Monthly culture, July 2024
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tamaranth11JUL24: Bon Cop Bad Cop (Canuel, 2006) -- Netflix
When a crime happens right on the border between Ontario and Quebec, Bouchard (Quebecois, rule-breaking bad boy) and Ward (professional and besuited Ontarian) join forces to solve it. There's a lot of ice hockey and a lot of impenetrable Quebecois 'French': also a lot of women mooning over the two cops, especially Bouchard, for no apparent reason. I found the two protagonists obnoxious and the women unconvincing. Made in 2006 but feels like 1976.
Did not notice any cats but to be honest my attention was not gripped.
13JUL24: Fly Me to the Moon (Berlanti, 2024) -- Greenwich PictureHouse
Rom-com (though I didn't believe in the romance) set in 1969 in the run-up to the Apollo 11 launch. Scarlett Johansson as a Kelly Jones, hotshot marketing specialist brought in to 'sell' space to the American public (she is awesome in this, and has fabulous outfits) and Channing Tatum as Cole Davis, a forgettably square-jawed launch director who is still carrying guilt over the Apollo 1 disaster. Kelly's assistant Ruby (Anna Garcia) is an absolute delight. There's a conspiracy-theory subplot about faking a landing ('I think we should've gotten Kubrick') in case the real one fails. Also a very nice moment in which Cole persuades a senator to donate by talking about his own Christian beliefs, and when called on this 'supporting the con' by Kelly says he was telling the truth.
Despite some shortfalls in plot, script and characterisation, I liked this film a great deal because of the period detail and the frequent use of original media. There was a real sense of the excitement and interest.
There is an excellent and plot-relevant cat named Mischief.
18JUL24: What Happened, Miss Simone? (Garbus, 2015) -- Netflix
Biopic of Nina Simone, with a lot of clips from original interviews and performances. I hadn't realised she'd trained as a classical pianist -- didn't make it professionally because of her race -- or that she was bipolar, encouraged to medicate by her management, and the meds probably killed her in the end. Sad but inspiring.
24JUL24: Spirited Away (Miyazaki / Caird, 2024) -- English National Opera
I may have been the only person in the ENO who hadn't seen the film! I had no difficulty in following the plot: this was a spectacular staging, with the ENO's stagecraft at its finest. The music was fine -- it was very much a musical rather than an opera -- and there were surtitles (cleverly fitted into the scenery) translating the original Japanese. Definitely worth seeing.
25JUL24: Sherlock Jr (Keaton, 1924) -- Wiltons Music Hall
The Lucky Dog Picturehouse present classic silent movies -- in this case, Sherlock Jr, plus some comedy shorts -- with live, original musical accompaniment by the Picturehouse Quartet. I don't think I'd ever seen any of the films: they were all fun, though a bit of misogyny in one of the shorts (domineering wife, hapless husband). An immensely fun evening at what's currently my favourite theatrical venue.
27JUL24: Deadpool and Wolverine (Levy, 2024) -- Greenwich PictureHouse
Rude, bloody and full of cameos. (I squeaked out loud at one of them, and utterly failed to register others.) Great fun (though slightly too long): will watch again.
29JUL24: Beethoven, Symphony 9 (Choral) + Victoria Vita Polevá Bucha. Lacrimosa* (Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, Keri-Lynn Wilson, Royal Opera House Songs for Ukraine Chorus) -- St Paul's Cathedral
Probably the closest I'll ever get to the feeling of an authentic 19th-century performance: the acoustics in St Paul's aren't designed for clarity, and much of the audience (perhaps unfamiliar with the etiquette of 'classical' concerts) talked, shuffled, applauded between movements et cetera. (For values of 'et cetera' including using their phones to record and photograph the performance throughout: definitely not authentic 19th century but they would have if they could have.)
It was glorious.
The orchestra and choir were mostly Ukrainian exiles, and so were many of the audience: the Ode to Joy had been translated into Ukrainian, with 'slava' (glory) instead of 'freude' (joy). There was an introduction by the Ukrainian ambassador, and the encore was an arrangement of the Ukrainian national anthem. It was rather faster than I'm used to -- 63 minutes (the standard is 74 minutes) which probably muddied the sound a bit, since there was a lot of echo: but it was glorious and brought tears to my eyes.
It'd be rude not to mention the first piece, Victoria Vita Polevá’s 'Bucha, Lacrimosa': a piece in memory of the 2022 massacre of civilians in Bucha. Poignant, gradually more complex, the heavy march of war and the bleakness it leaves behind.
Essay by the conductor, Keri Lynn Wilson: Guardian 29th July 2024.
review in the FT which expands on the acoustics.
