May 15 • After Being John Malkovich, the names Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman would forever be synonymous with rule-breaking meta-movies. One of the weirdest mainstream American comedies ever released, Malkovich is a headfirst plunge into the deep end of sexual politics, human psychosis, and American celebrity. It’s easy to remember the surreality of the 1999 film, but you may have forgotten just how funny it is: from Oscar-nominated Catherine Keener’s zingers to Malkovich’s eloquent indignation to the rollicking non sequiturs of Orson Bean, it’s filled with divine madness—as inventive verbally as it is visually. This edition comes with a bevy of special features, including a new commentary, a behind-the-scenes documentary, a new interview with Jonze, and more! – Criterion
When I heard about this documentary from a colleague today, I couldn’t resist checking this out from my interests with Irish punk rock innovators The Boomtown Rats. The musical scene in Ireland has always been more expansive than what the history books talk about with a love for DIY culture as strong as any scene in the States, the UK, Europe or any other country. From Charles Mingus and Max Roach all the way to Minor Threat and Bad Brains, DIY culture has consumed the under belly of modern music and has paved an alternative path in which produces some of the most honest music. This documentary pays homage to this DIY culture and how it has cultivated an entire sub movement of artists in Ireland over the last 30 years. Tons of archival footage, interviews, pictures and new perspectives that paint the most definitive picture of the DIY lifestyle that represents Ireland’s rock culture.
This is a documentary looking at some of Ireland’s DIY bands and culture over the last 5-20 years or so. It is a Dublin Community Television production and was made by the Community Of Independents collective that works with the channel. Featuring live footage and audio of various Irish artists as well as insightful interviews with some of the people that have been involved in the growth of this scene. Enjoy!
DC Comics Batman is reintroduced into the public light with The Dark Knight Rises. After a four year wait and director Christopher Nolan back in the drivers seat, the third installment in his Batman series is finally right around the corner and anticipation couldn’t be higher. Beginning in 2005 with Batman Begins and giving the world the highly acclaimed sequel with 2008′s The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan and the returning cast of the first two entries are back with one of the most anticipated films of this year. Christopher Nolan’s use of stunning visual landscapes are some of the most complex and dark to ever be created for film and with the release of each trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, this trademark of his shines through as clear as day.
The sequence of the trailer that really grabbed me was when it shows a scene where bombs are detonated on the field of an extr5emely packed football stadium and fans watches in terror. This scene gives way to some of the most marvelous camera techniques and post production I have ever seen. I couldn’t have wanted to see a film more than that in that very moment. The soundtrack score, the psychological plots and the display of future technology really made the first two releases in this series much different than any Batman films released. One glimpse at the full trailer for The Dark Knight Rises and it really feels like all of these areas and more are going to be heightened. The constant working talents of Christian Bale plays the roll of Bruce Wayne aka Batman for his third time, a treat for all of those who were captivated by the intensity of his role in the first two.
With The Dark Knight Rises set eight years after the last film, the physical nature of his character isn’t as intense as the first two. Batman’s roll in Gotham City changed drastically after The Dark Knight’s ending, a plot twist that would leave Batman without the aid of the Gotham City police. It is because this roll of going rogue that the stakes become even higher in the preservation of good over evil. The dynamic of bad vs evil becomes the misunderstood vs the good and evil. Batman films have always given a large portion of time to the villains but with Christopher Nolan’s takes, Batman is always front and center and involved in almost every building plot line that evolves inside of the bigger picture. The Dark Knight Rises looks like it dive even deeper into the psyche and purpose of Batman’s legacy.
Bane, the main villain Batman faces, played by actor Tom Hardy, is a very physical and dominating character in the Batman story line and his cleverness pushes the role of the character much further past brute force. Bane’s associate, Selina Kyle, played by Anne Hathaway, lands a major part in the film as well, becoming with Bane the newest inclusions into the Nolan Batman films. Actors Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman return as well, completing the lineage of the story in a really cohesive way for anyone who is anticipating how seamless The Dark Knight Rises will flow from the last release. “Can’t wait to see this film” is an under statement.
