On Tape

2011's Best Picture Featuring Ghost Ape-Men

2011-05-27T10:18:00.033-05:00

"My eyes are open, but I can't see," the titular Boonmee (Thanapat Saisaymar) says at one point in Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. "Maybe you just need time to adjust to the dark," another character responds. Viewers may similarly need some time to adjust to writer-director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's fragmented and slow, but rewarding, sixth feature. Its striking, lyrical visuals propel a hypnotic tale about the ways in which life as we know it can interact with life beyond what we understand.

Based on the book A Man Who Can Recall His Past Lives by Buddhist monk Phra Sripariyattiweti, Uncle Boonmee is the first Thai entry to win the Palme d'Or, which it did at Cannes last year. As he wrestles with his mortality, the terminally ill Boonmee encounters spirit forms of his dead wife (Natthakarn Aphaiwong) and long-missing son (Jeerasak Kulhong), while also reliving experiences from his apparent past lives.

The film is (necessarily) eerie, but also comfortable; its languid pacing allowing the plot—such as it is—to wash over the audience. In place of a score are great stretches of silence and a layer of spooky, atmospheric sounds that bolster the movie's meditative mise-en-scene. The collection of characters and interconnected vignettes that run throughout the primary story often appear random, but can't simply be dismissed as non sequiturs. Boonmee consistently grapples with big questions, but still allows for levity, establishing a natural tone that both enhances its mystical elements and occasionally threatens to bore.

Rich, often seemingly impenetrable, and always fascinating, Weerasethakul's is a singular vision whose images and mysteries stay with you long after the credits roll. Uncle Boonmee is haunting in all the right ways.

Grade: B+

You have died of Dysentery: The movie

2011-05-18T16:52:00.028-05:00

With their stories of intricate relationships framed against Oregon's harsh, beautiful terrain, 2006's Old Joy and 2008's Wendy and Lucy established writer-director Kelly Reichardt as a unique and powerful voice in American independent film. Reichardt's latest effort, Meek's Cutoff, navigates similar thematic and topographical terrain, but also manages to be her most ambitious and accomplished work to date.

Jonathan Raymond's (co-writer of Wendy and Lucy and author of the book Old Joy, which the movie adapted) screenplay is based on events surrounding the actual Meek's Cutoff, a branch off the Oregon Trail named for guide Stephen Meek, who led a group of pioneers on a harrowing trip along the route in 1845, despite his apparent unfamiliarity with the area. As the party's journey grows increasingly daunting, Meek's (chillingly played by a captivating Bruce Greenwood) motivations and abilities are questioned, especially by the headstrong Mrs. Tetherow (Michelle Williams, in a typically commanding performance). Group dynamics are further fractured when they encounter a Native American (Rod Rondeaux) whose intentions are also debated.

Initially quiet and serene, while alternately hinting at nature's brutal reality, the film is beautifully shot by Chris Blauvelt (who did camera work on the similarly striking Where the Wild Things Are, A Single Man, and Zodiac, among others) in a pale, Malickian color palette. Reichardt's camera lingers and mesmerizes, her editing rewarding viewers' patience with an earned, deliberate pace. The raw tone she achieves — reflected in Jeff Grace's appropriately sparse, haunting score — gives the proceedings an immediacy, rather than period piece stiffness, effectively capturing the settlers' eventually agonizing experience.

Meek's Cutoff is a movie about communication and understanding, a common theme for Reichardt, though writ large here. We experience events though Williams' eyes and ears, literally: POV shots of the wagon trail are often obscured by her enormous bonnet; when the men of the group discuss plans, they stand just out of earshot of the group's women, so that the viewer hears as little of these important conversations as Williams does. Greenwood often speaks in a nearly unintelligible growl of axioms and tall tales; The Indian (as the character is credited) doesn't speak English, but leaves signs on rocks that the viewer — and the settlers — don't understand. There are political allegories to be found here, if you're looking for them, but the film (and its ambiguity) succeeds without needing to strain for metaphor.

Grade: A-

Trailer Watch: Summer movie alternatives

2011-05-10T15:49:00.006-05:00

I'm as excited for Super 8, Captain America, and Harry Potter as the next nerd, but as temperatures climb and the summer blockbuster juggernaut starts to become oppressive, you may find yourself craving the sweet, character-driven relief of the art house. Thankfully, Trailer Watch is here with a few antidotes to the popcorn flick fare of this coming season.

First up, a film that's as hugely anticipated among certain segments of the moviegoing population as anything Marvel can throw at us, Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life:

Any entry from the legendary — and legendarily unprolific — writer-director is enough to garner widespread attention, but when the proceedings are this epic (much has been made of the picture's dinosaur segments), expectations run high, indeed. I, for one, refuse to tamp them down. Tree of Life opens May 27, and I can't wait.

Next is the Rodman Flender documentary, Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, chronicling Coco's gleefully vaudevillian 2010 national tour:

The doc, which got a warm reception when it premiered at SXSW this spring, reportedly offers a warts-and-all glimpse of O'Brien's post-NBC life and work, without making him unsympathetic (or, perhaps more importantly, unfunny). Can't Stop received a multi-platform distribution deal, becoming first available to AT&T U-verse subscribers before opening in theaters June 24.

Finally, the haunting Martha Marcy May Marlene, which took the Best Director award at Sundance:

Martha marks the feature debut for writer-director Sean Durkin, and was, interestingly — along with Vera Farmiga's Higher Ground and Kevin Smith's Red State — one of several films to deal with religious cults at Sundance this year. Also somewhat surprisingly, the thriller stars Elizabeth (sister to Mary-Kate and Ashley) Olsen in a breakout role as the titular Martha, alongside recent Oscar nominee John Hawkes, bringing that creepy warmth he so effectively employed in Winter's Bone. Very eager to check out this one, which opens July 10.

Well, these ought to adequately cleanse your palette from all the 'splosions of the multiplex. Which movies have you ready for summer?

It's alive (screening)!

2011-05-07T08:50:00.009-05:00

Today's the last day that Chicagoans can catch a screening of Danny Boyle's thrilling Frankenstein, which recently ended its sold out run at London's National Theatre. The play is currently on a broadcast tour of movie theaters around the world, including local treasure the Music Box.

Frankenstein, fairly closely adapted by Nick Dear from Shelley's novel, marks a return to the stage for Boyle, who began his career in English theater before attaining the "celebrated filmmaker" status he now deservedly enjoys. The show stars Boyle's Trainspotting cast member, Jonny Lee Miller, and Benedict Cumberbatch, who has the distinctions of both playing the BBC Sherlock series' titular hero, and being hilariously, Britishly named.

In a stunt that initially seems gimmicky, Miller and Cumberbatch alternate roles as both Frankenstein and his monster, delivering powerful performances that ultimately accentuate the story's themes of duality and creation. Naomie Harris (28 Days Later, Pirates of the Caribbean) and George Harris (Harry Potter) co-star.

Unsurprisingly, Boyle mounts a visually dazzling production, propelled by a driving soundtrack from UK electronic duo Underworld (who also scored Boyle's Sunshine and provided songs for Trainspotting). But appropriately, the show's chief takeaway is its moving story, as relevant now as it was nearly 200 years ago — probably more so.

This week in Chicago fun

2011-04-15T12:30:00.006-05:00

Now that Marine One has taken POTUS out of fair city (and the warm embrace of Mayor-elect Emanuel), Chicagoans may find themselves seeking other local distractions. Well, look no further, friends: On Tape's Friday Fun Time Round-Up is here to show you what's what!

Chi City's own psychedelic rockers The Clams headline at Quencher's tonight, with openers The Deloreans (out of Louisville) and fellow locals House Sounds. You can also catch The Clams on Monday, opening for This Is Cinema at hipster haven The Whistler's free CHIRP Night – bar proceeds for which will benefit the Chicago Independent Radio Project.

Tomorrow brings the fourth annual Record Store Day, with plenty of local stores participating. Expect in-store performances, giveaways, sales, and rare/specialty releases to be featured. Hooray for vinyl!

Also on Monday, Bill Tucker brings his brand of Chicago folk rock to Panchos, along with other locals Warehouse City, Transmontane, and headliners Secret Cities. Pick up Tucker's latest LP, the great Mythological Creatures, at Reformer Records.

Finally, Northwestern University will host "Illuminating the Shadows: Film Criticism in Focus," a free conference on the state of film criticism, from Thursday, April 21 to Saturday, April 23. The conference's screenings and panel discussions will focus on the history of film criticism, the role of the film critic, and how those traditions connect to the current questions surrounding criticism (print vs. online, blogger vs. professional, etc).

Among the conference's many respected speakers are the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips, the New York Times's Dave Kehr, the Chicago Reader's Jonathan Rosenbaum, NPR's Wesley Morris and Alison Cuddy, The A.V. Club's Scott Tobias, and Ebert Presents At the Movies co-host Ignatiy Vishnevetsky. Should be interesting.

Arcade Fire support NGOs, Lauper

2011-04-01T16:17:00.008-05:00

If you missed out on tickets to see Arcade Fire this spring and want to do something good for the world, you're in luck: the band is recruiting volunteers for dates on its upcoming tour. In exchange for free admittance, these honorable folks (and/or cheapskates) will promote Haiti-focused nonprofit organizations Kanpe and Partners in Health to the assembled crowds of hipster kids standing with their arms. Folded. Tight.

No strangers to Haitian advocacy (co-leader Régine Chassagne's parents are Haitian immigrants), the Grammy heroes played a small, surprise show this week in Port-au-Prince — evidence of which can be found in this video of the group performing "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," for some reason.

Beard Rock & the Bean

2011-03-30T12:37:00.013-05:00

Despite its recent gutting, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs has unveiled its 2011 Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays lineup, and it's a doozy. Building on last year's solid schedule, the free Millennium Park concert series will feature Iron & Wine and The Head & the Heart, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Blonde Redhead, Justin Townes Earle, and Low, among others. (Note the distinct lack of hip hop acts, following last year's Kid Sister kerfuffle.)

Meanwhile, with another "meh" Lollapalooza lineup (rumored headliners include Eminem, Foo Fighters, and Muse) and a lackluster Ravinia schedule this year, Pitchfork again provides the hippest bang for your sweaty, summer buck, with performers Animal Collective, TV On The Radio, Fleet Foxes, Neko Case, James Blake, and Das Racist, to name a few. (A headlining list that, had I not stood through Animal Collective's uncharacteristically boring Lolla '09 set, would have me more enthused.) Still, those looking to enjoy free Chicago shows while they still can will have a great festival alternative in the New Music Mondays series.

Low's appearance there will come on the heels of their Lincoln Hall show next month, just after the release of new album, C'mon (which you can stream fully now, if you pre-order). In celebration, here's its first single, "Try to Sleep" — because nothing ushers in summer like slow-core, right, folks? Download the song free here.

Putting 2010 to Bed, Pt. 3

2011-03-20T12:47:00.038-05:00

Somewhat surprisingly, yesterday's list of 2010 movie favorites was made up of mostly "mainstream" Hollywood hits. Since I'm not a completely uncultured swine, there were plenty of other movies I liked last year, some of which flew a little lower under the radar...

Honorable Mentions
Jacques Audiard's A Prophet may not have been released stateside until 2010, but it's officially a 2009 picture (hence, its Best Foreign Language Oscar nomination that year). Had it not been, the dynamic French crime saga almost certainly would've made the favorites list. And we'd be hypocrites to champion movies that show us stories we haven't seen before and not mention Dogtooth, Giorgos Lanthimos's uncompromising tale of extreme parental control (and Greece's Best Foreign Language nom this year).

The year saw many "What's-reality-and-what-isn't" documentaries — Catfish, I'm Still Here, and Marwencol among them — but none on as potentially big a scale as Exit Through the Gift Shop, Bansky's history of modern street art/possible elaborate prank. But scripted features had a pretty good year, too: Aaron Sorkin's Social Network was a lock for Best Adapted Screenplay, but were it most other years, the Coen Brothers likely would've taken the Oscar for their inimitable dialogue in True Grit. Both films were (decidedly different) celebrations of the English language.

I'm glad that Natalie Portman took Best Actress, but I was equally enthused when Winter's Bone's Jennifer Lawrence was nominated. Directed by Debra Granik, the film featured some of the best, most subtle, performances of the year, anchored in Lawrence's star-making turn as a new breed of noir hero. (Claire Danes's Emmy-winning portrayal of the titular Temple Grandin in Mick Jackson's rousing HBO biopic was another of the year's standout Best Actress contenders.)

Performances may not have been the focus here, but when looking back on the year's visual achievements, it's impossible to discount Gaspar Noé's Enter the Void, the French provocateur's latest nightmarish vision. The movie, a two-and-a-half-hour recreation of the hallucinogenic drug experience, certainly isn't a contender for the year's best writing, but its cinematic innovations make it absolutely unlike any other feature length film (and served as the basis for Kanye West's seizure-causing "All of the Lights" video). Similarly, albeit in a much lighter context, Edgar Wright's (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) comic book adaptation, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, brought us video game-inspired visuals never before achieved on film.

In another kind of visual achievement, the year offered some impressive animated features that weren't Toy Story 3: Sylvain Chomet, the writer-director behind 2003's outstanding Triplets of Belleville, adapted an unproduced screenplay by the legendary Jacques Tati for The Illusionist. Set in 1950s Scotland, the movie is a whimsical, if melancholy, semi-autobiography of Tatischeff, a lonely, aging magician/Tati stand-in.

Illusionist was among the Best Animated Feature nominees at the Oscars, to which Bill Plympton is no stranger, having been nominated several times for his well known animated shorts. The writer-director's first feature (entirely hand-drawn by Plympton alone), the film noir morality tale, Idiots and Angels, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2008, but was released theatrically last year. The picture, fueled by Tom Waits songs, provides an ample platform for Plympton's singular, incredible work.

Finally, I'm not sure whether something kept My Dog Tulip out of the running for Best Animated Feature, or if the short-sightedness of the Academy is to blame. Writer-directors Paul and Sandra Fierlinger's adaptation of author J.R. Ackerley's 1956 memoir utilize sketchy animation, a beautiful color palette, and narration by Christopher Plummer to render Ackerley's touching, yet unsentimental account of life with his beloved German Shepherd.

Alright...thanks for the memories, 2010. As always, outrage over anything I've egregiously omitted can be expressed in the comments.

Onward and upward!

Putting 2010 to Bed, Pt. 2

2011-03-19T13:12:00.035-05:00

In part one of this long overdue recapitulation of 2010, we discussed our favorite music of the year. The exciting next chapter finds On Tape combing through half-formed thoughts on the movies I enjoyed most among last year's cinematic crop:

5.) Shutter Island
Critics be damned; I had as much fun watching this creepy genre picture as Martin Scorsese seemed to have making it. Granted, the director could release two hours of paint drying, and it'd likely end up on my best-of list. (Probably wouldn't be much different from Kundun, am I right, people?) My enjoyment of the film comes much more from the experience of watching Scorsese let the mystery unfold than in the actual mechanics of its plot structure, and I'm a sucker for masterful filmmakers' takes on B-movies. Which brings us to...

4.) Black Swan
Yes, the dialogue can be corny, the characters are familiar, and many of the twists along the way aren't unexpected. But again, Darren Aronofsky so envelops the viewer in this haunting psychological thriller that, ultimately, the movie is wholly original. (With the possible exception of Shutter Island, there was certainly nothing else like it among the year's hits.) Natalie Portman's well deserved Oscar and Aronofky's lauded direction bring a welcome prestige — and larger audience — to independent horror filmmaking.

3.) The Social Network
As much as I enjoyed the Facebook pseudo-biopic upon its opening, I didn't have it pegged as potential Oscar fodder. Man, was I wrong. At this point, there's not much I can add that hasn't already been discussed among the praise that's been heaped on director David Fincher's sleek, punchy drama. It wasn't a shock that the Academy went with the Best Picture nominee tailor-made for their sensibilities in The King's Speech, but the fact that, in all likelihood, this thoroughly modern film was the runner-up speaks volumes about the resonance it had with its wide audience. As newly minted Oscar winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has explained, the movie's setting and focus may have its finger on the pulse of today, but its themes and character motivations — jealousy, betrayal, ambition, power — are ancient.

