Fall 2007 movies not to miss

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (directed by Andrew Dominik)

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (or: How I Learned to Love Jesse James And Then Shoot Him in the Back) is most definitely a movie that takes its time. However, if you're a fan of westerns that are shot in Canada, especially existential ones that feature lots of wide open spaces and shots of nature, you will most definitely love it.

Casey Affleck plays the Coward in question, and he's finally able to step out of the shadow of big brother Ben in a terrific performance. Affleck has always been an actor that's interesting to watch, especially in his roles in To Die For and Gerry, where he spent most of the film looking very pissed off and tired.

The cinematography (by Coen brothers regular Roger Deakins) is excellent, the music (by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis) is haunting and rustic, and Pitt in the title role shows off his acting chops once again.



Into The Wild (directed by Sean Penn)

Sean Penn is attracted to depressing material. This is not to say that one day he won't make a bubbly romantic comedy, but his track record as a director so far, which includes The Indian Runner, The Crossing Guard, and The Pledge, have all been very dark films, dealing with death, grief or loss. Into The Wild is no different, but it tells the true story of Christopher McCandless in a manner that is both inspiring and transcendental.

Penn waited to make Into The Wild for 10 years, and it shows. Based on the novel by Jon Krakauer, Penn wasn't given permission by the McCandless family to make the film until just recently.

Emile Hirsh, in the lead role, brings to mind a young Leonardo DiCaprio. Marcia Gay Harden and William Hurt play his quarreling parents, who are distraught when they realize that their son has taken it upon himself to drop out of college in Georgia and realize his dream of trekking through Alaska.

It's a great story, and Penn does it justice here.



The Darjeeling Limited (directed by Wes Anderson)

If you were disappointed with The Life Aquatic like I was, then you'll be glad to see Wes Anderson and co. back on track with The Darjeeling Limited.

Owen Wilson is a great talent whom we almost lost, and it's nice to see him at work here; it's obvious that his collaborations with Anderson bring out the best in his acting.

Anderson also finds a way to work three Kinks songs into the movie (off of Lola Vs. Powerman and the Money-Go-Round), which is never a bad thing.



Kurt Cobain: About A Son (directed by AJ Schnack)

Basically, you can sum this documentary up in a sentence: A collection of audio interviews with Kurt Cobain done by Michael Azerrad, set to music that influenced him and shot where he grew up. However, it's what Schnack does with the documentary that's so interesting: filmed in Cobain's hometown of Aberdeen, Washington, (as well as Montesano, Olympia and Seattle) it follows the various stages of his life, from his troubled upbringing to making it big with Nirvana.

All the while, we see the exact places he's talking about: the hotel rooms he slept in when he was supposed to be working, the high school hallways he once walked down, etc. Very few documentaries have come as close to picking a subject's brain as this one does, and how can you beat the soundtrack? Queen, CCR, Big Black, the Vaselines, David Bowie. It'll stick in your head long after you've left the theater.



Before The Devil Knows You're Dead (directed by Sidney Lumet)

What do you get when you mix a veteran director (Lumet), two great actors (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Albert Finney) and a relatively standard plot device of a heist gone wrong? One hell of a movie.



American Gangster (directed by Ridley Scott)

When a movie starts out with a man being set ablaze and getting shot, it gives you a pretty good idea of what you're in for. Ridley Scott sets up a great gangster picture, telling the true story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), who saw a window of opportunity for buying and selling pure heroin from Thailand, and making a killing off of it during the Vietnam era. Russell Crowe is the narcotics cop trying to nab Lucas, and when he finally does, it's a key religious moment.



No Country For Old Men (directed by Joel and Ethan Coen)

The Coen brothers return to their noir roots with an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel, and it's more Blood Simple than Fargo, although there is sly humor abound. Poor dogs are getting shot left and right.

Javier Bardem is creepy as the killer Anton Chigurh, and Josh Brolin (also notable for his work in American Gangster) is good as the man Chigurh is hunting. Once Brolin's storyline separates, the movie loses a bit of its energy, but it's compelling nonetheless--another winner from the brothers grim.

You Might Have Missed: Year of the Dog

A great under-the-radar comedy from Mike White (The Good Girl, Chuck & Buck), which showcases his knack for biting wit and social satire. It's a good role for Molly Shannon, as a woman who is distraught after her dog, Pencil, dies. She hooks up with a vegan (Peter Sarsgaard) and goes on a mission to save a group of dogs that are about to be euthanized. Another comic knockout for John C. Reilly, as Shannon's dog-shootin', knife-collectin' redneck neighbor. Laura Dern is also good as a self-absorbed yuppie.

Hammer of the Gods

Bottomless Pit- Hammer of the Gods 2xLP + CD

Silkworm were one of the very best rock bands around, a band that came out at the right time and the right place, based initially in Missoula, Mont., but spending a bulk of the 90's in Seattle and finally relocating to Chicago. Whatever the reason, their albums never seemed to catch on, but they've always had a loyal following and their records have a consistency that many bands lack.

In 2005, Silkworm's drummer, Michael Dahlquist (who joined the band in 1990) was killed in a car crash by a reckless woman hellbent on ending her own life. His two other friends were also killed in the crash, and it left a gaping hole in the hearts of anyone who knew those guys or loved the band.

