There are two (well there are more than two, but Blurt Online and McBrooklyn are quick to tell me) benefits going on this weekend with proceeds going toward Haiti disaster relief.
Star Studded: Brooklyn Vegan was able to put together a fantastic comedy/music lineup for tomorrow's event at 8pm at the Music Hall of Williamsburg (66 North Six St., buy tickets here). Guests include Zach Galifianakis, Britt Daniel (of Spoon), Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), St. Vincent, Janeane Garofalo. Benefits go to an orphanage as well as Red Cross.
Under the Radar: Lab 24/7 is doing up Kombit 4 Haiti in Bed-Sty (according to the post, 'kombit' is a Haitian creole term meaning "to come together for the good of the community") is having a suggested donation of 15 Washingtons for Doctors Without Borders. According to McBrooklyn there will be food and drink. It's at the same time as the BV show, so choose wisely, but know that in the end your moolah is helping people in need.
Note: The Informant! is playing at most theaters in the city and in Brooklyn, go here for showtimes. Poster courtesy of IMP awards.
As has been widely reported, Matt Damon gained 40 pounds to play whistleblower Mark Whitacre, the mustachioed high-level exec at Archer Daniels Midland who became an informant for the FBI sometime in late 1992, in Steven Soderbergh's odd new film The Informant! Hidden behind a pair of thick frames, adjusting his toupee as much as his mood, Damon's Whitacre is plain, greedy and fantastical; the sort of man who sees himself not only as a corporate hero in any one Michael Crichton novel but also reflected in the Tom Cruise who embodies those righteous corporate ethicists on the big screen. He has ideas and big plans, ones that he believes could be jeopardized at any moment by a random tapped phone.
And yet, he is, as several people involved with the real Whitacre have opined, a sort of national hero. A biochemist who had to "learn business," Whitacre supplied hundreds of tapes -- audio and visual -- to the FBI between 1992 and 1995 that fueled the Justice Department's case against ADM leading to the agribusiness conglomerate paying well over $500 million in settlement and class action cases. The catch, of course, was that while playing avenger, Mr. Whitacre forgot to disclose kickback funds that may have reached more than $11 million. Faithful to his wife of 20+ years, the father of two adopted children and one of his own, he is a liar and a thief but it would seem, in Mr. Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns' eyes, that every good corporate man has an accepted level of corruption going in; even the ones who want to clean up the joint.
Scored by Marvin Hamlisch in what, at first, seems like a bid at kitsch, Damon's guileful do-gooder opens the film by explaining, both to the audience and his child, how corn is in everything you eat, touch and steal. At ADM, his work has largely focused on lysine, the amino acid that his company frames their price-fixing scam around. It's his wife Ginger, dutifully played by Melanie Lynskey, who prods him into confessing the price-fixing scam to Special Agents Shepard (Scott Bakula) and Herndon (Tony McHale). Professional if just a bit zealous, the Agents sum up Whitacre as both brave and boring. In a brilliant bit of screenwriting, the action and dialogue are repeatedly overshadowed by Whitacre's voice-overs, delivering monologues on an array of throwaway facts including polar bears, being kind and tie sales in whispery chatter reminiscent of Godard's hovering prognostications from his 60s salad days.
An extension of these monologues, Soderbergh's aesthetic is a marvel of bourgeois bad taste. Made with the washed-out precision of cheap 80s television, editor Stephen Mirrione and production designer Doug J. Meerdink work with director/cinematographer Soderbergh to invoke the nausea of upper-class lethargy. But despite this bravura tribute to mediocrity, The Informant! Is not a sweet movie nor is it a placid one. Whitacre embodies the mindset of the current business construct: I'll open the closets as long as you don't stare at my skeletons.
Softened ever-so-slightly by the admittance of bi-polar disorder, Whitacre's infuriating inability to own up to his own malfeasance may not have been sold so easily if not for Mr. Damon who has rarely been so clever and never been as funny as he is here. Seeing as he is constantly surrounded by a rogue's gallery of lawyers and co-workers, Soderbergh pulls a masterstroke by casting many of the smaller roles with stand-up comedians and television actors -- Patton Oswald, Tom Wilson and Tony Hale all show up in minor roles. It plays directly towards Soderbergh's central premise: The characters primarily responsible for our current crisis are so off-the-chart self-serving, greedy and absurd, that you really have no choice but to laugh at them.
