I was walking past Kops Records on Queen West and something definitely caught my eye. There prominently in the window was the new "Vampire Weekend" album "Contra" on vinyl. Now I don't care about the vinyl as some might, but I've been eagerly awaiting more material from the lads for some time, but didn't know this was in the works. And apparently it's not supposed to be on sale locally until tomorrow, so those quick on the draw can still call it an advance release.
So I went straight to iTunes when I got home and found they have a bonus track version and they had me at hello. I've only had the first listen (with perpetual smile on my face) and I can say that I enjoyed it overall and intend to delve deeper. As for a song by song breakdown, it's too soon and I'm not prepared. The first track "Horchata" grabbed me right away and the last official track "I Think UR A Contra" sticks out for me as unusual (or maybe it's just that as the slowest and least complicated of the songs, I found it the easiest to absorb on first listen.) Those who wanna try before they buy, follow the above link for a complete album or song by song sampling off VW's website. Also available on emusic.com.
So I finally decided to check out the film that everyone else is apparently seeing, with amazing box office gross in such a short time, but not without a nod to higher IMAX pricing as a factor. Hitting the $1 billion mark in record time, it stands poised to be yet another landmark for movie biz history and Mr. Record Breaker himself, James Cameron.
I make no secret about the fact that I'm not a fan of 3-D presentations. I see it as a gimmick and more distracting than beneficial. For an IMAX presentation, I find it entirely unnecessary. (How much more do you need to feel IN the movie when it encompasses every square inch of your field of vision?) But to see Avatar without the 3-D, you really needed to go out of your way. None of the downtown theaters were showing it regular style. (So we opted for IMAX, and we had to buy our Sunday tickets days in advance online for IMAX, because Saturday shows were already sold out.)
Getting to the IMAX theater a little later than we should've, my buddy Chris and I had a choice between fourth row on the far left hand side, or in the very back on the far right. It's a good thing we chose the latter, or it'd be Cloverfield all over again. (While not usually a victim of motion-sickness, the super-shaky handicam work of that forgettable, Blair-Witchian and overrated "What the hell's going on?" flick caused me to toss my cookies. Which was a first for me at the cinema.)
Even in the back row for Avatar in IMAX, my brain was struggling to process the sometimes blurry and often jarring 3-D effect which might've been lessened on a smaller screen but I won't be testing that theory out. In the two and a half hours of Cameron's Opus I didn't hurl... but I did have a queezy feeling, like I'd been playing an immersive 3-D video game for far too long, but right away in the first 15 minutes. Although occasionally I found the subtle effects of the occasional (let's call them) 'floaties' quite effective, overall I'd say the intended effects were distracting and sometimes ruined by the glasses.
In short, I'd have much preferred the IMAX without the 3-D glasses, but it seems with this kind of business to be had, the movie execs won't pay any mind to the minority which I no doubt fall into. As for the movie itself, I'd simply describe it as visually amazing and "Dances With Wolves with 14 foot tall sexy blue aliens."
Pixar has proven itself a company that won't rest on its laurels, and their latest, the deceptively simply named "Up," is proof of that and so much more. They have such a strong track record, particularly in the story department, that they can confidently release a film without revealing much about it, with obscure marketing, even when its about the adventures of a 78 year old man. Even as a devotee I wondered if they'd lost their minds, but what worked with Wall-E, another concept on paper that doesn't sound like a sure-fire winner, may indeed bring Pixar Oscar gold once again.
Always looking forward to a Pixar release, and disappointed only one time in ten ("Cars" which surprisingly has a sequel in the works, was a let down but by no means a failure for the company), I was in for "Up" unconditionally and not surprisingly it opened to strong reviews from critics and movie-goers alike. I intentionally avoided the 3D presentation with annoying glasses and went for the sharper colours, undiluted & undistracted experience.
