Sunday, February 24, 2013

Statues



There's not much mystery about who's going to win, but here are my personal Oscar favorites, ballot mostly split between the two really superior movies in the running. Noted also that DDL and Christoph Waltz delivered another perfect performance apiece.

Picture: Lincoln
Director: Michael Haneke
Actress: Emmanuelle Riva
Actor: Joaquin Phoenix
Supporting Actress: Sally Field
Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones
Adapted Screenplay: Lincoln
Original Screenplay: Amour
Animated: ParaNorman (For the rendering of streets and sidewalks, primarily. On story alone, Wreck-It Ralph takes it.)



images: yellow lamp, BBC's The Hour / Shimizu-kun, La corda d'oro

Friday, February 15, 2013

The New 33

A couple mix CDs, for in between times weather, for the van or wherever, containing songs I’ve been enjoying in the past six months that new music mania mostly hasn’t touched, plus a few really old favorites (#3, 10, 16 on the first collection, in particular).


A.



1. The Notorious B.I.G. – “Juicy”
2. The Roches – “I Love My Mom”
3. Paul Westerberg – “Let’s Not Belong”
4. Joni Mitchell – “Raised On Robbery”
5. Fleetwood Mac – “Mystified”
6. Van Dyke Parks – “Donovan’s Colours”
7. Kishi Bashi – “It All Began With A Burst”
8. En Vogue – “Yesterday”
9. Alison Moyet – “It Won’t Be Long”
10. Unrest – “I Do Believe You Are Blushing”
11. Vivian Girls – “The End”
12. Neil Young – “The Losing End”
13. Sir Douglas Quintet – “Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day”
14. Bill Withers – “You Just Can’t Smile It Away”
15. Big K.R.I.T. – “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”
16. Built To Spill – “Sidewalk”
17. The Blue Nile – “Automobile Noise”
18. Rick Ross – “Keys To The Crib”

70 minutes, approx. (Foretold here.)

A re-imagining of AM radio. Songs of popular appeal and songs of personal shit. Music by adults, for adults. How they love, deal with ghosts, become ghosts. We end with a three-song ode to walking in town.


B.



1. Yo La Tengo – “Cornelia and Jane”
2. Rodriguez – “Crucify Your Mind”
3. Kool A.D. – “La Pinata”
4. Sleeping Bag – “Another Time”
5. The Fresh and Onlys – “Long Slow Dance”
6. Moose – “Everybody’s Talking”
7. The Reivers – “Cowboys”
8. Whiskeytown – “Yesterday’s News”
9. Moving Targets – “Right Way”
10. Half String – “Pelican”
11. Tamaryn – “The Garden”
12. Lisa Germano – “Energy”
13. Here We Go Magic – “How Do I Know”
14. Sloan – “Fade Away”
15. Heems – “Killing Time”

50 minutes, approx.

Leftovers, enjoyed in springtime. AM dreams become FM realities, or at least I’ve had quite a few FM hours in my life similar to this one. A thought: If I was in a band, now is the time in my life when I might start questioning the endeavor, wondering how long to carry on. Then I’d drink the drink of the poor and dissolve my doubt.