Monthly Archives: May 2009

Film

Opening Today

Leave a comment

Up: Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, IMDB - This looks absolutely charming. I'll be seeing it with my brother next week.

More after the jump:

Drag Me to Hell: Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, IMDB – My pick for the weekend: It's a horror homecoming and I feel sentimental; Sam Raimi is one of the masters of the horror-comedy, and unlike a Roger Corman or Stuart Gordon, the emphasis is always on the horror. It also happens to be one of the best reviewed horror films since The Sixth Sense.

Okuribito (Departures): Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, IMDB – limited: This won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It's supposed to be pretty darn good.

Not Sool (Daytime Drinking): Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB – limited: There is barely any information on this film. It's a South Korean film with the following IMDB plot description: "Hyuk-Jin has just broken up with his girlfriend and decides to take a trip to Jeongseon in the province of Gangwon-do. The next day, his friends are too hung over to get up, so Hyuk-Jin makes his way to his destination alone. A trip of opportunity takes a cruel and unexpected turn as misunderstanding and crossed paths occur over and over again. "

Eid milad Laila (Laila's Birthday): Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB - limited: Again, another film with little information. From IMDB: "Abu Laila used to be a judge, but because the government doesn't have the means to renew his assignment he is forced to be a taxi driver. On the day his daughter Laila becomes seven years old his wife insists that he'll be at home early and bring her a present and a cake. Abu Laila's has nothing else on his mind then completing this mission. But the daily life in Palestine has other plans."

The Maiden Heist: Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB – limited: Is Up that big a threat that all the tiny studios are literally dumping their small pictures this weekend to avoid the chance of pushing them to success. IMDB: "A comedy centered on three museum security guards who devise a plan to steal back the artworks to which they have become attached after they are transferred to another museum."

This one doesn't even have a trailer and it stars Morgan Freeman. WTF?

I'm not going to link to all the also-rans this week. It's depressing. There are five more films getting limited releases this week against Up. I don't get it. Rotten Tomatoes has the full run-down.

Theater

In HS Theater News…

Leave a comment

Sorry for the no-posting of yesterday. I had work obligations. Here's some miscellaneous thoughts on how wonderful my job will be next year:

  1. The new teacher picked a fall show that does not allow for double casting but does permit her to cast everyone who auditions. God bless comedia del arte.
  2. She wants to go with over the top comedy that does not rely on stereotype. For example, there is clearly a gay character in the play described as "effeminate" but she wants to make sure he's a real person, not a one-note gag.
  3. The students have to sign a contract explaining how they will be thrown out of the play and replaced immediately, no questions asked, if they don't show up to rehearsal.
  4. She wants to do Anything Goes as the spring musical.
  5. I get to teach a Cole Porter show.
  6. The students get to do a real show score for the first time in four years (seriously, I'm not joking: High School Musical, then Aida, then All Shook Up).
  7. I may have just gotten my best friend hired as a tap dancing tutor for the drama department.
  8. I can be involved with the fall play and still audition for and land a role in an upcoming production of Bat Boy: The Musical.

Ok, that last one is just bragging. I will be auditioning for one of my favorite musicals of all time, Bat Boy, in less than a month. I've never worked with this theater group before though they have a great reputation. I'm pushing myself to give the strongest audition I can even though I highly doubt I will be cast as the title role. Still, it's not too often that Bat Boy gets performed around these parts and I will not allow myself to play the "What if?" guilt game over this one. When done with a cast of 10 actors, there is no bad part in the show. I may not even get cast.

Off to delve into Cole Porter land for the first time in years.

Vintage Sketchy Details

Dredging the Depths: A Twitter Reality Series

Leave a comment

I use Twitter. I'm not afraid to use Twitter. I think Twitter can be a helpful tool for promotion.

Which is why Twitter decided to brand itself as a "social-networking" site and go to hell. Now we have tweets about bowel movements and gossip wars. There is still good to be harnessed from the site.

The owners are smartly trying to monetize their service. Those theoretical dollars mean nothing without a genuine stream of revenue. And why shouldn't they? It's the fastest growing site on the web. The news is all over Twitter and the buzz is still growing.

Of all the ways this commercialization could be accomplished – advertisements, subscription levels, contracts with the devil – Twitter opted to start producing a reality TV show. Based on Twitter. I'm not joking.

I can't link to the Verizon News Network as received on my phone, so I'll let the Huffington Post explain:

The social-networking service said Monday it has teamed with Reveille productions and Brillstein Entertainment Partners to develop an unscripted series based on the site, which invites 140-character postings from members around the world.

The show would harness Twitter to put players on the trail of celebrities in an interactive, competitive format.

I thought reality TV couldn't sink lower than "Famewhores Try to Screw Aging Rapper's Sloppy Second's Cast-offs," but apparently I was wrong. I don't understand how this show can work. I don't understand who will watch it. I don't understand why Twitter decided reality TV is the place to be.

As a recovering famewhore trying to crack into entertainment in legitimate ways, I would probably be one of the first people to jump on a new program. But hunting celebrities 140 characters at a time? This has to be a prank. No one is this stupid, right?

Right?

Now to support the effort by tweeting this blog post and…damn.

Film

Cannes Winners 2009

Leave a comment

I hate to say I told you so, so I won’t. I think a certain prize speaks for itself.


Palme D’or:  The White Ribbon, director Michael Haneke - cannot wait to see this


Grand Prix: Un Prophète, director Jacques Audiard


Jury Prize: TIE: Fish Tank, director Andrea Arnold; Thirst, director Chan-wook Park - oh joy, another vampire film with mixed reviews


Best Director: Brillante Mendoza for Kinatay - controversy in three…two…seriously, Ebert claims it’s the worst film ever in the history of Cannes; he even retracts his indictment of The Brown Bunny; harsh words


Best Screenplay: Feng Mei for Spring Fever


Best Actress: Charlotte Gainsbourgh for Antichrist - controvery…averted; thanks, Kinatay; another von Trier survivor winning awards


Best Actor: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds – Christ, we knew Tarrantino couldn’t spell, but you’d think someone would point out the migraine inducing mistakes in that title; I know, he says there’s a good reason for it that he will never ever explain, not even if you hold your breath until your face turns blue


Nathaniel over at The Film Experience has the full results with better commentary and linkage than I can provide without knowing someone at the festival. Lucky guy.

Vintage Sketchy Details

A Swinging Weekend, or the Downside of Sewing

Leave a comment

There exists a distinct disadvantage to sewing in today's society: people assume you'll do work for them. Not only that, they assume you can do work you've never even considered or had an inclination to try.

Case in point: I have been given a mission for the weekend. I have no choice but to accept it, either. I have to construct a hammock. From a painter's tarp. WTF?

If my family wants a hammock done right, they should let me know so I can pick up appropriately strengthed breathable material, supplies for decorative accents, and rope tha can hold up more than a few sheets.

I have no problem doing functional design. It's the basis of my custom sewing business. I take issue when people force elements on me.

The last time this force of material happened, I sent four hours hand stitching a mic stand cover out of sub-gold-lamé fabric only to be told by the director she wanted it wrapped around and duct-taped. "Don't hide the mic stand" she said, after being given the instruction to "Hide, disguise, whatever. Just make it look right."

So, yeah. A hammock out of a painter's tarp to cater to a plus size customer. This can't end well.

Vintage Sketchy Details

New York: A National Treasure

Leave a comment

Dear Rich,

Please do your best to keep New York vlogging. We need more laughter in the world. Clearly, she's a national treasure.

Sincerely,

Robert

This is her fifth sixth (!) TV show, people. She's doing something right. Her success created by being the HBIC should be an inspiration to all who desire more in life. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your 15 minutes, clearly.

Happy Friday!

Film

Opening Today

Leave a comment

Here are the new films opening this weekend:


Terminator Salvation - Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB


Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian – Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB


Dance Flick – Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB


Easy Virtue (Limited Release) – Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB


The Girlfriend Experience (LA/NY) – Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB


The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story (LA/NY/SF) – Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB - My Pick for the Weekend: It’s a documentary on the famed Disney songwriting team