"My Favorite Picture of You" or "This review is probably too personal . . ."

If there has been a constant vocal presence in my life it has been Guy Clark's half whisper, half raspy wail coming through fuzzy speakers. I grew up in a house hold with a songwriter and picker, and Guy Clark was my stepdaddy's deepest inspiration. This makes sense, he is the 'songwriter's songwriter' ( though if you ask Mr. Clark he will tell him he hates that title because you don't make a living that way), but more than that he was a hard living man with a spark of humor that permeates every thing he writes from the most serious and sad on down to silly songs about fruit. This was my stepdaddy, Bill, in a nutshell. He died while working through falling off the wagon when I was 18, just a few days before my prom and I still remember the last things he said to me were that he was going to have to start cheering for those 'dirty sooner bastards' because I had received a full ride to the University of Oklahoma, and bragging that he had bought a crimson and cream jersey (but was pretending it was for Alabama). He and Guy were two peas shelled from the same pod, eternal troublemakers and jokers.

I've listened to very little Guy Clark (or Townes Van Zandt . . .or Steve Earl) since Bill's death. It just hurts too much to hear these men whose lyrics I'd had memorized since I was a little girl, men whose voices constantly echoed through our home mixed with laughter or screaming or mismatched guitar. Guy Clark especially is the soundtrack to my childhood, the trigger for the memory of every hug and fight I had with my stepdaddy. It is good music, but you will have to forgive me for putting it away for a time.

With all the buzz around Guy's new album "My favorite Picture of You" I feel like I am obligated to finally spend more than a minute or two listening to his voice. I am glad I sat down and took a listen to this album, very glad. I am not the kind of person to go this is the Guy's version of *insert final album of elder statesmen of country or folk of your choice*, but I will tell you I am very impressed with the level of nostalgia, regret, and general aged wisdom that this album exudes from the very first chords of the first song, "cornmeal waltz."

I imagine that if you are a long time Guy Clark fan you will not be disappointed. He has lost none of his humor, honesty, or talent. For new listeners this is the album I would most likely recommend for younger listeners. I do not think it contains the best single songs, or has the best over all composition of his career, but I do think that it has great quality of sound, and I think that Guy is mellowing with age and his sound now is something that is more likely to appeal to people who are accustomed to the cleaner sounding indie folk like Iron and Wine or Mumford and Sons.

I think that if you are older than 30 then it really depends on how country you like things. If you prefer a more rock sound I would say his self named album is probably the best *though you should be aware that he never gets much away from twangy country, there is even some yodeling*. I personally love "Texas Cookin" so if you like country or more ballad type music you should give it a listen.

I really did like the title song very much, but I think that it may be a little overhyped. My personal favorites on this album are "The High Price of Inspiration" and "Hellbent on a Heartache" . The first is just so personal. I really believe that Guy put everything he had into this song. The effect of listening to it is like hearing someone's inner monologue on their worst qualities. It is just masterfully written. "Hellbent on a Heartache" is just one of those songs that I think almost everyone can relate to at some point in their life. It is sort of wistful and angry more than it is sad. Reminds me a lot of "Comfort and Crazy" but less personal, or rather less attached. It is the same song but with the lover removed. I just loved it.

The point is that this album is full of great music, most importantly great lyrics, and you can listen to it *for free* on  Guy's Website along with most if not all of his other music, and I would encourage you to purchase from the site as well. I don't think I will be able to put Mr. Clark away for any amount of time again. . .now I am going to go cuddle into a blanket and cry for a while.

"The Purge" or why security systems don't work.

So, “The Purge” may have gotten a lot more attention than I originally thought it would when seeing a YouTube advertisement for it months ago. I am glad for that because I thought from first look that it would be an interesting movie. For those of you who have not seen a trailer or commercial for it the basic premise of the film is that after a revolution America's society is reconstructed with an emphasis of a night of lawlessness that provides catharsis to the constant violence living inside everyone thus causing crime rates to drop and general standards of living to go up.

Yes I am aware that this has some very basic flaws not the least of which is how the hell you could get enough people to agree to doing this that it would be enforceable? Maybe I am just a hopeless dreamer but I like to believe that most people would be against the legalization of cold-blooded murder for even one night, if only for reasons of self-preservation.

