Ry Cooder at home in the California desert

Posted on November 23, 2008 by admin

Ry Cooder in the desert

There are nearly 100 Ry Cooder tracks on my iPod, just ahead of Randy Newman, including songs, film scores and his last three releases, the superb trilogy “Chávez Ravine” (2005), “My Name Is Buddy” (2007 ) and “I, Flathead” (2008), all from Nonesuch Records.

And so it was a pleasure to see in today’s travel section in The New York Times a fascinating piece by Lawrence Tones exploring the relationship between Cooder’s songs and the working class towns of the Southern California desert. There’s also a terrific audio slide show with photos by Erik Grigorian (as above) and links to his albums.

Here’s an excerpt:

Ry Cooder — the rock and blues guitarist, roots musician, record producer, songwriter and composer — is a son of Santa Monica who has spent nearly 40 years exploring all corners of the musical planet, like a sharp-eared extraterrestrial on a lifelong voyage of discovery. (His two-CD career anthology, released last month, has a perfect title: “The U.F.O. Has Landed.”)

But even that barely covers it — it’s strictly from his solo albums and the haunting scores he wrote for films like “Alamo Bay” and “Paris, Texas”. If you add all the records he has made with other musicians, like Gabby Pahinui, Flaco Jiménez, Ali Farka Touré, Mavis Staples, the Chieftains and, most famously, the Cuban all-stars of the Buena Vista Social Club, you can only wonder where on earth he could go next.

The answer: his own backyard.

Read the full story.

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Carl Morgan, a real newspaperman, dies at 77

Posted on November 22, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – I was sad to get a phone call last night from Trevor Wilhelm, a reporter at Canada’s Windsor Star, who said Carl Morgan (pictured), former editor of that newspaper, had died. Carl was city editor in my early years at the paper a very long time ago.

My connections to the Star are strong with many friends still there and my daughter Shannon Bennett is in the marketing department.

CarlMorgan.jpgI immediately called lifelong friend Ron Base in Canada, who was also there at that time, and broke the news. We chatted about those treasured days and wondered how impersonal the obituary would be, but Wilhelm (who also spoke to another lifelong friend, Jimmy Bruce) did a great job and indulged our nostalgia.

Here are some excerpts:

Carl Morgan hated cliches so he’ll have to forgive his grieving friends and colleagues. Former colleagues of Morgan, the volunteer, family man and former Windsor Star editor who died Friday after a battle with cancer, couldn’t avoid cliches while talking about him no matter how hard they tried.

“He was a real newspaper man’s newspaper man,” said former Star reporter Ron Base. “He was a throwback to the kind of hard drinking, tough talking, no-nonsense editors that you usually only see in newspaper movies.”

“We used to call him the whirling dervish, because he was going in many directions at one time and wanted everything done that very minute,” said former Star editor and publisher Jim Bruce. “We never called him that to his face. He didn’t suffer fools very easily. He was not very happy when he didn’t think people were pulling their weight or living up to their potential.”

“I’ve worked in two great newspaper environments in my life,” said Ray Bennett, a former Star reporter now working at the Hollywood Reporter in London, England. “One was at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner in the late 80s. The other one was definitely at The Windsor Star in the early 70s. It was a great group to work for. We had fun. We played hard, we worked hard. And Carl was very much leader of his boys in the newsroom.”

Read the full obituary

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Recalling Renee on her birthday

Posted on November 21, 2008 by admin

Renee Rich circa 1983
‘Your sweet and shiny eyes
are like the stars above Laredo,
like meat and potatoes to me.
In my sweet dreams we are
in a bar and it’s your birthday,
drinking salty margaritas … ‘

 

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THEATRE REVIEW: Kenneth Branagh in ‘Ivanov’

Posted on November 12, 2008 by admin

ivanov1 by J.Persson x650

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – Anton Chekhov wrote “Ivanov” when he was a mere 27, and it shows, and so the Donmar Warehouse’s West End production benefits enormously from having the play re-imagined with the expertise and wisdom of playwright and Oscar-winning screenwriter) Tom Stoppard, who is 71.

