Today, I realized what makes me the most happy; my closest friends.

We have been through a lot and have shared a pretty incredible experience since our first confrontations. I wanted to take this time to thank you, personally, for everything. The arguments, the successes and failures, the moments of truth, the silences and the outlandish activities we have all shared together. There is nothing more that I can ask for in this world other than us all living successful and happy lives. You are the greatest anyone could ever wish for and thus the reason why I have no hesitation when it comes to our chill time together. It is no wonder why my relations with women seem to fail; I give all my time to you guys, art and education. And I don’t regret a thing.

And to my fellow artists whom I believe I am good friends with, thank you for all your support. It is because of you that I am on this path and enjoying every second of it. Without you, I would not be writing this. I would probably be drunk in class or at some stupid party. You guys, in a way, saved me and gave me the key to truly expressing myself and my beliefs and I would gladly do anything to help you become more successful Ted and Peter. But more importantly, you gave me a key out of the hell I was living in. Once more…Thank you. It was an honor to help with the book and an honor to paint for hours in the rain with you, Peter. I don’t think you really understand how much it means to me.

Anyways, hope you and everyone else have a good holiday as I know this was easily the best thanksgiving I have had in years.

-Mike

Originally achieving some sort of semblance of fame as the singer-guitarist of ’80s alternative band Pop Will Eat Itself, Clint Mansell is today the man I will happily and enthusiastically call the best film score composer working today. Born in Coventry in 1963, Mansell’s work as an indie musician revealed a spirit keen to explore new ground, encompassing pop, hip-hop, electronica and rock over their 10 year existence from from ‘86 to ‘96.

After the band members went their separate ways, Mansell was approached by young filmmaker Darren Aronofsky to score his debut feature, π (sometimes written as Pi). Following the success of π, Aronofsky and Mansell collaborated again, resulting in one of the most iconic pieces of film composition of all time. Reused everywhere from the trailers for Lord of the Rings to Sky Sports News, ‘Lux Aeterna’, taken from Mansell’s soundtrack for Requiem for a Dream is a swirling, menacing orchestral arrangement that almost anyone will recognise if you sing it to them, even if they don’t know where it came from. The refrain of ‘Lux Aeterna’ appears in Requiem for a Dream in several different forms, as Mansell blends the classical strings piece with trip-hop, trance and techno versions, alongside made-up gameshow themes and crazed dance tunes. Aronofsky’s second film is a masterpiece for many reasons, but I’m certain nobody would disagree with the assertion that Mansell’s score is a very important part of that; the film’s infamously harrowing climax would be a lesser sequence without ‘Lux Aeterna’ on the soundtrack.

The soundtrack for Requiem for a Dream made Mansell’s reputation as a film score composer, and he began to accept regular jobs, including working on films as diverse as The Hole, Sahara and Doom.

In 2006, Mansell’s 3rd film with Darren Aronofsky, The Fountain was released. Although the film continues to divide critics and audiences, there can be no dispute that the score is one of the most moving, exhilarating film scores of all time. Made while working with the respected Kronos String Quartet and the Scottish post-rock band Mogwai, The Fountain includes several solo piano pieces, as well as Mansell’s more familiar electronic quirks and orchestral grandeur, and is arguably both the most ambitious and most successful musically of his work to date. Wherever you stand on the film as a whole (and I happen to regard The Fountain as one of the finest works of cinema it has ever been my privilege to see), the soundtrack just works perfectly, both with and without the accompanying visuals.

For Smokin’ Aces in 2007, the director, Joe Carnahan, gave Clint Mansell just six weeks to compose and record the entire score, with no guiding rough cut. And he did it. On time. Not only were Mansell’s fans satisfied with the work, but when the Smokin’ Aces soundtrack was released without Mansell’s compositions, Carnahan claims to have had fans driving past his house in the dead of night playing the Requiem for a Dream score at full volume. Carnahan even jokingly suggests that he had received threats of physical violence: true or not, the fans’ demands were heard, and Mansell’s score for Smokin’ Aces got an album release.

Over the last couple of years, Clint Mansell has worked again with director Darren Aronofsky on the Oscar-nominated The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke. Although The Wrestler does not have the same kind of scene-stealing music as Mansell’s previous work with Aronofsky, it is nonetheless an effective, subtler attempt at a score. This year, Mansell created a sparse piano, guitar, drums and effects score for Duncan Jones’s debut sci-fi, Moon. One of my favourite films of this year, Moon is a brooding, quiet, atmospheric movie that is really made great by four things: Sam Rockwell’s career-best performance; Jones’s assured, note-perfect direction; the eye-catching production design by Tony Noble; and Mansell’s routinely great score.

