Fiber Fool

This past Friday we watched Mrs. Henderson Presents. Dame Judi Dench was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of a rather ballsy widow in WWII-era London who opens a theater for her widowhood hobby. She hires Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins), an opinionated but known Dutch Jewish producer to put on performances at her theater, the Windmill. Together, the two of them stir the feathers of much of the London west-end when they start having nude tableaus in their shows.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! They did a wonderful job in filming, costuming, and make-up to create a stark contrast between the streets of London in 1937 into WWII and the theater life. While the end of the movie which occurs during WWII can be a bit heavy there were plenty of moments that made you smile or even laugh that kept me from feeling that the movie was depressing. And Pop Idol, Will Young, as their male singing lead at the Windmill, Bertie, was a great casting decision. His voice was great and his dancing and facial expressions seemed spot on.

Bottom Line: If you dislike the late 30’s and early 40’s era or if you dislike musicals you might want to give this one a pass. But, if you enjoy Dench and Hoskins and like music and are looking for a heartwarming story I’d suggest you give Mrs. Hendserson Presents a watch sometime.

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Also, a couple of weeks ago I finally picked up the first major label release of a Denver band called The Fray. I’ll admit, I often enjoy songs that get radio play. I know that isn’t very “indie” of me and I’m probably not selective enough if you ask DH, but I enjoy bands like Dave Matthews Band, Barenaked Ladies, Coldplay, Train, Keane, Lifehouse, etc. So it is no surprise I like The Fray.

What is a surprise is that it took me until they reached national radio play level for me to hear of them. I generally consider DH and I relatively tuned into the local music scene. We probabaly aren’t as tuned in as DH was before he met me because we don’t go to concerts nearly as often now. But since The Fray is a Denver band I am really surprised I hadn’t heard of them earlier.

Chances are if you listen to radio you’ve heard at least one of two tracks - the title track, How to Save a Life or Over My Head (Cable Car). I’ll go out on a limb and say if you like either of those tracks you will quite likely enjoy the entire album. There are all kinds of descriptions of this group in terms of mixes of other bands. I hate to do that because it implies they are not original, but the album does not feel like a rehashing of someone else’s style. At the same time it does make you think of other artists - the mix is strong on piano like Keane but the overall feel makes me (and many others if you poke around for other reviews) think of Coldplay. Ultimately they are a pop/rock group, but this album is well put together with a variety of tempos mixed together to form a consistent whole when listened to from beginning to end. While some of the songs are catchy they don’t feel hokey, they feel sincere.

Bottom Line: If you enjoy Coldplay but find their albums a bit repetative; If you like Keane but would like a bit more variety of tempo; If you like emotional lyrics by a male vocalist with strong piano and drum back-ups then I strongly suggest you give this album a listen. It has been in very frequent rotation since I got it.

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Coming Up (but I haven’t had custody long enough for a review)…