Even as it points to our current state, The Informant! also contemplates the grand lunacy of how we pick our heroes. Is Whitacre to be admonished or celebrated? Despite his presumptuous greed, he helped bring in one of the great monopoly schemes in history and remains, to this day, a good father and husband. As we begin to heal from the bruises of the Bush era and weather the outlandish accusations made against honest reform, The Informant! speaks to a generation where the concept of honesty has an 80% mark-up.
Chris Cabin is the resident film critic. You can catch him at AMC's Filmcritic.com. Or win a pair of Yo La Tengo tickets to their Roseland Ballroom show next week by commenting on his recent Cab-tion contest.
So I'm watching Popular and enjoying it immensely due to it's over the top nature (although I can see how the plot may have become dangerously thin as the second season progresses, which could be part of the reason for its cancellation).
And I'm the biggest Nip/Tuck fan (one of the few shows that I've actually seen every episode, that and like Walker, Texas Ranger).
Thus it would be natural that I would be a fan of Glee, which aired a sneak episode tonight on Fox and will air several episodes to start the fall season. I've enjoyed Ryan Murphy's work until this point (even with some reservations) for many reasons, and Glee seems to be a really mainstream and punchy formula that could work. The plot might run out of steam but the characters have an endearing quality and Murphy's familiarity with the territory (he even takes several small plot points from Popular) gives the sensibility of the show a stylish quality.
I think, and partly because it's a pilot, a lot of things were shoved unevenly into the first episode, but hopefully the fun will smooth out in the fall. I'm not sure how they are going to constantly remind people about it through the summer (of all seasons how to do that could take some real ingenious marketing) but we'll see.
All I know is, that was the most exhilirating version of "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey I've seen. It kicked ass, and totally in earnest. It's pop in the purest, best form.
Murphy has done this with his previous two flagship shows as well; it's a matter of embracing the surface qualities, the junk and excitement of what people enjoy seeing, or what gets under their skin easiest. High school melodrama/wacky exaggeration campiness made Popular unpredictable in a lot of ways and a lot of fun to watch, and the serious moments are echoed in Nip/Tuck, where a lot of disturbing issues are brought to the table each episode. The problem with Nip/Tuck is keeping the soap opera shenanigans up; at certain points it gets tiring but there's plenty of skin-deep beauty that keeps 'em coming back. On top of that, the superficiality employed is a reflexive thing due to the premise of the show, which is very cool. It's Cronenberg-lite.
Glee seems a bit more sentimental and exudes a vibrancy from which we might need a breather to take in some more dramatic moments. It's the sharp writing that Murphy pens, because the level of wit carries shows as well as the superb acting. There might be concerns over the role of the teacher, Will, as being a bit on the bland side but hopefully we'll see more difficult decisions that he'll have to make. There will be problems; Murphy, with such a distinct style, might repeat some of those as the show moves along, but the cast seems well oiled and totally game.
There are a lot of similarities from Popular (who made a reference to Freaks & Geeks in the last episode I saw which was awesome) to Glee in tone and shape. In the Popular commentary for an episode, Murphy describes Popular as a show about high school girls written for 35-year-old gay men. Hopefully he has similar aspirations for Glee because it worked on Popular. The thing is, neither show is very realistic and both are over-stylized, but in a great way because realism is not the point. The show is a vehicle for big themes and that's what great pop TV and films are about. The thing that theoy hammer on that's real is the emotion and idea that most of the time, shit hits the fan. Sure they are more glamorous and are in a TV show, but there's a real drive I feel that Murphy has to really hit particular moments with more aplomb than anyone else. Yes there are plenty of sarcastic and satirical scenes, and it's through those that the earnest ones shine through. It's not even gentle satire really; the characters have a self-awareness that goes back to the unrealistic nature but for an audience it can be a lot of fun. It's like they know what is wrong and right for them and they never seem to make good choices. You follow them because at the moments of clarity, the characters get it right and that's the little jolt of sympathy we root for. Great combo. Not only that, perfect casting with huge vocals (who doesn't like huge vocals) and great re-working of songs just gives it a lot of heart with a good dose of sass. The music is already available on iTunes. I just might purchase a song or two.
In the end, Glee is also about something so typically dorky and suavely turns it into something fun to watch and the viewers who enjoy it into big dorks. And that's pretty cool in my book. Sure it's not for everyone, but what is. The one thing I was kinda worried about was them singing Gold Digger by Kanye in the season preview after the episode and doing the "Broke, broke" censored version. Sure, it's network television, and yeah, the white teacher is doing the rap, it's just kinda weird.
