived up to the hype.



Russell stars as the unhappily pregnant waitress Jenna, who bakes deliciously bizarre pies, dreams of escaping her abusive husband Earl (played by Sisto), and begins a torrid affair with her nervous gynecologist Dr. Pomatter (Fillion). Though there are some dark moments - particularly the scenes with the atrocious Earl - the overall tone is light, hopeful, and very amusing.

The quirky supporting characters are almost as engaging as the delightful banter and romance of Jenna and Dr. Pomatter. There's Andy Griffith as the lovable curmudgeon Joe, Cheryl Hines as the wisecracking blonde waitress Becky, and director Adrienne Shelly as the adorably awkward Dawn. But the real scene stealer is Eddie Jemison as Ogie, the spontaneous poetry spouting "stalker elf".

It was so refreshing to watch this film. Lately, I've become as tired of stereotypically depressing "indie" movies as I have of stereotypically depressing "indie" music. Waitress isn't completely detached from reality, but it possesses the kind of dreamy optimism that so many people loved about Amelie.

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Soundtrack: Once

Once is an independent film that stars and features music by Glen Hansard of The Frames as well as co-star Marketa Irglova. Hansard produced the soundtrack, which is every bit as well-arranged and moving as his band's music. As I said in my review of The Frames' The Cost, Hansard has become my favourite contemporary male singer-songwriter. His lyrics are deeply poetic, his music is heart-wrenchingly lovely, and his beautifully raw voice conveys emotion as if the man were literally ripping his own chest open as he sings. Marketa Irglova's vocal and piano contributions to the soundtrack accomplish the outstanding feat of making Hansard's music even more poignant and pretty than usual. Many of the soundtrack's songs were originally featured on Hansard and Irglova's collaboratory album The Swell Season, which seems to have served as inspiration for the film's music.



As impossible as it seems, Hansard's vocals seem even more plaintive on this soundtrack than on his own band's albums. Marketa Irglova's sweet harmony vocals and piano lend the songs a bittersweet romantic feeling - particularly on "Lies", which she co-wrote with Hansard. The tune holds more sexual tension and heartbreak between Hansard's and Irglova's characters than any movie dialogue ever could.

Marketa Irglova's angelic voice takes the spotlight on the haunting "If You Want Me" and "The Hill", which are her own original songs. Several other tracks - such as the acoustic "All The Way Down" - shine a flattering light on the solitary melancholia of Hansard's character. I suspect Hansard's humorous "Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy" will make more sense once I've seen the movie (alas, it seems I'll have to wait until the DVD is released), but I still enjoy it.

There are a number of instrumental cameos by other members of The Frames. The entire band supplies Barbershop harmonies to "Fallen From The Sky", but the band's sound is most apparent on "Trying To Pull Myself Away".

"Falling Slowly" - which is another product of the co-stars' shared songpen - and "When Your Mind's Made Up" were also featured on The Cost, but here are performed as duets between Hansard and Irglova. Though The Frames can do no wrong in my book, I have to say I prefer the stripped down soundtrack versions. The strings in this arrangement of "Falling Slowly" give the song a stirring, cinematic quality.

I was not granted permission to share an mp3, but the following are audio streams from the soundtrack...

Glen Hansard & Marketa Iglova - Falling Slowly (streaming audio)
Marketa Iglova - If You Want Me (streaming audio)
Glen Hansard & Marketa Iglova - When Your Mind's Made Up (streaming audio)

Once Official Site
Once on MySpace
Once Movie Trailer
The Frames Official Site

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Tenacious D: The Pick Of Destiny DVD

Yes, I'm going to review Tenacious D's The Pick Of Destiny DVD. Why? Because 1) I rented it this weekend and liked it, 2) I'm a longtime fan of both Tenacious D and Jack Black, 3) I can never get enough hair metal, and 4) I loved Spinal Tap and even though The Pick Of Destiny isn't nearly as good as Spinal Tap was (more like Zoolander or Wayne's World), it's still pretty good if you like any of the above.



True, there are some Dumb or Dumber moments in The Pick Of Destiny. So many that one day I'll probably be embarrassed that I posted this review. But overall the movie is quite funny, and the music is especially good for fans of Tenacious D or hair metal bands. I qualify for both categories there. Jack Black hits notes that would make The Darkness turn green with envy.

