0002: AAA's Current Addictions
Submitted by AAA on Tue, 03/18/2003 - 11:08
Tags:
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - Film
- IKEA - Work
- Bjork - Vespertine - Album
- The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat - Album
- Marlboro Blend No. 27 - Vice
- Napolean Dynamite - Film
- Sigur Ros - Band
- Modest Mouse - Band
- Family Guy - TV Show
- Grease - Musical
Cloned From:
Personally, I like "Death" better than "God." But both are good.
I am currently in rehearsals for my school's Spring production of God in which I play Hepatitis, so it's been on my mind lately. I do find the play quite funny though.
I commented because "God" and "Death" are both in Woody Allen's "Without Feathers." If you haven't read "Death", it has less of the parody and breaking the fourth wall of "God", but "Death" is hilarious through darker humor (as if you couldn't guess from the title).
Ah, Heavenly Creatures and Blood on the Tracks. Great, great stuff.
How is the 3rd season of Buffy? I really need to catch up on the past seasons of that show.
What are your thoughts on All or Nothing? I love Leigh. In fact, when filling out the 2003CC list for him, I was often thinking, "Wow, that seems too low for that film." I think many of his earlier, made for TV films are much more rewarding than the ratings would imply.
Tell me about The Anatomy Lesson. That title rings a bell, but my poor memory is coming up empty-handed...
Great list!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Let me jump in here since I just saw All or Nothing this past weekend and I probably wont get to commenting on it until 2004...
I would like to say Wow...double Wow. I too like a lot of Leigh films but this one is spectactular. If I was a ranking kind of Guy, I might have to put it at the top or pretty darn close to the best movie I saw made last year.
The Lead actor Timothy Spall (?) has a scene near the end that would probably make Hitler cry.
A wonderful film.....
My comments will be up later this week, but let me say that I really enjoyed this one too. Mike Leigh is a genius. Absolute genius.
I've only gotten to see one episode so far (really, really busy schedule at the moment), but I understand that this season and the 2nd season (which I just finished, and loved) were the defining seasons of Buffy.
Well, All or Nothing is not an easy sit, but it was quite an interesting film. In an odd way, it reminded me of some modern Asian cinema. Frequently, leigh uses long shots to capture movement, and the opening scene reminded me of the recent What time is it there? , which I loved. jgandcag is right when he says that Timothy Spall is pretty marvelous. In fact, the entire ensemble is pretty superb. I wish I had seen this film before I put my awards up, because it would certainly be a nominee in the ensemble category.
The Anatomy Lesson , which I have just started, is about a young man living in Amsterdam and getting himself seriously messed-up on drugs. Well, that's what I've gotten so far. I'm sure there's more.
I'm glad you liked About a Boy. I was rather shocked that I did, but a recent re-viewing still left me with a smile.
Henry V is a great play. Are you reading it, acting in it, or have you recently watched a performance?
And Achtung Baby is a hell of an album...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Well, this was my second viewing of About a Boy, and for some reason, I liked it much more the second time I saw it.
I actually just auditioned for a play using an excerpt from Henry V, but I also decided to reread it.
Achtung Baby is one of my favorite albums, and it is certainly my favorite U2.
Interesting, I'm abit to conventional to not say Joshua Tree is my favorite, but usually I hear War, Joshua Tree, or something like that as one's favorite U2 album, though I do love Achtung Baby, it was (before their latest album) the last good thing U2 put out for almost a decade, good choice.
I just put Achtung Baby back on the list. While I was at art school for a month, I listened to and talked about Achtung Baby a lot. I realized that it may be one of my favorite albums ever. Beautiful, interesting, great.
Great, interesting list! You've some really great material here!
Please tell me that A Mighty Wind is better than Waiting for Guffman or Best in Show, both of which were bitterly disappointing films for me. I did hear excerpts on NPR one day, and the song satires sound great.
I confess that while some of the articles amuse me, I despise much of Entertainment Weekly. The music reviews have been particularly awful lately, and their 'definitive lists' are cutsy, too aimed at Gen Xers, and flawed beyond belief. (No, no amount of convincing will ever make us believe that Shawshank Redemption is a 'cult film'...). Have you ever flipped through the British film and music mag, Uncut?
Into the Woods is great. I also LOVE (even a bit more) Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George. Stephen Sondheim is everything great with modern musical theater (just as Andrew Lloyd Webber is everything horribly wrong; unfortunately, the latter has scored the most influence...).
The Essential Clash is terrific. I'm myself am listening to London Calling here at work as I type (busy morning - can't you tell?).
That Streets albums is also fantastic, no?
