Here's Lucille Ball in an early stage of her career opposite Henry Fonda, in a riches to rags sort of story where Gloria Lyons (Lucille Ball) loses her crown as a popular nightclub singer after her bastardly boyfriend pushes her down the stairs and cripples her. Pinks (Henry Fonda) is the sensitive, adoring fan and bus boy at the club who takes her in to care for—but Ms. Lyons is a tempest and demands the finest food (champagne and caviar) even on his meager salary. The story doesn't end up as compelling as we hope, and the outcome is as you'd expect—with Ms. Lyons at the final realization that her demands upon Pinks and her taste for high fashion and culinary fare just don't wash. Still crippled in a wheelchair she resigns herself to a lifestyle within her means, and a sudden appreciation for poor Pinks who she's pushed around all these months. Story aside, it's worth a glimpse for Lucille Ball in her youthful svelte figure with sparkling gowns dangling from her torso. The woman is stunning, quite honestly—a fact probably drowned out by her slap-sticky comedy career. This wasn't her first film (it was actually her 51st film), but Fonda, already an established and high profile actor was reluctant to work with her because of it. Looking at her filmography it's clear she was a real rags-to-riches story herself. Picking up bit parts as early as 1933, and finally reaching her pinnacle with the I Love Lucy TV series.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
The Big Street - 1942 - DVD
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Here's Lucille Ball in an early stage of her career opposite Henry Fonda, in a riches to rags sort of story where Gloria Lyons (Lucille Ball) loses her crown as a popular nightclub singer after her bastardly boyfriend pushes her down the stairs and cripples her. Pinks (Henry Fonda) is the sensitive, adoring fan and bus boy at the club who takes her in to care for—but Ms. Lyons is a tempest and demands the finest food (champagne and caviar) even on his meager salary. The story doesn't end up as compelling as we hope, and the outcome is as you'd expect—with Ms. Lyons at the final realization that her demands upon Pinks and her taste for high fashion and culinary fare just don't wash. Still crippled in a wheelchair she resigns herself to a lifestyle within her means, and a sudden appreciation for poor Pinks who she's pushed around all these months. Story aside, it's worth a glimpse for Lucille Ball in her youthful svelte figure with sparkling gowns dangling from her torso. The woman is stunning, quite honestly—a fact probably drowned out by her slap-sticky comedy career. This wasn't her first film (it was actually her 51st film), but Fonda, already an established and high profile actor was reluctant to work with her because of it. Looking at her filmography it's clear she was a real rags-to-riches story herself. Picking up bit parts as early as 1933, and finally reaching her pinnacle with the I Love Lucy TV series.
Here's Lucille Ball in an early stage of her career opposite Henry Fonda, in a riches to rags sort of story where Gloria Lyons (Lucille Ball) loses her crown as a popular nightclub singer after her bastardly boyfriend pushes her down the stairs and cripples her. Pinks (Henry Fonda) is the sensitive, adoring fan and bus boy at the club who takes her in to care for—but Ms. Lyons is a tempest and demands the finest food (champagne and caviar) even on his meager salary. The story doesn't end up as compelling as we hope, and the outcome is as you'd expect—with Ms. Lyons at the final realization that her demands upon Pinks and her taste for high fashion and culinary fare just don't wash. Still crippled in a wheelchair she resigns herself to a lifestyle within her means, and a sudden appreciation for poor Pinks who she's pushed around all these months. Story aside, it's worth a glimpse for Lucille Ball in her youthful svelte figure with sparkling gowns dangling from her torso. The woman is stunning, quite honestly—a fact probably drowned out by her slap-sticky comedy career. This wasn't her first film (it was actually her 51st film), but Fonda, already an established and high profile actor was reluctant to work with her because of it. Looking at her filmography it's clear she was a real rags-to-riches story herself. Picking up bit parts as early as 1933, and finally reaching her pinnacle with the I Love Lucy TV series.
