Part science-fiction, part dumb comedy, Mike Judge’s Idiocracy is a carefully-crafted vision of the future that presupposes the decline of intelligence so someone who is average today becomes the smartest man in the world. While a bit uneven at times, I didn’t mind since I was laughing so much. Crammed full of details and jokes, it’s fun and biting satire of the dumbing down of media, corporate takeovers, and government. Filled with great graphic design and jokes in the background, it’s funny, but it also makes you think a bit.

L’Enfant is a subtle and understated story about a couple who have a child and then make some difficult decisions. It’s a remarkable film with no music and an observational style that simply follows the characters around as we watch what happens. Beautiful shot and acted, it seems as if it’s a documentary shot on location with the participants, but it’s actually a carefully constructed film.

I found Lali Puna a while ago and I’ve loved everything that I’ve heard by them. At first it seems to be very simple electronic music, but the more I listen, the more I hear and the underlying complexity starts to emerge.
If I’m not sure about what to listen to, it’s very likely that I’ll start with Lali Puna.

From the opening studio logos that are from the 70s to the look and feel of Zodiac, it’s clear that David Fincher wanted to capture the spirit of classic films from the 70s about crime and conspiracy. The newsroom is shot similarly to “All The President’s Men” and there are some great establishing shots filled with period detail. But while some of the early scenes are a bit violent, the bulk of the film is about the investigation and the compulsive need to solve the puzzle of a series of killings. The film overflows with period detail as well as information and clues, which makes things intentionally confusing at times, but overall it works as we’re trying to make sense of it all as the characters in the film are as well. Beautifully shot in HD it’s a meticulous film that is a different take on a very crowded genre.

It’s made locally and is delicious! You can only get it at the Propeller Brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia for a limited time. It’s a stonger beer (8%) and is very dark and a bit bitter, but still quite stout.

With Woke Myself Up Julie Doiron is writing and sounding happier than on some of her other, more confessional recordings. With her slightly awkward and endearing voice, and personal lyrics, she’s a unique artist who can play rock songs and ballads with a guitar with equal confidence. There is a range of songs will full production and instruments as well as simple songs with just Julie and a guitar (and at one point, a cat meowing somewhere in the room). It’s a CD that I’ve been listening to again and again for the simple and catchy music and beautiful lyrics.

I found out about Susanna Brandin who records as Winter Took His Life from a post about one of her tracks that a friend made. I followed the links and listened to When You Said You Headed Home and I loved it and listened to it again and again. Looking through her site I saw that I could order an EP, which I did and a couple of weeks later I had a lovely burned CD in a silk screened sleeve with five beautiful and simple songs. With a quiet voice and personal lyrics and simple instrumentation built around a guitar, it’s music that is beautiful and I don’t seem to get tired of it. She has a new CD that has been mastered and I can’t wait to get that.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant follow up the brilliant The Office with the slightly different Extras which moves from an office to film sets. Both focus on the boredom of people who wish that they were doing something else. I’ve always felt that The Office was a drama disguised as a comedy and with the arc of the series it managed to cover both comedy and genuine human emotions in both the main and supporting characters. With “Extras” it’s simplified with a smaller core cast and a more episodic structure. Still funny, but in a very dark and understated way. Gervais is more toned down but the moments of inappropriate comments, uncomfortable situations, and memorable characters remain. With a wonderful chemistry between Ricky Gervais and Ashley Jensen it’s a worthy, but different followup to “The Office”.

When I heard that Martin Scorsese was adapting the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs I was intrigued as it didn’t seem like something I thought he would be interested in doing. I saw Infernal Affairs before I saw the adaptation and it was interesting as it seemed to be influenced by Scorsese’s style and the way he shot his gangster films.
I didn’t get to see The Departed during the first theatrical release, but when I saw that it was being rereleased, I slipped out of work a little bit early one day and caught it in the theatre.
Knowing the broad outlines of the characters and plot allowed me to notice the style a bit more that I would have the first time through. While the film is violent, it didn’t seem to dwell on it as much as Scorese’s other gangster films. At this point in his career Scorsese could make a film in his sleep, so it is very interesting to see the things that he tries out in terms of constructing a film in the visuals, plot and the editing. The added twist with the Departed is seeing how some shots match the original with most of the plot intact with changes that reflect Scorsese’s sensibilities and strengths. It isn’t Scorsese’s best film, but it’s filled with some great performances (one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s best that I’ve seen) and is solid.

With The Last King of Scotland, Kevin MacDonald follows on the compelling mixture of documentary with dramatic re-creations in Touching the Void with a film that exists within the margins of historical fact. By placing a Scottish doctor into Uganda who happens to become Idi Amin’s personal physician, it provides an opportunity for a character study and a reflection on moral choices that are made. With an amazing performance by Forrest Whittaker as Amin and an equally compelling one by James McAvoy, it is a fascinating look at history from a different point of view.