Author: brian

i actually havent’ been shredding as much as i may have liked this week, with some socializing going and getting in the way. this weekend though i fully expect to destroy my fingertips in the pursuit of guitar heroism.

last night was a particularly unexpected treat, as the passes jessica signed us up for to go to a free screening of tenacious d and the pick of destiny turned out to be for the actual hollywood premiere at grauman’s chinese. after extensive line-waiting, we not only got into the movie (reviewed below), but had a handful of funny star sitings. we saw a surprisingly gray-haired ben stiller from a distance while waiting in line. i almost tripped over andy dick posing for a photo with a little kid crossing the back of the theatre to get to our seats (he later sat right in front of us for the movie). spotted john c. reilly spotted chatting in the back of the theatre. almost missed jeremy piven as he passed us toward the mens’ room on our way out, where we also were followed by a tuxedoed paul f. tompkins. then as i was pulling out of the theatre’s parking garage, i also caught hugh hefner posing for a photo with his three blonde lady friends (i think they were there for some fancy concert going on at the kodak amphitheatre the same night). oh, and of course the highlight was jack black and kyle gass coming down the aisle to introduce the film, wearing royal red robes, crowns, and carrying scepters, before thanking us for coming to see the best movie of all time.

borat: cultural learnings… – 3 stars

tenacious d and the pick of destiny – 4 stars

i meant to post my thoughts on seeing borat last weekend but now that i’ve seen both they kind of go together review-wise, as both started as short sketches on a late-night hbo series, and have been translated into full-length comedies. both fall prey to a little bit of the natural difficulty in stretching a short, hilarious bit into a full and satisfying story arc, in that there are a few slow parts that just aren’t that funny where they have to bridge one great segment and the next somehow, but overall it felt a little less forced in the D movie, probably because there was no facade of reality to maintain. it was okay for jb and kg to make sudden and seemingly unwarranted jumps to the next plot point, because that’s just how their characters work, but less so for borat to do completely irrational things as if he’s not just from eastern europe but also just an imbecile.

overall, both had some downright hilarious moments. granted, borat had some more high-minded moments of satire, but i think it also relied a lot on shock value for its humor in several places (i’ll leave you to discover the unpleasantly hairy specifics if you haven’t already), or went so far as to make you stop laughing at the gall of some of the people he interviews. while it’s definitely more ambitious, i definitely didn’t think it warrants any of the ‘best comedy in ages’ distinctions some of the press have been using.

the D movie for the most part nailed the tone of the really well-done tv specials, in that these guys are obviously a joke to everyone, but the way they take their soont-to-be rock stardom so seriously makes them endlessly laughable. it’s not nearly as cheesy and crotch-hit slap-sticky as the tv ads make it out to be, and jack black reprises his fame-launching personality here pretty perfectly, relieving my fear that he might have walked away from it now that he’s ‘moved on’ career-wise.

i told spencer today that sure, if you go in looking to criticize it cynically for not really covering new territory or some bits falling short (e.g. the sasquatch bit), you can. but if you go in looking to have a good time, you really will. i’d liken it almost to wayne’s world, in that it’s a thin plot holding together some really classic segments, only this time with a seriously excellent original soundtrack of tenacious d tunes.

the main difference between the two, for me, is that if i waited a couple weeks and watched borat again, i’m pretty sure i’d laugh less now that the surprise element is gone. where with tenacious D, i’d probably catch more of the clever lyrics in their songs, and pick up on more great nuances to the funny characters (one i did notice: ben stiller’s cameo as the guitar store guy is SO DEAD ON, especially in the hairdo and the way he walks. i swear he studied a genuine guitar center clerk for a week just to nail that one bit). and to me, that’s what makes truly great comedy stand apart, is that it lasts. for the same reason 40 year old virgin easily outlasts most of wedding crashers, i could keep watching it and keep enjoying it just as much. so for that reason, i’d say see both, but if you have to pick one i’d actually go against conventional wisdom and go with the D.

if you find yourself near a newstand this week, just happen to flip through the november 13th issue of a certain major business publication to page 57, and if your eyesight is sharp, you may recognize one of the hip young professionals pictured there, awkwardly trying to pose nonchalantly with his colleagues.

you may also wonder why he would wear a purple t-shirt on a day when such a photo is going to be taken. i can only assure you that he obviously had no idea when he went in to work that morning that he would find himself being the subject of press coverage, if you can qualify a tiny square centimeter of photography (no name mentioned in caption) as actual media attention.

exciting nonetheless. if you add this to the CBS blog link last week, does that make me a rising star?

first off, if you’re any kind of friend of mine and reading this, you better be voting today, or have voted already. i’m proudly wearing my cheesy little sticker and bugging everyone i talk to today and you blog readers are no different.

if you’re still trying to decide and you’re a los angeles or at least california voter, there’s a nice list of various endorsements from lots of newspapers and organizations in the LA times. i also found this LA weekly ballot proposition rundown extremely helpful. anyway, get on it, people.

