Mindful Metropolis November 2009 : Page 34
books The Narcissism Epidemic Living in the Age of Entitlement Jean M. Twenge Ph.D. & W. Keith Campbell Ph.D. (Free Press) Mirror, mirror, on the wall who’s the fairest one of all? These days everyone is the fairest of them all. To tell someone they’re not may be danger- ous to their self-esteem. Or is it? As Jean M. Twenge Ph.D. and W. Keith Campbell Ph.D. ex- plore in The Narcissism Epidemic, there is dan- ger in believing each person is special. The authors present a thoroughly researched and intriguing study of narcissism’s rise and af- fect on American culture. Delving into narcis- sism’s role within the media, parenting and de- struction of the planet and American work-ethic, the book provides insight into the symptoms of narcissism and offers possible solutions for its demise. While informative and fresh, the book is somewhat repetitive. Even so, it remains a thought-provoking and insightful read. —margaret pretkelis film Crude Entendre Films (Joe Berlinger, Director) A certain candidate for the year’s best documentary, Joe Berlinger’s (Paradise Lost, Brother’s Keeper) environmental nightmare Crude expertly combines human catastrophe and corporate wrongdoing, exposing the devasta- tion suffered by 30,000 Ecuadorians in a waste poisoned Amazon. In Ecuador—a country equal in size to Rhode Island—Texaco (now Chevron) spent decades drilling for oil, allegedly deposit- ing deadly toxicity into the soil and water, caus- ing permanent contamination and skyrocketing cancer rates in indigenous residents, in some cases beginning at infancy. Berlinger focuses on the longstanding lawsuit Ecuadorians brought against Texaco, at the center of which is heroic, novice Ecuadorian attorney Pablo Fajardo, a sym- bolic David taking on a most powerful Goliath, enlisting Amazon advocates Sting and Trudie Styler on his quest. Victims’ testimonials stir both the heart and outrage. Employing a cinéma vérité approach, Berlinger avoids agitprop indulgences, letting the facts speak for themselves, resisting 34 november 2009 on-camera provocations by allowing the Chev- ron villains to tow party-line rhetoric in the face of unmitigated horrors. A moving experience, Crude ultimately questions whether winning a lawsuit—even for billions—can begin to address the human spoils of corporate irresponsibility. —lee shoquist Antichrist IFC Films (Lars von Trier, Director) A couple mourning the death of a child plunges into the abyss in filmmaker Lars von Trier’s (Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark) dis- turbing Antichrist, which begins as an exami- nation of paralyzing remorse before peering di- rectly into the face of evil, unraveling in a string of psychosexual shocks. He (Willem Dafoe) and She (Charlotte Gainsbourg) begin an epic con- jugal nightmare when, during lovemaking, their unsupervised toddler falls out of a window. He, a therapist, attempts to guide She, a former writer, through the triptych of guilt, pain and despair, seeking refuge in a dilapidated cottage deep with- in a disenchanted forest named Eden. Graphic imagery depicts an array of emotional and physi- cal barbarism, including genital mutilation, and while the escalating extremes of Antichrist’s dénouement court revulsion and ridicule, the committed acting duo—faring best in the film’s superior first half—fearlessly inhabits von Trier’s allegorical dystopia. Antichrist explores themes of abandonment, gynocide and cruelty in von Trier’s admittedly personal film, derived from his own dreams and neuroses. And while the film be- comes increasingly silly, it remains an audacious picture that almost works, haunting like none in recent memory. —ls musiC Baka Beyond Baka Beyond the Forest (White Swan) I’ve long respected Martin Cradick’s ap- preciation for Baka Pgymy music. For two decades, he’s recorded and reinterpreted this Congolese music with his wife, Su Hart, and a host of traditional musicians from the Cameroo- nian forest regions. The appreciation never went too much past that, however—his production al- ways leaned a little too Afropop-ish for my tastes. Shades of this leaning do appear on this latest col- lection of ten songs, though overall it is a much more intimate, less produced effort than any al- bum he’s made. The traditional singing is rich, the guitars are shiny without being tinny, and the per- cussion and bass undertones are perfectly placed. Instead of sounding like