Last Wednesday night, during 'American Idol's commercial break, a TV spot for the new film 'He's Just Not That Into You' aired that contained a very quick 'Beaver shot' so to speak. If you blinked, you may have missed it. A day later, I went to the Internet to find out if I really saw what I thought I saw. The TV spot was nowhere to be found on youtube, only the movie's official trailer, sans Beaver. Interesting? Not really. What I actually thought I saw in the TV spot amidst faces belonging to Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connolly, Scarlett Johansson, Drew Barrymore, Justin Long and many others was a familiar Canadian face. An actor that I recognized from a lot of commercials as well a short lived sketch comedy show from a few years back. I wanted to figure out if I was right, since it's kind of a big deal to see a local guy that used to get by on commercials in with such a big Hollywood cast, but I had no clue what his name was. The Internet Movie Database has a cast list of about 80 members for this film, over ¾ of which have careers important enough to warrant headshots. I hadn't seen the film, I had no idea what the character's name was or how big of a role he even plays, not that it matters as there's no order to the long list anyway (the bit parts are all listed first with the stars all grouped near the bottom). Plus I didn't even remember the name of the sketch comedy show he was on, and commercial credits are not listed on IMDb. Since I didn't know what I was looking for, I was about to deem the task hopeless and certainly not worthy of the time I had already spent on it. But just before reaching the point of defeat, I thought to myself “I could look for a Canadian- sounding name” whatever that is. I kid you not, less than 2 seconds later my eyes landed on 'Mike Beaver.... Cousin Jay.' I clicked on it and sure enough it was him.
Born in Saint Catherines, Ontario, this Ryerson theatre school alum has actually done a lot more than I had previously given him credit for. He's written two films with Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones. 'Ham and Cheese' in 2004 and 'Cooper's Camera' in 2008. These films also featured Beaver in co-starring roles along with Jones, his fellow Daily show correspondent/ wife Samantha Bee, and David Foley rounding out the Canadian club, probably with a glass of it in his hand most of the time. Beaver can also be seen in 19 episodes of 'Billable Hours' and was a co-founder of the sketch comedy group 'The Bobroom' (IMDb calls this group 'famed' but I found their television show easily forgettable). Okay, so Beaver has popped up in more than just a couple commercials, but it looks like this new film is his first role in something that wasn't shot in Toronto. Even though I've never seen most of his work, he was memorable enough for me to want to find out more about his career. Needless to say, I would have never figured who he was if it weren't for the name association. I hope Mike Beaver's "Northern star" continues to rise with this new movie that I will never see. I will try to see those Canadian films he wrote though.
This video was brought to my attention by my friend Bobbo's blog, one that inspired me to start my own. I probably won't be posting for a couple days, so check out this awesome video, and many others at Action and Action.
While 'Killshot' may not have been playing in Toronto last Friday, The Killers were and I was fortunate enough to catch that show. A lot of people dis this band for being too poppy and mainstream, but I think they deserve respect for writing good songs and putting on a damn good live show. I couldn't stand 'Somebody Told Me' when it first hit the airwaves, but I fell in love with their second single 'Mr. Brightside' when I saw them perform it on SNL, and then seeing them perform 'When You Were Young' at the Brit Awards in 2007 really sold me on the band. Of course that song was from the much acclaimed second record 'Sam's Town' which still stands out as their best.
The only advantage to going to big arena shows like this one are the efforts and money put towards complimenting the music with light shows and pyrotechnics. These were impressive additions, but made me wish I was closer and higher. The highlight of the show was probably 'Mr. Brightside' as there's something about the drive of that song that works so well in a live performance. Brandon Flowers has to have one of the best concert voices I've ever heard. You could really appreciate it on the slower songs like 'A Dustland Fairytale.' They opened with their new single 'Spaceman' which they're currently promoting with this video:
Pretty excessive stuff. I guess part of reaching this level of rock stardom is having the flamboyancy and ego that Flowers seems to have in spades. It seems the band has re-invented themselves with each album thus far, but like I said, these often excessive, sometimes gimmicky personas are what's expected of our rock stars. It's all part and parcel with the design heavy arena shows where people pay hundreds of dollars and want to see something larger than life. This is why I find it hard to picture a group like the Sam Roberts band, who really don't seem as image conscious, doing arena shows, even though they had to add an extra night to their three at The Music Hall last November.
