versiunea 1.3. redux (incl. ROCKLAND & alinland)
Keith Richards / Keef is 82 !!! Amazing ! Noroc !!!
also the Stones have announced NO European tour in 2026.
They will have a new album out tho soon...
La multi ani to the original Pirate King !!!
thinking of Bobby Keys too !
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1166318042379539
The new Running Man, is not a remake pre se of the Ahnuld 1987 vehicle, but a more faithful adaptation of Stephen King as Richard Bachman novel, written in 1973, published in 1982. That novel happened in the year 2025 and actually today it happens, with the Squid Game series and a Korean Reality show named exactly Running Man. So Ben Richards is in a banal world, becoming more real every day. I mean, it's like Y-day news after the Hunger Games series and all the Tv/straming fare of this kind.
Running man is of course influenced by Rollerball, which still stands up as one of the best film of its era (not the shitty unnecesaary reamke) it's even worse tha n its remake.
Everyone's commenting, oh, it's an Edgar Wright film. Ok, that is like a certified value for a big budget blockbuster Sf action (110 mill. $). surely not. I was also very dispointed by Lst Night in Soho, his take in gialllos, very pretentios and shallow. The most action Wright directed was in Baby Driver, which I enjoyed most of his all films, and he's better in making quirky, funny, heartfelt little films, not Hollywood fodder.
Also Glen Powell, which I've just seen in the lastest SNL edition, can't carry the film., at all. Not a problem with the guy and he tries hard but neh.
This would've worked as a Snake Plissken adventure, like Escape fromn the Dome. I guess Wright gave a few nods to John Carpenter.
There's also a problem with the duration which is overlong, 2h13 min, oi, the film doesn't start until we get to the show and no matter how good Josh Brolin and Colman Domingo are, they can't help much.
Also this world, used and dirty, used to cost less to produce on the screen. Here they went to Bulgaria for exteriors and day shots. Somehow doesn't look like America. The rest of it was hot at Warner Bros' studios in England.
Now for the music, unimpressive loud score by Steven Price. And as Edgar Wright ia great fan of songs to use on the soundtrack (yeah, great in Baby Driver), here most of them are wasted. Rolling Stones' Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker), Sly and the Family Stone (Underdog)-on the main credits, Iggy and the Stooges (Search and Destroy), The Allman Brothers (Revival) , Miles Davis (Red China Blues) and Tom Jones (Keep on Running) on the end credits. Including a riff of The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (last heard appropiately in One Battle After Another). And Jamie XX, far from my desk ;)
It's been Stephen King's year all over, from Life of Chuck to Welcome to Derry, the IT prequel that runs now on HBO MAX, MGM's The Institute series, passing through The Monkey and another Bachman opus, The Long Walk (which I liked best of these all, my review here).
Wright's film is full of King references /Easter eggs for the eyes of King's fans and King himself, credited as an executive producer. Of course King was happy with the film, as I know his tastes in film (ex: how much he hated Kubrick's The Shining and managed to to a sequel just to get rid of that Kubrick hangover, I don't care so much about what he likes or does not cinematically...hey, what about that Maximum Overdrive?
*I opened recently a Letterboxed account in order to write down the films I see which I hardly can here, and my "reARviews" will be isssued there. Same ratings apply.
the Show -my notes:
23 awards to go til 6.10 am ;)
It starts with Somewhere over the Rainbow, it goes into the Wicked songs with the freakish Cynthia and Grande.
Conan O'Brian (hosting for the 1st time), is actually very good, natural with a good sense of pacing. With a little help of Adam Sandler and John Lithgow. Then surprise, he sings s a song, “I won't waste time”, featuring dancers, the sandworm from "Dune" on piano doing “chopsticks” and Deadpool.
Robert Downey jr. presents supporting actor and the least deserving guy gets it, Kieran, who is the same in life as in A Real Pain, as in Succession, kinda same part. Nice speech tho, talking to his wife.
He also looks like a young Kirk Douglas. Glowing eyes.
(commercial break #1)
The short animated category I didn't follow. “In the Shadow of the Cypress” won. The two Iranian directors are great ! They just landed in L.A. Three hours ago, they said.
(commercial break #2)
Costume design, no surprises there, Wicked, the first black person to win for costume design.
Another commercial break, # 3
Original script. Sean Baker wins his 1st Oscar for writing Anora. Adapted, Conclave. No surprises here.
Surely The Brutalist and The Substance and September 5 were better choices but I'm happy for Baker.
Commercial break, # 4, man, there's more breaks than show...
June Squibb and Scarlett Johansson present the makeup and hairstyling award to The obvious The Substance.
