OK. I know. The way that I've been promoting (500) Days of Summer, it probably seems that FOX Searchlight Pictures has me on their payroll. I wish. The fact of the matter is that I truly, wholeheartedly love this film. I respect what it's trying to do in a world full of The Proposals and The Ugly Truths. That being said, I bring you guys this interesting tidbit. It seems that one of the major stars of the film, LA, has been using it's 15 minutes of fame to the fullest. In a really cool bit of cross-promotion, the LA Conservancy is going to be holding a tour of the historical buildings used as locations in (500) Days of Summer in order to raise awareness for the organization, which helps preserve historic buildings.
The Walt Disney Co. is making moves to merge Marvel and the thousands of characters from the Marvel U. into one hell of a Super Mouse for around $4 billion. Click this link to read more about it.Or on this one for another take on it. What this means for the Spider Man, Iron Man, The Avengers, and all other movie projects is yet to be seen. However, remember that this worked for Pixar. It seems that Disney's days of stifling creative control have been vanquished by the likes of Lasseter and others. Could this go down in history as the single greatest event in superhero movie lore? Let's hope so!
Really unexpected development today. I haven't heard of this movie until right now. The Men Who Stare At Goats boasts the participation of George Clonney, Ewan McGregor, His Dudeness Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey among others. I really don't have the words to describe this trailer. You guys are just going to have to see for yourselves. Color me excited, because Clooney looks just like my dad in this one. I'll be first in line on Nov. 6th.
Don't kid yourself. The next big Geek event IS James Cameron's Avatar. After 4 years of production and almost two decades of being in conception, the technology to bring Cameron's dream to life is finally available. Click here to get to the trailer. I hope you guys enjoy!
Ever since I came back to the dirty MIA, I've really been feeling some Mana. I can't explain it, but I'm also not questioning it. Over the years Fher, Alex, Sergio, and Juan have managed to become internationally acclaimed artists, giving 108 concerts in 28 countries during a tour in 2002 and 2003. Acceso Total documents that tour, splicing footage from those concerts into one cohesive narrative, meaning any song will play seamlessly but it is composed of footage taken in Mexico, Spain, the US, and Argentina, for example. The extras are also out of hand, with intimate interviews with the band members and featurettes on their work for the UN. Mana: Acceso Total lives up to its name by providing the viewer full access to Mana during this whirlwind tour. Check it out, this dvd's so good, it's tasty!
At the 2009 European Junior Indoor Cycling Championships, Carla Hochdorfer and Henriette Hochdorfer became European Champions for the Artistic Cycling Juniors Woman's Pair event. I'm in the same boat as you. I didn't even know there was a championship event for this. What I do know is that what you are about to see is impressive, that the ladies depicted here are paradigms of balance and skill, and that you can never go wrong opening with a Bryan Adams song.
Felicia Day has got to be one of the most innovative people in Hollywood right now. Not only does she hang with Nathan Fillion, our generation's Bruce Campbell, her online webisode show, The Guild, is a phenomenon that is embarking on its third season while touching upon the intricacies and ideals of the life of an mmo player. In a brilliant viral masterstroke, Felicia and crew made a music video that is not only going to serve as a promo for the third season of the show, it's going to make bucket-loads of money as a downloadable mp3 track on Amazon and iTunes. Plus, the video is just plain awesome. Onward Knights of Good!
Summer is coming to a close and we all know that summer lacks a certain joie de vivre without the proper soundtrack to accompany it. I present to you a list of songs that have meant something to me these past few months. I hope you enjoy them. I did.
