Robyn - Body Talk Pt. 3 (2010) [6/10]

Swedish pop rebel Robyn released 3 albums this year. Body Talk Pt. 1 is going to appear on my Best of the Year list in a couple weeks. Parts 1 and 2 were 8 songs each and then she released Body Talk which had 5 tracks off each of those plus 5 new tracks. This is a review of those 5 new tracks available on iTunes as Pt. 3. As with Pt. 2, Pt. 3 does not match the first installment of the Body Talk trilogy in either scope or cohesiveness, but it does not disappoint in that it collects another 5 great pop tracks, full of swagger as only Robyn can deliver.

These tracks are the poppiest of the bunch, straight-up tunes with pumped up beats. "Indestructible" is a song of seizing the moment on a dance floor as she says "I'm gunna love you like I've never been hurt before." "Time Machine" is a song of regret. Love songs and songs of confusion and hurt. Classic pop stuff.

And then there's "Call Your Girlfriend," easily the best track of the bunch. The melody and structure catches you up and you feel like Robyn is reassuring a friend that everything will be ok and that she'll move on...and then you realize...Robyn is telling a guy who she is stealing how to break up with his gf. It's vicious. But...so deceptively sweet and catchy. This is why I love Robyn. She screws with your perceptions of what a pop song can be.

And that's just the lyrics.

Musically, yes, fairly straightforward dance floor beats. But it's more alive than most of what's on the radio. Beats oscillate and shimmer with more texture than your run-of-the-mill fist pump music. And, thank goodness, there's a heck of a lot more melody. Lines carry, they build, they resolve. This is music. Not just pop hooks with filler. It's not all mind blowing by any means, but it's certainly refreshing.

"Call Your Girlfriend" really makes Pt. 3, the rest is just solid pop, but sometimes solid pop is what you need right? If you had to pick one part - Pt. 1 is definitely the way to go. And while Pt. 3 doesn't have any disappointing tracks like Pt. 2 did, it lacks some of the swagger as well (Duet with Snoop on "U Should Know Better" anyone?). Regardless, all-in-all it's been an impressive year for Robyn.

Summary: Pop Pop Swagga Pop

Rating: [6/10]

Best Track: Call Your Girlfriend

Pirates of the Carribean Trilogy

Just a few thoughts.

The first movie introduces brilliant characters with a lot of charm and witty dialogue interspersed with moments of action. The second movie relies far too much on the first and lacks much real innovation. Fun, but by no means great. The third movie regains some of the splendor of the first but still falls quite short. Jack Sparrow is one of cinema's great heros, a lovable rogue worthy to be up there with Indiana Jones. The highlight of the third movie is easily the scene with 20 different Jack Sparrows trying to run a ship and fighting over a peanut. Johnny Depp has created a masterpiece, it's a shame that he often sails the seas of cheese. Delightful, and despite its shallows, it bustles with adventure and wit.

The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)***

Dead Man's Chest (2006) **

At World's End (2007) ***

Enter the Dragon 1973 ***

Directed by Robert Clouse

Possibly the ultimate kung-fu movie, Enter the Dragon was the last film Bruce Lee made before his death (the film was released 6 days after he died.) The plot is pretty cliche by now, but we watch because of the incredible feats displayed by those who have mastered their bodies, not because of a hugely compelling story. It goes like this: Evil villain invited the best fighters from around the world to join him on his island fortress/martial arts school for a tournament. This is merely a front for finding potential recruits for his army. Bruce Lee is invited to go and recruited by the British Government to be a spy. Nefarious activity is discovered, crazy fight scenes ensue.

With some variations the villain/tourney has been used a lot (Mortal Kombat/Dragon Ball Z anyone?) but Bruce Lee is a master of his art and the film displays this amazingly. Combining philosophy with self mastery, Lee creates a brilliant display of self control and strength. Just how dedicated these artists are to their craft is exemplified by one scene in the film where Lee performs a flying kick to another fighter's chest, sending him flying. In consulting how to do this beforehand the receiver of the blow insisted it be real despite knowing the danger of physical harm. Shot in slow motion, and to a 21st century viewer used to cheesy effects, this is surprising. No one is willing to be hurt for film anymore. The kick sends Lee's opponent flying into a group of people, knocking over chairs and spectators alike. The opponent's sternum was broken, as were the arms of two people who tried to catch him. One kick! Filming was halted for three months to allow for recuperation. But that's incredible! Not to mention that some of the fighters' actions are so fast that camera has trouble catching them. This isn't bullet time, or sped up cheesy knockoffs. This is the real deal. And the film is worth it for that.

Summary: Tons of cheesy cliches do nothing to ruin the physical feats of Bruce Lee and company.

Rating: ***

The Maltese Falcon 1941 ****

I love the old school private detective stuff. It's gritty and smart and sharp. I read The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler this summer and could't put it down. The Maltese Falcon has Humphrey Bogart as PI Sam Spade who's a fast and tough and cheeky as hell. Bogey is great. I like him better in this than in Cassablanca even though Cassablanca is over all superior as a film.

