within the last 5 days and i think i’ve gathered most of my thoughts. i’ll keep things as spoiler free as possible here, as i realize a good portion of folks haven’t seen it just yet, but be advised there will be heavy implication of certain things and maybe even all elusion to a few plot details.
the good:
Pattman is awesome!
of all the things i had doubts about, Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves were both surefire home runs for me the moment they were announced as the Director and lead. anyone who’s seen Pattinson’s post-Twilight work (Good Time and The Lighthouse were the movies that won me over) and Reeve’s work with the Apes franchise (criminally underrated!), knew that these two are batting 1000 right now.
possibly the most grounded “superhero” movie we’ve ever gotten.
after years of seeing Batman have a doohickey for any and every conundrum and trade punches with a literal god from another planet, it’s great to see him portrayed as just a dude in a cape with a cool car solving crimes. there were moments where i thought to myself, “damn, this fighting looks hella normal”, which is pretty great, considering this is a Batman in his Sophomore year who hasn’t quite become the stealthy ninja who can take out a room of guys with ease. also extremely refreshing to see a hero depicted as a normal looking moderately built dude instead of a WWE character. i have feelings about what the marvel-fication of male bodies and the body dysmorphia that comes with it, but isn’t the place for that–happy to see that Pattinson didn’t hit the juice for a character that’s in a padded suit the majority of the time.
solid script, INCREDIBLE acting.
this movie is packed to the gills with prestige actors at every level. Jeffrey Wright, Colin Ferrell, John Turturro, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, the list goes on! Ferrell as Pengun was by far my favorite, followed by Zoe as Catwoman and of course Pattinson as Batman. this movie could’ve had a shit script and still would’ve been watchable, based on the talent alone.
i loved this seeing Batman seeing a more reserved, more vulnerable Batman.
while Pattison does display a little bit of the bat-voice that Bale made so popular, most of his talking is barely above a whisper and seems very calculated as to be as efficient as possible with his dialogue. this Batman is truly the “strong silent type”, and his wheels seem to always be turning. i can’t recall ever seeing a masked actor convey so much through their eyes alone. it sounds crazy, but Pattinson may be the best eye actor i’ve seen. is that even a thing? in addition to being intelligent, he was still incredibly green, at times scared (seeing BATMAN hesitate before leaping off a rooftop is gold), and very dumb at times. all of this tracks for a young man who hasn’t messed up enough to become an expert tactician.
the bad
i typically scoff at complaints that a movie is “too long” if it’s good, who cares? unfortunately, the people are right on this. i understand that Reeves wanted you to really sit in Gotham (the best looking Gotham to date, might i add) and all that is going on to fully understand the scope and depth of the detail that’s been dumped into this movie; that being said, this movie has what feels like 3-4 different ending scenes that almost play as unintentional fake outs. i’ve even heard people tell others to stick around “after the movie” for a certain scene with a certain popular character, that actually takes place well before the credits roll. i love that Reeves got to make his movie, but this could’ve benefited from a good 15-minute haircut.
the ugly
that scene with you know who. this was honestly my least favorite part of the movie and knocked it down half a point for me. every part of this movie felt extremely organic and unforced up until this point. once this scene started, i started to see the seems of a giant conglomerate wedging in a “hey look who it is!!” type teaser that felt very much like a requirement from the studio. hate the idea of including that character in this version at all, hate the design (what little we could see) of the character, and hate the dialogue in this scene. i actually really like the actor playing this character and think he’s a great choice for the roll, but nothing about this scene enthused me at all. it felt very Zach Snyder.