When a crime happens right on the border between Ontario and Quebec, Bouchard (Quebecois, rule-breaking bad boy) and Ward (professional and besuited Ontarian) join forces to solve it. There's a lot of ice hockey and a lot of impenetrable Quebecois 'French': also a lot of women mooning over the two cops, especially Bouchard, for no apparent reason. I found the two protagonists obnoxious and the women unconvincing. Made in 2006 but feels like 1976.
Did not notice any cats but to be honest my attention was not gripped.
13JUL24: Fly Me to the Moon (Berlanti, 2024) -- Greenwich PictureHouse
Rom-com (though I didn't believe in the romance) set in 1969 in the run-up to the Apollo 11 launch. Scarlett Johansson as a Kelly Jones, hotshot marketing specialist brought in to 'sell' space to the American public (she is awesome in this, and has fabulous outfits) and Channing Tatum as Cole Davis, a forgettably square-jawed launch director who is still carrying guilt over the Apollo 1 disaster. Kelly's assistant Ruby (Anna Garcia) is an absolute delight. There's a conspiracy-theory subplot about faking a landing ('I think we should've gotten Kubrick') in case the real one fails. Also a very nice moment in which Cole persuades a senator to donate by talking about his own Christian beliefs, and when called on this 'supporting the con' by Kelly says he was telling the truth.
Despite some shortfalls in plot, script and characterisation, I liked this film a great deal because of the period detail and the frequent use of original media. There was a real sense of the excitement and interest.
There is an excellent and plot-relevant cat named Mischief.
18JUL24: What Happened, Miss Simone? (Garbus, 2015) -- Netflix
Biopic of Nina Simone, with a lot of clips from original interviews and performances. I hadn't realised she'd trained as a classical pianist -- didn't make it professionally because of her race -- or that she was bipolar, encouraged to medicate by her management, and the meds probably killed her in the end. Sad but inspiring.
24JUL24: Spirited Away (Miyazaki / Caird, 2024) -- English National Opera
I may have been the only person in the ENO who hadn't seen the film! I had no difficulty in following the plot: this was a spectacular staging, with the ENO's stagecraft at its finest. The music was fine -- it was very much a musical rather than an opera -- and there were surtitles (cleverly fitted into the scenery) translating the original Japanese. Definitely worth seeing.
25JUL24: Sherlock Jr (Keaton, 1924) -- Wiltons Music Hall
The Lucky Dog Picturehouse present classic silent movies -- in this case, Sherlock Jr, plus some comedy shorts -- with live, original musical accompaniment by the Picturehouse Quartet. I don't think I'd ever seen any of the films: they were all fun, though a bit of misogyny in one of the shorts (domineering wife, hapless husband). An immensely fun evening at what's currently my favourite theatrical venue.
27JUL24: Deadpool and Wolverine (Levy, 2024) -- Greenwich PictureHouse
Rude, bloody and full of cameos. (I squeaked out loud at one of them, and utterly failed to register others.) Great fun (though slightly too long): will watch again.
29JUL24: Beethoven, Symphony 9 (Choral) + Victoria Vita Polevá Bucha. Lacrimosa* (Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, Keri-Lynn Wilson, Royal Opera House Songs for Ukraine Chorus) -- St Paul's Cathedral
Probably the closest I'll ever get to the feeling of an authentic 19th-century performance: the acoustics in St Paul's aren't designed for clarity, and much of the audience (perhaps unfamiliar with the etiquette of 'classical' concerts) talked, shuffled, applauded between movements et cetera. (For values of 'et cetera' including using their phones to record and photograph the performance throughout: definitely not authentic 19th century but they would have if they could have.)
It was glorious.
The orchestra and choir were mostly Ukrainian exiles, and so were many of the audience: the Ode to Joy had been translated into Ukrainian, with 'slava' (glory) instead of 'freude' (joy). There was an introduction by the Ukrainian ambassador, and the encore was an arrangement of the Ukrainian national anthem. It was rather faster than I'm used to -- 63 minutes (the standard is 74 minutes) which probably muddied the sound a bit, since there was a lot of echo: but it was glorious and brought tears to my eyes.
It'd be rude not to mention the first piece, Victoria Vita Polevá’s 'Bucha, Lacrimosa': a piece in memory of the 2022 massacre of civilians in Bucha. Poignant, gradually more complex, the heavy march of war and the bleakness it leaves behind.
Essay by the conductor, Keri Lynn Wilson: Guardian 29th July 2024.
review in the FT which expands on the acoustics.
no subject
Date: Sunday, August 4th, 2024 01:01 pm (UTC)