2.) Toy Story 3
I could put in some kind of caveat here, like, "Isn't it crazy that an animated kids movie made it this high on the list?" but by now, it should be a given that Pixar's films are among the most sophisticated and well crafted in American cinema. (Wall-E and Up were my respective favorite movies of the two years before this one.) What's actually somewhat surprising is that a "threequel" — less respected than the already questionable sequel — made the list. But as I've said before, I should just stop resisting the studio's ability to tell some of the best stories in modern filmmaking, and assume that whatever they're offering up at a given time will probably be among the year's best. (The fact that Pixar's next effort is a sequel to my least favorite of its entries, Cars, is somewhat worrisome — but just to be safe, I should probably reserve a spot for it now on my Best of 2011 list.) I can't think of a picture that I had a stronger emotional investement in all year.

1.) Inception
I go to the movies for all sorts of reasons, but mostly, it's to see something that I never have before; to experience the kinds of storytelling that only film can conjure. Ever since the first time I went to see Memento, I've delighted in the elegant cinematic trickery that writer-director Christopher Nolan employs to bring his cerebral tales to the screen. Nolan is that rare creature: a filmmaker with a keen understanding for what audiences want to see, as well as the artistic ability and integrity to present it in an unpatronizing, challenging way. That he was able to do so in 2010 with an original property that's neither an adaptation nor a remake is particularly impressive. Months after its release, I'm still discussing with friends the ending's meaning, its intentional ambiguity inspiring passionate debate upon repeat viewings. This exciting, complex, visually enthralling meditation on dreams is everything that I'm looking for when I head to the movie theater.

So, what are your favorites?

Next time: the exciting conclusion, in which I share I my considerable list of cinematic honorable mentions. Stay tuned!

Putting 2010 to Bed, Pt. 1

2011-03-09T14:10:00.054-06:00

With the Grammys and Oscars having come and gone, now well on their way to being mercifully erased from our collective memory, it's time to wrap up 2010 for good. (Yeah, I'm late on a couple things...big whoop, wanna fight about it?) Without further ado, here's On Tape's favorite music of the year:

Best Songs
10.) The Hold Steady, "The Weekenders"
9.) The Roots (with Joanna Newsom), "Right On"
8.) Janelle Monae, "T ightrope"
7.) Cee Lo Green, "F**k You"
6.) Kanye West, "Power"
5.) Johnny Cash, "Ain't No Grave"
4.) Sleigh Bells, "Crown on the Ground"
3.) Arcade Fire, "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
2.) Vampire Weekend, "White Sky"
1.) Cloud Cult, "Running with the Wolves"

Honorable Mentions
Jónsi, "Go Do"
The National, "Bloodbuzz Ohio"
John Legend & The Roots, "Hard Times"
M.I.A., "Born Free"
Sufjan Stevens, "I Walked"
The Chemical Brothers, "Another World"
Broken Social Scene, "All to All"
LCD Soundsystem, "Dance Yrself Clean"

Best Albums
5.) Cloud Cult, Light Chasers
The orchestral-indie rockers' ninth LP may be slightly reduced in scope and variety than compared with previous projects, but it's also more focused and less frenzied. The results are a continuation of the group's substantial ability to craft perfect pop songs (hence, their number one ranking in the "Best Songs" list above).
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4.) Sleigh Bells, Treats
One of those rare cases where a buzzed-about new band lives up to the hype. The Brookyln duo exploded onto the dance/noise rock scene after becoming the third act to sign onto M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. label on the strength of their self-titled 2009 EP. Producer/guitarist Derek Miller (formerly of Poison the Well) and singer Alexis Krauss specialize in fuzzy beats that threaten to blow your speakers while retaining a feel-good pop sensibility.
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3.) Vampire Weekend, Contra Another Brooklyn act whose five minutes of buzz began with the release of their self-titled 2008 LP, the indie-chamber rock quartet has managed to sustain the deserved attention with an assured album that sidesteps the sophomore slump entirely. The record builds on the group's breezy, Afropop-by-way-of-Paul-Simon energy established on their debut, while being unafraid to employ complex arrangements and song structure.
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2.) Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Fresh off an Album of the Year Grammy win upset, the Montreal collective is currently reaching what is, for them, an unprecedented audience. The band's third LP is a great introduction to the group for the masses: an initially, deceptively simple collection of genre-defying songs that confidently infuses their baroque rock with 80s synth-pop, punk, and country elements. As usual, the material veers from eerie to euphoric, this time focusing on the claustrophobia of adolescent suburbia. It's certainly the peppiest, catchiest meditation on the apocalypse this year.
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1.) Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
The title of West's fifth LP says it all: hyperbolic, overblown, enticing, daring. A true pop icon, the producer/MC's ego and image constantly threaten to overshadow his work, only to somehow have his music continuously match the bluster and bombast. As with his last effort, 2008's 808s and Heartbreak, the record is conceptualized, first and foremost, as a piece of art; here, however, the project is less cold experiment and more vivacious celebration. Each track stands on its own, but works best as a cohesive experience, chronicling the World of Kanye through an innovative pop album that exists comfortably in the realm of hip hop, but is satisfied only when pushing the medium forward.

Honorable Mentions
Joanna Newsom, Have One on Me
Jónsi, Go
The Hold Steady, Heaven is Whenever
The New Pornographers, Together
Janelle Monae, The ArchAndroid
Reflection Eternal, Revolutions Per Minute
Big Boi, Sir Luscious Left Foot... The Son of Dusty Chico
The Roots, How I Got Over
John Legend & The Roots, Wake Up

What did I miss, friends? Let me know in the comments...

Up next: highlights from the many hours wasted last year at the cineplex.

Happy Belated Holidays!

2011-01-27T11:02:00.041-06:00

On Tape spent all month hungover, so we're just now managing to get to the Great Holiday Wrap-Up of 2010! As Sesame Street taught us, we should keep Christmas with us all through the year. So, in that spirit of delayed gift giving, here are some yuletide treats you may not have seen...

In an interview with David Bazan, holiday music blog Festive! (by KEXP's DJ El Toro) revealed that the depressing Christmas carol aficionado plans to compile all of his occasionally-annual Christmas vinyl singles onto one album, to be released in time for the 2011 holidays. The interview also features some interesting insights into Bazan's tumultuous experiences with Christianity, and how they've shaped his feelings about Christmas and its music.

Sleeping at Last did something similar, compiling their annual, free holiday mp3s into an eight-song "Christmas Collection 2010," which you can stream here. (Expect another batch of free downloads this December.) Additionally, the band's new, original Christmas song, "Snow," is featured on their December EP, part of the group's Yearbook project, in which they're releasing a three-song EP each month for a year. The video for "Snow" is comprised of fan-submitted footage:

No stranger to Christmas music, Sufjan Stevens officially released two holiday tunes featuring Arcade Fire's Richard Parry and The National's Aaron and Bryce Dessner. But for those keeping count, these tracks already became (unofficially) available a few years ago, when the never-formally-released Songs for Christmas, Vol. VI: Gloria! made the rounds online.

The only other Songs for Christmas EP to have seen any light since Stevens's box set of volumes 1-5 was 2008's Vol. VIII: Astral Inter Planet Space Captain Christmas Infinity, which gave us some insight into just how electronic and weird his next non-holiday album, last year's The Age of Adz, would be. Assuming Stereogum is correct in reporting that 2010 was an "off year" for a Songs for Christmas release, that means the only EP that's never shown up is volume 7. (Anybody got it?)

Meanwhile, Suf's buddy, Daniel Smith, released his Sounds Familyre label's third annual free holiday compilation, A Familyre Christmas - Volume 3, featuring Stevens and Vesper Stamper's "Up on the Housetop," as well as new tracks from Danielson, Half-handed Cloud, and others.

And who better than Zooey Deschanel to remind us that the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear? Conan musical guest She & Him rocked a few jams backstage with Coco, including this rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas":

Finally, everybody's favorite weirdo holiday duet, Bing Crosby and David Bowie's "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy," gets the homage it dearly deserves, thanks to John C. Reilly and Deschanel's Elf costar Will Ferrell:

Happy super-late holidays, everybody! .

The Dude meets The Duke

2011-01-18T23:08:00.025-06:00

With dreck like Little Fockers dominating the box office, it feels good to be able to say that the Coen Brothers are currently enjoying, by far, their biggest commercial success. A number of factors have likely led to True Grit's considerable ticket sales, but the fact that it's easily one of the writer/director/producer duo's most "mainstream" films is probably a significant contributor.

Based on Charles Portis's 1968 novel of the same name, True Grit is Joel and Ethan Coen's second adaptation, following their 2007 Best Picture winner (and second biggest hit), No Country for Old Men, and their first attempt at a straight-ahead Western. As we've come to expect from the brothers, it's beautifully shot by regular collaborator Roger Deakins, compositionally elegant, and at times, a bit strange. However — though I suspect this is due to its source material more than anything else — the movie could stand for some more of that signature Coen weirdness.

Like the rest of the duo's work, the picture is violent (how this is rated "PG-13" while The King's Speech gets an "R" is beyond me), funny, and poignant, with dialogue that pops and flows poetically in antiquated Old West language. But its striking visuals — like that of an approaching, bearskin-wearing medicine man who initially appears to be a bear on horseback — are sometimes overshadowed by surprisingly non-off-kilter (on-kilter?) tropes like the obvious music cues and voiceover.

The story concerns hardheaded 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), who enlists the aid of crusty US Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to track down Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the outlaw who killed her father. Cocky Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) is already on Chaney's trail, and the three will have to work together to find their man. Naturally, there are several setpiece obstacles along the way. The proceedings are anchored by the supremely confident, charismatic performance from newcomer Steinfeld. She more than holds her own with Bridges, who exudes screen presence in the role that earned John Wayne an Oscar for Henry Hathaway's 1969 adaptation.

The disappointing ending's lack of heft and the absence of a deeper Coen imprint on the material keep True Grit from becoming an instant classic in the manner of some of their other work. Regardless, this is strong filmmaking from artists who have long since earned the right to make whatever kind of movies they desire.

Grade: B+

"Craziest Movie Ever to Potentially Sweep the Oscars" Award winner

2010-12-22T15:27:00.014-06:00

Those of us who recognized an assured cinematic talent in Darren Aronofsky but found his work (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) to be a bit overblown were pleasantly surprised by the restraint he brought to 2008's The Wrestler, the director's much lauded, decidedly unflashy portrait of an aging former wrestling star. Aronofsky's fifth film, Black Swan, exists somewhere in the middle of that tonal spectrum; it's a hyper-real fairy tale superimposed onto a setting of grounded realism. In that sense — as well as others — Roman Polanski was a clear influence on Black Swan: intense and disturbing, the story centers on its female protagonist's growing, sexualized paranoia in a way that immediately calls to mind Rosemary's Baby and Repulsion.

Natalie Portman stars as tightly wound ballerina Nina Sayers, who lives with her overbearing mother (Barbara Hershey), and is chosen to replace outgoing principal dancer Beth (Winona Ryder) in her company's "re-imagined" production of Swan Lake. Under the direction of the highly regarded Thomas (Vincent Cassel), Nina excels in the technically proficient "White Swan" aspect of the Swan Queen role, but struggles with the passionate "Black Swan" side, which new, carefree dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) performs naturally. As Nina delves deeper into the demanding part, so too does she increasingly fall into a psychosis that threatens to devour her.

Debut screenwriters Andres Heinz, John McLaughlin, and Mark Heyman (who worked on the original, second, and final iterations of the script, respectively) craft dialogue that's sometimes stilted and obvious, often delivered by conventional character types, but identifying those traits as flaws misses the point. The film explicitly suggests its folk tale inspiration by using Swan Lake as a backdrop, and does so implicitly through the sensual assault it steadily builds to. The immersive sound design, double-take editing, and close, handheld shots that Aronofsky employs cause the audience to believe that what we're seeing isn't quite real. Spending so much time with Nina (Portman is in every scene) allows us to experience the world as she does, and it's often through the lens of fantasy, for better or for worse.

Black Swan hinges on Portman's abilities as much as its dazzling visuals, and she gives a completely engrossing performance here, with a physicality and range only hinted at in prior work. (Similarly, Kunis shows that given the right material, she has a natural, easygoing charm.) The story's initial groundedness comes from its exploration of the disciplined, difficult world of ballet, and as Nina becomes consumed by it, so do we. Aronofsky uses Tchaikovsky's score (and Benjamin Millepied's choreography) to great effect, with it ultimately taking over the picture as Nina is overtaken.

As with one of my other favorites of the year, Shutter Island, this is ostensibly a horror movie whose twists and turns aren't exactly surprising — but the way in which they're presented is. A true filmic feast, Black Swan is striking in its depiction of a tortured artist becoming unhinged in the name of creative perfection.

Grade: A-

MySpace movie not coming soon

2010-10-26T14:55:00.014-05:00

On the surface level, a "Facebook movie" has, of course, no good reason to be entertaining. And an account of the (very recent) history of a website's founding and subsequent litigious troubles should certainly have no right to be exciting. But if anyone could pull it off, many reasoned before seeing the film, it's Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher. Happily, and not unsurprisingly, they were right.

The Social Network, adapted by Sorkin from a treatment for 2009's The Accidental Billionaires, follows Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's unprecedented rise to power, and the personal connections he sacrificed along the way. It's a familiar premise, but its context feels fresh and engaging. The backroom drama and contemporary implications of Facebook's story are a perfect match for Sorkin, whose crackling dialogue is served exceptionally well by Fincher's brisk pace. The director brings his controlled, dark finesse to the material, and the combined results make for truly compelling drama.

As Zuckerberg, Jesse Eisenberg carries the movie with an understated performance that both propels its swift storytelling and effectively holds the screen (with help from strong turns by Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield, and Armie Hammer). In what could be a theme for the films of 2010, the Zuckerberg of The Social Network may not be entirely "true," but he's a nuanced character for whom Eisenberg manages to have the viewer rooting, while also keeping them at arm's length. Buoyed by its muted color palette and intense, foreboding score (by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross), the picture can feel cold and calculating — but no more so than its subject.

Plenty of interesting questions — about ambition, status, friendship, and technology — are raised in The Social Network, but its strength lies in letting us draw our own conclusions. We may not know which version of events is factual, but we know that there's truth in Zuckerberg's story, and in what his creation offers people.

Grade: A-

@Catfish is a #CompellingMovie. Thumbs up if you agree!

2010-09-30T17:26:00.028-05:00

Warning: While spoilers have been avoided below, if you want to go into Catfish truly unspoiled (which may be in your best interest, as previously mentioned), the author would humbly recommend reading as little as possible about the movie beforehand.

It's difficult to discuss a movie like Catfish without first acknowledging the controversy surrounding its release and promotion...and while we won't delve too deeply into that here, it does seem contextually significant. Since its Sundance purchase, much has been made of the film's supposed "truth problem," and the is-it-or-isn't-it questions that have swirled around its status as a genuine documentary. This has been exacerbated by the filmmakers' insistence that the movie is "real," and by the studio's "Not based on a true story...just true" tagline.

What I'll say is that when I saw the trailer, I just assumed it was a "faux documentary" without thinking twice — and I can't help but think that the studio, with its clear Blair Witch influence, was intentionally vague in not making that distinction explicit. Of course, "real" and "true" are objective terms, and I took the tagline to mean, "There is truth to this film," rather than, "These events were not prefabricated."

I also knew that, after having seen the trailer, I didn't want to read or hear anything more about Catfish before watching it, so I saw the film oblivious to the growing fuss around its authenticity. I'm fairly certain that my mindset going in — that it was a given the movie wasn't a straight-ahead doc — made my viewing experience a more positive one than it would've otherwise been, had I known the filmmakers were defending it as "100 percent true."

