Nightcap 7/31/16: The Golem and a Lou Reed celebration at Lincoln Center, Soundtrack Cologne, Island Songs and the need not to see so much,

If you want to see video of some of the music from the Lincoln Center celebration of Lou Reed go here. For Mr C's videos (Though a warning Disco Mystic is not work safe)

---

THE GOLEM from 1927 (that's a theater group) played the Lincoln Center Festival this past week. I'm mentioning it because the show has actors performing before a screen and interacting with a film.

It tells the story tells the story of a man ho gets a golem who changes his life and everyone around hims as he uses the golem to do his work and the golem tells him to spend his money on flashy things to be liked.

The staging, as you see above is amazing. The story after a point runs out of steam as the consumerism is bad idea wears thin fast. Additionally the plot stops making sense after a certain point when you realize that the golems are being controlled by spirits who want people to spend- who buy golems to do their work so they have money to spend on the things the voices want us to buy. Its a weird logic loop that makes no sense.

I liked it but after half an hour I was done, it wasn't going anywhere and other than the occasional really cool visual.  I could have skipped it and seen more of the Lou Reed Tribute at Lincoln Center proper.

---
This dropped in my inbox this week and it looks interesting. If I could get to Germany I definitely would make an effort to cover a conference of cinema music.

Cologne/ Los Angeles, July 26, 2016 – Over the past 13 years Soundtrack_Cologne has become a fixture in the cultural calendar of the Media City of Cologne, which is home to the biggest German TV stations. Each year the conference welcomes guests from around the globe and is now an inspiration for the growing landscape of music festivals and conferences in Europe. As a symbol of recognition for exceptional achievements in the art of film music, Soundtrack_Cologne honors an outstanding individual each year with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Soundtrack_Cologne CEO Michael P. Aust announced today that Cliff Martinez will receive the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award on August 27th, 2016 during the award ceremony of this year’s conference.

Soundtrack_Cologne CEO, Michael Aust and program director Matthias Hornschuh state, “Cliff Martinez's talent is to contribute a very specific atmospheric frequency to movies through sound. Most recently this worked beautifully on Nicolas Winding Refn’s aesthetic masterpiece “The Neon Demon”.

Martinez’s music adds to the visual level and his sound therefore becomes part of the narrative. His next-level electronic film scoring doesn’t make you miss the orchestra, but makes you experience a new and different quality”.

BAFTA Award winning composer Cliff Martinez, and former drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, most recently received the Cannes Soundtrack Award for his work on “Neon Demon”, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, which marks the third collaboration between Martinez and Refn. Another director Martinez frequently collaborates with is Steven Soderbergh on over 10 projects including “Traffic” (for which he was nominated for a Grammy Award), “Sex, Lies and Videotapes”, “Kafka”, “The Limey”, “Solaris”, “Contagion” and the Cinemax series “The Knick”. His upcoming projects include “War Dogs” (directed by Todd Phillips), “The Foreigner” (directed by Martin Campbell), and "Wolverine 3” (directed by James Mangold).

“I am honored to be receiving the Lifetime Achievement from Soundtrack_Cologne”, says Cliff Martinez. “I have heard many wonderful things about the festival and city and look forward to being a part of it this year.”

Soundtrack_Cologne was founded in 2003 and is a film conference from a music perspective. From August 24th to 28th participants get a chance to attend three different themed music days ranging from Film to TV to Video games. Beside Cliff Martinez, Soundtrack_Cologne is proud to welcome composers Gary Yershon (“Mr. Turner”), Ilan Eshkeri (“Young Victoria”) and German composer Jasmin Reuter (“Two Mothers”) for their Film Day. Furthermore for their Television Day, Soundtrack_Cologne is excited to welcome Jeff Russo (“Fargo” TV Series), Reinhold Heil (“Deutschland 83”), Miriam Cutler (“The Hunting Ground”), and Łukasz Targosz („Floating Skyscrapers“). Lastly, for their Game Day: Jessica Curry (“Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture”), Christian Henson (“Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag”) and Christophe Héral (“Rayman Origins”).

SoundTrack_Cologne makes its audience experience how influential, diverse and versatile music and sound help to narrate a film. In some 30 workshops, talks, case studies and panel discussions, a dialogue is established between the various film trades. Experienced and established film composer pass on their knowledge to the next generation, while contests like the European Talent Competition and Peer-Raben Award appeal to the younger generation of composers and sound-designers.

For more information, please visit: http://www.soundtrackcologne.de/
---
Another Press release posted because I liked the music.

[This is] the latest release from Icelandic composers Atli Örvasson and Ólafur Arnalds. Together they've collaborated on a new work titled 'Akureyi' on the compilation album titled Island Songs - a collection of compositions inspired by 7 different regions of Iceland. Barely 100km south of the arctic circle, the city of Akureyri nestles into Eyjafjörður. Snow capped mountains shelter the city from the harsh winds, where forest and botanical gardens flourish. This is the place composer Atli returned to, after many years in Hollywood writing film scores.

Watch the music video and listen to the piece here: http://www.islandsongs.is/location/akureyri/

More on Atli Örvarsson at: http://atliorvarsson.com/
---
I wasn't going to do a nightcap tonight. I haven't really been doing much of anything this week filmwise. I watched the latest SPACE DOGS film for review for late in August and I caught a couple of James Bond films on cable but that's it. I made reminders for myself to repost about some up coming films but mostly I've stopped watching films because I'm burnt out.

As I said last weekend I got to the point where after watching 100 films for three festivals I threw up my hands and said no more. Monday I finished the films I had queued for Fantasia and then promptly deleted all my notes about what I had left to see from the screening library. I also deleted a stack of press screening invites because I was done.

All week long I've kept telling myself time to watch spaghetti westerns- but I haven't done that yet.

I'm at this point where I need to recharge. I'm looking to contact the Portland film Festival and the New York one is coming mostly I'm looking not to have someone else pick a film.

I realized I need to change what I'm doing - a point which was driven home this afternoon when I happened upon a stack of DVD screeners from the New York Jewish Film Festival. Looking at them I had no idea what any of the films were-when I looked them up I found I loved them all but none of them really stuck.

Obviously the way I'm seeing films is affecting how I remember stuff...
---
A change is coming, not sure what yet, but something- though I'm guessing I won't be doing the whole of DOC NYC again this year.
Apologies to Randi and those looking for her links- this post was thrown together last minute so I'll have them next week,