So...happy!

Remember good old me; me whining, me complaining? In fact - I'm known for that - with whiny rant being my street name and all that. That's a big part of this blog, ranting, finding some kind of fault in many of the things regarding..well, all things. It's as vague as that. I guess you could call it "judgmental". So what happened? In short: I don't find fault in things anymore. I have been walking around in a haze of awwww! Pretty scary. Could it be as simple as squeezing out life, giving birth to another human being?

Yes, I guess it could. I must have shed some of the bad stuff as well as baby and baby juice. Awwww! (Ok, I at least manage to make fun of me.) So, dear audience, what is more annoying - someone who complains or a happy, mildly besotted person who smiles a little more often and lets go some of the stuff that would have bothered her before. Please don't answer - rhetorical question!

There is an undeniable creativity in being mildly angry at the world. Finding quirk to all things is an original activity, like you wouldn't believe the calories being burnt that way and the satisfactory feeling you get by being able to do this without having to do squat thrusts. Well, for now, goodbye soul-eating quirk. Not sure that I liked you all that much to begin with. Say hello to silly momma, your bundle of joy. Still some kind of edge, but more fuzzy and covered in chocolate.

This change must be a residue, caused by some of the hormones, right? It must wear off at some point. Because I didn't just have brain surgery. And I can't remember having suffered any other kind of other head trauma. I'm not eating differently. I'm not even doing anything differently except for the additional baby routine. Sleeping less, well, yes, there's stupid in that. Other than that, nothing. Nothing but contentment and not a single cloud in sight.

I guess the demons of the world must be assembling rrrrright now..

The 1975 reviewed: I'm in Love with Music. And Boys.

This is strange. I went through my blog archive, and realized that in four years, I've never done a single music review. Frankly I don't know the first thing about music reviews, but not knowing something has never stopped me before. So why now, why this group? There are way more age-appropriate and current bands for me to review - you know, something to straighten my glasses to and accordingly nod my bun. ☺

But this is it, this is The 1975. Well all you mid-thirties and older, it isn't one of those bands that you'll have playing in the background while you discuss Hobbes' philosophy with your peers and a glass of wine in your hand. You'll want to listen to this album in solitude, preferably while wearing your headphones and colorful hand-knit socks.

The 1975 consists of mid-twenties Matt Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald, and on their self-titled debut album they sing about all the things that boys do, feel and care about. Although far from being a boy band, their RnB indulgence and double-tracking vocals, especially in Head.Cars.Bending sometimes steer their sound towards that direction. But the otherwise lack of designed synchronicity and artistic edge with all black and white imagery bails them right out of that pigeon-hole; more importantly the insane production value elevates their sound to a modern and crisp level. On iTunes, they even released new versions of some of their EP-tracks for the deluxe edition of their album. Neat!

The musical influences they list are pretty iconic: major 80s synthpop, but modernized, with explicit references to Michael Jackson, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel and Talking Heads. The big ones. Listening to songs like You and Talk, I immediately felt taken back to another time, and the strong reminiscence to the 80s coming-of-age Brat Pack and their spiritual dad John Hughes, whose films the band said to admire (especially Breakfast Club). There are some other, more experimental songs on the album, like the ethereal An Encounter, a visit to ambient, or 12, an obvious and haunting nod to Sigur Rós. For what it's worth they could have been more brave in exploring those minimalist sound vaults.







The lyrics range from cryptic and grave to angry. It adds to the atmosphere, but while creative at times, the words are not as engaging as the sounds. They're at their best when music and lyrics cooperate like in The City's Yeah you wanna find love then you know where the city is, a prelude to life. It made me feel excited to revisit those places. And the ambiguous song Chocolate lets me remember what it was like to be dressed in black from head to toe, we've got guns hidden under our petticoats, and also bringing back the urges in the song Sex: if we can't do anything we might as well just fuck. Boredom and sex, hell yes!






I feel like I've pretty much outgrown most of the problems they're mulling over. The thing that reels me in anyway is singer Matt Healy's cadence. Many people don't like the way he sings. I'm finding that his vocals (and Skrillex hair) lend credence to the words he's saying. He doesn't play anything down, he doesn't cover anything up. It's a definite commitment to being vulnerable and uncool, and conveys a raw emotion, the kind of cheerfulness, desperation and delusional self-importance, that is the essence of being young. I think that the quality that possibly breaks open The 1975's music to an even larger audience is that their songs are joyful wallowing, never self-pitying.