Renz's Summer of '09 Mix-Tape Double Disc Edition:
Side A
1. Everyone Deserves Music - Michael Franti & Spearhead 2. Lucky (Suerte) - Jason Mraz & Ximena Sariñana 3. Two Princes - Spin Doctors 4. Pa' Bailar - Bajofondo 5. I Got 5 On It - Luniz 6. Mas O Menos - The Budos Band 7. Quiero Ver - Café Tacuba 8. Hey Ya - Obadiah Parker 9. Bonafied Lovin' (Tough Guys) - Chromeo 10. Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols 11. Inside & Out - Feist 12. Life On Mars - David Bowie
Side B
13. You Make My Dreams - Hall & Oats 14. Going On - Gnarls Barkley 15. Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole 16. A Pedir Su Mano - Juan Luis Guerra & Los 440 17. Out Of Control - U2 18. Sidestep - Robin Thicke 19. Clavado En Un Bar (En Vivo) - Mana 20. Blame It On The Boogie - Michael Jackson 21. Wake Up - The Arcade Fire 22. Dance With Me - Nouvelle Vague 23. Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? - She & Him 24. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) - The Four Tops
I love the mix-tape. It has been my wingman for years as I endeavored to find love. It is also partly responsible for many of my successes in this department. I'm very adept in the art of mix-tape making. It's all about communication. You want to express how you feel about a person through music in a way that they can understand you. For example, anyone can throw a bunch of love songs together, but by creating a context you can definitely get your point across. Norah Jones' "What am I to You?" followed by Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should've Come Over" ended by Robin Thicke's "Would That Make U Love Me?" (in that order) conveys equal parts vulnerability and desire that wouldn't come across if you presented these songs in any other way. Like everything else you have to maintain a narrative structure. Also, I know that people nowadays use CD's more than audio cassettes, but I'm not here to argue semantics. I still call them mix-tapes.
That being said, I came across an extremely innovative, beyond cool site as I was gathering up ammunition for a battle of who can find the coolest shite on the net. Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves may just put me over the top. It mixes the new pop-culture phenomenon of the Post Secret confessional culture project with the concept of love as expressed through music that Rob Sheffield pioneered. People have been dedicating songs to their loved ones for years as a way to express what they feel. When you make a mix-tape, you are basically using someone else's words to express what you feel but for some reason or another cannot say or or are of the opinion that it has been said better by the artist; that makes the content of Cassette From My Ex universal. To top it off, not only do they allow the public to submit their stories of love and loss (public which includes the likes of Ben Greenman, Joe Levy, Claudia Gonson, and Rob Sheffield, to name a few), they also let you upload the actual mix-tape and mix-tape cover art to complete the experience. Let me tell you, some of these play lists are out-of-hand awesome. Just check out the most recent selection, Good Morning! You're 20!
What is there left to say about the good doctor? Heath Ledger's passing brought a barrage of media attention to Terry Gilliam's latest cinematic attempt. Is it finished, will it be finished, how will it be finished? With Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Collin Farrel stepping in for Ledger in an ingenious way, all the hype unfortunately has overshadowed what seems to be a promising story that borders on the surreal. I bring you the first trailer of what I hope to be the return to form of a true master.
I had to share this video with all of you. We might have forgotten, but the Joes and Cobra were a big part of growing up in the 80's. This inside look at the goings on within the respective compounds of both good and evil is cool beyond words. Pay attention to the level of talent that took part in bringing this to us. Know this... because knowing is half the battle!
I can't recommend this movie enough. Not only is director Marc Webb's style evocative of his music video roots (This is in no way a negative seeing as how music videos manage to efficiently convey an entire dramatic arc in 4 minutes while taking liberties with narrative structure, visual cues, and dream-like imagery. If you doubt the ability of music video directors who transition to feature-length films, take up that particular argument with Mr. Spike Jonze), the surprisingly insightful script by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber tarantinos it (for those who are not members of the conoscenti, this means the flick is told in a non-linear format) and explores one of the least touched upon subjects in Hollywood: What happens after our hero gets the girl?
Think about it. What do you think happened after Lloyd Dobbler and Diane Court got off their plane in England? How long do you think Jesse and Celine stayed together after they stopped being idealized images of themselves nourished by 10 years of consistent disappointment with every day life and they started snoring and leaving hairs in the sink? Hell, if Trinity hadn't died, how long could she have put up with Neo's vacant stare? The point is that in real life the story BEGINS when a relationship starts. We have a 50%+ divorce rate in this country and that's not even mentioning the hell one can go through to even get to the point where they want to marry somebody. The movie boasts a perfect tag line: "This is not a love story, but it is a story about love." A story about love and the myths an we are socialized on since we are able to take in sensory input, as well as the realities that come along with the experience.
I recently told a friend of mine that she had made it her life's mission to be in love, thinking that once she had obtained the status of what qualified as being loved in her life, all of her problems would be solved. This is a film for her and others like her. Love is not the end-all problem solver or the quick fix. It doesn't come with some sort of operational definition to make it tangible. However, love IS what makes life worth living and it is so incredibly precious because it's finite. Like a rose, it's beauty comes from the certainty that its stay on this earth is a passing thing. Even if you get the girl and manage to stay together, death will do you part. The key is not to fixate on maintaining a status that is unmaintainable. Enjoy it while you have it because it enriches every aspect of your life. Even in heartbreak, hope can be found and your life can improve. That is what this movie does so well. It shows how out of this world those moments of love can be, turning us all into bad ass Han Solo versions of ourselves (the musical dance number is one of the most indulgent odes to Hollywood of all time; and it's damn good too.). In dissecting the protagonists' relationship, (500) Days of Summer shows us how love can end for no reason at all. There doesn't have to be a big blow up fight or dramatic deus-ex-machina to steal our joy from us. Sometimes love just ends. And we deal with it. We survive. We move on. Or not.