Then we get Halle Berry to let us know the Governer Ball's Awards (November 2024), from Quincy Jones (posthumous) to the Bond producers of EON, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson (who gave a way bond to the sharks from Amazon :() -Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
and then we get a 007 tribute clip followed by a dance extravaganza with a superb Margaret Qualley (as I said before, on her way in becoming a A-lister, after OUATiH, Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness, The Substance, Drive-Away Dolls), in a red dress, then we get renditions of Live and Let Die with Lisa , Diamonds are Forever with Doja Cat, Skyfall with Raye, all in good taste, channeling the originals.
Commercial break, # 5
Nice joke of Cinemastreams, Conan featuring Marty Scorsese.
And a anniversary of Kill Bill puts Daryl Hannah on stage. She looks great, presents the award for best Editing. Again, Sean Baker rocks (2nd award !), Anora for editing ! Deservingly.
Divine takes the stage for the supporting actress award presentation. Zoe Saldana wins. Emilia Perez was here, will she win for International film too ?
Commercial break, # 6
Ben Stiller on stage with a joke stolen from SNL Vincent Price skit (& Peter Sellers & more), present the Production Design Award. Wicked". May the Biggest budget film win. And a film about architecture, nem...
Then on the sound of Sympathy for the...who ?, Sir Mick Jagger shows up. Best Song award. Making Bob jokes. El Mal from Emilia Perez win. Sorry, I couldn't care less. The nominations this year for song were awful.
Commercial break, # 7
Conan does the second Dune Sandworm joke, playing harp ! Sam Jackson (L.) and Selena Gomez (M.) present short documentary film. The Only Girl in the Orchestra wins. Feature: No Other Land. Political moment speech.
Commercial break, # 8
Conan & the L.A. Firemen Dpt. Firemen jokes.
Miles Teller & Miley Cyrus (in Europe Kilometer & Kilometry). Sound. Dune 2.
Gal Gadot, herself a special FX, in a red dress present the Visual Effects Award. Dune part 2 it is.
VO/announcer (in my heydays it was Peter Coyote ;) -Nick Offerman, who's voice is kinda off (booze?).
Commercial break, # 9
Ana de Armas and Sterling K. Brown present the last short award.
Morgan Freeman presents an homage to Gene Hackman. He played together in Unforgiven and Under Suspicion. That introduces the In Memoriam montage I had no clue Fred Roos and Adam Somner. died ..).
Commercial break, # 10
An actor presenter from each film nominated for Cinematography: Joe Alwyn for the Brutalist. Alba Rohrwacher salutes a Ed Lachman in a wheelchair for Maria. Willem Dafoe for Nosferatu, Zoe Saldana for Emilia Perez, Dave Bautista for Dune part 2. Lol Crawley wins for The Brutalist. Fair enuff.
Penelope Cruz presents for Best International Film. I'm Still Here/ Ainda Estou Aqui wins (Walter Salles, Brazil). Another big loss for EP, due to bad PR mostly.
Commercial break, # 10
Conan makes another Russian Joke via Anora. Mark Hamill (!!!) presents the award for best Original SCORE. Daniel Blumberg for The Brutalist. Well deserved for a Grand, epic score !
Whoopy and Oprah introduce a Quincy Jones musical tribute. Queen Latifah sings a song from The Wiz.
Commercial break, # 11
Conan: "If you still enjoying this show you have what it's called Stockholm Syndrome".
Cillian Murphy takes the stage for best actor award. He won last year for Oppenheimer. And...Adrian Brody wins his 2nd Oscar (22 years after 2003's The Pianist) for the part of architect László Tóth in The Brutalist !!! The most touching moment of the evening. Brody is entering a cool restricted club. Egészségedre !
Enter QT, Quentin iz in ze house ! Best director -ta-dam, Sean Baker for Anora ! His 3d Oscar, suddenly a small struggling indie director becomes a Monster Superstar in the biz. Phones will be ringing, snakes will be crawling, emails will be flowing, agents will be waltzing around & mirages will be presented to him but I have the feeling he won't sell out. Kudos !
Commercial break, # 12
Emma Stone (who won last year for Poor Things) presents Best Actress award. Aaaand surprise, Mikey Madison (Sadie in OUaTiH) wins !!! Anora's fourth Oscar ! Mikey is 25 !
Meg Ryan & Billy Crystal present Best Film. And Anora wins !!! Five Oscars out of Six ! Sean Baker is also co-producer so he gets his fifth award. Bravo !
