Poetic Memory: Judgement Day (List)
Photo credit: Riki Feldman
Everyone worth talking to agrees that Terminator 2: Judgment Day is one of the best action movies ever made. It can be no coincidence, then, that Oakland cinephile musicians Judgement Day chose the name they did. With rapid-fire drumming and laser battle synths, their music is the perfect soundtrack for your post-apocalyptic uprising against the evil machines.
Judgement Day are no strangers to action films. In fact, the string metal band spent years sifting through everything the genre has to offer, and have kindly compiled a list of the absolute worst for us.
You can check the band out live this Saturday, March 13th, at Soda Bar. They’ll be playing alongside The Burning of Rome, Battlehooch, and Boyscout in a special show curated by San Diego: Dialed In. It’s rare for San Diego: Dialed In to put together a show themselves, but the prospect of assembling such an action-packed lineup proved irresistible.
Now, without further ado, here are Judgement Day’s Top 5 Favorite Bad Action Movies of All Time… (more…)
The Curious Case of Jay Leno
When considering whether ancient aliens landed on Earth thousands of years ago and got civilization boost started here, you’re bound to create a few sentences ending with question marks. This is precisely what happened to Erich von Daniken when he wrote Chariots of the Gods, a book that reimagines Earth’s ancient origins. Among others, von Daniken poses the following questions: “Was God an astronaut?”; “What connection have mummies with our theory of space travelers in the remote past?”; “Will hospitals in the year 2100 be spare-part stores for defective men?”; and “Ought we not ask such questions?”
With more than two hundred question marks in the slim book, von Daniken leaves the reader clamoring for answers. But you have to appreciate the fact that von Daniken’s willing to ask the questions everyone else is perhaps too afraid to.
It’s with this inquisitive spirit that we consider Jay Leno’s unprecedented return to The Tonight Show. There are lots of questions, to be sure, but let’s start with what we do know: airwaves are soon to be The Jay Leno Show-free and new episodes of The Tonight Show will begin airing March 1, with Leno as the permanent guest host of the show, which has no permanent host. Now for the questions. (more…)
The Judgment of Conan O’Brien
In the final moments of Friday’s The Tonight Show, the now former host, Conan O’Brien, grabbed an ax (that’s slang for guitar) and joined The Max Weinberg 7 to perform “Freebird,” which also included one of the dudes from ZZ Top (the long-bearded guy), Ben Harper, Beck, and Will Ferrell on lead vocals. The spectacle turned an otherwise melancholy moment into something amusing (the segment, along with the rest of O’Brien’s final episode at the helm, can currently be viewed, with limited commercial interruption, at Hulu). The supergroup’s competencies notwithstanding, there were two remarkable things about the performance. First, O’Brien’s ability to shred (that’s slang for play ax); and second, his alternating expressions of joy, sadness, and, more interestingly, relief.
He’s been through a lot (frankly, we all have). O’Brien was having fun jamming, for sure, but by the end it was like watching someone who, after coming to terms with the fact that there’s nothing more the doctors can do for him, happily dies in his sleep while dreaming and, once dead, ascends to heaven. Or something to that effect. (more…)
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros – ‘Kisses Over Babylon’ (Video)
As if being one of 2009’s breakout bands—thanks to their incredible Merge release Up From Below—wasn’t enough, it appears that Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros also have some cinematic ambitions. They’ve just released “Kisses Over Babylon,” the second installment in a 12-part video series entitled SALVO! The videos depict a Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic wasteland where water is in short supply and Edward Sharpe is a wanted man. The clip costars character actor-extraordinaire David Strathairn, best known for his riveting performance as Edward R. Murrow in Good Night and Good Luck.
And, since no indie rock video these days is complete without some gratuitous nudity, you should be warned that the video is slightly NSFW. Finally, in case you missed it, we’ve also got the first part of the epic series, “Desert Song”, after the jump. (more…)
Factory 25 to Release Films/Vinyls Featuring No Age, Sufjan, Rosie Thomas, Others (Video)
Factory 25, a new independent film and vinyl label based in Brooklyn, specializes in packaging indie DVDs with limited edition vinyl, posters and other goodies.
