Last time on Dance Moms, Abby broke down because of her dog and the moms broke down just because! Let’s move on. [Read more…] about Dance Moms Recap – Aspects of Love
ENTERTAINMENT
RuPaul’s Drag Race Recap: Do They Know It’s Christmas?
Did you all been having the incredibly bad Monday that everyone else I know have been having? Well, let’s end it with RuPaul’s Drag Race! Last time, it was the Snatch Game and everyone sucked, except for Jinkx. LIneysha ended up sashaying away. Afterwards, everyone has good things to say about Lineysha which is weird. Jinkx feels let out. Coco’s not into the RoLaskaToxx thing and I almost agree with her. Jinkx knocks out.
Alyssa walks in wearing a Zelda shirt and my roommate freaks out. You’ve Got Shemail! We’re gonna give till it hurts, and everyone looks confused for a moment. Ru comes in and talks about putting on her make up in adverse situations, and then turns off the lights. The queens have to put on their make up in the dark. Shade is thrown in the dark, and we see that Alyssa’s doing her face and Coco’s probably not blending. The dolls come out in beekeeper hats, hiding their faces. Alyssa’s all over herself and Coco didn’t bother to blend. Alaska put it all over her face. Detoxx wins and gets to choose the groups for the main challenge.
The main challenge is going to be writing and recording a song. RoLaskaToxx is together, and Alyssa and Coco are put together. This leaves Jinkx, Jade and Ivy. It’s going to be an 80’s flashback wear, like some sort of drag Band Aid. There’s more shade throwing and the verses get doled out in traditional bitchy manner.
Alyssa starts up by wanting to change the lyrics, which Coco’s not really down for. Alyssa spins around in jorts and does a bad Glee impression. Ivy, Jade and Jinkx have some good harmonies going. Over with RoLaskaToxx, Alaska is annoyed that the other dolls aren’t doing anything but goof off. Ru comes in.
Alyssa and Coco are first. Who’s a good singer? Coco’s gonna try to take it to church and Alyssa’s gonna try to take to Jack in the Box. Ru tells them to make it fun and walks away. Ivy, Jade and Jinkx are next. Who sings? Well, they all do, to some extent. Jade’s the most boring of the three and gets warned that she needs to steal the spotlight. Last, we have RoLaskaToxx. The rest of the teams don’t understand what message is in the song.
The judges for tonight will be the Pointer Sisters and Latoya Jackson, who will be on the show for the third time. Before that, the dolls have to record. Let’s save the world with drag. Coco comes in and is immediately bitchy, talking about Detoxx. This leads to her messing up, which, in turn, makes Alyssa screw up. Everything is off about these two. Jade joins them in being off key, and spends her entire time looking down. Ivy’s pretty good, and Jinkx has some good notes and some good pipes. Roxxxy’s over it, though, and thinks it’s all a gimmick. That is, right before showing that HE can’t sing and doesn’t know how to say “sequined dress.” Detoxx keeps messing up, but rolls with it, and RoLaskaToxx ends up going off and modulating in their own little worlds. The song ends on some freestyle notes where everyone is pretty much the same as they were before.
Backstage, Detoxx inserts herself into the conversation and there’s more arguing. The queens talk about what parts they’re showing off and Detoxx is showing off his whole body, which, as we find out, is made entirely of silicon, putting him in the same rank as Cher and Joan Rivers. Out of nowhere, Jade gets some sob story about coming out and I’m pretty sure I know who’s going home.
Ru has a nice look on for the main stage. I’m not saying she normally looks like garbage, but sometimes she looks classier than others. Today is somewhat understated, and I like it. There’s lots of “sequences” Coco comes out wearing a leotard that looks like it opens up to show her heart. Seems weird. Alyssa is showing legs and wearing a caftan. Jinkx, pay attention, because this is how you do Boho chic glamour. Jade’s wearing something that looks like a tie dyed version of Janice from the Muppets. Either that or Cher mated with a rainbow. Ivy wears a dress made of her headshots. Jinkx *almost* gives us glamour. Honey, you know I love you, but you really need to step up the pretty for this. It’s what got Pandora knocked off and I don’t want to see you go. Roxxxy’s all about the big tits and hair. Alaska wanted assless chaps but had to settle for a clavicle showing mermaid dress. Detoxx is wearing a super simple dress until she turns around and you can see her crack through the ribboning. HA!
Now, we get to see the video for Can I Get an Amen. Ru is not in drag and it looks weird. Coco’s off key. Alyssa is singing her little heart off and it’s horrible, but she’s diving right into it. Jade is boring. Ivy’s got some good notes and is mugging for the camera. Jinkx does a great job, but ivy’s look outshines her. Roxxxy is terribly off key and doesn’t care. Detoxx is wearing Jem’s wig. Alaska is better than she lets on.