Amazingly, Tim Midgett (bass/baritone guitar/vocals) and Andy Cohen (guitar/vocals), regrouped later that same year and started another band, Bottomless Pit, with Chris Manfrin (drums) and Brian Orchard (bass).

Taking the title of a Led Zeppelin biography might lead you to believe that the songs are Silkworm heavy, but quite a few of the tracks on Gods are more subdued and intimate, like "Leave the Light On" and the closing track, "Sevens Sing," which starts out with a drum machine and gently moves along with a quiet grace.

The record packaging/artwork is especially nice, pressed on double 12" vinyl, including a CD of all 8 tracks on the album. The CD will also be released in proper form on the New Jersey-based Comedy Minus One record label, run by former My Pal God records head Jon Solomon, who put out a few Silkworm records in the 90's.

The songwriting talents of both Tim Midgett and Andy Cohen added a uniqueness to Silkworm's records, with Midgett's songs being more direct, and Cohen's being abstract and sometimes harsh. Gods is no different, with Cohen offering up the insistent, emotional "Dogtag," the rockin' "Dead Man's Blues," and "Greenery," one of the better songs on the album.

"The Cardinal Movements" and "Reposession" immediately hook you with the great guitar interplay, especially the latter, which is filled with a theme of hope amongst despair, a life-affirming reminder that no matter how bad it gets, there's always the sacred refuge of music.

"Promises" To Keep

Eastern Promises (directed by David Cronenberg)

You can accuse David Cronenberg of a lot of things, but you can't say that he's gone soft. His latest film, Eastern Promises, is just as unsettling as any of his previous ones, which range from the 1988 Jeremy Irons doppelganger classic Dead Ringers to the autoeroticism of Crash (1996).

It's true that a lot of Cronenberg's films are violent, Promises being no exception, but he deals with it in a way that is dissimilar to other directors. Every act of violence is seen as a truly horrific event, and he forces you to focus on the grotesque images, not particularly for the pure sake of shocking, but to show the full extent of evil that is capable within humans.

Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts), a midwife living in London, is suddenly sucked into the Russian underworld when a teenaged girl hemorrhages and dies giving birth to her daughter. Of particular concern is the diary the deceased girl has on her, which Anna brings home to her uncle (Jerzy Skolimowski) to translate.

It doesn't take long for the Vory V Zakone crime family, led by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), to get their hands on the journal, as Anna needs to find a living relative to hand the baby over to.

This is Viggo Mortensen's second film with Cronenberg, the first being 2005's History of Violence, but this time, the collaboration is even more fruitful and Mortensen completely disappears into the role of Nikolai, who gently insists throughout the film that he is "just a driver" for the Zakone family.

Such an assertion arouses supicions right off the bat, because Nikolai has a dark grace about him that is different than the pure ugliness of Semyon's son Kirill, played with wonderful nastiness by French actor Vincent Cassel.

Promises is similar to Violence in the fact that Nikolai is a mysterious character, but to say any more than that would be ruining the film. What is worth mentioning is the already legendary bath house scene, where Mortensen has to fight for his life in the buff against two brutal gangsters. By the end of the sequence, there's a feeling that you've just witnessed a new landmark in the history of movie fights.

Promises is a great film, and it confirms Cronenberg's place among the very best of directors.

Once Upon A Time In The West

3:10 To Yuma (directed by James Mangold)

Christian Bale needs to take a break. Not only did he act his ass off in Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn earlier this summer, but he does it again in 3:10 To Yuma, a remake of the 1957 film based on a short story by renowned author Elmore Leonard, who before shifting to crime novels was a master of the western genre.

Bale plays Arizona rancher Dan Evans, a man trying to scratch out a living in the post-Civil War doldrums with his wife (Gretchen Mol) and two kids (Logan Lerman and Benjamin Petry). When the opportunity comes along to escort infamous convict Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) to the town of Contention, where Wade will board the 3:10 train to hell (aka Yuma) to be executed, Bale eagerly takes it as a way to support his needy family.

Wade's gang of outlaws poses a problem for the traverse to Contention, as does the dangerous terrain they're covering, which is closely guarded by Apache Indians. The leader of Wade's gang, sadistic Charlie Prince (the creepy Ben Foster) are willing to do anything and everything to ensure that Wade doesn't make it onto the fated Yuma train.

The film also has a good supporting cast, with Alan Tudyk (Firefly ) as the veterinarean-turned-doctor, a random cameo by Luke Wilson, and of course Peter Fonda, whose easy rider status is quickly diminished as a result of making a comment about Wade's mother. "Even bad men love their mommas," Crowe hastily replies.

Phedon Papamichael's cinematography does a good job with both the exterior and interior shots, focusing in particular on the character's eyes and well-lit rooms. There's the old saying that the eyes are a window into the soul, and in the case of Charlie Prince, it's made quite clear that he doesn't have one.

The western has long been due for a revival, and James Mangold (Walk The Line, Identity) does it justice here. It's a genre picture to be sure, but there is a hard-bitten quality to it that puts it above just another genre exercise. Mangold focuses in particular on the atypical relationship between Wade and Evans, who by the film's close turn out to have more respect for each other as men than either had imagined.