And they even finished earlier this year ! Sorry for Demi, that was this edition surprise for me. 62 vs. 25. Baby Jane or All About Eve ? Again the SAG proof that no one guesses is perfect. The acting awards were again different from those of the guild. All in all it was a calm and cool edition with the most indie films in an Oscar race, two foreign directors, and wins for Anora 5, Brutalist 3.
That's it, folks !
...so Long Marianne...
that song is not about her, but Stones' are. She cowrote Sister Morphine with Mick and Keef and had her own version recorded in 1969 with Ry Cooder and Jack Nietzsche.
It has also been claimed that Marianne Faithfull inspired Stones songs including You Can't Always Get What You Want and Dear Doctor, while it has also been reported that The Beatles' And Your Bird Can Sing was inspired by her and Mick' Jaggers relationship.
I got a record of her, Before the Poison, and surely Broken English. She has two songs in Alan Rudolph's Trouble in Mind (1985). Her last album was in 2012 with Warren Ellis & Nick Cave & Brian Eno, She Walks In Beauty. Tru ;)
last time saw her in Irina Palm (2007) at TIFF, a risque role of a grandmother forced to work on a peephole. She was also in Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola.
& here are my Top albums of last year (2023)
The The -Ensoulment (could easily be the album of the year for me, lyricswise it's brilliant, poetry and elegy / eulogy
Bruce Dickinson -The Mandrake Project (and a cancelled concert :((()
Elbow-Audio Vertigo
Judas Priest -Invisible Shield
Deep Purple =1
Another masterful Bob Ezrin production with DP, his fifth with the band (starting with Now What ?! " in 2013), an elegant classy album of a bans that had nothing more to prove a long time ago, and now it's just having fun !
The Black Crowes-Happiness Bastards
-great comeback, Rock'nRolla ! their first album since 2009 !
Mark Knopfler-One Deep River -just good old MK !
Ian Hunter - Defiance Part 2 Fiction (part 1, in 2023's top)
Bill Wyman-Drive My Car -Wyman is 87 !
Like the Nick Cave (Wild God), liked The Cure, but they ain't my bands.
A mention to the new David Gilmour -Luck and Strange, but can't say the album satisfied me.
Liked more the Body Count version of "Confortably Numb" , featuring David Gilmour.
Discovered a new great band, punk garage rockin' Australian:
Amyl and the Sniffers -Cartoon Darkness
found out Kasabian reunited: Happenings
COMPILATION:
Various Artists: The Power of the Heart- A Tribute to Lou Reed
-featuring Keith Richards' Waiting for the Man !
ARCHIVE:
The Michael Schenker Group - Is It Loud Enough (Michael Schenker Group 1980-1983) 6 discs
*and what could be the 'anthem" of the year, the unreleased instrumental Edward & Eddie Van Halen song, Unfinished
BLUES:
Slash -Orgy of the Dead
Luke Winslow-King -Flash-A-Magic
Walter Trout-Broken
Bill Wyman put out an album at 87. Drive My Car, some wonderful covers (among which a nice rendition of Thunder on the Mountain from Bob Dylan's and 3 originals. Sounds a lot like J.J. Cale....
87? Eighty-Seven ? This is definitely the oldest rock musician's album yet.
Also Wyman (former Rolling Stones bass player and co-founder) is retired from over 30 years (1993). In 1997 he formed The Rhythm Kings aka Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, more of a club band. He joined the Stones for last year's Hackney Diamonds, playing the bass on the "Live By the Sword" song.
Surely on my Top albums of 2024. Made my Day (and what a Day :)
Review on Louder, here.
"....but drive it Slow !!!"
Keef honors Lou Reed. March 1st.
I'm Waiting for the Man is Velvet Underground song recorded for their debut album in 1967.
His Birthday being March 2nd.
“To me, Lou stood out. The real deal! Something important to American music and to ALL MUSIC! I miss him and his dog.” - Keith Richards
Communique:
The digital single & music video are out now and featured on the upcoming album The Power of the Heart: A Tribute to Lou Reed, which includes newly recorded covers from Keith Richards, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Rufus Wainwright, Lucinda Williams, Maxim Ludwig & Angel Olsen, Rickie Lee Jones, Mary Gauthier, Bobby Rush, Automatic, The Afghan Whigs, and Rosanne Cash. This special collection will be released by Light in the Attic Records and available on Vinyl & CD at fine independent record shops worldwide on Record Store Day (April 20th).
It goes without saying that the legendary Lou Reed was a true rock ’n’ roll pioneer. From The Velvet Underground’s debut in 1967 all the way through the end of his days, Reed sang truth from his heart. He lived life to the limit—and then some. The Power of the Heart is a tribute to Reed’s freedom of expression with covers spanning his groundbreaking years with the Velvets into his majestic solo career. Each track is a glorious extension of the Rock ’n’ Roll Animal’s soul, ever adventurous and avant-garde.
