10.) Eastbound and Down
Season 2 of Eastbound and Down was even funnier than the 1st, and season 1 was pretty damn funny. If you take the most egotistical, sexist, racist, drug-abusing-ist former athlete around, and send him to Mexico for the season, its bound to resort in comedy gold. Kenny Powers is the worst human being to appear on television in a long time (at least the characters from Its Always Sunny TRY not to be so racist, although they rarely succeed), but he is also one of the funniest. The scene in episode 2 where he made his first appearance for the Mexican baseball team while Hulk Hogan's old theme song "Real American" played had me in tears the first time I saw it.
9.) Louie
Louis CK has always been a great stand-up comedian, but I had no idea that he possessed the kind of comic genius it took to come up with Louie. Its really hard to describe the show if you haven't seen it. Each episode is made up of series of short films, sometimes they are outright hilarious (such as in episode 8 when he smokes pot with his neighbor) and sometimes they are darkly disturbing (such as in episode 11 when he has a flashback to an extremely creepy religious lesson from his youth). Just about every episode, though, involves at least 1 scene with Louis involved in a situation so awkward that even The Office has never reached the depths of discomfort exhibited by this show. It is brilliant, brilliant show and I am glad that FX renewed it for a second season.
8.) Fringe
In Fringe's first season, it was a show that I liked, but didn't love. It was trying too hard to be 00's version of the X-Files, trying to find a good balance between building a mythology and having standalone episodes so that they could please diehard fans and attract casual viewers as well. Usually, all that strategy does is fail to satisfy both types of viewers. Last season, Fringe decided to scrap that and go full tilt into the mythology. While that hasn't helped its ratings, it has allowed them to craft a fantastic sci-fi narrative and bump this up into "love" territory for me.
I am a sucker for alternate Earth stories and multiple versions of the same characters (one of the first comic books I ever remember owning was a team-up story with the Justice League and the Justice Society featuring alternate versions of The Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, etc.), so the conflict between the 2 Earths storyline was right up my alley. This season, the decision to switch the Olivias has made for some great storytelling and I am really anxious to see where the story goes next when new episodes start in January.
7.) 30 Rock
30 rock dropped off a little bit last year, but that was mostly earlier in the season. The end of the season really picked up the quality back to its higher levels and that resurgence has continued over until the current season. The Jack Donaghy-Liz Lemon relationship is one of my favorite on TV. Her goofy liberalism vs. his raging capitalism make for a great dynamic week after week.
6.) Boardwalk Empire
Boardwalk Empire is a fitting addition to the history of great dramas from HBO. The premier was directed by Martin Scorsese, and the rest of the episodes followed with the same Scorsese style. Its the story of Atlantic City at the onset of Prohibition, with all of the corruption and mob activity that came along with it. Boardwalk Empire mixes real and fictional characters into a fantastic tale about how much badness you are willing to let into your life in order to get what you want. Steve Buscemi gives a great portrayal of Nucky Thompson, the man who pulls all the strings in Atlantic City and is being forced to cross the line from mere corrupt politician to full on gangster in order to keep that position. The season finale has set things up for season 2 so well that I cannot remember when I was anticipating the next season of a show as much.
5.) Lost
I know that the finale of lost left many people either let down or angry. I was not one of them. Even if it wasn't as satisfying as it could have been, I didn't let it ruin my appreciation of its awesome final season (it did not effect me nearly as much as the finale of Battlestar Galactica did - I was extremely angry at the end of that one for how crappy it was). The finale notwithstanding, I thought the final season was extremely well done, giving you some more of the history of the island (the episode that told Richard Alpert's tale was one of the best the show had ever done), wrapping up things in our current time while at the same time showing an alternate story (of course I would be all over that) with our characters that kept you guessing. I read many complaints online that the finale ruined the entire show for some people, in that they could never go back and re-watch it knowing that so many of the mysteries would go unsolved. I think that is nonsense. I can't wait to go back and once again watch one of my favorite shows of all time and let it carry me along on that roller coaster again.