village music going into the studio, it sounds like the studio has entered the village—exactly what you want in a modern ethnomusicological expedition. Cradick has al- ways created songs I’ve enjoyed; by going beyond the forest, he’s made an entire album worth re- peating beginning to end. —derek beres The National Parks: America’s Best Idea The Soundtrack PBS Distribution Kick back and experience the sound sensations that celebrate our wondrous land. The soundtrack to Ken Burns new docu- mentary about America’s national parks, celebrates our natural wonders with music ranging in origin from Celtic, Scottish and Scandinavian to Native American. The twenty compositions by twelve different artists combine classical, jazz, bluegrass and folk. They are uplifting and calming—in some cases soothingly sweet with the sentiment of old fash- ioned hymnals known to Yosemite’s first visitors. And then there’s the hauntingly beautiful “Horse Stealing Song,” by Joseph Fire Crow whose magi- cal flute playing suggests the mystery and magic of people once at one with the land. —susaN degraNe Tumbélé! Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds from the French Caribbean, 1963-74 (Soundway Records) One of my favorite labels to emerge over the past years is certainly Soundway Records; the UK- based operation has unearthed a rich library of Caribbean, Afro-Latin, and Tropical music from three or four decades back. Their website, sound wayrecords.com, features an excellent selection of DJ mixes, great companions to their exceptional compilations. This latest look at the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique slides right into ac- tion. Like their larger counterparts overseas, the music being made on these islands was heavily influenced by jazz, Afro-Latin rhythms, calypso, and most likely, James Brown. The drumming prowess of bands like Le Ry-co Jazz, along with the heavy guitar- and brass-fueled groove that Ensemble La Perfecta finds, leave the listener craving a dance floor. “Ti Fi La Ou Té Madam’” is a soulful stomper. Finding twenty tracks of this stature without a disappointment in the bunch is a rare find indeed. —db
Reviews: Books, Film & Music
The Narcissism Epidemic Living in the Age of Entitlement
Jean M. Twenge Ph.D. & W. Keith Campbell Ph.D. (Free Press)
Mirror, mirror, on the wall who’s the fairest one of all? These days everyone is the fairest of them all. To tell someone they’re not may be dangerous to their self-esteem. Or is it? As Jean M. Twenge Ph.D. and W. Keith Campbell Ph.D. explore in The Narcissism Epidemic, there is danger in believing each person is special.
The authors present a thoroughly researched and intriguing study of narcissism’s rise and affect on American culture. Delving into narcissism’s role within the media, parenting and destruction of the planet and American work-ethic, the book provides insight into the symptoms of narcissism and offers possible solutions for its demise. While informative and fresh, the book is somewhat repetitive. Even so, it remains a thought-provoking and insightful read.
—Margaret Pretkelis
FILM
Crude Entendre Films (Joe Berlinger, Director)
A certain candidate for the year’s best documentary, Joe Berlinger’s (Paradise
Lost, Brother’s Keeper)environmental nightmare Crude expertly combines human catastrophe and corporate wrongdoing, exposing the devastation suffered by 30,000 Ecuadorians in a waste poisoned Amazon. In Ecuador—a country equal in size to Rhode Island—Texaco (now Chevron)spent decades drilling for oil, allegedly depositing deadly toxicity into the soil and water, causing permanent contamination and skyrocketing cancer rates in indigenous residents, in some
cases beginning at infancy. Berlinger focuses on the longstanding lawsuit Ecuadorians brought against Texaco, at the center of which is heroic, novice Ecuadorian attorney Pablo Fajardo, a symbolic David taking on a most powerful Goliath,enlisting Amazon advocates Sting and Trudie Styler on his quest. Victims’ testimonials stir both the heart and outrage. Employing a cinéma vérité
approach, Berlinger avoids agitprop indulgences, letting the facts speak for themselves, resisting on-camera provocations by allowing the Chevron
villains to tow party-line rhetoric in the face of unmitigated horrors. A moving experience, Crude ultimately questions whether winning a lawsuit—even for billions—can begin to address the human spoils of corporate irresponsibility.