The celebratory spirit of departure works well with the overall picturesque evocation of adolescence. At times the picture they paint even seems to be much more beautiful than reality. It's almost as if they're glancing back in nostalgia, telling us that even though being young at times can be troublesome, they know that one day they'll miss it. All of us old farts can relate to that kind of wisdom and it propitiates us instead of making us want to shrug it off as being juvenile. I'm thinking that the band's sound will evolve naturally, and mature with their next album. I'm not sure what their views on adulthood will be like - but since I like their take on adolescence, I'm looking forward to hearing it.





Download their album on iTunes: smarturl.it/the1975album

Elysium reviewed

Strange and partly stupid - that's how I would have summed up the experience of watching Elysium two days ago. Today I feel more reconciled with the film, and less offended by the stupid bits. After all, there are some good things to say about this flick.

Staggering audio and CGI create a realistic and raw atmosphere for a story, that takes place in the early 2100s. Not unlike District 9 this film has a suction that immediately grabbed me inwards, and I can't think of any other film being equally successful in world immersion in that short amount of time. The bustle of an overpopulated Earth, and crowded markets - it left me feeling exhausted in a really good way. The shaky camera and aesthetic stabilization techniques are spot on for those nervous moments when we get to see poorly ghetto life on Earth, and zoom in to where Matt Damon's character Max resides in his sad little hut. Director Neil Blomkamp was praised for District 9, his debut in feature film, for referencing his South African background in the movie's vibrantly unglamorous city life, and I think he did it just as well in Elysium.

As one of the themes, the film depicts diametrical life styles of different classes, possibly even modern castes, as in the rich, educated elite and the poor uneducated working class - the majority of people. The portrayal is as poignant as it is realistic, and it leaves little doubt about it being allegorical. Elysium is a space habitat built by and for the elite, and it's their retreat to get away from overpopulated and disease-ridden Earth. There is advanced technology on Elysium to achieve virtually everything; cure all kinds of diseases with one machine called Med-Pod as it works to replicate and restore the entire human gene pool. Incidentally, every house comes with one of these machines.

As my husband in his capacity as professional Scifi buff pointed out to me, having access to that kind of technology would prevent anyone from ever becoming sick, which is something to think about. Yes, yes, stomped by the science geek - so what else is new on Elysium? Maybe longevity, and a carefree existence in luxury?!

But here is where the problems start: the stylistic dichotomy of two worlds can be an interesting device to transport ideas of social change and equality, as far as it's done in a realistic manner.

In this story, it makes sense that the citizens of Elysium are afraid of their little Eden being overrun by illegals trying to plunder their houses and rob them of their fancy candle sticks. What doesn't make sense however is the rich people's refusal to share their awesome technology with everyone. I could understand it, if it were about making money off of millions of earthlings, and pharmacological studies done to provide better services to the rich. But that's not implied in the story. Humans on Earth are Elysium's sick labor slaves, and as such they are treated with contempt. With them only being a short train ride away from Elysium, that would be the ultimate recipe to soon seeing some rich heads on pikes - it's sooooo 18th century!

Everyone who has learned anything about history knows that the way to preserve the rich remaining rich is to keep laborers healthy, fed and unorganized so they'll march to their tune without turning on them - that would be the way to go.

Blomkamp's idea of exploitation is graphic, but it just isn't reasonable, at least for a science fiction film that wants to be taken seriously. I know, they needed the ultimate reason for Damon's character Max to go there, still, it doesn't excuse that they chose a stupid one.

Jodie Foster plays the part of Elysian minister Delacourt, the villain who tries to keep the unprivileged people out and soon attempts a coup d'état against the Elysian council - mainly because they value human life all too much. She, on the other hand, has no objections to shoot down pods transporting illegals to Elysium. By the way, Foster's forced and put-on French accent and silver power bitch suit made horrible choices to represent elitist humans. Just sayin'.
 

