It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Black Christmas (1974)

Christmas is associated with many things both positive and negative- religion, consumerism, toys, snow, family, stress, and Santa Claus. One thing not, however, traditionally associated with Christmas is murder. In Black Christmas (1974), though, Christmas and death sit side by side, like the red and white stripes of a candy cane.

The story begins in a sorority house, filled with students on the eve of their winter break. As the party approaches its end, the house receives an obscene phone call from an unknown man. While most of the girls brush the caller off as a harmless prankster, one of the students (the cliche "good girl"), warns the others to be more careful before storming to her room to pack for the upcoming vacation. Ironically, this character is the first to die, as the killer is waiting for her when she enters the room. Strangled to death, her dead body is kept in the attic in a dusty rocking chair for the rest of the movie. This image, accompanied by the maniacal laughter of the killer, is the most striking, memorable, and iconic image in Black Christmas.

As you could probably guess from the description of the body in the attic, the tone of Black Christmas is...black. While the slasher movies of the '80's would grow more and more outlandish and tongue in cheek, Black Christmas is grounded in realism and grittiness. The murders in Black Christmas are memorable not for their outrageous gore, or humorous extravagance, but rather for their subtlety and believability. Nitpickers may find fault with the body in the attic, and how it remains remarkably well-preserved over the course of the film. Things like this didn't bother me, though. To me, the world of Black Christmas, while realistic, is still a stylized fantasy realm. Thus, while a murder later in the film, in which a girl is stabbed repeatedly with a miniature glass figure, is haunting in its subtlety, it is also visually interesting.

To lighten the mood, Black Christmas is packed with humorous dialogue, mainly from the drunken, disgruntled house mother, and a drunken, sex-obsessed sorority member. While the humor sometimes falls flat, there are some entertaining moments. The house mother, in particular was funny, and likable, despite being very over-the-top in her sloppy drunkenness. Interactions between the liberal sorority girls and the uptight father of a murdered student, added to the humor.

Black Christmas unfolds at a slow pace, which is a perfect fit for the movie's previously mentioned subtlety and realism. The story here works well when viewed alone, on a cold night in December, when you've grown tired of the glitter and joy of Christmas and want to experience something a little more "black".

An Exception to the Rule

It's always a surprise to see the route that child and teen stars take. Many a time they wind up doing drugs, dead, or working at a pool concrete business like Christopher Atkins from the Blue Lagoon (no, I'm not making that up). But for every rule, there's always an exception. Dakota Fanning and Miley Cyrus are good examples of this. I could mention Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Stacy Ferguson (Fergie), Jennifer Love, and the bevy of stars now that were once stars in kids shows, like Kids Incorporated! or the Mickey Mouse Club, but they obviously had good management then and now. (What happened to Martika?)

Dakota Fanning has remained consistently good, and was even praiseworthy as an actress when she started out. As she matures into adulthood, she's made some wise choices. Her small stint in New Moon ensures her continued success with her target demographic, while her latest venture in The Runaways seems to be aimed at a mature audience. Dakota's ability to succeed is her genuineness. She isn't a fake studio creation, but a real teen girl. I read online she attends high school even, which it's nice to see a starlet acting normal. I can see her winning an Oscar as an adult.

Whether Miley's 15 minutes run out or she can grow up with her demographic remains to be seen, but a recent interview with Parade Magazine showed the starlet saying some mature things. She said she didn't want to be a studio puppet anymore, like how she was when she was started out, but is comfortable being herself and making her own decisions. She also said how she realized her much publicized romances weren't the be all, end all of her life. She sounded, well, mature. She explained she closed her twitter after receiving hate mail and adopted a different perspective about her religious beliefs.

You never hear about the Harry Potter cast in jail, rehab, or a sex-crazed drunken bender, because despite growing up being the highest paid children actors ever, they remained true to themselves. Here's to you Harry and the Hogwarts gang!

But then again, does anyone else think it's creepy that a 15 year was done up with a Bridget Bardot look?