the only one i will personally endorse is Yes on 87. clean energy initiatives are gonna be so hot in the future and if we get in on the ground floor the whole state benefits, even if there’s a small short-term sacrifice. and if people say it’ll drive away oil industry jobs, that’s bullshit. as long as there’s any oil in california, companies are gonna stay here to get at it. it’s not like there’s lots of other places for them to go instead.

in non-news-related-news, don’t expect much else out of me this week. other than some breaks to watch serial television programs — new heroes! two new episodes of the sure-to-be-terrible fourth season of the O.C which totally jumped the shark last season! the ‘so much better it’s like night and day’ freaks and geeks on netflix! — there’s really only one thing i’ll be doing this week, thanks to the early arrival of my pre-ordered guitar hero II. i got to spend all last night with it, and it’s great, but you don’t really need to know the depths of my obsession with nailing solos in the video game version of ‘carry on my wayward son’, for example. just know i’ll be in a state of fingertip-numbing nerd bliss for the next several days.

more music posts than i know what to do with lately, but it’s been a concerty few weeks over here. last night we caught voxtrot at the troubadour, and i have to say, they are a very very good band. i’d only heard one of their ep’s, raised by wolves, before last night, and liked it pretty well. but the set also pulled from their newer EP mothers, sisters, daughters & wives as well as brand new stuff from their early-2007 full length, and it was all excellent. strong lyrics, lots of energy, and a really great sound. i was especially pleasantly surprised with the bouncy piano-driven track soft & warm, so check out that pay day song and look forward to buying their album like me as soon as it is commercially available.

speaking of which, i have a long overdue (and probably utterly obvious) review to turn in…

the decemberists – the crane wife – 5 stars

alright, so next to john darnielle, my hugest musical man-crush in the world is probably directed at colin melloy, so it’s no wonder that i adore this album. but even were i not all in hetero-love with the man, i could make an objective case for this being a splendid album.

overall, their strength consists mainly of finely honing and then expertly executing on an extremely specific and focused aesthetic. with each album i’ve heard, they’ve only polished, fleshed-out, and perfected that style. although the influences are many and obvious, as everyone can see the romantic novel and celtic sea chantey threads showing easily through the majority of their output, they really take that historical grounding and make it their own in a way no one can touch.

i’d even argue that no band sounds the way the decemberists do (and if you disagree, please let me know, because i want to get those other bands’ albums too), and that the sound which they are completely owning right now is a beautiful, lyrical, grand type of sound most bands just can’t pull off this well. the crane wife‘s huge, 10-plus minute songs are easily two of it’s best, and never approach falling victim to the fast-forward button so many extra-long songs miss out to. and if this album has more variation in the style of it’s songs, i’d say that it’s only a sign that colin and friends are finding out the full breadth of space their style can live in and still remain fully true to who they are as a band. from pretty string accompaniments to groovy bass lines, it’s all just showing their confidence in putting forward their own vision of great music and storytelling, and i have to say i’m eating it up and waiting for seconds.

oh and as a total non-sequiter, don’t pick a fight with me now because i just watched this amazing youtube video and now i could easily break your arm, smash your face on a table, or kick you in the groin.

being a grown-up now the actual day of halloween is fairly meaningless, especially since i live in an apartment building not children can infiltrate for trick-or-treating purposes — more candy for me! — so once the obligatory weekend costume party is out of the way, i’m pretty much off the hook. this year i was ‘a guy who just got out of the shower’ in a bathrobe, flip flops and a towel around my waist. the only money i spent was 5 bucks on a shower brush thing to use as a prop to really underline the fact that i was bathing, and not just in a robe. it was suggested i could lose that prop in favor of another and magically become ‘a fluffer’, but i declined that genius idea, for this year anyway. jessica’s carmen san diego outfit was extremely accurate and cool yet totally modest, showing she is both classier and less shameless than i was in my bare chested glory.

so now that satan’s holiday is out of the way, what better activity for halloween morning than to revise your holiday wishlist?

actually i’m one of the people who cringe when santa commercials start coming on the first week of november, which is way too soon to be talking christmas. but goddammit, when your mother asks you to give her gift ideas, you damn well do it, and do it fast. actually i know there are way more books that need to be added, i just left my little notebook with my ‘books to read’ list at home today. early bird shoppers take note!

two concerts in a week’s time, and both were definitely worth the money if you get the chance to catch them in the future.

the first was the decemberists at the wiltern last saturday, who proved once again to be able to play their beautiful and grand songs equally well live. i’m still smitten with colin’s voice and lyrics, and the sound was great, so much that during some of the string sections of ‘the crane wife 1 & 2’ or ‘the island…’, they were so clear and sharp they sounded almost too good to be live. a spectacular show with people switching instruments between songs and a great set list. shaun made a great point after the show, and i’m paraphrasing: ‘it’s like this one band ignored the last 100 years of music to do celtic ballads and sea chanteys, but the guy’s got a perfect voice for it so it comes out amazing’.

