Rubbish, With Occasional Music

Two in a row! I’ve exceeded my own expectations.

Smiley Face: A pot comedy placing the stoner protagonist amidst increasingly over the top and ridiculous situations. Very much along the lines of Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. Normally, I’d judge a movie like this on how many times I’d want to watch it over and over again, but I think I’ve outgrown that. For allegedly being sober throughout production, Anna Farris does an amazing job of playing burnout Jane F. And for having eaten an entire platter of pot cupcakes, Jane’s exploits move at a pretty brisk pace, introducing her to a bevy of people who all manage to alter her trajectory, for better or worse, as she tries to acquires the money she needs to pay off her dealer. The casting is a veritable who’s who of actors whom most people would probably recognize from their other roles as burnouts. Danny Masterson’s scenes near the end of the film are both disturbing and hilarious, though Roscoe Lee Browne’s narration takes the cake. I really liked several sets of cuts in the movie that reminded me a lot of Requiem for a Dream, which maybe was intended, but probably not.

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man: The film suffered a little from being conceptualized and directed by someone who was obviously a big fan. At the very least, the film could have benefited greatly from editing by someone who would have taken a slightly more critical look at the film and the musician. The film does a fine job at outlining the path of Walker’s career, paired with his own commentary and that of other big music names, but where the film really shines are the shots of Walker in the studio recording his latest album The Drift. Rather than more footage of various industry insiders all questioning why Scott 4 and other albums didn’t sell, I would have much preferred to see the filmmakers take greater advantage of the amazing access they had to Scott and his work environment. The scenes of the more playful, whimsical Walker directing a studio percussionist on how to better punch a rack of pork ribs or shuffling a metal pail over a giant wooden cube are some of the best of the film. On the subject of talking heads though, some of my favorite non-Walker interview footage in the film are very tight shots of the guests listening to various Scott Walker albums and songs. Watching how they react to what they’re listening to and describe what parts of the song that draw them in or fascinate them comes across as intimate, and surprisingly, very interesting.

A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar…: A documentary following six law school graduates as they prepare for the California bar exam which has the lowest passing percentage in the country (39%). Most are taking it for the first time, one for the forty-first time. There’s a good sense of humor about the film, and the footage of the participants is nicely split with interviews with fairly well known lawyers and commentators offering insight to various subjects ranging from frivolous lawsuits to the bar exam to the American perception of lawyers. I probably could have enjoyed the movie a lot more, but I feel the filmmakers did a real disservice to the film with it’s treatment of the participants. One subject was painted in such a bad light that at the end of the film when they learned that they didn’t pass the bar, there was actually cheering and clapping scattered throughout the theater. Maybe the director felt that the film needed a villain, or perhaps he was just trying to add more drama. I would have preferred to have seen a more even-handed approach to their subjects rather than having them patch footage together in an attempt to create a character to fill a role that they feel is needed in the film. If the subject was half as bad as the footage portrayed them to be, they should have been left to dig their own hole, rather than having it dug for them in such a heavy handed manner.

I have no idea how well I’ll keep up with this, or how in depth I’ll get, but here goes.

Cat Dancers: A documentary chronicling the lives of dancers Ron & Joy Holiday and the creation of their performance act ‘Cat Dancers’, and their later partnership with Chuck Lizza. The editing of the film coupled with the use of Ron’s own archival footage of their old acts give the majority of the film a very dreamy nostalgic feel that worked really well with Ron’s narrative. Given the material to work with, I think Ron’s story was treated very earnestly and sensitively. Ron comes across as an open and sincere individual and very honestly recalls his experiences with Joy and Chuck throughout their career and relationships, which could have likely been twisted to make many easy jokes at his expense. Luckily there’s genuine humor in the film, which the majority of the audience picked up on despite a few snickers during Ron’s introduction, and even more when the nature of the Holiday’s relationship with Chuck became clear. Joy & Chuck’s absence in the beginning of the film hint at the tragedy to come and prepare the viewer, but I still found Ron’s somber description of the incidents paired with his and (I assume) the police photos of the scenes completely heartbreaking.

Scrambled Beer (Malta con Huevo): An absurd dark comedy with time travelling and a prophetic goth teenager. The title refers to a vile cocktail that plays a prominent roll in the film. The drink is concocted by blending an egg, some sugar, and a pint of beer. “It’s the champ’s breakfast!” After the first few minutes of the film, I didn’t think I was really going to get into it, particularly because of the ‘Odd Couple’ cliche that’s set up early between Vladimir and his new room-mate Jorge. Luckily, the film does not rely on that dynamic as a source of comedy for long and Vladimir shortly finds himself time travelling while his chaotic world is thrown into disarray. Without giving too much away, there’s a major perspective change part way through the film that really caught me off guard and completely endeared me to the film and really won me over. Scrambled Beer will be screening again Tuesday the 13th, 10PM at the Dobie.

This is sort of late notice, but Turner Classic Movies is playing Miyazaki / Studio Ghibli movies every Thursday this month.

Starting at 4:00 (CST) this evening they’ll be airing:

My Neighbor Totoro (1993)
Porco Rosso (1992)
Whisper of the Heart (1995)

Beginning at 9:15, they’ll be running them again but with subtitles.

Next thursday, again starting at 4:00, they’ll be screening:

Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poko (1994)

Then again airing them with subtitles at 8:30.

The other thing about this retrospective that’s so great is that all of these films have finally been localized with dubs and subs. Scanning through Amazon’s catalogue, it seems as though the entire Ghibli collection, with the exception of three films, has already been released. Those currently unavailable should be released on March 7th, along with the re-release of My Neighbor Totoro which will finally include the JP language track.

TCM has a brief essay about Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli along with full showtimes and synopses.

Thanks to the recommendation of several friends, I had the immense pleasure of witnessing the spectacle that is Gogol Bordello. A schizophrenic mix of punk, east European folk, dub and hip-hop, it was without a doubt the most enjoyable show I’ve seen this year¹. Trying to convey the energy and intensity they brought on stage leaves me at a loss for words, but others far more qualified for such endeavors could probably manage.

As to be expected, their studio recordings do little justice to their live act, but at this point I’ll take what I can get.

Immigrant Punk
Think Locally, Fuck Globally
Not A Crime

Also of semi-related interest is the mention of two Romani-centric directors on the Gogol Tour Bus Music Collection page. Emir Kusturica and Tony Gatlif. I was having trouble recalling films with any Romani characters, stereotypical or otherwise, so I think this warrants at least one trip to I Love Video.

¹ With of course the exception of the legendary Desmond Dekker, but that was in San Francisco, and until that show I was under the impression he was dead. So I’m not so sure that it counts.