SHELLAC interview, part 2: Bob Weston

Shellac's Bob Weston and cat. (courtesy of missionofburma.com)


In June, Shellac's Steve Albini was nice enough to talk to TM about their new album, Excellent Italian Greyhound, amongst other things. Bob Weston, the bassist in Shellac, as well as recording engineer for many an indie rock band, not to mention the tape manipulator for Boston legends Mission of Burma, was gracious enough to answer some more inane questions over e-mail.


In your own words, how would you describe Shellac's music?


Hard rock trio.

Has it been easier or harder to operate in the method that Shellac operates over the years? [no tours to promote records, no promotion, etc.]

Not touring and not doing promotion sounds pretty easy to me. How could that get harder?

In a musical climate where records are constantly being reissued/repackaged or bands release albums every two or three years, has the Shellac pace allowed for more creativity/freedom?

Well, we probably spend the same amount of time, or less, than most bands between albums. We simply spread our time working on it way out. If we practiced a few times a week like most bands, our recoords would come out every 6 months at the pace we work.
But we only get together for a weekend every few months. So it turns into years between records. So, it doesn't change our creativity or freedom. I guess we do have a lot more time to mull over ideas, but our time together being creative is pretty short.

Since Shellac's 1000 Hurts was released in 2000, George W. Bush and the neocons have ravaged our country. How do you feel about the current state of affairs in North America?

Eh, it's depressing, so I try not to think about it. Clearly the worst President and administration in recent history. I'm assuming (and hoping ) that it will be the worst I ever see. I couldn't bear worse. My wife wanted to move to Canada after the last election.

What are some records you've been excited about in the past few years?

Mclusky, Antelope, Medications, LCD Soundsystem (my current favorite), Swirlies (They Spent Their...), Evens, Bearclaw, Stnnng....

From a recording engineer's point of view, how hard has it been to remain in the analog domain now that everyone has gone digital?


All the rock records I make are still done on tape. It doesn't take any convincing. No band has asked me to use ProTools.

What are some bands/artists you'd like to work with or what are some records you wished you had worked on?


Fugazi.

If Shellac were an animal, what animal would he/she be?


Possum.

A number of songs on Excellent Italian Greyhound have appeared in your live sets over the years, the song "Spoke" dating back to a Peel Session in the mid 90s. How much have these songs been reworked when going into the studio? Is the songwriting process still pretty much a collaborative effort?

Nothing gets "reworked". But the songs definitely evolve over time. We play them all differently as time passes. The versions on record are simply the way we played it that day. Some don't change much. Some may change without us noticing. Some have very open sections that are meant to be different every time. [The song "Spoke"] is random gibberish, with the final word of course being "Spoke".

As witnessed at Shellac's shows, [drummer] Todd Trainer has proven himself a bona fide rock star and a sex symbol for our turbulent times. Has this created any clashing of egos within the band? Will Todd continue to contribute songs on Shellac LPs?

We all put the songs together, so Todd will of course be involved. But Todd has emerged as the true rock star in the band and that's great. It takes a lot of pressure off the rest of us.

The song "Kittypants" is about one of the cats dwelling at [Steve Albini's studio] Electrical Audio. Is Shellac an avid enthusiast of cat rock? Will this inspire a new genre of music?

Steve and I are fully cat people. Todd is an Italian Greyhound man, as you probably already had assumed.

Any last words?

Yellow light means you should slow down and stop, if you can safely. It does not mean speed up--it's about to turn red.

Also, please use your directional signals. It makes life so much easier for other drivers and cyclists.

Superbad

Superbad (directed by Greg Mottola)

Actor Seth Rogen (Freaks & Geeks, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) has had a pretty good summer, with Knocked Up being a surprise hit at the box office, and now Superbad, a script he started working on as a teenager with his friend Evan Goldberg.

Superbad makes the wise decision not to rely solely on gross-out humor, although there is undoubtedly a fair share of it. If the movie seems relatively anticlimactic in parts, it's because there is more focus on the way these kids talk, act, and think--too many teen comedies are blissfully unaware of the fact that adolescence is a painful and awkward time, and Seth (the biting and sarcastic Jonah Hill) is pissed off at pretty much everyone. His best friend, not surprisingly named Evan (Michael Cera), is more withdrawn and shy, but has the same objective as his friend: to score some beer, get the girl, and get laid. Or does he? Cera's character is an interesting one, because in a conventional script, he would be the token sidekick. In Superbad, he's the one that contemplates the silliness of it all.

The real comic relief is delivered by the uberdork wanksta Fogell (newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse), from here on known as McLovin. McLovin has a fake ID, you see, so he's summoned by Seth and Evan to get alcohol for the big end-of-year party being thrown by Jules (Emma Stone), whom Seth is intent on hooking up with.

Naturally, the alcohol plan goes awry, and McLovin is treated to an all-night "patrol" with two of the local goofball cops (Rogen and SNL's Bill Hader). Meanwhile, the friendship between Seth and Evan is put to the ultimate test, and that's where the film's true poignancy lies.

While Superbad isn't a great movie, I admired the respect Rogen and Goldberg had for these two main characters, and their contempt for standard plot devices and reliance on teen movie cliches. Instead, they find a way to make a joke out of menstrual blood.

Stardust

Stardust (directed by Matthew Vaughn)

Stardust is part fantasy, part romance, part adventure and all creative fun. If Stardust is to be seen for one reason alone, it would be for Robert De Niro's hilarious performance as Captain Shakespeare, a pirate with a bit of a soft side (that's all I'm gonna say about it).

