If you were to put on a stage version of Dracula, what would your musical choices be?
This is a task I have given myself: some suggestions for my best friend Amanda's co-production of Dracula in October. She didn't ask me for any suggestions, and the choice is entirely her and her co-director's (and if they have a musical director, then them too I suppose), but I am intrigued by this.
Her request: dark, string-based (particularly 'cello), and if possible, Victorian.
Well, I don't have any knowledge of Victorian music. Perhaps one day when I'm investigating very early/pre-cinema and the origins of musical theatre I will, but at this point I'm rather content with my explorations of (post-)minimalism and other avant-garde 20th century classical composers. I'm actually thinking that this strain of music could be very useful for theatrical productions, given their often repetitive natures: they are easily edited in basic music programs.
Max Richter has been my recent obsession, with his albums memoryhouse and The Blue Notebooks being stuck on repeat. And the remix of "On the Nature of Daylight" with Dinah Washington's "This Bitter Earth" that was featured in the closing credits of Shutter Island? Absolutely divine, but I don't think that Richter's melancholy, mournful style would be suitable for Dracula. Something like "Shadow Journal" may work for another production, but its contemporary electronic throbs may disqualify it. "Jan's Notebook" is a brittle, spare harpsichord piece that may have potential for a set change, but is it too minimal? "Embers" is a beautiful piece driven by a mournful, repetitive piano, accented by strings -- but does it have the necessary darkness for Dracula?
But thinking of Shutter Island's remarkable soundtrack, what about the major theme of the film, Krysztof Penderecki's Symphony no. 3, the 4th movement: "Passacaglia (Allegro Moderato)"? A terrifying, plodding piece full of throbbing, deep chords, perhaps perfect for scene changes or the end of the first act. Check it out here. It's nearly 7 minutes long, yes, but it's also a piece that could be very easily edited.
A recent discovery of mine was the album Fordlandia by Icelandic composer Johann Johannson, and I think the piece "The Rocket Builder (Io Pan!)" may have some potential. The first movement of the piece slowly builds up, and some of the phrases near the beginning may be good for small details, but where the track really shines is in the second half: a combination of dread, mourning and beauty, suitable for a sensual scene with Dracula and Mina or Lucy. A potential problem though may be the dominant musicbox synth may be a bit too contemporary.
Also from Fordlandia is the first of five "Melodia" pieces: "Melodia (i)". It's a small, two-minute piece driven by bassoon and clarinet: delicate and strangely ominous, suggesting future catastrophe. I'm thinking as an early set change.
Another Icelandic composer that sometimes piques my interest is Olafur Arnalds, although I do find that some of his work goes too 'poppy' and saccharine for my taste, particularly when he introduces his drumkit. That being said, "Loftið verður skyndilega kalt" from last year's ...And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness is heartbreakingly pretty. The piano reminds me a lot of Arvo Pärt's "Spiegel im Spiegel", and those strings just destroy me every time. Speaking of Pärt, there may be some potential in his massive oeuvre: some of his Gregorian chants or his organ work could be very appropriate. Perhaps the sixth piece from his Seven Magnificat-Antiphonen, "VI. O Konig Aller Volker" when Dracula has just been killed? Some of the other pieces from these seven --maybe the third-- could also work. One of Pärt's recent masterworks, Orient and Occident, could be a good source, too. Amazingly, this is the only video I could find of the piece: Amanda, I have a copy of it if you are intrigued at all! It's decadent and beautiful, with just the right amount of ominous exoticism bubbling up.
And because I'm on Pärt right now, I can't help but mention his brilliant, brilliant second movement to Tabula Rasa, "Silentium". I don't think it would work for Dracula, but I just really want to share it. One of my absolute favourite compositions ever.
Iannis Xenakis was far from the first composer that came into my head when I began searching for anything remotely close to 'Victorian' music. If you're familiar with his work, you may be saying to yourself "well, duh!" He's far too contemporary, dissonant and mathematical to perhaps even fleetingly consider, but there's one piece of his that I think proposes some interesting uses in some scenes of chaos and horror: "Kottos for Solo 'cello" from 1977. You would have to edit the crap out of the piece, but there are many small treasures hidden away: the disturbing drones beginning at 30 seconds that break into brittle cries at 0:52; the violent bursts that begin in the fourth minute; the psychotic, dizzying phrases in the seventh (imagine this in the background as Dracula makes a particularly horrific speech). This is probably just too much work to make manageable, but I think it's an interesting suggestion.
