Mozart's Pageturner

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Monday, July 21, 2003

Just the Right Word
whoops - excl - as in, I forgot to post on Friday

Artist Awareness
Fountains of Wayne - They have three albums out: Fountains of Wayne, Utopia Parkway, and Welcome Interstate Managers. They are led by Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood, two young men who must think and dream in melody and hooks, because the pop riffs they pull off are simply the best the world have seen since The Beatles were putting out their little 160-second precision-cut gems. Of the albums, I'm already partial to Welcome because it broadens their range a bit.

I got to catch them live last Saturday as they tore through about 22 or so songs. The only slight variation was riffing on Golden Earring's "When the Bullet Hits the Bone" during Survival Car. It was a fun, amped up set with a mildly enthusiastic and generally immobile crowd. I wonder sometimes if FoW isn't just a bit too smart for their own good and that's why they haven't gone ultra-popular. Listening to a whole crowd sing "Bright Future in Sales" with great gusto makes me think that much of the audience isn't in on Adam and Chris' jokes.

The View From Mozart's Bench
Go Twins! Swept the Mighty A's and are about to make a run at the Royals. Hurrah!

Thursday, July 17, 2003

Just the Right Word
jaguarundi - n - a mid-sized Central and South American wild cat with small ears and a broad tail. Growing up, this was the word I always chose to stump people playing 20 Questions or Hang-Man.

Book Brief
Lost Light - Harry Bosch, now retired from the force, decides to open up a case that he never solved during his stint as an L.A. cop.

Michael Connelly does not need this review. He sells millions of books and is much-loved in the world of crime fiction. It's the latest thing I've read, though, and if you happen not to have read his stuff, it's well worth it. Connelly may be our premier "procedural" writer out there, taking you step-by-step through the solving of a crime. There's rarely too much of the forensic techno-garbage that CSI has spawned--just good old-fashioned sleuthing.

Harry Bosch is Connelly's signature creation, a hard-nosed detective with a chip on his shoulder, bad dreams left over from Vietnam, and an abiding love for jazz. Bosch is now a retired cop who can't shake crimes he never solved and his first foray as private investigator picks up a murder committed four years prior. Into this mix is added a heist at a Hollywood studio and some run-ins with Tom Ridge's homeland defense spooks. Connelly mildly addresses the question of what 9/11 changed in law enforcement and civil liberties, but this isn't a political screed. It's fast-paced, solid mystery from one of our modern masters.

The View From Mozart's Bench
I am going to see Fountains of Wayne this Saturday at First Ave in MNapolis. $6 tickets for one of the best bands playing. I almost feel guilty paying so little--but I'll get over it.

Wednesday, July 16, 2003

Just the Right Word
palladian - adj - referring to wisdom or knowledge (also an architectural term after 16th-century Italian architect Andreas Palladio)

Book Brief
The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time - A fifteen-year-old boy tries to solve the murder of a neighborhood dog. The kicker--the boy is autistic.

A slim debut novel with some powerhouse acclaim and reviews, this book turns a neat trick by exploring the very nature of human interaction without simply turning its narrator into a device. Christopher Boone allows us to enter his world of rigid logic and rules in such a compelling way that you're tempted on occasion to forget this is a novel. Author Mark Haddon switches tracks mid-book by solving the "curious incident" and then turns an otherwise simple trip into London into the most harrowing adventures.

The use of a personality disorder reminds me of Jonathan Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn, an absolutely amazing book that uses a first-person narrator with Tourette's Syndrome. Both books are highly recommended.

The View From Mozart's Bench
I am a devoted baseball fan. Last night was the All-Star game and except for Grammy-nominated recording artist Vanessa Carlton's clothes, the whole game (including the tribue to Larry Doby) was fantastic. I'm still of the mind that the team with the best regular season record should get home field advantage in the playoffs, but I liked that using the World Series as a gambit allowed the managers to not try and force everyone into the game. Just a great game filled with some spectacular hitting (Jason Giambi, anyone?).