I haven’t heard nearly as much of his work as I would like to, but he’s a rare figure in cinema; a composer whose involvement in a project would be enough to make me see a film. Everything I have heard by Clint Mansell has been distinctive and beautiful in equal measure. I’m hoping that his work with Aronofsky will continue, and hope that he’ll be working on Duncan Jones’s second film, the sci-fi-noir Mute (currently set for release in 2011).

As I close this article up, the penultimate track of The Fountain is playing on my iTunes library. One of the tracks featuring both the Kronos Quartet and Mogwai, ‘Death Is The Road To Awe’ is an 8 minute epic of guitar, piano, orchestra, choir and percussion, with a chiming glockenspiel melody alongside the grand sweeping strings section. It’s a fitting sonic accompaniment to the end to one of the few films that I would identify as “life changing”.

David

Moon OST by Clint Mansell [2009]

трек-лист:
01. Welcome To Lunar Industries [7:12]
02. Two Weeks & Counting… [2:00]
03. I’m Sam Bell [3:45]
04. I’m Sam Bell, Too [5:05]
05. Memories (Someone We’ll Never Know) [4:53]
06. Are You Receiving? [3:18]
07. Can’t Get There From Here [3:17]
08. ‘We’re Not Programs, Gerty, We’re People’ [5:10]
09. The Nursery [3:46]
10. Sacrifice [3:03]
11. We’re Going Home [3:42]
12. Welcome To Lunar Industries (Three Year Stretch…) [10:04]

скачать:
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Очень хороший и довольно психоделический саундтрек к фильму Луна… Понравилось очень-очень, возможно из-за того что попало точно в настроение )) Можете посмотреть трейлер… музыка в таком стиле полностью!

Кстати, хотел бы посоветовать отличных дизайнеров makdesigns.ru. Ребята делают отличные дизайны сайтов, графические дизайны и обложки. В основном проскакивает Fashion & Hip-Hop design… Советую, зацените

Pi is not just a mathematical constant, it’s an existential constant. Its not just a fraction that represents a ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter; its the ratio of a person’s tolerance to his surrounding. This is what Darren Aronofsky set out to show in the movie.

Unlike the constant which belongs to the Euclidean space, Max belongs to the real world. His quest for deciphering a pattern in rise and fall of stock market, ends up being a quest for his existence. And not even his mentor, Sol, is in any position to help or pacify him.

The movie is beautifully shot in black & white, with fine pixels which give it the grave look of a distant world. The insecurities of Max and his xenophobic nature is captured in those “door-locking” sequence, which is repeated everytime he leaves home. Another apsect was the constant search for “patterns”, in everything. Nature is filled with such patterns, honeycombs are hexagonal in shape, birds fly in a group forming a “V”, pentagonal petals and triangulated conifer trees. Max eyes are always searching for such dynamics.

The irrational number brings with itself, irrational people like Marcy and Lenny; the former represents the corporate greed who are willing to offer a newer and more powerful microchip to Max in exchange for the elusive decoded pattern of stock market behaviour, and the latter represents the clergy who are seeking a correlation between science and theology. While Marcy chases Max everywhere, Lenny befriends Max deceptively; but both of them want the same thing from Max, the pattern he has been working on.

Apart from the xenophobia, Max also suffers from migraine kind of attacks, when he feels like his head is being clobbered. The whirring sounds in his head, the swirling music and the background disturbing zing noises have been very well handled. It adds to the impact of the pain and we can feel what Max is going through. Great effort by Clint Mansell, amazing musical score by him.

Pi is also regarded as a transcendental number, which could also be the reason why the film is named so. Its about enlightenment, moving from darkness of illogic to light of reason; a transcendental experience of having discovered the pattern and passing out in sheer disbelief and fits of ecstasy.

Jedną z ciekawszych nadchodzących premier wydawało się być nowe widowisko Duncana Jonesa z Samem Rockwellem w roli głównej. Mówiąc szczerze, jedyne co wiedziałem o tym filmie to fakt, że głos Gerty’ego (robota) jest głosem Kevina Spacey, plus to co widziałem w trailerze. A oto on:

Trailer przekonywał duszną, odhumanizowaną atmosferą, księżycowym kolorytem i nawiązaniami, z jednej strony do szaleńczej samotności “Lśnienia”, z drugiej, do komputerowego terroru “Odyseji Kosmicznej”. Całkiem przekonująco wyglądał też w roli samotnika Sam Rockwell. No i co zostało z trailera w całym filmie?

