Though I've been known to complain about good touring bands rarely making it to my part of the world, I honestly do realize that central Florida ain't so bad. There's plenty of good venues, bands that I like come by Orlando - or Tampa or Tallahassee - with some frequency, and while it may not be a London or a Chicago or an Austin, it's fine. Besides, it could be worse, I could be living in the middle of nowhere, perennially covered in snow, a thousand kilometers from the gigging circuit. I feel for the young (and old, but mostly the young) music fans in those areas, who never get to experience a dickhead shouting for "Freebird" every three minutes.
Apparently, The White Stripes feel similarly, as their new film Under Great White Northern Lights documents their tour of a country called Canada. They didn't just play Toronto and Vancouver, though. That's too mainstream. They played a series of gigs across the country - one in each province. In addition to playing in concert halls in places that rarely get red-hot rock and roll bands, which is cool enough, they also did a series of sideshows in each town. Some of these are pretty cool: an unannounced little performance in a town square at lunchtime draws out hundreds of people. Most of them don't even know who the band actually is, but they're excited that something is happening in their town. It's lovely to see the kids get excited for this. Even better is when they play "The Wheels on the Bus" on a school bus, and best of all is seeing Jack White play his guitar during a show at a bowling alley, while rolling an 8. Not too shabby! They also perform the world's shortest ever concert, literally playing one note, to a decent-sized crowd. I guess it's cool that they're in the record books, but if I were in the throng, waiting for ages, watching the bands' casual-assassin-looking roadies set up the instruments, and then the concert lasted less than five seconds, I might be a little annoyed. And apparently they didn't even make the record books. Yikes.
The documentary features a lot of interesting footage of the band on tour: meeting Native elders, talking about the band in that enigmatic not-really-saying-anything way we've come to expect, and there's a decent amount of songs from their shows. 'The Union Forever' is spliced with corresponding footage from 'Citizen Kane', which I thought was pretty cool. There's 'Black Math' - hot damn, that song is ace - and many other songs. Some of the praise that's mentioned in the trailer seems a little over the top, but as a document about an interesting tour with some pretty ace songs, the doc is solid. I don't think it has much repeat-watching value, but very few documentaries do. Check it!
The music is really, completely, in charge of us
AYGH's 25 Films of the 2000s
Since everyone with a website and hands is pre-occupied at the moment with making lists, here’s one I made about films that I like. I don’t know if I’ll do a corresponding one for music, because I’m lazy and that sounds difficult. Here’s the list, in chronological order. Why don’t you list YOUR favourites in the comments? That’d be ka-blamo.
My favourite Coen Brothers film. I know, I know. It almost got me into bluegrass music, but fell a little short. That aside, the scene towards the end at the Klan rally is insane, Clooney is really funny and I’ve enjoyed many hours of saying “I thought you wuz a tooooad” like Tim Blake-Nelson.
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Loved it, will never watch it again. The sequence where she sings ‘I’ve Seen It All’ around the train is mesmerizing. It’s the only von Trier film I’ve really enjoyed, and even so, I can’t imagine I’ll ever watch it again. It’s a shame the film is only remembered for Bjork’s Oscar dress.
24 Hour Party People (2001)
Coogan and Winterbottom (they’ll be back later) told the story of Tony Wilson’s life in full, bonkers, technicolour glory. From the introduction, that’s addressed plainly to the viewer, to the closing Revelation, this was enjoyable, often funny, didn’t gloss over Ian Curtis’ suicide too flippantly, and featured some amazing tunes. Also, the scene where the Ryder brothers put rat poison on bread and then dead pigeons fall out of the sky is way funnier than good taste would suggest it should be.
Hero (2002)
My pal Nick brought this one back from Japan, a year or so before Tarantino got onboard and it made decent money in the States. We watched it on DVD at Kirk and John’s, and it blew my mind. Maybe it’s because I didn’t see Crouching Tiger until long after its hype had died down, and seeing this felt like a little secret. After this one came House of Flying Daggers, which I didn’t like nearly as much. The scene where there are thousands of raining arrows is the only thing I can remember all these years later – I really need to see this again.
City of God (2002)
This one almost cost me a girlfriend. We were watching it at the SLB, and the violence was too much for her, so she said “I’m going home.” Apparently, good boyfriends would get up and walk their partners home in this situation, but I was way too immersed in the film, so I let her go alone. Admittedly, our residence hall was a one minute walk away, but I appreciate the principle that makes me out to be a jerk. But in my defense, how ace is ‘City of God’? The cinematography, the way the colour saturation changes as the movie progresses to indicate the passing of time… it’s tremendous.
28 Days Later (2002)
The first of two London-set zombie films. Here, the zombies appeared to be well-mobilized, though. This one really worked on an emotional level. When Cillian Murphy’s character roams the deserted streets of central London, and then goes to his parents’ house, it’s genuinely affecting and creepy. Plus, ‘am180’ in the supermarket made me all happy.