As in a lot of old movies, every character is a character, but in this one nearly everyone is loveable in his own way. The women are frankly a little disappointing: Mary Astor's character is one of the most manipulative characters I've ever seen, but, while well written, it's not acted as convincingly as I'd have hoped, and she's not even that pretty. That's maybe superficial, but it affects how you see her womanly wiles. On the other hand Peter Lorre as Mr Cairo and Sydney Greenstreet as Kasper "Fatman" Gutman are a joy every moment they are on screen. Gutman is a delightful crook who revels in Spade's antics and has a genuine fondness for him despite being pitted against him. Lorre has the craziest eyes and manner of any actor I think ever. "Look what you did to my shirt!" he complains after waking from being one-punched in the face by Spade.

Speaking of one-punches - this movie is a prime example of how tense action can be summed up in one movement. There are I think maybe 5 scenes with action in them, but the intensity of the film makes them matter. Cairo's punch to the face, Spade getting punched in the throat and later kicked in the head, and Archer getting shot, are all explosive little moments. Many films today focus on extended action scenes, and don't get me wrong, they can be awesome. However, too often blurry fast-pans and quick cuts disguise the action rather than intensify it. Being disoriented can be exciting, but it can be annoying too. Action is much cooler when you can SEE it. And it should be the result of real tension, not contrivance.

"You...you imbecile!"

The Maltese Falcon was a great movie full of great characters and great lines. Some issues with Mary Astor aside I loved it and definitely recommend it.

Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady -1963 mp3 [9/10]

I straight-up do not know how to talk about Jazz.

Mingus is a genius and The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady may be his master piece. He is an exceptional bassist, band leader, and composer/arranger and Black Saint proves it. A jazz ballet in 6 parts (3 crammed into the fourth and final track) this album is an artistic achievement up there with Kind of Blue and A Love Supreme. This is more of a challenge than either of those albums tho, with Mingus' 11-piece band painting the pictures of dancers on the stage. I really can't say much more except go listen. Then listen again. And again. And again.

Best Track: Medley: Trio and Group Dancers / Single Solos and Group Dance / Group and Solo Dance

Rating: [9/10]

Movie: How To Train Your Dragon ***

How To Train Your Dragon was bundles of fun. Yes it rehashed tons of cliches: wimpy kid trying to impress his macho dad; independant chick falling for wimpy kid; highschool loser becoming the popular kid; finding your own voice rather than trying to be like everyone else...etc. However! It does so using Scottish Vikings and Dragons, not to mention great visual effects. The movie is definitely a kids movie, but it has a lot of heart and is a lot of fun. Plot wise there isn't anything exceptional about it, but the voice acting is smart and quick. One of my favourite moments is when Hiccup (the above mentioned wimp) is presented a helmet by his father...but the helmet is made from his dead mother's breast-plate...his dad has the matching pair- "Keeps her close." Surprising moments like this make the movie stand out among other childrens movies, though I must reiterate that the visual style is truly excellent. it combines cartoonish proportions with incredible detail - the same way Sergio Aragone's Groo comics did.

One thing irks me though, and it's a common thread in most Disney/children's movies: defying tradition to find your own way. I struggle with this. I see tradition as a really healthy thing, something our society needs more of. It's something that grounds us and gives a sense of community, and not just contemporary community, but a community through the generations. However, traditions can err, and like the dragon hating vikings, can be driven to extremes by a lack of understanding of the "others" real position. Hiccup, because he is different, is forced to cope with reality in a way that isn't traditional, and in doing so brings peace to his people. That's great, but underlying it is an implication that all tradition is blind and unwise. Often in movies the person who is unable to let go of tradition is made to be the bad guy or made to look the fool. And there are times where they truly are one or both. Is interests me that the only time someone standing for tradition is the good guy - Sir Thomas More in A Man for all Seasons for instance - it is not because he is supporting tradition necessarily but because he is a man who listens to his conscience. More is essentially the inverse of Hiccup, defying where everyone is going because his conscience deems it right. It's the same formula. I love A Man for all Seasons and recommend it highly, but it again bothers me that our society so highly favours following one's own conscience as supreme to any sort of status quo. Yes, it's inspiring. Yes, it's very modern and progressive. But what will it lead to if we throw out all tradition. Hell, we nearly have. Will we be better off?

Movie: The Informant! - 2009 ****

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Starring: Matt Damon

The Informant! is fast. Sometimes so fast it can be confusing. But you're supposed to be confused. Everyone in the film is, so why shouldn't you be? Mark "Corky" Whitacre is a biochemist working for ADM, a company which - as you find out immediately - is all about making YOU eat corn. When lysine (a derivative of corn) production begins to drop in the plant at ADM, Corky goes to his boss, Mick Andreas, with the information that there's a mole from a competitor sabotaging their lysine plant. An individual wants $10 mill for the information of who. Soon the FBI gets involved at which point Whitacre goes informant on ADM's shady business practices. The result is a crazy rollercoaster ride of lies, greed and baffled government officials.

Mustached Matt Damon is a joy. There are strange appearances by comics Tom Papa and Patton Oswalt, although neither is a comic centre of this film. It should be noted that this is a Clooney-produced movie. Which makes the soundtrack and anti-american greed theme make more sense.

The Informant! is smart, funny and baffling. Who's the real bad guy?