alejandro and the boss

for those of you who don't know alejandro, please know him. the texas rocker was brought up on stage by the boss at a gig in houston earlier this month and they played "always a friend" off of alejandro escavedo's upcoming record. the boss introduced alejandro by saying that he had been putting out good music for so long and his upcoming record was one of the best ever. alejandro said that being on stage with the boss was his best musical experience ever.

"you know me better" by roisin murphy

this one's for all the art directors

the dirtbombs and a duck

check out the dirtbombs website - with all the good information

favorite movies of 2007

here are my favorite films of 2007 - 

5 - "i'm not there" directed by todd haynes

i would have thrown up if the big studios would have made a bio-pic of bob dylan called "bob" or "blowin' in the wind:  the bob dylan story".  ray charles and johhny cash were no bob dylan, and "i'm not there" is no typical cinematic biography.  haynes captured the essence of dylan - his mystery, his mastery, and his mythology.  it is well documented that haynes employed six actors to portray one person, but that was the slightest of the directors risks when undertaking this film.  it was said that bob dylan gave his blessing to this film without ever reading a script or treatment, but simply due to his respect of haynes' previous films.  dylan's instincts were spot on.  this is a film that will satisfy every dylan fanatic, intrigue those who have admired him, and confuse and baffle those who don't know dylan nor his music.

 

4 - "eastern promises" directed by david cronenberg 

the latest piece from cronenberg and cinematographer collaborator peter suschitzky is a voyeuristic  look into the russian mafia of london.  while that tag alone may evoke images of epic gangster cliches, the truth is the film is so small in scope, and so subtle, that one may see the fantastic world of tatoo histories and eastern decadence as only a backdrop, to a personal interplay between viggo mortensen and naomi watts (both at the top of their game).

3 - "there will be blood" directed by paul thomas anderson

anderson's period piece set in the turn of the century american southwest, paints a desperate portrait of greed, capitalism, religion, and family, that founded the industrial united states.  anderson, along with cinematographer robert elswit, radiohead guitarist jonny greenwood (who composed the score), and daniel day lewis, create haunting images, eerie realities, and prophetic landscapes that indict and provoke.

2 - "into the wild" directed by sean penn

alexander supertramp, is as powerful a figure of american isolation literature as holden caufield, dean moriarty, or billy pilgrim.  deal is, supertramp was real.  and penn's telling of his story, his search for truth, and his obedience to the examined life is handled with empathy and maturity.  as fine a film as one may see and the camera was a well wielded weapon by penn and the gang.

1 - "no country for old men" directed by joel and ethan coen

this was the coen brothers, two of america's finest directors, at their best.  starting with the source material, cormac mccarthy's novel was his most accessible to date, but still retained all of the moralist elements and social criticism that make mccarthy the greatest living author.  than take roger deakins, seven time academy award nominated cinematographer, and wallow in his greatness for a while.  add in an unexpected turn from javier bardem as anton chiguhr, great turns from josh brolin and tommy lee jones, and the most subtle and restrained directing the coens have demonstrated to date, and what you have is a masterpiece.  a pure masterpiece.  

"thou shalt always kill" by dan le sac VS scroobius pip

le sac VS. pip myspace 

"there will be blood" - by P.T. anderson

chaplin, hitchcock, hawks, curtiz, welles, and wilder.  coppola, capra, cassavetes and carne.  those are the names associated with the auteur film theory with the academics.  scorsese, scott (ridley - not tony), the brothers coen, rodreguiez, tarantino, altman and sayles are making names as the new auteurs.  what is an auteur?  it's complicated, but essentially it's the idea that the director, no matter the genre, is the primary vision or "author" of the film.   there will be blood, the latest film from director p.t. anderson cements his position as a true auteur film-maker.

anderson's catalog includes his break-out hit boogie nights, the sweeping magnolia, and the sleeper punch-drunk love.  his films have proved to be indicting commentaries on modern relationships and focus on characters who struggle to find community in a society full of characters who cannot find community.  