overall as of today, I rate this movie just barely beneath The Dark Knight overall. i loved nearly everything about it from the cinematography (the last “hero shot” with the red lighting is an all-timer for me!), to the score (i guess i’m a Nirvana fan now?), to the opening and closing monologues (”i am the shadows” *chills*). there have been a lot of gripes about the lack of Bruce Wayne in this movie and though i agree that he’s sparse, I think the movie is exploring a lane that i don’t recall any other Batman movie exploring, at least not well— all other movies have been about Bruce learning why Batman is needed. this movie is about Batman learning why Bruce Wayne is needed. this movie’s Bruce has lost himself in Batman to the point that he would rather wear a mask and punch his way through a problem than use his power and position as Bruce to make change as well. while I understand the urge to rebel against something not being as “traditional” as usual, we’ve had 20+ years of “traditional” Batman. for me, this one feels real and the most realistic for today’s time. lastly, i hope that this movie puts the “comic book movies don’t need to be dark and gritty” talk away. movies can be dark and gritty, but they should have substance beyond that too. outside of the PG rating, the Batman isn’t a “kids movie” and quite honestly i don’t believe the prestige version of Batman (i realize we have gotten to a place where more than one version of a character can exist and i’m ok with that) should have ever been for children. if you’re going to go adult, go all the way! characters like Wolverine and Batman are for the adults, let them go full R every time!
“truly one of the prettiest videos i’ve ever seen”. that was my first thought after watching this nearly three year old video by indie-r&b collective, The Internet, earlier this evening. i remember the hype of Odd Future in their early days. Tyler the Creator eating roaches, shouting literally every slur in the book, and making entire songs about things that would end careers in a heartbeat today. Earl Sweatshirt being the most famous member of the crew, despite being locked away at a boarding school in Samoa (that’s still weird af lol). Frank Ocean’s shifty-eyed mysteriousness and overnight fame. then there was Syd. who was she? what did she do? i’m ashamed it’s taken me this long to finally pay attention to Syd and the Internet, but better late than never right?
few things go better together than James Blake and cold weather. there’s something about the man’s voice and his music that make me want to hop into my car and drive into the wintery wilderness without a destination or plan in mind. i find a strange solace in the sadness and beauty in the dread that he sings with. i consider myself a relatively happy person but i can’t explain the need to tap into the space of sadness, regret, and self-doubt that’s so often found in Blake’s music. could it be the fact that no matter how happy (a feeling we often experience with others) we are, ultimately these are all feelings that we wrestle with on our own? James Blake’s music is often a comforting translation of feelings that i struggle with getting out on my own. please believe me when i tell you that no one was more elated than yours truly to hear the sad gawd was dropping the follow up to my personal favorite album, The Colour in Anything.
reflecting on the moves that Blake has made since TCIA, i shouldn’t have been as surprised that Assume Formis much more visible than past albums. over the years Blake has played an ongoing game of chicken with mainstream spotlight, always veering left at the last possible moment. from rumors of Kanye West collaborations as far back as 2014, to being featured prominently on Beyonce’s Lemonade album in 2016 (Forward), to more recent appearances with Kendrick Lamar (King’s Dead) and Travis Scott (Stop Trying to be God); Assume Form is Blake’s final foray into the spotlight he’s purposely avoided up to this point.
there are a lot of things out of the norm to be found on Assume Form, maybe more than anything the prominent placement of Blake’s mug right on the cover. sure, he been on the cover before, but he’s almost always purposely obscured or in the distance. it’s not lost on the me that the cover of Assume Form finds Blake emerging from the shadows, even pulling his hair back for maximum exposure. i don’t mean to get all think piece-y here but i truly believe that’s the message here.
other things that jumped out to myself and others were the mentions of features by Travis Scott, Andre 3000, and Metro Boomin. all fine features, but none that i needed. i’m about to sound snooty af, but i don’t really care for classically good things that are good on their own to be messed with. i don’t like bacon in macaroni and cheese, and tbh i don’t like rappers with my James Blake (the one exception being RZA). that’s not to say these songs are “bad”; i could’ve just done without them.
