15 Years Later...Foo Fighters at Fenway Park!!! And Some Films to Skip
I cannot believe I saw the Foo Fighters back in 2000 (with my sister). It was Mother's Day, to be exact. May 14, 2000. At the Civic Center in Portland. I remember the show as being quite awesome. Well, now it's 2015 and I finally got to see the Foo Fighters again. This time headlining what has been dubbed as the "Broken Leg Tour" (thanks to Dave Grohl taking quite a fall on the first night of the global tour, 6 minutes into the show- and he broke his leg, hence the tour). The dude is an incredible musician and he even finished that show. Then, he had a throne built so that he could sit and play their North American tour. And so, they played two nights at Fenway Park. I had a bunch of friends go on their Saturday night show, but I went on Sunday- Night Two, which Dave Grohl said is "always the better, louder crowd." I don't think we disappointed. And the Foo Fighters certainly did not disappoint me. They put on a incredible show with lots of memorable highlights. Check it out!
"The Den"
starring: Melanie Papalia, David Schlachtenhaufen, Adam Shapiro, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Matt Riedy, Katija Pevec
written and directed by: Zachary Donahue
"The Den" is meant to expose us to the idea or theory that we as a society are quite addicted to technology, computers in particular. The Den is the name of a chat room the main character, Elizabeth, participates in, as a way of utilizing grant money from the university where she is a grad student, as a way of funding her thesis project. The concept of this premise is highly unlikely and not necessary to drive the plot of the film, because there are plenty of other avenues to explore the idea of technology as a fetish. Elizabeth's days and nights consist of mostly wearing pajamas around the clock and video-chatting with strangers. She quickly falls down the messy rabbit hole that technology provides and never really leaves her house, except to visit (and later, to save) her sister (played by an underused Anna Margaret Hollyman).
The rabbit hole includes a mysterious person who hacks into her laptop and provides the audience with a voyeuristic approach to filming, because besides that, the film is present in computer screens and pop-up video screens. This is a concept of filmmaking that's already been done, thanks to another technology-fetish film "Open Windows" (which I've watched for this blog as well). The only difference here is that this film is presented as a horror. And sure, what happens to Elizabeth is horrifying, aside from having her privacy invaded (the mysterious hacker records her sexual encounter one night and then sends the video recording as an email from Elizabeth to her university colleagues). Elizabeth is also kidnapped near the climax of the film by these "scarecrow-looking" men and holed up in some kind of labyrinthian abandoned warehouse, of which she must escape from in order to survive.
It's an interesting film worth watching, late at night, in the dark, for its creepiness factor.
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"Would You Rather?"
starring: Brittany Snow, Jeffrey Combs, Jonny Coyne, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Enver Gjokaj, Sasha Grey, John Heard, Charlie Hofheimer, Eddie Steeples, June Squibb, Robin Lord Taylor
directed by: David Guy Levy
written by: Steffen Schlactenhaufen
The haves have been exploiting the have-nots for ages (think back to the times of slavery, etc.). This has been a subject in films for a long time as well. I am thinking of one of my favorite comedies, "Rat Race," in which they put a comedic take on the idea- and it's hilarious. "Would You Rather?" is almost presented in more of a torture-porn the likes of the "Saw" franchise, where a wealthy man invites guests to his house to play a sick version of the game "Would You Rather?" until only one is left standing. The victor gets a financial prize.
Eight strangers gather for a dinner party at the home of wealthy eccentric Shepard Lambrick (Jeffrey Combs), including plucky heroine Iris (Brittany Snow), who was promised untold riches and a life-saving medical operation for her sickly sibling if she simply plays and wins a mysterious competition. Although Levy and writer Steffen Schlachtenhaufen teasingly delay their reveal about the titular contest’s true stakes, it’s no shocker in a post-“Hunger Games” era. Thesping of the thinly sketched characters is largely forgettable, though Robin Lord Taylor proves notably awful as Lambrick’s spiteful son. Minimal gore will disappoint genre fans, the only conceivable customers for the pic’s increasingly tedious depravity.
