My Music: Playlist November & December 2008

PLAYLIST 2008 – November + December
in alphabetical order
(Best of 2008 coming out soon)

1 Appaloosa / The Day We Fell In Love (Ted&Francis Remix)
2 College feat Anoraak / Fantasy Park (Moulinex remix)
3 David Rubato / Circuit (Aeroplane Remix)
4 Empire of the Sun / Walking On A Dream
5 Eskimo Disco / Japanese Girl (Fred Falke Club Edit)
6 Franz Ferdinand / Ulysses (IMISSMYJUNO remix)
7 Freezepop / FrontLoad (Designer Drugs Remix)
8 Golden Bug / My Teacher Is A Zombie
9 Hot Chip / Touch Too Much (Fake Blood Remix)
10 Kid Carpet / Hitting The Wall
11 Kid Cudi & Crookers / Day 'n' Night (Bimbo Jones Radio Edit)
12 Killers / The Human (Ocelot Remix - Alternative Live Edit)
13 Ladytron / Runaway (Ashtar Command remix)
14 Little Boots vs Richard X / Fine Boots
15 Lullabies In The Dark / Iridium (Superpitcher Remix)
16 Metronomy / Heartbreaker (Kris Menace Remix)
17 Mini Viva / Left My Heart In Tokyo (Fred Falke Dub Mix)
18 Nathan Drew Larsen / Touch Me (King Roc Remix)
19 Of Montreal / Gallery Piece (Minitel Rose Remix)
20 Sam Taylor-Wood & Pet Shop Boys / I'm In Love With A German Film Star –
(Jurgen Paape Mix)
21 Sebastien Tellier / Kilometer (Moulinex Remix)
22 Sei A / Smile For Me (Chaim Remix)
23 Ted & Francis / I Wish I Was A Polar Bear (Arctic Urgency Edit)
24 Tiga / Mind Dimension 2 (Soulwax Version)
25 We Have Band / Oh! (Andrew 'Friendly Fires' Remix)
26 You Love Her Coz Shes Dead / Dead End (Scion Edit)

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My Music: More Empire of the sun!

My Music: Empire of the Sun!

My music: Clubfeet - "Teenage suicide"

My music: Italian electro guys - The Bloody Beetroots

CORNELIUS from borntofilm on Vimeo.

My Music: Munk'tastic!

MUNK "Down in L.A." (Shazam Version) from Leroy Hanghofer on Vimeo.

My Music: autokratz

AUTOKRATZ - Stay The Same
envoyé par MaisonKitsune

My Music: Fischerspooner

Fischerspooner - Never win
envoyé par muse324

My Music: Hercules & Love Affair

Hercules & Love Affair

My Music: LCD Soundsystem

LCD Soundsystem

My Music: more from http://www.myspace.com/nightlife

Scotty Coats

My Music: Myspace tv is in

Neon Beanbag

My Music: Kitsuné Maison 6 is OUT!

Kitsuné Maison 6 video
envoyé par MaisonKitsune

my music: Opus III - It's A Fine Day

PLAYLIST October 2008

>[in alfabethical order]

Andrès Garcìa - No More Tears (Quarion Rmx)
Arnaud Rebotini - The spirit of boogie
autoKratz - Stay The Same (Edit)
Clara Moto - Silently (Video Edit)
Le Corps Mince De Francoise - Ray-Ban Glasses (Les Gillettes Remix)
The Death Set - Negative Thinking (Treasure Fingers Remix)
DJ Pippi Vs. Willie Graff - Hyper Space (Space Dub Mix)
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik - La Serenissima
Friendly Fires - Paris (ft. Au Revoir Simone) (Aeroplane Remix)
Golden Bug - LookLookLook - In Flagranti Remix
Grovesnor - Drive Your Car (Hot Chip Remix)
Hercules And Love Affair - You Belong (Riton Remix)
Jamie Jones & Simon Baker - Kaskazi (Emotional Mix)
Morgan Geist - Detroit (c2RMX2 By Carl Craig)
The Shortwave Set - Now 'til '69 (Aeroplane Remix)
Skatebård - Hidden Track
Solomun – Somebody’s Story
Texi - Texi (edit)
Veerus & Maxie Devine - O Zibaldone (Popof Remix)
Yuksek - Tonight
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Music Playlist September 2008

Ben Mono - Jesus Was A B-Boy feat. Jemeni TJ Kong & Nuno Dos Santos Remix
Class71 - Diamond Door Original Mix
Cut Copy - Lights & Music Moulinex Remix
Danton Eeprom - The Infinity Symbol Original Mix
DeAdMaU5 & KaSkAdE - I Remember D Dub Edit
Dirty South & Axwell - Open Your Heart Vocal Remix
Dubshape - Droplets Early Night Mix
Fairmont - Down The Rabbit Hole Original Mix
Herb LF - Sunliner Original Mix
Housse De Racket - Oh Yeah Tepr Remix
Junkie XL - You Make Me Feel So Good
Low Motion Disco - Love Love Love Aeroplane Mix
Lullabies In The Dark - Song For Marie And Elise Aeroplane Remix
Matias Aguayo - Minimal DJ Koze Remix
Metronomy - Heartbreaker Discodeine Remix
Minilogue - Jamaica Dubfire Remix
Morgan Geist - The Shore
Mujava - Township Funk
Pan/Tone - Perdon Pan/Tone Original Mix
Phonique And Kiloo - The Passion Manuel Tur And DPlay Remix
Sami Koivikko - Sapphire Original Mix
Solomun - Don't Cry
Something A La Mode - Paris Makes Me Feel Like Dancing
Stimming - Una Pena Original Mix
Veerus & Maxie Devine - O Zibaldone Popof Remix
>

MUSIC PLAYLIST JULY-AUGUST 2008

Here's finally the playlist for the summer 2008!

