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This is some of the funniest social commentary we've seen in a while [Thanks Noah]:
"I printed 50,000 of these speech bubble stickers. I place them on top of movie posters, ads and signs all over New York City. Passers are invited to fill them in. I go back and photograph the results."
"Perhaps the most encouraging early indication that Judge Alito will make a great justice is that liberal senators such as Harry Reid and Charles Schumer and leftist pressure groups such as People for the American Way and Planned Parenthood have been lining up all day to scream that the sky is falling. Any nominee who so worries the radical left is worthy of serious consideration.
"Based on what is now known about Judge Alito, we applaud the president for this outstanding nomination." [read the article]
People for the American Way - one of the core Jesus freak watchdog organizations - has put together a great summary of what to expect from Alito.
Hostile to basic reproductive privacy rights: Alito wants government to be able to interfere in personal decisions on reproductive rights. In Casey, Alito stated that he would have upheld a provision of Pennsylvania's restrictive anti-abortion law requiring a woman in certain circumstances to notify her husband before obtaining an abortion. His colleagues on the Third Circuit and the Supreme Court majority disagreed and overturned the provision.
Rejects basic protections for workers: In a number of dissenting opinions, Alito has taken positions that, if adopted, would have made it more difficult for victims of race and sex discrimination to prove their claims. In one case involving claims of race discrimination, the court majority sharply criticized Alito's dissent, stating that Alito's "position would immunize an employer from the reach of Title VII" in certain circumstances.
Leads revolution against federal laws protecting individual and other rights: According to one of Alito's opinions, Congress had no authority to require state employers to comply with the Family and Medical Leave Act, a ruling that was repudiated by the Supreme Court in a later case in which conservative Chief Justice Rehnquist, no friend of civil rights, wrote the Court's decision. Alito also dissented from a ruling by the Third Circuit that Congress has the power under the Commerce Clause to restrict the transfer and possession of machine guns at gun shows.
Fails to consider racial discrimination in capital punishment: An African American had been convicted of felony murder by an all white jury from which black jurors had been impermissibly struck because of their race. Alito cast the deciding vote and wrote the majority opinion in a 2-1 ruling rejecting the defendant's claims. The full Third Circuit, in a split decision, reversed Alito's ruling, and the majority specifically criticized him for having compared statistical evidence about the prosecution's exclusion of blacks from juries in capital cases to an explanation of why a disproportionate number of recent U.S. Presidents have been left-handed. According to the majority, "[t]o suggest any comparability to the striking of jurors based on their race is to minimize the history of discrimination against prospective black jurors and black defendants . . ."
Check out the full list here.
By the way, Happy Halloween. Be safe and celebrate Satan's holiday the Dobson way:
Discover how you can transform a jack-o’-lantern into a faith lesson with your children by simply carving a happy-faced pumpkin.Dress your children in costumes that focus on history, pretend or fantasy, rather than on the macabre or occult –– Bible heroes, Abraham Lincoln, the American flag, sailors, cowboys, Indians, ballerinas, princesses, doctors, firefighters.
Or better yet, have the kids dress up like the real boogeyman, James Dobson.
B Real has posted almost the entire, blunt-smoking catalog. Click here. [Via Brooklyn Vegan]
CBS News chief White House correspondent John Roberts reports the prosecutor has informed targets of the investigation of his intentions – and that can only mean indictments are coming. [read it all]
We couldn't resist. We picked up the New York Times on both Saturday and Sunday, despite an enormous sense of guilt. We feel unethical giving them our money, since they still haven’t fired Judith Miller, but we must confess, it’s been fun watching Keller and Miller squirm. But since Maureen Dowd and Frank Rich cannot be accessed online anymore, we'll sullenly continue to shell out our hard earned dollars to read their words of wisdom. Dowd's Saturday column on Miller was a jewel. Here's a highlight:
Once when I was covering the first Bush White House, I was in The Times' seat in the crowded White House press room, listening to an administration official's background briefing. Judy had moved on from her tempestuous tenure as a Washington editor to be a reporter based in New York, but she showed up at this national security affairs briefing.At first she leaned against the wall near where I was sitting, but I noticed that she seemed agitated about something. Midway through the briefing, she came over and whispered to me, "I think I should be sitting in the Times seat."
It was such an outrageous move, I could only laugh. I got up and stood in the back of the room, while Judy claimed what she felt was her rightful power perch.
And on Sunday, we learned that wonder boy Dave Eggers and meta-director poster boy Spike Jonze are in pre-production of Where the Wild Things Are. (Which could either be genius or a train wreck).
Pre-production is well under way. Animatronic "wild things" - six- and eight-foot-tall monsters that are operated from the inside by actors, and which will eventually be given computer-generated faces - have been tested for cinematic impact. So have exotic locations in New Zealand and Australia. Pending approval by Mr. Sendak and Universal executives of a screenplay draft due within a week or two, a 2006 start date is likely. A budget of "well under $100 million" has been roughly agreed upon...The pair have also brought to the material a fresh twist on Max's relationships with the "wild things," in particular one of them...
"I don't know what to make of it, exactly, but I am so for it," said Mr. Sendak [author of the children's book].
We don't know what to make of it either. This "fresh take on Max's relationships with the 'wild things,'" sounds HOT. We especially don't know what to make of this closing quote from Sendek:
Mr. Jonze and Mr. Eggers have remained in close contact. "They call, they write, they send postcards, they show me script changes, they send me pornographic pictures and models of the monsters," Mr. Sendak said. "They're very attentive.
