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music review // CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG — 'IRM' Hollywood hits, indie flicks and everything in between.
Charlotte Gainsbourg, daughter of famed couple Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, has been singing and acting for quite some time. Although her acting career often overshadows her music, Gainsbourg's new full-length album, IRM, proves her talent, even in a time of difficult circumstances.
IRM, which represents the French for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), refers to Gainss-
bourg's near-death experience while water-skiing and the resulting hemorrhage, brain surgery and paranoia she endured.
IRM proves Gainsbourg's perseverance after the accident; she effortlessly creates a riveting and eclectic journey through her fear of, and ultimate triumph over death. Gainsbourg's collaboration with the album's producer, Beck, gives the music an irresistible pull. They both seem to bring out the best in one another, especially on the first single, "Heaven Can Wait."
All the tracks are good and delightfully different from one another. "Le Chat Du Café Des
Artistes" is an intriguing combination of cerie and romantic. "In the End" is a lovely but sorrowful track, with lyrics asking, "Who's to say it's all for the best in the end?"
By the end of the album, Gainsbourg, with her versatile, unique music, convinced me that it was, indeed, all for the best.
AMANDA SORELL
movie review // 'VALENTINE'S DAY'
Hollywood hits, indie flicks and everything in between.
Remember how neat Love Actually was when it first came out? The movie employed the concept of stringing together seemingly unrelated story lines only to reveal that somehow, all the characters were still connected. Now fly to America, to Los Angeles no less, and have Gary Marshall (Pretty Woman to The Princess Diaries) direct and BAM, you have Valentine's Day.
Now, I am not suggesting that it is a total rip-off of the 2003 romantic comedy from across the pond, but if you liked Love Actually, then you're probably going to like this Gary Marshall film as well.
Headlined with a star studded cast, it is easy to picture such famed actors in humble roles. Valentine's Day presents us with a florist, a schoolteacher, a doctor (Patrick Dempsey), a quarterback, an agent, a publicist, a grade-school boy, a couple of teenagers (Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner), a TV anchor ... the list goes on.
As well as exploring different types of love on different levels, Gary Marshall chooses to show a range of characters from many walks of life.
Never before (and I'm referring to mainstreet Hollywood here) have I seen such an
array of color and sexual orientation. Marshall doesn't hit you with his attempts at political correctness, but rather subtly ties it all in to truly reflect American society and culture.
Valentine's Day isn't about making those with their special valentines feel good about themselves or tearing down those who are without. Instead, it's a feel-good movie about making connections and knowing who really matters.
// MIA IVERSON
312 Burge Union // 864-5665 // Jo Hardesty, Director
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