The Pop Culture Addict’s Blog

I was totally mesmerized by Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line. Reese Witherspoon was great too. It really put me in the mood to watch Johnny Cash performing Nine Inch Nails’ Hurt in that Mark Romanek video (which I did several times in a row with the various commentaries). I’ve also been watching every Johnny Cash special on CMT, the country music channel. By the by, One Tree Hill fans, I was surprised to see Tyler Hilton playing a young Elvis Presley in the film. He must’ve been thrilled to get the part. He fit the bill the just fine. But once again, I must say how I was riveted by Joaquin Phoenix. I loved the chemistry between him and Reese Witherspoon. Plus, they both sounded amazing.

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Another cool thing was this special screening of A History of Violence sponsored by the NY Film Society. First David Cronenberg came out (with Richard Pena) and introduced the movie. Then we watched the movie (with the likes of Cronenberg alums Willem “eXistenZ” Defoe and Peter “Naked Lunch” Weller). Afterwards, there was a Q&A with David Cronenberg, Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt and composer Howard Shore.

I’ll just say a couple of highlights: David Cronenberg talked about how they were making two movies simultaneously, “movie A” and “movie B.” So he said, the movie is made for multiple viewings (or at least two). I was watching it for my second time like most people in the audience (as you would expect) and of course viewed it from a very specific mindframe. Then they also talked about the “urban myth” that Viggo Mortensen spread on David Letterman about the tips DC and his wife gave Viggo and Maria Bello for the stairs scene. Viggo Mortensen was very chatty and articulate. I thought William Hurt was great in the movie but he seemed content with just being there and not really saying much. All of the players kept referring to Ashton Holmes, the first-timer who played the son. Incidentally, I will admit that I watch that sappy show with Jennifer Love Hewitt, The Ghost Whisperer. And last week, Ashton Holmes was the main guest star on it.

There will another Conversation with David Cronenberg in NYC on 11/29/05.

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At long last, Mike Judge has put out an edition of Office Space with extra features. Apparently he was embittered by the commercial failure of the movie but then couldn’t get away from the cult status of it. There isn’t a director’s commentary – boohoo. But there is a retrospective featurette. It is pretty cute. And there are some funnier than usual deleted scenes. Of course, watching the movie again is satisfying as always. I love that state of mind Peter gets into during the hypnotherapy. The soundtrack is so funny too.

So today was the NY Marathon. I didn’t know anyone running in it this year. But it was still fun and invigorating to spectate. I realized I have a list of NY-type things I’ve been doing lately. I’ve been enjoying the parks in the city. I went to an NY Philharmonic concert and couldn’t stop thinking of the contrast between that concert and the Jason Mraz show I saw there last month. I heard that the NY Phil supposedy has the lowest morale out of all the major US orchestras. But they still sounded good. Apparently, they are moving to Carnegie Hall. I don’t know what is going to happen to Avery Fisher Hall – more pop concerts?

What else…oh, I’m very impressed with myself for having made it to the Van Gogh drawings exhibit at the Met. It is there until 12/31/05 so there is plenty of time to get there. Of course it was borderline unbearable in terms of the crowd situation. But, I took an Office Space approach, zen-ed out and made the most of the situation. It is going to be crowded no matter when you go I bet.

I jotted down a quote I liked…let me find it…oh, Van Gogh said his m.o. was “to exaggerate the essential and leave the obvious vague.”

What else…I had a fit of nostalgia and got General Public on cd. I looked for it online but while English Beat is available, General Public isn’t yet. So I just gave in to my need to hear Tenderness and Never You Done That in non-cassette form.

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Hello silence, my old friend

I forgot to mention the “silent cadenza” a fellow PCA told me about written by Schnitte, the composer of one of the pieces the NY Phil performed when I attended their concert. Incidentally, the piece I heard included an “invisible piano.” In the aforementioned cadenza, the musician is to “air” play the music. Modern music, man, gotta love it. Of course this conversation made us talk about that piece composed of 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence by…I thought it was Steven Reich but of course the trained musician I was speaking to said correctly that it was by John Cage.

I love this description of 4′33′:

Instrumentation: for any instrument or combination of instruments
Duration: 4′33″ (or any length of time)

And, as my fellow PCA pointed out, it is different everytime you hear it.

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