February 2010
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES
February 28, 2010
As you may have noticed, we haven't added any new content for weeks now. We're having some serious technical difficulties that should be worked out soon. Rather than continue with updates and risk the technical integrity of this site, we've decided to hold off.
That said, we have a folder full of new content that we'll begin posting once we get some things worked out. All kinds of fun new stuff. Tons of it. In the mean time, hold tight, we're coming for you soon!
Written by G. William Locke
A LOOK AT FILM IN 1978 AND 1979
February 17, 2010
Oh damn, the 1970s. A great decade for film. We're taking our time on the 70s, as there are a number of essential films we need to see before we feel we can make an informed list. To hold you over, below are our lists for 1978 and 1979.
TOP 14 FILMS OF 1978
6. Grease (Randal Kleiser)
7. Interiors (Woody Allen)
8. The Last Waltz (Martin Scorsese)
9. Heaven Can Wait (Warren Beatty)
10. Up In Smoke (Tommy Chong and Lou Adler)
11. The Wiz (Sidney Lumet)
12. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (John De Bello)
13. Superman (Richard Donner)
14. Animal House (John Landis) ... [Continued]
TOP 14 FILMS OF 1979
6. Escape From Alcatraz (Don Siegel)
7. Kramer vs. Kramer (Robert Benton)
8. The Muppet Movie (James Frawley)
9. The Electric Horseman (Syndey Pollack)
10. The Warriors (Walter Hill)
11. 1941 (Steven Spielberg)
12. Tess (Roman Polanski)
13. Breaking Away (Peter Yates)
14. Meatballs (Ivan Reitman) ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
SCREENTIME HOPES FOR BETTER DAYS
February 16, 2010
Tops at the Box: A sweet lil’ rom-com called Valentine’s Day opened at No. 1 on Valentine’s Day weekend. You darned precious Americans. The $52 million film brought in $52 million its first weekend. The studio heads at Warner Bros. rejoice; the big guys love it when a plan comes together. Sign up as many big stars as possible, not with the promise of big star money, but with the promise of a sure-fire hit (an easy way to beef up thee ‘ol IMDB rap sheet, ya know). Then buy lots and lots of ads (including some serious Super Bowl time) and watch the pretty couples fall in line on date night. Big money. Hollywood. Art as business. Ugh. The low-brow cycle continues.
More From the Box: The first Percy Jackson & the Olympians film and The Wolfman took the No. 2 and No. 3 spots with $31 million and $30.5 million, respectively. Two months ago both films looked very promising on paper; now, after seeing trailers and reviews, both films look like yet more stink from the studio’s dumping season. Avatar and Dear John took the No. 4 and No. 5 spots. Blah. The only film that stands out from last weekend’s depressing box office is $7 million film Crazy Heart, which took the No. 9 spot with another $4 million, upping its so-far total to just under $17 million. Hurray for the studio-level indie hit! (Saw it. Aside from Jeff Bridges performance, the film is middle-of-the-road and full of clichés.)
New This Week: Finally, 2010’s first wholly worthwhile theater release (for cinephiles, anyhow): Martin Scorcese’s very promising Shutter Island, based on Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel of the same name. Sure, there are other movies out this week (nothing remotely major), but we’re not going to even talk about those. They look like garbage. Island, however, is certainly worth seeing. Not only does it feature an endlessly talented cast (Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams, Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Jackie Earle Haley, Max von Sydow, Elias Koteas, etc.) and great source material ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
OUR LATEST PROJECT: A ROCK DOC
February 15, 2010
Without going on and on too much, we just wanted to bring a little awareness to another project Ze Catalist's Greg Locke has going on - a rock n' roll documentary set in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
There's a website now explaining the project. Take a minute and head over to www.FortWayneRockDoc.com for more info. We'd suggest starting with the "Questions" page and then maybe the "Proposal" page. There's lots to read. Our focus right now is funding. To read more about that, check out the "Get Involved" link. Locke is currently working on developing the project with Sweetwater Sound (www.sweetwater.com). There will be a benefit/awareness show at The Brass Rail on March 5 (www.brassrailfw.com). We're not 100 percent sure of the line-up yet, but we know Jon Keller will start things off with a couple of his new tunes before taking the stage for something of a super group set. Joining him will be Mark Hutchins (Vandolah), Josh Hall (Thunderhawk) and Jon Ross (SuperHunk, Definitely Gary, etc.). Also playing said show will be Castles and Lee Miles. The Bookhaus Boys will close out the night with a DJ set. Maybe more, too.
