Mindful Metropolis June 2010 : Page 37
art & soul | reviews BooKs Carless in Chicago Jason Rothstein (Lake Claremont Press) This book will become the book about getting around Chicago. It’s part guide-book for urban transportation and part how-to for giving up your car entirely. Even some- one who doesn’t own a car or uses the CTA will find new information here. Rothstein blends serious information and financial logistics with humor. The first part breaks down the costs of owning a car to help deter- mine how much you spend. He then walks you through Chicago city streets, explaining the logistics and benefits of car-sharing, public transportation, biking and walking. The second part gives station by station information on the CTA, Metra and Pace. Rothstein knows how hard it was to give up his car, but he convinces you that the benefits and financial rewards will bring more freedom than you realize. —maureen ewing film Mother and Child Sony Pictures Classics (Rodrigo Garcia, Director) Three L.A. women deal with the emotional con- sequences of adoption in filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia’s Mother and Child, featuring pow- erhouse performances from Annette Bening as a caustic physical therapist living inside herself after giving up a child at age 14, and Naomi Watts as an adopted, high-powered attorney practicing control and detachment. Kerry Washington is an infertile younger woman looking to fill a personal void, while Jimmy Smits and Samuel L. Jackson unwit- tingly step into their guarded worlds. Garcia (Nine Lives, Things You Can Tell Just by Look- ing at Her) has written a trio of uncommonly complex women, elevating the film above a Lifetime-type “issue” picture. Both Bening and Watts are dramatically intense, abrasive and locked in prisons of their own making. The screenplay wisely sidesteps the mechan- ics of adoption, focusing instead on the unex- plainable longing we feel for connections with our children and parents. Only in the rushed dénouement does Mother and Child falter as the screenplay’s questionable character shifts lead to a traditional, too-tidy plot resolu- tion. Deep and mysterious, Mother and Child is an actor’s picture—and they are top notch. —lee shoquist Letters to Juliet Summit Entertainment (Gary Winick, Director) The primary reason to see Letters to Juliet is a radiant Vanessa Red- grave as an aging lonely heart traveling Italy to find a long-lost love. But beyond her enjoyable turn, the film is a stan- dard-issue romcom in a nice setting, with good actors going through the paces. A fact checker for The New Yorker (Amanda Seyfried) and her callous fiancée (Gael Garcia Bernal) embark on a would-be romantic Italian vacation, where she encounters Juliet’s historic home and a for- gotten letter with the potential to reunite old flames (Redgrave, Franco Nero). Surprise—a romantic challenge arrives in the form of the aged woman’s uptight grandson (Christopher Egan). From the burnished glow of the sun set- ting on the countryside (voluptuously lensed by Marco Ponticorvo) to the well-paced cli- chés, director Gary Winick (Tadpole) delivers a polished production with abundant scenery and romance to appeal to less-demanding viewers. But despite Seyfried’s likable pres- ence, the screenplay predictably connects the dots. In Letters to Juliet, a top-notch cast de- livers a shopworn formula—but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t watchable through every pre- programmed plot twist. Redgrave enchants. —ls musiC Salif Keita La Différence (Emarcy Records) Salif Keita was born between worlds in Mali. As a descen- dent of venerable musicians dating back eight centuries, there’s no wonder he was named Ma- li’s “Golden Voice.” Yet being born albino—as good a reason for being outcast as any in this African nation—he suffered much. Rather than accepting exile he rebelled, becoming one of Mali’s most adored musicians, first dur- ing a stint with Les Ambassadeurs Interna- tionales, later on his own. Every Keita album exceeds the former by strides. While the last two, the acoustic gem Moffou and the searing M’Bemba, would seem impossible to top, he at the very least matches their sonic prowess on the deeply personal La Différence. Dedicated to albino awareness (and more importantly equality), these nine songs are more Moffou in form: exceptional subtle guitar lines under- score a beatific chorus of female vocalists be- hind Keita’s rich and flexible voice. Songs like “San Na Ka” and the haunting “Gaffou” are certain hits in the ongoing catalog of this musi- cally and socially irreplaceable artist. —DereK Beres Lokua Kanza Nkolo (World Village) Congolese singer-guitarist Lokua Kanza had me hooked after 2003’s Toyebi Te, but it was after hearing TotoBonaLokua, an a cappella trio alongside Gérald Toto and Richard Bona, that I understood the depth of this man’s range. He’s one of those rare singers that held me cap- tivated live—a sole man and acoustic six-string hypnotizing the crowd with soft lyrics and unbridled passion. That sort of silence suits Kanza. His albums show depth in solitude, and whether he’s singing in Lingala, French, or Por- tuguese, you’re left spellbound. It’s the way “Di- pano” grows out of a flutter of guitar notes and a whimsical flute, as well the chorus of voices that build upon themselves. The kalimba-led ballad “Yalo” is equally inspired, but the real treat is “Mapendo,” a throwback from the Toto- Bona sessions, in which he explores the power of the solo voice. There’s nothing like it when this man steps up to the microphone. —DB MINDFULMETROPOLIS.COM 37
Reviews: Books, Film & Music
BOOKS
Carless in Chicago Jason Rothstein
(Lake Claremont Press)
This book will become the book about getting around Chicago. It’s part guide-book for urban transportation and part how-to for giving up your car entirely. Even someone who doesn’t own a car or uses the CTA will find new information here. Rothstein blends serious information and financial logistics with humor. The first part breaks down the costs of owning a car to help determine how much you spend. He then walks you through Chicago city streets, explaining the logistics and benefits of car-sharing, public transportation, biking and walking. The second part gives station by station information on the CTA, Metra and Pace. Rothstein knows how hard it was to give up his car, but he convinces you that the benefits and financial rewards will bring more freedom than you realize.
