12.08.80

Any music blogger worth his or her salt has posted about today being the anniversary of John Lennon's assassination. I wonder: how many of them actually shared this planet with Mr. Lennon? I did not. But that has not stopped his life and music from touching me in very intense and emotional ways.

I was the dreamweaver
But now I'm reborn
I was the walrus
But now I'm John

Those four lines get me like absolutely nothing else can. There will never be another John Lennon. He was even prescient enough to give us the perfect Christmas Carol for the new frontier that lies ahead of us with President Obama.

Warhol 2.0

"You know, the Strokes have a certain sound, and when their first album came out, it felt, to an older generation that had been around for New Wave, No Wave and all that, that their music was referencing several different bands we remembered from another time. But I've heard that Julian [Casablancas] didn't know those bands. He had a vague idea of what that sound was, but he's not a student of it. So many references, older references, are lost on young people. They're part of their subconscious, but they don't really know where they come from, because everything has been so recycled and remixed and remastered."

-Marc Jacobs

Movies Of The Future!

Next Tuesday will mark the DVD release of “Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead” and though I have not seen the film myself I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Some of you might be wondering: "What could give him such unbridled enthusiasm for an unseen film?"

For you I have two words: "LLOYD KAUFMAN!!!"

Many out there (close friends of mine included) like to dismiss Troma© as schlocky trash with absolutely no redeeming value. On one level they are correct. Troma© has released its’ share of “goat shit”, but when it comes to actual Lloyd Kaufman productions, you are in for a treat.

Lloyd is no dummy. He attended Yale alongside the likes of Gary Trudeau, Oliver Stone, George W. Bush and John Kerry. He also knows his cinema. As a young man he worshiped at the altar of art filmmakers like Andy Warhol and Stan Brakhage and it is this anti-authoritarian/underground streak that shines through in all of his films.

Unlike so much of the shit cluttering out multiplexes in this day and age, Lloyd actually makes films ABOUT something. He makes films about AIDS, abortion, women in the arts, our consumerist culture, etc. Of course it all gets related through the prism of a gory horror comedy but that just makes it all the better. A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down.

Even the ramshackle/low-budget nature of the productions serves as a plus. Godard isn’t the only one who can effectively used Brechtian devices in film. A particularly fake looking head explosion is an excellent way to remind you that you are watching film. An aware audience is much better able to interpret and discuss the ideas they are being fed. Unlike “Forrest Gump” et al, these films are not propaganda.

Now of course Troma© isn’t for everyone. Those with weak stomachs might want to take a rain check and that’s to be understood. But for those of you out there who consider yourselves serious cineastes, there is absolutely no excuse.

Lloyd is quite simply the most inspiring individual currently working in film. His passion is so intense that regardless of the medium, he is able to reach out and grab you. His prose can be just as inanely infectious as his cinema.

Recommended Viewing
-The Toxic Avenger
-Troma’s War
-Tromeo & Juliet
-Terror Firmer
-The Toxic Avenger IV: Citizen Toxie

Recommended Reading
-Make Your Own Damn Movie

NOW LET’S GO MAKE SOME ART!!!

by Anger

"Lucifer is the patron saint of the visual arts. Color, form--all these are the work of Lucifer."

About a week ago I found myself yammering on to a co-worker about Kenneth Anger's "Scorpio Rising". To illustrate a point I did a Google image search and came across the following photo:

I think it's safe to say that Kenneth Anger is my favorite really old gay man. (I have so many favorite people that I've had to resort to rather niche categories). I mean just look at that picture.

-This is the man who pioneered the ironic use of pop music in cinema

-This is the man who gathered together every Tinseltown scandal he'd ever heard and published them

-This is the man who hired Manson family member Bobby Beausoleil to pen the soundtrack for "Lucifer Rising" from jail after rejecting Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page's original score

Though I do not share many of his opinions (especially those on Satan) I really do admire him. He has always remained true to himself regardless of what others might say. And on top of it all, his camera has captured some of the most arresting images in the history of cinema.

When a film is preceded by the words "by Anger" you know you're in for a unique experience

Comics and Film: A Dialogue

Here’s a link to the new trailer for Frank Miller’s adaptation of Will Eisner’s “The Spirit”. When you're done come back and enjoy a lively discussion on comics and film.

http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-spirit/26912/trailer?trailerId=2254867

Well hopefully this will be a more successful film than “Sin City”

Oh my God! Did he just rag on “Sin City”?

Yes I did. A little.

But Craig, you own “Sin City” on DVD. The special edition no less!

Guilty as charged.

Then what is this heresy thou speakest?