Roughed up Matt Damon, on the other hand, was a tad more convincing. I enjoyed his in-your-face way of approaching desperate situations with equally desperate methods, and the sure - why not decision to get bio-medical implants did at least make me laugh. I mean, even in that day and age, it's not the same as getting your hair cut!

Similar to District 9 protagonist Wikus, Max is the unlikely hero, a cowardly and selfish guy who ultimately rises to the challenge of doing the right thing by siding with the oppressed humans. But unlike District 9, much of his world-saving seems to happen along the lines of saving himself, not by factual choice, and that does make a difference in my perception of him. And it also is not that much of a stretch, the character arc is not leading us to a reformed character with a brand new point of view.

Delacourt's go-to outlaw agent Kruger is kinda silly - sort of a caricature version of every villain in every bad movie put together, and the weird mingle-mangle of accents did make him look even more cartoonish. The fact that he is played by Sharlto Coplay makes the performance at least entertaining. And style-wise, I enjoyed the sartorial crossing of a hobo and Mad Max.

The main thing that bothered me about the film is that at some point, the Blockbuster elements took over. I think they squandered its potential. For one, they felt the need to introduce a super computer. Come on people, how likely is it that with all this safety measures, they'd have a central computer, that can be rebooted that easily? How meaningful is social change anyway, when it is brought on by a manner of pushing a reset button on a computer? More importantly, what a depressing idea that errors in bureaucracy should be accountable for the fate of billions! One superhero killing suits?! I don't know. It is a nice idea, but it doesn't seem very plausible.

I don't doubt Blomkamp's vision for Elysium. I'm guessing what it boils down to was the executives and financiers decisions to sacrifice plot and grit to make this film appealing to a large group of people, by keeping its overall message inoffensive and the character's choices largely agreeable. In many ways, it ended up marginalizing the social commentary to make it fit the Blockbuster formula. And that's where it went astray. District 9 was a dangerous movie, a defiant dark horse that merely looked with half an eye for the audience's approval. It broke with convention, and it excelled in telling a sublime story. This one however, wants to fit in with the Blockbuster crowd all too much, that's why, I'm sad to say, it doesn't stand out from it.

A trailer without any plot spoilers

The Thief reviewed

This book came with high praise, not as much by the reader, but the author community.
I considered it a good sign that Lois McMaster Bujold herself recommended the YA fantasy/mythic fiction adventure on Goodreads. It couldn't hurt, I thought, to give the book a whirl. It's a surprisingly thin novel, 280 pages, well, at least compared to the boulder-type tomes we the readers come to expect of the fantasy genre. The Thief is the first volume in the "The Queen's Thief" series, and it consists of four successive books. According to author Megan Whalen Turner, there are one or two more novels in the works to complete the cycle.

'The magus stopped. "This is it," he said.
   "This is what?" I asked.
   "This is where you earn your reputation."
   I looked around at the empty rock and river
and the sandy soil under my feet. As far as I could
see, there was nothing to steal, nothing at all.'

                     
                           



Professional thief Gen serves a sentence in the king's prison for bragging about his prior "deeds" and abilities to the wrong people, when the magus, the king's adviser, sends for him. The magus needs the thief's skill to steal a legendary item of immense value - hidden somewhere in a foreign land.

That is basically all I can tell you without spoiling anything about the story. Of course that is not all there is; prepare yourself for twists and surprises along the way as the party sets out on the journey to find the artifact - and the author manages to keep up the suspense until the end.

That is one of the great things about the story, the way it kept surprising me. Not to be mean about fantasy or anything, but it isn't a genre typically known for its great originality or commonly use of the classic arc of suspense. All throughout the novel, much of the tension is created through the clever use of heist and time famine elements.

One part stood out to me as an example for the author's command of language and skill: when Gen, pressed for time, has to go to an underwater temple riddled with traps and tripwires, I found myself holding my breath. It felt like reading an episode of Tomb Raider against a clock ticking in the back of my head.

Also the mythological ideas and folklore elements are quite unique and stunning and provide the layer to interlink both worlds. It's one of the best creation and mythology back stories I have read in ages. Thinking about it, it even gives Lois' Curse of Chalion five-gods world a close run in terms of its theological appeal.

