LOVE him - here's a nice little clip of the genius you may recall - after a great acoustic medley he's interviewed by Sway during which time he gives props to Outkast & Alicia Keyes - rightfully - although no one can top the one and only Prince!
I loved Volver. As with all Almodovar movies it was a visual feast of colors and colorful characters. Penelope Cruz's character must have been a dream role for her - she did it beautiful justice. American movies are so overly cliched and categorized into one genre or another. This was everything...a slice of an interesting life.
I'm fighting the urge to vomit but I still really want to see this.
Thanks for the infuriating link, bro! :-)
I am so into Nerdcore. Anything that promotes nerds is great by me. Nerds do deserve more respect!! Check out this hilarious and at times uncomfortable doc trailer:
Do you agree? I definitely agree with American Beauty (I enjoyed it but not as much as it was hyped) and the ones I could never be bothered to see such as Field of Dreams (Kevin Costner + baseball are repellents) and I forget the other but it's in there! Check it out!
via Kottke.
In keeping with the Animal Porn trend, I submit a turtle sex video that looks and sounds disturbingly like rape but then again what do I know about turtle sex? Unfortunately and surprisingly very little.
Woah. Poor harassed, disturbed cat:
And so was the new James Bond - I'm a convert!
All that needs to be said about this film has been said - it's a darker, more flawed Bond who makes for a more interesting Bond! This new guy (name still unknown) did a great job and the story albeit on the long side had me riveted the whole time. Also, the nice bonus you get from James Bond movies is that you feel like you just traveled to beautiful places all over the world.
Don't stop. Don't you ever stop. Do it to me.
Thanks to Sally & Peggy for knowing that this would be right up my alley!
Woah. Easy there tiger panda!
Watch mom's defensive hunchback and check out her "talk to the hand" that she does with her right hind paw.
Recommended viewing style: Over and over and over again. It's the only way to ensure "getting it".
Thanks to Sally/Sal Pal/Petal Pop for the link!
As per usual, an awesome video from Japan. Makes me miss Japan even more but I'll be there soon enough - just one month to go!!
Top 3 cutest frames because you know, we have to rate and list everything.
The splayed out 'tude:
The coy paw!
The huddle - the one eye open - the other guy passed out:
Thanks to our fine furry friends at ModernPooch for letting me steal this post!
Updated update! I'd take 7 and my seventh would shirley be Airplane.
Update: I'd take 6 and my sixth would be Monty Python and the Holy Grail...I can't believe I almost left behind we are the knights who say ni! ni! ni ni!!!
22 comedians tell New York Times which comedies they would bring.
Mine (took me about .2 seconds to compile this list):
Annie Hall
When Harry Met Sally
Election
Curb Your Enthusiasm (any season but 5)
There's Something About Mary
Thanks to Nicole for the link!
As they say, "Our adverts are light-hearted and have a distinct South African flavour – enjoy!"
What are the top three cutest frames you ask? Ranked in order of cuteness:
1) The old foot-drag:
2) Soft-focused paw:
3) Close-up of intensely sleeping face:
The Prestige is great entertainment. And that's not just because ScarJo's in it. It's got magic, duplicity, revenge and David Bowie. Oh and ScarJo (AnHa's a little obsessed). It's especially fun to talk through it afterwards with your movie buddies or just your different personalities. Let me know what you think!
Compliments of the New Yorker. He's still out and about, smooth talkin' and fugitivin'!
...and to Project Runway for picking the most edgy designer!!! I did not think they would go that way but I clearly underestimated them. Jeffrey's collection was to beg for.
How do I put this dope dress on my wishlist?
You saw it here! And you saw it here first!!
Sun's fancy fingers, freeze framed and photographed for you, courtesy of EagleEyesHarner.com
A must-see:
This is hilarious and uncomfortable, hilarious and uncomfortable...enjoy!
Thanks to my cousin Angelina for this!! Hard Gay runs in our family!
I mean it. You'll agree when you see her up close - it's creepy really - she's the kind of pretty that makes you look the other way because she's just so pretty. Meow.
Thanks Jason!
and this video helped to make it happen. Actually, this video was the deal clincher:
I LOVE THIS. I LOVE JAPANESE TV. THANK GOD FOR YOUTUBE.