4.) It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
This is a show that many people have been telling me I need to see for years. Finally, this summer Comedy Central aired it for a few weeks and allowed me to check it out. Needless to say, I was instantly hooked. I was glad that I was able to get into it before Season 6 started this fall, as this season was particularly strong. Sweet Dee having a baby was the perfect wrinkle to change things up this year, and the resolution in the season finale, involving a drug-fueled Paternity party with all Dee's past conquests and Frank's bridge people (a fantastic addition to the odd supporting cast employed by this show) and a transvestite was pure Sunny craziness. I recently got the entire series on DVD so I can go back and fill in the gaps on what episodes I have not seen, and Sunny has been added to the list, along with Arrested Development and The Office, for shows that I thrown on every once in a while for a re-watch when I need a good laugh.
3.) Community
In its second season, I think Community has evolved into the most consistently funny show currently on television (although, it only holds that title because the next show on my countdown isn't on TV right now - well done NBC). They have established the right mix of crazy, pop culture reference-heavy episodes (like this season's zombie-themed Halloween episode) and episodes about the relationship between the main characters (like the episode early in this season where Jeff went back to visit his old law firm), and sometimes both types in the same episode. This is only possible because of how richly the show's creators have developed the 7 main characters over the course of its' season and a half. An episode can feature any combination of the characters as the main focus, and the quality of humor and sentimentality is just as high. A great show that more people need to be watching.
2.) Parks & Recreation
You ca take that last line about Community and it applies double for Parks & Rec, as NBC held off on it through the entire fall season for Outsourced (UGH) because of its poor ratings last season. It is a complete travesty that no one is watching this show. Hopefully, when it gets the post-Office timeslot in January, more people will discover this fantastic comedy. It started out as too much of a clone of The Office, but they wisely decided in Season 2 to tweak Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope character from a female Michael Scott (loathed by all) to someone that her co-workers actually like, and want to help when she comes up with her crazy schemes. It was a needed change that allowed Parks & Rec to grow on its own. Also, Ron Swanson is one of my favorite characters on TV - a government manager who thinks that all government should be privatized. He is comedy gold.
1.) Mad Men
Once again, Mad Men hit it completely out of the park this season. Don Draper's slowly deteriorating life has made for fascinating television. The seventh episode, "The Suitcase" was the culmination of everything that has gone on between Don and Peggy since the beginning of season 1 and one of the best hours of television that I have ever seen. The decision to start fresh with a brand new add agency was a gamble, and it completely paid off by allowing for a much wider range of story possibilities than if they had kept with the status quo. Simply the best show on TV.
Honorable mention:
Walking Dead (A good start to the series, but with only 6 episodes, there is plenty of room for growth)
Sherlock (A BBC updating of the Sherlock Holmes story to a modern setting. At only 3 episodes, too short to make the list but it was still excellent)
The Venture Brothers (Another solid season)
Futurerama (I was never that big of a Futurama fan during its last run, but I found the new episodes to be very funny)
30 for 30 (An excellent documentary series from ESPN)
The Office (The quality has dropped way off in the last 2 seasons, but still pretty humorous)
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret(This British series staring David Cross and Will Arnet, shown on IFC, was ridiculously absurd, usually uncomfortable to watch, and ofter very funny)
Ineligible: - Breaking Bad, Pacific, Archer
These 3 series would have been under serious consideration for the list (and in the case of Breaking Bad would have been very near the top), but I was not current on them at the time I wrote the list. I am mostly done with The Pacific (HBO's follow up to Band of Brothers) and Archer (a hilarious Adult swim-esque spy comedy from FX), but I am an entire season behind on Breaking Bad. However, AMC is going to be running all episodes of it Wednesday nights staring in January, so I can catch up eventually on Season 3 before the new season starts next year. If you haven't seen it, set your DVR's as it is a fantastic show.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Top 10 CD's From the Second Half of 2010, Pt. 2
Click here for part 1 (#'s 10-6)
5.) Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter is a band that I really like (this is the 4th CD of theirs that I have), and its obvious that I really like this disc, based on where I ranked it. However, I am really struggling to come up with a review for some reason (this is why I don't do this for a living). And since I am trying to get this post done this week, and only like 3 people are reading it (hi Tony!), just take my word for it that this is a good CD.
