Who’s the best singer-songwriter from the early 70s? You know the genre: one man, his guitar, and songs with a focus on thoughtful lyrics. In this town full of acoustic guitar slingers, lots will chime in and say Townes Van Zandt or Guy Clark. No one can argue Townes or Guy shouldn’t be mentioned, but lots will overlook Bill Withers. You may ask, Bill Withers the soul guy was a singer-songwriter? Heck yeah he was! The man got his start writing songs on his acoustic guitar. When he played live, it was just Bill sitting still, singing and strumming guitar. Listen to “Ain’t No Sunshine”, it starts with acoustic string picking and tapping foot. His songs are great character stories, it can be the story of his “Grandma’s Hands”, or a neighborhood like “Harlem”. Want a folky anti-war song? Listen to “I Can’t Write Left Handed”. Granted, by his second album, Bill was touring with one of the most energetic backing bands in the business, complete with funky bass and clavinet, and making hits with danceable music like “Use Me”. Underneath all that production and instrumentation still lies a well written song.
Shutter Island has taken the top spot at the box office for two weeks in a row now, racking up over $110 million. The film has even topped all other opening weekend records for Mr. Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese. This success is a little surprising, because mass audiences can stay away from stories that aren’t “happily ever after” stories. After the obligatory post-screening “what did you think of the movie” talks, I knew I loved it, but predicted most audiences would be creeped out by it, killing the word of mouth buzz. To be fair, I guess people know up front that a story set in an insane asylum will be grim. The poster for Shutter Island gives fair warning too. When else have you seen Leo DiCaprio reduced to a grimacing face clouded in shadows?
The movie is full of kookiness like a dwarf for a boss, a maverick insurance fraud investigator, a stripper in a wheelchair, a carnival sideshow act always engulfed in flames, gun-toting male nudists, mobsters running a junk yard, and a creepy girlfriend with a yellow smiley-face fetish. Steve Buscemi stars, Sara Silverman gives comedic relief, and Spike Lee executive produces. The pitch for this movie must have practically sold itself because it sounds amazing. But is it?
Upfront, Saint John of Las Vegas is not a good movie. I have to root for it anyway because it gives Buscemi a leading part instead of making him a sidekick or supporting role. The man is one of the greats and rarely gets to show it in starring role. It also has a quirky plot that stays away from the predictable Hollywood format. This is the first film released from IndieVest, a new LA based company that finances films, and I’m all for new paths to distribution outside the normal big studio channels.
David Bates since 1982: From the Everyday to the Epic
David Bates, a Texan by birth and still a Texan by choice, makes art. In a way, Bates’ art is like the city of New Orleans: both can mean different things to different people. You may find it modern, yet others like the folksy charm, some enjoy its natural beauty, while others are drawn to its human emotions. Bates’ art is shown in New Orleans a lot, so much that I assumed he was from Louisiana at first. For New Orleans, a place rich in local culture, to welcome a foreigner like Bates into their museums and galleries speaks highly of the man’s work. Accolades also come from his home state, as seen in the Austin Museum of Art’s exhibition David Bates Since 1982: From the Everyday to the Epic. AMOA’s downtown gallery is filled with the different sides of Bates: folk art renderings of musicians, landscapes of nature preserves, still life magnolia blossoms, and cubist forms of cigarettes and Corona bottles. Bates’ brushstrokes have a signature style, and the same unique angular lines he puts down on canvas show up in his sculptures. In The Woodsman, Bates paints a life-size five-foot tall woodpile, no two logs alike, each one painted with subtle differences in color and pattern. The relationship between Bates and New Orleans comes as no surprise; the city is a famous haven for roots music, and Bates exalts this music on canvas via the imagery of musicians Clifton Chenier and Lightning Hopkins. People are the soul of any city, and Bates’ work shows a connection with the people of New Orleans. In the Katrina aftermath, Bates painted flooded landscapes and the faces of the citizens deluged by the federal levee failure. This recent Katrina series is worth seeking out. The AMOA exhibition is a sure bet, and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans has Bates on view in their permanent collection. The Ogden features The Storm, a series of three large panels, each one filled with a dozen life-size faces of flood survivors.
Jesus, what a waste of time. I was actually giving the bird to the screen, midway through. It started off pretty cool but it soon became a rehash of revenge pictures. Where are the original ideas? Along the same lines and well done was a film called “TAKEN.” Save your money and time and skip this. Mel was sleepwalking through this. Some folks actually applauded when the credits rolled. I was grateful also. The talent and money wasted could have done better. Maybe I’m harsh, my friend that was there didn’t feel negative about it. Maybe I missed something? Ray Winstone was awesome and saves what he can of the film. As it stands, the story was a rehash and poorly executed. I just did not give a toss……………………. I’m owed a few hours of my life back.
