Monthly culture: May 2023
Friday, June 16th, 2023 12:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tamaranth01MAY23: Ghosted (Fletcher, 2023) -- Netflix
In which Chris Evans plays a creep, Ana de Armas plays a secret agent, and there are delightful cameos from Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie (MCU tie-in!) and Ryan Reynolds. Music patchy, felt like an afterthought. Some highly improbable plot twists but good fun.
04MAY23: Official Competition (Cohn / Duprat, 2021) -- Netflix
Lola Cuevas (Penelope Cruz) is an award-winning and highly unconventional film director, who happens to be a lesbian; Félix Rivero (Antonio Banderas) is a big-name movie star; Iván Torres (Argentinian theatre star Oscar Martínez) is a theatrical actor who takes his work very seriously. Cuevas' latest project is a film about two brothers, and Rivero and Torres are the stars -- who've taken an immediate dislike to one another and constantly spar with microaggressions and sniping. Cruz is absolutely splendid, delightfully feline (particularly her expression when Banderas' character tries to fondle her) and utterly OTT: Banderas displays his comic talent, which I have always thought were underappreciated; Martinez' quiet solemnity is the perfect foil to them both. I enjoyed this immensely, despite having to rely on subtitles (it's a Spanish film).
05MAY23: Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (Gunn, 2023) -- Picturehouse
New Marvel intro sequence, all Guardians ... 'Cosmo' the space dog, absolutely no relation to Laika (she gets called a 'bad dog' early in the film, and is keen for her accuser to 'take that back!') ... Karen Gillen especially awesome as Nebula ... the friendship between Mantis and Drax also a delight ... oh look, another shipload of refugee children needing rescue ...
but I cried. Several times. Because this is also a film about animal experimentation, and Rocket's first spoken word, as a little baby, was 'hurts'. I found Rocket's backstory tragic and grim: very well done, but harrowing.
10MAY23: Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece -- British Museum
Gold, lots of gold, and some really beautiful and very intricate artifacts. There's a narrative about the Greeks encountering luxurious status symbols during the Greco-Persian wars, and the theories about decadence and opulence that quickly metamorphosed into 'but we won't be weakened by possessing these luxuries'.
Plus points: no obtrusive music.
Minus points: small captions in front of each set of exhibits, meaning that one had to queue to get a look at the items.
11MAY23: Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi, Union Chapel
Splendid gig from American folk musician and researcher Giddens, and her partner Turrisi, who's Italian. Giddens noted that we are all in need of healing from the trauma of the pandemic -- not just 'getting back to normal' ASAP. A selection of songs, including 'Black Lucy and the Bard' (from a ballet about Shakespeare dand the Dark Lady); 'At the Purchaser's Option', about slavery;
Orkney and Shetlant fiddle tunes; 'Underneath a Harlem Moon'. Giddens is so personable and so versatile a performer -- I'm looking forward to seeing her again at the Barbican, later this year.
18MAY23: Austenland (Hess, 2013) -- Netflix
Jane Seymour and Jennifer Coolidge (the latter mostly ad-libbing) could not save this film. Nor, despite a friend's fangirling, could Bret McKenzie a.k.a. Figwit. The premise is promising (theme park based around Jane Austen's works, with immersive stays; female lead is massive Austen fan despite friends' efforts to de-Austenify her; buys an Austen Experience but can only afford the cheapest option; makes friends with another guest, is flirted with and flirts... and of course many of the people she meets are actors, cue tension between actor and character) but is let down by bad script, bad soundtrack (no, you can't just plonk a song in because it suits one character at that moment), continuity errors, weird prop choices (I cannot recall any Austen heroines shooting rifles), utter lack of chemistry between protagonist and either male lead, and a historian saying that the early 19th century was 'a simpler time'... General consensus was not positive.
24MAY23: Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #3, Cadogan Hall
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, cond. Olari Elts: Arvo Pärt 'Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten'; Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 (Barry Douglas - piano); Thea Musgrave 'Song of the Enchanter'; Sibelius Symphony No. 5.
Pärt's hypnotic soudscape is much more interesting live: the bells, the bells...
I was there for the Rachmaninoff and it did not disappoint: initially was to be performed by Freddy Klempf, but I was extremely impressed by Barry Douglas' rendition.
There was nothing at all about Thea Musgrave's piece in the programme notes, which was annoying: but I googled and discovered that it's based on the Kalevala and is something of a homage to Sibelius. Lovely brass and woodwind.
Sibelius' 5th Symphony was given such an expansive sound here: Sibelius loved the brass section and gave it all the best tunes. I felt Elts really came alive for this part!
I used to go to orchestral concerts much more often, and it became commonplace: now it's a rare treat, and in this case an uplifting event that outweighed any difficulties in, y'know, going anywhere.
