Someone broke his heart, thanks to whoever it was.
Today I'm going to gush a little about Beck's 2002 album Sea Change. I'll confess straight away that about 9 years ago I was borderline obsessed with this album! I was going to college at the time and as such had 2 hours of coach journeying to get through each day (add another 2 hours on to that if I left college early and relied on public buses), I always had my Discman for those journeys and for most of the day due to all the free periods my schedule had. For a good 5 months I only ever carried two albums, Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (should blog that at some point) and Beck - Sea Change. Those two albums were on an almost constant loop at that point in my life and I loved it that way. Over the last month or so Sea Change has been creeping it's way back in to a similar position with me, it's been getting a fair blast and if it wasn't for the ruck of music that's been arriving in my letterbox, it'd probably be getting a fair bit more.
Beck is an artist I'm usually giving a bit of play to all the time, partly because his shit spans so many genres that he fits into whatever I'm on to at any given time and partly because he's one of the few musicians that I actually own the majority of the music for (although not that book thing he put out). Sea Change is not one of the albums I have revisited though, I think in part because it is very much a soundtrack to the previously mentioned period of my life and it was a period that was largely uneventful too, it's the soundtrack to a time that I don't get nostalgic about. Recently I dug it out as I had been internally humming the album opener 'The Golden Age' in work, which in turn made me remember how fond I was of the album. I was eager to see if the 28 year old me agreed with the 19 year old version of me! It's safe to say that there isn't much common ground between Paul 2012 and Paul '03, for every Wu Tang or Beastie Boys song that that teenage me and approaching 30 me both nod to, there is a Reel Big Fish or Hed P.E that the grown up me is fully prepared to mock past Me for. With that in mind I wasn't sure if I'd still get the same kick out of the album.
The observant among you (Saw 4 flashback time: "Today I'm going to gush a little about Beck's 2002 album Sea Change") or the folks that know I only blog about stuff I like, will have realised that I needn't have worried. The album has held up and then some! The moment Beck's voice kicks in on 'The Golden Age' I knew the album and me were going to be cool. For those who are familiar with Beck for albums like Odelay or Mellow Gold you'll probably find this album is somewhat of a departure for Beck. It's actually much closer in tone to his album Mutations yet it feels far more personal (possibly because it doesn't have any of the filler that Mutations seemed to be loaded with). It's a far more polished album than most of Beck's work up to that point and the lo-fi guitar noodlings, sample laden beats, and funky crowd pleasers have made way to lonelier, acoustically-driven, and dreamlike sound. The album is clearly made by a down in the dumps Beck and yet the gentleness of the strings and the subdued beats somehow make all the gloom quite nice. For an album dealing with such depressing subject matter it's actually pretty warm. For those unfamiliar with Beck it's still all of the above.
The album should really be enjoyed as a whole and I would encourage people checking it for the first time to enjoy it as such , but as is the norm on my posts I'm going to talk a little about some of my own favourite tracks on the album.
The Golden Age - The song that made me dig out the album again sets the tone of the album beautifully. Beck's haunting vocals, complimented by spaced out bleeps and whirrs, and the gentle, sometimes aching strum of Beck's guitar make for an astonishing song. This song gets better with every listen.
Lost Cause - This is my favourite track on the album and I'll admit to having used the skip button a few times in the car to make sure it's the last song I hear before I head off into work. It's a prime example of what I mean about the juxtaposition of the depressing subject and the warm niceness of the actual song. I've embedded it below because it deserves a listen.
Paper Tiger - The song that sounds a bit more like the better known Beck music. Beck sounds more like himself on this and less like the hurt grown up he sounds like on most of the album. A brilliantly subtle, slow builder that features some great orchestration. I believe that Beck's dad is actually responsible for the sweepingly dramatic strings on this song. I'm sure I read that somewhere once upon a time but there is every chance I've made that up. Enjoy it.
Already Dead - This is one of the most downbeat things Beck has recorded, it's a pretty depressing song to be honest but we need that kind of thing too. The man was clearly at a low point when he wrote this song and there's a brutal honesty to it. Just to give you a taste of it here is a sample of the lyrics...
Love looks away
In the harsh light of day
On the edge of nothing more
Days fade to black
In the light of what they lack
Nothing's measured by what it needs
Fuck that's grim. It's also incredible and I have always got time for music that can accurately show you the feeling of the songwriter.