Except that we really won't. We'll go a third season not knowing who The Others are, what the Dharma Initiative is and where the polar bears came from. Yet I keep watching and that's how I know Lost is a good show and I am a sucker.
The other night friends and I compared TV shows to different drinks. Well, it started by me saying that my 24 addiction was the closest I got to crystal meth addiction - it's a dirty, dirty high and barely in a good way! I've never seen Deadwood but Tim likened it to a Bordeaux. We agreed that Sex and the City was a Kir Royal at its best, a Pinot Grigio at its worst. I'd like to assert Lost as being a Zinfandel - rich, mysterious but still easy to drink. Finding an analogy for The Wire may have to bring drugs back in the equation - a high quality 8 ball?
P.S. You know you're a pathetic urban jungle dweller when you feel that time spent watching LOST is time spent in nature.
Two of my favorite people go head to head!!
This is hilarious. He's a pretty good rapper (watch out Eminem) and has some great rhymes too:
P.S. I just watched this 5 times in a row and I'm considering squaring that and watching it 25 times!!!
P.P.S. For a deservedly more in-depth treatment of Weird Al, check out my friend Cameron's post.
If you laugh at this you're a bad, bad person*
* It's not so bad being a bad person.
Be prepared to be amazed but feel sick to your stomach:
It's not surprising that he died in 1999 at age 35.
via Kottke.
The OCD terrier is my favorite:
Thanks to Nicole from Vancouver for the link!
If you move both your little eyeballs to the right, you'll notice a new kid on the block. Thanks to fun web work with Ann, I now have a section for my video projects - enjoy!
Whether this is real or part of a sketch show, it's pretty funny in a mean, mean way:
Thanks to KO for this high brow piece of art!
Enjoy this teaser video from me and Sally's trip down south last year while I work with Ann to create a new Projects section on this site which will feature more vidoes. Yippee!
Metallica - Some Kind of Monster is a fantastic documentary. At times comical - seeing a serious heavy metal band sitting around talking about their feelings and frustrations with each other - it's mostly heartwarming to see such vulnerability and willingness to open up and to try making their band and their lives better. As exciting as any suspense thriller, you want to know what happens! Do they disintegrate? - it sure seems like the momentum is leading that way - or could they possibly save themselves, each other and the band? This is not a documentary about Metallica so if you're worried that you don't like them and therefore can only surmise you won't like it, think again. I only like two Metallica songs and when I say like them I mean that I don't own them, never have come close to owning them but when I hear them I can appreciate them. While there are aspects of the story that are Metallica specific, this is really a human drama about a company (not a sexy way to look at it but true)/band/family (they've been together over 20 years - imagine that for a second) that finally decides to grab the group's disfunction by its horns and to try creating new, healthy ways of interacting. Individually, they choose to grow up and take responsibility for their actions even though there are numerous times when being an irresponsible, self-absorbed, heavy metal rocker seems much more appealing. Funny sidenote: They and other bands with as much lasting power may have started out as scruffy, rebellious kids on a tourbus but they now spend time in the Ritz and are driven around in Benzes.
I came away from the film identifying with and sympethizing with Lars Ulrich most. His dad earned a little spot in my heart - you'll see what I mean. I also came away with confirmation that documentary film is a godsend of a medium.
Entourage is such a great show. The dialogue is incredibly well-written and the plotlines keep me wanting more, all the time. If you're like a lot of guys, you'll enjoy living your fantasy vicariously through these dudes. My fave characters: Ari Gold (easily the best character), Turtle and E.
Here are the DVDs for Season 1 and 2 in case you want to get me a belated birthday present:
Here are some quotes to titillate you although my favorite, which may well be the raunchiest, is not listed here.
Watching Island of the Sharks was a pure delight. You feel as though you're underwater, right there with the goat fish, hammerhead sharks, flounder, stingray, sea turtle, hermit crab, marlin, mantis shrimp, starfish, reef sharks, etc until you're reminded of how dry and comfortable you are on your couch. The Making Of is pretty good too. Be warned - it's not really a shark movie at all - it's a wonderful underwater survey of Cocos Island.
Best line narrated in the context of how much hermit crabs like to move into new homes: "There's an old saying among hermit crabs - if the shell fits, wear it." Really?! Hermit crabs have been saying that for a long time?! That's terrific.