The year 2012 looks to be a fine year for the arts. Especially a fine year for film festivals across the globe. This month SCV is eager to explore the plethora of new film at Berlin Film Festival. The first one that stood out to us were the very gripping production stills of various animals by film maker Denis Côté. This is the first time we have been introduced to the works of Denis and what is more intriguing than a 78-minute film on the study of wild animals and the way they correlate with human beings. The Berlin Film Festival looks to be very solid this year and it’s already gotten buzz from around the world with their lineup and feature film competitions.
A popular sensation in medieval Europe, bestiaries were catalogs of beasts featuring exotic animal illustrations, zoological wisdom, and ancient legends. Denis Côté’s startling Bestiaire unfolds like a filmic picture book where both humans and animals are on display. As we observe them, they also observe us and one another, invoking the Hindu idea of darshan: a mutual beholding that initiates a shift in consciousness.
Fascinating, beguiling creatures like buffalo, hyenas, zookeepers, zebras, taxidermists, rhinos, and ostriches silently inhabit uncluttered, beautifully composed frames of a locked-off camera, conducting curious affairs in holding pens and fields. Their unself-consciousness before the camera’s eye renders them equally objectified. Whether we anthropomorphize, poeticize, abstract, or judge them is up to us. Côté invites his audience to reflect on control and power as lions rattle cages, a taxidermist recreates a duck, and artists copy a stuffed deer. Using the film form to challenge the very notion of representation, Bestiaire is an elegant, bewitching meditation on the nature of sentience and the boundaries between nature and “civilization.” –Berlin Film Festival, 2012
SCV is very happy to see this film win the top award at the Sundance Festival 2012 Awards session. The film Beasts of the Southern Wild written and directed by Benh Zeitlin, won the Grand Jury Prize as well as Best Cinematography. Without knowing much besides the synopsis for the film, we at SCV are deeply reminded of the Thai masterpiece Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives just by the imagery alone for Beasts of the Southern Wild. It is to be understood that the auteur of this film, Benh Zeitlin, completed the production of this film through the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program project, and Beasts of the Southern Wild was also completely cast with non-actors. This film looks absolutely brilliant and we all cannot wait to see it in a local independent theatre soon!
-Pouya Asadi
“Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in “the Bathtub,” a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink’s tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe; for a time when he’s no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack—temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink’s health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother” -Sundance Film Fest
Benh Zeitlin describes the unique way he went about making his remarkable new film, “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” in U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance 2012 Film Festival.
The name “Mr. Oizo” is somewhat of a legend around here at SCV. We started enjoying his ‘soundscapes’ back when “Analog Worms Attack” released in 1999. Remember that crazy music video that Oizo directed with the psychedelic puppets for hit single ‘Flat Beat?‘ It was straight out of a nightmare scene, yet hypnotizing along with Oizo’s insane beats. For the past several years Oizo has been going by his birth name and writing, producing, directing incredible feature films breaching subjects never touched upon. His debut feature, Rubber, released around the world and succumbed to rave reviews. Quentin Dupieux is now coming to Sundance 2012 with his brand new film Wrong. It has been fun watching the updates via social networking by Oizo during the filming of Wrong. We are told the film is about a man who suddenly wakes up and realizes he is missing his dog. I also cannot wait to see Flying Lotus play as a fireman in the film. Quentin is also set to shoot his third feature film in two weeks. Many more Sundance 2012 articles to come soon.
Every once in a while, there can be great pleasures revealed in the research that is done for our music review sessions here at SCV. Early last year our team sat down in LA and Chicago and electronically listened to a record by Ilyas Ahmed while transcribing notes back and forth with each other. We called these special meetings, “listening sessions.” During one of our listening sessions, we at SCV discovered a frequent collaborator of Ahmed’s called Liz Harris or “Grouper.” Grouper is basically the definition of flawless beauty. Whether it’s her instrumentation, production or ornamentation, the music speaks for itself when it comes to Grouper. That brings us to Sundance Festival 2012, where Weston Currie’s film PERCEPTION OF MOVING TARGETS premieres alongside the wonderful score by none other than Grouper.