Tristan (Charlie Cox) is trying to woo Victoria (Sienna Miller), and does so by promising to bring back a falling star. This star, played in human form by Yvaine (Claire Danes), is the object of obsession for a coven of witches, led by a decaying Michelle Pfeiffer. At the ripe old age of 400, Pfeiffer's character is intent on ripping out Danes' heart in order to gain eternal youth.

Director Matthew Vaughn, whose only previous directing credit was the well done 2004 British gangster film Layer Cake, has plenty of fun with the material, based on a story by Neil Gaiman, but it's the bold and inventive performances that carry the film through to the end.

You Follow Me

Nina Nastasia & Jim White- You Follow Me

From the opening song on You Follow Me, "I've Been Out Walking," which has Nastasia gasping for breath to narrate a story, it's immediately obvious that you're in the hands of a great songwriter. With this, Nastasia's fifth album, she's already established an impressive track record of high quality.

While I loved Dogs, The Blackened Air and liked Run to Ruin, part of the charm of Nastasia's last LP, On Leaving, and this album, is the space allowed for the songs to breathe. Her voice and guitar are captured perfectly, and Jim White's drums are loud/present, the only three instruments heard on the record. Of course I would expect no less from someone like Steve Albini, but recording-wise, these sparse, tight arrangements fit her aesthetic the best.

Jim White, similar to a free form jazz drummer (thought I really do hate most jazz) in that he doesn't follow the rhythm as much as create his own style to fit the mood of Nastasia's songs, is incredible on the album, as well as in his main band, The Dirty Three.

Seeing Nastasia live last year, I was struck by the power of the song "Late Night," which is included here, with just as much as passion as that performance. Also good are "Our Discussion," "How Will You Love Me" and the last track, "I Come After You." Nastasia's songs are direct, immediate and affecting--you couldn't really ask for more.

The Freed Man

Sebadoh- The Freed Man

Sebadoh's III is often cited as being their best record, but it's not as fun and demented as The Freed Man, which is basically two goofballs realizing the potential of samples and tape manipulation. The songs by Lou Barlow and Eric Gaffney date as far back as '81 and end around the late 80s, around when the first "real" lineup of Barlow, Gaffney and Jason Loewenstein was formed. At 52 tracks, The Freed Man is a bit of a behemoth, but the songs are good, especially the throwaway pop of "Julienne," "Punch In The Nose," and "Moldy Bread." For post-adolescent yearning, heartbreak and disillusionment, you could really do a lot worse.

Bourne again

The Bourne Ultimatum (directed by Paul Greengrass)

The third installment in the Jason Bourne series is visceral, exciting, well-directed fun. Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, United 93) kicks the story off at a frenetic pace and doesn't let go. The camera work is at times a bit dizzying, but the action and fight sequences are so well done that it's warranted, and there are stunts aplenty, as opposed to the CGI saturation of most recent action films.

Jason Bourne (Damon) is starting to recall his true identity, and isn't that a bitch for the CIA dogs running the top secret Blackbriar mission. Weasely Noah Vosen (played with finesse by David Strathairn) and Pamela Lundy from the previous films (the superb Joan Allen) are trying to track Bourne's whereabouts, but just as they're about to nab him, Bourne throws them another catch-me-if-you can sucker punch, and it's off to another part of the world. London, Paris, Madrid, Moscow, New York, Tangier: the Second Unit crews on this film require a bathroom break apiece.

The Bourne Ultimatum is in essence another late-summer blockbuster, but it's also one of the best action films in recent years.

Say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud

Talk To Me (directed by Kasi Lemmons)

Kasi Lemmons' film Talk To Me is inevitably about race, but more than anything, it's about keeping your integrity. There's a key scene towards the end of the film where Petey Greene (Don Cheadle) is offered a slot on The Tonight Show, and his long-suffering girlfriend Vernell (Taraji P. Henson) tells his manager and best friend Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor) that something isn't right. Sure enough, Greene blows his chance at megastardom, and Hughes is left wondering why he would give it all up. Truth be told, Greene never really wanted to be a celebrity--he just wanted to "tell it like it is."

Based on the true story of ex-con-turned-radio-personality Petey Greene, who literally stole himself a spot on Washington D.C.'s WOL radio station, Talk To Me takes a fairly conventional biopic approach, but is nonetheless anchored by Cheadle and Ejiofor's great performances.

Greene is the ultimate anarchist, saying things over the airwaves that no one dared to utter during the tumultuous 60s, and acting off of his own convictions, posing the ultimate threat to "the man," who is initally represented as the WOL station boss (Martin Sheen). While there's been a lot of reference to Greene being the precursor to shock jocks like Howard Stern and the like, Greene's mission was more for social change than to simply stir up controversy.

While Talk To Me at times seems a bit too convenient and feels like we've seen it before, it's the friendship between Greene and Hughes that keeps it going, and it's a story that ultimately needed to be told.

Rescue Dawn

Rescue Dawn (directed by Werner Herzog)

There are great directors, and then there are directors like Werner Herzog, who so embodies the essence of filmmaking that watching one of his movies is more of a life-affirming experience than entertainment. With "Rescue Dawn," he manages to do both.