Abel The Kid & Raul Ortiz – Phoenix
Blackbelt Anderson - Sirup (Prins Thomas Diskomiks)
Botox - Babylon By Car
Cazals - Somebody Somewhere (Lifelike Remix)
CSS - Left Behind (Midnight Juggernauts Remix)
Discodeine – Joystick
Faze Action - Original Disco Motion (vocal)
FM Belfast - Killin In The Name Of
Fukkk Offf – Black Phantom
Guy Gerber - Disorientation (Original Mix)
Hedford Vachal - Alan vs. Gary
Henrik Schwarz, Ame & Dixon - D.P.O.M.B. (Version 2)
Kimouts - Down to Earth (MyMy Monterrey Wash Remix 2)
Kleerup - thnku4nthn (Alf Tumble remix)
Low Motion Disco - Things Are Gonna Get Easier (Windsurf Remix)
Manuel Mind & Valentino Tomasi - Strange sounds (robot mix)
Mark Knight, Adam K & Soha - From the speaker (Dub Remix]
Morgan Geist –Most of all
Moulinex - Down and Out
Mzkbx - Chinese Restaurant (Yakuza Version)
M83 – You appearing
Phonique And Kiloo - The Passion (Manuel Tur And DPlay Remix)
Rubies (feat. Feist) - I Feel Electric (TieDye RMX)
Sally Shappiro - I'll Be By Your Side (Tensnake Remix)
The Shortwave Set – No social (Optimo Espacio mix)
Symbol One - Love Juice (Moulinex Remix)
Toby Tobias - The Feeling (vinyl version)Uncle O - Sin drum

PLAYLIST 2008 - April to June

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Warriors ( In Space ) the Beat Broker
Shaded (Compuphonic and Kolombo Remix) Cari Lekebusch
Seaphone - Quarion Remix Class71
Antimatter Compuphonic & Kolombo
Lights and Music (Boys Noize Rmx) Cut Copy
To The Bone - Original Mix Danton Eeprom
Not Exactly (Trick & Kubic Remix) Deadmau5
Pocket Piano DJ Mehdi
The Best Revenge (Oliver Koletzki Remix) Fischerspooner
This Sound Flip & Def Jaguar aka Djuma So
Quiet Before The Storm - Quarion Remix Foster
A Thousand Nights (Dubfire Quiet Storm Remix) Gregor Tresher
Business Acumen In Flagranti
4NC Jay Shephard
Dangly Panther (Original Mix) Jimpster
Love And Hate Johannes Heil & Christian Pass
The Deep (Jimpster Remix) Joris Voorn
Happy House (Lee Douglas remix) The Juan MacLean
No Kinda Man - Body Language Exclusive Track Junior Boys
Paris is Burning - Cut Copy Remix Ladyhawke
Stuck on Repeat (Fake Blood Remix) Little Boots
Move-Dub Mix LouLou Players
I'm Good, I'm gone (Fred Falke Remix) Lykke Li
Deviate (Original Mix) Manuel Tur & DPlay
Better Days Minitel Rose
Grace (Black Labelles Minimal Grace Mix) Miss Kittin
Live Fast Die Old (Maral Salmassi & Zero Cash Remix) Munk Feat. Asia Argento
I Lust U Neon Neon Feat. Kate Le Bon
Talk Like That (Miami Horror Remix) The Presets
Mirando (MMMatthias remix) Ratatat
Dengon feat. Mai - Larry Heard's Gentle Breeze Remix Richard Les Crees
Dark Flower (Joris Voorn Magnolia Mix) Robert Babicz
Tiergarten (Supermayer Remix) Rufus Wainwright
Find My Soul (Norweigan Electrojazz Mix) Sally Shapiro
L.E.S. Artistes (Ooh Ee Remix) Santogold
Rising Sun (C2 Edit) Sebastien San
Diskoding Siriusmo
Let The X Be X Tetine
Tranentrekker (Ben Mono Remix) TJ Kong & Nuno Dos Santos
Prepare to energize Torch Song
>

My cinema: La Zona

La Zona, by Rodrigo Plá, Mexico 2007

La Zona could just be another thriller about people pretending to take ‘justice’ in their own hands. And as usual (unless it is a pure Hollywood movie), things turn wrong. But this film is much more than that. The début film for Mexican director Rodrigo Plá only confirms the good health of Mexican cinema and its realism and dryness. He received a well-deserved prize in Venice for best first film.

La Zona adopts the form of a thriller yet combines it with social political criticism (a bit of a pamphlet), about the social causes of violence in Mexico, although this could happen in many places from Johannesburg to S. Paulo to Malibu. Part of the success is due to the place where i twas filmed, Plá was able to find a natural setting in Mexico well adapted for this film… those sub-urban condominiums where all houses are identical and follow very strict rules, almost as among the habitants of the community in the film.

The film starts following the codes of a classical Hollywood thriller, from where he borrows the narrative capacity, but slowly that logic changes and Plá achieves to escape the apparent Manichaeism. The film then takes unexpected turns (as when we were thinking that the police were the ‘good guys’) to denounce criminal social practices, police corruption and social differences and the criminal tendency of certain rich and powerful to place themselves above the law. At the end there is no certitude and nothing is crystal clear, doubt is installed and then ends in a heavy way, making it a film you won’t forget easily. Excellent. [4.5/5]

My cinema: new review

Vantage Point by Pete Travis, USA 2008

Vantage Point could have been an interesting thriller. But after a mildly promising start showing eight different points of view of different protagonists (view angles) it gets lost in unlikely action and the typical scenes from Hollywood B series like cars chasing each other in the streets of Salamanca. The plot is not too original and also very unlikely not to say ridiculous. The question is, what are actors like William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Forest Whitaker and Eduardo Noriega doing there (well okay I can understand about Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox…). Maybe for a dvd home view in a boring evening. [1/5]

