sorkin crush

This is a bit out of the norm for the new format of this site, but a lack of content (and a long work day tomorrow) means a few days without any other kind of post. I decided instead to discuss my greatest guilty pleasure.

As a half ass film student I've watched many of the "great" films (still have many more to watch) and I can appreciate a good film with anyone. However, and I was not even aware of this until my recent obsession with show The West Wing, but apparently I have a real thing for films that involve politics. A discussion of my favorites (in no particular order):

The American President (1995)

Oddly enough, this is where my love of political films (and Aaron Sorkin) begins. Not a particularly deep film, not exactly fluff either. It's a Rom Com disguised as a film about politics, and it sucks me right in with one of my favorite casts ever (and one of Michael J. Fox's best roles). It's on TV probably 20 times a year on various cable networks.

"My name is Andrew Shepherd and I AM the President of the United States of America"

Dave (1993)

My favorite Kevin Kline movie and a fairly underrated 90s comedy (with a shockingly high Tomatometer) is one of my earliest political film loves. As I write this I'm learning more that it's not films about politics that I've always loved, just films that took place in the White House.

My Fellow Americans (1996)

Would never be mistaken for an Oscar winning film and I don't have much defense for liking it besides the fact that it involves the presidency and some fantastic actors. Also, Bradley Whitford from The West Wing!

"...hail to the chief, he's the chief and he needs hailing."

Charlie Wilson's War (2007)

More Sorkin love here, though this one is based on a true story. Star power galore (Hanks, Roberts, Hoffman) and a fantastic screenplay make this a great film. Sorkin is the king at keeping a film deep and technical yet fun and full of personality at the same time.

JFK (1991)

The only film on this list I consider to be a true masterpiece. Oliver Stone took great liberties with the facts surrounding John Kennedy's assassination and the investigation into it. The film is almost entirely dialogue, yet still extremely visual. The editing, the numerous cameos, the only role where I don't hate Kevin Costner, and the Donald Sutherland scene are just a few reasons why this film is so enjoyable. It also seems to say more about how we as Americans view our own history than it does about John Kennedy.

"...back, and to the left...back, and to the left..."

These aren't all of the films that involve politics that I enjoy, but the ones I enjoy the most (couldn't decide if Dr. Strangelove was technically a political film so I left it off of here, though it easily would have topped this list). What else should I see?

poor rodney

I have a real love for Rodney Dangerfield. I thought this video was going to be horrible, dated, and not funny. Apparently the first 2 are true, but I chuckled throughout the whole thing. Also, Andy freakin' Kaufman!

microwaving cellphones, more fun than microwaving peeps?

A video that truly amazes me.

do it. faster. makes us. harder. (giggle to self)

Daft Punk brings joy to my life. Pretending I am them brings even more.

throw your Ws up

From the forthcoming (believe it when I see it) album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2.

Wu Ooh (feat. Ghostface and Method Man) - Raekwon

Album supposedly out August 11. 

'topical'

rap chop

This is wonderfully catchy. It also makes you forget about the prostitute...until the "you're gonna love my nuts" part (1:04). Love the editing on this.

better spector; arlen or phil?

This post by FiveThirtyEight.com nicely sums up similar party moves that are relatable to Arlen Specter.

jacko

Best thing I've seen all day.

Cute + Creepy = Cupy?

Glow-In-The-Dark animals = worthwhile scientific progress

getting all swine-ey

Old Swine Flu warning video here.

swine flu

Found this interesting map of where Swine Flu has occured.

hominids, cool or scary?

I didn't have much to post today so I'll give you this article about real life hobbits.

poop drink

Just wanted to make sure I sufficiently grossed everyone out for the day. Bear Grylls = more man than you.

the importance of the "the" bands

I really enjoy this post by Idolator. A focus on the mainstream definition of Modern Rock. It is just one man's opinion, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.

i'm sorry to anyone reading who is about to hit play on this video

So the creepy old dude that was my hero last week, has since been found to be a sex offender and has posted this video which makes me want to cry. 