And dark, ominous, string-based, eh? Hmm... If I was directing, there would have to be a massive blood orgy scene with this playing. But then again, I'm bat-poop crazy. The introduction to the play would also be this, just to scare the crap out of people... and y'know what? It may actually be appropriate.
I'm going to search outside of my comfort zone now, into the realm of Victorian-era music. Any suggestions?
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
10-minute Vegetable Miso Soup
(Originally posted on January 5, 2011 on Facebook)
This is my variation on miso soup, upgraded to meal-in-a-bowl status. It's cheap, quick and healthy.
If there's one thing I miss, it's the rich taste of chicken stock. Many vegetarian broths tend to rely on mushroom, cabbage and onion to kick up the umami, and those of you familiar with my tastes in food know that those are three flavours that I am not really a fan of. But there's another ingredient that is just loaded with glutamate: miso. If you've ever been to a Japanese restaurant, you've probably had the ubiquitous miso soup. But what many people don't realize is that it's not just miso and water that they serve to you, along with the few bits of tofu, green onion and seaweed floating around: the broth is dashi, a yummy combo of kelp and bonito. I don't know about you, but I don't have any kelp lying around, and I'm probably ruining miso soup for many of my non-pescatarian friends by pointing out that bonito is fish. Oops! So I don't have any dashi around, nor the resources to make it if I wanted to. But what I do have to kick up the umami factor in this simple soup are green tea and nori. That's right -- green tea. As for nori, it's the roasted seaweed that is used in sushi. I accidentally discovered that it's also great in soup: instant flavour with barely any steeping required. I also use ginger to add a pleasant kick, and although I don't always use it, celery is such a strong presence in classic vegetable broths that if I have time, I'll often boil sliced ginger along with celery for a good 10+ minutes to get it really peppery and fresh-tasting.
2 cups Water or Broth
2-3 cm Sliced Ginger
1-2 Stalks Thinly sliced Celery
1/3-1/2 Package Cubed Firm Tofu*
Green Tea
Vegetables that cook quickly: Leafy greens, frozen corn/peas, grated carrot, sprouts
1 Tbsp Miso (More or less depending on your tastes)
1/2 Sheet Nori (Roasted Seaweed)
Cooked Noodles or Rice
1. 1 cup of hot water into a pot. Crank up the heat.
2. Chop up a few slices of ginger and throw them in. Sometimes I also throw in a clove of garlic.
3. Rinse off a stalk or two of celery and thinly slice it. Toss into the pot.
4. As this begins to boil, turn on a kettle with some more water in it.
5. Open a package of tofu, cut off a third or half, cut into slices. Take some paper towels and pat (mostly) dry. Chop into cubes.
6. At this point, the water in the pot should be boiling. Throw in a green tea bag or a tea ball with loose leaf green tea. I leave it in for around 3-4 minutes.
7. Add in your tofu: I wait until after the green tea is steeped so the cubes can suck up that flavour, too, but I'm not sure if it actually makes a difference!
8. Prepare your vegetables and throw them in:
a) I like leafy greens. I just wash them off and roughly chop them up. Some of my favourites are (baby) bok choy, Swiss chard, and spinach. Even pre-washed salad greens work. Only takes a few minutes to cook.
b) Frozen peas, corn or other mix. To quickly defrost, get a colander, throw in around a cup of vegetables and rinse under hot water from the tap. You could also microwave them for around a minute with a splash of water, but I prefer the colander method. Also only takes a few minutes to cook.
c) If I can find them, pea sprouts are one of my favourite things in the world. Rinse them off and rip them in half if you desire. Often, I add them after the soup is done so that they remain raw.
d) Grated carrot. Only takes a few minutes to cook; raw, they're pleasantly crunchy.
e) Whatever else you want! Mushrooms, bean sprouts, onion...