There are only 12 songs on this album so I'll limit my rambling to just four of those tracks. As always I would ask people to buy the album if they get a kick out of the embedded youTube videos. I know Beck isn't short of cash and it'll probably end up with L.Ron's crew but dude still made this shit so deserves to have reimbursement for it.
I'm going to start throwing up a little post here and there to show a song that I'm digging at the moment. I'll let the songs speak for themselves and will only say who it is and encourage you to support it if you like it... So here is EMC - Leak It Out and if you like it go and look for more of their stuff and buy it.
So here is my list of what I believe to be the best albums of the year. Music is a completely subjective thing and I'm sure they'll be plenty of people that will disagree. If you do then please let me know in the comments section below, I'm always on the lookout for new stuff so any recommendations would be welcomed.
This year the list is dominated by Hip Hop because it's been a very good year for the genre with some real big releases. There are plenty of albums that I've missed and I don't exactly have my finger on the pulse so I'm sure there is a ruck of brilliant stuff I just don't know exists. I'll list a track to check for each album, if you have the time please do go and check them out and if you like it please go spend some money on it. Support good music!!!
Without further ado here is my top ten of the year in order.
Honourable Mentions
Mister Jason - Son of Frankensteez EP
Not a full album so not in but worth mentioning all the same. I've spent most of the year listening to Mister Jason Presents Frankensteez but it's release date was 2011 so I can't include it, worth a check though as is this great EP featuring a killer DJ Format remix.
Guilty Simpson & Apollo Brown - Dice Game
Top quality album but it doesn't quite make it because I haven't really been able to spend as much time with it as I would have liked. I only picked it up a month or so back and it hasn't had enough play for me to be familiar enough to Top 10 it. Still a great album and well worth a chunk of your hard earned.
Action Bronson & Alchemist - Rare Chandeliers
Similar to the above mentioned Guilty Simpson/Apollo Brown album I haven't played this enough to warrant it's inclusion. Top stuff and it's great start to finish I just haven't got off listening to Bronson's 2011 Dr. Lecter album. I'm sure it'll get a lot more love from me over the coming months.
Top Ten
10) Tim Fite - Ain't Ain't Ain't
I love Tim Fite, having seen him support Buck 65 a few years back in Manchester and being blown away by just how weird this guy was I've kept a close eye on his work. There has always been plenty of Mr. Fite's music to enjoy as he is one prolific itchy-legged gentleman, who also has a tendency to put his music up for free download on his site, good egg!
This album is Tim Fite's third full length studio album and follows Fair Ain't Fair and Gone Ain't Gone and it's a far more accessible album than some of his earlier work. Not one to be pigeonholed Tim Fite's album spans several genres from stripped down country to Beirutesque noodlings, the remarkable thing is how cohesive it remains throughout which is no small feat given the bases he touches on this record. The weirdness and sampling have definitely been dialled down from his previous offerings and I only hope this helps the dude get out to a bigger audience. Starting with you guys hopefully.
Track to Check = Hold Me All Night - Try not to sing along to this after a few listens or get carried away on those drums. I dare you.
9) Best Coast - The Only Place
This is a band I got into on the strength of an album cover 2010's Crazy for You here it is...
Top notch
The album was a pleasant surprise of lo-fi shoe-gazey surf rock (I can't believe I typed that either, sorry) and as such I discovered a new band to keep an eye on. This years follow up 'The Only Place' was duly picked up with expectations of more of the same, turns out that Best Coast don't dish up seconds and as such have served up a far more polished, alt-country album to be enjoyed. The album feels more clear and concise and singer Bethany Cosentino seems to be on some Neko Case shit, not a bad thing in my opinion. A very relaxing album as that despite the downbeat nature of most of it seems to have an extremely uplifting effect on me.
Track to Check = Up All Night - Great songwriting and should actually be huge. This will be used on some tween movie romantic scene soon and people are going to wake up to these guys over here.
8) P.O.S - We Don't Even Live Here
I'll be honest, I wasn't familiar with P.O.S or his group Doomtree but I saw this album mentioned round a lot of places online at it's time of release, a little check of a couple of the tracks and it was purchased. This album is filled with big songs. The heaviness of the opener Bumper, complete with some of the best drums I've heard on a track this year (simple yet hard), was enough to have me reaching for my card. On the whole the album is filled with filthy, club ready tracks that again could be big over here in the UK but for whatever reason isn't, check it and start spreading the word.