Tuesday, July 15, 2003

Just the Right Word
apomixis - n - process by which a plant reproduces without sexual fertilization. If scientists discover how to modify crop plants (i.e., corn, rice, etc.) genetically to achieve this, the entire world of food production could change. Keep an eye out.

Movie Minute
The Pianist - The true story of how concert pianist and Warsaw Jew Wladyslaw Szpilman survived the Nazi devastation of Poland.

Like Schindler's List and the incomparable Maus from Art Spiegelman and any other piece of art that examines the Holocaust this one leaves you battered and bleary-eyed and dumbfounded. There is not much to say in its wake other than I do think it's important to force ourselves to stand in the shadow of atrocity now and then. To look without blinking. It keeps us humble and grateful.

The View From Mozart's Bench
If you are in the greater Minneapolis area, why don't you give blood? (Or give blood wherever you live.) I did yesterday and got a bit of an ego boost. Apparently my hemocrit levels were high enough that I was eligible to get hooked up to a new machine that takes out two pints of red blood cells and returns your plasma and some saline into your bloodstream. Takes a bit longer, but donors are in great demand. Otherwise, just a normal old pint will do. And really, how often do you get the opportunity to play even a small part in saving a life?

Monday, July 14, 2003

Worth a Visit - Trailer for The Passion, Mel Gibson's take on Jesus' last hours on earth.

Just the Right Word
ostension - n - in sociologic terms, this means to take something that had been "legend" or "story" and live it out in real life. (i.e., if the movie Urban Legend were real, and thank goodness its not, that would be a case of ostension)

Movie Minute
Rabbit-Proof Fence - In 1930s Australia, three "half-caste" (bi-racial) children are taken from their aboriginal home by the government for introduction into white culture. They escape and begin a 1200-mile walk home.

Yesterday at my house was White-People-Suck-Day (full disclosure - I'm white). First was this film. Then, at night, came The Pianist , which I'll review tomorrow. Both were harrowing, anger-inducing, and worth watching. I just recommend spreading them out a bit.

RPF tells the history of the Stolen Generation in Australia. Literally hundreds of mixed-race children were taken from their mothers because the government felt they were saving the children from being raised native. Part of this included church instruction. I wonder what portion of hell is reserved for those who wield the cross as they inflict crimes like this?

The movie itself is one of those staggering stories that simply doesn't seem real. Three young girls escape a holding camp and walk 1200 miles home through the Australian bush. Staggering. And the postscripts simply make it all the more unbelievable. If you get the DVD, watch the documentary about the filming.

The View From Mozart's Bench
We had a gourmet/strange flavor ice cream party on Saturday. The flavor I liked best: Caramel Toffee Bar Heaven

Friday, July 11, 2003

Just the Right Word
Polonian - adj - a bit of a gas bag, in the tradition of Shakespeare's rambling Polonius (from Hamlet)

Movie Minute
Heaven - A woman, angered that the police won't stop a known drug dealer, decides to takes vengeance in an act that ends tragically.

This movie was co-scripted by the late Krzysztof Kieslowski as the first part of a trilogy (Hell and Purgatory were to come) to be directed by the new wave of young European directors. Here, Tom Tykwer of Run, Lola, Run-fame answers the bell.

The movie is meditative (i.e., "not-fast-paced") if you care about such things, but this lingering of story and scene allows us time to revel in the wonder that is Cate Blanchett's performance. As Philippa, she absolutely owns the screen. You'd be hard-pressed to convince me there's a better actress working today. Also impressive is Giovanni Ribisi (otherwise known as Phoebe's moron brother in Friends) as Filippo. That their names are so similar gains signifance through the movie as the two characters begin an odd transformation in which love almost-literally makes two into one.

There are wonderful moments here for discussion of mercy and justice and the ending is a sure-fired conversation-starter if you're interested in provoking some spiritually-themed discussion.

The View From Mozart's Bench
Ah, the glory that is Friday! All the best for your weekend. My blogging will be five-days-a-week, so this won't return until Monday. Til then....