Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

I am very excited to see the big screen adaptation of Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Judging from this trailer Edgar Wright has managed to not only faithfully adapt the comic, but also kept the series fun loving, innocent spirit intact. I don't know how well this film will go over with those not familiar with the source material, and quite frankly I don't care. Being a nerd/geek means you are part of small community. We care how our favorite stories are adapted for screens, but we could care less if the mass of movie goers like it or not.. Or at least that is how I am. In the end I have faith that edgar was enough of a true fan to really GET the stories. Judging by this trailer I don't think we have anything to be worried about...

42nd St. Forever

Before I begin i have to apologize for the size of the picture. I know it's small, but it was what I could find so deal with it kiddies. As I was browsing Netflix's selections I stumbled across a 5 volume collection called 42nd st forever. 5 DVDs of nothing but trailers Grindhouse movies played in the theaters of old Times Square. if you're old enough to remember when these films were shown, it will probably make you miss the sleazy days of old New York. If you aren't then these trailers are a curious and often hilarious relic to a pre-Disney NYC. These movies were shot in the 70s and it is interesting to see how sexism and racism were alive and well (check out the trailer for Corruption that states "we are so convinced that no woman will want walk home alone after seeing Corruption that no woman by herself will be allowed in" or the trailer for a blaxploitation movie simply called Nigger Charley.. sure he gets his revenge on whitey in the film but a title like that?) These trailers also hearken back to a time when porn was still shown in theaters, one of the standouts being the preview for Sly Stallone's infamous porn flick. Judging from the campiness of these films it is impossible fro me to believe that they are worse than the horror schlock Hollywood feeds us these days. if i could I'd see every one of these if they were available on DVD.

Little Steven

A few weeks ago I had the privilege to see Little Steven Van Zandt give an interview at the 92nd St YMCA. Although he focused on his new projects (his Underground Garage radio show and a website he is planning to launch at the end of the year), he had a good time reminiscing about his time on the Sopranos and the E Street Band and his role in taking down apartheid (he wrote and recorded the "We Won't Play Sun City" single). The main gist of his talk though had to do with love of 50's rock n roll. An era he described as a "renaissance". This is a man who has seen a lot, and contributed in a significant way to the history of rock music and television, but still remains down to earth. If only more celebrities were like this.

A short open letter to Alicia Keys

Dear Alicia,

As much as I enjoy "Empire State OF Mind" (living in the New York area how could I not, right?), I have to ask why did you sell out so bad on your Elements of Freedom album? You have so much more in you than boring hip hop beats and lame string samples. I've heard you play piano. I've heard you sing. Dig deep girl. I know you can do it. Don't settle for production that was played out in '92. I know the temptation is strong to put out a radio friendly unit shifter, but maybe.. just maybe if you made an honest record next time you could be a legend. An icon. Stop thinking Mariah Carey and start thinking Billie Hoiliday. The music that influnced you is jazz and blues not commercial R&B. And don't try arguing with me, I hear it in your earlier music. It's unmistakable and powerful. There's a saying in politics. You Dance With the One What Brung Ya. You're wearing a ball gown so stop trying to dance with the new arrivals in the baggy jeans and crooked baseball hats. it's making you look ridiculous.

thank you
Everybody's a critic

A lesson in rebellion

If I learned one thing from reading Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 80s is that the medium of the mini comic is one of the purest, cheapest and uncompromising forms of DIY culture there is.. Or was.. the Internet has made the art form a bit archaic. Many of the artists featured in this collection were influenced by a mix of punk rock, dada, the 60s underground comics of Crumb and his ilk and as a response to the oppressive policies of the Reagan administration. They were cheap to make and copy and quickly put together. The result is an almost stream of consciousness surrealism who's mere existence is rebellion. This is a child's first go at dirty drawings sprinkled with cynicism and experience. This book does a great job of collecting some of the best examples and putting them into historical perspective with interviews of the creators. This is a great introduction to and underground scene almost lost to the march of time and technology.

Manic Panic.

This picture reminds me of the 90's more than the 70's when it was taken but I have been feeling back to my roots lately and wanting to put a big purple streak in my hair like I did in the 90's..then I found this pic of Stevie with one. Now I'm really going to do it. Will post it when done. Nothing like nostalgia.

Up In the Air

Although it didn't make my top 10, Up In the Air had an effect on me. The sterile atmosphere of airplanes and airports as well as the plight of the unemployed was both a fitting metaphor and a scary personal reminder of both emotional detachment and the perils of the economic crash. I have been unemployed myself for almost 5 months now, but I am managing to keep it together as are the millions of others in my shoes. The worries expressed by the characters getting fired in Up In the Air have gone through my head. It was a small comfort to see them expressed on film. The emotional component was a little more troubling. Do we need personal connections to feel complete or can we be happy going alone, blazing a trail while being a ghost to others. I guess in the end it is a personal choice.. I'll leave you with two quotes from the movie..

"How much does your life weigh? Imagine for a second that you're carrying a backpack. I want you to pack it with all the stuff that you have in your life... you start with the little things. The shelves, the drawers, the knickknacks, then you start adding larger stuff. Clothes, tabletop appliances, lamps, your TV... the backpack should be getting pretty heavy now. You go bigger. Your couch, your car, your home... I want you to stuff it all into that backpack. Now I want you to fill it with people. Start with casual acquaintances, friends of friends, folks around the office... and then you move into the people you trust with your most intimate secrets. Your brothers, your sisters, your children, your parents and finally your husband, your wife, your boyfriend, your girlfriend. You get them into that backpack, feel the weight of that bag. Make no mistake your relationships are the heaviest components in your life. All those negotiations and arguments and secrets, the compromises. The slower we move the faster we die. Make no mistake, moving is living. Some animals were meant to carry each other to live symbiotically over a lifetime. Star crossed lovers, monogamous swans. We are not swans. We are sharks."

"The stars will wheel forth from their daytime hiding places; and one of those lights, slightly brighter than the rest, will be my wingtip passing over."