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"Hot Girls Wanted"
directed by: Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus
written by: Brittany Huckabee
The trouble with this harrowing and brutally honest/truthful documentary is that the audience that needs to see it (re: young, teenage girls) probably never will. Why, though? Perhaps because it's easier to just dream about making "easy" money and becoming a star (in their own mind/eyes). These days I have noticed the younger generation wants and/or craves attention far more than any generation before it, and it is much easier for them to garner the attention and become stars for whatever lame or asinine reasons because of the tag "reality star." This young girls in this documentary are looking for fame and fortune in the bustling "reality porn" that has taken off in our country, because of how the internet has completely changed pornography. This film doesn't necessarily propose answers or solutions to the problem(s) it presents. Instead, it only looks to expose and shed light on something people either prefer not to think about while watching (which millions of people do) or are happy to indulge in it without thinking about the human beings (re: young, teenage girls) behind these fantasy scenes. Porn has become a mainstream in our culture (thanks in large part to "celebrities" simply made famous for their own names being attached to homemade sex tapes-- Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian).
Former print journalists making their second feature, Bauer and Gradus follow five different young women active in the bustling Florida porn scene (most are 18 or 19 years old, though one two-year veteran is 25 and already a “MILF”). But it’s 19-year-old former cheerleader Tressa who provides the film’s primary arc. From her excitement at getting into the business all the way through to her disillusioned exit, the co-directors managed to find a perfect representative for so many girls seduced and ultimately exploited by a ruthless and entirely unregulated industry.
Sleazy opportunists like Riley, the 23-year-old Tampa “talent agent” who reps Tressa during the span of the film, post ads on Craigslist offering free travel and other perks (“hot girls wanted,” natch) and have no trouble finding takers from all over the country. These aren’t just aspiring actresses pretending to be the girl next door; they’re literally the girls next door. The only legal requirement is to prove you’re over 18, and you’re in.
“Hot Girls Wanted” also conveys how much modern technology has changed the porn biz — not just in the ease of both access and production (basically any rube can shoot a sex act on a phone and label it art and therefore “free speech”), but also the self-promotional culture created by social media. At a time when self-esteem is determined by likes, friends and followers, the quickest way to boost a social profile is through sex appeal. As 19-year-old Michelle says of her transition from nude Twitpics to filming hardcore scenes: “I do it anyway, why not?”
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"The Unwanted"
starring: Hannah Fierman, William Katt, Christen Orr
written and directed by: Bret Wood
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(Slow version with extended… more )
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(The Cars cover) (Snippet during band introduction)
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(Van Halen cover) (Snippet during band introduction)
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(The White Stripes cover) (With Dave Grohl's orthopedic… more )
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(Acoustic)
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(Acoustic)
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(Queen & David Bowie cover)
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(Alice Cooper cover) (with Sully Erna)
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"The Den"
starring: Melanie Papalia, David Schlachtenhaufen, Adam Shapiro, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Matt Riedy, Katija Pevec
written and directed by: Zachary Donahue
"The Den" is meant to expose us to the idea or theory that we as a society are quite addicted to technology, computers in particular. The Den is the name of a chat room the main character, Elizabeth, participates in, as a way of utilizing grant money from the university where she is a grad student, as a way of funding her thesis project. The concept of this premise is highly unlikely and not necessary to drive the plot of the film, because there are plenty of other avenues to explore the idea of technology as a fetish. Elizabeth's days and nights consist of mostly wearing pajamas around the clock and video-chatting with strangers. She quickly falls down the messy rabbit hole that technology provides and never really leaves her house, except to visit (and later, to save) her sister (played by an underused Anna Margaret Hollyman).
The rabbit hole includes a mysterious person who hacks into her laptop and provides the audience with a voyeuristic approach to filming, because besides that, the film is present in computer screens and pop-up video screens. This is a concept of filmmaking that's already been done, thanks to another technology-fetish film "Open Windows" (which I've watched for this blog as well). The only difference here is that this film is presented as a horror. And sure, what happens to Elizabeth is horrifying, aside from having her privacy invaded (the mysterious hacker records her sexual encounter one night and then sends the video recording as an email from Elizabeth to her university colleagues). Elizabeth is also kidnapped near the climax of the film by these "scarecrow-looking" men and holed up in some kind of labyrinthian abandoned warehouse, of which she must escape from in order to survive.
It's an interesting film worth watching, late at night, in the dark, for its creepiness factor.
.......................................................................................
"Would You Rather?"
starring: Brittany Snow, Jeffrey Combs, Jonny Coyne, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Enver Gjokaj, Sasha Grey, John Heard, Charlie Hofheimer, Eddie Steeples, June Squibb, Robin Lord Taylor
directed by: David Guy Levy
written by: Steffen Schlactenhaufen
The haves have been exploiting the have-nots for ages (think back to the times of slavery, etc.). This has been a subject in films for a long time as well. I am thinking of one of my favorite comedies, "Rat Race," in which they put a comedic take on the idea- and it's hilarious. "Would You Rather?" is almost presented in more of a torture-porn the likes of the "Saw" franchise, where a wealthy man invites guests to his house to play a sick version of the game "Would You Rather?" until only one is left standing. The victor gets a financial prize.