Breach - 2007 - Film
Friday, March 23, 2007
Besides Chris Cooper's performance I'm sad to admit I thought Breach was just okay. The trouble for me came in the technique of the screenplay, which did little to reveal what really happened in the off-hours of FBI agent Eric O'Neill's (Ryan Phillippe) life. His anxieties were overt and didn't have a lot of depth; when he was mentally wrecked we knew because we saw him pacing around with his superior, Kate Burroughs (Laura Linney), or fighting about work matters with his wife. The plot was very carefully laid out before us without much guesswork, which is what I anticipated for a film that's already about a publicly known subject. I wonder if that sounds too picky--because in the end, it was a suspenseful story, and there are few actors as calculating and frightening as Chris Cooper.
Besides Chris Cooper's performance I'm sad to admit I thought Breach was just okay. The trouble for me came in the technique of the screenplay, which did little to reveal what really happened in the off-hours of FBI agent Eric O'Neill's (Ryan Phillippe) life. His anxieties were overt and didn't have a lot of depth; when he was mentally wrecked we knew because we saw him pacing around with his superior, Kate Burroughs (Laura Linney), or fighting about work matters with his wife. The plot was very carefully laid out before us without much guesswork, which is what I anticipated for a film that's already about a publicly known subject. I wonder if that sounds too picky--because in the end, it was a suspenseful story, and there are few actors as calculating and frightening as Chris Cooper.
Taxi Driver - 1976 - DVD
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Yep, watched this again. 8th time? Or 80th time?
The last shot of Travis Bickle twitching his gaze in the rearview mirror again freaked the crap out of me. Scorsese says on the DVD "making of" documentary that it was a sound sample run backwards that accompanies that shot, as a momentary return to Bickle's psychotic mindscape. Meanwhile, 5 minutes before Iris (Jodi Foster) shook me to a momentary jolt of tears as she screams, "No, don't shoot him!" Brains splatter on the wall. The famous surveillance shot curves across the ceiling of the room where the slaughter just took place. I again am overwhelmed, and will return to Taxi Driver in a year for my annual viewing.
Yep, watched this again. 8th time? Or 80th time?The last shot of Travis Bickle twitching his gaze in the rearview mirror again freaked the crap out of me. Scorsese says on the DVD "making of" documentary that it was a sound sample run backwards that accompanies that shot, as a momentary return to Bickle's psychotic mindscape. Meanwhile, 5 minutes before Iris (Jodi Foster) shook me to a momentary jolt of tears as she screams, "No, don't shoot him!" Brains splatter on the wall. The famous surveillance shot curves across the ceiling of the room where the slaughter just took place. I again am overwhelmed, and will return to Taxi Driver in a year for my annual viewing.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
George Washington - 2000 - DVD
Monday, March 19, 2007
I'm baffled. I'm hypnotized by George Washington's ponderous long takes of nature in a run-down town, but I'm do remain baffled by its overall intentions. It's a portrait of a southern town so torn up by poverty that its pubescent main characters, less than a handful of kids droning through their days on the cusp of something less than inspiring, say it looks like it was wrecked by "two tornadoes." As the film begins there is a relaxed sort of meditation to each shot, because every one is held longingly; little details like bits of graffiti on sign posts are cleverly framed with as much care as young George Washington (Donald Holden), the daydreamer with a birth defect (he has a soft scull) turned self-described superhero after he rescues a boy from drowning. Tim Orr, the cinematographer who has worked with director David Gordon Green on this, Green's first film, and on each subsequent release (All The Real Girls (2002), Undertow (2004), and Snow Angels (2007), and coming in 2008, The Pineapple Express), adds a particular glisten to the mundane. Though, Green's audience is a select type, and probably the kind who frequents the art house theater over the scraggly backwoods residents documented in his film; the depleted country industrial town (and townspeople) is intriguing by virtue of the disparity of setting and lifestyle between them and the film's viewers. Which is not to say Green's film looks upon his subject with condescension; to the contrary he lets the dilapidated town of rusty cars and train tracks simply be, and rather beautifully. The characters speak with a flat inflection, with an almost forced naturalism in their exchanges. The words they say seem contradictory to their characters, overly philosophical in observation, but somehow likable and true. They speak in essence of the whole movie: beautiful, philosophically sweet, but not of any defined order or form.
