We at Cornell Cinema are long-time fans of Yo La Tengo, the Hoboken-based indie band whose gorgeous melodies are never far from the top of our CD pile (or the iPod Recent Songs list). So we are thrilled they are making new forays into the world of cinema, and their soundtracks benefit two films in this Flicksheet.
early spring 2007 series
The first is Shortbus, the latest film by John Cameron Mitchell of Hedwig and the Angry Inch fame. This frank, funny, and graphic exploration of relationships and physical intimacy "reclaims sex—filming it, watching it, and doing it—as something both deeply funny and transcendentally human," writes the Boston Globe. "The score by indie-rock stalwarts Yo La Tengo girds the film with a dreamy loveliness that sends you out on a cloud."
The second is Old Joy, one of the best-reviewed films of 2006. A quiet, almost meditative reflection on the friendship between two old friends, one an aging slacker, the other married with a baby on the way. "A triumph of modesty and of seriousness that also happens to be one of the finest American films of the year." (NY Times)
Images from (top to bottom):
Yo La Tengo: artwork by Jad Fair,
photo by Matthew Salacuse © 2003;
Shortbus; Old Joy