Christian Bale plays Dieter Dengler, a German-born pilot in the U.S. Navy who simply just wants to fly. Herzog directed a documentary featuring the real Dengler a decade ago, Little Dieter Needs To Fly, and in Dawn, Herzog is able to give his story a full-fledged treatment.

Rescue Dawn is Herzog's first foray into the mainstream, although he also achieved considerable success with 2005's excellent documentary Grizzly Man. It's nice to think that a director as radical as Herzog could break into the system, but his films have always been deeply personal journeys into the inner workings of the human soul--pretty much poison for Hollywood.

Dawn opens with Dengler flying on a mission during Vietnam, when his plane is shot down over Laos, is taken prisoner, and soon finds himself in a seemingly inescapable predicament with two other Americans (Steve Zahn and the annoying Jeremy Davies) and others that were shot down on an Air America mission.

Dengler comes up with a plot to escape, but once he and his cohort Duane (Zahn) make it into the jungle, they realize that their survival is just as compromised. Bale and Zahn are excellent in their respective roles, with Bale proving to be one of the best young actors currently working. Bale has chosen a plethora of challenging/interesting characters since 1998's Velvet Goldmine, ranging from Patrick Bateman to Batman, but as Dengler, it's his best fit yet.

Hairspray (2007)

Hairspray (directed by Adam Shankman)

I've been secretly rooting for John Travolta to get out of the horrible funk he got in after his great turns in Pulp Fiction and as Chili Palmer in 1995's Get Shorty. Although I'm not quite sure what Travolta was trying to achieve with his accent as Edna Turnblad in the new film version of Hairspray, it's safe to say that he's quite brilliant in it, as is Christopher Walken as his husband, Wilbur. Their dance scene together is sure to win audiences over, and it makes you wish that Walken, originally a Juilliard-educated song and dance man, would get more screen time.

Hairspray by all means shouldn't work. It's a remake of the 1988 John Waters film, which was in turn made into a Broadway musical a few years ago. Director Shankman has taken the soul of the original Waters film and put entirely new songs in it, all originally from the musical version, composed by Marc Shaiman. The songs are instantly ingratiating--it's hard not to get caught up in the film's effortless charm and catchiness.

Newcomer Nikki Blonsky plays Edna Turnblad, who along with her lollypop-sucking friend, Penny (Amanda Bynes) wants no more than to get on the Corny Collins show. Michelle Pfeiffer, in full comeback mode this year, plays the evil Velma Von Tussle, whose daughter Amber (Brittany Snow) has every intention of destroying Tracy's dream.

The casting is excellent, with Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle (played by the legendary Ruth Brown in the original film), Allison Janney as Penny's God-fearing mother, not to mention Blonksy, who is wonderful in the lead role.

If anything, Shankman and co. have improved upon the original, although I miss Divine and it's too bad they didn't have room for "the Bug" or "the Cockroach."

Best of TV on DVD

The Sopranos- Season 6, Part 1

The Sopranos Season 6, Part 2, the conclusion of the series, won't be released on DVD until the Fall, so what better time to recap one of the best shows on TV? A lot of Soprano-heads have bitched about this season, mostly because it's more character-driven and less intense--people aren't getting whacked left and right, etc etc. I guess it's ample evidence that the show is split into two types of viewers: those that like the constant stream of tension/action, and those who appreciate the subtleties, dialogue and character nuances.

The first part of Season 6 deals with Tony's struggle to recover from his coma after being shot by Uncle Junior, giving us the best episode of the season, "Members Only," with Tony stuck in a sort of purgatory as Kevin Finnerty. Meanwhile, Johnny Sack (Vince Curatola) is in prison, meaning that Phil Leotardo (the menacing Frank Vincent) is handling all of the family business in his absence. Christopher (Michael Imperioli) is eager to kick off his awful horror movie, Cleaver, which is described as "Saw meets The Godfather: Part II." Vito (Joseph Gannascoli) has dreams about taking Tony's place should he not make it out of his coma, which is quickly dismissed once his homosexuality is revealed, prompting him to move to New Hampshire. Poor Vito tries to reconcile, but Phil Leotardo sees it as a "f****** disgrace" and takes matters into his own hands.

There's a bit of a lag in Part 1, but taken as a whole, it's just as satisfying as any of other seasons.




Big Love- Season 1

Bill Paxton must've had it written somewhere in his contract that he has to show his ass at least once in every episode of the HBO series Big Love. With three houses, three wives, and a business just getting its legs, Bill Henrickson (Paxton) has got a lot on his plate. It doesn't help that the snaky Roman Grant (a superb Harry Dean Stanton), the father of Bill's wife Nicki (the conniving Chloe Sevigny) is trying to complicate matters even more by demanding a cut on the second Henrickson's Home Plus store. Polygamy isn't an easy subject to tackle, but it's done with considerable panache, and although the "perks" of plural marriage are well documented, it also examines the ugly heart of Mormonism.



Extras- Seasons 1 & 2

HBO is setting a new standard for quality shows, what with the success of The Sopranos, and other respected shows like The Wire, Deadwood, Six Feet Under, Band of Brothers, Oz, Carnivale, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Da Ali G Show. Well, I guess it has to. Prime time isn't gonna do it. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's new show, Extras, is a welcome addition to that growing list. Gervais and Merchant had a lot to live up to with the massive success of the BBC show The Office, spawning an (arguably) inferior U.S. version, but they're more than up to the challenge, poking a bit of fun at themselves and recruiting an impressive list of celebrities to do the same.