Star Wars References: A Rant

Object of humor, I should not be, hmm!

Star Wars references are rife in today's media. Many movies, television shows, and even music videos, have at least a minor reference to the Star Wars saga. What we say is hands off the Saga!

I think the biggest culprit of this is Kevin Smith, the director of the Jay and Silent Bob series. Sure, it was a novelty at first to see an overweight superfan share his love of Star Wars through his own works, but now it's just irritating. I've sadly seen Live Free Die Hard, and the Boba Fett joke was just plain bad. It was flatter than a zombie run through a pasta maker. And in case it comes off that I'm hating on Kevin Smith, I liked him in Catch and Release. He could make a decent career for himself playing the secondary, or tertiary, male character in romcoms.

Movies enjoyed by the "sick little puppets" referred to in the movie Seven, that feature Star Wars references show how little the creators actually now about the Saga. Often times there are bad Yoda jokes to show that a character is smart, or a teacher. Even people (shocker!) who haven't seen Star Wars know who Yoda is.

And lay off the Jabba jokes. We get it, he's fat. But unlike the obese, Jabba's biology is built to be large. And while we're on this subject, stop using whale jokes. Whales are an endangered species. You wouldn't like it if your cousins were dying and people used you as a joke.

Another thing that really bothers me is the proliferation of the Slave Leia costume. When stupid movies try to stupidly show that nerdy guys have a sex drive, they have "the hot chick" wear a Slave Leia costume, or something along those lines.

On the other hand, such references illustrate the universality of this most sublime of movie series. So do we have a right to complain? In this light, no. But we'll keep ranting...it's fun.

Track of the Month: Alice

As Alice in Wonderland is our favorite movie of the year, today is a special selection in the track of the week series. This month's track of the month is:

"Alice" by Avril Lavigne, from the album "Almost Alice"

Haunting, powerful, emotive, resonant....

Featured during the end credits sequence (with the growing 3D mushroom), "Alice" is a haunting piano ballad. Sung from Alice's perspective, the lyrics relate how Alice is "trippin out" when she ventures down the rabbit hole. The song relies on Avril's soaring vocal work, and the powerful heavy notes of the piano. "When the world's crashing down...don't you try and stop me," is a really uplifting message of empowerment and triumph over obstacles.

It's most poignant moment is when Avril softly, almost wistfully, sings "I found myself in Wonderland."

The video is like any other movie theme song music video, in that it has Avril playing Alice, and she falls down a rabbit hole and attends the tea party. There are, of course, scenes of the film interspersed, and a mad hatter impersonator spliced together with Johnny Depp's portrayal. There's a particularly scary sequence where Avril's mouth seems to unhinge and get impossibly wide. Avril said she wanted a lot of scenes to feature her playing the piano, to prove that she can.

Sadly, youtubekeep is down, so watch the video from this link.

A Reading of Through the Looking Glass

After finishing Alice in Wonderland, I've just read the sequel, Through the Looking Glass, or What Alice Found There. Though written a few years after the first book, the writing style was consistent.

Again though, there was a pronounced irritated tone throughout the book. I really don't know why: perhaps this was seen as humorous or this was how people behaved. Alice is bratty in this book, which makes sense considering she's only seven, but she's rather rude. She has a sense of entitlement and looks down on the creatures that reside through the looking glass. I understand they are silly at moments, but she doesn't alter her human sense of logic and just relish in the whimsy of Wonderland. The connotation of the book is best demonstrated by how many times Carroll uses the word "contempt" or its variants thereof.

The narrative wasn't as disjointed or disconnected as in the first book, and the story always returned to the the life-size chess match Alice was a part of. A cast of characters as unique as the first set showed up, and the Hatter returns as a page for the White Queen's court. My favorite part was with Humpty Dumpty, as he was wonderfully conceited. Characters were again altered or combined for the movie, and some memorable lines assigned to Alice and other characters.