Here's the Fort Wayne Rock Doc's mission statement, as quoted from the website: "This website functions as support for a music documentary project taking place in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The film will document the Fort Wayne music scene while asking questions (and hopefully supplying some answers) about the current state of the music industry. The project's third agenda is to pay tribute to both Fort Wayne and its overlooked music scene in an artful, thoughtful and timeless way. We are currently looking for sponsors and funding. Once everything is in line we will begin production immediately. We plan to offer planning and production updates very often via www.FortWayneRockDoc.com. Oh, and please tell your friends!"
Contact Greg at FWRockDoc@gmail.com with inquries or to get involved.
Posted by G. William Locke
ALBUM: BEACH HOUSE'S TEEN DREAM
February 14, 2010
I made every attempt to ignore the zebra print cover art for Beach House’s third record, Teen Dream, as I rescued it from it’s wrapper. Once inside the zebra carcass I found - surprise, surprise - two discs and two books. Bonus! I put the disc with the Easter blue zebra print on it in the player. Didn’t appear to play. Put the disc with the Easter pink zebra print on it. Also didn’t play. I looked at the pink zebra book then the blue zebra book. Stumped. And already tired of zebra. Then, finally, I put the blue disc back in … it worked. It had a bit of silence at the beginning before things got started, but, once the music fell from the carcass, it sounded big and grad. Immediately better than the band’s first two records. Turned it up.
The pink book revealed that the pink disc was in fact a full-length DVD full of videos for every song on the album, each video directed by a different filmmaker. The first director’s name? Sean Pecknold. Hmm. Pecknold, as in Fleet Foxes Pecknold? Yep, the brother of the head Fox. Seemed odd to me, considering my first thought as Teen Dream’s opening song played was “it sounds like these guys have been listening to the Fleet Foxes since their last album.” Weird. The closing video was directed by Broken Social Scene frontman Kevin Drew, too. But no, Teen Dream doesn’t really sound too much like BSS. More on the videos later.
The first thing you need to know about the music side of Teen Dream is that it is a very big sounding record. Band members Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally took the R.E.M. approach while following up the success of their 2007 breakthrough, Devotion, here recording in a converted church. On board for the recordings was producer Chris Coady, a studio whiz known for helping bands (most notably TV on the Radio) sound bigger than life. The result is a record that sounds like a mix of Devotion, the Fleet Foxes, the most recent M83 record and Mazzy Star. The sound is dusty and dreamlike ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ZE CATALIST LOOKS AT OUR TWENTY FAVORITE ROCK N' ROLL DOCUMENTARIES
February 13, 2010
We at Ze Catalist plan to make a music film. Awfully vague, right? Okay, it’s a music documentary film that aims to take a look at and document the current state of the music industry. We also aim to photograph and document the film’s location, Fort Wayne, Indiana, while using the musicians of said city as a microcosm of musicians around the United States. We could go on and on, but you’d be better off check out the film’s website, found at www.FortWayneRockDoc.com. For now, we’ll stick to talking about music films.
There are a number of different kinds of music films - anything from “High Fidelity” to “Woodstock” to whatever U2’s latest live DVD is to even “Singles” and “Rachel Getting Married.” One of our primary focuses is to make a music film that music people will love. That said, let us elaborate a bit.
We plan to make a narrative documentary film, not a concert film. The difference between a documentary and a concert film can be a bit cloudy and grey. “Stop Making Sense” or “Storefront Hitchcock,” for example, are clear cut examples of concert films while “Be Here to Love Me” is a documentary. Two films in particular, “Gimme Shelter” and “The Last Waltz,” have elements of both, with “Gimme” being more of a documentary and “Waltz” being more of a concert film.
See the Mission Statement on the top right corner of the page for details on exactly what our goals are. For now, we’ll leave you with a list of our favorite Rock Documentaries. That’s straight documentary films, not music films or scripted films or video collections. Some night, when we can’t sleep, we’ll post a list of our favorite rock films ever. No. 1, obviously, is Stephen Frears’ “High Fidelity.” Untouchable.