Season 1 gets off to a bit of an awkward start, with Andy Millman (Gervais) and sidekick Maggie (Ashley Jensen) wallowing in thankless extra roles in big-budget Hollywood films. Millman's intent on moving past the extra world is hindered by his inept agent (Stephen Merchant), who is only able to get him the most menial work possible. The episodes with Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Stiller and Kate Winslet emerge as the clear winners, with plenty of uncomfortable comedy and embarassing moments to spare. Gervais and Merchant have no shame or boundaries to their comedy, which results in some hilarious scenes that are painful to watch, just like many in The Office.

Season 2 is the better of the two. The main difference this time is that Millman has his shitcom "When The Whistle Blows" picked up by the BBC, and much to Millman's chagrin, it is not what he'd envisioned, despite growing popularity as a "catchphrase-based comedy." The episode with David Bowie is destined to become a classic, with the former Aladdin Sane performing an impromptu song on the piano about Millman that starts out with the line "chubby little loser..." and turns into a free-for-all sing-a-long ridiculing him.

The following episode with Daniel Radcliffe (a.k.a. Harry Potter) is just as good. Radcliffe plays a Potter-like boy scout in a fairy tale movie, and a wood elf (Warwick Davis) has his flute restored by the "magical kid with glasses." I was in stitches.

Ian McKellen shows up in an episode, telling Millman of his ingenious method of acting. Millman and Jonathan Ross share a homoerotic moment in another key episode, with a surprise appearance by Robert De Niro. Now that the rest of the world has taken notice, it seems that Gervais and Merchant's options for comedy are pretty much limitless.



Not Just The Best Of The Larry Sanders Show

There would be no Ricky Gervais without The Larry Sanders Show, so it's appropriate that this was finally released on DVD. Garry Shandling was approached about the possibility of filling a late night talk show slot, but instead he created this groundbreaking show-within-a-show that acted as an allegorical dagger through the heart of showbusiness and the trappings of fame and ego. Rip Torn is so hilarious that he could've quite possibly carried the show on his own. It also the marked the beginning of Janeane Garofalo's career, as well as writer-director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up), who wrote a number of the show's episodes, and X-filer David Duchovny. Plenty of great extras, with Shandling interviewing old stars of the show and offering insight into the show's creation.



Twin Peaks- The Second Season

David Lynch and co. are planning a deluxe Definitive 10-disc Gold Box Edition of Twin Peaks to come out at the end of October, complete with the show's original pilot (both U.S. and European theatrical version), all of the episodes, as well as a bonus disc with special features. Normally, I cringe at this sort of excess, but in Twin Peaks' case, it's entirely necessary and long overdue--Season 1 is already out of print, and Season 2 was released just this April, after a nearly 6-year wait.

What else can be said of Twin Peaks other than it's one of the greatest shows ever to make it on to network television? I have no hesitation in thinking that there's no way in hell that ABC would ever air something this radical now, and it's still completely surprising that it lasted as long as it did back in the salad days of the early 90s.

Kyle MacLachlan totally immerses himself in the role of Agent Dale Cooper, a guy who enjoys the simple pleasures in life, those primarily being a good steaming hot cup of coffee and an irresistible piece of cherry pie. MacLachlan and Lynch created one of the most likeable and bizarre of all characters, one who immediately engages you and makes you laugh at the absurdity of his process.

Season 1 was great and laid the basic groundwork for what was to come. With Season 2, we finally get to see the duality of Bob/Leland Palmer in an episode so frightening that it's a wonder that it ever aired.

There's a lot to like about Season 2, especially the episodes that Mark Frost and/or David Lynch were actively involved in. Forensics expert Albert Rosenfield (Miguel Ferrer) returns for more sarcasm, and Cooper's boss Gordon Cole (David Lynch) makes a few brief appearances, at one point comparing Cooper to "a small Mexican chi-wow-wow."

Season 2 loses focus about halfway through, and the neverending chess game between Windom Earle (Kenneth Welsh) and Cooper gets tiring, as does the random/unnecessary romance between Nadine (Wendy Robie) and Mike (Gary Hershberger), the ongoing soap opera between Donna (Lara Flynn Boyle) and James (James Marshall), and a British fellow (Ian Buchanan) involved with Lucy (Kimmy Robertson) who may or may not be the father of her child, which causes Deputy Andy (Harry Goaz) to become jealous.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The finale caused a lot of frustration with fans, but my interpretation of it is that Cooper seemed to be the only pure, "good," untainted character on the show- maybe Lynch's intention was to show that evil can inhabit even the purest of souls, who knows. Evil is very allegorical in the show, being represented by Bob/the owl, Leo (Eric Da Re) and others. Lynch likes to deal with the duality of man and the dark side to human nature a lot in his films--as a Lynch fan, it's not surprising to see the way he handled it in the show. Mostly I think he wanted audiences to think the show was going to end on a conventional note and then proceeded to throw scalding hot coffee in our collective faces. Lynch had no intention of even revealing who Laura's killer was--he acquiesced only after network pressure made it necessary.

If you still haven't been welcomed to the wonderful, strange world of Twin Peaks, now would be a good time to start.