The execution lacks in some other parts of the story, there is an element of repetition in some of the chase scenes, pacing issues, plus at times, the main character's boasting seems a bit over the top, especially in the beginning. Unfortunately it does stand in the way of initially getting emotionally invested in Gen's fate. It seems however, that after the first few chapters, the author did find the right "frequency" to convey the protagonist's strong voice. This aspect not working would have been a major issue, since the first-person narrative is substantial for the story.

But all in all, with the exception of a few flaws and some missing finishing touches here and there, this is a rather successful debut novel. It left me no choice but to immediately pick up the sequels: I think I found them a good home, snugly sandwiched between the Georges.

Shame reviewed: Fantastic Filthy Fassbender

There are so many interesting little things about Michael Fassbender's face. Depending on the camera angle and lighting, you can see a glum aristocrat, a wooden android, and haggard landowner all tangled up somewhere between brow, cheeks and jaw-line. Bone structure, that's what it is! By the way, how did we ever get to the point of complimenting people on skull properties?

Anyways, Fassbender brings overwhelming facial features to the table, like several of those ancient Greek theater masks, and the camera's love for his face is at least one of the reasons why he's high in demand right now.

Also he's a great fit for the role of Brandon: a mid-thirties single guy in New York, a bit worn out; successful at his career in advertising, but less so in his personal life. Brandon is a sex addict, bouncing in between compulsive masturbation and having sex with almost every creature that walks on two legs, and very explicitly so.

Sex and porn dominate every aspect of his private life, so when a virus (due to all the heavy porn surfing!) is found on his work computer, his problem is starting to affect his work life as well.

In the beginning Brandon appears to be emotionally detached from his life, (which is exactly why Fassbender was a good choice), and you begin to wonder why he seems disinterested, even when things begin to fall apart. That's not until his sister moves in with him, creating conflict and erratic behaviours that soon lead to the inevitable breakdown.

Between him and Sissy, played by Carey Mulligan, one begins to see the family resemblance: although Sissy is not an addict, she suffers from serious mental health problems, with multiple suicide attempts in her past, bad relationships, and one can only guess what their parents' influence and upbringing must have been like. She scrapes along on singing at jazz bars and her tendency towards married men promises to be troublesome, when she casts an eye at Brandon's boss.

That, in a nutshell, is the setup for the disaster that is about the occur as their world of chaos and family baggage starts to implode on their asses. Yes, there are a lot of asses in this film. And sadly enough that is all, writer/director Steve McQueen is willing to give us; lightly clad fighting scenes between brother and sister, and vague hints and guesses as to where their damage comes from. Family inheritance, we guess, but it's in no way specified.

The film claims to deal with sexual addiction, but I can't see it doing that, aside from showing what addiction looks like. It depicts the raw ferocious nature of never getting enough in visual finesse, it allows Herrn Fassbender to explore the bottomless pit that is addiction, but sadly, it doesn't make any kind of statement. No prospects, no solutions. And I guess to some degree, that is the essence of modern storytelling in film. I didn't expect a lecture or anything, but in many ways the film lacks an objective perspective. It is all over the place, with drama and chaos, and shots of crazy.

The storyline has written personal experience all over it, which was why I wanted to see it in the first place. Honestly, I expected a little more insight. One could say that the director leaves almost everything up to the audience's imagination - besides the obvious drama. And I hate it when they do that! The narrative is not as strong as to project "ellipsis" all that well. Neither does the weird symbolism in the beginning and at the end work to advance the experience. In the end, despite its blunt depiction, the film seems rather evasive in dealing with its heavy, plot-bearing burdens. Shame, really!

Keeping Up with the Kardashians reviewed: Perfectly normal, perfectly healthy

I'm truly happy to have access to pay TV, and some of the American based cable network. I feel like it helps me keep in (cultural) touch with my peeps across the great pond. The Sky package includes great things, such as Cinema in addition to documentary channels, which I love. I feel like a kid in the candy store being able to watch Game of Thrones Season 3 the same time it's on HBO, and Sky Atlantic was one of the best things that ever happened - eeeever!

Not to speak of NatGeo, and TNT and, ooh, I could rave about this all day long. What a sensible mix of infotainment or edutainment, or whatever flattering label they thought of to market themselves..