I'll reveal my personal bias and say that it seems a little too coincidental that a film concerned entirely with what's real and what isn't just happened to get a lot of press about whether or not it was real; I don't believe that Catfish is a "real" documentary (whatever that actually means), but I also don't think that that at all takes away from it as a film. I can understand people being rankled by what appears to be a ruse, but frankly, those folks are taking the bait. Gimmicky or not, Catfish is an effective movie — namely, one about a group of friends...being rankled by what appears to be a ruse.

Co-directed with occasionally motion-sickness-inducing handheld camerawork by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, the pair choose to make Ariel's brother and roommate Nev the focus of a film project after Nev begins an interesting correspondence. A New York-based photographer, Nev receives a painting of one of his recently published photos in the mail from Abby, a young girl in Michigan, and subsequently exchanges emails with Abby's mother, Angela.

As their correspondence continues, Nev strikes up a long-distance friendship with Angela and Abby, as well as other family members, including Abby's older half-sister, Megan. Through phone conversations and various social media communication, Joost and Schulman document Nev and Megan's budding relationship. But as cracks start to form in the veneer of who Megan has presented herself to be, Nev plans a face-to-face confrontation with Megan and her family, culminating in a revealing trip to Michigan. What we eventually find there may not come as a shock, but where the story goes is certainly surprising.

The Schulmans and Joost are a likeable group of guys, and much of the footage feels like a genuine documentation of friends spending time and cracking jokes together. Catfish enages viewers by establishing this laid-back environment, then holds our interest by managing to build to a legitimately heart-pounding climax. By turns funny, creepy, suspenseful, awkward, exploitative, and sad, the film is certainly an emotional roller coaster.

It may be telling that many of the year's best movies were about the nature of reality as it's presented (Black Swan, Inception, Exit Through the Gift Shop, and Shutter Island, among others), or how social media can effect that reality (The Social Network). Nev Schulman, probably like much of his audience, is rarely without his iPhone, Facebook, YouTube, or Google Maps, and while a "Does the internet really connect us?" message would be easy, Catfish goes for something more substantive. It's about inter-connectedness, sure, but it's ultimately a touching film that explores relationships and portrayed personas, self-delusion and real friendship. And it does so truthfully.

Grade: B+

Wicked mediocre! How'd ya like them apples?

2010-09-22T22:11:00.017-05:00

Adapted from Chuck Hogan’s novel, "Prince of Thieves," The Town explores the Boston crime world with the same gritty sensibility as Ben Affleck's debut, Gone Baby Gone. From its intense opening sequence on, the film again shows Affleck's deft directorial hand; this time around, though, the presentation is decidedly slicker. The action — perhaps buoyed by the director's increased confidence — is stepped up a notch, and while its car chases and heists are gripping, there's an undercurrent of significance and meaning sadly missing from the proceedings.

In addition to his directing and co-writing duties, Affleck stars as Charlestown crook-with-a-heart-of-gold Doug MacRay, who heads a crew of creepy-masked bank thieves, including hotheaded James Coughlin, (Jeremy Renner) Doug's childhood friend. While James remains fiercely loyal to their violent way of life, Doug angles for a way out — of robbery and of Charlestown — but not before One Last Big Job.

Affleck is likeable, but sometimes outshone by the strong cast he's assembled. (Renner, in particular, follows his Oscar nod with another commanding performance.) Each character is unmistakably a stock archetype, fleshed out as much as possible by engaging actors: Rebecca Hall as the love interest/bank manager (twist!); Jon Hamm as the smooth FBI agent on Doug's tail; Chris Cooper as Doug's wizened father, serving time for his own crimes.

Despite its by-the-books plot, the movie's still fun to watch unfold, and hits all the necessary notes with aplomb — even if that means heading toward a schmaltzy ending which wraps things up a little too neatly. Moment to moment, The Town is a well crafted and compelling thriller, but lacks the emotional resonance of the high standard Affleck previously set for himself. It'll be interesting to see what this clearly talented filmmaker chooses as a next step.

Grade: B

Another one bites the dust

2010-09-08T14:25:00.007-05:00

Sad news today, friends: Paste magazine announced last week that its print edition was folding, while its website would continue on, in some capacity.

As former Paste Associate Editor Rachael Maddux recounted in a post for Salon, the magazine's lofty, arguably ambiguous goals (covering the positive aspects of music and movies in a generally snark-free tone; being interested in how faith interacts with pop culture without being limited by that interest; existing as a print publication, at all) sometimes made it a target for criticism from skeptics and haters of all stripes.

Just as many readers, however - even if they weren't paid subscribers, clearly - appreciated what they were going for, and it was comforting to know that Paste was out there, battling it out among the gaudier likes of the Rolling Stones and Spins of the racks.

R.I.P., Paste. You'll be missed.

In other slowed-down news...

2010-08-31T13:51:00.015-05:00

Many of you savvy film enthusiasts are perhaps already aware of this neat bit of movie trivia, but it's the first I'd heard about it, so I'll share, just in case...

Inception fans will recognize Edith Piaf's classic, "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien," as the song that Leo's dream thieves use as a warning that the "kick" (an upsetting of the dreamer's equilibrium, thus waking him up) is on its way. They'll also remember that, in the film, time slows down in a dream. As such, astute YouTube user camiam321 noticed something interesting about Inception composer Howard Zimmer's main theme:

From the jaunty brass and strings of "Regrette"'s refrain, we get Zimmer's tense, foreboding score, punctuated by horn blasts. How cool is that? (Not to mention that Inception co-star Marion Cotillard won an Oscar for portraying Piaf in La Vie en Rose. This movie has levels, man.) One of the many reasons why I thought it was the best of the summer.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know over in the poll.
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Wanna hear what Justin Bieber sounds like 800% slower?

2010-08-18T17:54:00.012-05:00

About 800% better:

This slowed-down "remix" of The Bieb's hit "U Smile" by Shamantis has been making the rounds online, and Sigur Ros comparisons abound.

Maybe Shamantis is J-Biebz in disguise, and this is his exploratory foray into the ambient scene?
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Trailer Watch

2010-08-11T21:36:00.024-05:00

In these lazy, hazy, crazy dog dog days of summer, there's nothing like a batch of strong trailers for some of the coming months' most buzzed-about releases to get us ready for fall...

First up, Boston crime drama The Town, opening September 17:

Adapted from the novel Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan, The Town is the sophomore directorial/co-writing effort from Ben Affleck, who proved himself a formidable talent behind the camera with 2007's excellent Gone Baby Gone. Rather than give brother Casey the starring turn this time, though, Affleck (straight from the personal trainer, apparently) here steps into that role himself, the next phase in a valiant attempt to resurrect his acting career.

It certainly doesn't hurt that his co-stars are Jon "Don Draper" Hamm and a fresh-off-his-Hurt Locker-Oscar-nom Jeremy Renner -- or that this clip makes the thing look like The Departed meets Dark Knight. In other words, I'm eager to see it.

Next is the strangest, and most potentially interesting, of these three: Catfish, which also bows Septmeber 17. The breakout Sundance hit's trailer is already something of a controversy; the film's primary draw during the festival was its refusal to be bound to any one genre, and the surprises that its third act delivered. Some are crying foul that this clip gives away too much (consider yourself warned):

I, for one, am a perfect mark for this kind of campaign; without a marketing push like this, I likely wouldn't be much enthused about yet another indie faux-doc. While I understand the argument that going into the film knowing nothing is the ideal way to experience this kind of story, most of the moviegoing public doesn't get to experience new releases within the context of a film fest bubble. Bring on the "WTF" angle, I say.

Finally, the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg biopic, The Social Network, opening October 1:

When I first heard that Ben Mezrich's 2009 book, The Accidental Billionaires, was being adapted, I wondered if the story of Facebook would really make for much of a movie. Then, it was announced that Aaron Sorkin was writing the script, which David Fincher would direct (with a score by Trent Reznor, no less). I got interested.

The trailer, buoyed by an eerie choral rendition of Radiohead's "Creep" -- from Belgian women's choir Scala and Kolacny Brothers, reports Entertainment Weekly -- manages to be dark, funny, and poignant. Here's hoping the film lives up to it.

Is it autumn yet?
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Cool, but I want that reunion now

2010-08-07T13:21:00.010-05:00

Good news for those still going through Sleater-Kinney withdrawl: Corin Tucker, former frontwoman of the defunct, lauded trio, is putting the finishing touches on her Corin Tucker Band (featuring Unwound drummer Sara Lund and the Golden Bears' Seth Lorinczi and Julianna Bright) debut LP, due out October 5. You can download first single "Doubt" over at Pitchfork.

The song leaves no "Doubt" (eh?) that Tucker's new album, 1,000 Years, will scratch the itch that fans of her old band have for similar material; the punky single features familiar dueling guitars and Tucker's signature vibrato over a classic rock sound that The Woods - S-K's last, fantastic record - saw the group moving toward.

Meanwhile, Tucker's former bandmate, Carrie Brownstein, provided the (similarly S-K reminiscent) score for upcoming documentary, !Women Art Revolution, which covers the history of the feminist art movement. Plus, it was just announced that Brownstein and SNL's Fred Armisen will co-write and co-star in Portlandia, a half hour, Lorne Michaels-produced series, for IFC. So, even if we don't get a Sleater-Kinney reunion within the next five years - as Brownstein mentioned last spring might happen - it shouldn't be difficult to check out its members' new work.

Tucker heads out for a mini-tour in October, while !Women Art Revolution opens at the Toronto Film Festival next month.

In the Coens' version, Buscemi played Jon Arbuckle

2010-07-26T17:50:00.008-05:00

Bill Murray seldom gives interviews, so this Q&A by Dan Fierman (ostensibly in support of his quirky new vehicle Get Low, which looks great and opens Friday) for next month's GQ reveals a few interesting things about the iconic actor. Among them:

-He considers the movie Kung Fu Hustle "the the supreme achievement of the modern age in terms of comedy";

-He apparently did Garfield because he mistakenly thought it was written by the Coen Brothers;

-He has only seen one episode of Seinfeld (which he refers to as "what's-his-name, Larry David's show," and which he thought was "terrible");

...all of which is a little confusing, and kind of awesome, much like the man himself. In related news, Caddyshack just turned 30 (!).

Via Rotten Tomatoes.

The Girl Whose Titles Were Long

2010-07-16T11:30:00.015-05:00

We've been talking a lot about sequels around here lately, leading me to make a comparison I wouldn't have expected, prior to seeing The Girl Who Played with Fire: the second chapter in the gritty Millennium trilogy - adapted from the late Stieg Larsson's novels – has, on a surface level, some key components in common with this summer's much bigger follow-up, Iron Man 2. Both are transitional entries in popular franchises; both tend to favor action setpieces and multiple plot lines over the more subtle storytelling of their originals, and as a result, aren't as engaging or taut as their predecessors (not an uncommon criticism of sequels). Still, Fire is a solid, enjoyable film - another characteristic it shares with IM2.

Slightly more conventionally helmed by director Daniel Alfredson than The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo's Niels Arden Oplev, the movie wastes no time launching into muckraking protagonist Mikael Blomkvist's (Michael Nyqvist) next adventure; those who haven't seen Dragon will be lost. As with the last film, which had Blomkvist investigating a decades-old series of unsolved Swedish murders, he is assisted in his latest case by punky private investigator/hacker, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), the real star of the series. This time, the pair becomes embroiled in a human trafficking chase, leading Salander to confront some of her past's secrets.

While Fire is a much more expository narrative than Dragon, Salander remains a compelling, badass character (rooted in Rapace's commanding performance), and the story provides an opportunity for viewers to learn more about her background. The movie retains the series' clear Silence of the Lambs imprint, but manages to feel just as influenced by the derring-do of the Bourne franchise. This blending can be by turns effective and disjointed, intertwining twisty and complicated plot elements. (Perhaps the inevitable American adaptations - the first of which arrives next year from, promisingly, David Fincher - will provide a more realized offering?)

Jonas Frykberg's - who returns as co-writer for the threequel - script may close with an unsatisfying ending, but only because it's an obvious setup for The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (arriving stateside in October); it's a testament to the absorbing universe created by Larsson, and strikingly adapted by Alfredson and Oplev, that we immediately want to know what happens next. The Millennium trilogy's core elements may be fairly standard crime procedural material, but its unique perspective is original enough to excitingly propel the series.

Grade: B

Tim Allen pleads for Toy Story 4

2010-07-11T21:47:00.015-05:00

After eleven consecutive commercial and critical smashes, I'm tempted to ask, "What's in the water over at Pixar?" I suspect, though, that the answer would simply be that the studio provides creative filmmakers with an atmosphere that rewards and encourages honest, unique, and imaginative storytelling, able to resonate with people of all ages and walks of life. Still, it's sometimes difficult to believe that the company doesn't rely on some kind of foolproof equation they've developed which allows them to effectively manipulate a wide range of audience emotions with the slightest of ease.

Case in point, Toy Story 3. When news of the film's release first broke, there was some disappointment among Pixar fans that the studio was "settling" for a second sequel to an already established property, rather than announcing a new, original story. It's a (fairly unsurprising) relief, then, that from its opening scene, the movie is immediately funny, touching, and exciting, and that those feelings don't let up, even through the end credits. Four years passed between Toy Story 2 and the original; TS3 arrives eleven years after the second entry. While that gap could be seen as further fodder for the argument that the picture was greenlighted purely for its financial potential, director Lee Unkrich (co-director of TS2, Finding Nemo, and Monsters, Inc.) uses that lapse in time to provide a solid reason for revisiting Sheriff Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the gang.

In the kind of "emotional time passage" montage at which Pixar has become so adept, TS3 opens with home video clips of toy owner Andy growing up, from the days of the first two movies, to the present, which finds him preparing to leave for college. Naturally, this change inspires panic and melancholy among the toy ranks, lead by Woody and Buzz, who've had to go to increasing lengths to get the teenaged Andy to acknowledge, much less play with, them. The inherent sadness in the idea that our playthings are secretly alive has been felt throughout the series, but screenwriter Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) brings it to new depths here by having the toys face such a crisis of identity and purpose. Pretty brave stuff for summer family fare, but it's consistent with the studio's track record of rewarding risk taking.

What ensues is the expected Toy Story setup of elaborate near escapes and rescue plots, fraught with peril and humor - propelled of course, by fantastic animation, the best of the three on display here - but this time around, a weighty sense of existential (and tangible) angst pervades the setpieces. Each of the trilogy's films deal with questions of friendship and loss, but Toy Story 3 is the most emotionally engaging, and ultimately, the most powerful, of them. Improbably, Pixar has crafted a movie series in which each entry is more effective than the last.

Grade: A-

DVD Watch

2010-07-10T13:13:00.005-05:00

Irish hit The Secret of Kells, which chronicles the creation of the Book of Kells by Cetic monks - and which just ended a run at Chicago's Siskel Film Center - will be released on DVD and Blu-ray October 5.

The movie's breathtaking hand-drawn animation rightly garnered it a nomination for Best Animated Feature at this year's Oscars (Up ultimately took the win). Animation enthusiasts, and those who prefer their family films without pop culture sass-talk, should definitely check this one out.

Trailer Watch: Harry Potter & the Search for Purpose Once the Series Ends

2010-06-29T21:49:00.006-05:00

Well, kids, the trailer for franchise finale - broken into two parts, natch - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hit the intertubes today, and it's certainly not lacking for overblown epicness...but then, that's what we're looking for in a conclusion, right?

David Yates, who brought a (mostly) deft hand to the last two series entries, takes the reigns again for the final chapter(s), officially making him the director of half of the Potter films. But before we all start prematurely crying into our butterbeers, let's check out that Voldemort-heavy trailer:

Thoughts?

