Ludovico Einaudi | www.jaredmobarak.com

Top 100 Albums of 2019

2020/03/252020/03/28 Jared Mobarak

Honorable Mention Tinlicker – This is Not Our Universe; Cold War Kids – New Age Norms 1; Sara Bareilles – Amidst the Chaos; Sleater-Kinney – The Center Won’t Hold; Elbow – Giants of All Sizes; Coldplay – Everyday Life; Chance the Rapper – The Big Day; Yeasayer – Erotic Reruns; The Chainsmokers – World War Joy; Ghostface Killah – Ghostface Killahs; Chromatics – Closer to Grey; Free Nationals – Free Nationals; Matt Maeson – Bank on the Funeral; Tove Lo – Sunshine Kitty; The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger; Jimmy…

Top 100 Albums of 2015

2016/03/082018/06/18 Jared Mobarak

Honorable Mention: #100: Insides by Fort Romeau #99: Mont Royal by The Lighthouseand the Whaler #98: What Happens Next by Gang of Four #97: The Helio Sequence by The Helio Sequence #96: Abyss by Chelsea Wolfe #95: Lucid Dreaming by Say Lou Lou #94: Sing It Away by Walk Off the Earth #93: MCIII by Mikal Cronin #92: To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar #91: Wishes by RHODES #90: Cheers to the Fall by Andra Day #89: Recreational Love by the bird and the bee #88: Reminisce by Etiquette…

Top 100 Songs of 2015

2016/01/022018/07/02 Jared Mobarak

#100: After The Fall by Chelsea Wolfe #98: The Shade by Metric #96: Dead Inside by Muse #94: Killing Strangers by Marilyn Manson #92: I’m In Love With My Life by PHASES #90: Vancouver by Kopecky #88: Drunched in Crumbs by Albert Hammond Jr. #86: Till It’s Gone by Yelawolf #84: Home We’ll Go by Walk Off the Earth #82: Orion by The Mynabirds #80: Here To Mars by Coheed and Cambria #78: It’s My Turn Now by Awreeoh #76: Mothercreep by FKA Twigs #74: Angels (Above Me) by Say…

REVIEW: Mommy [2014]

2015/07/232015/07/27 Jared Mobarak

“A mother doesn’t wake up one morning not loving her son” If I can be justified in agreeing with all the praise after seeing just one of his films—his latest, Cannes Jury Prize-winning Mommy—twenty-five year old writer/director Xavier Dolan is every bit the wunderkind label that has been thrust upon him. Five films in six years all by the time he’s hit the quarter century mark with four debuting at Cannes and the other Venice? How can you not take notice of such accomplishments? Carrying the preconceptions a critical darling…

INTERVIEW: Olivier Nakache, cowriter/codirector of Samba

2015/07/162020/03/21 Jared Mobarak

Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano‘s (shown above at middle and right with Omar Sy) Intouchables was France’s Oscar hopeful in 2012 and did make the January shortlist. An infectious crowd-pleaser based on a true story, it vaulted Sy into stardom with a César win over The Artist‘s Jean Dujardin and ultimately co-staring roles in Hollywood blockbusters X-Men: Days of Future Past and Jurassic World. It most likely also opened a floodgate of offers for the duo at the helm, but these Frenchmen aren’t interested in bringing someone else’s vision to…

TIFF14 REVIEW: Samba [2014]

2014/09/052014/09/11 Jared Mobarak

“Red paper. Then … no more.” Every movie should have a score by Ludovico Einaudi and it’s comforting to see Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano agree. After using his haunting music on the brilliant Intouchables, the duo take a few tracks from his album In a Time Lapse to enhance their latest work Samba. Another drama dealing with serious issues oftentimes handled melodramatically by Hollywood, they find a way to infuse each character’s hardship with a delightfully comic streak. The formula is similar to that Oscar nominee with its two…

Top 100 Albums of 2013

2014/01/102017/04/08 Jared Mobarak

Honorable Mention: #100: The Silver Gymnasium by Okkervil River. #99: Monkey Mindsin the Devil’s Time by Steve Mason #98: Weekend by The Sounds. #97: Reflektor by Arcade Fire #96: Beyond Wilderness by Gold & Youth #95: Amok by Atoms for Peace #94: Edward Sharpe& The Magnetic Zeros by Edward Sharpe& The Magnetic Zeros #93: Trouble Will Find Me by The National.. #92: Praxis Makes Perfect by Neon Neon.. #91: Electric Slave by Black Joe Lewis #90: Devil by Lydia #89: Birthmarks by Born Ruffians #88: Comedown Machine by The Strokes…

Top 100 Songs of 2013

2013/12/202013/12/20 Jared Mobarak

#100: Let Us Move On by Dido #99: City of Angels by Thirty Seconds to Mars #98: Exit Wounds by Placebo #97: Flashbacks, Memories, And Dreams by The Virgins #96: Ready to Go by Guards #95: If I Could Change Your Mind by HAIM #94: After the Fire by Andrew McMahon #93: Close Enough by I Can Make a Mess #92: Surrender the Night by My Chemical Romance #91: Come Here by Talib Kweli (ft. Miguel) #90: Mermaids by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds #89: Bad Girls by M.I.A.…

REVIEW: Intouchables [The Intouchables] [2011]

2012/07/102014/04/23 Jared Mobarak

“We’ll escort you. It’s safer.” Leave it to my Americanized way of looking at things to go into the César Award-nominated French film Intouchables [The Intouchables] by thinking it would be yet another run-of-the-mill rich white guy helping poor black guy tale. With a Hollywood remake already in the works, I see our adaptation falling into such tropes by increasing hostility as lead character Driss turns into a punk who falls prey to outside preconceptions and lets his employer down before redeeming himself. But Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano‘s film…