Imagine, if you will, my sheer unbridled glee at being handed this assignment, to catch a new Werner Herzog movie! Me and Werner go way back, beginning with Fitzcarraldo. Here is a man who picks highly explosive, Quixotic characters who put themselves and everyone around them through mind bending hell on their quest for their own personal holy grail, and Werner gives them free rein to eviscerate themselves for our entertainment. Werner is not everyone’s cup o‘ tea, mind you, but I dig his aesthetic largely.
Now, imagine, if you will, how dumbfounded I became when I’m walking into the theater and the greeter tells me this is a David Lynch production! I could barely contain my enthusiasm… Finally, I am going to be challenged by the celluloid, rather than being slapped in the face with a dead rotting fish and insulted, like I was by the last attempts of both Eastwood and Jackson, of which I covered both for the Daze. After those two miserable excuses for film making I needed this like a junkie with a pocketful of money knocking on the door of his reputable and reliable dealer.
This film, a crime drama, stars Willem Dafoe, Chloe Sevigny, Michael Shannon, Grace Zabriskie and Udo Keir (with a great cameo by Brad Dourif), and is based on a true story, but between the capable folk in charge here we get something quite surreal in the process that never sacrifices or sullies the ongoing narrative. A brilliant mix of style and composition, the marriage of these two auteurs is awesome to behold. I was transfixed from start to finish, wondering just what in the hell was gonna happen next, satisfied as well as bewildered at every crook and turn.
The musical score, by Ernst Reijseger, is not to be believed. It seemingly never stops the entire film, lending an already phantasmagorical set of scenes a twist of nonsense and raw emotion that keeps the deadpan delivery of this movie percolating right along. Brilliant choice, this.
Warning: THIS MOVIE ISN’T FOR EVERYONE!!!
Art lovers, however, will rejoice!
Finally, a movie that is well worthy of an investment in time. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, and I’m sure will continue to do so for the next few days, too; a true mark of a movie well done.
What can I say, but by all means…
Thank you Herr Lynch and Herzog. A collaboration that lives up to your hype.
The movie began well enough, a seemingly complimentary pairing of the suspense thriller genre with a fantasy backdrop. I was pulled deeper and deeper into the story, enjoying myself, along for the ride….
Then suddenly, without warning, or buildup, or anything resembling plausibility, the movie takes a horrible turn where the characters come unhinged and commit acts totally out of character, and the film never recovers, only gets worse and worse.
Because of some CGI enhanced transmuted feeling, admittedly vague at best, one character literally stalks another with a baseball bat down the middle class streets, at night!!, pursing the other character into a cornfield where all goes bad to worse in a most unbelievable way????!!!!! BS! The mother flies the coop, leaving family behind to go work with itinerant strawberry pickers somewhere far far away. ????!!!!! BS!! We are given no buildup of how or why for these sudden twists of character, who until now, were distraught, but normal, together, middle class folks.
One of the family does keep it together and she manages to uncover the source of the families woes, duly reports it to her family… and nothing happens… Nothing.
Some more inane story crap ensues, enhanced by CGI that is a horrible device for storytelling.
Then, apparently after much time passes, the bad character is still up to his nastiness, but lures his bait to another person in the most unbelievable of settings and circumstances, and then courtesy of CGI magic, something resembling justice occurs. … Gimme a break.
Then, it ends. Mercifully.
Susan Sarandon is the only believable character here. But her role doesn’t a movie make.
Yet another note to Hollywood… Take the money you guys are spending on CGI and HIRE A DECENT WRITER!!! Don’t try and lull us and dazzle us with your dream worlds when you haven’t a clue how to move us with a believable and compelling story.
Don’t bother with this one, readers. A total mess. A waste of two hours of your life. Yuck!
Yo Pete, gain back the weight you lost, maybe that will bring you back to form…
Cruel I know, but I don’t particularly like my time wasted, regardless of whom is the perpetrator. Pete let the bar be lowered, and the buck ultimately stops with him, and for that he should pay. And I guarantee you he will come 2nd week box office receipts. I’m not a betting man, but any takers?
DARK DARK DARK. The poster art makes this movie look mainstream. It is not.
This film just grabbed me and shook baby shook!!! It worked. You can really tell that Werner Herzog and cast and crew had a great time putting this together. Cage is in top form here. He goes for broke being bad. The best work he has done in a long time.