To co mogę napisać z pewnością to fakt, że “Moon” to bite 97 minut dusznego, schizofrenicznego i zmechanizowanego klimatu bazy na księżycu. Jest to zdecydowanie największy atut filmu i jeśli komuś podobała się ludzka bezradność w filmie Kubricka, tutaj znajdzie podobną (oczywiście zachowując proporcje i konwencję). Przez 97 minut Sam Bell (grany przez Rockwella) znajduje się w białych tunelach, skomputeryzowanych pojazdach i wśród przestrzennych, specyficznych, i dziewiczych pejzaży księżyca. Co prawda, moi współwidzowie stwierdzili, że “te animacje są chujowo zrobione”, jednak moja opinia jest diametralnie inna. Efekty specjalne, dobrane bardzo oszczędnie, potęgują klimat jednoosobowej bazy na ziemskim satelicie, ukazując ją, nie jako elektroniczny, futurystyczny rarytas a jako nowoczesny odpowiednik kopalń i fabryk, pełnych brudu i ohydy utylitarnej architektury. Powtarzalność scen zwiększa wrażenie osamotnienia i codziennej, trzyletniej rutyny a niezłym dodatkiem do tego wszystkiego jest ascetyczna muzyka Clinta Mansella. Ja osobiście nie obraziłbym się gdyby film był nieco duszny przy jednoczesnym zwiększeniu nacisku na przybliżenie widza do codzienności głównego bohatera i natury księzycowego dnia – takie zabiegi mogą nieco nużyć w trakcie oglądania ale potęgują efekt końcowy (przypominając choćby pustynne marsze “Lawrenc’a z Arabii”).

Fabularnie “Moon” można podzielić na dwie części. Pierwsza, to wprowadzenie do fabuły właściwej. Tutaj nie należy spodziewać się niczego nowego – pojawia się wszystko czego możemy się spodziewać po ostatnich dniach trzyletniej misji osamotnionego pracownika stacji. Druga to pojawienie się intrygi, która zmienia trochę dynamikę filmu i zaciekawia. Nie dostaniemy tutaj kopiącej w ryj końcówki ani nowatorskich fabularnych zawijasów ale całkiem sensowne zwroty akcji i spójną koncepcję.

Rodzynkiem w całej historii jest postać robota Gerty’ego, który od razu nasuwa skojarzenia ze zgubnym HALLem 9000 (“2001: Odyseja Kosmiczna”), a którego intencje są jednak nie do odczytania aż do końca filmu.

“Moon” warto zobaczyć, dla odmiany, dla klimatu, dla Sama Rockwella. Nie jest to film wybitny ale na pewno inny niż większość w tym roku. Całkiem dobrze zainwestowane 97 minut życia.

Lo realmente asombroso de la astronomía es que todos esas cosas raras, todos esos nombres imposibles, existen de verdad. Son sitios, lugares tan reales como su calle o, no sé, Cáceres. La única diferencia, claro, es que están más lejos. Nunca los podremos visitar; nuestra curiosidad y ánimo explorador quedarán frustrados sin remedio. Pero hay maneras de compensar: siempre he sido aficionado a una cierta música (sin más en común que la sensación que me produce) que parece hecha para escuchar con los ojos cerrados y dejarse llevar en un viaje ionizado. Música que, por cojones, tiene que estar compuesta con los sonidos de los exoplanetas.

Si vamos por orden, creo que la cosa empezaría con ese ceclarkiano Songs of Distant Earth de Mike Oldfield (uno de los mejores títulos y una de las mejores portadas de la literatura y de la música, fijo), que suena epopéyico, subacuático y cubierto de restos de supernovas. Tampoco es lo mejor de Oldfield (un autor que hace tiempo que se dejó de sobrevalorar), pero sugiere mucho e hipnotiza, a pesar de las cansinas voces.

Pero ése es el abuelo, el despegue. Si superamos el viento solar y cruzamos el vacío llegamos a las nubes de luz, a los brazos de la espiral galáctica. Ahí lo que suena sabe más a distorsión, a crescendo reposado, eléctrico. Tiene que ser, a la fuerza, Mogwai, o esas idas de olla de Clint Mansell copulando musicalmente con el Kronos Quartet de camino a Xibalba (¿que no han visto The Fountain? Pues ya tienen deberes). Sonidos (¿música?) de meditación tibetana, de viaje astral sin retorno, de potingues indígenas que arrancan los ojos y el alma, tan chungos que no quieres saber ni el nombre.

Seguro que pasaremos por turbulencias: de ellas tienen que haber salido los cortes de Explosions in the Sky, gotas  iridiscentes de restos de galaxias viejas que caen sobre nosotros, nos impregnan y nos incendian. Más allá encontraremos formas de vida hechas de ondas intangibles, de antimateria. A eso suena Kwoon, con su único Tales and Dreams (tampoco les hace falta más). A lo mejor en el viaje nos cruzamos con Moby, observando estrellas como un ornitólogo sideral. No siempre le verán por aquí (hay lugares disco más mundanos que mantener), pero si lo hace, como en su sorprendente Wait for Me, no pierdan ocasión de escucharlo.