Eight strangers gather for a dinner party at the home of wealthy eccentric Shepard Lambrick (Jeffrey Combs), including plucky heroine Iris (Brittany Snow), who was promised untold riches and a life-saving medical operation for her sickly sibling if she simply plays and wins a mysterious competition. Although Levy and writer Steffen Schlachtenhaufen teasingly delay their reveal about the titular contest’s true stakes, it’s no shocker in a post-“Hunger Games” era. Thesping of the thinly sketched characters is largely forgettable, though Robin Lord Taylor proves notably awful as Lambrick’s spiteful son. Minimal gore will disappoint genre fans, the only conceivable customers for the pic’s increasingly tedious depravity.
.........................................................................................
"Hot Girls Wanted"
directed by: Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus
written by: Brittany Huckabee
The trouble with this harrowing and brutally honest/truthful documentary is that the audience that needs to see it (re: young, teenage girls) probably never will. Why, though? Perhaps because it's easier to just dream about making "easy" money and becoming a star (in their own mind/eyes). These days I have noticed the younger generation wants and/or craves attention far more than any generation before it, and it is much easier for them to garner the attention and become stars for whatever lame or asinine reasons because of the tag "reality star." This young girls in this documentary are looking for fame and fortune in the bustling "reality porn" that has taken off in our country, because of how the internet has completely changed pornography. This film doesn't necessarily propose answers or solutions to the problem(s) it presents. Instead, it only looks to expose and shed light on something people either prefer not to think about while watching (which millions of people do) or are happy to indulge in it without thinking about the human beings (re: young, teenage girls) behind these fantasy scenes. Porn has become a mainstream in our culture (thanks in large part to "celebrities" simply made famous for their own names being attached to homemade sex tapes-- Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian).
Former print journalists making their second feature, Bauer and Gradus follow five different young women active in the bustling Florida porn scene (most are 18 or 19 years old, though one two-year veteran is 25 and already a “MILF”). But it’s 19-year-old former cheerleader Tressa who provides the film’s primary arc. From her excitement at getting into the business all the way through to her disillusioned exit, the co-directors managed to find a perfect representative for so many girls seduced and ultimately exploited by a ruthless and entirely unregulated industry.
Sleazy opportunists like Riley, the 23-year-old Tampa “talent agent” who reps Tressa during the span of the film, post ads on Craigslist offering free travel and other perks (“hot girls wanted,” natch) and have no trouble finding takers from all over the country. These aren’t just aspiring actresses pretending to be the girl next door; they’re literally the girls next door. The only legal requirement is to prove you’re over 18, and you’re in.
“Hot Girls Wanted” also conveys how much modern technology has changed the porn biz — not just in the ease of both access and production (basically any rube can shoot a sex act on a phone and label it art and therefore “free speech”), but also the self-promotional culture created by social media. At a time when self-esteem is determined by likes, friends and followers, the quickest way to boost a social profile is through sex appeal. As 19-year-old Michelle says of her transition from nude Twitpics to filming hardcore scenes: “I do it anyway, why not?”
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"The Unwanted"
starring: Hannah Fierman, William Katt, Christen Orr
written and directed by: Bret Wood
A modernized riff on Irish author Sheridan Le Fanu’s 1871 novella Carmilla, Wood’s film transplants the bare bones of the plot to rural Atlanta, making this the first Southern Gothic retelling of the story which, likely, was the Victorian-era tale that most influenced Bram Stoker’s writing of Dracula, and all that followed. It makes for an interesting, but ultimately tedious, slow-burn of a movie that fails to support its bloody climax.
Searching for her mother, the sturdy-looking Carmilla (Orr) arrives by bus at mom’s last known address, a backwater manse owned by wild-maned Troy (Katt) and his daughter Laura (Fierman). Troy professes that he knows nothing of Carmilla’s family, but Laura soon confesses otherwise, setting off a chain of events that’s foreshadowed by all manner of moody insert shots, including a deadly-looking kitchen knife early on. As Carmilla digs for the truth, it becomes apparent that the family has plenty to hide (or not, in the case of Laura’s almost instantaneous erotic attraction to her new friend). Not only is this house not a home, it may well be a trap.
"The Unwanted" promises a lot that it simply does not deliver on. It's not kinky or horrific enough to really capture your attention like it wants to. The two leading ladies do a decent job given the minimal characters and rather ridiculous dialogue (and storyline).
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