Little Miss Sunshine is so worth seeing - I don't know how else to say it than that. It is what I consider a truly great comedy - bittersweet as all life, comic and tragic, is. At the end of the movie I wanted to pack up the whole dysfunctional family (I realize the use of that adjective is unnecessary and redundant) and bring them home with me to become a bigger, happy, miserable, dysfunctional family.
Thanks to my cousin Harmony for the recommendation!
The Staircase is a fascinating and well-done doc by the filmmaker who also made the Academy Award-winning Murder on a Sunday Morning.
This six hour, 8 part documentary originally aired on the Sundance Channel but I had the pleasure of compulsively watching it in two sittings thanks to Netflix. The filmmaker takes you behind the scenes of the defense team of Michael Peterson who is accused of murdering his wife. If you like true crime mysteries and our legal process you will love this. As Peterson's life with all its complexities and dark sides came to the surface, I wasn't any closer to deeming him guilty or innocent.
Try not to look like an elephant seal when you're in the ocean...
* YouTube is great!
* date unknown
This was radical:
If you think you might enjoy this, you'll surely enjoy it. I feel exactly the way Jay-Z intended his viewers to feel - respect, awe and appreciation for him and his career.
Wordplay was every bit as good as I imagined. A very fun movie to watch. Especially since we saw it opening night and Will Shortz was there along with the Director to answer hyper nerdy questions from self-described "beginner solvers" and "constructors".
Highlights include Will Shortz reading letters from fans and foes, a legend constructor constructing a puzzle that then Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton among others solve and the former ombudsman of the New York Times displaying his OCD.
I cannot wait to see this movie:
Watch the trailer:
I look forward to the wordnerd convention at the opening tomorrow night!
Imagining what it must be like for her, especially with kid in tow, I commend her for it.
Favorite comments from Huffington Post:
"Saw the show last night and Jon was BRILLIANT! He is knowledgable, and able to keep pressing his point/question without losing respect for his guest. Would LOVE to see him take on Coulter, and watch her melt down into a puddle of piss..." - braindeadsorry, 06.07.2006
"Wow. Somewhere Dan Savage is hugging his husband." - HopelessHeartsDept, 06.07.2006
Divorce Is Not Caused Because 50% Of Marriages End In Gayness..."Actually I belive that figure is correct... For republicans." - TrollzReviL, 06.07.2006
Thanks to a suprisingly good idea by Duncan (whether the opera was surprisingly good or whether it was surprising that Duncan came up with such a good idea is for you to decide!) to see the The Marriage of Figaro performed by Modus Opera (yes, cute name) we had a lovely night at the opera!
The cool thing about this opera company is that their mission is to revitalize opera culture in this country by getting people younger than 150 years old to enjoy the fantastic art form that is opera! $35 tickets help a lot. It was indeed splendid.
Unfortunately this was the best photo I was able to take during the four hour opera:
Look at Jonah, respectfully clapping. Little did I know it was a front...
DAMN THE SIDEKICK!!!!!
X Men 3 was quite good!! The first three quarters of the movie were the psychological part which had me riveted but then when the last quarter turned into all the action I fell asleep. But that's my issue.
If you liked the previous X Men movies, like to fantasize about being a boarding school kid with special powers, and enjoy drawing analogies between the X Men story and real life, see it!!
NYC loves you!!! and so does a cute single friend of mine...
When you open your restaurant with your winnings in the fall of 2006, don't forget your fans! Me! I'll review it for free.
Top Chef was a great show. Thanks Bravo, I owe you.
You must see this movie: An Inconvenient Truth and quick! The sooner you see it the sooner you can kill any blissful ignorance you enjoy.
Apparently there are people in couples who are more drawn to movies about suicide then others. I realized this when Jason and I ended up seeing The Bridge together and I thought, "where's Meg and Jonah?" "Oh right, less drawn to this subject matter". I have to admit I was obsessed ever since I read the New Yorker article a few years ago, that inspired this documentary.
The film was simply and successfully structured. What it did especially well was interspersing interviews with the loved ones of the jumpers with images of the actual jumpers pacing, contemplating and jumping. Visually, it was incredibly strong. Also, the tremendous struggle that loved ones had over what to do to help, to what extent to help, etc was clear and an enormously interesting and worthwhile question.