Though it would have been cool to hear a few songs from their b-side compilation 'Sawdust,' the new album-heavy set list combined with the singles of their first two still made for a pretty satisfying concert experience. Here's the full set list:
Spaceman
Losing Touch
Smile Like You Mean It
This Is Your Life
Joy Ride
I Can't Stay
Bling (confessions of a king)
Bones
A Dustland Fairytale
Neon Tiget
Human
Sam's Town
Read My Mind
Mr. Brightside
All These Things That I've Done
Encore:
For Reasons Unknown
Shadowplay
Jenny Was A Friend of Mine
When You Were Young
The Killers have earned their place among the many memorable shows I've attended in the last twelve months. Hopefully soon to join those ranks will be Ben Kweller (Feb. 22) and Bloc Party (March 14).
If you don't know his name or haven't read any of his books, you've probably at least seen a movie adapted from one of them. The 83 year old Elmore Leonard has over 40 novels to his name and almost as many film credits. Starting with westerns in the 1950s, and still going strong with his crime and suspense tales, these stories lend themselves so well to the screen that some have even found their way to celluloid more than once with as many as 50 years between adaptations ('3:10 to Yuma' was made into a film in 1957 and then in 2007, 'The Big Bounce' in '69 then again in '04). Pompous literature types, like Bernard Berkman of 'The Squid and the Whale' may deem Leonard's pulpy work as 'not serious' but they will always acquiesce that he is 'the fillet of the crime genre.' Unfortunately not many adaptations really meet the quality and tone the author presents. The period that really introduced me to the author was the time when, in my not so humble opinion, the best adaptations were being made. These films were 'Get Shorty' (1995), 'Jackie Brown' (1997) and 'Out of Sight' (1998). The latter having one of the coolest cameos of all time when Michael Keaton reprises his role as Ray Nicolette, a character that appears in 'Out of Sight' but plays a much more pivotal role in 'Rum Punch' (aka 'Jackie Brown'). One of the really fun things about getting into Leonard's books is seeing the many characters that crossover between them, with different levels on involvement in each story.
In case you can't tell yet, I'm a bit of a fanboy when it comes to Elmore Leonard. This is why I've been waiting for the release of the film version of 'Killshot', one of my favourite books, for over two years now. With rumors of the adaptation beginning in the late 90's (right after all those good ones I just mentioned), it's had its trials and tribulations, even after holding initial screenings in July 2006. You would think a movie produced by Tarantino, directed by John Madden ('Shakespeare in Love' not 'Monday Night Football), starring Mickey Rourke (as an Indian hitman), Joseph Gordon Levitt (as his crazy sidekick), Thomas Jane and Diane Lane (as a hot married couple being terrorized by the hitmen) wouldn't have its release date pushed back so many times. At one point it was even going to be a straight to DVD release. I gather the test screenings didn't go well, so they've been re-shooting and re-editing. All I've ever known about this film has been the changing details I see on the Internet Movie Database (imdb) whenever I check on it from time to time. I'm not sure when I had looked last before yesterday, but I have no idea when it got a January 23, 2009 release date (last Friday). I have not heard word one about its release or seen a single ad in place, but here's the trailer I found last night:
I can only presume they made a last minute decision to give it a quick and dirty release in time to capitalize on Mickey Rourke's 'Wrestler' hype. Right now it is only a limited USA release with no word on a Canadian release date yet. This is unfortunate, as much of the shooting was done here (and in Detroit). I can't wait to see if they actually shot at The Silver Dollar, a real Toronto location where we first meet Rourke's character in the book. In the years prior to production, other actors rumored for that role were Robert DeNiro and Viggo Mortenson, with Quentin Tarantino or Justin Timberlake as the sidekick. Though it would have been cool to see Viggo in that role, I've always thought the casting they went with was pretty good. Even though his name and face appear in the trailer, Johnny Knoxville is no longer listed in the cast on imdb. I read his role is one of the things that confused test audiences, but why would he still be in the trailer if he was cut out? Maybe one day I'll actually see this movie and it will all make sense. I haven't had to wait this long since 'Tideland.'
other recent Leonard adaptations.