#5 “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” (Jeff Feuerzeig) - Like Chris Smith’s amazing “American Movie” documentary, “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” feels like a small miracle. How did director Jeff Feuerzeig get such great material? How was he able to document this wild, endlessly interesting character so well? Okay, maybe he could’ve focused on Johntson’s musical brilliance more and his personality disorder less, but … well, who doesn’t love a mad genius? The editing is top notch and the subject is as fascinating as they come; these two key elements are strong enough to overshadow some of the problems. Problems, really, that only someone very interested in film and film production would make note of.
#4 “Don’t Look Back” (D.A. Pennebaker) - Pennebacker’s 60s-era black and white doc is one of the most watched, discussed and influential rock docs ever. Most everything here is slow and subtle, but the subject is always interesting and the filmmaking is strong. Pennebaker tells the story by simply being in the room and holding the camera. This film stands as the most intimate document of one of the most polarizing musicians of all-time. That said, this isn’t exactly a fun, memorable rock n’ roll film ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM REVIEW: LIL' WAYNE'S REBIRTH
February 12, 2010
Rapper turned supposed rap-rocker Lil’ Wayne is a man of his time. To some, he’s a hero. To some, he’s interesting. To most (and when I say most, I mean most people around the world, not just in the U.S.), he’s the poster boy of anti-Americanism. Imagine being from another country - almost any other country - and getting a look at this asshole: instantly dated and meaningless tattoos all over his face and body; big, fake diamond teeth; millions of dollars worth of gaudy jewelry all over his body; awful, ugly, garish clothing that’s four sizes too big; big expensive, ugly cars. He is the excess. Only in the U.S.A. can you be Lil’ Wayne.
“I was born and raised in the U.S.A. and all I wanna do it play” sings Wayne on Rebirth opener “American Star.” Well, he sort of sings. There are guitars and drums clouding what he’s doing. And, yes, there’s definitely a whole lot of auto-tune going on. What’s instantly amusing about this, Wayne’s first foray into the rap-rock hybrid, is how he really does go for the Gold. He’s not just trying to make his first wholly musical album, he’s trying to be innovative. He’s trying to make the rock genre his own. He thinks he can do this by writing auto-tune-aided hooks and having big rap-rock guitars and lame arena drums. He goes absolutely nuts with auto-tune - redefining the word “overboard.”
And that’s all I plan to say about the actual record. It’s shallow and awful. No one needs to hear it. It sounds exactly like you’d think a Lil’ Wayne rap-rock album would sound - like a soulless train wreck full of clichés ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
SCREENTIME STRIKES AGAIN
February 11, 2010
Tops at the Box: It’s funny, really, that one of the worst reviewed major releases of the last few years (Dear John) is the film to knock the No. 1 grossing film of all-time (Avatar), bringing in just under $32.5 million its first weekend. Avatar pulled in another $23.6 million last weekend, pushing it’s overall total to over $2.2 billion. When you consider DVD sale and rental predictions, James Cameron’s Avatar should end up bringing in over $4 billion. Damn. Coming in at No. 3 last weekend was John Travolta action latest stinker, From Paris with Love, with $8.1 million at the box office; coming in at No. 4 was Mel Gibson thriller Edge of Darkness with $7 million; and rounding out the Top 5 for the weekend was The Rock’s Tooth Fairy, which upped it’s so-far total to $34.3 million. Awful movies across the board, we’d bet. Dumb world.
New This Week: Three possible blockbuster titles hit screens this weekend, starting with sure-thing hit Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Directed by Christopher Columbus (the first two Home Alone films and the first two Harry Potter films) and based on the popular children’s books, Percy is all set to take over as Harry beings to fade away. Next we have the star-studded rom-com Valentine’s Day, which looks to be about as original as its title suggests ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
OUR TOP 50 FILMS OF THE 1980S!
February 10, 2010
So here's the thing about the 1980s: they kind of sucked. Well, unless you like cocaine, synth-fueled music, big hair, and artists around fumbling with new technology. Looking at the decade from a pop critic's perspective makes us happy we were too young to really know what was going on in those days (we were busy playing baseball and growing a Sandberg mullet of our own). Look at how people dressed. The haircuts. The television shows. Even Martin Scorsese didn't know what to do in the 1980s. Awful. The only decade where guys like Kevin Bacon and Patrick Swayze could become major stars.