25MAY23: Malevolent (Johannesson, 2018) -- Netflix
One of Florence Pugh's first leading roles, before she was a Big Name: she was intense in this horror film, which focussed on a pair of fraudulent mediums (brother and sister) who find themselves in a truly haunted house where terrible things have happened, and continue to happen. To them. Ben Lloyd-Hughes is irritating as the brother, Celia Imrie is excellent as the owner of the haunted house (who knows more than she's saying), and the whole thing is atmospheric, though slightly too gory for my preference. Some interesting reversals and twists (including one which made no sense), and an open ending ...
27MAY23: Moby Dick -- Theatre Royal, Brighton
A production by French-Norwegian theatre company, Plexus Polaire, based on Melville's novel. Visually splendid -- revolving backdrops of star charts and (suspiciously tropical) nautical charts -- but a plethora of puppetry: at one point there were three Ahabs on stage, all bellowing. And yes, there were also actors, who were clearly the models for their characters' puppets. Some of the whale models were more ... rigid than others, and there was a gruesomely effective depiction of flensing. Rather than a straightforward adaptation, this was more a series of scenes from the novel, punctuated by dance/puppetry without dialogue. No plot, no real ending: accomplished and interesting puppetry, but puppetry for the sake of it.
28MAY23: A Cosmologist's Guide to Life and Love -- Caxton Arms, Brighton
"I'll show you that the idea of love exists out there in the universe." Dr Julian Mayers talking about his wife's death, the shortcomings of Eastbourne, and why you want a physicist to speak at your funeral (from a broadcast by Aaron Freeman). I learnt quite a bit (including the fact that Ann Druyan's brainwavews were recorded for the Voyager golden record just after she'd begun to fall in love with Carl Sagan) and was moved by Mayers' openness and emotional honesty. The highlight of my mini-Brighton Festival.
27MAY23: Van Gogh Alive -- Dome, Brighton
Huge projections, at various angles, of Van Gogh's works, grouped chronologically and accompanied by (sometimes uncomplementary) music. (Delibes' famous duet from Lakme has no obvious connection to the artist, but probably made everybody think of British Airways.) Some of the images were animated -- birds scattered by the sound of a shot, clouds rolling, water rippling -- though the clouds were less convincing than the birds. The exhibition was an open space, quite dark, with children running around: everyone sat on the floor, or stood, and I wished there had been better seating as my back did not like it. But it was surprisingly effective and very immersive. Upstairs, in a smaller space, a mirrored infinity of sunflowers and a recreation of the artist's bedroom. Exit through the gift shop, which had an excellent print of a painting of Brighton done in the style of Van Gogh.
In which Chris Evans plays a creep, Ana de Armas plays a secret agent, and there are delightful cameos from Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie (MCU tie-in!) and Ryan Reynolds. Music patchy, felt like an afterthought. Some highly improbable plot twists but good fun.
04MAY23: Official Competition (Cohn / Duprat, 2021) -- Netflix
Lola Cuevas (Penelope Cruz) is an award-winning and highly unconventional film director, who happens to be a lesbian; Félix Rivero (Antonio Banderas) is a big-name movie star; Iván Torres (Argentinian theatre star Oscar Martínez) is a theatrical actor who takes his work very seriously. Cuevas' latest project is a film about two brothers, and Rivero and Torres are the stars -- who've taken an immediate dislike to one another and constantly spar with microaggressions and sniping. Cruz is absolutely splendid, delightfully feline (particularly her expression when Banderas' character tries to fondle her) and utterly OTT: Banderas displays his comic talent, which I have always thought were underappreciated; Martinez' quiet solemnity is the perfect foil to them both. I enjoyed this immensely, despite having to rely on subtitles (it's a Spanish film).
05MAY23: Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (Gunn, 2023) -- Picturehouse
New Marvel intro sequence, all Guardians ... 'Cosmo' the space dog, absolutely no relation to Laika (she gets called a 'bad dog' early in the film, and is keen for her accuser to 'take that back!') ... Karen Gillen especially awesome as Nebula ... the friendship between Mantis and Drax also a delight ... oh look, another shipload of refugee children needing rescue ...
but I cried. Several times. Because this is also a film about animal experimentation, and Rocket's first spoken word, as a little baby, was 'hurts'. I found Rocket's backstory tragic and grim: very well done, but harrowing.
10MAY23: Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece -- British Museum
Gold, lots of gold, and some really beautiful and very intricate artifacts. There's a narrative about the Greeks encountering luxurious status symbols during the Greco-Persian wars, and the theories about decadence and opulence that quickly metamorphosed into 'but we won't be weakened by possessing these luxuries'.
Plus points: no obtrusive music.
Minus points: small captions in front of each set of exhibits, meaning that one had to queue to get a look at the items.
