6.21.2009

We're gonna give him a best friend hug


You know what pisses me off?

Well I'm gonna tell you.

The fact that more than one review of The Hangover begins with 'Todd Phillips does not produce art and is not an artist.' Can we give that shit up? Anybody who makes me belly laugh for two hours straight is an artist. Comedy, especially funny comedy (I'm looking at you, Year One), is a difficult thing to pull off. It's a tightrope act with no net or audience empathy.

Another modern american master of comedy [David Wain] once said that directing is 75% casting, and if so, Todd Phillips is one of the best directors working in the US at the moment.

PERFECT casting. Flawless performances, occasionally even inspired. Ebert compared Zach Galifianakis' performance to Belushi's Animal House breakout. I couldn't agree more; the man was on fire when they filmed this shit.

The Hangover: B+

Nate

6.16.2009

Bonnaroooooo!

No need to worry, I have returned safely from a field in Manchester, Tennessee, better known as Bonnaroo 2009.

My favorite act of the weekend was David Byrne's Friday evening set. "Heaven" was just too good.

Byrne's curated stage was pretty fantastic too: The Dirty Projectors and St. Vincent just tore shit up. Byrne even joined the Projectors for the last song of their set.

Erykah Badu, Phish, Springsteen, Girl Talk, and Paul Oakenfold were all pretty spectacular as well.

Nate

6.07.2009

Catching up ain't hard to do

In recent days, I have been mucho busy. But that doesn't mean I have been ignoring the pop culture landscape. Some thoughts...

Up
Pixar's latest is as funny as Finding Nemo, with the emotional heft of Monsters Inc. or Wall-E. Carl Fredrickson is one of their greatest triumphs as a company; a fully-realized human being, chock full of pathos and humor, just like the real thing. Highly recommended.

Bat for Lashes - Two Suns
Just stunning. I think I'm in love. "Daniel" is so perfect, it sounds like it should have already been made. You know what I mean?

LOST
This season, the scope of the show's mythology just expanded beyond anything I could have predicted. When all is said and done, LOST will be remembered as one of the greatest narratives to have ever graced the small screen. I'm sure of it.
By the way, if Josh Holloway and Elizabeth Mitchell (Sawyer & Juliet) don't get emmy noms this year, I'm gonna scream. Thanks to Holloway, Sawyer has become perhaps the greatest character on the show; this time last year, I'm not sure I would have had him in the top ten.

Tim & Eric: Awesome Show, Great Job!
I have recently come to the conclusion that these guys (specifically, this show) are the true heirs to the Monty Python crown of absurdist, occasionally upsetting sketch comedy. Season 2 is pretty much perfect, and I have the DVD to prove it.

Just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about, here's morbidly obese Carol and her abusive boss. Enjoy:




Nate