My Cinema

Paris, by Cedric Klapisch, France 2008

After "L'Auberge espagnole" and "Russian Dolls", Klapisch films "PARIS", a drama-comedy, ode to his beloved city. He focuses again on some of his favourite elements like Paris (already a main character of some of his earlier films (Chacun Cherche son chat), neighbourhood life, “romantic angst”, crossed storylines and… featuring Romain Duris. PARIS is likeable and entertaining but fails however to impress and bring something new. It is well filmed with some interesting sequences such as the opening introduction and is supported by a high level cast in particular Juliette Binoche and Fabrice Luchini. There’s the feeling that much of it is a bit contrived and forced and a bit of a tourist publicity spot, despite some great images of the City of lights served by a good soundtrack (Wax Tailor’s Seize the day, Eric Satie's "Gnossienne No. 3." Etc). Very watchable particularly if you happen to love Paris, like me. And some could see here a parallel to Woody Allen’s "MANHATTAN" knowing that Klapisch has written his thesis on him [3/5]

This is England, by Shane Meadows, UK 2007

It seems that Shane Meadows films here a nearly autobiographical picture about skinheads and would-be skinheads. This story is set in the early eighties of Thatcherism, with the Falklands war in the background. It is a sometimes funny drama about the white working classes left out of the promised Britain’s economy prosperity and alienated with the triumph of the Falklands victory that ends up to violence. This is British cinema at its best and therefore contained and not soapy at any stage. Great acting as well in particular the excellent lead performance by 13-year-old newcomer Thomas Turgoose (as Shaun). [4/5]

My Cinema: Things We Lost in the Fire

Things We Lost in the Fire, by Susanne Bier, USA 2007

From Dogme 95 to Hollywood
Danish director Susanne Bier (remember 2006’s AFTER THE WEDDING, for which she received an Oscar nomination?) films her first “American” movie, for Sam Mendes (remember AMERICAN BEAUTY), producer behind this project. She hasn’t however lost much of her previous style of filming, with the use of handheld camera, cuts and many close-ups, which all contribute to creating that sense of intimacy which she masters so well.
Despite the soapy subject, Bier avoids falling into melodrama and films here a realistic drama, an emotionally rich family story, served by an excellent cast, in particular Benicio del Toro and Halle Berry. As TODD MCCARTHY wrote so well, “Benicio Del Toro’s performance sparks an otherwise morose study of loss, addiction and catharsis”. [3.5/5]

My Cinema: Independent's spirt awards

FILM INDEPENDENT’S SPIRIT AWARDS

Just before the famous Oscar awards, those of the north-american independent film industry were awarded yesterday. Will (some) of the Oscars follow?... we'll see tomorow!

Best Feature
Juno
Directed by Jason Reitman (excellent!)

Best First Screenplay
Diablo Cody
Juno

Best Documentary
Crazy Love
Director: Dan Klores (haven't seen)

Best Male Lead
Philip Seymour Hoffman
The Savages
(excellent although he had other great performances in 2007, after his Oscar he is in great shape!)

Best Female Lead
Ellen Page / Juno
(she's great, ever since Hard Candy)

Best Foreign Film
Once (Ireland)
Director: John Carney
(not out here yet, looks promising)

Best Director
Julian Schnabel
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
(not seen yet, too sad)

Best Cinematographer
Janusz Kaminski
The Diving Bell andthe Butterfly

Best Screenplay
Tamara Jenkins (who also directed)
The Savages
(it's a good one)

Best Supporting Female
Cate Blanchett
I'm Not There
(not seen yet, but she's always great)

Best Supporting Male
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Talk To Me
(not seen yet)

Best First Feature
The Lookout
Director: Scott Frank
(not seen yet but I didn't know Miramax was independent)

My Cinema: recent reviews

Sweeney Todd, by Tim Burton, UK 2007

A beautiful graphical film with great acting. Probably the bloodiest musical in film history, this is a dark revenge tragedy served by great performances by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. And fortunately there is no happy ending. So even though I am not a big musical fan, this certainly is a good movie worth seeing. [3/5]

The savages, by Tamara Jenkins, USA 2007

From Sun City to… grey Buffallo. The savages is a wity drama, not a comedy. At moments it even seems to be a european film, from some eastern european country or a Ken Loach film with dry witty humour. No, this is not another Hollywood comedy set in some glamourous place like LA or Miami or Santa Barbara. Not everybody in the US lives in such ‘sexy’ places and some do lead grey lives in sad places like Buffallo… Director Tamara Jenkins pictures family dynamics and personal dense and credible characters in their mid-life chrises while dealing with their ageing dependent father, all not glamourous and not easy subjects. She paints this family portrait and all the many uncomfortable situations with realism and humor and with humanity, but never looks for the easy tear. And she gets the support of a superb cast, Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman in top form. It wouldn’t be surprising if they would get an Oscar. [4/5]

There will be blood, by John Paul Anderson, USA 2007

This could seem a metaphor about war and oil, blood for oil or conveying some subliminal political message… not so, it seems that this wasn’t Anderson’s intention. "There Will Be Blood" displays business and religion as two forces shaping America's "progress", amid greed, ambition and corruption. Transposing here a novel from the beginning of the century, John Paul Anderson (remember Magnolia?) tells the story of a self-made oil prospector in California and the evolution of his character, becoming meaner, more isolated, more wicked and merciless as he gets richer… personifying much of the evolution of the early days of the oil industry (and the economy in general) in the wild west. After a strong beginning, with strong images and plans, the film’s final 30 minutes do not fulfil the initial promise, failing to deliver the emotional density and strength ending a bit disappointingly. It remains however a fascinating, breathtaking and disturbing cinematographic experience served by a brilliant acting by Daniel Day-Lewis, a serious candidate to the Oscar (which would be well deserved) and not forgetting rising actor Paul Dano who we also saw in Little Miss Sunshine. [4/5]