This weekend in Chicago concerts

2010-06-26T15:24:00.013-05:00

Minneapolis folk-rocker Mason Jennings played the first of two consecutive shows last night at Lincoln Hall, and while the backing band he brought along for his tour last fall was missed, he offered up a satisfyingly varied solo set of old and new songs.

Among them were some deep cuts like "The Fisherman" - a bonus track from 2008's In the Ever - and "Stormy Weather," originally titled "The Field," (not to be confused with the similarly titled track off of Blood of Man) which Jennings recently unearthed from a box of forgotten recordings. The singer-songwriter shared with the enthusiastic crowd that he may release the old songs in an album format later this year.

Meanwhile, the second annual Green Music Fest wrapped up tonight in West Town, with headliners David Bazan and Cloud Cult. Bazan - armed with a 3-piece band behind him - clearly aimed for a festival-ready set of loud, rock-driven tunes, eschewing his usual question-and-answer segments, as well as, oddly, most of his newest record. Curse Your Branches may be speculative (at one point, Bazan mentioned the strangeness of playing "navel-gazing songs" at an outdoor festival), but it's also his most accessible material.

The orchestral-indie stylings of Cloud Cult provided a similarly boisterous closing set, highlighting a few solid songs from their new record, Light Chasers, which won't hit shelves until September 17, but is now available online. Up next for Chicagoans: Pitchfork, Lolla, etc, etc.

Who doesn't love some Buscemi?

2010-06-20T21:51:00.008-05:00

Ok, so it's not technically a movie, but since the last time I broke my "music and movies only" rule was for the Sopranos finale, it's fitting that the second time is about Sopranos writer Terence Winter's new series, Boardwalk Empire.

Boardwalk, which premiers on HBO this fall, stars Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson (based on real life Atlantic County Treasurer Enoch "Nucky" Johnson), the "boss" of Prohibition-era Atlantic City, and generally looks awesome. It doesn't hurt that other Sopranos mainstays like director Timothy Van Patten are on board...or that Martin Scorsese directed the pilot and is producing the show.

Evidence of Scorsese's involvement is all over the newly released trailer, which doesn't quite make me want to pay for HBO, but ensures the series a home at the top of my Netflix queue:

2x better than most action sequels

2010-05-17T18:01:00.025-05:00

When it hit screens two summers ago, Iron Man surpassed audience expectations by delivering that rare treat: a superhero flick stressing character over explosions. While the strength of the original film lay in its emphasis on thoughtfulness over stock archetypes and CGI sequences (while still delivering the action goods), fans can rest assured that, for the most part, the series' integrity remains unscathed by Iron Man 2.

The sequel retains the brisk energy and improvisational feeling established by director Jon Favreau (who returns here) in the first movie, as well as the expected exciting setpieces. The solid cast, anchored by the relentlessly charming Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony "Iron Man" Stark, also continues to be in fine form, with notable new additions in Mickey Rourke as creepy Russian physicist Ivan Vanko; scenery-chewing Sam Rockwell as sleezy weapons manufacturer Justin Hammer; and the reliable Don Cheadle, replacing Terrence Howard as Col. Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes.

Vanko and Hammer — each variations on aspects of Stark's character, and both with a vendetta against him — provide the bulk of the story's conflict, but Stark is also facing problems with the federal government, which pressures Stark to turn his technology over to the military; his company, which Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts takes over as CEO; and another government agency, the shadowy S.H.I.E.L.D., which we learn more about this time around. If that sounds like a lot of plot elements, it is, but the screenplay (by Tropic Thunder scribe/actor Justin Theroux) largely succeeds where other sequels haven't, by juggling multiple storylines while keeping the characters empathetic and three-dimensional.

Often, second superhero movie entries allow a series to become less restrained by its origin story, the elaborate mythology of which can typically hamper a first movie's compactness. Iron Man's origin unfolded so effectively, however, that the franchise is actually threatened with that problem in its sequel. But while IM2's structure isn't as tight and streamlined as the original, the film still chugs along fluidly — even if the proceedings aren't exactly inspired.

It's a true "part two," in that the picture tells a transitional story — not a bad thing, if done well. Marvel Studios uses IM2 as its most overt platform yet to set up a likely Avengers series, which initially seemed like a terrible idea (some things are best left on the comic page), but the movie convinces that the plan, while a bit messy, is at least thought out, and has potential to be done justice.

Ultimately, for what it is, the film succeeds simply by being a sequel that doesn't feel unncessary; it's a solid second chapter that takes Tony Stark to the next logical place in the series. (Here's hoping the inenvitable threequel finds further inspriation in the comics' landmark Demon in a Bottle arc, which focused on Stark's growing alcoholism.) It's exciting to see Marvel — whose first release was Iron Man — defy conventional wisdom by aiming to not just let each picture stand on its own, but cross-pollinating them with each other's characters, and attempting to set up a real comic book world on film. Iron Man 2 is loud and busy, to be sure, but far from brainless. It manages to retain enough of the heart, message, and fun that made the original special.

Grade: B

2Pac collaboration slated for 2011

2010-04-30T15:20:00.006-05:00

The newly released video for Johnny Cash's "Ain't No Grave" - the first single, and easily the strongest track, off of Cash's posthumous record of the same name - may have been directed by Chris Milk, but Milk shares a co-directing credit with 5,500 other people.

The clip employed an open source ("crowdsourced") development method, one which bands like Radiohead have also used, to interesting effect. Fans were invited to submit online drawings - via The Johnny Cash Project website - based on provided stills from the Man in Black's 1973 film, The Gospel Road (the story of Jesus, told Cash-style...which I, a diehard fan myself, can really only recommend to those who would classify themselves as such). The drawings were then compiled, creating a compelling piece for an artist who knew a thing or two about powerful videos.

The video is completed, but you can still make some fun drawings. Do so, and watch the final product, here.

Kindergarden Cop 4 Eva

2010-04-22T12:07:00.004-05:00

Oh, Superpoop. You distract me at work.

All this and an organic farm, too

2010-04-21T21:57:00.003-05:00

Cloud Cult, who played a characteristically joyful, sold-out show last week at Lincoln Hall, released new EP Running with the Wolves Tuesday. The title track will appear on their forthcoming album, Light Chasers, due to drop August 17, and indicates that the new LP (their ninth) should be a rockin' good time. Wolves's other tracks include B-sides and alternate versions of songs.

Incidentally, the previously mentioned documentary about the band, No One Said It Would Be Easy, was released last spring.

In Concert: Atoms for Peace (Aragon Ballroom, Chicago)

2010-04-15T00:01:00.022-05:00

The future of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke's newly named (and fairly recently formed) side project, Atoms for Peace, remains uncertain, but if the supergroup's consecutive sold-out shows at the Aragon on Saturday and Sunday are any indication, he's taking their work together seriously - and clearly having a lot of fun.

As the band (featuring Flea on bass, Joey Waronker on drums, Maruo Refosco on percussion, and programming/keys by Nigel Godrich) worked its way through the first set - the entirety of Yorke's 2006 LP, The Eraser, in succession - it quickly became evident that Yorke sees the band and tour as an opportunity to give new life to the electronic dirge of his solo work. Some of Flea's funkiness must've rubbed off on Yorke, because while the former's eccentric strutting is to be expected, Thom also wasted no time busting slinky moves that he's rarely exhibited while fronting that other band.

Indeed, Yorke felt looser than normal, as did his songs, by being provided a different venue (much of the appeal of a side project) in the group's musical reworkings. By the third number, "The Clock," Eraser's tunes took on an energy not present on the record, offering a more organic counterpart to the album's starkness. While Flea performed the menacing keyboard loop of "Skip Divided" on a melodica, Yorke rocked a cowbell, and both swayed under giant, Radioheadesque neon lights. With its decrescendo into piano and haunting vocals before building back into a frantic finish, "Harrowdown Hill" proved an evening standout, and a testament to the transformative power of live percussion.

Although the band left the stage after album closer "Cymbal Rush," Yorke reemerged not long after, performing a brief solo set each night, finally getting above average sound out of the notoriously sonically-unfriendly venue. On Sunday, he began with the new "Lotus Flower" - which would fit comfortably on a Radiohead record, as is rumored - on electric guitar. Yorke moved to piano for the unlikely next song, Radiohead's disorienting "Like Spinning Plates," rendered here as a pretty ballad.

He closed with Radiohead anthem "Airbag," another initially surprising choice, given its wealth of instrumentation on record. But as with the rest of the evening's material, it was given new life - in this case, on acoustic guitar. Needless to say, the crowd went wild. (Saturday's encore set featured new Yorke solo song "A Walk Down the Staircase;" unreleased Radiohead track "I Froze Up;" and another Radiohead classic in "Everything in its Right Place," which I'm sad I missed.)

Immediately following, the band took the stage again with the creepy, dancey Radiohead B-side "Paperbag Writer," then launched into "Judge, Jury, and Executioner," which Yorke called the group's first original song when they debuted it last fall. AfP closed with two new band songs, the bouncy "Hollow Earth," and jam session "Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses," each of which sounded like funkier, fuller versions of Eraser material, similar to "Judge, Jury." (The band's encore setlist was the same both nights.)

As far as I'm concerned, Yorke is three-for-three, considering Radiohead, an impressive solo debut, and now, an exciting handful of new Atoms for Peace songs all under his belt. Exploring an opportunity to further stretch his creative muscles can only be a good thing for his full time gig...y'know, fronting the World's Best Band.

Can't beat that price, amirite?

2010-04-07T12:54:00.010-05:00

Chicago indie rockers Sleeping at Last are offering their new album as a free download today and tomorrow at NoiseTrade.

Storyboards, the duo's fourth LP, continues in the orchestral leanings of their last record, Keep No Score, by featuring string arrangements from Van Dyke Parks, but is more compositionally experimental - due, in part, to contributions from Joanna Newsom band member Ryan Francesconi.

The band kicked off their spring tour last week.

A post-apocalyptic parable

2010-03-18T14:46:00.005-05:00

After the remarkable commercial success of The Passion of the Christ, a consensus formed in Hollywood that the floodgates would be opened for movies with religious subjects to dominate the box office. While that hasn’t exactly been the case, it is perhaps true that The Passion helped to make a project like The Book of Eli, with its both explicitly violent and explicitly Christian elements—as opposed to the implicit themes of, say, the Matrix trilogy—more viable.

The Passion may have proven inimitable, but the fact that an original screenplay almost entirely about (mild spoiler alert!) the Bible can get developed by a major studio at all, let alone star Denzel Washington as a sermonizing, samurai sword-wielding drifter, would likely have been impossible ten years ago. Getting audiences to shell out for the titillating mixture of the sacred and profane is certainly nothing new (just ask Dan Brown), but rarely have blockbusters been this overtly evangelical.

As is typical for the talented, uneven directors, the Hughes Brothers (who started in music videos before helming features Menace II Society and From Hell, among others), the film offers immediately striking visuals of a muted, post-apocalyptic wasteland, backed by a compelling score and sound effects. The visceral beauty of Eli’s (Washington, in an expectedly commanding performance) world—hunting, scavenging, traveling alone—as presented by the Hughes Brothers, is undeniable, but it’s difficult to shake the feeling that the audience has already seen the same end-of-the-world scenario plenty of times.

We learn that the world is suffering the effects of a nuclear world war, which caused the sun to explode…or something along those lines. Society has collapsed; rogue gangs roam vast stretches of unused highway; resources are scarce. It’s a good thing, then, that Eli, perpetually walking west (in search of what, we’re not initially sure), is capable of Kill Bill levels of stylized ultra-violence, which he uses to dispatch the thugs who inevitably seek him out. In a classic Western movie trope, he repeatedly offers, “I don’t want any trouble,” before carrying out a self-defense massacre.

Eventually, Eli reaches a small town, which a creepy intellectual named Carnegie (Gary Oldman, charismatic as always) organizes and lords over, demanding that henchmen pillage the surrounding areas, in search of books. The printed word has largely disappeared, and Carnegie believes that if he can obtain the information found in one particular book—guess which one—he will be granted unparalleled power.

Here, the story takes a turn for what could be considered a fundamentalist warning/fantasy. It is revealed that religion was the cause of the war, and consequently, survivors were forced to burn all copies of the Bible. Eli, however, has a copy in his possession, and stops at nothing to protect it, hiding it from everyone—further raising some dubious “Christian” virtues—with the exception of Solara (the wooden Mila Kunis), a town resident whom Eli reluctantly agrees to bring on his journey.

When Carnegie learns of Eli’s copy, he demands that it be handed over. “That book is meant to be shared,” Carnegie reasons. Eli refuses, and naturally, takes out a small army of attackers, wounding Carnegie, on his way out of town. “I haven’t found the right place for it yet,” Eli says of his Bible. Is the moral, then, that Christ is a selective messiah, or that some are unworthy of hearing his message?

Eli and Solara make their way west, and when she questions his methods, he claims that he feels called to travel in that direction. The idea here is to extol faith, over physical evidence, as a virtue, but the sentiment of hearing a voice that tells one to do things (including killing those who get in your way) is too close to “fundamentalist terrorist” for comfort.

The very aspects that I find baffling about The Book of Eli, though, are the same that endear me to it: who exactly is the intended audience? Its over-the-top violence will likely deter it from megachurch screenings; its preachiness may prevent it from taking a hold in the action flick pantheon; the slow pace of its Western film influence could keep the multiplex crowds antsy. It’s a strange picture (e.g., Tom Waits has an extended cameo), and for a popcorn movie, that’s admirable.

Still, this is screenwriter/former video game writer Gary Whitta’s first script, and it shows. It may be a unique take on a familiar story, but it’s still populated with stock characters (the villain; the damsel; the seemingly invincible hero), and its plot device is a little contrived. Like a proselytizing comic book, or church drama aiming for edginess, the parable can wear thin.

Questionable theology notwithstanding, The Book of Eli has enough interesting ideas and exciting set pieces to make it a worthwhile experience. Its ultimate message even manages to resonate when Eli gets it right by the third act: “I got so caught up in keeping it safe,” he says of his book, “that I forgot to live out what I learned from it. ‘Do for others what you do for yourself.’”

Grade: B-

Summer Festival Fest 2010

2010-03-16T11:35:00.020-05:00

Well, my dawgs, it's that time of year again: birds are chirping, spring training is well underway, and music festival lineups are about to be unleashed on the clamoring masses. Here's the rundown for what Chicago can expect...

Lollapalooza's headliners are widely rumored to be in place, featuring, as usual, plenty of acts to scratch the nostalgia itch, including Green Day, a reunited Soundgarden, and even The Strokes...all of which sounds fine, if considerably less exhilarating than it would've, say, five to ten years ago. The real standouts will be Lady Gaga — a somewhat unusual choice, given Lolla's reputation as a tribute to "alternative rock" — and Arcade Fire, who would likely provide my (and, I suspect, many others') only reason to fork over the considerable entry fee, even if I'd prefer the intimacy of a theater as a venue. Flaming Lips, MGMT, Phoenix, Yeasayer, and Dirty Projectors are other names being bandied about as potential performers. The official lineup will be announced in early April.

Meanwhile, Pitchfork, generally considered Lolla's cheaper, hipper alternative, boasts an impressive '90s-era reunion of its own in headliner Pavement, likely the reason that three-day passes to the fest are already sold out (tickets went on sale last month). Co-headliners Modest Mouse and LCD Soundsystem round out the impressive bill, but, as with the Lollapalooza lineup, they just don't stir my excitement the way they might've a few summers ago. Even with solid backers Broken Social Scene, El-P, Panda Bear, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and St. Vincent, I just don't think I'm sold. This could, of course, have less to do with the lineups themselves than with me progressively inching out of my 20s; as much as I love music outdoors, "summer festival" is becoming increasingly synonymous with "hot, tiring, and painful," for me.

