Movie Review: Screaming Masterpiece

Icelandic music has a long, rich tradition.  Going back 1,000 years to the sagas and edas of the Vikings, passed down through the ages as song, it's no wonder that contemporary Icelandic music has an element of the spiritual.  Screaming Masterpiece showcases the variety of contemporary music coming out of this tiny remote country.

Screaming Masterpiece showcases the variety of bands emerging from Iceland.  Though they come from similar backgrounds with shared influences, their approaches to music wildly vary.  From the ethereal organs and synthesisers of Johann Johannson to the rap/rock styles of Quarashi (who sound surprisingly like the Beastie Boys) to the quirky indie rock of Slowblow, what these bands really share is integrity.  They form a collective of musicians, inspiring each other, playing off each other's sounds and collaborating on side projects.

The film features live performances of each of the bands it highlights, from well-known act like Sigur Ros, Múm and Björk to local favorites like Singapore Sling and Anima.  Interviews are conducted with not only the musicians, but local historians and film makers, to give context to the contemporary movement.  We see Edas sung in traditional styles and pieces of a documentary about Icelandic Punk in the early 1980s.  It becomes apparent that Iceland music is nothing new, the rest of the world is finally learning about it. 

Movie Review: Beats, Rhymes & Life

In the early 1990s a new wave of rap seemed to emerge just as I entered college.  Groups like Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers and De La Soul produced hip-hop that was intelligent while fun and some what cheeky.  The samples and music tracks referenced broad sources - jazz, soul, even Lou Reed to create a unique sonic landscape for the quick-witted rhymes.  Tribe Called Quest was at the epicenter of this movement.  They opened up a whole new genre to me, a suburban white kid.  

In the documentary, Beat, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, we revisit the group and the community they created.  Really, the movie tells the story of two boys from Linden Boulevard, Jamaica, Queens - how they grew up together.  Q-Tip and Fife Dawg formed their friendship as children.  Their different personalities created a relationship in which they learned from each other and fostered each other's strengths.  This energy fed the foundations of Tribe Called Quest and larger community they became involved with.  

As music documentaries go, of course there was strife.  There would be no movie without drama and strife.  Fife Dawg dealt with diabetes and a serious addiction to sugar.  In the landscape of rockumentaries, it may sound funny to hear about a fruit punch addiction when we're used to tales of heroine.  But Fife's illness led to major touring issues, dialysis and eventually a kidney transplant.  And along with the fame, of course comes the divergence of opinions and interests.  As the key relationship holding the group together fell apart, so did the group.  

The most enjoyable parts of the film are those when the members talk about their passions - the samples, the rhymes, the beats.  Each person speaks with passion about the discoveries and lessons learned.  Truly, Tribe Called Quest was a band of brothers (with all the normal sibling rivalry) and it's about time they receive the credit they deserve.  

Movie Review: Love Story

Visiting with friends one weekend, the conversation turned to music as it inevitably does.  My friend Jim is particularly passionate, always with some new discovery and something he needs to share.  Setting up a projector in the backyard, we planned to have a movie screening.  We just needed to wait for darkness to fall. That, and we had to decide on what to watch.  The selections all had one theme (aside from the fact that Jim owned and loved them all) they involved music. 

After we settled on a double feature – Yellow Submarine followed by 24 Hour Party People – it seemed a pity for the rest to go to waste.  I learned the reasons why I needed to see The Who’s Tommy; that I perhaps did not understand the genius of Scott Walker and that I knew nothing about the band Love.  According to Jim, the Love situation was the most pressing.

The DVD he lent me was Love Story. Not to be confused with the 1970 Ali McGraw movie of the same name, this documentary told the story of the LA band and its front man Arthur Lee.  Although they are little-known now, they proved to be one of the more influential bands of the 1960s.  Comprised of a diverse bunch of musicians, their sound presaged what would be psychedelic.  They were also one of the first muli-racial bands to perform.  Love Story follows the band members as they hone their sound, attain success and (since this is a rock documentary) through the excesses, drug use and ultimate demise of the band.

The songs are familiar and yet excitingly new.  One of their best-known songs, “Alone Again Or,” has been covered by the bands like The Damned and Calexico.  But the original, particularly taking in the context of the time, blows the other versions out of the water.

Although Love Story may be just another rock documentary, what sets it apart is the band and the movie itself.  

Movie Review: Kites

It’s a bit of a twist on the usual Bollywood formula of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy spends the rest of the movie trying to win girl back.  But Kites means to set itself apart from the Bollywood mainstream.   It’s enormous and flashy from the get-go - set in Las Vegas, with characters speaking a mix of Hindi, English and Spanish.  We meet J, a dancer who makes ends meet by marrying illegal immigrants for money.  His charm and dancing talents lead him to Gina, the wealthy daughter of a powerful Vegas big-wig.  All is well until he’s introduced to Gina’s brother’s fiancé, Natasha.  But he has met her before - it turns out that he’s married to her.  Despite Natasha and J’s common gold-digging inclinations, their love cannot be denied.  As the rest of the movie unfolds, the audience is taken on a roller coaster of car chases, shoot-outs (a la Desperado), betrayals, mobsters and dancing. And oh yes, there is dancing.  Hrithik Roshan has a the physique of Gumby as he  hops and pops through each musical sequence.  To be honest, the music leaves a lot to be desired, leaning more toward Europop than Bhangra and almost devoid of any Indian influence.  But this movie is set in Las Vegas, so it’s forgiven.  Suspension of disbelief is required while watching Kites (How is J able to marry 11 times for immigration purposes?), but if you sit back and enjoy the ride it’s quite entertaining.

KITES (2010)  

Directed by Anurag Basu; written by Robin Bhatt, Akarsh Khurana and Mr. Basu, based on a story by Rakesh Roshan; produced by Mr. Roshan; released by Reliance Big Pictures. In English and Hindi, with English subtitles. Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes. This film is not rated.

Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori, Kabir Bedi, Kangana Ranaut, and Nicholas Brown.

Movie Review: I Need That Record

When I was in high school Trash American Style was the epi-center of culture.  It was where my friends and I bought hair dye, band t-shirts and records.  Anything purchased from there came with a stamp of "cool."  It wasn't the most stylish place to shop, but that's what gave it character.  There was something about the atmosphere that made it a hang out.  It was where we met other like-minded people and learned about counter-culture. 

Throughout my college years and beyond Trash was we I went to buy used records, clothes and catch up on gossip: musical and local.  The people who worked there were friends, part of the larger local music community. Unfortunately, Trash was forced to close its doors in 2004.

In the documentary I Need That Record, Brendan Troller explores the disappearance of the local record stores.  Like Trash, small independent shops around the country created communities for local music lovers.  By 2005, it seemed that a majority of them had closed or were in danger of closing.  He interviews the store owners and patrons as well as independent musicians who were shaped by these places: Thurston Moore, Mike Watt and Ian McKaye (to name a few).

What we learn is the importance of supporting local businesses.  How independent shop owners invest in the community and help to shape it.  Chain stores can never recreate the atmosphere you find in a well-curated shop.  Shopping on the internet cannot replicate the experience of learning something new from a true aficionado.

As the Shop Local movement gains steam across communities, we will learn these lessons.