All that said ... damn, there were some pretty decent flicks in the 1980s. Lots of great, great comedies, for sure, and some nice arthouse stuff, too. In general, though, the 1980s were a cultural wasteland. People didn't know what to do with all the new technology and ... you know, Hollywood was snorting lots and lots of coke. As far as I can tell, those were the two main problems.
Where film is concerned, the 80s were the worst decade for scores, poster art, hair and wardrobe. The set designs (save for a few, such as Terry Gilliam's) were usually awful and much of the acting was overdone - especially in those comedies (I blame SNL and Monty Python). The jokes were usually cheesy and the drama very soapy. The women didn't even look that great, save for maybe Molly Ringwald.
Regardless, we were able to do a little research and put together a pretty solid list of our 50 favorite films from the decade. The biggest issue was that we found at least 20 very highly regarded films from the 80s that we've not yet seen (The Killing Fields, for one). Because of this, we'll be updating the list as we do see more and more movies.
Here's a little teaser; click the "Continued" link at the end for the Top 25, and be sure to check out the other links below.
25. The Elephant Man (David Lynch)
26. Sid and Nancy (Alex Cox)
27. Gandhi (Richard Attenborough)
28. The Breakfast Club (John Hughes)
29. House of Games (Sidney Lumet)
30. ET (Steven Spielberg)
31. Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone)
32. The Terminator (James Cameron)
33. Stand by Me (Rob Reiner)
34. Aliens (James Cameron)
35. The Year of Living Dangerously (Peter Weir)
36. Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders)
37. When Harry Met Sally (Rob Reiner)
38. Raising Arizona (Coen Brothers)
39. Terms of Endearment (James L. Brooks)
40. Videodrome (David Cronenberg)
41. Scarface (Brian de Palma)
42. The Color Purple (Steven Spielberg)
43. Ran (Akira Kurosawa)
44. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis)
45. The Last Temptation of Christ (Martin Scorsese)
46. Amadeus (Milos Foreman)
47. Blood Simple (Coen Brothers)
48. Gallipoli (Peter Weir)
49. Diner (Barry Levinson)
50. Time Bandits (Terry Gilliam) ... [Continued]
Additionally, we also posted lists for each year through the 1980s, same as we did for the 1990s and the 2000s. So, you know, lots and lots of lists and film geekery. Here are links to the lists: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Whew ... we're tired. Be sure to write us at MisterListerman@gmail.com if you think we forgot something. Or, better yet, send us your lists! Maybe we'll post 'em here.
Posted by Mister Listerman III
OUR TOP 50 FILMS OF THE 1990S!
February 9, 2010
While updating our lists from the 1990s we realized that, without a doubt, the 2000s were a far superior decade for film. That said, we are fairly happy with the Top 50 Films of the 1990s list we came up with, as it's surely better than the 1980s list we've been working on. In fact, we'd call 40 of the 50 on our list all-out classics. Not bad. Still, though, if you go year by year, there were some VERY thin years where only two or three great films came out. Defintely some awful trends early on in the decade.
You'll have to click the link below to get the full list. For now, here's a teaser ...
25. American History X (Tony Kaye)
26. Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg)
27. The Big Lebowski (Coen Brothers)
28. Slacker (Richard Linklater)
29. Boyz N Da Hood (John Singleton)
30. Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton)
31. Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg)
32. Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese)
33. Se7en (David Fincher)
34. The City of Lost Children (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
35. Delicatessen (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
36. Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater)
37. Singles (Cameron Crowe)
38. The Fisher King (Terry Gilliam)
39. Basquiat (Julian Schnabel)
40. Barton Fink (Coen Brothers)
41. Dazed and Confused (Richard Linklater)
42. Clerks (Kevin Smith)
43. Ghost Dog (Jim Jarmusch)
44. Summer of Sam (Spike Lee)
45. The Talented Mr. Ripley (Anthony Minghella)
46. Three Kings (David O. Russell)
47. Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze)
48. Sling Blade (Billy Bob Thornton)
49. Swingers (Doug Liman)
50. Casino (Martin Scorsese) ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
WHAT?! EVEN MORE LISTS FROM THE 90S?!
February 8, 2010
Well, we were going to wait to post more of our Best Films lists from the 1990s, but decided that, since the Super Bowl is/was so borring, we may as well just put them all up now. So, same as explained below, if you go to the LISTS>FILM LISTS portion of the site you'll find a "Best Films" list from each year of the 1990s.
