The Filtered Excellence: July 10, 2014

boyhood-filtered-excellence

Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Here are this weeks picks of the best things to watch, the most interesting things to do, great things to try, the best picks to read, our favorite things to listen to and more:


WATCH THIS:

Boyhood.  (dir Richard Linklater) In a word, it’s a masterpiece.  The latest from acclaimed director Richard Linklater (Slacker, Dazed & Confused, School Of Rock & the Before Sunrise trilogy) has a simple premise: A relationship between a boy and his divorced parents from ages 6 to 18. Filmed one week a year for twelve years,  we see the actors age along with the characters and the results are remarkable.  To keep the script fresh, Linklater had the actors involved in the rewrites, sometimes shooting scenes less than a day after it was written. The result is one of the most honest, original takes on American family life in recent memory. The cast is outstanding: Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as the parents, Linklater’s daughter Lorelei as the older sister and newcomer Ellar Coltrane in a truly incredible performance as Mason, Jr. There are moments in the film that feel more documentary than scripted, but it also shows just how committed everyone was to the project. Don’t let the near three hour run time scare you away – this is film making and storytelling at its finest. It should once and for all put Richard Linklater on the very short list of one of cinema’s best directors. Definitely a heavy favorite come Oscar time. Boyhood opens in New York and L.A. on Friday and nationwide on July 18th.  Quite possibly the movie of the year.

The Battered Bastards Of Baseball.  Life in the minor leagues is hard enough, but playing in the independent leagues was an entirely different animal. In the early to mid 70s, Bing Russell owned The Portland Mavericks, a team that redefined the term ‘ragtag’. But there were certainly fun to watch both on and off the field, setting attendance records that eclipsed most of MLB’s minor league affiliates. The Mavericks also featured two future screen stars: Todd Field, the director of In The Bedroom and Little Children and Bing’s son Kurt. Grandsons Chapman and Maclain Way looks back at the time when one man put together a team to carry out a seemingly impossible task and for awhile, managed to do it. With interviews with Kurt Russell, former players, fans and associates, The Battered Bastards Of Baseball is a fun look back when the national pastime was at its most free and funky. It premieres on July 11 on Netflix and will have screening at The Village East Cinema in New York.

2014 Major League Baseball All Star Game. The Mid-Summer Classic featuring MLB’s best will played at Target Field this year in Minneapolis. This year, the American League All Stars will be managed by John Farrell of the Red Sox and the National League skipper will be Mike Matheny of the St. Louis Cardinals. The teams are selected through player and manager ballots, however the final spot on each league roster is up to the All Star fan vote where currently Chris Sale, pitcher for the Chicago White Sox and Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo lead the balloting. The night before the All Star Game is the MLB Home Run Derby which has some changes this season featuring a new 10-player format that calls for seven outs per round and bracketed play after the first round. The Gillette Home Run Derby is Monday, July 14th at 8 pm et on ESPN. The 85th Major League Baseball All Star Game will be played, Tuesday, July 15th at 8 pm et on FOX. Coverage will begin at 7:30 pm et.

Getting Back To Abnormal. This PBS documentary takes look at the rebuilding process in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. The struggle to rebuild continues nearly 10 years after one the five deadliest hurricanes in American history hit the Big Easy. Getting Back To Abnormal focuses on the polarizing political effect of the Katrina aftermath. The film looks at the re-election campaign of Stacy Head, a white woman running for a city council seat traditionally held by a black representative. Her politically incorrect language and policies have some people in New Orleans calling her a racist. The twist comes when Barbara Lacen-Keller an outspoken leader in the black community comes on board Head’s campaign to support her and opens up a political battleground. Getting Back To Abnormal premieres on PBS on Monday, July 14th. Check your local Public Broadcasting listings for times.

 


 

READ THIS:

Bird Box by Josh Malerman. For the inhabitants of Earth in Bird Box, the world is an unsafe place. Some unknown thing has appeared on the planet, making all who lay eyes upon it lose their minds and commit horrific acts of violence. People are forced to stay inside, lock the doors and cover the windows to stay safe. But what happens when the food supply runs out? Or rising frustrations and paranoia make being inside as dangerous as outside? How can you fight an enemy that you can’t see without going crazy? Malerman’s creepy take on the end of civilization will give you chills on the hottest day.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman is available at riverrunbookstore.com

 

DO THIS:

NEW YORK CITY:  The Village Voice 4Knots Music Festival.  The 4Knots Music Festival has been quietly established itself as one of the premier independent music festivals.  Located at The South Street Seaport for the 4th straight year, the day long event features established, indie and local bands, DJs and much more.  This year’s lineup will be headlined a reformed Dinosaur Jr, St. Louis punk rockers Radkey among many others.  The best part is that its FREE!  The 4Knots Music Festival will be take place on July 12th at The South Street Seaport.

You can go to http://microapp.villagevoice.com/4knots/2014/bands.phpfor more information.

NEW YORK CITY: The Black Fives: The History of African American Basketball 1904 – 1950. This exhibition at the New York Historical Society is in its final week. Before professional and college basketball programs started to racially integrate, dozens of all-black teams emerged during the Black Fives (as they were known then) Era, in New York City, Washington, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlantic City, Cleveland, and other cities. The exhibition highlights the players and personalities that started these teams in the early 20th century and became trailblazers that made integration in basketball possible. The Black Fives: The History of African American Basketball 1904 – 1950 is running now and ends Sunday, July 20th at the New York Historical Society.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK: Give Laugh Groove featuring Bill Burr. Hysterical comedian Bill Burr will be headlining a two night charity event at the Green Building in Brooklyn, New York. Give Laugh Groove is working with Feed My Starving Children, an organization that hopes to pack 200,000 meals for starving children around the world. The shows are described as an up close and personal evening with one of America’s favorite comics Bill Burr. Give Laugh Groove with Bill Burr happens on Monday, July 14th and Tuesday, July 15th at the Green Building. Show times for both nights is 8:30 pm. VIP packages are available that offer great seats and a meet and greet with Bill Burr after the performance

WASHINGTON DC: Comedy at the Howard: Sandra Bernhard. Miss Sandra is taking her act to the historic Howard Theatre in our nation’s capital. Before the Apollo, before the Regal, there was The Howard Theatre. Beginning in 1910, the Howard has an incredible history of performers including Duke Ellington and Booker T. Washington who would speak there. Now add the incomparable Sandra Bernhard to that list. She will be performing her new show “Sandyland” in DC, which has gotten rave reviews and sold out performances in New York, L.A. and Chicago. The night also features Sandra’s band, the Flawless Zircons. This one of a kind performer will be appearing in a one of kind venue Saturday, July 12th at 8 pm. Doors open at 6 pm.

NEW YORK CITY: Brain Storm in 70mm.  The Douglas Trumbull film (and last film of Natalie Wood) used the aspect ratio to create the world of dreams and virtual reality.  Those sequences were shot in 24 frames-per-second Super Panavision 70with an aspect ratio of 2.2:1. The rest of the film was shot in conventional 35mm with an aspect ratio of approximately 1.7 to 1.  To see the difference on the big screen is the only way to see this sci-fi bit of weirdness about attempts to record others sensory memory.

Get information at movingimage.us.

Want more excellence?  Read last week’s The Filtered Excellence and visit The Interrobang Recommmends