If only I was alive.
I am an avid fan of the event.Much of the music I own was created at that same time.
The documentary “Woodstock” is a powerful film that I revisit often. Right now, as I type Ritchie Havens iis playing “Freedom” from the festival. Obsessed? Maybe. But I feel I am just a fan.

This film kept my interest, even when the plot lost some splendor, there was still the festival organization and crowds that kept me involved. Ang Lee did a great job at setting up the mass hysteria that surrounded the creation and undertaking of said event. This film does not touch the music, in fact we only get a glimpse of the stage lighting from way off. This is a story of how the event came to be and a coming to terms story of a young gay man and his efforts to save his family’s hotel.  It was well acted but there were things that were just overdone. I got the message but it was like force fed over and over.  But, I didn”t care about the plot.  I was totally wrapped in the parking lot traffic scene out in front of the hotel. So many people on there way to the grounds.  I was entertained and intrigued by the madness  and even the soundtrack. This is not a great film but it is well done and original, which is lacking in Hollywood these days. If you like the documentary and are interested in parts of the festival that have not been dramatized,I recommend this one.

The New Time—An Incomplete History: John Davidson, a native Alaskan took the jump and settled in Philly in 2007. Before getting to the Big Philly he spent some time in PA taking up the night shift at the local newspaper in the heart of PA’s former coal belt. Between writing stories that were often heart breaking, Davidson met sports editor and accordionist Joe Petrucci and the two began playing at a local tavern where they met Matt Guza, a washboard player and multi-instrumentalist, eventually all moving to Philly. Read the rest of this entry »

Somewhat-elusive-impossible-to-ever-really-fully-understand…bitch. This is the question posed in the mockumentary Paper Heart, the latest indie love flick to come down the pike. Like Away We Go, Paper Heart takes on an Us vs. Them approach to understanding the ever elusive concept of love. Relying on a grab bag of cinematic tricks, the film combines documentary style, real interviews with couples, and puppetry to convey the journey Charlyne Yi embarks on to find out if love really exists.

The concept was the brainchild of Charlyne who personally felt she was not capable of falling in love. She teamed up with director and co-writer Nick Jasenovec who was intrigued by the project and found Charlene to be a “unique person with a unique take on things.” Her “unique take” sets the sweet and almost sugary tone of the film. Charlene’s approach to living borders on the extreme with respect to cuteness and naivete. The extreme component is what makes her so fascinating to watch. It seems to be a conscious choice, a reaction to seeing an ugly world, deciding she didn’t care for it all that much, and building her own, more suitable, lens. Nick talks briefly about her childhood explaining, “she grew up in Fontana, California, a town filled with crystal meth. She had a lot of friends get pregnant young–it was a pretty harsh reality.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Mike Judge talks about “Extract” from AMFM STUDIOS LLC on Vimeo.

I owe a bit of gratitude to QT. He raised the bar this summer. I loved this movie. From the opening scene, I was hooked. The homage paid to past great and not so great moments in cinema history was like fly paper for me. I take that back, one of the the things I have learned from Quentin at all the QT fests is that good and bad are relative in cinema. Great things exist in most films. You just have to be willing to find them.

Christophe Waltz owned the screen. His villain had me trembling.  This film is not a remake. The over the top nazi killing happens but it is not a bulk part of the film.  There is drama going on that does not directly involve the basterds. Well, not at first.
Forget what you expect this film to be about. It won”t be that. Let the story with it’s chapters guide you.
At 2 1/2 hours I wanted more. More that I know was there. I wanted the histories and even the scars of characters to  be dramatized. I plan on seeing this a few more times.

Review by Bree Perlman

The blood, sweat, and tears in Quentin Tarantino’s Nazi hunting WWII film seem to come mostly from the director himself, whose die-hard love of cinema pours lovingly out of every scene even if it means sacrificing dramatic structure, character development or sometimes, overall good sense. The juxtaposition of a brilliant, tension filled opening scene with a head scratching are-we-there-yet end, and mostly a grab bag in between, requires steadfast devotion to all those involved. Tarantino approaching with a boyish plea, “I really want this to work” to which his actors, who mostly have little to work with (particularly Brad Pitt’s Lt. Aldo Raine and his fellow Basterds) respond, “So do we” and set about trying their best to make it happen for him. If you’re willing or feeling generous, the devotion on all sides is almost enough to carry this uneven and choppy film. If you’re not, the brilliant Christoph Waltz, as Nazi Colonel Hans Landa, will certainly sustain you whenever he graces the screen. It is a peformance that reasonably warrants a film title change. Otherwise, the plot unravels, things go splat, characters appear too late in the game to make sense (as a frenzied Diane Kruger as Bridget von Hammersmark seems painfully aware of). And then there are Nazi killings. Lots of them. And who doesn’t enjoy a good Nazi slaughtering now and then? Don’t over think it and you will be entertained.