9. The kettle should be boiling now. Scoop around a tablespoon of miso into your big glass measuring cup and pour in around 1 cup of water. Whisk with a fork, spoon, whisk, knife or spork until blended.
10. Take half a sheet of nori (roasted seaweed) and cut into small squares or strips with your kitchen scissors. Add to your diluted miso. (I do it this way because I'm trying to avoid having the nori shredded in the stock: it's perfectly fine taste-wise, but it makes the soup look, well, dirty.)
11. At this point, your vegetables are probably done. Turn down the heat, pick out the ginger (and garlic, if using) and pour in your miso mixture. Gently stir, bring it back to a boil, and you're done!
12. Spoon over cooked noodles or rice if you need some more grains for the day.
13. Freshly ground pepper is awesome. Sliced green onions are, of course, the classic garnish.
*I usually use firm tofu, but every so often I want the soft variety. If I do this, I try to keep the rest of the soup even more simple and only use the greens.
This is my variation on miso soup, upgraded to meal-in-a-bowl status. It's cheap, quick and healthy.
If there's one thing I miss, it's the rich taste of chicken stock. Many vegetarian broths tend to rely on mushroom, cabbage and onion to kick up the umami, and those of you familiar with my tastes in food know that those are three flavours that I am not really a fan of. But there's another ingredient that is just loaded with glutamate: miso. If you've ever been to a Japanese restaurant, you've probably had the ubiquitous miso soup. But what many people don't realize is that it's not just miso and water that they serve to you, along with the few bits of tofu, green onion and seaweed floating around: the broth is dashi, a yummy combo of kelp and bonito. I don't know about you, but I don't have any kelp lying around, and I'm probably ruining miso soup for many of my non-pescatarian friends by pointing out that bonito is fish. Oops! So I don't have any dashi around, nor the resources to make it if I wanted to. But what I do have to kick up the umami factor in this simple soup are green tea and nori. That's right -- green tea. As for nori, it's the roasted seaweed that is used in sushi. I accidentally discovered that it's also great in soup: instant flavour with barely any steeping required. I also use ginger to add a pleasant kick, and although I don't always use it, celery is such a strong presence in classic vegetable broths that if I have time, I'll often boil sliced ginger along with celery for a good 10+ minutes to get it really peppery and fresh-tasting.
2 cups Water or Broth
2-3 cm Sliced Ginger
1-2 Stalks Thinly sliced Celery
1/3-1/2 Package Cubed Firm Tofu*
Green Tea
Vegetables that cook quickly: Leafy greens, frozen corn/peas, grated carrot, sprouts
1 Tbsp Miso (More or less depending on your tastes)
1/2 Sheet Nori (Roasted Seaweed)
Cooked Noodles or Rice
1. 1 cup of hot water into a pot. Crank up the heat.
2. Chop up a few slices of ginger and throw them in. Sometimes I also throw in a clove of garlic.
3. Rinse off a stalk or two of celery and thinly slice it. Toss into the pot.
4. As this begins to boil, turn on a kettle with some more water in it.
5. Open a package of tofu, cut off a third or half, cut into slices. Take some paper towels and pat (mostly) dry. Chop into cubes.
6. At this point, the water in the pot should be boiling. Throw in a green tea bag or a tea ball with loose leaf green tea. I leave it in for around 3-4 minutes.
7. Add in your tofu: I wait until after the green tea is steeped so the cubes can suck up that flavour, too, but I'm not sure if it actually makes a difference!
8. Prepare your vegetables and throw them in:
a) I like leafy greens. I just wash them off and roughly chop them up. Some of my favourites are (baby) bok choy, Swiss chard, and spinach. Even pre-washed salad greens work. Only takes a few minutes to cook.
b) Frozen peas, corn or other mix. To quickly defrost, get a colander, throw in around a cup of vegetables and rinse under hot water from the tap. You could also microwave them for around a minute with a splash of water, but I prefer the colander method. Also only takes a few minutes to cook.
c) If I can find them, pea sprouts are one of my favourite things in the world. Rinse them off and rip them in half if you desire. Often, I add them after the soup is done so that they remain raw.
d) Grated carrot. Only takes a few minutes to cook; raw, they're pleasantly crunchy.
e) Whatever else you want! Mushrooms, bean sprouts, onion...
