Invictus

Well, Clint Eastwood is back again. This time he’s telling the story of the 1995 South African national rugby team. And, in Eastwood fashion, what we’ve got here is an enjoyable, competent, but incredibly formulaic, movie.

At first, Invictus is not quite sure what kind of movie it wants to be. It seems to be focusing on Nelson Mandela’s presidency and the difficulties he faced. But Mandela quickly recognizes the importance of the South African rugby team, the Springboks, and the movie shifts into a sports picture, going as far as to culminate in the big final game.

We’ve been waiting for Morgan Freeman to play Nelson Mandela for a long time, and he certainly lives up to the role. Matt Damon is just as reliable as ever, doing his best with the part of Francois Pienaar, the team captain. But my problem with the film is not the cast.

The story falls into this weird pattern of problem, inspiring Mandela speech, it works out. Potentially interesting subplots, like Mandela’s health or his family, are kind of pushed to the side. The other half of the story, the Springboks’ chase for the Rugby World Cup is the quintessential underdog sports story; they don’t have the experience or talent, but they are willing to work harder and blah, blah, blah. Frankly, I was kind of afraid that Invictus is the movie snob’s The Blind Side. But this movie is only slightly exploitative of its characters. And I’ll be the first to admit the rugby scenes are genuinely entertaining to watch, even though you know where they’re going.

The absolute worst part of the movie is this ridiculously bad song they play. It features lyrics like “it’s not just a game,” and the song itself is called “Colorblind,” I think. At least that was the chorus. Anyway, the song is so bad its embarrassing. I laughed. I’m certain if the theater I saw the movie in had more than old people (who were obviously very ill) in the audience they would have laughed too.

In the end, this movie feels like another squandered opportunity. Complex issues like racism and the healing process in South Africa are overly simplified, to the point that it feels like the Mandela scenes are just an exploitative waste of time. Maybe that’s what Eastwood had to do, since I’m guessing most Americans don’t know much about South African politics or the sport of rugby. Still, it’s sad to see a middling picture like this get more Oscar attention than something truly original, like Where the Wild Things Are.

Neko Case – Middle Cyclone

At this point, I totally prefer Neko Case’s solo stuff to The New Pornographers. I guess that’s why they’re considered a super group.

Anyway, this album skirts the line between indie rock and alternative country, probably a little more on the side of country, which I guess makes it folk? But really who cares what genre it gets assigned to? I mean, iTunes is just going to tell you it’s “Alternative” anyway. The only genre more vague than that is “World.” The point is the music is good, and I like the sound of it.

The writing here is pretty interesting, it reminds me of the kind of stuff some people in a creative writing class would come up with. “I’m an owl on the sill in the evening,” stuff like that. There are a couple covers too, “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth” by Sparks and “Don’t Forget Me” bu Harry Nilsson. And their are plenty of guest artists, including what I’m guessing is the entirety of The New Pornographers.

Neko Case has a great voice and has assembled a number of really enjoyable songs. Check it out.

Favorite Songs: “This Tornado Loves You,” “People Got a Lot of Nerve,” “Prison Girls”

Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There are Mountains

Rarely does an album hook me in as quickly and profoundly as the independently released Why There are Mountains from Cymbals Eat Guitars. The first song, “And the Hazy Sea” just explodes at you in a manner that would be off-putting if it was just slightly more extreme. And then it relaxes a little, become a lot more peaceful, until it explodes once more. It is this raw quality that I enjoy such much about this album.

Cymbals Eat Guitars are another indie rock band from New York (that’s getting to be quite the pattern for me, apparently I’m really into the New York scene). Only, they’re not just another band, they’re a group of talented youngsters who have turned their influences into one of the better albums this year. They’re eager and loud and quite a lot of fun to listen to. They also draw comparisons to lots of great artists, like Modest Mouse, Stephen Malkmus, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Sufjan Stevens.

They are also truly a product of the digital age, releasing this album unsigned. Which you gotta respect. I mean, they’re really good, surely they could get some kind of deal. But it also meant you had to look a little hard to scoop this gem up. Which you really should. Especially now that its up on places like iTunes.

Favorite Tracks: “And the Hazy Sea,” “Cold Spring,” “Wind Phoenix (Proper Name)”

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Look at that album art. That is just not very good at all. Really, nothing to be proud of there. I don’t know who thought that it looked good. It certainly was not me. Because it looks really bad. Like someone made it in MS Paint. I’m sure whoever designed it was hired at a douchebag convention. Anyway, this is a pretty good album.

As you can tell by that forced, bizarre lead is that I don’t have much to say about this album. It has a weird influence on me. When I listen to it, I enjoy it, for sure, but I can’t really say why. Most of the time I cut the album short a few songs and move on to something else. Then later I’ll find myself humming one of these songs and come back for more. It’s weird.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are an indie pop band from somewhere in New York. If any of that sounds good to you, give ’em a peak. You’ll probably like it. I can’t imagine someone not finding something to like here. But it probably won’t become your favorite album of all time. Which is fine, by the way.

Favorite Tracks: “Contender,” “Young Adult Friction,” “The Tenure Itch”