Spellbound (2002)
How did a documentary about some kids manage to be both incredibly suspenseful, and also really really funny? While I naturally had a soft spot for the Indian kids, but my friend Nadia and I mostly just did impressions of the little boy who spoke like a robot. Wiki tells me that kid is now studying for a PhD. I feel very unaccomplished.
Jackass: The Movie (2002)
Yeah, yeah. Turn your noses back down, snobs. I didn’t really have any interest in this, missed it in the cinemas, but was working the night we played it at the SLB. I sat in the back row, so I could see the entire audience – all 380 seats were full – and it was an amazing movie-going experience. It was insanely fun to watch a big roomful of people all turn away, shriek and cover their eyes at the same moment. And later, I have fond memories of going to John and Kirk’s and watching the extra footage on the DVD that was also insane. There’s going to be a 3D Jackass movie soon? Hooray! I mean... probably not.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Will Gondry, Kaufman, Carrey, Winslet, Wood or Ruffallo ever reach these heights again? Also, T-Wilks!
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Probably my fave of the decade. They just get everything spot-on. When it has to be, it's hilarious, and the last act gets really heavy. I just found out that Shaun's last name is Riley. I live for trivia like that.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Not my fave book in the series, but definitely the best film. The final act, with the Time-Turner stuff, is majestic, and I’m always happy to see David Thewlis in things.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Despite the best efforts of everyone who still quotes it to death, ‘Anchorman’ is still the balls. I’m no cine-anthropologist, so I won’t go into how its success opened the door for many other great comedies, but regardless, it probably did. The giant newscasters’ brawl still makes me fall out of chairs, so I usually watch it while sitting on the floor.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Beginning to end, I just love it. My #1 Wes Anderson film. I am not on drugs.
Kung Fu Hustle (2005)
I saw this one by myself at the Paramount Theatre in Austin for SXSW. Obviously, I wasn’t alone, but everyone else in our group went to see something else, leaving me as Billy No-Mates. Luckily, the film is magical. The opening scene features bad guys getting laid to waste by some stylish vigilantes, culminating in a woman getting SHOTGUN’d. From there, it just gets better and better. Stephen Chow is a pretty bonkers filmmaker, and even his kids’ flick CJ7 had some things to love. But Kung Fu Hustle is his greatest.
Brick (2006)
I’d heard a lot of good things about Rian Johnson’s film, but didn’t bother to actually seek it out until it was recommended by my Torts professor. I’ve never claimed to be cool. Really gritty, with especially noteworthy dialogue and some really well-defined characters, it is an under-the-radar gem.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Wow, writing paragraphs for each of these films is getting tiresome. So I’ll try and be briefer. Firstly, this film made me even more afraid of amputations than I previously was. The magical creatures are only half the story here – the plot is amazing, and the ending perfect.
Mission Impossible 3 (2006)
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If ‘The Woods’ was a film, it’d be Mission Impossible 3. And I love ‘The Woods.’
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2006)
Coogan and Winterbottom reunited, and it feels so good. An entirely self-aware film that is very very funny and features a brief appearance from the late Tony Wilson.
Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (2006)
The lineup was made in my dreams. One of the most straight-up JOYFUL films of the last few years. My favourite character was the dude in charge of the marching band who was disarmingly proper throughout.
Man On Wire (2007)
Oscar winner!
Once (2007)
Oscar winner!
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
Should’ve been Oscar winner!
The Wrestler (2008)
Should’ve been Oscar winner! Also, I’d like to take this opportunity to bitch about how ‘Big Fan’ STILL has not made it to Central Florida. What the hell, distributors?
Wall-E (2008)
Pixar at its finest. If you didn’t get misty-eyed when Wall-E was nursing Eve, and wrapped the Christmas lights around her and held her hand (claw?), then you’re made of granite or some other, more porous rock.
In the Loop (2009)
“No, you're right, I'm being unfair. I should be thanking you for not throwing up. Well done, you're a star. You didn't wet yourself, did you? You're in the right city. You didn't say anything overtly racist. You didn't pull your cock out and start plucking it and shouting "Willy Banjo". No, I'm being really unfair. You'd got so much right, without actually being there in the beginning of one of the most important moments of my career. Thanks, you're a legend.”
Unrelated: ‘The Thick of It’ as greatest TV show of the decade?
You've never won anything fairly
When I was in London in March, I had a conversation with my friend Tom1 about the big-screen adaptation of David Peace’s hugely acclaimed novel The Damned United. We played the parts of one of the film’s producers2 and an American studio executive. The role-playing went something like this:
American studio executive (ASE): So what have you got?
Damned United Producer (DUP): Well, it’s a British film about soccer.
ASE: Ugh. Well, Bend It Like Beckham did well enough. Go on.
DUP: This one is set in the mid-70s. In northern England.
ASE: …
DUP: It’s a biopic, about Brian Clough.
