Last night I had the supreme pleasure of attending an evening billed as “In Coversation With Daniel Lanois” the the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Any time I get a chance to hear a great artist, an icon, talk about their work, I jump at the opportunity. Continue reading
The rock biography is a tough form to work with these days. With the expansion of the documentary form and the rise of the “mockumentary”, the format is rife with expectations and clichés. “20,000 Days On Earth” manages to avoid all of this by sidestepping any concept of straightforward documentary. Instead, the film functions as a sort of biography of the myth, rather than the man. Continue reading
For many people, music attains its greatest emotive power when accompanying a moving image. Whether your thing is comedy or experimental art-house, it’s hard to imagine our favourite films without their respective scores. Here are three films that I saw at this year’s TIFF in which music played a pivotal role. Continue reading
During my prolonged writing hiatus of mid-2013, I had a few mind-blowing musical experiences that I didn’t write about at the time. As a wrap up to the past year, I’d like to briefly recap these events, as they were each great in their own unique way. Continue reading
We finally have a glimpse into what is sure to be one of the greatest rock soundtracks ever. “Sound City- Real to Reel”, from the film, will be out on March 12th. Until then, we must subside on brief clips and live performances, like this superb performance of “You Can’t Fix This”, by Stevie Nicks and the Sound City Players. Continue reading
Genius never dies. Sometimes it gets buried under a mountain of indifference. Sometimes it languishes in the wilderness. Sometimes genius has to earn a living smashing things or hauling garbage or some other un-glamorous thing. And every once in a while, genius that was ignored or forgotten is resurrected and earns its rightful place in history. “Searching For Sugar Man” is a documentary that explores the amazing story of one such genius. Continue reading
“I never saw a guitar player that was worth a damn.”
– Elvis Presley, “Elvis On Tour” (1972) Continue reading
In the DVD commentary for the beautiful film “Heima”, Sigur Ros’ manager John Best speaks about his desire to bring the viewer closer to the band, to allow the audience to see the minute details that make up the grand scale of a Sigur Ros concert. However, “Heima” explored not only their music, but their relationship with Iceland’s intensely gorgeous geography and cultural past. It was essentially a rock and roll nature film, with landscapes filling most of the frames.
“Inni”, on the other hand, focuses solely on the band and their full electric live show. Continue reading
I watched a very cool documentary last night on TVO called “In Search Of Beethoven”, about the life of enigmatic genius Ludwig van Beethoven. Continue reading
Yoko Ono has been a tireless advocate for peace and pacifism since the 1960s. She has become a respected voice in the worlds of art and politics, in the process becoming one of the few contemporary artists who have seen their work create change within their own lifetime.
Check out this beautiful new animated short film, written and narrated by Yoko Ono, and produced by Jerry Levitan.
Audio Reckoning 