Eggers and Jonze are sending a 77 year-old children's author pornographic pictures? WTF? That is attentive indeed. Forget the movie, we want to know what Eggers is into. Our guess is low budget, Seventies, FFM MILF porn. He's campy like that.
See you next week, we're taking a little vacation from blogging this week to celebrate the impending indictments and to tie up loose deadlines.
Hipster Zombies Nerds in Montreal
Zombiecon sounds kinda retarded, but it could be fun to watch, despite the warning that "spectators will be eaten." We're down with anything that begins with Bloody Maries.
On, Saturday, October 22 Kostume Kult presents a 12 hour zombie rampage including a bloody mary brunch, a midtown shopping spree and late night debauch. Come as a reanimated corpse, a dead celebrity or any seasonal spook.* Participation required, spectators will be eaten *
Click here for more info.
Check 'em out here.
While many of these songs were most likely recorded before the "Basement" era, the leak includes a variety of unreleased songs (& one live song "Another Standard Folk Song"). The key songs to download are "Abused" (with lyrics), Riot Coming, High Times, New Disaster, The Worst Part is Almost Over, & Untitled (being called "Sticks & Stones" by the fans). These were previously unavailable and were most likely some of later songs that Elliott worked on. Some of the songs sound like the same versions seen from the Either/Or Demos, but others are better sounding (especially "Going Nowhere"). [via BrooklynVegan]
Even Merle Haggard wants out:
Haggard is not afraid to speak his mind. And he does so again, very frankly, in the song, "Rebuild America First.""That's the News," his 2003 song commenting on Iraq, pretty much chastised the government and the media for swallowing the administration's spin that the war was over and won. Now he moves on to the matter of the U.S. being in Iraq, period. "Rebuild America First" is pretty honest and blunt. In part, he sings:
"Yea, men in position but backing away/Freedom is stuck in reverse/Let's get out of Iraq and get back on the track/And let's rebuild America first."
Read the whole article here.
How does this not embolden the enemy?
[from BBC]
an Australian TV station ran footage of what appeared to be US soldiers burning the remains [of Taleban soldiers]...footage [also] shows two US soldiers reading from a notebook messages which they said had already been broadcast to villagers.
"Attention Taleban you are cowardly dogs," the message reads. "You allowed your fighters to be laid down facing West and burnt.
"You are too scared to retrieve their bodies. This just proves you are the lady boys we always believed you to be."
...the incident could be in violation of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of enemy remains, which states that the dead should be honourably interred.
Here's something to do while we wait for the Plamegate indictments, ponder Time's 100 Best Novels List. Add your own suggestions and criticisms in comments. We're just glad to see Eggers omitted. Too bad Murakami didn't qualify. (Thanks to catch.com for pointing this out)
by Robert Lanham
Rogue Wave's last release Out of the Shadow is one of our favorite records of the past several year. It was like a more psychedelic Shins record, generous with hooks and deceptively complex. Their latest record, Descended Like Vultures, is a very worthy follow-up sure to please fans of the band. You can check out an MP3 here to get an advance taste. The record is due to be released October 25 by Sub Pop. The following is an email interview with lead vocalist and guitarist Zach Rogue (second from left above).
1. Your press release says that Descended Like Vultures was informed by politics. Is the title of the record a statement about the Iraq War or perhaps the Bush administration?
Everything is political. Ignorance, diversion, distraction, those are
all political things. Anyone with half a brain loathes the Bush
administration for obvious reasons. But the title of the record isn't supposed to be some pointed statement directly at them or the war. It's supposed to be about more than that. It can be a lot of different things. It can mean whatever you want it to mean. Turn on the TV or the radio or pick up a magazine. Can't you see the vultures circling?
2. How did the band get involved with the Stubbs the Zombie soundtrack?
We were playing a show in Austin last year and a couple of guys who work for the promotion company that put the project together came to the show. They came backstage and asked if we wanted to work on the project. When they said bands were covering artists from the 50's, I said I wasn't so sure. When they said we would be doing a Buddy Holly song, I said ok.
3. Is the first track "Bird on a Wire" an homage to Leonard Cohen?
No. I love his music though.
4. Being in a band can put a strain on friendships. Does the band spend time together when they're not playing music?
As much as we can. If we don't have strong friendships, we don't have a band. So, if you're asking if we get sick of each other, the answer is no. I always look forward to hanging out with them.
5. The last record was largely written by you. Was there a concerted effort to make this more of a "band record?"
It was kind of inevitable, given that we were basically living in a
studio for a couple of weeks. I wrote the songs, but we all contributed to the record. We weren't trying to make every song sound like some live band was playing, or something like that. some of the songs don't have that much instrumentation; they're still kind of stark at certain points. But the goal all along has been for this project to be about a band and not just one person. I don't want to be a "singer-songwriter".
6. We're always curious about people's first concerts. What was the first concert you ever attended?
I think it was Donnie and Marie Osmond.
7. Is there anyone you want to say "great job" to? Anyone you want to say "you suck" to?
great job: Jon Stewart. Oh, and those guys who won the Nobel Prize for science. No wonder I have never gotten an ulcer. I should have by now.
you suck: This guy that lives next door to me that likes to do handy work and piecemeal construction on his house at about 6am on the weekends.
8. Do you guys ever record or play shows, um, impaired?
Not that you know of. Sometimes. Uh, never. Um, of course not. Yes.
Definitely NO.
9. What's your most cherished record? Most embarassing?
I'm not embarassed about liking certain music. "I'll Melt With You" is probably my favorite song of all time. But don't ask me for a record. I can't do that. Can you?
10. We like the line from the record "Screw California." [Ha ha] When can we see the band play New York again?
The fact that there is a state named California and a person as well is sort of a coincidence. I think we will be there within the first couple of days in December.