Sparks (2009)
'Killshot's Joseph Gordon Levitt is currently making his filmmaker debut at Sundance with his adaptation of the short story 'Sparks' from Leonard's compilation 'When the Women Come Out To Dance.' I re-read it when I heard about this, and to be honest, I think the story is a little dull. The short film stars Eric Stoltz as an insurance investigator and Carla Gugino as a celebrity widow suspected of arson. Levitt is seen below at the film festival in a picture (courtesy of Craig Macrae) with girlfriend (?) and actress (?) Zooey Deschanel, who's father was the cinematographer on 'Killshot,' and has worked with some of the best in Hollywood, including John Cassavetes. Zooey's mother was an actor on 'Twin Peaks'... I wish I knew all these people.
The Tonto Woman (2007)
Another short film based on a short story, this one was nominated for an Oscar last year. The Academy and/ or the film companies need to get their shit together and figure out a way to make the nominated short subject films more accessible to the public.
Freaky Deaky (2010)
I was fortunate enough to meet Elmore Leonard when he was promoting 'Be Cool,' his follow-up to 'Get Shorty.' I inquired about a story I had read about Quentin Tarantino getting caught shoplifting a Leonard book when younger, and asked if the author knew which one it was. Apparently it was 'Freaky Deaky' the very same book I was having the author sign, and what the story didn't print was that Quentin went back and was successful in his second attempt. I've since done some research and deduced that Quentin was about 25 when this book came out, and though it would still be 4 years 'til his first film credit, it's a little less innocent when it's a grown man stealing and not the pre-teen I was originally imagining. All this to say that this is another one of my favourites soon to join Leonard's film canon. This one involves 60's radicals and bombs.
Tishomingo Blues (?)
This was listed as 'in pre-production' for a while on imdb, with Matthew McConaughey starring and Don Cheadle directing and co-starring. McConaughey would be perfect as the ex-stunt man turned high dive performer at a Casino. The third act of the story unfolds during a civil war re-enactment, these old-meeting-new themes made it feel like instant vintage Leonard, though the book only came out in 2002. It's too bad that it appears plans for this movie have been scrapped, it looked promising.
Elmore Leonard's next book 'Road Dogs' comes out May 2009.
Released on DVD this week was 'Repo: The Genetic Opera.' This film hardly seemed to have any press when it was first released. In fact, I would have never known about it if it weren't for The Bloor cinema (refer to 'Toronto is Godless' posting below) when they were advertising their upcoming run of the film (to my knowledge the only theater in Toronto to even show it outside of a festival program). Even though key descriptives like 'goth musical' or 'from the Director of Saw II-IV' wouldn't normally catch my attention, the trailer did.
The story was originally a play mounted in New York and L.A. Darren Lynn Bousman had directed a stage version in 2001 before cutting a ten minute trailer to pitch it as a film. The existence of this cool trailer proves it was a successful pitch. Unfortunately I wasn't in town for The Bloor's first run of the film in November, but I did catch it on its second run a few weeks ago. Now, normally for something to obtain 'cult' status it needs to fail upon its initial release and be dubbed thus after some time has passed for it to gather a loyal following, but there's no other word to describe what has happened with this film. I went to a matinee screening, but had I known what was happening at the evening show, I would have rearranged my schedule. The Bloor was hosting the world's first shadow cast of 'Repo.' This is where a fully costumed cast of characters re-enact the film onstage, in real time as it screens. I always associate this with 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' of which The Bloor hosts shadow casts monthly. But keep in mind, the DVD was just released this week, which means that these dedicated fans are going from memory of however many times they saw the film in theatres (as I write this I recognize my naivety with regards to the downloading options, but I'm still confident we're dealing with multiple cinema presentation attendees here). For the occasion, one of the film's stars and co-creators Terrence Zdunich was flying into town for a Q and A following the shadow cast.