ASE: Who?
DUP: One of the greatest managers of the 70s and 80s. You know! Ol’ Big ‘Ead.
ASE: Never heard of him.
DUP: The guy from Frost/Nixon is in it!
ASE: (Momentarily interested) Frank Langella?
DUP: No, the other dude.
ASE: Oh.3
DUP: Did I mention, there are no women involved.
ASE: Thanks for coming by. We’ll… uh, we’ll call you. Good luck with that.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a harder film to market in the United States. I caught it today, and try as I might, it’s hard to detach it from the novel, which is terrific and dark and gets deep into Clough’s neuroses and psychoses. The film strips most of that away, and what remains is a solid story of a man addled by ambition and principle. It’s hard to talk about the film without getting into football philosophy, so I’ll try and keep it brief. Cloughy believed in playing attractive football and as an Arsenal fan, I can relate. In Arsene We Trust and such. His nemesis, Don Revie, succeeded at Leeds by having his player kick lumps out of each other and worse, once refused to shake Clough’s hand after a match.
Performances in the film are uniformly great, with Timothy Spall and Stephen Graham as standouts. Sheen himself didn’t work any miracles for me – maybe it’s because I’m only familiar with Clough as an older man and didn’t know him in 1974.4 As a debut feature, this was good stuff from John Adams director Tom Hooper – there was a nice combination of archived footage, the voice of Barry Davies, and Bowie5 over the credits. There’s definitely a gravity that the book had, that this doesn’t have. But the look and feel of the 70s, the sodden pitches, the ugliness of the game – and the players – come across very well.
I don’t think you have to be a football fan to really enjoy this film, though that’s easy for me to say, so hopefully it’ll catch on here in the States. But I wouldn’t put any money on it.
1 Not the Tom I mentioned in a previous post, but another Tom. What? I know a lot of Toms. Get over it.
2 For some reason, I played the producer as a bumbling, effete, Hugh Grant in Four Weddings type.
3 The suit actually thought the producer meant Oliver Platt, but that’s neither here nor there.
4 Or anyone, for that matter, for another nine years.
5 ‘Queen Bitch’, since you ask.
That's my new favourite camel
For an hour and a quarter, The Brothers Bloom is totally ace. A well-plotted con-man flick with great performances, funny dialogue and great cinematography and imagery. Some have criticized the similarity in look and sound with Wes Anderson's films but I thought it worked really well here. OK, sometimes the quirkiness is overplayed, but I confess, I laughed at loud when Rachel Weisz was rapping and DJing. And I can see why the idea of a hard-drinking, mute Japanese explosives expert seems like it's trying too hard to be eccentric, but it plays just fine here.
The relationship between the principal characters is well set-up and feels pretty natural and uncontrived. There's a very sweet opening segment that shows the brothers as younguns, which sets up what follows nicely. And if you didn't already know, the film is writer/director Rian Johnson's follow up to Brick, which gave high school noirs a welcome kick in the pants a few years back. So far, all swell.
Problem is, like similar themed films, there's too much going on. The final act takes things in a different direction - is someone after the Brothers, or is it all another job? Even they don't know. It gets pretty convoluted toward the end, with there being a new "a-ha!" reveal every few minutes. It reminded me of 'Matchstick Men' from a few years back, which I thought was a perfectly okay film which threw in about six new twists in the last fifteen minutes.
So 'The Brothers Bloom' grabbed me, kept me, but lost me before the end.
Not at the table, Carlos
It blows my mind, in an entirely good way, that a film starring this guy was number one at the US and UK box offices. I love Zach Galifianakis, have done for ages, and it's so nice to see him getting some props. He ain't gon' email you! So I finally got to watching The Hangover last night, and it's even nicer to see ZG steal the show.
As you've probably heard by now, the film concerns three guys in Vegas who lost their pal overnight and are struggling to piece together what happened over the last twelve hours. Simple enough premise, and to its credit, this is not a film where you can say "I saw that coming a mile off!" because things get sillier and crazier. I don't know if The Hangover is a film I'd rush back to see again, and some have talked about its less-than-ideal portrayal of women and minorities. And while I've got my critical hat on, the much-discussed cameo from professional crazy person "Iron" Mike Tyson seemed like a for-the-sake-of-it pop culture gag, which wasn't as funny as the Dairy Milk ad that also featured 'In the Air Tonight'.
But Zach and Ed Helms make up for all the deficiencies. Hopefully, both will get higher profile roles after this. Zach's song about friendship, and a speech about forming his Wolfpack were clear highlights, and there are enough car crashes, nude men, nude women and wild cats to keep everyone smiling. The best thing about 'The Hangover' is that it really is a comedy about the people, rather than the circumstances - so it rarely feels contrived. And to bring it back to him once more, Zach Galafianakis' Alan is actually quite sweet beneath all the stupidity.