No, we're not joking.
New York Times reporter Judith Miller is getting an award and taking part in a journalism debate in Las Vegas today about whether reporters should be legally shielded from revealing confidential sources. Miller recently spent 85 days in jail for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury.She's due to receive a First Amendment award during a convention of the Society of Professional Journalists -- an organization with almost 10-thousand television, radio, print and student members nationwide.[see whole article here]
Catch.com sums up Miller nicely:
a reporter who wrote stories the newspaper knew were fabricated from dubious sources, who had close ties with the administration, whose articles were embarrassingly pro-administration, who had security clearance and all the baggage that comes with it, and who operated outside of editorial control
Up next, Miller to receive a cushy department appointment from the Bush administration.
The Times apologized for Judith Miller's inept reporting yet again yesterday. They also confessed to their own incompetence. If they really wanted to reform and become relevant again, why not fire Miller? She fucked up covering WMD in the lead-up to the Iraq War, and now she can't even "recall" who her source was in Plamegate much less decipher her own notes. The time has come to start reading the Washington Post, the superior paper. Sorry Frank Rich. Sorry Maureen Dowd. We'll miss you.
A non-review by J. Stefan-Cole
At the top of Thaddeus Rutkowski's novel is the definition of Tetched: adj (1921) somewhat unbalanced mentally; touched [Alteration (influenced by obsolete tached, of a given disposition) of touched]. You know, those kids in school you'd make a rotating sign around your temple at, behind their back, to your laughing friends; touched, whacked, weird, odd, different. Those kids who wore punk or goth before punk and goth hit the mainstream, and before the Columbine High School massacres made headlines out of outsider kids who took their pain to deadly extremes.
Told in the first person, the book spans from a boy's rural childhood in a dysfunctional, biracial family (he's a "Twinkie," yellow and white, Chinese American) to a more functional if not entirely convincingly resolved adulthood in the big city. Everything in between borders on the insane. My take on the kid is that he's the sane one, reacting to the world he found himself born to, bending out of shape in the home soil. Underneath, he's perfectly tuned, it's the others that strike the sick notes, and the craziness of it leads to experiments in self-mutilation, like tying a string tourniquet-style over his penis, toying along the edge, "I found if I stood on a chair I could hang myself. I didn't want to hang myself by my neck, because that would have been too dangerous. So I hung myself by my wrists." It's a tortured form of taking control.
Self-immolation evolves into a desire to hurt others (though this is largely kinky S&M rather than outright, hardcore violence against women) and he confesses later, when he is older and has escaped the home hearth, the need to hurt results from having had no control as a child. This is breakthrough awareness and a turning point in what looked predestined to be a disastrous life. He had no control because his parents had none and they, mostly his artist father, kept changing the rules. Arbitrary is about as good as his father's behavior gets, and its all down hill from there until we start to share the kid's dread. His Asian mother is better adjusted but not by much as she hangs on to her own composure in the face of a husband who insults her pretty much non-stop. She works as a lab technician in a hospital, supporting the family, and is therefore not at home much, and when she is, her Chinese aphorisms and strange wisdom don't do much to clarify the world for her three bewildered children.
Dad had been in the army and he has a thing for guns and discipline, though his own discipline has been compromised by booze, disappointment and radical lefty thinking gone awry. He wants to be sure to have enough ammo on hand for when the revolution finally comes. He can rant about Che, but he's pretty much a bitter drunk who blames his three kids for his failed artistic ambitions. It's not even clear from the boy's perspective that the father has talent. It's mostly mental cruelty of the sort that comes from a battered ego, oblivious to the harm it perpetrates, though there are hints the father may be sexually abusing the boy's sister. Pretty much, Dad is a big child and a sad bully who robs his son of his childhood. He takes him to bars, gets drunk, shouts crazy stuff, "He waved the broom in the air. 'I've got a Mauser,' he shouted, 'and three hollow-point rounds: one for the president, one for the vice president, and one for myself.'" The boy makes a New Year's resolution that if he can't keep Dad from assassinating, he'll turn him in to the FBI.
Under this familial regime the boy could easily have turned into a Jim Shepard charcter, a Project X nightmare kid gone murderously wrong. That is not the book's intent and there is something, thankfully, more acute and less doomed about the tetched kid in Rutkowski's tale. His startled inner voice comes through with a kind of light in spite of the dark all around. This is especially vivid in the scenes where he walks the woods with his hunting rifle, never very serious about killing anything. He is so alone, and in the solitary woods his glimmering awareness of things being off, coupled with an awkward sense of himself, work to salvage something from the wreck of his home life. His father tells him to get a van, go out on the road, become a hippie. He doesn't want to support a college kid, and advises automotive school so he can fix the van when it breaks down. His mother, though, made sure her kids studied and the boy decides on college. If he can make it there with wits intact. Mom tests her husband's blood and tells her son his dad has syphilis. The boy reacts by wanting to hit himself and he borrows his sister's riding crop: "Guessing I was kinky, knowing I was different, and resolving to keep my deviance very quiet, I kept going with the riding crop until I got bored." Whatever gets you through the night?
