This diverting documentary about Aidan Moffat’s mission to reinterpret the music of folk singer Sheila Stewart leaves one wanting more
For reasons I can’t precisely explain, this gloomy, funny film reminded me of the experience of listening to John Peel playing Ivor Cutler on his Radio 1 show in the 70s. It follows the Scots musician Aidan Moffat, formerly of the band Arab Strap, as he undertakes an intimate solo tour of Scotland on a mission to revive and reinterpret the work of traveller and folk singer Sheila Stewart, whose music is part of an oral tradition stretching back centuries. This is a labour of love – clearly a work in progress – and Moffat is wrestling with ways of rewriting Stewart’s music with an instrumental accompaniment, and he cheerfully admits he flounders sometimes in performance. The comedy comes in with Sheila herself, who frankly disapproves of what he is doing and crisply tells him he has got her work all wrong. While Aidan is struggling to keep her memory alive, Sheila will acidly tell the camera that her oral tradition will die with her. It’s a diverting little film, though it left me wanting more: more about Aidan, more about Sheila, more about the music itself.
Continue reading...
For reasons I can’t precisely explain, this gloomy, funny film reminded me of the experience of listening to John Peel playing Ivor Cutler on his Radio 1 show in the 70s. It follows the Scots musician Aidan Moffat, formerly of the band Arab Strap, as he undertakes an intimate solo tour of Scotland on a mission to revive and reinterpret the work of traveller and folk singer Sheila Stewart, whose music is part of an oral tradition stretching back centuries. This is a labour of love – clearly a work in progress – and Moffat is wrestling with ways of rewriting Stewart’s music with an instrumental accompaniment, and he cheerfully admits he flounders sometimes in performance. The comedy comes in with Sheila herself, who frankly disapproves of what he is doing and crisply tells him he has got her work all wrong. While Aidan is struggling to keep her memory alive, Sheila will acidly tell the camera that her oral tradition will die with her. It’s a diverting little film, though it left me wanting more: more about Aidan, more about Sheila, more about the music itself.
Continue reading...
- 6/16/2016
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: UK distributor also acquires upcoming sports biopic Borg vs McEnroe, Directors’ Fortnight title After Love and Scottish indie music doc Lost In France.
Curzon Artificial Eye has swooped on four buzz titles at the Cannes Film Festival, acquiring UK and Eire rights to Lars Von Trier’s The House That Jack Built, Shia Labeouf-starrer Borg vs McEnroe, Joachim Lafosse’s After Love and Niall McCann’s Lost in France.
The pre-buy of serial killer drama The House That Jack Built continues the distributor’s long-standing relationship with the controversial Danish director, stretching back to Antichrist and includes Melancholia and Nymphomaniac Volumes I & II. The deal was negotiated with Susan Wendt at TrustNordisk.
The $9.8m project will shoot in Sweden this year, before a Copenhagen shoot in 2017. Zentropa producer Louise Vesth revealed details of the highly-anticipated feature to Screen in Cannes earlier this week, when several early deals were revealed.
The film, originally...
Curzon Artificial Eye has swooped on four buzz titles at the Cannes Film Festival, acquiring UK and Eire rights to Lars Von Trier’s The House That Jack Built, Shia Labeouf-starrer Borg vs McEnroe, Joachim Lafosse’s After Love and Niall McCann’s Lost in France.
The pre-buy of serial killer drama The House That Jack Built continues the distributor’s long-standing relationship with the controversial Danish director, stretching back to Antichrist and includes Melancholia and Nymphomaniac Volumes I & II. The deal was negotiated with Susan Wendt at TrustNordisk.
The $9.8m project will shoot in Sweden this year, before a Copenhagen shoot in 2017. Zentropa producer Louise Vesth revealed details of the highly-anticipated feature to Screen in Cannes earlier this week, when several early deals were revealed.
The film, originally...
- 5/20/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
It's been more than a decade since the 1990s ended, yet the Internet can't seem to go a day without a reminder of the neon slap bracelets that may have been banned from your school.
