Maybe I don't like John Woo as much as I used to. Granted Hard Boiled is still the greatest gunplay/action movie of all time--a masterpiece, but I'm beginning to think people are kinda mixed up for calling master director. I watched Bullet In The Head this morning and It. Was. Bad. I forgot how much Woo is hooked on melodrama. This one was pretty hard to stomach, save for two performances: Tony Leung as the main character and Simon Yam as the super CIA agent (who would usually be too cool to live, but he does). The movie's about these ballroom-dancin*' misfits who get in trouble with gangs and run afoul of many people. They escape to Vietnam and everything goes wrong all the time. They shoot like 50 people in order to take over a crime boss's business, then they get mixed up with the VC and kill about 100 of those dudes, only to get captured and shell-shocked. It was pretty grueling and SO melodramatic, and overlong. I'm hoping I can still watch the Killer. I love Chow Yun Fat. He hasn't done anything really good since Hard Boiled, though.
It's been a good day! You'd be surprised how much fun jumping rope, playing video games, making a sandwich and watching Newsradio could be. Or maybe you wouldn't. It's great!
I've been playing Metroid Hunters, too. I rented it from Gamefly, which gave me 10 bucks and ten percent off as part of the new rewards plan, so I decided to buy it for sixteen! If you play videogames all the time, then it's a great deal. Wayy better then paying fifty bucks for a Beatal (beatable rental), and it keeps your shelf space tidy. That game's pretty kickass--the only problem is the screen's not bright enough...which means I'll probably defnitely have to go for the DS Lite when it comes out. Five brightness levels!!!
What else. I've been listening all day long and I've declared today...DOOOMSDAY!!!! That's right, Egg Shen. I got the special herbs box set and the instrumentals are Adult Swim's bump programmer's wet dream (See also Dudley Perkins/Madlib/Yesterday's New Quintet). I'm compiling a megaplaylist and everything.
Have I spent all this time rambling? Oh well. I just finished my application to Austin Studios and will send that in shortly, Pluuuuus, I've rewritten the intro to my Killer Tattoo screenplay, as well as added a few more songs to the Official Motion Picture Soundtrack, heh heh. Ask if you want one! It's pretty dope. I would really like it if everything I wrote not only made people love it, but also very very nauseous.
I mixed some Fruity Pebbles with lucky charms this morning and I think it changed my life.
Also: found one of my Favorite Commercials!
And: The tryouts for the wildcard team for the pop culture world series is online tonite!!
Note: John Woo likes ballroom dancing far more than films or violence. It's on the record.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Monday, March 20, 2006
What's Up, Docs?
Can we rock? Surely we can.
Last week I had the excellent pleasure of attending the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, TX. My friends and I clocked about 3 or 4 films per day on the average, and a lot of the interest this year was on documentaries, so here's a few you should definitely be on the lookout for:
Before the Music Dies
Have you ever wondered what's happening to the state of popular music these days? I know I do. Not everyone has the luxury of hitting up the local independently owned music store to find something new, so the general populace has been stuck with a sinking ship: the radio. Most everyone knows how bad it can be--the same ten songs over and over, morning radio stations broadcast nationwide, the lack of a local, personal voice in the community or city in which you live. What's the cause of all of it? What the film sets out to do is answer this question as well as others that involve celebrity making, the quest for passion in music, and what artists and listeners can do to turn it all around.
At first, the film takes a sort of scholarly approach with a history lesson on Clear Channel, the former car-dealership enterprise that found a gold mine in the discovery of airplay selling in the mid 90's. Over the next few years, the company grew, so did their presence across America, leading to a mass homogenization of modern popular radio.
The director and producer team of Andrew Shapter and Joel Rasmussen went on the road to interview all kinds of musicians about where the heart and soul of music is going today. Of course, we get the stock responses about capitalism and the need to change, but there are some truly insightful (not to mention candid) responses from artists such as Eric Clapton, Erykah Badu, ?uestlove from The Roots, Dave Matthews, and Branford Marsalis (who completely floored me with his honesty concerning his music students). The film has a really interesting subplot about creating a pop star from scratch--using a model, getting a press kit of photos together, finding a writer, and digitally tweaking the model's lackluster voice.