the most pleasant surprise here is that there seem to be more pockets of happiness and even just feel good music than i think i’ve ever heard on a James Blake project; my favorites being “Can’t Believe the Way We Flow” (track posted above), “Barefoot in the Park”, and “Power On”. look, i’m sure James Blake is a perfectly normal, mentally healthy human being, but to hear him express happiness and love on an album makes me happy. if the sultan of sorrow can find happiness, can’t we all?
shoutout to James Blake for yet another amazing album to add to an already flawless catalog. i hope his tour includes the state of Texas because i can’t wait to be intoxicated beyond the legal limit while singing these songs with other sobbing psychopaths.
is there a name for this? being strangely detached from things closest to you yet being eerily connected to something foreign?
i use to think i was good at managing stress but lately i feel like maybe i just keep it buried deep inside and the only way that it releases is when i am completely lost in a moment of emotion (happy or sad) that allows it to come out. more and more often i find myself looking for triggers for those emotions to release and lately it’s been music; the Creed soundtrack in particular. i feel weird as hell saying it, but there’s something about the tenderness of the strings, the whispyness of the lyrics, and the dialogue from key points in the movie that bring my tear ducts to a simmer. the same way others need to go for a run to feel sane, or smoke a cigarette to clear their head, sometimes i feel like i need a good cry to purge myself of all the stress, all the anger, all of the muted emotions that have built up over time. i often ask myself, “is this a normal thing people do?” – i don’t know. but i know that for me, it works.
it’s so dope to see where Tyler is now compared to where he started. it was always pretty obvious that he was super artsy. anyone who saw his debut self-directed music video for Yonkers would tell that the dude has always had an eye that’s just as unique behind the camera as his voice is behind a microphone; but if you would’ve told me that the dude who wrote creepy songs about rape and shooting schoolmates would be making hip-hop ballads with Wes Anderson style videos to accompany them, i’m not sure i’d believe you.
anyway, i love everything about this video from the incorporation of Rocky (always loved how tight these two are) the oversized boat (which reminds me a lot of Ron Mueck’s “Man in Boat” that i got the chance to see in person last year), the use of primary colors and how they make everything pop, the AMAZING runway scene, and what i took to be an ode to A Ghost Story during transition to Where This Flower Blooms.
i still remember watching this video dozens of times as a sophomore in high school just to hear the snippet of the song being recorded at the 1:05 mark of this video. there are few greater pains in my life than knowing i will never find the name or full audio of it :(
i get to see my favorite band of all time next month and i really think i might cry. i joke about crying at concerts all the time but if i were to ever really cry at a concert, this one might be it. for some people the thought of being brought to tears by a concert might seem ridiculous, and to be quite honest i don’t blame them for feeling that way. the mere idea of concerts in general is kinda weird when you think about it. we’re all humans on this same ball spinning through time and space and we willingly hand paper that symbolizes hours, days, entire months of time that we’ll never get back to other humans to utter words into a microphone in a room full of thousands of other humans. believe me when i say, i completely understand both the absurdity of not only paying for a concert, but also being brought to tears by the performance of music.
when i hear certain songs by Phoenix, i can vividly remember certain times of my life, where i was living, how much i HATED my fucking job(s), what car i was driving, how i felt about myself, how i felt about the person i was dating.. their music has been a backdrop to so many great (and tremendously shitty) moments in my life. their music is an audible teddy bear.. the Buzz and Woody to my Andy.
what i love most about Phoenix is how painstakingly normal they are. they’re four regular ass french dudes who’d probably look much more at home in your local Gamestop than they do on an international tour playing for thousands of fans. if you’re looking for Freddie Mercury-tier vocals, my friend, you’ve come to the wrong place. their lead singer is Thomas Mars, who’s a regular ass dude who wears regular ass clothes, with a regular ass voice, that is somehow regularly amazing. there’s something about singing along with a voice that isn’t otherworldly that allows you to bop a little harder and gives you a faux confidence that just maybe you could actually be a singer in another life. what really takes Phoenix’s music to the next level though, is the careful time and effort they put into crafting big budget soundscapes out of thrift store instruments. these guys literally use everything from children toys found at garage sales, to 80s synths and keyboards to build amazing beats that both elevate and punctuate Mars’s euro-quirky lyrics without ever stymieing them.
