The Physics House Band - Titan

Well well well, haven't I had quite a blogging hiatus...

In the interest of coming back with a bang, here is a music promo I shot and edited recently for The Physics House Band and their song "Titan":

The Physics House Band - Titan from Ben Tivnen on Vimeo.

Directed by Nathan Stuart
Cinematography by Ben Tivnen
Art Direction by Adam Hutchison
Editing by Ben Tivnen and Nathan Stuart

If you like the song, use these informations:

www.thephysicshouseband.tumblr.com
www.facebook.com/thephysicshouseband
thephysicshouseband@gmail.com

If you don't like the song, you're incorrect. It's really, really good.

Another Year

Mike Leigh's last venture, Happy Go Lucky, had the potential to be one of his best yet; a fantastic performance from Eddie Marsan and a clever, thoughtful concept. The experience was ruined, however, by a ceaseless onslaught of jitteriness from Sally Hawkins in her role as the wildly irritating Poppy; but that's another story for another time. For the record, I am told that she's much better in Made in Dagenham, but I digress; my point for today is that Another Year - the latest addition to the Mike Leigh showreel - is a magnificent return to form. The Oscar-tipped ensemble piece was constructed using Leigh's usual drama school devising techniques and takes the film-where-nothing-happens concept to fantastic and moving new heights. Somehow managing to cram an impossible level of involvement and character depth into a plot that doesn't exist, it becomes the mind-boggling cinematic equivalent of a print by M.C. Escher.

I genuinely loved it and it lived up to all the hype. Heavily character-driven, the trailer sets it up as centering around an elderly couple named - wait for it - Tom and Gerri. They themselves are thoroughly content with their lives, their careers, and their relationship, which draws their various unstable acquaintances towards them as the voices of reason - the manner that Gerri has acquired within her job as a therapist certainly doesn't drive them away. They console and advise the damaged souls that pass through their house night after night. It soon becomes clear though, that the real focal cast member is recurrent soldier in the Leigh brigade, Lesley Manville, in the role of the lonely, partnerless Mary. Like a darker Bridget Jones, she tries to put on an entirely transparent brave face after two divorces and the increasing prospect of growing old alone. Manville's use of subtle facial and vocal nuance is compelling and involving, and the script manages to hauntingly reveal her hardships without actually showing any of them.

The narrative pace is, as always, unhurried. It takes slow, considered steps across the minefield of complexity within the characters' relationships, without ever losing the power to hold its audience in full attention. There is also no real resolution but instead a full-circle sense of the continuing happy/unhappy balance. Tom and Gerri's son, Joe, embarks on what seems like an equally contented relationship with his new girlfriend, while Mary is sent into therapy where an older, similarly depressed woman - played by Imelda Staunton - began in the opening scene. I would argue that this harsh, life-goes-on sentiment is the realisation that Tom and Gerri themselves come to towards the end of the film. They move slowly from their sympathetic humouring of Mary and her problems, into a more tough love approach whereby they force her to confront her issues and quell her dependence on their family.

I won't linger on the leading couple, it has been suggested that they can be seen as everything from well-mannered and lovable to smug and self satisfied. It is interpretable in myriad ways, and therein lies the beauty of this film. It is an intimate, considerate portrayal of dysfunction, presented with an ambiguity and a lack of finality that left me reeling at the end.

Inception

Inception marks an important reference point in the long-fought debate surrounding special effects and artistic credibility in the high budget blockbuster. A shining example of a budget put to good use, Christopher Nolan further proves that mainstream distribution and success are not synonymous with artless crowd-pleasing. CGI has been minimised where possible in the production of this film, Nolan as usual choosing instead to foreground stunts and pump money into on-camera special effects. An ideal example of this is a fight scene in a revolving corridor, all of which was filmed for real in a 35-metre long tunnel spinning at six revs per minute. It is unalienating; unjarring. Plush, surreal environments are beautifully and expertly conjured without the contrived, distant feel produced by CGI overuse.