Director Michael Grandage and a large and excellent cast headed by Kenneth Branagh in the title role also contribute to make its story of a man crippled by self-loathing and depression resonate with modern pertinence.

The difficulty with the play is that whereas Shakespeare made his tragic heroes kings so that their downfalls had great consequences, it’s difficult to get worked up about Ivanov’s fate. He’s a well-off land owner who is going broke, has a loveless marriage to a dying woman and sees his small world ending, but it takes Stoppard’s wit and great acting to make anyone care.

Critics have likened the title character to Hamlet or Jimmy Porter in “Look Back in Anger,” but his downfall is made gripping by Branagh’s ability to convey his grasp of how fast he is falling from grace and the despair and cruelty that erupt as a result.

Christopher Oram’s evocative sets establish the sweep and fading grandeur of the lifestyle of wealthy country folk seeing world events swirl about them. Ivanov feels less and less a part of their world, spending nights almost as an interloper at their parties and social evenings.

His wife (Gina McKee) is dying of tuberculosis and begs him to stay at home, fearing with good reason that he is attracted to Sasha (Andrea Riseborough, pictured with Branagh), the provocative daughter of wealthy neighbor Lebedev (Kevin R. McNally). Ivanov is too conflicted to actively pursue the girl, though she encourages him with careless enthusiasm. His wife’s self-righteous doctor (Tom Hiddleston), however, becomes convinced that he only married for his wife’s money and conspires to raise the alarm about his dalliance. While at first Ivanov retains the good will of his social circle, things gradually begin to unravel.

Branagh is fine throughout in a thoughtful, unstarry performance. A scene in which the benevolent but henpecked Lebedev offers Ivanov money so that he can repay what he owes to the man’s thrifty wife demonstrates what a fine actor also can do with silence.

The production is the first of the Donmar’s West End season of classics at Wyndham’s Theatre and will be followed by “Twelfth Night” with Derek Jacobi, “Madame de Sade” with Judi Dench and “Hamlet” with Jude Law.

Venue: Wyndham’s Theatre, London, runs through Nov. 29; Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Briers, Malcolm Sinclair, Gina McKee, Kevin R. McNally, Tom Hiddleston, Andrea Riseborough; Playwright: Anton Chekhov, in a new version by Tom Stoppard; Director: Michael Grandage; Set designer: Christopher Oram; Lighting designer: Paule Constable; Composer/sound designer: Adam Cork; Presented by: Donmar Warehouse.

This review appeared in The Hollywood Reporter; Photo by J.Persson.

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Sean Bean is up to his old tricks in ‘Sharpe’s Peril’

Posted on November 2, 2008 by admin

Sean Bean Sharpe x650

By Ray Bennett

Sean Bean admires Bernard Cornwell’s novels about the swashbuckling soldier he plays in the Sharpe films but he takes great delight in the slight change he made to the character.  “He’s supposed to be from London,” grins Bean. “But I made sure he’s a Yorkshireman!”

Despite his success in international films, Bean prefers to live in the UK, where he is a keen supporter of his hometown football team, Sheffield United: “I go to Los Angeles to make pictures but I always come home.” Continue reading →

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FILM REVIEW: Giles Borg’s ‘1234’

Posted on October 31, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – The frustrating life of young and ambitious would-be rock stars is captured with pleasing simplicity and authenticity in “1234,” the first feature from British filmmaker Giles Borg following a series of short films that have won festival attention.

1234_3Shot in the Hackney area of London, the film manages to combine gentle sweetness with a clear-eyed view of the slim chances of its hopeful musicians struggling to launch an indie rock band. Clearly low budget, the film benefits from sharp cinematography by Mike Eley (“Touching the Void”) that reflects the writer/director’s obvious affection for both London and his hapless characters.

With observant dialogue full of dry and ironic banter and likable performances, the film achieves a genial tone and genuine warmth in its ingenuous depiction of the band’s wistful ambitions. It should play well on the festival circuit and make a good calling card for Borg and his producing partner Simon Kearney.