And no, not everyone is going to get it. I lucked out and saw this in a full Alamo Drafthouse theater. The crowd was mostly cinephiles and movie geeks. AICN presented this event. So, it is safe to say that we got the gist of what was going on. This film was dark but the humor that flowed was golden. I rented “BAD LIEUTENANT” after the screening. There are many similarities, I wonder why nothing else I have read on this film mentions that.”BL:POCNO” seems to take these similar elements one step further and fleshes them out so to speak. The dialogue here is awesome. I must have said “TIL THE BREAK OF DAWN” a hundred or more times this past week and most folks around me have no idea why. This film walks a tightrope over having no clue. And therein lays the magic. I recommend this full on.
If you love films and can name another Herzog title off the top of your head or enjoy an occasional trip to the darkside, this film is for you. I will see this again. OPENS DEC 11TH.WATCH TRAILER HERE
“Rock and Roll will live forever-but can it float?”
If writer/director Richard Curtis has anything to say about it, the answer is a bursting, “Yes!” evidenced by his latest film, Pirate Radio. It’s an unapologetically uplifting comedy about a group of 1960s rogue deejays determined to deliver forbidden music to 25 million people. Listen to some of the last broadcasts of the ships for which the story was inspired and you might come to a different conclusion. Early critics of the film accuse it of being a “too sugary” and “too sweet” account of an event that in the words of Robert Daltrey of The Who, people were “a lot more pissed off” about. To say that Curtis delivers a staunchly sunnier version of the events than many remember it is an understatement. But sitting down with Curtis last week in New York I came to understand why it couldn’t possibly have been any other way.
My picks from the Austin Film Festival are four strong. I saw more but I liked these the best.
Three of which are gonna be Oscar contenders( or should be).
“The Road, The Messenger and Precious…..” all blew me away.
Now, the way I do this festival is to not do any research on the premise or the stories of the films. Sometimes I am tipped off by the buzz, sometimes not. And yes, sometimes I win and sometimes I see some bad stuff, but I never have any expectations. Surprise of greatness is an awesome experience in film watching.
First was “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.” This screened to a sold out Paramount audience. There is truly no better way to screen a film. I don’t believe there was a dry eye in the house when the credits rolled. God, it was brutal. This girl’s life was so sad and harsh but there was love that climbed out from the darkness. Truly inspiring. The writing and the cast were so tight that I felt like I was watching a documentary more than once. You will hear more about this in weeks to come
“Pocket Full of Soul” did it for me. It was a documentary on the harmonica. It was music to my ears. I learned more about a subject that I know a “little” about.Man I wish I could play that thing. I do love that sound.
Next up was“The Messenger.” The buzz about this was huge. It was co-written and directed by the screenwriter of “I’m Not There,” the Bob Dylan film. It starred Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster as” death notice officers” for the Army. The folks that deliver the bad news. Both of these guys were great. Ben Foster just shined. I’m gonna say best actor but who knows we have a few months. The pace was slow. The acting was the gift here. “The Road” played to a full house at the Paramount.I liked this the best. It was bleak but very fine tuned. I found out that night that it was from a novel. Post apocalyptic wandering father and son, Viggo Mortenson and Kodi Smit Mcphee dodge cannabals and search for food on the never ending path to a warmer place. I normally avoid films with kids as main actors, expecially these type of films. I had no problem here. Everything worked. This was well done . This film is sure to garner some awards. Bring a sweater when you see this one.
That was my Austin Film Fest 09 see yall next …………………….
I love Fantastic Fest. It is a film festival that was spawned, plucked and groomed by folks that live and breathe film. It is a festival fo the film fan. I have found my groove this year and am enjoying the opportunities. And now on top of all the wonderful films, surprise talent, there is a new hangout brought to us by the fine Alamo folks called the HIGHBALL. A hop and a jump from the theater, it is a bowlingalley/disco/kareoke/bar and gathering place. Genius. Soloman Kane. That title is strong. Brutal. Ultra-violent, Unapoligetically so.
Awesome it was. By the end you will want more, I did. The title character is new to me, James Purefoy, but he was so good, I guarantee we will see more of him. Kane’s world is harsh and the film leaves you with that cold and rough feeling. It never stopped fucking snowing! An action/adventure flick that does not slow down. If you want action & adventure this is the one! Still no release date yet.
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 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.
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 »
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 »
I loved this film. It owned me from start to finish. At the moment, most of my favorite actors are brought together and great performances are brought out from them by Mr. Apatow in this film. What we have here is a different sort of film. Sure it is still a comedy but there is also this testament to lost love and friendship going on. I was brought to tears a few times here. Yes, in laughter some, but also in the accurate depiction in some very tough scenes. This film is a next step for the director and take it smoothly he does. This a heartfelt dramatic film with a heavy dose of comedy sprinkled in. I love it when an artist tries something new. Here, we have Apatow exploring serious subject matter. He has te comedy thing down. I look forward to where he goes next.
