#it’s so EARNEST and raw and like filmed so beautifully and so full of feeling I can’t got to the end

[wlwgang]

I actually don’t think I’m strong enough to make it through the rest of brokeback mountain this shit is devastating

[musicthatmadeus]

Folklore by Taylor Swift: An Album Review

by: (Older) Justine Choy

Taylor Swift’s music had always had a place in life. I remember watching her music videos play on MTV when I was a kid and singing my heart out to her most popular songs. However, I never really fully got into her music until she released folklore in July 2020. This record came in the perfect time of my life, when I was feeling extremely helpless and out of control due to the pandemic. I had this album on repeat the first few weeks it came out, and whenever I listened to it from beginning to end, I always felt more hopeful than I had been at the start.

The album begins with the 1, starting with simple piano chords that deftly build up sound through plucking guitar notes and casual drum beats. When Taylor Swift sings the opening line “I'm doing good/I'm on some new sh*t,” I immediately burst into tears. I wish that I, too, were doing good. (Or doing well, if we’re being grammatically correct. But that’s besides the point.) The simple production of limited instruments complements the heart-wrenching narrative of the lyrics as Swift wistfully laments on the one that got away. This song sets up the melancholic tone and pensive atmosphere of the rest of the record and is the perfect track to open the album with.

cardigan is the second track and lead single of the record. However, I found its production to be both lacking and underwhelming. The instrumentation stays constant throughout the entire song, with little to no variation in its inflection. The repeated piano riffs almost sound monotonous, and there is very little musical build-up throughout the song. The only thing that salvages the song is its lyrics, with poetic phrases such as “But I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss/I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs.”

the last great american dynasty is a masterclass in storytelling, and it is one of the more outstanding tracks on the record. The song starts softly, with percussive piano notes and gentle drum beats moving the song forward at the beginning. The production slowly builds up throughout the song and creates an atmosphere that perfectly captures the tragic elegance and polish of Rebekah Harkness.

exile is a piano ballad that features Bon Iver acting as Swift’s estranged lover. The melody is a bit repetitive, and its monotony is further accentuated as the piano imitates every pitch of the vocals. The bridge is the best part of the song, and it makes listening to the plodding of the previous verses worth it. The production swells as the piano switches from playing notes to chords. Iver and Swift’s voices match perfectly, neither overpowering the other. Their anguish is evident in lyrics such as “You didn't even hear me out (You didn't even hear me out)/You never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs).” The overall track sounds fairly cliche, but is still somewhat interesting to listen to.

The fifth song, my tears ricochet, is my least favorite track in the album, and I often skip it whenever I listen to the whole record. Choir-like vocalizations and soft synths make up the production of the track. The melody is repetitive and the narrative of the lyrics is cluttered. The only redeeming part of this song is Swift’s vocal performance, as it showcases her vocal range and shows how far she has come since her debut album.

mirrorball is an atmospheric piece that impeccably captures the feeling of high school angst and unsettled identity. Airy guitar chords resonate through soft drumming and chiming tambourines. With lines such as “I'm a mirrorball/I can change everything about me to fit in,” Swift flawlessly utilizes both the lyrics and the production to convey a narrative of unsteadiness and uncertainty.

The seventh track on the record, aptly titled seven, tells the story of looking back on a childhood friend. Swift’s breathy vocals, combined with the simple piano and guitar instrumentation, create a foggy, hazy atmosphere that perfectly conveys the theme of memory and nostalgia. The production builds up slowly throughout the song, emphasizing points in the narrative that are saturated with wistfulness and sentimentality. With Swift singing lines such as “Passed down like folk songs/The love lasts so long,” the overall song imbues feelings of reminiscence and longing to even its most callous listeners.

august tells the story of a short-lived summer romance. Gentle guitar strumming and resonant drum beats create a warm and hazy ambience befitting the narrative of the lyrics. Feelings of longing and affection are apparent in lines like “Salt air, and the rust on your door/I never needed anything more.” Swift’s echoey vocals, paired with the atmospheric production, give the track an enticing sense of pining and intrigue.

