The Dvd is available today ! Run buy it for you or for someone you love, that will be a fuckin gift for christmas!!

Jack White, Jimmy Page and The Edge jam in "It Might Get Loud".

(Davis Guggenheim, 2009)

December 13, 2009

by Joel Crary

“It Might Get Loud” is the best superhero movie since “The Dark Knight.” It’s like a crossover issue that provides all but the expected big battle for supremacy. Jack White ponders what will happen when he gets together with guitarist icons Jimmy Page and The Edge. “Probably a fist fight,” he cracks sardonically. Not so much, but the resulting dynamic is a fascinating one, with each man coming from a different background in training and artistic philosophy. It’s a comic book film that’s mostly back story.

There is White, who as the film opens is building a makeshift guitar out of loose electronics, a board, a Coke bottle and some nails. He plugs it into an amplifier and it works. White approaches music as though he were born in a junkyard and had to adapt to the world through the use of spare parts. “It wasn’t cool to want to play an instrument” where he grew up in Detroit, he observes. White procured his first guitar as payment for helping a friend move a refrigerator. Working at an upholstery shop, he formed a makeshift band with his boss.

Meanwhile, in another galaxy, The Edge sits hunkered over a immense rack of effects boxes and a laptop, searching for the right series of closed circuits that will make his strings sound like an angel’s harp. He takes filmmaker Davis Guggenheim on a tour of the school where U2 got its start, all thanks to a poster Larry Mullen Jr. had put up on a notice board: “If Larry hadn’t put that poster up, I would have ended up in some other band.” He talks about seeing The Jam on Top of the Pops, identifying it as the moment when everything changed.

Overhead, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and the Yardbirds looks down and decides to join these potential usurpers to his heavenly throne, descending the staircase to talk shop. Old photographs and footage of Page playing skiffle and serving as a session musician (he played guitar on “Goldfinger”) are shown, and it’s easy to see the kid in Page still shining through his eyes and smile. He puts on old vinyls, playing air guitar and laughing at the enduring quality of the vibrato in Link Ray’s “Rumble.”

White is the somewhat cocky youngster, the cynic who bred himself on the blues and took a shine toward the anger of the punk rock movement. “Technology is a destroyer of honesty and truth,” he relates, calling “ease of use” a disease that the artist must fight. Cut to The Edge as he tries agonizingly to use technology to achieve something that’s never been heard before, negating his own assertion time and again that the possibilities of the guitar have been maxed out. Then there’s Page, touring through the house where “When the Levee Breaks” was recorded, recounting how John Bonham’s drums were given their ambiance by the structure, bouncing perfectly off surfaces into the microphones suspended from the upstairs banister.

Page observes that the voice of the guitarist can be heard in his technique, and as the men enter their inevitable jam session, it becomes apparent how accurate he is. Each man contributes, shares a tiny bit of insight, and then takes their part off into their own unique direction, turning the song into a multitude of voices spoken simultaneously from separate mindsets. One man never discounts the other, but takes part in a collective expression of mutual respect. The look of pure joy on White’s face as Page plays his signature material speaks volumes about how the guitarist is fueled by aspiration and betterment of his own technique.

“It Might Get Loud” should appeal to all music fans. It resists the urge to become overly technical, relying instead on the journey these men have taken while trying to pin down exactly what motivates them as artists. I think I identified most with the approach of The Edge, who slaves to create the sound above all, treating the guitar as a conduit rather than a beast to be conquered. I enjoyed Page’s good humour, modesty and unadulterated love for making music.

And I connected with White’s sincerity and drive to challenge himself. He plays his favourite song, a vocal recording of “Grinning in your Face” by Son House, a gorgeous, raw example of blues songwriting featuring out-of-time hand claps without a guitar to be heard. As White gushes about the simplicity of the production, it’s easy to see what he’s getting at. There is a passion in of all of these men to create the perfect resonance, the perfect progression, the musical story of the sufferers of war, hunger, hardship, jealousy and betrayal – the sound of the human soul.

“It Might Get Loud” is showing at the Bytowne Cinema through Tuesday, December 15th.

I thought this was a pretty interesting. Sure, no one could ever pick only three guitarists to represent different generations (well, except Jimmy Page in this case), but it really doesn’t matter who they are as much as the fact that they have all had different experiences with music and their instruments. They all came from different backgrounds and had different opinions about what the guitar meant to them and the world. So it came off really interesting. Anyone who plays the guitar should see this movie but I could see it boring non musicians. Also, seeing Jimmy Page play is always awesome, and you could see it on the faces of the Jack White and Edge when he was.

November 30, 2009

The Extras are here!  The Extras are here!

That’s right all three of my features (Birddog, The Gas Café & Kicking Bird) now have extra features.  Directors commentaries, interviews, and all sorts of other stuff.  A whole new reason to buy your copies before Christmas.  If Ridley Scott can bore the crap out of us with all sorts of new versions of Blade Runner (and it’s not even a very good movie) then I can add extras!   Check them out @ http://www.angryfilmmaker.com/buy.php

Transcription Software?

I am hard at work on my second book, The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide Part Two:  Sound Conversations With (Un)Sound People and I am wondering if anyone can help me?  I am recording conversations with a lot of friends of mine in the sound world via Skype and I am looking for any kind of software that can transcribe the conversations for me.  I am familiar with Dragon’s Naturally Speaking but that doesn’t seem to fit what I need because on all of these recordings there are two of us speaking.  Does anyone know of any software that is good for transcribing interviews?  Something that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, (free is a great price…), and could do most of the work for me.  I would appreciate any info.

While I was on the road I got to see It Might Get Loud, the documentary on the three guitar players, Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White.  I was not a big fan of any of these guys before I saw the film.  Well the film is terrific and while I still can’t say I am a big fan of Led Zepplin or U2 I can really appreciate all three of these guys.  Three different styles, but three people who love what they do and are pushing their own boundaries.  I’m sure it bombed, there were only 3 people in the theater when I saw it, so check it out on DVD.  Well worth seeing.

Time to plug my book…  I have to do this, I would much rather have you buy this then one of those books by someone who doesn’t make films, or really shitty ones.  You know who you are…

More things from the book:

1. The re-writing never stops… even in the editing room you have to re-write.

4.    Remember, it’s that show of respect that’s really important.  If your cast and crew don’t respect you, and like you, but respect is a bit more important, then they are not going to go that extra mile that is going to make you movie better.

The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide Part One: Making The Extreme No Budget Film.  It’s full of things to help you make your film.  So why haven’t you bought it!

Go to my site, (www.angryfilmmaker.com) and buy it for a mere $16.95 + $3 S&H.

So buy it already.

Please ask your local libraries to purchase my book.

On most library websites there is a place to suggest books for purchase. Or just send an email.  Here is the information they will need:

The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide: Making the Extreme No Budget Film
ISBN #: 1-4392-3273-3
Author: Kelley Baker
2009

When asked for the publisher direct them to my website: www.angryfilmmaker.com
(The publisher is BookSurge but I make more money if they buy from me…)

Thank you!

I would really appreciate it if people who have purchased my book could go to Amazon.com and write a review.  Please tell your friends about the book, but don’t let them buy it on Amazon, send them to my site.  I make more money that way.