Yes, we get it. Times are tough and there's comfort in reflection, but enough is enough.
Below, a final goodbye to the 90s to end the nostalgia once and for all. (We're not kidding. There are 1990 items below.)
1. Scrunchies
2. "The Wild Thornberries"
3. Dawson and Joey
4. "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys"
5. Mr. Feeny
7. MTV playing music videos
8. Snick
9. The premiere of "Freaks and Geeks"
10. Levar Burton
11. "Daria"
12. "Arthur"
13. "The Powerpuff Girls"
14. "Smart Guy"
15. Comedy Central globe logo with buildings
16. "The X-Files"
17. Rosie O'Donnell
18. Bill Nye
19. "Dawson's Creek"
20. The Mighty Ducks"
21. "Are You Afraid of the Dark"
22. Cornholio
23. Rachel Green
24. Tim Allen
25. "All That"
26. "Beverly Hills 90210"
27. "Step by Step"
28. "The Ren & Stimpy Show"
29. "The Famous Jett Jackson"
30. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
Yes, we get it. Times are tough and there's comfort in reflection, but enough is enough.
Below, a final goodbye to the 90s to end the nostalgia once and for all. (We're not kidding. There are 1990 items below.)
1. Scrunchies
2. "The Wild Thornberries"
3. Dawson and Joey
4. "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys"
5. Mr. Feeny
7. MTV playing music videos
8. Snick
9. The premiere of "Freaks and Geeks"
10. Levar Burton
11. "Daria"
12. "Arthur"
13. "The Powerpuff Girls"
14. "Smart Guy"
15. Comedy Central globe logo with buildings
16. "The X-Files"
17. Rosie O'Donnell
18. Bill Nye
19. "Dawson's Creek"
20. The Mighty Ducks"
21. "Are You Afraid of the Dark"
22. Cornholio
23. Rachel Green
24. Tim Allen
25. "All That"
26. "Beverly Hills 90210"
27. "Step by Step"
28. "The Ren & Stimpy Show"
29. "The Famous Jett Jackson"
30. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
- 7/29/2013
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
The Pitchfork Music Festival was in high gear Saturday, packed with artists comprising the heaviest of the weekend's performances -- and lots of screaming.
Ear plugs were a must for most of Saturday when the likes of The Swans, Savages and The Breeders took the noise to tinnitus-inducing levels. All the bands on the darker side of the rock spectrum shredded and screamed under the (still hot!) sun until Solange cooled things off her exuberant early-evening grooves.
Here's our roundup of Saturday's highlights (story continues after the slideshow):
Phosphorescent was among the few poppier, harmonious acts amid a day packed with screamers. Noodle-y electronic burts gave their mellow songs a jolt of psych-summer jamminess -- all to great effect -- while songs like "Nothing Was Stolen" ranked among the day's finest examples of vocal harmonies. Perhaps knowing Saturday would have such moments in short supply, the band capped off...
Ear plugs were a must for most of Saturday when the likes of The Swans, Savages and The Breeders took the noise to tinnitus-inducing levels. All the bands on the darker side of the rock spectrum shredded and screamed under the (still hot!) sun until Solange cooled things off her exuberant early-evening grooves.
Here's our roundup of Saturday's highlights (story continues after the slideshow):
Phosphorescent was among the few poppier, harmonious acts amid a day packed with screamers. Noodle-y electronic burts gave their mellow songs a jolt of psych-summer jamminess -- all to great effect -- while songs like "Nothing Was Stolen" ranked among the day's finest examples of vocal harmonies. Perhaps knowing Saturday would have such moments in short supply, the band capped off...
- 7/21/2013
- by Kim Bellware
- Huffington Post
Next year is going to be a feeding ground for hungry zombie fans. Outside of the continuing zombie series The Walking Dead on AMC, fans will be treated to the zombie comedy Warm Bodies – which just began early screenings for audiences – and the Brad Pitt adaptation of the Max Brooks novel World War Z. Aubrey Plaza is known for her comedic skills with the TV show Parks and Recreation and this year’s surprisingly funny indie comedy Safety Not Guaranteed. With her next feature the young actress may be required to do a little more than deliver humorous lines in her typical dry, straight-faced fashion. She talks about the film in a new interview with the Guardian. And it sounds like something horror fans may want to take notice of.
