A Couple of Documentaries (Music Related) and Some Awful Films-- Plus Another Concert

Sunday night, I went to yet another concert. It was another sort-of last-minute decision. The indie folk rock band, Dawes, was in town. They had been in Maine a couple of times, as opening acts- most recently for Bob Dylan in my hometown. Admittedly, I hadn't heard too much by them. Maybe 2 or 3 songs, at most, but I dug their sound. And the show was right down the street, and only $20 (which is cheap, consider the amount I've paid for some shows-- re: Taylor Swift or Tool or Pearl Jam).
I was very impressed with their live show. You should definitely check them out.

  1. Encore:
  2. (Blake Mills cover)
And then, Monday night, I went to SPACE Gallery, a great non-profit venue here in Portland that puts on a variety of things. Monday night, in celebration of Banned Books Week, there was an assembly of Maine authors reading passages from some books that have either been banned (for a variety of reasons) around the country, or books that are being challenged. This was a great, FREE, event. I heard passages from some great, classic books (and some not so classic novels).

Here's a list of some of the books authors read from (and also some books that are on the banned/challenged list (some are ridiculous and really make me wonder about censorship versus freedom of speech-- and as a writer, myself, I am definitely an advocate of free speech). I don't think anyone should be able to tell us what we can and cannot read. And let's be honest, putting some controversy behind a book makes it that much more enticing to read. Honestly.

http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10


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Film 263
"The Best and the Brightest"
starring: Neil Patrick Harris, Bonnie Somerville, Amy Sedaris, Chris McDonald
written and directed by: Josh Shelov

There's so much wrong with this film it's almost sad. First, I'm sorry but putting Neil Patrick Harris is a straight- husband role just doesn't work for me, especially when he's supposed to be a concerned parent of a future-Kindergarten student in New York. And his wife, played by Bonnie Somerville (whom I know from "Friends" as well as the fact that she's a singer on the side), is clearly a social-ladder-climber who has nightmares of the prospect that her daughter might have to attend public school in New York, because, as she soon finds out, she is late to the game when it comes to signing her daughter up for private school. It's a film with characters so concerned with social-climbing that I think they almost forget whom they are bending over backwards for (re: their daughter).

Beatrice (Somerville) is a nightmare of a bored housewife looking for excitement and looking out for her herself, disguising it as an interest in her daughter's future (but let's be honest, where her daughter goes is going to say a lot more about her than it will her daughter, because honestly a five year old doesn't even know the difference). She's a privileged woman, who has grown tired of life in the middle in Delaware, so she uproots her family to New York, in the hopes of a better life. Upon arriving, though, she quickly realizes what was a privileged life in Delaware is a lower-class lifestyle in New York. The apartment that they can afford is about the size of a janitor's closet in their apartment. Beatrice is not a working woman, because it seems that her full time job is getting her daughter into a prestigious private school. But things are not looking good, so she hires a professional consultant (what? that's an actual job?!), played by Amy Sedaris (who is usually enlightening in her comedic roles, but here she just gets really friggin' annoying).

Together, the women concoct an idea to pass Jeff (Neil Patrick Harris) off as a poet, because that's the kind of career that will get their daughter into a private school, thanks to generous loopholes for "famous" folk. He wrote Beatrice a poem, once, but that's about it. He accidentally passes off his friend's perverted, sexual poems to the headmistress of the private school Beatrice has her eyes on for their daughter. The headmistress happens to like it (but smells something fishy).

There's lots of cheap and terrible mistaken identity shenanigans and PG-13 antics (I'm thinking, "American Pie"). The writing is just awful. The acting is subpar and made me think these actors simply did the film for the check. No one seems interested or invested in the low-budget product that they create.
Shamefully awful. Awfully shameful. I thought it was terrible.

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Film 264
"I'm Still Here"
starring: Joaquin Phoenix
directed by: Casey Affleck



Joaquin Phoenix could possibly be the greatest actor of this millenium. Why? Because of "I'm Still Here." I mean, this film cannot be labeled a "Comedy/Documentary" without you realize it's one big, long joke that Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix (and everyone else in the film) thought up and played out on screen. I mean, it's hard to believe, while watching it, that anyone could take themselves so seriously; and it also makes you wonder how many times that had to stop filming because everyone was laughing too hard.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Good thing Joaquin Phoenix has never actually wasted his mind, even if he didn't necessarily come up with this role all on his role. The role being that of an actor retiring from the business in order to pursue a career in the music industry- as a rapper. A terrible, although not completely untalented rapper. White. But not with the same appeal as say, Marshall Mathers aka Eminem. No, instead, Phoenix has let his hair grow out and look unkempt for God knows how long. And he's growing a ridiculous beard. How can anyone take him seriously when he looks the way he does. 

