Avatar

Now, if you want to read something really clever and incisive about James Cameron's Avatar, then read this NYT piece by Adam Cohen about how the 3D medium helps the viewer to enter the world of, and thus sympathize with, the Na'vi. Otherwise...

I was completely oblivious to the hype surrounding Avatar. I've managed, somehow, to avoid seeing any sort of movie previews ever, since the only thing I watch on TV now is basketball and the news (traffic) -- for whatever reason, they don't play movie previews on TSN, TSN2, The Score, NBA TV or CP24.

So, without any sort of bias or expectation going in, I was a blank slate. I didn't really know what to expect, though, given that it was a James Cameron movie, I probably should've expected something epic, or at least something trying to be epic. Cameron, as you may have heard over the past few weeks, was responsible for Aliens, Terminator, Titanic (and also, Aquaman). Of course, as you may have heard via the media, or some type of social media, Avatar definitely managed to be an epic experience and then some.

My impression is that most people viewed Avatar (3D) as an experience, one that should not be missed, and one that you're going to tell your (real, or hypothetical future) kids about. If you haven't seen it, go see it, but don't be an idiot see the regular 2D version 'cause it's cheaper (though I should talk since my Dad paid).

If I have a problem with the film it's all the unrealized thematic material that was left unexplored. There was a vague attempt to cultivate a sort of imperialist vs. natives storyline, but that was never fully actualized, and in the end the movie didn't really say anything. Cameron's take seems to be: nature and people in touch w/ nature = good, and people out of touch w/ nature = bad. But there's nothing more complex than that, no attempt to justify the human's conquest to unearth the super-valuable rock underneath 'HomeTree', and the human/military/mining characters are all two dimensional to have any reason for doing what they're doing.

I guess it's just that there's so much potential ground for them to cover in the movie: the avatar in/out body experience, the idea of (human)being vs. nature, "othering" as a justification for genocide, and so on. That said, I feel like there are two very strong mitigating factors for the film missing out on any real deep sort of thematic exploration of, really, anything: 1) much of the unrealized thematic material is only possible b/c the visual elements of the movie were so well done, i.e. the film is so strong in that area it allows for alot of really interesting possibilities; and 2) complaining about a lack of thematic depth in a James Cameron movie kind of feels like complaining that LeBron James hasn't kicked many field goals lately. So, for all the people who were upset that this wasn't Remains of the Day or something, you probably walked in the wrong theatre.

In sum, if you haven't seen Avatar in 3D yet, go, it's cool to look at.

The Invention of Lying

Ricky Gervais is a very funny dude, but, given that he appeared -- possibly even starred in -- a movie called Ghost Town that looked positively putrid, I had pretty low expectations for The Invention of Lying. I mean, the Rom-Com genre tends to castrate the funniest of funny comedians, see: Rock, Chris... look at his filmography, ugh. Why The Invention of Lying you ask? Well, it was on at the right time and a certain someone, let's call her E.Lizardbreath for anonymity's sake, didn't want to go to a late, late, movie b/c she had to work in the morning.

Surprisingly, however, the movie was pretty good for a Rom-Com. A good date movie for sure.

The premise of the film is pretty self explanitory, there's a world where there is no deceit, deception, or evading the truth, and Ricky G. figures out that he can say things that are not true. This, I think, is a pretty interesting concept that was actually discussed on a Bill Simmons Podcast not too long ago: take a lot of the things we take for granted, writing, for example. Imagine the first guy, or conceivably gal, to say maybe I should take this rock and scratch this other rock (or whatever) and make some type of mark so I can remember (some important thing). It's pretty incredible, if you think about it.

At any rate, the film derives some pretty hilarious moments from both the blunt -- "you are short and fat and have a snub nose", and the ridiculous "we need to have sex or the world's going to end", but also the observational humour and the way that we sugar coat or tip toe or rework what we want to say to make people feel better. In that sense it's a really interesting bit of pop-psychology, as is most good comedy, I guess.