On to other stuff.

Follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/thekelleybaker) or become a fan on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/The-Angryfilmmaker/88965343075?ref=ts

Don’t forget to check out my tour sponsors, Show Biz Software, (www.showbizsoftware.com), Pollard Design (www.pollarddesign.com), Zoom Creates (www.zoomcreates.com), and Cheezy Flicks (www.cheezyflicks.com ).  If you haven’t checked out their sites and their services, you better.

And I’m welcoming a new Sponsor, Film Slug, (www.filmslug.com) but more about them later…

As always, feel free to link to my site and you can subscribe to my blog.  So what are you waiting for?

Talk later.

Kelley

www.angryfilmmaker.com

Setelah di gala premierkan pada tanggal 15 Agustus , di Los Angeles dan New York, dan sampai sekarang sedang diputar di bioskop-bioskop di Amerika dan Eropa, film dokumenter musik (rock) dengan pendekatan yang unik  IT MIGHT GET LOUD yang dibintangi oleh tiga orang gitaris yang berkarakter dari tiga generasi yang berbeda, Jimmy Page (64),  The Edge (50)  dan Jack White (34)  akhirnya dirilis dalam format DVD dan Blue Ray pada tanggal 22 Desember yang akan datang. Ini tentu berita baik bagi kita di Indonesia, yang nampaknya tak mungkin mengharapkan film ini akan diputar di bioskop-bioskop.

Film dokumenter musik (rock) ini bisa dikatakan unik, karena dibuat berdasarkan pendekatan yang berbeda dibandingkan dengan film-film dokumenter musik (rock) yang pernah dibuat sebelumnya. Film ini tidak berbicara tentang pemujaan terhadap idola atau tentang obat bius yang biasanya dijadikan isu mengenai cerita yang berkaitan dengan musik rock, tapi film ini ingin bicara sesuatu yang lebih dalam, bersifat filosofis, mengapa ketiga orang gitaris ini memilih gitar sebagai media ekspresi mereka. Untuk mendapatkan “inti cerita” yang dimaui, maka sang sutradara memerlukan waktu kurang lebih satu tahun untuk menggali hal-hal yang dalam dari tiga orang gitaris ini.  “Saya melakukan pendekatan pribadi pada ketiganya, dan merekam pembicaraan dalam suasana yang informal dengan masing-masing dari mereka,”  kata Davis  Gugeinheim, sutradara film ini.

Ide awal pembuatan film ini muncul dari Thomas Tull, bos dari Leggendary Pictures yang juga seorang kolektor gitar, dan senang ngejam blues dengan teman-temannya pada saat segangnya. Ialah yang sangat terobsesi mengetahui mengapa ada orang yang begitu mencintai gitar.  Ia kemudian mengontak temannya  Davis Gugeinheim,  sutradara yang baru meraih penghargaan Oscar untuk film “An  Inconvenient Truth” film dokumenter tentang Al Gore mantan wakil Presiden Amerika yang  membahas tentang perubahan iklim global.  “Saya juga melakukan wawancara informal untuk menggali banyak hal dari Al Gore. Dan itulah yang kemudian menjadi bahan penggarapan film  An Inconvinience Truth.  Hal yang sama saya lakukan dalam penggarapan film ini.”

Dipertemukan di soundstage. Betukar visi dan Jamming !!!

Maka dari penggalian ini lahirlah film IT MIGHT GET LOUD, yang selama kurang lebih selama 90 menit,  kita akan di ajak untuk menelusuri tempat-tempat bersejarah dari Jimmy Page,  The Edge dan Jack White. Siapa yang awalnya mempengaruhi mereka, bagaimana mereka menemukan sound gitar mereka, dlsbnya dalam alur cerita yang terpisah, sebelum akhirnya ketiganya di bawa ke Hollywood ( di tiga hotel yang terpisah) untuk kemudian dipertemukan dalam panggung yang tak begitu yang besardi studio Warner Bross.  Mereka saling bertukar pikiran dan ngejam bareng. Semua ini tanpa arahan. Dibiarkan apa adanya, kamera on itu saja. “Saya juga tidak tahu apa yang akan terjadi” ungkap Davis. “Ya karena cara pendekatan dalam membuat film inilah, yang membuat saya mau terlibat dalam penggarapan film ini.” kata Jimmy Page.

Dan bagi anda yang tidak sabar menunggu dirilisnya DVD atau Blue Ray film ini, diinformasikan bahwa mulai tanggal 8 Desember IT MIGHT GET LOUD akan dirilis dalam format I-TUNE secara ekslusif.

]]> http://joelcrary.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/trailer-tuesday-it-might-get-loud/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:00:23 +0000 Joel Crary http://joelcrary.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/trailer-tuesday-it-might-get-loud/

I’ve listened dutifully to the White Stripes since I caught their puzzling colour-coded act on the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn back in 2001. Jack and Meg White’s records routinely impress me with their range of ideas in spite of the simplicity of their formula. For me, it represents songwriting stripped to the bone, with every added layer a very deliberate and interesting conscious choice on behalf of Jack, who can blow a song out of the water with the simplest tweak. It’s gratifying to see him in the trailer for “It Might Get Loud”, putting together a makeshift instrument with little more than a Coke bottle and nails.

As a musician, I’m looking forward to seeing these men delve into their approaches to creating not just music, but sounds – the very basic elements of the way a song plays in the head long before it comes out in the performance. It will be equally pleasing to see Jack White match talents with the Edge, as the two men seem to operate on opposite ends of the guitarist spectrum, with Jack’s backyard organic approach seemingly challenging the Edge’s vast array of effects pedals. Then, of course, there’s Jimmy Page, one of the only guitarists on Earth with nothing to prove, a man who is the reason most successful musicians today picked up a guitar in the first place.

I wonder what Page makes of the avenues rock and roll has taken over the last 40 years. It’s a great mix of musicians getting together, each coming from an equidistant point in the succession of their breakthroughs, to talk about why and how they still show love for what they do. Davis Guggenheim is serving as director, best known for the Oscar-winning doc “An Inconvenient Truth”. Really looking forward to this one.

An Inconvenient Truth by Davis Guggenheim is Al Gore’s global warning about the disastrous consequences of global warming. The documentary is predominated by Al Gore’s slide show presentation, backed by scientific data and research, which proves that man is responsible for the greenhouse-gases that cause global warming. But the documentary also includes parts of Al Gore’s public, political and private life and introduces the viewer to the man behind the environmental passion.

Everyone, and I mean, absolutely everyone should watch this documentary. Future generations’ lives depend on people getting “it”, and so does the future of the entire planet. This is not just fanatical inciting or apocalyptic banter about the end of the world; the threats are real and imminent. I sincerely hope that all governments worldwide will acknowledge the calamity we are heading towards, and start to pass laws to lower greenhouse-gas omissions. But Gore quite rightly quotes Upton Sinclair who said that “you can’t make somebody understand something if their salary depends upon them not understanding it”.

If no action is taken, we can expect more devastating hurricanes, sea-levels and temperatures to rise to preposterous heights, existing over-populated earth surfaces to shrink even more, species to become extinct, the world to die… One cannot give life to children nowadays and continue with environmental malpractices in good faith. One has a moral obligation to heed the Native American proverb: “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” But getting “it” is only the first tiny step on the journey that lies before us, the ultimate step is to put this realisation into action. What are we waiting for?