Well I missed that, but in retrospect, it's probably not the best way to see a film for the first time anyway. I did however see some of the elaborate make up and costumes, as well as the surprising line-up forming early for the event. Though I knew there was no way I would like it as much as the trailer, the film definitely had some good stuff in it. What I enjoyed most was the dark humour of it. Paris Hilton was well cast; her part has little acting required and benefits from her persona, as she is 'addicted to the knife' (plastic surgery), which has ironic consequences. My mistake was not taking the 'Opera' part of the title literally, as there is no spoken dialogue, which I find off-putting at times, particularly when coming from non-singers like Paul Sorvino. The third act Opera staged within the film is a great way to complete the theme though. Overall, a pretty cool affair, though certainly not for everyone. I'm not surprised those that like it, really like it. It will be interesting to see if the almost oxymoronic claim of the "instant cult classic" holds with time.
Two of America's least liked presidents were portrayed in Hollywood films this year with much liked performances. A day after one left office, the other gets a Best Picture nomination. Coincidence? Yes.
So my question to David Frost is how long do we have to wait for 'Frost/ W.' ? I know that won't happen for many reasons. One being that Bush doesn't really have much to admit. Unlike Nixon, the recent ex-president was making his mistakes publicly and operating on "bad intelligence." Another reason being that Nixon agreed to the interview primarily for the big paycheck, whereas Bush is probably far from exhausting his recession rations yet.
But back to the Oscars; years of perfecting the role in the stage version payed off for Frank Langella who was nominated for his excellent Dick (Nixon). I think Josh Brolin deserved a nomination for his spot-on Bush, even if the film was kind of weak. I thought both of these performances were far better than the over-hyped, steroid popping Micky Rourke. Brolin did get nominated in the supporting actor category for 'Milk' which I have yet to see. Seriously, when the hell did the older brother from 'Goonies' become such a good actor? I hadn't seen him in much else 'til his star suddenly skyrocketed to the top of the A-list in 2007. I looked at his filmography and he actually has been working pretty steadily all along, with supporting roles in b-movies. I recognized some of the titles, but couldn't tell you who directed any of them. In the last couple years, he's worked with Robert Rodriguez, the Coen brothers, Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone, Gus Van Sant and Paul Haggis. All high profile films with meaty roles that Brolin pulls off well.
Anyway, Brolin is competing with Robert Downey Jr. for his role in 'Tropic Thunder.' This was one of the two surprises from the predictable as usual nominations, but it doesn't matter because Heath Ledger will win. The other surprise was Richard Jenkins in the best actor category for a film called 'The Visitor' which I hadn't heard of until today, but sounds pretty good. I think this was the only nominee in a major category who wasn't already nominated for a Golden Globe last month.
Did you know that the Academy Awards were started just as a way to market films? Did you know that Academy is made up of the same people making these films? This is why it's easy for them to ensure that most of the nominated films are still in theaters during the lead up to the ceremonies. We are in the midst of “Award Season” that conveniently begins just in time for Christmas, when we get all the films the studios know will win awards released at once. In fact I believe that the fan favourite summer blockbusters ('Wall-E' and 'The Dark Knight') were likely excluded from the best picture category in place of ones that are still in theatres (all 5). Most of these films are what I call 'pandering,' the worst offender being 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.' This is a not so short film inspired by an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story and adapted for the screen by Eric Roth, the same man that provided that service for 'Forrest Gump.' Please watch.
Now we can add 'most nominated film of the year' to the list of reasons why Benjamin Button is Forrest Gump re-hashed. I'd say the least deserving of these nominations would be the aforementioned scribe followed closely by Brad Pitt for his non-performance, but it doesn't matter because Mickey Rourke will win.
For any Jazz buffs who had their interest aroused by the headline, there will not be anything in this posting pertaining to the famous Miles Davis record. What the title actually refers to is Orson Welles' artistic love affair with the country he's buried in. This often eccentric, multi-talented man had several high profile yet unrealized projects at the time of his death, most notorious of which is probably his adaptation of Don Quixote. I believe he shot in Spain intermittently throughout most of the 1950s and 60s, piecemealing footage as budget and schedules allowed. After his lead actor died in 1969, it's said that Welles spent the next decade trying to put together a cut of the film from what they had. As if this film wasn't already plagued enough, apparently much of the work he did with these subsequent edits was somehow lost as well.