The documentary highlights a few artists for their music, but there is an extensive segment on Doyle Bramhall II, an Austin-born musician with the honest-to-God chops to be a bonafide rock star, who would not tailor his art to suit the record labels. Unfortunately, he hasn't received the acclaim that he deserves, but a major event occured while the movie was being made: Doyle, along with musicians Badu, ?uestlove, and several other notables came together to create a band that wishes to create a movement for the artist, separate from the tyranny of record companies. The band, "Funk Sway," had a killer performance at Austin Music Hall the night of the premiere and it was INCREDIBLE. It was taped and should be on the DVD for the documentary.
Check the website at www.beforethemusicdies.com
I thought, surely that must be the most important film of the Festival concerning music, and then I saw my next film...
East of Havana
"Nowadays rap artists/Are comin' half-hearted. Commercial like pop, or underground like black markets./ Where were you the day Hip-hop died?
Is it to early to mourn/Is it too late to ride?"
--Talib Kweli, "Too Late," from the album Reflection Eternal.
One of the SXSW panels concerned the "24 beats per minute" music related documentaries, and on this panel was Charlize Theron, there to promote East of Havana, a documentary about the state of hip hop in Cuba. This was evidently no vanity project, as some of you might know, she lived with a family in Miami for nearly 15 years before becoming an actress. She also put up some of her own money to fund this film, and I can understand why--though it may seem like a trivial thing, the message that this film conveys cannot be subdued or forgotten.
East of Havana is the story of three young Cuban MC's, Soandry, Mikki Flow, and Magyori, who live in the slums of Havana and are a part of the rap group "El Cartel" . The documentary follows them for the days leading up to the annual Cuban Hip Hop festival, apparently the only time when the collective voice of the culture can express themselves. Mikki Flow (Michel) is the outspoken revolutionary type, full of righteous bravado and swagger. Magyori is more of a freeform, spoken word poet MC (a la some of Lauryn Hill's later work), and Soandry had dedicated his ideals and style to the rappers of the early-to-mid nineties, around what many believe is the 'Golden Age' of rap. I don't mean to pigeonhole them, just give a general idea of their style. During the time we spend with them, we see defeat, triumph, anger and eloquence. One scene in which Mikki Flow raps, addressing the camera as a lost love in a freestyle was both amazing and heartbreaking. The year this was being filmed was also the year of Hurricane Charley, which meant that the dozens and dozens of tourists and hip hop fans were unable to partake in the festival because of bureaucratic red tape. What do they do? They have a session on the bus! There's another scene with Soandry's older brother, who lives in New York and hasn't seen his entire family for over ten years. Watching him see pictures of his family for the first time illustrates the pain and struggle of today's post-revolutionary Cubans, young and old. I feel that this film is not only important to hip hop fans, but moreso those who wish to make a change in society by having a dialogue with other countries instead of imposing embargos. As a fan of hip-hop, I was astounded to realize how much of our art form we take for granted. Call me naive but when I see people anywhere, living and fighting for the cause to be heard, I wish for everyone to speak up for those who cannot (or at the very least, try to). I pray that these films get distribution so everyone can have a better understanding of the music and culture that binds us.
Last week I had the excellent pleasure of attending the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, TX. My friends and I clocked about 3 or 4 films per day on the average, and a lot of the interest this year was on documentaries, so here's a few you should definitely be on the lookout for:
Before the Music Dies
Have you ever wondered what's happening to the state of popular music these days? I know I do. Not everyone has the luxury of hitting up the local independently owned music store to find something new, so the general populace has been stuck with a sinking ship: the radio. Most everyone knows how bad it can be--the same ten songs over and over, morning radio stations broadcast nationwide, the lack of a local, personal voice in the community or city in which you live. What's the cause of all of it? What the film sets out to do is answer this question as well as others that involve celebrity making, the quest for passion in music, and what artists and listeners can do to turn it all around.
At first, the film takes a sort of scholarly approach with a history lesson on Clear Channel, the former car-dealership enterprise that found a gold mine in the discovery of airplay selling in the mid 90's. Over the next few years, the company grew, so did their presence across America, leading to a mass homogenization of modern popular radio.
The director and producer team of Andrew Shapter and Joel Rasmussen went on the road to interview all kinds of musicians about where the heart and soul of music is going today. Of course, we get the stock responses about capitalism and the need to change, but there are some truly insightful (not to mention candid) responses from artists such as Eric Clapton, Erykah Badu, ?uestlove from The Roots, Dave Matthews, and Branford Marsalis (who completely floored me with his honesty concerning his music students). The film has a really interesting subplot about creating a pop star from scratch--using a model, getting a press kit of photos together, finding a writer, and digitally tweaking the model's lackluster voice.
