About a month ago I was able to go to a screening of Away We Go at the Pickford Center, part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Afterwards they had a Q & A with Sam Mendes, the director, and John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. Krasinski plays 30-something Burt to Rudolph’s Verona. They’ve been together since college, but haven’t gotten married – mainly because Verona refuses Burt’s proposals. After finding out they’re expecting, Burt’s parents happily announce they’re moving to Europe before the baby will be born. Suddenly untethered, they decide to test out possible future homes for their child: Verona’s sister lives in Tucson, Burt might have a job in Madison, and they have college friends in Montreal. The refreshing thing about this movie, as compared with Sam Mendes’ prior work, is that Burt and Verona are completely in love. It’s the two of them and then there’s everyone else. At one point, unsure of how their lives and their relationship are going to change with the addition of a child, Verona asks Burt, “There’s no one in love like us, right?” Krasinski said it was probably his favorite line of the movie. They work surprisingly well together, though when I initially heard who was cast in the female lead I was doubtful. As someone who’s mainly known for comedy on Saturday Night Live, Maya Rudolph did an outstanding job in a somewhat dramatic role.
The screenplay was written by one of my favorite writers, Dave Eggers, along with his wife, Vendela Vida. Sam Mendes mentioned that one of the things that really drew him to the script was that it expressed such optimism and was a really original screenplay. Overall I really enjoyed it – really funny, touching, thoughtful. I felt there were a few moments that were a little overwrought, but it didn’t wreck the movie. The supporting cast is just amazing – Catherine O’Hara, Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan (listening to him go on and on about Phoenix nearly made me cry I was laughing so hard), Maggie Gyllenhaal. Especially keep an eye out for Chris Messina and Melanie Lynskey, the college friends in Montreal. Krasinski said that in his opinion, besides Maya, Messina gave the best performance in the film. I won’t give away any plot details, but Mendes mentioned that right after they shot the scene at the bar, Messina flew home and became a father the next day. If you see it, I guess you’ll understand what I mean. Paul Schneider wowed as well. I loved him in Lars and the Real Girl and I’m excited to see what body part he broke falling into the pit on Parks and Recreation when it starts in the fall.
In the end it seems pretty obvious that they were meant to end up where they did, but the original had them saying screw it and moving to Costa Rica. The rewrite is much better.
If you see this movie, please let me know what you think! A friend of mine was able to be an extra for the scenes in Tucson. Keep your eye out for the hot female bartender!
My apologies for the radio silence of late. I took the comprehensive exam for my Master’s degree on Friday! Things should be less busy now. Should be.
Forfeit/Fortune – Crooked Fingers So I choose this album to listen to because I heard the song “Luisa’s Bones” on Chuck (which by the way- looks to be renewed) and really liked it. Crooked Fingers are a Denver-based band (it’s a collision of awesome!) led by Eric Bachmann. The album kicks off with “What Never Comes”, a mid-tempo, big-sounding, saxophone-solo of a song. “Luisa’s Bones” is a story song, about Luisa’s ghosts and those exacting revenge for her murder. Great vocals on the track and used to perfection in Chuck v. the Dream Job (culminating in this). The whole album has got a kind of south-of-the-border gypsy feel to it that makes me think of people dancing around a fire at night. Like in Chocolat. But minus Johnny Depp. The album’s got several catchy songs, including “Cannibals” and “Your Control” on which Neko Case duets. The best part is reading all the reviews for this album on independent music sites, mostly complaining about how it sounds “too produced” and “not created” while simultaneously bitching about it being self-released. Bitch, bitch bitch. Anyway, I loved it. Rating: 4.8
Stand! – Sly and the Family Stone I love me some good funk, and Sly and his fam delivered quite nicely. We actually talked about this band in a history class in college (it was the first band to have black and white people). Watching your uptight white female professor stand awkwardly in front of a lecture hall while “Don’t Call Me Nigger, Whitey” plays on the room’s stereo system will brighten anyone’s day. Stand! has the single “Everyday People” which became a number one hit and lives on today in car commercials. “I Want to Take You Higher” and “You Can Make it if You Try” are a couple other classic inspirational we-can-all-be-friends songs. Rating: 3.8
Rating system:
5- I love it! Bury me with this album.
4- I like it! Will be joining my Top 25 Most Played on iTunes.
3- It was good. I will only be listening to this because music critics tell me I should, or I will be listening to this repeatedly even though music critics tell me I shouldn’t.
2- Meh. Can you resell digital music?
1- Craptastic. On par with most actor-turned-musician releases.
For May (now more than half over) I’ve been listening to Now We Can See by The Thermals and So by Peter Gabriel (courtesy of a random number generator).
Chuck airs its second season finale on Monday April 27 8/7c. In its sophomore season, Chuck has seen its hero become adjusted to life as the government’s most important intelligence asset- The Intersect, while struggling with his very real feelings for fake girlfriend and CIA handler Sarah and trying to maintain a normal life at the Buy More and at home. NBC has yet to announce that Chuck will be picked up for a third season, much to the shock of its fans. I asked some friends and fellow TV geeks to weigh in on just what it is that they like about Chuck.