Inglourious Basterds opends Friday 8.21.09

The Sound and the Jury Gives Competing Bands Shot at Center Stage

AUSTIN, TX – August, 14, 2009 – The Sound and the Jury (S&J), a virtual battle of the bands, is back for its 3rd year and will again offer one lucky band the ultimate grand prize: a slot on the Dell Stage at Austin City Limits (Oct. 2-4, 2009). Bands of all genres have a shot at landing the dream gig on the ACL Festival line-up alongside musical heavyweights Sonic Youth, Kings of Leon, Thievery Corporation, Andrew Bird and more. Last year’s winner, The Steps, have since gone on to release an album and go on tour. Who will play the 2009 ACL Festival? It’s up to you.

How it Works
Round One is live now and bands can upload their music at http://delllounge.com/soundandthejury/ to enter the competition. To stay in the game, bands must generate enough votes to land them in the Top 100 by Aug. 28. From there, industry judges will narrow it down to the Top 20, and public voting opens again to determine the Top 5. A live Battle of the Bands on Sept. 30 at Austin’s iconic music venue, Antone’s, is where industry judges and fan votes will determine the band that rocks the hardest. At the end of the multi-round, two-month contest, one worthy band will earn a prize spot on the Dell Stage at the ACL Festival.

What’s at Stake
Each of the five finalists will receive $1,500. The winning band will be listed as part of the official lineup and receive an opening slot on the Dell Stage at the ACL Festival. As an official ACL artist, the winner will get artist passes for the entire weekend with access to catering, the artist lounge, and everywhere else bands get to go. The winning band will also receive promotion on delllounge.com, a 15″ Dell(tm) Studio(tm) laptop, weekend hotel accommodations in Austin, and tickets for some friends the day of the show.
LAST YEAR’S—————-

I try not to hate a movie before I have even seen it.  After viewing the previews to this movie it really worked my gag reflex.  But I am willing to give things the benefit of the doubt.

The movie was shot here in good ol’ Austin, TX.  It features Disney stars Aly Michalka (of Aly & AJ, Phil of the Future fame) as the former popular cheerleader turned charismatic rockstar and Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical 1-3) as the oddball teenager that develops a crush on new kid in town Will, played by Gaelen Connell (Chocolat). Read the rest of this entry »

Wanna get away?

I found myself thinking of the quirky and slightly disquieting Southwest Airlines commercials after the first 5 minutes of this film.

David Twohy’s less than “Perfect” offering opens with Cydney (Milla Jovovich) and Cliff (Steve Zahn), a painfully blissful pair of newlyweds at the beginning of their painfully typical and touristy honeymoon in Hawai’i. Cliff is apparently an up and coming screenwriter, and Cydney is his nauseatingly adoring new bride. As fate (or your typical Rouge film) would have it, another honeymooning couple on a neighboring island has fallen victim to a particularly brutal demise by what is believed to be….you guessed it, ANOTHER young couple posing as honeymooners.

On their trek through the Hawaiian jungle paradise, they happen upon two other couples, first the twitchy, dodgy and generally ominous pair, Kale and Chloe. Chloe is about six dreadlocks shy of an 85 IQ and Kale is a burly, brooding surf nazi type who has a serious chip on his shoulder for a guy named after a leafy green. Cydney and Cliff’s initial encounter with these two does not bode well, and although we have our first two murder suspects handed to us on a platter…..we go on hoping that the story has something else in mind. Read the rest of this entry »

The Wiyos—Broken Land Bell: The Wiyos own a signature sound and it’s that of a 1920s-1930s country blues, western swing and experimental pop blend. Not only that, but they include the sounds of NYC beat boxer Adam Matta and the talents of circus and theater composer Sxip Shirley, so really, when it comes down to it, the album includes the warm sounds of all the touch-points of America’s musical history. Read the rest of this entry »

I do love me these guys. I have been a fan and friends with the Hairy Apes BMX  for many years. These guys rarely play as Hairy Apes BMX anymore. When they do, my butt is there. Because of my bad timing call for T-bird & Breaks, we arrived before the scheduled start time. Way too early. So, I checked out some old Clifford pictures. I don’t know what my photographer got into. Now, the Apes have some die hard fans, like me, that will brave distances and elements to get that beat fix. I saw some faces that I haven’t seen since the last Apes show. We caught up and solved mysteries. The mystery of the early ending gig we saw on Fridaze night was solved. The Mohawk’s outdoor stage is outdoors. The sound ordinance shows its fangs again.
They began.    Mike started in on that beat that just sucks you in. JJ’s bass riffs keep you there. They went through the standards and I filled my veins.  Oh baby! Then some guy named Topaz joined in on sax and hand held  drum. This group of  three; a drumer, a bass/vocals and xylophone/percussion/vocals is really tight. A perfect ensemble, if you will. And yet this Topaz managed to find a way in and hold his own. Cool to see. They played through much of my favorites. I need that fix often. God, I hope I find  that bootleg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See you next time. Photos shot   by   Kyle Woods

The timing  was off. I purposely sought a late arrival. Maybe because it is hot, because I have been hanging out with musicians or maybe because of faulty logic, I ignored the scheduled start time and figured they would go on later. A blend of all three sounds good. Lesson learned.  Ok. I’m gonna start this blog. I will  write about going out and about. I will bring a photographer when I can. Read the rest of this entry »