As of April 30 this year, the infamous entertainment network E! has joined the game.
Yay ... right?!! I quickly discovered that having access to E! is like having a batch of heroin lying around the coffee table. I hate myself a little bit, for being powerless to resist getting sucked into their vortex of fashion ins and outs, gossip and Kardashianisms.

Correction: E! is like being hit with a tranquilizer gun AND a highly addictive substance at the same time. OK. Time to speak of the Kardashians, and what a wonderful family they are...

Keeping up with the Kardashians sets a perfect example for the newly rich, the self-proclaimed elite of society, and why we should all hate them. Before E!, I have only known of this family from tabloids, and I was unaware why Kim Kardashian had become a sudden style icon and "it" personality, even here in our parts. Now I know. Now, since I have been to their houses, their bedrooms, their cars and their bathrooms, I feel like I really know them.

The family itself is not that bad, they are not animals or something. They have speech. They look after one another, well, on the condition that they're related. In-laws are considered parasites, leeches, unless they themselves have acquired a certain social standing before they join the clan.

But the thing I find truly appalling is that everyone in the family claims to be the number one plowhorse as for the reason why they have become famous, when in fact, their actual work consists of self-marketing with the sole purpose of keeping the spotlight. After all, they have been a household name ever since their father, Robert Kardashian defended O.J. Simpson.

But thanks to reality TV they have become a media phenomenon, and consider it their family responsibility to compulsively give back to society. You see the deviancy behind that. "Give back" to the society which they sell themselves to. Their fashion label and stores are run by their minions, their charity events get organized for them by other people.

I mean, having your life televised in every gory detail is definitely strenuous. Having cameras at their side each and every day, having to act out half-scripted conflicts deprives this family of a real life. Privacy. Time. That is what they actually put in the balance. How sad this is. How can anyone even enjoy this lifestyle when they don't have a life. Yes, sad. So from now on, I promise to only watch them reluctantly...but watch them I will!!!



A MADtv parody. The part about helping the blind is spot on.


Keeping Up With The Kardashians season 8 promo
A day in the life of..the new season

Jane Eyre Reviewed (Male Edition)

So you're a man, allegedly a hetero man. I applaud you for being brave enough to come here, and see if this story by Charlotte Brontë (actually I'll be talking about the screen adaptation) could possibly spark your interest in this film. Let me just say in advance, that this is a chick flick and a period drama, and it unifies all those qualities you might hate, like stuffy costumes and their reek of sexual suppression as well as people, talking a little old-worldly.

This story is set in a time with a strict social etiquette and inequality in between genders, and I guess it must have been a little retro even for the time it was first published, which was in 1847. 

Jane is suffering the niceties of the all-girl school  (BBC)

I think I don't have to explain to you why this complex of themes drives all women insane. Or maybe I do. Have you heard of Downton Abbey?

The woman of today (roughly around the age of 35) is a bit nostalgic. She tends to miss the olden days, even though she herself is much too young to have lived in those times portrayed. And although she wouldn't trade equality for classism and a large variety of hairstyles for a bun that looks like the remains of a bird's nest, somehow she longs for those days of male dominance. The creators of Downton Abbey gently removed that aspect from their series, to make it more socially acceptable to watch it. Cowards.

Anyhow, the woman of today sometimes wants to be swept off her feet and not do the sweeping herself. Understandably, this must be confusing to you, the man of today.

Let me just say, that Jane Eyre at its core is about bursting the limits of the "stuffiness" outlined above. It abides by the rules of the Bildungsroman, yes, a coming-of-age story, with some elements of Gothic Fiction, also correct. This is the prosaic metre it is set in.

As regards to content, it is an outrageously modern and highly political story. The female heroine in Brontë's world - as in Austen's - is the rebellious type, an outcast and a scandalizer of sorts, coming to grips with her role after having been (socially) disadvantaged. It is as much about escaping those prison walls as Shawshank Redemption, all the while about a character behaving with moral integrity, like Forrest Gump. Over the course of events the heroine finds out that she herself sets the rules and conventions for the society she wants to live in, not men. And more importantly she learns that the moral compass she acts by is a good one.