What surprised me was that I found myself not as interested in the personal stories as I thought I would be. I'm the most emotional person always interested in the human stories so I wondered why I was hoping instead to get less personal, more statistical and clinical analysis. I think it's because depression is not foreign to me and I can't help but want analysis that makes me feel like we're getting closer to understanding and perhaps lessening the problem. I wanted to know about the studies that have been done about jumpers, what percentage of jumpers are on medication when do jump?, for most people is this the first suicide attempt or the culmination of several unsuccessful attempts?, what percentage of people travel to get there? Of course these questions would only be questions to start off the more difficult questions we should ask ourselves about the state of mental health in our society.
Check out Jason's review from which you can also check out a graph detailing jump spots and an interview with a guy who survived his jump.
I thought I'd be the last person to see United 93 given that when I saw the preview I recoiled in horror and thought it was much too soon and would invariably be a horrifically tasteless representation of a tragedy.
But I heard that critics were giving it rave reviews across the board so my interest was piqued. Jonah and I went to see it on opening night which we hardly ever do because it's a madhouse but I knew that there would be perhaps as many people who would boycott it as go to see it so sure enough we got good seats and enjoyed (as much as you can enjoy this sort of movie) this surpisingly good movie.
The main highlights were that they didn't emotionally manipulate you in that way that Hollywood is excellent at and it was apolitical and didn't hit you over the head with a political message. It mostly, in my opinion, demonstrated how inefficient bureacracies can be at such great expense.
As NYTimes' Manohla Dargis reviewed, "a persuasively narrated, scrupulously tasteful re-creation" of the downing of the fourth and final plane hijacked by Islamist terrorists on Sept. 11..."
Thanks to John and Susan, we (plus Duncan of course) joined them for the premiere of Jamie Johnson's new documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival called The One Percent. As you may be able to guess, this doc is about the richest one percent of Americans.
Jamie's courage and critique is commendable and I encourage him to continue in his search (because I'm sure he cares what I think) but the movie was all over the place without any semblance of structure. There were certainly entertaining parts from interviews that his wealth afforded him access to (Steve Forbes, Milton Friedman, Bill Gates Senior, the arms dealer guy from Iran Contra, etc) but it felt mostly like I was watching a young man go through therapy. And I'm pretty sure I was. I'm all for therapy so I think it's great that he's doing therapy *and* making documentaries. What I really look forward to is his becoming a better filmmaker (which I have confidence he will) while he works through tough questions about wealth in America.
Ziboy, longtime Beijing photoblogger has successfully opened a photo exhibition comprised of photos from bloggers around the world.
The exhibition site and its Flickr accompaniment leave a little something to be desired but the concept is nonetheless very cool.
Just think, this global collaboration enabled by blogs, didn't exist before! And it's happening in Red China! Radical. That's why I happily participated. If only I had been able to attend the exhibition!
We went to see Tsotsi the other night and learned that 'tsotsi' means 'thug' in the African language Sesotho. Although it was decent, interesting to see a South Africa I hadn't before and had good music, I I found myself wondering what the Sesotho word for 'dissapointing' is...
We watched Word Wars
Jonah really wants me to write about how he got a "bingo", the significance of which you will learn from this documentary and about how he put down "quay" on a triple word score with the "q" on a double letter score.
It's worth renting this and warring with your loved ones!
I was so happy to finally enjoy a Spike Lee joint again.
Inside Man was very good.
Salon's Stephanie Zacharek says, "This is a mainstream entertainment designed for that forgotten movie audience, grown-ups who have brains."
I appreciated the New York he captured, the terrific actors and tight screenplay, and the directing style of Spike Lee applied to a suspenseful heist movie.
The only disturbing part of yesterday evening's movie going experience was seeing a preview for a movie about 9/11 and Flight 93. It felt so wrong to make us New Yorkers relive it. I'm not sure when we will be ready but it seems a long ways off.
You shouv see vis movie. It's not verfect but it's vretty vowerful and devinitely vorth your time.
You must watch this video now. I'd let it load and then start it at about 1/3 of the way in because it's a tad long. You won't be sorry, you'll be amazed.
