Oddly I could not find any Dublin Dr Pepper.  When I inquired, they informed me that it no longer exists!

It turns out that this isn’t entirely true, but it is true enough.  Corporate Dr Pepper sued Dublin last year and early this year they entered into an agreement which resulted in Dublin halting production.  It turns out that most of the Dr Pepper sold in Dublin Dr Pepper bottles was actually made at another plant, which will continue making Dr Pepper with cane sugar, but without the Dublin branding.  It seems that the fact that you could buy Dublin Dr Pepper outside of their franchise area was an issue, and you can no longer order cane sugar Dr Pepper online.

In my opinion, this is a stupendous mistake on the part of Corporate Dr Pepper.  The original bottler was selling the original product and connoisseurs appreciated this.  If other bottlers felt hurt, they should use cane sugar as well.  And no, HFCS is not cane sugar and beet sugar isn’t cane sugar either.  Instead of catering to the real Dr Pepper lovers they’ve cut off our supply.  You’ve kicked sand in the face of your most ardent supporters.  Someone (the moron that thought this was a good idea) should be fired over this.

For this that want more information on this sad event, The Dallas Observer has details.

Idiots.

Who is Rafi Pitts? That is what I asked myself before watching this box set. I am now ashamed to admit it, but id never heard of this filmmaker, and for that I should be shot.

The more educated and refined folks at Artificial Eye are releasing a three DVD set to celebrate the works of Pitts and the long awaited arrival of 12-year-old drama, Sanam. The box set includes Sanam, It’s Winter and “The Hunter” – all of which are reviewed below. So read on and then see for yourself: the wonder of Rafi Pitts.

 

Sanam (2000)

Rating:★★★☆☆

Finally getting a DVD release (some 12 years late), Sanam is about a young boy called Issa (Ismail Amani) and his mother Sanam (Roya Nonahali). After Issa’s father is accused of being a horse thief, the man is shot dead. In the fallout, Sanam must cope with the juggling act of raising her son, working the family farm, pressuring authorities to investigate her husband’s death and weighing up the pros and cons of marrying an older man whom she does not love.

There are three words which describe Sanam (the film) – dusty, gloomy and slow. It feels like a post-modern western without the cowboys and guns. Following themes of legacy, redemption, matriarchal fear of violence and vengeance, Sanam does not bubble under the surface, but rather slowly heats up in the midday sun. It’s a film which rewards patience – but only just. In true resonance to the forefathers of his movement, Iranian director Rafi Pitts is less interested in telling a story, but rather accurately displaying the emotion of a period in the character’s history. Very little happens, except for a few moments of laughter, a brief fight and scenes of unrequited love.

Sanam (the character) floats through the film like a phantom. Her piercing green eyes look on at everything happening around her – she is like a wolf laying in wait. We expect that at any moment, she will be the one to avenge her husband’s demise. But the actions of others place doubt in our mind. Meanwhile, Issa is the complete opposite. His emotional and physical abhorrence of the ‘murder’ is evident in all he does. He is brash, wayward, and frankly – quite obnoxious. Amani has fun with his character, and he has an ‘old soul’ feel about him. There are two or three moments within the film, where Issa argues with old men. The dynamic he creates is absolutely spectacular. He adopts the mannerisms of his verbal opponent, yet keeps the immaturity and reckless anger of a young man – the result is charming and comical.

Everything that Pitts does feels like poetry. Even the scenes where nothing appears to be happening, there is a sense that beauty has been discovered in the off beats. Despite this, the film feels slightly too demanding for the overall viewing experience, and one cannot help but feel that the over eager thumbprints of a developing director are too obvious. Some extra scenes of gratifying dialogue would have bumped the film up quite a bit. But then again, Pitts isn’t out to entertain, he is just out to create something ‘real’.

Special Features

None.

It’s Winter (2006)

Rating:★★★★☆

It’s Winter is the story of four people who’s lives intertwine during a period of hardship. Moktar (Hashem Abdi) decides to leave his wife Khatoun (Mitra Hajjar) and their little daughter behind, in order to go abroad in search of work. Marhab (Hashem Abdi) is a drifter who comes to town shortly after Moktar’s departure, and Ali Reza (Said Orkani) is the lonely mechanic who he befriends.