Judges Critique!
Coco didn’t get what was going on and got lost in being bitchy. She’s also wearing too much highlighter.
Alyssa’s very pretty but her singing was awful. However, she knows that and plays it up. She also points where she’s walking to.
Jade was a big letdown and Michelle doesn’t get the look. She missed on so many levels and is totally forgettable.
The judges love Ivy’s dress and she made a good impression on everyone. She was creative and added some nice harmonies.
The judges loved Jinkx’ long note, but think she was a mess on the runway. Michelle tells her not to contour so hard.
Roxxxy was peanut butter and the outfit was super-hot. Michelle warns the group that cliques can be dangerous.
Detoxx phoned the song in but got by on her dress. She’s warned not to rely on crutches like that.
Alaska is starting to bore the judges and needs to not hold back or hide behind characters. Alaska gives us a “show you the real me” speech and cries. She’s safe.
The winner is Ivy and Coco and Jade have to lip synch. Called it. It’s to the Pointer Sisters’ “I’m So Excited.” Jade’s not bad, but Coco really pulls it out. Shantay Coco stay. Jade calls Coco her close friend and I go “what?” and the show’s over. Join us next week!
This Reviewer Could Use Some Therapy after Watching L.A. Shrinks.
L.A. Shrinks: 9 p.m. Mondays, Bravo
I don’t often review reality shows for a number of reasons: namely the lack of “writing” and “acting” gives me very little objective thread to justify my opinion, and outside of the premise there isn’t very much to objectively judge on when it comes to the genre. However, with March providing a fairly thin slate of new shows, and the bulk of those new shows being reality, I guess I’ll take what I can get, with tonight’s show likely being the low point in terms of premieres this month.
My original impressions of this show and the implications thereof make me cringe. In particular, the idea of having a fly on the wall camera in a psychologists office bothers me, as people are now releasing their innermost fears, issues, and traumas in front of a camera (and let’s be real, being watched has never changed human behavior, right?). These visits are then wrapped around while the show deals with the real traumas of it’s star psychologists, which seems to imply that the show is going to trivialize the issues of people with real mental health issues for the significantly less problematic issues of the doctors themselves.
So…did my worst fears come true? Within five minutes it seems like Dr. V. (Venus Nicolino) is mining her patients for comedy, taking a catty tack to not only her patients in general, but seemingly making light of her Michael and Georgie (her two patients’) sex issues in confessional scenes. The implications are made worse when she snap-accepts Michael’s proposal of them recording their sex for the next episode without checking in with Georgie. Dr. V’s segment of the show seems the most outlandish, due her bouncing all over the emotional Richter scale (from catty to shattered) and in every scene that she’s not giving therapy she’s barely clothed (bikini or underwear) to not clothed in a bathtub and giving vampy looks to her husband when he gives her wine.
The other two therapists seem more down to earth, even if they both can gravitate into peevish about the field (Gregory seems to gripe about both his clients anger, and the fact that he can’t pass gas in the office, while Eris gets annoyed at a client whom can’t get enough sex, stating that three to four times a week is an insanely high amount of sex for a married couple, before dropping a statistic that the average couple has sex twice a week). Needless to say, while their patients do not make matters easier, their peevishness towards these clients whom are on their first session comes off as a little cold and petty.
Furthermore, one gets the vibe that many of the therapy scenes are shot in a studio. Dr. Cason’s office in particular seems to feel like it was shot in a multi-camera layout. Similarly, it seems weird that these handpicked clients happen to hit the exact nerves that the doctors layout in the beginning of the show (Most notably Gregory’s issues with the preparation for his commitment ceremony to Kevin, and Eris’ need to have more sex with her husband).
Finally, all ethical issues aside, this show takes all of the classic manipulative editing one expects from the reality genre and takes them to ludicrous extremes (to the point where certain shots look flat out redone). Similarly, Eris trying to resolve her sex life through a full-blown aphrodisiac dinner so that she can have a child feels completely absurd when you discover that she’s been taking birth control. I get that reality shows are about as “real” as professional wrestling, but would it kill you not to blatantly lie to me? Taking the least simple route makes sense on reality shows with a Deus Ex Machina element like say Survivor, The Amazing Race and (probably the king of making this trope work) The Mole, but less so when you have a show that is about day-to-day life.