"i just bought a T.O. jersey last week" says Hitler

G from www.thepineriders.com showed me this video. Apparently it's been around for a while, but the ability to imagine Hitler saying that Eli Manning sucks is great.

shadow youth

The next in my series where I find a video based on the first song that comes up in my iTunes random. This series is turning out better than I could have imagined. Here is one of my favorite music videos ever for DJ Shadow's "6 Days" directed by Wong Kar-Wei...

But embedding was disabled for the video, here's the link...

DJ Shadow - Six Days (video)

So instead we go to the next song on random and get this great video of Sonic Youth.

in a half shell

FUCKING YES

(please don't suck like TMNT)

...and in other film news, Roger Ebert gets the mad respect

oh i get it, new jersey is full of garbage

The Venezuelans gave us a gift. Actually they gave it to New Jersey. Part of the island will be a nature preserve. New Jersey loves nature...

i want to ride my bicycle

I'm not usually impressed by people doing stuff like this on bikes/skateboards/snowboards/razor scooters or whatever else people ride, but this guy is really impressive and I dig the Band of Horses song that plays in the background.

Dizzee Rascal - "Bonkers"

I really enjoy this tune. It's a long way from his early classic tracks, but its an interesting listen all the way. Also, Dizzee's likeability makes this video alot of fun.

don't worry tony, i think local news is bullshit too

Danza may be a jerk, but he is still the boss.

not doing that again, it burned

Um...so this guy fucked the oven at Quizno's? (jealousy is not what I should be feeling right now, but I do love me some original Italian hoagies from Quizno's)

In a fantastic age for commercials it's amazing that Quizno's can still shock. If you aren't somewhat taken aback by this commercial, you need to stop watching appliance fucking porn. To further express Quizno's fantastic marketing, I give you this...

soderbergh + henson

A preview of the next Steven Soderbergh film... ok...not really, but at this point in his career would anything really surprise you? 

many jew jokes

Early Seth Rogen standup. For a 13 year old, it ain't bad.

Matt and Kim

Matt and Kim's album Grand was as cute or possibly cuter than their last self-titled album. New video for them is fantastic, with an odd surprise ending. Honestly though, I wonder how they did the whole thing. 

Matt and Kim - New Music - More Music Videos

...and she keeps her socks on the whole time!

I like the new one, but this one for "Yea Yeah" (thanks Mikey!) is one of my favorites. You can just tell how much fun it was to make.

creepy old dude, you're my hero

And I thought it was a slow day for content....

This guy has a whole body of work, go to youtube and watch more.

like the old pirates, but billionaires

Bummed out about the Pirate Bay verdict? Don't worry, Forbes says Google will help us illegally get music even better.

evil looking

Just days after Obama shook hands and received a gift from Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, Cheney called the images of the encounter "not helpful." "I think it sets the wrong standard," Cheney added.

-from CNN

Well we all know how far the Bush administration's foriegn policy got us...

BTW Cheney, sweet hat (and not evil looking at all)

what's my deal with cosby lately?

Surpringly SFW video. I shouldn't be having dirty thoughts about Rudy.

passion pit

Before I saw this new video, I had always pictured the lead singer of
Passion Pit to be some kind of muppet on ecstacy. Apparently he is a
normal dude with a beard. This song has grown on me recently...

The tune:

The Reeling - Passion Pit

she is damn sexy though

OK, the video blowing up the internet right now (or at least Perez is telling us it is) is this one from the Miss USA pageant last night:

Perez is appalled and immediately after the pageant posted a videoblog about it, calling Miss California a "stupid bitch" (though he apologized for that). My question is this: Why ask the question, if the girl is going to give her honest opinion only to have you go online saying that she should have given the same bullshit, politically correct answer that everyone else gives? Why throw a question like that at her if you were only going to accept one answer?

If she had said she was for same-sex marraige would you have been just as upset? Personally, I think people against same-sex marraige are fairly neanderthal-ish. At the same time, if you aren't going to be open to other people opinions, even when they disagree, you present yourself as just as backwards as you claim them to be.

the funky chicken, the robot

I came up with this idea for a regular post on this site (a post for
when I have a lack of ideas or other interesting things to post) where
I will go to my iTunes, hit the random, the search in YouTube for
whatever artist comes up. I'm going to post the first video that comes
up from that artist. Thought this might not be a good idea, until my
first one turned out so very very good...

little white bitch, eh?