—Lee Shoquist
Antichrist IFC Films (Lars von Trier, Director)
A couple mourning the death of a child plunges into the abyss in filmmaker Lars von Trier’s (Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark) disturbing Antichrist, which begins as an examination of paralyzing remorse before peering directly into the face of evil, unraveling in a string of psychosexual shocks. He (Willem Dafoe) and She (Charlotte Gainsbourg) begin an epic conjugal nightmare when, during lovemaking, their unsupervised toddler falls out of a window. He, a therapist, attempts to guide She, a former writer, through the triptych of guilt, pain and despair, seeking refuge in a dilapidated cottage deep within a disenchanted forest named Eden. Graphic imagery depicts an array of emotional and physical barbarism, including genital mutilation, and while the escalating extremes of Antichrist’s dénouement court revulsion and ridicule, the committed acting duo—faring best in the film’s superior first half—fearlessly inhabits von Trier’s allegorical dystopia. Antichrist explores themes of abandonment, gynocide and cruelty in von Trier’s admittedly personal film, derived from his own dreams and neuroses. And while the film becomes increasingly silly, it remains an audacious picture that almost works, haunting like none in recent memory.
—Lee Shoquist
MUSIC
Baka Beyond
Baka Beyond the Forest (White Swan)
I’ve long respected Martin Cradick’s appreciation for Baka Pgymy music. For two
decades, he’s recorded and reinterpreted this Congolese music with his wife, Su Hart, and a host of traditional musicians from the Cameroonian forest regions. The appreciation never went too much past that, however—his production always
leaned a little too Afropopish for my tastes. Shades of this leaning do appear on this latest collection of ten songs, though overall it is a much more intimate, less produced effort than any album he’s made. The traditional singing is rich, the guitars are shiny without being tinny, and the percussion
and bass undertones are perfectly placed. Instead of sounding like village music going into the studio, it sounds like the studio has entered the village—exactly what you want in a modern ethnomusicological expedition. Cradick has always created songs I’ve enjoyed; by going beyond the forest, he’s made an entire album worth repeating beginning to end.
—Derek Beres
The National Parks: America’s Best Idea The Soundtrack
PBS Distribution
Kick back and experience the sound sensations that celebrate our wondrous land. The soundtrack to Ken Burns new documentary about America’s national parks, celebrates our natural wonders with music ranging in origin from Celtic, Scottish and Scandinavian to Native American.
The twenty compositions by twelve different artists combine classical, jazz, bluegrass and folk. They are uplifting and calming—in some cases soothingly sweet with the sentiment of old fashioned hymnals known to Yosemite’s first visitors. And then there’s the hauntingly beautiful “Horse Stealing Song,” by Joseph Fire Crow whose magical flute playing suggests the mystery and magic of people once at one with the land.
—Susan DeGrane
Tumbélé!
Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds from the French Caribbean, 1963-74 (Soundway Records)
One of my favorite labels to emerge over the past years is certainly Soundway Records; the Ukbased operation has unearthed a rich library of Caribbean, Afro-Latin, and Tropical music from three or four decades back. Their website, soundwayrecords.com, features an excellent selection of DJ mixes, great companions to their exceptional compilations. This latest look at the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique slides right into action. Like their larger counterparts overseas, the music being made on these islands was heavily influenced by jazz, Afro-Latin rhythms, calypso, and most likely, James Brown. The drumming prowess of bands like Le Ry-co Jazz, along with the heavy guitar- and brass-fueled groove that Ensemble La Perfecta finds, leave the listener craving a dance floor. “Ti Fi La Ou Té Madam’” is a soulful stomper. Finding twenty tracks of this stature without a disappointment in the bunch is a rare find indeed.
-Derek Beres
Publication List
