Add Two More Tease Me's, Please

Since I was in a frenzy of posting video clips last night--and this morning these two were staring me in the face I simply felt the need to preserve these two on the ol' TRB as well. This first one is another gift from our friends in France. All freedomy as they are, they've gone and dipped into the slasher pic genre. A couple of sweet innocent ladies have gotten themselves in a bit of trouble while trying to visit the 'rents in the countryside. This movie's been around in festivals and such for two years now--it's finally coming stateside via Lions Gate on June 3rd. Word is that it's damn good for what it is--a maniac killer movie, but with uncommonly great performances, but then there's the end where it has a pull-the-rug finale. Anyway, here's the teaser, click it...



Chris Cunningham creeps me the fuck out. His work with Aphex Twin is some of the most surreal stuff that's gotten to large market in this country--I barely made it through his Director's Series dvd -- it's much darker than Spike Jonze's and Gondry's stuff. And when I say dark I mean nightmare shit. Anyway, as much as I feel completely uncomfortable around his work--I am at the same time drawn to it. He knows precisely what he's doing and taps into some weird primal eerieness--sort of like an urban David Lynch without the subtlety. This whole teaser thing isn't much--but I've no doubt that the completed project is something worth keeping an eye shut for. Click the-what-the-hell-is-that below.



Wait! One more from m'lady to make it three -- a claymation New Order video that would have went well with the animation theme going on last night. This one beats that Arcade Fire video rather soundly. Anyway, here it is.

While I'm here again I might as well mention like some others I'm sure have recently, that Fiona Apple's unreleased Jim O'Rourke produced album Extraordinary Machine is pretty damn good. For whatever it's worth, I've never really been a fan of hers in the past -- her songs have always been those that I've never been opposed to but never liked enough to go out and buy n album. Her politics have been a bit off-putting, for lack of a better word. But I've known she's been the gal of one of my favorite directors for a while now (for all I know they've been long since seperated) and so I've always held out a sort of feint interest in her. Anyhow, I've gotta say this new unreleased one of hers is far superior to anything I've heard from her in the past. That's all, I swear.

Kids Power Out on Mars Space Orchid

Hey kids, wanna watch a funny show? It's called The Kids Show. See how that works out. Thank you, Mathew Tobey, I miss your mp3 blog -- why no updates for three months? That twised little show reminds me a lot of the dearly missed TV Funhouse -- the one that Comedy Central will hopefully release a dvd of some day...

What, more animation? How about that video for Arcade Fire's Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) -- it's well done if not a little boring in the mid-section. I can't help but think of those little hooded things from the first Star Wars movie. Thanks Stereogum.

And finally one from a special fellow (you're still making my firefox crash every time though)-- Space. No, it's not the new Daft Punk video, you ass. Sorry. I guess they're French -- and this was condsidered a hit in 1977 according to All Music. Via this place.

Which reminds me, I haven't updated what's been going on in the mix lately so let me give a small break down of some things you should give a listen to if you're so inclined. MIA's new cd Arular is pretty darn good for your booty. Ahem. Sam Prekop's Who's Your New Professor is a damn fine listen. And because they're suposedly playing the MFA sometime this summer I've been catching up on Mouse From Mars, and if you haven't, I suggest you do the same. And of course there's that new White Stripes single. Blue Orchid. Thanks you.

Ok, now I can go watch Primer and get some sleep. If all those links work -- amen.

A Castle in Kazakhstan

[I know I missed my sorta promised Monday night post this week but us Massatwoshits state employees don't work on Patriots Day, my apologies...]

There are probably a lot of people not into Japanese animation that have caught a Miyazaki movie and been a bit enchanted -- the guy is fairly amazing at creating grandiose otherworldly universes, with sweeping and very original stories that manage to translate well across the globe. This one looks to be another feather in his cap and the animation looks amazing in that sexy quicktime (small - medium – large - x-large). Also funny because I know a guy named Howl and I’m sure he’s always wanted a moving castle. (Thanks again AICN.)

A while ago I got steered to this article from somewhere and thought that another season of Da Ali G Show was underway. It’s a damn funny story if you’re familiar with Sacha Baron Cohen’s character from that show, Borat. And even if you aren’t, really. Well, it became a bit clearer that after that incident it wasn’t a new season they were filming but an actual Borat-centric movie. Word got out that Sacha got in a bit of a row with the director he’d hired and then things went silent. And really with this type of project, you can’t be too sure that what was getting out was really the truth, or the guy just having fun with the press. But now good news – a new and improved director has stepped up to bat for Borat in the form of the possibly genius-y Larry Charles (save for the Mad About You stuff). Click here for the CHUD article and its own back-story about the goings on of this project. Thinking about it now, Borat seems like a much better character to be basing a movie around rather than Mr. Ali G -- click HERE for my review of Ali G Indahouse movie and Larry Charles' very much underrated Masked & Anonymous [how strangely convenient] -- here's HBO's own Borat bio...