Adaptation, by Spike Jonze, USA 2002

This is a movie from 2002 which I discovered now although Spike Jonze (the director, remember 'Being John Malkovitch') isn't quite a newcomer. He has particularly made many music video clips. Jonze and screenplay writer Kaufman manage to mix reality,...(read more) fiction and fantasy in an original and funny comedy/drama. It certainly is not a movie with much mainstream appeal, but it is quite an interesting approach about the narrative creative process, a film where the process of transposing a book into a film is actually the plot. And is served by an excellent cast, where Nicolas Cage excels. [4/5]

P.S.I love you by Richard LaGravenese, USA 2007

James Berardinelli (http://www.reelviews.net) wrote that this movie is the cinematic equivalent of a Celine Dion song, and that is quite true! Some sharp and witty lines are lost in many cliches and in a plot that is too contrived, too cute-to-be-tru...(read more)e. It even fails to reach the level of those 'feel good' movies or 'guilty pleasures' although it is watchable... And I liked one of the quotes, by Patricia (Kathy Bates): "if we're all alone, then we're all together in that too". [2/5]

The Darjeeling limited by Wes Anderson, USA 2007

Wes Anderson is not quite a newcomer and has already made some remarked films, such as The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic. I had expected more of his new film and was quite disappointed. It's about the journey of 3 American brothers who have not spoken to each other for a while, who set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find their mother (all organised by one of them) and re-connect the family again, after the death of their father. This sort of 'spiritual trip' reveals to be not very spiritual after all and even though it might be the journey that matters and not the destination, it all seems to lead nowhere. In the meantime they manage to get rid of their luggage (both metaphorically and physically, expensive & posh Louis Vuitton's), meet their mother (Angelica Houston in a meteoric appearance) and witness a local funeral. Despite certain witty and funny scenes and the strangeness of some situations (Bill Murray running in the railway station to loose the train, as if coming straight out of Rushmore, one of Anderson's first movies), despite the setting in charming and enchanting India and despite the whole design and photography, the film doesn't seem to get us nowhere and gets lost in its poses and smart attitude. Well, at least we'll have seen Natalie Portman in the scenes of the prologue short film, where she meets one of the brothers in a hotel in Paris (Jason Schwartzman) all very chic, too blasé... [2.5/5]

My cinema: more reviews

JUNO, by Jason Reitman, USA 2007

Juno is a very intelligent, witty, sweet and endearing comedy, about the coming-of-age (a bit forced due to the unforeseen circumstances…) of a 16-year-old smart-ass girl. This is a real feel-good film and it is good to see such a film, after so much drama & tragedy… Thanks Jason Reitman (remember Thank you for smoking?) and the brilliant newcomer lead actress Ellen Page (supported by an excellent cast) and not forgetting screenwriter Diablo Cody. And it avoids well falling in clichés and Hollywood's easy-tear. Go see it! [4.5/5]

In the Valley of Elah, by Paul Haggis, USA 2007

The film rests in the great performance of Tommy Lee Jones who excels in his nuanced and adequate acting, not forgetting the other supporting actors, all providing an anti-hero charm to their characters. The film is quite good (better than Crash, Paul Haggis' previous) with a continually surprising plot, anti-cliché and where characters are neither Hollywood-heroes nor villains. It remains however a bit at the level of a political leaflet against the Iraq war, dismantling the vision of the war heroes from Iraq conveyed by some American media. It shows what the war in Iraq does to people, in a very disturbing way, pretending it is radically different to what happened in post-Vietnam with veterans (played by Tommy lee Jones) for who comradeship was a real value that nothing could break. But can any war be sane and leave anyone in complete sanity? All in all, a must! [4/5]

My Music: New music for 2008

Only one month has gone by and 2008 is already rich with new promises, new discoveries! Number one is undoubtedly DUBFIRE's 'I feel speed', brilliant remake of the same tittle by the group Love & Rockets, remember? Yes, the same guys who wrote 'Saudade' and many others in the 80ies. But Dubfire are closely followed by the new tracks from HOT CHIP, JAMIE LLOYD's 'May I?', Justus Köhncke's disco-ish 'Parage ', the italian prodigy DUSTY KID, the new track from Fischerspooner and a couple of others. And i would also mention the discovery of other names like Siriusmo from Germany, Jay Shepherd, Olga Kouklaki from Greece, Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya, Prosumer & Murat Tepeli, Lulu Rouge from Denmark and Hercules & Love Affair (in particular their track with Anthony, 'Blind').

As for the albums, a couple of great ones has just come out of which I would select HOT CHIP's 'Made in the Dark', undoubtedly the CD of the month, JUSTUS KÖHNCKE's 'Safe and sound' on Kompakt, MISS KITTIN's "BatBox', the last DISCO NOT DISCO 'Post Punk, Electro & Leftfield Disco Classics 1974-1986', the Dubstep complilation 'Tectonic Plates', KITSUNE's 'Compilation Maison 5' and THEDO's 'Thedo'. And not to mention the forthcoming album by GOLDFRAPP, out in late February, with the excellent remixes of 'A&E' by Gui Boratto and Hercules & Love Affair already out. It should be a bit closer to their first album with some more disco flavour and some accoustic notes...