The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of my wife's favorite novels from the period. She's being trying to convince me to read it, but alas, Moby Dick, Plato, and a few other lengthy books currently absorb my time. Maybe soon. Good stuff, eh?
Again, great list!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I agree that AAA has a great list going here!
I'm kinda surprised your reaction to Waiting for Guffman and Best of Show was so negative. I recall liking but not loving both of them, although I also remember thinking Fred Willard's ESPNesque commentary in Best of Show being head-and-shoulders above the rest. If the movies had been uniforming that funny, they would have been brilliant.
Best of Show is one of the very few movies I turned off and never went back to complete the viewing.
It actually kind of annoyed me. I was probably in a bad mood which is the death knell for that kind of movie.
Of course, I have no desire to go back and revisit so maybe it just sucked.
Wow, so my wife and I are not alone!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Good gravy! I never would have imagined such (apparently (to me and my wife)) innocuous movies could prompt such strong reactions! But that's (alleged) comedy for ya...
My Two Left Feet....
I liked the movie, but wanted more. I could see how it could have been turned off easily.
I thought Best of Show threatened to be a good film but never delivered. My wife and I switched it off with ten minutes left to go, which puts it in the rare company of Armageddon. I thought Waiting for Guffman was horrible. Both simply chose a new, easy to spoof topic and reran mockmentary cliches over and over. I saw nearly every joke coming, and that's not a good thing.
Maybe if we all hadn't already seen Spinal Tap...
However, Willard was good in Show. Have you ever seen Fernwood 2Night? His Ed McMahon to Martin Mull's Johnny Carson was classic, especially when he would fume and rant about a subject he obviously knew nothing about (for example, he believed that the newly installed sidewalk ramps for wheelchairs were built by the city just to encourage those darned skateboarders; when told they were really for the handicapped, he fumed. The handicapped are the last people in the world the city should be encouraging to skateboard!). And of course, the songs, such as "Let's Not Say Au Revoir, Let's Just Say Hors D'Oeuvre". If it reads poorly, it played great on television.
Now Fernwood 2Night - THAT was a great mockumentary!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
The secret to watching these kind of movies is to watch them in large groups, with people who like these movies. I watched "Best in Show" with my mom, dad, and brother, all of whom hated it. I liked it kinda. Then I watched it again with a large group of teenagers, and it was so much more fun.
I've never seen Fernwood 2Night, but the jokes translated to text beautifully, as I laughed out loud at both of them, just sitting her at my computer. It helps that I can picture Willard delivering that dialog in his inimitable fashion.
Come to think of it, I've never *heard* of Fernwood 2Night, but I'm certainly sorry I missed it, if what you've relayed is representative.
It didn't last long. I believe it was syndicated in the late 70s and showed 5 nights a week against the real talk shows it parodied. I say 'believe' because I, being 5, didn't watch it in first-run, but rather when Nick at Night reran the series in the late 80s. It recently was showing on TV Land late Saturday nights, I believe, as part of their Kitschen series (oddly out of place, I might add), but I think it has since been replaced by lesser shows. (The Kitschen is an odd mix. It mostly shows programs so bad they might be seen as funny, but it mixes in shows like Fernwood and Soap that were actually spoofing bad shows and aren't really kitsch at all...).
And yes, the show was great. It changed names to America 2Night, I believe (under the idea that the local small-town talk show was picked up for national distribution), but I'd be shocked if it lasted 2 years. A nightly show does mean a ton of episodes, after all...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Funny, when I was discussing A Mighty Wind with my dad, we discussed Fred Willard (who is, once again, a standout) and Fernwood 2Night came up. I believe that Bravo was showing it, I dunno if they still are.
Well, considering that I really liked Waiting for Guffman, I'm not sure if my opinion on A Mighty Wind will be anywhere close to yours. I thought that it was very, very clever at moments, and that the human elements in this film registered much more than the other films of the Guest Troupe.
As for EW, their lists are fun simply because I love seeing some of their picks. When it comes to Shawshank, I think that it's far too mainstream to be cult, but it did poorly in theaters, and then went on to build a word-of-mouth following.
I've heard both Sunday and Sweeney Todd, but Into the Woods takes the cake. I love how Sondheim can put so many layers into his work that even with a simple story such as Into the Woods, you can find deep meaning with each note and word that is played or sung. I've listened to both the Bernadette Peters version (her version of "Stay With Me" is amazing) and Vanessa Williams cast (the Little Red Riding Hood and Ms. Williams herself are both surprisingly great) and I think that I might never, ever get sick of the show.
The Essential Clash is one of those few 2 disk Best-ofs that I listen to both disks of.
The Streets is superb, I've listened to it about 10 times in 5 days.