9. The kettle should be boiling now. Scoop around a tablespoon of miso into your big glass measuring cup and pour in around 1 cup of water. Whisk with a fork, spoon, whisk, knife or spork until blended.
10. Take half a sheet of nori (roasted seaweed) and cut into small squares or strips with your kitchen scissors. Add to your diluted miso. (I do it this way because I'm trying to avoid having the nori shredded in the stock: it's perfectly fine taste-wise, but it makes the soup look, well, dirty.)
11. At this point, your vegetables are probably done. Turn down the heat, pick out the ginger (and garlic, if using) and pour in your miso mixture. Gently stir, bring it back to a boil, and you're done!
12. Spoon over cooked noodles or rice if you need some more grains for the day.
13. Freshly ground pepper is awesome. Sliced green onions are, of course, the classic garnish.
*I usually use firm tofu, but every so often I want the soft variety. If I do this, I try to keep the rest of the soup even more simple and only use the greens.
Andrew's Cupboard
As a vegetarian, poor student and food lover, I've often had friends ask me for recipes and advice. What do I eat on a regular basis? What are my favourite things to eat? What's really quick, what's cheap?
So let's take a look at my cupboard and fridge. What do I always have on hand, or pick up when it's available?
TOFU: It's easy, cheap and healthy. When opening a package of it, cut up what you're going to use, wrap it in some paper towel and squeeze it to drain the water out of it. Take the leftovers, wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer: it changes the texture, making it more like chicken. Use it in stir-fries, soups, wraps, salads. Of course, there are different textures of tofu, but I more often than not go for the extra-firm. I'll only go for the medium variety to use in miso soup.
One of my favourite ways to prepare tofu is to slice it into cubes, drizzle with a neutral oil, a bit of sesame oil, (light) soy sauce and sometimes a dash of either cayenne or pimento paste. I then bake it at around 350 for anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending on how dry I want it. This is great especially for my packed salads.
QUINOA: Quinoa is an inexpensive, quick-cooking grain that's also a complete protein. You can get it at any Bulk Barn. I sometimes just cook a big batch of plain quinoa and keep it in the fridge for breakfasts, topped with yogurt and fruit. [My favourite is chopped apples cooked on high for 10 minutes with a splash of water, spoonful of (brown) sugar and cinnamon/nutmeg.]
GREENS: I always, always have at least one variety of leafy green in my fridge, be it spinach, baby spinach, your standard spring mix, bok choy, Chinese lettuce, pea shoots, or...
KALE: You can get a huge head for around $2. This stuff is plentiful starting in the late fall and all throughout the winter. You can find it the rest of the year, but it's often more expensive and smaller. When preparing, make sure you cut out the tough rib. Kale takes a bit longer to cook than something like spinach: if your pan starts to get dry and the kale begins to burn, add a splash of water. It also doesn't shrink as much as the softer greens, so you'll probably want to cut it up into smaller shreds.
FROZEN PEAS: This seems like a no-brainer, but it's invaluable: a way for me to boost my veggie intake in virtually any meal. I simply rinse with hot water straight from the tap to defrost, and then throw it in to my soup, noodles, stir-fry or sauce. It also happens to be one of my favourite vegetables.
WHOLE GRAIN COUSCOUS: Boil some water. Add the couscous. Five minutes later, it's done. Keep it in the fridge to make salads for work.
TVP: Short for "textured vegetable protein", it's the stuff that they make fake ground beef or bacon bits out of. It's also stupidly cheap and easy to prepare. Making a tomato sauce? Throw in a handful of this near the end and you've got a 'meat' sauce that's basically indistinguishable from the real thing. I've freaked people out with this when serving it, convinced that I've served dead cow.
CANNED TOMATOES: I always have this in the cupboard, ready for a quick tomato sauce or to use in a variety of other recipes.
CANNED BEANS AND LENTILS: Yes, I could always go the dried route... but that means planning well ahead, having a big bowl taking up valuable refrigerator real estate, and then cooking it. No, thank you. Take a can of legumes, rinse it off, and toss it in. So much simpler! Just watch out for the sodium content, if you happened to be concerned about that.
NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER: After switching to the natural stuff, I can't eat your regular Kraft brand PB anymore: it's just so oily and reminiscent of icing sugar. Natural peanut butter needs to stay in the fridge and be stirred each time, but I think it's totally worth it: a standard breakfast or bedtime snack for me is toasted bread or English muffin (whole wheat, of course!) with some peanut butter and a small dab of jam, honey or even berries.
RICE: I love my rice maker. Throw in some rinsed brown, black or even white (the nutritional horror!) rice, add your water and a dash of salt, and walk away. This becomes the base for my stir-fries, stews and chilis, or becomes rejuvenated into some super-easy and quick fried rice.
NUTS AND SEEDS: I love the Bulk Barn. I always have at least one bag of nuts and/or seeds in my fridge, ready to be added to my salads and stir-fries. Sunflower seeds are one of my favourites, but I also tend to pick up almonds (super high in calcium!) quite a bit, too.
MISO: This is one of my absolute must-have ingredients, especially in the winter when it becomes my 10-minute miso noodle soup.
And of course, your basic MILK, EGGS, YOGURT and tonnes of FRUITS and VEGETABLES.
So how about a quick recipe? This is great the next day for lunch, too.
QUINOA, BEANS AND GREENS
In this very forgiving recipe, you can make an endless combination of variations: leave something out, replace some things, change the seasonings... doesn't matter! I don't always include the onion or garlic, especially if I'm feeling lazy.
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water/broth
1/2 to 1 onion, chopped finely (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
1 can of beans, drained and rinsed (any kind: I like black beans for this)
few handfuls of greens, chopped (if using kale or collard greens, make sure to remove the rib)
salt, to taste
seasoning: chili powder; paprika and garlic; basil, oregano and Romano cheese
diced carrot, celery or other vegetables (optional)
Sauté the onion in olive oil until golden yellow, around 4-5 minutes; add garlic and cook another 30 seconds until aromatic. If using paprika, stir in now to quickly cook.
Add in the quinoa and stir until well coated. If adding carrot, celery or other hard vegetable, add this in. Pour in the water or broth, salt and seasonings. Stir until everything is incorporated.
Bring to a boil; cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
If using a softer green like spinach, you can stir it in at this point. Let the quinoa sit for 5 minutes. If using a heartier green like kale or collards, you may either want to: a) incorporate it half-way through cooking, or b) sauté it in a separate pan with a tiny bit of olive oil and add it at the very end.
Super-simple and stupidly healthy!
So let's take a look at my cupboard and fridge. What do I always have on hand, or pick up when it's available?
TOFU: It's easy, cheap and healthy. When opening a package of it, cut up what you're going to use, wrap it in some paper towel and squeeze it to drain the water out of it. Take the leftovers, wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer: it changes the texture, making it more like chicken. Use it in stir-fries, soups, wraps, salads. Of course, there are different textures of tofu, but I more often than not go for the extra-firm. I'll only go for the medium variety to use in miso soup.
One of my favourite ways to prepare tofu is to slice it into cubes, drizzle with a neutral oil, a bit of sesame oil, (light) soy sauce and sometimes a dash of either cayenne or pimento paste. I then bake it at around 350 for anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending on how dry I want it. This is great especially for my packed salads.
QUINOA: Quinoa is an inexpensive, quick-cooking grain that's also a complete protein. You can get it at any Bulk Barn. I sometimes just cook a big batch of plain quinoa and keep it in the fridge for breakfasts, topped with yogurt and fruit. [My favourite is chopped apples cooked on high for 10 minutes with a splash of water, spoonful of (brown) sugar and cinnamon/nutmeg.]
GREENS: I always, always have at least one variety of leafy green in my fridge, be it spinach, baby spinach, your standard spring mix, bok choy, Chinese lettuce, pea shoots, or...