So here's the tracklist for this beginning of 2008:

Ajello Amore Alieno (Original Mix)
Ben Wijay IOU
Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya Fuck Friend (Yuksek & Brodinski Remix)
Buy Now Body Crash
Cortney Tidwell Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up (Ewan Pearson's Objects In Daso Meine (Original Mix)
David E. Sugar To Yourself
Dennis Ferrer A Black Man In Space (Sax Mix)
Djuma Soundsystem This Sound - Original Mix
Donnacha Costello Grape B [Trax Edit]
Dubfire I Feel Speed - Original Club Mix
Dusty Kid Luna
Fairmont Gazebo (an old track I know...)
Feadz Numanoïd [Edit]
Fischerspooner The Best Revenge
Flying Lotus Massage Situation
Goldfrapp A & E (Gui Boratto Rmx) + (Hercules & Love Affair mix)
Hercules & Love Affair Blind (Hercules Club Remix)
Hot Chip Ready For The Floor (Soulwax Dub)
Ida Engberg Disco volante (Sébastien Léger remix)
Jamie Lloyd May I? - Quarion's Morning Rave Remix
Jay Shephard 4NC
JoJo De Freq Saturn Returns - Original Mix
Justus Kohncke Parage [Edit]
Luke Solomon The Difference Engine
Lulu Rouge Bless You (Album Version)
M.I.A. (from Berlin) Can't Find You [Kiki Remix]
Mark Brown The Journey Continues [Thomas Gold Mix]
Mark Knight & D. Ramirez Colombian Soul (Original Mix)
Miss Kittin Pollution Of The Mind
Moonbeam Cocoon (Moon Mix)
Nicolette No Government (Tocadisco Dub)
Olga Kouklaki Calling U
Principles Of Geometry A Mountain For President (Joakim Remix)
Prosumer & Murat Tepeli feat Elif Bicer Turn Around (Dub)
Sasse Mount Juneau - Discotronix Mix
Sebastien Tellier Sexual Sportswear
Siriusmo All the girls
Thomas Melchior Feel Sensual
Toby Tobias A Close Shave (Prins Thomas Disko-Tek Miks)
Ulrich Schnauss Goodbye
The Whip Sister Siam ( Justin Robertson remix)
Will Saul 3000 AD - Original Mix Space Remix)
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My World: Human Rights Watch dénonce les arrangements des démocraties occidentales avec les régimes autocratiques

Human Rights Watch dénonce les arrangements des démocraties occidentales avec les régimes autocratiques
LEMONDE.FR | 01.02.08

©

My Cinema: more reviews

La Sconosciuta / The unknown woman, by Giuseppe Tornatore, Italy 2007

Tornatore (remember Cinema Paradiso?) comes back in shape after a couple of years without major films. The script is fairly good, despite some flaws maybe, but which are not so important to the effectiveness of the whole. The director manages to keep the suspense rising and the plot always takes unexpected turns... navigating in ambiguity. He is served by good acting and a good soundtrack, sometimes a bit too eloquent maybe. We follow a former prostitute/slave from Eastern Europe and her path in search of a better future away from a troubled past, that keeps haunting her. Tornatore’s cinema here becomes violent, sadistic and cynical, quite different from Cinema Paradiso. Even though this is not a masterpiece, it is great Italian cinema. [3,5/5]

Charlie Wilson's War, by Mike Nichols, USA 2007

Incredibly enough Mike Nichols’ film has received only one nomination for the Hollywood Oscars… for best supporting actor for Philip Seymour Hoffman (well deserved by the way…). This film is a good combination of an excellent script, intelligent, sarcastic and witty with great acting and very entertaining. In an unpretentious way it shows us the backstage of political life and decision making in Washington and how a bon vivant Congressman (played by Tom Hanks) together with a wealthy anti-communist woman (Julia Roberts) and one intelligence and cold-war expert (Philip Seymour Hoffman) managed to get the financial support needed for the Mujahedin in Afghanistan to defeat the Russian Army in the 80ies, still during the Cold War. Amazingly, it really happened back then. Maybe the reason it hasn’t made a huge success is because the American are not yet ready to be confronted with their recent past failures and with high class satirical smart dialogues (as when Hanks says "You know you've reached rock bottom when you're told you have character flaws by a man who hanged his predecessor in a military coup."). And of course, as Hanks also said, “the ball keeps bouncing”… and (yet again…) the North-American did not foresee what might come afterwards, and did not continue with aid to develop the country… so the rest of the story is well known, and what might have been cheaper back then turned out to be much more expensive, also in human lives… just see how Afghanistan is today. Maybe this is too much to deal with right now, despite the liberal turn that things have taken recently in the US… Excellent film, an absolute must. [4,5/5]

My Cinema: 'XXY' review

YYZ, by Lucia Puenzo, Argentina 2007

With great sensitivity and artistic integrity, in hand with psychological violence, XXY, Lucia Puenzo's first film, addresses different issues around the tough subject of the malaise of adolescence: the discovery and definition of the body, of sexuality and personality. She mixes two types of approach into the subject, the scientific-clinical approach and the intimate-psychological one. Whereas the first is less achieved, however conservative, castrating and limited in scope, the second saves the film and gives it its real organic and metaphorical dimension, one of tolerance and promise. Avoiding the easy pitfalls of the subject and avoiding sensationalism, the film delivers also moments of great violence, more verbal and psychological than physical, such as the failed aggression of Alex by youngsters at the beach, which is almost unbearable. Yet it is the violence that nourishes the sensitive and intimate side of XXY, confronting rejection and fascination of the bizarre and 'different', evoking a certain Cronenberg. And let's not forget the omnipresence of the sea, perfect setting contributing to the metaphorical and mythological dimension. XXY seems a simple film yet it is a complex one, nearly unachieved, yet promising, as those teenager years, as sexuality itself. An interesting cinematographic object.
[4/5]

check also: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/XXY_(film)

My cinema: latest celluloid adventures

No country for old men by Ethan and Joel Cohen

Yes, the last Coens' film is an intense, effective and nearly flawless thriller-western. It keeps you glued to the chair with the tension rising while it takes its unexpected twists. But it is much more than that, with its provocative, philosophical, premonitory and nearly mythical approach, encompassing some sort of critic on the American way of life, and of the present American soul. After all this is yet another film that tells in its own way, that something is wrong with America today. And that message is synthesized towards the end, when one of the characters says "You can't stop what's coming."
But is this film really such a masterpiece, one of the best of the Cohen brothers' films, as most of the critics are writing? Or a bit of a disappointment?
Maybe it's a bit of both, I will need more time to think over it. In the meantime the excellent photography and landscapes remain, with some great acting, in particular by Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem, unforgettable in his role of a psychopath assassin. Maybe I sense something wrong with the philosophical statement especially towards the end, maybe it was just the many week points of the script with things that seem a bit forced (okay it's a film and they are following a book...) or because things happen too fast and not necessarily well at the end, when for instance one of the three most important characters just disappears like that. [4/5]

