Playthings

I think that Christmas and New Year's Eve is a beautiful time, but we shouldn't forget about victims of war in Syria. This animation doesn't need my comment. I hope that you'll enjoy this film.

Playthings by Kazimierz Urbański

Cloud Atlas

I've just seen Cloud Atlas. I had some second thoughts before going to the cinema, because there was a large discrepancy between people's opinions of this film. I think that this is a good film, and in scale 1-10 I assess it as 7. Some would say that the story was nothing new and I'll agree to that, but it wasn't supposed to be new. It was supposed to be retold. And I think it was retold in the best possible way.

Here you have today's song:

A Walk by Tycho

Cold War Kids

Here you have two songs of Cold War Kids, that I really like. The vocal sounds really charismatic. This songs are also the most popular, but I don't care. Mainstream is nothing bad for me, I don't need to be out of it. Enjoy!

Hospital Beds by Cold War Kids

Hang Me Up To Dry by Cold War Kids

XXYYXX

Now I'm trying to discover music again, in right order. I'm listening to Guillaume Dufay, Johannes Ockeghem, Cristóbal de Morales and others from this period of time. Look what I've found in sidebar on youtube, while listenings to some motets. That's today's song. Enjoy it like I do.

About You by XXYYXX.

Mr. Gnome

It's been a while, since I wrote last post. A lot of things have changed, there was a lot of good film premieres, new albums and so one. Let's pretend that there was no break.

Films that I recently saw and I strongly recommend: 

Argo

Pokłosie

 Moonrise Kingdom

 The Master

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Song for today:

 The Way by Mr. Gnome

The Hunger Games

I have to say, that I had second thoughts before going to the cinema on The Hunger Games. I'm not a fan of action films full of blood, killing, racing cars and things like that. Also science-fiction is not my favourite king of cinema. I love classical Sci-Fi, but recently, after Avatar I've been kind of discouraged to that sort of films. When I first saw The Hunger Games trailer I thought: "Great, an other stupid film for teenagers or less requiring audience (like Twilight saga) or great idea with horrible realization". After that first impression, I stopped thinking about that film. After some time and because of many reasons, I've decided to watch it and I was truly surprised. It is a really good film.

First of all I need to write about script. Most of you know that this film is based on Suzanne Collins novel The Hunger Games. The story is located in future, in totalitarian country Panem. Society is divided into districts, where people live as slaves in poverty, and  Capitol – place where citizens are free. The differences between standard of life are extreme visible. At the city everyone is wearing colourful clothes, huge wigs, shining make-up. I really enjoyed this exaggerate look of future fashion. In lots of Sci-Fi films creepy clothes were kind of trashy. I have to admit, that in The Hunger Games the Capitol citizens outfits are created with taste and great ideas, but what is more important – they look really credible. The history of fashion shows, that everything is possible in that area. Just take a look of XVII–XVIII century trends. All that wigs, corsets and staff like that became an inspiration for Judianna Makovsky, who created really original and eccentric costumes. The city is very clean and full of beautiful skyscrapers, everyone there looks like the happiest person in the world whose only activity is laughing all the time.

Citizens of districts are living in poverty, hunger and continuous oversight. Their houses are wooden small huts. Most of them have to work really hard as a miners, farm workers, weavers. Life at the district goes about gaining food and surviving. People there don't have perspective for comfortable life, wealth or free choice. After riot and fights Capitol has initiated obligatory Hunger Games – the reality show, for which, once a year, every district will give two "tributes" (one girl and one boy between 12 and 18 years old) who are required to fight to the death in an arena until there is one remaining victor. There are 24 players and only one stays alive.

In a very first moment of that film we see a world upside down, where children are taking care of parents. Main character, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), is the head of the family, because her mother is depressed after her partner's death. During yearly lottery, Primrose Everdeen, younger sister, is randomly selected as a female tribute. Katniss momentary volunteers to take her place. Male tribute become Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). The chosen ones are putting into train which takes them to the Capitol, where they will be preparing for the game. 

