You Can Take The Girl Out Of The Sugababes But ...

Ok ... So you can take the girl out of the Sugababes ... but sometimes, ever so often, you can actually take the sugababes out of the girl.

 

To be fair, the Sugababes were never really that big here. But somehow they managed to straddle that tight but deep crevice between pop sensibility and indie credibility. Considering the number of "righteous" dj's that they've managed to snag into providing remixes for their tracks ... and the compiles that they've appeared on that are linked with the effortlessly "now and with-it" magazine publications that have the wannabe indie nazi as their target readership.

I should preface this by reminding my faithful readers of my proclivation for the odd guilty pop pleasure of which this is most certainly one ... and I should also encourage you to ignore all citations of Kate Bush as a defining influence .. as between you and me, we are meandering dangerously into Sarah Brightman territory here ... HOWEVER AND BUT Siobhan Donaghy's latest single "Don't Give it Up" is the poverbial Bomb!!

 

NEXT: Lets talk about Sofia Coppola!!!

Well lets do because I have just watched Marie Antoinette (I know, I am a bit behind)!!. Frankly, I'm baffled by some of the strong reactions to this movie. Its a Sofia Coppola film, so you should really know what you're getting into from the start ... she well and truly has a signature style which harks back to the gritty realism of 70s Hollywood Americana where music of the times was as much a character in films as the actors themselves, filtered through a distinctly European lense with its measured pace, stunning cinematography and muffled conversations overlapping each other ala Fellini. Ok ok let me just reign it in a little ... coz I was going to say Fellini meets Easy Rider ... but No that seriously is not the case. Its a contemporary look at the world we live in ... I hazard to guess that people of my generation will get it ... others will struggle ...!!

With Marie Antoinette ... considering the detailed attention given to food and fashion (which I absolutely adore ... especially the sugary colours in the pastries) ... it was always going to be classified as a puff piece of some description ... self indulgent and wallowing, indeed celebrating in style over substance ... but really who wants another heavy-lidded historical tome where every piece of dialogue is a soliloquy in itself ... this is a more naturalistic approach ... and certainly a more sympathetic view ... indulgence as a way of rorting the system ... my kind of life. Versailles would have been an extremely claustrophobic place on all levels I expect ... a sort of luxury cruise ship thats permanently moored to the sand ... you have no way of escaping the rigmarole and affectations of a society that feeds on its own sense of importance ... your only choice is to PARTICIPATE!!

And all that riot of colour and embellishment exerts a suffocating influence on the main protagonists, which is why the sunrise with its oddly muted tones is such a poignant moment and provides a metaphorical sigh of relief, a chance for them and us to breathe.

LOST IN TRANSLATION - don't get me started on this one ... I love love love love love the restraint of this movie ... and I found it incredibly funny ... and incredibly sad and beautiful ... who would have thought that we could be so sympathetic towards Bill Murray?? And Scarlett Johannson ... if I was that way inclined .... well ....

 

VIRGIN SUICIDES - great period detail ... excellent soundtrack ... virginal white dresses and blond hair ... look Pauline Hanson would be in heaven ... apart from the fact that they all pretty much end up dead ... Pauline would still need a "Please explain" at the end of all that.

I'm halfway through Babel ... and The Hills have eyes remake ... hehe ... you gotta mix the highs with the lows peops!! May blog about these later or may not ... but I'm sure I could manage a few lines on the tomato sauce I intend to make soon.

P.S. M loves this movie too ... bless ... there's still a bit of queer left in the motherfucker!!!