1. Obviously, the writer’s strike killed a lot of shows as they were just starting to blossom and others have managed to survive, but just barely. Chuck, I feel, has picked up a lot of steam in the second half of the second season and has potential to do all kinds of crazy awesome things next season. Why has a show that’s as funny and entertaining as Chuck been struggling so much? Should NBC move it to another night? Spend more on advertising the show? More shower scenes?
Eunice: I think the show has just been struggling to find an audience probably due to the fact that Mondays are jam packed with good TV. A lot of my friends who were not Chuck viewers before only needed one forced viewing (it’s ok, I didn’t tie them up) to want more of the show. Maybe if Chuck were moved to Tuesdays or Wednesdays, they might be able to pick up some new viewers.
Anthony: I think the main problem with Chuck’s struggles is that it is competing against some big shows like House and Dancing with the Stars. I’m sure if NBC moved our show to another night, like Tuesday, then Chuck would have a stronger following.
Jentrie: You know what? Chuck has been pretty phenomenal all season. The premiere was fantastic, and the 2nd episode out of the gate was Chuck vs. the Seduction, which featured one Mr. John Larroquette. The guest stars have been well-chosen. I think Chuck has struggled because of the reasons everyone else mentions – the writer’s strike, the 2-month hiatus in the winter for virtually no reason, and its extremely competitive time slot. I do think NBC will keep it, though. The concept of product placement has been mentioned, and I think that this is where Chuck definitely has an edge over a show like Daisies. If they can continue to use this to their advantage, I think it’ll help quite a bit. I’ll think about that more while I’m buying my $5 Footlong Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki from Subway to eat during the finale….
As for more shower scenes? Yes, please. I think that goes without saying.
Megan: Well I partially feel like the reason Chuck hasn’t gotten such great ratings is that the whole ratings system is outdated. With DVRs and Hulu you don’t even need a TV. I think the network execs realize that, but it’s hard to convince people to buy ad space when you can’t prove anyone watches your show. I don’t know why everyone else in America seems to like Dancing with the Stars better. I can only assume that our faltering education system and fascination with B-list has-been celebrities has something to do with it. Why does America hate everything I like?!?!
Jentrie: I feel the same way! It makes me sad to see creative shows fall by the wayside as networks fill their time with reality shows and crime scene dramas (CBS, anyone? It’s all the same show! Why can’t anyone see that! I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!!)
Brian: I can’t decide why it struggles, probably because I’ve never put a finger on why it’s so good. I mean, when I break it down it doesn’t add up for me. The premise is silly. The science fiction is of the “don’t scrutinize it too closely” variety. Chuck is too good looking to be a nerd. Sarah is too pretty for words. Almost nothing that happens is at all plausible, and the central relationship is the typical unrequited love type.
And yet, it’s such a satisfying show to watch. It’s just plain fun. I root for every single character. So why isn’t everyone else seeing what I’m seeing? This show should be pulling in 13 million viewers a week. And by all means, more shower scenes. That should be the case regardless of ratings.
Keep reading after the jump…
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Ok, I realize I’ve been extremely negligent in keeping up this blog, and I have no explanation. So three weeks late, a review of what I listened to in March.
The Fray – Overall, I enjoyed this album. To be quite honest, it sounded a lot like their first album. After awhile Isaac Slade’s voice and the piano melodies – it all starts to sound the same. It’s a sound I like listening to, but in the future I’d like to see what else they can do. Rating: 2.5
Psychocandy – Jesus and Mary Chain This album was a gripping statement about the state of commercial music in….ok, I didn’t listen to this album. I tried. I did. It was a lot of feedback and noise. And I had a slight headphone crisis with my mp3 player, so whatever. I’m sliding this one out of position and in it’s place slotting in:
All I Ever Wanted - Kelly Clarkson Yes! This album rocked it. 16 tracks of pop deliciousness. I really have been listening to it nonstop for about a month now. The great thing about Kelly Clarkson is that she can actually sing, unlike a number of other pop stars (cough, Britney,cough). There are probably 6 or 7 tracks I could see being successful singles, and most of them are pretty radio friendly. Right now my favorite is “Already Gone” but “Don’t Let Me Stop You” and “All I Ever Wanted” are close behind. There’s a pretty good range of songs and styles. My only complaint is the ballad is pretty syrupy, but I don’t think I’ll have to hear it on the radio ad nauseum, so for now I’ll just hit skip. Rating: 4
Rating system:
5- I love it! Bury me with this album.
4- I like it! Will be joining my Top 25 Most Played on iTunes.
3- It was good. I will only be listening to this because music critics tell me I should, or I will be listening to this repeatedly even though music critics tell me I shouldn’t.
2- Meh. Can you resell digital music?
1- Craptastic. On par with most actor-turned-musician releases.
For April, which is now mostly over, I’ve been listening to Stand! by Sly and the Family Stone and for my newerish music, Forfeit/Fortune by Crooked Fingers.