Ian Bonar, with Buddy Holly glasses and a Jason Schwartzman hangdog expression, plays singer, songwriter and guitarist Stevie, who works at a call center but lives for his music and aims to create a band with best mate and drummer Neil (Mathew Baynton). They hook up with out-of-work lead guitarist Billy (Kieran Bew) and Emily (Lyndsey Marshal), a bass guitarist with an all-girl band, and lug their instruments to barren halls rehearsing with indifferent expertise songs of dubious merit.

Bonar is an appealingly offbeat lead and Marshal matches him as a young woman with eccentric artistic tastes. Bew conveys the self-awareness of someone who senses success will always elude him, and Baynton’s drummer is refreshingly not nuts but merely droll and cheerful.

Borg avoids many cliches in his tale, choosing to emphasize character over plot as the four youngsters shamble through their dull day jobs and shuffle towards their musical dreams.

Venue: London Film Festival; Cast: Ian Bonar, Lyndsey Marshal, Kieran Bew, Matthew Baynton; Director, screenwriter: Giles Borg; Director of photography: Mike Eley; Production designer: Richard Campling; Costume designer: Alice Wolf Bauer; Editor: Kevin Austin; Producer: Simon Kearney; Executive producers: Philip Haydn-Slater, Pav Sanhera, James Leahy, Cliff Roberson, Ed O’Brien, Alasdair Maccuish, Norman Merry, Rob Pursey, Mark Vennis, Gary Phillips; Production: Carson Films; Sales: Moviehouse Entertainment; No rating; running time, 85 minutes.

This review appeared in The Hollywood Reporter.

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THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Zorro the Musical’

Posted on October 28, 2008 by admin

Zorro the Musical at the Garrick TheatreBy Ray Bennett

LONDON – A musical version of the saga of the Spanish Californian hero with the mask and deadly sword sounds like a commercial bridge too far but “Zorro the Musical”, with songs by the Gypsy Kings, is a pleasure and a half.

The music is irresistible, the performances are witty and the voices are lovely. The classic tale of a young man who hides his identity in order to defend the oppressed is a familiar tale but it is carried off with such dash and devil-may-care that even the clichés raise a smile.

Zorro the Musical at the Garrick TheatreReturning from a sojourn in Europe, carefree Don Diego (Matt Rawle, pictured top with Adam Levy) returns to California with a gypsy troupe including the bewitching Inez (Lesli Margherita) expecting to find things pretty much the same as when he left. But his Spanish noble father has been drummed out and now Diego’s childhood friend Ramon (Levy), who has become a tyrant, is in charge.

Not only must Diego find his father but he must also fight for the hand of his childhood sweetheart Luisa (Emma Williams, left with Rawle), who also is the object of Ramon’s lust.

It’s simple stuff but on Tom Piper’s splendidly evocative set and with swift and winning direction by Christopher Renshaw, Stephen Clark’s savvy book and lyrics carry everything along in fine form.

Choreographer Christopher Renshaw employs every Spanish form of dancing and gets a large and talented ensemble tapping every toe and stamping every boot-clad foot. It’s stirring stuff, building on the excitement generated when the Gypsy Kings perform.

Rawle, who starred as Che in the hit West End revival of “Evita” a couple of years ago is a terrific Zorro, playing him a rascal as much as a hero, and Levy is a very convincing heavy.

Williams, who was Truly Scrumptious in the original West End cast of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and had the title role in the ill-fated musical version of “Desperately Seeking Susan”, has a voice to match her radiant looks and Margherita raises the temperature with her flamboyant singing and dancing.

Musicals these days don’t seem to produce songs that succeed beyond the stage and that’s true of “Zorro,” but all the numbers are tuneful and the sweep of their presentation and the wonderful cast make it all work.