Please visit http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/ to find out what you can do to make a difference.

Genre: Documentary
Running time: 100 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Producers: Lawrence Bender
Scott Burns
Laurie David
Editor: Jay Lash Cassidy
Dan Swietlik
Music: Michael Brook
Main Cast:
Al Gore as himself

O documentário de Davis Guggenheim, It might get loud, já tem data de lançamento. O documentário, que mostra como Jimmy Page, The Edge e Jack White se apaixonaram pela guitarra deve ser lançado no dia 8 de janeiro de 2010. Segundo o site da NME, o filme mostra os guitarristas tocando juntos, contando histórias e fazendo o diabo que seja que guitarristas fodões fazem quando se reunem. Dá um confere no trailer.

Es difícil lograr que un hombre entienda algo cuando su salario depende de que no lo entienda.

Upton Sinclair (citado por Al Gore en An inconvenient truth).

 ¿Ven ese punto pálido llamado Tierra? Eso somos nosotros. Todo lo que nos ha pasado en toda la historia de la humanidad tiene lugar en ese píxel. Todos los triunfos, las tragedias, todas las guerras, todos los mayores avances… es nuestro único hogar. Y eso es lo que estamos arriesgando ahora: nuestra habilidad para vivir en este planeta, nuestro futuro como civilización. Creo que no es una cuestión política, es una cuestión moral. Es la oportunidad de terminar de una vez por todas con esa cuestión, es nuestro tiempo de asegurar nuestro futuro.

Al Gore (en el mismo filme). 

INTRODUCCIÓN

Para un profesor de cine o crítico del séptimo arte resulta todo un desafío el intentar explicar un filme tan complejo en su contenido como lo es An inconvenient truth (2006) de Davis Guggenheim. El calentamiento global, tema del filme ganador del Oscar al mejor documental, no es tan fácil de transmitir. A ratos el espectador queda empantanado en la maraña de datos técnicos y hace falta un intérprete que permita un mejor entendimiento. Este es el desafío que intentaremos asumir: intentar comunicar públicamente a través de la crítica de cine lo que es el calentamiento global. También queremos elaborar una especie de guía didáctica que le permita al estudiante visionar el filme de la mejor manera posible. Esto creará en el estudiante una conciencia ecológica y le permitirá llevar una vida de mayor responsabilidad hacia el medioambiente. Para este efecto nos valdremos no solo del filme sino de la extensa bibliografía internaútica (debidamente revelada y consignada) que se encuentra disponible sobre el asunto.

 ¿QUIÉN ES AL GORE?[1]

Político demócrata de 59 años de edad. Ex vicepresidente de Estados Unidos de Norteamérica. Inició su carrera en 1976, cuando fue elegido por Tennessee para ser parte del Congreso. Fue elegido para el Senado en 1984, y reelegido una vez más en 1990. En 1992 publica Earth in the Balance: Ecology and Human Spirit, en el cual plantea una revolución ecológica necesaria para el siglo XXI. Posteriormente, se ha transformado en uno de los líderes ecológicos más importantes a nivel mundial. Por este motivo ganó el Premio Nóbel en el año 2007.

Con Bill Clinton rigió los destinos de Norteamérica desde 1993 hasta el año 2001, año en que perdió las elecciones ante George Bush Jr. Tras perder, Gore se convirtió en profesor de periodismo por algunos meses, y después volvió a dar conferencias sobre ecología. En septiembre de 2002 condenó fuertemente la política de Bush en Iraq, denominándola “una distracción” y acusando a Bush de dañar la imagen de Estados Unidos en el extranjero.

En 2005 fundó una cadena de televisión, Current TV. Gore, ha recorrido el mundo difundiendo y divulgando el tema del calentamiento global, del cual se ha convertido en  un popular exponente gracias a sus inmejorables capacidades de comunicador que se aprecian en el filme.

Gore ha sido mencionado como candidato presidencial para las elecciones del año entrante, pero hasta la fecha niega que vaya a presentarse en las primarias. En la última entrega del Premio Oscar bromeó con Leonardo di Caprio sobre si se iba a postular o no.

 ¿QUIÉN ES DAVIS GUGGENHEIM?[2]

Es el realizador de An inconvenient truth. Director y productor norteamericano nacido en 1964 y casado con la actriz Elizabeth Shue. Se formó en televisión dirigiendo algunas series populares como ER, Alias, 24, NYPD Blues y NUMB3RS. Fue productor ejecutivo del filme Día de entrenamiento con Denzel Washington y Ethan Hawke. Al empezar a filmar Una verdad inconveniente se dio cuenta que podía mezclar la vida personal de Al Gore con su pasión por el ecologismo.

 ¿QUÉ ES EL CALENTAMIENTO GLOBAL?

Desde el nacimiento de la ecología como una disciplina que estudia e intenta preservar el medio ambiente, tenemos que el calentamiento global es el fenómeno observado en las últimas décadas en el aumento en la temperatura de la atmósfera terrestre y de los océanos.

El calentamiento también es una teoría con una variante antropogénica: las actividades humanas influyen en este conflicto medioambiental. Esta teoría predice de manera apocalíptica que el mundo entrará en un colapso si continúan las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. Se derretirán los casquetes polares, habrá inundaciones, etc.

La opinión científica oficial sobre el cambio del clima dice que la mayor parte del calentamiento observado en los últimos 50 años, es atribuible a la actividad humana (industrial, especialmente). Según el consenso científico, la principal causa del componente de calor inducido por los humanos se debería al aumento de dióxido de carbono (nótese el condicional “se debería a” que maneja nuestra fuente de Wikipedia). La temperatura del planeta ha venido elevándose desde finales del siglo XIX, cuando se puso fin a la etapa conocida como la pequeña edad de hielo.

 ¿QUÉ ES EL EFECTO INVERNADERO?[3]

Es el fenómeno por el que determinados gases que componen la atmósfera retienen parte de la energía que el suelo emite por haber sido calentado por la radiación solar. Afecta a todos los cuerpos planetarios dotados de atmósfera. De acuerdo con el actual consenso científico, el efecto invernadero se está viendo acentuado en la Tierra por la emisión de ciertos gases, como el dióxido de carbono y el metano, debida a la actividad económica humana.

Este fenómeno evita que la energía del Sol recibida constantemente por la Tierra vuelva inmediatamente al espacio, produciendo a escala planetaria un efecto similar al observado en un invernadero doméstico.

 ¿EN QUÉ CONSISTEN LOS GASES DE INVERNADERO?[4]

Son aquellos cuya presencia en la atmósfera contribuye al efecto invernadero. Suelen incluirse los siguientes: Vapor de agua (H2O), dióxido de carbono (CO2), metano (CH4), óxidos de nitrógeno (NOx), ozono (O3), y Clorofluorocarburos (artificiales). No todos los componentes de la atmósfera contribuyen a este efecto. Los gases de invernadero absorben los fotones[5] infrarrojos emitidos por el suelo calentado por el sol.