When Moktar fails to make any contact with his wife, she soon fears the worst, and eventually begins to develop a relationship with the handsome stranger who watches from afar. But Marhab is a rebel at heart and struggles to find work and settle down in a city where work is a rare commodity. As these two broken individuals embark on a romance, Marhab’s inability to work becomes more and more of an issue.

If one were to set It’s Winter in Ireland, it’d probably be a Ken Loach film. Set it in London and you’d expect Mike Leigh’s name in the credits. Set it in middle England and you’d think Shane Meadows made it…except you probably wouldn’t, because Rafi Pitts is a neo-realist through and through. His films may have elements of socio-realism about them, but deep down this is about art creating life rather than imitating it – and It’s Winter is his calling card. Despite its setting, the film has a definite ‘Britishness’ about it. The camera is uninvolved and distant; the soundtrack (poetry by Mehdi Sales) more like monologue than evocative accompaniment. Every camera angle feels important and specific – creating a three-dimensional environment outside of the lens. The dialogue is sparse and unrefined. And even inspirations of more ‘cinematic’ British aesthetics creep into the film. One particular scene involving an imposing maze of claustrophobic buildings would be right at home in the works of Alfred Hitchcock or Nicholas Roeg…so you won’t be surprised to learn that Pitts actually studied film in England.

Unlike some of the more ‘art house’ tendencies of many artistic directors, Pitts uses It’s Winter as an exercise in creating meaning in the everyday. Subtle and sublime nuances paint a world like looking through glass. His Iran is almost too real. He uses architecture, scenery and surroundings to tell a story. Trains steadily become synonymous with hope – whether growing or diminishing. Work, a key catalyst, is almost metaphorical for focus and success – with Khatoun being something of a muse who inspires a work ethic in the men she meets. There can be no coincidence that each scene Marhab shares with Khatoun and/or her daughter is immediately followed by a scene of him working. The use of snow and the bookending of imagery denote a feeling of season – history repeating itself. The title isn’t just about the snowy period, it’s about a time and emotion in people’s lives. This isn’t a film about four individuals; this is a film about humans as a collective, the blue collar life. It’s Winter may have been made in 2006, but it is more pertinent now than ever. In an almost dramatic irony, Pitts’ award winning film has become oh-so-political in the days of breadlines and rising unemployment – making It’s Winter increasingly brilliant with every day that passes.

Special Features

An in-depth and interesting interview with Pitts proves to be a rewarding watch. Gaining insight into the man’s method and inspirations is a must for any film fan. But with only a ‘you-can-read-this-on-the-net’ written biography to accompany it, the DVD feels somewhat light on supplementary material.

“The Hunter” (2010)

Rating:★★★★☆

The unofficial ‘counterpart’ to It’s Winter, “The Hunter” is about Ali Alavi (Rafi Pitts) – and man out to find his daughter after a shocking incident tears his family apart. Following a public act of aggression, Alavi is pursued into the woods by two police officers, and the three men slowly begin to twist and turn through a psychological maze of anger, fear and trust.

Pitts is on slightly different form with “The Hunter” (one assumes the quotation marks denote an alias style nickname for Alavi). From the opening title sequence of funky Joy Division style music and images of young Iranian men on motorbikes, you can tell that “The Hunter” will be a more conventional film. It’s relevant and timely, but for a different generation, and new audience. This is 60’s filmmaking for the modern day Iran – a masked reminder of films such as ‘If….’. The soundtrack is non-digetic, the narrative is non-linear, and the editing has jump cuts – this is a post-modern twist on the neo-realistic core. In short, “The Hunter” feels like a Tarantino script produced by Luc Besson and directed by Atom Egoyan. Despite this, Pitts never loses his grip of what has made him respected in the first place, and surprisingly does so whilst simultaneously acting in the main role.

The twilight cityscape feels modern and familiar. One almost forgets that “The Hunter” has deeper political themes pertinent to a war torn country. The Middle East that we see every day is often dusty, strange and archaic, so it’s usual to have those perceptions utterly destroyed. But Pitts doesn’t show this to look down his nose at us ignorant foreigners, he is simply showing what ‘is’ – and bravely so.

A catch-your-breath finale does not quite hit as hard as it should, and this is mostly due to a lack of sympathy for the characters involved. It’s refreshing to see Pitts branching out and experimenting with his techniques, but sometimes the more commercial conventions work best and there is no shame in embracing them. Pitts might not be working in Hollywood anytime soon, but it will be down to choice rather than effort. “The Hunter” is an example of a young rising auteur flexing some muscle, and he ends up creating a timid yet haunting take on the revenge thriller.

