Characters

Movies and tv-shows need a lot working for them in order to become something to remember. A good story, funny moments, shocking moments, twists are just some of the different ingredients that can make us remember a certain movie, tv-show (or even just one specific tv-episode). Very often, though, the characters can make or break a movie or tv-show. From Robert De Niro's portrayal of the young Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, through George Wendt's Norm in Cheers and all the way to Colin Firth's oscar-winning role in The King's Speech, characters have amazed us.

Characters can be intriguing in many ways; their complexity, their mannerism, simplicity, actions, figure of speech, dialogue etc. Very often the "bad guys" have taken the limelight, understandably so considering they are often equipped with both a complexity challenging the viewer's own morality as well as dark humour, witty dialogue and other intriguing qualities.

We all have our favorites, and I have many. Here are some of mine (with emphasis on some), and feel free to hit me up with yours!


Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II - played by Robert De Niro



Portraying the young Vito Corleone after Marlon Brando had immortalized the role in The Godfather Part I was always going to be a differcult task. Robert De Niro nailed it. Vito Corleone was one of thos quiet gangsters, whom did everything for his family. Never lost it, and always seemed to have the answer. His revenge in Italy on the mafioso who killed his father and brother is an amazing scene.

Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting in Gangs of New York - played by Daniel Day-Lewis

Never before has anyone sounded as cool as he did saying "Whoopsy-daisy". The character is well-written, well-acted... it's amazing to see The Butcher's different moods, especially in the scene where he sits talking to Amsterdam (DiCaprio) wrapped in an American flag

Amélie in Amélie - played by Audrey Tautou



Great heart, charming and the scene where she guides the blind man is as beautiful as a film-scene can be.

Alfredo in Cinema Paradiso - played by Philippe Noiret



Who wouldn't like to have this guy as an extra grandfather? A friend of mine suggested I dressed up as Alfredo for Halloween.. maybe one day I will.

Lars in Lars and the Real Girl - played by Ryan Gosling

Socially inept, this character is both tragic and hilarious. The comic aspect of his character is very well written, though, which makes this movie a very touching depiction of the life of a person deeply challenged on how to interact with the outside world. The "flower-throwing"-scene is one of the funniest scenes I've seen, with just about all the elements of it's comedy spot on.

Omar Little in The Wire - played by Michael K. Williams



One of the best characters in a tv-show, Omar Little was the homosexual gangster strolling around the hood armed with a shotgun and a love for whistling. How's that for a twist on the stereotypical tv-gangster?

Josh Lyman in The West Wing - played by Bradley Whitford

Together with other amazing characters from the show (Toby Ziegler, Leo McGarry and C.J. Cregg), Josh Lyman made this tv-show one of the best tv-shows ever. I've never been a fan of quick dialogue, but these characters made it work.

Phil Dunphy in Modern Family - played by Ty Burrell



One of the funniest characters in a sitcom these days, Phil is the dad who tries a little bit too hard to be the cool dad. Funny on so many levels. His lines are incredible, but Ty Burrell has to be given a lot of credit cause his delivery is brilliant.

Javier Rodriguez in Traffic - played by Benicio Del Toro

Breakthrough performance for Benicio Del Toro, and not without a reason. Javier is one of the most likable characters in this movie, add to that the amusing scene in the pool. Don Cheadle's character is also a great one in Traffic.

Mario Ruoppolo in Il Postino - played by Massimo Troisi



This rather slow character is introduced to us through a conversation with his father where he takes the term "beat around the bush" to a new level. The simplicity of his mind is both funny and beautiful. Troisi died just after finishing the movie, having gone against the doctor's advice on not shooting the film.

Sydney Fife in I Love You, Man - played by Jason Segel

The axe-man to Peter Klaven's bass-slapping in the movie that defined bromance. Sydney's lines, appearance and behaviour is all great fun, although one might not want the dude to spring a surprise-speech at your Wedding...

Chuck in Forgetting Sarah Marshall - played by Paul Rudd



Although a very small role, this character is funny in all off his scenes as the surf-instructor with a "slight" drug-problem. "You sound like you're from LAN-DAAAN!"



As mentioned, these are just a few of my favorites, and there are plenty of others I could have included, such as a few characters from tv-shows like The Shield, Sopranos, Band of Brothers, Mad Men, Six Feet Under as well as from the movies...

How about you? Agree/disagree? Any favorites of your own?

A passenger far from home

Finally Lisa Hannigan has released her sophomore album, the follow-up to the wonderful Sea Sew. She's been writing the album from late 2009 throughout 2010. I thought the first album was a masterpiece, and Passenger, the new release does not disappoint.

The favorite tune so far is the hauntingly beautiful Home, including lyrics as such:

And oh, every lie we told,
is written in stone
Every lie we wrote in our bones

And hold on, there's nothing to pack,
we know we're not coming back

First official video out is Knots, a more up-tempo tune from the wonderful Irish artist:




Another great tune from the album is the low-key Paper House:




Next song, the title track Passenger, has been featured in this blog before, but deserves a re-post. Live-version from 2009.




Next tune really speaks volumes of how Lisa's voice can make you feel she's in the same room as you while listening to her. Here is the wonderful Safe Travels (Don't Die):
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Bonus - from the making of the album:




For some of her stuff from the debut-album, check out this old post:

http://frodevincenzo.blogspot.com/2011/04/damien-and-lisa.html

Spread love is the Brooklyn way...

