CULTURE / Books, Movies & Music
The Contemporary written by Hugo verweij
MUSIC Apocalypse Now Francis Ford Coppola A few words immediately spring to mind here: epic, is one...madness, troubled, chaotic, Brando and classic are a few more. A special documentary called "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse" sheds light on what exactly made the production of this 1979 classic so mad(dening), troubled, and chaotic. The basic plot of this movie – based on Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness" - sees one special ops officer, played by Martin Sheen, track down another, presumed rogue, special ops officer, played by Marlon Brando. Sheen is a troubled, heavily drinking soldier (and as such one of the very first leading men to play the role of the flawed, tragic "hero", which decades later really took off with James Bond losing his charm and wit, various superheroes with troubled private lives or even more severe Achilles' heels and so on). Unforgettable is the scene in which Robert Duvall's Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore launches an attack with helicopters on a Vietcong-occupied area of beach that they will need to get through on their mission. As the helicopters fly over, firing missiles and bullets at various targets on the ground, the deafening roar of the propellers are drowned out by Richard Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries'. Equally unforgettable are Sheen's and Brando's performances, not to mention the tragic and horrific battle scenes. Pulp Fiction Quentin Tarantino Here, for the first time, we can finally reveal what's in the suitcase that John Travolta's Vincent, and Samuel Jackson's Jules, are ordered to retrieve from three small-time, wannabe criminals. Actually, no we can't but here's hoping! People with suggestions or the definitive answer may send a postcard to the editors of this magazine and be in with a chance of winning our eternal gratitude. So there is one story paraphrased very briefly. There are three more and all four are intertwined throughout the movie, sometimes crossing paths with each other. The other three involve a scamming boxer, a gangster's wife, and a couple that rob a diner. Tarantino's style of storytelling was may be not quite revolutionary when it first came out in 1994, but it was close. It not only reinvigorated filmmakers' creativity in the way they tell their stories, it also reinvigorated, nay, revived, Travolta's, Willis' and Jackson's career, to name but a few. With an impossibly cool soundtrack, razor sharp pop-culture drenched dialogue, excellent performances from a giant ensemble cast, this movie is truly a milestone in American cinema. But odds are you know that already. Let us just urge you then to go watch it again and still find new things you hadn't spotted before. Taxi Driver Martin Scorcese A good example of a movie that's often been quoted without people actually realizing it is this movie they're actually quoting. The scene in question of course is a Mohawksporting, shirtless De Niro looking at himself in a mirror in his apartment, with a gun in a self-made contraption that allows him to draw the gun very quickly. He talks to himself in the mirror as if he's confronting someone who shot him a dirty look: "You talking' to me?'", while drawing the gun and pointing it at the mirror, looking ready to pull the trigger. The movie came out in 1976, and is set in New York City, pretty much at that same time – or at least right after the Vietnam War. De Niro is disillusioned, former Marine Travis Bickle who keeps up appearances as a decent, hardworking man to his parents, but rides his taxi around the city at night, and spends his days in seedy bars and porn theaters. He begins to turn violent after a date with a beautiful woman does not go as planned and we follow him as he sinks further and further into an allconsuming rage and disgust with the world, briefly and tentatively relieved by 14 year old Jodie Foster (in her first movie role), a child prostitute. Raw, gritty, pure, intense cinema.
JOURNAL DE Nîmes / Nº 7 the north american issue, spring 2011
The Dissent of Man Bad Religion This is the soundtrack to play while reading my 32 Years of Bad Religion article. These Californian punk rockers are still going strong after 32 years. The main thing you will notice while listening to a few of their albums in a row is how modern production methods changed their sound from quite thin and sharp to full and hi-fi. The second half of the album is slightly slower paced, but the energy, the guitar solos an the soothing vocal harmonies are all present. I can't imagine they will ever stop.
Eskmo Eskmo Cloudlight is the surprisingly refreshing opener on the latest offering from San Francisco-based Brendan Angelides, aka Eskmo. We are treated to a palette of carefully crafted electronic sounds. Processed field recordings are well balanced with synthetic basslines, and most of the beats are nice and crispy, I almost want to eat them. If this sounds good to you, check out his collaboration with Amon Tobin under the name Eskamon for more tasty sonic goodness.
The Courage of Others Midlake If you see them play live you might be surprised by these bearded men playing the flute, but their beautiful, dark, melancholic melodies may well make their way into your heart to never leave again. The soothing vocals cover you like a warm blanket and the electric guitar never gets rough enough to wake you from your daydream. The Courage of Others, the third album of these moody Texans, is the perfect soundtrack to a wintery sunday afternoon, and my personal favorite of 2010. Cervantine A Hawk and a Hacksaw The first time I heard an album of A Hawk and a Hacksaw - The Way the Wind Blows (2006) - I loved the melancholy of those Eastern European melodies and the overall sound of it. Who would have guessed they are from New Mexico? They just released Cervantine, their fifth album, and while this time most of the songs are more energetic and a bit faster, this project was once again produced with that 'live' feel that caught my ears earlier. —
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