They’re about to release a slew of new stuff on October 27, including the films High School Record, All The Way From Michigan Not Mars, and You Weren’t There. The latter two releases come with special edition vinyls.
Out already (September 29) is Damon and Naomi’s 1001 Nights, a comprehensive anthology of videos and live performances from 2001 through 2009.
The folks at Factory 25 are rightly excited about these films, some of which feature indie music luminaries like No Age, Minutemen, Rosie Thomas, and Sufjan Stevens. More info and trailers after the jump. (more…)
Book Review: ‘That Summertime Sound’ by Matthew Specktor
That Summertime Sound is a vivid and memorable document of ’80s-era musical obsession.
Screenwriter Matthew Spector’s debut novel centers around a nineteen-year-old college kid who decides to skip summer back home in L.A. for the comparably more interesting Columbus, Ohio. The narrator (who wishes to remain nameless) seeks new experiences, as well as Lords of Oblivion, his mythical favorite band, so the trip doubles as a hajj to pray at lead singer Nic Devine’s wailing wall of sound. (more…)
David Lynch Solo Show Opens at Griffin in Santa Monica (Links)
David Lynch Solo Show Opens at Griffin in Santa Monica David Lynch’s exhibition “New Painting”, opens September 12th at Griffin and runs through December 12th. The Tale of a Fucked-Up Comic Signing Alex Pardee did not have a typical book signing in Seattle. German Study: Humour is an ‘Act of Aggression’ Humour is an act of agression and telling jokes is a method of reinforcing a social hierarchy. Review of Steely Dan at the Gibson Amphitheater A few minutes before Steely Dan took the stage to play the entirety of its 1977 album Aja, a man wandered the grounds dressed as Jesus—wavy, honey-colored hair, a shapeless sackcloth and a benevolent gaze for every sinner who cheered him on. You Are What You Listen To A new study says that your choice of music could mark you as boring, dim, or unattractive. White House Moments: A Time Lapse View From the East Room, where most official functions are held, to the Rose Garden, the South Lawn and the West Wing, I set the cameras up to fire one picture every 5 to 10 seconds before, during and after the events.
Why Facebook is Sooooo Gonna Get You Fired (Links)
Fahrenheit 451 in Comic-Book Form As the end time for printed books draws near, Fahrenheit 451, the 1953 novel that envisioned it all, has just been published as a graphic novel. New Coen Brothers Short Film World Cinema has finally found its way onto YouTube. Tom Waits Terrifies in Parnassus Trailer Tom Waits plays Satan in Terry Gilliam’s forthcoming film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Beyond Belief The comedy scene has become the latest arena for the God debate. A new wave of irreverent, atheist stand-ups are taking on the rise of religion. Why Facebook is Sooooo Gonna Get You Fired Even more dangerous than friending your parents on Facebook? Friending a) your boss and b) the cubicle-mate you kinda can’t stand. Errol Morris: Seven Lies About Lying I had an example from the Bible, specifically about Jacob and his 12 sons. The Nine Eyes of Google Street View Never hiding its presence, but never announcing its arrival, the Street View vehicle is a systematic pursuer of fleeting moments.
She & Him – “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” (Video)
(500) Days of Summer is a formulaic, twee romantic comedy masquerading as an iconoclastic rethinking of the date movie designed to lure in unsuspecting hipsters by flattering their self-perceived sophistication and esoteric musical taste (“You like the Smiths?“) that ultimately perpetuates the same silly, shallow, and juvenile worldview it claims to transcend, and, in doing so, sends the increasingly trite and predictable indie-rock film aesthetic careening even farther toward the mainstream whilst offering a version of He’s Just Not That Into You for Buffalo Exchange shoppers.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun.