A little trip down memory lane again. Topic of the day: Hip hop Classics from the 90's


It's impossible to NOT include this first song. Sorry about the poor quality on the video. I remember sitting between the two towers in NYC back in... 98-ish maybe, when a police-officer walked by dropping a few lines from this tune... ah, the memories:


Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy




Can't do a post on this subject without the Wu-Tang Clan, and here's one of my first fave rap-tunes...


Wu-Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M.




I have to include two more Wu-related tunes:


Method Man - All I Need




Ghostface Killah (feat. Mary J. Blige) - All That I Got is You




Anyone remember Lost Boyz? Well, here's an old classic...

Lost Boyz - Renee




Tupac could've had a dozen of songs here, but just one this time:

Tupac - Keep Ya Head Up



... and now to something completely different... who can forget this classic?

Luniz - I got 5 on it




Last tune out.. an odd favorite, maybe

Nine - Whutcha Want

Femmina Alfa

My love for Italy is no big secret. The culture, the history, Roma, the beaches, the people, the language, the football (AS Roma) etc. I've also heard my share of Italian music through the years, most notably Gianna Nannini, who I basically grew up listening to.

This next artist however, is someone I recently became aware of, after a friend of mine (who again had her recommended from another friend) told me to check her out. I've had the following songs on repeat basically ever since. Seriously.

Baby K is the name of the artist, and... well, now it's my turn to recommend her tunes to you. Rap has had it's ups and downs lately, and to me this is definitely one of the ups. Great beats, wonderfully built up tunes, great flow. Enjoy!


Baby K - Femmina Alfa




Baby K - Primo Round




Baby K - In Piedi




Baby K - Una su un millione




Baby K - Sole

Autumn

It's mid-September, and summer is over. In all honosty, it never really seemed to be present here in Norway this year, at least not for a duration of time. These last couple of weeks have given me plenty of time to sit inside looking out... Being sick is mostly just a pain the... well, throat in my case, but there is also something quite swell about sitting inside when the rain is falling down HARD on the outside.

Here are a couple of songs that'll make sure that autumn isn't as dark and depressing as it can be...


Bon Iver - Skinny Love - Painfully beautiful




Bon Iver - Re:stacks




Bon Iver - Flume




Ray LaMontagne - You Are the Best Thing





Ray LaMontagne - Let it be Me




Ray LaMontagne - Meg White - Yes, it's the Meg White from White Stripes


Iron & Wine - Such Great Heights




Iron & Wine - Flightless Bird, American Moth - Live version




The Avett Brothers - Murder in the City




Bon Iver - Perth




Dave Matthews - The Stone





Hope you enjoy!

The end of summer...

Tomorrow is the first day of school after the summer. It's been, mostly, a great summer. Been working a lot, but have also been to a beautiful Wedding in wonderful Cinque Terre in Italy, had one of - if not THE - best concert-experiences in my life, and enjoyed another week in Italy later on. Can't complain.

My iPod has been a bit on and off the last few months, but luckily it's working now, and here are a few songs that have been played during the summer, as well as some other nice tunes. As usual, not brand-new tunes, but tunes worth a listen anyway.


Adele - Someone Like You (Live AOL Session)




Tyler the Creator feat. Frank Ocean - She




Manu Chao - Bongo Bong




Santana feat. Musiq - Nothing At All




Gianna Nannini - Ti Voglio Tanto Bene




And a last little bonus for you, I gotta show some love for my friend Vertel. Check out this song, which I've had on repeat since she dropped it. Ear-candy! Follow her on twitter @vforvertel. It's a good idea. Just sayin'.

Vertel - A Woman's Requiem

Live this summer...

Well, it's been forever, so it's about time with an update. Summer is here, and due to a Wedding in Italy, as well as working full-time for a few weeks, I haven't kept this blog as updated as I would have wanted to. Anyway, here's a couple of tunes from artists which I have seen, or will see, live this summer.

About two weeks ago I saw Aloe Blacc live in Oslo at the Oslo Live Festival. I had been looking forward to the concert for quite some time, and he didn't dissapoint me. Due to bad weather (and maybe the Foo Fighters concert, which was on the same day just outside of Oslo), the attendance wasn't as high as I (and probably Aloe) had hoped, but that didn't stop him. He did a great gig, and here are a few favorites of mine:

You Make Me Smile




Loving You is Killing Me

Aloe performed a great version of this at the concert




Mama Hold My Hand



















In less then two weeks, I'm off to Berlin to watch Gianna Nannini again. Last time I saw her in concert was in Rome 2009. This time, she will be performing in Berlin in a venue with a capacity of 3500, and I'm looking foward to seeing her at a smaller venue then last time, even though the concert at Palalottomatica was amazing. Nice to see her in different settings. Anyway, here are a couple of great tunes from the amazing Gianna Nannini.

Ogni Tanto - from her most recent album, Io e Te.



America - live from the Amiche per L'Abruzzo concert



Fotoromanza - an old classic




Bonus: Fabri Fibra feat. Gianna Nannini - In Italia




Later the same week, I'll be back in Oslo to see a legend. Prince sold out in a couple of minutes when the tickets for his concert in Oslo Spektrum became available. No surprise. Here are a couple of reasons why Prince is regarded a living legend in the music-industry.


When Doves Cry



Little Red Corvette