Plot is something which cannot be overlooked in any discussion of Inception as a movie, the premise is inspirational. In a world where one's dreams can be infiltrated, a group of contract thieves are paid to "extract" important information from the oblivious, sleeping minds of their victims. However, when they are asked instead to plant an idea in their mark's mind, an elaborate scheme must be developed to reach the deepest corners of a man's subconscious. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his team must enter a dream within a dream within a dream in order to plant a seed that will soon reach up to the surface. Nolan's intelligent, (quite literally) layered narrative provides weeks of discussion (for which this is not the arena), while still remaining followable with countless visual signifiers to maintain audience comprehension. For instance the complexities of time comparison across the various planes of reality are clearly defined through tasteful slow motion and an insightful avoidance of overcomplication in editing. At no point do the many worlds become overwhelming.


It is also a testament to Nolan as a writer that among all this entanglement and intricacy, a gripping depth of character is maintained without convolution. While other characters are not explored quite as thoroughly as DiCaprio's, his impressively complex profile is an unmissable opportunity for any actor talented enough to materialise the role. And DiCaprio, as usual, certainly does not disappoint; his wildly intense yet understated performance could have Gary Cooper on the edge of his seat, and the worsening state of his tortured psyche is conveyed with utter realism. Acting is in fact notably accomplished on almost all counts: Ellen Page is solid in the role of Ariadne as she unpicks Cobb's increasingly troubled mind with an unassuming maturity and intelligence; the uncertainty and vulnerability emanating from Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), the team's mark and grieving heir to an empire warrants genuine sympathy even for a relatively functional role; also hugely likeable are Eaves (Tom Hardy) and Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), whose brotherly rivalry is sharply written, sharply acted, and even more sharply dressed.

The film as a whole represents an elegant artistry in writing, direction and cinematography without sacrificing warmth and character. It takes the age old theme of crisis of reality as addressed in films like The Matrix and Shutter Island, but rethinks it from a multitude of new angles simultaneously, resulting in a masterful intricacy worthy of a second cinema watch at the very least.

Gainsbourg (Vie Héroïque)

The newest in the current wave of French language biopics, 'Gainsbourg (Vie Héroïque)' details the self-destructive adventures of 60's/70's Enfant Terrible, Serge Gainsbourg. The opening shot is of a young, pre-moniker Lucien Ginsburg (Kacey Mottet-Klein) on a beach, smoking a cigarette while propositioning a girl, and Joann Sfar's ambitious directorial debut begins as it means to go on. Aside from various interjections of narrative the film, for the most part, functions as a 130-minute extension of that moment. This is not necessarily a criticism however; stylistically it is suave, inventive and sexy, and I have never before been left feeling so libidinous and enticed by nicotine in such equally generous measures. The film is weakened though to an extent by a certain lack of substance, sacrificed as it is in favour of beautiful women, billowing smoke and anecdotal accuracy.

The strong first half of the film sets up the surreal element to Sfar's auteurship in the form of Gainsbourg's "gueule" - or "mug" in the English subtitles - an unsettling apparition who represents a troubled inner psyche. While Mottet-Klein plays the defiant and brazen young Jewish child in wartime France, this gueule appears as an enormous floating Jew's head, following him and risking his discovery by the Nazis. Lucien uses his skills as a painter to distract himself from feeling like an outsider as he queues to pick up his compulsory Star of David badge and fantasises about women three times his age. Later though, as the fully grown Gainsbourg (Eric Elmosnino) becomes more confident in his abilities both in music and seduction, this gueule reappears as a tall, stylishly vampiric marionette, not unlike 'The Count' from sesame street. The gueule by this point functions as an alter ego named "Gainsbarre"; the devil on Gainsbourg's shoulder, driving the self-destructive behaviour against which he is battling. Elmosnino's performance of this inner battle is quite fantastic; emphasised by an uncanny likeness to his real life counterpart, the transition from a talented but uncertain bar pianist to the suave yet abrasive, walking death-wish he becomes by the end of the film is very impressive. He is not done any great favours however, by Sfar's insistence on total biographical inclusion. The film flows as a series of fleeting, seemingly disconnected encounters with various people, making it difficult to cover anything in depth. Arguably each encounter bears some significance to Gainsburg's development as a character, but this development may have been explored more effectively through a merging of certain characters at the sacrifice of historical accuracy.

