What came first, the music or the misery? May 9, 2009

So, with the weather finally starting to show signs of spring, I’ve spent a few nights hanging out on my porch.  Since Laura and I are easily entertained, we come up with geeky exercises in list-making.  It’s for this reason I firmly believe I would be fine on a desert island, occupied for hours on end with the useless information rattling around my head.

Needless to say, one of these conversations sparked the following list:  top 10 favorite albums.   Just a few disclaimers before I start.  I’ve tried to recreate my original list, but I didn’t take notes (obviously, because THAT would be dorky).  Some items came to me later.  Also, I’ve decided to limit it to actual albums, no greatest hits or soundtracks.

1. Van Morrison – Moondance (1970).  Hands down, probably my favorite of all time.  I mean, “Into the Mystic” alone might earn its place on the list.  If I ever have a wedding, this will undoubtably be played as my first dance.  But the entire album is amazing.  It’s mellow without being depressing, fun without being trendy, sexy without being explicit.  It’s the perfect music to slow dance to in the backyard on a warm summer night.
2. Meat Loaf – Bat out of Hell (1977). I grew up listening to this album.  My dad would always play it on our way to the cabin and to this day, I still have to recreate that tradition when I go.  Then of course, as I grew older, there is the other tradition of acting out “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” at various weddings after copious amounts of liquor.  Still, it provides some of my best memories with Jeffrey.
3. The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed (1969).  If it weren’t for my self-imposed rules, I probably would have listed Forty Licks as my favorite here.  But this album wins for having the two best Stones songs of all time, “Gimme Shelter” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”  I know that anybody who has any taste in music says it’s got to be the Beatles, but I’ve always preferred The Stones.  Sue me.  I never claimed to be a musical connoisseur.
4. Dave Matthews Band – Crash (1996). This album WAS high school.  And college.  I’ll never forget my first Dave concert (out of about a dozen or so in my more foolish years).  During “Dancing Nancies,” Dave sang look up at the sky…and I looked behind me at 40,000 people throwing their hands up against a purple twilit sky.  Amazing.
5. Cat Stevens – Tea for the Tillerman (1970).  As a teenager, I think I was always a little more fascinated with my dad’s old music, but this album was one of my mom’s that I fell in love with and haven’t stopped loving since.  Before he got all weird and changed his name, Cat Stevens wrote some pretty awesome songs, and a bunch of them are on this album.
6. Damien Rice – O (2002). I have Ken to thank for introducing me to this guy.  I’ve loved all his albums, but decided to include his first because it was the one I originally loved.  And any album that includes the line, we all seem to need the help of someone else to mend that shelf of too many books, read me your favorite line, had me from the beginning.
7. Counting Crows – August and Everything  After (1993). One of the very first CDs I owned, it’s probably the saddest album on my list.  But I love it.  It provided a backdrop for many a teen agnst moment.  Now, it just makes me feel happy to be grown up.  Besides, who can hear “Mr. Jones” and not smile?
8. Gustav Holst – The Planets Suite Op. 32 (1916). Now, I don’t know anything about classical music, but I love every part of this piece.  I can even identify the different movements.  I’ve seen it performed.  And the “Jupiter” section always makes me cry.  There’s just something so profound about it; I think it must be what happiness sounds like.
9. Muse – Showbiz (1999). Considering I love every single song I’ve ever heard by Muse, I had a hard time picking one album.  I decided to go with their first and leave it at that.  They have been subject to the whole Twilight phenomenon, but that is hardly their fault.  They are actually much cooler than that tweenie association would suggest.  At least I hope so, otherwise my taste is worse than I’d imagined.
10. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977).  If you love Fleetwood Mac, this has to be the quintessential album.  I think this is the incarnation of the band that has most of the members that are considered to be the best.   But who can really keep up with their drama?  The 2004 re-release also has a bunch of bonus tracks that make this album even better, including a live version of Stevie Nicks singing “Silver Springs,” which I know is a bad song, but I love anyway.

Honorable mentions (including those pesky greatest hits and soundtracks I wouldn’t allow):

• The Killers – Sam’s Town (2006)
• The Rolling Stones – Forty Licks (2002)
• Carole King – Tapestry (1971)
• The Big Chill Soundtrack (1983)
• Queen – Classic Queen (1992)
• Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
• E.S. Posthumus – Unearthed (2001)
• “Once More with Feeling” Soundtrack (BtVS) (2001)
• Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope (2006)

We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes October 30, 2007

As promised, I have compiled a list of my favorite horror movies. The following nine movies are presented in no particular order, except the order in which they popped into my head.

1. M (1931)

Directed by legendary Fritz Lang, who also brought us Metropolis, this film is a study in suspense. Peter Lorre delivers a terrifying performance as a child murderer, who not only horrifies his young victims and their parents, but also convincingly portrays the agony of his affliction. One of the first films to focus on the concept of a serial killer, M is a natural starting point for any budding horror movie enthusiast.

2. The Shining (1980)

Also directed by a legend, Stanley Kubrick brings his dark, meticulous vision to the Overlook Hotel. From a superbly selected score to a lead actor in the form of Jack Nicholson who plays crazy just a little too convincingly, this movie is chilling from start to finish. However, it is the bloody images of two eerie little girls that always cause me to watch the scenes from between the cracks of my fingers.

3. High Tension (2003)

After this small French film, Alexandre Aja went on to direct the spectacularly brutal (and much more successful) remake of the Hills Have Eyes. But it is his lesser known piece that sticks with me. A clear homage to the slasher flicks of the 70’s & 80’s, there are many things about this film that should not work. From situations we’ve seen many times before, to a familiar, faceless killer, to the plot twist all filmmakers seem to employ nowadays, Aja somehow makes it all feel brand new. Add to it Cecile De France’s command performance as Marie, and you get a very bloody, very passionate movie.

4. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Not only does this movie provide some of the most paralyzing moments on this list, it is arguably also the best film of my lifetime. One of only three movies in history to sweep the Oscars, Anthony Hopkins gives life to an iconic character and Jodie Foster reminds me why she’s one of the smartest actresses working today. A couple of trips to the doctor’s cell and some clever cross-cutting later, the climax of this film still leaves me breathless, even though I know by now that Agent Starling defeats Buffalo Bill in the shadows of that basement.

5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The precursor of the slasher flicks, this movie proves that less can be more. Without the amount of sex and gore of the subgenre it helped shape, this film proved how effectively scary the statement ‘based on a true story’ could be. No more real than the masked killers it inspired, this movie nonetheless delivers with its claims of veracity, its stark soundtrack (the movie itself is scoreless) and its collection of unforgettably creepy characters.

6. Halloween (1978)

If Leatherface is the stern daddy figure that spawned the infallible masked killer prototype, Michael Meyers is the cooler, older brother everyone wants to be. The first of the Unholy Trinity (joined in ’81 by Jason Vorhees and ’84 by Freddy Krueger), this movie makes my list for simply being the best of the slew of movies these three would eventually inspire. A simple premise, illustrated by a disturbing point-of-view shot in the beginning of the film, and lots of blood, sex and mayhem later, Halloween became Carpenter’s classic.

7. Jaws (1975)

Proving once again that necessity is the mother of invention, Steven Spielberg had to shoot around a malfunctioning mechanical shark. Using water-level shots and John William’s ominous score, the viewer’s imagination is left to fill in much of the horror. The result of not seeing the shark on screen until a substantial portion of the movie has passed is still causing viewers to scream in fright and keeping potential swimmers firmly on the ground. Wildly successful, this movie launched the concept of ‘blockbuster.’

8. Psycho (1960)

A master in his trade, Alfred Hitchcock built a career out of the subtle art of surprise vs. suspense. This movie has a bit of both. Surprise is when Janet Leigh meets her untimely end in the shower less than halfway through the movie. Suspense is when we know a killer resides at the Bates Motel for the rest of the film, while the rest of the characters do not. With possibly one of the greatest lines ever in a horror movie, Psycho still has us going a little mad almost 50 years later.

9. Scream (1996)

In the mid-90’s, Wes Craven reinvented the horror genre with his clever, self-aware Scream trilogy. Employing the slasher flick cliches, while at the same time poking fun at them, Scream will make you laugh just as often as its titular reaction. Beating out even Psycho with its shocking murder, Craven kills his blond bombshell in the opening act, a small role performed smartly by Drew Barrymore. Video-store-geek Randy’s rules for surviving a horror movie should be a mission statement for any horror film aficionado.

So that’s my list. Not meant to be comprehensive, it’s just a fun collection in honor of Halloween. I invite you to leave your favorite horror movie in the comments. Unless, of course, you can’t stomach the genre. In that case, you could write about the movie that scared you so much, you can no longer watch anything scarier than Fox News.

Round Up the Usual Suspects August 30, 2007

In honor of last week’s outing to see the Bourne Ultimatum, this is a list of things you need to know if you are looking to start a career as a super-secret international spy-type assassin.

1. When you think you are being followed, it is best to drive evasively, and if possible, the wrong way down the street. This will deter all but the most suicidal of local law enforcement personnel from chasing you. If you are reasonably certain you are being followed, trade your car for one you swipe from the nearest parking garage and drive like hell. If you are absolutely positive you are being followed, ditch the car all together, cut off your hair (and dye it if possible) and move to the beach in India.

   

2. Joan Allen is on your side. I mean, I suspected as much, but you never can tell in the backstabbing world of espionage. I’ve had a good vibe about her ever since she played the vice president in that movie with Jeff Bridges, but it’s only with Bourne that she really shows her true colors as one of the good guys with oustanding moral fiber. Take that, GOP.
3. Unlike Joan Allen, other assassins are not your friends. You will not be getting together after work to unwind at the local watering hole during happy hour. You will not enjoy backyard BBQs with your families. Even when you think you have just shared a moment, all they are doing is distracting you while they call in for reinforcements. They are ASSASSINS, and they are trying to KILL YOU.
4. Bond is better than Bourne. I know, I don’t like it either. I can’t think of a single good time I had while watching a Bond movie, but let’s face it. Bourne is an amnesiac, rogue prototype who has to resort to defending himself with common household items and has a tendency to get his girlfriends murdered. Bond drives kickass cars with awesome gadget-y weapons at his disposal, all while hardly breaking a sweat, and he has a different woman for every movie. Hence, while I believe it is much more badass to be Bourne, it is certainly much easier to be Bond.
5. Jack Crawford now runs the CIA. What the hell? Last we saw, Jack was grinding away as director of behavioral science for the FBI. Now suddenly he turns up as the director of the CIA? I thought those guys hated each other. Didn’t that stupid testerone get part of the blame for 9/11? They didn’t want to share information, so while they were too busy not giving each other the secret passwords to their clubhouses, al Qaeda had pilots in American flight schools. Whatever the case, Crawford clearly turns up at CIA headquarters. Perhaps Jack was too distraught over the loss of the virtuous Agent Starling to evil Hannibal Lecter and he jumped ship to work with more controllable killers.

So that’s what I know. Use this information wisely. Big brother is watching.