If you haven't seen it by now, you're unlikely to go and see 'The Hangover', but if you're studying for a Bar Exam and you need a laugh, there's little better to offer this summer. So see it. Just don't wear this t-shirt - the only people who'll think you're cool or funny, are people that you don't want to think that you are cool or funny.
[download Gomez - Hangover (live)]
Metal on metal
I've always admired the seige mentality of heavy metal fans. Let me give you an example. My friend Tom has, for many years, been such a person. Grown out the hair, plays in a pretty successful band, dresses in leather, gets excited about going to Donington, etc. Like most fans of that type of music, he knows it's not - and is never going to be - cool, and frankly, he doesn't give a hoot. There's the attitude of "this is what I love, balls to the world" that I think is pretty cool, and that's at the heart of the documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil, which is about a band called Anvil and the tribulations endured by the band Anvil. Did I mention that the group is called Anvil?
Anvil is composed of Lips and Robb Reiner (really), two guys in their 50s who momentarily flourished in the early 80s, then watched as their peers Bon Jovi and Scorpions sold bajillions worldwide, and nothing came of them. Following them around a European tour in 2007, having taken a month off from their jobs in Canada, you see how far they've fallen, and also how much they still believe in the band. It's impossible not to sympathize with them as they play to six people in Prague, miss trains, get lost and sometimes don't get paid. The lengths to which they go, and their refusal to throw in the towel and say "well, maybe it's not to be", is inspiring and also moving.
Well worth a watch, and yes, they do wind up at Stonehenge at one point.
We are being gathered in, at gloaming
And the Oscar goes to...
As has happened before, my end of year wrap up sort of ran out of steam because I was pretty busy over the break. At least two artists still to write about, so look out for that sometime in the near-to-mid. Today, I thought I'd write a little bit about some of the films being bandied about as the Awards Buzz picks up.
There is no why
Completing a standardized test on Saturday morning meant that I earned the right to do nothing else productive for the rest of the weekend. So I watched Man On Wire. Now, at the time of writing this, the documentary is the best reviewed film of the year, with 129/129 raves. Of course it's fantastic. If you haven't heard, it's about a guy named Philippe Petit who walked tightropes, and in 1974 decided to walk across the towers of the World Trade Center.
It's an amazing story of defying the rules of both gravity and law and order. He does it "because he can". To see Petit talk about it, more than thirty years after the fact, still hugely animated, and moving about all over the place, is incredibly infectuous. Then there are his pals, who posed as contractors to get up to the top of the towers, get the wire across there, and provided Petit with support for his terrifying yet amazing objective. His girlfriend-at-the-time tells the story today with the same wonder that she had back in 1974. As you hear the crew talk of lying perfectly still and silent to avoid getting caught by WTC security guards, it's hard to not get caught up in the tenseness. Yes, we know how it ends, but it's still a thrilling ride to the top.
And then, we get to the day itself, and the footage is truly breathtaking.
Watch it as soon as you can.
You thought Brad Pitt was a cave in Yorkshire
As you hopefully will have noticed, this blog has been following the lead of Sleater-Kinney and global economic stability, by going on indefinite hiatus. Lots of things going on at the moment for me, so writing about music for ten people to read hasn't been too high on the to-do list.
But with Arsenal winning again today and my completion this morning of the MPRE, I've a bit of time, so I can tell you what I thought of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, which I watched recently. I've a horrible habit of watching Simon Pegg in whatever shit he agrees to appear in, and with the reviews generally being pretty poor, I wasn't expecting much out of it.
Based very loosely on the autobiography of Toby Young (who was on Have I Got News For You last night, but that's an aside), the film is terrible, overbroad comedy with lots of overdone gurning and falling over for the first hour or so. Pegg's character is idealistic but hampered by his complete arrogance and unlikeability. If you've seen that clip where he's playing with the chihuahua, it's like that for an hour. Then it suddenly takes a sharp twist towards responsibility, maturity, self-awareness and (relative) seriousness with - hoo boy - a rant from Kirsten Dunst. The film hasn't earned the right to become reflective, so it doesn't resonate much, and soon enough we're back to dumb comedy set-pieces (food fight ftw!) and a predictably corny ending. Also, there's a transsexual lapdancer, which is always funny.
It's a big problem for the film when the best reactions are for two of the three people from The I.T. Crowd in brief appearances, a coke dealer who was in ONE SCENE of 'Spaced' (hey, it made me happy), and a pretty decent soundtrack. Guillemots! Robyn! Dragonette! There's some props to 'Con Air', though, so that's good. If you're not a Pegg completist, then I envy you, and don't watch this.
Much against everyone's advice
You don't forget your first time. Mine was in 2000, when I saw Soulwax open for Muse at ULU. (Stadium-slayers Muse headlining 800-capacity ULU? That was a long time ago). Didn't know anything about them, but they blew me away. I was hooked enough to see Soulwax return to headline the same venue a couple of months later. They had tubelights for mic-stands! They sang in English as a second language! They made entire rooms dance like bastards! For a while, they were always playing in London - and I was always there. These guys, formed around the nucleus of Steph and Dave Dewaele, soon started 2ManyDJs, a club experience that I didn't get to nearly as often as I'd have liked. Also, they now play live sometimes as Nite Versions - a band that reworks Soulwax songs.