-Pouya Asadi
In this haunting feature, director Weston Currie stages an intervention into habituated and supposedly natural ways of making meaning onscreen. In collaboration with Grouper, who provides an exquisite musical soundscape, he offers an extremely stimulating experience, as viable as it is unconventional.
Divided into four chapters that seemingly involve distinct settings and characters (for example, a young woman running track, an infant taking in visual phenomena), the film depicts these subjects in exquisitely layered aural and visual compositions, handily subverting expected narrative connections along the way. Indeed, searching for a traditional plot is missing the point and the pleasure of this film, where ambiguous visual figures and emotionally specific sound cues fairly curl around one another, overturning conventional structures where one usually punctuates the other. The result approaches that realm where the art object seems to breathe with a life of its own, hinting at the beauty and power that are the exclusive province of cinema – S.K.-Sundance
Perception of Moving Targets Official Trailer
The Perception of Moving Targets / Photo by Wyatt Garfield
This year at SCV we are planning to cover all the major film festival outlets in complete cohesion. Although we will not be reporting from the said festivals, we will still be doing our research and reporting on the films we feel are important. There is none other than the glorious Sundance Film fest to start with, this year’s Sundance spans from January 19-29th. SCV will be reporting on the films that are rich in areas of the film medium, including feeling and overall potent aesthetics.
-Pouya Asadi
“Majo” Tonorio, a.k.a. Filly Brown, is a raw, young Los Angeles hip-hop artist who spits from the heart. When a sleazy record producer offers her a crack at rap stardom, Majo faces some daunting choices. With an incarcerated mother, a record contract could be the ticket out for her struggling family. But taking the deal means selling out her talent and the true friends who helped her to the cusp of success. A portrait of an artist forced to discover her authentic voice, Filly Brown percolates with the raw energy of hope sprung from desperation. Directed with tenacious grit by Youssef Delara and Michael Olmos, propelled by an exceptional cast, and fused with a fierce hip-hop score, Filly Brown heralds the arrival of Gina Rodriguez in the title role. A dazzling new star, Rodriguez not only lights up the screen, but she could conquer the airwaves as well.–Sundance
Filly Brown / U.S.A. (Directors: Youssef Delara, Michael D. Olmos, Screenwriter: Youssef Delara) — A Hip Hop-driven drama about a Mexican girl who rises to fame and consciousness as she copes with the incarceration of her mother through music. Cast: Lou Diamond Phillips, Gina Rodriguez, Jenni Rivera, Edward James Olmos.
In the year 2012 we are graced by the new works of one of our most loved auteurs, Ms. Andrea Arnold. This year at Sundance, Ms. Arnold brought her new film adaptation of “Wuthering Heights” with her as it will be the world premiere for the new film. The most exciting part of this book-to-film adaptation is the fresh new take that Andrea Arnold has taken on the story. It has been told many times in the past but the energy and cinematic aesthetic that she brings to her films basically rebirths the “Wuthering Heights” story in her trademark photographic fashion. We at SCV have been awestruck by Andrea Arnold’s past films and how her method of film making is so similar to other artists we respect such as Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Nicolas Winding Refn, a sort of pure captured honesty in film. Everything from Arnold’s casting to her grip on visceral emotion captured through the lens of the camera is to be noted when watching her films. “Wuthering Heights” brings us to a fresh reinvention of the ages-old story of 18th century orphan and his love for a farmer’s daughter. The retelling of “Wuthering Heights” is surely another gem in the upcoming roster at Sundance 2012.
-Pouya Asadi
Based on the classic novel by Emily Bronte – A poor young English boy named Heathcliff is taken in by the wealthy Earnshaw family where he develops an intense relationship with his young foster sister, Cathy. Starring: Kaya Scodelario, Oliver Milburn, James Howson, Nichola Burley, Amy Wren, James Northcote, Steve Evets, Paul Hilton
Sundance 2012 I marks the beginning of Sound Colour Vibration’s coverage of the major film festivals all around the world this year. We will be presenting articles to highlight the many films previewing in these prestigious outlets. We welcome you along our journey and hope you find a thing you or two that really hits you, film has going far above and beyond and 2012 is already proving to be a year of potential vast innovation.
In this new year there is a breath of fresh air that exhales from a majestic film festival in Park City, Utah. Sundance Film Fest is a gathering of old and young alike and presents collaborations of all shapes and sizes. Of the many new talents and titles we will see at this year’s Sundance, one film stuck out to SCV as almost too unique. Rick Alverson’s “The Comedy” is a small gem in the already bright promises of this year’s main competition at Sundance. Film maker Rick Alverson has put out three feature films in the past two years. His efforts are hardly unnoticed by SCV and his latest film “The Comedy” intrigues us in multitudes. Starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, “The Comedy” portrays a pseudo-socialite, sheltered by his family’s money, Swanson contemplates his existence in the posh privileged sheltering that his entire life has become. Alverson’s film is said to be a casual yet nuanced assault at contemporary culture, and who better to give the role than comedy troupe Tim & Eric. This is just a small gem in the blossoming roster of Sundance 2012.
-Pouya Asadi
Rick Alverson reveals the serious themes underlying his thoughtful new film, “The Comedy,” in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
Fania Records presents the 40th Anniversary reissue of Our Latin Thing (Nuestra Cosa)
Johnny Pacheco is a historical figure in modern music, having pioneering the birth of one most exhilarating sensations in fusion American music. The age of something very new took shape in the voracious and dance filled hearts of New York’s African-American and Latin communities. Block parties were huge and hundreds danced in the streets to the rhythms of the times. The late 60′s was the birth of this cultural movement and became to be known as Salsa and Johnny Pacheco and his trusted men of that era took the world by storm as each year passed and their reputation for one of most lively acts began to spread like wild fire. Salsa was a movement of sound that was formed largely under the Fania Records label and was created in the mid 60′s by composer and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Pacheco and attorney Jerry Masucci. The label served as the basis for the most skilled, soulful and unique musicians of the New York 60′s and 70′s movement. With Cuban and Puerto Rican immigration centering in large pockets of New York, the traditions, rhythms and harmonies of their people seamlessly intertwined with the youthful inspiration and cross emergence of sound the area afforded. Bobby Valentín, Celia Cruz, Rubén Blades, Ray Barretto, Ralfi Pagan, Luis “Perico” Ortiz, Héctor Lavoe, and Larry Harlow are just a few of the heavy weights in the Fania labels roster of artists that came to commemorate this rich ancestry and build towards a new future during the late 60′s and early 70′s. Larry Harlow was the man producing the records, dialing in a sound no other human being could acquire in the analog realm. The bass is thick, the horns are crisp and the vocals placed just right. It’s a sound of a specific time and place, much like funk, jazz and other worldly derived movements of sound sprouting out all over the place during that time.
Our Latin Thing (Nuestra Cosa)
Fania All-Stars was the culmination of the labels top and most renowned artists, something that lasted much longer than the label itself and has defined a sense of community for 40 years now. The birth and fire of this salsa movement in the public consciousness around the world came to full center in the early 70′s as the group took up residency in many of New York’s dance halls and clubs. Having worked to build the labels vision for almost half a decade, Larry Harlow and a few others had broke into the radio waves and provided a platform for the Fania-All Stars to show the world the new sound that was coming from New York. With a unifying cultural force in their sound that brought all types of races together in the name of dance and pure groove, this was a movement that had as much social implications and affects on their communities as the amount of people filling the dance floors in massive joy.