this is me trying is a melancholic song that has Swift repeatedly stating “I just wanted you to know that this is me trying.” A feeling of repetitiveness and an eagerness for reconciliation are evident in the circular, iterative form of the melody. Buzzing synths and sonorous brass horns create a soundscape that is quietly grandiose. The bridge, composed of the quickly-spat lines “And it's hard to be at a party when I feel like an open wound/It's hard to be anywhere these days when all I want is you/You're a flashback in a film reel on the one screen in my town” make the track’s setting vivid and specific: I could almost imagine the song play out like a movie in my head.

The next track, illicit affairs, has a deceptively calm production that contradicts the intense narrative of the lyrics. It opens with peaceful guitar plucking, and soft vocals and quiet synths enter as the song goes on. The almost serene instrumentation makes the fervor of the bridge much more impactful, as Swift wails “Don't call me "kid," don't call me "baby"/Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me.” illicit affairs contains all of the conflicting emotions a person in an affair would feel, and Swift masterfully utilizes both the lyrics and the instrumentation to tell this story in a compelling way.

invisible string opens with tranquil guitar plucking, similar to that of the previous track. This is where the similarities stop: while illicit affairs is about heartbreak, invisible string tells the story of an inevitable sort of love. The track sounds quiet yet upbeat due to the ascending nature of its musical form. The minimal instrumentation makes the song sound warm and intimate. Listening to this song makes me want to experience being in love, and it thaws my heart even on the worst of days.

mad woman is not my favorite track on folklore. It sounds a bit monotonous, and its production offers nothing different from what the previous songs on the record had. The narrative is rather intriguing; however, its redundant production does not do its lyrics any justice. The constant, plodding piano riff and incongruent drum beats distract from Swift’s vocal performance. If this track was taken off the record, I would not feel sorry for it.

epiphany is Swift’s ode to both her grandfather and the frontliners of the pandemic. It is a beautiful tribute of a song, with atmospheric organ-like synths and choral vocal hymns. The lyrics are poetic and poignant, with lines such as “Someone's daughter, someone's mother/Holds your hand through plastic now.” Swift crafts vignettes of fragility cut through with a sharp sense of bleakness. It is a very emotional song that always leaves me raw after listening to it.

The fourteenth track, betty, is reminiscent of Swift’s country roots. It is an extremely fun song to belt (I know this from experience), with a compelling narrative about teenage love and heartbreak. Warm-sounding guitar plucking and full-rounded piano chords create a sentimental atmosphere that supports Swift’s earnest and heartfelt lyrics. A harmonica adds an extra layer of bluesy sound to the production. The music modulates at the last chorus, wonderfully reinforcing the turning point of the plot. Lines such as “But if I just showed up at your party/Would you have me? Would you want me?” capture the youthful vibe of the story and makes listening to this track almost like hearing a coming of age movie.

peace is my absolute favorite song of Taylor Swift’s. Its production stands out from all of the others on the album. While the other tracks rely on atmospheric guitars and resonant drum beats to create a dreamy ambience, peace creates a quiet soundscape through warm, strumming basses and a beeping drum machine that almost sounds like warning tones. Swift’s lyrics contradict the tranquil quality of the music, with beautiful, poetic lines such as “The devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me/Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?” The breathy, soft vocals perfectly combine with the tenderness of the music to create a mood that is both fond and uncertain.

The last track on the record, hoax, is a light piano ballad composed of gentle vocals and delicate piano riffs. Swift’s lyrics tell a story of hurt and hopelessness, with lines dripping with fragile coarseness such as “Stood on the cliffside screaming, "Give me a reason"/Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in.” Although it is not the most optimistic, its subdued emotions and melancholic tones make it the perfect song to close the album with.

folklore is a welcome departure from Swift’s usually overproduced albums. It is a beautifully-written, cohesive-sounding record that is both hauntingly pensive and wistfully hopeful. The production on this record has greatly influenced my taste in genres and musical aesthetics, and I find myself often reaching to listen to this album whenever I get bored of listening to other songs. folklore is a masterpiece of an album, and I would give anything to have the chance to listen to it for the first time all over again.

