“Amélie” ou “(Le Destin Fabuleux d'Amélie Poulain)” (Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)

“Amélie” ou “(Le Destin Fabuleux d'Amélie Poulain)”

(Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)

Jean-Pierre Jeunet creates the fantastic and whimsical story of the painfully shy Amélie Poulain in “Amélie” or “Le Destin Fabuleux d'Amélie Poulain“. “Le Destin“ excels because of its childlike story telling and the deeply unique character development. It also doesn’t hurt that we are taken on a journey around the beautiful Parisian neighborhood of Montmartre.

Amélie (Audrey Tautou, Coco Avant Chanel, The Da Vinci Code) is a timid waitress who works at Café Les 2 Moulins (The Two Windmills). She was misdiagnosed with a heart defect as a young girl resulting in her being home-schooled and it limited her from interacting with other children making her the introvert she is.

The story begins right after the announcement of the late Lady Diana of Wales’s tragic death. When Amélie hears the news being broadcasted she drops her perfume stopper, which results in a tile coming lose from the base of her bathroom floor revealing a small treasure that “only the discoverer of King Tut’s tomb would have known what she felt.”

Amélie decides to search for the owner of this hidden treasure and comes to the conclusion that if the owner of the treasure is pleased to have his valuables back, she will devote her life to the mission of making others happy.

 While trying to find the owner of the wonderful prize, we are introduced to a group of amusing, and exceptionally deep characters that Amélie makes life interesting for. Amélie meets The Glass Man or Raymond Dufayel (Serge Merlin), who paints Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party, his bones are so fragile he cannot leave his apartment for risk of injuring himself, Monsieur Collingon (Urbain Cancelier), a rude grocery owner who mean-spiritedly names his impish employee, Lucien (Jamel Debbouze), “Le Cretin”, and the elusive Nino Quincampoix (Mathieu Kassovitz), a collector of scrapped photo booth strips, carnival worker, and sex shop clerk. Along the way, we also meet the eclectics that frequent the Café Les 2 Moulins (a hypochondriac, a rejected lover and a failed writer). 

“Amélie” is a charming yet mysterious story with youthful wonder about it. We are taken on elaborate journeys with brief stops for an inquisitive moment. Amélie orchestrates intricate meet-ups, creates her own distinct form of non-verbal communication, and even steals a gnome all for her cause of bringing others joy. Amélie’s imagination knows no bounds.

Amélie takes us on an exciting ride around Montmartre and shows us sights that normally a typical tourist wouldn’t get to see while visiting Paris. We see the beautiful Sacre Cœur Basilica, the raunchy Pigalle (Paris’s red-light district), and even the Café Les 2 Moulins are iconic to the picturesque Montmartre area.

“Amélie” reminds us to revel in the small joys of life. Taking time to skip stones, enjoying the texture of grain in her hand, or even taking a moment to look back at the audience’s face while at the cinema, Amélie warms our hearts.

With a rich story, fun characters, and a charming setting, it becomes clear that this is a story that will continue to delight fellow Francophiles and travelers alike. It’s a film that has potential to cross international borders to be enjoyed by anyone. “Amélie” does more than take us on a journey around Montmartre, it takes us on a journey within ourselves helping us find our own inner charm.

Foo Fighters, “Wasting Light” (RCA Records 2011)

Foo Fighters, “Wasting Light” (RCA Records 2011)

In an age where the rock band is a rarity, Foo Fighters’ “Wasting Light” reminds us to head bang again. Filled with heavy guitar riffs and buzzing drum fills, the Foos reveal the blister of raw emotion that is ready to burst in this seventh studio album.

Recounting memories from Dave Grohl’s past, “Wasting Light” has some familiar faces on deck. Nirvana’s “Nevermind” producer, Butch Vig, and bassist, Krist Novoselic, are invited to join the Foos in Dave Grohl’s garage for this “back to the basics” analog recording session. Although Pat Smear has previously played with the band, he cements his spot as a permanent Foo Fighter on this album.