Como viajeros avezados ya habrán podido tomar notas. La fórmula, si la hay, contiene mucho pedal, mucha progresión de guitarra contenida, ciclos que se repiten y crecen en círculo, melancolía y nostalgia, zanfoñas, goteos, atmósferas cargadas de electricidad estática y un movimiento de escalera mecánica, de detector de metales que no deja pasar la conciencia, de jardín zen. Todo muy post-rock, si eso quiere decir algo.

Y al final del universo siempre acabaremos encontrando a los daneses Mew, con la voz de castrati de Jonas Bjerre (puedo dar fe, tras verlos en concierto, de que es real), furiosos, climáticos, etéreos. Y lo saben, los cabrones. El viaje acabará con los nueve minutazos de su Comforting Sounds, nuestro Big Crunch. Luego, el vacío primigenio, la paz de la nada. Si llegan hasta aquí puede que no vuelvan: avisados quedan.

V the Wanderer

(Mientras tanto, en un universo paralelo, retorcido y macabro, Trent “NIN” Reznor sigue bajando una putrefacta y descompuesta espiral.)

Solo tengo esto que decir… OST by Clint Mansell

——-

I just have this to say… OST by Clint Mansell

Gerade habe ich den Film Smokin’ Aces geschaut. Ich weiß, nicht gerade neu, aber mir ist er halt eben erst unter die Augen gekommen. Seltsamerweise ist mir an 2 oder 3 Stellen im Film der Gedanke an ein Lied gekommen, das an den jeweiligen Stellen gut gepasst hätte.

Ich erinnerte mich an ein Lied aus dem Film Requiem for a dream – ein sehr drastischer Drogen-Film mit einem, wie ich finde, einmaligen Soundtrack. Dummerweise fiel mir der Komponist nicht mehr ein, aber die Melodie steckt fest in meinem Kopf und dürften wohl die meisten Film-Fans schon einmal gehört haben. Es handelt sich um Lux Aeterna, gespielt vom Kronos Quartett.
Was eigentlich seltsam ist, denn der Film ähnelt nicht wirklich Requiem for a dream. Er versucht vielmehr eine Mischung aus cooler Action, freakigen Charakteren und cleveren Wendungen zu sein. Eine Kreuzung aus Shoot ‘em Up und den Ocean’s-Filmen.

Gerade die End-Sequenz von Smokin’ Aces ist jedoch so geschnitten, dass sie fantastisch mit Lux Aeterna harmonieren würde. Was ich dann im Abspann sah, sorgte dann doch für einen kleinen Moment des Schocks. “Music by Clint Mansell”. Also dem Mann, der Lux Aeterna für Requiem for a dream geschrieben hat.

Creepy, huh?

Debt consumes me. The ignorance of charges and minimum payments completely subdue me, tying me down to a world I wish not to be a part of.

Pain consumes me. The body in which my mind must be a part of aches from the bottoms of my flat feet to the tips of my randomly sprouting greys.

Women consume me. It seems all I am is an example to be made of by the venoms that take my hand in romance.

Loss consumes me. The bars in which I stare through to the woman who’s womb I came from are cold and the skies in which I look to for guidance from an unknown fatherly figure are empty. Should I look to the ground?

Depression consumes me. I can’t help the feelings I feel, I am too raw of a person to hold them inside.

Truth consumes me. The truth is I have lied most of my life and in the long run, it has only served to ruin most of what I have tried to love.

Love consumes me. A feeling unknown upon me begins to come clearer as time goes by and most clear when it is completely lost.

Chance consumes me, no…the thoughts of chance consume me. I live in a mindset where the things I want the most are in lack of almost all ability to control the outcome, further drowning out what hope I have for anything. I am not a dreamer, I’m a planner…a weather man for life. I have the ability to get a glimpse of what can come but be completely wrong in the long run due to a series of events not understood. You’ve failed me. I’ve failed me. We’ve failed each other. But to make it clear; this is my last failure. What about you?

Sound consumes me. Whether your voice can once more be music to my ears or broken strings on this guitar are up to you.

Thoughts consume me. Emotionally….drained…and out of control, my mind rewinds to spaces inside which holds the times I wish to forget.

You consume me.

Es lo que estoy escuchando en estos momentos. Sin duda de los mejores compositores que hay dando vuelta, Clint Mansell es un tipo que difícilmente me va a defraudar. Automáticamente al comenzar a escuchar el soundtrack de Moon (de Duncan Jones y protagonizada por Sam Rockwell) me recuerda a The Fountain y la increíble banda sonora que por entonces Mansell compuso.

Si lo quieres, te puedo dar una ayuda por acá

Click here (Myspace page for Clint Mansell). Listen to “Lux Aeterna.” Sound familiar? Listen to “Death Is The Road To Awe.” Ditto?

