M&M #2

Micah P. Hinson – Micah P. Hinson & The Opera Circuit (2006)

From the other side of town comes a sound so pure and melancholy so as to dip down under our labored breath and give us guidance. Micah P. Hinson, whose small life thus far has ricocheted from south to east, gives an album that almost sums up perfection. With gravelly voice and beautiful arrangements he serenades us into a time before our own and one that will continue on until yesterday. Seldom do I hear an artist consistently use strings and horns and harmonica and every other sordid instrument to such extreme pleasurable detail. I wallow in his musings and burrow under the weight of his words, darkness blends with the pale airy marrow of the grave and beyond. An honest path opens before me and my mind is swallowed by the brilliance revealed and I am lost for a brief moment in time.


Pan's Labyrinth – Guillermo Del Toro (2006)

What an amazingly creative film. I love movies with an imagination that exceeds all expectations. The little lost world of our twelve-year-old heroine as she tries to escape the harsh realities of war and an evil step-father is so wonderful. I remember spending endless days with friends in the canyon by our home, developing elaborate scenarios and thrilling lives that we would never lead in real life. One of the wonders of watching movies is our ability to transcend reality and immerse ourselves in an incredible world that we will never know and the ones that capture our hearts linger with us forever. 'Pan's Labyrinth' is one of those movies. Every aspect of this film pulled me into its haunted lair; the terror, the hope, the anguish, the desire, the beauty, the imagination, the pain. It was a joy to spend a couple of hours in Del Toro's world. He is one of the greatest directors alive.