In 1992 however, seven years after Welles' death, the second unit director (Jess Franco) released an incomplete version of this film. I'm not sure what format it was released in (laserdisc?) or what region (Europe?) because few have ever seen it. Even when North America had a DVD version of this cut released last fall, it was still very difficult to find. When I asked for it for Christmas, I received an appropriate substitute called 'Les Bravades.' This is a book of artwork Welles put together in 1956 inspired by a annual festival celebrating St. - Tropez's saint's day. His drawings and paintings were put to a few words as a retelling and gift for his daughter Rebecca. The morality of her then selling it to a book company is not for me to judge, especially as I'm now reaping (and sharing) some of the rewards.Now, embarrassingly enough, when I first began this writing, I believed St.- Tropez to be in Spain, which would have tied this whole entry together perfectly. But it's in France, another favourite European hang out of the director. I was quite disappointed at this discovery, particularly how it voided my once clever headline. I almost abandoned the whole thing, but instead I decided to not leave it unfinished like so many Quixote films.
I was eventually able to get a copy of the DVD and it was an even rougher cut than I had anticipated. It was comparable to looking at sketches of what Welles wanted from this project (see where I'm going with this?). The sound was particularly alienating, as there was no location sound, very few sound effects, and characters voiced by several noticeably different actors. He doesn't go very far beyond the very basic elements of the book and includes several anachronistic divergences with modern day. The longest of which comes in the third act and involves Sancho Panza stumbling around a city looking for the director of a Don Quixote film he saw on television (Welles as himself), this footage is cut together with an actual running of the bulls ceremony. Although this unfinished film is a challenging view at times, it's certainly a fertile document for those interested in Welles' life work and different interpretations of Cervantes' famous story.Now I have to mention our own modern day Welles/ Quixote figure, Terry Gilliam, as it was reported this week that he has reclaimed his “Man who Killed Don Quixote” script from the insurance company that seized ownership once production fell apart almost a decade ago. This was well documented in the 2002 film “Lost in La Mancha.” Like Welles' version, this script also has a modern day element, as I believe the protagonist is an ad agent who travels back in time to Quixote's era. With so many events and characters in the Don Quixote source material (there were actually 2 books), it's a wonder that almost every interpretation seems to shed most of these other than the windmill incident and several other insignificant plot points. One event I'd like to see portrayed is Sancho Panza being tossed up and down in a blanket as retribution for Don Quixote refusing to pay an innkeeper. The squire is humiliated by this and brings it up often throughout the rest of the story. But to include everything that happens within the history of this Knight of rueful countenance would be beyond the scope of any film, so I'll settle for these creative re-imaginings and modern day twists from some of the finest artists to commit their visions to film.
As a side note, I've never seen the famed musical “Man of La Mancha” or the 2000 TV version starring John Lithgow and Bob Hoskins, but I'm not sure I want to.
Today I joined hundreds of my city sharers to watch Obama's inauguration at the Bloor Cinema, because I've always heard the only way to see a Presidential assassination is on the big screen. Okay, I know it's an extremely off – colour joke, but the ceremony's over, it didn't happen, and we're all going to live happily ever after. And don't blame me for my sensibilities, I'm just a product of my environment. I was brought up on movies like 'JFK' and 'In the Line of Fire' in fact, the very theatre I watched the inauguration in today is playing one of my childhood favourites later tonight, 'Air Force One.' If you haven't seen it, the whole movie can be summed up in three lines that were in every trailer for the film.
Vice President Glen Close: How the hell did this happen? How the hell did they get Air Force One?
Military Guy: He knows how to fight.
President Harrison Ford: Get off my plane!