Zorro the Musical at the Garrick Theatre

Venue: Garrick Theatre, London, runs through Sept. 12; Cast: Matt Rawle, Emma Williams, Adam Levy, Lesli Margherita, Nick Cavaliere, Jonathan Newth; Director: Christopher Renshaw; Book & lyrics: Stephen Clark; Music: The Gypsy Kings, John Cameron; Choreographer: Rafael Amargo; Set & costume designer: Tom Piper; Lighting designer: Ben Ormerod; Executive producers: Sandra Curtis, Peter Himberger, Pascal Imbert, Nancy Larson; Presented by: Zorro London, John Gertz and Isabel Allende.

This review appeared in The Hollywood Reporter.

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FILM REVIEW: Daniel Craig in ‘Quantum of Solace’

Posted on October 24, 2008 by admin

Quantum of Solace x650

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – The meanest and leanest James Bond film yet, “Quantum of Solace” is a breathless splash of high-speed action that hurtles from one reckless chase to another.

There’s not much solace and few words as the British secret agent exercises his license to kill in dispatching one bad guy after another in the attempt to avenge the death of the lover who died in “Casino Royale.”

Fans of that boxoffice smash and the earlier films might be disappointed that the new picture allows hardly any flourishes of style and character in the 007 tradition, but moviegoers seeking an adrenaline rush will be well pleased. Running almost 40 minutes shorter than the bloated “Casino Royale,” the film should do bristling business around the world.

So much of the movie comprises furious pursuits in boats, planes and racing automobiles that director Marc Forster owes huge thanks to his talented technical crew. Second unit director Dan Bradley and stunt coordinator Gary Powell, both “Bourne” veterans, must take a large chunk of the credit for all the thrilling encounters that leave credibility in the dust.

Forster’s regular cinematographer Robert Schaefer and Oscar-winning production designer Dennis Gassner (“Bugsy”) contribute fine work and the intricate assembly by editors Matt Chesse and Richard Pearson is staggeringly effective. A gunfight cut against a lavish performance of “Tosca” is an action triumph.

Jack White’s title song passes without notice, but composer David Arnold provides a top-flight action score, keeping the familiar themes to a minimum as they hardly suit Daniel Craig’s Bond.

Craig looks incredibly fit, and his manner suggests someone capable of surviving everything that’s thrown at him. This Bond is more invincible than ever and shares with Jason Bourne and the kite runner the unerring ability to know exactly where the object of his chase will end up.

gemma quantum x650

Judi Dench has a few good scenes tearing a strip off her favorite agent, and Olga Kurylenko (pictured with Craig top) has some serious action of her own, which she renders in high style. Gemma Arterton (pictured with Craig above), however, is a mere bedroom dalliance, and Mathieu Amalric (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”) tends to let his character’s madness show too much with bulging eyes, one of which threatens to start blinking at any moment.

There are the usual lavish locales, and the film is as efficient as its supercomputers and high-powered weaponry and as sleek as the glamorous settings where Bond catches his breath. There is a danger in this version of Ian Fleming’s hero, however. A killer in the movies needs something redeeming about him. Bourne had presumed innocence, and Sean Connery’s Bond, while nasty, had ironic wit. Craig’s humorless Bond is in danger of becoming simply a very well-dressed but murderous thug.

Opens: Oct. 31 U.K., Nov. 14 U.S. (Sony Pictures, MGM); Cast: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Gemma Anderton, Jeffrey Wright; Director: Marc Forster; Screenwriters: Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis & Robert Wade; Director of photography: Roberto Schaefer; Production designer: Dennis Gassner; Music: David Arnold; Costume designer: Louise Frogley; Editors: Matt Chesse, Richard Pearson; Producers: Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson; Executive producers: Callum McDougall, Anthony Waye; Production: Danjaq, United Artists, Columbia Pictures; Rated PG-13, running time, 106 mins.

This review appeared in The Hollywood Reporter.

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World of soundtracks is tough, say WSA winners

Posted on October 20, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett

Ghent, Belgium – Veteran Hollywood film composers James Newton Howard and Angelo Badalamenti (pictured) were among those honored at the World Soundtrack Awards, held in association with the Ghent Film Festival in Belgium. But they and fellow composers at the event expressed concern over the fate of the soundtrack album.