41. After considerable planning and conjoling I convinced three friends to hit up Vegas for the weekend. Unfortunately I had to drive from Los Angeles by myself, which as I found out first hand is one of the worst drives in America. MSN dubbed it “the highway to hell”. I sat in bumper to bumper traffic for 4 hours, going n0 more than 10 mph. Right as I was sure I was about to lose my mind and drive off an overpass or stop my car, put it in park, and get out to step in front of the next semi, I saw this trailer loaded with crap and a line of stuffed animals roped to the side like captives of battle. Elmo had “Help me” written on his stomach. It seemed completely normal.
42. We stayed at the Luxor hotel, mainly because it was the cheapest nice hotel on the strip I could find. Another friend stayed at the Wynn (super swank), which meant endless trekking up and the down strip. We happened to be there for Earth hour, and most of the hotels dimmed their lights or turned them off (exterior only) from 8-9pm. By the time I took this photo of the Flamingo it was much later. At some point in the night we stopped to watch the water show at the Bellagio, set to “Luck be a Lady” by Sinatra.
It was pretty sweet, and much better than the time I saw it set to some god awful country song, as I was saying to Mark. The next show only minutes later was to “Proud to be an American” and it was as cringeworthy as you would expect. God I hate that song.
43. I would say half the party left town broke and broken. Literally. $2 and limping. I won’t say who. The drive home was much better, though after hours of looking forward to getting Chick-Fil-A in Ontario, I was crushed to realize it was a Sunday.
44. Silhouette in Westwood. At the largest size I noticed a teensy tiny airplane amongst the leaves.
45. So I made myself a pinhole camera.
46. Spring leaves. I find it odd that the leaves fall off the tree and grow back in a climate that doesn’t really change.
47. Street lights at LACMA. The art museum has an installment set up outside with hundreds of streetlights very close together in rows and columns. I didn’t like it much at first but it’s growing on me.
48. Fountain in the complex. It was Friday night and I was walking home from Adventureland, which I recommend. It was a bit different than what I was expecting, but still good. It was much sadder and complex and real. Kind of Freaks and Geeks like.
Something Corporate
I may be cheating a little because I’m using the S slot for Jack’s Mannequin, which is really just Andrew McMahon, because Something Corporate doesn’t really exist anymore. As a kid I was a big fan of Anne of Green Gables, and I loved how she described people as kindred spirits. I can’t really explain it, because I’ve never even met the guy, but if there were a band that was a kindred spirit, it would be Andrew McMahon. Leaving Through the Window is, to me, a quintessential high school album. “If You C Jordan”, “I Woke Up in a Car”, “Drunk Girl”, “Cavanaugh Park”, and my personal favorite, of course, “Punk Rock Princess”….there are so many great tracks on that album! North is pretty solid, with “Me and the Moon” being really the only track that I’ve never really gotten. A song about a fed up housewife offing her husband? Maybe he got inspired by Dolores Claiborne, who knows.
As Jack’s Mannequin, Everything in Transit would certainly be in my desert island discs. You’ll definitely hear the southern California- Beach Boys inspired tunes. Mostly it’s about finding home again, that home being Los Angeles (huh). Fun factoid: Tommy Lee did drums for this album. My favorite song is probably “I’m Ready” with the spoken bridge: “I wake up to find it’s another four aspirin morning, and I dive in. I put on the same clothes I wore yesterday. When did society decide we have to change and wash a t-shirt after every individual use? If it’s not dirty, I’m going to wear it. I take the stairs to the car and there’s fog on the windows. I need caffeine to the blood dream, I take caffeine to the blood stream. I grip the wheel, and all at once I realize: My life has become a boring pop song and everyone is singing along.” Shortly after they wrapped this album, Andrew was diagnosed with leukemia. He made it through, and his latest release, The Glass Passenger, is mainly about recovery, though he claims not from cancer (whatever). There are several tracks I’m not too fond of, but “Drop Out – The So Unknown” and “Miss California” are probably my faves up there with vintage SoCo. (Edited to add: Check out this interview on CNN with Andrew about his charity, Dear Jack).
Official video for Dark Blue from Everything in Transit (Tommy Lee makes a cameo, which I confirmed via web search, which saves you yourself from any Googling involving the terms “tommy lee” and “video”):
From top left:
1. Glass marbles.
2. View from the top floor of downtown at sunset. Would be better if the pollution didn’t make everything look dirty.
3. The wall in the lobby to my building. They’ve been renovating since I moved in and the lobby is more or less done. They put these crazy textured walls up.
4. Random building art, along Santa Monica, I think. I always wonder who does these. Did the building owners commission someone to do it? Why? Was it a random act of art?
5. Self-portrait
6. Santa Monica pier at dusk. I drove down to Santa Monica for errand-running type shopping. It’s not particularly close and I forgot that it was Saturday and crazy busy. I drove through an entire parking garage looking for a spot and there were none. After I finally made it out of the store, the light was fading, so I got an ice cream cone and walked down towards the beach. Totally made up for the earlier parking rage.
7. Abstract writing. Not my favorite way to spend a Sunday, but I finished it. And it didn’t need too many revisions!
8. Mail! Super saver shipper from Amazon is the shit. And since I live right next to the distribution center, I usually get stuff delivered within 2-3 days.
