Every year I look forward to a host of movies based on factors such as the director or cast, a write-up in Entertainment Weekly‘s Fall Preview, or early buzz out of the festival season.
It’s rare that a movie completely sneaks up on me, but when one does it is often the most rewarding experience. Examples from recent years include Mudbound and Tower, two powerful and expertly crafted films that started entirely off my radar.
I can’t remember the last movie I loved as instantly as Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs. Not even a minute into the film’s prologue, which tells the story of a boy samurai who defended the “underdog dogs” against total canine annihilation and “beheaded the head of the head of the Kobayashi clan,” I was smitten.
The prologue segues into an opening credits sequence featuring a trio of young taiko drummers performing in the center of a gymnasium. And all of this is rendered in the most dazzling stop-motion animation I’ve ever seen.
Sara Bareilles is so good I feel a little guilty for not listening to her more.
The truth is I hear her songs quite a bit, especially tracks from her 2007 debut Little Voice, because my daughter plays the hell out of them on long drives. But Bareilles’ second album, 2010’s Kaleidoscope Heart, is very good as well and I never play that one. And I’m ashamed to say I didn’t even know she had a third album, 2013’s The Blessed Unrest, which was nominated for an Album of the Year Grammy (it lost to Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories).
Here’s a lovely track from Brandy Clark’s excellent 2013 album 12 Stories. It’s about a woman and her man running into his ex-girlfriend.
As in all of Clark’s songs, the writing here is subtle and evocative. I love the key line of the chorus (“this would be a real good time to hold my hand”), which reads a bit jokey but Clark sings with nervous resignation.
English author Nick Hornby’s writing has proved particularly film-worthy. Six of his books have been made into movies, including one (Fever Pitch) that was made into two different movies.
Juliet, Naked, based on Hornby’s 2009 novel, is the latest film adaptation and for my money the best yet. A romantic comedy dealing — like so many Hornby works — with popular music and obsessive fandom, this is another strong entry in what’s turning into the year of the rom-com.
Meet Me In Montauk 