4 stars out of 5
I described Ari Aster’s 2018 film Hereditary as “seriously f’ed.” And in 2019, I said his film Midsommar was “100% f’ed up.” But not until writing this review did I realize that those two movies and new release Beau Is Afraid (pretty messed up in its own right) were written and directed by the same guy. My point being, I accidentally went in without any preconceptions about the filmmaker.
For the first half hour or so, I was thinking, “This is clever but mean-spirited; I don’t think I want to watch a whole movie about the misadventures of someone with mental illness.” It appeared to be a dark comedy with Joaquin Phoenix (a fave of mine) as Beau, a sad-sack schlub with OCD-esque fears, manifesting as delusions, in the Taxi Driver world around him. He’s supposed to visit his mom — who he has serious issues with, of course — but reality or perhaps fantasy prevent him from making the trip, yet then he kind of has to get to Mom because he learns she is suddenly possibly dead.
Enter Nathan Lane and Amy Ryan as a chipper upper-middle-class couple who “adopt” Beau into their American Beauty-ful suburban home where they want to take care of him and then help him on his way. This is Act II if you will, and the film has morphed into a satire of the American Dream: family, success, the whole schmear.
Beau has no time for this satire! He’s gotta get to his mom! As he escapes suburban splendor and its seamy underbelly, we enter Act III, and his journey is portrayed as an epic quest, complete with magical woodlands and inventive animation. I felt the influence of Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze without it seeming derivative. As the movie flashed back to to Beau’s pubescence and forward to his old age, I was genuinely transported by nearly perfect filmmaking.
Alas, the movie keeps going, into an Act IV, and V, remaining sharp and surprising but unable to maintain its heady brilliance. (Later segments did seem derivative of movies I won’t mention as they might be spoilers.) And the longer it went on, the more I felt an underlying cynicism slightly detracting from the film’s overall quality.
Regarding the running time: I was watching a 3:15pm screening in Montclair, not at all concerned about getting back to Hoboken for a 7pm Zoom meeting. Well, as I casually strolled out of the theater and glanced at the time, I was shocked to see it was now 6:30pm. The movie had felt long and by god it was: 2 hours, 59 minutes! They could’ve trimmed 20 minutes easily and I wouldn’t have had to log into Zoom from my car parked on a random quiet residential block.
Still, there is so much to appreciate, including Phoenix’s fearful performance, fun cameos, action sequences, surrealism, pop psychology, etc. etc. Thanks for the ride, Ari Aster.
Movie Review: Beau Is Afraid
Aquarium Playlist, 5/9/23
EPISODE #537: LINES
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Pailhead — “Don’t Stand in Line”
Kiwi Jr. — “Waiting in Line”
The Bangles — “I’m in Line”
They Might Be Giants — ”I Can Help the Next in Line”
The Kinks — “Who’ll Be the Next in Line”
Dew Claw — “The Line”
Cait Brennan — “Lines”
Architrave — “Yellow Lines”
Thigh Master — “Mould Lines”
Au Revoir Simone — ”Trace a Line”
Best Hit TV — “Between the Lines”
John Hiatt — “Slug Line”
Gary U.S. Bonds — “Love’s on the Line”
Rolling Stones — “All Down the Line”
Traveling Wilburys — “End of the Line”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Movie Review: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
3.5 stars out of 5
Full disclosure, I never read this book, nor have I ever been an 11-year-old girl. I think I read Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing, does that count? At any rate, in hopes of gaining slightly better understanding of all the former 11-year-old girls in my life — and to support legendary Jersey girl Judy Blume — I went to see this movie.
For others who aren’t familiar with the plot, well, there isn’t too much of one. It’s a school year in the life of 6th grader Margaret. And though her ups and downs seem pretty tame to, oh, a middle-aged man, for the tween set it’s drama-packed: cliques, peer pressure, crushes, changing dynamic with parents, becoming a “woman,” and in Margaret’s specific case, adjusting to a new home and new school (which I could relate to).