The Final Verdict: This show is the Real Housewives of therapy. Our therapists problems seem incredibly manufactured and blown up to give a false equivalency to the problems of their clients’ (whose neuroses admittedly also seem fairly minor and only related to the amount of sex they are having). When the show moves away from the office, the show really objectifies its’ women (Venus seems to be in undress for large segments of the show, and they even sneak in a long shot of Eris wearing nothing but underwear). If you’re into particularly trashy reality television, you’ll probably love this, but if you have any standards whatsoever you’ll probably be as repulsed by this series as I am.
Netflix’d: Film Noir Edition
Decided to do something a bit different for this latest entry of Netflix’d. As those of you that know me (all two of you), you know I’m a fond appreciator of film noir, to the point that I’d even call it my favorite style/genre/era of movie-dom. Seeing that Netflix has such a good batch of quality noir titles, I was thinking about finding a particularly great one and then writing about it. Then a better idea struck me: Why not just review em’ all in one fell swoop? They’re all pretty much the same film anyway! Therefore, welcome to the Film Noir Edition of Netflix’d where I’ll be discussing my 7 favorite Film Noirs that are currently streaming on Netflix. I’ve listed them in chronological order, so feel free to interpret this as a timeline for the film style’s.
Double Indemnity
Date: 1944
Running Length: 107 minutes
Director: Billy Wilder
Writer: Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler
Cast: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson
Synopsis: A insurance sales man (Fred MacMurray) starts an affair with a femme fatale (Barbara Stanwyck), and then the two start to ruse a plot to murder her husband in order to amass his immense wealth.
Review: One of the most influential film noirs, in terms of setting character archetypes and visual motifs. Many of the plot elements have become common place for the genre, such as a murder plot that goes wrong, and first-person narration that lets the viewer know the main character is doomed from the start. Adapted from his own novel, Chandler gives the screenplay sparkling dialogue and plenty of seedy twists to make this possibly the most realized film based on one of his novels. Billy Wilder also gave the film a look that can now be called paradigmatic for film noir, with it’s great use of shadows, eerie lighting, and L.A. setting. If there’s anything that appears to be dated about the film, it’s only because it was a massive trend setter.
Detour
Date: 1945
Running Length: 67 minutes
Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
Writer: Martin Goldsmith and Martin Mooney
Cast: Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake, Edmund MacDonald, Esther Howard
Movie Synopsis
A New York City piano player decides to travel cross country to reunite with his girlfriend in Los Angelas. With a limited amount of money he decides to hitch hike across the country where he’ll meet two seedy characters (Edmund MacDonald and Ann Savage) that will make the trek really not work it
Movie Review
Pretty much a classic, despite it’s low-budget, brief running time, and conventional camera work. There’s a bit of suspension of disbelief needed for the film, as the story relies heavily on coincidences, but there’s no denying how dark it all is. Ann Savage makes for a particularly nasty femme fatale also who is almost masculine in her delivery. At just over an hour in length, Detour is a breezy and satisfying ride through the classic style.
Scarlet Street
Date: 1945
Running Length: 103 minutes
Director: Fritz Lang
Writer: Dudley Nichols
Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennet, Dan Duryea
Movie Synopsis
A lonely man (Edward G. Robinson) becomes infatuated with a femme-fatale (Joan Bennet), and eventually gets wrapped into the con-artist ways of her boyfriend (Dan Duryea).
Movie Review
German Expressionism is often referred to as the clearest starting point for film noir, so it makes sense that Metropolis director Fritz Lang would be able to construct such an essential entry to the canon. Reuniting the same trio of principal actors that he filmed in The Woman in the Window (also available on Netflix), Scarlet Street is definitely a more mature and fulfilling film than it’s predecessor. While occaisonally meandering during it’s first two acts, the final third is one of the most intense in all of film noir. It’s an ending so bleak and haunting, that Scarlet Street was actually banned by the censor boards in New York, Milwaukee and Atlanta around the time of it’s release, despite it’s “crime does not pay” message. Possibly Fritz Lang’s best Hollywood film.
The Naked City
Date: 1948
Running Time: 96 minutes
Director: Jules Dassan
Writer: Albert Waltz and Malvin Wald
Cast: Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart
Movie Synopsis
A crime scene investigation into the murder of a woman unfolds into a case involving a diamond heist
Movie Review
While Los Angelas is frequently considered the pre-eminent location for film noir, the “concrete jungle” of New York is undoubtedly an effective location as well. Narrated by Mark Hellinger, the film has a quasi-documentary feel to it, as he explains plot points and New York traits for the viewer. Filmed on location, The Naked City probably remains the single film noir to take such valuable use from Manhattan, filming great scenes in the Whitehall Building, and on the Williamsburg Bridge. Also, if you like this then I strongly recommend that you check out Dassan’s later film Rififi, which I feel is the best French-language noir.