 ¿QUÉ PLANTEA AN INCOVENIENT TRUTH?[6]

El documental explora la información y las predicciones que tienen que ver con el cambio climático más experiencias personales del ex vicepresidente. Por medio de las notas y conferencias que ha presentado por todo el mundo, Al Gore revisa la evidencia científica del calentamiento global, discute sus aspectos políticos y económicos y describe las consecuencias que cree que el cambio climático provocará si los gases de efecto invernadero producidos por el hombre no son drásticamente reducidos en un periodo de tiempo corto.

La base de la argumentación de Gore es que el calentamiento global no es una falacia y es producido por la actividad del hombre durante muchos años. Esta argumentación está sostenida por investigaciones actualizadas que son expuestas de manera didáctica. Se muestra, por ejemplo, el retroceso de numerosos glaciares mediante fotografías tomadas a lo largo de varias décadas.

Gore también menciona un estudio de investigadores del Instituto de Física de la Universidad de Berna y el EPICA que muestra datos del núcleo del hielo de la Antártida que muestra concentraciones de dióxido de carbono más altos en la actualidad que durante los pasados 650.000 años.

Otro aspecto que menciona el ex vicepresidente es una investigación de la Dra. Naomi Oreskes en 2004 consistente en la revisión exhaustiva de 928 artículos científicos sobre el cambio climático global publicados en la década que va de 1993 al 2003. La investigación, publicada en la revista Science, demostraba que la gran mayoría de artículos cada artículo o bien atacaba al calentamiento global a la acción del hombre o bien no comentaba nada al respecto. En definitiva, esta gran cantidad de artículos no mostraba –según el documental- un consenso de parte de la comunidad científica sobre el calentamiento global.

 ¿CUÁLES SON LOS PUNTOS VALEDEROS DE ESTE FILME?

A nuestro entender los siguientes puntos resaltan positivamente en el documental:

1.- Recursos didácticos multimedia. Mapas, gráficos, histogramas, clips, uso de dibujos animados

2.- El lenguaje didáctico de Al Gore, sin titubeos, didáctico, pedagógico, nada ampuloso.

3.- La organización y exposición del material.

4.- Crea una conciencia ecológica en el espectador.

5.- Educa y entretiene de manera simultánea.

6.- Al final aparece la canción I need to wake up de la rockera Melissa Etheridge que logra levantar el espíritu ecológico del receptor.

 ¿CUÁLES SON LOS PUNTOS DÉBILES DEL FILME?

A nuestro entender los siguientes puntos son los menos fuertes en el documental:

1.- Todo gira alrededor de Al Gore rozando el culto a la personalidad. Este mesianismo es exagerado ya que en ningún momento la trama se aleja de la figura de este político.

2.- Es una película muy corta (92 minutos). Quizá alargarla habría devenido en un filme aburrido, pero el riesgo habría valido la pena para explicar mejor temas que requieren de más amplitud.

3.- Hay demasiada información para que un neófito pueda entenderla en un cien por ciento. En un alumno de una maestría de Comunicación Pública de la Ciencia, esto llama la atención ya que lo ideal sería que todos los pasajes del filme sean entendibles.

 ¿ES APOCALÍPTICA LA VISIÓN DEL MUNDO QUE PLANTEA EL FILME?

Sí. Se presenta a una Nueva York anegada por las aguas, una Florida inundada, más y cada vez más peligrosos huracanes, un empeoramiento de la sequía, glaciares que retroceden y casquetes polares que desaparecen. Otro ejemplo apocalíptico: Aparece la foto de las famosas nieves del Kilamanjaro en un antes y un después. Se nota claramente que la cantidad de nieve ha disminuido en su espesor. 

 ¿QUIÉNES ESTÁN A FAVOR DE LA PELÍCULA?

La agencia noticiosa Associated Press contactó a un centenar de prestigiosos climatólogos y les preguntó sobre la veracidad del documental. Debido a que el documental aún no había sido exhibido ampliamente muchos de estos investigadores no lo habían visto ni habían leído el libro de Gore[7], pero los diecinueve científicos que sí lo habían hecho dijeron que el ex vicepresidente había interpretado correctamente las ideas científicas. Gore maneja correctamente la ciencia, según estos científicos contactados a través de teléfono o correo electrónico: el mundo se está calentando y se trata de una catástrofe provocada por el hombre a causa de la quema de combustibles fósiles.

 ¿QUIÉNES ESTÁN EN CONTRA DE LA PELÍCULA?

Es importante presentar las supuestas equivocaciones que tiene el filme, ya que se suele pensar que en este tipo de películas la comunicación pública de la ciencia es infalible.

Los pequeños errores que los científicos de la Associated Press encontraron no eran gran cosa, según el artículo investigado[8], “mucho, mucho menos significativos que los errores en los que incurren los políticos en sus breves alocuciones sobre el asunto”, comentó Michael MacCracken, que solía ocuparse del programa nacional sobre los efectos del calentamiento global, y que ahora es jefe científico del Instituto Climático de Washington.

Algunos científicos afirman que Gore confundió los casquetes polares cuando dijo que el efecto del Acta para el Aire Limpio es percibible en los hielos del Antártico; cuando en realidad se trata del núcleo helado de Groenlandia. Otros pensaron que Gore había simplificado el efecto causa-efecto entre el gas invernadero clave, el dióxido de carbono, y el aumento en las temperatura[9].

Richard S. Lindzen, Profesor de Ciencia Atmosférica de MIT escribió lo siguiente contra el filme: “Una característica general del enfoque del señor Gore es el ignorar de manera continua el hecho de que la Tierra y el clima son entes dinámicos. Siempre están cambiando inclusive sin ninguna intervención externa. El tratar todo cambio como algo macabro es algo incorrecto. El tratar todo cambio de la forma en que él lo hace es mucho peor”.[10]

En junio 26 del  2006 en el Wall Street Journal, Lindzen añadió: “El estudio de la revista Science, escrito por la Dra. Naomi Orestes y que cita Gore en el filme es inadecuado porque de los 928 artículos escritos entre 1993 y 2003 bajo el membrete de Global Climate Change tan solo 913 tienen resúmenes[11], y 13 de los 913 dictaminan de manera explícita que sí existe un consenso científico sobre el tema”.

Roy Spencer, principal científico investigador de la Universidad de Alabama en Huntsville escribió una carta abierta en mayo 25 del 2006 criticando la presentación que hace Gore en el filme sobre la ciencia del clima: “Las medidas de temperatura en el Ártico sugieren que en los años de 1930 también había calor mucho antes de las emisiones de gases de invernadero. Señor Gore, ¿alguna vez no se preguntó usted si en las concentraciones de hielo de entonces las temperaturas también eran bajas?”.

El Dr. Tim Ball, ex profesor de Climatología de la Universidad de Winnipeg, reaccionó contra el argumento de Gore de que hay una disminución del grosor de la capa de hielo del ártico desde 1970. El científico escribió lo siguiente: “La superficie que Gore eligió en su documental fue un simple y único corte transversal de una parte del ártico durante el mes de octubre de 1960 cuando todo estaba en la mitad del período de congelamiento. Los achicamientos que se dieron en 1990 sucedieron en el cálido mes de septiembre y fueron captados por el documental usando una tecnología totalmente diferente a la de los años sesenta”.