Dave Grohl is never shy about jamming with his famous friends. Musicians such as Bob Mould, Fee Waybill, and Lemmy show up on “Wasting Light.” Producer Butch Vig also plays percussion on “Back & Forth”. This contributes to a sense of celebration of rock ‘n’ roll generated in the album.

In addition to there being many of the players from Nirvana, this album is not a Nirvana get together. Dave Grohl does not try to be Kurt Cobain, and the Foos work hard to serve each and every one of their songs without being overly nostalgic and dwelling too long on the past although there are instances where the past is referenced.

Sprinkled generously throughout the album, Grohl reflects on moments from his past as well as meditating on his future. Songs such as “White Limo” pays homage to Grohl’s punk days living in Washington D.C. and “Arlandria” named after the Virginia neighborhood that Grohl grew up in. Also, “These Days” reminds the listener of an almost father like figure  telling us it’ll get better one of these days (even though we all die in the end). “Walk” also was written in reference to Grohl’s daughter, Violet, and his teaching moment as a parent in helping her take her first steps.

“Wasting Light” is the epitome of a rock album and shows that there are a bevy of wise decisions being made behind the scenes. From the production, to the choice of musicians, “Wasting Light” rolls out the 

musical equivalent of what bad-ass sounds like. 

Unfortunately, the modern rock bands of today are not cut of the same cloth as the Foo Fighters. To quote Neil Young and the late Kurt Cobain “It’s better to burn out, than to fade away.”  sadly, many of their predecessors have followed this dismal path. However, Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters seem to think that there is a third option, and they simply refuse to do either.

Critics of the Round Table

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jarz6DvTLmU
http://www.wbez.org/blogs/jim-derogatis/2013-04/we-don%E2%80%99t-need-no-stinkin%E2%80%99-critics%E2%80%A6-or-do-we-106783

There are many challenges that critics today face. In a world where just about everyone's a critic, how does the professional make his or her words heard among a sea of garbage? Well, with the help of a few veterans, there is now a light at the end of the tunnel.

Critics Donna Seaman, Don Hall, Sarah Zupko, Andrew Barber,  LaShawn Williams,Jim “Tankboy” Kopeny, Duncan MacKenzie, Richard Holland, Drew Hunt, and Leah Pickett join forces to shed some light on the world of criticism and the daily challenges they face as reviewers. “A critic can tell whether a movie or something will meet everyone’s needs” Sarah Zupko, editor of the Chicago-based “Pop Matters,” said. “It’s important to move beyond yourself, it’s not just your opinion,” Zupko continues. Which is an excellent point because the writer should always be aware of the audience. As Roger Ebert writes in his “Little Rule Book”: “advise the readers well.” In addition to telling readers what we love or hate, we need provide insight into the experience of the art, whether that be some history on the subject or a sensory rich description of the piece.

We are constantly surrounded by marketing and media. There isn’t one thing that it hasn’t touched. Donna Seaman warns against conflicts of interest and blurred lines. The topic of Pitchfork comes up when panelists discuss conflicts of interest. They also can’t come to a consensus on Pitchfork hosting music festivals with the artists that they review. Seaman calls this a “gray area” and another panelist says that the festival is what keeps the Pitchfork going. Jim DeRogatis, along with several other panelists have very strong opinions about the subject, commenting on the fact that this may compromise the integrity of Pitchfork. Again, this seems to break another one of Ebert’s rules when he writes “no commercial endorsements.” When the writers of Pitchfork review the artists who later appear at their festival it gives off the same vibe as “payola”. Unfortunately by doing this, not only does it cheapen the publication, it cheapens the art. 

Finally, Leah Pickett brings up an excellent point when it comes to criticism and writing negative and positive reviews. “When you go into something you go because you love it,” Pickett says “you want it to be good.” She discusses how important it is to go to something with no preconceived notions at all, so when it is bad, you are truly let down. Who knows? maybe you’ll be there for Britney Spears’s “King of Carrot Flowers” and you’ll be able to write about it. Even without preconceived it isn’t always going to be easy to write a review. One panelist recounts seeing a movie that was so mediocre that it was nearly tormenting. “It’s literally nothing, it’s not even bad, bad is so much better than something that exists on a screen.”

