A post about movies? (Some YouTube stuff, too.)
I just watched this delightful movie called Jump Tomorrow, starring TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, who has a future in screwball comedy if this alternative music gig of his doesn't work out. I'm a sucker for films shot in my old Western New York haunts ("Hey! There's Fantasy Island amusement park!"). Jump Tomorrow combines a few genres: comedy, road movie, romance and buddy film. It's an unmistakenly American indie with a multi-culti flair--a soon-to-be married Nigerian-American meets a suicidal Frenchman and a loquacious Latina with a limey boyfriend, all near the Canadian border. I haven't been this excited after seeing a movie in forever.
Here's my favorite song off TVOTR's new long player, "Dancing Choose"
Stupid song censorship: The word "bumps" in the line "Now you need three bumps before you cut" is bleeped on this video. Seriously?!?!
The other half and I also saw a few of those films that will be in running for those Oscar thingies:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button / mixed
This film wastes Tilda Swinton more than that wacky Teknolust did. There are other problems as well, most notably a premise that doesn't deliver and a pace that can only be described as glacial. Looks great, though.
Slumdog Millionaire / pro
Unlike Ben Button, this film's narrative structure delivers. Best game show-themed film since Quiz Show. Some of the secondary characters are quite flat, but the protagonist's journey is quite memorable.
Doubt / pro-
I know there are some who would argue that "stagey" is an unfair criticism of a stage-to-screen adaptation, but this is a stagey film. So there. But that's not always a bad thing since Doubt is more of an actor's showcase.
Frost/Nixon / pro
I *heart* Michael Sheen.
Milk / pro
I don't want to take away anything from this film and Sean Penn's performance, but honestly, having seen the fantastic documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, I felt a sense of deja vu throughout the film. Still, Penn is great and Emile's 'fro wasn't too much of a distraction--actually, I was more distracted by thinking about his role in The Mudge Boy.
More TVOTR ("I Was Your Lover")
Here's my favorite song off TVOTR's new long player, "Dancing Choose"
Stupid song censorship: The word "bumps" in the line "Now you need three bumps before you cut" is bleeped on this video. Seriously?!?!
The other half and I also saw a few of those films that will be in running for those Oscar thingies:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button / mixed
This film wastes Tilda Swinton more than that wacky Teknolust did. There are other problems as well, most notably a premise that doesn't deliver and a pace that can only be described as glacial. Looks great, though.
Slumdog Millionaire / pro
Unlike Ben Button, this film's narrative structure delivers. Best game show-themed film since Quiz Show. Some of the secondary characters are quite flat, but the protagonist's journey is quite memorable.
Doubt / pro-
I know there are some who would argue that "stagey" is an unfair criticism of a stage-to-screen adaptation, but this is a stagey film. So there. But that's not always a bad thing since Doubt is more of an actor's showcase.
Frost/Nixon / pro
I *heart* Michael Sheen.
Milk / pro
I don't want to take away anything from this film and Sean Penn's performance, but honestly, having seen the fantastic documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, I felt a sense of deja vu throughout the film. Still, Penn is great and Emile's 'fro wasn't too much of a distraction--actually, I was more distracted by thinking about his role in The Mudge Boy.
More TVOTR ("I Was Your Lover")
posted by Karim Amir | 11:39 PM
3 Comments:
I love the word "loquacious." Especially when it's paired with Latina and limey. :)
How big is Amy Seadris' role in Jump Tomorrow? Her character called something like "other girl in class" in the credits.
Stupid TV censorship: On Craig Ferguson's show they blurred the letter 'F' in OMFG.
Nice reference to Teknolust. (Man, was that one kooky flick.)
Speaking of kooky flicks, John Patrick Shanley (the Doubt guy) wrote Five Corners.
The chick in Milk with the curly hair is from Toronto.
Oh, and "Dancing Choose" is a cool song.
I was proud of my "l" alliteration in that sentence.
Sedaris has the proverbial blink-and-miss-it role in Jump Tomorrow. She makes a very brief appearance in one of the film's opening scenes and is not seen again.
Bravo, back in the days when they showed movies and not endless reruns of Top Chef and Project Runway, used to show Five Corners.
Alison Pill is cute.
There's a great version of "Dancing Choose" when TVOTR performed it on Letterman.
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