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28 January 2012 11:14am PST
28 January 2012 11:14am PST
December, 2009 Archive
Tour Spiel: Andrew Belle
Inspired by the Minutemen song, Evil Monito’s “Tour Spiel” provides an intimate look into the musician’s tumultuous life on the road. Each week, we’ll check in with some of our favorite artists touring stateside or abroad and find out what it’s like to be packed in a van or waiting at the baggage claim for hours on end. It’s ultimately the memorable experiences with friends that make life on the road rewarding, or at the very least interesting. This week it’s the winsome troubadour, Andrew Belle who shares with us his stateside tour spiel and why he still considers his hometown of Chicago his favorite spot to play in. →
via EM Staff, 14 December 2009 2:43pm | 
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| The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
The article was about an old blind man who had died alone in his home. He had passed alone and forgotten, mummified in the warm confine of his living room by the time the police discovered him 13 months later. The piece, I discovered, was indeed beautifully written, a seeming misappropriation on such a temporary medium. But what struck me most was the piercing tragedy of this man’s fate and the misfortunes leading up to it.
I couldn’t help shake this same feeling as I watched Heath Ledger in his final silverscreen moments. In fact, if anyone asked me how I felt about his performance I would give them one word:
Disturbed.
I confess that no matter how hard I tried, I could not put out of my mind the rumors that his previous role as the Joker took a toll on Ledger that sent him on a spiral towards his ultimate doom. It was hard for me to tell whether his antsy, almost manic behavior was simply his intentional portrayal of his character or the unconscious effect of a role some say he sometimes had trouble separating from reality. There were even certain parts, where the familiar guttural spurt that characterized the Joker’s now-iconic speech seemed to break out randomly. I could only shake my head, take a deep breath, and continue. Was I watching the telltale breakdown of the actor? How could such talent, such promise, be lost in such an unnatural fashion? We mourned not simply because we loved him. It was as if death had robbed us right before the honeymoon, way before even the real stuff. We were just beginning to embrace his greatness. And now all I could think of was his tragedy. His every movement, every move spoke the same words in my mind. ”His life was the saddest poetry.”
I was relatively unimpressed with The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. I’m not sure if it’s because of the hype preceding the film. Maybe it was expectations created by a resume like Terry Gilliam’s. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Twelve Monkeys–Monty Python? Please excuse me for expecting something moderately ground shaking. Or maybe it was the star-studded cast that could have made the Oceans 11(12,13) team jealous. There was enough heartthrob power to satiate an entire nation of fanatics. With Ledger, Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell I was surprised I wasn’t watching heads in the audience explode with each passing scene. Then there was the passing of Heath Ledger which laid (perhaps unfairly) the lofty label of being the beloved’s actors last work before his untimely departure squarely on the shoulders of an already highly anticipated project.
Whatever the case, the film felt flat and uncompelling, more of a smorgasbord of visuals and fantasy with no real driving plot or purpose. We come up on the traveling show near the end of an agreement between the apparently enlightened Doctor Parnassus, played by the excellent Christopher Plummer, and the Devil (Tom Waits), where in turn for his gift of eternal life, Parnassus must give up his 16-year old daughter Valentina. Somewhere along the way, they stumble across Tony (Ledger) hanging unconscious underneath a rainy bridge.
The identity and backstory behind these characters are what really started my frustration. Who exactly was Parnassus, and how did it come about that he was chosen as a worthy opponent and strangely endearing plaything of the Devil? We also spend nearly three quarters of the movie trying to figure out who Tony is, and even after we do, what is his greater significance in the story, and why does the Devil care whether he lives or dies? The peculiar relationship between Parnassus and the Devil is probably the only really enjoyable thing you can dig out of all the confusion. The film isn’t terribly long, but the way the story plods along you’d swear you’d been sitting there for over two hours.
What made matters worse was how Gilliam tried to stick in random events of cheesy humor, usually sparked by Mini-Me Verne Troyer, which further seemed like a backhanded way produce cheap laughs with the cute midget. It was in moments like these that I had to catch my self and remember the two projects separating his latest venture from Fear and Loathing was Tideland and The Brothers Grimm. If any of you have seen The Brothers Grimm, and I’m sure most of you have, lured in by the likes of Matt Damon, Ledger, and Monica Bellucci, you will remember that it was a pathetically cheesy, embarrassingly unbelievable film that evoked nearly every cliche line and copout ending in the book. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, unfortunately, seemed to suffer a similar fate in the ending department. Maybe Ledger’s death contributed to the abrupt finale, but you’d think that with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell coming to the rescue you could salvage an ending that didn’t have so many holes.
This was not Heath Ledger’s best performance. To be honest, I’m not even sure if it was one of his more notable ones. To be fair, he may not have had the chance to make it so. Push come to shove, The Dark Knight set the bar impossibly high, and Ledger’s portrayal of Tony didn’t seem a far shot off from Casanova. I think many could agree with me that Ledger was just getting a feel for what he was really capable of.
So while I think a good handful of critics and biased viewers will romanticize the project and heap on accolades, the truth is that The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was a rather pedestrian film that had the feel of a counterfeit Tim Burton piece. While it’s not bad, it’s not really that good either. Don’t waste too much time on this movie; I have word Avatar and Broken Embraces are much more worthy ventures.
