Coachillin' at Coachella
Recollections and reflections from a recent trip out to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Indio, CA.
American Bang [Kings of Leon + The Allman Brothers Band]
Thanks for playing your most popular song first so we could go watch Rogue Wave. Also, thanks for alerting us to your awesome new song before we left, the very cool "She Don't Cry No More," it's a great song!
http://tinyurl.com/6r4jp7
Rogue Wave [Shout Out Louds + Death Cab for Cutie]
Pleasant stuff for a pleasant day, and they get extra points for taking requests and actually playing one ("Publish My Love"). Now that's audience interaction.
http://tinyurl.com/2aqpzc
Tegan and Sara [Alanis Morissette + Kate Bush]
The two sisters are sweet if a bit overwhelmed by the largeness of their venue. They get points for name-checking Prince. Yes Tegan (or was that Sara?), I wish I could see him too.
http://tinyurl.com/ytvfn3
The Verve [Oasis + Coldplay]
Hey, it's the 90s again! Now if I had only managed to see The Breeders, stayed longer at Fatboy Slim, and spent the rest of the time in a daze, it would have been my college years all over again. Without, of course, the bitter, freezing cold that was Rochester, NY.
http://tinyurl.com/2x9qc3
The Raconteurs [Gang of Four + The Sonics]
No way, they manage to do something different with their signature tune, "Steady As She Goes."
http://tinyurl.com/6324gh
Architecture in Helsinki [Arcade Fire + Kraftwerk]
Wow, live electronica with musical inventiveness, who knew? And, again, thanks for waiting for us before launching into our favorite song, "Heart It Races."
http://tinyurl.com/yu86fu
The Swell Season [Cat Stevens + Van Morrison]
The Better Half, bless her soul, had done a bit of digging and found out that The Swell Season was actually the oh-so-cute duo of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, you know the insufferably romantic couple from Once. This is definitely the date-night portion of the show with a lot of couples holding hands and swaying to the alternating sweet and rocking sounds of Hansard/Irglova. Extra points for breaking a string on a cover of the Pixies's (yeah, I said the Pixies!) song "Cactus."
http://tinyurl.com/6rsa3e
Fatboy Slim [Paul van Dyk + DJ Shadow]
Oh, this is where all the frat boys come to dance at Coachella. But wait, isn't Jack Johnson on right now? Shouldn't the backwards-baseball-hat-wearing dudes be there instead? What are these people doing here? What a riddle!
http://tinyurl.com/5mn2r9
Black Kids [Clap Your Hands Say Yeah + The Cure]
Cool, rock you can really dance too. And guys, thanks for helping us out wait by waiting before launching into your best song, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance."
http://tinyurl.com/36ca97
Goldfrapp [Fischerspooner + Donna Summer]
Wait, what? Electronica with this much flair? And live instruments? And that great voice? Wow!
http://tinyurl.com/ed9ao
Jens Lekman [Ace of Base + The Concretes]
No way! So while we are waiting for Jens to take the stage, The Better Half sees Ezra Koenig, the lead singer from Vampire Weekend hanging out by the side of the stage. She goes to talk to him, and he seems a little flustered (get used to it man, you are going to get increasingly mobbed, I mean you are the lead singer of an exceptionally buzzed-about band) before telling her that he really likes Monsieur Lekman and we should stick around for the whole set. The rest of the band (Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baiowas) was also there hanging out, but The Better Half didn't want to disturb them. Silly girl, they're rockstars, of course theywant to be disturbed.
http://tinyurl.com/6cdjqc
Vampire Weekend [Paul Simon (his Graceland phase) + 10,000 Maniacs]
You know that this is a band with a lot of "buzz" when the celebrity entourage on the side of the stage rivals the size of the crowd itself. You also know that the band isaware of this buzz when the lead singer acknowledges with pride the ugly pink shorts he is wearing. Wonderfully catchy songs lapped up by a wonderful catchy crowd. Good fun!
http://tinyurl.com/6rp3qy
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings [Aretha Franklin + Nina Simone]
There's nothing retro here. Nope, it's real live soul/funk/rhythm n' blues/rock n' roll brought to vibrant joyous life.
http://tinyurl.com/226cns
The National [Leonard Cohen + Joy Division]
Oooh boy. I like Vampire Weekend, I really do, but this, my friends, is what a professional band sounds like! Impassioned, inventive, engaged – they changed their sound for the venue and managed to own the massive space in the process.
http://tinyurl.com/2vpguu
Black Lips [S*x Pistols + Gogol Bordello]
OMG! They are taking their guitars and setting fire to them! Wait, oh no, they're smashing their guitars to smithereens! I'm all for in-your-face punk-rock attitude, but guys these guitars are expensive. With the way the economy is going right now wouldn't you be better off saving the money and putting it into a Roth IRA?
http://tinyurl.com/684yar
Les Savy Fav [Grizzly Adams + Pixies]
OMFG!
