So many times, a student-athlete performs a skill and observers, coaches, officials, and spectators alike, agree that it was “truly a high school play.” The sequence may play out differently – lacking a clear plan, forcing a low-percentage option, misunderstanding how the play will be officiated – but the process (emotions out of control) and outcome (a missed opportunity) remain the game. It’s bound to happen from time to time during the season but how often is too much? When is it time to learn and move on. Players seem to think that they can fool coaches but they’re crazy. …
The Runaways
If the aim of a film is to create a mood, The Runaways succeeds. 1970s sex, drugs, and rock and roll is perfectly captured by director Floria Sigismondi. Canted angles, zooming in and out of focus, trailing shots; Sigismondi employs a variety of techniques. It’s true that the content – chronicling the 1970s band comprising Joan Jett and Cherie Currie – is controversial and somewhat shocking but the craft of the director brings this historical film to the next level. The audience wishes that the film could continue, even though it encompasses the entire career of the band. Jett and …
Chloe
Chloe showcases what talent can accomplish, especially during the first half of the film. Compelling performances, creative cinematography, and clever direction grab the audience’s attention. Fearing that her husband David may be cheating, Catherine hires the titular character to tempt him. As Chloe reveals what transpires between her and the music professor, she becomes closer with Catherine. The story is told from Catherine’s perspective: we see how she imagines what happens between David and Chloe gradually, how she wistfully gazes at other couples and compares them to what she thinks her relationships has lost. Gradually, she pulls apart from her …
Crazy Heart
Is it overly cynical to decry an amazing picture because the largely happy ending is somewhat clichéd? On my way out of the theatre, someone said that Crazy Heart was “The Wrestler redux, except with country music.” I actually was hoping for an ambiguous ending similar to that film; it would have suited the storyline arc better. It’s not a repeat of The Wrestler, although the protagonists share the characteristics of well-meaning faded stars who are substance abusers and spectacular screw-ups. This film is perfectly produced. The performances are intense and realistic, the patient direction filled with slow trailing shots …
Just Radiohead and the Raptors
Can’t get the stink offHe’s been hanging round for days This isn’t about outcomes; it never is. Sometimes Dwyane Wade goes off or you play to your potential and lose a tight contest to someone who is somewhat better. Whether any combination of players is successful has less to do with their record but much more about how they play the game. The problems that plague the Raptors are chronic and pervasive. They succeed when they stay focused, such as Sunday’s game vs. the Rockets, the previous week’s game vs. the Bulls, or the early season one-point loss to Phoenix. They …
Fun
First concert in a while Tuesday night. Saw The Hold Steady at the Phoenx. Last time that I was at that club, Beck was playing and people were worried about Y2K. Last time that I was at a show, Oasis were touring Don’t Believe the Truth at the Molson Amphitheatre. It was more or less enjoyable, a reminder to do so more often. It was similar to seeing Birds of Wales at the Mod Club, another band suggested by a friend. The Hold Steady turned out to be a band that I like (of course, any rock band that plays …
Thoughts from the T.G.V.
Notre-Dame et la Foule Finished Paris Weekend: Cinématheque Française (who knew Dr. Fu-Manchu would go on to become Count Dooku?), Museé national d’art moderne (a cogent history of modern art – sans surrealists for the most part for some reason – that is physically and mentally tiring), and walking around during Bastille Day (apparently it takes a while for the serious parades to get started). How do real Parisians manage? Tourists attack the town like locusts, there’s excessive inflation (not Phil Graham-like “mental inflation”), and traffic is poor. It gets worse in a couple of weeks when bicyclists flood the …
Shine a Light
Martin Scorsese’s film about a Rolling Stones concert, Shine a Light, puts on a good show. I was expecting more of a documentary; not This Is Spinal Tap but a film that shone light on the band’s intricacies, like how that Simpsons’ episode revealed that Keith Richards spikes his lemonade and Mick Jagger mows his own lawn. Bill Clinton introduces the Stones and mentions that he did likewise at a climate change fundraiser because “they care as much about this issues as we do.” Hopefully they purchased carbon emission credits to make up for lights that were “burning [Mick Jagger’s] …