Suffice to say, assassination has been a bit of a preoccupation of mine since this whole Obama business started. I often wondered if there was going to be a section of the population that wouldn't vote for Obama out of fear for his safety. During the inauguration, I kept waiting for an overzealous secret service agent to dive for his moment of glory after seeing an umbrella brought out on a clear, dry day.
So sorry if my mind drifts to assassination, a taboo word at the moment, but I'm sure it's on many minds. Not only am I influenced by films and music, but I'm also from Toronto, where I heard the most cheers for the final group mentioned when Obama said “We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers.” This made me smile, as there were the obvious audience jeers anytime Bush was on screen, applause for anything Obama, and shushes from those intent on catching every word, but I didn't anticipate such a big response from our city's, apparently plentiful, 'non-believers.' As CNN showed similar gatherings all over North America, I knew I was joining the world in watching history unfold, but wondered how many other places cheered at this particular part of Obama's 19 minute speech. Perhaps more than I think, as the popularity of science and atheism continues to grow with increasing momentum. After over two centuries of God playing an integral role in Presidential speeches, this was a refreshing shout-out.
I also wondered how many places had a projector set up next to the monitor to display messages from the audience. Anyone that's been to an outdoor music festival in recent years has witnessed this phenomenon, as crowds are treated to live scrolling comments from teen cell phones like 'where u at megs lolz.' I wanted to test my 'assassination on the big screen' joke on this platform, but figured these messages must be censored in some way, at least for obscenity, probably not stupidity though, as I was still able to read things like 'look at Aretha Franklin's bow.' How could I not? It was covering half her face. I tell ya, bunch of godless (small 'g') heathens in this town, but at least that guy in the theatre with a laser pointer was funny again for the first time in 10 years.
Anyway, it's looking like they've got the right guy for the job this time, you probably all watched his amazing speech already, so here's a Dandy Warhols video instead.
I don't really have anything to say about these shorts by animator Alex Budovsky except that I'm a big fan. Here are my selections, but he's got about 10 others on his youtube page that are worth checking out as well.
After years of hearing about it, I've finally watched 'Strangers With Candy' (via the incredibleness that is the Comedy Network's online video library). Okay, I know I'm about 9 years late to getting around to this series, and its odd brand of humour is old news to most, but how many people have heard of 'Exit 57'? This was a sketch comedy show that Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, and Stephen Colbert worked on before 'Strangers With Candy.' Comedy central aired two 6 episode seasons from 1995 to 1996. Even though I was only about 13 years old at the time, I've always been into sketch comedy shows and was surprised I'd never heard of this one. The reason being that it never aired in Canada or had any kind of DVD release, despite being critically well received at the time (according to Wikipedia... perhaps Colbert made some contributions to the entry). I noticed the show began right around the time Canada's 'Kids in the Hall' had wrapped (easily one of my all time favourite shows) which was just catching on in the States due to HBO and CBS airing syndicated episodes. Without even bootleg versions of 'Exit 57' being readily available on ebay, it seemed as though this show was lost into obscurity, despite the success the main players have had since. Then comes youtube to the rescue once again, with a search bringing up about a dozen various sketches from the show. Based on this sampling, it seems as though they were trying to pick up where Kids in the Hall left off, with the emphasis being less on parody and more on surrealism. The show's producer, Joe Forristal, even served as supervising producer on the first couple seasons of KITH. It's my diagnoses that most of these sketches are not very successful or funny. I can't help but wonder if those involved in the show agree and are happy to have it remain in 90's ambiguity. This theory is supported by the fact that several jokes have been re-used in subsequent series; I believe I've heard Colbert use the line “I'm not pushing you away, I'm pulling me towards myself” in every show he's been on. All that being said, here's one sketch that I do find really funny.
If anyone knows where to see the whole series, I'd be very interested, as I'm sure there's a few more gems in there.
Directly after posting this, I tested the video to find that it had been removed due to a copyright claim. This is a shame, as most of the unfunny ones seem to remain and the prime catalyst behind the post was to share this clip. I'll be sure to post the 'Schoolyard' sketch if it ever resurfaces. In the words of Chuck Noblet: "GOD DAMN IT!"
