Admittedly already a fan of Birbiglia's heart-on-your sleeve brand of soft shoe stand up, I have to admit I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this concert. When I first came across Mike doing a short set on some obscure TV channel, he was still honing his craft, and had not yet found his voice. When I caught up with him some time on, he had found it, and what a difference that made to his routine. Seemingly…
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Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of 'Inside Llewyn Davis' 2013
While I have some significant reservations about the quality of the Coen Brother's film Inside Llewyn Davis, I have no complaints about the soundtrack, which is filled with some terrific performances of folk songs from the early 60s Greenwich Village folk scene. It is this music that acts as inspiration for a sometimes heartfelt, sometimes playful, but always joyous concert produced for Showtime TV in the fall of 2013.
T-Bone Burnett and the Coen Brothers are the forces behind the…
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Nebraska 2013
First off, yes, Bruce Dern does a very nice job of playing a variation on the grumpy/slightly deranged old man that he has played so capably throughout much of the back end of his career. Also, June Squibb, as the long-suffering but hardy and clear-thinking wife, shines in her handful of choice scenes. Further, Payne's clearly adept at the grim midwestern landscape shot, quietly underscoring the film's morose tone. Finally, I am thankful that Payne gives his characters enough dignity…
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Inside Llewyn Davis 2013
A lower-tier Coen brothers film. As Ben Livant says in our review over at ol' Cinemania, the characters are plot devices, and the film has a superficial existential desperation that never digs deep enough into the people or their situation to make us care enough about the outcome. That said, Oscar Isaac gives a terrific performance as the depressed and depressing titular character, both as an actor and a musician, and the film's soundtrack will be on a steady rotation…
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