Special Features

A trailer that makes the film look way more exciting than it actually is, and a short yet informative interview with Rafi Pitts.

The Rafi Pitts 3-Disc DVD collection is released on 28th May 2012 and is available from all good retailers.

I have been pretty impressed with the trailers and articles concerning the upcoming Disney/Pixar release Brave, but then I heard the gaelic singer that is featured toward the end of this trailer:

Her name is Julie Fowlis. Here is the full song:

Here is another:

By bringing this music and this singer to a wider audience, Brave has already succeeded beyond anything else it could accomplish as a piece of art. Congrats Disney and Pixar, and thanks.

1. “Rain in the Summertime” – The Alarm.  An underrated song from the 80s.  I like the way this song builds.

2. “Sometimes (Lester Piggot)” – James.  An underrated song from the 90s.  Also, the only song I can think of about suicide by thunderstorm.

3. “Let it Rain” – The Dream Syndicate.  I’m not much of a Clapton fan (my failing, not Clapton’s), but I’ve always been fond of this song, mostly because of this rendition of the Derek and the Dominoes tune.  Johnette Napolitano (of Concrete Blonde) on background vocals.

4. “So. Central Rain” – REM.  Possibly my favorite REM song ever.

5. ‘”Hey Mr. Rain” – Velvet Underground.  I feel a little bit bad that none of my songs are from this decade. I’m sure people are still writing songs about rain. But I don’t feel bad about including this one, because I love this sound.

1. “Vulnerable” – Sarah Jaffe.  I’m not usually a fan of solo artists (or singer-songwriters for that matter), but I’ve seen her perform by herself, and Sarah can really hold a room.

2. “Simple Girl” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. I really like the way this duo fills their songs with so much melodic layering.

3. “Philosophy” – Ben Folds Five.  No, I didn’t accidentally place this two spots ahead.  Ben Folds’ virtuosity piano playing can sometimes distract from the fact that BF5 was never more than a three-person affair, with only bass and drums–never a guitar–backing him up.

4.  ”1-2-3 Stop” – The Postelles.  No, I suppose it’s not that difficult to come up with songs by bands with four members.  This song reminds me of that great post-punk power-pop sound, circa 1981, even though it’s much more recent than that.  Just a great tune.

5. “Tongue Tied” – Grouplove.  A good song, and an appropriately named band for the No. 5 position.

The Avengers has assembled a whole lot of talent; that’s a lot of high-wattage–and no doubt expensive–star power up on the screen.  But I really think the most important factor here is Whedon’s solo credit for writing.  I can’t remember the last time I watched a big-budget summer movie where the screenplay wasn’t credited to at least three or four people.  It turns out that Whedon’s fans were correct in assuming he was up to the task.  What struck me most about the movie was how well Whedon managed to stay true to the various characters (and even the disparate tones) from the previous Marvel movies.  After all, Iron Man is not very much like Thor, and neither were very much like Captain America (my personal favorite of the pre-Avengers bunch), despite each living in the same comic universe.  Yet, when each character speaks, they do so from their own personality and background, even in scenes where many different  characters are playing off each other. Whedon’s Buffy and Firefly background no doubt provided the Gladwelllian 10,000 hours he need to perfect his skill at character-driven writing.  Within this new movie, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and to some extent The Hulk are developed as breathing characters, without the benefit of significant screentime in prior films, and in spite of the role each has in generating the movie’s manic action pace.  (I’m not sure I consider either recent Hulk movie as a contribution.) And Whedon gets good performances from his actors, too.  Much has been written (and deservedly so) about Mark Ruffalo’s performance as Bruce Banner, but Scarlet Johanson also puts in a pretty great performance here. (It’s no secret Whedon does strong female characters particularly well).

The other thing that Whedon provides is a keen sense of humor.  This is by far the funniest Marvel movie I’ve seen.  The comic relief works exceptionally well and isn’t limited to Tony Stark’s trademark snark.  Each character has good laugh lines, and I truly did laugh out loud, as did the other audience members at the first-matinee-of-opening-day showing I attended.

