Florence + The Machine were 2009/2010's revelation to the world outside the UK. They got a big break when their song Dog Days Are Over was used for the Julia Roberts' film Eat. Pray. Love. Their critically acclaimed debut album Lungs have won them BRIT Awards and noms at the 53rd Grammy Awards for Best New Artist.
The lead single off their second album, Ceremonials, is called Shake It Out and is this week's pick. This is possibly Ceremonials' Dog Days as it features a joyful theme of "shaking out" various demons plaguing our minds. As with their other tracks, Shake it Out is very indie pop sounding and will make you want to sing along your lungs out. Without any further ado, here's Shake It Out. Enjoy.
I know, I know! Pick of the Week, but hey, no pick until like what, 2 weeks after. Sorry, it's just hard to juggle everything I wanna do in life and you know still get to really update my blog like once a week. Heck, I don't even know why I named my blog "The Daily Anomaly," I really don't. Anyways. Going back to the topic on hand, yes, pick of the week.
This one is from Noisettes, and is a song very dear to me. A friend introduced this song to me a few months ago, and it has been on my playlist since.
First, some backgrounder:
Noisettes is some sort of an indie rock / anti-folk band. The band's vocalist pictured above is an eccentric (or as I'd like to think) black woman by the name of Shingai Shoniwa. The Noisettes are based in the UK, and as such, well, you won't see them much in Billboard.
This week's pick is entitled "Never Forget You," it's about estranged lovers meeting up again after a long time, with Shingai saying that she'd never forget her old flame and that they were merely victims of circumstances. It's an upbeat song that has a sad feeling to it, a song I'd relate to the friends, and well, old flames I've lost along the way, and how it's never easy to forget someone who's been a part of you, even if briefly. And yes, I do feel that way about most people who's touched my life. So for you, dear reader, who's touched my life with your generosity of a visit, this week's pick is for you. The Noisettes with Never Forget You.
Tight plot, solid acting, great script, curious characterizations, intense actions scenes, tasteful violence, and stylishly executed gore, these are the ingredients of the awesome sauce the powers Drive. With those in its engine, Drive propels itself into the realm of rare skillfully done and curiously entertaining action movies.
The Good
fast-paced, beautiful cinematography, great narration
solid acting with a great script to back it up
remarkably entertaining for the amount of silence it has
The Bad
the beginning chase scene has this very weird background music literally made my ears painful
Synopsis
The Driver (Gosling) works as a repairman at a local car repair shop owned by Mr. Shannon (Cranston) who was impressed by his driving skills. On the side, The Driver works as a stuntman and occasionally moonlights as a getaway wheelman for robbers. Impressed with The Driver's driving skills, Bernie Rose (Brooks), a businessman, along with his business partner Nino, a mobster, agreed to purchase a stock car for 300,000 USD for The Driver to race. Things however start to get messy as The Driver began to get involved with his married neighbor Irene (Mulligan) and her son Benicio. Soon, The Driver finds himself helping Irene's husband, Standard (Isaac), outsmart mobsters who he owes protection money from. This gesture of neighborly spirit soon ignites the fire to a bomb of grisly events.
Shut Up and Drive
Can I just excuse myself and say I've developed what we call a man-crush proper on Ryan Gosling for this movie. Seriously, Gosling outdid himself here. And to phrase it as a friend have put it, "Gosling did the as-is-were-is acting." It was as if he wasn't acting. It was so effortless and so effective anyway. It was like bland acting that finally found its proper spot in the world, like an idea that found its time. He was bad as Clint Eastwood, or as dashing as Harrison Ford without so much as an effort or a quotable line. He stood there with his bomber jacket, hair all combed, and killed people. He just had presence and it made the whole movie sing.
It's an Arms Race
What Refn did with Drive is reminiscent of a Tarantino film or something like an Eastwood. Both of which I enjoy greatly. Drive is classy and artsy and atypically cold and silent for an action film. It has guts but does not brag about it, nor did it need flashiness to get attention. It was an experience for me that I am liking a film with very little dialogue and whose main character is 1. unnamed and 2. bordering mute. But what it lacked in dialogue, it made up for wit and composition. The soundtrack spoke for it and so as the beautiful cinematography. It kind of brings you back to the 80s and makes you question exactly when the events in the movie happened.
A lot of the credit goes to Gosling's performance, true, but Cranston, Brooks, and Perlman also did well. Perlman was as every bit detestable as Gosling is every bit charming and worth rooting for. They both have their deep resolve and it was clearly fleshed out in the movie. Mulligan for all the screen time she had performed her role of damsel in distress well. In a sense, you would wish that the two end up together in the movie, especially near the end, and maybe it wasn't Mulligan herself or Gosling making you think so, but the way the movie has been so well put together that you wouldn't mind that most of the time, all the two lovers did were stand and stare at each other.
The narrative, well, it's dry, but the cinematography as mentioned above is worth noting and more than makes up for it. Drive isn't so fast-paced or dragging, it just speeds in the right direction with the proper amounts of Adrenaline rushes here and there. And those were also executed very well. The gore is not so distracting, but is tasteful enough to merit artsy status. The execution of the action scenes are also very fine and well thought of that they make your heart rush everytime there is.one. As for the ending, it was perfect.
In summary, how do I put Drive?Well, it's a movie I'd watch over and over again.
A comedy about the coming-of-middle-age drama that a person can have littered with affecting and real characters, Bridesmaids is a film with a punch, an oomph, and a genuine heart. Its own brand of humor, though not always high above there, is guaranteed to work.