Mansell, formerly of Pop Will Eat Itself, has since earned himself some pretty snappy composer credits. “Lux Aeterna” appeared in Requiem For a Dream. “Death Is The Road To Awe,” in The Fountain. Internet Movie Database lists scores for nearly three dozen films or television episodes. Here’s a sip, from Smokin’ Aces:

El otro día, sin saberlo de antemano, me encontré con el estreno de la serie de Cuatro Flashforward. Por una vez en la vida, mi sesión de zapping me resultó gratificante, ya que me quedé enganchado a la serie, y con ganas ya, de que empiece el segundo capítulo.

Clint Mansell

No vengo a hablaros de la serie, si no de la música que suena en ella, y que me ha inspirado como estáis viendo, para escribir unas cuantas entradas. Si mañana os hablaré de una preciosa canción interpretada por Gary Jules, hoy abordó un tipo de música (alejada de los circuitos comerciales), del que apenas hemos hablado en nuestro blog. El titulo original del tema es Lux Aeterna y su autor es Clint Mansell.

Este tema formó parte de la banda sonora de Requiem for a dream (Réquiem por un sueño), película dirigida por Aronofsky, y que contaba en el reparto con Jennifer Connelly, Ellen Burstyn o Jared Leto entre otros. La verdad que muchos ya se fijaron en ella.

Pero quizás el empujón definitivo a este tema, vino de la mano de una revisión que se hizo de este tema, que bajo el nombre de Requiem for a Tower, e incluyendo coros, se usó al final del trailer de El Señor de Los Anillos: Las dos Torres. Os dejo un video con la remezcla.

Lo curioso es que la insistencia de los fans de la película, hizo que se incluyese finalmente en un disco titulado Corner Stone Cues “Requiem For A Tower.

Otro día os hablaré más extensamente de Clint Mansell, autor de verdaderas joyas musicales. Para los más curiosos, os anticipo nombres de películas donde se puede escuchar a este genio. Babylon (2008), Definitely Maybe (2008), The Fountain (2006), Murder By Numbers (2002), Abandon (2002), Pi (1998) y la reciente Moon(2009).

Si quieres descargarte el tema original de Clint Mansell, pincha sobre la carátula.

Si quieres descargarte la versión que sonaba en el trailer de El señor de los anillos: Las dos torres.

Prior to arriving at San Francisco’s Swedish American Hall on October 7, 2009, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Andrew WK, guru of partying hard, was on tour with the Calder Quartet. Would it be a night of tracks off AWK’s new piano album, 55 Cadillac? A strings-enhanced rendition of “Party ‘Til You Puke?” My guess was closer to the latter, but nothing I’d imagined prepared me for the majesty of the evening ahead.

As I entered the venue, I was handed a print-out for the evening’s program. I walked upstairs to the performance space and discovered it was set up recital-style – neat rows of chairs with a center aisle, leading to a small stage backed by a red velvet curtain. After taking my seat on the aisle, near the back, I read over the program. Alongside Andrew WK classics such as “I Get Wet” and “Party Hard”, there were songs by Bach, Philip Glass, and John Cage’s infamous “4′33″”. Excellent.

After a faux-rocky start (AWK approached the stage looking tense and nervous, “messing up” his first piece as a segue into the conversational  “Friendly Gestures #4 and #3″), things hit their stride with the Calder Quartet’s performance of “Interface” -  amazing and a touch avant-garde. As the CQ played, AWK often sat listening with eyes closed, appearing genuinely moved by what was happening. AWK’s odyssey into spontaneous solo improv was up next, and incorporated coughs, sniffles, and the sounds of scooting the piano bench around and rubbing the mic on the ground. Though the performance elicited giggles from many, I’m certain Andrew WK was quite serious about what he was sharing with the room. Rounding out the first half of the program was the intense and captivating “Honey Flyers” – a three-movement piece that reminded me a bit of the Kronos Quartet’s collaborations with Clint Mansell.

The second half included an understated Philip Glass piece and another improvisation by Andrew WK. The program then took a more raucous turn with the Calder Quartet helping Andrew WK rocket through a sing- and clap-along medley of hits. It was hilarious hearing a roomful of people yell out “I get wet” while being accompanied by violin, viola, cello, and piano, and exciting to see people celebrate classical form with whoops and smiles as opposed to the staid golf-clap so commonly heard in symphony halls.

The night’s final piece was John Cage’s “4′33″”. For those of you unfamiliar, it is a song that consists of nothing but silence. Many in the crowd thought it was a joke, many were confused, and many laughed, coughed, or shifted uncomfortably in their seats, unconsciously contributing the piece. Those who knew what was happening insistently shushed those who were making noise, making their own contribution.

For me it was thrilling to see the worlds of rock and classical unite. The crowd comprised members of both worlds, and likely exposed each to something outside their respective spheres. It was clear that both Andrew WK and the Calder Quartet do what the like (and like what they do), and from the amount of applause it appeared the crowd concurred.