4.) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
I have always liked some of Kanye's songs, while also hating some of his others (I really can't stand "Jesus Walks" in particular for some reason ). ...Twisted Fantasy is the first album of his that I have liked from start to finish, and I REALLY like it (which is probably evident since I included it on this list when it wasn't released until November 22). This CD contains the best traits of Kanye pretty much on every song from start to finish, such as fantastic beats, top notch guest stars who actually contribute something worthwhile to the song, and lyrics that throw in an occasional humorous reference (like quoting Napoleon Dynamite). Kanye's fifth album has been getting near-universal acclaim, some of it a little overblown, but it does deserve praise. It is his most complete album to date and pretty damn good.
3.) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Arcade Fire has had about as good of a beginning to a career as an indie rock band could ask for. Their first album (2004's Funeral) was met with universal acclaim by indie rock critics (it is considered one of the best albums of the decade) and sold very well for an independent release. Their second album (2007's Neon Bible) was met with similar high praise, appearing at or near the top of many year end Best Of lists (except for Pitchfork, which only had it at 27, but they are notoriously finicky, usually just because they can), but this time it sold like a mainstream release, reaching gold in both the US and their native Canada and reaching #2 on the US Billboard charts. The Suburbs, their 3rd release, was the culmination of all the band's previous success and debuted at #1.
The amazing thing is that they were able to accomplish this success while retaining all of their indie cred. This is only possible because their music lives up to all the accolades they receive. The Suburbs is meant to invoke a feeling and sound right out of its title and succeeds.
2.) Belle & Sebastian - Belle & Sebastian Write About Love
As I mentioned in my last post about Belle & Sebastian (my post about 1997 music),their music may not be the most "rock 'n' roll" sounding, but it certainly is beautiful. In the follow up to 2006's The Life Pursuit (which contained one of my favorite songs of the last decade), B&S again continue with their signature sound, while this time adding a little bounce to the songs that calls back to early 70s pop. Its a fitting that one of the least rocking bands around is paying tribute to one if the least rocking genres in rock 'n' roll history, but it works for them.
1.) School of Seven Belles - Disconnect From Desire
Disconnect From Desire is the second release from School of Seven Belles, which is the band that the lead singer of the Secret Machines left his former band to start. I was disappointed at the time, as I really liked Secret Machines. However, I think, based on this release and their first disc, 2008's Alpanisms, that I like this band even better. The sound of the 2 bands are much different - Secret Machines had a prog rock sound straight out of the 70s, while School makes upbeat, electronic dream pop. The addition of female singers helps lighten the sound even more. Disconnect... has a very atmospheric sound that swirls around you like a fog. It is an excellent record and I am really looking forward to where this band goes in the future.
Now that I have finally finished that list, here is my overall top 10 CD list for 2010:
1.) Yeasayer - Odd Blood
2.) Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void
3.) School of Seven Belles - Disconnect From Desire
4.) Beach House - Teen Dream
5.) Belle & Sebastian - Belle & Sebastian Write About Love
6.) The National - High Violet
7.) Spoon - Transference
8.) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
9.) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
10.) The New Pornographers - Together
5.) Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter is a band that I really like (this is the 4th CD of theirs that I have), and its obvious that I really like this disc, based on where I ranked it. However, I am really struggling to come up with a review for some reason (this is why I don't do this for a living). And since I am trying to get this post done this week, and only like 3 people are reading it (hi Tony!), just take my word for it that this is a good CD.
4.) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
I have always liked some of Kanye's songs, while also hating some of his others (I really can't stand "Jesus Walks" in particular for some reason ). ...Twisted Fantasy is the first album of his that I have liked from start to finish, and I REALLY like it (which is probably evident since I included it on this list when it wasn't released until November 22). This CD contains the best traits of Kanye pretty much on every song from start to finish, such as fantastic beats, top notch guest stars who actually contribute something worthwhile to the song, and lyrics that throw in an occasional humorous reference (like quoting Napoleon Dynamite). Kanye's fifth album has been getting near-universal acclaim, some of it a little overblown, but it does deserve praise. It is his most complete album to date and pretty damn good.
