"No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap." Carrie Snow

In Portland, the new indie-dominated town, Goldmund has risen. I think this piece of music is really beautifully constucted. It is, as one critic said, "so so beautiful". It is. I wish I could say something that would be more eloquent, but it would only detract from the song itself I think. It's a couple of years old, but it's still so lovely.

Goldmund - Evelyn






Ingrid Bergman and Alfred Hitchcock

Nicolas Jaar

For everything that I say on this, take this one on board. This guy is 22 years old. He's MY AGE! And his wealth of music is so insane. Nicolas Jaar's Essential Mix. Listen to this.

http://soundcloud.com/everybodywantstobethedj/nicolas-jaar-essential-mix-05

Also, listen to this tune. It's called "I Keep Secrets" by Kova. I couldn't find a YouTube link.

http://kova.bandcamp.com/track/i-keep-secrets

Here's some images I have been looking at today.

Dark Teens

I am going to compile a list of films that are basically teen films, but their themes are dark. I mean, I'll be honest. For the last few years, it has been my favourite genre. I'm not sure why. I am drawn into the depravity of youth perhaps? That sounds so negative! For whatever reason, I continue to enjoy this twisted genre.

Kids - Larry Clark (1995)
Let's be honest; this will not be the only Larry Clark film on this list. I love him. He's my favourite director. I said that once in a film class and the tutor shot daggers at me before saying, "He's to disgusting to be your favourite director." I mean, she was old, but really?
Anyway, I love this film so much. On its release it faced huge critical bashing because its central plot was that of Jennie, a 15 year old who had sex once and tests positive to HIV. It's all inner-city New York, which in the 90s was not the safest place to be. The two lead guys, Casper and Telly are completely repulsive characters with little positives to speak of, except I don't hate them, I pity their complete lack of response to social norms. Their never-ending quest to take the virginities of the girls around them is uncomfortable to watch, but I compare it to an eclipse - you know you shouldn't be watching it, but you can't help it.
Clark's directing is voyeuristic, and you feel like you shouldn't be a part of it, but you can't look away. This film is fucking brilliant in my opinion.

Elephant - Gus Van Sant (2003)

In the same vein as Larry Clark, Gus Van Sant is an auteur. His films are always uniquely "him". Elephant was the absolute deserved winner of the Palme d'Or in its year of release. It looks at the frightening incident of the Columbine highschool massacre that occured in the 90s, which sparked so much debate over the gun laws in the States. But what this does so well is it doesn't romanticise the issue. The film is done in this strange almost real-time way. It's really stunning, with long shots of students just walking down the corridor. It has scenes which look at the small issues that fill in teens lives. And then the massacre begins. It's insane. I love this film, I love Gus Van Sant's work. I mean, Good Will Hunting remains with me as probably one of the best films I have ever had the absolute pleasure of watching.

Mysterious Skin - Gregg Akari (2004)

This is, I guess for want of a better word, weird. It's seriously weird. It was banned for a short-time in Australia before it got it's straight-to-DVD release. It stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt in that time period he had in between Third Rock from the Sun and 500 days of Summer. Things got weird for him, in the same way that Mysterious Skin is farked up, so is another flick of his called Brick from the year after this. Anyway, this is a really weird film. Gordon-Levitt plays a strange, cynical gay hustler from an abused childhood who strikes up an unusual friendship with Brian (Brady Corbet from Thirteen), who believes he was abducted by aliens as an 8 year old child, but can't remember it properly. It does have scenes of sexual violence and child abuse. It can be hard to watch, but because of how unusual the plot is, it's interesting.

2:37 - Murali K. Thuralli (2006)
I loved this movie when it first came out. I've watched it since then and I think that the acting is questionable at the absolute best. It's an Australian film. In the opening scene, the time is 2:37, and an unknown student at a highschool commits suicide in the bathroom. The film goes back to the start of the day and we follow six highschool students around, who are all haunted by their own psychological issues which could lead to their eventual suicide - but who dunit!? That's the big question. I mean, some of the characters are irritatingly retarded, but it's still an interesting concept, if not slightly overdone. Worth watching however.
As one critic said, "with all its faults, it's hard to hate 2:37".