SET LIST: Prelude in C Major/Ave Maria (JS Bach), Friendly Gestures #4 and #3 (Fred Frith), Interface (Tristan Perich), Spontaneous Solo Piano Improvisation, Honey Flyers (Christine Southworth), Company (Philip Glass), Spontaneous Solo Piano Improvisation, I Get Wet, Party Hard, I Love New York City (redone as I Love San Francisco), Dance Party, 4′33″ (John Cage)

This past summer featured the fantastic (J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek) and the awful (Michael Bay’s Transformers 2). Amongst the successful box office hits, were many hidden gems that may have escaped the public eye.

Here are 5 films this summer that found critical success, despite their limited releases.

The Hurt Locker

A near lock for a Best Picture nomination, Kathryn Bigelow’s brilliantly paced Iraq war thriller awed everyone who saw it. It featured fantastic characters with fantastic performances by Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie. “The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug.”

(500) Days of Summer

This film is the best representation of post-modern love ever seen on screen. The performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, have been widely acclaimed, and for good reason. “This is the story of boy meets girl…but I must tell you up front, this is not a love story. It is a story about love.”

The Stoning of Soraya M.

Wow. As heartbreaking as this film is, it is a story that must be heard.  The title says it all, and this film must be seen. You will be awed by the power of this true story, and the importance of journalism. The Stoning is a true example of the mistreatment of women in Muslim society, and Shoreh Aghdashloo’s breathtaking performance will floor you. “Voices of women do not matter in here. I want you to take my voice with you.”

Moon

Starring Sam Rockwell and the voice of Kevin Spacey, Moon is the terrific directorial debut of Duncan Jones.  Moon is much like a interesting, action filled version of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.  The film is essentially a one man show, but Rockwell’s performance grabs ahold of audiences and grants us entry into the psyche of his character. Aditionally, Clint Mansell’s score is the best of the year. 250,000 miles from home, the hardest thing to face…is yourself.

Sin Nombre

The Sundance Film Festival darling, and directorial debut of Cary Fukunaga, is a foreign road movie detailing the trevails and passions of those venturing to the American border. Complete with gang violence and love, the story is a tragedy exploring themes of atonement and sacrifice. The greatest sin of all is risking nothing.

What was your favorite film of the summer?

-Nolan Wilson Goff

Picture Sources:

http://thephoenix.com/blogs/blogs/outsidetheframe/hurt-locker-boom.jpg

http://www.indiewire.com/images/uploads/iw9/people/Stoning%20-%20IMG_5887.jpg

http://theyellowstereo.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/500-days.jpg

http://redapplereviews.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/rockwell-moon-21.jpg

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L’histoire se passe au début des années 80 à Moscou, en pleine guerre froide. Un agent du KGB, Sergueï Grigoriev (Emir Kusturica), prend contact avec un employé français de Thomson, Pierre Froment (Guillaume Canet), et lui donne des documents confidentiels à l’intention de son patron, membre de la DST. Ce jeune employé sans histoires se retrouve au milieu d’une des plus grandes affaires d’espionnage du XXème siècle, qui le dépasse et menace rapidement sa vie et celle de sa famille.
Pour son 4è film, Christian Carion a décidé de faire une fiction autour d’une histoire vraie, un peu comme il l’avait fait avec Joyeux Noël. Et ça marche. Le scénario est bien ficelé, jamais trop compliqué, mais tout de même très précis. Le réalisateur s’attache aux détails, pour que le spectateur comprenne l’importance des documents fournis par Guillaume Canet à l’ouest, mais ne tombe pas non plus dans le film historique.
Les deux personnages principaux sont admirablement portés par Canet et Kusturica, tout en finesse (surtout Kusturica), et on finit par être plus passionné par leur relation que par les problématiques internationales qui les entourent. C’est d’abord une histoire d’hommes, avant d’être une histoire de puissances.
Le personnage de Grigoriev, cet homme qui trahit son pays, pour mieux le sauver, avait besoin de la subtilité d’un Kusturica pour tenir. Face à son fils, qui rêve de Queen et d’un nouveau Walkman, à sa femme, qu’il aime profondément malgré sa trahison, et sa maîtresse, qui le met en danger à tout moment par son appartenance au KGB, Grigoriev recherche en Froment la personne qui pourra le comprendre. Les deux hommes passent tout leur temps ensemble alors qu’ils ne se connaissent pas, et respect et amitié naissent entre eux.
Guillaume Canet joue parfaitement bien l’”espion malgré lui”, qui ne peut s’empêcher de faire partie de l’Histoire quand elle lui tombe dessus, en sachant ce qu’il met en danger à côté, sa vie de famille. Frêle mais concerné, il permet à son personnage d’évoluer tout en justesse.
Par ailleurs on retrouve Willem Dafoe, toujours parfait.
Les femmes ne sont pas en reste, puis qu’Alexandra Maria Lara (The Reader, Control, ou La Chute), qui joue la femme de Froment, est splendide dans son rôle, tout comme Ingeborga Dapkunaite, la femme de Grigoriev.
La belle bande-originale de Clint Mansell accompagne tout le film.
La seule chose qu’on pourrait vraiment regretter, c’est la façon dont Christian Carion laisse un peu ses personnages de côté vers la moitié du film, pour aller à la Maison Blanche, ou à l’Elysée, s’occuper de problèmes plus politiques qu’humains.