Which is why, lame as it might sound, I may actually be most excited about the Ravinia Festival this summer. With Steve Martin (performing from last year's stellar bluegrass record, The Crow), The Swell Season, and Buena Vista Social Club among this year's acts, you can't beat lying on a picnic blanket — and enjoying the food and drinks you can bring in from home — while rocking out. And the Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays series in Millennium Park (featuring She & Him, Kid Sister, and The Thermals, among others) has the added bonus of being free. Woo, grownup summer!

Supergroup...assemble!

2010-03-03T11:25:00.009-06:00

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke will hit the states next month for a mini-tour with his newly named side project, Atoms for Peace.

The band, featuring Flea, much lauded producer Nigel Godrich, and Beck drummer Joey Waronker, was assembled for Yorke's Eraser tour, and the shows will likely heavily feature songs from that excellent solo album, along with a few new jams (and a couple Radiohead tunes, for good measure).

Atoms for Peace play Chicago's Aragon with opener Flying Lotus on April 10 and 11. I, for one, would actually be grateful for the opportunity to see Mr. Yorke indoors...

Speaking of Radiohead, everybody see this great re-edit of Jay Leno's new promo? Its soundtrack change is much more appropriate:

Call me crazy...

2010-02-22T14:21:00.045-06:00

That Martin Scorsese is among the handful of the world's best - if not the best - working filmmakers is a fact rarely disputed. But, much to my bewilderment, critics seem to only want him to make movies about gangsters. Obviously, Scorsese has done more to define that genre than any recent director this side of Coppola, so the enthusiasm is understandable, but I'm of the unpopular opinion that the work he's done in the last decade has been among his strongest (much like Spielberg - but that's another story). I enjoyed The Departed, but found it insluting when that film was hailed as a "return to form," after pictures like Gangs of New York and The Aviator had allowed the legend to stretch his wings and expand his filmic capacity.

Unsurprisingly for Scorsese, he decided to follow the critical, box office, and awards (including his first Best Director Oscar) acclaim of The Departed with something seemingly out of left field: a horror movie about an insane asylum. And again, unsurprisingly, the critical response has largely been a collective shrug. "Shutter Island is 'minor Scorsese,'" many have patronizingly said. The film may not be what people expect of the director, but that's half the fun; it's two hours of an auetur reveling in his love of cinema to tell a story that envelops the senses.

From its opening moments, as U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are ferried across foggy Boston Harbor, the movie strikes a tone of creepiness and dread. The Marshals are headed to Shutter Island, which houses Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to investigate the disappearance of a patient. The soundtrack - a key component to any Scorsese entry - includes no score, but instead, a collection of discordant, modern classical pieces, just as defiant as the rock & roll that typically lines the director's films. When Krzysztof Penderecki's tense symphonies, also featured in The Shining and The Exorcist, immediately fill the theater, you know you're in for a scary good time. (If you're going to make a horror movie, look to the best.)

Alternately expansive and claustrophobic, the film's Shining inspiration is felt throughout, its framing and camera movement a reminder of Kubrick's hefty influence on Scorsese. It's also beautifully shot by frequent collaborator (and Oliver Stone/Tarantino mainstay), director of photography Robert Richardson, especially in vividly rendered dream and flashback sequences. As he did with Scorsese in Aviator, Richardson makes great use of color to propel the story's emotional beats, be they elegant or grotesque.

Its 1950s setting and Hitchcockian mystery structure naturally serve as an homage to noir films and B movies, but indeed, Shutter Island is able to overcome genre conventions by ultimately revealing itself as an emotionally driven tragedy. The fine cast, anchored by a strong, moving performance from DiCaprio (in his fourth outing with Scorsese), effectively pulls the audience into their characters' lives, enabling the story's sucker punch of an ending to truly sting. Ruffalo is perfectly cast as DiCaprio's affable, empathetic partner, and Ben Kingsley, genteel as always, has fun as Ashecliffe's chief psychiatrist, Dr. John Cawley, whose intentions seem compassionate one scene, and sinister the next.

Closely adapted from Dennis Lehane's (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone) pulpy novel by screenwriter Laeta Kalogridiso - whose previous credits are mostly in TV - the film explores intense themes of violence and its relationship to American society, while maintaining a level of ambiguity that allows viewers to experience the characters' sometimes tenuous hold on reality. Shutter Island thrills because we're watching a master filmmaker at work; if this is "minor Scorsese," I'll gladly take it.

Grade: A-

Thumbs up

2010-02-17T17:30:00.004-06:00

Chris Jones has a terriffic piece on Roger Ebert in next month's Esquire, which serves as an effective reminder of just what a gift Ebert's work has been - and continues to be - to the critical community.

Ebert, who lost most of his lower jaw to complications from salivary cancer surgery in 2006, is no longer able to speak, but is perhaps a more prolific writer than ever before, maintaining his Sun Times column and a widely read personal blog. Jones's article sheds light on the ways in which the iconic film critic's life has changed, negatively and positively, in the last few years.

I grew up watching Siskel & Ebert and devouring the latter's collected essays, unusually thoughtful for film reviews (there's a reason that he's the only movie critic with a Pulitzer). I've always loved writing, reading, and cinema - as well as writing and reading about cinema - and it's nearly impossible to not be inspired by Ebert's passion for the same.

The Day the Music (Television) Died

2010-02-11T15:26:00.005-06:00

...Actually, everyone knows MTV was laid to rest a long time ago, its death rattles audible well before The Hills was a twinkle in its glassy eye. Still, the network has gone ahead and confirmed what we already knew by officially removing "Music Television" from its name and logo, thereby allowing the channel to air round-the-clock reality show spinoffs to its heart's content, free of guilt from, y'know, not playing music.

I could opine on the loss of a pop culture monument, but why rehash what Current TV's hilarious SuperNews! has already summed up perfectly (in all its Watership Down-referencing glory)?

Did Jersey Shore Kill the Video Star?

Happy Super Bowl XLIV

2010-02-07T14:50:00.005-06:00

In celebration, Slate has a pretty hilarious video on what it would like if famous filmmakers directed the big game:

Since any of my hopes for today went out with Brett Favre's ankle a couple weeks back, I'll probably be more invested in the Puppy Bowl...

Take the Eff! Train

2010-02-04T15:24:00.008-06:00

Speaking of Spider-Man...while the climactic battle atop an elevated subway train in Spider-Man 2 was an exciting one, as a Chicagoan, it's always bothered me a bit that the scene was clearly shot in downtown Chicago, but meant to be New York. (And any New Yorker could tell the same thing, since there aren't any elevated trains in midtown Manhattan.)

With that employment of artistic license in mind, check out Red Eye's list of CTA movie goofs. The city may have already fallen from the dizzying highs of serving as backdrop for The Dark Knight to the mediocre lows of reportedly doing the same for Transformers 3, but it's seen its share of iconic movie set pieces over the years, with the El often playing a starring role. So, what other glaring, public transportation-based filmic mistakes have gotten your goat, friends?

UPDATE: Batman on Film reports that the new Dark Knight installment is rumored to already be scouting locations in Chicago...

I trust T. William Walsh

2010-02-03T14:20:00.007-06:00

So, David Bazan's doing something pretty cool tonight: TW Walsh (who mixed and mastered Bazan's exceptional Curse Your Branches and formerly served as a Pedro the Lion member) will be mixing a new Bazan recording live online at www.ustream.tv/channel/tw-walsh. Stream begins at 7:00 (CST).

Meanwhile, Bazan is currently on solo tour in Europe, and will be stateside with his impressive backing band, along with openers Headlights, this spring.

Less Grammy, More Spidey

2010-01-31T23:00:00.011-06:00

I could post something about the Grammys tonight, but let's be honest: there were no surprises, and no one cares. (Cheers to Beyonce's six awards, though, including a well deserved Song of the Year for "Single Ladies.")

Nope, I'd rather talk about Spider-Man. Days after Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi officially parted ways with the franchise, Sony and Columbia recently announced that (500) Days of Summer/music video director Marc Webb (pictured above) has signed on as helmer of the next Spider-Man entry, which would put the characters back in high school. James Vanderbilt, who penned David Fincher's brilliant Zodiac, is reportedly serving as screenwriter.

My reaction's a bit mixed on this one: Raimi's first two Spidey pics are among the handful of best comic book films ever made, while Spider-Man 3 was roundly criticized as a bloated, schmaltzy, train wreck of a movie. Reports that the Spider-Man 4 script was stalled due to Raimi's desire to avoid another SM3 left me heartened; if he could pull it off so well earlier, surely he could do it again?

On the other hand, you've got to commend Sony for deciding to go with a new approach. Peter Parker was always a teenage character, his conflicts stemming from the difficulties of adolescence; with the Spider-Man cast pushing their mid-thirties, perhaps it was time to let that particular narrative come to an end. I'm also impressed with the studio taking a risk, much like they did by originally hiring Raimi, in bringing on relative newcomers with invigorating, edgy styles.

The great thing about comic book movies is that series reboots are perfectly normal in the world of comics - it's always fun to see a different artist's perspective on a character. Who knows how the thing'll turn out (the latest rumors - and I emphasize rumors - have Zac Efron attached as Spidey), but for now, I'm cautiously optimistic.

Oh, and speaking of James Cameron, the Toronto Star has an interesting look at what might have been, had the King of the World ended up making a Spider-Man movie, as he was planning to do in the early '90s. Weird.

On Tape is on Team Conan

2010-01-19T14:33:00.003-06:00

Even if he weren't getting screwed by NBC, we'd still be standing tall behind Conan, general friend to comedy and music. Jay Leno, you're dead to us.

The Case of the Revamped Franchise

2010-01-16T12:48:00.014-06:00

While Guy Ritchie's (Snatch; Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) rollicking, stylized direction may not be the obvious choice for bringing the latest incarnation of Sherlock Holmes to the big screen, Ritchie does a solid job of endearing the iconic sleuth to multiplex audiences of today. His Sherlock Holmes is a lively, entertaining outing, led by a never-more-likable Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law - though its central mystery turns out to be pretty trite.

It may owe a bit to Burton's Sweeney Todd, but Ritchie quickly establishes a fun and creepy world in his imagining of Holmes's Victorian underbelly. There are plenty of fisticuffs in this Holmes, and while its action set pieces are impressive, Downey's Holmes is best when he's quipping and deducing. Watson and Holmes's snappy back-and-forths propel the story so that you barely notice the hackneyed plot until the game is already well afoot, and the script (by committee, of fairly newbie action writers Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg) loses some steam in the third act. Still, Downey and Ritchie have so much fun along the way that it's hard to care too much.

The film is far and away Ritchie's biggest hit, and he and the cast have already signed on for a sequel. Bring it on, I say. Sherlock Holmes is a movie universe to which I would happily return. Here's hoping that the next entry is a bit less, well...elementary. (Eh? Eh?)

Grade: B

Believe the hype

2010-01-11T11:59:00.025-06:00

At this point, if you haven't seen Avatar, you're in the minority. James Cameron's ultrablockbuster is less a film than a cultural event, and it's well on its way to becoming the most successful movie of all time - besting only Titanic, the director's previous feature. And yes, everything you've heard about it is true: the dialogue is clunky, the exposition is clumsy, the cast of archetype characters is less than nuanced...and yet, none of that really matters. The experience of Avatar is truly like nothing you've seen before, and it manages to be the game-changer that insiders had been hailing it as for years.

I remained skeptical in the months leading up to its release, and the film's trailers did little to dissuade my wariness. "Cat-people and dragons? 'You're not in Kansas anymore?' This thing seems like a video game commercial," I thought. "I guess it'll look better in IMAX 3D." I was certainly right about that, but I wasn't anticipating that not only would Avatar's computer-generated world appear photorealistic on the big screen, it would use that framework to fully immerse its audience in the expansive world Cameron dreamed up.

Like Star Wars (or other Cameron films, for that matter), Avatar may not be Hollywood's most original story, but it uses the power of filmmaking to transport viewers into an exciting ride of a movie, where there's rarely a dull moment, and it's impossible to take your eyes off the action. Throughout his career, Cameron has routinely utilized technological advances to push the boundaries of where movies are able to go, but it's his ability to wed those techniques with his emotionally engaging film worlds that makes him truly unique.

The picture has rightly been called a Dances with Wolves-cum-Pocahontas knockoff, but while that story arc is old hat, the experience of Avatar is something entirely new. By the time you leave the intricately realized world of the film, then step out of the theater and back into real life, you just might feel like you've actually visited someplace you've never been. It's the rare movie that allows one to realize just what cinema is capable of doing.

Grade: A-

Y'see, the title has a double meaning

2009-12-22T17:44:00.014-06:00

With just three movies under his belt, director Jason (son of Ivan) Reitman has already managed to establish his own distinctive, confident filmmaking style, without - so far - becoming trapped by it (see Andersonian; Tarantinian). Like Juno and Thank You For Smoking, Reitman's latest, Up in the Air, has a killer soundtrack, stylish montages, is cynical but life-affirming, and at times, probably a little too clever for its own good.

George Clooney, in full on charming-but-emotionally-unavailable mode, stars as perpetually traveling corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham, and again, as with Reitman's other films, Up in the Air is fueled by solid, honest performances from an engaging cast of characters. When Bingham's detached lifestyle is threatened by the relationships he reluctantly forms - with a young coworker (Anna Kendrick) whose newly developed software threatens to put Bingham himself out of a job, a fellow frequent flyer/romantic interest (Vera Farmiga), and his about-to-be-married sister (Melanie Lynskey) - the story grapples with, but never spoon-feeds, hefty life lessons.

With its focus on unemployment and opportunity, technology and disengagement, the movie certainly feels timely - a sentiment further bolstered by the inclusion of real-life testimonies from the recently laid off (including one in the form of a song which plays over the end credits) - and its grownup premise is a rewarding one. The script (by Reitman and Sheldon Turner, whose only prior credits are dreck like Longest Yard and Texas Chainsaw remakes) may often be acerbic, but its emotions are very real; whenever the film threatens to venture too far into the cliche-ridden motivational speech territory it purports to send up, the story takes a different turn. If Up in the Air's message is ambiguous, that simply speaks to how effectively it serves as a current cultural barometer.

Grade: B+

Hooray for talented friends

2009-12-19T11:06:00.008-06:00

It's pretty cool to be friends with some very gifted folks.

Case in point, Jonathan Green, frontman of Boston area-based electro-indie rockers, The Image Ends, whose debut LP arrives soon. Here they are, jamming "John 10" live:

Jon also has an excellent series of solo Hymns records. Find Volumes One and Two on iTunes, or JGHymns.com - along with a few tracks from Volume Three, due next year - as well as a nifty collection of b-sides.

Mythological Creatures, the new LP from Chicago's folk-rocking Bill Tucker, also drops early next year on Bill's 1980 Records label, and finds him working with a solid lineup of Chicago artists. Download Bill Tucker & Friends' Blind Animal Courage EP, released last summer, free at Cave Sounds.

Here's Bill's "Gameshow Fear," off of last year's Illusions of Repetition, which you can pick up at iTunes:

You might even say it's...gold

2009-12-17T17:14:00.009-06:00

Whatever your opinion of Jimmy Fallon, his Neil Young-sings-the-Fresh-Prince-song is pretty inarguably great:

Via Today's Big Thing.

A cussing good time

2009-12-12T14:18:00.022-06:00

A couple of years ago, upon hearing about Wes Anderson's new project, I speculated that a stop-motion-animated adaptation of a children's novel might be just the change of pace the director needed to break out of his "Andersonian" box. While the cluttered trailer didn't convince me of this fact, the film itself certainly did: living up to its title, Fantastic Mr. Fox is easily Anderson's strongest since The Royal Tenenbaums.

The best thing about the movies Anderson made in the interim, The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited, was that they clearly showed that the director was interested in exploring new territory, even if the films were ultimately too derivative of his own work to effectively convey their intended effect. Mr. Fox joyfully melds the sensibilities of Roald Dahl, the book's author, with Anderson's own, and the breezy result isn't suffocated in the same stylistically overbearing way that his recent entries have been.