I literally forgot about Jamie Foxx beginning as a comic. I also forgot he wasn't actually blind (Really Jamie, another movie where you play a blind guy? It's not like they just give Oscars away for playing disabled people... wait...you mean...they do?) Anyway, recently he wasn't very nice to a girl who I am legally not attracted to yet. Unfortunately for Miley, he wasn't very nice in a very funny way...

He kind of wimped out and apologized, but still managed to fit in a plug for his radio show...

missing mimi and drew

Though Late Night TV generally blows, Craig Ferguson consistantly reminds us of how great he is with random, unexplained openers like this:

the world explodes from awesomeness

Someone kill me please. I will never be as happy as I was when I first saw this

hangin with mr cooper

AC 360 pulls a 180 on the term teabagging. Gergen gets it. Gergen likes it. Gergen laughs.

the best links post ever

Hulk Hogan gives his career an atomic leg drop.  

Oh Best Week Ever blog. For so long I scorned you. Now you make my day. Protest

For something completely different: fast and environmentally friendly trains (sound like death traps to me). Obama's East Coast Bias

My Pens may have won their game yesterday, but they lost in the best marketing of the playoffs. One Cup

"Bauer Comes to Broadway" or "The City That Never Sleeps Because Jack Bauer Might Decide It's a Terrorist and Kill It". Possible title for season 8.

perfume and robot sex

Chris Cunningham has made some great music videos in the past, but he recently made a perfume commercial more engaging than the majority of Hollywood films.

In case you forgot how great his videos are, here is this: 

pirates

Dick Cheney recently criticized Obama for being weak on terrorism. According to this chart, he was right.

linksies

Sad day for Phil Spector fans, like me. Sad day for muder fans too, because of course he was guilty.  Convicted

In case you don't read the internet: Kanye = Gay Fish. This song is hilarious though. Motherfucking Fish Tank Orgy

Interesting for someone like me who has seen too many Disney movies in their life. Templates

NIce parody of the fanastic early trailer for "Where the Wild Things Are". Poop

While Hollywood recycling these days means bad things, like Will Smith remaking the Karate Kid, it also means good things, like a new Ghostbusters. Ghostbusters 3

in case you forgot, kate winslet won an oscar

If you've never seen the show Extras, get on it. The show is hilarious, and also, as shown in this video, it can predict the future.

the cos

Made me smile the first 100 times I watched it today...

Paul Rudd, what an asshole

Fucking Paul Rudd

He's so cool.

Morrissey

A few weeks back I saw Morrissey perform here in Pittsburgh. For a 49 year old, he really does still have some pipes. It prompted me to download the Smiths discography torrent. Even with all of that wonderful equal parts jangly guitar and self-loathing Smiths music to listen to, I still just love the rain falling hard on a hum-drum town:

William, It Was Really Nothing - The Smiths

A little solo Morrissey:

Late Night, Maudlin Street - Morrissey

From the same album, that song that played on the commercials during football season:

Everyday is Like Sunday - Morrissey

elf

Might be my favorite of all viral videos:

Alan Keyes

Video is from February, but I feel that as a somewhat prominent (at
least, I'm sure, to himself) prominent black figure in American, more
people should see what this man said here and take issue with it.
Though honestly, he is so far beyond ridiculous in this video that you
might want to just laugh at him.

Saturday Night Poopsound

I really love this Yeah Yeah Yeah's song. My question is, why does
everyone sound shitty on Saturday Night Live. Everytime
some band that doesn't completely blow performs on this show, the next day
there are videos of the performance posted everywhere, and they are always really bad. I'm going to blame the Saturday Night Live sound stage for this one. Take for example:

The infamous Kanye West performance that, in my opinion, was a direct
contributor to South Park labeling him as a "gay fish". But it wasn't all his
fault:

Lesson: if you want a memorable music experience on SNL, film it
before the live taping. And include T-Pain fucking a mermaid:

grab

Augusta National. A fine cathedral to the sport of golf. Also, a
great place to cop a feel on your woman...