KALE: You can get a huge head for around $2. This stuff is plentiful starting in the late fall and all throughout the winter. You can find it the rest of the year, but it's often more expensive and smaller. When preparing, make sure you cut out the tough rib. Kale takes a bit longer to cook than something like spinach: if your pan starts to get dry and the kale begins to burn, add a splash of water. It also doesn't shrink as much as the softer greens, so you'll probably want to cut it up into smaller shreds.
FROZEN PEAS: This seems like a no-brainer, but it's invaluable: a way for me to boost my veggie intake in virtually any meal. I simply rinse with hot water straight from the tap to defrost, and then throw it in to my soup, noodles, stir-fry or sauce. It also happens to be one of my favourite vegetables.
WHOLE GRAIN COUSCOUS: Boil some water. Add the couscous. Five minutes later, it's done. Keep it in the fridge to make salads for work.
TVP: Short for "textured vegetable protein", it's the stuff that they make fake ground beef or bacon bits out of. It's also stupidly cheap and easy to prepare. Making a tomato sauce? Throw in a handful of this near the end and you've got a 'meat' sauce that's basically indistinguishable from the real thing. I've freaked people out with this when serving it, convinced that I've served dead cow.
CANNED TOMATOES: I always have this in the cupboard, ready for a quick tomato sauce or to use in a variety of other recipes.
CANNED BEANS AND LENTILS: Yes, I could always go the dried route... but that means planning well ahead, having a big bowl taking up valuable refrigerator real estate, and then cooking it. No, thank you. Take a can of legumes, rinse it off, and toss it in. So much simpler! Just watch out for the sodium content, if you happened to be concerned about that.
NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER: After switching to the natural stuff, I can't eat your regular Kraft brand PB anymore: it's just so oily and reminiscent of icing sugar. Natural peanut butter needs to stay in the fridge and be stirred each time, but I think it's totally worth it: a standard breakfast or bedtime snack for me is toasted bread or English muffin (whole wheat, of course!) with some peanut butter and a small dab of jam, honey or even berries.
RICE: I love my rice maker. Throw in some rinsed brown, black or even white (the nutritional horror!) rice, add your water and a dash of salt, and walk away. This becomes the base for my stir-fries, stews and chilis, or becomes rejuvenated into some super-easy and quick fried rice.
NUTS AND SEEDS: I love the Bulk Barn. I always have at least one bag of nuts and/or seeds in my fridge, ready to be added to my salads and stir-fries. Sunflower seeds are one of my favourites, but I also tend to pick up almonds (super high in calcium!) quite a bit, too.
MISO: This is one of my absolute must-have ingredients, especially in the winter when it becomes my 10-minute miso noodle soup.
And of course, your basic MILK, EGGS, YOGURT and tonnes of FRUITS and VEGETABLES.
So how about a quick recipe? This is great the next day for lunch, too.
QUINOA, BEANS AND GREENS
In this very forgiving recipe, you can make an endless combination of variations: leave something out, replace some things, change the seasonings... doesn't matter! I don't always include the onion or garlic, especially if I'm feeling lazy.
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water/broth
1/2 to 1 onion, chopped finely (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
1 can of beans, drained and rinsed (any kind: I like black beans for this)
few handfuls of greens, chopped (if using kale or collard greens, make sure to remove the rib)
salt, to taste
seasoning: chili powder; paprika and garlic; basil, oregano and Romano cheese
diced carrot, celery or other vegetables (optional)
Sauté the onion in olive oil until golden yellow, around 4-5 minutes; add garlic and cook another 30 seconds until aromatic. If using paprika, stir in now to quickly cook.
Add in the quinoa and stir until well coated. If adding carrot, celery or other hard vegetable, add this in. Pour in the water or broth, salt and seasonings. Stir until everything is incorporated.
Bring to a boil; cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
If using a softer green like spinach, you can stir it in at this point. Let the quinoa sit for 5 minutes. If using a heartier green like kale or collards, you may either want to: a) incorporate it half-way through cooking, or b) sauté it in a separate pan with a tiny bit of olive oil and add it at the very end.
Super-simple and stupidly healthy!
Point Form Review: "Nine"
-it is when the script deviates from a slavish "re-imagining" of 8 1/2 that the film pops and comes into its own: at the heart of this is the love story between Guido and his wife, which ebbs with true emotion and a sense of melancholic loss.