11MAY23: Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi, Union Chapel
Splendid gig from American folk musician and researcher Giddens, and her partner Turrisi, who's Italian. Giddens noted that we are all in need of healing from the trauma of the pandemic -- not just 'getting back to normal' ASAP. A selection of songs, including 'Black Lucy and the Bard' (from a ballet about Shakespeare dand the Dark Lady); 'At the Purchaser's Option', about slavery;
Orkney and Shetlant fiddle tunes; 'Underneath a Harlem Moon'. Giddens is so personable and so versatile a performer -- I'm looking forward to seeing her again at the Barbican, later this year.
18MAY23: Austenland (Hess, 2013) -- Netflix
Jane Seymour and Jennifer Coolidge (the latter mostly ad-libbing) could not save this film. Nor, despite a friend's fangirling, could Bret McKenzie a.k.a. Figwit. The premise is promising (theme park based around Jane Austen's works, with immersive stays; female lead is massive Austen fan despite friends' efforts to de-Austenify her; buys an Austen Experience but can only afford the cheapest option; makes friends with another guest, is flirted with and flirts... and of course many of the people she meets are actors, cue tension between actor and character) but is let down by bad script, bad soundtrack (no, you can't just plonk a song in because it suits one character at that moment), continuity errors, weird prop choices (I cannot recall any Austen heroines shooting rifles), utter lack of chemistry between protagonist and either male lead, and a historian saying that the early 19th century was 'a simpler time'... General consensus was not positive.
24MAY23: Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #3, Cadogan Hall
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, cond. Olari Elts: Arvo Pärt 'Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten'; Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 (Barry Douglas - piano); Thea Musgrave 'Song of the Enchanter'; Sibelius Symphony No. 5.
Pärt's hypnotic soudscape is much more interesting live: the bells, the bells...
I was there for the Rachmaninoff and it did not disappoint: initially was to be performed by Freddy Klempf, but I was extremely impressed by Barry Douglas' rendition.
There was nothing at all about Thea Musgrave's piece in the programme notes, which was annoying: but I googled and discovered that it's based on the Kalevala and is something of a homage to Sibelius. Lovely brass and woodwind.
Sibelius' 5th Symphony was given such an expansive sound here: Sibelius loved the brass section and gave it all the best tunes. I felt Elts really came alive for this part!
I used to go to orchestral concerts much more often, and it became commonplace: now it's a rare treat, and in this case an uplifting event that outweighed any difficulties in, y'know, going anywhere.
25MAY23: Malevolent (Johannesson, 2018) -- Netflix
One of Florence Pugh's first leading roles, before she was a Big Name: she was intense in this horror film, which focussed on a pair of fraudulent mediums (brother and sister) who find themselves in a truly haunted house where terrible things have happened, and continue to happen. To them. Ben Lloyd-Hughes is irritating as the brother, Celia Imrie is excellent as the owner of the haunted house (who knows more than she's saying), and the whole thing is atmospheric, though slightly too gory for my preference. Some interesting reversals and twists (including one which made no sense), and an open ending ...
27MAY23: Moby Dick -- Theatre Royal, Brighton
A production by French-Norwegian theatre company, Plexus Polaire, based on Melville's novel. Visually splendid -- revolving backdrops of star charts and (suspiciously tropical) nautical charts -- but a plethora of puppetry: at one point there were three Ahabs on stage, all bellowing. And yes, there were also actors, who were clearly the models for their characters' puppets. Some of the whale models were more ... rigid than others, and there was a gruesomely effective depiction of flensing. Rather than a straightforward adaptation, this was more a series of scenes from the novel, punctuated by dance/puppetry without dialogue. No plot, no real ending: accomplished and interesting puppetry, but puppetry for the sake of it.
28MAY23: A Cosmologist's Guide to Life and Love -- Caxton Arms, Brighton
"I'll show you that the idea of love exists out there in the universe." Dr Julian Mayers talking about his wife's death, the shortcomings of Eastbourne, and why you want a physicist to speak at your funeral (from a broadcast by Aaron Freeman). I learnt quite a bit (including the fact that Ann Druyan's brainwavews were recorded for the Voyager golden record just after she'd begun to fall in love with Carl Sagan) and was moved by Mayers' openness and emotional honesty. The highlight of my mini-Brighton Festival.
27MAY23: Van Gogh Alive -- Dome, Brighton
Huge projections, at various angles, of Van Gogh's works, grouped chronologically and accompanied by (sometimes uncomplementary) music. (Delibes' famous duet from Lakme has no obvious connection to the artist, but probably made everybody think of British Airways.) Some of the images were animated -- birds scattered by the sound of a shot, clouds rolling, water rippling -- though the clouds were less convincing than the birds. The exhibition was an open space, quite dark, with children running around: everyone sat on the floor, or stood, and I wished there had been better seating as my back did not like it. But it was surprisingly effective and very immersive. Upstairs, in a smaller space, a mirrored infinity of sunflowers and a recreation of the artist's bedroom. Exit through the gift shop, which had an excellent print of a painting of Brighton done in the style of Van Gogh.
Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece -- British Museum
Date: Tuesday, June 27th, 2023 07:17 am (UTC)