A couple months ago, as part of the promotion for their new album, Oasis held a contest asking youtubers to post their covers of four different 'Dig Out Your Soul' tracks. First place went to The Outs from Rio De Janeiro for their version of 'Bag it Up' (a song I'd love to see Trojan adopt for its next ad campaign). Big Brother Recordings will be flying the duo to the gig of their choice which they have decided will be at Wembley Stadium next July. A well deserved win if you ask me. Watch the video below and listen as the singer summons the voice of a 19 year old Liam Gallagher at about the 1:10 mark.
Let's face fact: he sounds better than Liam, and that's without any fancy recording equipment. Imagine the publicity the band would get if Noel fired his brother and replaced him with a 17 year old from a Brazilian cover band? It would be like that movie “Rock Star” but with better music. The Outs have an impressive 32 songs on their youtube channel. They cover mostly Oasis tunes as well as The Verve, The Beatles, Kasabian, U2 and the Goo Goo Dolls, and currently only have one original track on their myspace (www.myspace.com/theoutsband). Here's another one of my favourites.
I've begun working on a concept for a series which will have a couple characters partially inspired by The Outs. Imagine the Gallagher brothers at 17 (even though they're 8 years apart) with all the attitude, talent, and swagger they have now but without any of the money or fame. I can see them struggling to build a fan base as band egos and squabbles interfere with finishing most shows. There would be humour and squalor.
And for all of you people thinking to yourselves “are those the guys that do that song about a wall?” this one's for you.
When I was living in England, I worked a temp job in data entry for a little while at a copyright licensing agency. I thought it would be like my favorite show: David Brent would be my boss, Tim and I would bond over torturing Garrett until our fallout due to a mutual crush on the receptionist Dawn. Well, perhaps it was a little like BBC's 'The Office' but I was sitting at the quiet table in the corner where nothing ever happens and everyone just keeps their heads down and works. There was a sort of Keith character sitting across from me; Robert was an overweight pimply guy with a passion for junk food, picking his nose, and anything else he could do to just let loose. Actually, I did serve the real Keith when I got a much better job at a pub in Fulham, and it would seem eczema is a weakness the actual actor suffers, but I digress. It wasn't a very social place, as everyone usually worked with headphones providing their own soundtracks. Since data entry is about the most monotonous work you can do, I would constantly have a window on my desktop playing youtube videos. This is where I watched most of the hilarious series that is 'Peep Show,' the stars of which are actually the Mac and PC guys in the English versions of those commercials. At the time, Shane Meadows' film 'This is England' was just being released and had a lot of press. I really liked the trailer, but something was missing: the Clash song from which the film got its title. I would often find myself at work watching the trailer with the youtube window on mute while I listened to the song. They must not have been able to secure the rights to the song, or perhaps the filmmakers don't like obviousness as much as I do, because it works brilliantly. I've put together this demonstration:
See? Anyway, I didn't see the actual film until I got back to Canada, since sustaining an existence on a data entry wage in London didn't really leave room for the theatre going experience. What stood out in the film to me was a good soundtrack as well as some great performances by the young cast members and by Stephen Graham (Tommy from 'Snatch') as the crazy Combo. I'm not sure I liked it as much as the trailer though, perhaps I'll have to watch it again.
I know that my previous post said I'd be talking about movies in an informal fashion, and this next review seems kind of structured, but that's because I wrote it for a website. A few weeks ago, joblo.com, which has been my movie site of choice for many years, put out a call for DVD reviewers. It had been a long time since I had actually written a review (Jersey Girl doesn't really seem relevant anymore) so I chose a new DVD that had yet to be reviewed on their site and followed the format they use. Even though it didn't pay anything, I was a little disappointed that I didn't hear back from them, however I was saved the embarrassment of having to tell them that I can't review Blu-Ray (I don't have a player, I don't even have a TV, my laptop is my everything). But I was sneaky, and made a copy of the review I sent, which can now be read here:
DVD: Step Brothers Movie: 3 DVD: 3 Overall: 3
What's it about? Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Director Adam McKay could not wrap TALLADEGA NIGHTS without knowing what they were going to do together next. They had a brainstorming session and McKay came up the image of Will and John in bunk beds... the rest of 'Step Brothers' basically writes itself: two forty year old unemployed men are forced to share a room when their single parents marry. The maturity level of these guys makes Billy Madison look like Doogie Howser as hijinks and shenanigans abound. Is it a good movie? Of course not, but the fun that the leads are clearly having does become infectious. You can't deny that the real life friends play well off each other, have dueling fros and look funny in briefs. They got some guy named Apatow to produce it, and apparently he has some funny friends too who don't mind showing up in bit parts. There's a reason these guys have a monopoly on comedies at the moment (or as I call it, a 'comopoly'), and it's not sex appeal.