The movie provides most of the answers to the very basic plot questions that might arise, demonstrating a religious reverence for what can be assumed to be a military state considering the level of surveillance portrayed in the film.

The more important plot element is introduced first through a radio broadcast as an academic discussion that is arguably supported by the events of the film. This argument was that the Purge was designed by the government as a means of eliminating the poor who can't afford to protect themselves and thus boosting the economy and lowering crime statistics not actually by lowering crime, but by creating a window of opportunity.

I don't want to spoil the actual meat of the plot because there are some red herrings and twists that are fun to puzzle through. My opinion on the film is largely positive when it comes to the idea. The acting was also very good, especially Lena Heady. You get the feeling that she doesn't believe her own support of the Purge from the very beginning. She is drinking from the moment she walks on screen and she plays secretly tortured very well. The son is also quite good, in a heartbreakingly pure kind of way. Ethan Hawke is just surprising. I haven't seen him be such an entitled douche since Reality Bites and it was kind of nostalgic. (Secret, I kind of hate Reality Bites)

The scene stealer is (unsurprisingly) the villain. Smiley as I am want to call him, is named in script as Polite Stranger. He is polite, truthfully. I have never seen someone so very polite in such an extreme homicidal rage. It was well done. The guy is very creepy (reminded me of Viserys Targaryen) but is also just so charming. Really. It is a little unsubtle and I am pretty sure that the guy was probably imitating Paul Ryan the whole time (really, the message was that heavy handed . . . elitism with a sympathetic face will still kill you). He is unfortunately the major problem with the film.

Short version review is that while it was fun to watch, the mechanics of the film left something to be desired and the world created had so much more potential than what they gave it.

This is where the spoilers begin, also the curse words.

Why the fuck with such an interesting premise did this film turn into your everyday home invasion stalker story? Yes it has some novel developments, namely that the family is not the target of the killers but it is instead a homeless man let into the house by their son (the only person who seems to vocalize that killing is probably bad from the beginning). This creates an interesting game of hide and seek but makes the main characters of the film so very unsympathetic that it is hard to watch.

First off, I thought it was the neighbors who were going to kill them from the beginning and in a totally unsurprising 'twist' they come to save them from the strange home invaders with less than honorable intentions (basically you sold me a home protection system and I hate you for gouging me). The best plot twist from what the perspective of a home invasion could totally have been that the strangers really couldn't have gotten into the house and the people in the house were monsters for trussing up a homeless man and sending him out to be killed. I thought this was coming for most of the film and honestly once the strangers got in the home I lost most interest with the exception of really enjoying Lena Heady breaking the nose of her bitchy neighbor.

It really did become your stereotypical slasher film with a great setting, the only interesting thing was the political commentary which was for the most part sloppily handled. . . with the exception of what I really want to talk about: Security Systems.

As the strangers threaten the home it is revealed that while the security system might handle looters, it was never meant for the worst case scenario of someone desperate to break in to kill you. For me this was much more interesting than the obvious (though true and heartbreaking) reality of class biased crime laws. It raised a lot of points about obsession with the semblance of security in America. The movie drops lines from 'things like this aren't supposed to happen in our neighborhood' to ' it looks good and it works 90 percent of the time' (not direct quotes don't skewer me). It made me think about 'good neighborhoods' and the hypocrisy of truly believing that humans are capable of the worst, but only in certain places. More than that it made me think about the efficacy of security systems and how for the most part we are just hoping that the little sign and the loud noise scare away an intruder, because if they really want to rob you or kill you, the police couldn't respond quickly enough to stop them. It is an elaborate construct to make us feel safe that really doesn't have much effect on the problem. And the film explores all sorts of moral issues stemming from selling this kind of system. It is probably the best part of the actual film excluding the setting. It really is to bad that the producers seemed to think that this wasn't worth the focus of the film and it fades to the background of a 'daddy please save the day' plot.

I recommend it purely on a few satisfying moments and the fact that the premise is good and I think we should reward that, but it was lazily executed. Comment on my facebook or on the blog here with all the things you would have liked to see explored in the film. For me it would have been “ what do the anti-purge people do on purge night?”. 

Man of Steel . . . why it kind of sucked.