While the combination of Wes Anderson and stop-motion may initially seem a little jarring, it actually makes perfect sense: the painstaking method allows for the ultimate in composition control, and is tailor-made for the filmmaker's meticulous, storybook style. While some controversy has surrounded the director's alleged level of involvement in the film, whatever the process was, the product is unmistakably Andersonian. It's worth noting that there aren't a ton of people who can do stop-motion on a large scale, so tensions between animation experts and traditional directors are bound to surface (there's a reason Tim Burton co-directed Corpse Bride). Anderson doesn't share a "directed by" credit with animation director Mark Gustafson, but the movie is light years ahead of Eddie Murphy's stop-motion series, The PJs, for which Gustafson served as supervising director.

In any case, Mr. Fox employs a rough-hewn, ingratiating aesthetic that compliments Anderson's quirky characters, dialogue, and timing surprisingly well. Visually, the movie is more "Rankin/Bass Christmas special" than Coraline; tonally, its closest cousin might be Wallace & Gromit - which is certainly not a bad thing.

The film's tale of a fox-led crew of ragtatg outlaws is also slightly remniscent of the animated Robin Hood (which, while not Disney's best, was nonetheless my favorite growing up) - a suspicion confirmed by one scene's use of the Robin Hood soundtrack as score, and another featuring a mocking campfire folk song, led by Jarvis Cocker (who provides a voice and some of the score). The movie's winsome energy is infectious, and by the point in the story that the titular Mr. Fox (George Clooney) has risked the safety of his family and friends by reverting to his repressed, chicken-thieving ways, we're genuinely drawn into the characters' underground world.

Anderson and Noah Baumbach (Squid and the Whale writer-director/Life Aquatic co-writer) build on Dahl's bare bones narrative - about a cunning fox who steals from three nasty farmers - by crafting a script that, like so many great kids' stories, hinges on themes of family, identity, and purpose. It's clever and ocassionally touching, but mostly, it's filled with enjoyably offbeat humor.

Fantastic Mr. Fox doesn't resonate emotionally in the same way that some of this year's other family films have (Up, Where the Wild Things Are), and it isn't helped by arriving months after Coraline, which may just be the most accomplished stop-motion feature ever produced. (Incidentally, director Henry Selick also helmed the animated sequences of Life Aquatic.) But the movie is inventive, fun, and marvelous to look at - as well as a welcome return to form for Wes Anderson...which is pretty fantastic.

Grade: B+

Yeah, but can they shred?

2009-12-08T17:09:00.000-06:00

International peace and educational program PeaceJam is auctioning off some way cool, hand-painted guitars, signed by Nobel Peace Prize winners, on eBay. (Obama is decidedly not among them.)

Now, when you're sitting around, trying to compose some profound song about all your problems, you can look down and see the Dalai Lama's or Desmond Tutu's autograph, and remember that you've never known adversity. Just kidding...go bid on one!

Genius or atrocity?

2009-12-01T22:19:00.000-06:00

...I still can't quite decide. Let the busting out of holiday music commence! When news that Bob Dylan was recording a Christmas album was first reported, the world scratched its collective head. The more I heard about it, though, the more I thought, "Ok, he might make something interesting out of this." Turns out - for my money - Christmas in the Heart is every bit the (albeit somewhat winking) SNL-sketch-that-never-was we feared it might be.

Behold, the new video for first single, "Must Be Santa." It's kind of hard to believe this exists, but it's so insane that I find it strangely endearing, and it's hard not to be charmed by Dylan in a top hat and creepy wig (I think?) staggering around:

Merry Christmas?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T15:20:00.000-06:00

Did you see that Spider-Man made his triumphant return as a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float this morning, back for the first time in ten years?
Yup. Plus, the Roots performed, so I guess I'm thankful for that.

A match made in geek heaven

2009-11-21T14:59:00.003-06:00

NME reports that Watchmen author Alan Moore will be working with Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett on the duo's new, as-yet-untitled opera, following last year's Monkey: Journey to the West.

Albarn and Hewlett, co-founders of Gorillaz (and Blur frontman/Tank Girl creator, respectively) have enlisted the comics god to write the libretto — or "script," to those generally unenthused about opera — for the new piece, for which Albarn has reportedly written 70 songs. In return, Moore hopes to feature Gorillaz in his new magazine, Dodgem Logic. Joy!

Incidentally, the "Ultimate Cut" of Watchmen arrived on DVD last week, which splices the animated Tales of the Black Freighter short into the film, thus, staying that much more true to Moore's original creation - not that he cares...

But where's the pop culture sass-talk in 3D?

2009-11-16T17:43:00.000-06:00

Wall St. Journal has an interesting story on the labored process of bringing next month's The Princess and the Frog, Disney's bid to revive hand-drawn animated musicals, to the screen.

Frog is a gamble for the studio, not so much for the generally accepted "reason" that today's audiences only want computer-animated movies, but because Disney has hyped the film as the return to its early '90s heyday (Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Lion King are prominently featured in Frog's original trailer), and deviated from the standard Hollywood pattern in the way that they made the picture.

As the article reports, cel-animation workstations were recreated or hauled out of storage, and writer-directors Ron Clements and John Musker (Aladdin, Mermaid), who'd been laid off when Disney closed its traditional animation department, were rehired to make Frog. Additionally, news that the story was set in New Orleans, featuring a mainly African-American cast, was not received without controversy.

All of which sounds pretty risky for a studio not known for such behavior in recent years. No surprise that Pixar founder John Lasseter, who now also heads Disney Animation, is behind the bold moves. Pixar got to where it is by taking chances, and the Mouse House will have Lasseter to thank - or blame - for Princess and the Frog's performance at the box office.

The most important thing that Lasseter brings to Disney, though, may be his belief in the idea that story trumps everything else. In a veiled reference to Disney's relative lack of success in both hand-drawn and computer-animated fare over the past decade, WSJ quotes Lasseter as saying, "I've never understood why the studios were saying people don't want to see hand-drawn animation. What people don't want to watch is a bad movie." It's hard to believe that the average moviegoer sees a film based on what kind of animation methods it employs; whether or not the film's story is compelling and emotionally affecting is, generally, a much better gauge of why audiences connect with certain pictures.

Having said that, I trust Lasseter, and I'd like this foray back into hand-drawn animated features to do well, but I'm just not sold yet. The trailer is...a little boring and familiar:

But maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. On the plus side, Randy Newman wrote the songs, so it's got that going for it. Thoughts?

Uuuuuggh

2009-11-07T23:31:00.000-06:00

Just in case you didn't know...

1.) Weezer's new album is called Raditude

2.) This is the cover:

It's like something you'd find in the $1.00 bin, or how the CD of your cousin's band might look. Sigh.

It's probably some powerful allegory, but it's lost on me

2009-11-06T23:03:00.000-06:00

A couple months ago, I speculated that, based on its first single, "The Field," Mason Jennings's Blood of Man might just be the folk singer's best album since 2000's Birds Flying Away. Now, I can confirm that that is, indeed, the case.

Blood is Jennings's darkest, heaviest record yet, as evidenced by new single, "Ain't No Friend of Mine." I can safely say that I never thought a Jennings song would remind me of Rage Against the Machine (or, at least, Audioslave). Enjoy its video below, featuring animation of drawings done by Jennings - about battling demons...or something along those lines:

"Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the biopic?"

2009-11-05T17:02:00.000-06:00

The Tribune has a fascinating, albeit brief, interview with the celebrated Angels in America and Munich scribe/controversy magnet, Tony Kushner, who comes off surprisingly restrained. No doubt the influence of Lincoln - about whom Kushner just finished a screenplay, reuniting him with director Steven Spielberg - has had something to do with Kushner's seemingly newfound pragmatism.

Famous for his unabashed liberalism, Kushner, due to receive the Tribune's Literary Prize at this weekend's Chicago Humanities Festival (a great lineup this year), has some none-too-kind words for the far left in the article. I actually think Munich is one of Spielberg's best, and I appreciated its ideological ambiguity, so, I'm looking very forward to Lincoln.

Incidentally, Kushner's partner, Mark Harris, wrote a great book last year, Pictures at a Revolution, about the ways in which American filmmaking changed in the '60s.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T14:26:00.000-05:00

Who better to celebrate the day with than the scariest dude of them all, Mr. Christopher Walken? I find his spooky recitation of Poe's "The Raven" a pretty solid way to kick off All Hallow's Eve:

God bless us, every one!

One weird rumpus

2009-10-24T14:52:00.001-05:00

I've generally enjoyed the two movies that I was most looking forward to seeing this year, Watchmen and Where the Wild Things Are, but as the credits for each rolled, I found myself wondering whether they really needed to be adapted from the beloved books on which they're based. It's still hard to believe that either film even got made, and I'm grateful to Warner Bros. that they did, but I can't help thinking of them more as worthy experiments than solid movies. Both were helmed by former music video and commercial directors who treated the material reverentially, and it's probably no coincidence that the stylish trailers for each turned out to be better than the movies themselves.

Nonetheless, both are truly unique pictures, with Wild Things the more deserving of that description. While many childhood staples are routinely, cinematically plundered by movie studios (I'm looking at you, Cat in the Hat), Warners seemed genuinely interested in effectively serving the material of Maurice Sendak's classic children's book, and kept him involved throughout the process. Sendak's choice of Spike Jonze as director - and Jonze's choice of Dave Eggers as co-screenwriter, as well as the Jim Henson Creature Shop as effects providers - all but ensured that this would be no typical kids' film.

The result turns out to be an engaging experience that, like its source material, refuses to talk down to its target audience of elementary school-age children. Wild Things captures the ferocity, imagination, and emotions of Sendak's story, and always feels a little dangerous. When picture-book Max chases his dog around with a fork, it's rascally; when movie Max (in a fantastic performance by newcomer Max Records) does the same in the opening scene, it's a little chaotic and violent.

Not surprising then, that - again, as with the book - some parents have lashed out against the film as being inappropriate for (little) kids. I suspect, though, that more stories exploring childhood's wide range of unpredictable emotions might be just what kids need. I saw Wild Things with my nine-year-old niece, who's probably the perfect age for it, and found it helpful to see the film through her eyes. It made me appreciate that the story of a boy who deals with a turbulent homelife by imagining elaborate worlds can serve as a discussion generator, allowing children to talk through complex feelings. Having said that, I'm not sure it makes for the most entertaining movie.

Some parents may be upset at the film's content, but just as many are bored by it. Which is likely due to the fact that, once Max reaches the island of the Wild Things...not much happens in the way of a plot. The strange story meanders, and is driven by emotions, rather than narrative - in much the same way that real-life make-believe goes. The fantasy segment (the bulk of the movie) is technically brilliant in terms of cinematography, tone, and the Wild Things themselves, but I found myself wanting the character to return to scenes of the real world, which provide strong bookends to the film.

I certainly didn't mind that Wild Things is unconventional, but I wish that it reflected more of the book's fun in the same way that it's able to effectively translate other elements of the story. Still, as an only child who grew up escaping to well-defined realms of make-believe, I felt closely connected to Max, and was emotionally affected by the movie in a rare, powerful way. I won't ruin the last scene, except to say that it's free of dialogue and pitch-perfect.

If Jonze's goal for Where the Wild Things Are was to enhance the book's ability to capture the experience of childhood in a way that isn't patronizing, he nailed it.

Grade: B+

This news pleases me

2009-10-23T11:58:00.000-05:00

Bust out your Technodromes, gang, because the World's Most Fearsome Fighting Team is poised for a major reemergence. (Don't call it a comeback, of course, as they've been here for years.) Nickelodeon acquired the rights to the Ninja Turtles this week for $60 million, and have plans to develop a new CGI TV series - in the vein of 2007's decent TMNT - as well as a new, live action/CGI movie.

The replacement of Jim Henson's Creature Shop's puppets, used in 1990's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie - still the gold standard among Turtle adaptations - with computer animation is regrettable, but The Hollywood Reporter's assertion that the planned film will "return to the franchise's roots" is encouraging. "In addition to the action and humor of the first film, it would have the darker tone of the original comics," reports THR. Cowabunga! (Vanilla Ice is reported not to be involved.)

In celebration, here's the dudes' not-hit song, "Pizza Power," from the Coming Out of Their Shells '90 live tour...I may or may not have been in attendance:

"Teargarden by Kaliedyscope"...

2009-10-17T15:16:00.001-05:00

...is the name of the new "Smashing Pumpkins" (Billy + some studio musicians and a newly hired 19-year-old drummer) "album" (a 44-song series of EPs, to be released one track at a time online, for free). Corgan tells Rolling Stone that Warner Bros. Records "should have left this mystic free, because I am way more of a pied piper than they could ever fathom.”

I was going to make fun of all of this, but really, it's much too easy a target. That title sounds like something out of a story in The Onion that never was. Has the dude become a parody of himself - or is he, just maybe, a genius? If he revolutionizes the music industry, I guess the joke will be on all of us...

"I see (profitable) dead people"

2009-10-11T22:28:00.000-05:00

Well, kids, it's that time of year again: when the impending debauchery of candy and costume parties is best complimented by good, ol' fashioned, horribly scary movies. Good thing, then, that Slamdance Film Fest hit Paranormal Activity, opening wide next weekend, has repeatedly been called the scariest film of the last ten years - with many viewers (including premiere horror site Bloody Disgusting) declaring it one of the most terrifying movies they've ever seen. Sounds good to me!

The $11,000-budgeted, handheld DV-shot ghost story is well poised to capitalize on the hype that made similar "found footage" horror pics (Blair Witch, Open Water) breakout successes. Snatched up by Paramount at Slamdance, Paranormal has been aided by an ingenious marketing campaign that's proven extremely effective, thus far: for its first couple weeks of release, it played only in select cities, exclusively at midnight screenings. Over the weekend, the film expanded to showings throughout the day, but still employs a feature on its website which allows viewers in areas where the movie hasn't yet been released to request it in their city, via an online "Demand It!" function. The result? It grossed $7 million this weekend - on just 159 screens.

Needless to say, the review is forthcoming...if I can find someone to go with me (my wife refuses, and I'm not seeing this one alone).

Happily, no 70s funk is featured

2009-08-28T16:26:00.000-05:00

Given Inglourious Basterds's marketing (Brad Pitt-led ragtag crew of misfits goes on wacky, bloody Nazi hunt!), some may be disappointed by the new Quentin Tarantino movie's opening scene: a long, methodical conversation between two people in one room. For the many in the audience who bought tickets simply because it's a Tarantino film, though, it shouldn't be too shocking. Indeed, Basterds is different from what I was hoping for, as well - but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed what it turned out to be.

The film does, in fact, center on what might've happened, had such a cast of characters conspired to take down the Third Reich...but for a war movie, it doesn't feature much war. Instead, the picture plays out as a kind of exercise in tension building, via theatrical one-act-like scenes of backroom deals and espionage.

In that regard, among his body of work, Basterds may most closely resemble Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino's debut (and still my favorite). While the violent atmosphere is inescapable, much of the action takes place offscreen, and arises from characters talking about what has happened and is going to happen. I've heard complaints about just how talky the movie is, but the dialogue is truly a treat, allowing viewers to become enveloped in the unique world of characters the writer-director carefully creates. (If Christopher Waltz - leading a solid ensemble cast - doesn't receive a slew of award nominations for his role as the villainous Col. Hans Landa, it'd be a real shame.)

Of course, not uncharacteristically, this approach can translate a little episodically, but it's enjoyable to watch the story satisfyingly come together, in a way that doesn't suffer the bloat of Tarantino's last few entries. Basterds includes some classically Tarantinian qualities - filmic references, over-the-top monologues, clever editing - but it feels much more free of contrivances than most of his work, as if allowing his typically mile-a-minute style to breathe a bit more. It's his most serious, least trivial, film to date - though, at times, it's also very funny.