The Avengers, like roughly 80% of all superhero movies, is an origin story.  The arc of the plot, stripped down, is about what it takes for this various heroes to come together as a cohesive, and inclusive, team.  Apparently this means a lot of fighting among themselves before they can fight alongside each other.  Lots of him-vs.-her (and her-vs.-him) action sequences involving our heroes before the Avengers ever get around to fighting the baddies.  When they finally do come together, though, it feels right.  (It also makes lot of use of the New York setting.  The Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station and Central Park each make significant cameos.)

It’s not a perfect movie.  There’s probably a bit more exposition than necessary (though it’s still maybe below average for this type of movie), and the action sequences in the last act have just a bit of that mind-numbing CGI effect that you get from Transformer movies or Star Wars prequels.   Loki is a competent, though not terribly compelling supervillain.  Overall, this movie is really good, though, and it’s definitely a whole lot of fun.

This is trickier than it seems because it requires dusting out the neural pathways in your brain.  Here are my choices.

1. “A Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)” – Icicle Works.  This one-not-quite-hit-wonder sounds very much like the ’80s to me, yet it never attained the nostalgic favoritism that was shown to lesser songs by bands like Flock of Seagulls or Big Country.

2. “Stop Your Sobbing” –  The Kinks.  Certainly in the running for one of the greatest British Invasion bands, even if they never saw the success on this side of the pond that The Beatles, The Stones or the Who saw. From their early period, it seems like all you ever hear is “All Day and All of the Night” and “You Really Got Me,” but I really like this one.  Tough love in the form of a pop song.

3.  ”Watch That Girl Destroy Me” – Possum Dixon.  I saw this band twice in the same year, once opening up for The Lemonheads and once for the Violent Femmes.  They were better than the former, and as good as the latter.  Lots of energy and just a whole lot of fun.

4. “Bearing Witness” – Dream So Real.  I had this song on Cassette-single. (Remember those?) About the only thing I knew about Dream So Real was that they were from Athens, Georgia, home of REM, the band I was most obsessed about at the time.

5. “Rise” – Public Image Limited.  Probably my favorite song from John Lydon(aka Rotten)’s post-punk outfit.

These are the kinds of movies that help define a movie lover.  The adolescent version of you will screen the movies for prospective girlfriends or boyfriends as a pass/fail litmus test.

The movies discussed in this post are not universally lauded by critics or massively popular.  Some of them are polarizing.  But (for whatever reason) they mean a lot personally.

Miller’s Crossing

I’m terrible at answering certain simple questions like “What’s your favorite book/song/movie?” but when it comes to the last category, this movie has at least been in the conversation since I first saw it.  It stops me down if I come across it channel surfing.  It sucks me in.  And I’m not the type of person who generally likes to watch movies more than once, even movies I love.  I like quite a few Coen brothers movies, but I like this one the best.  It’s the perfect film noir (adapted from a Dashiell Hammet story), with well plotted intrigue and snappy dialogue, and a wonderful performance from its lead, Gabriel Byrne.  Marcia Gay Harden and John Tuturro also put in memorable performances, but the most amazing trick of all is pulled off by a then relatively unknown Steve Buscemi, who is in the movie for maybe five minutes, but manages to act as if the whole plot revolves around his character (and it does).  I love pretty much everything about this movie.  Sure, The Godfather (Parts I and II) and Goodfellas are great movies, but this is my personal pick for the best gangster movie of all time.  And I realize and accept the fact that most people will disagree.  I’m fine with that.

Fish Story

I’m a fan of punk music.  And of Japanese punk music.  And of non-linear, character-based puzzle movies where all the seemingly unrelated pieces fall into place at the last minute to create a wonderful mosaic.  How could I not love this movie?  It’s about a punk song that saves the world.  Taking place over several decades, culminating in a near-future that is doomed by the impending arrival of a meteor, each of the subplots (in turns comic, frantic and poignant) revolves around a little-known punk song recorded in Japan by an unknown band a year before the Sex Pistols invented punk.  Things that don’t make much sense at certain points in the movie make a lot of sense at the end.  I can’t recall a movie that pays off as well as this one does.  I defy anyone to watch this movie all the way to its conclusion and not feel joyful about it.  Then again, maybe it’s just me.