Now, I can see that you may find that pointless, because to your male understanding, the world already is like that, with women doing what ever the hell they want. But let me remind you that women are still coming to terms with the concept of equality. And it is important to us to a) understand how it got to the point and b) remember from where we started. Because there may have been some advantages not having to be in charge all the time. We see that now, and sometimes we miss it. That's why we look back. And that's why it took us so long to get where we are now.

Grown Jane, the governess (BBC)

*Please refrain from the 2011 movie version. Yes, Fassbender and Wasikowska are all the rage these days. Unfortunately they didn't get what they were supposed to do - be convincing in their roles. Contrary to the rest of the world and critics I found this movie appalling, to be honest. It seemed like a desperate attempt to cash in on the Downton Abbey hype. And it is directed by the same guy who also did a film called The Adventures of Supernigger. I rest my case.

Get the ->BBC adaptation instead. It has an excellent narrative and a brilliant cast. There are no boobies in either of those versions, so go ahead and get the better one.

Edit: Take a look at Karen de Lange's book recommendation for Jane Eyre. The burtonesque Penguin Edition is designed by the acclaimed fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo, and certainly Christmas gift material.

Movie Review Mashup

It's that time of year again. The days are closing in, and when it's warm and cozy inside, I'm feeling only half as guilty for spending time in front of the TV. The thing with pay TV is that I am actually fortunate to watch both recent movies as well as the older ones, the classics, if you will. Amongst them there are surprising finds I have never seen before, much less with the original audio track. It's expensive, but with pay TV, I don't have to suffer through horrible dubbing experiments by bored and underpaid German actors. Sorry guys, but you spoil foreign-language movies for me.

While browsing the TNT-program, I discovered a movie called Dog Day Afternoon (1975, directed by Sidney Lumet), starring a very young and fresh-faced Al Pacino, playing the charming New Yorker Sonny, who, in his attempt to get cash for his boyfriend's sex change operation robs a bank - but of course, things don't go as planned. When do they ever! This movie was inspired by an article in Life magazine, "The Boys in the Bank", following the true story of bank robber John Wojtowicz and his accomplice Salvatore Naturile. I actually didn't expect to enjoy this movie as much as I did. I guess it's due to its timeless production value as well as Pacino's performance.

Another lovely, not so recent movie I stumbled across is The Wedding Singer (1998, directed by Frank Coraci). I had actually heard about this movie from several friends, but at the time it ran in the cinemas I was way too busy shedding tears over the sinking of a certain ship. Back then, the prospect of the '80s inspired romantic comedy didn't attract me as much as Leo and Kate, smooching in a steamed-up car. But times change, and now the '80s look all fresh, shiny and glorious to me. Adam Sandler plays the main character Robby Hart, a professional wedding singer. I admit, I'm usually not a big fan of Sandler movies, especially ones from the super-uninspired post Mr. Deeds phase. But this one is different, cut back and unobtrusive in its humor, abstaining from the usual caveman club jokes, and Sandler is just puppy dog cute with his perm and badly cut suit. And, well, Drew Barrymore, what's not to love about her?

Pretty adorable couple: Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler

The most recent movie I saw is called The Tree of Life (2011), a visually stunning epos directed by Terrence Malick about three brothers and the complicated relationship they have with their dad (played by Brad Pitt). I loved the cinematography, the ambient sounds and poetic visuals. The movie doesn't have dialogue and the scenes are largely unscripted, which gives it a natural, earthy flow. Brad Pitt really annoyed me though. He is quite naturally wooden, and apparently even more so when let loose. But not "tree" (of life) wooden, that would have actually been a cool allegory, no, wooden like Pinocchio, hanging from a string.
The movie was showered with all kinds of awards, because it deals with some existential questions and depicts heavy spiritual symbolism. I didn't quite get the point it wants to make, but the whole time I felt there was something important going on, something I should know about, but just couldn't wrap my mind around. Much like life itself it left me in the dark about the meaning of it all. I'd recommend watching this film for writerly input, as I felt the visual language was deeply inspiring.

And so it begins. Dinosaurs in The Tree of Life

*The good thing: all those movies are available on Blu-ray, at least on Amazon. If you have an especially lazy weekend afternoon coming up, I'd recommend every one of these flicks.