[signaturesoundsradio-blog]

2019’s Top Rap Albums, according to Capital K

10: Skyzoo & Pete Rock – Retropolitan

Very few dudes out there are rapping like Skyzoo is. He’s been dropping impeccable verses for years, running with legendary crews like Duck Down and Jamla records across his fifteen year career. Zoo has proven himself time and again as a dedicated wordsmith with his carefully crafted songs and projects, but for the first time in a long time we get a clear, concise album from him that is not bogged down by an extensive concept. Instead, Retropolitan is simply an homage to the streets of the Big Apple, told from two men who have watched the city and its culture lose some of their once seemingly indelible essence. Pete Rock brings the type of New York production that has been in season for almost three decades, and with Skyzoo it still feels fresh. Though the NY rap scene remains firmly in the ‘90s, what with old groups making repetitive returns and most new rappers unable to carve out any semblance of originality, the occasional retro album truly nails it, even in 2019. This is one of them.

9: Little Brother – May the Lord Watch

The return that very few people saw coming, May the Lord Watch is a short project (only 10 of the album’s 15 tracks contain beats and rhymes), but it easily silences any questions as to whether Rapper Big Pooh and Phonte might have lost a step since putting out two certified classics in the early 2000s. Picking up right where Phonte’s 2018 No News Is Good News left off, May the Lord Watch finds the two rappers comfortably claiming their place as kings in the ‘Grown Man Rap’ movement. They effortlessly trade bars as they craft narrative of nights in (“Sittin’ Alone”), the married life (“Goodmorning Sunshine”), and thankfulness for the blessings of God (“Work Through Me”). Without an ounce of bitterness, the men sketch their pleasures and pains across Little Brother’s tried-and-true canvas of radio skits and interludes (UBN – U Black N****s – network remains as funny as ever, situating everything the group does squarely in its context of blackness). Notably, the album features no production from original Little Brother member Ninth Wonder, but the rappers feel right at home over the lush, sample-heavy beats which maintain the aesthetic sensibilities of the group’s early classics.

8: Wiki – Oofie

Oofie finds New York rapper Wiki in a much more subdued place than his 2017 solo debut album No Mountains in Manhattan. It’s a definite change of pace from a man who went through plenty of transitions in the past two years, including the breakup of his super-group Secret Circle and a move to his own label Wikiset (under which Oofie was released). On this offering Wiki maintains his dedication to personal, biographic bars, though Oofie is much more focused on Wiki the man than on Wiki’s hometown New York City. The production is more modern but not trendy, making a concerted effort to leave space for Wiki’s bars to shine through. He rhymes with more confidence than ever, a little slower and more sure of himself than the more fun-loving Wiki of 2017. Slower paced but not monotonous, Oofie will not disappoint those looking for well-crafted lines that are at once playful and somewhat melancholy.

7: L’Orange & Jeremiah Jae – Complicate Your Life with Violence

L’Orange made a name for himself as one of Mello Music Group’s earliest virtuosos, crafting beautifully cinematic, dusty records to fit his guest emcees. The pairings solidified his place as one of the underground’s premiere sample-based producers and made for some dark, brilliant albums. This project is no different, with Jeremiah Jae along for the ride as a crook-turned-soldier in a dystopian world of violence and darkness. While the scenes are not particularly gruesome or gory, their psychological tension draws the listener along like a thriller movie, and Jae’s vivid rhymes and unaffected tone make the chilling subject matter all the more enticing. The two artists are at the top of their games here, building an album interspersed with vintage film samples and some spectacular features to create an engrossing, consistent mood in a way that very few other albums did this year. Complicate Your Life with Violence places itself in 2019’s catalog as a bleak assessment of the violent, at times seemingly unforgivable, world in which we live. It’s an album that is both a product of today and a warning of tomorrow.

