One can only imagine directors scratching their heads at the elongated and seemingly aimless album. Originally concocted as a limited-edition LP in ’76, Eno sent the album to film directors. 1978’s Music for Films was a masterstroke on his part. Eno absolutely wanted to get into the biz. While one can easily argue that his music was ready-made for movies, it’s not just because of the sounds and style. His music often has a way of doing that.Įno served as Jubilee’s composer, but the film utilizes existing Eno music from Music for Films. Eno’s music bonds Jarman’s unclear motivations very early, so while it may take viewers a moment to understand what the hell the film’s getting at, at least Eno becomes a through-line. Punk visuals and Shakespearean pageantry collide in Jubilee, and it rides the line between absurdist trash and baffling mystery, but Eno’s elegant, rueful “Slow Water” prepares viewers right at the start for what will be an unforgettable, episodic ride. In a word, the film’s weird, but in that special, experimental, “only in the ‘70s” way. “Slow Water” opens Derek Jarman’s cult classic about Queen Elizabeth I time traveling to 1970s London and experiencing all sorts of curious things. Here we have the very first usage of Brian Eno’s music in a motion picture. Besides, the guy did release several albums under the title of Music for Films for goodness sake, how was Eno not going to find his way to the silver screen? Today, we’re going to reflect (somberly, of course, with a soft pillow in a quiet room if possible) on some of the finest uses of Eno’s music in the movies. A sonic, ethereal, peaceful, relaxing, chilled-out, becalming, good-vibe-inducing sort of heaven. In that spirit, Eno and films were always going to be a match made in heaven. Eno’s career has been defined by his glorious glam rock, his beauteous digital techniques and tones, and his collaborations with great artists like David Byrne and U2 among many others. Simply put, he is an experimental icon in the world of music - an avant auteur defined by his idiosyncratic interests and involvements. Whether you know him as the godfather of electronica, Roxy Music and Bowie’s secret weapon, or that really cool beep boop guy with the cats, there is only one Brian Eno. We’re revisiting in celebration of a slew of Brian Eno’s best work getting re-released on vinyl this Friday. A waste of a stress-free night at home, where the plot of your quiet evening holds more interest and imagination.This article originally ran in April 2016. “28 Weeks Later” is none of the above, just a plodding song and a empty exercise. I liked the original quite a bit and absolutely loved “Shawn of the Dead.” Apparently, I need Sam-Raimi-tongue-in-cheek-funny or a refreshing new take on the over-trodden zombie genre. I typically don’t gravitate to horror or zombie flicks, but I’ve enjoyed a few recently. I admit this is not my thing, so gore fans may think this is the best use of fake blood since Gene Simmons spit on them at a Kiss reunion show. It falls flat with a splatter and squirt after the quickly squandered promise of the opening act. Like the droning song that appears over and over again, “28 Weeks Later” never goes anywhere, chasing and running all over itself. “28 Weeks Later” uses the same song or variations on the same musical theme throughout. It serves no purpose, except to cause stress with its gouge-out-some-eyeballs, relentless, dumb-ass violence. “28 Weeks Later” is mindless, gratuitous violence – And I know what you’re saying…its a fucking horror movie- how can you say its too violent? Well, my only defense is that there’s campy violence and there’s scary violence in fantastic horror movies, this isn’t funny or scary. The mindless zombies of the first film have given way to zombies with feelings that take things personally, a trait that leads to silly plot-central character connections. For reasons passing understanding, the filmmakers chose to divert from the established facts of the world the first film created. “28 Weeks Later,” directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, borrows only minimally from the original and it utterly fails to deliver on whatever it was you liked about the first experience. Sadly Boyle is credited as a producer on “28 Weeks Later,” which as it turns out, is the worst kind of sequel. Simple, stark and overwhelmingly British, it totally worked for me right up until the end -you know, when they ran into the military guys and the plot got stupid. Director Danny Boyle’s “28 Day Later” was a welcome twist to the zombie genre.
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