The Extras Deleted/ extended scenes : Guess what? They shot a whole bunch of stuff that either dragged on too long or wasn't relevant enough to the 'story' for it to be included the movie, watch it here! This single disc version advertises having 'both theatrical & unrated versions.' The version I watched was the same running length as the theatrical release. At first I figured they probably just dropped a couple more 'F' Bombs and had a slightly longer close up on Ferrell's prosthetic balls, but when I couldn't find the other version on the disc, I deduced that the inclusion of these deleted and extended scenes count for the 'unrated version.' This misleading claim deserves a finger wag. Commentary: This commentary by McKay, Ferrell and Reilly along with the film's composer comes in the form of an improvised musical, featuring a whole number dedicated to the maker of the aforementioned prosthetics balls. Basketball player Baron Davis also has some arbitrary participation. Line-O-Rama: A fun feature on every Apatow DVD these days showing alternate takes where the actors improvise different one-liners. Since that's all these films basically are, there's usually some good stuff and you can be the judge if they chose the best lines to keep in the film. Gag Reel: These are all the lines that were too funny to make it in to the movie because the actors couldn't keep their shit together while saying or hearing them. “Boats 'n Hoes” music video: The complete version of a rap video the step brothers make on dad's yacht. You see enough of it in the film. The making of Step Brothers: Spoiler Alert: Oliver Wood, the director of photography also shot all three of the Bourne movies. This is a spoiler because it's all I took away from this unnecessary 22 minute featurette.
Final Diagnosis I had high expectations for TALLADEGA NIGHTS and was disappointed. Consequently, I had low expectations for STEP BROTHERS and was surprised at how well the same schtick held up for an hour and a half. Of course there were low points, and if you think you're getting something as good as ANCHORMAN, or if you're getting tired of this bunch altogether, then don't watch this. However, if you're a big fan of funnyordie.com, then this low concept, heavily improvised and often indulgent comedy will surely get a few chuckles.
If you made it to the end of my ridiculously long first post, then you're my new best friend. Now that we're best friends, here's a bit about me and how this relationship is gonna work:
I love movies and music. I'm going to be the first man ever to express my opinions on these things in the informal forum that is 'THE BLOG.' It should be noted that while I consider myself well educated in cinema, I don't have a musical bone in my body and have been diagnosed as tone deaf by my father, who happens to be all the way deaf. But in case the meter-long posting below wasn't indicator enough, I do like to talk about what I listen to, but some could label my little insights as uninformed. Anyway, in sharing my thoughts on what I'm currently seeing and hearing, I hope to expose friends to some cool things they may not have otherwise known about.
I like youtube and will call on it often to compliment, support, or compensate what it is I say on my web log. I look forward to adding songs to youtube just so I can talk about them here, though I've had pretty good luck finding most things so far.
I like stuff that white people like.. the blog as well as most of the things listed on it. More to come on that later. I also like things that are 'meta', so it's okay for me to blog about a blog.
I like things that are Canadian. Note the Canadian music rant below and the use of the metric system above, for I am indeed proud to be part of the red, white and new.
I like stories and literature. Some original short fiction may also appear on Your Best Friend's Blog.
I enjoy playing most sports, but rarely get the opportunity. I get many opportunities to watch sports on television, but rarely enjoy it.
In the winter I skate and in the summer I bike.
I'm a chess man, not a poker man. Sometimes I bake.
It is in to this web of logs that I now commence tossing my own...