Smiley Face by Gregg Araki

After The Doom generation and Mysterious skin, Araki comes with Smiley Face, portraying a young dull would-be actress who gets stoned by eating her roommate's pot cakes by mistake, which triggers a series of misadventures… It’s not a road movie but some sort of an L.A. streets movie…
This is a big disappointment since I expected something very special from Araki after the two mentioned films. This might be some sort of a social critic of modern-day America and the so-called American-dream, of a whole generation corrupted by drugs and apathy… some scenes are funny and it is never boring, because one wonders… what next? Yet the humour is never excellent and the film really fails to convince. Maybe Araki is just trying to tell that something is wrong, as in the quotation from Stella Adler: “A junkie is someone who uses their body to tell society that something is wrong.”
The soundtrack is however quite good, featuring tracks by the Chemical Brothers, Belgian group Ladytron, Scissor Sisters and also Talking Heads' "Memories Can't Wait," which goes (There's a party in my mind and I hope it never stops…) which underlines Jane’s (main character state of mind. [2.5/5]

Lust, Caution by Ang Lee

The romanticism of Ang Lee’s new erotic espionage thriller could linger in our minds for a while, with its erotic Kama-Sutre style images, yet I think it fails to be the grand epic Lee wished to make. So the film is a bit of a disappointment, and I would expect a bit more from Ang Lee. Yet the film is special and does not fit to ‘mainstream’ standards, served by excellent acting by the two main characters. But it is more about style and less convincing on the content side. Photography is excellent, however, as Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "There is not a frame of the film that is not beautiful, but there may be too many frames.” And the 158 minutes are a bit too long. Lee is a great director and he proves it here, but I think he could do better, much better. [3.5/5]
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My music: new music for the new year!

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It's only mid January yet my year is already rich with new musical proposals...
My TRACK for January is definitely Dubfire's "I feel speed".
Listen to it here.

Others include the following (coming soon...)

My cinema: recent film reviews

Before the devil knows you’re dead, by Sidney Lumet
32 years after ‘Dog day afternoon’, Sidney Lumet, 83, films ‘Before the devil knows you’re dead’. Like a greek tragedy this film brings out the worst in people, the worst from modern American decadent society, the worst from American suburban lowclass. And shows Lumet’s ruthless cynicism and hopeless vision. The film starts bad & goes worse, scene after scene, until the whole puzzle is complete after the frequent flash backs and forth, wonderfully mastered by Lumet. The result is heavy, very heavy, yet extremely effective. I felt like I had 100 tons on my shoulders when it finished. Great cinema. But go on a Sunday afternoon. [4.5/5]

Rendition, by Gavin Hood
Despite some weaknesses of the screenplay and some scenes and also some inconsistencies of the plot (after all that is not the most important here) this film works quite well and achieves a growing tension as the story develops. Another film about th...(read more)e out-of-law behaviour of some organisations like the CIA in the supposedly biggest democracy in the world. it seems something has definitely changed in politics in the US and this film is just yet another sign of that. Excellent acting too! Very watchable. [3.5/5]

Into the wild, by Sean Penn
This is not only a road movie about the true story of a guy in search for freedom, for the meaning of life. It's also his own inner path, in search of himself. In the beginning he said that the more he knew people the more he liked nature around him ...(read more)and that will change as he follows his way. This great film cannot leave anyone indifferent. And it's not fiction, but based on a true story. The main actor, Emile Hirsch, is excellent and it is well directed by S. Penn, despite some weaknesses, in particular wenn it looks for the easy tear. But the flashbacks are good. And the photography is great too! Highly recommendable! [4/5]

Cassandra’s dream, by Woody Allen
Another drama-crime film of Woddy Allen's english series... This one not as convincing as the previous two, in particular Match point. And no irony nor humour this time. I prefered Allen's Manhattan ones. Woody go back! [2.5/5]
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My Music: best of 2007

MUSIC choices 2007

When I was picking up my choices for 2007 I realised it was more about tracks/songs rather than albums… 2007 celebrated 25 years of CD (I remember) and it seems that album-CDs have their days counted. 2007 confirmed the ongoing revolution in the way we buy and listen to music. And saw many record/CD shops close or having difficulties and see their space reduced. We download (paying of freely) tracks which we listen to directly from our computers/laptops from playlists or download to our iPods (and mp3 players). In 2007 it seems that paid mp3 downloads have increased but they’d better lower prices or people will continue to download illegally! The end of CDs is not so sad… we will save a lot of money because we only have to buy the tracks we want and forget the rest. Albums will remain for some rare artists or alternative musicians. As for me, I’m still an old school guy and like to feel the touch of a CD. Yet fewer and fewer are worth buying. Burial’s “Untrue” is one of those unique listening experiences, you sit on the sofa & listen from beginning to end and just let it flow. That is my album of the year! Check the rest of my choices.