So, in conclusion, if you're interested in seeing something easy, light, entertaining, that you'll feel pretty good about at the end The Invention of Lying is a good move.

District 9

I went to go see District 9 with my dad last night. It was unbelievable... in a good way. Just really, really, good. In fact, I tweeted last night that I thought it might be one of the better movies of the decade. You probably want to take that with a grain of salt given my track record of getting really excited about something right after I see it/hear it.

Unlike anything I've seen recently (and I saw Inglorious Basterds on Weds.), the movie was incredibly well layered. It was a compelling personal story (both Wikus Van Der Merwe and the father and son Prawn), overlayed against in incredibly interesting political backdrop, with wicked-awesome action scenes, set in a well crafted future distopia. That, and the documentary style interviews along with the use of non-standard cameras (security cameras, some POV - I think) gave the film even more life.

At worst, the film was as good as Children of Men and at best this'll be a movie like Planet of the Apes (not the remake starring Mark Wahlberg) that every parent will show their kids. Anyone else seen it?

The Parkas: A Life of Crime DVD Documentary

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had picked up A Life of Crime, the documentary by Jon Eagan and James Loftus on the Parkas, their 2004 cross-country tour, and the subsequent "re-organization" of the band. It was a little strange watching the moving since, as I mentioned previously, I know Mike Brown from school; and, after seeing him in that context for the last 8 months, it was neat seeing him in his other life.

The movie itself was a really interesting look at life in a smaller Canadian band: being trapped in a van driving across the country, having venues screw you around, playing to often indifferent crowds "do you guys know any Jack Johnson?", and the tension that comes with eking out a living playing music. Anyone who listens to CBC radio 3 really ought to track down a copy of the movie, because this'll give you an idea of what your favourite musicians are going through...

Oh, and you should also note that the DVD comes with The Scars to Prove It EP, which is excellent.

And, furthermore, you should also be aware that the Parkas are putting together another record before they (permanently?) go "on a break" since they are becoming teachers, doctors, and other things....

The Trailer:

Tales of Interest, Friday Edition: Take Out the Salami and Cheese

Been really busy, so, not much music to chat about, but some interesting b-ball stuff:

• Charles Barkley: "I'm a dumbass."

• Malcolm Gladwell's moneyball-esque thesis that physical attributes aren't great predictors of future success. It's often been my thought that the biggest thing that high school players that go straight to the NBA miss out on is experience 'grinding it out' and learning how to win. I mean, its easy to win when you're significantly bigger/stronger/faster than everyone else by a lot, but at some point you've got to figure out how to "out compete" the other side. Off the top of my head Kobe is the only highschooler to win multiple titles... for anyone who saw the Celtics-Hawks series it seems unlikely the KG is going to buck that trend.

• Chuck Swirsky is ditching the Raptors to go back to Chicago... if this means Jack Armstrong is going to do more games I might end my his own life.

• Liz and I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall on Monday night starring a couple of my favourite TV actors Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) and Jason Segel (Marshall - How I Met Your Mother). I was expecting a mildly entertaining romantic comedy and instead got an extraordinarily funny comedy comedy where the romance part is introduced through a particularly hilarious break up scene early in the movie... and, I guess if this is supposed to be first and foremost a music blog, here's some music from the movie.
  
  
  
  Its a song that was written by Segel, who I guess is writing the next Muppets movie....

PS...

First there were Snakes on a Plane ... now there are Zombie Strippers

Zombie Strippers? Wow.

The best part of this whole thing is that the Rotten Tomatoes synopsis of the movie describes adult film star Jenna Jameson as a "worldwide media sensation"... yeah, I bet she is.

The trailer:



And... the wikipedia entry.

[mp3] Sufjan Stevens - They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhhh!
[mp3] Sufjan Stevens vs. Kanye West - Zombies Walk

Wednesday Bullets: TV, Movies, TV and Rock Band (the songs that should've been)!