This is what Coachella should be about! A large man wearing the kind of suede leather jacket and hat that went out of style around the turn of the century comes out screaming; and in short order strips down to his underpants, grabs his microphone (with wire!), runs through the crowd (where water is dumped on him by an adoring fan to cool him down), rides the groupies and in general, lets loose the kind of h*ll one might expect at a rock concert! Ever so briefly the wild, anarchic heart of Coachella manages to burst out of its corporate shell and remind us of what rock n' roll can really feel like!
http://tinyurl.com/6a26u2
http://tinyurl.com/67s8ng
http://tinyurl.com/6phra3
http://tinyurl.com/5wxfu6
cheers!
The basu! Guide to the Movies
(The Here-Comes-Summer! Edition)
02 – 09 May 2008
The b! List
Ten careers that were the best, ever (currently)!
1. Anthony Minghella. Not only was his untimely death a shock, but it served as a sad reminder of just how far-reaching this gentlemanly director's influence was felt (television, the stage, opera, mentoring British film talent, producing other people's films, and the list goes on).
http://tinyurl.com/r8eak
Essential Films: The English Patient [1996]; Truly, Madly, Deeply [1990]; The Talented Mr. Ripley [1999]; Cold Mountain [2003]
2. Jules Dassin. His career was tragically altered by the Black List, but he still managed to make some of the most influential noir-dramas in film history, including the best heist film, ever!...Rififi.
http://tinyurl.com/g75eu
Essential Films: Rififi [1954]; Night and the City [1950]; Topkapi [1964]; Naked City [1948]; Brute Force [1947]; Never on Sunday [1960]; He Who Must Die [1958]
3. Richard Widmark. Perhaps no star in movie history made as striking a debut as Widmark (Kiss of Death), and very few sustained a high-quality career for as long as he did.
http://tinyurl.com/3s8j8m
Essential Films: Kiss of Death [1947]; Night and Day [1950]; Cheyenne Autumn [1964]; Pickup on South Street [1953]; Panic in the Streets [1950]; Don't Bother to Knock [1952]; Madigan [1969]
4. Sydney Pollack. I had heard that he was ill, but I had no idea how ill. This is sadder still when you consider that he had formed a tremendous partnership with the recently deceased Anthony Minghella. Very few directors made big mainstream movies with big stars that were this good, and have stood up for as long as they have, including two of my mother's favorite movies, ever!: The Way We Were and Out of Africa.
http://tinyurl.com/5k8p6o
Essential Films: Three Days of the Condor [1975]; Tootsie [1982]; Out of Africa [1985]; The Way We Were [1973]; Absence of Malice [1981]; The Firm [1993]; They Shoot Horses, Don't They? [1969]; Jeremiah Johnson [1972]; The Electric Horseman [1979]
5. Charlton Heston. Back before the mainstream media crushed him for his stint as NRA President, Heston was a star back when there were stars. Unbeknownst to many, he stood by the great directors Orson Welles and Sam Peckinpah when the studios strongly encouraged him not to.
http://tinyurl.com/55uzas
Essential Films: Touch of Evil [1958]; Ben-Hur [1959]; Planet of the Apes [1968]; The Omega Man [1971]; Soylent Green [1973]; The Ten Commandments [1956];Major Dundee [1965]; El Cid [1961]; The Agony and the Ecstasy [1965]; The Naked Jungle [1954]; The Three Musketeers [1973]; Airport '75 [1974]; Earthquake[1974]; Town and Country [2001]
6. Paul Scofield. The legendary British screen and stage actor turned down a knighthood (so eagerly gobbled up lesser artists) not just once, but thrice. In explanation, he simply said: "If you want a title, what's wrong with Mr.?" Yup, they just don't make 'em like they used to.
http://tinyurl.com/644k4z
Essential Films: A Man for All Seasons [1966]; King Lear [1971]; Quiz Show [1994]; The Crucible [1996]; A Delicate Balance [1973]; Henry V [1989]; Hamlet [1990]
7. Arthur C. Clarke. He was best known for The Sentinel, the short story that became 2001: A Space Odyssey. He was known for being the "scientists' science-fiction writer," his work was based on a solid foundation of science and touched the lives of millions.
http://tinyurl.com/44sfe
Essential Books: 2001: A Space Odyssey [1969]; Rendezvous with Rama [1973]; Childhood's End [1953]; The Fountains of Paradise [1979]; The Songs of Distant Earth [1986]; The Hammer of God [1993]
8. Roy Scheider. The great actor made that all-too-rare transition from character actor to leading man and made one of the great runs in movie history in the 1970s and early 1980s.