The tragedy ofJoaquin Phoenix's self-destruction has been made into "I'm Still Here." Here is a gifted actor who apparently by his own decision has brought desolation upon his head. He was serious when he said he would never act again. He was serious when he announced a career as a hip hop artist. He wasn't goofing when he was on the Letterman show. He was flying into pieces. Or was he? It's common knowledge now that the entire plot was a hoax. A brilliant hoax. A hilarious hoax, which I was never convinced was ever real. 

I absolutely love his appearance on Letterman, which has now become quite infamous. But, knowing that this film is a hoax, I love the fact that it was all probably predetermined (and I'm convinced that Letterman was in on the whole gag, but if he wasn't, it makes everything even better). After Phoenix imploded on Letterman, we see him leaving a limousine in Central Park, crawling up an embankment into some shrubbery, and screaming that he has destroyed his life, his music sucks, he will never be able to act again, and "I'm totally f**cked!"

Phoenix comes across as a narcissist interested only in himself. He is bored with acting. He was only a puppet. He can no longer stand where he's told, wear what he's given, say what is written. It's not him. He has lost contact with his inner self. He allows that true self to emerge here as a fearsomely bearded, deliberately shabby chain-smoking egotist who screams at his patient assistants, blames himself on everyone else, and has deluded himself into thinking that there is a future in his dreadful hip-hop lyrics. This is probably the best character he's ever created for himself. 
Phoenix, as this asshole of a man, thinks fame and fortune are due him. He earned them in his acting career, yes, but he will no longer act. Really? Seeing him give up acting is perhaps the greatest act he could provide for us. Or, at least, it's highly entertaining. 

This is a great film, along the lines of "This is Spinal Tap." Seriously. 

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Film 265
"Katy Perry: Part of Me"
starring: you guessed it, Katy Perry



This music documentary follows the typical formula and provides a plethora of wanted footage for fans of Katy Perry (and I have to admit, out of the gate, of really enjoying, without guilt of any kind, her bubblegum, cookie cutter, infectious pop music-- and she's adorably hot, like somewhat approachable and definitely worth spending time with, and she almost makes you believe she'd consider spending time with you). There's plenty of footage of her megabucks-sugary-infused transcontinental tour in support of her 2010 sophomore album "Teenage Dream" which spawned 5 #1 hits (the most of any star since Michael Jackson). There's a lot of backstage footage, in an attempt to show us what it takes to put on and be involved in such a massive production as her concert tour- not to mention the emotional and physical toll it can have on someone, even in her position- I mean, she's supposed to be on top of the world. We also see her "almost" as a regular person, as her new relationship with actor/comedian Russell Brand develops really fast and they get married- but ultimately, her schedule and demanding lifestyle would defeat their marriage (who would've guessed?). It's actually rare for such a huge superstar like Katy Perry to put herself on screen in such vulnerable states (re: sans makeup and wig, and also as her marriage deteriorates and she becomes an emotional wreck, you actually feel for her, because it was one of those unexpected storylines that just happened while they were filming her otherwise bubbly personality on tour). Those humanizing moments are endearing and made me like Katy Perry as a person, because she actually comes off as a person.

Unfortunately, the film more often than not just shows us that Katy Perry is another "victim" of an industry that manufactured her to their liking (for our liking, and consumption). We eat up her bubbly personality and edginess and buy it as truth. When she's filmed offstage, though, she presents herself as that hammy, oversized, attention-seeking goofball (like a supermodel that has to make ridiculous faces when a camera is on them because they don't want to accept how utterly beautiful they are, like maybe we'll take them a bit more seriously if they don't take themselves seriously).

I do applaud Katy Perry for being as real as she can be, given the circumstances of her existence in the pop music world. What we learn is that although, Katy Perry is very manufactured nowadays, she actually spent many years in the music industry purgatory, mostly because the important people didn't really know what to do with her, how to classify her, and most importantly- how to sell her. She started as a Christian songstress, strumming her guitar and singing "meaningful" songs. Then, she was a faux-punk in the same vein as Avril Lavigne (because she was popular at the time and the music industry likes to produce clones). Then, she finally became and settled for the ditzy pop-tart personality that has served her very very well. Although, she doesn't spend much of any time in the film really discussing her musical pilgrimage, it can be said that she certainly found her voice as the incarnation of who she is nowadays and it's also made her uber-successful.