Ingmar Bergman: 1918-2007

RIP, ya old Swedish mope.

2006: A Second Chance

2006 gave us some challenging, thought-provoking films. Some of these were acclaimed, some just sorta fell through the cracks and weren't given the credit they so justly deserved, at least in the humble opinions held here at TM. Let's dive in and see what made last year worth living for...

1. The Devil and Daniel Johnston (directed by Jeff Feuerzeig)

The enigma that is artist/singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston is documented in this disturbing, funny and ultimately cathartic film from Jeff Feurzeig. It's quite possibly the best examination of a troubled artist since Terry Zwigoff's infamous 1994 documentary Crumb. Though the comparisons with Brian Wilson and numerous declarations of "genius" are a bit much, it's fascinating to watch, and from a psychological point of view, almost a complete miracle that the schizophrenic Johnston is able to create music (though he still lives with his parents, smokes, and drinks copious amounts of Mountain Dew). Fan of Johnston's music or not, this is one not to be missed.

2. An Inconvenient Truth (directed by Davis Guggenheim)



I'm going to try to save some of our natural resources by not saying too much about this movie. I confess that I also started wearing environmentally-friendly underwear since I saw it. In all seriousness though, what is essentially Big Al's Slideshow is a crucial step in raising awareness about the climate crisis. Unfortunately, it also spawned a little demon called Live Earth and another documentary, The 11th Hour, where Leo DiCaprio narrates us through a similar scenario.

3. The Departed (directed by Martin Scorsese)

Watching The Departed reminded me why I still even bother going to the movies at all. The energy and passion that Scorsese puts into his films is rivaled by very few directors, and the furry-browed one finally got his due, winning Best Director and Best Picture at the Oscars. A remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, it takes the basic elements of that story and adds layer upon layer of Shakespearean drama to it.
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Other essential Scorsese:

Who's That Knocking At My Door? (1967)

Part art film, part gritty drama, starring a fresh-faced Harvey Keitel. A bit patchy, but like any Scorsese film, immensely watchable and well-filmed, with a great soundtrack. Scorsese was only 25 when he made this, which makes it all the more impressive.

Mean Streets (1973)

The firecracker that started it all. There's an intensity to the scenes between De Niro and Keitel that threatens to burn a hole right through the screen. A poolhall fight scene set to "Please Mr. Postman"? Pure genius.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

A different sort of movie for Scorsese, about an independent woman (Ellen Burstyn) struggling to find herself after her husband's death. Great acting and a sharp script by Robert Getchell. Shot here in beautiful Tucson, Ariz.

Raging Bull (1980)

The movie that should've made Hollywood clutch Scorsese to their bosom. Instead, they gave the Best Picture Oscar that year to Robert Redford's Ordinary People. Go figure. Robert De Niro gives his best performance, with Frank Vincent and Joe Pesci being welcomed into the fold, both later starring in GoodFellas and Casino.

The King of Comedy (1983)



An original satire on the trappings of fame, with Robert De Niro as poor Rupert Pupkin (certainly one of the greatest movie names), who kidnaps a TV host played by Jerry Lewis as an attempt to get his comedy material on the air.

After Hours (1985)

Another detour, this film was Scorsese's return to his low-budget roots after failing to get backing for The Last Temptation of Christ. Griffin Dunne plays a New York computer hack whose night goes from bad to worse in a darkly comic series of misfortunes.



The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

It was a bold decision on the part of Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader to adapt Nikos Kazantzakis' 1951 novel The Last Temptation of Christ, which was not welcomed kindly by the religious faction upon its release. Scorsese had initially tried to make the film in 1983, but financing collapsed and had to start anew. Willem Dafoe had big sandals to fill in the role of Christ, but his performance here is nothing short of outstanding and Harvey Keitel is a bit hilarious in the role of Judas, but also good. Barbara Hershey portrays Mary Magdalene, and David Bowie is in a brief scene as Pontius Pilate (Scorsese originally was going to cast Sting in the role). The beginning of Christ makes it clear that this is an account not based on the gospels, which surely sent heart rates through the roof. Instead, it imagines Christ's life if he had faced the temptations that us mere mortals face, and the final temptation of the film's title imagines the life he could've led by marrying Mary Magdalene and having children. Scorsese's film shouldn't be treated as heresy but as an open, fascinating, respectful look at a well-documented subject.

GoodFellas (1990)

From Jesus to gangsters...Scorsese had been around long enough at this point that you'd think he'd finally get some recognition. Instead, he got snubbed again at the Oscars by Kevin Costner's buffalo ballet Dances With Wolves. Joe Pesci is hilarious and terrifying as Tommy DeVito, a hothead gangster who uses any and every opportunity to whack somebody.

Casino (1995)

A mob epic about the gangsters who ran the casinos in the 70s, Scorsese says on the DVD commentary that this film was also his own personal statement on the bloated ways of Hollywood. Sharon Stone gives perhaps her only worthy perforance as De Niro's loose canon wife, Ginger.

Bringing Out The Dead (1999)

An underrated gem. Nicolas Cage, John Goodman and Tom Sizemore star in this manic tale of paramedics running loose in Hell's Kitchen. Ferocious energy and a great soundtrack, reuniting Scorsese with past collaborator Paul Schrader.

