her name was boxcar

TIFF 2011 - My favorite time of year

2011-09-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. TIFF '11 is almost here. I have 18 films in 9 days! The most I've ever tried to see!! And once again my films are European-centric. Stay tuned as a give my daily wrap up on the films and sights I see during my whirlwind week. My schedule is as follows:

Thursday Sept 08

Play (Sweden)
An insightful and troubling film about race, ethics and manipulation, Ruben Östlund’s Play is based on an actual incident in Gothenburg, Sweden in which a group of black kids manipulated white and Asian teenagers into surrendering their valuables.

Friday Sept 09

Goodbye First Love (France)
Detailing the first love of a couple of young teenagers, we follow the progression of their affair, from initial rapture to heartbreak as he wants to travel the world before settling down. Devastated, she must learn to grapple with his absence.

Oslo, August 31st (Norway)
Anders wanders the city, meeting people he hasn't seen in a while. Long into the night, the ghosts of past mistakes will wrestle with the chance of love, of a new life, with the hope to see some future by morning.

Saturday Sept 10

Wuthering Heights (UK)
No starched lace, no panoramic views, no sweeping score — Andrea Arnold takes Emily Brontë’s classic novel and strips it to the root of youthful passion, restoring its stark power for a contemporary audience.

House of Tolerance (France)
This highly stylized look at the final days of a fin-de-siecle brothel in Paris conjures up the languid elegance and frank sexuality of French Romantic painting.

Among Us (The Netherlands)
Split into three segments, each told from a different perspective, Marco Van Geffen's smart thriller Among Us focuses on the lives of immigrant workers in Europe.

Sunday Sept 11

Martha Marcy May Marlene (USA)
This graceful portrait of a young woman trying to extricate herself from a cult has the flavor of an early Terrence Malick film like Days of Heaven.

Guilty (France)
Vincent Garenq’s disturbing drama investigates the corrupt judicial system under which Alain Marécaux and his wife Edith were arrested on accusations of pedophilia — horrific acts they never committed- and the years he spent fighting to get out of prison, clear his name and keep his family.

Monday Sept 12

Rampart (USA)
Woody Harrelson gives a ferocious performance as a dirty cop, balancing a home life with two ex-wives as he becomes embroiled in the Los Angeles Police Department's infamous Rampart corruption scandal.

You're Next (USA)
A family reunion spirals into a night of terror when mysterious assailants wearing animal masks lay siege against the clan in the new film by the director and writer of last year's Festival indie hit, A Horrible Way To Die.

Tuesday Sept 13

Intruders (Spain)
Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's latest film transcends the confines of the horror genre through an emotional engagement with childhood fears, human frailty and the threat of the unknown.

ALPS (Greece)
A mysterious underground outfit, going by the name of ALPS, offers bereaved individuals a very unusual service: they stand in for their dearly departed.

Wednesday Sept 14

The Invader (Belgium)
Tense and riveting, The Invader encompasses so much of what the Festival is about: the thrill of cinematic discovery and the experience of a story whose layers of resonance do not fully emerge until after the credits have rolled.

Las Acacias (Argentina)
Pablo Giorgelli’s feature debut unfolds almost entirely along the fifteen hundred kilometres of highway that links Asunción, Paraguay, to Buenos Aires, a route that Rubén (Germán de Silva), a trucker with thirty years under his belt, knows well.

Thursday Sept 15

Take Shelter (USA)
Overwhelmed by visions of an impending apocalypse, a young father and husband (Michael Shannon) channels his anxieties into obsessively constructing a storm shelter in the family’s backyard.

Michael (Austria)
Michael, a mousy insurance salesman, keeps an under-aged boy locked in his basement, while doing his best to appear ordinary to the outside world. Provided they don't come knocking on his door.

Friday Sept 16

Twilight Portrait (Russia)
Marina, an upper-crust social worker with a doting husband and an enviable downtown apartment, is suddenly transformed into a bizarre twilight version of herself when she is raped by three policemen.

Saturday Sept 17

Snowtown (Australia)
A young teen is taken under the wing his mother's alpha male boyfriend and in a mix of misdirected hero worship and terror, becomes an accomplice to a spree of torture and murder in this brutal and grim dramatization of a real life serial killing spree in Australia.

Who do you love?

2011-04-28T09:23:00.001-07:00

Nurse Mary - Tell me, Edmund, do you have someone special in your life?
Blackadder - Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I do.
Nurse Mary - Who?
Blackadder - Me.
Nurse Mary - No, I mean someone you love and cherish and want to keep safe from all the horror and the hurt.
Blackadder - Um... still me, really.