Case in point: the new video for She & Him’s “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” (courtesy of USA Today), which stars (500) Days odd couple Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel (aka the She to M. Ward’s Him) in the charming tale of a mid-heist boogie session. Had this video been included in the movie, it would have stood out as a rare reprieve from watching Gordon-Levitt agonize over Deschanel’s vacuous, Ringo-loving heartbreaker.
You can watch the video, preceded by an introduction from the perpetually dazed pleasant Deschanel, after the jump. (more…)
Why So Modest? (Video)
In January, it will have already been two years since Heath Ledger died. And as much as the world continues to miss him, that loss is eased somewhat by the continued unveiling of Ledger’s latter-day projects. Last summer, we were treated to a little film called The Dark Knight, which won Ledger a much-deserved posthumous Oscar.
This fall, we will get to see his final film, the Terry Gilliam-directed The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (also starring Tom Waits), which finds Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell assuming Ledger’s role for the scenes left unfinished at the time of his demise.
But, in even more exciting news, today has seen the belated release of “King Rat”, an animated music video Ledger directed for indie darlings/smart-asses Modest Mouse. Completed in collaboration with LA’s THE MASSES, the video’s release is timed to coincide with Modest Mouse’s new EP No One’s First and You’re Next. The EP contains newly recorded songs from the We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank and Good News for People Who Love Bad News sessions, as well as two rare b-sides.
In addition to being entertaining, the video has a conservationist bent. According to THE MASSES:
Proceeds from iTunes video downloads in the first month of release will go toward Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization organization committed to ending the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. Sea Shepherd uses direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas. We encourage you to visit their site if you are compelled to make a larger donation or volunteer your time.
We’ve got the video for “King Rat” after the jump. (more…)
Ever Downloaded a Copyrighted Song? You Owe Infinity Dollars (Links)
Ever Downloaded a Copyrighted Song? You Owe Infinity Dollars Jammie Thomas-Rasset, the first woman who was charged with copyright infringement and offered to settle but decided to fight the RIAA, is guilty and owes the recording industry 1.92 million dollars, or $80,000 per song. Get a Life, Holden Caulfield What once seemed like courageous truth-telling now strikes many students as “weird,” “whiny” and “immature.” Playboy Acquires Rights to Serialize Nabokov’s Final Work Every now and then, Playboy publishes something that really does compel people to pick up the magazine for the articles. The latest addition to this list is The Original of Laura, the novella Vladimir Nabokov was scribbling onto index cards until his death in 1977. Photographer Got $30 for Time’s “New Frugality” Cover Image “How wonderful for you!” a commenter writes on the photographer’s message board. “You get to work and work and work to produce great imagery and a multi-national, multi-billion dollar company with an advertising budget in the tens of millions gets to use your image on the cover for $30.” More Than Just Pretty Faces Ideas of beauty have changed considerably over the last 60 years. Cleavage Power: A Scientific Inquiry A writer takes her endowments to the streets and finds not just leering but also liberation. The KKK in Photos Anthony Karen has photographed today’s Klan for LIFE magazine.
Zach Galifianakis Wants Pics of Your Tunts
Yup, Tunts. I’m not exactly sure what a Tunt is, but I do know Zach Galifianakis is definitely a Level-3 one of them. Another thing to consider is, you are or become a Tunt at the Jeffers Corporation, which, if you didn’t know, is “the largest and friendliest and most profitable corporation in the history of all mankind.”
Also, everyone at the Jeffers Corporation greets one another by flipping the bird, which seems to have spread like some sort of meme in New York and Los Angeles. This makes sense, since Zach is willing to meet you in one of these places if he’s really into pics of your Tunts.