The Good
affecting characters, relatable and real
great script; humor is incredibly good
good acting
The Bad
use of gross humor may not appeal to everyone
not a lot of recognizable stars used, may be an off-putting factor for some
Synopsis
Annie (Wiig) was only too delighted when she found out that her childhood bestfriend Lillian (Rudolph) is getting married and that she has been selected as the maid of honor. What with nothing right happening in her life right now (her bakery closing down after the recession, losing her boyfriend, losing all her savings, being involved with an uncommitting single man, and working as a sales clerk in a jewerly shop), this is nothing but a welcome relief from all the plunge she's been having. During the preparations for the wedding, Annie meets the other bridesmaids: the perky Becca (Kemper), the hungry angry tired Rita (McLendon-Covey), the spirited Megan (McCarthy), and the beautiful Helen (Byrne). Throughout the whole preparation, Helen and Annie continue to argue on how to prepare for the wedding, with Helen almost always stealing and outdoing Annie's ideas. And while the whole ordeal of the wedding preparation is going on, Annie continues her descent to rock-bottom, which tests her faith in herself and in her friendship with Lillian.
There's Something About Annie
Kristen Wiig is just so charming here in her own screwed up "Carrie Bradshaw" way. Where Carrie makes The Annie she plays mirrors certain types of people who are really wonderful beings but don't see it and instead choose to screw up their lives. And basically, the whole film is like a de-glamourized Sex and The City with a character whose main goal in life is to make poor choices and mope about it. In a way, Annie is charming and annoying, and she alone runs this show. And until you're there watching the movie, you wouldn't know how compelling Wiig can be.
The Next Sweetest Thing
The movie gave its lead star, Wiig, enough floor to shine, but that didn't stop the others from being equally charming. Byrne had her screen time as the movie's main antagonist by simply being so enviable, rich, successful, and scene-stealing, she's evil. McCarthy plays an angst-ridden tomboy who's just about as annoying as she is surprising. Let's not also forget the men in the background: Chris O'Dowd plays a charming British policeman, Nathan Rhodes, and Jon Hamm's portrayal of Ted couldn't be any more detestable.
Some gags are reminiscent of Cameron Diaz-starrer The Sweetest Thing, and I can't help shake off seeing some Sex and the City wit and writing here and there--just like how Wiig talks to herself from time to time when she speaks out her mind to herself--probably also because the movie has women on the forefront. Working hand in hand with the well-written script and punchlines is the equally fluid narration. It's neither too fast nor too slow, though for some scenes, you kind of get the point and you wish they hurry up and show you the next ones already. The plot and execution is effective in a way that you will both hate and empathize the lead character, and makes for an affecting movie.
The only problem with Bridesmaids? Well, there's the relatively unknown cast. It's like watching an HBO TV-movie for some. None of my officemates apparently know Kristen Wiig and that can be off-putting for them. I mean sure, she's pretty big in Saturday Night Live, but for those who don't know she exists, and most of the other cast members for that matter, why would one watch this movie? Then again, so was Superbad when it was released in cinemas.
Anyway, so was Bridesmaids a success? A resounding yes. Would I force my friends to watch it? A louder yes to that.
Nothing as charming, inventive, or groundbreaking as the original Shrek or Shrek 2, but Puss in Boots has its own brand of charm that will make you sit through an hour and a half, laughing silly over screwed up fairy tales and Spanish-accented cats who can put up a good swordfight.
The Good
charming storyline
great 3D animation
witty lines and comedy without overusing slapstick
The Bad
it's your typical Dreamworks animated film: funny, a bit charming, but not completely "there"
Synopsis
Prior to the events of Shrek 2, we meet Puss in Boots, a suave and charming outlaw slash "swordscat," out swashbuckling and running from the law. On one of his sojourns, he heard that the murderous lovers "Jack and Jill" have the mythical magic beans that he has been looking all his life. In an attempt to steal, Puss meets Kitty Softpaws and an old friend Humpty Dumpty who connive with him to perform the greatest heist in the times of yore. Unknown to Puss, old wounds run deep, and what seems like the heist of the century is about to turn into something unexpected.
Catfights and Spotlights
Latino / Latina cats in the land of screwed up English fairy tales are not far from happening, and when you have those, you expect showmanship no less, and well, gladly, Banderas and Hayek deliver (or rather the animation department does). What made me think, really, is why Dreamworks chose to make a movie about Puss. Surely, Puss is adorable and was a scene-stealer in Shrek 2--what with his cute kitty eyes trick that has managed to recur in this film still to a great comic effect--but the Shrek franchise has gone so passe that one can help but wonder, "is this just another effort to milk the green cow?" Luckily for Puss in Boots, that is not the case, though I now fear an inferior sequel to ruin everything that the first movie was.
A Cat's Tale
Maybe I am growing too old to be as fascinated as the 15 year old me who saw the first Shrek movie and had fun with how they reworked the fairy tale characters. Puss in Boots is enjoyable, for sure. But it's nothing groundbreaking as the first two Shrek movies.
On the plus side, great voice acting as usual from Dreamworks. There are some winning moments and witty ones that deserve praise, and some that don't really feel all too well, but there's more of the former than the latter. The animation is also solid and polished and the 3D made it shine. The script is also good, though a tad bit predictable as the story progresses, which, as you seat through the movie, will make you think that you really are an adult to be watching this.
And I think that's the problem with Puss in Boots. It does not have the charm of say, "Toy Story 3," or the affection of "How to Train Your Dragon" to warrant you not feeling too old for a movie like this. Sure it is rife with comedy, sure it is delightful, sure you'd wanna finish it and not feel ripped off after, but it does not have the oomph you wish it had. Then again, you probably knew that from the beginning and you're not too expectant by the time you're in the movie house, anyways. So what gives, just sit and enjoy.