The Brothers Bloom

I love this movie, and find it hard that others don’t necessarily love it as much as I do.  But not surprising, I guess.  Rian Johnson, the auteur writer/director, might be something of an acquired taste.  I gushed about his first movie (Brick, a pitch-perfect detective noir set in a California high school) so much to my then-boss that she saw it, then made a point of telling me how much she hated it and that she’d never trust me again when it comes to movies.  Johnson’s latest, soon-to-be released movie, Looper, will likely either be his breakthrough or it will ensure that he never makes another big-budget movie again.  I won’t say that much about The Brothers Bloom (you can read my original Kulturblog review here), except to say that it’s clever, funny, moving and inspired.  It may be a bit too zany for some, but behind all the international con-man capers is a masterfully crafted movie that explores some really interesting themes and characters, as well as making profound points about the art of storytelling itself.  This is a movie that works on so many different levels, and rewards multiple viewings.  It’s also (for me, anyway) a whole lot of fun.

Barcelona

Whit Stillman is a polarizing filmmaker.  For his fans–and I’m definitely one of them–his movies are wry and wonderful, chatty character pieces that walk a fine line between irony and sincere earnestness.  A lot has been written (too much I think) about how Stillman’s world is limited to the WASP-ish, cloistered world of the American upper class.  But that’s just the style and the context.  You don’t have to be a debutante, a yuppy, or a U.S. ex-patriot living in Spain during the Cold War to appreciate Stillman’s movies.  I’m not any of those things, and I think his movies are great.  Stillman apparently writes what he knows, and this movie no doubt draws deeply on his own experience living as an American salesman in Spain.  Stillman has only made four movies in his almost twenty-five year career.  (His latest, Damsels in Distress, is now playing in limited release.  I watched it the other day. It’s great.)  This one is my favorite.  Maybe because it’s the most personal, and most straight-forward.  The interplay between the two main characters (American cousins, one an ex-pat salesman and one a Naval officer, living in Spain in the early 1980s) is awkward, hilarious, and ultimately touching.  You can probably figure out about ten or fifteen minutes into a Stillman movie if you like it.  Either you’ll find yourself bored and irritated, or you’ll be alternately laughing and smiling and enjoying the show.  I’m in the latter group, obviously.  Barcelona is like comfort food to me.

What movies do you love? What shows speak to you?

Five songs from five different artists/bands from five different countries, none of which are the U.S., Canada, any of the British Isles, or Australia.

Here are mine:

1. “Fall Hard” – Shout Out Louds (Sweden)

2. “1901″ – Phoenix (France)

3. “Business Time” – Flight of the Conchords (New Zealand)

4. “Pocket Calculator” – Kraftwerk (Germany)

5. “Birthday” – Sugarcubes* (Iceland)

* I could have gone with Of Monsters and Men here, but I really love this song. And Bjork looks so young. And can anyone growl/sing like she could?

Somewhere in the world this Monday, there is a family gathered together in joyous harmony. The mum and dad are blissful, the kids even more so. Immaculate side partings, perfect white teeth and cinnamon tans all around; this cardboard cut out model is the nuclear family of Mormonism. For the rest of us mere mortals, its tantrums and tone deaf hymns; a chaotic mess, that is scarcely functional. This is family home evening.

Latter-Day Saint church authorities swear by the staple Monday night carnival that is FHE, and encourage it to “discuss gospel principles, [enjoy] recreation, work projects, skits…games, refreshments…” and, most hideously antiquated, my personal favourite, “songs around the piano.” [Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, July 1992]

One thing I love about FHE is that it really shouldn’t work. Yet by some miracle of twisted logic, some cosmic or celestial irony, it can be some of the best times spent as kinfolk. It’s my opinion that the sum of a family’s parts is their shared interaction in a FHE. The things they say, the decisions they make, the activities they choose, all add up to reflect the family as a unit; their ‘collective personality’ as it were. Which got me thinking, what if Hollywood used FHE as a plot device; a way of portraying dynamics?

I have created a list of ten famous film families, and how I think they would be depicted in their respective films holding a family home evening. It is part geek in-joking and part creative writing. For the purposes of this list, you have to pretend that these characters would be LDS, or at least au fait with the LDS tradition of FHE. The types of characters that they are, and the course of their depiction would stand: this is just an exploration of what would potentially happen if these characters were existent beyond the confines of their portrayal. So allow me to muse on their family dynamics, as explored through the catalyst of that Monday night cavalcade, family home evening.

Note: This list is by no means exhaustive, and many of you may think of stronger or more mainstream families. I have tried to get a mixture of ‘go to’ names, and some not-so-well-known. But feel free to make your own suggestions in the comments section below.