6: Add-2 – Jim Crow The Musical

Probably the most unknown artist on this list, Chicago rapper Add-2 released his powerful Jim Crow the Musical in the twilight of 2019 and immediately slid himself right into the discussion for the year’s top rap albums. An album that is equal parts pride and sorrow, full of both fear and resolve, Jim Crow is an earnest look at the way in which America’s unabashed history of racism has manifested itself in the way it treats its black citizens in the present day. The versatile range of sounds and moods mesh together into a cohesive narrative of life lived in a skin that Add-2 sees as “both a gift and a curse” (“Hashtag”), linked through skits about blackness that give the album it’s ‘Musical’ feel. As a rapper, Add-2 falls somewhere in between Kendrick Lamar and Open Mike Eagle, as comfortable in a driving, breathless flow (“Git Your Hand Out of My Pocket”) as he is in a more reserved and conversational one (“The Secret Life of Blacks”), and that’s just in the album’s first two proper songs. The man can flat out rap, and on top of that, Add-2 does his own beats. Though he (like almost any underground artist) will likely tell you that he’s been grinding away, releasing quality content all along, this album feels like a coming-out party of sorts for the rapper, and it’s worth a listen from any fan of music in general.

5: Danny Brown – uknowhatimsayin¿

When word got out that the legendary Q-Tip would be executive producing Danny Brown’s newest album, expectations were naturally high. Following Danny’s critically acclaimed raw and ambitious Atrocity Exhibition in 2016, fans were eager to see how Tip would be able to elevate Brown’s game to new places. However, instead of trying to top Atrocity with another conceptual masterpiece, the two sent in a collection of straight up good to great songs from a newly refined Danny (complete with a new front tooth), who replaced the wildness of his previous work with a veteran’s swagger and confidence. Focused more on masterful bars than shock value, uknowhatimsayin¿ sees Danny primarily sticking to his ‘Old album Side A’ voice, while covering topics ranging from sex on a laundry machine (“Laundry”) to navigating life as a black man in the racist American system (“Shine”). The album is a flex from a man who has already made his masterpiece and now feels content to provide us with high quality, if not necessarily ambitious, reminders that he’s still a top lyricist and song-writer.

4: Brother Ali – Secrets & Escapes

If you felt that maybe Brother Ali had hit a period of creative coasting over the last decade, you’re in good company: so did he. And to remedy this, Ali made an album with the legendary Evidence that made it an explicit goal to throw out any songs that sounded like an Ali (or Evidence) joint. The result is a collection of songs that find Brother Ali at his hungriest, solemnest, and, in a way, most refreshed. Produced entirely by Evidence (and featuring verses from Evidence, Talib Kweli, and Pharoahe Monch), Secrets & Escapes treads familiar topics for Ali: spirituality, his own inner demons and struggles, and societal ills, but in this album he’s less preacher than teacher, an elder with a lot on his mind. Ali’s is a calming presence for today’s frenetic, confused society and he easily shows us that he’s still got the bars he once did. For his part, Evidence has crafted a sonically diverse, jazzy palette with some beautiful samples and dusty drums. If you forgot that he produced Kanye’s “Last Call,” consider this a reminder of Evidence’s status as a premiere double threat. Highlights include “Father Figures,” “Secrets & Escapes,” and “They Shot Ricky.”

3: billy woods & Kenny Segal – Hiding Places

For those that missed it, billy woods truly killed the year 2019. A new solo album, an updated re-release of a capstone essential, a grab bag megamix of new, unreleased, and well-known songs, and this absolutely relentless collaboration with LA producer Kenny Segal comprised woods’ voluminous 2019 output. Hiding Places finds woods rhyming over a more, for lack of a better word, listenable range of beats than many of his recent endeavors, and it works perfectly. Segal’s off-kilter but somehow entirely smooth production gives woods a canvas for some of his most personal and cathartic moments. There are very few rappers who make connections in the way billy woods does, and a vignette about how no one in the hood gets their mail forwarded when they move quickly turns from being a quirky anecdote to a grim depiction of reality as we realize it’s because many people are being chased by a never-ending stream of debt collectors and predatory lenders. The project’s dark humor puts a band-aid over some of its tragic, bleak content, making it an album that grows with each listen. If you’ve heard woods’s name thrown around a lot but never knew where to start, try this album on for size.

