Only Psychopaths Are Free

Mean Bones

I like to think I don’t have a mean bone in my body. That’s not really objectively true, like all people I can be an asshole. But to me, being an asshole is different than being “mean”.

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“Limits of Desire” - Small Black, The Review

tuneotheday:

I haven’t been around much lately, I apologize. I’m currently directing a movie, for which our teaser trailer uses the song “Free At Dawn” by Small Black. On that note, I felt in this spare moment of free time, before I have to embark on another long day, (about 24 hours straight of work coming up, from 8am today until hopefully 5am tomorrow, but anyone who knows movies knows that’s bullshit. We’ll be going long.) I’d like to briefly review Small Black’s new album.

Unlike most my reviews, which I try to keep concise and based in elements such as instrumentation, lyrics and overall affect, I find this album requires a different, more personal approach. This by necessity means the review will go a little long but unlike most bands, Small Black seems to take the label “Music Artist”, seriously. Like the theory driven films of Vertov and Fellini, they are more concerned with revealing deep subconscious connection through aesthetic quality. This requires analyzing beyond debating how good the lead guitar riff is on a scale of one to ten, and examining what makes “Limits of Desire” one of the best, most accomplished pieces of art in general to rear it’s head in recent years.

I’ve been a big fan of the band for a while, ever since SPIN Magazine, in their last days of awesomeness (which I say officially ended in December 2011, which unfortunately led to their demise as any sort of respectable publication I care about when they decided to stop being the non-political thinking man’s Rolling Stone and become Pitchfork the Sequel.) turned me on to the song “Photojournalist” off their pretty damn good debut, “New Chain”. That track, along with their songs “Despicable Dogs” and “Search Party” became one of my go-to “Get High and Drive Around” songs a couple summers ago, back when life was fun and weed was still a relevant part of my every day life. 

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Well…

It’s a bit interesting the way things change rather quickly, but gestate for so long.

I no longer produce the student television show I did for the past year. Politics, combined with just getting sick of dealing with an experience that was progressively less gratifying made it inevitable, essentially. In short, it was a “damned if I do, damned if I don’t” situation.

I put so much work and emotional, social effort into this that I’m not really sure how to feel. I suppose I’m a bit pleased about the fact I can now do what I want without dealing with a bureaucratic nightmare every time I make any decision. It’s artistically cramping, but was worth it to have a support base to create content. But I’ve met enough dedicated people who enjoy working with me to be able to strike out on my own. In that sense it was positive.

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Updated Greatest Films of All Time

If you read my original article from last year, you know that I find the definition of greatest fairly arbitrary and meaningless, since there can be no objectively correct list. A consensus is possible, but it’s still irrelevant. Keeping that in mind, please note I find the more important list would be that of one’s favorite films. I have both lists below.

The Greatest Films of All Time:

1. 2001: A Space Oddysey A film that is still unparalleled in it’s technical mastery, as well as philosophical ambition and depth. Kubrick stated he wished for the film to connect with the viewers subconscious and it does exactly that, leaving a lasting impact the extends beyond the aesthetic experience of film, and into the way we actually think about humanity, the universe and everything else.
2. 8 1/2 Fellini’s masterpiece is, like “2001”, a perfect creation that cannot be encapsulated through any amount of words. The depth of the movie is immeasurable, but more interesting is the way it bends back over on itself and creates the illusion of reality, through the use of unreality, better than any film ever made. For a more in depth analysis click here.
3. Citizen Kane The film that changed the way we view the medium, as well as influencing literally every movie to come out after it through it’s innovations, still stands the test of time as a powerful character study and critique of society.
4. The Seventh Seal More focused than it’s similarly ambitious cousins, “2001” and “Tree of Life”, The Seventh Seal looks death in the face (literally) and confronts the question of our mortality. Each shot is perfect, and the entire film plays like an elegy, but for whom exactly? I would argue it’s for the fear of dying itself, as the film reaches a rebellious acceptance of it.
5. Apocalypse Now Ford Coppola’s true masterpiece is a film of intense paranoia and confusion. As Willard ventures further towards his confrontation of Kurtz, the embodiment of disillusion and madness, he travels into a progressively deeper examination of morality and warfare. The ending is arguably the most impactful in film.
6. Metropolis A wonder of special effects wizardry, the threads of German Expressionism that run through the film add to the look and encapsulate the film’s political ambitions. A fairly simple morality tale outwardly, Metropolis in actuality is a film of intense complexity, addressing the essence of humanity in the age of modernity and technological innovation, through Rotwang’s robot, the brutal conditions of the proletariat and the seemingly saccharine postulation that the intermediary between the hand and the head is the heart.
7. The Tree of Life With this film Terrence Malick finally found the perfect fit for his slow burning, intensely beautiful brand of filmmaking. This is the film that attempts to answer the greatest question of all, what is the meaning of life? It begins with the creation of the universe and travels through all of cosmic history before finally settling on a microcosm of humanity, a young boy’s summer vacation in the 1950s. Like all films that fully realize the art form’s potential, there is no clear way to verbally explain or interpret “Tree of Life”. Perhaps the answer to it’s central question on life’s meaning is the film itself.
8. Aguirre, The Wrath of God A minimalist vision of the madness of civilization, Aguirre focuses on it’s titular hero, and his foolish attempt to create a new empire, with himself as ruler, in the pre-colonized Amazon. The over bearing setting contrasts his wild ambitions, and as his mind descends into insanity we see the real madness is mankind’s constant attempts to tame that which cannot be: the world itself.
9. Blade Runner An exploration of what it is to be human, as well as the ambiguity of evil, Ridley Scott’s greatest accomplishment is still one of the best looking films around, decades later. It’s truly ageless, and it’s philosophical underpinnings are as fascinating as a linear, Hollywood production can and ever will achieve. Extra points for Roy Batty’s final speech, which is still the most haunting passage of dialogue I’ve ever seen.
10. Daisies Directed by the underground Soviet Bloc filmmaker Vera Chytilova in 1968, Daisies is an uncompromisingly abstract film with a similarly realized message. The most political film on this list, the movie makes use of avant garde techniques and seemingly nonsensical passages to comment on the nature of warfare and reconstruction, the failures of socialism and the fallacy of happiness.

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Evil Dead

Anyone who read my muddled list of favorite films knows that “Evil Dead II” is one of my favorite movies. To quote myself: “[it is] is the most awesome shit ever, and that’s about all you need to say.” Yep that sums it up. So naturally when I heard of the newest installment of what is perhaps my favorite franchises, I danced.

It’s important as well to note my relationship with the original film, “The Evil Dead”, of which this new film is a remake. I was originally introduced to the series through “Army of Darkness” and went backwards from there. So, one rainy night I snuggled up all alone in my dark basement, popped in a DVD of “The Evil Dead” and sat in rabid anticipation of what was sure to be another hilarious slapstick horror comedy.

I was caught off guard to say the least. I refuse to re-watch “The Evil Dead” ever again. Not because I’m afraid of it, but because I don’t want to taint the original effect it had on me. I have never been more frightened by a film in my life. The pacing, the originality, and most of all the inventive low budget aesthetic created a terrifying experience. To this day, it is still the only time I can recall a film actually scaring me.

Anyway, on to the remake. I didn’t expect to be scared by it, because the surprise factor of the original was no longer present, nor was the novelty. I did however expect an intense, gory, well made movie that could hopefully stand up to the rest of the series.

So, did the film succeed? Well… yes and no.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Many have said that “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a “Breakfast Club” for a new generation. I don’t think that’s necessarily something to aspire to, considering that the John Hughes “classic” is a shallow attempt to validate teen angst and shove children’s book level morals up the audience’s nose.

Still, I understand the comparison. Both try to provide insight into the adolescent mind, and create something relatable for their core audience, while holding a nostalgic relevance to the older generations. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” seems to be trying to remind me what it was like to be 15 again.

Except here’s the problem. Teen angst isn’t that interesting.

The film centers on Charlie (Logan Lerman) a shy and nervous 14 year old entering his first day of high school. Charlie is the wallflower of the film’s title. He doesn’t raise his hand in class, and has no social life. His only friend blew his brains out the year before.

This last detail brings up a major problem of “Perks” which is it’s use of heavy melodrama, much of which is casually brushed over, rendering it irrelevant. I suppose this wouldn’t be much a problem if the film wasn’t so overtly attempting to be “powerful”.

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