The writing is raw with an honesty that cuts and is at the same time funny in an absurdist's take on the world. College is the time for smoking pot and dropping acid, to try to find girls to tie up, to hitchhike and go to concerts and see the world. There are plenty of types in college and the kid is instantly less of an isolated oddity. Socially, he's in a bigger pond. Away from home, a sweetness slips into the narrative voice, a vulnerability. Girls don't let him tie them up as he'd hoped, and he is otherwise sexually not up to the game, it's the torture, the desire to humiliate that arouses him. He can't communicate in any other way, could he possibly know how to? This is sincere; it's the only way he can connect, and Rutkowski brings that out with comedic pathos. One or two girls go along, up to a point, and are surprised when he's not that interested in penetration. He steals socks from the public laundry to rub when semen builds to a pitch that demands release. He walks around abashed, yet not dully unaware of what he is, and for all his angst and weirdness is never a victim of himself. That's the ironic sweetness that comes into the voice. He is not his father. He's a mess for sure, but is, mercifully, not his father.
Studies over, he moves to the big city, gets an apartment, a string of lousy apartments in fact, a batch of lousy jobs until things begin to improve. The boy has grown up. Finding bondage partners must be easier in the city, he figures, but isn't, as it turns out. The sense is if he ever did meet up with the perfect victim he'd probably be bored.
This is Rutkowski's second novel and is an amplification of the first, Roughhouse. He writes in vignettes, close to the bone with zero waste. There is greater depth in Tetched, bigger chances taken, more exposed. Here the S&M search becomes almost heroic, a search for the self—or the self that got twisted out of shape—and real emotional release. The further the tetched guy gets from the home front the freer he is to be something other than a wandering bundle of damaged goods. It's a genuine journey, genuinely worth the trip.
©2005 J. Stefan-Cole
Our good friend, the very talented Jeff Bechtel has an opening at Brooklyn Fire Proof tonight. (Yes, he's also the guy who illustrated The Hipster Handbook and Food Court Druids.) Stop by if you can.
JEFF BECHTEL : DEADALIVE October 14 – November 13th, 2005 Opening reception: Friday, October 14, 7 - 10 pm Followed by a performance by COBRETTI at 10 pmThe Monstrum is etymologically "that which reveals,"
"that which warns."Brooklyn Fire Proof is pleased to present DEADALIVE, Jeff Bechtel’s first solo exhibition in which he has adopted the role of Dr. Frankenstein. Understanding culture as a multitude of fragments, Jeff Bechtel has presented some of these fragments in collections of an unassimilated hybrid, a monster. The monstrous body is a cultural construct and projection: something to be read. It signifies something other than itself, gives reason to the unexplained, signals warning, and reflects our inner fears and desires. Always it comes with a strain of dark comedy. John Ruskin said: “The grotesque is, in almost all cases, composed of two elements, one ludicrous, the other fearful.”
In DEADALIVE, Bechtel introduces zombie glyphs in portrait-like settings of the glamorous affluent. The familiarity and pictorial seduction of this platform provides a pleasing confrontation with the grotesque, creating a perplexing situation of attraction and revulsion. The reaction and its meaning is imparted on the viewer.
Directions after the jump.
Directions to Brooklyn Fire Proof
By train: L to Lorimer or G to Metropolitan. Walk north towards raised BQE. Right at Meeker, walk under BQE to Leonard. Turn left, North on Leonard, Right on Richardson. BFP is on the left, one building down, across from the gas station.
By car/cab: Williamsburg Bridge, Stay left on BQE East, Exit 33 on right. Keep left on ramp. Left on Meeker, Under BQE to Richardson Street, veer right. BFP is on the right.
From Bedford Avenue: Walk north, right on N11th, walk away from the river. N11th becomes Richardson across Union Ave. BFP is on the left after Leonard Street.
The recent earthquake in Pakistan killed thousands. The devastation far outweighs the horrible tragedy of Katrina. Nonetheless, the Red Cross and CARE are reporting much smaller contributions than expected. If you're looking for a way to help, click here.
Can we disqualify a nominee on the basis of her poor stationery judgment?
Click here for the Harriet and George letters.
Tonight's "Countdown," Keith Olbermann's MSNBC show, will focus on the motives of the terror alerts:
Last Thursday, we spoke of at least 13 coincidences of timing between bad political news for the government and a terror or terror-related event. We will be presenting a special report detailing those and other coincidences on Wednesday night's edition of this news hour, "The Nexus of Politics and Terror" on COUNTDOWN this Wednesday at 8:00 and midnight Eastern here on MSNBC [thanks Crooks and Liars and Catch]
Sounds like must-see TV, especially in light of the bogus alert last week. Time to raise the alert again.
Two things:
A. We doubt you invented "it" yourself
B. What the hell is "it"
[From ContactMusic] Hollywood movie mogul STEVEN SPIELBERG has invented technology he calls "the future of cinema" - and he promises the new film experience will suck audiences into the heart of the action...He tells the Hollywood Reporter, "A good movie will bring you inside of itself just by the sheer brilliance of the director/writer/production staff.
"But in the future, you will physically be inside the experience, which will surround you top, bottom, on all sides.
"I've invented it, but because patent is pending, I can't discuss it right now."
God knows he needs to redeem himself after the inane War of the Worlds
The Huffington Post has been pretty accurate in their Plamegate coverage thus far. Needless to say, we hope this is true.
The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg are working on stories that point to Vice President Dick Cheney as the target of special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation into the leaking of CIA operative Valerie Plame's name.
Actually made it to the Toronto Film Festival this year, so I've got a little more info than usual. Of course, I only made it to half so my insight won't help at all with our first two selections, which were both at the fest.
OCTOBER 7
IN HER SHOES
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Secret grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) forces two estranged sisters (Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz) to get along.
WILL IT SUCK?