The Big Combo
Date: 1955
Running Time: 86 Minutes
Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Writer: Philip Yordan
Cast: Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, Jean Wallace
Movie Synopsis
A police lieutenant (Cornel Wilde) looks to bring down a vicious gangster (Richard Conte) by uncovering his past.
Movie Review
Closer to a traditional gangster film than the other movies I’ve listed, yet Dark Combo is undoubtedly one of the last true film noirs (the classical era is often considered to have ended in 1958). While it contains solid acting and storytelling all around, the real reason to see this film is for it’s iconic climax. It makes brilliant use of single-source lighting for a story element, and the final image remains one of the most memorable in the noir lexicon.
The Long Goodbye
Date: 1973
Running Time: 112 minutes
Director: Robert Altman
Writer: Leigh Brackett
Cast: Elliot Gould, Nina Van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden
Movie Synopsis
Raymond Chandler’s iconic detective Philip Marlowe (Elliot Gould), is out to prove the innocence of his friend Lennox (Jim Bouton), who has been accused of murdering his wife. Parallel to that, Marlowe also is hired by a blonde (Nina van Pallandt) to locate her lost husband (Sterling Hayden).
Moive Review
While Roman Polanski’s Chinatown is often considered the most important neo-noir, it also must be said that The Long Goodbye did a commendable job of introducing the grit and swagger of the 70s to the pulp elements of the classical film noir era. Playing as a more laid-back version of the character than previous actors, Gould gives Philip Marlowe the right amount of appeal and zest to really strike more of a cord with more modern audiences. Most impressive about The Long Goodbye, however, is that Robert Altman and Leigh Brackett managed to make a film that both adapted Chandler’s novel, as well as updated it. Half a satire, the film pokes fun at a lot of facets about Los Angelas at the time, including hippie culture. A very weird, and very fun genre send-up.
The Grifters
Date: 1990
Running Time: 119 Minutes
Director: Stephen Frears
Writer: Donald E. Westlake
Cast: John Cusack, Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening
Synopsis: A female con-artist (Anjelica Huston) decides she wants to get out of the game. Unfortunately, her sadistic boss won’t have it, and her son (John Cusack) is farther into this dangerous lifestyle then she cares for. They make an ultimatum to pull off one last gig, but of course it all goes horribly wrong.
Review: It’s shot in color, R-rated, and has a relatively modern setting, but The Grifters certainly feel like a film noir from the classical era, rather than a glossy neo-noir. Written by crime novelist extraordinaire Donald E. Westlake, adapted from a novel by similarly renowned author Jim Thompson, and produced by Martin Scorsese, the film obviously had plenty of talent backing it up and it shows. Never letting up on the fact that film noir should focus on flawed characters doing terrible things to each other, The Grifters is intense, gritty, yet also pure movie magic. Up there with L.A. Confidential as one of the very best neo-noirs.
Headhunters
Date: 2011
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Director: Morten Tyldum
Writer: Lars Gudmestad and Ulf Ryberg
Cast: Aksel Hennie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Synnøve Macody Lund
Synopsis: A successful businessman (Aksel Hennie) who also moonlights as an art thief gets in way over his head when a mercenary (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his wife (Synnøve Macody Lund) catch onto his occupation
Review: The Norweigan Headhunters is a potent commentary on the cutthroat nature of the business world, but the real reason to see it is that it’s such a sinful pleasure. Viciously violent, perversely sexual, but never lacking a sly sense of humor either, Headhunters is the type of neo-noir that’s all too rare: one that’s hardcore yet tongue in cheek at the same time. With an American remake in the works, I recommend seeing the original now, before the likely inferior remake makes its arrival.
Red Widow Spends Too Much Time Building Webs, But Could Be a Sleeper Hit When It Finally Strikes.
Red Widow: Sundays at 10p.m. Eastern on ABC
After Zero Hour ended up becoming a dud, ABC went back to the drama well serving up a new show in Red Widow to fill out its’ Sunday night block with an hour of bluffs, semi-bluffs, and flat out lies (but surprisingly little action) in its’ new mob show.
Red Widow follows one woman’s life as she becomes tangled with a life of organized crime. When Marta Walraven (Radha Mitchell) finds her husband dead, she also learns of the exact degree of his illicit dealings and is forced to carry on the work of a local drug kingpin to keep her family safe while she pays off the debt that her dead husband carried (after her brother got caught stealing large amounts of drugs from a rival gang) in order to keep her family safe and secure.