-Marshall's previous experiment in diegesis was a smashing success: here, it doesn't quite work. The cross-cutting is clumsy, especially when static 'real world' shots are juxtaposed to the non-stop pans of the musical numbers
-trashy, gaudy costumes that seem to celebrate Contini's misogyny, but without Fellini's self-critique of this misogyny
-staging of the 'show-stopping' musical numbers is sloppy and horrifically shot, suffering from what I'm starting to call Glee-itis. You know the tricks: the swooping camera that never stops panning, the pandering to the fourth wall, Michael Bay style lets-stick-things-in-front-of-the-camera-so-it-blocks-the-action.
-the 1960s Italian setting adds nothing to the film in the end: frankly, the film would have played better without the obsessive attempts to pay homage to "retro". Why do I say this? Because as I mentioned before, where the film pops is when it deviates from 8 1/2 entirely. "Cinema Italiano" is an insufferable number of all stylization and no substance, likewise "A Call from the Vatican": both are similarly devoid of all eroticism in favour of vulgarity, like any recent music video.
-must always be in constant dialogue with its source, as a self-reflexive homage to 8 1/2, Fellini, 60s Italian cinema and the creative process itself; this is probably why the elements that are not present in the original --i.e. Dench's costume designer muse of common sense, Cotillard and Day-Lewis' newly intensified love arc-- present themselves much more forcefully: they are new.
-That is, except for Kate Hudson's superfluous addition, which adds nothing to the film except another Victoria Secret cover shoot.
Essentially, a dumbed-down version of 8 1/2, tailor-made for contemporary audiences who want everything presented in clear, concise and painfully obvious fashion.
-Marshall's previous experiment in diegesis was a smashing success: here, it doesn't quite work. The cross-cutting is clumsy, especially when static 'real world' shots are juxtaposed to the non-stop pans of the musical numbers
-trashy, gaudy costumes that seem to celebrate Contini's misogyny, but without Fellini's self-critique of this misogyny
-staging of the 'show-stopping' musical numbers is sloppy and horrifically shot, suffering from what I'm starting to call Glee-itis. You know the tricks: the swooping camera that never stops panning, the pandering to the fourth wall, Michael Bay style lets-stick-things-in-front-of-the-camera-so-it-blocks-the-action.
-the 1960s Italian setting adds nothing to the film in the end: frankly, the film would have played better without the obsessive attempts to pay homage to "retro". Why do I say this? Because as I mentioned before, where the film pops is when it deviates from 8 1/2 entirely. "Cinema Italiano" is an insufferable number of all stylization and no substance, likewise "A Call from the Vatican": both are similarly devoid of all eroticism in favour of vulgarity, like any recent music video.
-must always be in constant dialogue with its source, as a self-reflexive homage to 8 1/2, Fellini, 60s Italian cinema and the creative process itself; this is probably why the elements that are not present in the original --i.e. Dench's costume designer muse of common sense, Cotillard and Day-Lewis' newly intensified love arc-- present themselves much more forcefully: they are new.
-That is, except for Kate Hudson's superfluous addition, which adds nothing to the film except another Victoria Secret cover shoot.
Essentially, a dumbed-down version of 8 1/2, tailor-made for contemporary audiences who want everything presented in clear, concise and painfully obvious fashion.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Point Form Review: "Super 8"
-tightly directed and written... up to a certain point. Then it descends into a by-the-numbers disaster film and loses its best narrative threads and thematic motifs, choosing instead a bland recreation of early Spielberg, seemingly throwing away everything it was building up to... in favour of razzle-dazzle that ultimately rings false and hollow.
-sets up the importance of their tape... for no apparent reason at all. Deals with notions of nostalgia, Bazinian notions of memory and preservation, until the monster shows up and we're assaulted with the Big Set Piece.
-he actually slaps Alice and then declares that he must rescue her: this isn't nostalgia, it's disgusting! I thought we moved on from the damsel-in-distress year ago. (Pfft, who am I kidding?)
-monster is all high-concept, and deflates as the film progresses. Genuinely gripping moments until it is fully revealed, as a psychic-subterranean-fussy-E.T. creature with simply Too Much.
