cheerful cynicism: Billy Bragg

4/28/2012

Ultimate break-up mix

You guys, I broke up with my boyfriend a few weeks ago. It was amicable/mutual/logical or whatever, but it still sucks a lot. Especially since I'm in a new town, and I have a lot of alone time to watch cheesy teen dramas from Australia and sob. (But I mean seriously, the curveball at the end of season 2 was heartbreaking.) Anyway, in the interest of full self-pity, here are some songs to cry to.

1. "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston (1993)
I just watched The Bodyguard (1992) this afternoon,* and this song just spoke to me in the way that only early 90s pop ballads can.

2. "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton (1974)
Speaking of The Bodyguard, the original version of "I Will Always Love You" is effective in its simplicity. The speaking parts are perfection.

3. "Bell Bottom Blues" by Derek and the Dominos (1970)
Just a reeking of desperation.

4. "Over You" by Miranda Lambert (2012)
Okay, so no one died or anything, but it gets the general idea that losing someone sucks.

5. "Caroline No" by The Beach Boys (1966)
Ugh, Beach Boys, you make an ending relationship sound so beautiful.

6. "It Makes No Difference" by The Band (1975)
First class lyrics and mournful guitar and saxophone solos. It certainly helps that Rick Danko's voice sounds like it's going to give out at any minute.

7. "Marvin's Room (Can't Do Better)" by Jojo (2011)
This song is so embarrassing, it's perfect. NSFW.

8. "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac (1975)
This was one of the ex's favorite songs. Seems apropos.

9. "Let It Die" by Feist (2004)
Possibly the saddest chorus I've ever heard.

10. "The Shrine/An Argument" by Fleet Foxes (2011)
Epic folk, ending in chaos.

11. "Now At Last" by Blossom Dearie (1956)
This is what it feels like.

12. "St. Swithin's Day" by Billy Bragg (1984)
A man, his guitar, a beautiful chord progression, and an overabundance of lyrics.

Feel better? Me neither. Have a good cry.

*My sister's really accurate commentary.

7/08/2011

Walking and Talking (1996)

Clearly this picture was taken way after filming.

Walking and Talking is one of the gems I've discovered on Netflix because it was streaming and looked like a decent enough rom-com. And that's pretty much what this movie is: decent enough.

Anne Heche and Catherine Keener play best friends since childhood Laura and Amelia. Laura is engaged to Frank (Todd Field), but is freaking out in an awkward-to-watch-but-unfortunately-relatable-passive-aggressive way by snapping at Frank and developing crushes on random guys including the waiter that always flirts with her (Randall "hot clergyman" Batinkoff) and one of her therapy patients. This plot line is not so fun to watch. The tension is almost ridiculous enough to laugh at, but mostly just makes me feel sad.

I however loved Amelia's plot. She starts to kind of freak out because Laura is engaged. She quits therapy and then starts dating the video store clerk that always asks her out, Bill (Kevin "almost as weird as seeing Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Next Stop Wonderland" Corrigan). They go out a few times--long enough for Amelia to stop calling him "ugly guy"and becomes attracted to him. Let's just say, we've all been there: desperate to go out with someone who is mildly attractive (maybe) and pretend it has real potential. And of course Amelia has a good friend Andrew (Liev "he has curly hair?" Schreiber) who is having phone sex with someone across the country and whom she used to date, but they're still friends and they do stuff together all the time. And her cat has cancer. Things that are endearing only in movie form.

Mostly, there's just so much 90s frumpiness mixed with an unexpected group of actors and accompanied by mellow jams--the most fabulous of which are by Billy Bragg, my new British electric-folk singer. So sit back, enjoy some Billy Bragg and soak in this frumpiness.