FILM

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4
Mar 10

Razor Face an Exercise in Storytelling

In all mediums of art arguably the most important skill is the art of storytelling. Everything else is just window dressing. A couple of days ago I blogged about the film The Legend Of 1900 calling it one of the greatest films you never heard of. It is about a Piano virtuoso named 1900 (Played by Tim Roth) who is born on a ship and never steps foot on land. 1900 has a single minded approach to his art. An idiot savant kind of perspective in which little else mattered beyond his music. In one scene I found particularly fascinating, 1900 gives the his best friend Max Tooney (Played by Pruitt Taylor Vince) a glimpse of what is going on in his head. What is revealed is a world where everyone moves to his soundtrack. A world where a woman sitting at a table becomes the main character in a scandalous murder mystery. Or a man walking across the room is the centerpiece in a thriller about the immigrant experience. It is a world where everything becomes foder for drama, intrigue, comedy and all the rich elements that color our lives.

For my first 21 years due to my Seventh Day Adventist upbringing I wasn’t allowed to take part in any secular activities from Friday sundown until Saturday sundown. No TV, no radio, no magazines, just church in the morning and religious music until sunset. For my first 21 years I would routinely spend my Saturday afternoons looking out the window at people walking by.  I would entertain myself with imagined stories of what went on in the lives of these total strangers in a way very similar to the scene posted below.  It was fun and a great exercise in the art of storytelling. Below the 1900 post I embedded a live performance of the song Razor Face performed by Elton John and written by Bernie Taupin. One of the greatest storytelling teams in recent memory. It is the type of song that is full of storywriting potential. Give it a listen and observe the world around you. Observe yourself. Create stories the way 1900 did.

Enjoy

TrevzNewPop

FILM / VIDEO / netflix — 1 Comment
1
Mar 10

The Legend Of 1900

The Legend of 1900 is one of the best films you’ve never heard of. Directed by the Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore of Cinema Paridiso fame, it tells the story of a piano virtuoso named 1900 who is born on a ship and never steps foot on land.   Told in flashback form this film deals with the fear of change through the immigrant experience.  To 1900 played by Tim Roth this ship is his life and the thought of stepping into a seemingly infinite world mortifies him.  This quote by 1900 courtesy of Photo-Art-Life blogspot sums it up the best.

“Take piano: keys begin, keys end. You know there are 88 of them. Nobody can tell you any different. They are not infinite. You’re infinite… And on those keys, the music that you can make… is infinite. I like that. That I can live by…”

You rolled out in front of me a keyboard of millions of keys, millions and billions of keys that never end. And that’s the truth Max, that they never end. That keyboard is infinite… and if that keyboard is infinite, then on that keyboard there is no music you can play. You’re sitting on the wrong bench… That is God’s piano.

Christ, did you… did you see the streets, just the streets? There were thousands of them! Then how you do it down there, how do you choose just one… one woman, one house, one landscape to look at, one way to die…?

Tim Roth’s performance as one of the least rounded individuals in cinematic history is endearing and will pull at your heart strings. This script is so well written that it is hard to believe this is Giuseppe Tornatore first English language film.  The musical score by Ennio Morricone is simply genius and garnered a Golden Globe for best score.  The clips embedded below illustrate the virtuosity of the musical score, cinematography and the writing.  Clip one which takes place halfway through the film is a duel between 1900 and the real life inventor of Jazz Jelly Roll Morton brilliantly played by Clarence Williams III.  The ships passengers who are rooting for and in some cases betting on 1900 are disappointed by his lack of effort. Unaware that he is just toying with Morton they proceed to boo him.  Morton fully aware that 1900 is mocking him pulls out all the stops.  What proceeds is one of the best duel scenes in cinematic history.  In clip two 1900 serendipitously finds inspiration for his first and only recorded piece.  Strictly from a musical standpoint, the story telling in that composition is powerful.  Play both clips if you have time, but if you don’t I recommend viewing clip two “Playing Love.”  It is a moving piece of filmmaking. The Legend of 1900 is on my top 5 list of the best films you’ve never heard of. If you get a chance pick it up on Netflix.