Soon enough, depending on how ambitious we're feeling, we'll post a master list of our favorite films from the entire decade. That's right, one list of our Top 50 films from the 1990s. We know, we know, you can't hard wait.
TOP 25 FILMS OF 1994
1. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino)
2. The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabount)
3. Red (Kyzysztof Kieslowski)
4. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis)
5. Hoop Dreams (Steve James)
6. Clerks (Kevin Smith)
7. Barcelona (Whit Stillman)
8. Reality Bites (Ben Stiller)
9. Ed Wood (Tim Burton)
10. Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone)
11. White (Kyzysztof Kieslowski)
12. PCU (Hart Bochner)
13. Crooklyn (Spike Lee) ...
Written by G. William Locke
NEW FILM LISTS GALORE!
February 7, 2010
We've posted our Best Films of the Year lists for 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999, so check those out under the LISTS>FILM LISTS section of the website. While some of those years were all-time classic years (1999, for sure), others were downright awful (1995, ugh).
We'll post our lists for the rest of the 1990s soon enough.
TOP 50 FILMS OF 1999
1. Fight Club (David Fincher)
2. Magnolia (P.T. Anderson)
3. Ghost Dog (Jim Jarmusch)
4. Summer of Sam (Spike Lee)
5. The Talented Mr. Ripley (Anthony Minghella)
6. Three Kings (David O. Russell)
7. Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze)
8. Election (Alexander Payne)
9. The Insider (Michael Mann)
10. The Green Mile (Frank Darabont)
11. The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick)
12. Sweet and Lowdown (Woody Allen)
13. Man On the Moon (Milos Foreman) ... [Continued]
Posted by Mister Listerman III
AUTEUR RAMIN BAHRANI OWNS MY ASS
February 6, 2009
I’m mad. Angry. What the fuck. Why isn’t writer/director Ramin Bahrani the most talked about man in the film industry? Why haven’t any of his films made over $1 million at the box office? He’s Roger Ebert’s new favorite director and, as far as critics are concerned, is rightfully one of the most universally loved auteurs currently working. Why isn’t this guy nominated for James Cameron’s nine Oscars?
Because the world is a stupid, soulless place, that's why.
I’ve thus far only seen two of his three pictures, 2007’s Chop Shop and 2009’s Goodbye, Solo. After watching Chop Shop today, Bahrani’s debut, 2005’s Man Push Cart, is the movie I need to see ASAP. To say that Chop Shop blew my mind and changed my idea of what film can be is an understatement. Not only was this film one of the most unique and well made films I’ve seen - ever - it effected me as much as any film I’ve seen - ever. Chop Shop is nothing short of an art world miracle.
Goodbye, Solo, Bahrani’s latest, is a great film. An A+ film that I told everyone I knew about after seeing it a few months ago. But, damn, Chop Mother Fucking Shop. I had to pause the film multiple times while it was playing. I literally had to catch my breath. I had to rewind and see things again. I had to stop and think about my life and what I’m doing with it. I had to reconsider everything. I can’t think of another director who makes such human work. Chop Shop is a great example of clean, economical filmmaking ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
MARK HUTCHINS' NEW INDIE CLASSIC
February 5, 2010
Ahh, yes, the old rock n’ roll tale of the frontman braving it solo. So much to say and so many ways to say it.
Here’s the obvious opener: Vandolah frontman turned for-now solo artist Mark Hutchins is Fort Wayne’s own Man in Black. A sturdy, generous, hugely talented songwriter with a deep catalog of originals. That, and he usually wears black clothing (thus the cheap nickname).
Or how about a more interesting opener: Area indie-rock God Mark Hutchins doesn’t write songs, record albums or play shows for you or any of those other pretties in the crowd, he does it for Mark Hutchins, the Language Mangler. This music thing, it’s what he does. Sure, he’s a dad and a husband and a copywriter for Sweetwater Sound, but before he was any of those things, he was a songwriter. He is a songwriter.