Reviews of Reviews

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/beyonce-20131214

A solid review requires three things: insight, evidence, and context. Rob Sheffield's review of Beyoncé’s self entitled album that was released at the tail end of 2013 is an example of a poorly written review, because it does not meet all of the requirements. Although Sheffield provides context for “Beyoncé”, It lacks insight and a substantial amount of evidence to back up himself up.

While meeting some of the criteria, Sheffield provides a fair amount of context for the album, placing the surprise release among the likes of Kanye West, David Bowie and My Bloody Valentine. Unfortunately, Sheffield neglects a few important facts and ends up belittling these artists along the way.
Sheffield writes “David Bowie, Kanye West and My Bloody Valentine pulled off stealth releases earlier this year. But this is a bigger deal because it's Beyoncé,” . What? Seriously? My Bloody Valentine hasn’t released anything in 20 years, Bowie’s last studio album came out in 2003, and Kanye earned spots on several “Best Album of 2013” lists with “Yeezus”. Sheffield is making a pretty lofty statement here. This is not to say that  Beyoncé isn’t talented, but come on. Is there a need to slam these other very talented artists? And “because it’s Beyoncé” is pretty poor evidence to back this comment up. There are seventh graders that can come up with a better argument than that.

Sheffield does mention that Beyoncé’s visual album involves the talents of people like Jonas Åkerlund and Hype Williams, Jay-Z, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, her daughter Blue, and Frank Ocean. What Sheffield fails to recognize is that Kanye’s “Yeezus” also involves the the talents of some highly notables. For example, Justin Vernon, Chief Keef, Kid Cudi, Charlie Wilson, and Frank Ocean. With similar talents being shared, Sheffield manages to knock another artist.

Context aside, Sheffield neglects to say why he finds the album enjoyable. Where is his insight? He seems to always be referencing the sex related songs off the album. “‘Blow’, the best track here, a song about oral sex that has an air of melancholy in the chilly neo-disco groove. There's a similar mood in her excellent Drake duet ‘Mine’." Sheffield also mentions that “the highlights are the sex songs. ‘Drunk in Love’ is a superb duet with Jay Z, 10 years after "Crazy in Love." These two still can't keep their fingers off each other.” What about the girl power song “***Flawless” that features the inspiring Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie? or “XO” a youth filled song that makes you feel like you’re in love for the first time? The sex charged songs are just as important, but “Beyoncé” is deeper than that.


http://www.avclub.com/review/beyonces-surprise-album-is-her-most-substantial-an-200652

On the other hand, The A.V. Club’s Evan Rytlewski does a better job reviewing the surprise album. Rytlewski manages to hit all three requirements of writing a good review. In fact, he touches on all three within the first paragraph. Rytlewski refers to the slew of underwraps albums released during 2013, giving context to “Beyoncé”.  He then proceeds to provide insight by calling Beyoncé’s self entitled “candid” and “daring”. Topped with a comment like “Beyoncé was able to keep a project of this scale completely under wraps is one of the most impressive tricks of her career”, he backs up his statements.

Throughout Rytlewski’s review of “Beyoncé” continues to bring home all three points. He continues to provide more context for “Beyoncé” without being too summarizing, comparing the album to Justin Timberlake’s “20/20 Experience”. He also gives more insight into what the album’s message is trying to convey, for example touching on writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s presence on the album and the topic of society’s impossible standard of beauty on the opening track “Pretty Hurts”.

Overall, Evan Rytlewski delves further into the album than Rob Sheffield. Rytlewski lets listeners know that this pop star is singing about some pretty heavy topics like marital strife, miscarriage, and post-partum depression. Whereas all Sheffield only seems to be interested in the steamy, sexually charged numbers. Sheffield almost chastises Beyoncé stating that there are “too many pageant-ready ballads about believing in your dreams and reaching your goals” which is an impersonal statement riding off the experiences that make Beyoncé the woman she is today. Rytlewski efficiently touches on all aspects of the tremendous album and reminds listeners that this is what makes Beyoncé empowering.