Quesadelia: My favorite holiday...

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

My favorite holiday...

...is Halloween. When else can you freely wear costumes and gorge on candy? Mardi gras, maybe. But that's it.

And in preparation for Halloween, let's talk scary music. Classical, of course.

A person very close to me once said, "to be a musician, you cannot deny the demonic side of yourself." Wow! It's true, though; in order to channel the master works of music written by composers before our time, and in our time, one must be balanced, have life experience, and not deny his or her "dark side." Because sometimes, classical music is dark.

Imagine hearing, for the first time, Bach's Toccata and Fugue in d minor (BWV 565). In 1703, this would be equivalent to a hardcore metal concert of today. I'm talking Nails plus Alice Cooper (I know NIN isn't considered "metal," but you know what I mean). It is virtuosic, and it's impossible to hear without imagining some nasty ghoul playing it on the organ.

This is a not-so-scary video of the sublime piece:

Another favorite of mine is from Greig's vivid suite, Peer Gynt (written for Ibsen's play). The Hall of the Mountain King is considerably scary, especially when you imagine little Peer running away from the Mountain troll and his troll daughters. Run, Peer, run!

This piece, performed here by the Chamber Orchestra of S.João da Madeira Music Academy and directed by Richard Tomes, is short and to the point.

And what else could be more Halloweeny than Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre? This piece, later transcribed by Liszt for the piano, uses the xylophone to depict the sounds of rattling bones, or skeletons dancing. Below is a fan video of Tim Burton's animation to (part of) the composition.

And there are so many more, but for now, I will leave you with these gems.

(500) Days of Summer: mini review

I think this may be my favorite movie this year! So sweet, funny, creative, touching, real: all this without taking itself too seriously or becoming too indie or precious. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is super charming, and I couldn't stop thinking how much he reminded me of Heath Ledger! Though less intense. I think he is my newest crush. Zooey Deschanel is also lovely, albeit a bit wicked. I love how the story is told (jumping around in time, while still keeping a line), and I love some of the creative elements of the cinematography. It is a simple story but timeless and relatable (I think that's a word??). And let me tell you, what I relief to watch this after I just saw Revolutionary Road! (Sheesh)

Synecdoche, New York

After I rehearsed the pronunciation of this title and looked up what it meant - shut up; I was not an English major!- I watched this movie with pride in my superior knowledge. And then my brain got damaged. I was not an English major because I may or may not have used Cliff's Notes in high school, and after about an hour of this film, I was seriously wondering if Cliff's Notes existed for Synecdoche. Because I was seriously lost and beginning to resent it. And then, then! - yes, this film is a journey!- I began to realize something. It's all a dream. Have you ever woken up and thought, "I just dreamed that my house was on fire, but I was living in it, and there were a bunch of doppelgangers of me and other people running around, and then I went to an art exhibit and looked at very tiny canvases through a magnifying glass"? If you have, you may have seen this film already. So, I don't know what else to say about it except, if you are thinking about doing drugs, or want to have really vivid dreams, try Synecdoche instead.

He's Just Not That Into You

This movie had so many strikes against it going in: self-proclaimed "chick flick," many famous people in the cast (that rarely works), based on a self-help book (??). I had no interest in seeing it, but a girlfriend of mine convinced me to go with a group of girls (ugh) to see it, and I begrudgingly agreed. You know what? It wasn't half bad. I even laughed out loud, in several spots! Thankfully, this film never takes itself seriously, despite some of the serious plot lines, and there are some good old-fashioned comic moments. Desperate, needy characters are human and even charming, and despicable characters get their come-uppance. As long as you don't take the film seriously, which many critics have - why has no one a sense of humor anymore? - HJNTIY is good for a laugh. It also made me thankful I'm not single anymore.

Slumdog Millionaire

This film is getting a lot of hype lately, but it's justified. It's everything a film should be: inspiring, touching, and exciting. If you don't yet know what the film is about, take advantage of your ignorance and just go see it. I don't know what else to say about it except that it is the best movie I've seen in a while (since Man on Wire, actually), and I hope it sweeps the Oscars. A big win (or wins) for Slumdog would prove that life imitates art, and it would also hand it to Hollywood, who hasn't come up with something this good in a long while. Film bonus: don't expect "Bollywood" here, but there is a Bollywood dance at the end. I think they just couldn't resist.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: mini review

I went to see this because I thought Marley would be too depressing on Christmas. (And: Team Brad!). Turns out, B.B. is the third most depressing movie I have ever seen (can you guess the other two?). They took a lovely, interesting short story and inflated it with a big ol' bike pump till it almost burst with drama. The entire set-up of the story - the way it is "told" - is entirely unnecessary, and one sub-plot could have ended up on the cutting room floor and not made any difference. Still, I liked the film. The acting is all very good, the cinematography picturesque, and the story makes you think; but, here's the thing: you start to really think about it and you get really, really sad. So, bring kleenex, or, if you don't need a good cry, skip it.

Man on Wire: mini review

Again with the French! If you were alive in 1974, you may have remembered a man tightrope walking between the two World Trade Center towers. He did it without a net or harness, and he walked back and forth eight times. I won't tell you if he survived it (although you can just as easily look it up), but I will say that the man, Philippe Petit, was one crazy dude. This film is a documentary about his dream to string a cable a 1/4 mile up between the towers, which were not even built yet when he read about them and got the idea, and his six years of planning the stunt. The film includes artistic dramatizations of past events - the ones not captured on film - and present-day commentary from some of his co-conspirators, helpers, and friends. It is amazing and inspiring. Fun fact: he made his "walk" the day before Nixon resigned, so it's possible it would have been an even bigger story if the Prez hadn't immediately eclipsed it.

Elegy: mini review

Ben Kingsley is getting around with the ladies quite a lot recently, no? I blame his agent. Elegy is really just a photo album of Penelope Cruz, who wears three (!) distinctive hairstyles in this film to depict the passing of time. Also, her boobies play a supporting role. Kingsley is a sleazy (but not supposed to be, I think) professor who sleeps with his students and doesn't like marriage. The only interesting part of this film is Peter Sarsgaard, who plays Kingsley's ratty, snooty, spoiled son with an impressive amount of snoot and sneer. This movie made me weary, and now I am weary of this review.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona: mini review

Thank you, Woody, for restoring my faith in American cinema (even if you had to do it in Europe). If you're a fan Mr. Allen, and if you like Spain, you'll love V.C.B. Of course, it should go without saying that if you like girls, you'll love the promise of a Cruz/Johansson threesome, and if you like boys: Bardem, baby. He smolders! He seduces! He's not psycho! (But his ex-wife is) Seriously, though; V.C.B. is entertaining at the least, provocative at most. Plenty of Allen-esque neuroses coming out of the mouths of the characters, and plenty of comedy, plus a dash of pathos, just to keep it grounded. Most enjoyable are the scenes between Bardem and Cruz, especially when he badgers her to "speak English!" for the sake of his new lady. Rebecca Hall also turns in an interesting performance.

Tell No One: mini review

Tell No One marks the third French thriller I've seen this year. The first one I saw, Roman de Gare, was stunning; I really need to write a little review. Tell No One, on the other hand, is a fun, twisty thrill ride. Like Roman, you never know what's going to happen next, and the characters could be dark or light, innocent or guilty; they are constantly changing and keep you guessing. A pediatrician whose wife is murdered (or is she?), a richer-than-God politician, a complicated police officer, Kristen Scott Thomas as a beautiful, French lesbian, an adorable dog (who is also an important role), and a timeless love story all make up this intelligent mystery. Word to Hollywood: France is burying us this year in cinema.