Black Rain

Black Rain from Semiconductor on Vimeo.

Described by this:

Here we see the HI (Heliospheric Imager) visual data as it tracks interplanetary space for solar wind and CME's (coronal mass ejections) heading towards Earth. Data courtesy of courtesy of the Heliospheric Imager on the NASA STEREO mission.

Working with STEREO scientists, Semiconductor collected all the HI image data to date, revealing the journey of the satellites from their initial orientation, to their current tracing of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. Solar wind, CME's, passing planets and comets orbiting the sun can be seen as background stars and the milky way pass by.

Tough to explain just what watching this film feels like, but it's a pretty fantastic experience. 

The people who made it:  www.semiconductorfilms.com

The Vanish

Been <3-ing this band recently. Make me want to put on my dancing shoes. Or buy dancing shoes.

Hold On - The Vanish

Heartbeat - The Vanish

The Vanish on Myspace

to doubt again

I'm a geek, I know, but I'm just loving this picture of the volcano
lightning from Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano.

Rove Calls Biden a Liar

Karl Rove has got some balls. He recently called the second in command of our country a liar. 

Some Links (just like other, successful blogs!)

Just going to post some stuff I have been enjoying recently:

As stupid as the writer of this question must have been, the ex-geek (ex?) in me still didn't enjoy this: Intelligence Fail

Recently saw Monsters vs. Aliens. Not blown away. While there were no smiling talking animals (not real animals anyway), this still holds true: Pixar vs. Dreamworks

One of the best things I've ever seen For Friday Night Lights fans, watch closely for Matt Saracen: Gobstopper

WORST THING EVER. Except maybe the new Eminem video and song. Saw this a few days ago and knew I had to post it on the reboot of this site: NIGHTMARE

Kind of wish I was Lil Jon: WHAT?!? OK!!

probably could have been doing something somewhat more constructive

I'm a Guitar Hero fan. This is amazing.

P.S.

I left on Jimmy Fallon's new show to see how bad he really is (he is
no worse than terrible Conan or Leno who both suck also) only to find
Rachel Maddow wearing what I think are the same glasses that I wear.

Not endorsing smoking cigars (there are kids on the internet)

Lately I've been thinking of getting back to the Cigarbox writing. A lack of flowing creativity in my life perhaps, or my recent obsession with blogs themselves (though sure enough, I start reading blogs and twitter makes the idea of a blog seem immediately outdated). Blogging is just a way for people to pretend they have things other people want to read about. Or, they post MP3's because they think other people should know just how great and 'authentic' (fuck you Carles) what they are listening to is. Meanwhile, hundreds of other blogs just discovered that music at the same time. Or, like us, they are always a few steps behind, and just enjoy a good tune.

Today on my daily tour of the internet I stumbled across the video of the person playing the cigarbox guitar on the previous post to this one. The playing didn't strike me as anything too special, but it made me think of college, and me and the Green Hornet obsessing over our stupid little blog (and Black Hammer always talking about posting and never posting) and I decided to post it.

Lately, and I can't exactly describe why, but I've taken an obsession to the show the West Wing, which has been off the air for a few years, but I'm sure you all remember it for beating the Sopranos for the big Emmy every year. The song "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was the Ground" was mentioned in the show, which was funny because I had recently been listening to the Dark Was The NIght comp alot (which has a cover version on it by the Kronos quartet). So I Wikipedia'ed it (yes, to me "wikipedia" can be a verb) which led me to the page of the song's creator Blind Willie Johnson, and sure enough, it mentions him starting out on a Cibarbox Guitar. I took two mentions in a day (and my often thinking of starting to write again) as signs that I should just post.

I tell this long story not because it's interesting (it's not) but instead to describe my attempt to get back to this blogging thing. I hope to add more to it than just music (videos, other cool things?). Regardless, I'm sure if anyone is reading, they at least want me to post the songs I just talked about.