 ¿CUÁL ES LA RESPUESTA POLÍTICA DEL FILME?[12]

El presidente Bush contestó “Lo dudo” ante la pregunta de si vería o no el documental. Y añadió lo siguiente: “A mi juicio debemos clarificar si los gases de invernadero han sido causados o no por la humanidad o a través de efectos naturales, debemos mas bien enfocarnos en la tecnología que nos ayudará a tener mejores vidas para proteger el medio ambiente”. Gore respondió de esta forma: “Toda la comunidad científica ha llegado al consenso en el tema de que los seres humanos son responsables por el calentamiento global, por lo que no entiendo que Bus haya expresado una vez más su duda ante la verdad”. De esta declaración se deduce el por qué se tituló el filme como Un verdad inconveniente (incómoda, en español).

 Los dirigentes de la Agencia para la Protección del Medioambiente y de la NASA no la han visto, y el consejero científico del presidente dijo que la película estaba en su lista de asuntos pendientes.

John Howard, presidente de Australia, se negó a ver a Gore cuando este último visitó Oceanía para promocionar el filme. “No acepto consejos de películas”, dijo el estadista quien añadió que tampoco filmaría el Tratado de Kyoto.

En Inglaterra, el líder conservador de la oposición, David Cameron, urgió a la gente a ver el filme con el fin de entender el calentamiento global.

En Costa Rica, Gore se entrevistó con el presidente Oscar Arias (ex premio Nobel de la Paz), y fue bien recibido por él y otros políticos, además de los medios de comunicación.

En España, el primer ministro José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, después de entrevistarse con Gore declaró que el filme sería incluido en los planes curriculares escolares. De paso, fue nominado al prestigioso Premio Príncipe de Asturias.

 GUÍA DIDÁCTICA DE USO EN EL AULA[13]

 El estudiante deberá contestar las siguientes preguntas antes de ver el filme:

 ¿Qué es el calentamiento global, los gases de invernadero y el efecto invernadero?

¿Quién es Al Gore? Investigue sus datos biográficos.

¿En qué consiste el Tratado de Kyoto y qué países se han negado a firmarlo?

Investigue la ficha técnica del filme.

Visite la página web del filme antes de verlo: http://www.climatecrisis.net

 El estudiante deberá contestar las siguientes preguntas después de ver el filme:

 Revise este ensayo escrito por el profesor Marcelo Báez y exponga las críticas a favor y en contra que ha tenido el filme.

¿Por qué se dan los conflictos del calentamiento global en nuestro planeta?

¿Cuáles son los países más afectados del mundo?

¿Qué ha hecho Estados Unidos respecto a este problema?

¿Cuál es la evolución de la temperatura desde la edad media hasta nuestros días?

¿Cómo han evolucionado las olas de frío a través de la historia?

¿Por qué nuestro planeta está al borde del caos a nivel climático?

¿Qué podemos hacer los seres humanos para cambiar todo esto?

Baje la letra de canción I NEED TO WAKE UP de Melissa Etheridge, tema principal del filme, y explique el mensaje de la misma.

Escriba cinco de los consejos que aparecen al final del filme y la forma en que piensa llevarlos a cabo.

CONCLUSIÓN PERSONAL

Creemos que el filme, pese a los errores que los puristas pudieran encontrarle, es altamente didáctico e ideal para ser transmitido en materias como Apreciación cinematográfica o Historia del cine. La guía que hemos elaborado permite degustar de mejor manera el filme y un tema tan complejo como el abordado en el documental. Pensamos que Al Gore es el político que mejor entiende el problema del calentamiento global. La gente suele hacerle caso a las figuras públicas. Si un personaje desconocido hubiera protagonizado este documental, no habría existido ningún tipo de impacto social, ninguna respuesta política de las altas esferas. Por su condición de ex funcionario de estado, Gore tiene un alto índice de credibilidad y todo lo que plantea en su película tiene una intención claramente educativa. De hecho, el político y ambientalista ya había publicado anteriormente un libro sobre ecología y este problema del calentamiento. Así que no se trata de un advenedizo sino de un comunicador público de la ciencia perfectamente comprometido con su época y su sociedad. He allí su valor global.

[2] Datos tomados de INTERNET MOVIE DATA BASE: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346550/bio

[3] Información reelaborada de http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efecto_invernadero

[4] Información reelaborada de http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_de_efecto_invernadero

[5] Cada una de las partículas que constituyen la luz y, en general, la radiación electromagnética en aquellos fenómenos en que se manifiesta su naturaleza corpuscular  (Tomado del DRAE: Diccionario de la Real Academia Española de la Lengua).

[6] Información tomada directamente del filme y reelaborada por el autor de este trabajo.

[7] Al Gore lanzó un libro titulado también An inconvenient truth al mismo tiempo que el filme.

[8] Fuente consignada en la nota No. 9.

[9] Hasta aquí los datos corresponden al artículo “Expertos climáticos: la ciencia en el documental de Al Gore es correcta”. Martes, 27 Junio 2006. Disponible en http://www.astroseti.org/noticia_2314_Expertos_climaticos_ciencia_del_documental_Gore_correcta.htm

[10] Este párrafo y los siguientes toman información del artículo “An incorrectly claims scientists praise Gore’s movie” de Matt Dempsey disponible en el siguiente sitio web: http://www.epw.senate.gov/pressitem.cfm?party=rep&id=257909

[11] Los abstracts o resúmenes son textos que se insertan al principio de un ensayo para sintetizar lo más importante del mismo. En la comunidad científica un ensayo que carece de abstract o resúmen no es bien visto.

[12] Tomado de http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_inconvenient_truth#Political_response. Traducción del autor de este trabajo.

[13] Guía elaborada por el autor de este trabajo.

Man has microphone cut off after asking Gore about ‘errors’ in film

Washington State Journal
October 12, 2009

In what organizers said was a rarity, Gore took half a dozen questions from journalists, including one from Phelim McAleer, an Irish filmmaker who asked Gore to address nine errors in his film identified by a British court in 2007.

Gore responded that the court ruling supported the showing of his film in British schools. When McAleer tried to debate further, his microphone was cut off by the moderators.

Al Gore’s 9 Convenient Lies

UK Telegraph
October 11, 2007

A Government spokesman said he would not make any further comment on the case today.

My son and I went to see It Might Get Loud, today.   I thought it was fantastic, my son not so much.   Probably better for us old foagies, although my son is completely familiar with all of the music.  I introduced him to Led Zeppelin and the White Stripes when he was very young, U2 a little later.  He probably knows every Led Zeppelin, White Stripes and Raconteurs song there is to know.    The show is supposedly a history of the guitar, using a discussion between three generations of guitarists: Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White.  They don’t actually engage in that much discussion.  That’s what disappointed my son.  He wanted more discussion and joint jam sessions, which definitely would have been nice.  Their jam session of “The Weight” (originally by The Band), is a lot of fun because the guitarists are obviously having a lot of fun with it!