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4. The Prestige (directed by Christopher Nolan)



Rival magicians, a sharp script and direction by Nolan (Batman Begins, Memento), excellent visuals and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla. What more could you want?

5. Borat (directed by Larry Charles)



I like you. Do you like me? Sacha Baron-Cohen takes his character from Da Ali G Show and makes a hilarious, unnerving commentary on America and their "war of terror."

6. Marie Antoinette (directed by Sofia Coppola)



This one was completely overlooked. Those quick to dismiss Coppola on charges of nepotism should take a second look at her films, which have a quiet beauty about them. Oh, and what was the last good movie her Dad made? If you don't like this one, try sitting through the nearly-three-hour 1938 version.

7. Pan's Labyrinth (directed by Guillermo del Toro)



I seriously went into this thinking it was going to be a magical kids movie, or maybe something along the lines of Tim Burton. What a surprise. Wonderfully creative, with one of the best villains in recent years, the diabolical Capt. Vidal (Sergi Lopez).

8. The Lives of Others (directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)



Winner of the Best Foreign Film Oscar, this German tale of cat and mouse before the fall of the Berlin wall is gripping, realistic and powerfully affecting. Sebastian Koch plays a German playwright who's being monitored by the East German Secret Police, under Hauptman Wiesler (the excellent Ulrich Mühe), who eventually becomes sympathetic to Koch and his girlfriend (Martina Gedeck). The Lives of Others seems like a good history lesson until you realize that it's just as applicable in modern times.

9. The Bridge (directed by Eric Steel)



An unconventional documentary, The Bridge chronicles the 24 deaths that occured at San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge in 2004, examining the lives of the jumpers and the dark, complicated subject of suicide and depression. It's a film that sticks with you long after you've left the theatre.

10. Little Children (directed by Todd Field)



I wasn't too fond of Todd Field's previous film, 2001's In The Bedroom, but with Little Children, he chooses just the right tone to tell the story of suburban boredom and dysfunction. Former Bad News Bear Jackie Earle Haley is tremendous as the pedophile who just needs a little bit of love.

The Limburger Awards

Every year, there's a movie that's so bad that you start to lose all faith in humankind. It's a special kind of picture--one whose pure awfulness just emanates from the screen, like a slice of Limburger kept in a storage closet for a couple of years. That's why here at TM, we have the Limburger awards. They usually fall in three different categories: movies that shouldn't have been made, movies that could've been great but sucked, and movies that sucked from the very premise. 2007, I really hope that you don't disappoint, but in my heart of hearts, I know that 2007's Limburger is just around the corner. In the meantime, here are a few past winners...

The Black Dahlia (2006)

Movies like The Black Dahlia are the worst kind of disappointments. Seeing that it's based on a novel by estimable James Ellroy (L.A. Confidential) and has some good actors (Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson), it should be decent, right? Oops. No. A guy named Brian De Palma directed it, and they decided to cast half-chipmunk, half-heartthrob Josh Hartnett in the lead role, who spends most of the movie looking like he really needs a nap. The "romance" within leaves the viewer feeling as cold as if Joan Rivers looked you directly in the eye, and a potentially interesting story gets bogged down with ambiguity, overacting, and just plain foolishness.

Elizabethtown (2005)

After watching this one, I was tempted to issue a warrant for Orlando Bloom's arrest. He may feel right at home in the Pirates of The Carribean and Lord of The Rings movies, but in terms of actually acting? This putz couldn't act if Kirsten Dunst's 2nd assistant's life depended on it! Although I have a special place in my heart for Almost Famous, Singles, and Say Anything, you also have to remember that Cameron Crowe was the guy responsible for the Tom Cruise scheißabbildung Vanilla Sky. Elizabethtown is apparently a loving tribute to Crowe's Kentucky-based family, but if I were related to Crowe, I'd be tempted to attack him with a frozen turd dagger. The soundtrack is overwhelming and unnecessary--I like Tom Petty and everything, but do we really need 40 of his songs in one movie?

Garden State (2004)

"You didn't like Garden State?" That's usually the reply I get when discussing this much-beloved film, along with another 2004 favorite, Napoleon Dynamite. Zach Braff's painful, painful movie is like a 90 minute homage to himself. "Oh, aren't I so edgy, so indie, so hip and so cool?" Perhaps the most uncomfortable scene is when Natalie Portman is listening to her headphones and, when asked what she's listening to, replies "The Shins." Now, The Shins really aren't terrible, but that sort of obvious advertising is just one of many examples of Braff's moronic version of filmmaking. There's that old saying that shit rolls downhill, and Braff apparently is on a mission to gather as much of it as he can before reaching the bottom. Put this one in a time capsule and see if you don't feel guilty in about 20 years....

In The Cut (2003)

This was supposed to be the movie where Meg Ryan finally broke out and gave an arresting performance in a daring role. Sadly, no one told Ms. Ryan that this was quite possibly the last movie she should've tried to do that in. Maybe she's a glutton for punishment, or maybe no one gives two hoots for the former Queen of Cute anymore. A competent director, Jane Campion, tells a story that's so convoluted and boring that it tests your patience by the 15-minute mark. In The Cut is excruciating because, besides all of the killing and the screwing, there really isn't much left. Hey, I likes me a cocktail of sex and violence just as much as the next guy, but I need something else. Y'know, like, a story?