Ready to send Zach pics? It’s for a contest, so make sure your Tunts are fetching. Here’s what’s going on: First, host a screening of Visioneers, a movie starring Zach, which comes out on DVD July 21. Second, take pictures of the audience, who, it seems, by virtue of viewing Visioneers, are now a bunch of Tunts, and so will you be among them. Third, send those Tunts to Zach, or whoever’s judging the contest. Finally, win, meet Zach in NYC or LA, and have him sign your beard, which you grew to win a consolation prize in case your Tunts did nothing for Zach and his people. (It’s probably better to go to the movie’s official website where they can officially tell you about the contest all nice and official-like.) (more…)
The Swell Season Share the Joy (News)
Who doesn’t love The Swell Season? Ever since charming moviegoers with the romantic sleeper hit Once, Irish/Czech odd couple Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova have been trotting around the globe, bringing their heart-wrenching ballads to sold-out, adoring crowds. Their live performances have become renowned not just for the terrific music, but for Hansard’s endlessly engaging stream of anecdotes. And who could forget their much-deserved Oscar win for Best Original Song, which dutifully trampled the three obnoxious nominees from Disney’s Enchanted, and introduced the world to Hansard’s aw-shucks modesty and Irglova’s soft-spoken adorability?
Those who have played out their copies of the Once soundtrack now have cause to rejoice. The Swell Season—led by Hansard and Irglova and featuring members of Hansard’s other band The Frames—will be releasing Strict Joy on ANTI- Records on September 29th. Borrowing its name from a poem by James Stephens, the album features twelve new songs influenced by the band’s sudden and tumultuous success, as well as the birth and death of Hansard and Irglova’s offscreen romance.
The Swell Season will be touring in support of the new album, the dates for which will be announced soon. Also coming soon is a documentary that captures the band’s whirlwind post-Once tour, and which, if we’re lucky, will contain a performance of the hilarious children’s song “Banana Man”. We’ve got the track list for Strict Joy after the jump, as well as a video of Hansard and Irglova performing the inexorably awesome “Falling Slowly”. (more…)
Issue-Having Michaels and the State of Things (TV)
Michael & Michael Have Issues, a headbirth of Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter (note that, so as to not get political, from now on I’ll refer to them as M&M because I can’t be sure which Michael comes first in the title, and I only mentioned Mr. Showalter after Mr. Black above for alphabetical reasons), is, simply put, an upcoming television show. Premiering on Comedy Central July 15 at 10:30 EST, the show is a sketch show about M&M making their own sketch show, according to a press release from Comedy Central. We’re in store for some meta-sketching, it seems. But not to worry—we may be in good hands.
The folks over at Punchline Magazine, a website that takes comedy seriously, had the good fortune of seeing the pilot. The show, according to Punchline, is “fucking hilarious” and suitable for those who got down on the idiosyncratic humor of Stella and also for newcomers unfamiliar with M&M but looking for something edgier than SNL.
Comedy Central has had mixed results with its original seasonal programming. Many shows, like Freak Show and Dog Bites Man (and Stella, for that matter), go unappreciated and don’t live to see a second season. Others, like Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist and Strangers with Candy, have a decent go at it. And still others, like South Park and Reno 911!, endure. (more…)
Watch Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel Live at Jittery Joe’s (Links)
Watch Jeff Mangum Live at Jittery Joe’s One week only at PitchforkTV. Where Hiphop is “Going” And where it never was. Eight Druggiest Rock Star Stories Some of the twisted highlights or low-lights of rock star behavior. Phil Spector Gets 19 to Life The only wall of sound Phil Spector will be hearing is the night howls of a state penitentiary. Will Shakespeare’s Come and Gone One writer beautifully captures the mood of most audiences at Shakespeare performances as “reverently unreceptive,” “gratified that they have come, and gratified that they now may go.” Madame Bovary Goes Interactive Thanks to an unprecedented international collaboration between scholars and volunteers, we can now trace the development of Flaubert’s masterpiece online, draft by draft.
