Tracey

Can't. Get. Enough. Of. Tracey.



"Peace & Blessings"

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'Salem's Lot' / Lance Kerwin

While on my Europe trip I had a craving to read some trashy fiction. I picked up Stephen King's 'Carrie' (read it in one sitting in the Amsterdam airport) and the small town vampire tale, ''Salem's Lot.' For Christmas my mom got me the 3 hour, Tobe Hooper directed, 1979 mini series based on the book which I had seen as a young child. I rewatched it the other night and only remembered fragments of the story and a few strong images that I still consider scary:

A young boy vampire coming to suck his older brother's blood

A female vampire getting burned by a makeshift crucifix

Barlow, the master vampire, scarier and uglier than Orlock in 'Nosferatu' (1922). I found the grotesque portrayal of vampires refreshing compared to the vampires we see today (Robert Pattinson).

While rewatching the film, I found myself clearly recalling the character Mark Petrie, a teenage boy who ends up banding together with the hero to fight the vampires and save the small town of 'Salem's Lot. Of the entire film, he made the strongest impression on me as a child. Maybe I identified with him because his is Mark and like me, he is obsessed with horror books, comics and memorabilia. But I think there was more to it than that. I was simply attracted to the actor Lance Kerwin who played Mark and wanted him to take his shirt off. In 'Salem's Lot' he possesses a strange mix of strength and vulnerability, at times both boyish and manly- the hero's partner and also the damsel in distress. In the book, the Mark Petrie character is much younger, but King uses words like effeminate, beautiful and fey to describe him. These qualities are all found in Kerwin who was 19 at the time Salem's Lot' was made. Not only is he attractive, but Kerwin gives the best and stand out performance in the film, a nuanced performance I'd call good by any standards. Too bad he only went on to do more TV work before becoming a pastor and creating the 'U-Turn for Christ' ranch on the island of Kauai (!). How absurd is that?

Mark Petrie (Lance Kerwin) in his room (note the horror stuff behind him)

Mark Petrie (Lance Kerwin) in Barlow's clutches after Barlow has killed his parents

Here are two promotional shots of Kerwin- where I got my wish (he took his shirt off)

Check out the trailer and Lance Kerwin in action:

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Hedi Slimane/VMAN/Oscar Nilsson short film

Happy Holidays from Hedi Slimane and VMAN featuring the 16 year old star of the Royal Danish Ballet, Oscar Nilsson.



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'Downloading Nancy'

My brother sent me the trailer for 'Downloading Nancy' because he thought it would be a film I'd want to check out. He was definitely right. 'Downloading Nancy' stars Maria Bello in an Independent Spirit Award nominated performance as Nancy, a numb, unhappy housewife that leaves her husband and seeks solace in the arms of another man. Sounds like a typical melodramatic storyline except for the fact that Nancy's idea of solace is only derived from suffering, physical pain, humiliation and ultimately death. Variety called the film a "forbidding and morbid piece of psycho-sadomasochism" with a "swimming-in-the-deep-end performance by Maria Bello that is the definition of fearless." Looks good. I can't wait for the dvd release!



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WeSC/Bloody Beetroots headphones

WeSC (WeAreTheSuperlativeConspiracy) is a Swedish "Street-Fashion brand for Intellectual Slackers" formed in 1999. WESC collaborated with Dim Mak, EdBanger Records and The Bloody Beetroots on a line of headphones that are pretty cool. What is even more cool is that the company commissioned ten Czech designers and artists to create their own version of the headphones for the launch (see link):
http://wesc.com/events/view/875





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Osborne- "16th stage"

Hot Chip's 'Bugged Out Mix' has pretty much been playing non stop in my car and in my room for the past few weeks. The mix is split onto 2 discs, disc #1 being the 'bugged out' part (what Hot Chip has been spinning at clubs for the past few years) and disc #2 is a "playlist for a drunken house-party" dubbed 'bugged in.' Though both are awesome and diverse, I appreciate the variety and surprises of disc #2 (The Andrews Sisters!?) more. Plus, it features the amazing track "16th stage" by Osborne, a quiet, cinematic and moving song that I can't shake out of my head. I only know Osborne from the 'I Love Techno 2009' mix by Crookers that features his track "the count" which is also good.

Listen to "16th stage" here:




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'A Single Man'

Tom Ford's directorial debut 'A Single Man' opened in limited release on Friday and I enthusiastically attended a screening that night. Unfortunately I wasn't blown away or nearly as impressed with the film as many critics seem to be.
'A Single Man' tracks a day in the life of George Falconer (Colin Firth), a semi-closeted British college professor living in Southern California in the 1960s as he contemplates suicide. Structurally, the film flips back and forth between the present (where Falconer interacts with his students, neighbours, strangers and friends, specifically Julianne Moore) and his memories.
The film is beautifully shot and the art direction and wardrobe styling warrant the praise they are receiving. However, these elements are also the film's Achilles heels. Everything is so glossy and stylized that the film looks and feels like a fashion spread or advertisement and these elements detract from the emotional weight of the story. All the extras look like models and I found myself disengaging with the characters and their problems because my attention was being drawn to clothing or set pieces. In addition to the almost overwhelming stylization, special effects including super slow motion, heightened colour saturation and fades are employed with the intent to put us in Falconer's mind. Instead, though things look and sound great, it is distracting and as a result, the style of the film takes over its substance. Subtlety isn't what Ford is going for and his visual metaphors are also a little heavy handed.
Though Firth's performance is garnering all the accolades, I think the best thing about the movie is Julianne Moore's portrayal of the drunken, pathetic and fabulous Charley. She is luminous and vulnerable and funny and I wish her character had more screen time.
I appreciate that 'A Single Man' isn't your typical gay themed movie but at the same time, critics should ease up on heralding it as some kind of masterpiece.
Check out the trailer:



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