2: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Bandana

Following up a surprise classic is always a challenge. Fans and critics are easy to please the first time but once you’ve set a high bar for yourself there’s no turning back. Knowing this, and never ones to be rushed, Freddie “Gangster” Gibbs and super-producer Madlib made the world wait a whole five years before following up their essential 2014 release Piñata with this year’s Bandana. It was worth the wait. Where Piñata found Madlib inhabiting Gibbs’s realm in a Blaxploitation-inspired story of thuggin’ and dealing, their second album evens the playing field a bit, and Freddie is forced to rap over beats that at times sound like they came straight out of the Beat Konducta series. He proves himself more than capable, rapping on an entirely new level while he easily switches flows to match Madlib’s eclectic energy. Freddie’s content has changed, too, as the years since Piñata saw him spend time in an Austrian jail, lose his uncle and good friend, and split up with his fiance. Much of Bandana was written in that jail, and he’s more reflective, pacing between regret and pride of his dirty deeds and dark past. It’s a classic in its own right, with more depth than most of Freddie’s past work and a seamless marriage between one of the best producers ever to touch an iPad (Madlib’s tool of choice for Bandana) and a rapper eager to put his own name in the Hall of Fame conversation.

1: Maxo – LIL BIG MAN

Maxo raps with a depression born of hopelessness and uncertainty. He’s a man with more questions than answers, and a slow, straightforward flow that brings us into his world with toughness and ease. His are the problems of an entire generation of young men: How can you justify working for $10 an hour when you could make thousands by robbing one house? How can you bring your friends along when you make it, and will they still be your friends by the time you get there? And, most importantly, will you make it to see your next birthday? Maxo raps effortlessly over smooth, low fidelity beats that stand out from most of the lo-fi subgenre through their lushness and clean mixing. Though generally somber, the album does have its upbeat moments (“Kinfolk” and “Headphones”) to break up the darkness, and a beautiful feature from Lojji on “No Love” that adds some ethereal beauty. Maxo is open about his weaknesses and insecurities, yet positive reinforcement comes in the form of a phone call from his grandma reminding him that, as bad is gets, there’s always a place for him at her home. While other albums this year may have exhibited more ambition or technical reach, Maxo’s LIL BIG MAN stands out as one of 2019’s most listenable and emotional, a project with stunning production that bumps in the whip yet powerful lyrics that will hold your attention on the weakest of earbuds.

Honorable Mentions

Atmosphere – Whenever

Probably the best the group has sounded since 2010’s To All My Friends.

Blockhead – Free Sweatpants

Equal parts instrumental album and who’s who of Blockhead’s extensive circle of rap friends.

Damani Nkosi & iLL Camille – Harriett

A jazzy collaboration focused on black freedom and hope by two incredibly gifted emcees.

Medhane – Own Pace

A lo-fi album in the vein of Earl Sweatshirt’s Some Rap Songs but with more clarity and optimism.

People Under the Stairs – Sincerely, The P

The last album from the legendary west coast group, Sincerely, The P is nostalgic and celebratory.

Quelle Chris – Guns

An album that examines the way in which fear, race, and firearms are used to brutalize communities.

Rapsody – Eve

An epic tour de force, Eve is an homage to black women that have influenced the artist and the world.

Albums I didn’t get around to that sound like they might have made this list

Boogie – Everything’s For Sale

Grip – Snubnose

And that’s it. All in all, 2019 was not a bad year for rap. Stick around next year for more reviews and lists from the squad here at Signature Sounds. May 2020 bring you happiness and success. Love & Respect.

- Capital K

[ashovertroubledwater]

The lack of exposure and this album has garnered in ten years is nearly fraudulent.