But here’s the rub: though he is a prolific songwriter who has always been munificent with his work, we only really know a few facts about the man behind the work. We know that he’s a lefty who plays a righty guitar upside down; we know that he was some sort of BMX champ in his youth ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke; Photo by Drew Allegre
SONGWRITER MATTHEW RYAN SPEAKS UP
February 4, 2010
“I'm going for my Phd., so to speak. I plan on doing this as long as I'm breathing,” said songwriter Matthew Ryan when the interviewer (me) noted his heavy baggage of 12 albums in 13 years. “I honestly feel like I'm just getting started.,” he continued. “I believe through every stage in my growth I've done some really good work. I'm always shooting for the stars, and that's made for some swings and misses. But that's how it goes ya know? You gotta be willing to fail in order to succeed.”
For Ryan’s latest record, Dear Lover, for which he’ll stop in Fort Wayne to play a show in support of, he took a different approach. Not quite the mad genius/outcast-locked-in-the-basement vibe of say, a 70s Todd Rundgren, but something in that ballpark.
“There were many moments while making Dear Lover that felt more like making Moby Dick than it did making music,” Ryan explained when asked about this, his first sans band record. “I was determined to make the purest music I could without compromising the record sonically because I was making it at home. I wanted it to be intimate, honest and cinematic.”
All songwriters seem to get to this point. Maybe it’s the groupies ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
SCREENTIME: SPRING FILM PREVIEW
February 4, 2010
Rather than pound readers in the head with more blue man dollar talk, ScreenTime has decided to take a week to look forward at the year ahead. Hundreds of notable films are released worldwide each year, most of which are quickly forgotten. There are the big dollar blockbusters, the sequels, the foreign films, the indies and so on. While we do typically favor indie, foreign and experimental films, we also enjoy well made studio films very much. Below you'll find just a few of the countless films set to be released over the next few months.
February: Dear John, based on the Nicolas Sparks book and directed by Lasse Hallstrom (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Chocolat, ect.), should make some decent bread due to its proximity to Valentine’s Day. Stars that gal with the gigantic eyes and the dude with the gigantic muscles. John hits screens February 5, as does John Travolta’s latest stinker, From Paris With Love. The following week will see three big dollar flicks his the big screens: Valentine, an ensemble film that surely takes from Love, Actually and He’s Just Not That Into You; The Wolfman, starring Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt, looks promising; and director Christopher Columbus (Home Alone and the first two Potter films) attempts to make a comeback with his latest children’s film, Percy Jackson & the Olympians. February 19 will finally see the release of Martin Scorsese’s long delayed Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo, as well as two smaller films, The Ghost Writer and The Good Guy. Ghost, starring the man, Tom Wilkinson, looks promising. Finishing out February on the 26th will be the promising Yellow Handkerchief, overdone horror remake The Crazies and possibly hilarious buddy/cop flick Cop Out, starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan ...
[Continued]Written by G. William Locke
MARK HUTCHINS' SLEEPY FURNACE
February 3, 2010
Oh, snap. Hold up, I gotta put my headphones on. (Looks in kitchen.) I should probably do those dishes too. Okay, that’s better: pushing play right now, turning up, ready to rock. (Looks at liner notes.) Mark Hutchins, huh? Hmm. Is this that guy from that band with the cool name? The same guy who all my songwriter friends love to death and few others know about? I thought his name was Hutchington? I wonder if talking to myself like this is getting out of hand. Meh. (Suddenly excited.) Hey, I wonder if I can hide those dishes behind my roommate’s old bong and forget about them. Hmm.
This Yankee Hotel Foxtrot intro thing (titled “Ropes”) better end soon. I mean, I love it and the Epic Intro haircut it’s wearing very much (seriously, it’s fantastic), but I wanna know if this is the Hutchington guy I think it is, thee ’ol BMX pro. The one from that band … uhh … Vandolah. Vandoler when playing shows in Boston, I’d bet. Beautifully orchestrated and produced noise collage that this “Ropes” track is, I can’t be certain …
Okay, yep, that’s the dude. There’s the unmistakable voice and those obscure yet poetic lyrics I love to waste hours trying to decipher. Ahh, Vandoler. Guess this means those dishes aren’t getting done ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
SCREENTIME: AVATAR SETS RECORDS,
LEGION LOOKS LIKE THE DUMBSHIT, ETC.