Dark Was The Night - Kronos Quartet (Blind Willie Johnson cover)

Cigarbox Guitar

Fred Armisen in "Obama Plays it Cool" is more William Shatner than Blue Note.

Still, I enjoyed it.

Just When I Thought I Couldn't Love Rachel Maddow Any More...

She goes and makes a Wu-Tang reference!

It was during a segment where an Iraqi judge called someone an "Old Dirty Ba'athist." She followed up by saying something along the lines of, "not to be confused with the Ghostface Killah Ba'athist." The joke didn't really land, but she did giggle at it herself and trailed off saying something about the Clan, showing probably at least a passing familiarity with the Wu. Fantastic.

Then, just when it seems like she couldn't be any greater, I scour the internet for a picture of her to put in this post, and I find out that she hates coldplay. So do I! Awesome!

Hear for yourself on her podcast

Oy Division!

Last night, I had this idea. I realized that I want to start a Klezmer-Rock Joy Division cover band called "Oy Division."

Almost immediately after announcing my intention, I was informed that it'd already been done. I briefly flirted with the idea of a street punk version called "Oi Division," but decided I wasn't as crazy about it. Now you may be asking yourself, "where is all of this coming from?" Well, it's pretty simple. Last night I went to BAM to see the aptly titled documentary Joy Division.



The film was fantastic, far better than my last trip to the movies to see Zach and Miri. The editing and composition were fantastic but the best part of movie was the involvement of so many people who were integral to the band's history. The surviving members of the band all gave lengthy commentary, along with Ian Curtis's extra-marital girlfriend Annik Honoré, Factory Records founder Tony Wilson, graphic designer Peter Saville, and Buzzcock Pete Shelley. The included interviews focused less on what happened and more on how it happened, which made for an extremely compelling story. Near the film's end, however, it was mentioned that the story doesn't conclude with Curtis' death, going on to gloss over the band's transition into New Order. This was the only part of the film I could say I was disappointed with. It seemed odd that filmmaker Grant Gee would make a point of saying how it's important to note that the story doesn't end with Curtis' death, and subsequently end his story with Curtis' death. I've always been curious how a band like Joy Division could evolve into a band like New Order, and I'd hoped this documentary would shed some light on that.

That gripe aside, the film was alternately funny and poignant, and informative. It was playing as part of BAM's Thanksgiving film series, Punk 'n' Pie, which unfortunately is over as of tonight. The movie is available on DVD, however, so if you're even a little interested in some of the stories behind an important band, check it out.

"She's Lost Control" by Joy Division
"Isolation" by Joy Division

Pears, Plums, Books, Peaches

Even though it was released almost three years ago, I just recently heard the Final Fantasy cover of Joanna Newsom's "Peach, Plum, Pear." It's one of my favorite Joanna Newsom tunes and I really enjoy the cover too. Pallet's strings offer a pleasant parallel to the sounds of Newsom's harp and his voice is well suited to the song's delicate vocals.

"Peach, Plum, Pear" by Final Fantasy

"Peach, Plum, Pear" by Joanna Newsom

I've also been really getting into the books lately. Ive had their first album for quite some time, but it never garnered anything more than passing interest; something I wouldn't skip in shuffle, but probably wasn't seeking out otherwise. Last week though, a friend showed me a video from their 2007 dvd, Playall. This is "Smells Like Content."

At first I was drawn in by how wonderful the video is, but immediately after watching, I wanted to hear the song again. Initially I heard similarities to Broken Social Scene's "I'm Still Your Fag" (another great video and fantastic song) but the more I listened, the more I could hear Paul Simon in the melodies and harmonies of the vocals. I don't offer these comparisons to detract from the duo's originality, but rather to trace the development of my appreciation for the song. Since then, I've been listening to Lost and Safe near constantly and while "Smells like Content" stands out as my favorite, it is a solid album of experimental balladry.

"Smells Like Content" by the Books
"Be Good to Them Always" by the Books

Colin Meloy Sings...

Colin Meloy released his third (or sort of fourth) Colin Meloy Sings... record this past April focusing on five jams by the late Sam Cooke. Since I've been listening to a lot of Sam Cooke lately, I decided to put the Colin Meloy versions into rotation.