- Via my iPhone

Boxcar's top 25 albums of 2010

2011-01-30T15:30:00.000-08:00

A little late this year (a whole month to be exact). I blame a winter flu and head cold on the delay. Well, here we go:

25. Gatekeeper - Giza EP

Chicagoans , Gatekeeper, mix elements of early 80's horror movies and dancefloor beats. Keep an eye on them.

Giza

24. Abe Vigoda - Crush

Hints of Cold Cave and a young David Bowie. Young brude has risen.

Dream Of My Love (Chasing After You)

23. No Age - Everything In Between

The dynamic duo from LA, are back with their third album. Continuing with their hard-charching punk songs with slow burning reverb, this is their most accomplished release to date. Apart from their sleeper live shows, this duo should be around for awhile.
Skinned

22. Thee Oh Sees - Warm Slime
The highly prolific Thee Oh Sees, from Bay City, bring their strange psych0/garage sound to your welcoming eardrums. This is an album i always forget about, but can never stop listening to when it comes across the shuffle. What other band would start their album off with a 14 minute epic!
Everything Went Black

21. The Drums - S/T

Brooklyn buzzband, the Drums, evoke sounds of Erasure and 80's guitar pop. Listen when you are on the beach or mourning the loss of a good friend. Ya, it works for both.
Me and the Moon

20. Light Asylum - In Tension EP

Brooklyn band #2, Light Asylum, are an internet sensation. They have worked with everyone from !!! to TV On The Radio. Singer Shannon Fuchess is a cross between Grace Jones and Ian Curtis with a hint of Peter Murphy. This EP does what good EP's should; leave you breathless craving MORE. This band is going to be huge in 2011.
Knights and Weekends

19. Chelsea Wolfe - The Grime and The Glow

Another woman with an unforgettable voice, Chelsea Wolfe makes you fall in love with the rough edges of life. A voice so powerful you forget what the world was like before you heard it. Haunting.

Advice and Vices

18. Zola Jesus - Stridulum EP

Nika Roza Danilova classically trained voice evoke memories of Siouxsie and the Banshees. She is able to fuse the line between horror and heroine. Gone are the static sounds from previous releases, her voice now sunk right in the middle of gothic sounds.

Night

17. Sleigh Bells - Treats

The hype is right for this duo. Knocks you on your ass from the get go. Not just background music.

Tell 'Em

16. Fang Island - S/T

A band oozing with creativity and energy. Infectious, with a mix of Animal Collective, Fang Island wants to be the life of any party, and sometimes that's all you need.

Life Coach

15. The Body - All the Waters of Earth Turn to Blood

This album is a field of detours and surprises. Fans of Sunn O))) will taking a liking to this. Sometimes almost impossible to listen to, The Body grabs you by the wrist on the opening track and refuses to let go til the nightmare is over.

A Curse

14. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

Mistakenly compared to early Weezer, Surfer Blood lifts their music above the overdone genre, with a spike of youthful exuberance. Catchy, these young boys from Florida are helping rewrite the rock 'n roll stereotype.

Swim

13. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

Changing without notice from mood to mood, Flying Lotus will keep you guessing and toe-tapping for hours. With headphones on, you swear some of the sounds are coming from downstairs. Spooky.

Nose Art

12. Salem - King Night

Elements of shoe-gazing and trip hop make up the ethereal soundscape that is Salem. This Chicago trio plays with the two genres forming what they call "drag". Hypnotic.

King Night

11. I, The Breather - These Are My Sins

This Baltimore-based quintet begin an aural assault that never lets up. This is my go-to album on TTC rides from hell. Merciless and punishing, this is one fails to disappoint.

The Common Good

10. Liars - Sisterworld

With their fifth album, Sisterworld hits all of the Liars' talents. Hush tones and explosive moments keep you in check. We always want their sound to knock you over - just not knowing when is their specialty. Do yourself a favour and check them out live! They do not disappoint.

Scissor

9. Wolf Parade - EXPO 86

A solid turnout by the boys from Montreal, they challenge what the masses consider indie. Loud, muddy but always harmonic the album gets more rewarding with every listen.

What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)

8. Jonsi - Go

Like being slapped with a hammer of sunshine, while being trapped in a hurricane. Beautiful and emotionally gripping. Seeing him live was one of my highlights of 2010. Stunning!

Grow til Tall

7. Women - Public Strain

Influences of Velvet Underground and Joy Division are apparent in Public Strain. And that is not a bad thing! After breaking up in dramatic fashion in a Victoria BC bar this might be the last we hear from them for awhile.

