Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

FILM & MUSIC

A Mighty Heart

Text Matt Bochenski

Director Michael Winterbottom Starring Angelina Jolie, Irfan Khan

The true story of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl is given sensitive big-screen treatment by director Michael Winterbottom, who’s fast becoming the go-to figure when it comes to filming the thorny complications of the Middle East (his previous work includes The Road to Guantanamo).

Wall Street Journal reporter Pearl was kidnapped and beheaded by militants in Pakistan, and a video of his execution released on the internet. Winterbottom has enough taste not to revisit those gory details, focusing instead on the agonising search led by his pregnant wife Mariane, played by Angelina Jolie.

There’s something incongruous about Jolie’s presence in this low-key drama. This is a consummate performance of the sort she often promised in her early, Oscar-winning career, but there’s simply no ignoring the mega-star wattage that hums around her like bottled lightning.

Still, this is a brave, intelligent film that’s unafraid to aim at some big issues and doesn’t slip into mawkish melodrama.

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Harry Connick Jr
Oh, My Nola

Jazz crooner Harry Connick Jr may have received international plaudits for his film and music work, but at heart he’s just a local boy made good. Oh, My Nola is dedicated to his hometown of New Orleans and profits from the record will go to the city’s hurricane relief programme. Following his heartfelt appearance on NBC’s benefit concerts, Connick Jr is on top form right across the album, but never more so than on the single All These People, a duet with gospel singer Kim Burrell that was inspired by the suffering he witnessed when touring the devastated city. It’s a great listen for a good cause.

Foo Fighters
Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace

Not many musicians could have emerged from the shadow of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana and gone on to forge a glorious second act in their careers. Take a bow, then, Dave Grohl, because Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace is another superb Foo Fighters album, full of the righteous energy of a man in love with his music.

There’s a cool 70s vibe to the music, with influences including Led Zeppelin and even Bruce Springsteen. Check out The Pretender and Long Road to Ruin to see the band at its best, skipping from urgent crescendo to mellow musings with ease.

In the news

And the winner will be…

It’s hard to believe, but barely six months after the last winners burst into tears and thanked their mums, Oscar campaigning starts again in earnest this month as the studios begin to unveil their awards hopefuls.

Early buzz suggests Paul Haggis’s Iraq war drama In the Valley of Elah, released 28 September in the UK, is a good bet for Best Picture and Best Actor for Tommy Lee Jones. The Assassination of Jesse James, released next month in Europe, looks like an awards vehicle for stars Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, brother of Ben.

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