Data
Title: Moon
Year: 2009
Length: 97 minutes
Director: Duncan Jones [aka Zowie Bowie]
Writer: Nathan Parker, story by Duncan Jones
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey
Music: Clint Mansell

My reaction
Synopsis: a man is stationed alone on the moon for three years
How I saw it: in the theater, yesterday
Concept: Great. My synopsis doesn’t really hint at the concept, but it would be a huge spoiler to say more.
Story: Great. Absolutely amazing writing. Avoids cliches and expectations like nobody’s business.
Characters: Great. HAL 9000 has nothing on “Gerty.”
Dialog: Great.
Pacing: Great.
Cinematography: Good.
Special effects/design: Great.
Acting: Great.
Music: Good.
Subjective Rating: 9/10 (One of my favorites). Besides being an amazing film, it’s also one of only about a dozen “science fiction movies” ever made that’s actually science fiction.
Objective Rating: 10/10 (Great).

There is a heck of a lot to like about Moon. It is a very confident debut by director Duncan Jones, which boasts retro-cool set design, coherent storytelling, and an excellent performance by the consistently wonderful Sam Rockwell. Despite knowing nods to sci-fi classics like 2001 and Solaris, Jones has created a truly original piece that uses its revisionist detailing to subvert generic trends and in many cases enliven them. Moon also manages to mix conventional narrative with challenging concepts, whilst remaining an accessible and enthralling picture for those uninitiated with science fiction cinema.

Moon is set in the near future as Earth suffers in the midst of a massive energy crisis. Helium3, a source of alternative power is discovered in abundance on the Moon’s surface where it is mined and shot back to Earth. Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) has the lonely job as the sole human inhabitant of the Moon, responsible for maintaining the harvesting of H3 for Lunar Industries. The film begins with Sam only two weeks from the end of his three-year contract and very much ready to return to his wife and daughter on Earth. Cue extreme complications.

It takes a great actor to carry a film by himself, and Sam Rockwell is exactly the man for the job. He is in fine form here, but then again always is. Another steadfast asset is Clint Mansell who contributes a marvellous score, perfectly suited to the isolation of the Moons dark side. Nathan Parker’s script is intricately plotted yet stays clear and interesting, perhaps only loosing its momentum slightly towards the end. The film also benefits from Kevin Spacey’s contribution as the voice of Gerty, a HAL 9000-esque talking robot who expresses feeling through constantly changing emoticons and is responsible for Sam’s safekeeping.

All these elements would be useless without the hands of a competent director and Jones certainly rises to the occasion, avoiding the stylistic pitfalls that can plague first time directors. His film is restrained, allowing the brilliantly designed sets to dominate his frame and give the picture its air of alienation. The production design is a real joy, which gives the film value far beyond its meagre budget, whilst the exterior sequences that utilise miniatures are really something special. I strongly recommend Moon. It’s another case of ambitious independent films trumping Hollywood mega-productions not only in terms of originality, but storytelling, acting and even production design as well.

Moon Trailer

Interview with Director Duncan Jones

Troppi album, troppo poco tempo e voglia per scrivere recensioni di ognuno, listone e via di mini comment.

Tiesto – Kaleidoscope
Calvin Harris – Ready For The Weekend
David Guetta – One Love
Simian Mobile Disco – Temporary Pleasure
Clint Mansell – Moon O.S.T.
Delorean – Into The Plateau
La Roux – La Roux.

Tiesto – Kaleidoscope: partiamo dall’ultimo sentito, Tiesto si toglie definitivamente l’etichetta “trance” per allargarsi nel campo dell’elettronica in generale, collaborazioni importanti per tutto l’album sono la conferma, se c’era bisogno, del successo e della bravura del ragazzo (oddio 40 anni.. proprio ragazzo non è): Sigur Ros, Bloc Party, Calvin Harris, Nelly Furtado, alcuni dei featuring presenti. L’album è bello, è elettronica dei giorni nostri, è disco pop, è commerciale, tanto direi, ma questo è quello che fa un super mega dj che vola con jet privato per il mondo a far ballare gente di tutti i tipi, se cercate una summa della disco elettronica in circolazione, o volete avvicinarvi al genere, bhe questo è un buon inizio. Do anche il voto: 7 in scioltezza.