I've never made it a secret that I am not a big fan of Superman (or Captain America for that matter.) They have always been a little to apple pie and gung-ho for my tastes. Batman and Thor have been my long time favorites, not that I see any particular connection off the top of my head (though wouldn't that be an interesting topic to explore.) I was very excited about “Man of Steel” though. Watching the commercials I felt that what I was being offered was a Chris Nolan-esque reinterpretation of the Superman myth to a more believable and modernized mood. While in some ways this was achieved I feel that on the whole the movie was a disappointment. My short answer is that it is worth seeing (though you will probably be disappointed) but I wouldn't pay for the 3D experience.

Now that my short answer is out of the way lets get to the meat of any review: the analysis. This is where the SPOILERS can be assumed to start.

Good Stuff:

The special effects were very good in the sense of design and construction. They were very vast, almost overwhelming in my IMAX viewing experience. Most importantly Krypton was fascinating and desolately beautiful. In particular the costuming and the design of the visual interface for the planet was very interesting. The texture you see on Superman's costumes in the poster is carried heavily throughout their clothing and it really added to the detail that makes a scene more believable. To be honest I think that the opening scenes in Krypton are some of the best in the film, just from an aesthetic viewpoint.

I really enjoyed a lot of the actors performances. It really was the minor supporting roles that stole the show for me. Diane Lane was endearing and very convincing as the homespun Mama Kent and Christopher Meloni (Stabler of SVU fame) played Colonel Nathan Hardy, possibly the only character who showed progressive character development. Kevin Costner was all right, as was Lawrence Fishburne, but Russell Crowe far surpassed his A-list cohorts. He was fantastic as Jor-El and it is my favorite role for him since “Gladiator”. Henry Cavill was a good fit for Superman and he definitely pulled off the good-guy charm. Amy Adams was perky and sassy as always and I appreciated that I could actually stand to see her walk on screen (*ahem* Pepper Potts.)The acting in my opinion saved this film from being a beautiful disaster. Also, I don't know the name of the female Kryptonian soldier but kudos for being creepy and fantastic.

The Bad Stuff

The 3D was atrocious. I want to give it a little bit of a pass because I had bad seats but. . .it was actually very distracting. The only good 3D effects were in scenes involving people underwater.

The dialogue was extremely lacking. Granted I have been recently spoiled by “The Avengers” (thank you Mr. Whedon) but I honestly wasn't holding it up to that standard. I was hoping for the dialogue to hold up to the first “Ironman” or “Thor”. It failed miserably. The dialogue was stilted and awkward. It was best on Krypton where I could excuse the lack of vivacity, humor, and uniqueness I always hope for in a script by saying that it had to do with a strict hierarchical culture. I unfortunately couldn't excuse the slow boring interactions of what were supposed to be modern Americans. It was just so lackluster. There may have been three moments after the opening sequence and before the closing sequence that had any life at all. It was just genuinely a bore on the character development front. Not to mention that as per usual the female parts are grossly underwritten, this flick even commits my cardinal damsel in distress sin. . .she can save herself but only through the guidance of a father figure.

The movie had too many action scenes. It was literally action scene after action scene. I was so tired of it. It wasn't even fun anymore after a while. The worst part about it was that so many of them were the type where it is two omnipotents battling and never tiring or hurting each other. BORING.

I felt that they set up the end of the climax in a way that made Superman as reprehensible as the villain of the film. It was very unsatisfying. It just didn't jive with the good-guy persona they are going for.

Predictions:

The sequel will be much better the end sequence showed everyone giving a little more energy to their characters. 

10 songs that I love that you probably either dislike or haven't heard. . .:(

Well, I've said I may want to talk about music occaisionally on this blog, and since I can't get up the energy to talk about Star Trek (spoiler, it is enjoyable but I can't separate actual film quality from fanservice) or After Earth (still too disappointed), I figure offering a little back information that gives a little insight to my music taste might be handy.

The best way I can think of to give some idea where my taste in music lies is to give a list of my favorite songs with short reasoning for each of them.

10. Thrift Shop- Macklemore

I love this song because not only does it make me laugh, it makes me happy to be myself. It is this testament to something I like about myself: Thriftiness. I love a lot of Macklemore's music, I find it filled with a uniquely positive attitude that actually stands for something. It is uplifting in an honest and realistic way. It doesn't feel trite. I would have never found his music if not for this song and I still haven't tired of it. I listen to it and I swear it is just as funny as the first time I heard it. It isn't his best song, but it is near and dear to my heart. Also, that awesome sax riff is my hero.