Don’t get me wrong I enjoy “Sin City” but not as a film. I marvel at what was achieved visually by all those involved. Marv walking through the rain, white silhouettes on black screen, racing cars, etc.

OK. So where’s the problem?

The problem is that I hardly ever feel the urge to re-watch it as a whole film. I’ll watch a scene or even a particular shot, but not the whole film.

Why do you think that is?

I think it’s the result of those involved being too reverent to the source material.

Too reverent? Don’t you geeks get all in a twitter about film adaptations that stray too much from the source material?

Yes we do. We want the film’s creators to be respectful of source material.

Then what’s the problem?

The problem is that if you hold something too tightly you can kill it.

Like a bunny rabbit?

Yes. Like a cute little bunny rabbit. “Sin City” is so fetishistically obsessed with depicting each and every panel of the comic that it loses it’s energy. “Sin City” does not feel alive for me. It feels like an exercise in replication. I came down to the theatre to have a cinematic experience. If I wanted the comic I would read the comic. A film needs to be allowed to be a film.

So then are you entirely against the idea of adapting comics into films?

No. Not at all. Take “Ghost World” for example. That was a very respectful adaptation while at the same time being drastically different from the book. Terry Zwigoff’s visual style complimented Daniel Clowes’ illustrations but is not slavish to them. Also it remained true to the emotional story. The same goes from “American Splendor”.

So then are you going to see “The Spirit” when it comes out?

Probably.

But what if it's missing energy or whatever you accused "Sin City" of doing?

That's absolutely possible but I don't think it will happen.

Why not?

Because this film isn't a slavish recreation of anything. Aside from character names and basic set-up, this film looks to have little in common with the old Will Eisner books. Frank Miller having some fun with Will Eisner's toys. I cannot wait to see what comes of it. Good pulpy fun.

You baffle me.

I baffle myself all the time. See you in the funny papers and at the movies.

PS - Speaking of movies...

Here are two other cool trailers you might like:

First up the Tom Cruise tries to kill Hitler pic "Valkyrie"



And finally the new trailer for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". You'll have to go to the actual site and watch the quicktime trailer cause it's just too beautiful to experience in muddy ol' youtube

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thecuriouscaseofbenjaminbutton/

And lastly

When I first became politically active and able to vote I registered Green. The first ballot I ever cast was for Peter Miguel Camejo for Governor of California. Sadly Peter died on September 13th at the age of 68. I did not find out about this until yesterday. This brings me much sadness. Camejo was a great man who stood up for what he believed.

Read more about him over at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Camejo

RIP

'til Death Do Us Part: An Appreciation

I love John Waters. If I were ever to expand my favorite directors list from 3 to 4 Mr. Waters would claim that spot without a fight. Everything he touches turns to gold. I love his films. I love his books. I love his photographs. I love his immense knowledge of the perverse. I even love the little seen true crime show he hosted.

Back in 2007 courtTV decided to try something new by greenlighting a weekly which depicted dramatizations of cases where one spouse murdered the other. Now I know what you're thinking:

That sounds depressing. Why would i want to watch that?

Normally you'd be right. Usually spousal murder is serious business. But thanks to John Waters as the GROOM REAPER along with some seriously warped writers, it becomes downright HILARIOUS.

The show is much more "Tales From The Crypt" than it is "Law & Order". The set-ups are condescendingly obvious, the dialogue and acting are ludicrous and the resolutions are always spectacularly random.

One episode featured a detective who was absolutely convinced that a mortician had murdered his wife. The only problem was there was no body. Finally while enjoying a hot dog from a street vendor he has an epiphany. TWO FOR ONE! The woman's body was stuffed into the lining of another coffin!

Not your cup of tea?

OK.

Maybe this show isn't for everybody. Maybe my friends and I are just a little bit too warped. But if anything I've written about above sounds the least bit interesting to you, please check out the show. It's available on DVD and I highly recommend "The Clown Case" and "Time Capsule Murder" episodes.

Now the perfect ending to this blog would be a nice clip of the Groom Reaper telling us he has to hurry off to another wedding. Hope it's not yours. Sadly youtube has no such clips. I guess I'll leave you with this -

Greed Is Glam & Other Stuff

Question: How does a filmmaker like Stephen Soderbergh follow up an epic bio-pic about one of the more polarizing figures of the past century?

Answer: With a Liberace bio-pic of course!

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117992314.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

The script is by Richard LaGravanese and early word is that Michael Douglas will star with Matt Damon as the pianist's longtime partner Scott Thorson. Some people might be scratching their heads about this choice of project but I think it is brilliant.

After the cultural phenomenon that was "Brokeback Mountain" many predicted a slew of gay themed films aimed at the mainstream would follow. Sadly this has not been the case. Outside of this fall's "Milk" no other big gay films (heh) have materialized.