Ken Park - Larry Clark (2002)
This film is still banned in Australia. I mean, I guess kind of unsurprisingly. It's incredibly graphic and its content is so outrageously taboo. Pedophilia, incest, rape, suicide. The film starts with a skater, aptly named Ken Park, shooting himself in the head at a skate park. This is used a basic predecessor for the other totally unruly and blatantly dicrepit acts carried out by others in the neighbourhood. Through all of its uncomfortableness and just total lack of self-respect to humans, I think this film is quite incredible! Ha ha. Clark definitely does not ever hold back. It's crazy to see how far he is willing to push boundaries reverberating far beyond social norms.

I have more, and I will return with more. I wrote a huge post and then my computer had a total meltdown and I lost it all. How irritating.

Word.

Peace.

"You guys need professional help." Donny - Bully

For some ridiculous reason, everytime I press enter on my actual writing of the blog, it doesn't show up in my post, so it looks like I am fan of ridiculously long paragraphs which make for pretty unpleasant reading. But, I am attempting to do something about it (aka, continuing to press enter, hoping it will fix itself.) I need a study break. [enter] !! Once again, my man Jimmy hooked me up with this tune. I will always attribute music that I discover off him too him, but he would never do the same - ha ha! This track is by Jessie Ware and it's called 110%. It was produced by a personal favourite of mine Julio Bashmore. I really like his beats. I have posted about them previously. The film clip of this is visually stimulating. I think she's magnificently stunning, and Julio does a little cameo at the end there... Excellent times. Her voice is really gorgeous, and suits this type of music really well. Besides this, I was at work the other day, and I have decided to stitch up my friend Kat, who I'm almost 100% positive will never read this. I put on D'Angelo - who I fucking love - and she turns to me and goes, "Liv... why do you do this too me? This actually turns me on." Who can blame her? D'Angelo is ridiculous (it looks and beats - not beats women). Untitled (How Does it Feel?) Feel like Makin' Love. I LOVE youtube top comments, and this one is "you can actually get pregnant just listening to this song." so, Kat, it seems like it's not just us turned on by these tunes babe. I am going to chuck an Otis Redding track in here as well, because I've had him on high-rotation lately. Everytime I'm in assessment period, I start to listen to really chilled out tracks. This song is a beautiful one. A Change is Gonna Come. Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, up next was a tune I got from the man himself Giles Peterson. I do love him. Obenewa - Make It Better. I can only find a fucking remix of it, which doesn't even shine a light to the original, which is pissing me off. Yeeepppp... Here's The Pharcyde - Passin Me By. For no other reason then it's a fucking dope track. This one is probably one of the best covers I've EVER HEARD. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME WITH THIS COVER. IT'S SO FUNKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a regularly covered track Louie Louie but done by skaaaa band Toots & Maytals. It's outrageously happy and epic. Suuuuuuuuuuuch a fucking tuuuuuuuuuuuuune!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But let's be honest, what you're all here expecting is some TERRY RICHARDSON SNAPS Let's do it! rder="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-cPYA3SJb3I2Dy5T04MWJWCM3PaIwoOhe8ewEEyCFOY5o44wgC95fOv6g1ei5GEw5Ybv0dVA1sggPIVW8P4K7J1UMjfnFMNi8pPh3XjIjdzLb7RdYav6QpQaK1id07amklIE3iKcEaTE/s400/tumblr_lz3kh7IYAA1qa42jro1_500.jpg" />

"Sometimes it's right to do the wrong thing, and right now is one of those times."

Ola. Two posts in two days! You lucky folk, you. The title of this post is pretty relevant. It is from the film The Wackness, which is epic, but I am meant to be finishing an assignment due tonight (by finish I mean... start... write... finish). But, I have decided to do writing I enjoy before bashing out 2000 words. Anyway, I had the incredible pleasure of discovering two young youtube sensations this week. Their names are Lennon and Maisy and they are EIGHT AND TWELVE YEARS OLD. Which might not seem THAT incredible, until you watch how talented they are. I'll be honest, I actually haven't heard a lot of the original songs from which they are covering, but I don't think that really matters. They are so incredible, I'm just going to throw in a whole bunch of their clips. How are they not signed yet? Do not make them popstars! Their musical sensibility is too amazing for pop - or for that crappy Angus and Julia Stone shit. Make them a Cat Power second coming duo. Robyn Cover - Call Your Girlfriend Jason Mraz Cover (that guy is a serious douche though) - I Won't Give Up The Swell Season Cover - When Your Minds Made Up Jessie J - Price Tag Matthew Perry Jones - When it All Falls Apart. From what I can gather from the top rated comment, it seems that the originals of this track actually thanked them for doing a cover of it, that's pretty sweet. This is the SEVEN YEAR OLD doing a cover of Till There Was You

"You're probably just having a mid-life crisis. Did you buy a Porsche yet?"