The Pick Of Destiny was directed by Liam Lynch ("The United States Of Whatever") and tells the fictional history of Tenacious D. It's worth watching simply for the opening scenes, which feature singing cameos by Meat Loaf as a religious conservative and Ronny James Dio as a rock poster come to life. There's also the training sequence that deconstructs such hair metal singer trademarks as "the power slide" (sliding across the stage on your knees) and taking a glass bottle to the head while performing.

The movie also has a brief homage to A Clockwork Orange, and hilarious cameos by Ben Stiller, Tim Robbins, Amy Adams (Junebug, Talladega Nights), Saturday Night Live's Amy Poehler and Fred Armistead, and an almost unrecognizable Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) as The Devil.

Tenacious D Official Site

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Richie Havens

Last month I caught a rerun of the Peter, Paul, & Mary reunion/concert program Carry It On: A Musical Legacy on PBS. The segment I watched featured a duet of "The Great Mandala (The Wheel of Life)" by Peter Marrow and special guest Richie Havens, and thus this post was inspired. Below is a ridiculously large amount of biographical information on Richie Havens, followed by some mp3s and links. Enjoy!

Richie Havens (a.k.a. Richard P. Havens) is best known as the performer who opened the original Woodstock festival in 1969. But that is just one facet of his long, respected career and interesting life story. Among his many talents and tasks, Havens is a singer, musician, composer, poet, painter, traveller, and activist.

Havens was born and raised in the post-WWII era in the Brooklyn area of New York. His maternal grandparents were immigrants from the British colonies in the Carribean, while his paternal grandfather was a Blackfoot Native American who travelled the country with Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show. His father worked as a table maker, and was also a jazz pianist. His mother was a bookbinder who had five other children. The biggest influence in Richie's childhood seems to have been his maternal grandmother, who educated him on various styles of music - everything from Jewish folk songs to Irish ballads to her native Carribean island music.

Richie grew up in a culturally diverse neighborhood that exploded into gang violence in the 1950s. As a teen, he helped rival street gangs work on their vocal harmonies for their respective doo-wop groups in exchange for his own protection. Eventually, he assembled his own doo-wop group with some close friends. The group was relatively successful and were actually offered a record deal - turned down because the father of one band member was a fundamentalist minister who objected to their "devil music". The band was part of the so-called "beatnik" movement in Greenwich Village, but broke up when the lead singer developed a heroin habit.

After the group disbanded, Havens continued working on his own music and poetry. He delved into the Greenwich Village club scene that soon spawned such great performers as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Odetta, Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, Pete Seeger, Jimi Hendrix, Mama Cass Elliot, and Peter, Paul, & Mary.

With the encouragement of that creatively free environment, Havens soon developed his own method of guitar playing that he calls "open tuning bar chord". I thought about trying to describe it, but I barely understand it myself since I'm not a musician. It sounds cool, though! Up until that time in his solo career, Richie had only performed poetry readings on stage. His relaxed new style of playing finally gave him the courage and motivation to do a solo set on stage during a "hoote-nanny night".

After that, his music career gradually progressed as he played the clubs and coffeehouses of the Village. One night, Richie Havens brought Bob Dylan to tears with his cover of "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall". At the time, Havens had no idea that Dylan had written the song himself - he'd picked up the tune from another singer.

Havens names Nina Simone as his biggest vocal and musical influence, and it shows/sounds in his music. His voice has a similiarly deep, smoke-tinged timbre that makes each note resonate. He actually toured and performed with Nina in the 1960s after she requested to meet him. She was one of many of his famous fans.

Another of his fans was Elvis, one of several great performers (Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, etc.) that Havens watched fall victim to what he calls "show business disease". Richie found Hendrix playing with some unknown band and pointed him to the Village scene, ultimately kickstarting Jimi's career.

Havens signed his first record deal in 1963, but the demo that followed enjoyed little success due to lack of promotion. Soon after that, he met two musicians named Deano & Nataga. The three men would form a trio that still perform together today.

His musical career was really cemented with his second studio album, Mixed Bag. The album featured a wide range of musical styles including blues, jazz, rock, and folk. After that album, he appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson several times before finally landing on the Woodstock stage.