Delocated, which premiered recently on Adult Swim, is about an asshole who goes into the witness protection program with his wife and son, all to be caught on camera, reality show style, with ski masks and voice modulators. The family is taken out of suburban bliss and moved to New York City (where Delocated is filmed). It's live action serial, which is sort of a change of pace for Adult Swim (even Tim and Eric, which I'm not a fan of, although I liked Tom Goes To The Mayor, has bumps and graphics and odds and ends).
Jon Glaser
It's always interesting, the mockumentary and reality show spoofs. The content is seen only through the lens of the show within the show, so eventually, unless there are self-referential jokes, you actually lose sight of the show-within-a-show fact and it just becomes, the show. Characters are placed in the context of the edits of the show, which are subject to the actual show's editing technique to tell the story, lots of cool stuff to think about. Which is fun.
Nadia Dajani
When I saw the pilot, I was like, this is ok, hipsters would love it, and it has just enough content laid out and exposition, but it wasn't incredibly exciting. However, after having seen the entire first season, I have to say that it can be a great platform for Jon Glaser (of Human Giant and those Tiny Hands webisodes), because the characters have a funny consistency and are developed throughout the first few episodes which is important and with such a short format and offbeat story it's well grounded in some great banter and set ups, especially between Jon, the husband, and his FBI protector Mike, played by longtime Late Night With Conan O'Brien writer and improv performer, Kevin Dorff (not related to Stephen, definitely not).
Kevin Dorff
The hilarious subplot of the assassin trying to get rid of Jon, played by Eugene Mirman, while trying to become a successful stand-up comedian gives a respite from the tyrannical and creepy antics (anything involving the girlfriend) of Jon (whose wife and son decide that the whole sh-bang isn't really for them).
Eugene Mirman
As a ska lover, I found the Bar Mitzvah (Ska Mitzvah, "skatzah balls") episode uproarious as we witness Jon's son in a ska phase with surprising fans found in the FBI. Along with "Rage Cage" and "Members Only" (where Jon and Mike dissect how not to set up a joke, total joke fail), there is strong material here for those who enjoy Wainy Days and The Office, and well, anything that places New York in the running for best setting for comedic material is always a good thing.
I had the pleasure of catching my first show, a graduation show, at The Magnet Theater on 29th Street in the city. As a huge fan of UCB and knowing of The People's Improv, I was interested to catch the vibe from this place as I had not heard about it previously. They have 3 dollar Red Stripe, so it's gotta be good right?
Turns out, it's very unassuming. In fact, I'm kinda charmed by it. There's just an air about it that says they are under the radar, and not even in a hip way. There's a weird empathy that I have for it, as well as sympathy for some reason. Just as makeshift as most small theaters, with a table for a bar and a podium for a box office, a small lobby for people to hang, and one, ungodly one, unisex bathroom, the stadium seating is really nice and comfortable. The instructor for the class, Mr. Armando Diaz, is somewhat older and more experienced than many of the improv performers I've seen, and as well, seems really encouraging. Like taking a class is actually tempting for someone like me with limited ability. The stage is a box in front with two doors to the back, and there's a good view from any seat as members of the class sat by the bathroom to the side.
Even their website, which can be found here, is quite low-key comparatively, there's no padded patting-themselves-on-the-back or hard sell sort of thing like some of the other sites do. Doesn't seem to carry as many variety of classes as The People's, but hey, that's just fine.
With shows nearly every night, including mixers (chance for people to get, you know, really improv-y and drunk) and Thursday Night Out special (one 5 dollar ticket gets you in for the night, dollar beers), you can't get much cheaper than Magnet Theater for stripped down fun entertainment.
I got a Facebook invite recently to a sex comedy show/benefit thrown by Debaucheri, part of an initiative that "aims to bring about a sex positive culture through education, exposure and awareness." There will be merriment, live comedy, and lots of sex talk in earnest. Here's the lowdown:
"Featuring Comedy From: Ben Siegel* John Mahone* Jena Friedman* Joanne Filan* Evon Campbell* Alec Sobel* + Burlesque and Erotica+ RSVP to info@dbcmag.com
Basement of Think Coffee 248 Mercer Street Btwn W3rd and W4th Street
You can also win a contest to receive a Love Seat from Adam & Eve (adamandeve.com).
Considering New York is such a sexually charged atmosphere especially after the sun goes down (along with quite a few people) I think due to the sheer amount of different backgrounds that its denizens purport to having, underground organizations that deal frankly with the more probing subjects can find a happy medium just existing without really gaining much exposure. In entertainment, there will always be a niche through publications like the Village Voice that really know the heartbeat of the city and has the network to cover much of the events and have the pro-active readers to shimmy along to check these things out. However, having a serious "sex awareness" message is cool, but really when it comes down to it, people, whether they admit it or not, enjoy the heightened sensuality, almost danger (getting out of the usual under-stimulated zone we occupy quite a bit) of going to functions like this and getting tickled. I guess the learning is more like "sex awakening" rather than "sex awareness".