Pun intended, it’s a period piece, set in 1970. (This is handled subtly — they don’t overdo the bellbottoms and flower power.) This time frame allows the filmmakers to portray the girls a bit more innocently than they would need to today, while also serving, along with the soundtrack, as nostalgia for the book’s OG YA readers.
As the title hints, religion plays a key role in the story. Because mom Rachel “Jack Still Loves You” McAdams was basically disowned by her parents for marrying a Jewish guy, they raise Margaret without religion, saying she can decide on her own later. (Possibly the in-laws weren’t upset that he was Jewish, but rather that Benny Safdie is such a boring actor, in an undeveloped role.) Margaret begins a research project on religion, giving the story slightly more bite.
Grandma Kathy Bates doesn’t get much to do. As Margaret, Abby Ryder Fortson — who was forgettable as the daughter in the first two Ant-Man movies — shows some spunk and realistic awkwardness here, and I can imagine a successful future for her.
Simple, straightforward, sweet — this is a pretty good movie. Bring the age-appropriate kids, who will almost certainly appreciate it even more than I did.
Aquarium Playlist, 5/2/23
EPISODE #536: SLEEP OF THE JUST
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Lana Del Rey — “Dark but Just a Game”
Wire Troop feat. Laura Cantrell — “Just One More Night”
Mick Jagger — “Just Another Night”
King Mike Entertainment System — ”Just Another Mike”
Emma DeCorsey — “Just Lick Me”
Dressy Bessy — “Just Like Henry”
Swearin’ — “Just”
Depeche Mode — “Just Can’t Get Enough”
R.E.M. — “Just a Touch”
Beat Rodeo — ”Just Friends”
The Mockers — “It Just Wasn’t Me”
Paul Revere & the Raiders — “Just Like Me”
Ringo Deathstarr — “Just Like You”
Bill Withers w/ Grover Washington Jr. — “Just the Two of Us”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Aquarium Playlist, 4/25/23
EPISODE #535: TOWN TOPICS
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
The Replacements — “Happy Town”
Big Eyes — “Leave This Town”
The Smithereens — “Girls About Town”
The Sundays — ”Hideous Towns”
Rufus Wainwright — “Going to a Town”
Ezra Cohen — “Talk of the Town”
Lucinda Williams — “East Side of Town”
Fan Modine — “One Company Town”
The Rock ’n’ Roll HiFives — “Glass Towns”
Fats Waller — ”Lulu’s Back in Town”
Nothing Painted Blue — “Back in Town”
Higgins — “Town 2 Town”
Mrs. Magician — “Eyes All Over Town”
Kelli & the Kittens — “Happy Town”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Aquarium Playlist, 4/18/23
EPISODE #534: AS-IS
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Harry Styles — “As It Was”
John Cozz — “As Long As I’m With You”
The Rubinoos — “As Long As I’m With You”
Bern & the Brights — ”As Long As I’m Alive”
2nd Grade — “As Long As We Can Talk About It”
Amy Rigby — “As Is”
The Sadies — “As Above, So Below”
Crowded House — “As Sure As I Am”
The Bats — “As You Were”
Frankie Cosmos — ”As Often As I Can”
The Smithereens — “As Long As You Are Near Me”
Hefner — “As Soon As You’re Ready”
Alejandro Escovedo — “As I Fall”
Fleetwood Mac — “As Long As You Follow”
Johnny Cash — “As Long As the Grass Shall Grow”
Billie Holiday — “As Time Goes By”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Aquarium Playlist, 4/11/23
EPISODE #533: ANTONYMS
The Smile — “The Opposite” [ALTERNATE THEME]
The Yardbirds — “Over Under Sideways Down”
Kitty Wells — “Left to Right”
The dB’s — “Black and White”
Allegra Krieger — ”The Push and the Pull”
Bruce Springsteen — “From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)”
The Smithereens — “Blues Before and After”
Frank Sinatra — “Night and Day”
Hypnolovewheel — “Everywhere Nowhere Girl”
Amy Rigby — “Bob”
Joe Jackson — ”Right and Wrong”
Ex Hex — “Hot and Cold”
Adam Ant — “Friend or Foe”
Paul McCartney — “Ever Present Past”
Ernest Tubb — “Let’s Say Goodbye Like We Said Hello”