3.) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Arcade Fire has had about as good of a beginning to a career as an indie rock band could ask for. Their first album (2004's Funeral) was met with universal acclaim by indie rock critics (it is considered one of the best albums of the decade) and sold very well for an independent release. Their second album (2007's Neon Bible) was met with similar high praise, appearing at or near the top of many year end Best Of lists (except for Pitchfork, which only had it at 27, but they are notoriously finicky, usually just because they can), but this time it sold like a mainstream release, reaching gold in both the US and their native Canada and reaching #2 on the US Billboard charts. The Suburbs, their 3rd release, was the culmination of all the band's previous success and debuted at #1.
The amazing thing is that they were able to accomplish this success while retaining all of their indie cred. This is only possible because their music lives up to all the accolades they receive. The Suburbs is meant to invoke a feeling and sound right out of its title and succeeds.
2.) Belle & Sebastian - Belle & Sebastian Write About Love
As I mentioned in my last post about Belle & Sebastian (my post about 1997 music),their music may not be the most "rock 'n' roll" sounding, but it certainly is beautiful. In the follow up to 2006's The Life Pursuit (which contained one of my favorite songs of the last decade), B&S again continue with their signature sound, while this time adding a little bounce to the songs that calls back to early 70s pop. Its a fitting that one of the least rocking bands around is paying tribute to one if the least rocking genres in rock 'n' roll history, but it works for them.
1.) School of Seven Belles - Disconnect From Desire
Disconnect From Desire is the second release from School of Seven Belles, which is the band that the lead singer of the Secret Machines left his former band to start. I was disappointed at the time, as I really liked Secret Machines. However, I think, based on this release and their first disc, 2008's Alpanisms, that I like this band even better. The sound of the 2 bands are much different - Secret Machines had a prog rock sound straight out of the 70s, while School makes upbeat, electronic dream pop. The addition of female singers helps lighten the sound even more. Disconnect... has a very atmospheric sound that swirls around you like a fog. It is an excellent record and I am really looking forward to where this band goes in the future.
Now that I have finally finished that list, here is my overall top 10 CD list for 2010:
1.) Yeasayer - Odd Blood
2.) Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void
3.) School of Seven Belles - Disconnect From Desire
4.) Beach House - Teen Dream
5.) Belle & Sebastian - Belle & Sebastian Write About Love
6.) The National - High Violet
7.) Spoon - Transference
8.) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
9.) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
10.) The New Pornographers - Together
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Top 10 CD's From the Second Half of 2010, Pt. 1
This is the follow up to my list from the first half of 2010. For the second half of the year, I am setting the timeline as CD's released from July 1 - November 28 (since there really isn't much new released in the month of December).
10.) The Walkmen - Lisbon
Lisbon is the 6th album from The Walkmen, and indie rock group out of New York City. Their sound has always been a kind of depressing, modern type of surf rock/garage rock, with a little bit of piano thrown in. With this release, they have added a slight bit of 50's rockabilly, while at the same time laying off on the depressing lyrics just a bit. This approach helped differentiate Lisbon from their earlier efforts while still continuing the quality of their previous music.
9.) Girl Talk - All Day
Gregg Gillis may not have the same musical or songwriting talent as the rest of the artists on this list, but his ability to pair together such disparate sampled beats and lyrics the way he does into a cohesive whole is pretty amazing. And the fact that he is able to make a living at this despite releasing All Day for free (I imagine clearing the samples would have proved prohibitive and expensive - I don't know how he was able to sell any of his earlier CDs) is impressive as well. He is an extensive touring act (he sold out 2 nights the last time he was in Columbus), and his music is the perfect match up for a live experience. All Day continues that party vibe, with samples from the likes of 2 Live Crew, Cream, Modern English, Jay-Z and pretty much everything in between.
8.) Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart
Black Mountain is a Canadian band with a sound that is a throwback to the early to mid 70's, particularly the prog rock and psychedelic bands. This sound continues on the band's third release. With most bands looking back to the 80's and 90's for their sound, its a refreshing change to hear a band that isn't afraid to embrace a sound from before the Punk Rock era. Black Mountain is able to take these influences and create music that stands on its own in 2010 without being entirely derivative. Rock 'n' roll has always relied on taking sounds from the past and forging them into something new, so I have no problems with bands that wear their influences heavily on their sleeves, as long as they add something of them selves to that sound. Its nice to be able to listen to something that sounds like its from that era without having to pull out the same discs over and over (that were actually made in that era). Wilderness Heart fits that bill nicely.