"Now is Now and Then is Then."
Perfect Days is a masterpiece, a Japanese film made in Tokyo in Japanese by a German filmmaker. Wim Wenders, made at 77 years of age. Like Wenders' Tokyo Story.
But Yasujiro Ozu is Wenders' master. And Ozu being a poet, this homage to him (Wenders did also a documentary, Tokyo-Ga, about his trip to Ozu's Tokyo, back in 1985), is also a Poem. A poem in the rhyme of Rock 'n Roll.
Do yourself a Favor and do go to the cinema. It's in limited release and it will vanish shortly. Kudos again Bad Unicorn for bringing it on the big screen ! Click on the link , scroll down and you'll see where it screens in Romania. ! And if you go, stay 'til the end of the credits !!!
It's slow, it's dreamlike, it's funny and tender, it's beautiful and sad, it's heartfelt. About the meaning of life (really!). Not in the Monty Pythonesque sense. More like budhism.
Absolutely gorgeous soundtrack, Lou Reed (the title comes from Lou's "Perfect Day" song) , Patti Smith, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Van Morrison, Ottis Redding, Nina Simone, The Animals & House of the Rising Sun (in Japanese even), Sachiko Kanenobu, and all with a purpose. Like a shiver in the trees leaves.
One of last year's best, should've been in my 2023 Top Films but I saw it in january 2024 ! It is nominated for the Oscar for best foreign film. Won best actor in Cannes and Koji Yakusho's performance is one of the best there is. Also won the Ecumenical Jury in Cannes.
Also it's one of Wenders' best, up there (for me) with Paris Texas, Das Himmel uber Berlin, Der Amerikanische Freund, Der Stand der Dinge. Shot beautifully by Wenders' collaborator since Land of Plenty (204), Franz Lustig, in the academical format of 1.33.1 (4:3), sharply edited and with a subtle sound design (re: the leaves, the dreams).
great interview with Wenders on Eye for Film here.
Wenders' favorite films on Kombini Video here. A lot on Ozu at the beginning of the video.
Komorebi...
...well, it's them... The Usual Suspects...Keef, the Coop, Iggy, a lot of septagenuarians, even octogenarians there...All the young Dudes ! even Metallica ! Keeping on rocking in (not so much) a Free World anymore, agree Neil-yo;)?
Top 2022 albums here. Top 2023 Soundtracks here.
Song of the year is but, yes, The Beatles-Now and Then
1. The Rolling Stones-Hackney Diamonds -well Mick and Keef are 80 !
Ronnie is the young gun here ;) -76!
Mess it Up , featuring a Nicholas Hoult on the run...directed by Calmatic !
2. Peter Gabriel -I/o (after 20 years...) -73 !
3. Alice Cooper -The Road -at 75 !!!
&
-Iggy Pop-Every Loser -76! (sorry, I missed ya man in EC, hopefully catch-up this year!!!)
Ian Hunter -Defiance part One -83 !!!
Yusuf (Cat Stevens)-King of a Land (75!)
Nils Lofgren -Mountains (72!)
***also Neil Young (78!) put not one, not two but three albums out, Before and After, an album with Lofgren, Molina and Talbot (All Roads Lead Home) and a re-release of Chrome Dreams.
Metal album of the year (that's how Metal I can get;) : well, Hetfield is 60 now but the meaning of 72 is Eighteen-Forever !!!
Metallica-72 Seasons
Greta Van Fleet-Starcatcher
(third album of the band, same Zeppelin, some Queen, still epigonic but better...their best yet) -well, these guys are so young (but old souls;) it doesn't even compute ;)
Pop:
Duran Duran -Dance Macabre (well, these guys are just in their sixties, so...), espc. for Supernature and Psycho Killer with a touch of Paint it Black...;)
***
Guilty pleasure (and not only GP) album of the year:
Dolly Parton -Rockstar (Dolly is 78 !!!), now, that's a cover album if there ever was one ;)
Try the super extended version (30 songs!!!). So many great guests here. Top RnR royalty. Loved her duet with Rob Halford (Bygones)! Also World on Fire, great song. Magic Man, with Ann Wilson. Heart of Glass, with Debbie Harry. And that duet with Stevie Nicks, bad-ass witches, no Eastwick. "What has Rock and Roll ever Done for You". Indeed :D
Guitar top three:
Steve Lukather-Bridges
Trevor Rabin-Rio
Steven Wilson-The Harmony Codex
Blues
Danny Bryant-Rise
*****
Danny Bryant will be playing for the 1st time in Romania for Transilvania Blues Nights in Brasov at Rockstadt on Jan. 20th 2024 !!!!
well, that gig was cacelled, but we got this instead -Copeland & Wragg -The Last Sundown, definetly will be on my list of albums of 2024 !!!
