I don’t think there is any band or solo artist whose music can instantly put me in a specific emotional and mental zone the way R.E.M. can.
To be more specific, this is true for any R.E.M. album release between 1983 and 1996 (in other words, the Michael Mills years). Once Mills left, either because of his absence or by coincidence, the band lost that special alchemy for me.
It’s weird to hear any song from Side Two of Abbey Road on its own (with the exception of ‘Here Comes the Sun’). ‘Because’ isn’t an official segment of the 16-minute medley that makes up most of Side Two, but it may as well be.
John Lennon said that the inspiration for this track came to him when he heard Yoko playing Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ on the piano. He ask her to play the chords backward and built the song around that progression.
This year, I’ve been startled by the number of award-season movies based on real-life events.
Here’s a sampling off the top of my head: Captain Phillips, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Philomena, The Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club, Lone Survivor and 12 Years a Slave.
Some of these are more faithful to their source material than others, and all have been criticized to at least some degree for their lack of fidelity. The words “based on a true story” — or worse, “inspired by a true story” — have come to signify code for “complete rewrite of history.”
12 Years a Slave is the most devastating film of 2013, pretty much by default.
Any movie that takes an unflinching look at the horrors of slavery (and not many have) will be painful to watch, and this one certainly is.
I was prepared to be moved by the film on that level but I was not prepared to be so completely blown away by the filmmaking.
This musical movie moment is a bit of a stretch — the song plays for just a bit and very much in the background — but I wanted an excuse to sing the praises of Captain Phillips, so please cut me some slack.
This film rocketed to my top five based on three tried-and-true moviegoing theories, which I will detail below.
Meet Me In Montauk 