Author Archives: graemelawrence

Throne of Blood. The Bridge on the River Kwai. Nights of Cabiria. Witness for the Prosecution. Letyat zhuravli (The Cranes are Flying). Brilliant Corners – Thelonious Monk. The Clown – Charles Mingus. Kenya – Machito. ‘Round About Midnight – Miles Davis. Saxophone Colossus – Sonny Rollins.

January: President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia flees the country as a result of a military coup A Yugoslav Air Force jet fighter attacks two Italian Army helicopters, one crashes killing five people on board while the other crash-lands but its occupants survive First confirmed detection of exoplanets by radio astronomers Paul Simon is the firstContinue reading “The News of 1992.”

Slanted and Enchanted. Pavement’s debut album is a sonic spectrum from all-out noise rock to traditional indie with each track uniquely placed somewhere along; elements of punk also sprinkled on-top for good measure. As I mentioned on the Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain review, an additional dimension of reality and humanity can be found in theContinue reading “The Sound of 1992.”

Glengarry Glen Ross. Pacino. Lemmon. Spacey. Harris. Arkin. Pryce. Baldwin; the good one, the one from Beetlejuice. A supreme cast of acting talent that deliver David Mamet’s superb screenplay, adapted from the stage production that garnered him a Pulitzer Prize, in a manner befitting their respective reputations. Glengarry Glen Ross tells of four salesman ofContinue reading “The Cinema of 1992.”

Amnesiac. Recorded during the same sessions as their previous record, Kid A, Radiohead continue their experimental electronica phase with Amnesiac. The hope of expectant Radiohead fanboys wanting a return to the sound of The Bends or OK Computer is extinguished in the opening track, “Packt Like Sardines In a Crushd Tin Box”, an Aphex TwinContinue reading “The Sound of 2001.”

Barton Fink. The Last of the Mohicans. Glengarry Glen Ross. JFK. Europa. Slanted and Enchanted – Pavement. Honey’s Dead – The Jesus and Mary Chain. Bone Machine – Tom Waits. Dynamo – Soda Stereo. Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde – The Pharcyde.

January: Kolkata officially restores its name from Calcutta iTunes is launched The AOL Time Warner merger is approved A 7.6 magnitude earthquake hits El Salvador killing at least 800 people and leaving thousands homeless Wikipedia is launched George W Bush is sworn in as 43rd President of the United States Five people set themselves onContinue reading “The News of 2001.”

Spirited Away. After getting lost en route to their new home, ten year-old Chihiro and her parents discover an abandoned theme park. Fascinated, Chihiro’s father insists they explore despite his daughter’s apprehension, whereupon they discover a street of restaurants filled with enticing fresh food, though quite who prepared it remains unknown. Chihiro’s parents feast onContinue reading “The Cinema of 2001.”

A cultural odyssey. The Man Who Wasn’t There. Amores Perros. The Piano Teacher. The Devil’s Backbone. Spirited Away. Amnesiac – Radiohead. Vespertine – Björk. Asleep in the Back – Elbow. Pause – Four Tet. Labor Days – Aesop Rock.

January: A crowd crush and stampede during a New Year’s event results in 124 deaths and 77 injuries at the Yahiko Shrine in Niigata Prefecture, Japan A fire damages the top floors of the Eiffel Tower Five US evangelical Christian missionaries are killed for trespassing by the Huaorani people of Ecuador The 1956 Winter OlympicsContinue reading “The News of 1956.”