This movie is a sum of its parts, from the aforementioned director and writers to the Smiths and Regina Spektor laden soundtrack. However, history might show that the real contribution of (500) Days of Summer is the beginning of the Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Zooey Deschanel partnership. These two friends might not be lovers in real life, but they are damn good at playing a couple on screen (prepare for comparisons to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, even Rock Hudson and Doris Day). I've grown up seeing JGL evolve as an actor. He's gone on from roles in Angels in the Outfield and 3rd Rock from the Sun to become, in my opinion, one of THE actors of our generation with outstanding performances in Brick, The Lookout, Stop-Loss, Mysterious Skin, and Havoc. I wouldn't have believed you if you told me that my favorite of his recent performances would be Tom, the relatively "normal" romantic lead he pulls of in (500) Days of Summer. He reminds me of Heath Ledger, not only for his chameleon-like ability to inhabit a variety of roles, but because I swear he kinda looks like him too.
Zooey, his complement, stole my heart way back when with her performance in Almost Famous, where she was hot, stewardess hot. I am a card carrying member of the pop-culture obsessed geek nation that has hailed her as "our" version of the girl next door ever since we found out that not only can she act, but she sings, writes songs, makes homemade jam, rides bikes, etc. with an air of quirky cool and an Demetri Martin sense of humor. Aside from all that, she is a very talented actress whose range is finally shown after a disastrous turn as an M. Night Shyamalan leading lady. As Summer, she embodies the "Summer effect," a trait possessed by every damaged attractive girl that we've worshiped at one time or another. We pay for the sins of those who came before only to "fix" her for the guy who will inevitably come after.
The performances given by these two are really unfair to the also valuable work turned in by a solid supporting cast. Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel have a palpable chemistry, which one can almost taste as the highlights of their relationship are shown on screen. We've all done the Walmart date, but the movie takes it to a whole new level with their trips to Ikea. This chemistry also makes their impending break up all the more crushing. The parallels are truly affecting, perhaps even more so as we get a split-screen scene of Tom's aspirations juxtaposed with the reality of his situation. If my review could make you go watch this movie, I would write 10x's as much as I already have. GO! SALLY FORTH! Show your support for quality films and enjoy this touching piece of cinema.
As a parting gift, I leave you this funky cool little compliment to the movie brought to us by JGL, Zooey, and Marc Webb. Did I mention that this movie benefited from one of the most inspired, almost viral, promotional campaigns of all time?
Afuera, otra tormenta. El cielo color melocotón podrido deja caer piedras, bombardeando sin piedad el excremento de pájaro que adorna el Mazda de mi madre.
No reconozco nada. Me he olvidado cómo hablar el lenguaje de mi casa. Estoy pensando en contratar a un traductor para poder pedir permiso.
Me da pena usar el baño pero me tomo libertades con el gabinete de licor.
El pan integral y el queso blanco son mis fieles compañeros cuando la noche y el día foyan y se enredan en tremenda Kama Sutra.
El internet me da préstamos para sobrevivir esta bancarrota de melatonin. Pero, como cualquier hijo de puta, me sube los intereses cuando no me doy cuenta.
Mi billetera esta vacía, pero siento su peso, que me estorba al caminar.
Todo cuesta; hasta el meditar te quita tiempo. Qué hay de esperar en un país donde se usa el nag champa para disimular el tufo a marihuana?
Ya me imagino a Jesús jugando Monopolio con Buddha, Jehovah, Ja, Alláh, y el Sol, riéndose mientras pasa por “Go” y recibe $25 dólares adicionales por sus servicios cuando su ficha termina en la arca comunitaria.
El grupo entero tomando vino Chileno, sentados sobre nubes de malvavisco, tomando el día libre, hartos de escuchar en la oficina como cometemos imbecilidades en su nombre cuando ellos no tienen nada que ver.
Y aquí abajo la soledad tiene sabor a vodka barata y a te de canela.