The world was finally given the most authentic window of this very critical piece of modern Latin arts called salsa when academy award-winning filmmaker Leon Gast took on the project of filming Fania All-Star’s during this birthing stage of theirs in the small clubs of New York. Filming was scheduled for an August 1971 performance at the famed Cheetah Club in Manhattan. This famed Cheetah performance was also recorded in glorious stereo for the 2LP set Live at the Cheetah vol 1 and 2. This set ignited a euphoria within the under belly of New York as the world now had one of the most important releases to consume of the new sound known as salsa. Fania-All Stars seized the opportunity to ride the wave of success afforded by the 2 LP releases by following through with the film they shot of the same concert. This was scheduled over a small window in 1971 for the filming of the Fania epic Our Latin Thing (Nuestra Cosa). Released one year later from the performance itself, this concert splices many songs from the the Cheetah along with studio footage that was recorded during the same time. There is a very timeless view into one of the many street parties organized by the community that featured Larry Harlow’s Orchestra on the steps that lead into what appears to be a church. With a wild introduction, the band wastes no time diving right into it and the fans who are recorded on the street are all connected as one. Included with Our Latin Thing is tons of scenes collected from the New York scene that surrounded the areas in which these concerts were filmed at. Cock fights to interviews with the band, there is always something very interesting popping up after each song is finished, keeping the sequence of the film very fresh from start to finish. New York was the only place you could hear salsa being composed at the highest level and the fine people at Fania Records have given the world a huge treat in the 40th Anniversary of this famed 1972 release Our Latin Thing and the accompanied 2 discs of audio that have been released with it.
Larry Harlow's Orchestra 1971
Fania All-Stars would later conquer the world after the 1971 filming of Our Latin Thing, playing in Africa, Europe and many other places to critical acclaim. Our Latin Thing has been out of print for so long that a proper reissue from the Fania label is a welcomed addition to any new fans of the Salsa sound along with those who remember seeing this when it came out and everyone in between. When the opening credit lines of Our Latin Thing appeared, I felt a deep sense of anticipation with the thick, sultry and beautiful sounds and sights of the salsa movement revealing itself loud and clear from my screen and speakers. There was a wave of energy and excitement that came over me as the credits sequenced to a meet up of tons of children in a lower housing community. With an expanded version of the Live at the Cheetah 2LP into 2 discs for this 40th Anniversary release, the level of content is staggering and if you have never heard an extended amount of concert material from Fania, this is a perfect start. The introduction theme slowly introduces each member as the groove is already fully in place. The band lets loose at the end and prepares for a very exhilarating ride of musical proportions to follow.
My favorite piece from the film and soundtrack to this stellar 1971 club recording is the piece ‘Anacaona‘. On the film, they cut to a studio recording of the same piece with Larry Harlow tracking the vocalist as they figure out the exact vocal nuance and pitch that goes with the song. The level of precision comes through powerfully clear and as much as there is a sense of celebration and life that defines the music, there is always a high level of musicianship and a keep sense of tonalism. Larry Harlow cuts loose on the live version, giving way to his signature piano sound of overlapping and exploratory solo’s. When he slides back into the rhythm and pronounces the main notes for the chorus, it sent chills up my spine with how well he commanded the entire sequence. He stays in the pocket while tight interlaced percussion grooves fold out under an intricate array of brass and wood winds. Larry Harlow and stage director Johnny Pacheco are true professionals and equals to their peers on stage with style and grace for miles that you can’t get anywhere else.
Fania All-Stars Live at the Cheetah
As a 40th commemorative release for one of the most sought after items in the salsa canon, the DVD is the cream of the crop when it comes to film concerts and documentaries on Latin music. With the warming up of the Fania All-Stars all the way into the final numbers, I can’t keep my eyes off the film. This was one release that I was thrilled to add to our archives here at Sound Colour Vibration. With a very inexpensive price of $20.00 for a 2CD+DVD package, you can’t beat the quality and quantity, if you can, please inform us, we would like to experience that moment. Fania is a label that has seen ownership of a few parties since the catalog was first established in 1964. The ownership and direction of their reissues, rarities and unreleased items of recent years has put Fania back on the map as one of the most important labels in New York’s unfolding music history. Our Latin Thing is the visual birth of this movement in the eyes of the world, don’t miss out on that view.