The book's theme was about dreaming, to convey the transience of childhood. After Alice is unable to reach the scented rushes that constantly move out of reach (as illusive as recovering one's youth), Carroll writes "Even real scented rushes, you know, last only a very little white--and these, being dream-rushes, melted away almost like snow," on page 212. The book ends asking "which one do you think it was?" after discussing the dreams of Alice and the Red King.

Maybe I love the movie too much, or the disjointed narrative and contemptuous/irritated tone of the book is disconcerting, but the film was so much more magical and warm than the books.

Favorite Concerts

Concerts are an amazing experience, connecting for two hours with fans of the same artist and sharing the music.
Britney Spears brought her Circus Tour to Chicago in 2009, thrice. Playing to a sold out audience at the Allstate Arena, the opening act of the Pussycat Dolls was more artistic than Ms. Spears, and that's saying a lot. They belted out live vocals while dancing around on stage, or moving on electronic risers. They connected with the audience, giving shout outs to Chicago, and to "the fellow pussycat dolls" in the crowd. I'm not embarrassed to admit it, but I was smiling during their short set of their hits, ranging from Don't Cha and Buttons, to recent songs When I Grow Up and Hate this Part. Britney was aptly preceded by a freak show, replete with a circus troupe and a midget, who I later found out was once a porn star. Nothing could better introduce the audience to the world of the craziest pop star alive.

After a baby murdering intro of Perez Hilton, Britney came down from the big top, playing a ring leader to her dancers while lip syncing Circus. For Piece of Me, she was trapped in a golden cage and wheeled about on stage. The only other highlight was the Touch of My Hand/Breathe on Me medley, which saw Britney flying around in a picture frame and simulating sensual poses while elevated from the ceiling. There were no live vocals, Britney's dancing wasn't captivating, and there were so many distractions (lights, moving set pieces, dancers, etc) that Britney's own robotic hold on her life was more than apparent. There were parts when she wasn't even visible on stage but a voice pumping from the speakers carried through the arena. Really, she couldn't have been there and the show would've been the same soulless spectacle.

Madonna's Sticky and Sweet Tour visited a sold out United Center in 2008. Madonna is a commanding presence, at times chilling, but she mustered a few smiles during this show. It wasn't dark as previous tours, but a warm explosion of color and 80s dance beats. Songs from Hard Candy that fell flat came alive on tour, and a clap and sing along rendition of Miles Away was moving, considering her recent divorce. The concert was impeccably timed and danced. Classics like Into the Groove and Like a Prayer became thunderous, transcendental house songs that got everyone out of the their seats. House songs in their own right such as Vogue, were reinvented as hip hip numbers, while upbeat songs like Borderline, Hung Up and Ray of Light became rock tracks.

Madonna's most real moment was singing You Must Love Me, a tearful paean to her fans. A highlight was the request song of Dress You Up, preformed just for Chicago for the first time in over a decade. Whether riding a Rolls Royce on stage during Beat Goes On, gyrating on a stripper pole behind Keith Harring graphics, strumming the guitar during La Isla Bonita, or leading the audience in a jump-up-and-down rendition of Give it 2 Me, replete with old school video game screens, Madonna's show was energetic, impeccable, and superior. And what could beat 15,500 people staying in the arena, singing along with Holiday playing after the show ended? Madonna was a star enough that she needed no opener, as was Kylie.
Kylie Minogue's US 2009 Tour stopped at the UIC Pavilion for one night and brought her brand of unabashedly cheesy pop Stateside. Preforming to a sold out crowd of nearly 5000 people, Minogue entered astride a massive silver skull, then strutted around in robotic attire reminiscent of retro scifi films, speeding through electro songs Come into my World and Speakerphone. She preformed a fast paced, energetic, and fun show that was chock full of her hits. Dressed as a sultry bell hop for her New Wave section of Like a Drug and Can't Get You out of My Head, she commanded the stage with her warmth and appeal. Kylie wore an awards night gown for the ballad section, showcasing her soaring vocals in an homage to old Hollywood.