I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin.  They were by far my favorite band in high school and I listened to them non-stop.  Who needed drugs when you had Led Zeppelin?  Seriously, almost every friend I had was into pot and/or acid.  I was never a drug user, but could get totally lost inside Led Zeppelin.  Time would stand still and there was only music.   When my friends talked about their experiences with drugs, I thought I might actually kind of know what they were talking about because of my experience with Led Zeppelin.    No other band did that for me.   Even today I can go into a sort of meditative trance just by listening to “D’yer Mak’er” or “The Battle of Evermore”.  I have no clue why.  It does something to my brain.

For whatever reason, I was never that big of a fan of U2 which I know is a sort of travesty.  They are my generation, after all.   But even during the movie, I found myself wanting to get back to the stories told by Robert Plant and Jack White.

I am completely and totally infatuated with Jack White.   My first encounter with him was through the White Stripe’s cover of “Stop Breaking Down”.  It was love at first listen.   To me, this guy is the real deal.  True artistic creative talent and totally outside of the box.   He shows up in the most unusual places, too!   I watched Cold Mountain the other day and there he was, a very young Jack White turned bluegrass singer performing an authentic version of  Wayfaring Stranger.  At the beginning of last week, KUT (The University of Texas radio station) was doing a countdown of the best songs of each year.  For 2004, they played a duet by Loretta Lynn and Jack White called “Portland, Oregon”.  I hadn’t heard anything by Loretta Lynn in years and here she shows up with Jack White!

My son says that the only reason The Edge was used for the film is because he was the direct opposite of Jack White.   That may be, although he is loved by millions and Jack White is much lesser known in comparison.  Even though White is the youngest and probably the lesser known of the guitarists, I think The Edge was just a tad out of place.  He’s all about the technology, while Page and White are about the old school stuff.  White takes us all the way back to the Delta blues!  He says his favorite song is “Grinnin’ in Your Face” by Son House which is just singing and clapping – no technology whatsoever!   Technology, to White, isn’t soul.  Which is kind of interesting because at the beginning of the film, The Edge is doing some form of yoga while using his Blackberry. 

Here’s the trailer…

Say Holla

Continuing with her admirable goal to promote education, Lo Bosworth attended the “Get Schooled” conference and premiere held at Paramount Studios, home to MTV, September 8.

Bill and Melinda Gates hosted the evening along with Viacom, also home to MTV.  The event launched a campaign to reduce the number of dropouts.

Specifically, “The ‘Get Schooled’ initiative focuses on low graduation rates in college and high school and the accountability of teachers. A student drops out of an American high school every 26 seconds.”

As part of the launch, the Get Schooled documentary premiered on all of Viacom networks simultaneously.  “It stars American Idol diva Kelly Clarkson, basketball star LeBron James and President Barack Obama, and three professionals who work alongside them.”

The event brought out celebs from all walks of entertainment, like Ben Stiller, Malin Akerman, Cheryl Hines, Elizabeth Shue and husband Davis Guggenheim, pop star Jesse McCartney, entertainment reporter Maria Menounos, legendary big screen actor Morgan Freeman, Reverend Al Sharpton and R&B soulstress Monica.

Quite the remarkable company Lo keeps.

O documentário It Might Get Loud (A Todo Volume) mergulha com raro empenho na intimidade das lendas do rock, ou, melhor, dos heróis da guitarra. Os desenvoltos The Edge, do U2, Jimmy Page, do Led Zeppelin, e Jack White, do White Stripes, interagem e discorrem sobre sua relação pessoal com a guitarra elétrica, falando de paixão, técnicas e possibilidades sonoras.

IT MIGHT GET LOUD

Heróis de diferentes gerações da guitarra estrelam documentário

Produtora Legendary Pictures investe no exame do icônico instrumento que moldou o rock’n’roll

Por Eduardo Ribeiro

Lançado em 14 de agosto nos Estados Unidos, It Might Get Loud (A Todo Volume), documentário que mergulha com raro empenho na intimidade das lendas do rock, ou, melhor, dos heróis da guitarra, deve chegar à versão nacional no mês de novembro (dia 6). Nele, os desenvoltos instrumentistas The Edge, do U2, Jimmy Page, do Led Zeppelin, e Jack White, do White Stripes, interagem e discorrem sobre sua relação pessoal com a guitarra elétrica, falando de paixão, técnicas e possibilidades sonoras.

Ao longo de noventa e sete minutos de filme, os músicos dão seus depoimentos que pontuam oportunamente três gerações diferentes na evolução do ritmo. Dirigido por Davis Guggenheim, a obra tem como principal qualidade a revelação de como os astros, individualmente, atingiram sua identidade artística, fazendo o espectador perceber o estilo que cada um tem de tocar e o quanto essa “pegada” acaba sendo o fator mais importante para um guitarrista que queira ser levado a sério.

Para quem já ama e está envolvido com o instrumento, o documentário é um must-see só pelo fato nos dar a possibilidade de acompanhar a ocasião rara e inédita que coloca no mesmo círculo três artistas talentosíssimos e cheios de pegada, porém pertencentes a galhos diferentes da árvore genealógica do rock. O compartilhar de suas experiências e as coisas ensinadas uns aos outros mostram que a evolução só pode ser galgada com mente e ouvidos abertos e o apuro natural pela sensibilidade.

E a empreitada da Legendary Pictures em nome da guitarra e do rock não para por aí: a mesma produtora anunciou que está trabalhando em uma cinebiografia do imbatível Jimi Hendrix. O roteiro baseado na vida do músico e mito da era flower power está sob a batuta de Max Borenstein, e conta com o mesmo produtor de Watchmen e dono da Legendary Thomas Tull, além de Bill Gerber, responsável por Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood).

A empresa continua em negociação com a Experience Hendrix, administradora do patrimônio de Jimi, mas mesmo assim está tocando o projeto, antes de chegar a um acordo sobre os direitos autorais.

Veja o trailer de IT MIGHT GET LOUD

But if I were, I would tell you that there is a film coming out called, “It Might Get Loud” from the same filmmaker as “An Inconvenient Truth”, Davis Guggenheim. From Wiki: “It explores the history of the electric guitar, focusing on the careers and styles of Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White.”

The trailer.

That is all.

Davis Guggenheim - It Might Get Loud (2009)

Estoy esperando ansioso este documental.

gracias – hollywoodstreams

• Información leída en datoX para buscar más información visita el blog.
• Sitio oficial.

It’s only appropriate to preface this review of the new music documentary film It Might Get Loud (2008) by Davis Guggenheim by remembering Les Paul (1915-2009), seeing as how the film is ultimately about a love affair with the guitar.

It Might Get Loud (Davis Guggenheim, 2008). From left to right: Jack White, Jimmy Page, the Edge. Image: Sony Pictures Classics.

Having Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), the Edge (U2), and Jack White (the White Stripes, the Raconteurs, the Dead Weather), as conduits to talking about love affairs with the guitar wasn’t a bad choice at all. The three guitartists chosen, presented, and brought together to flesh out It Might Get Loud may be self-evident for some and not so evident for others, for whatever reason. But the film takes a detour from the standard doc-explains-it-all by not giving its reasons for its choices. A good move, since the issue could’ve easily dragged the film into nothing more than a debate about who deserves to have been chosen.

In fact, the film begins with the choices already very much in place. And in motion, as the camera accompanies each guitarist on his way to the roundtable rendez-vous to meet the other two. Each one muses on what kind of sparks could fly upon the three meeting – with guitars handily located in the vicinity. Thus, as the Edge forewarns sometime later in the film, “it might get loud.”