Can't You See

6. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - The Social Network

Longtime NIN fan, I was very excited when i first heard Mr. Reznor was doing a David Fincher film score. I exhausted the album long before I saw the movie. Let's hope he keeps doing this as a side project.

Hand Covers Bruise

5. Japandroids - Art Czars/ Younger Us / Heavenward Grand Prix 7"

BC duo darlings were on tour all 2010, so they had no time to enter the studio. So they released three 7" all year to keep the fans at bay. The highlight being Big Black cover "Racer-X". These guys are a treat to see live too.

Racer-X

4. Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner

An arresting collection of sounds, that is perfect for that summer bike ride down some quiet streets.

You

3. Weekend - Sports

Noise and more noise. Behind a wall of reverb, Weekend, balances rhythmic harmonies with endless chaos.

Coma Summer

2. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening

Plain and simple this is the album David Bowie wishes he could make after "Let's Dance". Take note Thin White Duke.

All I Want

1. Daughters - S/T

By far this album dominated my playlists. Hints of Jesus Lizard only make me love them more. The only sad note is they broke up before any tour could be arranged. Not a bad way to go out. With a bang.

The Theatre Goer

The Unattractive, Portable Head

TIFF 2010 - Here we go!

2010-09-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. TIFF '10 is here. And this time is no different. I have 13 films in 9 days! Yikes! And once again my films are European-centric. Stay tuned as a give my daily wrap up on the films and sights I see during my whirlwind week. The schedule is as follows:

Friday Sept 10
Viva Riva! (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Saturday Sept 11
Julia's Eyes (Spain)

Sunday Sept 12
How I Ended This Summer (Russia)

Monday Sept 13
22nd of May (Belgium)

Tuesday Sept 14
The Sleeping Beauty (France)
Blessed Events (Germany)

Wednesday Sept 15
A Screaming Man (France)
Route Irish (UK)

Thursday Sept 16
What's Wrong with Virginia (USA)
A Horrible Way to Die (USA)

Saturday Sept 18
Outside the Law (France)
At Ellen's Age (Germany)

Sunday Sept 19
Meek's Cutoff (USA)

Artists I love :: Sarah Larnach

2010-02-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

As part of the duel that is Ladyhawke, Sarah Larnach's paintings and illustrations invoke a feeling of 80's - 90's pop fashion and burgeoning adolescence. As she puts it "[my work is] humorous and oddly erotic." Indeed!

Check her out at her awesome named If you dig dinosaurs, like I dig dinosaurs blog.

To renew my AGO membership or not?

2010-02-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

This show itself might make me renew it. I have been a huge fan of Anselm Kiefer since seeing his work in Paris back in 2003. All of you should see his work in person before you die. It is that good.

Here is a sneak peek from the Gagosian Gallery in NYC from last spring.

Minimalist TV Posters

2010-02-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

Keeping with the minimalist theme today, Austrian Designer Albert Exergian, has created a series of well designed TV posters. Very simple, clean and direct. You can purchase them here (sorry they are UK based). My problem is wanting too many.

Sometimes I wish I lived in NYC

2010-02-05T10:56:00.001-08:00

From Giant Robot: "Giant Robot is proud to host Metal Mad, a group art show featuring works inspired by the head-banging, guitar-driven, amps-to-11 musical genre owned by the misunderstood. While all artists will share a love of shredding guitar and bone-shaking volume, their styles and mediums will be as different as dark metal, black metal, speed metal, thrash, grindcore, and stoner rock."

Brokenhearted metal fan.

via giant robot

Minimalism at its best

2010-02-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

via beardrevue

Boxcar's top 25 albums of 2009

2009-12-29T11:32:00.000-08:00

25. Kylesa - Static Tensions
In the spirit of Jesus Lizard and Mastodon, Kylesa is a nice guilty pleasure that will keep your head bobbing and feet tapping. Like Baroness (see #20) they hail from Savannah, Georgia. There is something good come out of the swamp.
Scapegoat

24. Mountains - Choral
With the blending of field recordings and acoustics, this Brooklyn-based duo, has created an album that gets better with every listen. Some nice drone for those introspective Sunday listens.
Choral

23. Discovery - LP
Wes Miles (from Ra Ra Riot) and Rostam Batmanglij (from Vampire Weekend), create a cheerful album that is hard to ignore. Reminds of what a Commodore VIC20 would sound like if let loose in a studio.
Osaka Loop Line

22. Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Mos Def fails to disappointment again. The Ecstatic fizzes with energy and ideas and is open to the world, both musically and intellectually.
Quiet Dog Bite Hard

