“High Hopes” for new Springsteen Record Rewarded

Bruce Springsteen’s new album, High Hopes, is a solid collection that again confirms Bruce’s talent. Although this record consists of several older, previously unreleased songs, two rerecorded older songs, and two covers of other people’s songs, it does not sound like a grab bag of outtakes. Instead, it is a coherent record that stands up to comparison with his best works.  And, because some of the basic tracks were initially recorded some time ago, we are treated to two songs that include the late Clarence Clemons' saxophone work.

High Hopes strength is its varied arrangements. These arrangements provide just enough ornamentation to keep the songs from sounding stale.  Yet, the production also shows restraint. This restraint prevents the songs from being buried under a blanket of production effects.  The opening title track ‘High Hopes’ provides a prime example. This track begins with a polyrhythm that is uncharacteristic of a Springsteen composition. This rhythm propels the song and it, along with the track’s horns, keeps this song sounding fresh. Yet, the song retains a traditional Springsteen-esqe core that would be at home on the 1980’s Tunnel of Love.

Throughout his history, Bruce Springsteen has had the services of two outstanding guitarists, Nils Lofgren and Steven Van Zandt, to compliment his own guitar prowess. This record features those East Street Band regulars along with the ex-Rage against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. Tom Morello is featured on all but one of the album’s tracks. Morello’s contributions add an additional texture to the two new versions of previously released tracks, American Skin (41 Shots) and The Ghost of Tom Joad.  The latter song is a studio recording of the arrangement previously available only on the live EP, “Magic Tour Highlights”. The transformation of the originally acoustic Tom Joad by Springsteen and Morello is akin to the transformation by Hendrix of Dylan’s All along the Watchtower.  This new arrangement powerfully expresses the anger, frustration and longing for justice that lies at the heart of this song. It is the highlight of the record.

If you are Bruce Springsteen fan, you should give High Hopes a listen.  You will not be disappointed.

My 2013 Best and Worst Film List

Laura and I go to the movies a lot. On average, in 2013, we went to the movies five times each month. Fortunately, there were a lot of decent films this year; films that didn't make me regret spending my money on the ticket. Most films I saw this year didn't make either the best or worst list. They were ok, but I could have just as happily waited to see them when they rotate to cable.

The list of recommendations are those films that I thought were the best and that you should seek out if you haven't seen them yet. The list could be incomplete as I haven't seen some films still in wide release such as Anchorman 2, or Inside Llewyn Davis yet.

The films on my worst list are films I regretted spending my money on.  Stay away from them.

The films on both lists are in the order of their release, and are not ranked against each other. However, the films on my best list tended to get better towards the end of the year. December was a particularly good month, and  American Hustle, released in late December, was my favorite film of the year.

My 2013 Recommendations 

42

• The Jackie Robinson biopic, good acting, good story, it left me with a good feeling

Star Trek  into the Darkness

• The latest Star Trek Reboot does not disappoint. If you liked the original series, you will be pleased with the parallels with the original, but you will be surprised by the twists. 

This is the End

• Seth Rogen apocalypse comedy that had to have been written when he was stoned. Still it is funny if you like scatological humor. 

The Way Way Back

• Steve Carell plays a real ass-hole in this comedy/drama but is easy to see why this film won awards at Sundance. 

Fruitvale Station

• Not a feel good picture, but definitely puts you right in the heart and mind of the characters

The Butler

• I expected this to be a black Forest Gump for some reason based on the trailers. However, it turns out to be a good, solid film about how the choices people made in the black community during the struggle to win civil rights impacted one family.

Enough Said

• James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus had real chemistry in this comedy that almost no one saw

Killing Them Softly

• A very faithful (almost word for word) adaption of the novel Cogan’s Trade. Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta and James Gandolfini are excellent in this film that absolutely doesn’t follow the standard underworld hit man cookie cutter plot.  Some people were disappointed with the ending, but it is faithful to the novel.

Don Jon

• As film about a Guido addicted to Porn, I was surprised I liked it. But, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore and Toni Danza really were good in this romantic comedy that does not follow the formulaic rom-com plot.

Gravity 

• Sandra Bullock is excellent in this non-stop action drama that is best seen in 3D

Captain Philips

• Tom Hanks won me over again in a film that I did not think I was going to like going into it.

12 Years a Slave

• A true story, it is brutal but honest look at slavery.  Definitely not a feel good story, but it was not as depressing as Fruitvale Station.  Worth your time though.

Dallas Buyers Club

• Matthew McConaughey and Jered Leto are fantastic in this film. The plot is original, and  the unlikable characters are interesting.

American Hustle

• The Best film of the year, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper make you care about the characters in this funny comedy/drama about the Abscam scandle in the 1970s.

The Wolf of Wall Street

• The film is too long, and it is morally ambiguous but the excellent performance by Leonardo DiCaprio and scene stealing performance by Jonah Hill redeems this film.  Martin Scorsese captures the essence of the sleaze that was Jordan Belfort.

The Worst Films of 2013 (I want my money back)

Broken City

• Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe let me down with this stinker in which the bad acting is matched by the bad plot

World War Z

• Even Brad Pitt could not save this lousy plot that shares nothing in common with the excellent book except for the title.  Even the zombies are wrong.

Stand Up Guys

• I had high hopes for an Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin gangster flick, but the plot completely let me down

A Good Day to Die Hard

• A noisy excuse for explosions and car chases, an asinine plot and bad acting. Nothing about this film was good. Bruce Willis must have needed the money

The Great Gatsby

• This film could have been great, but the soundtrack, editing, and desire to make a “spectacle” instead of telling the story ultimately bog the film down. Tobey Maguire spend most of the movie looking dumbfounded. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a decent Gatsby, but his screen charisma just couldn’t save this one.

White House Down

• Stupid and predictable with bad acting to boot.

Killing Season

• The first in a string of bad Robert De Niro films.  John Travolta also stinks in this one. His acting is as bad as his facial hair (Amish Beard).

The Family

• The second Robert De Niro film that sucked. Bad plot and poor performances killed this one for me.  Michelle Pfeiffer didn’t fare much better either.

Thor: The Dark World

• It is a comic book film, so I don’t expect much. But this stinker could not even hit my very low bar. Laura is not going to forgive me for dragging her to this bomb. 

Last Vegas

• I got free tickets for this comedy so I was predisposed to like it. However, the plot was weak and predictable, the characters were one dimensional and the jokes just weren’t funny.   Not a single one.