It’s been a while since I’ve produced an entry in this website’s “Looking Elsewhere” series, so… here we go!
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The Lives of Others — it’s one of those films that was so wildly popular that it played in Seattle for many, many months. It’s one of those films like The Shawshank Redemption that eventually develops a kind of legendary status that seems grossly out of proportion to its modest charms. It’s a film I liked the first time, liked less the second time, and found gratingly annoying the third time.
And so I felt some satisfaction discovering that Chad Hartigan, director of This is Martin Bonner (my favorite film of 2013), is similarly aggravated by it.
What’s more, his brief and very personal review over at Letterboxd is my favorite little film review of the year so far.
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So, music-loving friends of mine, why didn’t anybody tell me that the new Lisa Hannigan album, At Swim, has been streaming at NPR this week?
Come on, guys. Her last record was fantastic. She’s a Joe Henry favorite. She’s sings in the movie Song of the Sea. And her voice is one of a kind.
My first listen, through NPR’s First Listen, did not disappoint. Hurry up, though. The stream won’t be available for long.
Even if you miss the short-term album stream, this NPR interview by Bob Boilen is well worth a listen.
And since we’re talking about Lisa Hannigan, let’s hear that Song of the Sea number one more time:
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Speaking of don’t-miss-it music, check this out:
Emmylou Harris will tour North America this fall with special guests Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, and The Milk Carton Kids (not all artists will appear at all venues). The 11-stop tour, Lampedusa: Concerts for Refugees, will raise awareness for the unprecedented worldwide refugee crisis.
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Jesuit Refugee Service/USA (JRS) will host this singer/songwriter tour in support of the organization’s Global Education Initiative, which was launched in 2015 and endorsed by Pope Francis. JRS seeks to double the number of refugees served in its educational programs to 240,000 by 2020.
“After witnessing firsthand the work of JRS in Ethiopia this past June, I have never been more inspired to champion such a critical cause,” said Emmylou Harris, 13-time Grammy Award–winning artist. “The better angels of our nature call upon us to act with compassion and not with fear in the face of so much suffering.”
Want to buy tickets? Details here.
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I know a lot of Jim Henson fans (like myself). I know a lot of Terry Pratchett fans (but, I admit, I’ve never read a word of his writing).
Anyway, fans of one or both should find this interesting:
The Jim Henson Company announced today the development of a feature film based on the great literary legacy of the late Sir Terry Pratchett’s “THE WEE FREE MEN,” part of the wildly popular Discworld series.
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Sometimes it seems like The Criterion Collection has launched a campaign called “Celebrate the Movies that Jeffrey Overstreet Feels Lonely for Loving So Much.”
Lately they’ve made my Criterion wish-list dreams come true with The Fisher King, Watership Down, Code Unknown, The New World, and several more.
Now comes the announcement of yet another all-time favorite that I never dreamed they’d take on.
So forgive me if I get a little emotional about it.
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One more thing:
I discovered the poster for Scott Derrickson‘s new film in my local cineplex.
There’s something strangely familiar about it.
