Congratulations to Arcade Fire for taking home the Grammy last night for Album of the Year. I was so excited when I heard Barbara Streisand mumble - clearly unaware of which was the artist and which was the album - that I barely noticed when she and Kris Kristofferson awkwardly attempted to say goodnight (was this weird for anyone else?). Then Arcade Fire took their rightfully deserved opportunity to close the show. What a moment.The Suburbsis without a doubt one of the best albums of 2010. This is a concept album at its best; each song has a specific intention and order, they marry so well. Being independent, humble, Canadian ... all of these things made this win one of my most memorable.
Tis the season to either feel wonderful or horrible about yourself. Isn't that the way it goes? Either you are coupled and fabulous, or single and suffering. Where is the happy medium? I am with someone this year and, while I'm not in the usual v-day-sucks-why-am-I-alone kind of mood, I still don't feel light on my feet with birds singing in the air around me. Am I supposed to? I like the idea of love, the reality just never seems to live up to it ... so instead let's take a look at a few of my favorite covers of Love.
I watched this movie the other night with my boyfriend. I had to remove myself emotionally in order to watch it without a constant stream of tears. Fly on the wall. It was real, raw, and unapologetic. The documentary-style made watching some scenes horribly uncomfortable and voyeuristic; we are essentially eavesdropping on the most intimate moments of their lives. And these are some pretty tough moments. I wanted to look away, or at anything but them. It was the same awkward feeling you get when you witness something you aren't supposed to, like catching a coworker crying in a bathroom stall. I felt like I shouldn't be seeing this, it's just too personal. We all have skeletons in our closets, we don't need to see our neighbours'. The raw intensity of their love and hatred towards each other made it hard to watch. I found the most challenging scenes to be the ones showing how they first found and fell in love with each other. The juxtaposition of moments of first love and those of the fatality of the relationship were extremely hard to watch.
The critic reviews have been positive; the viewer reviews are a bit mixed. Comments about the film being awkward, lacking in direction, being overly depressing, or noting the absence of a score in certain scenes are common. That's the point of it, to make us feel as awkward and depressed as the characters are. I personally love movies with little to no music. It leaves a large portion of interpretation to the viewer; there is no music to tell us how to feel so we have to figure it out on our own -- a scary prospect to some.
I highly recommend this movie. Depending on the state of your relationship (or lack thereof) you could think this was bullshit or right on the money. I wouldn't say that it was the best movie I have ever seen or that it completely altered my view on love and relationships; it has done what every other favourite movie of mine has done, it made me think.