Her concerts are quite a spectacle to be seen, unfortunately we never get to see a song played out in its entirety. Instead, we see the grueling nature of a 124-date schedule for a world tour of this magnitude. Being let into her life, you do begin to sympathize with Perry as the tour grinds on and on- you can tell that she is exhausted, but being the ultimate pop-star that she is, she puts on her gameface every single night, even for her numbered meet-and-greets with the fans that made her who she is. At least she's thankful and appreciative of that fact, even when her personal life is falling apart. Yes, she cries, like all of us, when we lose love. But, she puts on the gameface that has made her millions of dollars, and we should appreciate her for that, day in and day out.

Despite its faults, I actually enjoyed this music documentary.



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Film 266
"Apollo 18"
starring: Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen, Ryan Robbins
directed by: Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego

All right, the found-footage horror genre of films is getting really really tiring. I think they've exhausted themselves. I think I can count on my hand the number of decent films in this subgenre (including: Quarantine, Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity and of course, The Blair Witch Project, the film that jumpstarted it all).

The appeal is obvious, as this subgenre of horror capitalizes precisely on the sorts of budgetary and aesthetic limitations that might otherwise keep a film from working its spell. In short, the found-footage horror film is supposed to look like shit, and it's that blurry, distorted, amateurish atmosphere that can lend otherwise traditional menaces a dimension of actual dread, as the "real life" illusion—if skillfully handled—seemingly allows us to directly experience the violation of something unknown and unwanted springing itself on us.
There's a trade-off, of course: Namely, that the core elements we savor in a good or even competent movie—performances, dialogue, astute camera placement—have been purposefully jettisoned. 
A bad found-footage movie leaves you deprived, stranded. You're waiting, sometimes desperately, for anything at all to happen.

"Apollo 18" is an abomination of this subgenre. Nothing happens in this film. At all.

Where "Cloverfield" and "Quarantine" succeed with making the audience wait and wait for the monster/villain to be revealed, almost at the very end of the film, because it's an actually scary, frightening monster dreamed up in filmmakers nightmares-- "Apollo 18" really fails. And miserably, I might add. The payoff at the end makes you feel cheated. Thankfully, I only watched this on Netflix streaming. I didn't care enough to even invest my full amount of time and/or attention in this film.

What a complete waste of time, and this is coming from a guy who loves horror films, cheesy or not.
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Film 267
"The Babymakers"
starring: Olivia Munn and Paul Schneider


"The Babymakers" is offensive to the male gender as its main premise focuses on the idea of being a man is solely based on a guy's ability to knock up his wife. And it's filled with juvenile notions of manhood that are equal to the high-jinx that ensue throughout the entire film.

Tommy, (played by Paul Schneider, poor guy, probably missing his days on "Parks and Rec") is firing blanks, sexually speaking. To the point that it's clearly frustrating his wife, Audrey (played by a usually adorable Olivia Munn-- a sexy gaming nerd and now reporter for "the Daily Show). Tommy's got the typical entourage of shit-talking buddies who question his manhood, but then, in the same conversation will offer him advice on how to get over this sexual hump (pun intended).

After being told by a doctor that he has a low sperm count (a fate worse than death, apparently) and being threatened with such humiliating procedures as a scrotal exploration, a desperate Tommy hatches a plan to steal the remaining sperm he deposited years ago at a local sperm bank when he presumably was still in possession of his virility- this is a fact that he also kept hidden from Audrey, who finds it a complete betrayal of trust, and grounds enough to leave him mid-film. 

It's all pretty "outrageous," from an early 10-minute sequence which consists solely of Tommy trying mostly unsuccessfully to jerk off, to the sperm-bank break-in during which one of the guy's pals knocks over a shelf of semen and then unwittingly rolls around in the resultant pool of man juice! Ridiculous. 

I hate that this film breathes around the expected notion that married couples are designed specifically to reproduce, to have children. And that man are supposed to be the providers, not just financially, but sexually- it's all on the guy. And then, it's the woman's job to carry the couple's offspring. It's filled with so many acceptable notions of monogamous heterosexual relationships/marriages. The ultimate goal in marriage is to create a family. Domestic life is a disaster, if we are to believe in this life, filled with lots of high-jinx, but in the end, everything will work out for those couples that deserve a happy ending (pun intended, yet again). 

I hate films like this. I felt cheapened and cheated as a film viewer. Don't take me for granted, damn it! 

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