Reviews

I am a huge Nico fan, so I was intrigued by this video that I borrowed from a record store. It is indeed very "underground", the video is not stylized at all, it is a straight-on filming of Nico performing in the 80s. She is not at her best in this little concert, but she does very good performances of especially "60/40", "Vegas", "All Tomorrow's parties", "Femme Fatal" and "Saeta". The first song she sings is "Waiting for the man", but she doesn't sound quite warmed-up yet. In the second song, she sounds much better. The musical arrangements were not top quality; the album versions of her songs are much better in terms of musical arrangements. But she gives a fine vocal performance, and she totally gets "into" her songs, you can tell she really feels what she sings, and for that, it is very well worth watching. There is also an interview with her before her performance of the last song. She is very much aware about her public and its expectations, and the general public's perception of her. Much more so than most artists, I should add. She reflects about her musical career through the years and about Andy Warhol's importance and how he literally rescued The Velvet Underground from obscurity and poverty. She seems serene, with no grudge or hard feelings toward anyone. At the end, she says she has no regrets, except having been born a woman. Of course, women are not viewed the same as men, even if there are equal rights for a few decades now in most western countries, but you cannot change the attitude. Women will always be viewed as the physically "beautiful sex", and are thus not taken as seriously, especially in arts like in music or film-making. Anyways, I always love to watch Nico interviews because she does not come across as being phony like most others; she seems very much at ease and answers the questions without trying to find the "right" answer. She seems very thoughtful and smart as well. In a way, This performance reminds me of Joy Division. I've always thought Ian Curtis was similar to Nico, especially in terms of songwriting and their very singular, highly personal and thoughtful work. The way they sing is also quite similar to me. All in all, this rare video is worth watching if you are familiar with Nico's work.

The Godfather II, in my opinion, is just as good as the first. So rare is it for a sequel to be as gripping and as well-made as this movie is. First off, I have to mention the excellent musical score. It gives the film a sort of dark, moody atmosphere, and I think it was a very good idea to use the same score as in part I. Secondly, the idea of inter wining the story of Michael Corleone and of his early father Vito was brilliant and makes this sequel stand out from the first part. This idea of showing two stories in one film could have been quite risky and confusing but Coppola did a fantastic job at it. Both stories are very clear to follow and show the contrast between Vito and his son's way of handling the family business.

Of course, I cannot comment on this movie without mentioning Al Pacino's awesome performance. He definitely should have won the best actor's Oscar for that role. He has unbelievable screen presence and plays incredibly well the ruthless, suspicious Michael Corleone. The most poignant scene of the film, in my opinion, is definitely the one where Michael finds out at the party that his brother Fredo betrayed him.