Much thanks to Flux and Nike Sportswear at The Montalbán for the opportunity to preview such an anticipated film. As usual the venue, music, conversation, food, drinks, and afterparty were worth the visit by
themselve
The Bloggomist: The Local Boy
Film Review
“His life was the saddest poetry.” I remember those lines catching my eyes from the header of a LA Times article my father dropped next to my breakfast plate one morning. ”Read it,” he grunted, filling a mug with steaming black coffee. “I haven’t come across such good writing in the Times in awhile. Take a look.” I’m ashamed to admit I don’t read the paper very often, but when someone from Columbia’s English Ph.D program →
Cutting-Edge Video Art in Times Square
Public Screening of Babelgum Metropolis Art Prize Films
Times Square at Duffy Square – New York
12/17/09
Babelgum and Times Square Alliance present public screenings of nine winning art videos from the Babelgum Metropolois Art Prize, an international competition for the edgiest video artists from around the world. Actress and video artist Isabella Rossellini, who served as head judge for the contest, will kick off the event with the premiere of “Send Me to the ‘Lectric Chair,” a short by Rossellini and Guy Maddin. →
via EM Staff, 14 December 2009 1:16pm | |
| Comedy Death-Ray
Neil Hamburger presents “A Tribute To Frank Sinatra, Jr.”
The Cinefamily – Los Angeles, CA
1/10/09
Now that James Brown (R.I.P.) has hung up his crown, legendary stand-up comedian Neil Hamburger has surely earned the title of “The Hardest Working Man In Show Business.” For the past thirty-seven years, Hamburger has logged thousands of shows in all four corners of the world, appearing in engagements everywhere from the prestigious “Fire & Ice” room at the Doubletree Inn in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to the Phoenix Greyhound Park racetrack in Phoenix, AZ. →
via EM Staff, 14 December 2009 1:01pm | |
| Electric Cambodia
Dengue Fever Presents Their Compilation: Electric Cambodia
This New Year’s Eve, Cambodian psych rock band Dengue Fever will be playing a hometown gig in Los Angeles at The Mint, after which they’ll be moving up north to tour in support of their latest project, Electric Cambodia. This latest release features 14 of the band’s favorite tracks from their personal collection of rare Cambodian cassettes. Considered the “golden era” of Cambodian music, the late sixties and early seventies →
YBP Coloring Book
The unique Yellow Bird Project have been getting unbelievable support and love from numerous legendary artists and have recently unveiled brand new charity t-shirt designs from Bloc Party, Grizzly Bear and Metric. The Yellow Bird Project is kicking it up a knotch by introducing their utterly-ace Indie Rock Colouring Book. The coloring book is illustrated by Andy J Miller. This color book is no ordinary coloring →
via Saeko Oishi, 12 December 2009 12:04pm | |
| Shop to Support Great Photography
Aperture SNAP! Holiday Shopping
New York, NY
12/14/09
Come check out the party and join fellow photography fans and Aperture artists. Get a chance to cop your own copy of Aperture’s stunning books and limited edition prints at one-day-only discount prices. This evening of holiday shopping is part of Aperture’s series of events geared towards members of SNAP! a newly launched membership group for young photographers and collectors as well as the general public. There will be 15% off most of Aperture’s limited-edition prints and 20% off for SNAP! And Patron members, 30% off →
via Saeko Oishi, 12 December 2009 10:59am | |
| Victory or Death
Robert Diggs from Staten Island is a man who has had quite an intimate relationship with music for the past 20 years and still going strong. Robert is the RZA, the musical visionary and mastermind behind one of the most revolutionary movements in the history of popular culture. As the de-facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan, the group took hip hop to a whole new level of which he wrote The Wu-Tang Manual. Not only did he produce music and write books, he is also a legitimate actor in the film, American Gangster and has also composed music for the movie, Kill Bill. →
via Saeko Oishi, 12 December 2009 9:53am | |
| Adam Freeland’s Launch Party
Image Courtesy of RCRDLBL
Free Show and Tacos by Adam Freeland!
Best Fish Taco – Los Angeles, CA
12/13/09
Spring 2009 welcomed the release of Freeland’s genre defying electro shoegaze album Cope™ – one of the most ambitious projects of his career to date. With a track listing that boasts a whirl of psychedelic drone rock redolent of Freeland’s move from his native UK to the California desert, Freeland gears up for a very special night to celebrate the story behind one of the album’s most curious tracks, ‘Best Fish Tacos in Ensenada.’ →
via EM Staff, 12 December 2009 6:54am | |
| On The State of “Women’s Interest”
The Bloggomist: Three Times a Trend
Fashion Opinion
I’ve always had a love affair with magazines. Since I was a little girl I’ve been captivated by the thrill of a fresh glossy and all the magic entangled in it’s pages. Growing up in a fairly removed midwestern town, the selection of publications was a tight web of popular favorites and conservative titles directed at the family oriented mindset of small-town America. For someone growing up with dreams of masterfully executed design and razor sharp styling, I had to make do with what was at hand. Usually my needs were sustained between the likes of Vogue, Bazaar and Elle. →
via TheMissLinds, 11 December 2009 6:34pm | 3 |
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