I'm baffled. I'm hypnotized by George Washington's ponderous long takes of nature in a run-down town, but I'm do remain baffled by its overall intentions. It's a portrait of a southern town so torn up by poverty that its pubescent main characters, less than a handful of kids droning through their days on the cusp of something less than inspiring, say it looks like it was wrecked by "two tornadoes." As the film begins there is a relaxed sort of meditation to each shot, because every one is held longingly; little details like bits of graffiti on sign posts are cleverly framed with as much care as young George Washington (Donald Holden), the daydreamer with a birth defect (he has a soft scull) turned self-described superhero after he rescues a boy from drowning. Tim Orr, the cinematographer who has worked with director David Gordon Green on this, Green's first film, and on each subsequent release (All The Real Girls (2002), Undertow (2004), and Snow Angels (2007), and coming in 2008, The Pineapple Express), adds a particular glisten to the mundane. Though, Green's audience is a select type, and probably the kind who frequents the art house theater over the scraggly backwoods residents documented in his film; the depleted country industrial town (and townspeople) is intriguing by virtue of the disparity of setting and lifestyle between them and the film's viewers. Which is not to say Green's film looks upon his subject with condescension; to the contrary he lets the dilapidated town of rusty cars and train tracks simply be, and rather beautifully. The characters speak with a flat inflection, with an almost forced naturalism in their exchanges. The words they say seem contradictory to their characters, overly philosophical in observation, but somehow likable and true. They speak in essence of the whole movie: beautiful, philosophically sweet, but not of any defined order or form.
The Last King of Scotland - 2006 - Film
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Until the last 30 minutes of The Last King of Scotland, in which black African culture suddenly morphs into a dark creature that violates its European character, I adored this movie. As the film begins we're dropped into Uganda--a veritable tour through the countryside, where we see people, wildlife, social and political gatherings, and all from the perspective of a white male who has never seen anything like it. In this respect the film starts as a liberating culture shock--you want to drop your materialistic life, get involved, and see this place. Very quickly (so as not to romanticize the country's political and social realities) we meet political leader General Idi Amin Dada (Forest Whitaker) who basically terrorizes his country. Though before we know any of that we come to trust him, particularly when he employs a Scot by the name of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) as his top advisor. Without spoiling the end of the story, it's sufficient to say Garrigan endures some pretty horrible physical punishment and mental torment that doesn't follow with much resolve, leaving us rather regretful that we visited this foreign place to begin with. I can't imagine this was the intent of the filmmakers, but the clumsy humor in the epilogue subtitles made that blemish even worse. The ending aside, the first two-thirds were beautiful, super-saturated shots of a place not see too often on film, and Forest Whitaker's performance blew my mind.
Until the last 30 minutes of The Last King of Scotland, in which black African culture suddenly morphs into a dark creature that violates its European character, I adored this movie. As the film begins we're dropped into Uganda--a veritable tour through the countryside, where we see people, wildlife, social and political gatherings, and all from the perspective of a white male who has never seen anything like it. In this respect the film starts as a liberating culture shock--you want to drop your materialistic life, get involved, and see this place. Very quickly (so as not to romanticize the country's political and social realities) we meet political leader General Idi Amin Dada (Forest Whitaker) who basically terrorizes his country. Though before we know any of that we come to trust him, particularly when he employs a Scot by the name of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) as his top advisor. Without spoiling the end of the story, it's sufficient to say Garrigan endures some pretty horrible physical punishment and mental torment that doesn't follow with much resolve, leaving us rather regretful that we visited this foreign place to begin with. I can't imagine this was the intent of the filmmakers, but the clumsy humor in the epilogue subtitles made that blemish even worse. The ending aside, the first two-thirds were beautiful, super-saturated shots of a place not see too often on film, and Forest Whitaker's performance blew my mind.
The Number 23 - 2007 - Film
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Notes on Joel Schumacher's latest half-baked thriller The Number 23 are over on Termite Art-- check it out.
Then read this hilarious nugget in The Onion!
Notes on Joel Schumacher's latest half-baked thriller The Number 23 are over on Termite Art-- check it out.Then read this hilarious nugget in The Onion!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
All The President's Men - 1976 - DVD
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Check out notes on my (obsessive) semi-annual screening of All The President's Men at Scarlett Cinema. For anyone who knows me or who has followed this blog from its inception knows I like me some Redford, Hoffman, Holbrook, and Robards mixed up in Washington Post investigative antics. Some friends of mine out there (you know who you are) haven't seen APM yet. Cut that out and see the movie already, will you?
