Sofia Coppola returns with Somewhere, the 4th feature film addition to her modest, yet accomplished body of work. The film stars Stephen Dorff as bad-boy actor Johnny Marco who lives at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood and gets an unexpected visit from his 11 year old daughter, played by the stunning, Elle Fanning. I loved all 3 of Sofia’s feature films (despite her fascination with casting Kirsten Dunst) and I’m looking forward to December when this latest gem hits theatres. There are already whispers of another Oscar nomination for Sofia, while other critics are cringing at the decision to cast has-been Stephen Dorff in the lead role (come on, everyone loves a come-back story). I predict that this film will be much like her previous 3, full of breath-taking visuals, emotional performances and perfect musical scoring. (I can’t wait to hear what Phoenix comes up with for the score.)
I just wanted to thank Gerry at the Centennial Concert Hall for the tickets to the David Gray concert last night. The venue was perfect, the audience had great energy and a guy sitting 3 seats down from us proposed to his girlfriend during the concert… she said yes!
It’s been awhile since I last posted, and I have a huge backlog of articles and opinions to catch up on. It’s Friday, however, and no one really has the mental capacity to listen to me anyway. Instead, I’ve decided to post a few tunes from the latest few albums I’ve picked up.
I hope you enjoy.
A couple albums currently spinning in our car stereo – Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, and the new Vampire Weekend. Both albums sport simplistic cover art. There is a lot to be said for honest photography, clean typography, and crisp cardboard packaging. Go out an pick them up if you haven’t already, they’re worth the listen. On that note, is there anything better than buying a new disc and pulling into traffic with Track 1 cranked to 11? I didn’t think so.
In completely random news, The Whigs are set to release a new album this coming spring and they have a couple new tracks available to download from their site. I thought I’d share the link (although I’m pretty sure if I share the tunes they’re going to come after me) mainly because I like the strategy they employed by suckering me into giving them my email address to send me the mp3’s. Shrewd move Whigs, shrewd move.
Elliott Brood. If you haven’t seen them live, please do so. For just under 2 hours last night they put on a blistering performance at the new West End Cultural Centre. They scorched through much of their material from their two releases “Ambassador” and “Mountain Meadows” before sounding off on two Neil Young covers, “Dance, Dance, Dance” and “Powderfinger” for their first of two encores. Promising to “shake this new floor”, they showered the fully-engaged crowd with praise throughout the night and repeatedly stated their love for Winnipeg (and more specifically, the Times Changed). It was great testament to the energy you can create by pouring your heart and soul into the things that you love.
I’ve never been a big fan of The Tragically Hip and, up until recently, I would’ve been hard pressed to name any of their songs. However, a few weeks ago while camping, my friends
Kirk and Melissa enlightened me with their version of Wheat Kings. I don’t know if it was the ambience of the guitar and the campfire, or if it was just the fact that Gordon Downie wasn’t singing, but I fell in love with that song. Callum and Tyler were lucky enough to sneak into
the Centennial Concert Hall last night to experience the show. Even though they didn’t
perform Wheat Kings, I’m a wee bit jealous I wasn’t there. Click here to see more pics of
A couple of week back I posted the preview for Julian Casablancas’ upcoming solo release. I remarked how I have a soft spot for late 70’s/early 80’s graphics. I’m still on the fence for what my overall opinion is on the concept for the album, perhaps only time will tell. I certainly dig this clever cover, however, I’d love to hear your thoughts…
As a current mixtaper, this project really excites me. For the past 2 years a group of 5 fellow music lovers and myself have been trading mixtapes cross-city and cross-country on a monthly basis. We’re always looking for new music and new artists, and evidently The Middle Distance Runner feels the same way as us!
I’m not sure what to say exactly about Julian Casablancas upcoming solo album, except for as a long time Strokes fan I’ll buy pretty much anything he’ll put out. I will say, however, I have a real soft spot for late 70’s/early 80’s style motion graphics. Take a peek at the newly released promo video for Julian’s upcoming album and you’ll know what I mean.
