Read Our Minds

Whale Rider

Whale Rider (directed by Niki Caro) is a great “small” movie set in New Zealand. The tension and love between Pai, a young girl, and her grandfather Koro, is artfully weaved throughout the story of how the Whangara people are seeking a chief with the mystical powers of Paikea, who is believed to have come to New Zealand on the back of a whale after his canoe capsized near Hawaii.

 

Even though Pai seems to possess many of the qualities that would make her the ideal candidate to be chief, the fact that she is a girl leads Koro to dismiss her out of hand. This is a beautiful, beautiful story, well told and fascinating, about a thousand years of male tradition trumped by one young girl’s unyielding spirit. I will not spoil the twist at the end, but it’s a great twist. This is an inspirational tale for any age, but one I would especially encourage parents to share with their children.

-- Reviewed by Tim Boivin

The Best Gift

My wife and I recently adopted a son from Ethiopia. It will either be the most rewarding and challenging experience of my life---or it will kill me. Just kidding.

It is amazing where life takes you. Actually, I’m thrilled to be a new father again, after raising two sons (ages 25 and 23) from a previous marriage. Believe me; many of my friends have questioned my sanity.  But I knew this was “part of the deal” when I married my wonderful wife, Melissa, three years ago. And I can think of no better way to “give back” in the remaining years of my life than to help raise a beautiful toddler boy to adulthood.

We got back from Ethiopia on January 8th. We spent ten days there, staying primarily at the guest house of the adoption agency we worked with (Children’s Home Society and Family Services).  We were able to spend a couple of days sightseeing in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. A large and bustling city that offers sights, sounds and smells that I never thought in a million years I’d be experiencing.  But the people are beautiful and so were the countryside and the mountains. Perfect weather too. Sunny and 78 degrees each and every day. 

All the trials and tribulations we went through in this long process, and there were many, all seemed to disappear when we were finally introduced to Yirgalem on this trip.  We even had the opportunity to travel several hours to the region where Yirgie was born.  And we had a brief yet emotional meeting with his father. And the sight of his eyes lighting up when he saw the latest picture of his son was something I’ll never forget.  We received his blessing to raise his boy and we promised to do the best we could to provide all that his father wanted for him.

I’ll say this---CHSFS does a wonderful job “transitioning” the kids from the orphanage to our care. It was little by little, day by day. Of course, there is a whole lot more transitioning that needs to take place here in Wisconsin and it is happening---but it is going to take a while and patience is the key thing.  But our boy is generally healthy (yet tiny) with the normal problems associated with bringing somebody over from Africa.  We plan on calling him Nathan or Nate and he slowly, but surely, getting used to his new name. We will keep Yirgalem for his middle name and we will make sure he is aware and proud of his cultural heritage.

He’s wailing right now as I write this (teething big time) and I’m running on fumes on this day with not much sleep. But to see his wonderful friendly smile each and every day makes it all worth it. I hope you all can see that in the picture nearby.   

-- Reviewed by Kevin Johnson

Coachella 2010 Preview

As some of my fellow employees at Tech Image know, I am a somewhat of an indie music geek.  I am a frequent attendee of electronica, indie rock and hip-hop shows at Chicago concert venues, a consummate reader of Indie music blogs and a regular music festival goer.  This year I am departing from my tradition of attending Chicago's Lollapalooza, and instead headed out west to Coachella 2010, in Indio, California.  I thought i'd give a small preview of some of the acts I hope to see, and do a full review and update in late April when I return.

Friday
Aeroplane has put together two of my favorite remixes of the year.  Hailed by Pitchfork as one of the best tracks of the year, their version of Paris by Friendly Fires is outstanding.
Fever Ray is the solo project of Karen Anderson, whose other band The Knife is a recent favorite of mine.
Grizzly Bear had a huge hit this year in Two Weeks, a track which made the rounds on Indie blogs all year.  Their latest album, Veckatimest, is great all the way through.
Jay-Z continues to be an influential, prolific hip-hop artist, and should kick the weekend off to a great start as the Friday headliner.
Passion Pit were the indie darlings of 2009, releasing both an EP and full album that were all over the blogosphere.  The Bostonians put on a great show at Lollapalooza 09, and i'm hoping they can top it in April.
Them Crooked Vultures is a supergroup made up of Foo Fighter's Dave Grohl, Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme. As is the case with any supergroup, they are surrounded by tremendous amounts of hype. 
Vampire Weekend just recently released the follow-up to their self-titled debut from 2008.  Their part Afro-pop, part Paul Simon sound draws a huge following, and i've seen very few shows with as much energy as theirs.

Saturday
Beach House is part of the recent resurgence of Dream Pop, in addition to counterparts The XX and Lykke Li.
Hot Chip has been a perennial blogger's favorite, and will help start off 2010 on a strong note with new album One Life Stand.
Mew is a band recommended to me by Tech Image's own Dennis Collins.  While I have yet to experience their older material, their latest album, No More Stories, was one of the better albums I got my hands on last year.
MGMT was one of the most oft-posted and most oft-remixed bands of '08 and '09.  While I loved Oracular Spectacular, i'm eager to hear some new material.
Muse is a band that helped to really bridge the gap for me from alternative music to indie rock.  They put on a fantastic live show, second only to Daft Punk at Lollapallooza 2007, but their latest album wasn't quite as strong as their previous efforts.
Porcupine Tree comes highly recommended from Tech Image's Dennis Collins and association management company SmithBucklin's Mike Nikolich.  I have been enjoying listening to a few of their albums, including Deadwing, and am pumped to see Steve Wilson and co. in a live setting.
The Dead Weather is Jack White's latest project, and much more raw and gritty than both of his other bands The White Stripes and The Raconteurs.  Jack White is a tremendous guitarist and vocalist, and though he is primarily playing drums in TDW, has me excited nonetheless.
White Rabbits have been all over Chicago's XRT radio station this past year- and for good reason.  They played a great set at Schuba's earlier this year, and Percussion Gun was one of my favorite songs of 2009.

Sunday
The Gorillaz return from a 5-year hiatus to headline the final day of Coachella.  What has frontman Damien Albarn (formerly of Blur fame) been doing in the years since 2005's Demon Days?  Oh, just composing an opera.  In Mandarin.
Julian Casablancas is the frontman of The Strokes, who has seen some decent play on the indie blog scene in late 2009.  Though The Strokes occasionally get some flack, i'm interested to see what he can do solo.
Little Boots is an electropop/dance artist who plays her own instruments, writes her own songs and makes some catchy and excellent music.
Miike Snow has played a few times in Chicago this past year, though i've missed them each time.  I'm hoping that they translate well to a live show.
Phoenix (also known as 'the band from that Cadillac commercial') has received a lot of play this year, and for good reason.  Their recent effort, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, is one of the best all-around albums of the year.                                    

Thom Yorke ???? no matter the format, will put on an excellent show.  The Radiohead frontman has put out some solo material recently, and its rumored that he will appear with a small backup band, including Red Hot Chili Pepper's Bassist Flea.

Any acts I shouldn't miss?

Previewed by -- Dan McDonnell

Invictus tells a fascinating tale

I'd heard good and bad about Invictus when I went to the movie theater and plunked down my $5 to see it. (Have to love Kerasotes' Five Buck Club.) But it seemed like a story I would enjoy, and I think Clint Eastwood is a very good director, so I figured I'd give it a try. 

Well, it was definitely a movie I enjoyed, and between this one and Gran Torino I've come to feel that Clint Eastwood is an excellent director. His use of camera angles, the way he frames shots, and most of all his ability to tell a very human tale create a movie experience that sucks you in and really gets you involved with the story. Even without car chases, explosions, or incredibly imaginative alternate worlds.

The movie tells the story of Nelson Mandela's early years as President of South Africa after the end of the apartheid era. As most of the world knows, Mandela was held as a political prisoner for 27 years by the white ruling party until he was released in 1990. He was elected President in 1994 and became a symbol of the change from the white minority rule to an inclusive, democratic nation.

It also gets into the challenges he faced trying to change hundreds of years of mindset on both sides of the issue. Early-on, it shows him entering his office in the government building where he now works. White staff members are busily packing their belongings in boxes on the assumption Mandela plans to replace them all with black workers. Instead, he calls them together and says they can leave if they want but he's hoping they'll stay and help him build a better nation. He assures them no one is being fired just for the color of their skin. That sets the tone for the man and his view on bringing the country together.

Still, like all great leaders, he recognizes that he needs an event, some sort of symbol, that can rally the entire nation together and break down the old barriers. He sets his sights on winning the Rugby World Cup. From there, the movie shows how he and Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), captain of the Springboks, South Africa's national team, work toward that goal. It's no small task, by the way, since the only reason South Africa is even participating is that they are the host country and thus must be allowed into the competition. They would not have qualified originally on their own.

While there's plenty of rugby action (which can be tough to follow if you don't know anything about rugby), it's really the people who are interesting, from the black and white Presidential bodyguards learning to trust each other to Pienaar's father's way of relating to their black housekeeper to Pienaar's coming to understand of just how extraordinary it is that Mandela is who he is based on what he's gone through.

And that's the key. I came out of the movie thinking "I should pick up a biography of Nelson Mandela and read it," because he looks to be one of those people who seem to rise up just when a larger-than-life character is needed. Although the movie only touches briefly on his life in prison you get a sense of how unique he is. To come out of it with such a positive and forgiving attitude rather than be hostile and bitter, as most of us would, is nothing short of extraordinary.

In my mind it's definitely worth a look. And seeing it on the big screen is the best way to watch a larger-than-life man take on the world.

As many have reported, Nelson Mandela is a role Morgan Freeman was born to play. His quiet dignity captures the essence of the man, at least the man we've seen on news reels.

--Reviewed by Ken Krause

Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project's Sister Film

Whether you’re a movie buff or not, you might recall hearing the line, “In October of 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary. A year later their footage was found.” Of course that was the tagline from The Blair Witch Project trailer; the horror flick that busted through the genre’s mold. Not necessarily because it was scarier than classis like The Exorcist, rather it was filmed in eight days on virtually no budget and left viewers wondering if the movie was a true life documentary or a hoax.

The same goes for the most recent Blair Witch semi-spoof, Paranormal Activity. When the movie starts, it takes your eyes a few minutes to adjust to the jerkiness of the home movie style of filming. But it isn’t long after that you realize the plot of the movie: a young couple buys a top of the line video camera to begin taping the paranormal activities that occur while they are asleep.

The first few nights while the video camera is recording, minute things happen such as a bedroom door moving. But as can be expected by the audience, the nights’ paranormal events begin to rapidly progress. Why? Because the demons haunting the main character, Katie, are upset that there is a video camera taping them, a psychic visiting the house and two humans trying to communicate with them.

While I won’t spoil the ending in case you decide you want to rent a creepy flick (I wouldn’t call it scary since I don’t believe it is, just creepy), I will tell you that it is pretty abrupt much like in The Blair Witch Project. However, there was an alternative ending that provided a little bit more closing. And because of its homemade movie feel, it might leave several viewers wondering if the movie is indeed real. Sure it’s real in that it was filmed by the writer and director Oren Peli, but the story is far from.

--Reviewed by Christine Rojewski

Double Feature: Crown “Shawshank” and “Mile” the Kings of King’s Flicks

I have professed my devotion to Stephen King on this blog in the past. While King is a renowned author of horror novels, as a writer myself I’ve been more impressed by his mastery of storytelling in general – long and short formats. My 13-year-old daughter, Celine, also is an aspiring writer, so one evening not long ago I treated her to a double feature of movies based on King’s work: The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. The first is based on one of King’s short stories (Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.) The other is based on a serial novel more akin to King’s epic tomes, such as The Stand or It. In an age when cinema is so driven by special effects (e.g., Avatar, which I have no desire to see for reasons you will surmise from this post) and formulas (e.g., every cop-buddy movie or updating of a 20-year-old t.v. series) I wanted Celine to see examples of films driven by great stories with great characters. 
 

When it comes to rapid, deep characterization, King is a true artist. And Shawshank and Mile are cast perfectly in the spirit of King’s writing. Tim Robbins as Andy, the main character in Shawkshank, strikes a tone of aloof despair with his very first lines. Morgan Freeman executes a similar feat as Red, Andy’s prison mentor, as soon as he begins his narration. In many films, narration is a crutch. In Shawshank, it’s a magnifying glass. 

  Tom Hanks, one of the most recognizable stars in film, sinks immediately into the persona of Paul, a death-row prison guard and the main character of Mile. So does every actor in turn throughout Mile, whether playing a bit part or a pivotal role. Most impressive perhaps is Michael Clarke Duncan playing the miraculous prisoner, John Coffey. Duncan is a huge man, who too often is given roles tantamount to playing props. (“Hey, we need a gigantic guy. Call that Duncan dude!”) But in Mile, Duncan’s size and subtle delivery strike the perfect paradox.

 I could rave about a dozen performances in each film, which is why I wanted Celine to see them. To help her hone her craft, I wanted her to understand that the foundation of great performances in film is great writing. Shawshank and Mile draw virtually all their dialog from King’s text. And the actors seem energized by the richness of the language. Duncan is the best example. From the first moment his character clarifies his surname – “John Coffey. Like the drink, only spellt different.” – we receive an addicting sip of the condemned man’s sweetness and pain.


 Why is King especially good at prison tales? Beats me. But one doesn’t need to be a budding author to dig these flicks, which, in my opinion, are the two best films based on King’s work.

--Reviewed by Bob Dirkes