Archive for September, 2009
Apocalypse now… disaster is waiting to happen
In a nutshell the film feeds off the Mayan doomsday prophecy that due to phenomenon seen once in million years where all planets align and the sun’s power would lead to catastrophic results. The signs are first discovered by an Indian physicist, Dr. Satnam Tsurutani, who warns off his American friend, Adrian Helmsley. He sounds off his boss who sounds off the Big Boss-the President of USA.
From that point onwards things are set in motion the world has just two years to plan their survival but how do you prepare 6 billion people? You don’t. The Americans along with other G8 countries decide to build Arks like old man Noah which would carry some 400,000 humans and animals needed to preserve humanity. So how do you get a ticket on the ride? By paying one billion euros or if that doesn’t work then evoking the sense of humanity in otherwise heartless people who went ahead with such a crazy plan in the first place!
The other plotline involves a failed writer, Jackson Curtis, battling all odds to get his family on the ship. The film takes some time in setting up the premise but once that is done slips into heavy duty action. The writing is cheesy but then who is listening when you see earthquakes, volcanoes, tidal waves and just about everything hell bent on destroying humanity.
At two hours and 38 minutes 2012 is a tad too long for how many times can we see the same disaster scenes interspersed with tirade dialogues. We pretty much get the picture when the ground starts cracking up for the first time and to show the same thing every 15 minutes speaks volumes about the lack of a plausible story line. But why would you look for some semblance of a plot in an Emmerich film?
When it comes to putting a title to a song and getting a stage name for themselves, artists have got to be creative because they must come up with a title and a name that will be enticing and appealing to the ears of their fans. Sam Beam knew this pretty well when he called himself Iron and Wine. The name was inspired by a dietary supplement. He released his first album in 2002.
One interesting thing about Iron and wine is the fact that he is both a track producer and a live performer, something that definitely goes down well with his fans. With his fast gained popularity, he managed to record his second album, this time in a professional studio, and this gave a more improved quality delivery. This marked the beginning of progressive and well-paying music production.
In 2005, there was a marked improvement in the sound quality because the recording was accompanied by electric guitars. The song was titled Woman King and it actually included some biblical notes that focused on womanhood and spirituality. This did the magic for the song because it came as a surprise to the audience.
The latest album was released in 2007 in the month of September, and the biggest audience was composed of jazz musicians. Iron and Wine chose a combination of jazz, Mexican music and American folk. Nothing more than this careful selection could make an album soar in great heights in the music industry. The message in the song also touched on the political situation that was prevailing in the US at that time.