I even went a second time in theaters with my 4 year old niece to see if this would be her special, first feature film movie experience that she'd sit through until the end. We gave her the choice of 3-D or regular, and the glasses put her off too. (Good choice, sweetie!) She made it all the way through, but the mature themes at the beginning I'm sure were lost on her and trying on her attention span. But those layers will be waiting for her as she gets older.
So now it's on home video which is an exciting prospect for anyone with an HD TV and a Blu-ray player. If you want to take your home theater to the limits and really show it off, it's a no-brainer to grab any Pixar flick and blow their minds. (Side notes: "Monsters, Inc." also hits Blu-ray this week, "Finding Nemo" is Pixar's biggest box office earner and "The Incredibles" is my personal favourite to date.)
I was initially perplexed by the Blu-ray package which includes two Blu-rays (one for the film and another for bonus features) but ALSO a regular DVD and another disc for the digital copy (a regrettable waste of plastic which merely offers a "key" to download the movie for your iPod or other media device). The DVD threw me for a loop but it finally occurred to me that it was the perfect addition for hi-def Dad who wants his Blu-Ray but needs to appease the little ones that quietly watch movies in the back of the mini-van. They got the parents covered.
OK, OK, time to talk TV and I'm a little late to the party but still ahead of the masses in the case of "Breaking Bad" created by Vince Gilligan, a regular writer and producer of X-Files. It's starring Bryan Cranston in his two-time emmy-winning role of Walter White, the chemistry teacher that turns to "cooking" crystal meth. He's great, and it's an exceptionally well-written (and very dark) show from AMC that deserves your attention. I burned through Season One in record time and worry Season Two is going to seriously affect my ability to get anything else done. I can't believe I spent time telling you about it when I could've been watching more episodes.
"The Wire" raised the bar HBO's "The Wire" kind of spoiled me for regular cable TV. It was like nothing else and made it hard to be impressed by other offerings. Even better (yet different) than the exceptional "Sopranos," I bore early witness to what I still hold to be the best television series yet. To be fair, "The Wire" certainly isn't for everyone. It didn't have cliffhangers or white knuckle, high-octane moments like "The Shield" where a viewer jumping in for one episode could still get a thrill. "The Wire" was a slow-burn, multi-layered, highly realistic and revealing show that had more in common with a great novel than a TV show. It took a long time to catch on despite critical acclaim and most people discovered it only after it's fifth and final season aired and had hit DVD.
Muchas gracias, amigo Great thanks to my friend Juan Carlos, who introduced me properly to "Breaking Bad," who also assures me that Season Two is even better than the first. I've only had a luke warm feeling about the other new and mainstay shows that have sprung from HBO and Showtime, I haven't been this excited about seeing the next episode of anything since "The Wire" but I will give a nod to "Bored To Death" as a show that seems to be getting better and better with each episode and I enjoyed "Hung," and "Nurse Jackie" to a certain extent. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" started very strong this season but I'm wary of where we're headed after last week's weaker offering.
To keep it in perspective - What I don't like: One unifying poor quality of ShowTime's offerings such as "Californication," "Nurse Jackie" and especially "Dexter" (which I officially gave up on a couple of episodes into Season 2) is that they all have at least one character that is so ridiculous from the get-go (Prime example of this is Kathleen Turner in "Californication, Season 3.") They simply play untrue to the world the show has created and stick out like a sore thumb. Showtime seems strong on concept but it falls apart in the writing often. Still above average fare, worth watching, but just not realizing their full potential and certainly not improving with time. HBO has had it's fair share of misses, but generally hits the target more often than not.
So it seems AMC is putting quality at the forefront, not worrying about immediate mass appeal and I hope it will continue to do so. Season 3 of "Breaking Bad" is officially underway but when it will air is uncertain. If you were a fan of "The Wire," you owe it to yourself to check out this show.
(Please note: the promo poster pictured above is old, so please check your local listings for air times of Season 1 and 2 episodes)
This Pinata man ad was not seen by many locally on TV when it came out, but this is one of my favourite ads of all time (VERY important to click on the red HQ button for full appreciation here):
And I'm it's come to mind, because another great ad in the same vein has been aired recently locally, and deserves some added attention.
