Let's see. Winter is in full swing. Yay. Korean film series at the Museum of Fine Arts - go there later for Hong Sang-soo's Woman is the Future of Man. I have heard much about Hong, seen nothing - I am happy. In the next few days, with some luck, this humble blog may feature reviews, or at least comments, on this film, on The Host, on Colossal Youth, more about Jacques Rivette, etc. - there's been a lot to see, and plenty more coming. And - I think I am also goingt o do some tweaking to the template, change some of the settings around. I hope that works out. Things may look different when we are done.
But first - it's Friday! I feel random! I can count to ten! S0 - here goes (with ratings, when rated):
1. Hoodoo Gurus - Bittersweet (*****) (What a great song; as perfect an example of 80s guitar jangle pop as you can come up with.)
2. Sunny Day Real Estate - In Circles (live)
3. Brian Eno - Baby's on Fire (*****) (that's 2 five star songs in the first 3 - rather nice; what more can come up?)
4. Mainliner - Show the Cloven Hoof (not rated, but there are few things better than turning Makoto Kawabata loose on guitar)
5. Funkadelic - What is Soul? (*****) (did I change a setting somewhere? 3 of them? what is soul, anyway? a ham hock in your corn flakes?)
6. Audioslave - I am the highway
7. Peter Laughner - Calvary Cross (***) - um... that's an odd rating; the song, of course, is a 5 star song on the merits; Laughner, though no Richard Thompson on the guitar, is no slouch, and of course one of the great tragic failures of rock - oddly, most of his own songs would have registered 4 or 5 stars; this is a pretty good version, actually, with a violin or cello or something in the background along with his guitar. Anyway: it reveals more about the rating system than the song - 5 stars has more to do with the fact that I would never hit the forward button when they are playing than actual quality - this is good, though the recording quality isn't the best, and that - along with having 3-4 Thompson versions of the song around drops it down a star or two.)
8. Blackilicious - Black Diamonds and Pearls (I don't know what this is exactly, it's from a compilation - it's good though)
9. Peter Gabriel - Jeux sans Frontiers (*****) (well then)
10. REM - Moral Kiosk (I don't know why this isn't rated. 3 stars at least - though again: the stars are more a filter to limit what I hear - which unfairly punishes the best records, since I tend not to rate the whole record the 3 stars it would automatically deserve.)
Video - plenty to choose from, but we might as well go to the top. Soul is the ring around your bathtub. Take it away. Mr. Clinton....
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3 comments:
I've seen two Hong Sang-soo films- "Virgin Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors" and "The Power of Kangwon Province". Both feature a leisurely perspective on modern relationships, a shifting time narrative that juggles time and place and straightforward cinematography. I certainly like "Power" over "Virgin", but I imagine they're both right up your alley, Sam.
Both feature a leisurely perspective on modern relationships, a shifting time narrative that juggles time and place and straightforward cinematography.
Well, that's pretty much the two I saw - Woman on the Beach didn't jump around in time so much, but the rest fits. And yeah - they were both outstanding. Rohmer lovers I imagine might appreciate them as well.
"The Power of Kangwon Province", I feel, showcases Sang-soo's delicate attention to detail.... for example there's the subtle (and quietly startling) way he handles the merging of both man and woman in the province. You get an opening on a train from the woman's point of view, then the story circles back and we're shown the same image from the man's point of view and the viewer suddenly realizes that something has shifted here. It was a subtle and shocking moment to me, at least, simply because I had no idea of the film's narrative. This is probably the best example of the manner of film Sang-soo makes. I'm just sorta glad to have someone to talk to abou tit. I can't wait for "Woman on the Beach".
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