Monday 28 October 2013

Seen & heard: October

Seen...
 

1. This is what happens when you go out with a philosphy graduate: you have to go and see films such as philosopher Slavoj Zizek's documentary, The Pervert's Guide To Ideology.  I can't pretend to have understood much of his "inventive interpretation of moving pictures to examine ideology - the collective fantasies that shape our beliefs and practices"* but it was enjoyable nonetheless.  I particularly liked the section on West Side Story, looking at how the narrative of a song such as Officer Krupke has echoes in liberal interpretations of the London riots.

2. From Dazed & Confused to School of Rock to the Before... trilogy, I'm a huge fan of everything director Richard Linklater has made, and Bernie turned out to be no exception.  Based on the true story of a small town funeral director in Texas who was convicted of the murder of a widow he'd befriended, it's a gentle film which ingeniously combines actors (Jack Black is particularly effective in the title role) with talking head interviews from the real townspeople. 

3. Like writer/director Martin McDonagh's previous feature In Bruges, this was a hugely enjoyable and at times shockingly violent black comedy about, well, seven psychopaths.  Colin Farrell was superb as an alcoholic screenwriter working on a script called Seven Psychopaths and watching as his screenplay slowly comes to life through the machinations of... well, that would be spoiling it.

I also went to see Alexei Sayle's first stand-up gig for many years, which was riotously funny and acerbically political, just as you would expect it to be.

* Source - www.imdb.com

Heard...


I've mostly been listening to lots of Midlake, after seeing them last week.  I can't wait for the new album next Monday!

2 comments:

  1. I also watched Seven Psychopaths this month and loved it! Between Christopher Walken and that little dog I was cracking up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Walken was so funny. I loved how audaciously silly the whole thing was.

      Delete