Check out notes on my (obsessive) semi-annual screening of All The President's Men at Scarlett Cinema. For anyone who knows me or who has followed this blog from its inception knows I like me some Redford, Hoffman, Holbrook, and Robards mixed up in Washington Post investigative antics. Some friends of mine out there (you know who you are) haven't seen APM yet. Cut that out and see the movie already, will you?
The Host - 2007 - Film
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Calling all movie fans! You must see The Host, Korean director Bong Joon-ho's latest feature film that's in theaters now. Some call it horror, others say its drama, but I'm calling it both of these, with a good dose of comedy and some smashing photography--all of which assures the film a spot on my 2007 Top Ten list. Yep, it's an early prediction, but I'm sayin' it. Check out my review in Four Magazine!
Calling all movie fans! You must see The Host, Korean director Bong Joon-ho's latest feature film that's in theaters now. Some call it horror, others say its drama, but I'm calling it both of these, with a good dose of comedy and some smashing photography--all of which assures the film a spot on my 2007 Top Ten list. Yep, it's an early prediction, but I'm sayin' it. Check out my review in Four Magazine!
The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair - 2007 - DVD projection
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The Prisoner: Or How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair is in theaters March 30th. Read my review in Four Magazine!
The Prisoner: Or How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair is in theaters March 30th. Read my review in Four Magazine!
The Long Gray Line - 1955 - DVD
Monday, March 12, 2007
The Long Gray Line is perfectly John Ford. It takes a historical subject and splices it with comedy (including a bit of slapstick) into what begins as an awkward biopic, but ends with grace, nostalgia, and wholeness. It's the life story of Marty Maher (Tyrone Power) at West Point; the clumsy day-to-day of an Irish immigrant who falls in love with Mary O'Donnell (Maureen O'Hara) at first sight, and documents their married life from year-to-year. Eventually Marty becomes a non-commissioned officer, a big step for a guy who was doing dishes at his entrance into the academy. The narrative is as awkward as Powers' foreign character: new characters pop into the story with as much grace as Bush Jr. reading poetry, and then are suddenly gone only to reappear scenes later. As you work through the story none of it seems to be going anywhere, and you're not sure why Who and What is important to the movie. Then by the last half hour of the movie it all culminates into a beautiful picture of personal history. A recurring scene of soldiers marching in formation in the field is a mirror of what Marty saw years past; the same image of Marty's memory is played out in the plane of space before him. With a lot of nostalgia, the seams of Marty's life are blended into two final scenes that assure his place into the collective memory of his counterparts, and into history as a whole. It's a surprising tearjerker ending of a film that only scenes earlier didn't make sense.
The Long Gray Line is perfectly John Ford. It takes a historical subject and splices it with comedy (including a bit of slapstick) into what begins as an awkward biopic, but ends with grace, nostalgia, and wholeness. It's the life story of Marty Maher (Tyrone Power) at West Point; the clumsy day-to-day of an Irish immigrant who falls in love with Mary O'Donnell (Maureen O'Hara) at first sight, and documents their married life from year-to-year. Eventually Marty becomes a non-commissioned officer, a big step for a guy who was doing dishes at his entrance into the academy. The narrative is as awkward as Powers' foreign character: new characters pop into the story with as much grace as Bush Jr. reading poetry, and then are suddenly gone only to reappear scenes later. As you work through the story none of it seems to be going anywhere, and you're not sure why Who and What is important to the movie. Then by the last half hour of the movie it all culminates into a beautiful picture of personal history. A recurring scene of soldiers marching in formation in the field is a mirror of what Marty saw years past; the same image of Marty's memory is played out in the plane of space before him. With a lot of nostalgia, the seams of Marty's life are blended into two final scenes that assure his place into the collective memory of his counterparts, and into history as a whole. It's a surprising tearjerker ending of a film that only scenes earlier didn't make sense.
GRBAVICA: The Land of My Dreams - 2007 - Film
Friday, March 9, 2007
Stay tuned for my review! It will be up as soon as the movie is released, sometime about April 13th. In the meantime, think of a bleak, wintry Eastern European setting with stories of emotional and physical devastation and you're on the right track.