Jenny O. — “Opposite Island”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Aquarium Playlist, 4/4/23
EPISODE #532: IN SHAPE
The Yardbirds — “Shapes of Things” [ALTERNATE THEME]
Idlewild — “When I Argue I See Shapes”
Johnny Restivo — “The Shape I’m In”
The Band — “The Shape I’m In”
Beach Boys — ”I’m in Great Shape”
They Might Be Giants — “Spiraling Shape”
The Pipettes — “Pull Shapes”
Jackson Browne — “In the Shape of a Heart”
Clem Snide — “The True Shape of Your Heart”
Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians — “The Shapes Between Us Turn Into Animals”
The Microphones — ”I Felt Your Shape”
Guide by Voices — “The Room Taking Shape”
The Replacements — “Bent Out of Shape”
Grass Widow — “Give Me Shapes”
The Hive Dwellers — “Pine-Shaped Box”
The Mighty Lemon Drops — “Sympathize With Us” r.i.p. Seymour Stein of Sire Records
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Movie Review: The Quiet Girl
4.5 stars out of 5
First and foremost, this is not A Quiet Place III. Though it is a pretty quiet movie. The Quiet Girl, from Ireland, was one of the 2023 Oscar nominees for Best International Feature Film. It didn’t win, but it is terrific.
I’m not sure when the movie is set — late 70s? early 80s? — though I narrowed down the timeframe faster than I did for Women Talking. What we have here is a quiet girl, Cáit (pronounced “Cort”), living in rural Ireland with a white-trash family, or whatever the Irish equivalent of white trash is. Dad drinks a lot, mom is preggers again, money’s too tight to mention, and Cáit is prone to wandering off and hiding. Till the new baby arrives, they send Cáit off to live with an older couple, mom’s cousin, a few hours away.
What transpires is a sweet, slowly unfolding story about gaining and earning trust, not accepting your prescribed fate, carrying on after troubles… and that family is where you find it.
Young Catherine Clinch as Cáit has never been in anything before and she is marvelous. Again, she’s quiet, but gives little glances, small motions; she’s holding so much inside. In this life of ours there are loud, running-around, confident kids but if you were among the rest of us, you will connect with Cáit on a soulful level.
Carrie Crowley as foster mom Eibhlín oozes compassion and patience tempered by some underlying fatigue and sadness. Andrew Bennett is the foster dad (jimminy, he was the narrator in Angela’s Ashes; small country!) and you might say he’s The Quiet Farmer but he has an internal life too and a code to live by, and, well, just give him time. Michael Patric as her real da is sufficient though I kept wondering what Colin Farrell would’ve done with the role. Likely it would’ve been distracting.
Cheers to writer/director Colm Bairéad, only his second feature and nearly each piece perfectly placed. (Script is adapted from the novella Foster by Claire Keegan; will have to check out her work.)
Note to viewers (and I hope you will, soon): The movie is subtitled as they’re mostly speaking Gaelic. Interestingly, characters will switch off into English and then switch back; I didn’t know if that was less formal or what. But, interesting.
The film’s emotional intensity really snuck up on me, and as the end credits rolled I found myself weeping. Quietly.
Aquarium Playlist, 3/28/23
EPISODE #531: CONNECTIONS
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
The Rolling Stones — “Connection”
Jack White — “Connected by Love”
Teenage Fanclub — “Connected to Life”
The Aquanettas — ”Connecting Line”
Yourcodenameis: Milo — “I Am Connecting Flight” [Peel session]
The Memories Attack — “Connected”
Superchunk — “Connection”
The Nuclears — “Siamese Connection”
Radio Birdman — “Connected”
Grandaddy — “Disconnecty”
Of Montreal — “Disconnect the Dots”
Laika & the Cosmonauts — “Disconnected”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Jack Silbert, curator