I always find subjects like violence and sex to be really fascinating not just because of the morals but because of the visceral nature of how it affects the psyche and the body. There is so much judgment passed around regarding the nature of these things, the intellectual manifestations of something that can be considered primal and taboo. So in that sense, and due to it's central location, you should check this out after work on Tuesday, it should be a fun time had. Oh and that love seat raffle, I'm sure taking that home on the subway could be pretty interesting depending on how it's wrapped.
For more information or to RSVP, go to their official site: Debaucheri Mag
Mike Cannon, who runs his own blog right hee-yarh, called Dirty Jokes From A Shitty Kid, can best be described as a harmless, lovable, cartoony, maybe slightly naive, white devil. His jokes are some of the most pointedly offensive diatribes in the world, but he's just a pretty down to earth guy at heart, and I give him props for being born in the city and currently hailing from Queens but not hailing cabs. He's been consistent on the New York circuit and is in contention for the web contest So You Think You Can Roast? which you can check out here: www.friarsroast.com.
Here is his latest small set from Comic Strip Live on 12/6:
As you can see he takes it way too far but for some reason, never seems to go into the category of just plain shock. There's a giddiness but at the same time a self-awareness that his bits are incredibly profane, which makes it more perverse than anything else. As the audience you are allowed to be shocked, he won't take it personally, and you end up not taking it personally. In that way, his bits go through without a hitch because with that kind of unspoken guideline settled, it almost gives him license to say whatever and still sound really unabashedly energetic about it. It's surprisingly infectious I must admit. I guess for all the people not included in the things he describes, the homoerotic, incestuous, violent, disease-riddled, and down to earth situations, we can all get a gasp/snort from it.
Here is an older clip from a few months back, a small competition at the Triad Theater where he nabbed first place:
This one is really good, I enjoy it when they use the real audio from one trailer and are able to synch it, although it's considerably easier with animation of course.
Here it is folks, part 1 of a 4 part series (hopefully with that phrasing it'll draw comparisons to 48 Hours Mystery). But it ain't no mystery. We see how Two Shakes of a Lamb's Tail comes about, and with a little help from fellow UCB classmate Jason Curtis, the round of very gentle men is complete. Part 2 to come next week.
They're back with a vengeance folks, it's New York's finest and less lamest comedy group of perverted, desperate souls, The Gashouse Gorillas. No, not that jazz band, so disavow all your assumptions.
Check out the trailer for the 4 part series, Death of the American Dream. It's a low key, affecting effort, an unrequited love story of a bar, an establishment that meant something unique to a community years ago. Two friends. Only one will have his heartbroken, and the other, heart attacked by a thirst for the good stuff.
Stay tuned for Part 1 later this week, or if you can't wait, check them out on YouTube.
Nope it's not a joke. There's a couple reasons why I'm going to see this end-of-summer probable filth from the Happy Madison camp, and there's probably no real good one, but I'll try.
First let's talk about the second poster for the film, which borrows heavily from the 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up routine of catching a goofy lead actor in an embarrassing expression and tacking a solid tag line to it.
Going off that, the main reason I want to see HB is Anna Faris. I thought she was the best thing about Scary Movie, and the subsequent ones really diminished and now the whole spoof franchise has really made strides to be bottom of the barrel (at least Leslie Nielsen is IN Superhero Movie). What's cool about Faris is that beyond that she managed to make appearances in Lost in Translation and Brokeback Mountain providing comic relief that rounded out and lightened up each film without going overboard. It was a great fit for her as well, being able to use some real comic timing. Who knows; if she were to do that often, playing a small but vibrant supporting role in larger movies, she could be a younger female version of Alec Baldwin (alright don't worry nobody comes close to Baldwin, I'm just sayin'). Or a Madeline Kahn (alright now I'm really pushing it). What really makes me think that i could at least be mildly amusing when Faris is on screen is Just Friends. I thought she was terrific in that, and matched Ryan Reynolds (yes, I'm a fan) tick for tick. Of course her character was barely written but she really was entertaining I thought, with just a massive dose of creepiness mixed with her charming baby face. I think when you take that into account, she has enough comic energy to carry a high concept film certainly. It doesn't hurt that off screen she seems very humble and dedicated to her performances.