While "Milk" will be an important film (in that it will let us know if audiences really are ready to handle gay issues in a mature fashion) this Liberace film will be the real test. "Milk" has it somewhat easy. Harvey Milk was a serious man with serious ideas. Liberace on the other hand, was NEVER taken seriously. Can Soderbergh et al get an audience to care about a man who so many saw as a joke? I say if anyone can, they can.

In other news...

A few nights ago I finally realized that the soon to be released "Lakeview Terrace" was directed (but not written) by Neil LaBute. I guess this is his way of trying to show that he can make a commercial film and hopefully get out of the director jail he put himself in when he perpetrated the cinematic travesty that was -




While I have no plans to see "Lakeview Terrace" I wish Mr. LaBute all the best. I really liked "In The Company Of Men" and "Your Friends & Neighbors" and "Nurse Betty" was pretty good too.

Lastly...

I MET HENRY ROLLINS!!!!

Mahalo

The Kid From Left Field

I owe Rob Schrab so much.

Because of him I was able to become far cooler than any 6th grade comic geek rightly deserved.

After seeing a pic of Scud: The Disposable Assassin in an issue of Wizard I instantly set about finding an issue. The one that I eventually found was issue #11 "Neutron Dance: Dimension of Blood II." It didn't matter that I had no clue what had gone down in the previous ten issues - I was hooked but good.

The dynamic black and white art, the cinematic layouts, the pop culture references I didn't quite get (but would eventually seek out and love) and most of all - the dirty words. While all my friends were still reading X-Men and Gen 13 (which admitedly I was also still reading) I was frequenting the "indie" section of the comic shop fiending for my clown colored assassin fix.

Every time a new issue came out the hunt was on. Many stores didn't cary the book and the few that did didn't order very many. As a result, my collection is very patchy. Those books are prized highest because of the hunt that prefigured their possession.

Around the time I stopped reading comics regularly, Rob also ceased doing Scud. He left it at issue 21 with one hell of a cliffhanger.

CUT-TO:

May 2007

I take the occasion of "Free Comic Book Day" to return to the world of comics. I picked up the first "Y: The Last Man" collection and was hooked. Like lost loves, comics and I were reunited.

Aided by the internet, I frantically began looking into what all of my favorite writers and artists were up to these days. That is when I came across...

(http://www.robschrab.com/)

Awesome! But even more awesome was the news that Rob was going to be returning to Scud to resolve that cliffhanger and bring the series to conclusion. Originally it was going to be just a single issue that would be added to the end of a big book collecting the whole series, but as most projects tend to do - it grew.

Eventually it became a four issue arc released over the course of as many months. Schrab churned out some of the best work of his career and ended the series on the perfect note completing not only the arc of his series but an arc in his personal life.

As of yesterday (7.22.08) you can now buy the big-ass "Whole Shebang!" book. For the sheer volume of comic you are getting the $29.99 cover price is nothing. Pick it up and have some fun.

Unfortunately since I am only able to attend Comic Con on Friday, I will not be able to meet Mr. Schrab in person to thank him for this comic and what it has meant to my life. Le sigh. Perhaps one day I will. Or maybe he'll read this blog.

Mahalo

Combination of the Two

When Malcolm X was little his father imparted to him some very important advice:

"Credit is the first step back into slavery."

I have really taken these words to heart. I have only one credit card and I don't let debt pile up. I pay the full balance each month. I know people who seem to have cards from every possible company. I'm pretty happy with my one card. But if I were to get a new card it would be

AMERICAN FUCKING EXPRESS!!!

This has absolutely nothing to do with rewards plans, fees or anything like that. I would go with American Express purely because they are endorsed by two of my favorite people

Martin Scorsese & Tina Fey

And now they've decided to put my pleasure center to the test by having them do a commercial together



It's cute. Not as funny as the Scorsese at the photomat one but it has cute moments. If I were to ever become a company I would want to be endorese by sheer awesomeness!

OK I'm done.

CORMAN 2009!!!

Every year after the Oscars, I read articles about how that year was the lowest rated ever. Everyone has an opinion on how to fix this. Make them shorter. Pick movies people know better. No musical numbers. I think those are all horrible suggestions.

If the Oscars were shorter they’d be nothing. ‘Oh they’re over already?’ Picking movies that people know better makes ABSOLUTELY no sense. ‘Yeah guys let’s compromise our reputation as a serious film organization by picking “Transformers” for a best picture nod instead of “There Will Be Blood”.’ As for cutting the musical numbers…I guess that would be OK but they do kind of help break things up and make it a SHOW.