Track to Check = Get Down ft. Mike Mictlan - This is the only song that gave Spaceship Earth a run for it's money in my Track of the Year thinking. This song is dripping with a filthy, sweaty swagger that is ideal for a packed club. Would love to see this spun in V2!
7) DZ Deathrays - Bloodstreams
Australian rock that is in your face, distorted, and extremely loud. I've previously reviewed DZ Deathrays' EP on here and it was nice to see what they were capable of over a full length release. They don't disappoint, it's every bit as brash and bold as the aforementioned EP. I was fortunate enough to catch them live this year and as such the album serves as fond reminder of a quite spectacular performance and that was always going to ensure it had a place on this list come the year end. Do yourselves a favour and stay out of my way when I'm pumping this album in the car as this shit makes me feel near invincible or at least not give a shit about the consequences.
Track to Check = Dinomight - Actually a bit more restrained than most of the album but fuck me this track is heavy when it lets go.
6) Abdominal & The Obliques - Sitting Music
Abdominal is back and dude has gone in a completely different direction. Sitting Music represents a real departure for Abs, this is stripped down Hip Hop. Abdominal is one of my favourite lyricists and THE rapper that has me hanging on his every word on a track. His mellow voice, ability to go at any pace, and the fact that he is one witty motherfunker firmly places him as one of my favourite rappers.
I picked this up for my girlfriend (what's better than buying a gift you yourself want?), on account of Abdominal and DJ Fase's Flowtation Device being the album I used to actually introduce Wen to Hip Hop and slowly get hooked. I ordered it as soon as I could, I'm a keeper, and was soon enough in possession of one of the most surprising releases of the year. As I said in the first paragraph this is bare bones Hip Hop, the beats and samples have been replaced with bluesy/folky guitar and soft drums. Abs is still rapping albeit in a slower, more considered way but he is also singing a few bars on this album. It is definitely not the album I was expecting and I'm grateful to Abdominal and The Obliques for swerving my expectations. You want hear most rappers collaborating with their mothers but Abdominal isn't most rappers. Probably the most interesting album on this list.
Track to Check = Balance Both ft. Chali 2na - I wanted to pick one of the songs that had a bit more singing on it but this is such a brilliant track that I insist you have a listen.
5) Masta Ace & MF Doom - MA_Doom : Son of Yvonne
Masta Ace kicking it over some Doom beats?!? Sold, take my money and take it now. What's that? Big Daddy Kane is on the album? The album with Doom's production??? Take my bank card, here's my pin, take what you need.
Now the beats are recycled from Doom's other releases but I love Dooms other releases and could listen to, and have listened to, his music all day. Masta Ace is as sharp as ever and as per usual his storytelling is on another level.
Thank you to anyone and everyone that had anything to do with this album coming into existence.
Track to Check = Think I Am ft. Big Daddy Kane - It kind of had to be, check Doom's positive verse too, I always like to big up the pleasant side of this genre.
4) Blu & Exile - Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them
I don't really know much about these guys, I discovered Blu through that track he did with Edan and stumbled across this album on iTunes a couple of months back and seeing his name just blind purchased it. Sometimes it's nice to just have something I'm into that I don't know anything about. I deliberately have not looked up anything about Blu or Exile as I just want to enjoy the music for what it is much like the pre internet days when I had my Beastie Boys tape anfdfirst started getting into music properly.
This album is so chilled it's unreal, there is a Madlib vibe to the beats and the rapping is so laid back and effortless whilst clearly being extremely complex and sophisticated. If you know anything about these dudes please don't share it with me. Let me just have this one, that said if anyone can throw me a copy of the album with that Edan/Blu track Ronald Morgan on it (I think it's called No York), I certainly wouldn't say no.
Track to Check = Ease Your Mind - I can't wait for summer just so I can put this track on repeat and lounge in the sun.
3) El-P - Cancer for Cure
Put simply nobody else could make this album. Nobody. A beast of an album right from the off, probably the best opener on any of the albums on this list. El-P goes hard and isn't so much presenting you with new music more smacking you round the head with it. If you are unfamiliar with El's work then maybe check his other work first because I'm worried that if this is your first encounter with his sound you might actually get hurt.
My words probably won't do any of these albums justice and that is certainly the case with this album, I don't know how to describe it other than to swear a lot and use the word hard. Just listen to it.
Track to Check = I should say The Full Retard but I have to go with the opening track Request Denied - Just wow.
2) Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
Production by El-P, not a combo I expected to be listening to but I'm extremely grateful that it came to be. These two represent two different areas within the Hip Hop community and I didn't expect them to collide in this way. What a great fit these two are with each other, and they both seem to have raised each other's game. Personally I don't think Mike has ever sounded so good, don't get me wrong, I'm a big Killer Mike fan but on this album he's just an absolute monster! His rhymes are so technical and assured that I don't know if he will ever be able to top this.
El's production is as insane as it always is, and his style is all over it but he has clearly worked very hard to put together beats that have a Southern sensibility to them in order to really fit Mike the way they should. This album is an absolute animal and it's damn near perfect. I'm currently working on a full review of this album so I'll leave it at that for now.
Track to Check = Untitled ft. Scar - They know they've made a classic, they absolutely know it.
1) DJ Format - Statement of Intent
This is the album of the year for me. I've reviewed it previously on this blog so I won't go into too much detail on it again. Put simply it's a great album that strikes up a brilliant balance of all that is good in Hip Hop, perfect instrumentals like 'Mayor of a Ghost Town' to old school Hip Hop vibes like 'Mr.DJ' via the future of Hip Hop 'Spaceship Earth', everything is covered. This is as perfect an album, as far as my tastes go, as is humanly possible and I thank Format for creating it. I will never ever tire of this and I'm sure most people would have a similar view if they gave it the chance it deserves.
Everyone has a right to disagree with another persons opinion, and I fully expect people to not agree with half the shit I say and musically there isn't really a right or wrong, BUT if you disagree with me with regards to this album, I'm afraid you are most definitely wrong. They'll be Universities in Texas and other parts of the world that will carry out scientific studies proving me to be right on this occasion, which in turn will make you look very foolish indeed. Don't try to argue this one, just go out and get this album and then send me a thank you card.
Track to Check = Spaceship Earth ft. Edan - I could pick anything and you should listen to it all but for me this was the best song released all year so I'm obliged to pick this.
So that's my list and hopefully you've discovered some new music that you can enjoy, if so please go and buy the records. I appreciate that the internet is full of torrents and the like but these artists deserve to have their work paid for.
Here are the 10 best films, in my opinion, released in 2012. For me it's been a bit of a lean year for films but then again there is a lot that I haven't caught in the cinema It should also be noted that I have not yet seen The Master and I'm sure that will walk into the top ten once I see it later this week.
Honourable Mentions
The Shining - Not making the top ten because it's a re-release but this year saw a UK cinema showing of the US version of The Shining, a whopping twenty odd minutes longer than the previously released UK version. To be honest I didn't really notice 20 minutes of extra stuff but who cares because I got to see The Shining on a big screen! I don't need to tell anyone how brilliant this film is.
John Carter - Came in for a lot of stick but I really enjoyed my trip to watch this. Obviously a lot of the story has been pillaged by many other big sci-fi films that made it to the big screen first (Star Wars a prime example) so large parts of this felt familiar but it didn't dampen it for me personally. Shit looked pretty on a big ass screen too.
How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Mel Gibson is a horrible, racist c*nt but he does have a lot of great films on his CV. How I Spent... is an absolutely insane actioner set in a Mexican prison and featuring Gibson at his dickish best. An absurd movie that requires no thinking whatsoever, just good fun.
Top Ten
You can't not admire this man
10) Bill Cunningham, New York - As recommended by Paul Iannacchino on these here pages, this film is about an extremely likable 80-something fashion photographer for the New York Times. It's an inspiring and heart-warming film that documents Bill's passion for what he does, a man who truly lives for his art.
His head is on fire!
9) Ghost Rider 2 - I told you it was a lean year, not actually a great film but it was damn good fun. Nic Cage was yelling and his head kept going on fire there are times that I don't need much more than that. Not something I'm every likely to watch again but for the duration of the run-time I laughed and that can't be a bad thing.
Surprisingly heart-warming
8) Goon - Another movie that isn't exactly a classic but I've included it because of how unexpectedly good it was. My friend and I rented this on account of us having spent way too long in the video store without choosing something so we grabbed what was to hand. We were expecting a low key, gross out, not very funny comedy and yet we got a sweet, slapsticky, warm hearted tale of a stupid bouncer trying to find his place in the world. A very deceiving marketing campaign really didn't do this film any justice.