i get to see four of my oldest friends i’ve never met next week. i’ll let you know how it goes.
is to be in a constant state of questioning if you care too much or if you don’t care enough. it’s choosing between being plugged into the current events in which people of color are routinely victims of atrocities that are rarely ever atoned, at the detriment of your mental health; and being unplugged, desensitized, and abandoning the realities of the world and attempting to drown out the little voice in your head that refuses to be distracted, all the while maintaining maintaining what little grip is left of an extremely fragile sanity. it’s constantly struggling to decide whether to have “constructive” conversations with people about race or to simply maintain the same level of sufficient cordialness required to get through the day with minimal awkwardness. it’s second guessing yourself when your first instinct is to go off at things that are casually uttered with the slightest twinge of racism in the work place. it’s rolling your fucking eyes when you hear someone refer to literally anything other than an actual ghetto as “ghetto”. it’s swallowing your tongue when someone tells you what “real” (insert practically anything that black people are known for here) is. it’s knowing to eurostep your way right the fuck past Beth’s collard greens at the potluck and to be EXTRA cautious of what few items you actually do try (you can’t try everybody’s everything). it’s synchronized code switching to maintain “professionalism” at work and familiarity at lunch. it’s knowing exactly what the hell “all lives matter” really means. it’s having an entire conversation with someone by the simple upward flick of your head. it’s knowing that we will all fucking fight anyone who disrespects Beyonce, Serena, or Oprah. it’s knowing exactly why people kneel for the anthem. it’s making the absolute best out of a terrible situation. it’s riding for each other in times of injustice.
this initially started as a post about Botham Shem Jean but eventually turned into an observance about black people. this story has consumed my mind, my heart, my spirit, for the last 48 hours or so. as i began to write and get myself more worked up, i thought maybe it would be good for me to just let my mind go. let the pent up angst, aggression, and frustration flow through my fingertips until i felt better. i’m still angry, but i do feel a little better. praying for Botha’s family tonight. may God bring them comfort.
man. i never considered myself a huge mac miller fan but i recognized his talent early on. even in his early, more pop-friendly frat rap days, i could still see the talent wading through the machine looking for it’s rightful avenue. mac was a one of a kind talent for a rapper, but he was especially a one of a kind talent for a white rapper. he wasn’t the first white rapper, nor was he the first white rapper to rap well; but in a time of rappers like eminem (the pinnacle of white rappers who’s whole shtick is “look at me, i’m cool enough to be embraced by blacks”, macklemore (the well intentioned by over-apologist white rapper), lil dicky (the white rapper who literally makes songs about how white he is, as if anyone cares in 2018), and post malone (the white “rapper” who’s actually a meh singer appropriating the rap genre), mac stood out by simply being himself. he didn’t try to “act black” but he came off with a certain soulfulness and coolness that felt as natural to him as it does to most black people. he didn’t rap over trap beats or tap the migos for features on his albums, he did songs wit jay electronica, cam’ron, and earl sweatshirt instead. mac was literally handed the keys to the pop rap kingdom with an mtv show to boot and he punted it in favor of finding a lane that felt more him. mac may not have been “the best” or the most popular, but in the age of maximum follows, maximum likes, and maximum relatability, mac opted for comfort.
not many others can say they are as much of themselves as mac miller seemed to be himself at all times. i still remember stumbling across the above video on twitter and realizing mac had finally hit his stride. every artist has that span of 3-5 years (more if they’re lucky) where they hit their creative stride and i truly believe this was the beginning of that period for mac. so much joy, so much potential, so much life.. gone. rest easy, mac.
edit: the performance referenced in this entry is at the 11:15 segment of the embedded video. for some reason youtube wouldn’t allow me to set the outplay from there.