7.) Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
Cee Lo takes a break from a successful 2 album run with Danger Mouse (as Gnarls Barkley) to get back to his solo career. I had a long paragraph talking about the Cee Lo and his music, but it got erased, and I don't remember what I wrote, so screw it - just listen to the clip below. If you like it, get his CD. It's good.
6.) Blonde Redhead - Penny Sparkle
My write up on Blonde Redhead didn't save either. SIGH. I am trying to get this review done before 2011, so here is the short version: they are a dream pop band that normally has more of a guitar-heavy sound, but they decided to go with a more electronic sound for their 8th album. It is a good way to mix up their sound and keep it fresh.
Coming soon (hopefully this week), Part 2...
10.) The Walkmen - Lisbon
Lisbon is the 6th album from The Walkmen, and indie rock group out of New York City. Their sound has always been a kind of depressing, modern type of surf rock/garage rock, with a little bit of piano thrown in. With this release, they have added a slight bit of 50's rockabilly, while at the same time laying off on the depressing lyrics just a bit. This approach helped differentiate Lisbon from their earlier efforts while still continuing the quality of their previous music.
9.) Girl Talk - All Day
Gregg Gillis may not have the same musical or songwriting talent as the rest of the artists on this list, but his ability to pair together such disparate sampled beats and lyrics the way he does into a cohesive whole is pretty amazing. And the fact that he is able to make a living at this despite releasing All Day for free (I imagine clearing the samples would have proved prohibitive and expensive - I don't know how he was able to sell any of his earlier CDs) is impressive as well. He is an extensive touring act (he sold out 2 nights the last time he was in Columbus), and his music is the perfect match up for a live experience. All Day continues that party vibe, with samples from the likes of 2 Live Crew, Cream, Modern English, Jay-Z and pretty much everything in between.
8.) Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart
Black Mountain is a Canadian band with a sound that is a throwback to the early to mid 70's, particularly the prog rock and psychedelic bands. This sound continues on the band's third release. With most bands looking back to the 80's and 90's for their sound, its a refreshing change to hear a band that isn't afraid to embrace a sound from before the Punk Rock era. Black Mountain is able to take these influences and create music that stands on its own in 2010 without being entirely derivative. Rock 'n' roll has always relied on taking sounds from the past and forging them into something new, so I have no problems with bands that wear their influences heavily on their sleeves, as long as they add something of them selves to that sound. Its nice to be able to listen to something that sounds like its from that era without having to pull out the same discs over and over (that were actually made in that era). Wilderness Heart fits that bill nicely.
7.) Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
Cee Lo takes a break from a successful 2 album run with Danger Mouse (as Gnarls Barkley) to get back to his solo career. I had a long paragraph talking about the Cee Lo and his music, but it got erased, and I don't remember what I wrote, so screw it - just listen to the clip below. If you like it, get his CD. It's good.
6.) Blonde Redhead - Penny Sparkle
My write up on Blonde Redhead didn't save either. SIGH. I am trying to get this review done before 2011, so here is the short version: they are a dream pop band that normally has more of a guitar-heavy sound, but they decided to go with a more electronic sound for their 8th album. It is a good way to mix up their sound and keep it fresh.
Coming soon (hopefully this week), Part 2...
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
1970: Movies Pt 4
Woodstock
While I have seen clips of the performances in this film over the years, this is the first time I have ever sat down and watched the whole film. Also, the version I watched was the 40th Anniversary edition on Blu Ray, and it is LONG. The main version of the film on this edition clocks in at around three hours and 45 minutes. Plus, there is a second disc with another hour and a half plus of additional footage, most of which are additional performances (some that have never been seen seen in any previous version of the film). However, despite its long running time, I didn't even really seem to notice or mind. This was the perfect film to put on while I was doing other things. I was able to focus on the film when I wanted to (such as when a band I like was playing or a particularly interesting interview was being given), or I could multi-task and listen to the music in the background (or when some hippie was babbling on about something only their burnt out mind could understand, I could tune out completely).