Normally I take issues with particularly contrived plots, but here the conceit is so ridiculous (soccer mom whose aiming for normalcy becomes drug runner for the most vicious drug lord in San Francisco while keeping her three kids afloat) that it requires a large number of fail safes to keep the plot from taking its’ logical course. In fact, the pilot is entirely about taking “the logical course”, only for impediments stopping all of the logical answers of (in order): Evan trying to rectify Irwin’s terrible decision, Marta going to the FBI, Marta trying to return the stolen drugs, and going to her mob boss father to try and use gangster diplomacy to solve the problem.
Unfortunately, all of this legwork seems fairly tedious, especially in a crammed pilot that also tries to weave in a subplot about Boris taking a gun into school, an overzealous FBI agent, James Ramos (Clifton Collins Jr.), Natalie questioning the nature of the families business (her and Boris are assumed not to know at the start of the pilot) and a full-blown murder mystery revolving around Evan’s death. This is a particular shame as once the show stops focusing so heavily on exposition and gets to actually moving its wheels, it’s become instantly more enjoyable, as shown in scenes where Marta has to try to bribe Bob, a port supervisor after their original mark had decided to double his price before getting beaten down by Marta.
The acting in this series is generally pretty solid, with Radha Mitchell playing a pretty respectable gravely serious soccer mom, and I found Goran Visjnic’s Nicolae Schiller to be a simultaneously affable and terrifying villain (who doubles as a great evaluator of talent, apparently). Lee Tergesen (best known for being Tobias Beecher on Oz) draws the hardest straw, playing Mike, Evan’s semi-competent best friend who has the misfortune of being portrayed as a not only a bumbling fool but also as Marta’s teacher in the in’s and outs of “the business”.
The characters are particularly well drawn, including the surprisingly likable Evan (an affable guy who subverts just about every Mafia trope known to man). Similarly, you get the impression that Ramos will lie, cheat, steal, and possibly kill to get his conviction on both the Petrov family and Schiller’s syndicate. Unfortunately, Marta’s kids feel like they exist solely to be plot motivation and border on annoying during the screen time they receive (I don’t know that I would have shoehorned Boris’ and Natalie’s subplots this early in order to allow more time to the main plot line).
The Final Verdict: In a lot of ways, I felt like reviewing Red Widow now is almost counterproductive, as the first couple of episodes seem to have a much heavier focus on exposition than on driving a plot forward. Unfortunately, this creates a glacial pace that borders on tedious during the course of it’s first few episodes. It’s the sort of show that if it ever picks up a little bit of speed could be extremely fun to watch, as Marta’s interactions with Schiller and Agent Ramos create an interesting tension as she tries to bounce off of both of them to help save her family. If Red Widow can live up to its’ name, it will be the perfect addition to ABC’s Sunday night block.
The Pirate Bay has moved to North Korea
The Pirate Bay has moved to North Korea. Moments ago history was made. Hollywood succeeded in blowing another crushing defeat to The Pirate Bay by disconnecting their stronghold in Norway. The Norwegian hosting provider that was supplying bandwidth to The Pirate Bay was forced to discontinue service. To the uniformed, The Pirate Bay is a website that skirts all international law on sharing data, copyrighted or not. With a colorful history and millions of users The Pirate Bay is often forced to find new hosting partners.
Visitors today may notice the site is running slower than usual. This is a result of The Pirate Bay finding a new hosting partner in North Korea. Surely this will have geopolitical repercussions as North Korea is well known for their human rights violations. North Korean prison camp survivors have likend their experiences to that of those who endured World War II concentration camps.
This strange and desperate move by The Pirate Bay that seems to highlight how effective Hollywood has been at dismantling a global network that once hosted The Pirate Bay. The move also demonstrates how out of touch the International community has become with the desires of the citizens they are supposed to represent. Many would liken The Pirate Bay to a global Library, an Information powerhouse, and the greatest knowledge sharing system ever devised.
Whatever the end result for The Pirate Bay this is a sad day for freedom loving people everywhere, when one of the most repressive governments in history is the last refuge for one of the most open and liberating websites in history.
Classic New York City Landmark Photography
When people think of New York City, they think big. Big buildings, big places, big dreams. Landmarks like The Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, The Chrysler Building, The Brooklyn Bridge. These are the iconic structures that people travel from all over the world to see today and, like my great-grandparents a hundred years ago, packed ships to cross the ocean to get a glance at the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor and taste the freedom that she represents to this day. These marvels of construction are just one more reason why New York is New York.
Absoloot- “Rebels and a Cause”. Listen and be wowed.