Of course not. It was filmed in Philadelphia. The real reason to have hope, though, is the director, Curtis Hanson, who's been on a roll since "L.A. Confidential." Doesn't hurt that the writer has "Ever After" and "Erin Brockovich" under her belt. And Toni Collette kicks ass. Early buzz is pretty good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
"Wallace & Gromit" poses a bit of a problem and then you've got "Elizabethtown" sucking the chick flick air out of the room the next week. $25mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Preliminary but soft buzz for Diaz, maybe MacLaine.
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WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
It's a Wallace & Gromit movie. Who cares what the plot is?
WILL IT SUCK?
Unlikely. You've got the same team, essentially, that put together the shorts that made these two and the first feature from Aardman Animations, "Chicken Run," which proved the formula could work for more than 15 minutes at a time. Early buzz is strong.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
There's nothing to really challenge this, and anticipation is fairly high. $107mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
All of the W&G shorts have been nominated and two have won. On the other hand, "Chicken Run" didn't get squat, so that part might only work for 15 minutes at a time. Can stop motion make it into the Best Animated category?
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WAITING...
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
"Caddyshack" for waitstaff.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is actually pretty good. The "Clerks" concept should apply well here, and Ryan Reynolds is the heir apparent to Jason Lee, now that the latter has gone network. Anna Farris, Justin Long, and Luis Guzman should make for decent support.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
A lot of the same crew who would be into this, strangely, would also be into "Wallace & Gromit." Still, a good minimal opening is likely, with a small but dedicated pocket of waiters and waitresses looking for their due. If the quality is what advance audiences indicate, it could also have legs. $19mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
The caterers will.
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TWO FOR THE MONEY
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
"Wall Street" with bookies. Pacino is Douglas, McConaughey is Sheen.
WILL IT SUCK?
Hard to say at first. Director D.J. Caruso did "Salton Sea," but he also did "Taking Lives." But then something happens that teeters this in the direction of suck. The writer did "Freejack" (which, like this, stars Renee Russo). If you don't think that script had the subtlety requisite for a "Faust" redux, you might wanna skip this.
But hey, Gedde Watanabe is in this! Long Duck Dong! (Or, as I more fondly remember him, Michael Keaton's Japanese counterpart in "Gung Ho").
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Not too much direct competition, and as "Sahara" proved, the McConaughey train will not stop. $53mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
McConaughey's last shot at Oscar glory was "A Time to Kill," and the Academy didn't bite.
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THE GOSPEL
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Well, not the entire Gospel. More like just a retelling of the prodigal son at a modern church. Lots of gospel (the music genre) stars as well.
WILL IT SUCK?
Other than the somewhat repetitively named "Trois" trilogy, there's not much in writer/director Rob Hardy's repertoire to cull from. If you like gospel music, you'll probably be entertained. Hezekiah Walker & Delores Winans are up in here along with music from Yolanda Adams and Kirk Franklin. The actual film, from the trailer at least, looks fairly movie-of-the-week.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
After the success of "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" and "Woman, Thou Art Loosed," everybody's all like "Oh, black spiritual flicks are the shit. They'll always make money. It's an underserved audience." Am I gonna jump on that bandwagon? Yes, I am. $51mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Dude, even "The Passion" only got a couple of nods. And that had white people in it.
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THE SQUID AND THE WHALE
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Divorce dramedy from the guy who co-wrote "The Life Aquatic."
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is strong from critics. Audiences, not so much. Writer/director Noah Baumbach ("Kicking and Screaming" - not the Will Ferrell one) won the two most appropriate awards at Sundance, directing and writing.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Second frame of "Capote "may be an issue. This week it has to deal with the also-strong-advance-buzz-plus-George-Clooney "Good Night and Good Luck" (also with Jeff Daniels). $4mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
A nod for Laura Linney could happen. A screenwriting nod isn't out of the question, either.
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GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Murrow vs. McCarthy
WILL IT SUCK?
Extremely positive buzz so far. Shitload of awards at Venice. Look for this to be George Clooney's triumphant return to directing (after he said he'd never do it again following his fantastic debut, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind"). David Strathairn is Murrow and Clooney, Robert Downey Jr, and Patricia Clarkson all have supporting roles. McCarthy is played by McCarthy.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Second frame of "Capote" could be a problem, but after that, the coast is clear. $17mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
By all rights they should, but I've got a sneaking suspicion this'll get the "Shattered Glass" treatment. Plenty of critical kudos, and not a single nod.
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OCTOBER 14
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ELIZABETHTOWN
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Orlando Bloom goes back home after his dad dies and after losing his employer 1 billion dollars. Meets Kirsten Dunst and cutesiness ensues.
WILL IT SUCK?
It'll come a lot closer than most Cameron Crowe films. This underwhelmed at Toronto. Easily Crowe's weakest effort. It's not without the charm of many of his flicks, and the final, final act almost saves it. But it seems to suffer from being underdone, even sloppy. Far too many songs. Far too little focus. Less of the authenticity that seems to permeate so much of his previous work.
Note: Buzz has it that Crowe is re-editing this post-Toronto and prior to release - so there's still hope. I could imagine a re-edit helping immensely, but it would have to be a pretty serious revision.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This still has the most audience-friendly profile around, minus "Wallace & Gromit," which will obviously skew younger (but not that much younger - the tweenies love the Bloom). $48mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
All the editing in the world won't get this to "Almost Famous" or even "Jerry Maguire" Oscar levels.
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THE FOG
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Remake of the John Carpenter horror classic about a fog that kills.
WILL IT SUCK?
It's Revolution Studios so, yes, absolutely, 100%. In addition, you should keep in mind this is directed by the same master of horror who directed the "Can't Touch This" video. Also on board, the writer of "The Core". But, if you want to know what Clark from "Smallville" and Shannon from "Lost" would look like in close proximity to one another, shrouded in fog, here's your chance.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
"Doom" becomes a bit of an issue the following week. This week, "Elizabethtown" takes some of the female audience, but there's plenty left for this. $52mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
The only Revolution Oscar wins so far have been for "Black Hawk Down." This is not that.