James Newton Howard, Angelo Badalamenti and Dario MarianelliBadalamenti, who picked up a lifetime achievement award for a career in which he has scored most of David Lynch’s films and others such as “The Edge of Love” and “A Very Long Engagement,” said: “It’s easier to get labels interested if you have some important element such as rock artists or pop stars, but a lot of people complain that it’s getting tougher and tougher to release soundtrack albums.”

Howard, who was named film composer of the year for “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Michael Clayton” and “I Am Legend,” said that many soundtrack scores these days could be found only on iTunes. “Most of my scores have found their way to the audience in one way or another but the scores that mean the most to you are the ones that nobody hears,” Howard said.

He praised Warner Bros. for getting behind the release of his and Hans Zimmer’s score for “The Dark Knight” Batman sequel. “They did an amazing job, with three or four versions of the album, and in-store promotions. Of course, Hans Zimmer is a superstar,” he said. “I’m also pleased that Sony Classical will release my score to Edward Zwick’s ‘Defiance,’ with soloist Joshua Bell.”

French composer Cyril Morin (“A Simple Heart,” “Zaina,” “That Day”), said: “It’s better that you have your own label or go to iTunes. Usually, soundtracks don’t sell that much; in France very, very few. I rely on iTunes because you can make, say, 20 minutes available and not the whole thing. Soundtrack albums work for very small films and very big films but there’s nothing in the middle, that’s gone away.”

Argentinian composer Daniel Tarrab, who with partner Andres Goldstein has scored such films as “The Official Story” and “Broken Silence,” was philosophical: “The thing is to get in touch with the right people who will take care of your work but most of the time they don’t know how.”

This story appeared in Billboard.

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James Newton Howard wins at World Soundtrack Awards

Posted on October 19, 2008 by admin

James Newton HowardBy Ray Bennett

GHENT, Belgium – James Newton Howard (left) was named film composer of the year at the World Soundtrack Awards 2008 Saturday night for his scores to “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Michael Clayton” and “I Am Legend,” and Dario Marianelli’s Oscar-winning music for “Atonement” won as best original film score.

“Down to Earth,” from “Wall-E,” by Thomas Newman and Peter Gabriel, was named best original song written directly for a film and Mark Streitenfeld won the discovery of the year award for his score to Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster.” The winners were on hand to collect their prizes except Newman and Gabriel, who sent thanks via video.

Longtime David Lynch collaborator Angelo Badalamenti (below) received a lifetime achievement award at the 8th annual WSA, which was held in connection with the 35th Ghent International Film Festival, which earlier announced that “The Market,” directed by Ben Hopkins, had been named best film.Angelo Badalamenti

At the WSA, Belgian composer Tuur Florizoone won the Public Choice Award for his score to Christophe Van Rompaey’s film “Moscow, Belgium,” and Cedric Murruth won the Sabam Award for best Belgian composer.

The awards were presented during an evening of music featuring the scores of Badalamenti, Marianelli, Argentinean composers Daniel Tarrab and Andres Goldstein (“The Official Story,” “Broken Silence”), and Florizoone, played by the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dirk Brosse.

bethrowley x300Guest soloists included British cellist Caroline Dale and Belgian accordion player Rony Verbiest, and singers Lilliana Herrero from Argentina, and Beth Rowley (left) and Siouxsie Sioux from the U.K. Presenters included Marianne Faithful and U.K. composers David Arnold and Trevor Jones.

Other concerts during the festival featured last year’s composer of the year Clint Mansell and the Sonus Quartet, who performed music from his scores to Darren Aronofsky’s films including “Requiem for a Dream,” “The Fountain” and the upcoming “The Wrestler”; Oscar-winner Gabriel Yared, who performed scores from films by the late British director Anthony Minghella, including “The English Patient”; and Belgian folk-rock act Kadril.

 

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