It's actually a Bosnian picture by director Jasmila Zbanic (who is also screenwriter) that examines the relationship between a mother (Esma) and daughter (Sara) as they define themselves as a family in post-war society, and without a husband/father figure. The former has barely enough money to cover the twosome's living expenses, and relies on the goodwill of friends and acquaintances for little extravagances,
like the class trip Sara wants to take. Sara (Luna Mijovic) has a complex face that's rather unique in its beauty, and she tells us a lot about herself with very simple glances; but make no mistake, Sara is a rowdy character that expresses rage outwardly, and un-self-consciously.
Stay tuned for my review! It will be up as soon as the movie is released, sometime about April 13th. In the meantime, think of a bleak, wintry Eastern European setting with stories of emotional and physical devastation and you're on the right track.
It's actually a Bosnian picture by director Jasmila Zbanic (who is also screenwriter) that examines the relationship between a mother (Esma) and daughter (Sara) as they define themselves as a family in post-war society, and without a husband/father figure. The former has barely enough money to cover the twosome's living expenses, and relies on the goodwill of friends and acquaintances for little extravagances,
like the class trip Sara wants to take. Sara (Luna Mijovic) has a complex face that's rather unique in its beauty, and she tells us a lot about herself with very simple glances; but make no mistake, Sara is a rowdy character that expresses rage outwardly, and un-self-consciously.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
The Nixon White House Staff Super 8 Films - 1969-1973 - Film (16mm)
Saturday, March 3, 2007
I am obsessed with Richard Nixon. His defensive political career and awkward personal life, and the ultimate disgrace he made of the Presidency never ceases to intrigue me. At once he is a liar, full of aggression and insecurity, yet a family guy with loving tendencies--and he is a rather persuasive writer. For every dirty trick of his political career I have a sense that there was always a conflicting voice inside him that diminished his self-confidence. I can't help but see him as a social outcast who would do anything to be popular. His problem, of course, is that he never dared to consider the consequences of compromising his character to please others--then again, maybe his character was never truly defined, making it that much easier to blend in with the crowd, to lay fallow as a leader. All of this has been written upon extensively, so without further pretense of figuring out his character myself, I'll stop here.
Suffice it to say for now that I've got my hands on a small library of Nixon biographies, Watergate histories, memoirs, and historical documents to keep me guessing; I even have an article being published on the Watergate scandal and All The President's Men (that should be out sometime in 2008, I'll keep you posted so you can buy the book.) All of that said, when I saw that the Chicago Filmmakers Film Series was screening The Nixon White House Staff Super 8 Films, well, I squealed a lot; but then I was off to that show with purpose.
The films were recorded between the years 1969 and 1973, and later confiscated by the FBI during the Watergate investigation. They were actually the property of former Assistant for Domestic Affairs, John Ehrlichman (one of the primary orchestrator's of the Watergate break-in and dirty tricks campaign), but after he resigned in April 1973 they became U.S. government property under the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974 (PRMPA). Of the 14 hours of film taken, we saw roughly 75 minutes of footage ranging from press briefings and ceremonies (of much pomp and circumstance), to footage of Air Force air shows and Navy boats. Looking at the latter you would have no idea it was related to Nixon, because he and his staff never appear (at least not that I noticed), and is focused on the planes and ships instead. Yes, don't forget, they are home movies; inevitably there are lulls of boredom.
The film stock is more valuable for the fact that it was Nixon's staff that shot it. A good chunk of the administration--Ehrlichman, H.R. Haldeman (Nixon's Chief of Staff, and perhaps the toughest goon on his team), Larry Higby (Haldeman's assistant), and Dwight Chapin (Deputy Assist. to the President)--all played cinematographer. I recognized Ehrlichman in a few shots, but they were fleeting. In a ceremony that took place in November 1971, Indira Ghandi is on the south lawn of the White House, right alongside Nixon. It was one of the first times I had seen Nixon walk; his gait is as awkward as his personality. Pat Nixon is passed around shaking hands (and looking quite beautiful and thin in her skirts and gowns); but she looks stifled and over-directed. I think she was more assertive than she appears.
There are no sound strips to the films. About 20 of us sat in the velvet curtained room sealed off from even a fleck of light, and only the click of the projector in the air. Almost immediately the silence gave way to unsolicited audience commentary; harmless whispering that led to veritable lectures from Whoever That Old Guy In The Back Is. A couple guys behind us were up in arms about the absence of Trish and Julie Nixon (Pat and Dick's daughters), so for them, whoever they are, here's a shot of Trish on her wedding day, June 12, 1971.