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DOMINO
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
True story of female bounty hunger Domino Harvey.
WILL IT SUCK?
This is a bit of a dilemna. On the one hand, the movie rather famously skips over it's main character's sexuality, a recently deceased main character to boot. So notions of trampling on the memory of the dead come to mind. On the other hand, those involved claim Harvey saw a lot of the film before she died and was quite satisfied, so...
Moral quandaries aside, there's a lot to be psyched for here. Tony Scott films are usually shallow, but very entertaining, not to mention gorgeous. And here he's teamed with writers who could actually bring some depth to the proceedings. The screenplay comes from Donnie Darko writer/director Richard Kelly (so that's where he's been). The story comes from Kelly and "Last Seduction" scribe Steve Barancik. Plus you've got Keira Knightley as Domino, with support from Christopher Walken, Delroy Lindo, Mickey Rourke, and Jerry Springer as himself.
I just hope at some point in the film, somebody says "Domino, motherfucker!"
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
In a unique position. Is it an action film? A bio-pic? There's nothing like it, but does anyone want to see what it is? For the most part, yes. $52mil. (Just a popular number this week.)
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If Rourke gets a nom, it'll be for "Sin City." If Knightley gets a nod, it'll be for "Pride and Prejudice."
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WHERE THE TRUTH LIES
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth play a famous 50's singing duo who's past comes back to haunt them when a journalist (Alison Lohman) researches an unsolved murder.
WILL IT SUCK?
In spite of Atom Egoyan's strength as a director, early buzz is not so favorable. The critics are more harsh than the audiences, but "Sweet Hereafter" this is not.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Egoyan has a devoted following, but his movies rarely make a lot of dough. Bacon and Firth might help bring in the lay-deez. $2mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Without better reviews, no.
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INNOCENT VOICES
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Some kids have to choose between summer camp and getting a job. Other kids, like ones in El Salvador in the 80's, have to choose between joining the army or the rebels.
WILL IT SUCK?
Audiences love it, critics hate it. That's the buzz so far. Keep in mind, while slumming in Hollywood, director Luis Mandoki gave us "Angel Eyes" and "Message in a Bottle." But here he's on his home turf, or at least home language.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Word of mouth or no, it's going to need better reviews to get traction. $100,000.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
That opportunity has come and gone. This was Mexico's submission to last year's race.
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EVIL
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Boarding school is hell. Especially in Sweden.
WILL IT SUCK?
I'm gonna guess no if for no other reason than this actually got nominated for Best Foreign Film at last year's Oscars and won the Swedish Oscars for Best Film. Keep an eye on director Mikael Hafstrom. He helmed Clive Owen's upcoming thriller "Derailed."
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Beyond the Oscar, not very high profile, and runners up in that category rarely make bank, much less 7 months after the party's over. $100,000.
WILL ANYBODY, UM, I GUESS NOT...
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OCTOBER 21
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SHOPGIRL
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Boy meets girl. Older man meets same girl. Boy rides the bench.
WILL IT SUCK?
No. Very good romantic comedy from the pen of Steve Martin. Clare Danes is fabulous as the shopgirl in question. And Martin and Jason Schwartzman are outstanding as the men vying for her affections.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
"Elizabethtown" is an issue. But if this gets better buzz... $42mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
This is the kind of sweet, clever comedy that routinely gets ignored by the Academy.
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DOOM
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Watch your best friend play "Doom," which occasionally cuts to The Rock for some reason. Seriously, watch the trailer and tell me that's not the premise.
WILL IT SUCK?
Director Andrzej Bartkowiak has been on a downward spiral ever since the underrated "Romeo Must Die". Since then, he's brought us "Exit Wounds" (sucked, but had a cool DMX song) and "Cradle 2 the Grave" (practically unwatchable, but had an even cooler DMX song). This time, he doesn't even have Jet Li to fall back on (and, as of yet, no confirmation of any DMX songs, cool or otherwise). The script comes from one newcomer and the guy who wrote "Final Analysis" and "Return to Paradise." But he also wrote "Arachnophobia" and that's kind of like "Doom." Right?
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
"Doom" is like geek Spanish fly. There will be no way to keep the fanboys at bay opening weekend. But that's just opening weekend. Once the hatin' begins, there's no way to stop that either. Look for a verrry sharp dropoff. $56mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Even if there were a Best Video Game Adaptation category, "Resident Evil" would stand a better chance.
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NORTH COUNTRY
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Story of a historic sexual harrassment suit in a mining community.
WILL IT SUCK?
This is from "Whale Rider" maestro Niki Caro, and stars Charlize Theron in the lead, with support from Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson (taking the Ed Norton role from his own "People vs. Larry Flynt"), Sean Bean, Sissy Spacek, and character actor fave Xander Berkeley. Early buzz is strong.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
If only it weren't so crowded. $35mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
You bet your ass. Look for Theron to score another Best Actress nod, and for Caro to be the third woman ever nominated for Best Director.
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STAY
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Ewan McGregor tries to stop Ryan Gosling from killing himself, and there's some weird "Stir of Echoes"-type shit thrown in as well.
WILL IT SUCK?
You'd think that director Marc Forster ("Monster's Ball," "Finding Neverland") and writer David Benioff ("25th Hour", um..."Troy") could come up with something that would produce a better trailer, but maybe that's marketing's mistake. You can't complain about the cast, though, which also includes Naomi Watts.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
There's a horror glut this time of year, and "from the director of 'Finding Neverland'" isn't really going to help. $36mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No, but can we give Gosling a retroactive Oscar for "The Believer?"