I’ve now two viewings of this film under my belt. Before the second time around, I was anticipating some impatience or, dare I say it, boredom to set in. But no. The sparks that fly, the sounds that flow, the musical references and histories that one shares, throughout the film once again made for some spine-tingling, hair-raising fandom viewing that I had experienced the first time I saw it back in June. It’s not so much that It Might Get Loud is an audacious formal experiement to take on the guitar. Far from it, although it’s different enough from the standard talking- heads fare with a voiceover, a lot of generic footage as space filler, and an overall holier-than-thou attitude.

It Might Get Loud (2008). "Who says you need to buy a guitar?" Jack White asks, after making and showcasing his makeshift one, above. Image: Sony Pictures Classics.

It’s more about looking at the mechanics of the guitar, guitar playing, and the experiences of three particular guitarists with quite different backgrounds, coming from three different generations. Significantly, the film’s prologue involves White creating a makeshift guitar. Throughout the film, each one shares the experience of making one, finding one left behind by someone else, getting one in compensation for something done, how one encountered his preferred guitar. Images of the camera caressing and lingering over the guitar appear intermittently, establishing the symbol and material of the shared language between the three men. Each brings his own interpretation, of course, according to one’s musical baggage.

Archival footage of Page in his teenage years, playing skiffle, becoming a sessions player, joining the Yardbirds, and then getting Led Zeppelin together, are just wondrous to see. The Edge going back to the school where U2 would rehearse in a classroom. White recounting his bedroom’s arrangement: no bed, but two drum kits, an amp and several speakers. The editing, like a card dealer, goes from one to the other, paralleling their different hi/stories with the guitar. Despite it all, happily the film doesn’t go into anyone’s bio in the traditional sense.

It’s really only one point when the film lapses into giving into dramatic pressures: sections of the film are preceded by knowing titles  such as “Rock and roll breastfeeding” or “Heading in a backwards direction.” The “Am I just a guitarist?” section reads like the dramatic crisis so common to film and TV docs alike, to create a bit of suspense. It becomes heavy-handed and quite predictable in spots, with music seemingly culled from an episode of This American Life to set the tone of conflict, transformation, crisis, facing all three guitarists, before they embarked on writing music that left their mark on music history.

It Might Get Loud (2008). With Jack White.

The film is also more about that incredibly elusive phenomenon known as the “creative process” and musical influences. Guggenheim captures White jotting down in pencil some words that fast become lyrics as White lays down the music. For White and the Edge, Page represents a genealogical reference whether one accepts it or not. More accepted, demonstrated most gleefully when Page plays “Whole Lotta Love” while the Edge and White can do nothing but grin. And you can’t help but grin, too.

Irreversibly linked to the creative process and musical influences is the intimate practice of listening to music, such that the song becomes the amorphous yet so palpable link of communication. The film wonderfully shares scenes with each one listening to music, be it their own or the songs that signified an important moment in their conception of their playing as guitarists and writers. Particular favourites include Page sharing Link Wray’s “Rumble” – even doing a bit of air guitar as he explains Wray’s increased use of the vibrato; White playing Son House’s “Grinnin’ in your Face”; the Edge listening to U2 demo tapes and hearing the early rumblings of “Where the Streets Have no Name.”

It Might Get Loud (2008). With Jimmy Page. Image: Sony Pictures Classics.

It Might Get Loud (2008). With the Edge. Image: Sony Pictures Classics.

I admit that the main draw for me in seeing this film were Page and White. One, because as one person I knew so aptly put it at one time, “Led Zeppelin is THE SHIT.” Two, the White Stripes initiatied my faith in rock music after a long time away from listening to any. But getting to know a bit of the Edge was a nice surprise. Above all, the musicians and bands referenced with the utmost affection and admiration are priceless. Not just Son House and Link Wray, but also the Flat Duo Jets, the Jam.

In the end – and rightly so – It Might Get Loud gets you rarin’ to listen to and revisit some new and old sounds, if you weren’t familiar with them already. And the jam session at the end is pretty damn nice, too.

“You know, it’s just that people like this, you know, they get all they want so they really don’t understand, you know, about a life like Frank’s. I mean, when you’ve loved and lost the way Frank has, then you, you know what life’s about.” – Tommy Pischedda

Like Davis Guggenheim’s past doc, An Inconvenient Truth, It Might Get Loud is also just another pointless exercise in star-fucking as he brings three Rock “Icons,” Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White center stage to reminisce on some comfy couches about their love affair with the guitar and themselves.

While visiting his delta blues roots, music nerd Jack White reveals how much of a poser he and his fans are (including his son, Jack Jr., who goes to the same tailor) as he strums ’til his fingers bleed copying every past blind pickin’ blues man. Let’s just hope Little Jack turns out to be more haughty and saucy.

“Take a load off Fanny…”

The Edge on the other hand likes to keep an assortment of pedals at his feet to cover up his single chord strumming. I can see why he wept after seeing This is Spinal Tap – I guess he likes to hear his music in Dubly too. The only explanation for this casting was in hopes for a Bono cameo, which thank God did not surface.

“The sustain listen to it’.”

“I don’t hear anything…”

“Well you would though, if it were playing.”

Jimmy Page is the one with the most rock cred, showing more talent when rocking out on his air guitar to a Dick Dale’s Rumble vinyl, and is the most interesting with filler stock footage from the 1960s to justify some sort of documentation.

“I know how to get there, all I’ve got to do is keep playing.” - Jimmy Page

As for the anti-climactic jam session this supergroup ends up striking the wrong chord as they cover The Band’s The Weight. “This tasteless cover is a good indication of the lack of musical invention within. The musical growth of this band cannot even be charted. They are treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry.” Or are we just nitpicking?

Yes!  I’m super-excited about this movie, having chanced upon the trailer this past week:

(You can also see it on Apple’s Trailer site in HD.)

Top 3 Reasons to see “It Might Get Loud”:

3.  Rotten Tomatoes’ review confirmation–

This movie is made by veteran film makers Davis Guggenheim who capably made “An Inconvenient Truth”.  This guy and all the other people involved in producing this movie know what they’re doing, this clearly isn’t just a movie where it’s the spectacle of three guitar legends appearing on screen– it’s also a well made documentary.

2.  It just plain rocks

How could it not?  Three generations of rock, with all three guitar legends.  Even if in the film when they play together it’s not a masterpiece (haven’t seen it yet, so can’t say), there’s still no denying that at the very least, individually, when these guys play… it just plain rocks.

1.  For the insight

As a guitarist and a musician, I’m inspired even by the sound bytes in the trailer.  Jack White saying “that family of story tellers… you’re supposed to join that family, become part of it.”  Yes.  Exactly.  It’s one thing to be inspired by a musician or composer, but it’s silly to want to become that person.  What it’s really about is what you, whoever you are, can bring to the table.  What is your song?  What is your voice?

… and that’s just the trailer.  Whether we’re talking about techniques they may reveal, or general discussions about music, the biggest reason any musician should have to see this movie is to seek insight.