Shane MacGowan Gets a Set of New Teeth (Links)
Shane MacGowan Gets a Set of New Teeth The Pogues singer had recently talked about getting his teeth fixed to prevent his face from ‘falling apart’. Tone Language Is Key To Perfect Pitch “Perfect” or “absolute” pitch is rare in the U.S. and Europe, but musicians who speak an East Asian tone language fluently are much more likely to have the ability. You’ve Read the Book, Now Take a Look! Literary tourism and the quest for authenticity. The New Nuke Porn From Critical Mass to The Road: a new wave of graphic nuke porn. Pop TV Shows Inaccurately Portray Violent Crime Researchers compared two popular television shows, CSI and CSI: Miami, to actual US homicide data, and discovered clear differences between media portrayals of violent deaths versus actual murders.
Mitchell Hurwitz Says, ‘Sit Down, Shut Up’ (TV)
Particle accelerators take things like protons and electrons, pack them into a device, and then launch the particles into an unwavering collision course with one another. Though this sounds like a lot of fun (like crash-testing cars), the goal is actual results, which the observers hope are significant and not a waste of time.
Television sets, the soon-to-be-obsolete kind with cathode ray tubes, are examples of particle accelerators, and the violence within these boxes results in programming, which the viewers hope is not a waste of time, having learned long ago to not expect significant results.
‘The Best Damn Job in the Whole Damn World’
Roger Ebert is still hanging on (after surviving salivary gland cancer and having his jaw removed), and in his online journal over at the Chicago Sun-Times, he recounts a pretty hilarious story about innocence, legendary columnist Mike Royko, and the eye-opener place:
At about 8 p.m. on New Year’s Day of 1967, only two lights on the floor were burning–mine, and Royko’s. It was too early for the graveyard shift to come in. Royko walked over to see who else was working. A historic snowstorm was beginning. He asked me how I was getting home. I said I’d take the train. He said he had his old man’s Checker car and would drop me at a train station. He had to make a stop at a 24-hour drugstore right where the L crossed North Avenue. (more…)
“Wild Things” Make Your Heart Sing
The trailer for Where the Wild Things Are has been released, and it looks terrific. With its refreshingly non-CGI effects and its inspired use of “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire, the preview dazzles the eyes and the ears alike.
The movie, directed by the brilliant Spike Jonze from a script he co-wrote with the brilliant David Eggers—which was of course adapted from the immortal children’s story by the brilliant Maurice Sendak—features a score composed by the brilliant Karen O, and comes out on October 16th.
Fox to Strip Special Features From Rental DVDs
If you don’t like the movie that you rented, at least you only paid $4 for it and you don’t own it; and if you love the movie, you get to watch it and all the accompanying special features at a fraction of the retail price. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is about to take the insurance away from us. Starting March 31, Fox will begin stripping rental DVDs of their special features in an attempt to increase DVD sales.
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Win Phish’s 7DVD ‘Clifford Ball’ Box Set (Contest)
Rhino recently released this 7-DVD collection documenting The Clifford Ball, a “landmark concert event” that drew more than 70,000 fans to upstate New York in August 1996. According to the press release:
It was the largest concert event of 1996 in North America and set the tone for festivals including Bonnaroo and Coachella. Ray Waddell summed it up in Billboard: “Bonnaroo is a direct descendant of Phish’s one-band festival extravaganzas like Clifford Ball…Bonnaroo launched with—and maintains—the same self-contained, immersive experience as the Phish events, as well as its laissez-faire treatment of fans and spirit of community.”
To enter the contest, comment on this post and include your email address in the form (your email address won’t be visible to the public).
The winner will be chosen at random on 3/31.
Entire Peanuts Archive Available Online, Free
Good grief! Described as “arguably the longest story ever told by one human being”, the entire run–just shy of 50 years–of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts can now, legally, be read online.
Lebowski Fest Rolls Into Year Eight
There are very few situations where it’s appropriate to wear a robe, guzzle White Russians with no remorse and throw rocks all day long. Precious few, in fact. But don’t lose hope: a place exists where all this and more is welcomed with open arms.
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