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DREAMER: INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
"Seabiscuit" with, uh, a, um, it's just "Seabiscuit."
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is split, which is not surprising when you know that the writer (who also directed this time) also penned "Coach Carter" and "Summer Catch." Somewhere in between those two, presumably, lies this. Also, there's The Dakota Fanning Factor. She just creeps some people out.
Do you really need to say "Inspired by a True Story" in the title? I suppose that's better than "Dreamer: Inspired by Some Shit I Smoked Last Night." Actually, I'd probably watch that.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
"Zorro" provides a little competition next week, but this should do okay. $62mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
I think a lot more consistent reviews have to pour in before that happens.
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KISS KISS, BANG BANG
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Babes, bullets, and post-modern references from the once and future master of the action comedy, Shane Black.
WILL IT SUCK?
Hell, no. This is one of the funniest films of the year. Sends up noir and buddy action films while being an excellent example of both. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer are excellent and play off each other well (but it's Downey's voice-over narration that nearly steals the show). Everything you hoped Black could pull off after the decline of "Lethal Weapon" into "Last Boy Scout" into "Long Kiss Goodnight."
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
They have to stop moving around the release date. First it was September, then November, now October. They also have to come up with a better trailer. If things stay as they are, I don't see anticipation being high enough for a decent opening. Also, this is a major studio release (Warner Bros.), but it's limited. My guess is they're trying to build word of mouth. If they can get their shit together, I think that might actually work. $60mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
There is a little buzz surrounding Downey Jr. I think that's optimistic, though well-deserved. I'd be even happier to see a screenplay nod for Black, but I think that 's equally unlikely.
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USHPIZIN
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
An Israeli Orthodox Jewish couple's faith is tested by two unexpected guests.
WILL IT SUCK?
This was a huge critical success in its native Israel, where it won an Israeli Oscar for Best Actor (and nods for screenplay and supporting actor). Early buzz here is positive as well.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
A huge commercial success in Israel as well. But that don't mean much here, where Israeli cinema is only just now starting to get noticed in the art houses. $50,000.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If Israel decides to submit it, which seems likely, it's got a shot at Best Foreign.
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KIDS IN AMERICA
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kids vs. Principal
WILL IT SUCK?
Absolutely. Just watch the trailer. The only reason this movie got made is because of Nicole "Reflected, um, Glory?" Richie, who plays one of the cheerleading teens, of course. The writer/director wrote not for "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," which might even be respectable depending upon the season, but instead wrote for "Sabrina the Animated Series" and "Honey I Shrunk the Kids." Not the movie. The TV show. Yeah, there was a TV show.
And if you're wondering what happened to George Wendt, he's here. Sigh.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This could have Paris Hilton in it and it still wouldn't make much bank. $5mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No. No, no, no, no. No.
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BARELY LEGAL
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kids try to make a porn.
WILL IT SUCK?
Almost certainly. But I am curious to see what the director of "First Kid" (not to mention "Beethoven 3 & 4") does with this material.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
If it even shows up on the radar, I'll be very impressed. $600,000.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No, but since when is limited release the preferred venue for teen sex romps?
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EMMANUEL'S GIFT
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Doc about a man with one leg who cycles across Ghana, a place where the disabled are either killed or shunned for life.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is positive. For those of you not down with the Winfrey, be warned that Oprah narrates.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This could have the kind of sleeper effect of the "Penguins." I say this because Oprah will likely rally her troops on TV. Still, we're not talking penguin bucks here. $3mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
I could see it making a run for doc gold.
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WASABI TUNA
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kind of like a gay "Midnight Madness."
WILL IT SUCK?
Very mixed reviews here. Critics are calling it a camp classic, while early audiences find it horrific. That's a reversal of the trashy comedy review dynamic we usually see. But to look at the trailer, it does kind of seem like a genuinely funny SNL sketch that goes on way too long. And that's not just because of Tim Meadows' presence. Oh, and Anna Nicole Smith is in it. As herself. Maybe that's what sinks it.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Gay comedies have a hard enough time of it with good word of mouth. $100,000.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Tim Meadows might win an award for Longest Suffering.
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OCTOBER 28
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THE WEATHER MAN
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Character study with Nicolas Cage as a weather man in Chicago.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz compares this favorably to "American Beauty." Michael Caine should help. And having Gore Verbinski at the helm should make for a decent look, as he brought a little extra visual depth to genre flicks like "The Ring "and "Pirates of the Caribbean" (and the movies themselves didn't suck, either).
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Who's gonna have time for a character study when Zorro's about? Even on the drama front, the far more high profile "Jarhead" opens the following week (from the guy who actually directed "American Beauty"). $37mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
That's precisely why this was delayed from the spring. Look for Cage to make another run at Oscar Number Two. Maybe Caine, as well. Waaaaay outside shot for Verbinski, but I doubt it.
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SAW II
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
More sadistic games from everyone's favorite indie serial killer, Jigsaw.
WILL IT SUCK?
They were unable to keep the original writer and director except in exec producer capacity, with a relative newcomer on board to direct from his own screenplay (co-written or touched up at least by the original screenwriter). Not a good sign. But hey, Donnie Wahlberg! How about that?
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Problem is, "Saw" turned off as many people as it turned on in its initial run, so you're going to lose that curiosity factor and be left with the die hard fans. $32mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Goriest Poster (Before They Were Forced to Change It). It's one of those technical awards they hand out at a "previously held ceremony."