9. Just Like a Star-Corrine Bailey Raye

I love this song. It is listed as my favorite song in my senior book (small towns do awesome stuff like give seniors a whole page in a book every senior gets to take home for free). I think it is one of the most beautiful and truthful love songs ever written. We all fight with our significant others from time to time, but there is something that is almost religious about finding a perfect moment of clarity about your special someone. This song captures those moments of spiritual clarity perfectly and is beautiful to boot.

8. Civil War – Guns N' Roses

Yes, I am a self confessed lover of 80's hair metal, and as much as they tried to escape it, that is definitely what GNR is. I love a good political tune, and this one is especially poignant, I think the woman in the intro is really why I love the song so much. That little bit sets the mood of anger and resistance and futility so well. Gives me goosebumps. Also of note, it is the only GNR tune I still listen too frequently.

7. Faith-George Micheal

Well. . .I don't know if I can explain this one decently enough to make any of you forgive me. . . as my father has often told me it is just rude to admit you like George Micheal. People really do go nuts about him being untalented. . .but the truth is I think he is fantastic, or was fantastic before all the legal troubles. That said this song yet again makes me insanely happy. It is the best car singing song in the world. I think most of us are hopeless dreamers at heart, and this song totally caters to the idea that by believing in something we make it more real, make it more likely. . .I am choosing to believe that after reading this one you didn't instantly loose respect for my taste in music.

6. Lying is The Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off-Panic! At the Disco

I know that if Faith didn't sour your disposition this one probably will, but gosh-darn-it before everyone started complaining about whiny emo/scene music this band was really cool. In my opinion this album still is really cool. I love how snarky and verbose they are. They get vindictive really well, and honestly I have a bit of a vengeful streak. I purge it by listening to their biting commentary on love gone wrong and then watching The Boondock Saints.

5. Beautiful-Carole King

Okay, I need to regain my legitimacy now. I love Carole King. Tapestry is in my top five best albums of all time. This song is my favorite off of that album and it is the single best song about loving yourself ever written. Where other songs are about how other people hurt you and you have to work past it, this song is just saying life is hard, but if you believe in yourself you can make yourself one of the better parts of it. It is perfect and everyone should listen to it while getting ready in the morning. I do.

4. Can You Feel the Love Tonight-Elton John

Yes it is a Disney song. It is fantastic. It is SIR Elton John people. If he and Phil Collins can both agree that Disney is an appropriate venue to express talent then you should rethink your stance against these classics. This song is epic. This is how I want to believe in love. Breaking down boundaries, making us all the same. The most powerful force in the world. Hell yeah!

3. La Vie Bohemme- RENT cast

So RENT changed my life. Really. It is a big part of what moved me to be an LGBT activist. La Vie Bohemme is the anthem for every misfit and deviant that ever lived. It rouses to action and celebrates diversity. It is a kind of controversial I can totally get behind and every lyric rolls off the tongue in this really pleasing staccato rhythm. It is irresistibly singable and uplifting. This is the first showtune I learned by heart, the first musical I grew to love as an adult. Showtunes and learning to love musical theatre has been a major part of my life and my love of this song is equal parts meaningful and nostalgia.

2. Down in the Valley-The Head and the Heart

This is the most recently discovered song on my list. I cried the first time I heard it. I had a deep felt sense of connection to the lyrics and the sound. It reminds me a great deal of my stepfather who played the guitar. Maybe it is just that I discovered it as I was entering my senior year of college but the yearning for meaning, for connection to something bigger than oneself really hit me hard. I love it, the lyrics are a work of art that I put up with the best poetry I have ever read. Go listen if you haven't heard it.

1. LoverYou Should've Come Over-Jeff Buckley

This has been my favorite song since I was. . .12? Which is weird because I don't think I had the experience or emotional range to really appreciate this song at that age. . . but it made me cry for reasons I didn't understand. Whenever I picture a particularly difficult scene in a book this song is in the background. It is all about not knowing how to fix a relationship that is essentially good but has problems like any other relationship. I like music that is real, that says something that is hard to express. This song is just chalk full of ennui. It is my favorite, though another song by Jeff Buckley (his cover of Hallelujah) does provide challenge. Jeff Buckley died too young. Go enjoy his awesomeness.