I have had the great fortune of interviewing and getting to know Florida-based Absoloot in the past couple of months. Something that he does brilliantly is express his music and point of view in a positive manner and doesn’t use curse words in them at all. The only other rapper that comes to mind that does this is Will Smith, and comparing those two is apples and oranges to its fullest. Will was cheesy, Absoloot is the future. He is proof that you can get your point across without having to resort to “street jargon” and words that really come across as crass and wrong. To each his own, but what he does should be more prevalent.
Now Loot has released a new track for 2013 called “Under The Influence” with a truly amazing video to go along with it. Unlike previous records by Absoloot, this one has more of an edgier, raw sound to it. The cinematography in the video is truly a sight to be seen and in my opinion should be considered for a VMA and Grammy in the upcoming year (here is to hoping). Ultimately the way I view the song is stay away from influences that can lead you astray, something that has been a growing problem for years. Whatever the influence is you can find a way to be strong and motivate yourself to find better resources for your life, and that is what he is trying to do with this track.
When I talked with Loot a couple of weeks ago, he pretty much had the same description of the song. “The Rebel movement is more gritty and underground with an NWA type of feel with it. I usually come in with a more clean vibe to things but with this track I wanted to market it to a more diverse underground audience. This movement talks about causes and criticizes some of the negative things that are going on and turn them into a positive, something that I am all about”.
Someone that was a key part of this record was the darker side of it, AS I AM Records one and only Emaculant. “We needed someone like Emaculant on this to add fire to this amazing movement. He was an integral part of this procedure and I am glad that he was apart of it”.
Loot also mentioned what has been going on since we talked back in late 2012- “Everything has been amazing, I am still working with the charity Men 2 Boys, got a ton of performance dates coming up and even working on a comic book series and soundtrack work for the movie “From Heaven To Hell”.
What’s the bottom line for this song? Loot puts it simply- “For people to wake up. That;s the message. It’s just about the lyrics and music and focus on that, we want you to really understand what we are saying and keep it on the positive”.
He gives a big shoutout to Robert Blakely for making the video (hopefully nets you Best Director next year bud) and also wants his audience to know he is working with a site called Defenseoutletstore.com to help promote non lethal self defense weapons. He says- “We want to make sure we give people an alternative to resorting to deadly force.”. Another step in the right direction for Loot and his tireless efforts of being focused on making a better community.
Check out the video here and leave comments on what you think!
The Master Movie Review – 2012’s Most Under-appreciated Yet Best Film
The Master Movie Review: Given the massive amount of discussion surrounding The Master at least a year prior to its release, it isn’t a stretch to say that many people had already decided what kind of movie they wanted it to be. When word got out that Paul Thomas Anderson’s follow up to There Will Be Blood would have allusions to L. Ron Hubbard and the Church of Scientology, speculators were expecting the film to be a controversial stab at the Hollywood-centric religion. When the trailers finally started coming out for the film last summer, there was much Oscar talk surrounding the film, with people expecting it to be a shoe-in for best picture. The Master, after seemingly an eternity of waiting, was finally released in theaters last September and the response toward it wasn’t what anyone was expecting, Anderson included. While certainly relative to Scientology in some areas as it’s a film about blind faith, many people seemed shocked that the film focused more on a damaged war veteran rather than a cult leader, and many audience members found the arty narrative to be confounding. It received high honors at the Vienna Film Festival and from professional critics, but it had a fairly divisive reaction to it from audiences and was ultimately denied Oscar nominations for best picture or best director. Now, a good six months after the film had it’s theatrical premiere, The Master has come to DVD, and now perhaps the final verdict on Anderson’s surreal opus will come to light.
The Master is a film set in the 1950s that centers around the indelible character of Freddie Quell, a World War II vet struggling to adapt to post-war society, as he’s most likely suffering from some form of PTSD. Primal towards sex, frequently drunk and easily prone to violence, our protagonist only finds failure in every job he tries his hands in past his duties as a soldier, until he becomes a stowaway on a boat that shines a particularly inviting and brilliant light. Here Freddie meets the ship’s owner and titular character, Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a renowned author who has started his own following known as The Cause. Dodd believes that he has unlocked deep secrets to mankind’s understanding of time and the universe, and it’s also clear that he sees something integral to this system in Freddie. From here on out, we see how these two men (both so different, yet so alike) interact, amidst the back drop of this strange time in U.S. History.