Sink Or Swim is the first studio album by The Gaslight Anthem, released in 2007. This album stands on the outskirts of punk rock, leaning on the hood of an old ford, parked under a flickering streetlight. It wears a tucked in white t-shirt under it’s black leather jacket, and slicks it’s hair back to hold a cigarette behind one ear for later. Good lord does this album ooze americana – authentic, original, non-imitative americana – from every bone in it’s body. Lyrical nods to Bob Dylan, an ode to the lead singer of The Clash, American film references, and (sometimes lengthily) descriptive song titles are part of what builds the beautifully rigid character of SoS. Lead singer Brian Fallon offers up anthem after anthem with an earnest passion that leads me to believe he is Bruce Springsteen reincarnate.

All of this was important in winning me over upon first listen, but what made me so lovingly swoon for Sink Or Swim was the theatrical-yet-personal lyricism from Fallon. He toes a very interesting line throughout the record. While most of the tracks seem to be rooted in the fictitious dwellings of a bygone era, the emotion and forthcomingness gives these songs a very genuine, real quality to them. I feel as though it’s become increasingly easy to attempt a “vintage” sound and, regardless of the quality of composition, just slap on a jaded/disconnected vocalist accompanied by a car-radio-esque filter. Sink Or Swim is the exact opposite of that. Songs like “Boomboxes And Dictionaries” and “We Came To Dance” shimmer with a teenage fervor that make me feel like I’m falling in love for the first time all over again. The two blatantly slower, acoustic songs “The Navesink Banks” and “Red At Night” are melancholic and bittersweet in the best way possible. Fallon’s execution of the chorus on “I Coul'da Been A Contender” is so raw and inspired, it’s one of many occasions I felt like I had just inhaled never-before-breathed air. “Angry Johnny And The Radio” switches tempo and becomes one of the most pleasing shout-alongs I’ve ever heard. I will forever stand by my claim that “I'da Called You Woody, Joe” is one of the catchiest tunes of all-time. I encourage any listener to do a little google search on the inspiration for “1930”, and to then please listen to it again.

So why wasn’t this album a critically-acclaimed mainstream slam dunk? Not a single song exceeds four minutes, and plenty of them progress in a radio-friendly manner. I have a theory that it was a combination of a few things:

1).  The Killers beat The Gaslight Anthem to it. Both Hot Fuss (2004) and Sam’s Town (2006) scratched the itch in a more glossy, shimmering fashion. It’s no denying that Brian Fallon and The Killers lead singer Brandon Flowers have similar vocal qualities - that and their initials are the same. Flowers voice comes off in a more presentable and clean manner, while Fallon is much quicker to fly off the handle with much more grit and ferocity in Sink Or Swim. This all is a crying shame considering how much better SoS in comparison to both of the aforementioned albums.

2).  I think the labeling of a punk album was, especially at the time of release, a crippling blow. Punk rock wasn’t getting any top-40 radio playtime. Punk is a genre toting along it’s baggage full of perceptions and misperceptions as a whole. A lot of those may be turn-offs to the casual listener. So in 2008 when The Gaslight Anthem performed on Warped Tour, it’s no wonder this album found itself nailed into the niche coffin that was its genre.

3). This one may sound a little more tinfoil-hat than the first two reasons. I had previously mentioned how I felt that Brian Fallon was Bruce Springsteen reincarnate, and I didn’t just say that because of how hard they both rocked. I mean that because Brian Fallon’s singing voice actually sounds like that of Bruce Springsteen’s. I can see how such a comparison could be an easy way to write him off as an imitator, or write the band as a whole off as unoriginal.

I hope to have inspired anyone reading this to give Sink or Swim a good, fighting chance. I find this album to be so incredibly agreeable, it’s the kind of music I’d desire to write if I was in a rock band.

[its-just-like-the-movies]

April Viewing List

So I decided to just keep a little diary of all the films that I see every month which seems like a great way to sort of talk about what I’ve seen even as I’m still hiding viewing indexes for almost every year ever. It’ll basically just be a chronological index with a grade and whatever I tweeted off about the movie when I saw it. And without further ado, here is what I saw in April!