There’s a catch…

This movie isn’t out everywhere yet, and may not come to your city at all.  The movie’s website lists where it’s coming.  If you’re city or town is not on it, or if you’re not in the US… you’ll be waiting for the DVD, I guess.

… and a bonus!:

There are a bunch of interviews that are on YouTube with the film makers, and of course the 3 legends:

• Jack White: http://tinyurl.com/nz9pbt
• Davis Guggenheim: http://tinyurl.com/nfa9l5
• Q&A at the Toronto Film Fesitval: http://tinyurl.com/l5ab4x

And there are a lot more than just these three… happy hunting!

My review of the new guitar documentary, It Might Get Loud, is posted at Christianity Today.

It’s a pretty interesting film and definitely fascinating for anyone who plays guitar or is interested in the history of rock music. The film focuses on Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White (pictured above).

Here’s a snippet of my review, where I talk about how The Edge is characterized in the film:

Born David Howell Evans, The Edge plays the part of the spiritual rocker. We see him doing yoga, playing his guitar (with amp) on a remote beach on the Irish Sea, and making philosophical remarks about how forests are a metaphor for guitar playing. Somewhere between Thoreau and Gandhi, The Edge uses his guitar in a distinctly otherworldly manner, meticulously employing the technologies and techniques at his disposal (effects modules, pedals, delay, reverb) to push sound to its outer limits. His glittering, patented sound crystallizes best in songs like “Where the Streets Have No Name,” which we are privileged to hear both in stadium concert form and when The Edge plays a four-track recording of the early demos of his iconic introductory guitar riff. Where other rock star guitarists might get caught up in the “scene” (groupies, drugs, bad fashion), the sleek, refined Edge comes across as a minimalist zenmaster, an all-business shaman who wants to get in the sound, exploring its contours and possibilities with scientific precision.

And here’s my take on Jack White’s persona in the film:

In stark contrast to The Edge (but no less fascinating) is Jack White, a Detroit-bred relative youngster whose explosive reinvention of garage rock (via Delta blues) catapulted him to fame alongside bandmate/ex-wife Meg White, who collectively make up The White Stripes. White is a hipster to the core, obsessed with all things old, vintage, and difficult, and prone to inventing obstacles and challenges for himself just because things shouldn’t be so easy in these here modern times. Where The Edge was about the sound and musicality of creation, Jack White is more taken with the materiality and lore of rock music. He loves handcrafted custom guitars, the gimmicky peppermint-painted aesthetic of his band (he and Meg only wear red, white or black), and the finger-bleeding “you have to pick a fight with the guitar” intensity of being a hard rocker. Always the contrarian, White also takes pleasure in confusing the press, Bob Dylan style. He’s managed to keep the false rumor alive, for example, that Meg White is actually his big sister—something he claims in the film. He is a great guitar talent, to be sure, but for Jack White the accoutrements of rock sometime seems more important than the actual music.

Read the rest of the review here.

Whoa! Check it out! We’re going olllllllld school here, homey! Remember this record? It is the Friedberger siblings first on Rough Trade, and possibly first in their hearts. Maybe not, that’s a bit presumptuous on my part. This record has a fun story for me about the first time I heard it. Back in the day at University I worked in a record store. (Street cred!) You know what they do with those discs that sit on the shelf forever and never sell? Well, they ship them back to the distributor to get their money back. They don’t do this every week. Usually they wait until there are enough discs to fill a box before shipping them out. So a lot of times you have these giant piles of discs “in storage” that are already out of the system and just waiting to pile up high enough to be boxed and shipped out. Well, a sneaky coworker/friend realized this was happening and would go through them at night to see if there was anything worthwhile. He would leave with stacks of discs at night, burn them, and put them back the next night with no one noticing. He would listen to most of it and tell me about the good ones. This record was one of the good ones.

You might hear comparisons to The White Stripes, but the comparisons stop at male/female, white skinned, and musicians. Also, Matthew would never make a shitty documentary. (Davis Guggenheim–what the hell were you thinking!?!?!)

Try

Haz click en la imagen para verla a detalle

Dado que nacieron prácticamente al mismo tiempo, el rock y la guitarra eléctrica se consideran ya sinónimos, y es muy difícil concebir a uno sin el otro. Es por ello que no resulta raro que Davis Guggenheim se lanzara a realizar el documental It Might Get Loud, donde analiza este instrumento, apoyándose en tres de las leyendas del mismo: The Edge, Jimmy Page y Jack White. La misma estará estrenándose en Europa para finales de este mes, y si bien va a haber presentaciones limitadas en otros países, aún no tiene una fecha de salida para el circuito comercial americano. Ahora si no hay duda, es el mejor momento para los documentales.

Notizia flash: si chiama Fly Farm Blues il primo singolo solista di Jack White, in uscita il 14 agosto con il film “It might get Loud“. Il singolo lo sentiremo tutti ma per il documentario di Davis Guggenheim dovremo aspettare ancora un po’, o volare in Germania o in America (io pregherò per un press screening qui a Londra). Jimmy Page, Jack White e The Edge, due leggende del rock e uno dei chitarristi più sopravvalutati del nostro secolo… E vabò, the Edge mi sta pure molto simpatico, ha fatto cose apprezzabili e influenzato milioni di bands ma non ho mai trovato nulla di geniale nella sua chitarra per poterlo mettere a fianco di due mostri sacri come Page e White. Nel film The Edge spiegherà anche come pigiando una pedaliera e facendo un facilissimo arpeggio in loop, riesca a ricavare almeno una ventina di canzoni e quel suo suono distintivamente uguale. Sarà comunque fantastico vederli jammare tutti e tre insieme, sentirli parlare, scambiarsi consigli… Il singolo di Jack, che dal titolo ci fa presupporre a un bel blues-brividone dei suoi, potrebbe presagire a un intero album solista. Chi lo ferma più a quest’uomo? Intanto aspettiamo impazienti anche il nuovo album dei White Stripes. Ah, per la croncaca, se qualcuno avesse letto qualche giorno fa sul “Corriere della Sera” l’articolo di Sandra Cesarale: “I White Stripes si sciolgono” a sei colonne con tanto di sottotitolo a rinforzare la notizia: è una bufala che non ha nessun riscontro da nessuna altra parte del mondo, nemmeno nel “Q magazine” da cui la giornalista ha ricavato l’intero articolo. Di fatto anche l’autrice la smentisce all’interno del pezzo. Metterei il link ma non lo trovo più: che si siano accorti della cazzata fatta? Ricordiamo comunque, a difesa della Cesarale, che i titoli non li scrivono né decidono MAI i giornalisti. 

Però se ci pensate è un po’ come se domani scrivessi un pezzo che mi intitolano: “il Papa lascia il Vaticano”. Sottotitolo: “Trovato sotto il Golden Gate da un Vescovo inferocito, Ratzinger negava la sua identità e duettava un brano di Dylan con i nuovi amici hippie”. Poi nell’articolo smentisco tutto tre righe più in là, dicendo che Ratzinger è in realtà a San Francisco per un seminario su “Santa Maria Maddalena Addolarata Antiabortista”. Intanto però attraggo l’attenzione di tutti. Che figata. 

E dopo questa parentesi… fateci vedere “It might Get Loud”, please! La dose del trailer non ci basta, give us some more!