there will be blood is an adaptation of the upton sinclair novel "oil" set in the turn of the century, oil thirsty, western, wastelands.  it stars our generation's truest actor, daniel day-lewis as daniel plainview, an enigmatic "oil man" who along with his young son, canvas the west for families willing to let him suck the oil out of their land.  after a mysterious messenger leads him to what may be the oil strike of the century, plainview sets down roots in the middle of an agriculturally barren community, with promises of wealth, education, and amenities.  as with most stories, complications ensue.  

anderson's ability to put his imprint on a period piece that is so diverse from his usual thematic and stylistic stomping grounds is what reveals his rightful claim to auteur status.  he made the transition deftly to an epic adaptation of a world very different to the one he haunts.  to many, that is the exact definition of a true cinematic author.

that is not to say however, that the movie was not stolen by two of it's prime collaborators, because it was.  there will be blood in many ways was a character study, and without daniel day-lewis' steady, deliberate, and unflinching portrayal, we might not have had much of a character to study.  in some ways, and maybe because of the breadth of the story, we are not privy to the inner workings of plainview's character.  day-lewis however pulls of a remarkable feat by engaging the audience with his intensity and commitment to the role.  with a story that was at times uneven, and a cast that was simply not his equal, his performance should be celebrated.

anderson also benefited greatly from the craftsmanship of cinematographer robert elswit.  it was elswit who gave life to the barren surroundings and was constantly painting the portraits of the people and the land they inhabited.  in many ways, his work on this film was reminiscent of nestor almendros' work on terrence malick's days of heaven, considered by many to be a masterpiece of cinematography.  

anderson must be applauded for his inclusion of elswit and day-lewis.  part of putting your stamp on any collaborative piece of art, is choosing your collaborators wisely, and if one wishes to transcend to the ranks of auteur, it would be wise to follow anderson's lead in his choice of friends.

"brighter than creation's dark" by the drive-by truckers

it's been almost two years since the dbt's released a blessing and a curse, but our patience seems to have paid off.  brighter than creation's dark may well be the bands consummated masterpiece.  the promise they offered us in their first major label record southern rock opera has finally come to fruition.  dark gives us honest storytelling, about character's on the fringe of society, soaked in soulful musicianship, blistering anthems for those who may have lost their way a time or two, and a couple of lamentations that will only leave the hardest of hearts with dry eyes.

one of the trucker's greatest strengths has been the collaborative nature of their song writing.  patterson hood, mike cooley, and jason isbell have all taken their shots as lead tune-smith, and that has served them well.  unfortunately, isbell left the band and struck out on his own.  in his absence, bassist shonna tucker stepped up and filled the void, and offers one of the great surprises on the record - she can write and sing with the best of them.

the first five songs on the record are as good an introduction to these neo-southern rockers as you will ever get.  the first song, two daughters and a beautiful wife is an acoustic piece written by hood, from a dead man's point of view as he worries about the family he left behind.  death is a motif one will get acquainted with early and often around the dbt's.  3 dimes down is cooley's first contribution to the record, a well produced, groove machine about livin' hard.  the righteous path is quintessential truckers, dealing with the tension between livin' right and livin' true.  hood sings "trying to keep focused as we drive down the road / like we did back in high school before the world turned cold / now the brakes are thin and the curves are fast / we're trying to hold steady on the righteous path."  the next song i'm sorry huston, introduces us to tucker the singer/song writer.  it's a beautiful number highlighting new member and former star room boy john neff's slide guitar.  and then cooley show's off his willie-esque songwriting abilities with perfect timing.

everything the dbt's are about, is represented well on dark.  but this record, more than any previous, seems to be authored and executed by musicians who know exactly who they are, what they do well, and where they are headed.  they abandoned some of their pop-ier numbers, partly due to isbell's exodus, and they have embraced the production process a little more in support of the sound.  the 19 songs on the record are all thoughtfully laid out for our consumption, and sound as good as ever.

drive-by truckers on the world wide web