Are you all proud of me? I am! I’ve made it to mid February and I’m still posting regularly. Yay! This past week I watched another Oscar nominated movie and listened to an album that was recommended by my favorite band from last year. Below are my reviews for the week of February 4th-10th.
Album: Heaven or Las Vegas (1990) by Cocteau Twins
My Thoughts:
My favorite band that I discovered last year was Alvvays. During the red carpet for the Grammys, Pitchfork (an online music publication), interviewed the lead singer, Molly Rankin, and asked her what she thinks is a “perfect album.” Her answer was Heaven or Las Vegas. You can see the clip from this red carpet interview below:
Naturally, I decided to add this album to my “to listen” list. I was not disappointed! I had never heard of the Cocteau Twins before, but I’m pretty sure I had heard the title track “Heaven or Las Vegas” sometime before. For anyone who is also not familiar with this band, they’re a Scottish alternative/indie rock band that was active during the 80s and 90s. Their sound is dreamy and shoe-gazey. After hearing the opening notes of the opening song in Heaven or Las Vegas, I understood why Alvvays might be a fan of this band. It’s clear that Alvvays is heavily influenced by the Cocteau Twins. I mean, just compare the guitar in both of these songs:
Personally, I wouldn’t rate Heaven or Las Vegas a 10/10 album, but I do think it’s great! I think what holds me back from giving this a higher rating is that I cannot understand what the songs are saying. Half the time I’m not sure if they’re speaking in English, French, or something else. When I first heard Alvvays’ Blue Rev I couldn’t understand the words, but after a few listens, I grew accustomed to the sound and I was able to decipher the words. Maybe I’m the one in the wrong here, and maybe I’m not great at understanding Scottish accents, but I just wish I could understand what the songs are saying. For me, lyrics are an integral part of what makes a song great. I do plan to listen to this album some more throughout the year and pull up the lyrics while I listen to see if I get more out of the songs, but for now, I’m basing my rating merely on the sound and the vibes.
Before I wrap up this review, here’s a random thought. At times, lead singer Elizabeth Fraser’s voice reminds me of ABBA. That is all!
My Rating:
Favorite Songs:
Movie: Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) Directed by Martin Scorsese; Screenplay by Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese
Summary:
Killers of the Flower Moon[a] is a 2023 American epic western crime drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Martin Scorsese. Eric Roth and Scorsese based their screenplay on the 2017 non-fiction book by David Grann.[7][8] Set in 1920s Oklahoma, it focuses on a series of murders of Osage members and relations in the Osage Nation after oil was discovered on tribal land. The tribal members had retained mineral rights on their reservation, but a corrupt local political boss sought to steal the tribal members’ wealth.
Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, February 11). Killers of the Flower Moon (film). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killers_of_the_Flower_Moon_(film)
My Thoughts:
I think representation is important, and I think Americans should know more about Native American history. At the same time, not like this. Yes, Martin Scorsese is a legendary film director, but I think this movie is a bit of a miss. We should all know about the Osage Nation and how members of this tribe were targeted and murdered. It’s also noteworthy to learn that these murders helped to create the FBI in the US. At the same time, I just think the movie should have focused more on the perspective of those belonging to the Osage Nation. I didn’t want a movie that looks at this story predominantly from the perspective of one of the perpetrators, Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio’s character).
I suppose this could be a spoiler, but the movie closes with a scene of a radio drama that is being filmed and which discusses the aftermath of what happened to Ernest Burkhart, King Hale, and Mollie Kyle. I’m sure this narrative framing was intentional, and maybe it’s a commentary on how we are obsessed with “true crime” but we don’t actually care about the victims. Maybe the movie holds a mirror up to its audience and asks us to think about why we are so interested in learning about criminals and “their side of the story.” Why do we need to humanize the perpetrators? Etc. Etc.
Furthermore, this movie is just too long. At 3 hours and 26 minutes in length, and I just don’t see a reason if we’re not hearing more from the Osage. We repeatedly hear Ernest Burkhart tells us that he “loves money” but we don’t get to hear how Mollie is feeling or why she chooses to stay with this despicable man. Maybe these reasons are lost to history, but either way, I don’t think Martin Scorsese should be allowed to make such lengthy movies just because he can. Ok. Rant over!
My Rating:
One Per Week 
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