It gets confusing. The new documentary Part of the Weekend Never Dies (warning: website is incredibly annoying) attempts to explain the differences in nomenclature, plus show exactly how hard they tour, and capture the manic exhiliration of the live experience. The doc was shot entirely on one camera, which makes it different from all others. There's a lot of up-close-and-personal interview footage with the band, but also with newer bands who're far bigger, at least in the States. Klaxons, Justice, Tiga and James Murphy all extol the virtues of the band. Nancy Whang from LCD Soundsystem, the voice of one of Soulwax's best songs, also is involved, and tells the story of how she hates 'NY Excuse'. The footage from concerts is spliced from all over the world, and it really is rollocking. I watched half the film on headphones in the library yesterday and it was hard to stay sitting still in one place. God, they're so much fun.
The main weakness in 'Part of the Weekend...' is that a lot of it is showy and doesn't have too much substance. There are lots of shots of empty hallways - stuff like that. It sets a mood, but doesn't tell us much. It's just a series of very brief snapshots of life on the road for Soulwax, without much context or depth. And that's ok. But there are parts where it kind of drags. But it's worth seeing for moments of insight like "It's like a place that sells dragon sticks" (Tiga) or "They're like cocaine but without the big ideas' (James Murphy).
Here are three songs from Soulwax. Firstly, there's 'E-Talking', out of which the documentary got its title. When this album ('Any Minute Now') came out, I played it to death, and my roommate Justin thought the guitars on 'E-Talking' sounded like Godzilla crying. Also, there's a live cover of 'Poplife' by Prince, and their song 'Saturday' mashed up with 'Billie Jean'.
[download Soulwax - E-Talking]
[download Soulwax - Poplife (live)]
[download Soulwax - Saturday Meets Billie Jean]
[Soulwax official / myspace]
I still get nervous around ethnics
I saw 'Hamlet 2' a couple of weekends ago, and I've been struggling to get inspired to write anything about it since then. Not that I didn't like it - the film is very funny, very often. It was really nice to see The Coog hamming it up in a shitty wig, American accent and jazz hands. Like Smelly Alan Fartridge, this was a character that was annoying the whole time and couldn't see why everyone else was frustrated at him and finally developed to a stage of self-realization. Not really a stretch, but it's still a joy to watch. It's the second Coogan film in a month to open with some hilarious fake commercials. It's the first Coogan film in a month to feature an O'Toole style voiceover, narrating about "The Craft". Not the film about witches. 'Hamlet 2' is entirely the Steve Coogan show - Catherine Keener, Amy Poehler and David Arquette are all involved but I couldn't tell you why.
It's a shame that a lot of the film's big laughs are given away in the trailers. Even so, there's plenty of not-safe-for-TV material, presumably courtesy of South Park co-writer Pam Brady. So, abundant anti-Mexican slurs, gay jokes, capital-B Blasphemy, and, well, if you're not a fan of seeing women get hit in the face with dustbins, you might just want to give this one a miss. Also, there's a character called Epiphany, who is entirely too racist.
So, it's pretty close to a laugh riot but, the climactic jam 'Rock Me, Sexy Jesus' notwithstanding, there's nothing that'll really stick with you the next morning. But given the state of comedies this year, that's probably too much to ask.
Aw hell no, Kung Fu Panda!
It's very gratifying that Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer's latest cinematic monstrosity Disaster Movie has failed to do well at all. Like their previous masterpieces, this one has dropped off the box office radar after a week. Unlike those, though, this one didn't rocket straight to number one - it landed seventh in its opening weekend, still not coming close to making back its modest budget. Good. The reviews probably didn't help too much (my fave being "a movie so bad that it’s almost avant-garde" from The Times). But those guys will always have a viewer in me - I don't know why, but I'll watch all their flicks. Here's what's passing for funny this time around (I suppose there are spoilers, but that'd imply that there was a plot):
- More so than previously, this time they're relying heavily on not-really lookalikes. They're so unconvincing that the main characters need to spell everything out. "Amy Winehouse?!" "Hannah Montana?!"
- Their Dr. Phil, fortunately, introduced himself.
- Far too many people put "Bitch" at the end of every sentence.
- There's a priest molestation joke.
- Still funny: Michael Jackson, myspace, facebook.
- Did enough people really see 10,000 BC, Beowulf, Prince Caspian, Speed Racer or Jumper to make them parody worthy?
- The plot is loosely themed around Cloverfield - too high of a reference for the eight year olds that'll watch this?