Also, and on an unrelated note, I love this picture; Richard and Pat at the beach in San Clemente, CA.
I am obsessed with Richard Nixon. His defensive political career and awkward personal life, and the ultimate disgrace he made of the Presidency never ceases to intrigue me. At once he is a liar, full of aggression and insecurity, yet a family guy with loving tendencies--and he is a rather persuasive writer. For every dirty trick of his political career I have a sense that there was always a conflicting voice inside him that diminished his self-confidence. I can't help but see him as a social outcast who would do anything to be popular. His problem, of course, is that he never dared to consider the consequences of compromising his character to please others--then again, maybe his character was never truly defined, making it that much easier to blend in with the crowd, to lay fallow as a leader. All of this has been written upon extensively, so without further pretense of figuring out his character myself, I'll stop here.Suffice it to say for now that I've got my hands on a small library of Nixon biographies, Watergate histories, memoirs, and historical documents to keep me guessing; I even have an article being published on the Watergate scandal and All The President's Men (that should be out sometime in 2008, I'll keep you posted so you can buy the book.) All of that said, when I saw that the Chicago Filmmakers Film Series was screening The Nixon White House Staff Super 8 Films, well, I squealed a lot; but then I was off to that show with purpose.
The films were recorded between the years 1969 and 1973, and later confiscated by the FBI during the Watergate investigation. They were actually the property of former Assistant for Domestic Affairs, John Ehrlichman (one of the primary orchestrator's of the Watergate break-in and dirty tricks campaign), but after he resigned in April 1973 they became U.S. government property under the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974 (PRMPA). Of the 14 hours of film taken, we saw roughly 75 minutes of footage ranging from press briefings and ceremonies (of much pomp and circumstance), to footage of Air Force air shows and Navy boats. Looking at the latter you would have no idea it was related to Nixon, because he and his staff never appear (at least not that I noticed), and is focused on the planes and ships instead. Yes, don't forget, they are home movies; inevitably there are lulls of boredom.
The film stock is more valuable for the fact that it was Nixon's staff that shot it. A good chunk of the administration--Ehrlichman, H.R. Haldeman (Nixon's Chief of Staff, and perhaps the toughest goon on his team), Larry Higby (Haldeman's assistant), and Dwight Chapin (Deputy Assist. to the President)--all played cinematographer. I recognized Ehrlichman in a few shots, but they were fleeting. In a ceremony that took place in November 1971, Indira Ghandi is on the south lawn of the White House, right alongside Nixon. It was one of the first times I had seen Nixon walk; his gait is as awkward as his personality. Pat Nixon is passed around shaking hands (and looking quite beautiful and thin in her skirts and gowns); but she looks stifled and over-directed. I think she was more assertive than she appears.
There are no sound strips to the films. About 20 of us sat in the velvet curtained room sealed off from even a fleck of light, and only the click of the projector in the air. Almost immediately the silence gave way to unsolicited audience commentary; harmless whispering that led to veritable lectures from Whoever That Old Guy In The Back Is. A couple guys behind us were up in arms about the absence of Trish and Julie Nixon (Pat and Dick's daughters), so for them, whoever they are, here's a shot of Trish on her wedding day, June 12, 1971.
Also, and on an unrelated note, I love this picture; Richard and Pat at the beach in San Clemente, CA.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny - 2006 - DVD
Friday, March 2, 2007
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny turned out to be one of the best comedies of 2006, but there was hardly a buzz about it. It's chock-full of Jack Black's signature swearing (I wish I could say the f-word like he does), and appearances from Amy Poehler, Tim Robbins, Fred Armisen, plus John C. Reilly as Sasquatch in a mushroom tripping sequence!
A review I wrote is copied below...
How Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny was overlooked by the Academy last year isn’t clear. It’s “The Greatest Motion Picture of All Time”—it’s in the movie’s tagline. If it is not the #1 film of 2006 (very painful to admit), or even the second best, it ought to be awarded at least a cool third place finish. Tenacious D takes the Musical genre to a new level, snaking together the raucous mindset of metal music and the raw comedy of Jack Black, revving us up to live vicariously through their rock fantasy.