HB is from the writers of Legally Blonde, and while that really wasn't that terrible (for some reason seeing bad movies with my parents and at least hearing them laugh makes it a little easier to take, with the exception of How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, man I hated that movie, I'm not even going to put it in italics because I hated it so much). It's the same formula, taking a dumb blonde who naively and incredibly makes her way through a fish out of water story. I think with Faris the screenwriters have a more able comic talent on their hands, and also, Happy Madison was excited to have their first female-led production. Yeah you have Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz and Kate Hudson, but I think Faris actually trumps them all by just going the extra mile and being able to play insane characters that are more ripe with comic situations and more zany. I get a sense that she doesn't mind if she doesn't look pretty; funny is funny and that's what she's after. I think what looks to be her bewilderment through the entirety of HB will at least make me laugh if not anyone else. It's just rare to see broad comedy done with a female lead who has the potential to have real comic timing in a film and push herself to equal lengths if not more than a male lead would in the same thing, not something like Sex And The City (which I won't italicize either because that movie blew donkey balls, don't ask me why I saw it). I think it would be cool to see a female Will Ferrell in the movies churning out consistent work.
So enough about Faris. The rest of the girls are hot (Kat Dennings, Emma Stone) and so far, both have been in funny films from the Apatow clan. Colin Hanks is cool (Orange County could have been better but it was fairly unpredictable) and goes to Kettle of Fish, so points there. Beverly D'Angelo is bank, and who doesn't like Christopher "Don't Call Me Shooter" McDonald? My question is using the lead singer from All American Rejects as one of the love interests for the sisters. That just sucks, and from this clip at Ropes of Silicon it seems like he'll be the weak link:
Yeah he's gonna suck big time.
Obviously there aren't really high hopes for this movie, and with Mamma Mia still doing well and Sisterhood just coming out there's competition from female-centric movies. However, I'll be paying for it, and hoping it's worth my while.
The House Bunny is directed by Fred Wolf, not the animation guy, but the writer/director and former head writer of SNL, and also wrote the somewhat enjoyable Without A Paddle.
From the press release regarding their upcoming comedy album: "The uncouth Tennessee two have created quite a niche acting as comedic political pundits during the current presidential campaign season. Jackie and Dunlap’s first big shot at mainstream celebrity happened last July when CNN chose their video to feature during the YouTube Democratic debate. Since then, Red State Update comedy shorts created for You Tube and MySpace have attracted thousands of subscribers. Total online views between YouTube and MySpace is over 10 million—and several of their videos have been featured on YouTube’s main comedy page, including one of their most current sketches entitled, “Hillary Wins, McCain Clinches, Huck Out.”
Red State Update's political satire comes from the minds of two comedians,Jonathan Shockley and Travis Harmon. They've gained a fanbase and YouTube homepage fame over the past year as the 2008 presidential campaign has heated up. Basically, their videos are comprised of the two of them, one an old-fogey, bearded fellow Jackie Broyles, and the other, a younger but no less brash and slightly more comprehensive redneck Dunlap with a sly knowledge of pop culture.
I've seen a couple of their updates, and I have to say it's not horrible. There's a genuine charm and a sort of swagger that they carry with just enough wit to get them by with the casual viewer. I don't know if their aim is to make it look as natural or unscripted as possible considering their Budweiser-fueled format, but I think it's what deters them from getting my full attention. The speed at which they run through the subject is not as effective I feel as it could be; if they slowed down and especially focused on creating more contrast between the clearer Dunlap and the fast talking Jackie. The show is at its best when they raise tempers with each other; it escalates and builds towards a slight sense of outrage and provides some of their better quips. While I feel Jackie's character plays it more straight, Dunlap is given some real opportunity to ham it up; his earnest delivery makes for some funny dumbfounded facial expressions.
The show isn't exactly "sensitive", which is refreshing but also lacks the timing and depth of something like the Colbert Report. Granted, it's from a decidedly different "red state" culture, but I wonder if it really is funnier than say, Jeff Foxworthy, or Larry the Cable Guy, both of whom I don't particularly like. It's certainly not as funny as Ron White, who is the only talent among the whole Blue Collar Comedy Tour.
It's frustrating, because there is a certain amount of Southern-tinged wisdom that they bring to the table, a sly and plain logic, but then again, their focus and ideas feel rehashed instead of something subversive (such as their clip on gay marriage, see below) which would really make a bit like this interesting.
Red State Update's first comedy album, "How Freedom Sounds", will be coming out on July 22nd on Dualtone Records.