Along Came Polly
This is a great movie illustrating how ultimately and sometimes tragically we are at war with ourselves.
More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones. There is truthiness to that!!
You should go see this really good movie but be warned that you won't look like this while watching it:
Listen, I'm as comfortable with ambiguity and confusion as the next person but what exactly did I miss in the last scene?
As a result of having low expectations of most movies and being a sucker for love stories, I enjoyed King Kong...I cried and continue to cry when recalling King Kong's plight.
Jonah said it was 1/3 Titanic, 1/3 Jurassic Park and 1/3 The Hulk...and that it's totally racist. Oopsies!
Thanks to Sally Rumble for spreading the cheer!
Saw this while in LA. It's narrated by Tupac thanks to his innumerable interviews and writings. It's good and definitely worth seeing:
I didn't realize how much Jonah was looking forward to this movie:
Friday night I exhibited classic signs of a supremely jaded New Yorker. I whined to poor Jonah, "I'm just boooored. I want to eat a type of food I've never eaten before and I want to see a movie I've never heard of befoooore".
Sweet Jonah asked me to leave the night up to him and he surprised me by taking me to Brothers Bar-B-Cue for yummy southern food (Tabletop items: spare ribs, pulled pork, collard greens, mashed potatoes and corn) which I hadn't had since visiting Cameron in Atlanta two summers ago and then we caught the midnight showing (technically 12:30 am) of a movie that's been out for a while now but that I hadn't but should have heard of considering how much I love old Hollywood stuff - The Last Mogul...in Times Square - a square that's hard to spend time in. I tried to stay up by gulping a large coke (Jonah's a relentless night person)...I sipped, nodded off, sipped, snored however I do know that I enjoyed the movie.
The doc started out with a voice over that said Lew Wasserman never allowed interviews nor having pictures or film taken of him and he never left anything written down so I thought ok so this'll be a 5 minute documentary! In fact it was a 103 minute documentary containing interesting people talking about Lew's life and their relationship to him and in fact there were a few little pieces of Lew - caught on camera!
Best line in film: Dress British, Think Yiddish.
And of course, the glasses, the glasses, THE GLASSES!! needed one (or three) more shout outs.
This is a great film. Well-written, truly acted, quirkily directed...perfection!
Seeing this with my friend who doesn't drink or do drugs but seemed drunk and high before the movie and who proceeded to get hopped up on brownies and other sugar during the movie was the most fun. I of course was raging drunk and stoned...not from sugar.
Frank the Philistine is my favorite...what about you?
Warning: If you have divorced parents this could be painful...I'm told it's very real.
My mother in law, Della Peretti, works with teachers to help them teach and inspire children to be creative...pretty f-ing cool right? If any of you movie buffs out there can help her with the following questions, we and all the children would be grateful.
Do you know films that show how the arts can inspire children to overcome major odds? Or ways that I can find these movies?
Update: Oh nooooooo!!!
Just saw this movie last night and it is great!!
With all the laughing, smiling and warm and fuzziness you'll let go of all that anger and hatred that otherwise defines you. JK Rowling!
If you've never experienced the joy of W & G, you can check this out first!
I MUST WARN YOU ABOUT THIS MOVIE: Tarnation
On that note, check it out and let's discuss it! That's what my friend Mary Patterson said to me without any of the warnings I was kind enough to give and then when we got done discussing it she said, "I have a Japanese horror movie with me...should we watch that?" She was completely serious and thank god, self-aware enough to proclaim herself, then and there, the Princess of Darkness.
So really, check it out and let's share in this experience together k?! Oh and this post will seem like a hug from a long lost friend.
This is a movie worth seeing...check out the trailers!
After this movie and key lime pie and espresso, we went home and I krumped for Jonah. No really. It's best not to imagine it.
After you see it, let me know if you're more into clowning or krumping...this choice speaks volumes.
Ok. Are you ready to hear this? Probably not. Am I a truth speaker? Always. Here it goes.
As I signed into my NetFlix account this morning to spastically make sure that slots 1 - 6 of my qeue were occupied by the remaining discs of the TV show 24's First Season
I DIDN'T LIKE FELLINI'S FAMOUS FLICK 8 1/2
There I said it. Do you still love me??