The documentary highlights a few artists for their music, but there is an extensive segment on Doyle Bramhall II, an Austin-born musician with the honest-to-God chops to be a bonafide rock star, who would not tailor his art to suit the record labels. Unfortunately, he hasn't received the acclaim that he deserves, but a major event occured while the movie was being made: Doyle, along with musicians Badu, ?uestlove, and several other notables came together to create a band that wishes to create a movement for the artist, separate from the tyranny of record companies. The band, "Funk Sway," had a killer performance at Austin Music Hall the night of the premiere and it was INCREDIBLE. It was taped and should be on the DVD for the documentary.
Check the website at www.beforethemusicdies.com
I thought, surely that must be the most important film of the Festival concerning music, and then I saw my next film...
East of Havana
"Nowadays rap artists/Are comin' half-hearted. Commercial like pop, or underground like black markets./ Where were you the day Hip-hop died?
Is it to early to mourn/Is it too late to ride?"
--Talib Kweli, "Too Late," from the album Reflection Eternal.
One of the SXSW panels concerned the "24 beats per minute" music related documentaries, and on this panel was Charlize Theron, there to promote East of Havana, a documentary about the state of hip hop in Cuba. This was evidently no vanity project, as some of you might know, she lived with a family in Miami for nearly 15 years before becoming an actress. She also put up some of her own money to fund this film, and I can understand why--though it may seem like a trivial thing, the message that this film conveys cannot be subdued or forgotten.
East of Havana is the story of three young Cuban MC's, Soandry, Mikki Flow, and Magyori, who live in the slums of Havana and are a part of the rap group "El Cartel" . The documentary follows them for the days leading up to the annual Cuban Hip Hop festival, apparently the only time when the collective voice of the culture can express themselves. Mikki Flow (Michel) is the outspoken revolutionary type, full of righteous bravado and swagger. Magyori is more of a freeform, spoken word poet MC (a la some of Lauryn Hill's later work), and Soandry had dedicated his ideals and style to the rappers of the early-to-mid nineties, around what many believe is the 'Golden Age' of rap. I don't mean to pigeonhole them, just give a general idea of their style. During the time we spend with them, we see defeat, triumph, anger and eloquence. One scene in which Mikki Flow raps, addressing the camera as a lost love in a freestyle was both amazing and heartbreaking. The year this was being filmed was also the year of Hurricane Charley, which meant that the dozens and dozens of tourists and hip hop fans were unable to partake in the festival because of bureaucratic red tape. What do they do? They have a session on the bus! There's another scene with Soandry's older brother, who lives in New York and hasn't seen his entire family for over ten years. Watching him see pictures of his family for the first time illustrates the pain and struggle of today's post-revolutionary Cubans, young and old. I feel that this film is not only important to hip hop fans, but moreso those who wish to make a change in society by having a dialogue with other countries instead of imposing embargos. As a fan of hip-hop, I was astounded to realize how much of our art form we take for granted. Call me naive but when I see people anywhere, living and fighting for the cause to be heard, I wish for everyone to speak up for those who cannot (or at the very least, try to). I pray that these films get distribution so everyone can have a better understanding of the music and culture that binds us.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
My new spot!
Hey! Hoppin' on the blogtrain just in time to see it being run into the ground. Maybe I can do Something Important on here or at least something funny and of interest. I think for a while, I'll start by making this the place for all the poetry I've done in years gone by, up to present day. See How They Do Us's mission statement is basically that of picking apart the fat rotisserie chicken of the media until it's bone dry (like, you can't even get at that little floppy wing part to have a decent leftover's lunch worth afterwards!) What else, hm. Movies, music, the decline of Everything? Sounds like a good place to start.
Poem!
Movie Blurbs.
A thing I don't get are mixed-up movie blurbs.
Apparently, Failure To Launch is "Hysterically Sexy."
How does that work in a movie?
Nobody, I hope, has ever said
"This movie was so funny that I busted a nut."
Poem!
Movie Blurbs.
A thing I don't get are mixed-up movie blurbs.
Apparently, Failure To Launch is "Hysterically Sexy."
How does that work in a movie?
Nobody, I hope, has ever said
"This movie was so funny that I busted a nut."
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