Previous month: October 2005
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The Shawshank Redemption

I finally saw The Shawshank Redemption. It's about time! This is the movie that's been on top of the IMDB poll, along with The Godfather. And why not? It's certainly the definitive prison movie. The acting is good, as is generally everything else about the movie. Even though it's a long movie, the time flies past, it's all very entertaining.

We also saw Kaasuvalo (Gaslight), a psychological thriller also known as Angel Street. it was all very clever, and while most horror movies use tricks that are hard to reproduce on theater stage, Kaasuvalo managed to be quite exciting enough.

28.11.2005 klo 12:52 | Be the first to comment | TrackBack (0)

Broken Flowers

Jim Jarmusch wrote Broken Flowers for Bill Murray, whowe really like. Unfortunately, Broken Flowers isn't quite as good as we expected... I felt the movie dragged in the beginning, before the story started to unfold. When it did pick up the speed, it was much better.

Still, the story leaves lots of questions, maybe too many. I kind of wish it would've been more definite. Some will enjoy this to no end, I'm sure, but we're not in that group. Still, it was definitely better than average movie, even if Bill Murray's minimalistic acting wasn't as brilliant as it usually is.

Best part of the movie? The song at the opening texts. "There Is an End", by The Greenhornes and Holly Golightly. Very good!

21.11.2005 klo 12:53 | Be the first to comment | TrackBack (0)

The Merchant of Venice

Choose Shakespeare and you can't go wrong... We watched The Merchant of Venice Saturday. It was a classy drama, spoken in Shakespeare's verse and set in always so beautiful Venice.

The central character in the movie was Shylock, a Jewish moneylender. He lends 3000 ducats to a trader, Antonio, whose money is bound to ships at sea and who wants to loan the money to his friend Bassonio. He is even ready to pay interest (something that was forbidden for good Christians), but Shylock offers the money without any interest. The catch of the deal? If Antonio forfeits the bond, Shylock gets a pound of his flesh.

You can guess what happens. Will Antonio be able to pay his debt? Well, it turns out rather interesting in the end. In the middle the movie drags a bit, the story just isn't that interesting. The end is diamond, pretty much. Al Pacino does a good Shylock, full of pathos, rage and sorrow. Well worth seeing, this one.

14.11.2005 klo 16:27 | Be the first to comment | TrackBack (0)

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11.11.2005 klo 09:56

Pet Shop Boys

If I were to list the best bands ever, I'd probably have to put Pet Shop Boys high on that list. That's funny, because I've never been a huge fan of them. I've bought their music, some of it, quite a few albums actually, but haven't really collected it.

It's just that they've pretty amazing. They've done lots of music, and it all sounds really good. Even at it's worst, it's really quite good. At it's best, well, there are few that can match their genius in pop music. The music, the witty lyrics and the way Neil Tennant delivers them - that all is just brilliant. It's constant four-star material in my iTunes ratings, with five-star hits every now and then.

I particularly enjoy their melancholy bent. The whole concept of sad, almost depressing pop music you can actually dance to is strange and charming. Everybody can make a happy, perky pop hit, but not many can do a great sad song.

Of course, Pet Shop Boys are not the only ones to do that well. Wolfsheim does it pretty well on their Spectators album, as well - the whole genre is summarised in their song I Don't Love You Anymore:

I don't love you anymore
and we're dancing
You're not the one I'm falling for
but we are dancing
I will not praise the times we had
and won't deny that I feel sad
The silence speaks for you and me
while we're dancing

We've split up, sad and miserable, yet we're dancing. How nice. Not to mention the biggest hit from that album, Once in a Lifetime, which is even more distressing (my interpretation: a man commits suicide by drowning in the same sea that swallowed his pregnant wife earlier).

Speaking of Pet Shop Boys, I must recommend the new editions of their albums. Double-cd discs feature all sorts of interesting extra material, but what's best is the thick booklet, where Neil and Chris tell interesting anecdotes and stories behind the music. Top-class reading material for Pet Shop Boys aficionados!

10.11.2005 klo 12:31 | Be the first to comment | TrackBack (0)