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Trailer Mash Ups

The power of editing is incredible. I have compiled a list of some of my favourite trailer re-edits to make the film seemingly completely different from the original. It's incredible what these people have done. Really enjoyable to watch. I have put the film name, and what the editor was attempting to achieve.

Stephen King's IT as a family film:


The Big Lebowski - drama!


You've Got Mail - Suspense thriller


Willy Wonka as a horror (this didn't take much, I don't think. That film is creepy.)


This one's my favourite
Ferris Bueller made to seem like a Sofia Coppola film


Wes Anderson's The Fellowship of the Ring


The Coen Brother's Wizard of Oz:

"I’ve been listening to my gut since I was 14 years old, and frankly speaking, I’ve come to the conclusion that my guts have shit for brains.”

Oh, I forgot this song. I purchased the album recently, it's a great listen.


This is so beautiful.

Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again

"If I could have any job in the world, I'd be a professional Cinderella." Lisa

It's been exactly two months since my last confession (post) (what a barry). I saw this film with Sean Penn in it last night, This Must Be The Place. It was spectacularly weird. I mean that. He looks exactly like Robert Smith, and is playing character quite like him. It has a cameo of David Byrn in it. I remember once hearing a radio DJ say that David was the strangest and most interesting man he'd ever interview, and I can believe that. The score of the film was great. It's definitely worth watching, but it's a strange ride.

Ah, here's a track from it.
Talking Heads - This must be the place
(no, not Arcade Fire...)


And here's Psycho Killer, because it's good.



And here's Mos Def - Umi Says.
This is great fucking song.



I fucking hate Drake. I hate Drake. I hate Drake. I am so sad that Drake is big these days, when this song is really, really good and better than that weiner Drake. I say this because I see in the comments someone talk about Drake on this clip, and I just think it's completely incomparable. Disgusting. If your ears have had the unfortunate chance of listening to that Drake and Rhianna song, I pity you.

I managed to catch Maceo Parker at Blues this year, it was so good. John Butler went off. Earth Wind and Fire was predictably dope. Blue King Brown was fun, and political (as usual). Caught a sweet band called Kooii, funky. Great weekend.

Here's a sax jam with Maceo
Maceo Parker - Advanced Funk


Earth, Wind and Fire - Let's Groove! (we did).

I'll be back.
Liv.

"I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." Harry Burns - When Harry Met Sally

I am a totally insensitive, unromantic soul. I genuinely detest Valentine's Day. Not in that retarded sense of "this day is so commerical, I HATE it." But romance makes me uncomfortable, and an entire global day dedicated to it has always been an idea that is completely lost on me. I'm not trying to be attention seeking. This is an example of attention seeking hater of Valentines' Day (aka: fraud).

Girl: I hate Valentines' Day.
Boy: Yeah it's shit hey.
Girl: Yeah, let's just ignore it hey.

Valentines' Day comes.... and goes...

Girl: What the fuck?!

These gender roles can be reversed.

Anyway. Enough babble. The point of this is I do not like this day at all, but I LOVE romantic songs. Soul, pop, rock, acoustic. I really enjoy romance in song form. Here's my own V-day playlist.

Mayer Hawthorne - No Strings
This song is definitely not very romantic, but it's sexy.

Etta James - At Last

Aloe Blacc - You Make Me Smile

D'Angelo - Cruisin'

The Moldy Peaches - Anyone Else But You...


Erykah Badu feat. Common - Love of my Life


Led Zeppelin - The Rain Song


Neil Young - Harvest Moon


Elliott Smith - Thirteen


Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps





Happy Lovin'.