- Still funny: "I'm Fucking Matt Damon" - this time, adapted at the end to incorporate EVERY character that had been in the film. With "Dating" in place of "Fucking" because the PG-13 rating was more important than it being funny.
- One of the cast is called G-Thang. Really.
- Only one fake commercial in the middle of this one, for HEAD ON. I guess that's an improvement over 'Meet the Spartans', which had like three.
- But this one still had plenty of musical breakdowns. Including a medley from Alvin and the Chipmunks. Also, they sang a death metal song. Also also, they had rabies.
- I thought it was interesting how a lot of their spoofs, and I'm using that word loosely, were based on the trailers for summer hits. They won't have seen The Dark Knight or Hancock or The Hulk or Hellboy 2 before making this, and it's so lazy to do the slightest riff on those.
- Still funny: "Brangelina"
- In Spartans, a Happy Feet penguin started beating the shit out of one of the characters. Here, it's Kung Fu Panda. Why?
- Being gay is still the worst thing ever ever ever.
- Still funny: prissy white people talking 'street'. Also, breakdancing.
- It just looked very cheap.
- One of the last jokes is a shoutout to the Love Guru.
Which, as a metaphor, describes these guys' films pretty damn appropriately.
The dog will piss on your career
When you hear talk of hits at the cinema this summer, it's all Batman this and Iron Man that. Chances are, nobody's going to mention a thriller that's two years old, stars nobody famous and is in a different language. And yet, 'Tell No One' has already played at my local arthouse, and is - get this! - coming back due to popular demand. On a more national scale, even the Hollywood Reporter has called the film a word-of-mouth hit. For a foreign film to push close to $4m in domestic box office with barely any advertising is pretty spectacular.
And so it should be, because 'Tell No One' is fantastic. The plot follows a solid, old-fashioned arc: man hears his wife scream, goes to investigate, gets knocked unconscious and when he comes around, she's dead. Eight years later, he's not really moved on, and finds himself the prime suspect of (possibly serial) murder. It turns into a French 'The Fugitive' as the mild mannered doctor tries to prove his innocence, whilst being chased most of the time, with only one cop who believes in his innocence. Also, his wife might actually be alive, I should probably mention that.
The plot is dense, too dense, and there are plenty of "wait, what?" moments, and there is a clunky big exposition/explanation scene at the end. Yet none of this gets in the way of the film being incredibly tense and watchable. And the scene where the doctor is running down the street with an adorable huge, shaggy dog, while 'With or Without You' plays is disarmingly cute. Contrast this with the incredible footchase scene across one of Paris' busiest streets, or the very intense scene of a woman getting beaten. It's a heavy film but incredibly rewarding.
The characterization is really intricate and well thought out, with even minor roles being well thought out, like the neighbourhood tough guy who helps the doctor when he's on the run, or the terrifying torture specialist who knows pressure points and inflicts max damage. Francois Cluzet is great (and Cesar-winning) as the doctor, pulling off young Dustin Hoffman looks with genuine anger and confusion at being wrongly accused. Marie-Josee Cruze, not content with being in this year's other amazing French film, does well as the enigmatic is-she-isn't-she wife. And Kristin Scott-Thomas has a nice turn as the doc's confidante.
The film is still playing at cinemas in the U.S. though it may be hard to find. It's expected on DVD in November here, but I do believe it's out in Europe already. Check it out, make it an even bigger hit.
He'll save the world again... again
It's been a shitty year for comedies. If the best thing so far was 'Pineapple Express' (enjoyable but disposable), that's not too hot. And, this being Are You Gene Hackman, it is always appropriate to remind you what the nadir was. So expectations weren't particularly high for 'Tropic Thunder' but with an all-star cast (including the Coog!), I expected some fun at least. And all the controversy definitely drew more attention. I was worried that that a satire on the biz, poking fun at actors and executives, might not have much widespread appeal. But when you've this many A-listers, I guess the box office wasn't hurting too much.
It was ridiculous. For a major studio film, there was so much going on. It was dumb. It was funny. There were some big laughs. There were some great lines. I enjoyed it. The Downey-as-black-man stuff was very funny but it worked as a satire, there was a good pay-off at the end. (Although the line "I don't break character until I've done the DVD commentary" was kind of great). Jay Baruchel plays sincere well, as always, which is why it's weird to see him as a tough guy in the Nick and Norah trailer. Jack Black is ok, as is Stiller. Neither is really sending up their own image too severely, unlike Downey, who as you may be aware, actually was kind of crazy. Having said that, this is the funniest thing either Black or Stiller has been in for years. (Notable exception: Extras). Danny McBride and Bill Hader are back in their second release in two weeks.
You might have heard about the celebrity cameos. Tom Cruise well-advisedly breaks his usual persona to play a studio exec who swears a whole lot. While I don't endorse unnecessary dance breaks in the middle of comedies - that's a Seltzer/Friedberg move, and you're better than that, Stiller - it was nice to hear 'Low' in a film for the second time in a few weeks. Nice to see Jason Bateman in one frame towards the end, too.