Calvin Harris – Ready For The Weekend: sempre nell’electro disco si rimane con uno degli album che un po’ segna la nascita o la conferma di una elettronica nei suoni ed indie nel cuore, una fusion che fa del genere pop un vanto e non qualcosa da rifuggire. Anche lui cambia genere e si apre verso contaminazioni rispetto ai lavori precedenti. Anche qua buone collaborazioni come Dizzee Rascal. In buona parte per me rimarrà uno degli album più rappresentativi dell’estate 2009, a parte questo, vale la pena dargli un’ascolto, tanto per capire dove si muove la scena, specie in UK. Voto: 8 sull’hype del momento, ma probabile è da 7.

David Guetta – One Love: eh bhe dopo Tiesto, Calvin… Guetta, ovvio. Anche lui cambia genre, Pop Life è un lontano ricordo purtroppo, e ora la commercializzazione della commerciale si potrebbe dire, ovvero svenduto alla moda del momento, collaborazioni e e contaminazione segnano il mood contemporaneo, bene Guetta non si è fatto mancare nulla, Kelly Rowland, Kid Cudi, Will.I.Am, Estelle, eppure non sfonda, non lascia il segno, anche se “Love Takes Over” è da colonna sonora estiva: spiaggia/mare/gnocca è la sacra trinità evocata dalla prima nota. A me non dice molto, si riconosce che sarà stato uno dei dischi in loop nei classici baretti in riva alla spiaggia, di party fatti in casa e delle disco marittime senza grandi nomi (aka un po’ sfigate); per capire vedere alla song “Sexy Bitch”, già si sente lo spazio lasciato al DJ di turno per dire la sua stronzata. Voto: 6, perchè qualche volta vuoi fare il tamarro e ora c’è l’album perfetto che ti aspetta.

Simian Mobile Disco – Temporary Pleasure: conoscete i Simian per il super singolo con i Justice “We Are Your Friends”? Ecco non centra nulla con l’album in questione. Uno ad essere buono e mettersi d’impegno può tirare fuori qualche cosa di bello da dire, il punto è che diventa un lavoro sentire un album, e allora che senso ha? Non funziona, stop. Voto: 4, tra 6 mesi per caso lo risento e capisco che è il capolavoro dell’anno, al momento è il simbolo di cosa sta uccidendo l’elettronica IMHO.

Clint Mansell – Moon O.S.T.: quando vedi un film (che consideri il miglior sci fi film dai tempi di 2001 odissea nello spazio, ma meno noioso) e senti delle musiche fantastiche, che fai? Scarichi la colonna sonora. Si ok si compra bla bla bla. Ma questa non è una colonna sonora, è un album fatto, finito e magnifico di ambient spaziale che si sposa benissimo con un film, ma di cui può fare tranquillamente a meno senza perdere nulla della sua bellezza. In poche parola, volete l’ambient emotiva, cupa, aggressiva, riflessiva, imponente e delicata. L’avete trovata. Voto: 8 perchè “Welcome to Lunar Industries” è un pezzo che vale un album.

Delorean – Into The Plateau: indie synth pop. Che se la senti non puoi rimanere fermo, ti parte il piede che batte il tempo anche se è ingessato. Simple as that. Voto: 8.

La Roux – La Roux: synth POP, o mettiamola così, POP che vede la partecipazione dei synth. “In for the kill” è una super hit, tormentone è il termine adatto, tanto che se all’inizio ti piaceva, arrivi al punto che il fastidio non descrive quello che provi quando la senti per l’ennesima volta. Ed è un peccato per la rossa, perchè di gran pezzi pop nell’album ce ne sono, ma sono bruciati dalla sovraesposizione del primo singolo. Nel complesso l’album non è niente di che, e se non siete 14 enni invasate inglesi, probabile non ve lo filerete proprio. Voto 4, di catchy tune ce ne sono anche troppi ed è questo il problema, manca la sostanza.

Not only is Moon one of the best films of 2009, but it has the best original score I’ve heard all year. It’s probably a good idea to watch the film before listening to this, but that definitely isn’t a prerequisite; it stands extremely well on its own terms. All I can say is that this is how a space-based sci-fi film should be scored. If you like good electronic and ambient music, you will like this.

Get it here.

Todo en esta magnífica película de Duncan Jones es raro. Incluso que se haya llegado a estrenar en Sevilla, en un cine de centro comercial alejado del centro y lo que es mejor, en V.O.S. … Aunque no fui capaz de caer en la cuenta de que la “voz” del inquietante robot que domina la nave (al estilo del H.A.L. de 2001…) era la del fantástico actor Kevin Spacey. Una estupenda película, Buena Bonita y Barata. Y una estupenda  banda sonora!

Clint Mansell – Two Weeks & Counting (B.S.O. MOON)

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