If you don't hear from me again you'll know that the Movie Police have taken me away. At that time, please at least do something like the Save Ferris campaign
Last night I saw a screening of Nobody Knows and all I know is that this is a beautiful, crushing movie, truly worth seeing. It opens in theaters tomorrow...I can only hope and dream of ever being involved in such a terrific film!
Oh boy...have I done it again!!...yes I have!!
This terrific site, a precious cut-out of Jonah's head and yours truly collaborated to create this masterpiece.
Jonah unlocks his grooves - click and see:
Highly recommended movie if you like movies that make you laugh, think and have fun. They are cool guys and great pranksters.
Laughing really hard is soooo much fun!
I do it often while watching The Daily Show and reading The Onion.
Missing an episode of The Daily Show is like getting tucked into bed by a monster. Not reading The Onion is like getting shot in the shoulder.
Daily Show clip-click on the first video please:
Onion excerpts:
What do you get when you mix therapy, movie making, rock & roll and a gift from god?
A feature length peak into Metallica's therapy sessions:
A must see documentary:
I agree with Morgan Spurlock the writer, director and actor of the documentary on his method for instilling in his children (yet to come, as are mine) bad associations with fast food: when you and the kiddies drive by fast food joints, punch them in the face.
Ok...so...run, don't walk, to see Mean Girls now!
It's funnier and smarter than its peers....and made me want to be a mean girl. Just jokes!!
Here are two good reviews:
A nice pink NY Times blurb:
Thanks to a scene in this flick, I now feel confident in naming my first son, ANFERNY.
Touching the Void is a must see. Just be sure to bring a stress ball.
A quaalude would help too.
Roger Ebert sums up nicely the harrowing experience of watching this film.
Congrats to the cast & crew of Lost in Translation for all their recent industry accolades!!
I do however think that one prominent character was overlooked in this whole deal and that is....Tokyo...having grown up in Japan, I have a special spot in my heart for dear Tokyo...here's a good article in a recent San Francisco Chronicle article about Tokyo in Lost in Translation.
Lost Boys of Sudan is a commendable, heart-wrenching and important documentary that is well worth seeing.
For further reading:
Thanks to EYEBEAM reBlog, a new cool site by Eyebeam's R & D dept, we get web treasures like these in record time.
For those like me, who wasted perfectly fine, promise filled days playing the first Super Mario Bros for hours and days on end, tirelessly fighting to rescue the beautiful princess, you will love this.
The music is beautiful, the talent is abundantly clear and best of all, the kid's attitude is priceless.
Criticizing Hollywood movies as clichéd, formulaic and insultingly stupid has become a cliché. The frustrating fact is, however, that it's true! Even the recent, supposedly great Hollywood movies such as Mystic River and 21 Grams fall in the Hollywood trap of overacting, emotional manipulation and overly simplistic plots and one-dimensional characters resulting in emotional ranges of happy-mad-sad, to name a few problems. This is why I was excited to see Girl with a Pearl Earring which I suspected would be satisfyingly different than the majority of Hollywood movies. Of course it's not perfect, few movies are, but comparatively, it is nuanced more than heavy-handed, it is appropriately ambiguous rather than pedantic and for the finishing touch, it is laconic as opposed to cacophonous with Hollywood dialogue.
Girl with a Pearl Earring, adapted from Tracy Chevalier's bestseller of the same name is directed by Peter Webber who does an excellent job with this poised and restrained first feature film as does the cinematographer Eduardo Serra whose use of color and light successfully foregrounds Vermeer's raison d'etre. While the entire cast acts solidly, it is Scarlett Johansson, of recent Lost In Translation fame, that leaves the deepest impression. You can't help but feel privileged to watch on as a young and extremely talented actress begins her foray into what will surely be a long and fruitful career.
Update: The link is now restored, working and playing beautifully.
Watching this video, I can't help but think, "Now, this is a great product of creativity."
Also, it's RIDICULOUSLY CUTE.
Click below to see for yourself!
Beware, you may just end up jamming out like Sally, here!
This Gay Boyfriend Anthem Video was graciously sent to me by a reader in response to my previous Gay Boyfriend post.
It is a treasure.
Click on Gay Boyfriend for a fabulous time.