'Tropic Thunder' isn't fantastic or hilarious. But it's consistently fun, as intellectual as two boxes of umbrellas, and has some pretty gnarly explosions. And Nick Nolte's in it! It won't blow you away, but it's funny and that's all it needs to be.
Some Enchanted Hairspray
I'm sitting in Orlando. Was planning on getting on the road tomorrow to see my folks, but Tropical Storm Fay rather inconsiderately has the same projected path as my drive, so I'm house-bound for the time being.
You know that episode of Spaced where Tim and Brian have a cultural exchange? My girlfriend and I had a similar deal this past weekend. Kind of. Less of an exchange. I watched two films that she really likes, 'Enchanted' and 'Hairspray'. It was my intention that, in return, she watch 'Jerkbeast', a "classic" that I recently played for my friend Matt, who liked it enough to write about twice. She is not keen on this, however.
But anyway, I watched those two films for with her, and she live-blogged my reactions. Read these here and here.
Why so (not at all) serious?
Like his previous film 'Super Size Me', Morgan Spurlock's latest joint 'Where In the World is Osama Bin Laden?' begins with a little preamble, before Morgan walks down the street, shouts the title of the film, and then the opening credits roll.
Like 'Super Size Me', this film is carried by Spurlock's amiable personality.
Like 'Super Size Me', this film has a pretty obvious message that you don't need to sit through an hour and a half of film to figure out.
Unlike 'Super Size Me', this film is a load of balls.
Look, Morgan. You're a nice guy. One time we shared a cab at SXSW, after that Craigslist documentary. The sociological experiment stuff worked well before, and it's pretty good on your TV show. But this is a issue that's really serious. You can't say "maybe [Osama]'s a 9ft tall bionic ninja with x-ray eyes and the power of flight" immediately after showing him dancing to MC Hammer. You can't talk about how the U.S. has historically supported dictatorships and illustrate it with gaudy cartoons, over a rap music background. You can't use videogame graphics, or an animation of Bin Laden as a fast food worker. You sure can't keep referring to him as "OBL".
You can't tackle an issue as important as this and not tell me anything new.
There is some good here, though, guys: there's a training sequence at the start that's equal parts intense and paranoid. I thought it was kind of cool that the Doctor from 'Super Size Me' is still his doctor, and after freaking out in the last film, he doesn't bat an eyelid when Spurlock says "I'm going to look for Osama Bin Laden" as if it's nothing. That's about it.
Framing the film around the imminent birth of his first child is clumsy, and the shots of his wife, back home in New York don't sit well with all the (sort of) politicking. The tone was all wrong. This film was all wrong.
Keep your spazzy way of saying things
Here are some reasons why I was sure, prior to watching, that I would probably love 'Son of Rambow':
1. Jessica Stevenson Hynes is in it. You know, off Spaced and that.
2. This trailer.
3. It's written and directed by Hammer and Tongs, whose last film was not amazing, but I thought it was had some great visual moments and was panned a little more than it deserved. Besides, their music videos speak for themselves.
4. Garth Jennings, specifically, has always come off as friendly and enthusiastic, most recently when co-hosting the Adam and Joe show on 6Music.
5. Also, Adam Buxton is in this.
And now, here are some reasons why, upon watching, I did indeed love 'Son of Rambow':
1. Great '80s soundtrack. Depeche Mode and the Cure! Siouxsie!
2. They say "skill" meaning "awesome". We used to do that back in the day. For instance: around World Cup '90, we used to say "Skill-achi" in honour of the legendary forgotten Italian striker.
3. There's a lot in there that I recognized from my own school days. Particularly the forbidden mystique of the Sixth Form Common Room, although at my school it was just a square drab room and not a bitchin' disco with a doorman.
4. We too used to have French exchange students come over, although they were never as cool as Didier is here. We also had German exchanges, and as a neat contrast, they were resolutely uncool.
5. The scenes where they recreate First Blood, and make their own movie, are fantastic. Jennings' flair for visuals and ideas is still very evident, and it's super creative. Unlike 'Be Kind Rewind', though, the rest of the film is still interesting.
6. The story is pretty low-key and simple (maybe predictable?) but that's okay. It works. The religious themes are not too prominent, and even though it would be easy to do so, the film doesn't really criticize the Plymouth Brethren sect very overtly for its conservativeness. Hynes' character tells a story toward the film that frames their beliefs nicely.
7. How many great child actors do we have right now in Britain? Freddie Highmore... the kid from Millions... Tom Turgoose from 'This is England'... and now, two more.
8. The last scene made me teary-eyed. I don't mind admitting it. Leave me alone.
Highly recommended.
