Review 2002 review: Film & Music.

Shallow Hal / Gosford Park / Kissing Jessica Stein / Changing Lanes / Baise-Moi
These weren’t my favourite five films of 2002, just those whose reviews I thought were worth reposting.  Of the five, it’s Kissing Jessica Stein I keep returning to, because of the characters, because of the atmosphere and because it’s hilarious.  Next along is probably Gosford Park, though we last spent time together while I researching my MA dissertation in 2005 when I was trying to decide if it was a hyperlink film or just a simple ensemble film and how it compared to Robert Altman’s other experiments with huge casts and improvisation.  Shallow Hal’s the only film on the list I haven’t returned to, though it reminds me I need to get around to watching Dumb & Dumber one of these days.



Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis covering Rolf is still a seminal light entertainment moment, though since then he’s been very busy indeed all things considered.  There’s his musical collaborations with Richard X, Charlotte Gainborg and Nancy Sinatra, contributions to a Harry Potter soundtrack, film cameos, and his radio show on 6Music.  If Jarvis is still best known still to a certain portion of his audience for what’s described as the “BRIT Awards incident” when he stormed the stage during Michael Jackson’s surreally messianic performance of Earthsong, my favourite memory will always be watching him talking to the moon and stars at the V96 festival in Birkenhead, an otherwise rowdy audience transfixed by the moment.



Late Junction
As this entry says, Late Junction did indeed lead me to attending evening classes in World Music, its history and apparatus.  I suppose like any personal fad, like French New Wave later, it seeped into my general appreciation of culture.  There’s something invigorating about submerging yourself in a single interest for a time, becoming an expert of sorts and although your interest fades as something else temps you away, it’ll still be there at the back of your mind or as is the case my music collection which was injected with dozens and dozens of rough guides to so called “world music” which were on offer at HMV during just the right period.  Of all of them, I still return to the France related cds.  Unsurprisingly.



TATU
Isn’t that awful?  Not that Tatu video which is the perfect synergy of catchy pop song and unrepentant titillation but this leery post which disproves the rule that this blog was always better when it first began.  The Altman anecdote is true, the memory is still vivid, as is the rest of it I suppose, but the paradoxical mix of prudery and prurience is simply embarrassing even if thematically it manages to mention similar faux-sapphic endeavours.  Perhaps that indicates I was being ironic, but given that I can’t even remember writing the thing, just as I can’t remember writing most of this blog, I’m unwilling to give the younger version of me the benefit of the doubt, especially since he forced me to watch all six seasons of Lost.



The UN Concert to celebrate the giving of the Nobel Peace Prize (or something like that)
Reading through that oddball collection of stars it doesn’t seem any less bonkers than the various ceremonies at year’s Olympics and with some of the same acts.  Looking at the video, it's even worse than I remember.  The UN Peace Prize Concerts now have their own website.  In 2011 it was co-hosted by Helen Mirren and Rosario Dawson and featured amongst others Evanescence, David Grey, Janelle Monae and Ellie Goulding.  This year its Sarah Jessica Parker and Gerard Butler introducing Jennifer Hudson and Kylie though its fair to say the linguistic variety of the acts has increased over time.  Sadly I’m going to miss it live because Sky Arts have the rights but luckily there is a YouTube channel, where we can also enjoy 2010’s performances from Florence Welch and Barry Manilow.



Everything Else
Or, the stuff he should have been writing about.  Was Jade Goody going to be releasing a single?  John Major had an affair with Edwina Curry?!?  What striking about this is how clued in I appear to be.  Lord knows how.  I stopped being interested in the lifestyles of the sometimes rich and relatively famous years ago, apart from politicians, journalists and royalty unless Marina Hyde or Hadley Freeman are writing The Guardian’s Lost in Showbiz column and I certainly watch far less music related television even Later …  I tried listening to NOW 83 the other day most of which was new to me.  There are only about five decent tracks and one of those is Stooche’s cover of TLC’s Waterfalls, because it’s practically a rerecord.

Tomorrow: Blogs and Blogging.