Visually striking, as always, Tarantino's revisionist history (which, refreshingly, may be his only pop culture "wink" this go-round) ends up hinging on the power of propaganda, storytelling, and cinema itself, to shape our collective trajectory. Pretty heady stuff for a movie that feels so fun.

Grade: B+

Jackson good with aliens, hobbits

2009-08-26T18:17:00.000-05:00

Neil Blomkamp's sleeper hit, District 9, succeeds where other blockbusters have failed this summer by delivering a kind of guerilla filmmaker's Independence Day: it hits all the exciting, intense, and funny beats of a big, sci-fi actioner, but does so through the lens of its wildly original premise and execution.

First time feature director Blomkamp expands on the elaborate world established in his 2005 short, Alive in Joburg, by further developing the story of aliens unexplainably arriving in South Africa, only to be set up in a government-enclosed refugee camp, among the shanty towns of Johannesburg. Naturally, the film's setting lends itself to themes of apartheid and racism - as well as war, and corporate and governmental bureaucracy and brutality - but isn't satisfied to be bogged down as a "message movie, " instead heading in directions you won't expect. While that's probably a good thing, District 9 sometimes goes so many strange ways that the story borders on silly, but nonetheless, is routinely brought back to its captivating, intense premise.

In focusing on the chaos of the slum the creatures inhabit, and the panic that ensues when military contractor MNU's "relocation" plan goes awry, the film calls to mind two of the most effective sci-fi entries in recent memory: Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men (for its assaultive war zone depictions) and Cloverfield (for its minimalist, handheld approach to monster-fighting), both of which made effective use of their reasonably modest budgets. That District 9 - nearly every scene of which features effects shots, often heavily - doesn't look any cheaper than its summer movie competition, at a fraction of the cost, is a testament to Blomkamp and producer Peter Jackson's ability to do more with less.

For better or for worse (usually, the former), this is a film that takes risks, starting not only with its inversion of the typical "Aliens Attack!" plotline, but with the fact that we don't much like the protagonist, MNU field operative Wikus van der Merwe - or the aliens, for that matter. Like many great science fiction tales, District 9's story is a pretty bleak one, centering on humankind's capacity for inhumanity and self interest - as well as brief glimpses of hope.

Grade: B+

New Song Friday

2009-08-14T16:03:00.000-05:00

A couple new tunes for you on this Friday afternoon, from two very different artists, whose featured songs navigate somewhat similar thematic terrain.

Entertainment Weekly is streaming Mason Jennings's "The Field" - from the folky singer-songwriter's forthcoming Blood of Man (due September 15) - about a parent whose son goes off to war. Inspired by a desire to introduce his kids to electric guitar, as EW shares, Jennings's new LP is likely to be a bit harder-rocking than his most recent records.

"The Field" doesn't exactly shred, but it sounds great, and is evocative of Birds Flying Away, Jennings's first (and best, IMO) full-length, which saw the singer at his most rocking. The song offers a nice fusion of his early-career protest songs and more personal, later material.

Elsewhere, BBC has Radiohead's "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)," about the British WWI vet who recently passed away. Its lyrics - Patch's own words - are the most Radiohead-y thing about the song (apocalyptic imagery abounds), which features only Yorke's vocals over guitarist Jonny Greenwood's lovely string arrangements. It's both pretty and pretty boring, especially for the first studio material we've heard from the band since In Rainbows.

"These Are My Twisted Words," another apparent new track of the band's, is more typical Radiohead fare (and unfortunately, for my money, is also pretty boring). Unlike "Harry Patch," the song isn't currently available to download via their website - though you can get it for free at Stereogum - but it may be included on a new EP (reportedly titled Wall of Ice), which the band just might be releasing this Monday. Keep an eye out...

Trailer Watch

2009-08-07T23:04:00.000-05:00

Welcome to today's Trailer Watch, friends, in which we'll take a look at the new trailers for four hotly anticipated fall/winter releases...

First up is the second trailer for Where the Wild Things Are, which, if you've followed this blog at all, you know I'm superpumped about. Aside from a couple of minor quibbles (I'm still beyond glad that they used Jim Henson Co. instead of going 100% CGI for the Wild Things, but their animated faces might take some getting used to), it doesn't disappoint:

Next is another revered children's book adaptation, Wes Anderson's take on Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox. I've speculated that a change of pace might be just what the director needs to break out of his Andersonian box, and I love me some stop-motion animation, but I'm not sold yet...if this weren't a Wes Anderson movie, would we be thinking about it as something other than fairly typical looking kids' fare? Although, I gotta say, Jason Schwartzman is pretty hilarious:

Rounding out the book adaptations is the decidedly not-for-kids Lovely Bones. I'd say the jury's still out on this one for me; if it weren't helmed by Peter Jackson, or based on such an interesting novel, I wouldn't be very intrigued:

Finally, the first glimpse of the Coen Brothers' A Serious Man is a little surprising: it's a comedy set in the '60s midwest, but its edgy trailer (edited, Tom Waits-ishly, to various percussive sounds from the movie) seems to occupy the avant-garde territory of Barton Fink humor, rather than Burn After Reading screwballism. It's strange, tense, and funny - and thoroughly Coen Brothers:

It's all part of the plan...

2009-08-04T17:19:00.000-05:00

So, apparently, this poster of President Obama in Heath Ledger-Joker makeup started popping up around LA over the weekend, and has subsequently sparked plenty of interest. While not a remnant of some kind of ComicCon shenanigan from a couple weeks back, its creators' line of thinking is pretty transparent: "How can we get our right-wing ideas to go 'viral,' as teh internets kids say? I know! We'll inexplicably attach them to the king of viral marketing campaigns, The Dark Knight!"

Unfortunately for them, I fear their logic may have backfired: when I first saw the image, I just thought, "Hey, neat - Obama as the Joker!" The problem is that people like the Joker - they find him cool. In my mind, associating Obama with the character only enhances the president's "hip" factor. Then, there's the added, general inconherence of the whole thing: so, Obama's a joker, because he's lying to us, or something? He's a "socialist," and thus, like the Joker...who's an anarchist?

Turns out (surprise, surprise), the image was originally Photoshopped by some dude in Chicago who just thought it looked cool. It took the brilliance of these Los Angelino guerillas to add the word "socialism" - in a font that looks nothing like the "hope" text of the Shepard Fairey posters, which I presume they're referencing - and throw them up around the city. And yet, here I go giving them more viral attention, anyway...

And the excitement grows...

2009-07-28T22:36:00.000-05:00

Do not get on my case for this being my seventh post about October's Where the Wild Things Are. Just enjoy this behind-the-scenes featurette of author Maurice Sendak talking about why he loves the movie:

Via The Hollywood Reporter.

Drug references remain intact

2009-07-27T22:09:00.000-05:00

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp premiered the trailer for their upcoming Alice in Wonderland a few days ago at Comic-Con. The result? A resounding, "Meh," in my opinion.

As I was concerned might be the case, the thing looks way too CGI-heavy, and might be destined for Burton's "disappointing remakes" pile, considering dude's hit-or-miss record.

Still, maybe I'm judging too harshly without seeing much, and it'll turn out great. But his Charlie and the Chocolate Factory still leaves a decidedly un-sweet taste in my mouth...

Thoughts?

LollapaNEWSa (...see what I did there?)

2009-07-22T13:03:00.000-05:00

When this year's Lollapalooza lineup was announced, I told myself that, should Saturday - the day that Beastie Boys play - also offer a few other acts I'd want to catch, I'd go ahead and fork over the exorbitant day-pass fee. Turned out the date would also include Animal Collective, Atmosphere, TV on the Radio, Santigold (formerly Santogold), Ben Harper, and Tool, so I was in. The Beasties have been favorites of mine since the Check Your Head poster hung on my bedroom wall, and since this fall's Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1 will be their first proper LP in five years, I was pumped.

Then, the bomb was dropped Monday that Adam Yauch - aka MCA, aka Nathaniel Hornblower - was recently diagnosed with a cancerous neck tumor, and the Boys would subsequently be canceling all of their summer shows and postponing Hot Sauce's release. The good news is that, according to Yauch, the condition is "very treatable, in most cases," and patients generally remain free of cancer, post-surgery. The other (more selfish) good news is that, if and when the dudes tour later, they'll be more likely to play headlining shows, rather than festivals.

No sooner did Yauch's announcement hit the wire than speculation began to brew about who would replace them at Lolla. Two days later? Cue the excitement...Beastie Boys' slot will be filled by none other than the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who I'd originally complained about not playing the fest, as was rumored. Sure, Radiohead or Kanye would've been nice, but I'll certainly take two YYYs shows in three months. Color me stoked.

We're pullin' for you, MCA...

Poor Billy

2009-07-10T13:35:00.000-05:00

From Married to the Sea.

Everyone's a critic

2009-07-08T15:19:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact that I'm not a real one, I've always struggled a bit with the idea of "critic" as vocation. It's probably somewhat true, if a little harsh, to suggest that, were it not for lack of talent or drive, many professional critics would likely prefer to be doing whatever it is they're critiquing, rather than making a living off of talking about someone else's work. And part of me feels that there's something innately wrong with getting paid to make sassy, armchair remarks about a piece - whether or not it's "great art" - that an artist has worked to produce.

Sure, when "contribution to society" is clearly not the artist's primary concern (I'm looking at you, G-Force), maybe a snarky takedown doesn't hurt too much...but it's not like a bad review is going to deter people from buying tickets for such blatant product-by-committee. So, what exactly does the professional critic contribute to society?

The thing is, given a certain set of parameters, I think the critical community can be a positive force that helps to shape art and cultural dialogue in a meaningful way. And, as someone who enjoys writing and pop culture, I'm certainly drawn to the idea of reviewing for a living. But I hope my writing primarily serves as a means of highlighting work I'm intereted in and appreciate, rather than as a platform for gaining a reputation as some overly clever smack-talker.

All of which is why I appreciated The A.V. Club's recent post on depictions of critics within popular culture, including the expected (Siskel and Ebert imitations abound), the funny (The Muppet Show's Statler and Waldorf), and the strange (Bob Balaban in Lady in the Water).

But my favorite example given is from Ratatouille, in which the critic character is initially presented as a pretentious stereotype - his name is Anton Ego - but revealed to be more complex. As A.V. Club points out, Ego is invested enough in the culture he critiques (food) to put his reputation on the line, defending an unlikely artist whose work reminds Ego of why he became a critic in the first place.

...

Ego's review, which comes at the film's end, not only changes the trajectory of both his and the chef character's life and work, but prompts questions about the nature of an artist, and the positive and unexpected ways art can change people. The A.V. Club post's comments are also worth a look, if only to hear from the many readers whose passion for film was stirred by growing up watching Siskel and Ebert (sometimes) thoughtfully debate the cultural merits and impact of art. And isn't that what we want out of a critic?

...

Holy crap.

2009-06-25T18:04:00.000-05:00

Sad day.

R.I.P., King of Pop.

If you ever feel bad about the world...

2009-06-18T17:49:00.000-05:00

...just check out some videos of Brooklyn's (of course) PS22 Chorus. These kids are pretty awesome. Here they are singing Bjork's "Joga," one of my personal faves:

Via We Love You So.

Stop motion = cooler than CGI

2009-06-17T20:58:00.001-05:00

Aside from Up, the movie I've probably enjoyed most so far this year has been Coraline - which reflects less, I believe, a predilection for animated, 3D, family fare, than those films' abilities to tell original stories, truly for audiences of all ages.

While some editions of the DVD - out next month - will come with standard red-and-blue 3D glasses, director Henry Selick plans to release another version, with more sophisticated technology, in the future, when he hopes home 3D systems will become more commonplace. (For more of Selick's thoughts on the production and stop motion-animated art of the movie, go here.)

In the meantime, fans can check out the new, Off Broadway stage production of Coraline, with music and lyrics by the Magnetic Fields' Stephen Merritt. Or revel in the news that Selick and Neil Gaiman, upon whose book the movie is based, are planning on working together again. More good news? Gaiman's latest novel, The Graveyard Book, is being adapted by Crying Game director Neil Jordan.

In Concert: Jenny Lewis (Park West, Chicago)

2009-06-09T17:26:00.001-05:00

I may not have missed Jenny Lewis's Rilo Kiley bandmates too much when I last saw her play solo, but Friday night at Park West (Toronto's Sadies, who opened, got the crowd revved up with a nice balance of honky tonk and surf-pop), I did find myself missing the Watson Twins - with whom Lewis recorded her debut LP, Rabbit Fur Coat, but ditched for her latest, Acid Tongue. It wasn't that she didn't have a great five-piece band with her - including beau Jonathan Rice and "Farmer" Dave Scher (who also opened) - it's just that I preferred the gospel-country of Rabbit to Acid's bluesier, jazzier leanings.

Still, the new album provided much of the evening's highlights, including "See Fernando," which showed off Scher's considerable pedal steel talent (and which the crew launched into after Lewis began the set with a solo, acoustic version of Rilo Kiley's "Silver Lining"); driving duet "Carpetbaggers," in which Rice stood in for Elvis Costello, who sings on the record; and the barnburning "Jack Killed Mom." And, as she did by going solo with an alt-country album, credit is due to Lewis for trying new things.

Lewis is clearly growing in her musicianship, and was, as always, a great performer Friday, whether placating overly-adoring (how many times can you hear, "I LOVE YOU, JENNY! WOO!" in one night?) fans with sultry glances and smokey vocals, or proving a consummate bandleader, with a command of dynamics, showcasing her meek-to-powerful voice. Even more engaging than the build of "Bad Man's World" (for which Lewis moved to electric piano) to "Jack Killed Mom," was following the latter with the quiet stillness of Acid's "Trying My Best to Love You" and "Happy," off of Rabbit. The Park West, with its great sound and intimacy, proved an ideal venue for Lewis.

The first set was closed with another barnburner, "New Messiah," preceded by the rollicking, new "Just Like Zeus," about "many things," as Lewis introduced it, "Lindsay Lohan and VD among them." The encore opened with "Acid Tongue," followed by another new jam, "Big Wave," which Lewis led on electric guitar and prefaced by saying it reflected, "what's going on right now," and sharing a story about recently visiting the White House.

I was disappointed that there wasn't more from Rabbit Fur Coat (no "Big Guns"?), but the evening closed strongly with the LP's "Born Secular," highlighted by guitarist Danielle Haim's and drummer Barbara Gruska's vocal harmoines and eventual dueling drumming, which they continued after Lewis and the rest of the band had left the stage. Ms. Lewis & Co. put on a fun, engaging evening, and - especially given the new material - I look forward to seeing what comes next.

Cool Guys (Don't Look at Explosions)

2009-06-02T00:00:00.001-05:00

I guess it just proves how out-of-their-demographic I am, but I had no idea the MTV Movie Awards would be so Twilight heavy (the young adult/vampire romance flick walked away with nearly every award). To that, I say, "meh."

I watched last night's show for host Andy Samberg, who didn't disappoint, by providing segments like these:

Family movie producers, take note

2009-05-31T23:40:00.000-05:00

Pixar has become synonymous with quality filmmaking to the extent that I'd go see anything they released. Thus, my interest in Up, the studio's latest, remained high, even when the trailers and premise (a man flies his house around the world) didn't immediately grab me. Unsurprisingly, my trust was well deserved: Up is outstanding.

Perhaps my original hesitancy was due to the movie's light-on-story-details marketing, which was (again, unsurprisingly) actually a smart promotional maneuver: as with last year's Wall-E, the details of the plot aren't nearly as important as the emotions which propel it. Suffice it to say that director Pete Docter's (who also helmed Monsters, Inc.) Up is centered around the journey of 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen and the relationships he builds - including an important one with young "Wilderness Explorer" scout, Russell - along the way.