"Borat Sagdiyev is Kazakhstan's sixth most famous man. A leading journalist from the State run TV network, Borat has been sent to the United States to report on all aspects of American life. From baseball to Broadway, Borat asks the questions no westerner would dream of in his tireless quest for knowledge, telling dating agencies he will 'crush' women who are unfaithful, touching the penises of Vietnam veterans in Atlanta, urinating on trees with new age gurus in Sedona. Borat on his first ever trip abroad presents a picture of America that only Charles Manson would recognize. "



Click the pic there to witness one of the funniest and yet most thuroughly disturbing things from Borat's escapades in America. And if that link doesn't work try one of these: HERE or HERE? Sorry, my ride on the information superhighway is running low on gas tonight and can't quite be bothered to double check these last few links.

Oh, but before I sign off and watch the rest of this rather kick ass White Stripes movie (a bit more than enough crotch-shots of Jack--but visions of barefoot Meg will be drumming in my head tonight), I want to implore you to read this visit to the set of The 40 Year-Old Virgin. The movie's IMDb page has been sitting over there on my rather stagnant-because-I'm-lazy sidebar for a good while now ever since I stumbled upon the fact that Steve Carrell's getting his own leading role in a Judd Apatow movie. This will be the last AICN link I'll post on here for a while, I promise. But it's a damn funny article.

Remind Me

...next year that I now have a decent job I can actually get some worth while cash back from the governement. In the past I've either owed, or got around 30 bucks back. If I knew what was coming to me this time around, well, it certainly would have gotten some fire under my ass to perform my least favorite task--dealing with numbers.

But that's not why I'm up past midnight, once again, feeling the need to finish of this fairly nasty box of Franzia that was given to me as a house-warming gift nearly 3 months ago, and speak to the dark oblivian of the internet community. No, a very special thing is happening this weekend (for those of you not in LA or NY, there are some of you out there right?). Old Boy. The story of a pissed of man and his hammer...



...that won the hearts of the Cannes film fest last year is finally making it's way to my little 'burg here in Cambridge. The insane hype this movie's been getting has been rattling round in my head for about a year now and I can't help but be downright giddy to be finally getting a place to see this. Click that pic above to get a nice little write up from by dear dear imaginary friend at Brokentype. AICN has been doing a circle jerk over this movie for the longest time, since it was shown at their last Butt-Numb-A-Thon. And it seems ages ago that the always read-worthy Filmbrain gave it his thurough going-over, including: "The final shot of the film is so haunting, so disturbing, that it most certainly deserves a place in the 'greatest closing shots' pantheon." And more recently here's todaysthe Phoenix's take.



The main reason I'd really find that tax refund useful right now is so I could live in the land of do-as-you-please and rock this upcoming Boston Independant Film Festival. There's too much going on to really get into here at this hour but: Steve Buscemi's in person opening up the thing with his new directorial effort Lonesome Jim -- Hal Hartley's new one is going to be there -- The JT Leroy adaptation The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things -- The very cool sounding Chain -- And the short I'd mentioned before during my longings of the SXSW gone past, Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?... click that link up there to get more info on those and others--even if you aren't in the area, they're worth keeping an eye out for.

Okay, I'll wrap this up with two very unrelated video links. One (click on promo reel) for Larry Clark's (Kids, Bully) upcoming movie -- seems basically like Kids in LA, not that that's a bad thing... And one for some monkeys singing about the joy of the first hangover beer.

A brief one...

...because I've gotten back into the Jack Bauer Power Hour and I promised myself I'd get more than six hours sleep. Circuit City had a decent buy 3 DVDs for 30 bucks thing going on so I picked up the Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown dvds and was up way too late last night watching the extras bonus discs. Some interesting features, mostly on the Jackie Brown one, and I'd forgotten how good that movie is...

Anyway, I'd meant to chime in on the recent new feature on the Onion A.V. Club -- Will Wheaton's Games of Our Lives. It's a small little gem of a feature that always gets a good laugh out of me each time by managing to get a plot of some sorts out of these ancient Atari games from the 80s and it's become something that I look foward to every Wednesday. It's been around for a month or two now and if you haven't seen these little bits, spend a few minutes and catch up on some fun nostalgia.