21. New Tales to Tell - A Tribute to Love and Rockets
It will delight fans of dark industrial and electro-pop alike — and, hopefully, cause the uninitiated hipsters to check out the original Love And Rockets as well.
Holiday on the Moon - Puscifer

20. Baroness - Blue Record
Kylesa and now Baroness have made it clear that this year there is something profound bubbling in the Georgian waters.
The Sweetest Curse

19. Japandroids - Post-Nothing
In the spirit of The White Stripes and No Age, Japandroids have just two members. And much like those two-piece terrors, they’re able to rustle up quite a racket in spite of their modest formation. Steady buzz should push these guys into the mainstream.
Young Hearts Spark Fire

18. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Much has been written about this album. It can be classified as either deliberately frustrating or frustratingly deliberate. In any case it deserves multiple listens to fully appreciate.
Useful Chamber

17. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
A truly inventive album which takes a few listens to sink in. Don't let this one slip by. Its one of best of 2009.
Hooting and Howling

16. Infinite Body - CMBCMEINAPTD
Like being submerged in water, Infinite Body aka Kyle Parker overlaps chords into harmonic sets of roughly stitched minimalism set below that pulsing stream of distortion. Fans of Tim Hecker will not be disappointed.
And Everything Stayed The Same

15. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - It's Blitz!
No longer wearing the pretenses of a Siouxie copycat, It’s Blitz! will eventually be seen as the stepping stone in a career that will take them out of music halls and into sold-out arenas.
Soft Shock

14. Volcano Choir - Unmap
Fans of Bon Iver will enjoy this collaboration between Justin Vernon and Milwaukee’s own Collections of Colonies of Bees.
Seeplymouth

13. Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
Like Flaming Lips and Animal Collective, Bear In Heaven have devised a sound completely their own. Likely to become one of 2009’s best-kept secrets and something that will age like fine wine.
You Do You

12. Russian Circles - Geneva
On their third album, Russian Circles have backed away from the in your face metal rhythms and replaced them with tracks that have a more smoldering build up. Geneva is their vehicle that should drive them to the upper echelon of this genre!
Geneva

11. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
Flashback to the 80's (the good parts), and you get a feeling of what Neon Indian is. This album makes me feel something that no other can. It mixes emotions and creates new ones track after track, highly intelligent in its integration and reformation of the synth sound.
Deadbeat Summer

10. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
The collective is growing up, and it shows on this album. A celebration of small things, this is their most popular and mature record to date.
My Girls

9. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Whether it be Smog or his solo work, anything Bill Callahan releases has artistic merit. Good stuff even your Dad will like.
My Friend

8. Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind
On their fifth album, Mono has made a full return to all of the big sounds that we’ve come to know from them. Fans of Explosions in the Sky take listen.
Ashes in the Snow

7. The Antlers - Hospice
An hour-long meditation on loss, Hospice captures that wild desperation which plays so lonely and quietly. It succeeds because it feels intensely personal while obscuring its sentimentality with noise. Fans of Antony and the Johnsons will feel at home.
Two

6. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
The sister half of the Knife's debut album cast their gaze around a wide world of shadows and illuminated nights. Spooky and encompassing, Fever Ray's album is only topped by seeing her live.
When I Grow Up

5. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
Best put by Daniel Marner at the line of best fit - "This record is the best work-out I’ve had in months and I feel filled with light every time I listen to it. I’m not a religious man but I could easily evangalise for Fuck Buttons. Their light pours out of me." Amen.
Surf Solar

4. Micachu - Jewellery
Severally talented, Mika Levi aka Micachu shows its range of style and the cross-genre sound; the imaginative layers of complex melodies; and the overall up-tempo and carefree experience. She is one to watch for sure!
Lips

3. Cold Cave - Love Comes Close
One of my favorites of the year, Cold Cave's songs are upbeat and packed full of bouncing melodies, as well as dark and have rich undertones that allow the listener to find a new angle each time they play the album.
The Trees Grew Emotions and Died

2. Matt & Kim - Grand
Grand is quintessential Matt & Kim with even more to dance to, and who doesn't love that? The ulitmate summer album. This album cheered up any day I had. The fact that i got to see them twice this year, even made me more a believer of the Church of Matt & Kim. I am a believer!
Daylight

1. The XX - XX
With the unlikely combination sounds of Joy Division and R/B, the XX are it. There sound is a gorgeous and dreamy feeling, and one that’s easy to spend a lot of time in.
Heart Skipped A Beat

Yet another reason to go to NYC

2009-10-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

Sally Mann at the Gagosian Gallery in NYC. "Proud Flesh" from September 15 - October 31. I love her collodion plates. Makes me want to print more. One day i hope my work is close to half as beautiful as hers.

thanks for the heads up amr

Exactly

2009-10-17T15:32:00.001-07:00

Ha!

via glass tumbler

soyf*uckers annonymous

2009-10-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

This made me laugh out loud in White Squirrel coffee shop. Smiles.