Enjoy

TrevzNewPop

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26
Feb 10

Radiant Child: Basquiat Unseen

The trailer for the documentary Radiant Child about the 80’s post-punk artist Jean-Michel Basquait was just released on youtube. It is directed by Tamra Davis who was a friend of Basquiat. She shot this when the artist was at the height of his stardom and two years before his death. After his death of a drug overdose in 1988 she put her footage away in a draw. As she explains it on this youtube interview, she knew Basquiat was upset that his friends were selling his art when he only intended them to be gifts. She didn’t want to be another person who just exploited him. It wasn’t until his 2005 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum when she realized how little footage exists of Basquiat that she decided to make the footage public. As Davis states ‘representations of Basquiat in video and literature did not capture the Jean-Michel Basquiat she knew.’ The trailer looks great and I can’t wait to see the film. It is sure to be an art-house classic.

TrevzNewPop

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25
Jan 10

The Anatomy of Cool

It always fascinates me when something considered cool generations ago becomes vintage cool for a contemporary generation. Often the past is a great indicator of what will be cool in the future. Go back around 20 years and you will often find indicators of the trends of today. That 20 year window leaves a great un-mined resource of vintage films, fashion and music to be re-examined and re-packaged for today’s generation. I would like you to consider another film that falls out of this 20 year pattern of appreciation.

The film “Anatomy Of A Murder” (1959) is an American trial court drama directed by Otto Preminger. This film is known for being one of the best trial movies ever made. What stood out to me and most critics of the time was how it incorporated jazz in the musical score. It was the first film to extensively do this. The use of what was the alternative music of the time was a novel approach. The Jazzy opening sequence with music by Duke Ellington and artwork by Saul Bass also added to the cool aesthetic. Imagine yourself as a teenager 1959 not knowing much about what is going on in contemporary pop culture and then you see this trailer or this poster. You may say to yourself ‘This ain’t your daddy’s music,’ and suddenly you wonder about the world outside of your small middle American town. Sound familiar?

Check out the embed below, and if you get a chance to see the movie on TCM or pick it up on Netflix I do recommend.

Enjoy
TrevzNewpop

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19
Jan 10

The Naked City – Williamsburg Bridge 1948

The film “The Naked City” is a 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Jules Dassin. The movie, shot in documentary style, was filmed on location on the streets of New York City. It is known for having one of the more famous quotes in movie history. “There are eight million stories in the Naked City; this has been one of them.” I actually watched this entire film just to hear this quote in context after hearing it out of context my entire life.

One scene that I took note of during this film was the final chase scene on the Williamsburg Bridge. The transformation of the Williamsburg Bridge from then to now is pretty fascinating. The West bound side has incoming and outgoing traffic, and the current eastbound side has a stairway that leads to the walkway. The most striking difference is how folks back then (Assuming that this portrayal was true to life.) utilized the Manhattan side walkway as a park. You can see kids rollerskating, jumping rope, playing marbles, etc. The only bridge in NY that bears any resemblance to that now is the Brooklyn Bridge. However the Williamsburg Bridge 1948 seems to have been a playground for locals as opposed to the tourists who cross the Brooklyn Bridge now. Also fascinating is how little Delancey street has changed. Haha.

Another interesting note about this film. The visual style was inspired by the New York photographer Weegee who published a book of photos of New York life entitled Naked City (1945). Weegee was known for his stark black and white street photography. Check out the embed below that has both the Williamsburg chase sequence and the famous quote. And if you get a chance see this film by all means do. It pops up on TCM every now and then or you can order it on Netflix.

FILM / TCM / TrevzNewPop / VIDEO — 1 Comment
18
Jan 10

“Sweet November” 1968 Bohemian Brooklyn Hipster Love Story

Last Sunday while the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers were playing one of the most exciting games in NFL playoff history I found myself surprisingly switching between this incredible game and the TCM airing of the film “Sweet November”. When I first stumbled on it I had no idea this was a remake of the 2001 film starring Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron bearing the same name. I fell asleep watching the remake on HBO a few weeks earlier. What drew me into the original film was it’s commentary on the beat generation and it’s 1968 beautiful portrayal of my native Brooklyn. It also had a carefree charm that drew you in only to surprise you with a more ominous plotline. Wikipedia description: “Charlie Blake is a fanatical business man. He meets Sara, a woman very different from anyone else he has ever met. She beguiles him and convinces him to spend a month with her on the promise that she will change his life around.” It’s also worth noting that Sara convinces Charlie to stay under the condition that at the end of the month he will leave no questions asked. Inevitably and quite predictably Charlie falls in love with Sara and tries everything he can to convince her to let him stay longer, even going as far as changing the dates on the calendar just to buy him a couple of extra days. After numerous failures Charlie comes up with a clever and touching plan to try and win over Sara’s heart so she will allow him to stay past his alloted time. Scene posted below:

The plot twists are quite surprising, and it gives keen insight into the bohemian “hipster” lifestyle of the time. I highly recommend watching the rest of this film if you get a chance. It doesn’t seem to be available on Netflix but you can purchase it on the TCM website. As for the remake, I would not recommend it at all. Seemingly there is a touching ending in the remake that may have changed my view had I not fallen asleep. But the point is I FELL ASLEEP! Plus It was universally panned by fans and critics alike. According to wikipedia “Due to the poor response the film received from critics it was nominated for Worst Remake or Sequel and both Reeves and Theron nominated for Worst Actor and Worst Actress at the 2001 Golden Raspberry Awards.” So save yourself the headache and enjoy the original instead.

TreVzNewPop

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16
Jan 10

Why Watch Watchman? Well…

The most endearing thing I find in Superhero movies is the vulnerability of the characters. The fact that Heroes have to deal with the everyday problems that plague us all makes it easier to suspend our disbelief. Movies like “Spiderman”, “The Incredibles”, “X-Men” and more recently the television series “Heroes” have all made vulnurability an integral part of their plots.

One film takes the cake when it comes to this portrayal. Watchman is set in an alternate-history 1985 at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. It received mixed reviews but there was one part of this film that was universally praised by critics and fans alike. That was the opening sequence. This sequence was effective in portraying these Heroes as gifted individuals grapling with problems of the time. Not only was this sequence technically masterful, but it had a quirky element that was endearing. My favorite clip in this sequence is the one where Neil Armstrong lands on the moon and you can see a reflection of Dr Manhattan in his visor taking his photograph. The question arises… How does a being like Dr Manhattan with the power of God himself get an assingment like taking photos? What I also found very peculiar about this shot was that you can also see the credits in the reflection of the visor. Something I did not pick up until much later. A very interesting quirk that added to the appeal of this montage. The Bob Dylan track “Times Are A Changing” is also very appropriate addressing the topic of “change” while simoultaneously enhancing the mood of this montage.

Compared to other Superhero films I found that these Heroes were portrayed with even more more human qualities than what I have become used to. This montage embodies this sensibility. Check out the clip below and then watch the movie whenever you get a chance. It’s currently playing on HBO. If you don’t have HBO do the Netflix thing.

I had to upload and embed video to thenewpop site because youtube would not let you embed this clip. Sometimes youtube just doesn’t play well with the Fair Use act. Enjoy.

FILM / TrevzNewPop / VIDEO / netflix — No Comments
15
Jan 10

Sky Captain to Avatar to PopBot

I saw Avatar this week and like just about everyone else I was blown away by the motion graphics and 3D animation. The story line was a bit simplistic and predictable, but because of it’s eco-friendly message it worked in spite of this. Technically speaking, it was the most imaginative movie I have seen to date. What made this movie so incredible was how realistic the CGi technology blended with the human actors.

This got me to thinking about another little known film that revolutionized blending CGi actors with humans. Do you remember the 2004 film “Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow”? Well it was one of the first films to be shot entirely on a digital backlot. Soon after that films like “Sin City”, “Immortal” and “300″, followed suit. I remember a couple of years earlier I came across this graphic comic called “PopBot” by the Australian artist Ashley Wood. This comic had an irreverent quality that mixed these sexy robots with journey man heroes and Pulp like characters. I loved everything about it, even the title which utilized my favorite word “Pop”. When Sky captain came out with it’s vintage stylized feel I got so excited that I saw it a couple of times. Up until then the only popular use of this technology was for the Star Wars prequel “Phantom Menace.” The “Sky Captain” movie was more sophisticated, more sexy, and I believed “PopBot” would be even more so if it were made into a film. I imagined it being a CGi cross between “Pulp Fiction” and some sexy arthouse French film. “Sky Captain” didn’t quite achieve that balance but it was one step closer. Critics loved “Sky Captain” but the film lost money at the Box Office. Anyway you should definitely order this on Netflix if you get a chance. I posted the trailer and some images from the PopBot comic below. Coincidently both “Avatar” and “Sky Captain” featured Giovanni Ribisi in a supporting role. Enjoy.

P.S. I heard they are going to adapt “PopBot” into a film so look out.