And that is all my friends, my ten favorite songs. They have fluctuated over the years, but the top has stayed at the top and most of them have been somewhere on the list for quite some time. So next time I blog about music and you don't understand my view maybe this list will help. 

Now You See Me

Let me be perfectly honest potential readers, I picked my first topic simply because I liked the idea of using the movies title for the title of my first post. "Now You See Me". . .it has a cryptic and playful kind of flair and I am enjoying looking at it up there on the bar immensely. You must admit that it is a pretty apt title for an entrance to the blogosphere.

Before I get to talking about this film though, let me give you a brief rundown of what you are going to see on this blog. I love books. I love movies. I love television. I love music. Really what it comes down to is that I love stories and being entertained. This is my place to critique and review anything and everything I feel like. I will keep it to the categories of books, film, television, games, and music; Do not expect reviews of any websites, commercials, magazine articles, clothes, or interior design here. I will also aim to keep it current, though a nostalgia post will probably crop up from time to time.

So, let's talk about magic. . .

 . . . Specifically movie magic. "Now You See Me" may just be the single best 'action' flick I have seen in an excessively long time. In fact I think the last action film I saw that I would even classify as being in the same league as this film would be "RED: Retired and Extremely Dangerous". I am excluding movies that were good but cannot be classified as action over science-fiction or fantasy ("Star Trek: Into Darkness" comes to mind). This film doesn't even smack of the brooding art-house drama that I've come to expect of decent action films (see "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"). No, this was a no-bones-about-it, action-packed-heist spectacle in the vein of "Ocean's Eleven" and "The Italian Job" and it was absolutely fantastic. Why I enjoyed this movie so much, and honestly why you should go see it, boils down to three simple components: Engaging  plot, fantastic fight sequences, and Mark Ruffalo.

The most important thing this movie has going for it is,surprisingly enough, plot. It isn't that it has anything incredibly important to say (though it is rather political for a feel-good action flick) or that it is especially innovative, but rather that it employs the traditions of the illusionist to create a consistent internal logic that serves not only as the framework for every scene of the film, but as a subtle push that goads the audience into chasing twists they have no chance of predicting. This movie could definitely be described as having a gimmick, but they lean on the illusionist theme in the best possible way. First off they incorporate everything from street magicians hustling for a payout, to the polished sensationalism of escape artistry. They don't just beat you to death with David Copperfield references the whole movie is really what I am getting at here. Secondly the plot is all twists and turns and tailor-made to keep the movie from getting too kitschy. It fits the theme but doesn't exploit it. Last but not least it doesn't lose the staples of action trade to incorporate the theme. There is still everything from high-speed car chases to foreign intrigue. This is the kind of movie that explored every part of the mythos, stereotypes, and realities of a niche profession and utilized the knowledge to craft a proper story without assuming that tropes and traditions are automatically outmoded and without merit.

As for those traditional action movie staples, the standouts are definitely the fight scenes. Like the rest of the film they uniquely incorporate the props and techniques of illusionists. In particular a scene in a simple apartment featuring the least explored character, Jack Wilder, really showcases how spectacular the combination of magic and hand to hand combat can be. I don't want to ruin too much of the surprise on what exactly gets utilized but to give a little taste let me just say that it is not all typical stage magician tricks, even hypnosis is used as a method of defense. To sum it up the fight scenes are both spectacular and surprisingly simple.

Oh. . .and last but certainly not least. . . if you hadn't yet realized it Mark Ruffalo's participation pretty much guarantees a good movie going experience. I have yet to see him in a role he couldn't pull off and the overworked, hyper-realistic FBI agent he plays in this film is certainly not an exception. He is gruff but likable, and his interaction with the french interpol agent is endearing and not hormone induced. It is refreshing to see a partnership between a man and woman grow to friendship before any possible romance.

Probably the one downside to this film, in my humble opinion, was the casting of Isla Fisher. I found her character to be flat, vapid, and possibly unnecessary. From what I can tell a change in casting could have gone a large way towards changing that fact. All this said, she still serves her purpose and my complaints are minor. The french interpol agent provides a more balanced and interesting female character to keep my feminism at bay.

Basically, go see this movie. It is well worth the ticket price and you will definitely want a popcorn ;).

Thank you for taking the time to read my first blog!