Music Best of 2007 – Best Albums

Burial / Untrue
LCD Soundsystem / Sound Of Silver
Chromatics / Night Drive
Black devil disco club / 28 after
Simian Mobile Disco / Attack Decay Substain Release
Digitalism / Idealism
Supermayer / Save the world
New Young Pony Club / Fantastic Playroom
Justice / †
Dave Gahan / Hourglass
Feist / The Reminder
Pantha du Prince / The Bliss
Calvin Harris / I created disco
The Oscillation / Out of phase
Kasper Bjørke / In Gumbo

Music Best of 2007 – Best Compilations/ Mixes

After Dark / compilation from label Italians do it better
Henrik Schwarz / Live
Milky disco by Lorecordings
The Glimmers / Eskimo Vol V
DJ Hell / Hellboys Italomegamix
Kitsuné Maison 4
Various / 5 tears of Get Physical
Dirty Space Disco
Prins Thomas / Cosmo Galactic Prism
Back To Mine / Mix by Röyksopp

Music Best of 2007 / Best TRACKS

Top 10+2

Axwell ft. Charles Salter /I Found You
Das Pop+Aeroplane/ Fool for love (Aeroplane remix)
Farah /Law of Life
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons/ Beggin (Pilooski Re-edit)
Italoboyz / Viktor Casanova - Original Mix
Jamie Jones /I Like You
M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade featuring Laurie Anderson / O Superman
New Young Pony Club /Ice Cream (Comets Remix)
Rework/ Love love love yeah
Simian Mobile Disco /Hustler
Trentemoller /Moan - Radio Slave's Remix For K
Feist /My Moon My Man (Boys Noize Remix)

& more…

Ajello/ I Wanna Be Italian Too (Maximilian Skiba Remix)
Aril Brikha /Life Like - Original Mix
Ashley Beedle /Magic Sky (Shiny Pop Mix)
Audiofly X / Below The Surface
BarBQ /Myself - Original Mix
Ben Westbeech / Hang Around (karizma kaytronic dub remix)
Blue Foundation ft. Trentemoller Buda/ As I Moved On (Run Jeremy Band Mix)
Burial /Ghost Hardware
Calvin Harris / Acceptable In The 80's
Chica and the Folder / I'll Come Running
Chromatics / In The City
Claude Vonstroke / Whos Afraid Of Detroit
Coco Electrik / Your Love Is Gum - Original Mix
Danton Eeprom/ Confessions of an English Opium eater
D.I.M. / Is you
Daso / La Fee Verte - Original Mix
Dave Gahan / Kingdom
David Lynch / Ghost of love
Deadmau5 / Faxing Berlin (Original Mix)
Deetron & Ovasoul7/ I Cling (Aril Brikha Remix)
Dorfmeister vs. Madrid de los Austrias / Boogie No More (Reverso 68 Remix)
Faze Action / a_disco warrior (special disco mix)
Felix Da Housecat / Like Something 4 Porno (Kris Menace Remix)
Glass Candy / Miss Broadway
Gregor Tresher / A Thousand Nights
Gui Boratto / Beautiful Life
Guy J / Save Me - Original Mix
Henrik Schwarz / Walk Music
Infected Mushroom / Becoming Insane - Album Mix
James Zabiela / Human (Original Mix)
John Dahlbäck / If You Give Me
Jupiter Black / Hold Me (vocal Extended Version)
Just Jack / Writers Block
Justice / The Party
Justice / D.A.N.C.E.
Kanye West / Stronger
Kaskade / Sorry (Dirty South Mix)
Klaxons / Magick (Simian Mobile Disco Remix)
Krazy Baldhead / Revolution
Loco Dice / A Chico A Rhytmico
Loco Dice / Flight Lb 7475 (Flight Lb 7475)
Manhead Feat. Dennis Young & Nemesi / Special - Switch It - Lasteroide (Baldelli & Dionigi Mechanic Remix)
Manuel Tur & DPlay / Rest your senses - original mix
Markus Enochson / For You to See (Tiger Stripes mix)
Martin Landsky / Let Me Dance - Original Mix
Maximilian Skiba / Apple of Disco. RD
Midnight Juggernauts / Shadows
Mika / Relax take it easy (original_mix)
Minilogue / The Leopard (Extrawelt Remix)
Miss Kittin & The Hacker / Hometown
Moonbeam / Sunshine
Musetta / Peace & Melody - Gutterstylz Vox Mix
MyMy / Fast Freeze - Original Mix
Naomi / No Entry
Nini Raviolette / Suis-Je Normale
Plantlife Featuring Dena Deadly / Your Love
Principle of Geometry / A mountain for president
Raudive / Zeitgeist__Steve Bug Remix
Reverso 68 / Especial - Original Mix
Rex The Dog / Every Day
Riot In Belgium / La Musique
Roman Salzger & Manuel Tur / You Wont Change (Night Edit)
Samim / Heater
Shitdisco / Ok (Yuksek Remix)
Simian Mobile Disco / It's The Beat
Slagsmålsklubben / The Wold Welcomes Fame
Snax / Honeymooners Over (Konrad Black Remix)
Solomun / Black Rose
Star You Star Me / Perfect Day (Satoshi Fumi the Milky Way Mix)
Star You Star Me / Can't Stay - Rune Lindbaeck Remix
The Subs / The Origin (Michoacan Remix)
Trickski / Grace
Vangelis / Let It Happen [Beatfanatic's Balearic Boogie Remix]
Voom Voom / Best Friend (Charles Webster Mix)
Wojtek Urbanski / Violet Violin - Maximilian Skiba's Remix
Worm Is Green / Army of Them (Hermig's Re-Assembly)
Yuksek / Sorry

My cinema: BEST OF 2007

CINEMA 2007

Bellow is the list (in alphabetical order) of the best films I saw in 2007. If I would have to select ‘the’ best of the year that would certainly be REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, but since that is a film from 2000, I would pick DAS LEBEN DER ANDEREN (The Lives of Others) or A GUIDE TO RECOGNISING YOUR SAINTS.

2007 was yet again a rich cinema year and I saw more than 60 films not only at cinemas but also from DVD. Actually there seems to be a trend for people to go less to the cinema (6% less in Belgium) and watch more DVDs at home. I think this is due to DVDs being released earlier than before and to the big flat screens that keep invading our homes. Again it seems that I’m definitely not a ‘mainstream’ cinema fan, out of the 40 top box office films in France, I have only seen 4 and only 5 out of the US top 40. That leaves me happy! I hate those 2, 3, and even 8 (yes that exists) series… 2007 was also the year I discovered Darren Aronofsky’s cinema, in particular REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (now one of my favourites ever) and THE FOUNTAIN. And also Carlos Reygadas’ JAPÓN (now also another of my favourites).