February 2, 2010
Tops at the Box: Whether it’s still the No. 1 grossing film of the week come next issue or not, I promise not to talk about blue man dollars after this week’s column. We’re at way past boring at this point. Like it or not, this whole boring Na’vi thing is full-blow, Star Wars-level cultural phenomenon. Movies rarely make it to this level of cultural influence. This past weekend Avatar not only topped the boring box office, but became the No. 2 grossing boring film ever made. By the time you read this column it will very likely be the No. 1 grossing film of all-time, passing James Cameron’s own Titanic. I’ve seen both films multiple times - this because I care. And I like movies. I’d give Titanic a boring C+ and Avatar a D+. Needless to say, I’ve had lots of awkward, boring conversations about Avatar lately, the best of which usually have to do with Cameron’s awesome new-age-dude hairstyle. I typically segue said conversations into better territory by saying “have you seen Cameron’s ex-wife’s new film, The Hurt Locker, yet?”
More From the Box: Supernatural horror flick Legion, starring Paul Bettany in his first major lead, took the No. 2 spot last weekend, bringing in a surprising $18 million over it’s first three days. Victory for the angel with the uzi! The Hughes Brothers’ The Book of Eli, starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman and the endlessly annoying brunette from “That 70s Show,” took the No. 3 spot with another $17 million in its second week, upping its so-far total to over $62 million after only 10 days. Looks like a fun action flick. The Tooth Fairy and The Lovely Bones took the No. 4 and No. 5 spots; both films are ... [Continued]
Posted by Mister Listerman III
OSCARS 2010: VERA FARMIGA STILL BLOWS
DESPITE GETTING NOMINATION
February 2, 2010
First, a few things: 1) I’m stoked about the host(s) this year. I think Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will kill together. I’m really not the biggest Baldwin fan in the world (30 Rock is overrated, blah, blah, blah), but if you pair him with the right person, well, damn. I guess I should see It’s Complicated? Nah; 2) I know it’s uncool for a cinephile to get all giggly about awards shows, especially the Oscars. But fuck that noise. I love the Oscars. I know what they are. I’m no fool. To me, it’s fun because it gets people talking about movies who wouldn’t normally talk about movies. And I get to see Penelope Cruz in a dress (kidding) and George Clooney with a new fuck buddy every year (not kidding). Good enough for me.
The nominees for this year’s show were announced this morning and, for a number of reasons, we’re stoked as hell. The nominees are listed below; we're guessing that if you're a regular of this site at all, you'll be able to figure out the stokers yourself. Same as we did with the Golden Globe Awards, the nominees we think will win are in red and the titles we hope will win are in blue. If we both hope and think, then the titles are in green.
The show is set to take place on Sunday, March 7 at 5 pm ET. Thirty-three days to go … can’t hardly wait.
BEST PICTURE
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
OSCAR NOMINATION PREDICTIONS: 2010
February 1, 2010
This year, more than most, seems a bit obvious. The newly expanded Best Picture category (which goes from five nominees to ten this year), however, should be interesting. We predict at least two awful flicks will get nods due to money and lame chatter. Nominations will take place at 5:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, February 2, 2010.
See below for our predictions. We think we got at least, say, 80 percent of our estimations correct. Oh, and of the predicted nominees, we’ve bolded the titles we think will win. Look for more coverage before the big show.
BEST PICTURE
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Up in the Air
Precious
The Blind Side
(500) Days of Summer
District 9
It’s Complicated
The Hangover
Also Possible: Up; An Education; Invictus; Where the Wild Things Are
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE - MALE
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Michael Stuhlbarg - A Serious Man
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Also Possible: Johnny Depp - Public Enemies; Matt Damon - The Informant!
Should Win But Won’t Get Nominated: Sam Rockwell - Moon ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
A DECADE WITH STEVEN SODERBERGH
February 1, 2010
Weeks ago when we published our Top Directors of the Decade feature, we left out a few directors, most notably Steven Soderbergh, who directed 13 films over the decade. That’s 13 full-blown, scripted, feature length films. Not bad. Let’s take a look at the man’s decade.
2000 - Erin Brockovich - Soderbergh’s breakthrough to being a true name director. Decent enough flick, for sure. Maybe a little overrated, otherwise no complaints from us. Nominated for five Oscars, won one. 8/10
2000 - Traffic - Great, great, great, epic film. Amazing that Soderbergh released both this and Brockovich in the same year. Nominated for five Oscars, won four, including Best Director and ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke