TIFF 2013

Still need to make a few more cuts, but my final list will be chosen from the following titles:

The Armstrong Lie - Alex Gibney

Blue is the Warmest Color - Abdellatif Kechiche

Dallas Buyers Club - Jean-Marc Vallee

Devil's Knot - Atom Egoyan

Finding Vivian Maier - John Maloof, Charlie Siskel

Gravity - Alfonso Cuaron

Night Moves - Kelly Reichardt

Prisoners - Denis Villeneuve

Long list:

12 Years a Slave - Steve McQueen

Belle – Amma Asante

Can a Song Save Your Life – John Carney

Child of God – James Franco

Closed Curtain – Jafar Panahi, Kambozia Partovi

Cold Eyes – Cho Ui-seok, Kim Byung-seo

Enough Said – Nicole Holofcener

The Eternal Return of Antonis Paraskevas

Fading Gigolo – John Tuturro

Hateship Loveship – Liza Johnson

Life of Crime – Daniel Schechter

The Mayor - Emiliano Altuna Fistolera, Carlos Federico Rossini, Diego Osorno

The Past – Asghar Farhadi

R100 – Hitoshi Matsumoto

Sarah Prefers to Run – Chloe Robichaud

A Touch of Sin – Jia Zhangke

The Unknown Known – Errol Morris

When Jews Were Funny – Alan Zweig

Why Don’t You Play In Hell? – Sion Sono

The Wind Rises – Hayao Miyazaki

Witching & Bitching – Alex de la Iglesia
You Are Here – Matthew Weiner

Onyx - Flip Dat Shit (Featuring Treach, Biggie Smalls, 3rd Eye)

Has this been on the demo circuit? I don't recall ever hearing about it. 

Tears For Fears - Ready To Start

"Having appreciated artists like Kanye West, Katy Perry, Kimbra, Nas, Gary Jules/Michael Andrews, Adam Lambert & Dizzee Rascal covering & sampling our songs over the past years, we agreed that some reciprocal cross-generational love was in order. We decided to give Arcade Fire a twist of TFF. Enjoy."

I'm very happy right now.

J-Zone - Peter Pan Syndrome

Loving the production here. The drums are so good.

Available September 5, 2013: here

3rd Bass - Sway in the Morning

Ya'll couldn't give the Prime Minster something better to rock over?

JAY Z - Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film / MCHG

This might have been a little more interesting if he had more to offer to the participants than rapper hands.

I don't believe I've publicly shared my opinion on Magna Carta... Holy Grail yet. I don't like it.

Actually, Picasso Baby is the only song on the album I like, and even this one feels a little gross. Jay is that friend you don't want to be around when he discovers or experiences something new. The one who gets married, and all of a sudden every conversation somehow revolves or touches on marriage, in the process making you feel wrong for being single.

The rest of the album just feels...old; from his performance on Tom Ford (should have got a rap kid to do the hook), to the overarching messaging on the album. Yes he speaks on his child, marriage, and something on Oceans, but mostly it's still I, Me, Mine JAY Z, which is kind of hip hop I suppose, but on your twelfth studio album?

To draw a comparison to television programming. I've always said by the end of the 3rd season, you should know most of the characters, and most of the their actions and arcs become predictable. By the end of the 5th season you get the feeling that the show can probably wrap things up, and anything more starts to feel unnecessary.  JAY Z (is the all caps things official now?) is far past season 5 at this point. I need a change in programming.

Simulacrum

[sim-yuh-ley-kruh m]

1. a slight, unreal, or superficial likeness or semblance.

Origin:
1590–1600; simulācrum
likeness, image, equivalent to simulā ( re ) to simulate + -crum instrumental suffix



Wu-Tang Clan - Meteor Hammer (Featuring Ghostface, Action Bronson, Termanology)


Anotha Level - Phat-T (Featuring The Pharcyde)


Camp Lo - Swing (Featuring Butterfly)



There are probably a few more examples that I'm missing.

Feel free to add in the comments section.

RAPPERS ARE TAKING OVER; or, The Fatigue of the White Man

Thought this was a little interesting.

Jon Caramanica in a discussion with Ben Ratliff about the latest Pitchfork Festival, touched on attitudes of some indie rockers who seems a little put-off by what they're seeing as a possible climate shift in their audience.  People are having more fun watching Lil B!

My advice to them...do better.