"Silver Jew" is a 52 minute video documentary that follows Silver Jews bandleader David Berman through Jerusalem. This is a critical stop on the band's first ever world tour in their 15 year existence. Berman is a recent convert to the Jewish faith, so this journey serves dual purposes. He's making a pilgrimage for spiritual enlightenment, and attempting to reach out and connect to the world around him.
Director Michael Tully follows with video camera in hand, providing an objective unassuming perspective. At times it feels like an intimate family vacation video, except the presence of the camera is ignored. There are about 3 songs worth of bootleg style concert video, riveting yet brief. For a band that has never toured before, they have exceptional stage presence, intimate and inviting. The intensely laconic beauty of the performances holds the viewer tightly.
This is not a story of a band on tour, though. The assembly of footage shows Berman's humanity from all different angles. We see a person searching for their inner strength. There are profound moments of realization that each viewer may interpret differently. Judging by their remarks during the Q and A session, the older Jewish members of the audience quantified it as a religious
epiphany. I wouldn't pin it down and categorize it so specifically, but I do agree with the Jerusalem tour guide that there is a strong energy present in that place.
As a music fan, I had more appreciation for the various stories Berman told. In particular, there is an anecdote about him and Pavement bandleader/Silver Jews collaborator Stephen Malkmus recording songs in their living room in the early 90s. The editing balances these with the personal and travelogue elements in an accesible, approachable way. If you are a human being of any kind, you'll be able to take something to heart from this movie.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Newport Film Festival 2007 - "Great World of Sound"
I just took a bullet for the independent spirit. It fucking hurt.
"Great World of Sound" was directed and co-written by Craig Zobel. The premise he's concocted is intriguing, a seemingly foolproof comedic setup. Scam artists masquerading as record producers set up shop in a hotel room to audition aspiring local musicians. The catch is that the producers require an upfront cash "commitment" from the artists before they enter the studio.
The editing destroys any possible comedic rhythm. The musical auditions are blended into montages, a highlight reel of the least interesting moments. Just as a performer is about to begin their song, we cut to midway through a completely different song. Each cut is more bewildering and alienating than the last. As each minute passes, a sense of dread slowly sinks in. Things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better.
Pat Healy and Kene Holliday star as the "producers", tasked with pitching this pyramid scheme. Holliday manages to provides the only spark of life, even as he's forced to spew inept sitcom-style racial humor. Healy's performance is a painful display of awkwardness. It's true to the character as written, but this despicable bore of a protagonist singlehandedly sinks the movie.
The scenes between Healy and his stereotypical quirky indie movie girlfriend are deathly. The script artlessly stuffs themes and morals into their mouths, only to dribble out slowly. Every limp personal conflict is telegraphed from miles away, as the audience waits for the movie to catch up.
The film ends with a whimper of inevitability. Yes, I was the one hauling ass out of the theater the millisecond the credits began to roll. I slid by the director as he headed up the stairs for a Q and A with the audience. Had I the will to stick it out, my queries may have included "What the fuck is wrong with you?", "Why did you do this to me?", "Is there a hole nearby I can crawl into and die?", or "Have I just been teleported into a demon dimension?".
"Great World of Sound" was directed and co-written by Craig Zobel. The premise he's concocted is intriguing, a seemingly foolproof comedic setup. Scam artists masquerading as record producers set up shop in a hotel room to audition aspiring local musicians. The catch is that the producers require an upfront cash "commitment" from the artists before they enter the studio.
The editing destroys any possible comedic rhythm. The musical auditions are blended into montages, a highlight reel of the least interesting moments. Just as a performer is about to begin their song, we cut to midway through a completely different song. Each cut is more bewildering and alienating than the last. As each minute passes, a sense of dread slowly sinks in. Things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better.
Pat Healy and Kene Holliday star as the "producers", tasked with pitching this pyramid scheme. Holliday manages to provides the only spark of life, even as he's forced to spew inept sitcom-style racial humor. Healy's performance is a painful display of awkwardness. It's true to the character as written, but this despicable bore of a protagonist singlehandedly sinks the movie.
The scenes between Healy and his stereotypical quirky indie movie girlfriend are deathly. The script artlessly stuffs themes and morals into their mouths, only to dribble out slowly. Every limp personal conflict is telegraphed from miles away, as the audience waits for the movie to catch up.
The film ends with a whimper of inevitability. Yes, I was the one hauling ass out of the theater the millisecond the credits began to roll. I slid by the director as he headed up the stairs for a Q and A with the audience. Had I the will to stick it out, my queries may have included "What the fuck is wrong with you?", "Why did you do this to me?", "Is there a hole nearby I can crawl into and die?", or "Have I just been teleported into a demon dimension?".
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Thom Yorke-"The Eraser"-Re-examined, 1 year later
Thom Yorke is paranoid, but that's just because we're watching him.
This is a distinct, seperate entity from the Radiohead canon. It's a work of dystopian fiction via small personal observations, rather than a musical journey.
Each track is a cycle suspended in time, not flowing into each other in the traditional album sense. The sonic pallet is a functionally mechanical housing for the lyrical concepts and mood. They resemble Radiohead laptop loop compositions ("The Gloaming", "Where Bluebirds Fly") in structure, except now coldly sterilized of any ambience.
This is not an album to get lost in. Drifting between the background and active perception, it's like the recurring thoughts in your consciousness. They are simply there; an inevitable product of observing the surrounding world.
"The Eraser" is a freeze frame of Yorke's mind in 2006, dumped onto CD, without any additional flourish. Attempting to dig through the surface will yield a black void. The substance is in how you feel about the void. If you're in a goood mood, then you'll feel perfectly satisfied with the void.
This is not a positive or negative review. It is simply inert, neutral, like the album.
This is a distinct, seperate entity from the Radiohead canon. It's a work of dystopian fiction via small personal observations, rather than a musical journey.
Each track is a cycle suspended in time, not flowing into each other in the traditional album sense. The sonic pallet is a functionally mechanical housing for the lyrical concepts and mood. They resemble Radiohead laptop loop compositions ("The Gloaming", "Where Bluebirds Fly") in structure, except now coldly sterilized of any ambience.
This is not an album to get lost in. Drifting between the background and active perception, it's like the recurring thoughts in your consciousness. They are simply there; an inevitable product of observing the surrounding world.
"The Eraser" is a freeze frame of Yorke's mind in 2006, dumped onto CD, without any additional flourish. Attempting to dig through the surface will yield a black void. The substance is in how you feel about the void. If you're in a goood mood, then you'll feel perfectly satisfied with the void.
This is not a positive or negative review. It is simply inert, neutral, like the album.
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