Jack Black and fellow Tenacious D band member (the movie is based on their actual band) Kyle Gass are themselves living a rock fantasy in the film. In real life, their songs are more funny than head-rocking (though they are awesome musical talents), and the same is true in the film—but not according to their on-screen personas, JB (Jack Black) and KG (Kyle Gass). Think of it as a mock-Rockumentary, with a lot of mullets (Ben Stiller), beat up waitresses (Amy Poehler), and homeless murderer types with one leg and a Russian accent (Tim Robbins).
Little JB (Troy Gentile—an uncanny Jack Black look-alike) leaves home in Kickapoo, MO where his outraged old dad (played by Meat Loaf—in his first onscreen singing appearance since 1975’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show) forbids him from playing heavy metal, which propels JB out into the cold world—but not before an exhorting speech from the talking poster of former Black Sabbath front man, James Dio, a.k.a. the Devil of rock himself.
Once in Hollywood JB meets soul mate, KG whose $200.00 “royalty checks” roll in under the guise of stipend check from his mom. “At the break of noon” they begin training for rock superstardom. Practicing “power slides,” (a maneuver where epic rockers glide across the stage on their knees, guitar at full-throttle) and playing video games—it’s the mundane stoner life, and probably the real back-story for most rockers; the dream life-against-the-man demythicized.
Their first jam “Master Exploder,” brings new meaning to the phrase “blow your mind,” as Black and Gass are supra versions of themselves in Tenacious D: louder, rock-ier, and in their greatest test of strength of all, able to do more “cock push-ups.” (Strangely, that’s never more than one—you do the math.)
They're on a mission: to get the “Pick of Destiny,” a guitar pick made from a chipped tooth of Satan. It is your destiny to see how they will defeat Satan in a rock-off and go through groovy mushroom trip with Sasquatch (John C. Reilly) to do it.
The Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny DVD extras, to put it aptly, rock. Listening to them, one might wet them self with laughter, rather than be lulled to sleep by tepid interviews with actors who praise the director—which is common practice on DVD extras these days. Instead, director Liam Lynch addresses us directly, unabashedly: “we have the most kick-ass deleted scenes ever,” he says, “I only got through making this movie knowing I could show you this stuff on the DVD . . . the precious golden nuggets, the deleted scenes.”
Tenacious D has a deleted scenes selection so well crafted as to be another movie in itself. In fact, a number of the scenes star single instances of comedians like David Koechner (of The Naked Trucker and T-Bones series on Comedy Central), who would have otherwise been left on the cutting room floor. A car chase sequence mimics KG’s video game, with point value graphics over pedestrians’ heads and a blippy analogue computer soundtrack; this had to be cut from the final film too.
The extras, which include a mess of outtakes, a “making of” feature for the film and music video; an “In The Studio” session with Black and Gass laying down tracks and being jackasses; plus a segment of trailers, have not even hit their pinnacle until the Feature Commentaries begin: one with director Liam Lynch, another with Jack Black and Kyle Gass. The latter version serving as a veritable improv act with Black, who says the f-word with such fluidity, such style, as to be an inspiration; the f-word is a revelation. Swearing never sounded so good.
Don’t forget to look at the credits, because there's a long list of names in comedy contributed to Tenacious D. Black and Gass had high ambitions: “We wanted to make the Citizen Kane of Comedy,” they say, “Citizen D, if you will.”
Tenacious D joins the likes of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Dodgeball, and TV show 30 Rock as a way to showcase all of comedy's best. It’s like a club of comedians riffing off one other for two hours; they mock stereotypes and pop culture—which of course includes themselves: the chubby middle-aged rockers they know they could never be, but awesomely and un-self-consciously pursue anyway.
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny turned out to be one of the best comedies of 2006, but there was hardly a buzz about it. It's chock-full of Jack Black's signature swearing (I wish I could say the f-word like he does), and appearances from Amy Poehler, Tim Robbins, Fred Armisen, plus John C. Reilly as Sasquatch in a mushroom tripping sequence!
A review I wrote is copied below...
How Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny was overlooked by the Academy last year isn’t clear. It’s “The Greatest Motion Picture of All Time”—it’s in the movie’s tagline. If it is not the #1 film of 2006 (very painful to admit), or even the second best, it ought to be awarded at least a cool third place finish. Tenacious D takes the Musical genre to a new level, snaking together the raucous mindset of metal music and the raw comedy of Jack Black, revving us up to live vicariously through their rock fantasy.
Jack Black and fellow Tenacious D band member (the movie is based on their actual band) Kyle Gass are themselves living a rock fantasy in the film. In real life, their songs are more funny than head-rocking (though they are awesome musical talents), and the same is true in the film—but not according to their on-screen personas, JB (Jack Black) and KG (Kyle Gass). Think of it as a mock-Rockumentary, with a lot of mullets (Ben Stiller), beat up waitresses (Amy Poehler), and homeless murderer types with one leg and a Russian accent (Tim Robbins).
Little JB (Troy Gentile—an uncanny Jack Black look-alike) leaves home in Kickapoo, MO where his outraged old dad (played by Meat Loaf—in his first onscreen singing appearance since 1975’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show) forbids him from playing heavy metal, which propels JB out into the cold world—but not before an exhorting speech from the talking poster of former Black Sabbath front man, James Dio, a.k.a. the Devil of rock himself.
Once in Hollywood JB meets soul mate, KG whose $200.00 “royalty checks” roll in under the guise of stipend check from his mom. “At the break of noon” they begin training for rock superstardom. Practicing “power slides,” (a maneuver where epic rockers glide across the stage on their knees, guitar at full-throttle) and playing video games—it’s the mundane stoner life, and probably the real back-story for most rockers; the dream life-against-the-man demythicized.
Their first jam “Master Exploder,” brings new meaning to the phrase “blow your mind,” as Black and Gass are supra versions of themselves in Tenacious D: louder, rock-ier, and in their greatest test of strength of all, able to do more “cock push-ups.” (Strangely, that’s never more than one—you do the math.)
They're on a mission: to get the “Pick of Destiny,” a guitar pick made from a chipped tooth of Satan. It is your destiny to see how they will defeat Satan in a rock-off and go through groovy mushroom trip with Sasquatch (John C. Reilly) to do it.
The Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny DVD extras, to put it aptly, rock. Listening to them, one might wet them self with laughter, rather than be lulled to sleep by tepid interviews with actors who praise the director—which is common practice on DVD extras these days. Instead, director Liam Lynch addresses us directly, unabashedly: “we have the most kick-ass deleted scenes ever,” he says, “I only got through making this movie knowing I could show you this stuff on the DVD . . . the precious golden nuggets, the deleted scenes.”
Tenacious D has a deleted scenes selection so well crafted as to be another movie in itself. In fact, a number of the scenes star single instances of comedians like David Koechner (of The Naked Trucker and T-Bones series on Comedy Central), who would have otherwise been left on the cutting room floor. A car chase sequence mimics KG’s video game, with point value graphics over pedestrians’ heads and a blippy analogue computer soundtrack; this had to be cut from the final film too.
The extras, which include a mess of outtakes, a “making of” feature for the film and music video; an “In The Studio” session with Black and Gass laying down tracks and being jackasses; plus a segment of trailers, have not even hit their pinnacle until the Feature Commentaries begin: one with director Liam Lynch, another with Jack Black and Kyle Gass. The latter version serving as a veritable improv act with Black, who says the f-word with such fluidity, such style, as to be an inspiration; the f-word is a revelation. Swearing never sounded so good.
Don’t forget to look at the credits, because there's a long list of names in comedy contributed to Tenacious D. Black and Gass had high ambitions: “We wanted to make the Citizen Kane of Comedy,” they say, “Citizen D, if you will.”
Tenacious D joins the likes of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Dodgeball, and TV show 30 Rock as a way to showcase all of comedy's best. It’s like a club of comedians riffing off one other for two hours; they mock stereotypes and pop culture—which of course includes themselves: the chubby middle-aged rockers they know they could never be, but awesomely and un-self-consciously pursue anyway.
Comedy of Power - 2007 - DVD
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Check out my swank new review of Claude Chabrol's latest film in Four Magazine! It's up now, peeps, so read it!
Check out my swank new review of Claude Chabrol's latest film in Four Magazine! It's up now, peeps, so read it!