Everyone's a Critic, Baby

 I just finished up a terrific book by movie critic Owen Gleiberman, entitled Movie Freak: My Life Watching Movies. It is part autobiography, and part exploration of the world of film criticism and movies in general. Gleiberman reveals pretty much every dirty little secret of his life as he recounts his troubled childhood, college years, adult personal life, and his professional career.

Adam Brody in The Kid Detective, a fine and fun off-kilter

crime comedy with touches of film noir for added spice

Movie Freak is riveting, fascinating, funny, sad, revelatory, and a whole lot more. In author/critic Gleiberman, I see something of myself... not in every way, but enough for me to understand that it is a certain kind of person, bearing certain personal baggage, who dives so deep into film fandom. It's not just borne out of a healthy interest, necessarily, at least in Owen's (and my) case; there seems to be a prerequisite for a dysfunctional family dynamic to prod one to escape not just the mundane, but an often painful home life via the fictional (and sometimes non-fictional) worlds in movies.

So it was a bit of a therapy session for me as I read the book, much as it must have been for Gleiberman as he wrote it. But at least he went beyond just watching movies and became employed to write about them.

Outside of the personal stuff, the author went into considerable detail about writing about movies, analysing them, deconstructing them, reading into their subtext (if there is any), and how all of those creative processes fit into the business end of things. Gleiberman's work at various publications, newspapers and magazines is given enough attention in the book that one can  grasp, though not always easily, the politics of entertainment journalism. Sometimes you can see why things are done a particular way, even if it doesn't seem right. Other times, the haphazard injustice is overwhelming... big business execs or just plain power-tripping lower-level bosses hand down edicts with little or no wiggle room. Hence, Gleiberman's struggle to maintain a certain amount of freedom of speech and creativity in his various writing jobs.

A highly entertaining book... I recommend it to any fan of film, film criticism, and even just writing. I'm no expert on cinema, criticism or writing, but ever since the mid-1990's, I've been reading books about movies, and doubling (even tripling down) on my movie consumption. A self-taught education in the wide world of cinema, reaching as far back as the dawn of the medium and exploring its global reach. I also started a home movie collection in the 90's, which has grown and morphed along the way. What began as an almost exclusively horror and sci-fi genre collection gradually came to include art films, foreign films, documentaries... all manner of genres. So I consider myself more than an average movie viewer or collector. And as for film criticism, well, my not-too-terrible writing chops are mostly homegrown and self-taught. I've read a few books, written a few blogs and short stories, and contributed to some open-source and social media websites. Nothing paid, so I'm no pro, but I'm just having fun with the written word and sharing my thoughts about movies and other areas of pop culture. Like here!

And as the old adage goes: "Everyone's a critic". Yep, we've all got something to say, and as for all the different views out there (mine included), well, it's like that other old adage: "Opinions are like assholes; everyone has one". So I don't hold my blog writings here too dear. They may be gone tomorrow, for all I know.

But as I plow through movies, and sometimes shows (TV and streaming), and share my ideas about them, that process often helps me to see something that maybe I didn't see before in those moving pictures. I'm forced to take a moment and analyze, maybe break down, what I've seen and look for more than what's merely on the surface. Not always, though, for I am as guilty as anyone else for going with the flow and letting movies just wash over me, not bothering to look for any deeper meaning. Like popcorn movies... you know.

My Letterboxd profile gives you a real look at my movie viewing history, preferences, and quirks, not to mention my way of talking about them. Sometimes with some true thought, sometimes just a throwaway jokey line or two. Whatever I feel a movie deserves, considering my mood at that moment.

So whether I'm doing a quickie review of the sci-fi actioner Alita: Battle Angel, period piece comedy-drama Emma, or the quirky crime comedy The Kid Detective, I'm trying my best to be authentic, not relying on what everyone else says. I actually take notes while watching movies. Er, wait, that's a pretty nerdy thing to do, isn't it? That's what critics do...

Mid-winter Blahs and Streaming Services Rant

 A galaxy of streaming services and nothin' on... (to paraphrase a line from a Springsteen song).

It's crazy that we have so much choice for viewing content (or any entertainment) online, and yet we can still be stymied when it's time to choose something. I've been facing this for at least a year, or closer to two. Back in 2019, and into 2020, I subscribed to both Netflix and Amazon Prime. I'd been a Netflix-only guy for many years prior.

The Perry Mason reboot on HBO is among the best programming

I've seen in a long time. Excellent writing and acting... capturing the 

essence of 1930's Los Angeles through the eyes of the troubled private eye

But after a certain number of months of watching the shows and movies I really wanted to see on Prime, I felt like I'd had enough. Sure, it's cheap enough, but I didn't need the special delivery service included in that package, so I gave it the axe. There seemed to be very little in the way of movies that interested me. I spent most of my Prime time with its exclusive shows, like Jack Ryan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Bosch, and a handful of others. But after x number of seasons and what felt like a long dry spell before new episodes, I grew tired of handing over cash for nothing in particular. So Prime got the boot.

Last summer I finally decided to try out the Shudder streaming service. I've long been a fan of all things horrific and thrilling, so it seemed like a no-brainer. But even this niche resource fell pitifully short. Sure, there were some films of interest, but by and large, Shudder had little more than a bunch of modern-day, sub-par flicks. And more lame documentary/discussion series on the genre than you could shake a stick at. I found the odd thing of interest amid the dreck, but when it came right down to it, Shudder was a disappointment. There were extremely few oldies, whether classics or under-the-radar gems, which are the foundation of the horror genre. And by oldies, I mean anything before 1980. That's like sixty years of cinema history!

The handful of goodies on Shudder were newer movies I had either already seen, or had in my home movie collection. And though there were a number of foreign horrors I had saved to my To Watch list, I almost never found myself in the mood to "read" a movie. There was a time when I was a bigger fan of foreign films with subtitles, but that's changed. I really have to be in the right mindset to multi-task, flicking my eyeballs up and down on the screen, reading the dialogue and taking in what's happening visually. And with horror, it can be distracting, often taking away from an effective, atmospheric scene.

Anyway, as fall approached, I figured the Halloween season, as celebrated on Shudder, would determine the fate of the service. I did latch onto the Wolf Creek series of shows and movies, but not much else grabbed me. I ended up revisiting my home media, watching oldies on Youtube, and renting the odd other thing to fill up my pre-Halloween viewing schedule. And that was it... Shudder was unsuccessful at winning me over. Gone!

When the latest season of The Mandalorian appeared on Disney Plus, I jumped back on board (I'd done this before for previous seasons of the baby Yoda show), but just as quickly dumped it back where it came from. Nothing else of interest on the Disney service.... I've seen (or own) all the animated classics I care about.

All this time, I'd hung onto good ol' trusty Netflix, or at least that's what I kept trying to tell myself. That this pioneer of the big streaming services had more to offer for my money. That is until the fees began to creep up bit by bit, finally landing at about $15 a month. And for what? A whole lot of nothing. Lots of titles (though not as many as there used to be) but very few that appealed to me. My "To Watch" list was lengthy, yet as the months and years wore on, I lost interest in many of my unwatched saved selections. I found myself browsing aimlessly - through the few remaining old hangabouts and the lackluster new arrivals, sometimes doing a deep search through everything, desperately trying to get my money's worth out of this weakening streaming titan.

The weekly new arrivals consisted mostly of crappy-looking reality-TV-type stuff, not at all my cup of tea. Plus weird specialty programs that were so focused on a tiny demographic that there was no way I'd partake of those. And the movies.... oh, don't get me started. Loads of never-heard-of-before, low-budget, straight-to-video garbaaaj (just sound it out as it looks and you'll get the jist of how I say it - with a French inflection), starring nobody I'd ever heard of before. And extremely few better-known flicks, at least ones not made by Seth Rogan and his cast of idiots. The "oldies" selection was/is next to none, as well. What gives?

Then it dawned on me that maybe I was done with Netflix. It was good while it lasted, mostly, until it wasn't. By the end, I was only intermittently catching episodes of two different shows - old Jeopardy and not quite as old Modern Family reruns. Nothing else. Not worth fifteen bucks, I'd say.

So I spent a while doing my research, examining the other streaming services out there, and while The Criterion Channel looked appealing, it wouldn't satisfy my taste for non-"important" films when I was in a less snooty mood. I own a small-ish but carefully chosen collection of Criterion releases on Blu-ray, but as time passes, I feel less of a need to add more to my already bursting media shelves. Some of these classics, and artsy cinema, can be found elsewhere, even on Youtube (sometimes even pristine uploaded Criterion versions). Sooo, I gave that a miss.

Then along came Crave. While the Crave service itself didn't appear to have a lot of stuff aimed at my tastes (but there's Seinfeld!), its partnered HBO package (a bundle "deal") did. HBO is renowned for its television programming, and I've seen a handful of its cool productions over the years thanks to friends who owned the DVDs. It was this way that I got to enjoy amazing shows like Carnivale, The Wire, Westworld, Watchmen, True Detective, Deadwood, and some of Game of Thrones. Oh, and can't forget Curb Your Enthusiasm, though my mania for that show drove me to purchase all ten seasons on DVD. Just in case the internet fails.

Some newer Crave/HBO shows that caught my eye were Your Honor, Perry Mason, Generation Kill, The Flight Attendant, Veep, The Undoing, and Lovecraft Country, among others. So I figured even if the movie count wasn't very impressive on Crave/HBO, I could bide my time (until this COVID mess allows the movie studios to get moving again) with high quality shows. Fingers crossed. It's going well so far. And once I had signed up for Crave, I gave Netflix the heave-ho, never looking back. It's possible I'll go back to it someday if I hear about new seasons of favourite shows. But no promises. 

How are other viewers out there faring? Are you finding what you are looking for in satisfying content? Content... that's what it's all about now. Any ol' stuff on the interweb with which to waste our precious moments upon this Earth. Ah well, I am often one of those drones... when I'm not reading a book or spinning a record (Gasp! Such quaint past-times!). Well, it's fun, fun, fun, til your daddy takes the modem away.

Click!

Top 5 Perfect Albums

Everyone has at least one or two, maybe more, "perfect" albums they'd cite as ones they will always enjoy from start to finish, never skipping a single song. Every track is excellent and stands the test of time, providing an amazing listening experience every time, for years and years.

Albums like that aren't the rule... they are the exception. From the very beginning of recorded music in LP format, there have been "filler" tracks, songs that weren't truly up to snuff and were likely churned out at the last minute just to satisfy time requirements on an album. Of course, those requirements are imposed by the recording company. It's all dollars and cents for them, and if they can pad an album with one or two extra songs just to make it look like more for your dollar, they'll do it. And then the pressure is on the artist to come up with something more.

Some musicians can rise to the task, others can't. Some can do it sometimes. But it must be a daunting challenge, especially when the artist already feels drained of all their best ideas and the album feels satisfyingly complete. Then along comes the demand for another song or two.

Today, I'll tell you about some perfect albums, as I see them, anyway. These aren't necessarily my favourite albums by these artists - though some are, but they are the ones I feel are super strong from start to finish, not a single dud.

The first one I thought of is Fleetwood Mac's classic Rumours. To begin with, this album boasts so many great hits (as in top selling, high charting, and radio staples) that it makes your head spin. Then add in the fact that there isn't a weak song in sight. Even the lesser known tracks are impressive, if everyone would just move past the greatest hits. Never Going Back Again, Oh Daddy, Gold Dust Woman. I mean, these are, to me, just as good as the radio singles. All amazing music by primo singers and musicians at their peak. Perfection.

Then... Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath. Yeah, you saw that one coming. I've raved about this Dio-fronted Sab album many times on this blog, so I'll keep it brief today. For me, it's powerful from front to back, not a single weak tune. There are songs that may not rival the biggies like the title track and Neon Nights, but even Wishing Well and Lonely is the Word are still great, highly listenable pieces. I'd say Sabbath had peaked here, though some might disagree. Dio brought new energy and creative ideas to the table when he joined the troupe, and the rest of the guys answered with more passion and electricity than ever before. A new band was born here, and their resulting "first" album (of the Dio era) is chock full of bangers.

Fragile is not necessarily my favourite Yes album, and yet I'd say it's more consistently excellent throughout than my fave... which happens to be Going For the One. Going For the One contains some of my very favourite Yes songs of all time, including Turn of the Century, Wonderous Stories, and Awaken. BUT... there are at least aspects of other songs, if not whole songs, on there that don't maintain excellence. Understand? On Fragile, everything is top notch progressive rock conceived as a concept album in a very abstruse way... it's not a story in the vein of Rush's 2112 but is instead a technical and creative instrumental exercise in presenting the band in both a cohesive form and as individuals writing solo pieces. Each member of Yes wrote a song and conducted the rest of the band to fulfill his needs on the track.

And when you're as good a musician as the guys in Yes, you've gotta show off a bit. And they did, perhaps not intentionally, through their intelligent and imaginative arrangements that set the standard for prog rock bands to come. So not only did the band as a whole pen such gems as Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround, and Heart of the Sunrise, but they knocked it completely out of the park with their "solo" contributions. Mood For a Day, Steve Howe's exquisite Spanish guitar piece, is perhaps my favourite on the whole album. Maybe. If you want progressive rock excellence, look no further than Fragile.

Van Halen's debut qualifies as a perfect album. Is there anything on there you're tired of, that you'd rather not hear today? For me, nope. I think I've heard every single song from the VH debut played on the radio at some point in time. Nothing is overlooked, and that says something. It doesn't hurt that this disc is among the top selling debut albums of all time. The first four tracks are among the most famous VH tunes, including Runnin' With the Devil and the most famous guitar solo of all time... Eruption. Not just excellent and spine-chillingly explosive, but jaw-droppingly groundbreaking at the time, too. Even now, it's the template for guitarists the world over. 

Even after side one (on a vinyl record) ends, you're in for a further blast of rock heaven on side two with pop metal radio hit Jamie's Crying, the supersonic blast of Atomic Punk, and histrionic tour-de-force Fire. Whew!

Last, but not least, is the 90's thrash masterpiece Rust in Peace, by Megadeth. Yes, it's regarded by many metalheads as one of the best of the genre, but tear it down for analysis, and you've got a dissection of perfection (sounds like a good Megadeth song title). If the ferocity of opening track Holy Wars doesn't completely incapacitate you, then maybe its follow-up Hangar 18 will, with its eleven (yes, 11) guitar solos! All blisteringly tasty, in that eloquent Mega-blend of the melodic, the technical, and the aggressive.

Moving from track to track, RIP is all massive bangers, with one exception. In my early years of owning and listening to the album, I wasn't sure about the second to last song, Dawn Patrol. It's a short, slow-ish tune, just drums and a hypnotic bassline accompanying Dave Mustaine reciting eerie, cautionary lyrics about a nuclear post-apocalyptic Earth... it's really rather chilling and effective, I felt, as I later came to appreciate the song more fully. Now I love it as much as everything else on Rust in Peace. Perfect!

Very quickly, some honourable mentions are:

Hall of the Mountain King, by Savatage - 80's power metal that absolutely slays, and influenced more than just one genre. All killer, no filler.

Meliora, by Ghost - from 2015, with expert catchy songwriting, light and heavy contrasts, and mostly dark themes... completely solid throughout, from wispy to crunchy.

Breakfast in America, by Supertramp - their brightest, most fun and successful album, containing hit after hit after hit... not a bad tune in the bunch. The Logical Song, anyone?

Dark Side of the Moon, by Pink Floyd - duh! This potential best album of all time candidate (being totally objective) would be incomplete without every genius track in place. The strength and beauty of each song, and the flow from one to the next, create the perfect listening experience. The true definition of a concept album.

New Additions to the Record Shelf

 A few musical things arrived in the mail in recent weeks, so it's time to do a rundown:

A co-worker friend introduced me to Norwegian metal band Kvelertak. The raw, screamy vocals kind of turned me off at first, but as I warmed to the instrumental side of things, I found the noisy "singing" actually worked as a complement, more as an instrument itself and demonstrating a bit of a punk ethic, angry and unsavory. Besides, since lyrics are all in Norwegian, I can't understand anything anyway. So the vocals are there as sounds rather than telling any discernible story or message... for anyone not familiar with the language. There are actually very nicely sung parts here and there, in stark contrast with the lead bits.

The music reveals hints of the band's influences, yet melds them into a package that is unique and all their own. I hear some Black Metal blast-beats and ferocious wall-of-sound guitar attack, yet there are very groovin' rock'n'roll sections that bring melody to the table. Plus I even hear passages reminiscent of 90's Rush, not necessarily progressive in nature, but just that arpeggiated guitar style and sound that Lifeson had going at the time. It all makes for a fascinating listen.

After just one listen of my friend's CD version of Nattesferd (2016), I went online and ordered my own copy. Yes, I was that impressed. Like I said, there's an abundance of heaviness, but it's not all extreme metal... a lot of fun, catchy stuff - à la 80's metal - adds contrast and keeps things rolling. The variety of sounds and inventive songwriting make it an easy listen, songs flowing one into the next. One of these days, I'll look up Kvelertak's lyrics translated to English so I'll know what they're actually singing about. Cool stuff, I'm sure, judging by the sci-fi/fantasy artwork on the album cover.

Then I got an old classic, Revolver, by The Beatles, on vinyl LP. This was a gift... well, I bought it with a gift card... and it was something I wouldn't normally shell out so much money for. This is a modern remastered reissue, which wasn't cheap, but it sounds amazing. It makes my old CD sound like garbage in comparison. The original source recording was spruced up with the latest technology - not changed or tampered with, but cleaned up for spotless sound and clarity, breathing new life into this 60's gem. The whole album is excellent, with just the goofy singalong Yellow Submarine its only low point. Over the years, I've come to appreciate songs that I long ago didn't care for much, like Tomorrow Never Knows and Love You To. The Indian and psychedelic influences were just too much for me as a younger listener, but today, I find these tracks captivating in their groundbreaking and highly creative ways. And with this reissue's special treatment, those songs (plus the rest of them) shine like never before.

Next up, I got a real treat in the mail all the way from Schwabach, Germany. I had to search around Discogs (my favourite source for used vinyl online) for a reasonably priced recording of the 1981 album, Breaker, by German metal meisters Accept. The album generally commanded rather high prices, but a generous seller accepted (hehe) my slightly lower offer. And boy, am I pleased with the excellent condition of the record. It plays like a dream.

The average Joe might only know the song Balls to the Wall from a later Accept album, but this one, only their second release, shows the band quickly finding their sound and asserting some solid songwriting. After just a couple of listens, I find it a super strong recording, every song good in its own way. As I absorb it more fully over time, I'm sure some favourites will jump out at me. Midnight Highway stands out as the most accessible tune, but the rest of the disc is uncompromising metal, slick in presentation, yet tough and aggressive in delivery. There was a bit of controversy over some lyrics back in the day, but today, it's nothing compared to what you hear in any given rap song.

Oh, and a little further back, I got AC/DC's Highway to Hell on vinyl LP with a Christmas gift card. What can I say? This re-issue looks and sounds great... that groovin' hard rock/metal classic sounds better than ever, and the really nice album jacket and sleeve reproductions clinch this as a winner. My favourite AC/DC album, this'll hit the turntable regularly.

That's it for now... so keep on spinning that vinyl!