The movie list for this summer looks pretty dreary, with the exception of "Stardust" and the trailers for "The Golden Compass" (I didn't like the books' conclusion and I think that Philip Pullman's a sanctimonious twit, but I ask you, how is a woman supposed to resist the appeal of armored polar bears?) PotC3, the only big summer film I was vaguely interested in seeing, would have been bad even if I hadn't read the Aubrey/Maturin books and George MacDonald Fraser's "The Pyrates." As it was, the crane suspending my disbelief snapped early on, leaving me to sink back and wait for it to be over, mostly resigned and occasionally (Orlando Bloom on the beach, with the boots, and the...oh God, I can't look, please make them stop) vaguely nauseated. On the music side of things, nothing particularly good is scheduled for Wolf Trap, the big arena shows don't appeal, and Gogol Bordello won't swing back through until the middle of July.
But enough whining, repine no more, take heart and don't look so pale and wan: Richard Thompson, famously the best guitarist most of us have never heard of, is coming back to town this month to promote his new album. The first single, sung as a soldier's blues about life in Baghdad ("Dad's Gonna Kill Me," and it would help to use an apostrophe in that first word), was released on his site a few months ago and has been getting steadily positive word of mouth for its sharp lyrics and gorgeous setting. The song neatly bookends the haunting and spare "Outside of the Inside" from an earlier album; Thompson condemns the violent fundamentalists who claim to share his religion, but that doesn't mean that the chickenhawks will get a pass. Chewy political commentary plus dysfunctional love songs (he describes most of his songs as having similar plots: "Boy meets girl; blood everywhere"), an enviably eclectic set of cover songs, and astonishing guitar technique, plus the guy coaches Der Gobernator's son in soccer and tells great stories about it? To the 9:30 Club, my people!
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Besides those that you listed (thanks for the headsup on Stardust) I am looking forward to seeing "Persepolis," "Pan's Labyrinth," "Sunshine," "28 Weeks Later," . . . as well as the usual passel of that'll serve for several hours of air conditioning such as "Fantastic Four" (just can't turn my head away from a comic book adaptation) and "Nancy Drew." Yeah, I'm behind.
Why cannot they make a "Trixie Belden" movie? Okay, well, one of the writers of the "Nancy Drew" screenplay directed an episode of "Arrested Development" (he's also the director of "Nancy Drew") and the other had bit roles in thrillers like "Friday the 13th Part VIII." It could be a surprise hit or it could be very very bad.
I'm cautiously optimistic about "Stardust." Most of the casting looks right and nothing about the script has driven Neil to wash his hands of the whole business in a fit of exasperation (Sandman farragos, we're looking at you). Robert De Niro's presence remains a concern; the man is such a sucking black hole of self-satisfaction in some roles that I'm worried that he'll tip the production off balance.
A wonderful tidbit from the official Neil Gaiman blog: one of the two billy goats drawing the Lilim's cart is actually a she goat wearing a merkin. The person responsible for that bit of hairstyling should definitely put it down as a professional credit.
Re: Richard Thompson, today is Richard Thompson day on WFUV, Fordham U.'s radio station. I got all psyched this morning when the DJ says, "everyone knows the song Vincent Black Lightning" but then she followed with, "so we're not going to play it" and I was all, darn you to heck, Jesuits! Except not really.
I would imagine that Thompson is really tired of playing "Vincent Black Lightning," but he still does it at every show, and it still gets a huge reaction. In another hundred years, it'll probably be considered authentic folk rhubarb of the 20th century, author unknown.
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