thevoid99's Life Top Ten List: August 2007
Aug 31 '07 (Updated Sep 30 '07)
The Bottom Line The summer of discontent comes to an end for good as thevoid ponders his next move.
The summer is about to end and... good riddance. To me, it felt like a very long, boring, and frustrating summer with this month being not just the slowest but also for the fact that my writing output was disappointing despite the content and films I've reviewed. I have to say that I call this summer as a description of sorts for a winter of discontent. Nothing stood out, there weren't a lot of films that interested except for the majority of the films I saw in theaters this summer. Yet, I feel it ended on a down note concluding with the very disappointing film adaptation of The Nanny Diaries.
Now that it's over, it's now time for the serious films and the ones I want to see. Most of them are probably in my top 25 list of 2007 this past December while a few didn't make it to the final cut. Now that I'm ready to approach the fall season but with a lot of caution, I'm also starting to question about what else to do. Now that my years as a college student has now officially ended with frustration and disappointment, I'm trying to figure out what to do next. I'm still thinking of going to a film school in Atlanta. There, I hope to have some kind of education that is fulfilling rather than the years back at Chattahoochee Tech for the past seven years. Well, I think that's enough ranting for now. Let's get on with the life top ten list for August 2007:
1. NIN live videos
Though my Internet connection as far as streaming is concerned isn't at its best, I was still excited to see the new NIN live videos posted on Youtube and related sources. Official live videos for tracks like Me, I'm Not and The Great Destroyer have been very popular in showing that the band has evolved more as a live band with laptop computers now being an additional instrument. Other videos posted by fans are also fun to watch including one where the band was upstaged by something as innocent as fireworks. What was more surprising is Trent Reznor's reaction that showed he's become more open and calm lately, despite a recent rant on the reunited Smashing Pumpkins and Fall Out Boy to the press.
2. NIN.com photo blogs
With the band currently on tour, the official website photo blogs have been one of pure enjoyment. Whether it's the comments by band members annoyed at Trent over bad Russian food to bassist Jeordie White often surrounding himself with women. The comments by fans and the band are always great to read while the photos showing live and backstage footage also reveals another side of Trent Reznor that's rarely been seen. Him being funny. The photos also show a couple of appearances of Josh Freese's son who’s been tagged as Mini-Freese.
3. L'Avventura
With the recent death of both Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni last month, the time seemed right to get acquainted with one of these directors’ great films. Though originally part of my Italian Masters marathon, I decided in the end to put it as a film on its own and as a tribute to Antonioni. A film about alienation, it's a film that I think is a great experience to watch. While it's something that not everyone will like, it's something who can understand the idea of isolation whether it's physical or emotional, it's a film that I think anyone who wants to understand Antonioni is a film to see.
L'Avventura (1960):
http://www.epinions.com/content_401865281156
4. Bjork-Volta
I've been a fan of Bjork for a longtime though I've admitted to be lost a bit from her last album. Yet, after downloading the single and later buying the album, it's right now my second favorite album of the year. NIN is still first. Yet, this album to me, along with Year Zero marks a new era in music. There's something groundbreaking about this and the NIN album for the fact that they took something like a laptop computer into a powerful instrument with soul. I love all the songs in this record and I'm glad Bjork is still making great music.
5. La Strada
Part of the three films by Federico Fellini that was part of my Italian masters marathon, this was clearly the best of the three. This sad tale of a young woman being abused by this brute during a road trip. The film has some of the humor Fellini's known for but also fantastic performances from Guiletta Masina and Anthony Quinn as the protagonists. The film also features one of the best endings I've seen that shows Quinn in one of his greatest performances.
La Strada (1954):
http://www.epinions.com/content_399940750980
6. Cinema Paradiso
Another highlight from my marathon, this was a movie I've seen parts of before yet in the short version I've seen. It's probably one of my favorite movies ever since it's a film that celebrates cinema. It's got everything I like about movies and more, it's also a coming-of-age film of a boy who is transfixed by the images of film in this little Sicilian theater to chasing his dream. Overall, it's one of the best movies ever made and I'm hoping to see the long version very soon.
Cinema Paradiso (1988):
http://www.epinions.com/content_401399254660
7. Eisley EPs
With a new record out, I decided to check out some leftovers that I haven't heard through my iTunes and was impressed. I definitely enjoyed their first album as well as these tracks I bought. I heard tracks from the new album which shows the band rocking a bit more but still using those wonderful, harmonic voices that they've been known for. It's a band I'm really excited about.
8. Fall Film Trailers
The fall is coming and to me, this is where business picks up. The trailers I've been impressed by lately are films I'm actually excited to see. First is Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind which might come out late in the year and it's got that same irreverant humor and originality that Gondry's been known for. The second is David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises (a film I regret that wasn't in my Anticipated 2007 list since I wasn't sure if he was coming out with a new one), that looks really good.
Another trailer for a film that made my 2007 top ten list is I'm Not There, which looks totally original and interesting from the always brilliant Todd Haynes. Two westerns are appearing as I'm excited for the return of the western. First is the upcoming The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford that looks like to be the candidate for the year's best cinematography by Roger Deakins. The second film is another Deakins-shot film for the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men which looks like the Coens are back and in top form.
9. Californication
I admit, I'm not really into new shows but the new comedy on Showtime starring David Dachovny is very funny. The story of a washed-up novelist now writing blogs for a living while still in love with his ex-girlfriend who is the mother of his child. It's pretty funny so far for all of its misadventures while he manages to bed some very hot young women, including Madeline Zima, who was a child star from the show The Nanny, who looks very hot... yeah!!!!
10. NY 77
A documentary I caught on VH1 and VH1 Classic (I prefer the latter), this film really showed the year that was famous in some ways as the Summer of Sam. It was a wonderful documentary showcasing the rise of hip-hop, punk rock, and disco amidst all of the chaos that was going on during that time. NYC was then a real sh*thole considering what was going on while also emphasizing on how important the election was. It's a great documentary which is also sad seeing that Time Square, a place that used to have hookers, porno theaters, and such, is now a place where they show The Lion King and f*cking TRL. In fact, NYC kinda sucks now since there's no CBGB's (R.I.P. Hilly Kristal). At least I got to see it from a bus 12 years ago.
Well, that is August and the summer. Thank f*cking God. Now, it's time to pick up the pieces and for some serious films. There will not be a marathon for September. Instead, there will be random films and such being seen. The main focus for this upcoming month will be the new movies like the remake of 3:10 to Yuma, The Darjeeling Limited, Across the Universe (in a compromised cut), Eastern Promises, Into the Wild, and Lust, Caution. That's right, thevoid99 is going to up his game more, take some name, and kick some f*cking *ss!!! The summer of discontent is over, now time for some serious f*cking movies
Life Top Ten List-July 2007:
http://www.epinions.com/content_5070299268
Life Top Ten List-October 2007:
http://www.epinions.com/content_5110210692
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thevoid99
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Member: Steven Flores
Location: Smyrna, Georgia
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