This is a movie that, by its very title, advertises itself as science fiction. But it’s not, not really. I mean, it’s barely science fiction. It’s not science fiction in the way you expect. MILD SPOILER ALERT
Tag: 2011
The Ides of March (2011, George Clooney)
This appears to be Clooney’s attempt to show how a truly “good” candidate would fair in the US primaries. (Why are these films always about primaries? Oh, right, because the US has a bizarre system.)
Symphonies 3-5 (2011) by H.W. Henze, performed by Rundfunk-Sinfoniorchester Berlin, conducted by Marek Janowski
This is an excellent set of three of Henze’s symphonies, showing him at perhaps his most radical stage. This is the kind of modernist “classical” that I just love; bonkers writing and bonkers arrangements.
The Adjustment Bureau (2011, George Nolfi)
I guess there are some SPOILERS!
Do the Work (2011) by Steven Pressfield
If you struggle with completing things on time, or completing things at all, this is a book for you. (When I say things, I mean creative endeavours.) However, you really only need to read Pressfield’s The War of Art, as this book repeats many of the themes discussed there. This book is helpful to me, …
Winterland [Highlights] (2011) by the Jimi Hendrix Experience
This is the “highlights” disc taken from the Box Set documenting three Experience shows at the Winterland in October of 1968.
Boardwalk Empire (2010)
SPOILERS!!!
Joseph Haydn: String Quartets Op. 20 ‘Sun’ (2011) by the London Haydn Quartet
As with his symphonies and some of his other works, Haydn wrote a ton of String Quartets. Just an absolute ton. This set collects the 23rd through 28th, all of which were written at the same time, as one cycle or collection. They are considered by most people to be the birth of the modern …
Symphonies Nos. 104, 88, 101 by Joseph Haydn (2011) performed by Philharmonia Baroque conducted by Nicholas McGegan
The so-called “London” symphony starts off with such a modern opening I almost thought I was listening to the wrong work – it’s practically Romantic. But the music soon settles in to what we would expect. Still, as first experiences with “The Father of the Symphony” go, it was quite shocking. Otherwise I guess it’s …
The Eagle (2011, Kevin Macdonald)
This movie tries really hard. It’s clear a lot of effort went into the film, including the costumes and, particularly, the use of Gaelic – even though, with a few minutes research, it turns out it likely wasn’t Gaelic they would have been speaking.
The Killing (2011)
I had heard very mixed things about this show – both that it is excellent and that it is terrible – from both critics and regular people. I had always hoped to watch the original version first, but found it was much easier to get hold of the American version, and so I have watched …
Forces speciales (2011, Stephane Rybojad)
This film was brought to you by the Armed Forces of France.
The Bridge aka Bron (2011)
I am reviewing the first season of Bron because I have no intention of watching future seasons. (Though I have heard the second season of the American version of The Bridge is very good so maybe if I do try the American version, I will get that far.) The following review contains spoilers.
Bored to Death (2009)
I can’t really tell you how much I love this show, a playful send up / take down of tired noir / hard boiled detective cliches mixed with a celebration / attack on the writer’s role in contemporary society, specifically, and the role of Brooklyn as cultural epicentre, more broadly. I get that it’s a …
Treme (2010)
This review of Treme contains some spoilers.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011, Tomas Alfredson)
For a while I have wanted to watch first the original version of this and then this remake. However, I lost my American netflix awhile ago and haven’t yet got it back. And I stupidly gave in and watched the remake first. I say ‘stupidly’ because this is an idiosyncratic thriller and I may have …
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011, David Fincher)
Aside from the bizarre, music video opening – which also features a terrible cover of “Immigrant Song” – and the bizarre “Swedish” accents of all the Swedish characters (a huge pet peeve of mine in any English language film set in a foreign country), I think this is probably superior, as a film, to the …
Messiah (2011) by Georg Friedrich Handel, performed by Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Choir, directed by Ivars Taurins
For something so unbelievably famous, I am shocked at how little of this (I believe) I have heard over the years. Pretty much just the “Hallelujah” chorus is all I recognize.
Violin Sonatas: Bartok / Strauss / Grieg (2011) by Vilde Frang
This is a strong collection of mid-to-late Romantic and early modern violin sonatas. The collection spans a very long period of time.
Civilization (2011) by Niall Ferguson
This appears to me to be an attempt by Ferguson to provide a sort of sequel to Guns, Germs and Steel. I say that because both books begin the same way – the attempt to answer a question about Europe’s predominance over the last few hundred years and because Ferguson makes multiple reference’s to Diamond. …
The Complete Concertos (2011) by Alexander Glazunov, Performed by the Russian National Orchestra conducted by Jose Serebrier
I can be quite picky about compilations, especially when there is a supposed theme to them, such as “violin concertos.” I generally want my music to be at least of the same era – and performed by the same people – rather than a hodgepodge that some record exec thought was a good idea.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (2011, David Yates)
For one brief, incredible moment they had me: I thought I was about to witness the ballsiest act in movie franchise history – because I don’t read much fantasy, I know nothing about where it would fit in fantasy franchise history – and I was in the process of being blown away when, of course, …
Fast Five (2011, Justin Lin)
In the very first scene in this movie, most of the principals should have died. So, really, the movie shouldn’t exist. You may wonder why I watched the fifth movie in a series without having seen the first four. In fact, you might suggest that it is totally unfair that I judge the fifth movie …
Breaking Bad (2008)
This review obviously contains spoilers.
30 Rock (2006)
When Seinfeld ended, I was done with the sit-com. I honestly didn’t see what it could possibly offer me any more. Television was getting smarter – and would get significantly smarter over the next decade – and I just couldn’t handle being told when to laugh or having to suspend my disbelief to laugh at …
The Divinity of Doubt (2011) by Vincent Bugliosi
It’s hard to know what to say about this book: I agree – most of the time – with Bugliosi’s position on this subject. But, as with his Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, this comes off as an unorganized rant that is made all the worse because he constantly claims other people – …
Melancholia (2011, Lars Von Trier)
Mental illness is very difficult to portray on screen, but when it’s done well – in this film or Take Shelter, a very similar film in many ways, or Rachel Getting Married – it can be quite affecting. However, Von Trier seems to be suggesting that mental illness gives us some kind of superior insight …
Piano Quintent; String Quartet by Edward Elgar (2011) performed by Goldern Quartet, Piers Lane
This is an odd combination: we get a string quartet, piano pieces seemingly picked at random from two separate eras of his career, and the piano quintet. I guess they wanted to give us our money’s worth or something.
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: Lockout to Lockout
Only one team in the entire 30 team NHL went from the last lockout (2004-05) to this one without a single playoff appearance: the Toronto Maple Leafs. Only four teams missed the playoffs at least 5 times: the Oilers (6 times), the Islanders and the Thrashers. One of these teams has a pretty good excuse: …
Essential Delius (2011) by Various Artists
This is a compilation and so we have to treat it with a bit of skepticism. But it does contain most of the major orchestral works of his, and so it does offer a good intro, even the performances aren’t exactly standardized. I remain slightly reticent to get into Frederick Delius and I can’t exactly …