The two facets of The Master that seemed to have received unanimous praise were the film making and the acting, both of which are justifiable. The film is an utter beauty of modern film making, and the decision to shoot in 70 MM adds such a layer to the cinematography. The film’s sweeping imagery and descriptive close-ups recall epics from the time period like Lawrence of Arabia, and the artistic depiction of America harken back to Terrence Malick’s two early masterpieces, Badlands and Days of Heaven. The soundtrack is wonderful in a similar sense too, with composer Johnny Greenwood contributing moving music pieces that evoke dread, fascination and ultimately hope. It’s hard for the small screen to entirely recapture the experience of seeing The Master on the big screen, but the blu-ray dvd does have a mighty video quality to it that captures the lushness of the viscera, although I should warn those that haven’t upgraded from standard definition that the video quality is rather murky for the digital release.
Still, the acting is possibly even more integral for this tapestry than Anderson’s craft. The only Oscar nominations The Master received were for the performances of it’s three leads, one of which is certainly the most impressive performance of the year. Joaquin Phoenix truly is a marvel to behold as Freddie, making the character as much his own creation as the screenplay’s. While there is a repetition to his performance as the character alternates between being violent and calm throughout the film, it’s in the subtle nuances that really make him mesmerize. From a menacing grin, to his stilted appearance that’s only made more visible by the fact that he’s frequently seen holding his sides, viewers can find plenty of cues to understand that this is a man in pain. Philip Seymour Hoffman, while not as unusual in his delivery as Phoenix, is at his able best here as well, given Dodd the voice of charisma, yet a prevailing sense of uncertainty as well. Some have said that there’s a bit of homo-eroticism in the character interactions between Dodd and Freddie, but maybe that’s just because Hoffman and Phoenix act with such fiery passion. Amy Adams gives a very vital performance too as Dodd’s wife Peggy, whose actions and dialogue might suggest that she believes in Dodd’s theories more that he does. Admittedly, the film’s most glaring problem might be that her character can be seen as being underused.
What is The Master about though? So many people seem to be dumb founded by this question, to the point that they even say that the film simply has no plot or meaning to it. Roger Ebert even agreed with this, as his review said the film was “fabulously well-acted and crafted, but when I reach for it, my hand closes on air.” This couldn’t be farther from the case though, as the film does have a traditional arc to it, and its themes are all but blatant. For one, The Master should be taking far more literally than people have been seeing it as. It’s not so much an allegory, but a surreal character study, and period piece. One should pay attention to the allusions the film makes to phenomena of post-war America, such as the desire to feel enlightenment, or the feeling that we were all sexually repressed as a culture. Just take it as it is, don’t try too hard to look into inner meaning or motif. The film is trying to communicate on the fever dream that seemingly gripped an entire nation after the close of a brutal war, and the start of an uncertain future. A theme that resonates especially when you consider that it’s not dissimilar from America’s current predicament.
While the film is certainly chilly as many critics have said, I also feel that many of those same reviewers have been disregarding that there is a real warmth to The Master as well. The disorienting aesthetics definitely match Freddie’s paranoid and aimless state, but all of this subsides in the moments when the character is truly happy. The inklings we see of his past are majestic to say the least, as the flashback sequence of that character’s romance with a young girl is tender and sweet, and really shows a human side to the animalistic Freddie. In interviews Anderson has said he was interested in this time period as many stories at the time involved people trying to reclaim their past(possibly a page taking from The Great Gatsby), something that Freddie has been literally and metaphorically running from for the whole film. Also, the film is very funny too, and I feel that if you miss on the film’s humor than you are doing it a great disservice. Funny faces, ironic gestures, slapstick and even fart jokes are present in The Master, and helps one to find sympathy in these flawed characters. As Lancaster Dodd says while addressing a crowd of believers, “the secret is laughter,” and I feel this is more than just a nudge on Paul Thomas Anderson’s part as a provocateur. Anderson has often been referred to as this generation’s Kubrick as he has always made studio-budgeted films while retaining his auteurship, and I feel The Master is even more supportive of this claim than any of his previous pictures. Like Kubrick before him, he’s made a film that at first glance may appear to be pessimistic, while in reality it’s far more accurate to see the film as being cautiously optimistic. In fact, this might be the first American film since Eyes Wide Shut to make such startling use of dream logic.
The extras included on the DVD prove interesting, although they’re certainly not as insightful as some would hope. Those who noticed that there were numerous scenes in the trailers that were not included in the film will be glad to find that Anderson has found another use for them here. The 20-minute-long outtake and deleted scene montage Back Beyond meshes some highlights that were cut from the film, and edited in a fashion that’s similar to the film’s pace. Also included are the various trailers that were made for the film, as well as a brief look at some behind the scenes footage. All nice touches, but the DVD also sorely lacks a commentary track which I think just about everybody would want for a film like this. Probably the best extra for the DVD (and reserved only for the Blu-ray edition) is the inclusion of the 1946 documentary Let There Be Light. John Huston’s documentary about WWII veterans is cited as an immense influence for The Master by Paul Thomas Anderson, and grants viewers more familiarity with the period that is depicted in the film.
