http://virb.com/cecilremmler Virb 2.0 (@cecilremmler) en http://virb.com/cecilremmler/videos/3041905 Fri, 22 May 2009 10:02:45 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/videos/3041905 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413803 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:00:53 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413803 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413802 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:00:52 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413802 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413800 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:59:45 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413800 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413799 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:58:47 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413799 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413798 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:56:34 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413798 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413797 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:54:53 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413797 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413796 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:52:28 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413796 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413795 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:51:17 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413795 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413794 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:50:47 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413794 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413792 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:49:30 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413792 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413791 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:45:57 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/audio/413791 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/posts/text/783679 Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) travel to Barcelona for the summer. Vicky wants to work on her thesis on Catalan culture while Cristina wants to have have a holiday in Europe. Vicky is engaged and is pretty sure about what she wants in life and love, while Cristina is still unsure in which direction she is going, and not afraid to have adventures. The two enjoy Barcelona in it's Gaudi-beauty (as does the viewer) and they meet Juan Antonio, a seductive painter, played expertly by Javier Bardem. He ends up dating Cristina (though he also sleeps with Vicky), and she moves in with him. All goes well until his ex-wife, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz), from whom he separated after a violent marriage, turns up. Meanwhile, Vicky is unhappy with her relationship and keeps thinking back to the night she spent with Juan Antonio. So here we are, a classic Woody Allen situation. Just from the description, this sounds like a tragedy, but as Allen adds his touch, mainly through a snappy and witty narration, all this drama becomes bitter-sweet, even humorous. Comparing this to Match Point, it quickly becomes clear why those two are the better of his European films: he does not describe the cities the stories are set in from a local point of view as he did when his films were set in New York; he puts outsiders in these cities. In this case, the two tourists Vicky and Cristina. This puts enough distance between the plot and the city's atmosphere; it would be impossible for Allen to show the mood and character of a city like Barcelona if he never lived there, and he elegantly bypasses that problem. Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz make this movie, and the talks of her being nominated for an Oscar are deserved. When both of them are on the screen, there is a real tension and energy that can be felt, and they play with a ferocious sparkle that really embodies the Spanish way of life. As with Match Point, the settings are beautifully shot, and one can not help but fall in love with Barcelona. Shot in beautiful golden colours, the city feels and looks like a charming summer breeze. And the masterfully selected soundtrack sets the right tone for the whole film. Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a film that combines beautiful cinematography with a very entertaining story, despite (or because) of the plot not really going anywhere. A beautiful soundtrack, clever dialogue and a fast, witty narration add up to one of the best films of the first half of this year. ]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:57:30 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/posts/text/783679 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/posts/text/783497 According to resident advirsor's Joshua Meggitt, "the aim was to produce ambient/experimental tracks by running German cultural history - from Schlager to Wagner - through a sampler." Voigt would sample these strings or brass from vinyls, leaving the crackles in there, and would go and create these amorphous sound textures. Though they come from vinyl, there is a certain haunting "coldness" in the textures, due to the reverbs and effects processors that creates this poignant atmosphere, there is something of a yearning or craving. Voigt himself describes this technique as ""loop, zoom, and alienation." Underneath these textures there is this low bass drum 4x4, which steadily chugs onwards, keeping this 'mass' in focus. There is a very slow evolution apparent from the first release, GAS, to 2000's Pop, Pop being the most different release. But what's more important is the evolution inside each single, specific track. Elements ease in and out, suddenly you hear something only to notice that it has been there all along, there's this high note that sounds like a vocal, and something that sounds like brass there, but it's marginalized from it's original context, set in this icy world, and thus becomes something beautiful in itself. Voigt has often cited Germany's Schwarzwald as an inspiration, and it fits beautifully with the music. Images of starry night skies, dark hues of green, traces of animal steps in the snow, breathing in the cold air. Get this release, it's a masterpiece. ]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:34:24 -0700 http://virb.com/cecilremmler/posts/text/783497