http://tinyurl.com/3c8sea
Essential Films: Jaws [1975]; The French Connection [1971]; Klute [1971]; All That Jazz [1979]; Marathon Man [1976]; Sorcerer [1977]; Blue Thunder [1983]; 52 Pick-Up [1986]; Still of the Night [1982]; Romeo Is Bleeding [1993]
9. Justine Henin. The diminutive top-ranked player (in the world!) shocked everyone by retiring from tennis effective immediately. I always had a love-hate relationship with her, but have to give her credit for winning as often as she did even though she was almost always out-gunned by her bigger opponents.
http://tinyurl.com/yo9ums
10. Gustavo Kuerten. No one played tennis with as much as joy and passion as my beloved Guga (I once saw him walk over to the other side of the court during a tense tiebreak at the US Open, shake Cedric Pioline's hand congratulating him for hitting an incredible winner, and then go back to his side for the next point!). He was back in Paris for one last hurrah at the French Open and went out the way he came in – with a smile on his lips, creativity on his racquet and the crowd firmly behind him. He will be missed!
http://tinyurl.com/mar8r
Movie: The Best Summer Comic Book Hero Movie, Ever!
Iron Man
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Clark Gregg
Plot: A cynical, selfish industrialist billionaire playboy (aren't they all?) invents a suit of armor and ends up fighting for the good of mankind. Talk-about-some-inspired-casting type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: Apparently, as my friend Matt Harry told me later, at about the 15-minute mark in this movie I turned to The Better Half and declared, "this is the greatest movie, ever!" Look, of course flaws abound – poor plotting, many moments which strained credulity, an anti-climactic final fight sequence – but don't worry your pretty little heads about any of that. Just sit back, relax, and allow yourself to be entertained by the whiz-bang action, all the cool gadgets, the fun acting jobs, andespecially, Downey Jr. He is absolutely hilarious, and as much as his recent New York Times profile turned me off him (he came across as very smug, arrogant and unapologetic) there is no way the movie would have worked without his incredible performance. The summer starts off with a bang!
Bottom Line: Theatres – First Week!
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): The English Patient [1996]; Rififi [1954]; Kiss of Death [1947]; Three Days of the Condor [1975]; Touch of Evil [1958]; A Man for All Seasons [1966]; 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968]; Jaws [1975]
Movie: For the Film Nerd/Rambo-Lover in All of Us
Son of Rambow
Directed by: Garth Jennings
Starring: Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Jules Sitruk, Jessica Stevenson
Plot: Two picked-upon boys make their own version of Rambo and find their places in this world. Awww-a-chick-flick-for-wannabe-filmmakers-everywhere type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: Are you kidding me? A movie about a picked-upon lonely teenage boy who decides to remake Rambo? I mean, my God, I can't wait to see this movie. Do you know the number of times I saw Rambo when I was a kid, dude? I loved that movie! This is going to be the greatest movie, ever!.
Bottom Line: Me, and Others Who Can Relate: Theatres – First Week; Other, More Popular Kids Growing Up: Theatres – Eventually
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): The English Patient [1996]; Rififi [1954]; Kiss of Death [1947]; Three Days of the Condor [1975]; Touch of Evil [1958]; A Man for All Seasons [1966]; 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968]; Jaws [1975]
Movie: Mamet Does MMA [?!]
Redbelt
Directed by: David Mamet
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Emily Mortimer, Joe Mantegna, Tim Allen, Ricky Jay, David Paymer, Alice Braga, Rebecca Pidgeon, Randy Couture (yes, that Randy Couture)
Plot: A martial arts instructor who has never sold out is forced to step into the ring by the forces looking to corrupt him. Hmmm-could-this-be-a-metaphor-for-Mamet's-own-career? type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: Okay, so I'm not as big a Mamet aficionado as my old film school buddies Don "JonDoh" Joh, Dave "Marmageddon" Marmor, and Manuel "BatManuel" Bermudez. But I have to admit, even I'm pretty psyched to see Mamet "sell out" and make a Mixed Martial Arts movie (boxing is so passé dude, it's all about MMA these days…at least that's what the kids tell me), especially since said movie is about not selling out. And, it's got the great Ejiofor in a leading role (finally) – what more could you ask for?
Bottom Line: The Better Half, Me and Other Fans of the Great Chiwetel Ejiofor: Theatres – Eventually; Other, Less Sensible People: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): The English Patient [1996]; Rififi [1954]; Kiss of Death [1947]; Three Days of the Condor [1975]; Touch of Evil [1958]; A Man for All Seasons [1966]; 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968]; Jaws [1975]
Movies: Two Small Summer Counter-Programmers
Before the Rains
Directed by: Santosh Sivan
Starring: Linus Roache, Rahul Bose, and the great Nandita Das
Plot: A British planter's affair with a servant in Colonial India threatens to make things very difficult for the railway project racing to finish ahead of the Monsoon season. Gorgeous-cinematography-shows-why-Kerala-is-known-as-God's-Own-Country type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: My old film school buddy Doney "The Enlightened One" Joseph once met director Sivan, back when he was an incredible cinematographer working for the masterful Mani Ratnam. Doney said that he was a super-nice, super-intelligent guy. That's good enough for me.