When push comes to shove, the film is largely enjoyable; visually Sfar has taken a lot of care in getting it exactly as he wanted and it's certainly worth seeing. The casting is notably excellent, particularly with regard to the array of entrancing beauties flitting about in various stages of undress. The soundtrack, too, is well incorporated and scenes like Gainsbourg and Boris Vian's (Phillipe Katerine) duet of "Je Bois" leave you ready to sell a kidney just to be as cool as them. Unfortunately though, as the plot develops, the lack of character exploration makes the increasingly haggard protagonist seem somewhat one-dimensional as he spirals into alcoholism and maltreatment of his wife. By the end it is harder to empathise with Gainsbourg, and the character depth achieved early on becomes lost to a degree behind an ever-darkening cloud of cigarette smoke.

Chiddy Bang

Chiddy Bang is a hip hop act from Philadelphia consisting of frontman Proto and producer/keyboardist Xaphoon Jones, along with drummer Zach Sewall and vocalist/guitarist Pat Braz. Oh, and they're also awesome. The newest in huge-white-fanbase rap, they have that hipster charm that make The Cool Kids so appealing, and I imagine they most likely get hated on by Gucci Mane fans. Either way, these first year college students (that's in the American sense - university) have created a beautiful marriage between engaging depth of content and mature, widely influenced production. You can download "Swelly Express," the mixtape they released some time last year; it's completely free and can be found here. Also, the new video for their single "Opposite of Adults," which both samples and improves MGMT's "Kids" is available to watch on youtube any time you like. I have however cut out the middle man and provided it for you right here:



The whole superimposed head effect works really well, I'm sure you'll agree, and if you want to see them live, they're supporting Hockey (odd, I know) in London, Manchester and Glasgow between the 24th and 26th February 2010.

New Vans Peacoat Chukkas

These arrived today; classic Vans Chukka shape in a peacoat-style wool, complete with anchor buttons attatched to a strap round each heel. I like the nautical theme, the material translates well onto a shoe, and I think the navy and black is a strong combination, regardless of what Grazia magazine might tell me..

Feeling Faint..

There's something almost perfect about this video. Put yourself in the kid's position; this is your first big television opportunity, you've been singing for years and you've finally been given the platform to show off your talents; you really don't want to mess it up. You've washed your hair, and even though it's a bit fluffy and silly, at least you feel clean and fresh. You've borrowed your older brother's all-white suit; it's a little on the big side, but it makes you feel like P. Diddy. The only problem is, the pressure's all getting a bit much now, and when the presenter does that excited grin, and there's an awkward delay before the music starts, it all gets the better of you..

It's just so funny, and you can see it all in the girl's face as well. He's doomed from the start, staggering around in front of the camera like a fool, and when he finally gives way she hardly even reacts; she's so ready to continue on her own. Behind her lifeless eyes you can almost see the words "Sam you dick, don't you ruin this for me.." And the fall is so incredible too! You couldn't ask for a better way to collapse; at almost the instant the music kicks in he falls forward, in one of the most spectacular displays of timing I have ever seen. Then he tries to stand and ends up in this odd, bouncy limbo before hurtling back the other way for a second crash. It just couldn't be better, right up until the uncomfortable round-up at the end. The presenter has completely no idea how to deal with it all, but I just applaud him for managing not to laugh. Bravo Sam and Hannah, bravo!