So Many Many how Many Returns, it's a historical day, one for them His Story books...
from now he is Eighty, mr. Keith Richards... the Human Riff, the X-pensive Wino, the Main Offender, the most original Pirate of Rock n Roll...
Do ya think it's a miracle? Neh, he's the man with five strings and nine lives. Maybe Ten. But I'm sure it goes to Eleven ;)
A proof of LIFE, indeed (in deed?), Charlie Watts got to enjoy only two months of his eighties so...think back at Brian Jones who only got 27 years to breathe :( , Lennon got shot at Forty, he would've been 83 now...Bobby Keys, who was born same day as Keith and was his best buddy in the band, died at 70 !, and Robbie Robertson, got to enjoy a month of his Eighties, just after completed his best soundtrack ever, for Killers of the Flower Moon...
so, Happy 4 ya, Keef !!!
see here what I wished him at 70 !
Also the new RS record, Hackney Diamonds is imo the album of the year !
The Stones I've seen Seven times over four decades and six different countries, and yes, now I have the feeling I might see them one more time...
Wicked As it Seems, yeah ;)
ANGRY, the 1st video from the first Rolling Stones album in 18 years, Hackney Diamonds, dropped at the Launch of the album 1 hour ago in London!
It features American actress Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, 'Snake" in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), looking hot and lose, being driven around L.A. and the Stones, a younger version, play from all the famous Billboards in the city. It's a riff on the 1995 "Love is Strong" video, directed by David Fincher. Also check it out- every billboard is either an album cover, a video or another significant icon of the band.
The Angry video is directed by Francois Rousselet, who directed 2016's Stones video of Ride 'em all Down (from the "Blue and Lonsesome" Blues covers album).
The Rolling Stones just announced live their first album in 18 years (following 2005's A Bigger Bang!) It's their 24th British album (and US 26th) !!!
HACKNEY DIAMONDS, well, 59 years after their 1st album.
It's their first album without Charlie Watts (some tracks were recorded with him)
Here's the live event on you tube:
(it all starts at minus 44 min. in)
Hosted by Jimmy Fallon ! See here the whole album presented in conversation with Jimmy F !
New single and video, "Angry" !!!
The 12 track album will be released worldwide on 20th October 2023.
The Stones have released in the last years new songs:
during the lockdown, Living in A Ghost Town (April 2020),
Criss Cross (July 2020) & Scarlet (August, 2020)
The great contender for The Nicolas Cage Award of 2023 is this thriller in which The Cage eats and chews scenery more than Gary Oldman in the 2003 Tony Scott BMW film Beat the Devil with James Brown. I mean Cage is great as Dracula in Renfield but that movie sucked :( bigtime also.
The only bummer with Sympathy for the Devil (2023)is it features no Rolling Stones song. Not even a cover. Well, the director, Yuval Adler, said it would've cost more than is post production budget...It has a great song and a great moment in Fat City by Alan Vega, Alex Chilton and Ben Vaughn from their Cubist Blues Sessions that reminded me of the vibe and the score in Wild at Heart (1990) though.
sad day today, even sadder than 2 days ago when Billy Friedkin passed...
Sixto Rodriguez is gone also (but that was y-day on the 8th)...
just spoke about The Band 2 days ago, considered by many the best band ever, and last year or so I saw the doc focusing on Robbie Robertson's and The Band, Once Were Brothers...he was one of the Great ones, played with Bob, probably Scorsese's best friend in the seventies and more, he's rejoining Levon Helm, Richard Manuel and Rick Danko on that Last Waltz...all dead but as Neil says it, not forgotten...
His final score will be heard this fall when Scorsese's latest KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON releases.
and here's Scorsese tribute to the Man, in Esquire....
The Acid Queen, Dame of Rock'n Roll is gone... Tina Turner was 83, living in Swizerland and retired a long time now...
From Ike & Tina, the Phil Spector years, to The Rolling Stones-she was the one who taught Mick Jagger how to dance-, to Tommy and Private Dancer (composed by Mark Knopfler, 1984) to doing one of my top James Bond songs is GoldenEye (1995), sang by her, composed by Bono and The Edge.
She was also Aunty Entity in the third Mad Max film from 1985, Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome.
Biopic What's Love Got To Do With It in 1993 with Angela Bassett.
obit in The Guardian here