She’s also preparing to star with John C Reilly in Life After Beth, a zombie comedy written and to...
She’s also preparing to star with John C Reilly in Life After Beth, a zombie comedy written and to...
- 12/17/2012
- by Michael Haffner
- Destroy the Brain
Snubbed by Scotland's jazz scene, guitar virtuoso Bill Wells has teamed up with ex-Arab Strap man Aidan Moffat for a panoramic meditation on life and death
'I like to think I can do things over a very wide musical range," Bill Wells says. "Even if you're just a session player, you like to think you can be recognised in some way. But if I'm collaborating with someone, I try and find out what's the best thing to do to make the music work. I also enjoy taking control. I like to think there's enough identity there in my own music so that people will recognise it, but I also want to do different things. I like stuff that's very free and very melodic as well."
Wells is a jazz pianist – he's won jazz awards and led his own octet and trio. He's also a session guitarist and a key contributor to Scotland's indie scene.
'I like to think I can do things over a very wide musical range," Bill Wells says. "Even if you're just a session player, you like to think you can be recognised in some way. But if I'm collaborating with someone, I try and find out what's the best thing to do to make the music work. I also enjoy taking control. I like to think there's enough identity there in my own music so that people will recognise it, but I also want to do different things. I like stuff that's very free and very melodic as well."
Wells is a jazz pianist – he's won jazz awards and led his own octet and trio. He's also a session guitarist and a key contributor to Scotland's indie scene.
- 7/1/2011
- by Mike Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
In this week’s Music In The Movies, Glen checks out the latest scores available from such films as Battle: Los Angeles, Never Let Me Go and Rango...
Recently, there have been some fantastic scores from established composers, as well as some great pieces of music from new names, and this year's already seen some spectacular movie soundtracks. Here are some of the scores worthy of your attention this month...
Rachel Portman – Never Let Me Go
Rachel Portman is a composer who I plan to write an article about before the end of the year, and one whose work I’m a fan of. Her work here really is quite excellent – some have complained that it’s a little overly sentimental, but I think, in many ways, it’s lighter than what the material calls for, but is still a hugely effective piece of work.
Portman spent four months working on the score,...
Recently, there have been some fantastic scores from established composers, as well as some great pieces of music from new names, and this year's already seen some spectacular movie soundtracks. Here are some of the scores worthy of your attention this month...
Rachel Portman – Never Let Me Go
Rachel Portman is a composer who I plan to write an article about before the end of the year, and one whose work I’m a fan of. Her work here really is quite excellent – some have complained that it’s a little overly sentimental, but I think, in many ways, it’s lighter than what the material calls for, but is still a hugely effective piece of work.
Portman spent four months working on the score,...
- 4/11/2011
- Den of Geek
No matter what sort of movies you are into, your cup runneth over with excellent options at your local cineplex this weekend. You still have the opportunity to see the funny, charming "Despicable Me," the action-packed "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and the underrated alien hunter tale "Predators." But the big headline this weekend belongs to "Inception," the twist, mysterious, visually engrossing blockbuster staring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Christopher Nolan (he of "The Dark Knight" and "Batman Begins" fame). Part of the joy of "Inception" is the fact that the plot has been kept vague on purpose, but you can trust that Nolan's warped storytelling (best seen in films like "Memento" and "The Prestige") will well-compliment the surreal visual artistry and mind-bending action contained in the trailers.
It's a dense film, and one that may require multiple viewings in order to fully take in. That's why we've worked extra hard to create the video playlist below,...
It's a dense film, and one that may require multiple viewings in order to fully take in. That's why we've worked extra hard to create the video playlist below,...
- 7/16/2010
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
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