While most contemporary "family" movie storytelling remains lazy, the Pixar team seems to dare itself to make cartoons about subjects which Disney execs surely initially find inadvisable: foodies, dialogue-free robots, and now, the elderly. Many movies might introduce the curmudgeonly Carl as a cranky, older person and leave it at that, but we meet him in Up by way of a beautiful opening sequence - similar territory was explored, though less effectively, in Toy Story 2 - which proves that this studio's filmmakers have a unique ability to effectively capture the human experience. Pixar may traffic in grand stories and ideas, but it's the little touches (character behavior, background details) that allow for audience connection - a sentiment echoed in the message of Up.

As with many Pixar and Disney (and other great) stories, this is an adventure tale about finding meaning in life. If Wall-E was about love and purpose, Up is ultimately about loneliness and, convergently, fulfillment. It is exciting, fun, funny, and inventive.

Sidenote: The movie is presented in 3D, and though there may not appear to be much by way of obvious effects, the viewer comes to realizes the device is just another tool the filmmakers use for advancing the story, rather than the other way around; it's essentially subtle 3D, which seems almost oxymoronic, but also makes complete sense. (Hear more about it on Docter's fascinating interview from NPR's Fresh Air last week.)

Grade: A-

I'll be there (neighbor Oprah probably won't)

2009-05-28T17:36:00.000-05:00

Seldom in life is one able to enjoy an experience as satisfying as rocking out while dining on local food and drinks in the summertime. Denizens of Chi City can do just that at next month's 12th Annual Taste of Randolph Street, in the trendy West Loop.

The three-day street fest has improved on last year's solid lineup (Mike Doughty, Drive-By Truckers, Delta Spirit) with headliners The Hold Steady, the increasingly Beach Boysesque Dr. Dog, DC's These United States, '90s hometown heroes Urge Overkill, and curiosity/supergroup (members of Smashing Pumpkins, Hanson, Cheap Trick, Fountains of Wayne) Tinted Windows.

Admission is a suggested donation of $10 to the West Loop Community Organization. Pretty sweet.

In Concert: Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Aragon Ballroom, Chicago)

2009-05-27T15:42:00.001-05:00

Chicagoans disappointed by the absence of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Lollapalooza this summer were treated to news last month that the indie-electro-garage rockers would be opening their US tour at Uptown's Riviera. Demand promptly moved the show to the Aragon, which is a shame, because the ballroom's barn-ish acoustics don't hold a candle to that of the Riv, home to some of my favorite concert experiences in the city (Sigur Ros's () tour and Sleater-Kinney's Woods tour come to mind). Nonethless, Karen O & Co. kicked off the summer in full force last night, with a healthy mix of career-spanning jams.

Showcasing material from their dancey It's Blitz!, the band proved many of the new record's songs to be crowd hits, especially the widely played first single, "Zero," and encore opener/latest single, "Heads Will Roll," for which Karen donned a glowing, pink lucha libre mask. Although nothing from 2007's excellent, hard-rocking Is Is EP made the cut, the setlist relied surprisingly heavily on their comparatively raw, first (and best, IMHO) LP, Fever to Tell. They even followed "Heads" with the jaunty hardcore of "Art Star," - from the group's self-titled debut EP, which brought the Brooklyn trio roaring into the buzz-band limelight - providing a nice balance with the Madonna-friendly (I'm not complaining) new tunes.

By turns thrashy and soaring, there's no question that Nick Zinner commanded the audience with his guitar work, or that drummer Brian Chase was responsible for keeping the sweaty masses moving with his complex, wide-ranging rhythms, but from the second Karen O stepped out from the curtains, the stage was hers. Before the band opened with "Runaway," a giant orb, built into the stage's backdrop, rotated upward, revealing itself to be a giant eyeball (see cover of "Zero" single). The frontwoman posed and strutted in front of the all-seeing eye, spitting geysers of water into the air and releasing cannons of Y-shaped confetti during second song "Black Tongue."

David Pajo of, among others, Zwan and Tortoise, provided supporting guitar and keys, and opened the evening with an inexplicable set of solo Misfits covers. (Edit: Or, not so inexplicable, I guess, considering he has a solo Misfits covers record out). San Diego trio Grand Olde Party followed, winning over plenty of fans. But the crowd was more than ready for the headliners, and ate up anthems "Cheated Hearts" and "Gold Lion," ballad "Maps," and the frenzy of respective set closers "Y Control" and "Date with the Night." They even seemed to dig a cover of the Cramps' "Human Fly." At one point, Karen growled, "The Yeah Yeah Yeahs llllloooooove Chicago!" The feeling was mutual.

Them's got ears, let them hear

2009-05-16T14:37:00.000-05:00

Can't wait for Wilco (The Album) to drop on June 30 (The Release Date)? Fear not: the band's recent cover of Woody Guthrie's "The Jolly Banker" - download here - doesn't solely have to tide you over any longer! Stream the new LP in its entirety over at WilcoWorld.

Tweedy & the dudes are currently on tour in Europe, but Chicagoans would like them to return home for another residency when they get a chance. Thanks.

"We'll eat you up, we love you so!"

2009-05-13T12:42:00.001-05:00

Check out Where the Wild Things Are director Spike Jonze & Co.'s very cool new blog, We Love You So. The site, which launched last month, documents WtWTA-related products and art, as well as the influences on - and general artistic interests of - the filmmakers.

Plenty of neat info, too, on Wild Things author Maurice Sendak, about whom Jonze is reportedly working on a documentary. So pumped for the Wild Rumpus...

Did I Step on Your Designer Shoe?

2009-05-08T10:05:00.000-05:00

Digging on Kanye's Air Yeezys or Louis Vuittons, but not the overnight line-waiting or thousand dollar (seriously) price tag?

Perhaps an even quirkier, less famous musician's footwear is in order: behold the Danielson Shoe.

While the intial reaction to Daniel Smith releasing kicks might be one of surprise, it also makes perfect sense: his indie rock family has been putting out a line of hand-crafted goods for years through their "line," Great Comfort Stuff (pillowcases, heart-shaped "blinders," greeting cards, etc). After all, you'll need something to tide you over until Jay-Z unveils a sneaker of his own in June.

Pick up a pair, and rock them at a Danielson show this month.

Their name is Greek for "Block-rockin' indie beats"

2009-04-20T17:57:00.000-05:00

Recent NPR interviewees Anathallo make a hometown stop tonight at Chicago's North Park University - their last stateside date before embarking on a month-long European tour (Tim Lowly opens).

The orchestral seven-piece's latest effort, Canopy Glow, is one of last year's best records (Spin declared it a Sufjan-dethroner). Check out frontman Matt Joynt's thoughts on the album's recording, over at Paste.

Summer Festival Fest

2009-04-02T17:59:00.000-05:00

March 20 has come and gone, and - despite the snowfall in Chicago last weekend - spring has has totally sprung, all y'all film & music enthusiasts! You know that means: festival lineups...sweet, expensive, usually far away, festival lineups!

I know I'm not alone in associating warmer weather with excitement for outdoor summer concerts, so let me break down this year's festivals:

Lollapalooza has founder Perry Farrell's reunited Jane's Addiction (touring throughout summer with Nine Inch Nails), Beastie Boys, Depeche Mode, and Tool. 90s-tastic, as Lolla should be, with the Killers and Kings of Leon thrown in there, for good measure. I'll take any chance to see the Beasties, and I'd watch Tool, but I think I might be too born-in-the-80s to get superpumped. Dear Perry: it'd be sweet if last year's headliners, Radiohead and Kanye, could return. K thx bye.

The cheaper ($35/one-day pass), hipper Pitchfork scored big with headliners Flaming Lips, and Yo La Tengo, Built to Spill, and Tortoise fill out the indie-legend bill nicely. Also, the National and Grizzly Bear for those into "new" bands. For Chicagoans, Pitchfork is probably the most bang for your buck. Count me in...at least, for a day pass.

As always, Sasquatch holds down Pacific Northwest crunchy hipness, with the Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, Animal Collective, Ben Harper, and Bon Iver - plus, some Mos Def and and Santogold, to spice things up. Evergreen State residents, I envy thee.

Both California's Coachella and Tennessee's Bonnaroo maintain the gold standard with a solid mix of decades-spanning icons (Paul McCartney, Leonard Cohen, Morrissey, The Cure; Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, David Byrne, Public Enemy, respectively) and in-demand contemporary sets: Coachella can brag about getting M.I.A. (replacing Amy Winehouse, who backed out - go figure) in her first performance since having a kid, plus the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Bonnaroo boasts Wilco and MGMT.

So, who rocks hardest (and by "hardest," I mean, "has put together the most eclectic and exciting roster of veteran performers")? See you on the gross lawn!

Trailer Watch: OMG! Edition

2009-03-25T13:48:00.001-05:00

The long-awaited trailer for Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are, bowing Ocotber 16, premiered today - on Ellen, of all places - a few days shy of its rumored "official" premiere, before Monsters Vs. Aliens screenings.

The song choice (Arcade Fire's "Wake Up"); the one line of dialogue ("I didn't want to wake you up, but I really want to show you something"); the balance of realism and fantasy, creepy and heartwarming...it's all gravy. WtWTA: officially replacing Watchmen as the '09 movie for which I'm most excited. (Although, considering Watchmen, it's probably in my interest to start lowering expectations now.)

Via Cinematical.

Also contains 5-star review of live Phish B-sides

2009-03-20T16:06:00.000-05:00

Hey, look! The new issue of Rolling Stone has the sexy, underage cast of Gossip Girl on its cover! Doing suggestive things! Probably in reference to the important role that Gossip Girl has played in shaping and impacting modern music!

In related news, Rolling Stone sucks.

EDIT: I made the (admittedly weak) joke in the post title before realizing that the cover ACTUALLY MENTIONS PHISH. What a shock. I guess that makes it funnier?

Songs about work don't make Monday shows any better

2009-03-10T23:12:00.001-05:00

Minneapolis stalwarts Dillinger Four brought their brand of hardcore-meets-pop-punk to Reggie's last night, in support of their latest, C I V I L W A R, which, as predicted, has grown on me, with time.

Along with some extensive thoughts on Batman as the messiah, D4 (and harder-leaning local openers, the Brokedowns) came to the South Loop - en route to South By Southwest - with a healthy mix of some of the new, more reflective and personal songs, and plenty of older-school fist-pumpers.

A match made in electronic heaven

2009-03-06T16:14:00.000-06:00

Upcoming Film Scores reports that Kanye buddies Daft Punk will be providing the score for the forthcoming sequel Tron 2.0, thus - combined with the return of Jeff Bridges - elevating the project from half-kitschy curiosity to one of genuine interest. Work it, make it, do it, you crazy French cyborgs.

Via NME.

Trailer Watch

2009-03-05T23:55:00.000-06:00

The trailer for Michael Mann's Public Enemies, with Johnny Depp leading a solid cast as John Dillinger, was released yesterday, and - not surprisingly - it looks pretty awesome.

Catch any authentic Chicago or Wisconsin in there?

For reals, this time

2009-02-26T16:51:00.000-06:00

You heard it here first...er, second: David Bazan's debut LP, Curse Your Branches, is due to hit shelves August 25.

If the dude himself reports it on a fan message board, it's gotta be true.

You're gonna get some hop-ons

2009-02-24T18:21:00.000-06:00

A.V. Club reports that Michael "Mr. I'm-Better-Than-The-Rest-Of-You-But-Aren't-I-Endearing-Anyway?" Cera (or is that Mr. Manager?), the only cast holdout for the likely-impending Arrested Development movie, has signed on.

This, combined with Ron Howard's recent declaration that script-writing and meetings are happening, is good news, indeed, for Hop-Ons (the unofficial name for AD junkies).

Oscar wrap-up

2009-02-22T22:45:00.000-06:00

As with the Globes, no big surprises tonight. Unless you count Sean Penn's (who, as expected, used his speech to shame those who supported Prop 8) "upset" over Mickey Rourke - which really isn't much of an upset, given the Academy's penchant for biopic performances.

Supporting Actor, of course, went to Heath Ledger, whose family accepted on his behalf in a moving tribute, and Kate Winslet took home a deserved Best Actress statue (her first). Milk got Original Screenplay, Penelope Cruz won Supporting Actress, and while it probably should've taken Best Picture, Wall-E got the consolation prize of Best Animated Feature.

Also anticipated was Slumdog Millionaire's sweep, including Best Picture, Director (Danny Boyle), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Score, Song, and Sound Mixing. Pretty impressive for a film originally headed straight to DVD.

Hugh Jackman proved an affable host for the newly youthed-up show (which included a hilarious, Judd Apatow-helmed clip of Seth Rogen and James Franco's Pineapple Express characters reviewing nominated films), though his song-and-dance tribute to musicals, directed by Baz Luhrmann and featuring Beyonce and High School Musical stars, was about as painful as it sounds.

John Legend was an exceptional stand-in for Peter Gabriel, who refused to perform his "Down to Earth" (from Wall-E) as part of a Best Song medley. Instead, Legend shared the stage with the Soweto Gospel Choir - as well as drummers, dancers, and Slumdog composer/back-to-back winner AR Rahman - for what turned out to be the ceremony's standout segment. Jai Ho, y'alls!

My inner 7-year-old thanks you

2009-02-19T14:21:00.001-06:00

I knew there was a reason I liked the official Watchmen poster...

Trying to give this struggling band some publicity

2009-02-18T10:31:00.000-06:00

Barroom heroes The Hold Steady will release A Positive Rage, a new documentary about their Boys and Girls in America world tour, on DVD April 7.

Rage will also feature a second, audio disc of the band's Halloween '07 show at the Metro, along with five studio tracks - three of which appeared as bonus songs on a limited release of last summer's Stay Positive, and two of which ("Spectres" and "40 Bucks") have previously been locked up in the Hold Steady vault.

Craig Finn & Co. are, of course, currently on tour stateside - including a stop at the Festival of Faith & Music, along with David Bazan, Over the Rhine, and Lupe Fiasco - until May, when they'll head to the UK with Counting Crows (!).

The ultimate in nerd bragging rights

2009-02-03T17:58:00.000-06:00

After wowing Comic-Con attendees last summer with early footage, Ninja Assassin, the latest from the Wachowski Bros., finally has an official release date of June 1.

Unremarkable news, except for my vested interest in the project: the Wachowskis' new, state of the art postproduction studio happens to be down the street from my house. Given the pair's track record to date (Matrix, V for Vendetta, Speed Racer), one can only imagine the visual effects bonanza being cooked up behind closed doors in our unassuming neighborhood...

Fake NES opening = superior to prestigious awards

2009-01-26T17:58:00.000-06:00

No big surprises among last week's Oscar nominee announcements - save, perhaps, Robert Downey, Jr.'s nomination for Tropic Thunder, which, some would argue, only made the cut because Heath Ledger's got the trophy locked up (a prediction further sealed by Ledger's SAG Award win last night).

While there's been grumbling aplenty on the internets about "Best Picture" not being among Dark Knight's eight nominations (c'mon, did folks really think the Academy had room for more than one non-period drama?), I'll continue to focus my whining on that category ghetto known as "Best Animated Feature Film," created eight years ago as an apparent means by which to give Pixar an annual Oscar. As was the case in '07, I thought the animation studio made what was probably the best movie of the year, in Wall-E.

Some had thought Wall-E might break the mold this year, and become the second ever animated film nominated for Best Picture. But with the creation of the Best Animated category, it's a safe bet that quality cartoon features will be unable to break out of their designated territory.

Not that comic book adaptations fare much better. Whatever...can any Best Picture nominees claim an 8-bit pseudo-Nintendo game opening sequence?

I rest my case.

UPDATE: it looks like Pluck You, Too! agrees with me.

Doin' Maurice Sendak proud

2009-01-21T23:41:00.000-06:00

Everyone see the latest images from the eagerly anticipated, Spike Jonze/Dave Eggers/Karen O collaboration, Where the Wild Things Are (with a delayed, newish opening of October 16)?

From the looks of some new photos - including those adorning a new series of skateboard decks - that ComingSoon.net dug up from Jonze's Girl Skate Company site, Jim Henson's Creature Shop nailed the Wild Things. This is one to be excited about, kids.