In 1966, Havens performed in an off-off-Broadway play called Bohickee Creek with James Earl Jones. Jones wrote the forward of Havens' autobiographical book, They Can't Hide Us Anymore - the title came from Richie's opening statement at Woodstock: "We finally made it... they'll never be able to hide us again."

Richie Havens is the first name on the memorial marker that stands on the site of the original Woodstock festival. He was the first performer on that stage in '69. He performed without a setlist, playing whatever felt right to him at the moment. He began with "Minstrel From Gault" and ended three hours later with "Freedom". He composed "Freedom" on the spot on the Woodstock stage, modifying it from the spiritual "I Feel Like a Motherless Child".

During the making of his third album -- a double record titled 1983, an allusion to George Orwell's 1984 -- that same year, Havens started his own label. He named the new label Stormy Forest Records and would release most of his latter albums on it.

His 1987 foray into pop music, Simple Things, sounds like a mid-80s Peter Gabriel record. On some of the songs, I mean that as a compliment. On others, not so much. Still, Havens has the kind of voice that can overcome even the most mediocre of songs. And fortunately, the rest of the Richie Havens catalogue more than makes up for that one pop album. Most of his music shares the cross-cultural sound of the Mixed Bag album - a combination of folk, jazz, Carribean and Middle Eastern elements.

In addition to making music and art, Havens has spent the past few decades working as a peace and environmental activist. He co-runs the North Wind Undersea Institute for children.

I could go on and on with tidbits from his life, song descriptions, and general gushing about his voice and career. But instead, I'll recommend that you pick up a few of his albums and read his book, They Can't Hide Us Anymore. I really wanted to share the Havens version of "The Great Mandala", but despite much searching I couldn't find an mp3 of it. So instead I'll share a couple of other favourites. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

2 Richie Haven Mp3s (click for download page)

Richie Havens Official Site
Wikipedia Page

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The Dresden Dolls in Paradise DVD

Finally! I now have my own personal copies of The Dresden Dolls DVD, Paradise, and their new album, Yes, Virginia. I'm still absorbing the new album and tinkering with my review, so this post will just cover the DVD.

If you're completely unfamiliar with The Dresden Dolls and want to know their history and such, check out their page on Wikipedia or the plethora of links provided below.

I don't usually enjoy music and/or concert DVDs all that much. The only others that I actually own came free with special edition cds, and have been collecting dust since their initial viewings. So despite my somewhat obsessive love of The Dresden Dolls, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Paradise. But enjoy it I did. Very much.

The DVD begins with a mini-documentary titled "A Day in the Life". It was shot Real World style, with handheld cameras following bandmates Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione literally from the time they get out of bed until they take the stage that evening at the Paradise club in Boston.

The beginning of "A Day in the Life" is a bit lackluster as we follow Amanda and Brian through their morning routines. But as showtime nears, it becomes increasing more interesting as Amanda reveals small glimpses into her personality, warms up her singing voice, Brian discovers his drums are missing, we see a dramatic sock-puppet reenactment of the solution, and we're introduced to a few members of The Brigade.

Next up on the DVD is the pre-show, which includes some interpretive dance performances by members of The Brigade and an interview of the band by Christopher Lydon. Lydon was the host of The Connection on NPR and the subject of The Dresden Dolls song "Christopher Lydon". The interview includes some flirtation between Lydon and Amanda, and a q&a session with audience members, during which Amanda reveals that her biggest piano playing inspiration was Thelonious Monk.

Then the concert. Amanda and Brian, clad in their trademark mime makeup and garb, seem to attack their instruments more than actually play them. In a good way. My husband made the comment that he didn't know two people could make so much noise on their own. The Dresen Dolls at their best can make The White Stripes seem like easy listening, somehow transforming a solitary keyboard and drum set into a full punk orchestra. Especially impressive were their thunderously awesome cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" and their charming duet of Carole King's "Pierre", which includes sadly rare vocals from Brian.

The setlist was as follows:

Good Day
Missed Me
War Pigs
Perfect Fit
Christopher Lydon
Bad Habit
Half Jack
Girl Anachronism
Pierre
Truce

DD Official Site
DD MySpace
Amanda's Diary
DD Forum
Automatic Joy (archive of live mp3s)

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