The National Film Board (NFB) has done a lot to make its great library of material available for viewing to the public for free. They have numerous viewing stations at 150 John St. (at Richmond St. West) location in Toronto, and you can view films online at their website, and now there's another way. On your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Yes, the NFB's new app is totally free and very worthwhile. You can choose shorts or feature length documentaries and they load up for streaming very quickly. At a glance, I saw the "Project Grizzly" documentary available and you can skip ahead to any part in the film if you wish... with no lag time.
And naturally, the first thing I checked out was my favourite NFB animated short, Richard Condie's "The Big Snit" which has been a family favourite and a highly quotable short for many, many years.
"Well, pull my lips off. Looks like a bunch of people. Uh, must be some sort of... uh. uh. Is there some kind of parade on or something?"
This marks the second time that an eagerly awaited TIFF film I missed is a let down by the time I see it in general release. Proving high expectations beget disappointment, "A Serious Man" received rave reviews and I couldn't be a bigger fan of the Coen's body of work so I went in blind and with anticipation. Maybe I shouldn't have. One reviewer said it was their funniest film since "The Big Lebowski" and they did a tremendous disservice to my expectations, because that was all I needed to hear.
Had I known this was a modern retelling of the Book of Job set in the 60s and steeped very deeply in Jewish culture, I might've been able bone up on the subject a little and prepare for the bleakness to come in this black comedy. In a nutshell, we meet a decent, moral man (but essentially a schmuck) who is put upon by one personal disaster after another to ultimately no relief or redemption with no rhyme or reason to his misfortunes. It certainly is funny at times, but mostly it's leaving you with a feeling of "Haha. Ha. Heh. Hum. Er... wha?"
But the real problem here for enjoying this film is my limited knowledge of the Jewish faith and what it means to be Jewish leaves me out of the joke half the time and struggling to figure out what is going on. Quite simply, this is not a film made for the Gentiles and in that sense I really can't recommend it without that caveat.
To address that regrettable aforementioned Lebowski comparison: In thinking about it afterwards, whether intended or not, I do see some similar themes. Certainly "The Dude" also has one personal disaster after another that physically manifests more comically in the ultimate destruction of his beat-up, rust-bucket of a car. The Dude has so little to lose, that the soiling of his rug that really tied the room together is cause enough to go on a quest to find retribution. The ensuing adventures he becomes embroiled in along the way are what make the Big Lebowski great. And despite it all, he still gets laid too.
Whether under the duress of the obnoxious, vietnam vet Walter Sobchak (played by John Goodman) or not, I submit that Lebowski's Dude is more likable than Larry Gopnik of "A Serious Man" because the Dude actively tries to improve his situation while Larry just wonders why it's all happening to him and hopes that one of the three Rabbis can tell him what he should do. The phrase "God helps those who helps themselves" comes to mind, and it's kind of irritating, not quite funny, after a while to be following such a hapless schlep.
The underlying theme of life's cosmic joke and not knowing the higher meaning of it all is a far more palatable pill to swallow when surrounded by colourful characters that occupy the world of Lebowski, and more importantly, it's a story that does come to completion with a satisfying sense of closure which isn't a strong priority in the Coen's cinema of late (the great "No Country For Old Men" and not-quite-great "Burn After Reading" had that same kind of ending). It's the equivalent of gathering a stadium full of people that are hanging on your every word in a story and calling out "Figure it out!" as you walk away. Sometimes it's fun to analyze what it all means later, but moreso when you can say you enjoyed the ride in the first place.
I certainly don't fault the Coens for making a very personal film, and I'm not going to pass on seeing a Coen Bros film given the track record, but perhaps in future I'll be more informed of what I'm walking into. They'll have to do a lot more than that to get rid of me.
But nevertheless, thanks are due to The National Post for the free movie passes for this preview screening.
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