"Bright It On Home to Me" by Colin Meloy
"Bright It On Home to Me" by Sam Cooke

"That's Where it's At" by Colin Meloy
"That's Where it's At" by Sam Cooke

It's possible that this owes more to Sam Cooke's merits than to Colin Meloy's faults, but I had a lot of trouble getting into Meloy's versions of the songs. It's not that they weren't well executed, they absolutely were. It's just that I would rather listen to the original version of every song on this EP, if given the chance. In my mind, good covers expand upon or deconstruct the original in some interesting way. Meloy did it excellently with the first EP in the series, Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey. His versions of "I Know Very Well How I Got My Name" and "Everyday is Like Sunday" are stripped down to a completely bare and vulnerable sound and it suits both songs beautifully.

"Everyday is Like Sunday" by Colin Meloy
"Everyday is Like Sunday" by Morrissey

"I Know Very Well How I Got My Name" by Colin Meloy
"I Know Very Well How I Got My Name" by Morrissey

I'm a Mac, I'm a PC, and sweetie call me Toney Starks, Ghost if ya like ta

Some new Ghostface id making its way around the internet. The thing is, it's consistently linked within posts about Ghost's upcoming compilation album The Great Ghostdeini, yet it's never included within the tracklist. So where did this song come from? If I ever get an answer, I'll be sure to pass it along.

"Computer Love" by Ghostface Killah

The song is definitely better than anything off of Big Doe Rehab. That being said though, the Zapp sample, while enjoyable, is hardly original. Ghost is strong on the track, but not particularly strong enough to make this one a classic. Is it worth downloading? Absolutely. Are you going to remember you downloaded it a couple months from now? Probably not.

New Blake Schwarzenbach Project

I went to a show last night at the Jerk house in Sunset Park and I got there kind of late, figuring that house shows never start on time. I was wrong about this one and ended up missing the first three bands. I did dance into people excitedly for a long set by Shellshag, but unfortunately that couldn't make up for the fact that I missed Blake Schwarzenbach's new band play a surprise set. I'm not sure what the band's called and since I didn't actually see the set, I can't really say much about the sound, but I heard from everyone that they were pretty awesome. Not terribly shocking.

"Perfecting Loneliness" by Jets to Brazil
"Boxcar" by Jawbreaker

This may not have been all that informative, but hopefully I'll start getting to shows on time and more Blake Schwarzenbach news will follow.

It's been a long, long time coming.

For once, it really feels like the system worked.

"A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke

Modest Mouse at MHW 6/20

So I was lucky to get a pair of tickets yesterday afternoon to the late night/early morning Modest Mouse show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg last night and it was definitely one of the more memorable concert experiences I’ve had.

I showed up at 1AM (when doors were scheduled to open) only to wait outside the MHW for almost an hour and endure the endless “do you have an extra ticket” questioning by everyone who walked by.

When I finally got in I claimed a spot in the upstairs balcony right on the railing which was an absolutely perfect view of everything. At this point 2:15 rolls around (the show was scheduled to start at 1:30AM), and then by 2:30 they finally come on stage. They started off great with a couple older songs and then went into more familiar material. Here’s the set list slightly out of order:

Trucker's Atlas
Breakthrough
Fire It Up
We've Got Everything
Dance Hall
Dashboard
Dramamine
The Whale Song
Wild Pack Of Family Dogs
Little Motel
Satin In A Coffin
Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
Paper Thin Walls
The Good Times Are Killing Me

I was hoping to see a couple more rarities although we did get a lot. One highlight of the night was when Isaac, who was admittedly drunk, during Tiny Cities Made in Ashes was screaming his “And the population’s you!” rant and jumped off the stage into the crowd. He started plowing through the crowd, grabbing people by the shoulders, and shaking the half-dazed hipsters while screaming in their face – it was quite a site from up in the balcony.

There’s definitely something to be said for the atmosphere a tired, bleary eyed, half drunk and stoned crowd creates but it seemed to work at this show. Overall it was a very late night, but definitely an awesome experience and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.