And it's been a couple weeks so of course there's a new Miike trailer out there for something called Yokai. It's not nearly as crazed as that IZU trailer but it does look like he's working on a rather large scale once again and is in full-on bizzaro mode. Don't ask me what the hell the thing's about--AICN is probably as close as you can get by comparing it to Clive Barker's old Nightbreed flick. All IMDb tells you is it's based on a comic book created by a guy who's been in that business for at least 40 years and that can mean anything, especially in Japan.

Do The Hustle!

Hello again folks. I know, what? Two posts in the same week? It’s like the old days… Can a couple months be considered the old days? In this hurly-burly intermetablogsphere? Sure.

Well, Tuesday night I got a swift and powerful kick in the ass from one Mr. Stephen Chow in the form of his hella rad, wicked awesome, goddamn joy of a movie Kung-Fu Hustle (thanks to Netflix no less). Five minutes into this movie, once the Axe Gang does their little victory dance,



I had an ear to ear grin on my face that didn’t let up even as we were leaving the theater. This is an amazing achievement of a movie. Now, I never got around to seeing Shaolin Soccer, the only other Stephen Chow movie to my knowledge to get any kind of proper release here in the states. From what I heard the movie got pretty well butchered by Miramax before it was delivered and many were crying bloody murder and, well, it’s on my queue now at any rate. So this was my first Chow experience, and I can’t remember the last time I was so happy sitting in a theater watching a movie. Probably Shaun of the Dead…

It’s like the man took a Looney Tunes cartoon, an old 70s kung-fu flick, some Chaplin, a little Busby Berkley, mixed it all together and at the last minute decided to toss in a few winks to his favorite American movies. In 30 seconds or less – the Axe Gang has taken over as the controlling gang in town, the gangs have left the community of Pig Sty alone, as it’s the poorest part of town, until Stephen Chow and his sidekick try to get free haircuts there posing as Axe Gang members and accidentally cause a bit of a rumble between the Pig Sty residents and the real gang. We find out that some of the residents are retired kung-fu masters and the rest of the movie is the Axe Gang trying to take over Pig Sty to save face.

I don’t want to spoil much for you by getting into details but I have to give praise to the Landlady and her husband –



I want to be 9 years old and have action figures of these two in their on-the-town outfits with a destructable casino playset so I can recreate their fight with The Beast. This couple is so much fun to watch…





Anyway, this movie is making it’s way to a theater near you in the next couple weeks and I implore you to grab your honey, your pal, your imaginary friend, and check it out. You’ll have to have a withered up old Grinch heart not to find enjoyment in this movie. I’m certain it’s going to become a dorm room staple in the years to come—as it should.

Another one I caught this week was Sin City. I’d gone in having read two Sin City books – A Dame To Kill For and The Big Fat Kill, both great little stories. A Dame didn’t make the final cut, and hopefully will make the dvd, but anyway I knew what to expect in terms of the mood and level of ultra-violence involved. It’s another one that is definitely bound to become a bit of a cult-classic – it’s unlike anything that’s been put on the screen before, and if you have the stomach for it, it’s a pretty fun ride.

But there was definitely something lacking… What it is exactly I still haven’t put my finger on. My first thought was that the slavish frame-for-frame duplication of the books was both an asset and a hindrance. There isn’t much movement going on in this movie and I think it tends to slow the pace down a bit. But when it the camera does move around in this grimy shadow world they’ve re-created you definitely are wowed and it’s quite dazzling. I can definitely understand why they chose to cut out A Dame as it clocks in at just over 2 hours as it is. And when you come out of the movie you feel like you’ve just gone through a once over from Marv himself.

Speaking of Marv, Mickey Rourke definitely comes away stealing the show. He doesn’t appear to be something that is part of our world but rather an organic being strictly to belong in Sin City. They guy simply kicks ass. A wonder to behold that you can’t take your eyes off of.

I have to recommend this one, though not nearly as much as Kung-Fu Hustle. But Sin City does its job thoroughly. Fans of the books are going to leave satisfied, but I think those who aren’t sure what to expect may come away a bit more pleased as its one of those movies that will have so many unexpected turns and surprises that the experience can be a bit more fulfilling. And I expect this one will be a huge dvd seller.

Lastly I wanted to share this funny bit of news regarding Hunter S. Thompson – did anyone think the man would stay silent after death?