As many people know, The Woodstock Music & Art Fair took place in the summer of 1969 at Max Yasgur's farm in White Lake, NY (not actually in Woodstock, NY) and it featured many of the top music acts of the time. This film focuses not just on those performances, but also on the people attending the show, the people supporting the show (such one scene dealing with the sanitation worker whose job it was to clean out the port o johns, probably one of the worst weekends to have that job in the history of port o johns) and the different townspeople affected by the show. The film doesn't hide anything from the viewer. It shows all the nudity, drug use (more on that in a sec), dirtiness and the effects of effects on some people of putting themselves through the ordeal for 3 days with little food or sleep. There are interviews from residents of the town who were vehemently against the festival, but also from those who were very supportive and even donated food and supplies.
The film does a fantastic job of capturing the crowd and the community at the festival. However, even better are the music performances. The music acts, especially on Blu Ray, look and sound fantastic, especially anyone playing at night. Considering they were out in the middle of nowhere, the lighting effects at night and the close up camera views make for a spectacular sight. This is particularly true of Sly and The Family Stone's performance, which, visually and due to the high energy of the music and the band, was my favorite of the whole film. Another technique that was really effective was the use of split screens. This was well used both during performances by groups that have multiple vocalists, like The Who (another band that looked fantastic at night and had some really cool slow motion effects added to their performance), where both Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend could both be shown singing different parts at the same time, and also to show both the band and the crowd reactions to their performance.
My favorite musical performances were The Who, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Sly and the Family Stone, Creedence Clearwater Revival (from the bonus features) and Jimi Hendrix (whose performance was so phenomenal, it has been released on its own DVD). My favorite non-musical scene was the drug/alcohol montage, where scenes are strung together of various concertgoers indulging in their vice of choice (including one guy very impressively making a pipe out of nothing but tin foil) and capped off with a shot of 2 cops eating popsicles.
This film is a must see for anyone who has even the slightest bit of interest in either the history of the time period or any of the bands who performed.
That wraps up 1970. Coming soon, I jump ahead 2 years to 1972.
While I have seen clips of the performances in this film over the years, this is the first time I have ever sat down and watched the whole film. Also, the version I watched was the 40th Anniversary edition on Blu Ray, and it is LONG. The main version of the film on this edition clocks in at around three hours and 45 minutes. Plus, there is a second disc with another hour and a half plus of additional footage, most of which are additional performances (some that have never been seen seen in any previous version of the film). However, despite its long running time, I didn't even really seem to notice or mind. This was the perfect film to put on while I was doing other things. I was able to focus on the film when I wanted to (such as when a band I like was playing or a particularly interesting interview was being given), or I could multi-task and listen to the music in the background (or when some hippie was babbling on about something only their burnt out mind could understand, I could tune out completely).
As many people know, The Woodstock Music & Art Fair took place in the summer of 1969 at Max Yasgur's farm in White Lake, NY (not actually in Woodstock, NY) and it featured many of the top music acts of the time. This film focuses not just on those performances, but also on the people attending the show, the people supporting the show (such one scene dealing with the sanitation worker whose job it was to clean out the port o johns, probably one of the worst weekends to have that job in the history of port o johns) and the different townspeople affected by the show. The film doesn't hide anything from the viewer. It shows all the nudity, drug use (more on that in a sec), dirtiness and the effects of effects on some people of putting themselves through the ordeal for 3 days with little food or sleep. There are interviews from residents of the town who were vehemently against the festival, but also from those who were very supportive and even donated food and supplies.
The film does a fantastic job of capturing the crowd and the community at the festival. However, even better are the music performances. The music acts, especially on Blu Ray, look and sound fantastic, especially anyone playing at night. Considering they were out in the middle of nowhere, the lighting effects at night and the close up camera views make for a spectacular sight. This is particularly true of Sly and The Family Stone's performance, which, visually and due to the high energy of the music and the band, was my favorite of the whole film. Another technique that was really effective was the use of split screens. This was well used both during performances by groups that have multiple vocalists, like The Who (another band that looked fantastic at night and had some really cool slow motion effects added to their performance), where both Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend could both be shown singing different parts at the same time, and also to show both the band and the crowd reactions to their performance.