In that moment I need to mention Effie Trinke, excellently played by Elizabeth Banks. This character is the one who is drawing lots during The Lottery. She dresses like people in Capitol, believes that fighting in Hunger Games is a kind of award and behaves like someone who have just taken some drugs. She's a part of District's 12 team, which includes Katniss, Peeta, former victor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) whose role is to train tributes, Cinna (Lenny Kravit) – stylist and PR specialist, and many other people, who work for succeed of District 12. Why there are so many specialist? 

It's a reality show, so it needs to be attractive. Tributes of all districts are taking part in talk show to introduce themselves to the audience. Those, who will have most of fans, get bigger chance to survive. Audience can help player by sending medicines or food. The host of this show is Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci). Scenes where tributes are talking with Caesar are perfectly made – players look like people, who have their own will, and prepare to some sport competition, not life or death game. It all looks live very conventional, well-directed show, and makes an impression that maybe they won't die. 

 

Whole Game is located in huge interactive arena that looks like forest. The Show director Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) can put completely everything in that space. Lot of specialists using computers create effects, which are sent to the arena and can kill tributes.

The Hunger Games are not a fair-play competition. Everything depends on viewers expectations. When Peeta is talking with Caesar Flickerman, it turns out that he will have to fight with someone who he loves – Katniss. We cannot know for sure, if that it's true, it can be a manipulation and for District's 12 team it's the best way to promote their tributes.

From the scenes of trainings audience can notice, that every player is good at something. Some of them are much more strong, determined and focused on developing killing skills, than others. During game they are a ruthless killers who actually enjoy this fight. This is an opposite attitude to what Katniss and few other tributes represent. When those "bad guys" forms a group, Peeta is one of the members. They want to kill the rest, but the main reason, that the leader – Cato (Alexander Ludwig) – is keeping him alive, is that he has to lead them to Katniss. She knows about this betrayal, but forgives Peeta and take care of him, when he's unable to fight. Director of the show decides to use this special relationship and creates a love story. Viewers supports this version of Romeo and Juliet, but President Snow (Donald Sutherland) who noticed earlier that Katniss is really brave and not humble at all, sees at her a danger. He thinks, that her person can inspire people form district to fight. And that is the last thing that he would like to experience...

Whole film is full of moral conflicts, that makes Katniss life difficult not only during the game. She needs to stay alive for her sister, mother and friend – Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) – who, probably is someone more that just friend. At the same time she establish a relationship with Peeta, which can be a fake one, but not necessary – she feels something to him too.

Very interesting thing is how screenwriters solve the problem of Katniss fight. She is created as a person, who wants to survive, but doesn't want to kill others. Most time of this game she is running away and hiding. When she has an opportunity to kill some opponents, she doesn't take that chance. She even become friends with a younger girl – Rue (Amandla Stenberg) – who helps her survive during sickness caused by bites of genetically modified bees. They form a team and try to destroy "bad guy's" food. I'm really disappointed, because screenwriters choose this moment to kill Rue. It is a very comfortable solution, because they don't have to put Katniss in a position, where she needs to choose between Peeta's, Rue's and her own life. I think that they wanted us to believe, that human is good by nature, but in my opinion, the better way was to leave Katniss with this choice and let her decide. 

Many critics say that in this film we cannot see the great actors creations. I don't agree with that opinion. Jennifer Lawrence was the perfect match to perform Katniss Evergreen. She is very authentic as this character and makes this District's 12 female tribute emanate with her (Katniss) incredible strength of spirit. Also Stanley Tucci and Elizabeth Banks did a really great job. Tucci's Caesar is the perfect vain and insincere TV star, who listens to tributes, acts like he cares, but truly is indifferent to all that he hears. Banks' Effie Trinket is very vain too, but also very noisy and annoying. The issue with her is that she is naive and dumb or she choose not to care (I'm not sure about that, what actually is a point for Banks, because she has made Effie Trinket more complicated and interesting).

