The Holy Mountain

Probably the most pervy, nasty, and twisted film I have seen in a long time. I mean, I liked it but let's just say that it drove my roommate out of the living room within the first fifteen minutes, muttering about my bizarre taste in movies. I almost couldn't handle the whole turning poo into gold scene. I'll admit it, I just don't like looking at poo.

I think my main critique of the movie would be that it is severely dated. The whole thing screams "MADE BY HIPPIES" (por ejemplo: rainbow colored rooms, naked hairy men around every corner, Jesus look-alikes and all-around eastern spiritual themes). I mean, the movie was funded by John Lennon and Yoko Ono for crying out loud. Having said that, some of the imagery and allegory is downright awe-inspiring. My favorite scene is when the eight representatives of the planets are introduced. The movie is also quite hilarious and satirical at times and Jodorowsky has a rather nice voice.

feistfeistfeistfeistfeistfeistfeistfeistfeistfeist

Don't be fooled by her hit single "1 2 3 4" which I will admit can get very annoying very quickly. Feist is a versatile songwriter who is amazing live. Her version of See-Line Woman (originally by Nina Simone) is not to be missed. I almost couldn't handle it, it was so good. Another Nina cover she did was "When I Was a Young Girl." This song brought me to the conclusion that Feist is the happier, maybe slightly poppier Jeff Buckley of the 2000s.

As an aside, the Bank of America Pavilion is a pretty sweet venue--outdoors and right on the water (but their beer is ridiculously expensive).

A story of strange and somewhat coincidental events.

Last night I was mourning the fact that Season 5 of a certain tv show (see three posts back) will not be available on DVD until October. I gave in to temptation and proceeded to watch clips from that series on YouTube (I know that probably makes me a bad person but oh well). In a very TiBette-shipper friendly clip of the show they played a beautiful song which I hadn't heard before but wanted to hear again. I did a little research and found out that the song was Honey Honey by Feist. So that was all well and good and I made a mental note to purchase/download/obtain one of her albums as soon as possible.

Not an hour later Chris texts me and says he has VIP TICKETS to the Feist concert in Boston TONIGHT! Let me just say that I love my life and that some divine force must really want me to become a Feist fan. More on the concert tomorrow.

My botched chance to see Beth Orton and the therapeutic powers of the movie Control.

Last night I had plans to see Beth Orton at 9pm at the Museum of Fine Arts. I was so incredibly excited because she never plays in the states, and I adore her. But for various reasons, including having to go to Downtown Crossing to get my keys from Chris, and having to stop home and change, I didn't leave for the show until 8:30. Of course the MBTA only has problems when I need to be somewhere and I didn't get to the concert until 10, at which time Beth was performing her last song before the encore. It was basically the saddest concert experience I have ever had. I was really surprised that a) she started on time, b) she only played for an hour, and c) they charged 25 dollars for tickets. What a waste. I will choose to blame the MFA rather than Beth. I still love you, my dear! The 20 minutes of your show I actually saw were lovely!

Oddly enough, a film about rock n' roll suicide cheered me up immensely. The film was Control, a fantastic rendering of the life of Ian Curtis. Anton Corbijn made such perfect choices when directing this film, and the results are tragically beautiful and subtle. The whole thing is in black and white, showcasing the drab and mundane quality of the character's lives, and perhaps giving us insight into why Joy Division's music is so dark. In many scenes the songs (often by Joy Division, but many by Bowie, Iggy Pop, and the Velvet Underground) playing in the background correspond to what is happening in Curtis' life.

Sam Riley in particular deserves mountains of praise for his portrayal of Ian Curtis. His voice, dance moves, and general demeanor are almost scarily convincing. Control was that rare movie that made me think to myself "I have to own this," before it was even over. It helps to be a fan of Joy Division, but I think anyone with an appreciation for quality filmmaking will enjoy Control.

R.I.P. Bobby's Dad

Don S. Davis, better known to "Twin Peaks" fans as Major Garland Briggs, died on Sunday of a massive heart attack. He also had roles in "The X-Files" and "Stargate: SG-1." It's a real bummer for many "Twin Peaks" fans who were about to have the chance to meet him at the annual festival taking place a few weeks from now. His character on "Twin Peaks" was pivotal to the show, and one of the few who actually had an interesting storyline in season 2. He will be missed by David Lynch geeks all over the globe.

Here's hoping you made it to the White Lodge, Major.

The L Word: Season 1

One thing to expect when you get a group of ladies together, regardless of their sexual orientation, is drama. Even more so if some of the aforementioned women are sleeping together. Enough drama, in fact, to make a TV show for Showtime. And so it came to pass that The L Word was born.

The writers of season 1 had the advantage of exploring brand new characters without having to conjure up scenario after crazy scenario. Back then, Jenny's coming out story, Bette and Tina's baby woes, and Alice's chart were enough to propel the series along and keep it fairly believable, but also balanced with fun and humor. A great example of this is episode two, entitled "Let's Do It,"in which Dana enlists Bette, Tina, Alice and Shane to help her figure out if Lara the chef is a lesbian or not. The scene plays like a spy operation and is hilarious. Such scenes are the lifeblood of the show, for they provide comic relief when it is most needed among the drama, and they also happen to be the kinds of scenes the writers of the show are best at creating. Unfortunately, such scenes become few and far between as the season progresses, and the show begins to take itself too seriously.


Having said all that, and to be perfectly honest, The L Word is like heroin. I cannot stop watching it despite the fact that its storylines get so ridiculous. The characters are loveable and the show is basically eye and brain candy. Like most L Word fans, I am particularly fond of Bette and Tina, and I stick with the show because I want to see what happens to them. Everyone is allowed one or two guilty pleasures, and The L Word just happens to be one of mine.

A Li'l Note

Alright, I suck at life. At least the updating blogs part of life. How does Amanda Palmer do it? She is famous and an extremely hard-working musician and yet she manages to maintain an interesting, frequently updated, and well-written blog. Maybe part of my problem is that I want every post to be so awesome that I never put anything up. Limiting myself to only reviews was probably not the best idea either. Hmm. This blog is quickly becoming a metaphor for my life.

Solution (?): Write more entries, even if they are "mediocre" or without pretty video embeds/links galore. AND write entries that are not reviews of things. *sigh* Ok kids. Let's see if this helps.