From the vision of prolific Canadian filmmaker, Sturla Gunnarsson, comes the captivating film Force of Nature-The David Suzuki Movie; A documentary capturing the beautiful and authentic oration of world-renowned environmental activist, scientist, and admirable Renaissance man, David Suzuki. After making its World Premier at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, Sound Colour Vibration is very enthusiastic to announce Force of Nature-The David Suzuki Movie’s US Theatrical Release and opening on Friday, December 2nd, at New York City’s Cinema Village.
An outstanding piece, I can only express Gunnarsson’s efforts in pursuing this project as a favor to humanity and a monumental progression in the fight for social reform and environmental restoration. When two individuals of such high regard join forces, it can only mean one thing… This is more than just a documentary. Force of Nature-The David Suzuki Movie is an affirmation that humanity must come together and reconsider the relationship we have with our natural world. Whether you’re an activist, academic, or just simply a lover and connoisseur of cinema, one thing is for certain… This film is not to be missed.
David Suzuki. Photo from www.museum.tv
“We are playing Russian roulette with features of the planet’s atmosphere that will profoundly impact generations to come. How long are we willing to gamble?” – David Suzuki
“The human brain now holds the key to our future. We have to recall the image of the planet from outer space: a single entity in which air, water, and continents are interconnected. That is our home.” – David Suzuki
“Our personal consumer choices have ecological, social, and spiritual consequences. It is time to re-examine some of our deeply held notions that underlie our lifestyles.” – David Suzuki
“We’re in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyone’s arguing over where they’re going to sit.” – David Suzuki
“The fact of the matter is that today, stuff-selling mega-corporations have a huge influence on our daily lives. And because of the competitive nature of our global economy, these corporations are generally only concerned with one thing – the bottom line. That is, maximizing profit, regardless of the social or environmental costs.” – David Suzuki
Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie
Directed by Sturla Gunnarsson
93 minutes
From Shadow Distribution: In Canada, David Suzuki is pretty much an icon: a household name synonymous with nature and science, best known as the host of the long-running CBC TV show “The Nature of Things” and as a pioneering and passionate environmentalist. Although he is a tad less well known here south of the border, he may be the most inspiring, charming, eloquent, compelling voice for environmental sanity in the world today. At the age of 75, he shows no signs of slowing down. By all measures David Suzuki is extraordinary, and you can’t help but wish that everyone cared about the earth as much as he does—and that everyone could see Force of Nature because watching this film might make them care as much as he does. But what drove him to become the phenomenon he is? This engrossing documentary guides us through his life and reveals the key events and people that shaped him. The occasion for the film is Suzuki’s return to the University of British Columbia to deliver his legacy lecture to a sold-out audience. Director Sturla Gunnarsson interweaves Suzuki’s stirring and insightful address with candid interviews to create a captivating portrait of a man whose essential decency speaks volumes about the beauty of the planet he’s trying so hard to save.
Sound Colour Vibration covers a wide variety of genres past and present and will continue to bridge the many cultures of music, film and art. SCV is a vehicle to present these three mediums of art as one collective window that shows the creative evolution of the human race in modern times. We cover timeless art, film and music, not just what's in or what record sales dictate. Our site includes interviews, album and film reviews, online art gallery, streaming music podcast series and much more. We are also known as SACVS (Sound and Colour Vibration Society). Learn more about the different areas that represent Sound Colour Vibration HERE
Read an exclusive interview with Sound Colour Vibration's Erik Otis for the Plastic Water e-Zine: Plastic Water Volume 3
Hour long mixes with music from all over the globe and from many different time periods. Our mixes contain no commercials or a host and are compiled from the depths of our collections. Expect the unexpected.
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Can you write ten good blog posts a month for art, film, music, culinary or technology? If yes, contact me. We are right around the corner from really making this as successful in terms of the financial game as we are with the expansion of our readership month by month. We are looking for 2-3 paragraphs per article. We have a ton of series and places for you to concentrate your writing. We are not looking to give you content to write about, we are looking for you to bring it on the levels our inner staff has been. Contact us if you can generate your own leads and bring your own identity to add to the cultural bridge known as Sound Colour Vibration / soundandcolourvibrationsociety@gmail.com
Being John Malkovich