For me this story is really well created. I think, that this post-apocalyptic world of slaves, totalitarianism and very familiar naivety, is actually a very good, but sad simulation of USA's (but not only) future. I really enjoyed this Gary's Ross interpretation of Suzanne Collins novel and I'm also very charmed by this easy created vision, and happy, that it has more in common with George Orwell's works than Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. I think, that this is a really well done Sci-Fi film with philosophical and psychological elements, and I'm glad, that it brings up a social issues, human condition and this, in my opinion, wrong direction of civilization development.

S.

Ólafur Arnalds at Impart

One of the greatest things in music shows is the person. When you buy tickets you know, that there's going to be a sound, musicians and audience. You have expectations, but you cannot know for sure if this show will still your heart. Sometimes, when you've never attended to someone's gig, but you've listened to this great music and you think you know that concert will be great, the reality is so cruel, 'cause the musician suck at live. That's not what happened at Impart, 21st March 2012 evening, on City Sounds event.

All that times when I've been listening to Ólafur Arnalds' music I was thinking, that he's a really serious man. Not boring, depressed or sad. Serious. I think it's because we identify author with his work. Of course in some cases it's not a mistake, artists very often express themselves by creation. But it's not always and even when they are, it's doesn't mean, that piece of work could tell us who this person is. All those issues are much more complicated, my purpose of writing about them was only to signal them. Ólafur Arnalds is serious but only when he plays.

Usually, when I go to the concert I know what I can expect and I'm not wrong. This time, when I was imagining, what kind of person Ólafur Arnalds is, I was mistaken. I would never say that this artist can be such funny, relaxed man with all that distance to the world and himself. What I can say about him is that he's not a star in popular meaning. He builds relationship with the audience, he doesn't speak to fans – he talks with them, it's a kind of conversation, that makes all people equals. From the very beginning of the show I felt this special kind of excitement and relaxation at once. I was concentrated but simultaneously I was feeling very free and not obligated.

When  Ólafur Arnalds came to the stage he momentary stole our hearts. How? By being very natural and committing a faux pas which was accidental putting cable in glass of red wine. Momentary all the audience started to be laughing as he was too. From that moment he didn't play for total strangers and we didn't felt like strangers. Icelander asked the audience to sing for him, actually it was making only one sound, which he recorded and used in his improvisation – an opening song. After that on the stage appeared Viktor and Paul – great musicians who was supporting Arnalds by string section. Since that moment we could hear delicate sounds of such songs like Fyrsta, Þú Ert Jörðin or Ljósið. But not only parts from …and They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness was played on that gig, there also was for exaple 3326 with wonderful violinists final.

 

During every break between compositions he was entertaining the audience with telling stories about songs and he's tour. For example, inspirations for writing Poland was polish vodka and our horrible roads which are the worst possible duet. But not between every compositions were breaks, artist created sequences and have made from those particular songs very beautiful integrity. The most emotional moment for me during this show, was when Ólafur Arnalds played Lag fyrir Ömmu – song dedicated for his grandmother, who was his close friend and faithful fan. He told us a funny and personal story about her promoting his work by giving her guests his CDs. When he told us that she passed away I was authentically sad and also very honoured that I could be there and listen to this very personal and emotional song played in front of me.

Whole show was a kind of experience that is hard to be reported. He wasn't just playing, there was a permanent conversation, relation between him and audience. During compositions we could just close eyes and let him in to our minds. The best measure for the artists skills in making a show is the reception. On Ólafur Arnalds concert at Impart audience was charmed, the composer got standing ovations twice (second one was after the bis). The most important is that after the show I was moved for a vary long time and now, for four days from the event, I still have a blissful smile on my face.

S.

First one

This is silmarila's blog. Enjoy!

S.