Music and Movie Talk #8 - Back and Better
This is the week I stop procrastinating. Articles and my written thought will begin to flow better from here on out. My apologies for being lazy with it. Sometimes life flies by without much room to focus on anything–at least, that’s what I tell myself to feel better.
Keeping it simple to start the week off with a music and movie talk. Haven’t done a proper one of these in a while, but here’s what I’ve seen and listened to recently. Hope your Monday is a good one.
Music - Folk and A Release
Music is always a constant orbit in my life, as with most people, and I could mention a slew of records here. Though I usually am searching for a record I haven’t heard before, I haven’t been doing that as of late which is something I need to get back to.
Jackson C Frank
I’ve been a Jackson C. Frank head for quite some time and I’ve re-entered my folk obsession lately. Few records are as perfect as Frank’s debut from 1965. I hope to cover a track or two on a release someday with one of my projects.
gas station. - Pale Flowers On Sunday
A new record from my band, gas station., is out now. It’s in that Braid or Texas Is The Reason space if you’re into that sort of thing. The record has eight tracks, most of which were recorded live in two or three takes. You can order the record here if you’d like. Thanks.
Movies - Challengers and Shorts
Big ol movie guy I am, though I haven’t seen as many as I would like lately. Now that I’m home for a few months, I imagine I’ll dive deep into the movie-watching experience again, as I initially hoped.
Challengers
I’ve heard good things about Challengers, and it went above my expectations. I can officially say I’m a huge Luca Guadagnino fan, and this is a perfect example of a sports drama that’s done right.
It’s in a gritty space similar to Raging Bull (though not to the extreme of that masterpiece) while having an erotic essence reminiscence of a film like Claire Denis’s Beau Travail.
Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist killed it. The score rules, the editing is splendid, and it’s shot beautifully–I’ll be visiting again.
Criterion 24/7
My friend told me about the new Criterion 24/7 feature on the Criterion Channel, and I’ve watched quite a few shorts and films I normally wouldn’t view as a result. If you don’t know, the Criterion 24/7 is a steady stream of movies and shorts from their catalog.
Think of it like HBO from the 2000s before streaming dominated the world. It’s great to check out if you don’t know what to watch, and you can see what’s being played here.
Talk soon.