The Love Witch (16, C+): Gorgeous outfits, but often teeters into the kind of film you discover on MST3K. It’s own ideas often inchoate - April 1, 2017

Jane Eyre (11, B): Tough, cold. Rich and economical in its storytelling. Aesthetically inhabits Jane’s headspace so fully, as does Mia. - April 2, 2017

Zero Dark Thirty (12, B): Uneven realization of livewire narrative culminates in a powerful last act. Fine ensemble, Chastain the weak link - April 2, 2017

Pan’s Labyrinth (06, C): Visually stunning, especially the ghouls. Affecting, not as much as it desires. Blunt politics, cipherish actors. - April 2, 2017

T2: Judgement Day (91, A-): Approaches an Aliens precipice while improving and expanding upon the original in every way. Phenomenal. - April 3, 2017 (Rewatch)

Queen of Katwe (16, B): Delights in and cares all of its characters while following Phiona to glory. Great look, costumes. Such fun! - April 5, 2017

Raw (17, B): Affecting. Casual scenes, revulsions play better than the ostentatious ones. Isn’t college self-discovery fun? Rumpf! - April 5, 2017 (review)

Donnie Darko (01, A-): No tweet this time. (Rewatch)

The Club (US 16, B+): Such strange, horrific textures in realizing this tale of abuse as an infection on attackers, victims, the complicit. - April 6, 2017

Safe (95, A): Whopper of an ending caps an already potent, rich horror story. How can we ever be free? Moore, Haynes and inimitable pair - April 7, 2017 (Rewatch)

The Martian (15, B-): Never feared for Damon’s life. Still compelling, but feels limited. Comic tone, teamwork, space smarts keep it fresh. - April 7, 2017

The Whisperers (67, B): I wish Forbes’ neglected, spooky tone his a richer narrative within its odd tones. That said, Evans is unstoppable. - April 8, 2017

Tyrannosaur (11. B-): Colman breathes life into this potent, nasty work, limited as it is by generic notes, Marsan’s work. Mullan’s fine. - April 8, 2017

Machete (10, D): Surely the worst thing Rodriguez has made. Horrendous look. Political narrative weirdly ineffective. Only gets worse - April 9, 2017

This was bad so I’m gonna watch the Mickey Rourke segment of Sin City to make myself feel better.

Bridges of Spies (15, C+): I think I get nostalgia as a term now. Compelling moments, especially in Berlin. Hanks an asset, Kaminski is not. - April 9, 2017

I truly don’t get the Mark Rylance thing, or how Hanks got no momentum in such a weak field. Bryan Cranston over him? What the fuck

I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore (17, B): Violent parable that remains funny as shit gets even more disastrous. Lynskey, Blair emerge triumphant. - April 10, 2017

Frances Ha (13, B): Triumph of mood, script, characterization in depicting millennial purgatory. Generous to its characters. Always fun(ny). - April 10, 2017

Philomena (13, C+): Tonal variance mostly works, parallels either underplayed or under explored. Economical yet padded. I liked Dench - April 11, 2017

Farewell, My Queen (12, B+): Unsettling tensions only accrue. What laws are worth keeping in the face of imminent death? Three great perfs. - April 11, 2017

Cameraperson (16, B+/A-): History of the world in B-roll vignettes. Of your life in other people’s. So intimate. But who’s Kirsten? - April 13, 2017

There’s a point in the 20th Century Women Film Experience podcast where Nick praises the canon of fiction films that show women fostering ->

and writing and burdened with carrying the history of the world in their lifetimes. This is equally deserving among that esteemed group.

It almost feels like Greta Gerwig’s art project in 20th Century Women realized. A self portrait via her most treasured moments on the job.