last night was cursive at the avalon, which i had slightly more mixed feelings about, mostly because of the set list. it seemed like the first half was comprised mostly of songs i’d specifically skip over if listening to the albums on my ipod, the less powerful, or in the case of some of the songs off happy hollow, the songs that are annoyingly over-powerful and tough to sit through. once they worked through those though and played some of my favorites off the new album and ugly organ, they blew me away as usual with cellos, three horn players, crazy-loud guitars and tim’s borderline psychotic bellowing. ooo, when they played ‘dorothy at forty’ and ‘gentleman caller’ it was right back to being all good with me in an instant.

i mostly wrote that last post because i didn’t have much else to say that day and having just read the article i linked, it seemed ripe for discussion. my general feeling is more along the lines of ‘this seems like a big deal being made out of nothing.’

how surprised i was then today that an email i opened this morning with the subject line ‘linked to your blog’, from a name i didn’t recognize — you know, the kind that 7 out of 10 times you would quickly open and delete upon finding out it was in fact spam from some sort of web hosting or stat tracking service you have no need for — turned out to be a legitimate notice from a reputable online news writer.

Apparently it pays to be topical, as i was included in her CBSNews column measuring bloggers’ reactions to the debate. perhaps the quote she pulled from collapsing didn’t really convey the tongue-in-cheek nature of my post on the matter, but even if i was only used for my flippant closing line, it’s still kind of cool that i’ve been quoted ‘by the press’, sort of. now the real question is, how can i leverage this to make millions of dollars?

yesterday i was reading this fun ny times article on the prevalence of risque girls’ costumes when it comes to be halloween time. although it seems one part ‘isn’t this all a little bit obvious?’ and one part ‘you’ve got to be kidding yourselves’, i love it overall just because it’s a topic so ripe for debate. are girls playing into subservient gender stereotypes or taking control of their femininity? or is all that an over-dramatization of a subtext that isn’t really there, because it’s just fun to let loose and be scandalous for a day when normally you couldn’t get away with it? ooo, i can’t wait to feed this up to a group of girls and get them all up in arms about it. maybe the ones who are angry are really just the ones who can’t pull off a proper french maid or daisy duke ensemble? not that i believe that; it’s just funny to think how upset some people might be at the assertion.

i think the question that doesn’t get nearly enough attention is the male counterpart to this issue: whether the available choices are socially and morally responsible or not, it’s SO EASY for girls to pick a halloween costume. they can go as any profession, fictional character, etc., sex it up a little bit, and then when they arrive at the halloween party of their choice, people will go ‘oooooo, nice costume’.

i, on the other hand, could never unbutton a dress shirt a little lower than normal, or wear short shorts, and have people flirting with me as a result. dammit, why can’t girls be as horny and easily pleased as guys, so i can just be lazy and bare more skin and consider the holiday a success? the holiday is so unfair to men. instead i have to try to be clever and creative and a bunch of bullshit like that when i’d much rather just objectify myself to gain the approval of the opposite sex. god, being a guy is such a ripoff.

and if i wasn’t pressured enough, not only has my date subverted the easy way out of being a “naughty-fill-in-the-blank” for halloween, but she’s had a clever and creative costume picked out for months already! how could i possibly live up to that, without having put any thought or effort into the matter with only a week remaining?

grown-up halloween is so lame. i just want to get a k-mart plastic monster mask and sprint door-to-door in an effort to fill a pillowcase with candy. like the holiday was intended to be celebrated.

the departed – 5 stars

i’m sure most of you have seen a 2+ hour long movie by a really talented director, and afterward you’re moved and impressed, sure. but you realize you mostly only went to see it because you felt obligated to do so, or because it’s important you ground yourself in the canon, and although you have to admit the film as a whole was very good, you didn’t necessarily have a very good time watching it.

this movie is the opposite of all that garbage. although i do have a tendency, bordering on a compulsion, to see those other movies at some point (isn’t that part of what keeps netflix running?), i never ever want to watch them again in my lifetime. i put in my time and i move on. this one, i could probably go back and watch right now.

the departed is the movie where scorcese finally seems to indulge in some FUN for a change. not silliness, but pleasure — in a really strong story full of enormous characters who are extremely enjoyable to watch play off one another on screen. the time flies by in a way even goodfellas couldn’t keep up until the very end, when things started to unravel and you just wanted to see it get over with. sure, this one could be shorter if they cut a bit out, but as is, it’s full end to end of so many cool guys doing badass stuff, it’s transfixing.

and almost every guy that gets any amount of lines has multiple prizewinning quotables. as dom pointed out to me, this could be because the screenplay was adapted by light house author william monahan, whose book was full of cutting dialogue, and who seems to have been set loose to play on this one. particularly with the scenes involving alec baldwin’s character that were always a treat.

but lest you think it was all fun and games, this is also a tense and very violent movie at the same time, which is why it’s so rich and rewatchable. it’s disturbing and nerve-wracking at the same time it’s making you grin. but you’ve gotta imagine that these tough-as-nails guys, involved with deception and murder on a daily basis, are kind of having fun doing it. otherwise they wouldn’t be who they are. ultimately that’s what makes it so great, is that it’s an up close and personal look at the kind of characters you expect to populate the underworld, and the tricky interwoven web of egos and lies they’re doomed to navigate. of course its bound to end in blood for almost everyone involved, but goddamn if it isn’t exciting along the way.