Some will talk about the length. I was into the film so it didn’t bother me. It takes time to tell a good story.
I have been looking forward to this film ever since I heard it was being made. I managed to avoid all reviews and trailers. I went in a virgin if you will. I knew the actors and director and that was it. I was sucked in. After the preview, I came home and watched the trailer. I couldn’t believe what they gave away. Jesus! I am glad I missed it, and if at all possible try not to see it before you go. And go you must. Hands down, this is the best film I have seen this summer.
Two comments were heard repeatedly from the audience at the screening of The Hangover: “That shit is out!” and “This is every man’s worst nightmare.” Both, were alarmingly, hilariously true and could easily have served well as the film’s interchanging poster slogans.
The Hangover is a genuinely committed, gross out, raunch-fest comedy, that if at times uneven, never succumbs to sentimentality or sap. This is no small feat considering the premise which is about as formulaic as they come: A crew of friends go to Vegas for a bachelor party that goes all wrong. Part of its success is the fearlessness with which they push the dark-comedy envelope. Part of it is the treatment of the whole buddy movie/road trip and their ability to embrace one of the most worn out plots in film with a a we-know-the-concept-sucks-but-trust-us sensibility that seems to motivate the filmmakers to stay one step ahead of its audience’s we’ve-seen-this-before expectations.
Who’s the best singer-songwriter from the early 70s? You know the genre: one man, his guitar, and songs with a focus on thoughtful lyrics. In this town full of acoustic guitar slingers, lots will chime in and say Townes Van Zandt or Guy Clark. No one can argue Townes or Guy shouldn’t be mentioned, but lots will overlook Bill Withers. You may ask, Bill Withers the soul guy was a singer-songwriter? Heck yeah he was! The man got his start writing songs on his acoustic guitar. When he played live, it was just Bill sitting still, singing and strumming guitar. Listen to “Ain’t No Sunshine”, it starts with acoustic string picking and tapping foot. His songs are great character stories, it can be the story of his “Grandma’s Hands”, or a neighborhood like “Harlem”. Want a folky anti-war song? Listen to “I Can’t Write Left Handed”. Granted, by his second album, Bill was touring with one of the most energetic backing bands in the business, complete with funky bass and clavinet, and making hits with danceable music like “Use Me”. Underneath all that production and instrumentation still lies a well written song.
Jesus, what a waste of time. I was actually giving the bird to the screen, midway through. It started off pretty cool but it soon became a rehash of revenge pictures. Where are the original ideas? Along the same lines and well done was a film called “TAKEN.” Save your money and time and skip this. Mel was sleepwalking through this. Some folks actually applauded when the credits rolled. I was grateful also. The talent and money wasted could have done better. Maybe I’m harsh, my friend that was there didn’t feel negative about it. Maybe I missed something? Ray Winstone was awesome and saves what he can of the film. As it stands, the story was a rehash and poorly executed. I just did not give a toss……………………. I’m owed a few hours of my life back.
Imagine, if you will, my sheer unbridled glee at being handed this assignment, to catch a new Werner Herzog movie! Me and Werner go way back, beginning with Fitzcarraldo. Here is a man who picks highly explosive, Quixotic characters who put themselves and everyone around them through mind bending hell on their quest for their own personal holy grail, and Werner gives them free rein to eviscerate themselves for our entertainment. Werner is not everyone’s cup o‘ tea, mind you, but I dig his aesthetic largely.
The movie began well enough, a seemingly complimentary pairing of the suspense thriller genre with a fantasy backdrop. I was pulled deeper and deeper into the story, enjoying myself, along for the ride….
DARK DARK DARK. The poster art makes this movie look mainstream. It is not.
“Rock and Roll will live forever-but can it float?”
Soloman Kane. That title is strong. Brutal. Ultra-violent, Unapoligetically so.
If only I was alive.
Wanna get away?
I loved this film. It owned me from start to finish. At the moment, most of my favorite actors are brought together and great performances are brought out from them by Mr. Apatow in this film. What we have here is a different sort of film. Sure it is still a comedy but there is also this testament to lost love and friendship going on. I was brought to tears a few times here. Yes, in laughter some, but also in the accurate depiction in some very tough scenes. This film is a next step for the director and take it smoothly he does. This a heartfelt dramatic film with a heavy dose of comedy sprinkled in. I love it when an artist tries something new. Here, we have Apatow exploring serious subject matter. He has te comedy thing down. I look forward to where he goes next.
