Whoops! I forgot to post this a while ago in case anybody ended up here.. I now blog (and am actually active!) over at http://www.sarahxxlouise.wordpress.com/
Peace! :)
Friday, October 15, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Take Flight
Growing up, enveloped by the wonderful world of Whedon, one of my favourite actresses was Juliet Landau. Her portrayal of Drusilla always amazed me and as I grew older, still without the boxsets, I longed for the reruns so I could once again enjoy the Spike & Dru experience. They remain to this day one of the fictional romances I hold dearest.
Following both Buffy and Angel, and my initial shock of hearing her actual accent, my fascination continued and I tried to stay updated with her projects. Among her many endeavours is Take Flight, which is a documentary about another immensely talented actor – and favourite of mine – Gary Oldman, as well as her directorial debut.
The whole thing came about when Oldman was directing a music video for Jewish Hip Hop group Chutzpah – shot on cell phones. He had asked Juliet to film a making of video, but this moved even further behind the scenes than originally planned. It became an in depth study of Oldman’s creative process. The cell phone cameras were used again and allowed for a lot of the film to be seen from his POV.
As part of this, Juliet interviewed some of her favourite artists to get a closer look at their creative processes. Through these talks, she delved into their minds and found out what goes into the things they create; the characters, the movies, the music and other pieces of art.
I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to actually sit and watch these videos. Until this afternoon I had only seen her chat with Armin Shimerman, which gives a delightful insight into the man. As well as Shimerman, we get to see Amy Acker, Christian Kane, Adam Busch, Harry Groener, Sam Anderson, Michael Rosenbaum, Andrea Romano, Kitty Swink, Kat Von D, David J and Dawn Didawick in a new light. Without a credit card to call my own, I’m yet to see the actual film, Take Flight, but I hope to see it at some stage.
These interviews are fantastic. I was so drawn into their stories and the way they spoke about their passions. In a world growing ever more jaded, especially given current events, it’s truly beautiful and special to hear people speak with such love and genuine excitement. It’s made all the more unique by the fact that they are people I also admire. They open up and don’t care about exposing everything they feel about their careers and those magical moments they’ve experienced along the way.
A few stood out to me in particular. Adam Busch was so alive, his eyes expressed so much. I was incredibly drawn to his words and seen a side to him I never knew about. Christian Kane made me laugh and broke my heart. He was so deeply honest and unashamed.
I sat and watched every one of those videos one after the other and took in everything.
Go and watch the interviews and, if you can, the film that inspired them - Take Flight.
Following both Buffy and Angel, and my initial shock of hearing her actual accent, my fascination continued and I tried to stay updated with her projects. Among her many endeavours is Take Flight, which is a documentary about another immensely talented actor – and favourite of mine – Gary Oldman, as well as her directorial debut.
The whole thing came about when Oldman was directing a music video for Jewish Hip Hop group Chutzpah – shot on cell phones. He had asked Juliet to film a making of video, but this moved even further behind the scenes than originally planned. It became an in depth study of Oldman’s creative process. The cell phone cameras were used again and allowed for a lot of the film to be seen from his POV.
As part of this, Juliet interviewed some of her favourite artists to get a closer look at their creative processes. Through these talks, she delved into their minds and found out what goes into the things they create; the characters, the movies, the music and other pieces of art.
I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to actually sit and watch these videos. Until this afternoon I had only seen her chat with Armin Shimerman, which gives a delightful insight into the man. As well as Shimerman, we get to see Amy Acker, Christian Kane, Adam Busch, Harry Groener, Sam Anderson, Michael Rosenbaum, Andrea Romano, Kitty Swink, Kat Von D, David J and Dawn Didawick in a new light. Without a credit card to call my own, I’m yet to see the actual film, Take Flight, but I hope to see it at some stage.
Christian Kane
These interviews are fantastic. I was so drawn into their stories and the way they spoke about their passions. In a world growing ever more jaded, especially given current events, it’s truly beautiful and special to hear people speak with such love and genuine excitement. It’s made all the more unique by the fact that they are people I also admire. They open up and don’t care about exposing everything they feel about their careers and those magical moments they’ve experienced along the way.
A few stood out to me in particular. Adam Busch was so alive, his eyes expressed so much. I was incredibly drawn to his words and seen a side to him I never knew about. Christian Kane made me laugh and broke my heart. He was so deeply honest and unashamed.
I sat and watched every one of those videos one after the other and took in everything.
Go and watch the interviews and, if you can, the film that inspired them - Take Flight.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Bittersweet
I feel that it's my duty to help spread the word and music of Bitter Ruin. Before I go off gushing, here's the backstory of these loverly folks:
This bitter duo is made up of Georgia Train, an unbelievably talented singer and songwriter, and Ben Richards, a magician with a guitar - as well as doing more than holding his own on the singer-songwriter front. They are from the UK and to give you an idea of their style, the following's cited as influences: Regina Spektor, Kate Bush, Beethoven, Chopin, The Talking Heads, Van Morrison, Tegan and Sara, Queen, Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Flamenco and Mozart.
This mixture makes for explosive and dramatic music. Sometimes it's heartbreaking, at others rousing. Listening to one of their albums really takes you on a journey through torrid romances, tales of haunting sorrow and unflinching plots of revenge.
Having been taken under the wing of brechtian punk goddess Amanda Palmer they travelled to Ireland and Paris to play to entranced audiences. No exaggeration, when I heard their opening song, I was floored!
They're just that good. And now they're marching further on in the world tour. In the coming months, they'll be hitting Boston, New York, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, Holland, Germany, Austria, France and more to be announced.
So, go get a ticket! Get a spare and bring a friend. Spread the word, link people to their music and videos, folow them on twitter, add them on facebook or myspace!
Also, I feel like I need to add that in addition to their music being some of the best I've heard - period - they are absolutely lovely people! They hang around after their shows and talk to everyone as well as being in touch with their listeners online. They really care about their fans, so make their day and yours and go check them out.
Introduce just a little bit of bitterness into your life.
 |
| (c) Joseph Shepherd |
This bitter duo is made up of Georgia Train, an unbelievably talented singer and songwriter, and Ben Richards, a magician with a guitar - as well as doing more than holding his own on the singer-songwriter front. They are from the UK and to give you an idea of their style, the following's cited as influences: Regina Spektor, Kate Bush, Beethoven, Chopin, The Talking Heads, Van Morrison, Tegan and Sara, Queen, Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Flamenco and Mozart.
This mixture makes for explosive and dramatic music. Sometimes it's heartbreaking, at others rousing. Listening to one of their albums really takes you on a journey through torrid romances, tales of haunting sorrow and unflinching plots of revenge.
Having been taken under the wing of brechtian punk goddess Amanda Palmer they travelled to Ireland and Paris to play to entranced audiences. No exaggeration, when I heard their opening song, I was floored!
They're just that good. And now they're marching further on in the world tour. In the coming months, they'll be hitting Boston, New York, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, Holland, Germany, Austria, France and more to be announced.
So, go get a ticket! Get a spare and bring a friend. Spread the word, link people to their music and videos, folow them on twitter, add them on facebook or myspace!
Also, I feel like I need to add that in addition to their music being some of the best I've heard - period - they are absolutely lovely people! They hang around after their shows and talk to everyone as well as being in touch with their listeners online. They really care about their fans, so make their day and yours and go check them out.
Introduce just a little bit of bitterness into your life.
 |
| (c) Joseph Shepherd |
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