—Maureen Ewing
Film
Mother and Child
Sony Pictures Classics (Rodrigo Garcia, Director)
Three L.A. women deal with the emotional consequences of adoption in filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia’s Mother and Child, featuring powerhouse performances from Annette Bening as a caustic physical therapist living inside herself after giving up a child at age 14, and Naomi Watts as an adopted, high-powered attorney practicing control and detachment.
Kerry Washington is an infertile younger woman looking to fill a personal void, while Jimmy Smits and Samuel L. Jackson unwittingly step into their guarded worlds. Garcia (Nine Lives, Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her) has written a trio of uncommonly complex women, elevating the film above a Lifetime-type “issue” picture. Both Bening And Watts are dramatically intense, abrasive and locked in prisons of their own making.
The screenplay wisely sidesteps the mechanics of adoption, focusing instead on the unexplainable longing we feel for connections with our children and parents. Only in the rushed dénouement does Mother and Child falter as the screenplay’s questionable character shifts lead to a traditional, too-tidy plot resolution. Deep and mysterious, Mother and Child is an actor’s picture—and they are top notch.
—Lee Shoquist
Letters to Juliet
Summit Entertainment (Gary Winick, Director)
The primary reason to see Letters to Juliet is a radiant Vanessa Redgrave as an aging lonely heart traveling Italy to find a long-lost love. But beyond her enjoyable turn, the film is a standard- issue romcom in a nice setting, with good actors going through the paces. A fact checker for The New Yorker (Amanda Seyfried) and her callous fiancée (Gael Garcia Bernal) embark on a would-be romantic Italian vacation, where she encounters Juliet’s historic home and a forgotten letter with the potential to reunite old flames (Redgrave, Franco Nero). Surprise—a romantic challenge arrives in the form of the aged woman’s uptight grandson (Christopher Egan). From the burnished glow of the sun setting on the countryside (voluptuously lensed by Marco Ponticorvo) to the well-paced clichés, director Gary Winick (Tadpole) delivers a polished production with abundant scenery and romance to appeal to less-demanding viewers. But despite Seyfried’s likable presence, the screenplay predictably connects the dots. In Letters to Juliet, a top-notch cast delivers a shopworn formula—but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t watchable through every preprogrammed plot twist. Redgrave enchants. —LS
MUSIC
Salif Keita La Différence (Emarcy Records)
Salif Keita was born between worlds in Mali. As a descendent of venerable musicians dating back eight centuries, there’s no wonder he was named Mali’s “Golden Voice.” Yet being born albino—as good a reason for being outcast as any in this African nation—he suffered much. Rather than accepting exile he rebelled, becoming one of Mali’s most adored musicians, first during a stint with Les Ambassadeurs Internationales, later on his own. Every Keita album exceeds the former by strides. While the last two, the acoustic gem Moffou and the searing M’Bemba, would seem impossible to top, he at the very least matches their sonic prowess on the deeply personal La Différence. Dedicated to albino awareness (and more importantly equality), these nine songs are more Moffou in form: exceptional subtle guitar lines underscore a beatific chorus of female vocalists behind Keita’s rich and flexible voice. Songs like “San Na Ka” and the haunting “Gaffou” are certain hits in the ongoing catalog of this musically and socially irreplaceable artist.
—Derek Beres
Lokua Kanza Nkolo (World Village)
Congolese singer-guitarist Lokua Kanza had me hooked after 2003’s Toyebi Te, but it was after hearing TotoBonaLokua, an a cappella trio alongside Gérald Toto and Richard Bona, that I understood the depth of this man’s range. He’s one of those rare singers that held me captivated live—a sole man and acoustic six-string hypnotizing the crowd with soft lyrics and unbridled passion. That sort of silence suits Kanza. His albums show depth in solitude, and whether he’s singing in Lingala, French, or Portuguese, you’re left spellbound. It’s the way “Dipano” grows out of a flutter of guitar notes and a whimsical flute, as well the chorus of voices that build upon themselves. The kalimba-led ballad “Yalo” is equally inspired, but the real treat is “Mapendo,” a throwback from the Toto- Bona sessions, in which he explores the power of the solo voice. There’s nothing like it when this man steps up to the microphone.
—DB
Publication List