Only time will tell as to what The Master will be looked on in Anderson’s filmography, but in this reviewer’s opinion I feel it will only only grow more reputable with age. In the years ahead where we can remove The Master from it’s expectation as a Scientology parallel, I feel that people will find a far more rewarding experience. Even now The Master shows that Anderson is one of the few working filmmakers to have such an evolving career, starting out with accessible (albeit extremely well crafted) genre films like Boogie Nights, coming to a more subdued transition with his romantic comedy Punch Drunk Love, and now becoming a true arthouse staple who makes dense films that read like the prose of Samuel Beckett. I just find it so maddening that so many people refused to look at The Master as anything other than a messy film with an unclear path, despite admitting it had breathtaking cinematography and performances. Anderson’s film is a masterpiece, a sensation, and a love story for the ages, one just has to have their mind and soul in exactly the right place to see that.
Album Review Jamie Lidell – (Self Titled)
Jamie Lidell: Jamie Lidell
Similar Artists: Cee-Lo, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye
Genre: EDM, Neo-Soul, R&B
Label: Warp
For a white guy, Jamie Lidell has an immaculate and beautifully soulful voice, so it is interesting that despite its prevalence throughout his work, it has never been what has made his music great. Although he probably likes to see himself as a relevant artist in contemporary r&b, in reality he has received little crossover success beyond electronic circles. Although his voice has been a nice enough addition, it is the production that has always shined. As a radio friendly self titled album, this seems to be Jamie’s final push in an attempt to be seen as more than a very talented electronic producer.
I will get to the results of this rebirth soon, but first a quick overview. Jamie Lidell creates glimmering and intelligent EDM that captures the essence of the 70’s and early 80’s while employing updated technology. He is a stellar producer who has recently reached veteran status in the field. In the late 1990’s to early 2000’s he earned recognition as one half of experimental techno unit “Super-Collider” and subsequently began releasing solo material for Warp Records. His best albums under his birth name (most notably “Multiply” and “Compass”), have a sense of radical adventurousness associated with them and are gems within their niche.
Sadly, here Lidell trades in much of his unorthodox trademarks for near pastiche. Each song becomes somewhat of a “name-the-influence” game, and despite the greatness of these influences (Prince, D’Angelo, Marvin Gaye), the results are far inferior to their parents. It certainly isn’t a bad thing that this is a radio friendly “pop” album – you would think Jamie would be the kind of producer who could break into the top 40 without having to sell out – but the songs are hindered by vocals that are either too emotional or not emotional enough…I often can’t tell which.
Toro Y Moi’s “Anything In Return” was similarly geared towards larger scale success, but on that album, Chaz Bundwick added his own distinctiveness to pop-radio to create a fresh (if not entirely original) sound. This is much more effortless in comparison, and is disappointing concerning how talented we know the artist to be. Even worse though, is that this album isn’t even enjoyable to listen to. There is clearly an element of enthusiasm lacking here, so it is a wonder if Jamie even had fun making it.
A few months ago, when first single “What a Shame” was released, it garnered critical acclaim and Jamie received a popularity boost to boot. This track stands as a template for what much of the remainder of the album attempts – action packed, 3-4 minute pop jams with big choruses – and it is all equally well produced. While “What a Shame” stood as a somewhat exciting lead single, just like the rest of the album, it fails to hold its own after multiple plays. So much pop music has taken the route of production over style and grace, and this falls into a similarly dark pothole.
I could go on to write about more songs, and their individual characteristics within the album, but the thing is, these songs don’t really inspire much in the way of words. Over the last few years, with artists such as “How to Dress Well”, “Frank Ocean”, “Autre Ne Veut”, and even “The xx”, R&B has been awakening from an incubation period. For a moment, it seemed that Jamie would be one of the leading contributors in this exciting evolution. I’m sad to say that this rebirth doesn’t warrant him a spot alongside these artists; how could it if it doesn’t even cause us to turn our heads? 🙁
Track Listing:
1.) I’m Selfish*
2. ) Big Love
3.) What A Shame*
4.) Do Yourself a Faver
5.) You Naked
6.) Why_Ya_Why
7.) Blaming Something*
8.) You Know My Name
9.) So Cold
10.) Don’t You Love Me?
11.) Track 11*