I like Dorian Gray so far, but I love Oscar Wilde, so I'm not surprised.
Yes, Into the Woods is great. I believe most of my Sondheim friends favor it to the other musicals. The score is great, but I think it is the entire performed play that sends Sunday into my favorite slot, especially the videotaped performance with Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. But really, you can't go wrong. Heck, I even enjoyed Passion to some degree...
That Clash set not only boasts great songs, but stellar remastered sound.
I noticed a few days ago a few sites selling the Streets on vinyl, and I am seriously considering biting that bait! Great album!
And great list!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I haven't checked out the Sunday video, but I will seek it out soon.
The only Sondheim show that I haven't seen or heard is Company. Which is funny, because it is arguably his most famous early (compared to Passion or Into the Woods) work.
You must find a copy. It is on DVD as well as VHS, and if I counted it as a true film, it might well be a top ten entry for me. It is that fantastic.
My, I love Sondheim...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Very glad to see that not only did you watch "Double Indemnity", but you're also addicted to it.
"Sherlock, Jr." is great too. Is that your first exposure to Keaton? If it is, and you liked it this much, you have a world of brilliant silent movies to explore. His most acclaimed movie is "The General." My personal favorite is "Steamboat Bill, Jr." Other greats include "The Navigator", "Our Hospitality", "College", and many more.
Ooh, The White Album, my favorite Beatles album! So what are your favorite songs on it?
Well, the White Album is one of my favorites too. I would say that the songs that get me every time I revisit it are "Martha My Dear", "Dear Prudence", "Mother Nature's Son", and "Sexy Sadie". That last one is much more of a personal favorite. It reminds me of good times in the past....sigh. By the way, today is my b-day, I'm 17!
Well happy birthday AAA! And let me just say that I envy you (5 months, 21 days to go until I can see "Pulp Fiction").
All great songs there, but then again, I think almost all of the White Album songs are great!
Well AJ, I'm sure the time will fly. ;)
Happy birthday!
Thanks!
I'm a little late to the party, but happy birthday!
No wonder you're grooving on the White Album. They say it's your birthday...
Enjoy!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
R-rated movies abound for you now...
It took me a week to realize that. After my birthday, I was in the video store, and my cousin said, wow, you can legally rent all of these. Took me a couple of seconds, but I realized that 17 is indeed the R rating limit. I'm a happy little cinema addict.
Cool! Does this signal a second change of heart on Almost Famous?
Well....not precisely. Most of my friends love Almost Famous, and I (for memories sake) gave it a second chance. The idea of my friends is why it is currently an addiction. Truth is, I found the same flaws with it as I did last time. I'll discuss those in depth later, when Les Miserables isn't beckoning.
"Come to me, Cosette the light is fading...."
Eew. Nathaniel, why would Old Country Buffet ever be an addiction?
Because I'm obsessed with how bad it is.
Yay! I told you Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was great!
Well... after AJ told me, anyway...
You did indeed. I really love it. It's certainly one of those albums that grows upon relistenings.
You know, as I type this, a pile of books next to my chair has Zadie Smith's White Teeth on top.
Have you read that one yet, and if so, how does it compare to Autograph Man?
I spent about an hour earlier reading over your weblog, which I greatly enjoyed. Thanks!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
"White Teeth" is superb, and I must say that I actually like it better than "The Autograph Man", but both are great. Smith is a very, very talented writer.
Wow! Read my livejournal, eh? Those writings are quite a bit different than my listology writing. A lot more cursing. Well, it's always interesting to see a different side to a person.
I really enjoyed it. The cursing made me run from the room and plunge my face eyes-open into a bucket of cold water to relieve the burning, but I survived. ;)
Truth be told, I often find myself editing posts before sending them off to comply with the PG-13 nature of Listology. You know how cranky I get.
I loved you log (Am I just stubborn to refuse to use 'blog' because it sounds so, well, blobby? Don't answer that.) and look forward to future installments.
I was tempted to start a livejournal log of my own, but then I decided the world hasn't been quite bad enough to me yet that it deserves *that*.
Thanks for the info on Smith. Autograph Man joins my way too long To Read list...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
So I see you like elephant, i'll have to check it out. I love Sartre as well. I can't remember which book of his I've read, but it was amazinglso enjoyed reading Sartre for Dummies. And I have yet to see Roger and Me.
Roger & Me was recently released on DVD, it's well-worth checking out. This was my second viewing, and it holds up well.
Which IKEA store are you stationed at? There's not one anywhere near where I live.
Know of any couch deals?
I work at College Park in MD.
We have a great, cheap As-is section. Lots of couches there.