[Order DVD UK]
Don't judge a taco by its price
You know how everyone has a book that they read at a young age which finally made them think “Hey, reading doesn’t actually suck after all!”? Well, for me, that book was ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’. I may have only been thirteen years old, and I may not have known what half the words meant (I’m looking at you, “mescaline”), but I still was swept away in the adrenaline, the intoxication and the sheer madness of it all. From there, I graduated to ‘Hell’s Angels’ and other various essays. I still love reading Hunter S. Thompson, and like John Peel or Tony Wilson, I was genuinely sad when I heard of his death.
Anyway, last night I went to see ‘Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson,’ a new documentary from Alex Gibney, whose previous work ‘Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room’ and Oscar winner ‘Taxi to the Dark Side’, I had enjoyed considerably. And when I say “enjoyed considerably”, I mean “enjoyed as much as you can when the subject matters are white collar crime and wartime torture, respectively.” The roll-call of contributors to ‘Gonzo’ was pretty heavyweight: a former president, a former presidential candidate, a former president’s speech writer, both Thompson’s wives, his son, his editor at Rolling Stone, his illustrator, a fellow acclaimed author, and the guy that played him in the movie. You know, that guy from ‘Secret Window’.
I thought the presentation of the film was a little muddled, which though confusing, was in line with the Doctor’s writing, so it was appropriate. What I mean is, the story was told using archival footage, the aforementioned interviews, clips from Wayne Ewing’s films, and Johnny Depp’s readings of the great man’s works. It comes off as a little incoherent, which was probably the intention. Also, at two hours it felt rather long.
But enough gripes! It was still fun. As in, a trunk-full of drugs fun. Seeing his failed run for Sheriff of Aspen (if he’d have won, he’d have been Sheriff of Fat City) is hilarious. Watching the glee-filled vitriol with which he attacks Nixon and Muskie is great. The reverence he has for Carter is sweet. All the Hell’s Angels stuff. The Kentucky Derby. He used to type ‘The Great Gatsby’ in its entirety, over and over again, just to get more accustomed to the rhythm and mechanism of typing.
He may not have been a great guy, what with the drinking, the drugs, the infidelity, the guns, the temper, the inability to ever make a deadline – all of which are documented here. And yet, he was probably the first writer to be a celebrity as we understand it now. He was on Letterman. He was more popular than some of the politicians he was covering. He created a new style of writing. More than anything else: His best stories are far more interesting than any of my best stories. And for putting many of those good stories together, ‘Gonzo’ is well worth checking out.
He does a great Jeff Goldblum impression
For better or worse, you know what you're getting when you go and see a Judd Apatow-produced flick by now, and fortunately/unfortunately 'Pineapple Express' is no exception. There are plenty of laughs - mostly from terrific one-liners and some funny characters - a plot that really doesn't matter one bit, and some sort of resolution at the end. Like 'Knocked Up', I saw it opening night, laughed a whole lot, and then probably won't think too much about it again.
Some reviews have suggested that you have to be on drugs to find it funny, but that wasn't my experience. I actively cheered at the shout-out to my beloved Godspeed You! Black Emperor, which in reference terms is up there with "You're like David Caruso in 'Jade'" from 'The 40 Year Old Virgin'. There's a great fight scene between Rogen, Franco and the unfailingly polite Red, played by Danny McBride whose 'Foot Fist Way' left cinemas here after, like, two days, so I'm yet to see. Franco is especially great, playing the understated but supremely funny drug dealer. Seth Rogen plays the shlubby deadbeat who doesn't understand why people get frustrated with him. Sound familiar? There's a subplot about Rogen and his girlfriend, Angie, which is sorta funny but does deliver a knockout scene with Ed Begley, Jr. I was pretty happy to hear Eddie Grant's 'Electric Avenue', a song about a street in South London, over the opening credits. And apparently, Spiritualized are on the soundtrack. Oh, and there's a classy pre-credits sequence with Bill Hader, who has now been mentioned on this site twice in a few days. He must be very proud.
There's been much talk about director David Gordon Green, whose previous output is a million miles away from the Hot-Fuzz-with-marijuana that's on display here. As a huge fan of his (I LOVE 'George Washington' and 'Undertow'), I was pleased to see him having fun here. There are some pretty elaborate, spectacular action sequences, some involving cars, others involving fire. It's nice to see him getting some acclaim, and if it means more people will watch 'George Washington', then I'm delighted.
For me, it is enough that 'Pineapple Express' made me laugh a few times, even if I felt it was among the weaker films from that stable. Not as bad as 'Walk Hard', though. The penultimate, big action scene really lagged in places. The inclusion of Asian ninjas was a touch too silly for my liking. And the ending scene, in a diner, is dumb as planks. But again, I still laughed a whole bunch, which given some of the competition this summer, is a good thing.
Incidentally, speaking of the "reliability" factor of these films, let me just tell you about two of the trailers that came first. One had Michael Cera playing an adorable, soft-spoken awkward teenager, and another had Christopher Mintz-Plasse as an even more awkward, weird teen. Both films look funny, but again, it's EXACTLY what we expect of these actors.
