‘Sideways’ is one of those rare Hollywood movies. Incredibly funny, without ever resorting to slapstick, it’s also a very accomplished human drama that’s not afraid to be emotional – but avoids mawkish sentimentality.
It’s familiar territory for the director, who mined it, and struck gold, with ‘About Schmidt’ – but, apart from Alexander Payne’s credibility, this movie didn’t have much going for it. On paper at least.
“Time won’t take the boy out of this man,” declares Bono on ‘City of Blinding Lights’, one of the numerous highlights on U2’s stellar new album. And he might just be right.
With its jangling guitars and keyboard melodies from 1983’s ‘War’ album, the song burns with the rampant energy of boys hungry for success. But, the passion and vintage sounds battle it out with the finesse and skill you get from a group of fortysomething men who’ve enjoyed that success for near on two decades.
‘The Incredibles’ blows ‘Finding Nemo’ out of the water, scares ‘Monsters Inc.’ under the bed and sends ‘Shrek’ packing back to the swamp.
Simply put, it’s incredible – the most groundbreaking, jaw-dropping 3D animated film since ‘Toy Story’ made a dinosaur of traditional animation.
Press play, and within seconds Robert Smith is wailing “I can’t find myself” while a sole guitar strums in the background.
“Oh, grow up,” you might think. This is no way for a millionaire rock star in his mid-forties to behave. But Smith sounds so passionate that you actually believe his moment of crisis as the jagged music rises to match his pained, increasingly distraught vocals.
A gripping docudrama, ‘Shattered Glass’ introduces us to one of the most sought after young journalists in Washington. The year is 1998 and Stephen Glass is associate editor at The New Republic. His larger than life features, filled with vivid dialogue and detailed descriptions, appear in magazines like George, Rolling Stone and Harper’s. He flirts with his secretary, always helps his colleagues, and remembers everyone’s birthday. Despite his insecurities, Steve’s an all-round nice guy with a major talent for writing.
‘Lost in Translation’ is one of those very rare American dramas where subtlety and nuance don’t take a back seat to overblown melodrama and cloying sentimentality. Tranquil and delicate, Sofia Coppola’s film offers an almost dream-like look at the city of Tokyo and its effect on two Americans.
Bob Harris is a 40-something movie star lured to the city for a few days by a multi-million dollar whisky endorsement contract. He’s somewhat embarrassed at his reason for being in Tokyo but, apart from the financial benefits, his trip is the latest episode in his midlife crisis.
“We’re going away to dream it all up again,” Bono declared. Speaking at U2’s last concert of the 1980s the band’s lead singer was not just responding to the critical backlash that had greeted their latest album, ‘Rattle and Hum’. He had unwittingly set the tone for the group’s output of the next ten years.
A difficult decade for the Irish foursome, documented here on their second ‘Best Of’ compilation, the 1990s were marked by musical experimentation as the band continually sought to find a new voice.
Rodriguez is an unlikely icon. He is 60 years old, has only recorded 25 songs and has not released any new material in the past 30 years. Yet, his music has influenced and affected scores of South Africans growing up during the past 3 decades. Even as they were ignored by international audiences, songs like ‘Sugarman’ and ‘I Wonder’ have become part of the country’s musical heritage.
This unlikely icon was born Sixto Diaz Rodriguez on 10 July 1942 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. Pronounced ‘Seez-toe’, he was given the name by his working class Mexican parents as he was their sixth child.
Nils van der Linden