-interesting use of paranoiac anti-government conspiracy theory, bordering on satirical.
-what happens to Charles? He's literally left behind, and he was actually interesting -- just like the tape. Setting something up with no satisfying pay-off.
-sets up the importance of their tape... for no apparent reason at all. Deals with notions of nostalgia, Bazinian notions of memory and preservation, until the monster shows up and we're assaulted with the Big Set Piece.
-he actually slaps Alice and then declares that he must rescue her: this isn't nostalgia, it's disgusting! I thought we moved on from the damsel-in-distress year ago. (Pfft, who am I kidding?)
-monster is all high-concept, and deflates as the film progresses. Genuinely gripping moments until it is fully revealed, as a psychic-subterranean-fussy-E.T. creature with simply Too Much.
-interesting use of paranoiac anti-government conspiracy theory, bordering on satirical.
-what happens to Charles? He's literally left behind, and he was actually interesting -- just like the tape. Setting something up with no satisfying pay-off.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Cineaste Paradox
The more films you watch, the fewer you have seen.
What do I mean by this? That makes no sense.
Yes, but once you've seen one Hungarian film, suddenly you've opened up an entire block of cinema to explore. You watch The Heart of London, and then you've never seen any other Canadian avant-garde cinema.
This is why your list of Movies To See will never shrink, only grow.
What do I mean by this? That makes no sense.
Yes, but once you've seen one Hungarian film, suddenly you've opened up an entire block of cinema to explore. You watch The Heart of London, and then you've never seen any other Canadian avant-garde cinema.
This is why your list of Movies To See will never shrink, only grow.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Sideboards and Bananas
Greetings, everyone!
It's time I revive my blog, and this time actually keep it up. In the past, I've felt that I needed to have a cohesive structure or theme to my blog(s), which actually hampered my creative output. I'm rather eclectic and interdisciplinary by nature: so why not have my blog reflect this? As such, expect a more integrated approach. Yes, there will be the movies, the cultural analysis, the pop snark -- but why stop there? My general thoughts are so much more varied and perhaps even chaotic. (Those that have had an actual conversation with me, or better yet, walked somewhere with me, will know this intimately.) So now expect material as wide as recipes, reviews, memes, news, academia, and poetic meanderings.
And something else: don't expect everything to be fully written out. I find my best thoughts are in point form, because that's how my brain works. I find it's an accurate way to depict my stream of consciousness, which often contains major jumps. Heck, perhaps that will be another post entirely: a discussion on my inner monologue and how it works. Many of these posts may end up being of little interest to you, dear reader, as I'm also planning on using this blog as a way to organize my thoughts in a public forum: if I'm to continue as an academic, especially in cultural theory, I should learn how to present things publicly, eh?
And now, I shall start some posts, eat my strawberry yogurt, look at the white lilies on my end table, and wait for a phone call.
Cheers!
It's time I revive my blog, and this time actually keep it up. In the past, I've felt that I needed to have a cohesive structure or theme to my blog(s), which actually hampered my creative output. I'm rather eclectic and interdisciplinary by nature: so why not have my blog reflect this? As such, expect a more integrated approach. Yes, there will be the movies, the cultural analysis, the pop snark -- but why stop there? My general thoughts are so much more varied and perhaps even chaotic. (Those that have had an actual conversation with me, or better yet, walked somewhere with me, will know this intimately.) So now expect material as wide as recipes, reviews, memes, news, academia, and poetic meanderings.
And something else: don't expect everything to be fully written out. I find my best thoughts are in point form, because that's how my brain works. I find it's an accurate way to depict my stream of consciousness, which often contains major jumps. Heck, perhaps that will be another post entirely: a discussion on my inner monologue and how it works. Many of these posts may end up being of little interest to you, dear reader, as I'm also planning on using this blog as a way to organize my thoughts in a public forum: if I'm to continue as an academic, especially in cultural theory, I should learn how to present things publicly, eh?
And now, I shall start some posts, eat my strawberry yogurt, look at the white lilies on my end table, and wait for a phone call.
Cheers!
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