Blue Jay (16, B+): Unpacks 20 years of baggage as leads revert to old selves, rhythms, wonder where it all went. Paulson, Duplass revelatory. - April 13, 2017

Little Sister (16, C+): Poor audio, good makeup. Actors help. Gets better at being itself after the death metal baby dance, if never great. - April 14, 2017

Fish Tank (10, A-): An Education, but grottier, with more authentic emotions and characters. Imagination abound in images, direction. - April 14, 2017

Personal Shopper (17, C): More ideas that Clouds but so few sparks. Best in spirit realm. Often tedious. Assayas, Stewart too comfortable. - April 15, 2017 (review)

The Devils (71, A-): Perverse and horrific in every way possible, but stunningly realized without getting marred by its own madness - April 15, 2017

The Tree of Life (11, A): No tweet - April 15, 2017

Your Name (16, A): Body-swap comedy grows more poignant as obstacles separating our heroes seem insurmountable. Beautifully drawn and plotted. - April 17, 2017

In the Valley of Elah (07, C-): Unstoppable thesis meets unsubtle direction. Lame reveal. Weird color. Jones forges a path to quiet glory. - April 18, 2017

Planet Terror (07, B): Such pure, unfettered delight and Rodriguez-y looseness that never makes its aesthetic a hinderance. Fantastic look. - April 18, 2007

Set it Off (96, B): Lead quartet revitalizes a script that struggles to see even them. Keith, soundtrack often embarrass. Latifah indelible - April 19, 2017

Margaret (11, A-/A): Accrues such wide sympathies, thorns, and heartbreaks in its sprawl. Fullness of character, city, and chaos in its mess. - April 19, 2017

Elena (12, A): Suspense within certainty, human passion inside cinematic restraint. We are what we want, and what we’ll do to get it - April 20, 2017

Long Day’s Journey Into Night (62, A): Heroic long shots enable even more heroic performances. Beautiful realization of O’Neil’s prose - April 20, 2017 (review)

Pariah (11, B): Smart, earnest, gorgeously framed and colored drama that works even at its most obvious moments. Applause for all its women. - April 20, 2017

The Midnight Meat Train (08, D): Lurid convictions, some neat images. But ultimately a tasteless, racist, even grosser object as it continues. - April 22, 2017

The Faces of Love (13, C+): Bening, Harris spark. Lonely. Script better than expected. Shoulda been Hansen-Løve’s or Sirk’s. - April 23, 2017

A Bigger Splash (16, B-): Lots of effort to look effortless. Functions without ever settling into itself. Interesting influences. Fiennes!! - April 26, 2017

Free Fire (17, B-): I get the Tarantino comparisons, but when was the last time he made something this taut and energetic? Fun cast - April 26, 2017

The Lost City of Z (17, A-): No tweet - April 26, 2017

What Have I Done to Deserve This? (84, A-): Wonderfully eccentric and warm with all its characters. Almodovar, cast (Maura!) make magic. - April 27, 2017

The Big Short (15, C+): Frenzied and raggedy, kinda smug. Works pretty well within those limits. Good thing that’ll never happen again. - April 27, 2017

Death Proof (07, B): Did you know Tarantino watched 70′s movies? Gripping car chases. Talks like something’s happening when nothing is. - April 28, 2017 (rewatch)

Talk to Her (02, A): No tweet. - April 28, 2017

My Blueberry Nights (07, C): Marries the nothing talky-talk of Death Proof with glossier lensing, unearned ostentation. Cast helps - April 29, 2017

Southside With You (16, B+): So politically and personably principled, with plenty of charm. Great couple that just happens to be the Obamas. - April 29, 2017

My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea (17, B+): As morbidly hilarious, petty, and sweet as any high schooler I was friends with. What great visuals - April 29, 2017

Colossal (17, B): Dizzying ambition, at its best once all its conceits get off the ground. Real awareness of its own stakes. Sudeikis! - April 29, 2017

Fuck me, that’s a lot of movies, and fuck me again for not thinking of ways to articulate some 140 character praise for three pictures I really loved. Please feel free to talk about any of these to gush or ask what the fuck one of these tweets was talking about, I know I articulated some thoughts poorly. Soon all of these will be in perfectly articulated haikus. Or, if you want, recommend a personal fave as I trawl through every movie ever made. Have a good May, and have a good fucking summer vacation!