Who Killed the Electric Car?
June 2006 | Art & Soul
Reviews
MUSIC
Lunatico
Gotan Project (GotanProject.com)
Tango is a dance of passion, a tryst of sanctimonious denial and release.
Born in the bordellos of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the early 20th Century, it had, almost a century later, been relegated to the musty ballroom dance circuit — totally unhip and uncool. But in 2003, electronic outfit called the Gotan Project released La Revancha Del Tango, a heady, bass-driven, club oriented reworking of the “sexiest dance music in the world”—and the world sat up and took notice again.
Three years — and a lot of thought — later, these self-styled tangoholics bring us Lunatico, a sophisticated blend of modern sheen and authenticity to satisfy nostalgist and futurist alike. Recorded at ION studios (the fabled Buenos Aires studio that produced so many hits of the genre) and making use of ION studio musicians, Lunatico evokes past tango superstars like Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzolla while leaving its own indelible imprint on the sound of tango for today.
The Gotan Project fleshes out this new tango palette with electronics and guest artists like Calexico, Jimi Santos and writer/historian Juan Carlos Caceres. Unlike much of contemporary synthesized and sampled tango—which they decry as “cynical” — Gotan Project sticks closely to the original architecture of tango throughout, weaving their own tapestry from tradition and possibility. The result is a very contemporary expression of the moonlit sensual ballet that is tango, eminently suitable for both listening and dancing pleasure.
— Derek Rath
FILMS
Who Killed the Electric Car?
Directed by Chris Paine, narrated by Martin Sheen
Opens June 2006
I am in love with an EV-1 electric car. It’s sleek. It’s fast. It’s eco-friendly. It’s everything I want, but I can’t have it. And that sucks.
That was how I felt after seeing Who Killed the Electric Car?, the powerful, thought-provoking and surprisingly emotional documentary about the first electric cars and the dubious factors that contributed to taking them off the road.
I was surprised at my reaction, having expected a Michael Moore-style, overtly political film that would enrage me by telling me something I already know. But Who Killed the Electric Car? is a project more in the style of What the Bleep Do we Know? than Bowling for Columbine. It has its bias, sure, but it isn’t fanatical; it relies on facts, theories and real information instead of theatrics.
It does seem, though, that the film could have been tighter. Certain sections drag and there’s some redundancy. The whodunit format seems a bit forced and the graphics lack panache.
But none of these weaknesses are deal breakers. It’s still a compelling story, told with remarkable restraint. It’s also brilliant marketing for the EV-1.
— Molly Freedenberg
An Inconvenient Truth
Directed by Davis Guggenheim, featuring Al Gore
Opens May 24 in selected theatres
Al Gore is back on the campaign trail, and this time it’s for the planet. After his defeat in 2000, Gore began stumping for the environment, sharing scientific evidence that shows Earth heading towards a global warming catastrophe. So inspired were eco-activist Laurie David and movie producer Davis Guggenheim, that they developed Gore’s speech into the film, An Inconvenient Truth.
Although not likely to receive an Academy Award, Gore gives a commanding performance imbued with compassion, humor and deep concern about a “period of consequences” from outdated technology.
He can’t help taking potshots at the Bushes, but An Inconvenient Truth isn’t a political documentary. Nor is it properly categorized as drama, despite intimate details about Gore’s childhood years on his family’s Tennessee farm, his controversial election defeat, and the traumatizing car accident that nearly killed his young son.
It’s surely not a comedy, even with animated cartoons and an abundance of one-line zingers.
If scientific projections cited in the film prove correct, it’s almost certain to be a tragedy, which is what propelled Gore into action in the first place. Since his message is meant as a wake-up call to the rest of us, perhaps the best description of An Inconvenient Truth is that it’s an action film —but not a typical blow-’em-up, heist-the-money. The call is for action of a different kind, and if we don’t respond, we’re liable to lose our most valuable treasure.
— Jenny Rough
BOOK
The Type-Z Guide to Success
By Mark Allen (New World Library)
You might expect an author whose previous titles include The Millionaire Course and Visionary Business to offer a book chock-full of success tips for hard-working Horatio Algers. Instead, the co-founder of New World Library offers, “A lazy person’s manifesto for wealth and fulfillment.”
We’ve all heard that it’s as important to work smart as it is to work hard, and self-proclaimed lazy guy Marc Allen is a testament to this theory. He’d hit his financial nadir at age 35, with credit-card debt equal to about $100,000 in today’s terms, but knew he “didn’t want to work all that hard.” Today, he heads a successful book publishing enterprise, plays and publishes music, and swears he’s living the satisfying, lucrative life of his dreams.
You won’t find a lot of revelations in this book, but it’s amazing how powerful Allen’s concise reminders can be. Many of his suggestions hearken back to old standbys like affirmations, but he’s added ideas for resolving conflicts, sharing the wealth and paying it forward. Allen even highlights the key points of his message so that if you’re too lazy to read the whole book, you’ll get it all at a glance. Not that he sees being lazy as a fault — to him, it’s more of a style.
Allen assures us his book isn’t just for the indolent; it’s for anyone who wants to succeed in his or her own unique way. I wouldn’t call myself lazy but I drift off course at times, and I’m finding myself inspired and invigorated by his bite-sized reminders.
A timeworn theory of commerce is that the three most important ingredients in starting a new business are capital, capital and capital. Maybe that works best for Type A personalities, but if you’re a Type Z, you’d be well advised to include some of the intangible, personal capital that’s worked for this author.
— Abigail Lewis
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