Recent Music

I haven't waded deeply enough into the 2005 music scene to compile a "Best List," but here are a few albums from the year I think are excellent:

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (s/t)
Extraordinary Machine, Fiona Apple
Illinoise, Sufjan Stevens
Picaresque, The Decemberists
Twin Cinema, The New Pornographers

If they're a bit obvious, I again apologize. It's due to not keeping current.

Here are some other noteworthy albums I listened to for the first time recently:

Chutes Too Narrow (The Shins, 2003)
Fox Confessor Brings the Blood (Neko Case, 2006)
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Neutral Milk Hotel, 1998)
Is This It (The Strokes, 2003)
The Life Pursuit (Belle and Sebastian, 2006)
The Moon and Antartica (Modest Mouse, 2000)

Jonathan Pryce in Scoundrels

(Th) /Dirty Rotten Scoundrels/ (at the Imperial Theater; Book by Jeffrey Lane, Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek, Directed by Jack O'Brien)

In Frank Rich's stirring ode to the work of Jonathan Pryce in Miss Saigon a decade ago, he wrote of "a dangerous performance as well as a brilliant one." Pryce, now approaching 60, has of late been spotted hustling around the Imperial Theater, as half the title role in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and forgetting to bring neither the danger nor the brilliance, has carved out a new role for himself: savior.

Reviewing Scoundrels last year, I wrote that while it had some virtues, "freshness and spontaneity are not among them." From David Rockwell's dreadful, non-Equity tour style set to David Yazbek's clunky, pop-reference-slave lyrics, everything felt designed to camulflauge the possibility of fun. But Pryce takes it all in stride, bringing a seriousness and intent of action that paradoxically jolts the comedy and boisters the mood, something that even his talented predecessor, John Lithgow, couldn't acheive. Scoundrels still has its flaws, but everything looks better with him at the helm, and there's something more honest--- even moving--- about this version. Say what you will about the Broadway musical in decline, and you'd probably be right; but's amazing what a long-faced Brit can do.

Best Movies of 2005

1. Last Days (Gus Van Sant)
2. King Kong (Peter Jackson)
3. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg)
4. Cache (Michael Haneke)
5. The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbauch)
6. The New World (Terrence Malick)
7. Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch)
8. Funny Ha Ha (Andrew Bujalski)
9. Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki)
10. Me and You and Everyone We Know (Miranda July)

Subject to complete revision, of course, as I see more movies and/or come to my senses.

Here are the five "second-best" movies of the year (that is, movies that I liked, but don't belong on my best list): Brokeback Mountain, Good Night and Good Luck, Match Point, Mysterious Skin, Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were Rabbit.