Got his Bruce Willis face on there
7) Looper - Sci-fi done well and with added Joseph Gordon Levitt and Bruce Willis. It doesn't get bogged down with explaining the how of the time travel in the film and just gets on with the actual story, which I appreciated. It's an interesting take on the future and whilst it isn't perfect it's nice to have an intelligently made film that is so unashamedly sci-fi.
Greatest poster ever
6) Manborg - From Astron 6, the creative geniuses behind the amazing Father's Day and the epically brilliant Lazer Ghosts 2: Return to Laser Cove comes the story of a dead soldier brought back to life as a cyborg to battle hell on Earth and to defeat the evil Draculon! Low budget film making at it's best what it lacks in production value it more than makes up for with laugh out loud funny, and straight up passion. Check the trailer below and buy the DVD these guys deserve all of your money.
A classic tale told well
5) Undefeated - I should point out that I love a good sports movie from We Are Marshall to Hard Ball and everything in between, I'll watch any of them. We all know how every single one of them ends but there is so much natural drama in sports that films about sport prove to be an easy watch it also helps that so often the films are so feel good. This documentary tells the standard story of an underfunded, underprivileged, perennial loser high school football team as they undergo a reversal of fortunes. Inspiring stuff and I'm not gonna lie the things that happen with Money damn near made me well up.
This man can do sinister
4) Killer Joe - Wickedly funny and extremely dark tale of son's attempt to have his mother offed by Matthew McConaughey's insane killer for hire. Contains one of the most disturbing scenes in recent history. It's nice to see McConaughey reminding everyone what he is capable of when he isn't picking up chick flick cheques. The rest of the cast is superb too and it's nice to see Billy Friedkin nailing it again.
3) The Imposter - Bart Layton's amazing documentary (I know that's three and I'm not trying to be all high brow it's just that this year was a good year for documentaries) about the disappearance of a 13 year old boy from Texas and his subsequent reappearance in Spain. Very cinematic for a documentary, it leaves you with questions in the same way Capturing The Friedmans did and really covers all angles in a truly astonishing story. I won't go into too much detail about it as much like the equally brilliant shockumentary Catfish it really needs to be seen to be believed.
"There, there Affleck we can't all have glorious white beards!"
2) Argo - God bless Affleck, talented son of a bitch that he is. See previous review for more info but know that this shit is incredible just like a hirsute Ben Affleck.
Does what it says on the poster
1) The Raid - This was the best film of the year for me, downright incredible. Police are going into an derelict apartment block in order to bring a ruthless criminal to justice unfortunately he lives on the top floor and all previous floors are occupied by nails criminals, living rent free, that protect the boss. 100 odd minutes of dudes getting smashed hard in the face and being smacked into walls.
Iko Uwais plays the rookie cop hero of the piece and that man knows how belt people around. I'd only previously seen Iko in the very entertaining Merantau Warrior (from the same director) but he's certainly one to watch as far as martial arts go. The film is so fast and action packed that you hardly get a break from the moment the police enter the building and the fight choreography is out of this world. Iko, as per Merantau Warrior, has such a painful looking style. He's a blur of elbows and knees and seems to revel in using the environment as a weapon. The real star of the show though is Yayan Ruhian as the big boss' loyal enforcer Mad Dog. His style is so rugged it's unreal, the rawness of him reminded me a lot of the nomad bad guy from Donnie Yen's Ip Man, every move he throws just looks brutal and like it would hurt an awful lot. The Mad Dog vs 2 fight in particular is absolutely astounding and the three styles from all involved are so contrasting and yet perfectly complementary to each other that I can only say thank to the director for filming it, I am forever in your debt sir.
Brutal, just brutal
The rest of the cast are superb too with a great turn from Ray Sahetapy as the boss Tama who plays his role perfectly with an unnerving laid-back, almost passive attitude for such a evil and ruthless individual. Joe Taslim who plays Jaka is worth mentioning too as his fighting style is so crisp and clean, almost effortless in his execution he's a damn good watch.
The other great thing about this film is that the director is Welsh! Now it would be my number one choice regardless of the director's nationality but the fact that a fellow countryman has gone out and made this brilliant film is the icing on the cake. We don't get too many chances to be proud of our country, hell not many know we're even here, but we can definitely be proud of Gareth Evans. All credit to him for opening up peoples eyes to Indonesian cinema and getting a subtitled film to be such a huge hit. No question about it, easily my film of the year.