Dark Days

One of the most incredible documentaries I've ever seen was Dark Days (2000) directed by Marc Singer. In won three awards at Sundance in 2000, including the audience award. The film is a beautifully constructed portrait of a group of homeless people who reside permanently in the tunnels of New York's underground, which the residents had named The Freedom Tunnel. It's a really incredible journey, and you become attached to the people on screen as they describe how they ended up in such dire living situations. They are basically the forgotten "mole people" of New York, and America. Singer was not a filmmaker before the release of this, he was actually living underground when one of his friends made the suggestion that a film should be made about what was really an ignored aspect of this thriving city. Singer decided to go ahead and make the film, but his main aim was that it would draw attention to the situation, and that those who were a part of it would receive help. It's beautifully melancholy, and although the subject matter is disturbingly morose, you can't help but be drawn in and begin to enjoy it. The film is shot in black and white, which apparently was not an artistic preference, but Singer was told by a friend that if he didn't know how to shoot properly in colour he would "fuck it up and it would all come out green and red."

It's emotionally charged yet it has no dramatic romanticism.

Beside the beauty that is the film itself, it comes with an amazing soundtrack by none other than DJ Shadow. I wanted to write about the amazing story that comes with it, but it's long and I couldn't think of a more fascinating way to write it so I've just copied it directly from IMDb

The soundtrack for the film was provided by DJ Shadow (aka Josh Davis), who is a critically-acclaimed producer and DJ. He is notorious, however, for being very protective of licensing his music for other venues or projects, having declined many other scoring offers in the past. When a friend of Singer's saw the footage assembled to a rough cut, he suggested Shadow for the soundtrack. Singer got hold of a couple of Shadow's albums, and loved the music so much, he began to cut the music into his film without any contact with the DJ. When fellow producer Ben Freedman told him he would need the rights to the music, the duo concocted a scheme whereby they would write a note to him and give it to an attractive female friend who would go backstage after a show and personally hand-deliver it. It worked. Weeks later, the two scheduled a flight to LA to coincide with a last-minute meeting with Shadow and his agent. According to Shadow, he was prepared to turn down the men's offer to use his music. But when they showed him a rough edit of the film with his music that Singer had already cut-in, Shadow was taken aback and completely impressed. He not only let them use existing titles, but even remixed some older tracks intercut with new audio samples recorded by Singer in the tunnels as a special score done for the film.



You can find this film on documentaryheaven.com - seriously... watch this fucking film.

Love
Liv

"The concept of absurdity is something I'm attracted too." David Lynch

I've been away from this blog for sometime, and for no proper reason then I had little-to-no inspiration to add. But I've just spent my entire day listening to great new tunes for myself, and reading about just absolutely anything to do with film.

This awards season is actually the one that I've been the most excited for. I haven't seen The Artist yet, and although it's reviews are so incredible, I think it might be borderline "pure wank" than "pure art", but I am terrible at judging films before I see them. I saw both Hugo and The Descendants, and both struck a great cord with me. Both fantastically entrancing films and Hugo is beautifully shot - which from Scorsese I would expect nothing less. The Descendants surprised me. I knew that I would enjoy it, but the amount that I did was the unprecedented part. Alexander Payne is fantastic at his job, and his ability to juxtapose overwhelmingly emotional scenes with a hilarious moment is done with such ease, instead of being an obvious attempt of "dark humour". I was left somewhat confused, should I be happy, sad, satisfied? But I felt blissful, it is truly really a great cinematic feat.

If you find yourself with a spare couple of hours, I would also recommend downloading Martha Marcy May Marlene. It's the forgotten Olsen sister's debut, and she's amazing! Elizabeth Olsen had sworn that she would finish college before trying to break into acting, and at 22, she has made an incredible burst onto the scene. The film debut at Cannes last year to great critical reception, but only had limited release in the States, and I'm not sure if it even came to Australia, I know it didn't hit Brisbane. Regardless, it's really beautiful. Slow-paced, the film is a psychological thriller about Martha, who ran away from home joining a strange hippie-like religious sect, only to be over exposed to an irrationally bizarre lifestyle. She again runs away from this back to her newly-wed sister, and the film is a series of flashbacks to her life in the cult, explaining why she acts the way she does.

Anyway, here's some tunes.

Kae - Happy


She's just new onto the music scene, but her album is full of amazing producers and collaborations including The Roots and Robert Glasper. She sounds like Erykah Badu. This is really, really good music.


Frenic - Alright


Jurgen Muller - Sea Bed Meditation


Nest - Kyoto




Goodbye