So what can be done to get people to watch? I have an answer but it will only work once:

GIVE ROGER CORMAN AN HONORARY OSCAR!

In the summer of 2002 MOCA was doing a huge show of Andy Warhol’s work. The American Cinematheque at the Egyptian decided to follow suit and was showing a bunch of his films. It was this amazing two-fronted assault. If you were of the right artsy mind you couldn’t go anywhere without encountering Warhol. I think the Academy as well as independent theatre owners and entrepreneurs could generate the same type of synergistic campaign around Roger Corman getting an Oscar.

Roger has had his hand in so many different pies over the years. Entrenched in both high and low art. The man who made “A Bucket of Blood” was also the American distributor of Ingmar Bergman’s “Cries and Whispers.” Imagine in the month before the Oscars having the New Beverly showing a series of Corman double features while across town at the Egyptian they’re showing “Amarcord” and “The Tin Drum”.

The Academy itself would also have to contribute to all of this by advertising around town like gangbusters. How cool would it be to see lurid grindhouse-esque banners hanging from the street lights promoting Roger’s Oscar?

The last and final step would be to make more of a production out of the actual presentation of the Oscar. Roger is a showman and the presentation should reflect this. Lots of cool clips, maybe some nice set design and let’s not forget – Hollywood stars o’plenty. Roger helped so many now legendary people start their careers that they should all likely want to participate in giving him this award.

Oh man if something like this could actually happen it would be awesome.

So how do we make it happen?

Well first we need to get the Academy to decide they’re going to give Roger the Oscar and that’s a bit tricky.

According to the letter I received from Academy President Sid Ganis, the person to receive the Honorary Oscar is selected by the Academy’s Board of Governors in December. Who is on the Board?

http://www.oscars.org/academy/governors.html

So if you are reading this and somehow have access to anyone on that list please sing the praises of Roger Corman so that they’ll vote for him come December. That’s really about all that we can do right now. Hopefully my letter to Mr. Ganis at least planted the idea in his head. Let’s see if it takes.

If they do decide to give him the award we’ll then have to start a new phase so that this can become the big brouhaha that it should be.

Remember kids…

Duck Season, Kubrick Season

Stanley Kubrick has long been one of my top three favorite directors. For the curious my other two are

Martin Scorsese
Woody Allen

Since January my friends and I (usually just four of us) have been doing something called "The 12 Months of Kubrick".

Stanley directed 13 features while on this planet but only 12 are easily locatable since he was ebarassed by his first ("Fear and Desire"). 12 films, 12 months it's just too perfect.

January = Killer's Kiss
February = The Killing
March = Paths of Glory
April = Spartacus
May = Lolita
June = Dr. Strangelove
July = 2001: A Space Odyssey
August = A Clockwork Orange
September = Barry Lyndon
October = The Shining
November = Full Metal Jacket
December = Eyes Wide Shut

With "The Shining" falling in the same month as Halloween, "Full Metal Jacket" in the same month as Veteran's Day and "Eyes Wide Shut" set around Christmas it's almost like Stanley planned it.

And it seems I'm not the only one with Kubrick on the brain. BBC 4 has decided to have a "Kubrick Season" and in order to promote it they have created an amazing little promo.



Apparently they even used the same type of lens Stanley used.

!GEEK MOMENT!

Counselor

I first heard of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson in 1998 when the film version of "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas" was released. My friend Sean's older brother Pat went to see it and he returned saying that the book was better.

There was a book?

Fortunately Pat owned a copy and let me borrow it. I read it very rapidly and thought I was so cool. I fixated hard on the style/voice and so much of my shitty writing from that period tried unsuccessfully to ape it. It wasn't until much later (in college) that I started to get into the actual substance of his writing.

The only good thing to come as a result of the Bush Administration is my political activation. In middle-school/high school I wasn't really the political animal that I am today. I would check out a book like "Generation of Swine" from the local library and just couldn't get into it. Thanks to the thief in chief I was finally able to dig in and enjoy the political works of the good doctor.

Hunter's death really depressed me. Who was going to rant and rail against this tyrant in the oval office? Why had he left us in our hour of need? Why hast thou forsaken us?

On Monday Becca and I went to see "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson". It was an OK doc. It felt way long and didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know but what it did do was something magical. It brought Hunter back to life for two hours. The documentary uses Hunter's life to comment on the mess we're in. It makes you angry that we're stuck with a president who's ten times the mean bastard that Nixon was. This film is a nice little moltov cocktail. Goes down smooth.

Now how to end this bastard?

I'll say farewell with Hunter's farewell:

Football Season Is Over
No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun — for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax — This won’t hurt.

1937-2005