Dusting Off the Netflix Journal

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story -- Is this The Head's Gigli? Well, on this one I almost agree with you Head. Myself, I rank it below Starsky & Hutch, and above Duplex. And I haven't even seen Duplex. It was elongated Staurday Night Live Skit good. There were some laughs to be had but it barely justified it's spot on the queue. Make sure you're drinking some beers durring this one because by the time the 20th dodgeball hits the 20th set of testicals, inebriation must be in place. The thing that really soured me on the whole thing was the "Alternative Ending". The director mentions the word "art", and (not to spoil anything for you, but) it's not an alternative ending but rather an abrupt ending where they simply stop the movie short by five minutes. I'm calling bullshit on this. The guy's trying to make his one joke movie into Rocky. You made some funny commercials and an okay movie, be happy and hope Ben tosses you some more cash. [2.5 out of 5]

Incident at Loch Ness -- Like Nessie, it's an odd beast. Screenwriter Zak Penn crafted a sort of mockumentary within a fake movie wherein he gets Werner Herzog to go out and try to crack the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster. It is fun though. Moreso if you're familiar with Herzog's history of madness--it's pretty much playing off of his reputation and isn't ashamed of itself with trying to recreate the brilliant documentry of Herzog's Fitzcarraldo -- Burden Of Dreams. Unfortunately that movie isn't on DVD yet. But it does a great job of playing it completely straight-faced and getting you to wish it were true, which in turn makes it a fun ride. [3 out of 5]

Beyond Re-Animator -- Disapointment. I don't know what I was expecting. I figured it'll be a fun enough 90 minutes -- dishing out the dark humor, gore and T&A of the original. Well, sadly, this one's still running at 50%. I'd heard it was an improvement on Bride of the Re-Animator. To tell you the truth all I remember is being a bit frustrated with that one and this is no different. Stuart Gordon's King of the Ants, which I told you all about a while back, is much better time spent. His grasp on the horror/comedy balance that was in the original is still sorely missing here. Some of you, as I did, may still think it's worth the price to see a mouse kung-fu fight a penis -- but trust me, its not worth 80 minutes of cringing. [2 out of 5]

The Nest -- This one's worth checking out. A French take on what's become the Assault on Precinct 13 genre. There's a wharehouse with some goods that 3 crooks are after. This happens to be the same wharehouse the police are going to hideaway their tranporting crime boss -- that of course his henchmen are going to storm to try and free him... The bandits and the cops band together, blah blah blah... But, we have on our side some good perfomances, some nice camera work, pacing, tension, it all works out. This came out before the recent AOP 13 remake that recently came out and got the director the job of Bruce Willis' recent movie Hostage. I'll give it [3.25 out of 5] (that's right, I'm taking it to quarters).

Black Sunday -- Holy shit, where's this movie been in my life? The fucking opening credits to this movie say it all. Staring Robert Shaw and Bruce Dern. Produced by Robert fucking Evans. Co-written by guys who wrote the Hitchcock and Lumet movies of the 60s. This one's a keeper. Dern (a shamefully underused actor) is a pissed off POW vet that has a job flying the Goodyear blimp. His terrorist girlfriend has a cause and some use for his anger and skills. I had this on my queue and meant to watch it around Super Sunday time... and damnit, it's good enough to put it back up there next year. [4 out of 5]

Visitor Q -- Okay. You've seen a couple of Miike movies and want to put a few more on the queue. Hell, the guy's pretty entertaining. I've seen Ichi, and the DOA trilogy, Gozu was a fun trip, let's keep the ball rolling... Or maybe we should take a break. That's what I thought after this one. It's a nasty, cringing, bad fucking taste of a movie. Yeah, I know he can push the buttons to make you uncofortable -- but this one is full-tilt darkness. Netflix has this to say: If you liked: Gummo, Irreversible, Julien Donkey-Boy, Desperate Living, Dead or Alive, Videodrome, then you might like this. That's pretty damn appropriate. And yes, I liked those movies, but the closest of those is Julien Donkey-Boy. And of those movies, that's the one I enjoyed the least. I liked it, but fuck, it's not something that I'll be re-watching or recommending to a lot of people. [3 out of 5]

Okay, here's my plan for a little while -- for any of those still out there who give a damn -- my promise to you is at the very least a Monday night update. Or rather, something to check out on a Tuesday.

And for shits and giggles here's something to reflect upon. Myself, my parents had a rotary phone around well into my late childhood (late 80's). A green one, you'd pick it up and then the big ol' dial showed itself -- I love this little movie... Click the pic.
thanks kittenpants.