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PRIME
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Psychoanalyst (Meryl Streep) finds out her patient (Uma Thurman) is dating her son (Some Guy You've Never Heard Of).
WILL IT SUCK?
This is from writer/director Ben Younger, who had the same credits on "Boiler Room." This doesn't seem like it could be nearly as good as "Boiler Room," but you never know.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I don't think the cast, premise, or trailer is gonna be enough to draw audiences away from other fare, like "Zorro," which has a surprisingly high female demo.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
It's conceivable that either Thurman or (shockers!) Streep give Oscar-worthy performances here, but I don't see it happening just yet.
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THE LEGEND OF ZORRO
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Just when he thinks he's out (and with a kid) they pull him back in.
WILL IT SUCK?
Usually adding a kid to the mix is a surefire way to jump the shark, be it series or franchise. And Martin Campbell is really not my favorite director, although the one thing he did do that I liked was the first Zorro, so... To boot, they've thrown some pretty serious writing talent at this. You've got a couple of "Alias" regulars, plus two of the guys responsible for "Shrek" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." That's practically overkill for a movie like this. And I like it.
Plus, you've got one of my favorite villain character actors, Nick Chinlund, up in here.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Its biggest challenge comes from "Chicken Little" the following week, and even that's not a surefire hit. $112mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Most Unnecessarily Delayed Sequel?
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THREE...EXTREMES
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Three short horror films, three Asian directors. Takeshi Miike ("Audition"), Fruit Chan ("Made in Hong Kong"), and Chan-Wook Fucking Park ("Oldboy").
WILL IT SUCK?
The premise of this collection is about as intimidating as the film itself must be. Three of the most hard-core independent Asian directors given free reign and encouraged to make their product "extreme" (and not in a wimpy Mountain Dew way). Advance buzz is quite good, with Fruit Chan's "Dumplings" segment getting the most acclaim from festivals so far. And that's the one buy the guy I've never heard of. And not for nothing, but the scariest horror trailer of the year by far.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This is a very niche genre. Sadly, a lot of these guys don't get noticed until their films are remade for American audiences. $800,000.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Which country would submit it?
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SOMERSAULT
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Chick falls for some guy. Complications ensue.
WILL IT SUCK?
Won a crapload of Australian awards, including a near-sweep of the Australian Film Institute Awards. Early critical buzz is strong.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
With a Sony Pictures Classics pushing it, maybe. With Magnolia Pictures, it's a tougher sell. $100,000.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Even though they have different words for "beer" than us, I don't think Australia qualifies for the Foreign Language Film category.
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PARADISE NOW
WHAT'S THE PITCH?
A drama about suicide bombers. I'm sure that won't ruffle any feathers.
WILL IT SUCK?
Promises to be a challenging work. Already received serious praise at Berlin, and getting mad critical buzz here.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The good folks at Warner Independent are no dummies. They'll parlay the controversy surrounding the film (once the controversy itself has been hyped - I predict column inches in the NY and LA Times for starters) into dollars. $7mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
A little too hot button I think.
Next month, Harry Harry Potter, y'all!
-- Dave Thomas
They'll be playing at Irving Plaza Dec 2-3. Plus they'll be filming it for their first ever DVD. Tickets will go on-sale TODAY via Dinosaur Jr. ticketing at 12:00pm:
Dinosaur Jr. - who has never before released a DVD - has finally announced plans to issue an official Dinosaur Jr. DVD release. This full length concert DVD, which will feature the band in its original line-up, will be filmed at New York's legendary Irving Plaza during the bands upcoming two night stand on December 2-3, 2005. The DVD will be directed by Gold In Berlin, which is run by Mascis' own brother in-law, German filmmaker Phillip Virus. With unfettered access to this famously elusive band, fans can expect complete backstage access to Dinosaur Jr.'s recent reunion tour, one-on-one interviews, behind the scenes goings-on and a full set of performances of Dinosaur Jr. favorites. The DVD will be packed with bonus materials that any fan of the band - seasoned or brand new - will find thrilling and entertaining. Look for the DVD to be released during the first half of 2006.
Tortoise
Jeremy Blake: Sodium Fox - multimedia art opening
Fri 10.7 (6-8pm) at Feigen Contemporary (535 W 20th St)
FREE
[From Flavorpill]
Sodium Fox is Jeremy Blake's latest installment in his delirious oeuvre of acid art films. A collaboration with Nashville poet and Silver Jews frontman David Berman, it updates Eugene Delacroix's Romantic painting Liberty Leading the People, replacing revolutionary symbolism with the post-consumer icon of a Los Angeles stripper from a club called Crazy Girls. Blake's deft patchwork approach to the medium combines animation, found photography, and heady staging, for a romp through fractured, 21st-century American psychology, while his humor cuts close to the bone, re-imagining such prominent forbears as Ed Ruscha and Barry Hannah as a "fantasy gang of poetic ruffians." A salon-style installation of paintings, drawings, and photographs is also on display.
Then check out Tortoise with Daniel Lanois at Irving Plaza
Do the math:
a. The President's approval rating hits an all-time low
b. In the past, raising the terror alert scared the public into supporting the administration, but has since come under attack as being a tool for political gain
c. The President gives a big speech on terrorism to combat criticism of his leadership
d. A heightened security alert is announced on the NY subway
Sounds like a backhanded way to raise the terror alert to us.
From ABC News:
"Department of Homeland Security sources told ABC News they were very doubtful the threat information is credible..."The city's police department said it was taking the threat seriously and believed the source was reliable, but also urged the public not to be alarmed because the information had not been verified.