Bottom Line: Those Lucky Few in Manhattan and Los Angeles: Theatres – Eventually; Other, Less Fortunate Souls: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): The English Patient [1996]; Rififi [1954]; Kiss of Death [1947]; Three Days of the Condor [1975]; Touch of Evil [1958]; A Man for All Seasons [1966]; 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968]; Jaws [1975]
Battle For Haditha
Directed by: Nick Broomfield
Starring: lliot Ruiz, Falah Flayeh, Yasmine Hanani, Andrew McClaren, Eric Mehalacopoulos
Plot: The killing of Iraqi civilians creates complications for the Marines stationed there. At-some-point-these-Iraq-War-movies-will-have-to-be-given-some-attention type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: Of course, Broomfield is the muckraking documentarian behind such gems as Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer; Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer; Kurt & Courtney; and, of course, Biggie and Tupac. I am down for his foray into fiction, especially when you consider the hotwire subject matter he's handling. Broomfield is not for everyone, even I get mad at him, but at the very least he's always interesting.
Bottom Line: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): The English Patient [1996]; Rififi [1954]; Kiss of Death [1947]; Three Days of the Condor [1975]; Touch of Evil [1958]; A Man for All Seasons [1966]; 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968]; Jaws [1975]
Movies
Speed Racer
Directed by: The Wachowski Brothers
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox
Plot: A young car-racing phenom must protect his family against the unscrupulous business interests that run the sport. Any-resemblance-to-NASCAR-is-purely-coincidental type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: I know, I know. It got pummeled by critics, dissed by fans, and finally rejected at the box office. What-ever. The Wachowski Brother and One Brother-Turned-Sister were responsible for a little something called The Matrix. For that, they have bought my allegiance for a lifetime.
Bottom Line: Me, and Others Who Really Should Know Better: IMAX – Eventually; Parents of Boys Who Don't Need Any More Stimulation (As Well As More Discerning People Everywhere): Pass
Other Movies to Check Out (instead): The English Patient [1996]; Rififi [1954]; Kiss of Death [1947]; Three Days of the Condor [1975]; Touch of Evil [1958]; A Man for All Seasons [1966]; 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968]; Jaws [1975]
What Happens in Vegas
Directed by: Tom Vaughan
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Rob Corddry, Dennis Farina, Zach Galifianakis, and Queen Latifah
Plot: Two strangers get married after a wild night in Las Vegas and must figure out what to do when they win an unexpected jackpot. That's-one-way-to-keep-a-marriage-together type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: I know, I know, it sounds like this thing was put together during a drunken lunch at The Ivy between and old Hollywood honcho and two young-punk screenwriters. But hey, who am I to argue with such entrenched, powerful, and filthy rich tastemakers?
Bottom Line: Me, and Others Who Are Powerless to Resist: DVD; Other, More Sensible People: Pass
Other Movies to Check Out (instead): The English Patient [1996]; Rififi [1954]; Kiss of Death [1947]; Three Days of the Condor [1975]; Touch of Evil [1958]; A Man for All Seasons [1966]; 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968]; Jaws [1975]
Made of Honor
Directed by: Paul Weiland
Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kathleen Quinlan, Sydney Pollack, Kevin McKidd
Plot: A man reluctantly agrees to become his friend's maid of honor after he realizes he's in love with her. I-hope-the-movie-is-as-punn-y-as-its-title type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: Look, I'm a sucker for these things, all right. And since the reviews indicate that this movie is not quite a complete dog, that's enough for me to want to save it to my Netflix queue now. Of course, the main question at issue here is why Dempsey felt the need to get a nose job. I mean, if people who look like him are getting cosmetic surgery, then really, what hope is there for the rest of us?
Bottom Line: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): The English Patient [1996]; Rififi [1954]; Kiss of Death [1947]; Three Days of the Condor [1975]; Touch of Evil [1958]; A Man for All Seasons [1966]; 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968]; Jaws [1975]
The Top 10 Movies of 2008
Iron Man (new entry) [tie]
The Visitor (new entry) [tie]
Shine a Light (new entry)
In Bruges (new entry)
The Bank Job (new entry)
Stop-Loss (new entry)
Jodhaa Akbar (new entry)
Cloverfield (new entry)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (new entry)
The Top 10 Films Out Right Now That I Positively Have to See
Son of Rambow
Young@Heart
Standard Operating Procedure
Redbelt
Speed Racer
Before the Rains
Street Kings
Boarding Gate
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?