Please go out and buy/rent these films and support the talented individuals that made them. The more you support the more these guys can make.
So those are my films of the years, just my opinion and that doesn't count for a great deal. If you agree or disagree then let me know in the comments section or feel free to tell me whatever I've missed out although I should mention that I did see Avengers and Dark Knight Rises and neither lived up to the hype for me so I wouldn't bother trying to change my mind on those two.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my Albums of The Year that will be up at some point tomorrow evening.
So a little while back I went and caught Ben Affleck's latest film Argo. I had very high hopes as the first two films Affleck has directed, Gone Baby Gone and The Town, have been two of my favourite films of the last decade. Affleck, it turns out, does not like to disappoint.
Argo is awesome and not just because Rory Cochrane is in it looking like this.
"Ben, is it okay if I leave Tehran now? I'm gonna leave Tehran now?"
For those that don't know, Argo tells the story of Antonio Mendez (Played superbly by the non Antonio Mendezy Ben Affleck) on a mission to save six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran. After the U.S embassy in Tehran is stormed in retaliation for the Americans taking in recently deposed Shah, the six diplomats slip away and hole up in the Canadian Ambassador's house. The American government must then try to get the diplomats out of the country before the Iranians realise that the embassy is six hostages short. The Americans, well Affleck, decide(s) the best way to save these citizens is to pretend they are part of a Canadian film crew scouting for locations for a Star Wars type film and then try and march them out through the Iranian's front door (or Airport). You'd be forgiven for thinking that sounds a tad far fetched and more than a little insane.
This film is based on a true story!!! Poking about on this here internets I've found that it is only loosely based on true events but that there is even the slightest bit of truth to this is mental. It's worth noting that the story is based on Antonio Mendez's account of events and therefore could and should be exaggerated, hell I wouldn't sell myself short if Affleck was making a movie about me.
High concept aside Argo is a pretty straightforward movie that is executed brilliantly, the plot unfolds naturally and is very uncomplicated. The early scenes of the mob outside the embassy in particular, look spectacular and are downright terrifying, more importantly though these scenes really give a good understanding of how the Iranian people felt and why they felt that way.
The main thing I absolutely love about this film is that it's for grown ups. It's a 70's film, I don't mean in setting (I think it was technically 1980/81), it's more the tone of it. For me 70's cinema was the shit, most of my favourite films tend to come from that era, and the reason I enjoy that period of film-making most is that not everything is spoon fed to you. The story tends to develop naturally and quite often at a slower pace than the cinema of today, there doesn't seem to be a need to hit beats/go through the motions and I prefer it that way. I appreciate I'm going a little off track here but if you could please allow me a moment longer to try and fully explain what I mean here. A large number of films made in the 70's (and the 60's) are the equivalent to how real albums are made. It's a piece of work that should be enjoyed start to finish and in it's entirety. The films of the last decade or so, not all though as this film proves, are how flavour of the month pop albums are made, no one really cares a great deal how we get from A to B as long as there is a couple of singles on there. Argo slowly belts you in and takes you up the hill before dangling you over the edge and letting you see the roller coaster ride that's ahead of you, the suspense filled ending doesn't work without the slow build of the first 3/4 of the film and the viewer is therefore rewarded for handing themselves over to the film.
It's also nice to see a film that's comfortable with what it is, Argo is actually a pretty funny movie. It knows it's a bob on suspenseful thriller but that doesn't mean it can't poke a little fun at Hollywood and it doesn't mean it can't have a couple of goofy moments (Rory Cochrane in the market). Rather than being confined by the expectations of it's target audience, it's not afraid to straddle genres and it manages to do it without becoming disjointed or messy.
The acting in the film is tremendous and the supporting cast made up of Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Victor Garber, and Bryan Cranston and countless others joining the previously mentioned Ben Affleck and Rory Cochrane. There's a real subtlety to the performances on display and it's with good reason that this film is being mentioned an awful with regards to awards season.
All in all folks should check this film, it's one hell of a ride but more importantly you're witnessing one of the best directors this generation has to offer doing his thing and that is a real pleasure. If none of this has convinced you then at least watch it for Affleck's majestic beard work.
