Starbody

as the end of the year draws to a close, i start to feel the need to sum up what i’ve digested and expelled. it’s more selfish than anything else and allows me to make the yearly promise to listen more, read more and write more in 2005.

out of the hundreds of movies released in 2004, i saw only a handful (and most of those on DVD). and while my love of horror flicks was filled by the Dawn Of The Dead and The Grudge, the movies that made the most impact were less than shocking. i loved Garden State, a subtle, understated, warm feeling of a debut movie for Zach Braff and Before Sunset, with its lovely and true dialogue. the sleeper winner for me was Dogville from Lars Von Trier. it had such a strange concept that the actors appeared stripped to their fundamental talent. i felt that it was clear that Chloe Sevigny is more uber-hipster than talented actress (avec bad taste in fashion). but what really made an impression were the moral/ethical questions it posed. i found myself thinking about the ideas presented for days afterward. Hero was beautiful, poetic and saturated with such color and a movie i will definitely see again. Ocean’s 12 was a bit fragmented and not as clever as the first but still enjoyable, that is, until the horrible cameo impersonation of herself Julia Roberts does. barf. i’m looking forward to the new movies of 2005: A Very Long Engagement starring Audrey Tatou and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and A History Of Violence directed by David Cronenberg and starring your favorite and mine, Viggo Mortensen.

and the year in music? there was so much released, lots that received acclaim from reviewers and radio stations alike. for me though, there were really only a few releases that really moved me. on the top of that list is guess who? The Arcade Fire with Funeral, an amazing pop achievement accompanied by an even more amazing show to prove that the hype is not just hype. Air delivered a fantastically beautiful and fluid full length with Talkie Walkie. and again, the show at the Paramount was such a lovely show, mellow and relaxing as shows usually aren’t. i was also fortunate enough to see their in-studio performance and interview at KEXP, charming in the way that only frenchman can be. Loretta Lynn’s Van Lear Rose definitely makes the list (as i had committed to in May). you only wish you could rock it like that at age 69. Snow Patrol’s Final Straw and Rachel Yamagata’s Happenstance were both added to my list of albums i could listen to over and over. Nick Cave, although much adored, released a double album Abbatoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus that really was hit and miss for me. i prefer my Nick Cave sans so much overdone gospel choir and folky, baby animal music. others worth mentioning: Neko Case - The Tigers Have Spoken, Tom Waits - Real Gone, Interpol - Antics,  Zero 7 - When It Falls and that nicely picked Garden State Soundtrack. and although it’s not a technically new, The Cure began the release of reissues of all of their studio albums, remastered and as double CDs with lots of extras. Three Imaginary Boys is out (and in my hot little hands). rumor is that they will be releasing the remainder of the catalog in threes with Seventeen Seconds, Faith and Pornography to be released sometime in the spring (February/March according to Chain Of Flowers). i cannot wait. if you can believe it, i’ve only ever owned Disintegration on cassette tape because Mark has a CD that is now mysteriously scratched and skipping. we are anxiously awaiting the re-release to re-buy.

whew. and before i stop, i need to tell you about some of the books i read this year. this year was a sad, sad year in books for me. i went through a phase on not reading anything at all which for me, is very strange indeed. fall became crunch time to catch up. i just got turned on to Diana Wynne Jones and why she should not be compared to JK Rowling. i devoured The Chronicles of Chrestmanci: Vol I and II, Howl’s Moving Castle and The Dark Lord of Derholm. i also was moved by King Leopold’s Ghost about the Belgian occupation of the Congo. and one of my favorite’s was Poppy Z Brite’s foodie book Liquor which i will definitely be reading again soon. 2005 brings the much anticipated new book from Haruki Murakami Kafka On The Shore. i will fight the urge to buy the proof on ebay.

and that’s it i think. the New Year’s resolutions are brewing along with many other end of the year deadlines (mostly work-related). i hope you all had a fruitful 2004. here’s to a crisp white notebook ready to start 2005.

note: i can’t believe i forgot Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, a film that made me weep. or we meep (as i first typed).