When the sound system failed, Kylie sang an acapella rendition of your Disco Needs You that earned effusive love from the fans, as many of the moments during the concert (which sometimes left the starlet speechless). A parade of confetti fell for the encore, where she got the audience moving to her 80s hit Better the Devil and club favorite Love at First Sight, while colorful shapes flashed across the screens. If Madonna's show was the most impeccable, then Kylie's was assuredly the most fun. It was also a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a megastar in such an intimate venue.

Lady Gaga's Monster Ball stopped at the Rosemont Theatre in early 2010. The show was plagued with problems from the start, from a changing venue, to ticket problems, and really ought to have been moved from a three night residency to a single night at the Allstate Arena. The show opened with pulsating beats that were repeated through each transition between the acts. The ominous Dance in the Dark started the show, with Gaga enveloped by fog, dancing in a glow in the dark suit. The stage was designed like a retro video game grid, and Gaga preformed a string of dance numbers that blended seamlessly into one another.

If fans weren't familiar with the material, then the songs would have been indistinguishable. Her video interludes were so bizarre that they were pointless, and her commands for adoration between songs was as much of a turn off as the product placement for a cellphone company that stalled the show halfway through. Her singing was good, the music was great, but Lady Gaga's show needed some tweaking. There was a self conscious break before the last two songs and hedonistic behavior that was sometimes cringe worthy, other times understandable. Gaga was opened by Jason Derulo and Semi Precious Weapons, both of which I skipped because I was unfamiliar with them.

Coldplay played two shows at the United Center in mid 2008. The look matched the Viva La Vida album, and the stage was simple enough to showcase the band, but contained some laser and light effects that spruced up the show. The setlist was heavy on the new album, but old favorites like Yellow, Fix You, and Clocks popped up, though I attended an early show, before more beloved songs from X&Y were added to the setlist. Coldplay's instrumental skills weren't overwhelmed by the arena, and their songs were big enough that they were every bit arena anthems. Chris Martin's warm stage presence carried the band, and we got to hear Lost! preformed twice for the music video filming.

An impromptu encore of Green Eyes closed the show, after a wistful rendition of Strawberry Swing and the confetti heavy of Lovers in Japan. The setlist could've included more X&Y, but the eagerness of the band and the massiveness of the music made up for it. A solid, though short, show. Opening act Santagold was fun, and I actually downloaded one of their song (Les Artistes) afterwards. There was another opener that I missed, because it didn't matter and I don't remember who they were (Clearwater, or something like that?).

The Secret of Kells: A 2D Avatar

This is a little late in posting, but I had the pleasure of attending an advance screening of The Secret of Kells at an indie theatre in Pittsburgh.

A world of magic and mysticism...

The film is an animated story about the creation of the Book of Kells, a breathtaking Irish illuminated book created by mediaeval monks. The story is about a young boy, Brendan, who defies his uncle (the Abbot, played by Brendan Gleeson) and works with another monk on making another page in the Book of Kells. He ventures into the forbidden forest, and encounters the pagan world of fairies and stonehenges that differs from his Catholic doctrine. The Norsemen threaten to destroy the town while Brendan's mission to illuminate a page is threatened. Will he succeed and will the town survive?

The movie didn't really make an explicit point, nor did it explain the significance of the Book of Kells (people raised in the Irish culture like myself will know but others should brush up on it before seeing the movie). However, the animation was arresting. It was a wonderful return to 2D, like The Princess and the Frog, and the style was artistic, fluid, and a narrative unto itself. The music was a powerful Irish score, and the closing song sung by Aisling (pronounced Ashleen) was haunting.

The themes were like Avatar, that it seemed to inspire the viewer to accept a mystical bond with nature that is as guiding as religion. It wasn't as incriminating or political as Avatar, but it was as spiritual and uplifting. It deserved its nomination for Best Animated Feature.