At my regular journal I reviewed a slew of recently watched movies, but kept it in the realm of more widely released flicks. Here are four others that were seen on 500 screens or less:
The Merry Gentleman (2008) - Michael Keaton (Batman) directs and stars in this character drama about a depressed hit man befriended by a woman on the run from domestic violence. The film is quirky and slow in parts, but contains great performances.
25th hour (2002) - This was Spike Lee's first full-length film post-9/11 and it is a strange sort of love story to the city of New York. Edward Norton (The Illusionist) plays a convicted drug dealer that has one day of freedom before being sent to jail for seven years. The character's love of NYC is balanced against his impending lack of freedom and the option to avoid incarceration.
Bottle Shock (2008) - Simply put, Bottle Shock is a sports movie...but with wine. This movie is the underdog story of California wines versus wine "snob" Steven Spurrier at the Judgment of Paris in 1976. It's an amusing movie with a cast including Alan Rickman (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), Bill Pullman (While You Were Sleeping) and Chris Pine (Star Trek).
Population 436 (2006) - Jeremy Sisto (Waitress) is a census taker that discovers a disturbing trend in population of Rockwell Falls. This is a fairly decent horror movie in the vein of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" or The Wicker Man. Not high art, not flawless, but a good addition to the creepy-small-town genre.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
One-Hit Wonder: White Town
In 1997, Jyoti Prakash Mishra's band White Town joined the ranks of the one-hit wonders with "Your Woman." The song reached #1 on UK charts and topped at #23 on Billboard's Hot 100.
A follow-up from the album Women in Technology was not forthcoming.
Unlike many other albums that spawn a one-hit wonder, Women in Technology contains other good tracks. Mishra's vocals are solid and the mixing on the more techno-aspected tracks, like "Thursday at the Blue Note," is pleasantly melodic and complex. One detriment to the album is that it is uneven in sound. While "Your Woman" is powered by a fairly driven beat, the remainder of the tracks are soporifically laid-back. The album's eponymous track is only a subtle synthesizer track from being a capella. While EMI UK backed Women in Technology, the relationship between the label and politically out-spoken Mishra was strained and EMI UK dropped White Town after just one album.
"Undressed" also from Women in Technology:
Women in Technology was not White Town's only album. It was preceded by Socialism, Sexism & Sexuality (1994) and followed by Peek & Poke (2000) and Don't Mention The War (2006). All were released independent of a major label. All three latter albums are available for download via Amazon.com and through other retailers. Peek & Poke and Don't Mention The War share many qualities of Women in Technology and also adds a measure of punk influence.
"Make the World Go Away" from 2006's Don't Mention The War:
A follow-up from the album Women in Technology was not forthcoming.
Unlike many other albums that spawn a one-hit wonder, Women in Technology contains other good tracks. Mishra's vocals are solid and the mixing on the more techno-aspected tracks, like "Thursday at the Blue Note," is pleasantly melodic and complex. One detriment to the album is that it is uneven in sound. While "Your Woman" is powered by a fairly driven beat, the remainder of the tracks are soporifically laid-back. The album's eponymous track is only a subtle synthesizer track from being a capella. While EMI UK backed Women in Technology, the relationship between the label and politically out-spoken Mishra was strained and EMI UK dropped White Town after just one album.
"Undressed" also from Women in Technology:
Women in Technology was not White Town's only album. It was preceded by Socialism, Sexism & Sexuality (1994) and followed by Peek & Poke (2000) and Don't Mention The War (2006). All were released independent of a major label. All three latter albums are available for download via Amazon.com and through other retailers. Peek & Poke and Don't Mention The War share many qualities of Women in Technology and also adds a measure of punk influence.
"Make the World Go Away" from 2006's Don't Mention The War:
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