Memory keeper. Mostly music and movies, plus some series and video games. Obscure darkness meets pop culture glow.
I mostly read that people think it’s a okay movie with an amazing lead actor. My take is the opposite: I think this is great acting directed amazingly well. I’m a fan of Aronofsky anyway, so there’s that, but it was his choices for the vision of this film that made it stand out for me. By the end I settled on a 6/10 “okay” score overall, which climbed to a 7 because of how beautifully he portrayed the very last scene specifically.
Today I watched three movies in a row, which gave me this beautiful journey through the worlds and mind of Martin McDonagh, and the many faces and fantastic acting of Colin Farrell.
I didn’t look at the release chronology, so I started with Seven Psychopaths (2012) because I was looking for something light and I imagined it to be like that. It’s a little weirdo meta-movie and contrary to what most people might think from the cover, it is absolutely not sold by the ensemble cast. Of course I loved Walken and cheered loudly when Waits appeared, but from a stage charisma point of view I give this one to Sam Rockwell. I partly tried to keep track of how much of what’s told is the story happening, being written, and the overlapping meta layer of both, but in another part I just don’t think I cared that much, and I don’t think it matters a whole lot. It’s a ride, it’s a journey, and I don’t think it’s meant for artistic deep analysis.
Now, In Bruges (2008) is a level deeper in seriousness and perhaps meaning, but it’s also not something that someone can get lost in over analysis. It’s a very simple plot in a simple setting, and it’s just this “point in time” thing where some odd series of events happen and we’re there to witness, and then the world goes on. Since there are fewer characters to focus on and we see more of their points of views it’s so easy to fall in love with them, even though practically everyone having a talking part is an anti-hero to begin with, so I guess I shouldn’t. I think what I loved most in this one is that the movie didn’t actually try to sell me on any of the characters or paint them in a specific way, it just portrayed them for who they are. I wasn’t fed a point of view, just got an amazing display of an odd collection of folks.
And then, The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) is a whole different kind of film with lots of depth and layers and symbolism. Given the context of McDonagh’s above two movies and the fact that Three Billboards came before Banshees, I was not sure what to expect: the dark comedy angle or rather serious cinema. This one was both, and it went from one to the other with quite fast of a switchover. It started quirky, and I wouldn’t say light at all, but it made me laugh, even if in grim ways. And then it ended up as one of the most depressing movies I’ve seen this year. My heart sank deeper and deeper, and I felt genuinely sorry for every single person portrayed. And when I felt bad and uncertain, it just left me there hanging and the movie ended. It was brilliant cinema though, no question about that.
It was a fantastic journey to see McDonagh’s writing and directing go through all these phases through the years. If I wanted to put a narrative to it, I’d guess In Bruges was his breakthrough, then with Psychopaths he got lured into Hollywood, he turned toward a more serious tone with Billboards, and then he went back to his Irish roots and mixed all his dark humor and achieved serious voice to craft Banshees.
It was also a joy to watch Farrell through three movies in a row playing three so distinctively different characters. I had this “recognize a great actor when I see one” feeling all along. Brendan Gleeson was an amazing partner on his side for two-thirds of this ride.
IDM slow-tempo electronics.
I loved to see Aubrey Plaza in a drama role, and both her and Theo Rossi killed it in terms of performance. The movie wasn’t an extremely deep ride but rather a “moment in life” thing, but it’s a really good one for what it is.
Cinematic ambient, like straight from a movie. After listening to his latest EP (Polyform), I went back and listened to his entire catalogue back and forth a few times. Easy to get sucked in and it’s another kind of backdrop that helps me focus. It would be great to see more long form albums from him.
I don’t often post about jazz records because I rarely listen to new jazz music, which is not nu jazz. This one is soulful funk and jazz, and it was a surprisingly amazing listen; set my mood beautifully to positivity on an otherwise cloudy afternoon. I specifically mention the deluxe edition because of its second record with some extra nice stuff, remixes and some nu jazz sounds over there.
It’s a new find, the kind where it’s obvious from the first track I hear that it’s a match. Great metal sound with a grunge feel to it and strong female vocals. What makes it stick is how honest and human it is. It’s like friends from the neighbouring rehearsal room throwing a concert.
They do this soul-blues-metal whatever the third time, and it still works. I postponed playing this record for a long time because I thought two albums of this was probably enough, but here I am, finally listening to the third one, and it’s still great. It’s rawer and more metal-like than the previous ones perhaps, but I cannot even imagine repeating that smash-in-the-face-feeling of their first arrival when this whole style just blasted into the music scene.
Btw, it’s still hard to believe how ahead of the curve I was being on a Zeal & Ardor concert in a club in 2017, at the very moment when the first album dropped. And now, I cannot get a ticket to their stadium tour in town. But, they deserve all the fame and success, I just wish that they keep going.
I also feel like I don’t want to put them in a box and want them to stay there for ever. I can easily imagine this style to evolve and grow beyond what it is now. There’s already a process there that I see in their three-record span, and this is a band I wish won’t be afraid to reach further and innovate more.
That rare indie record that I get hooked on.
Last time I actively followed Tosca was at the time of No Hassle in 2009, feels like another life. (Indeed, it was another life.) In 2021, when Kruder & Dorfmeister released 1995 and dZihan & Kamien put out IV I noted that it feels like there’s a bit of nu jazz downtempo lounge comeback in the air. This record came with that same bunch but flew under the radar for me then. In hindsight, I don’t feel that comeback in a trending way after all, but these new records take me back and it’s a nice kind of reminiscing. Smooth as silk.