It's the weekend, and the best thing about this weekend is that I'm going to go see Smokin' Aces. Not only does it look like one heck of an action movie starring a great cast of actors including Jeremy Piven, but it also will give me a chance to look at how the film, as Chicago-Sun Times writer Bill Zwecker says, uses violence "to shock us, but in a way that totally makes sense, in the seemingly continual litany of bloody killings in a world of organized crime where violence is the ultimate currency."
I've done quite a few papers on the study of violence in film, particularly on its evolution from the Western genre films of Sam Peckinpah and John Ford to today's usage, so it'll be not only entertaining to see this film, but engaging as well.
Zwecker writes that,
"This is a film that works well because it stays true to the filmmaker's mission. It fulfills Carnahan's obvious intention to keep us riveted, horrified and yes, totally entertained for nearly two hours. A big part of this movie's success is the wonderful way the script interweaves funny moments smack dab in the middle of all the messy murdering.
Carnahan has said in several interviews that his inspiration for "Smokin' Aces" came from an idea that hit him several years ago: Build a story line on the long-rumored Mafia associations of the late Frank Sinatra and take it to the next level -- turn an entertainer into an actual mob kingpin.
That's the premise of this film -- with Jeremy Piven cast as Buddy "Aces" Israel, the five-time winner of "Las Vegas' most popular showman" honors for his ability to wow audiences with his skills as both a musician, jokester and card-trick magician.
Like Sinatra, Israel early on becomes a favorite of the gangsters who control Sin City's underworld. But unlike Ol' Blue Eyes, this fictional star yearns for more -- his own piece of the illegal action, and a hefty slice of it at that..."
Read the full review
Against GirlienessThe snide brilliance of Tina Fey on 30 Rock.
By Troy Patterson for Slate
The NBC show within the NBC show 30 Rock (Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET) is titled The Girlie Show. Or it was, at least, until Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), the fictional NBC's newly appointed "Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming," got his meaty and manicured hands on it. He hired a volatile male movie star (Tracy Morgan) as its new centerpiece and rechristened it TGS With Tracy Jordan. Though the original name is lost, the question lingers: "Girlie"? Really? What was that about?Yes, as Donaghy asserted in 30 Rock's October pilot, the sketch show he is meddling with rates well with female viewers, and, yes, Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski), The Girlie Show's old star, is a hair-flipping wonder. But the name is a bad fit, and also telling. The fragments of TGS sketches we've caught are completely in tune with the boyish brainwaves of The Harvard Lampoon: extravagant vomit jokes, bears brawling with killer robots. There is nothing to suggest that, as 30 Rock's superlatively odd NBC page (Jack McBrayer), explains to a tour group, the sketch show is a "real fun ladies' comedy show for ladies." There are but two women in the writers' room. One has yet to speak a line. The other is the head writer, Liz Lemon, played by Tina Fey. Before creating 30 Rock, Fey was, of course, the head writer on Saturday Night Live, which is where things get interesting. 30 Rock is not a sitcom รก clef, but Fey and her character do share a quarrel with girlieness that's bitter but fond—that's fond of its bitterness, even—and much of 30 Rock's hilarity springs from it...[READ MORE].
30 Rock is a great nightcap to the already stellar NBC Thursday night lineup of My Name is Earl, The Office, and Scrubs. It fits right alongside Arrested Development as one of my favorite shows ever.
Music
Featured Album: Andrew Bird's Armchair Apocrypha
Mr first introduction to Mr. Bird came from Mr. Bees - Muzzle of Bees, that is. Ryan of Muzzle of Bees, being as big of an Andrew Bird fan as he is, helped introduce me to this Chicago native's whistling ways and indietastic tunes last year through The Mysterious Production of Eggs, and I hope that I can continue that chain of tradition by turning a few of you new listeners on to Mr. Andrew Bird through his new release, Armchair Apocrypha.
As Bird told Billboard.com about the new album,
"I'm writing stuff that's big and spacious, with long, stretched out phrases, a sense of large, open air. But it's also really concise. I'm trying to keep it to 10 songs, but short is pretty hard to pull off when you're trying to create space," Bird tells Billboard.com. "I did a recording session in the barn where I opened all the windows and miked everything, just recording three hours of ambient noise. Now I just have to find a way to work it in."
Bird has written several songs that revolve around science, politics and fatalism, though with "subtlety." Its centerpiece, he says, is what he tentatively titles "The Armchair Apocalypse," which describes a societal overthrow from the comfort of one's living room.
"My angrier songs tend to be more peaceful sounding. It's a twist I do to make every song believable," the Chicago-based songwriter says. Many of the new songs have been featured at Bird's live performances, including "Dark Matter," "Plasticities" and "Sycophants."
Bird has enjoyed "pooling" a number of Minneapolis and Midwest-based musicians for the effort, including singer Haley Bonar and Chris Morrissey, who backed him on his "The Mysterious Production of Eggs" tour, and drummer Martin Dosh. He selected Durrant based on recommendations from his friends and has been at work mixing the effort out of the producer's basement."
Andrew Bird's upcoming new release, Armchair Apocrypha, is set for release March 20th.
From the Mysterious Production of Eggs:
Andrew Bird - "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left"
From Armchair Apocrypha:
Edit: The songs previously uploaded, "Fiery Crash" and "Armchairs," were requested to be taken down by management, but they are graciously willing to share the following track with you:
Andrew Bird - "Heretics"
Featured Artist: Au Revior Simone
Harbouring a love of synthesizers and vintage drum machines, Brooklyn trio Au Revoir Simone made their UK debut with the release of mini album, 'Verses of Comfort, Assurance and Salvation', on Moshi Moshi Records on October 31st. Offering up a generous helping of charm and intelligence, 'Verses...' is a lesson for us all in what expertly layered synths, ethereal, heart felt and heart-rendering vocals, dreamy melodies, and palpitating drum machine-induced disco beats should sound like when properly woven together. - Moshi Moshi Records
Au Revoir Simone are currently on tour in the UK wiith We Are Scientists.
While I'm generally not into dreamy pop music, Au Revior Simone make very serene music that falls together perfectly and makes you feel like you're floating through the clouds. Perfect for those early mornings before the sun comes up.
Au Revoir Simone - "Through the Backyards"
Au Revoir Simone website
Featured Artist: The Fratellis
I got my hands on The Fratellis' Costello Music finally yesterday and have so far enjoyed what I've been able to listen to. A high energy band from Glasglow, The Fratellis, at least to me, sound like the Arctic Monkeys with less crunch and more flair. Throw in a hint of Scottish punk rhythms and you've got yourself another new electric band on the block.
The Fratellis - "Henrietta"
The Fratellis - "Flathead"
The Fratellis at Myspace