Some great postings over on passiveaggressivenotes. Painfully polite and hilariously hostile.

Another great idea i wish i would have thought of

2009-10-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

Over at shopping losts, they are doing some fun work with found lists, turning these scraps of paper into typographical treats.

A great and fun idea i wish i would have thought of.

Once again thank you swissmiss, i feel like i'm stealing all your finds.

a collective i want to be part of :: svpply

2009-10-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

Svpply is a retail bookmarking and recommendation service. Filtered through the collective wishlists of our members, Svpply features the full spectrum of retail products, from the exclusive to the wholesale.

In order to control the growth and quality of the site, Svpply members are typically added by invitation only.

Please please i want to be part of this.

thank you swissmiss

TIFF 09 - Fish Tank

2009-10-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

Fish Tank 2009
Country - United Kingdom
Directed and Written by Andrea Arnold

My TIFF 09 season kicked off in high style with one of my must see films. Having been a huge fan of Arnold’s first film Red Road, i highly anticipated Fish Tank as soon as i saw it in my programme.

Simply Fish Tank is a compelling story about a self-violent teenage girl who fights her desires for her mother’s new boyfriend.

Fifteen-year-old Mia (Katie Jarvis) is a wannabe dancer who spends her time practicing in an abandoned flat while drinking litres of bottled cider. When out in the “real” world her life is concerned with stealing money, and arguing with just about anyone who crosses her path. Within the first five minutes she headbutts a fellow girl i the face because she gave her some lip.

Katie Jarvis is the star of Fish Tank. As an untrained actress (discovered on a London platform arguing across two track lanes with her ex-boyfriend), she is a revelation. She holds her own against the well trained Michael Fassbinder (playing Mia’s mum new boyfriend, Connor). The scenes they share are wrought with tension and potential danger. Connor encourages Mia to apply for a dance audition and, although he’s far from the ideal role model (lending her cash for booze), he seems to be one of the only people in her life with whom she can connect.

This is a portrait of a realistically dysfunctional family living in a council estate in London, that pulls no punches.The ending goes is unexpected and takes you places that are incredibly intense. Scary to watch and spellbinding you are left spinning wondering how can this end with any glimpse of hope.

Highly recommended this was a great way to start the film festival and a tough film to top.

something about a woman wielding an axe

2009-09-08T11:57:00.000-07:00

Initially stopped in my tracks by the above photo (love it), I further investigated The Hansen Family Furniture Label.

She combines new design and the archive of the family in one label which produces in small wood ateliers using ecologically grown wood in it’s best quality. Every object is handcrafted and therefore unique.

I would love to have one her desks or armoires one day. sigh.

Artists to watch for :: Kate Domina

2009-09-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

Exploring the innocence and curiosity associated with adolescence, Toronto based painter Kate Domina, is an artist to keep your eye on. "She believes there is no better vehicle to understanding human imagination and curiosity than through the face and demeanour of the young. "

A recent interview can be found here.

for the love of book covers

2009-08-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

There is no better way to spend an afternoon, than hitting your local bookstore.

Running your fingers over the spine, feeling the emboss of the text, the photography and typography. It's all good. The combination of image and text is like crack. Your imagination soars and curiosity heightened by the cover (which sometimes carries over on to the spine and back cover. Or if you are Chip Kidd or Dave Eggers, the entire book is part of the art).

This looks good? Flipping over a couple times, maybe reading the first paragraph or a random two or three from the middle of the book. Glance at the cover one more time. Why not.

Friends can vouch how many books I have purchased on the cover alone. Its a hit and miss habit. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you don't make it past page 5.

The Book Cover Archive is particularly great - all the books are indexed and searchable by author, designer, illustrator, publication date, art director, photographer, and even by typeface. WOW!

This site is addictive. Enjoy.

scared of heights?

2009-08-21T13:10:00.001-07:00

My stomach jumps to my throat just looking at the images. Not for the faint of heart. Sears Tower’s 1,353-foot high glass balconies.

Solo project

2009-08-21T12:49:00.001-07:00

Like all great collaborations, sometimes you need to break away and go solo. While not abandoning beano & boxcar forever, this new venture is both exciting and new.

Stay tuned.