• The series finale of the Wire was on a couple of nights ago. Wow. My buddy Kyle passed along these articles on the finale, which you shouldn't read if you haven't seen the 5th season yet. The first is an absolutely absurd critique, ironically, from someone at the Baltimore Sun (season 5's focus is the Sun). The second, is an incredibly thorough (and long) review of the finale, which is well worth the time to read. My thoughts: this season has taken the greatest departure from its strength: the ambiguity, unpredictability, and what I presume is a realistic take on the drug culture in Baltimore, by introducing a few one dimensional characters (everyone involved in winning the Pulitzer at the Sun), and one psychotic turn from Jimmy McNulty. However, I felt that the finale managed to return to what made the Wire great and provided a satisfactorily unsatisfactory ending. The best part for me was seeing the transformation of the kids from season 4, Michael turning into Omar, Dookie to Bubbles, Namond to Bunny Colvin or, cringe, Carcetti?, but also other characters changing roles (Carver to Daniels, Sidnor to McNulty) within a system that is nearly impossible to fix. The one thing that was missing, I thought, was some type of resolution with Randy Wagstaff. The last time we see Randy he is pushing kids out of the way in his group home when Bunk goes to question him. With Randy's entrepreneurial streak, and the hardening in the group home, its not a stretch to see him turning into the next Avon Barksdale, Marlo Stanfield, or, more likely Stringer Bell, but who knows... a sad farewell to a terrific TV show.

• I also managed to catch a movie called Up the Yangtze on Sunday afternoon as a part of the London Canadian Film Fest. It was a oddly compelling documentary film following a family being displaced because of flooding after the third phase of the Three Gorges Dam hydro project along the Yangtze river in China. A nice review from the Toronto Star on the movie and Canadian filmmaker Yung Chang. If you're in the mood for a nice PBS type piece, its a great one to check out.
  

• On a much, much, lighter note Liz and I have been going back through season one of How I Met Your Mother, which has been surprisingly hilarious for me the second time around. Doogie Howser aka. Neil Patrick Harris, has always been a standout character on the show, but I've found the other characters significantly less annoying than I remember them. The show is set to return on March 17 according to wikipedia.

• And on the lightest of all possibly notes, I bought Liz Rock Band on Friday, which meant that we basically spent all of Saturday at home watching HIMYM and playing the aforementioned Rock Band. Its been just about as fun as everyone has said it would be except I'm terrible. At any rate, a few songs that I think should've made the game, but probably aren't popular enough...

[mp3] The Besnard Lakes - And You Lied To Me from The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse

[mp3] Cuff The Duke - Ballad of a Lonely Construction Worker from Life Stories for the Minimum Wage

[mp3] Wilco - I Am Trying to Break Your Heart from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

[mp3] Tokyo Police Club - In A Cave from the upcoming (4/22/08) Elephant Shell

Wednesday Bullets: A Significantly Less Terrible Movie Night

• I mentioned last week that Liz and I usually go to the movies on Tuesday, and rather than going out and seeing Vantage Point (35% on Rotten Tomatoes), Jumper (15%), or Fool's Gold (10%), staying in and catching the much hyped Once (97%) seemed like a decidedly better option. I had initially been a little hesitant about seeing it, because I had bought a Frames (Glen Hansard) album a year or so ago and I found the lyrics in individual songs were a little repetitive (like the track 'When Your Mind's Made Up' from Once). That said, I was a little worried that I'd be annoyed by the music, but the music exceeded my (low) expectations, and in spots - basically everything other than the studio session, which I thought was very forced - the music was pretty powerful, and the chemistry between Hansard and Irglova was great. I loved the awkwardness of their dialogue, the ambiguity of their relationship, and the ending, which I won't give away if you are the other person on this planet who hasn't seen it. I'm thinking about giving my Frames album another spin - I may, or may not, report back on that. Anyways, my favourite (most expressive - I think Hansard is at his best when he builds into a controlled shout - least repetitive) song from the soundtrack:
  