My favorite musical performances were The Who, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Sly and the Family Stone, Creedence Clearwater Revival (from the bonus features) and Jimi Hendrix (whose performance was so phenomenal, it has been released on its own DVD). My favorite non-musical scene was the drug/alcohol montage, where scenes are strung together of various concertgoers indulging in their vice of choice (including one guy very impressively making a pipe out of nothing but tin foil) and capped off with a shot of 2 cops eating popsicles.
This film is a must see for anyone who has even the slightest bit of interest in either the history of the time period or any of the bands who performed.
That wraps up 1970. Coming soon, I jump ahead 2 years to 1972.
Monday, December 6, 2010
1970: Movies Pt. 3
(Here are links to Part 1 and Part 2)
Airport
I added this movie to the list not because it is universally acclaimed as a great movie from the 70's (although it was nominated for and actually won some awards), but because it was the film that kicked off what was one of the quintessential 70's movie genres: the "Disaster film". This type of film was so widespread in the 1970's that it even warranted its own parody film before the end of the decade, 1980's Airplane!
When I put the disc in the player and it showed that the film was Rated G, I wondered if I made a big mistake by selecting this movie. While I wouldn't say that choosing to watch this film was a "big" mistake, it is by no means a good movie. It is supposed to be a tense drama about a snowbound airport and an airplane that has bomb on it. However, it takes FOREVER to get things going. It is approximately 35 minutes into the film before they even introduce the bomber and its over an hour before the plane even gets off the ground. Instead, the film spends all that time exploring the characters and their particular personal problems (I guess when the cast includes Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jacqueline Bisset, George Kennedy and Maureen Stapleton, you want to try to give them some sort of plot to show them off, but this film goes way too far). It took so long to get things going, ad the build up was so cheesy and melodramatic, that I actually shut the film off and went to bed, because it didn't interest me enough to want to power through to the end that late at night.
I was really hoping that the tension would increase once the plane was in the air an they discovered that there was a bomb aboard, but that was not the case. Other than a quick confrontation between the bomber and Dean Martin, the entire resolution fell pretty flat. About the only interesting thing I took away from this film was seeing exactly which scenes Airplane! and Airplane II: The Sequel chose to mock. I know this film was a huge success and spawned a few sequels and the other 70's disaster films. However, I am really hoping that the other disaster films I have not yet seen will prove to be more exciting than this one...
Airport
I added this movie to the list not because it is universally acclaimed as a great movie from the 70's (although it was nominated for and actually won some awards), but because it was the film that kicked off what was one of the quintessential 70's movie genres: the "Disaster film". This type of film was so widespread in the 1970's that it even warranted its own parody film before the end of the decade, 1980's Airplane!
When I put the disc in the player and it showed that the film was Rated G, I wondered if I made a big mistake by selecting this movie. While I wouldn't say that choosing to watch this film was a "big" mistake, it is by no means a good movie. It is supposed to be a tense drama about a snowbound airport and an airplane that has bomb on it. However, it takes FOREVER to get things going. It is approximately 35 minutes into the film before they even introduce the bomber and its over an hour before the plane even gets off the ground. Instead, the film spends all that time exploring the characters and their particular personal problems (I guess when the cast includes Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jacqueline Bisset, George Kennedy and Maureen Stapleton, you want to try to give them some sort of plot to show them off, but this film goes way too far). It took so long to get things going, ad the build up was so cheesy and melodramatic, that I actually shut the film off and went to bed, because it didn't interest me enough to want to power through to the end that late at night.
I was really hoping that the tension would increase once the plane was in the air an they discovered that there was a bomb aboard, but that was not the case. Other than a quick confrontation between the bomber and Dean Martin, the entire resolution fell pretty flat. About the only interesting thing I took away from this film was seeing exactly which scenes Airplane! and Airplane II: The Sequel chose to mock. I know this film was a huge success and spawned a few sequels and the other 70's disaster films. However, I am really hoping that the other disaster films I have not yet seen will prove to be more exciting than this one...
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