2007 confirmed yet again the good shape of US independent cinema, producing some of the best films. But it has confirmed the trend for a higher diversification with great films coming from Latin America (Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Brazil…) from Central and Eastern Europe (in particular Germany and Romania) but also Asia – China, Taiwan, South Korea. To me 2007 was rather weak as regards French cinema, many films were produced yet few were really excellent. I hope new people will step in there and renew French cinema. And 2007 showed also some new Italian cinema, I hope that will be a trend to be continued!

As for actors 2007 was Ryan Gosling’s year! But also Shia LaBeouf’s! I saw three films with Ryan (LARS AND THE REAL GIRL, HALF NELSON and FRACTURE) and he was excellent in all 3. And Shia showed his huge potential as one of the best promises of US cinema in the two films A GUIDE TO RECOGNISING YOUR SAINTS and PARANOÏAK. Let’s also not forget Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett (two of my favourites), Sam Riley playing Ian Curtis in Control, Seth Rogen and Viggo Mortensen!

Best films 2007

A GUIDE TO RECOGNISING YOUR SAINTS, Dito Montiel, US 2006
AUF DER ANDEREN SEITE, Fatih Akin, DE-Turkey 2007
DAS LEBEN DER ANDEREN (The Lives of Others), Florian Henckel-Donnersmarck, DE 2006
DEATH PROOF, Quentin Tarantino, US 2007
EASTERN PROMISES, David Cronenberg, UK, CA, US 2007
EL CIELO DIVIDIDO, Julián Hernandez, MEX 2006
EL VIOLIN, Francisco Vargas, MEX 2005
I DON’T WANT TO SLEEP ALONE, Tsai Ming-Liang, Taiwan-FR-Aus 2006
JAPÓN, Carlos Reygadas, MEX 2002
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL, Craig Gillespie, US 2007
LITTLE CHILDREN, Todd Field, US 2006
PERSEPOLIS, Marjane Sastrapi, FR 2007
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, Darren Aronofsky, US 2000
THE BOTHERSOME MAN (Norway of Life), Jens Lien, Norway 2006
THE BUBBLE, Eytan Fox, Israel 2006
THE FOUNTAIN, Darren Aronofsky, US 2006
THE HOST, Joon-ho Bong, South-Korea 2006
WE OWN THE NIGHT, James Gray, US 2007
4 MONTHS 3 WEEKS & 2 DAYS, Cristian Mungiu, Romania 2007

And also special mentions to the following films:

Alpha Dog, Nick Cassavettes, US 2006
Away from her, Sarah Polley, Canada 2006
The Bourne Ultimatum, Paul Greengrass, US 2007
Control, Anton Corbijn, UK 2007
Destricted, various short films, US-UK 2006
El Metodo, Marcello Pineyro, Spain 2005
En la cama, Matias Bize, Chile 2005
FUR a portrait of Diane Arbus, Steven Shainberg, US 2006
Half Nelson, Ryan Fleck, US 2006
Hairspray, Adam Shankway, US 2007
Inland Empire, David Lynch, US 2006
Irina Palm, Sam Gabarski, UK, FR, BE, DE 2006
Jindabyne, Ray Lawrence, Australia 2006
Knocked up, Judd Apatow, US 2007
La stella che non c’è, Gianni amelio, IT 2007
Les chansons d’amour, Christophe Honoré, FR 2007
Les Témoins, André Téchiné, FR 2006
London to Brighton, Paul Andrew Williams, UK 2006
Paranoïd Park, Gus Van Sant, US 2007
Play, Alicia Scherson, Chile 2006
Proibido Proibir, Jorge Duran, Brasil 2007
Sicko, Michael Moore, US 2007
Sunshine, Danny Boyle, UK 2006
2 days in Paris, Julie Delpy, FR-DE 2007
300, Zack Zinder, US 2006

MY WORLD: good news from the air in 2007!

The ACRO (Aircraft Crashes Record Office), based in Geneva, informed that 2007 was one of the safest years since the last half century! In 2007, 136 accidents occurred in the world, 28 less than 2006, the lowest record since 1963! Thus, the total of victims is 25% lower than 2006 and is the lowest since 2004 with 965 fatalities.

32% of these accidents occurred in North America, 23% in Asia, 14% in Africa, 10% in South America, 10% in Europe, 9% in Central America and 1% in Oceania. In 2007 were reported 34 accidents in the United States of America, 10 in Canada, 8 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 5 in Colombia and Indonesia.

And moreover, no major accident occurred in Europe during 2007 which confirm that this continent is one of the safest for flying in the world!

Read more here.

MY BLOG: new year, new blog

As you may see in one of the last posts of 2007, very few people read this blog, or, if they do, they did not care to answer my survey...

In any case, I have decided to continue posting on a regular basis and folllowing the inspiration of the moment. The information will be available in the blogosphere for those who want to read it. But I will focus mainly on music and cinema issues, posting my tips, reviews and suggestions. I will start in the coming days with my usual BEST OF 2007, for cinema and music. These themes will now be labelled MY MUSIC and MY CINEMA.

But I will not forget some sort of active citizenship, keeping some space for my more rebellious and contestatarian side, with three labels: MY PORTUGAL, MY WORLD, MY TRAVELS and BRUSSELS_BASHING. I will most likely be more active as regards MY WORLD, posting issues of general interest (politics mostly), calling your attention to issues I consider relevant.

I just hope the coming posts will raise more comments than they have until now, after all a blog is supposed to be an interactive tool for communication, right?. I will continue to write mostly in english to reach more friends and other people but I will post some articles in portuguese or french, or even spanish, whenever appropriate.

of course.... have a great 2008!