[mp3] Glen Hansard - Say It to Me

• Herohill, a great Halifaxian music blog, has posted its second in a series of provincially themed mixtapes. This one, the Ontario Mixtape, is a great way to hear some Ontario bands that you might not have otherwise heard of, and who are likely playing near you (provided you live in Ontario). They seem to have their finger pretty firmly on the pulse of Canadian music, so, while I'm not a big fan of them omitting the Sunparlour Players, Ohbijou, or the Golden Hands Before God, its nice that they're giving a little love to Shad K. Anyways, I think its a great tape, and you can download a zip file at their website.
  

[mp3]Sunparlour Players- Wave North

• The Most Serene Republic are in London on Friday for what I'm hoping will be a busy show at the (cringe) Salt Lounge. They are always entertaining and energetic live, and so it'll be interesting to see how their relatively new album (latter half of 2007) Population, holds up live. The new one seems to be a little less experimental, and, I think this will suit the kind of building, choursy, stuff that makes TMSR a treat to see live. Opening, for them are the Diableros, who I've never heard anything about, so we'll see how that goes.

[mp3]The Most Serene Republic - Humble Peasants

• Also, I came across this awesome cover. I know nothing about the band, but this is awesome. Sorry, I have the vocab of a 15 year old valley girl... but it is awesome.

[mp3]Deer Tick - Beautiful Girls (Sean Kingston cover)

• Beirut, apparently, performed a live 'Black Session' for a French radio session back in November, and I have no idea how I might acquire it. If anyone has any ideas, this is something I'd love get my hands on.
  

Wednesday Bullets.... I promise I'll stop... after this weekend....

• I just can't help myself. Hayden is three days away and I promised myself I wouldn't talk about it anymore, but I came across another couple of concerts in mp3 format that I thought were worth passing on. First one, courtesy of i(heart)music, of a live session at CBC Radio 3 in 2005. The second, is from B(oot)log, of Hayden's Nov. 2/2007 show at the Grad Club in Kingston. If you haven't seen Hayden - it gives you a good idea what his shows are like - probably more so that Live from Convocation Hall [2001].
  

• Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago was on a pile of year end lists and I finally heard something off the album, say, about a week ago. After doing some research (I probably should have just looked at his myspace), I found out that FEFA was released independently and is being re-released on Jagjaguwar (home of the Besnard Lakes, Sunset Rubdown, Okkervil River) on February 19th. I think I read that the album was recorded in a cabin in Northern Wisconsin, and if it wasn't, at least it sounds like it. I think it'll be the album that reminds me of being holed up in my apartment for the winter of 2008... as far as I know you can find 4 tracks through the Hype Machine: "Flume" "Skinny Love" "The Wolves (Act I and III)" "For Emma". All recommended if you dig that singer-songwriter ish.

• I wasn't sure whether I was going to mention this, but, what the hell. I saw Sweeney Todd last night. Not sure why, by all accounts I hate, HATE, Johnny Depp and I don't like musicals - with the exception of the Buffy musical episode, which I grew to love. With all that going against it, I actually kind of enjoyed it. The music wasn't great, but it didn't distract from what was, at the very least, a pretty entertaining if not extraordinarily morbid story about cannibalism.

• Lastly, after Feist at the beginning of December I was pretty concerned that my concert calendar looked pretty bare. In the last few days I've added a few favourites: the Most Serene Republic, Tokyo Police Club as well as a couple new acts that I'm interested in Jane Vain and the Dark Matter, Amos the Transparent, and Born Ruffians. So, looks like I'm going to have some stuff to do in the next couple of months. Hooray!
  

Update: As I was writing this the Raptors just beat the Celtics in Boston. I guess this is how good the Raps can be when Andrea Bargnani plays like a #1 draft pick (2o pts, 7 rebs, 6 asts).