Music and Movie Talk #1 - Snowed In
I hope you’re all having an enjoyable holiday season. Like many other Buffalonians, I’m currently snowed in with my family. Thankfully, I don’t have much to complain about, seeing as I’d be home regardless, and we’ve had heat/power throughout the entire storm. I feel very fortunate in times like this.
Nevertheless, I thought I’d share a few albums and movies I’ve listened to and viewed over the last few days while the storm brewed outside. Figured I’d make this an ongoing segment, pairing it with a life update and my media intake of albums/records I’ve experienced during that timeframe. Let’s call it Music and Movie Talk.
Music
There’s always a slew of records playing while I work, write, or play video games. Though it’s impossible to pinpoint every record or artist I’ve been diving into lately, I can, at the very least, highlight a few that have been my go-to's lately, more so than others.
Black Midi - Schlagenheim
Genre - Experimental Rock
Release Date - 2019
Listen Here
I’ve been a huge fan of Black Midi for a few years, and the record that got me and so many others into the band is their debut Schlagenheim. It’s such a chaotic gem of experimental rock that combines elements of math rock, noise rock, and post-rock. The record manages to be hypnotically repetitious rhythm-wise at times while shifting and changing in ways that keep you captivated. It’s such a dissonant, chaotic, and technical experience I can’t get enough of.
Andy Shauf - Catch Your Eye
Genre - Indie Rock/Folk
Release Date - 2022
Listen Here
I’m fairly new to Andy Shauf’s music, but better late than never, as they say. Shauf has a new record, Norm, dropping in 2023 and I can’t wait! Catch Your Eye is one of the singles off the upcoming record, and Shauf’s ability to capture contemporary life so effortlessly is on full display. It’s simple and stripped back, allowing Shauf’s showcase as a songwriter to be easily palatable. There’s also a heartwarming animated music video for it that’s worth checking out.
The War On Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore
Genre - Indie Rock
Release Date - 2021
Listen Here
As I write this, I’m currently listening to The War On Drugs 2021 release I Don’t Live Here Anymore. Unfortunately, I didn’t listen to the record enough in 2021 to fully enjoy it at the time, but by early 2022, it became one of my favorite releases from the year. I don’t think an album can open better than the record does with Living Proof and Harmonia’s Dream. If you’re a fan of catchy yet layered lyricism and soft rock I can’t recommend I Don’t Live Here Anymore enough.
Movies
I think my love for movies derives from my mom, primarily because I’ve asked her “watch any good movies lately?” since I was a child. Lately, I’ve been scrambling to get my 2022 watchlist wrapped or closer to it, so I can release my favorite films of the year later in the week (be on the lookout for that). As for this article, I’ve watched a few films over the last few days, and here are a few I think are worth watching. Also, don’t worry, I won’t spoil any major plot points if you’re interested in any of them.
Watcher (2022)
Genre - Thriller
Director - Chloe Okuno
Writers - Zack Ford, Chloe Okuno
Starring - Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Burn Gorman
About - A young American woman moves with her husband to Bucharest and begins to suspect that a stranger who watches her from the apartment building across the street may be a local serial killer decapitating women.
Why You Should Watch
Watcher is a Hitchcockian fish-out-of-water story that works really well. It’s a fairly dark film with a slow burn to it, that wouldn’t work as well as it does without an incredible lead performance from Maika Monroe. Pretty much every scene will leave you anxious to a certain extent as you sit through and wonder what’ll happen to Julia (Monroe). It utilizes its influences without any shame, and if you’re into thrillers, Watcher will work for you.
Chungking Express (1994)
Genre - Drama
Director - Wong Kar-wai
Writer - Wong Kar-wai
Starring - Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung
About - Two melancholy Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious female underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal waitress at a late-night restaurant he frequents.
Why You Should Watch
I’ve seen Chungking Express a few times by now, and most recently, I showed my father the film on Christmas. Thankfully, to my delight, he seemed to really enjoy it, and I don’t think there’s a person who wouldn’t. The film is packed with quotable lines ranging from a guy who won’t stop eating nearly-expired peaches to a quirky woman who won’t stop listening to California Dreamin’. Part of what makes me love the film so much is that it was done during a two-month break from another film Wong Kar-wai was working on, Ashes of Time. What was meant as a way to pass the time became one of the best films ever made.
Decision to Leave (2022)
Genre - Romantic Mystery
Director - Park Chan-wook
Writers - Park Chan-wook, Chung Seo-kyung
Starring - Park Hae-il, Tang Wei, Lee Jung-hyun
About - A detective investigating a man's death in the mountains meets the dead man's mysterious wife during his dogged sleuthing.
Why You Should Watch
As I scramble to view 2022 films I missed out on or still have to see, Decision to Leave is everything I hoped it’d be and more. I always hate it when something gets oversold or overhyped to me, and almost every video essayist or film critic I follow wouldn’t stop talking about Decision to Leave, but now I know why. As convoluted as the plot is—think Chinatown (1974) or Barton Fink (1991)—Decision to Leave is a deeply layered story about the challenge of understanding others, restraint, and toxic love. Pair its unpredictable plot with fantastical direction and cinematography, and you have one of the year's best films. I can’t wait to watch it again.