The Filtered Excellence: July 16, 2015

at
Share This Post

trainwreck

Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Once a week we take a break from comedy to bring you 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:

Trainwreck.  The eagerly awaited collaboration between Amy Schumer and Judd Apatow hits theaters this weekend.  Schumer plays Amy, a magazine writer who favors one-night stands and barely manages a drinking problem.  Her commitment to being uncommitted and noncommittal is put to the test when, while on assignment, she meets – and falls for – Aaron, a successful orthopedic surgeon.  Everything about him is right for her, but, in wanting to keep stay away from a long term commitment, goes out of her way to make his life a living hell.  If this wasn’t enough, Amy also has to deal with her father (Colin Quinn) going into assisted living, a slightly thorny relationship with her sister (Brie Larson) and a frequent hook up partner (John Cena) who mistakenly believes that they were being exclusive to one another. The script, written by Schumer, plays to all of her and Apatow’s strengths with the laughs coming fast and loose at almost a breakneck speed.  The supporting cast, anchored by Hader, is just as good – especially Tilda Swinton as Amy’s boss, Colin Quinn as her aging, racist dad and Larson as her sister.  Also check out Cena’s and LeBron James milking up laughs in extended scene stealing cameo roles.  With this film and her hit TV show, Amy Schumer has cemented her status as the next great voice in comedy.  Trainwreck opens nationwide this Friday.

You can also go to www.trainwreckmovie.com for more information.

Mr Holmes.  The latest film from director Bill Condon (Gods & Monsters, Kinsey, Dreamgirls) puts an entirely different spin on the Sherlock Holmes legend.  Based on the novel, A  Slight Trick Of The Mind, Mr. Holmes, has Ian McKellen as the super sleuth, retired, tending to bees and botany while living with his housekeeper (Laura Linney) and her son Roger (Milo Parker).  But what looks like new hobbies is actually research for a holistic cure to fight off his increasingly fading memory.  Holmes teams up with Roger to revisit the unsolved case that forced Holmes into retirement – and forces Holmes to examine the mysteries of life and love. McKellen delivers a haunted, yet elegant performance in the title role with Linney and Parker added solid support.  Condon, after being at the helm of several big budget films, warmly gets back to his roots, but added big budget splashes to the project – especially when capturing the sweeping English countryside and the rich detail of post WWII and flashbacks to Holmes in his crime fighting prime.  For those who only know McKellen from his role as Magneto in the X-Men series, Mr Holmes is a great film that re-affirms him as one of the cinema’s finest actors.  It opens nationwide this Friday.

You can also go to www.mrholmesfilm.com for more information.

Irrational Man.The latest film from Woody Allen stars Joaquin Phoenix as Abe Lucas, a philosophy professor who arrives at a small Rhode Island college with a lot of baggage, real and imagined.  Despite battling impotence and a near crippling creative block, Abe finds himself involved with two women:  Rita Richards (Parker Posey) a fellow professor stuck in an unhappy marriage and Jill (Emma Stone), one of his students.  When Jill and Abe overhear a conversation about a bitter custody battle and the corrupt judge that’s overseeing it, it unblocks Abe both personally and professionally.  But the cost of this creative rebirth might be more than anyone is willing to pay.  As with other Allen works, the themes centered around morality, mortality, love and creativity are up front.  Phoenix, playing a slightly more wounded character than he did in Inherent Vice, is in fine form as Allen’s alter ego.  Stone, in her 2nd film with Allen, also shows off great comedic chops as Jill.   Parker Posey nearly steals the film as Rita.  Between this and her appearances on Louie, Posey is showing everyone that she’s more than just an indie darling:  she can hold her own in any project.  One would hope that Allen would get around to writing a film specifically for her.  Since his output has been so remarkably consistent, you can easily take a Woody Allen release for granted.  But with Irrational Man, Allen once again affirms his status as one of the all-time cinema greats.  It opens in New York and LA on Friday.

You can also go to www.sonypicturesclassics.com for more information.
Sex And Drugs And Rock N Roll.  The latest series created and written by Denis Leary stars him as Johnny Rock, the lead singer of the legendary rock band, The Heathens.  Known for their hard partying lifestyle, The Heathens broke up after their lead guitarist Flash (John Corbert) discovered that Johnny was sleeping with his wife.  The fact that the break up happened the day their debut album was about to be released, turned them the biggest flame out in rock history.  Flashing forward a few decades later, Johnny is out of money, work, and business opportunities when his long lost daughter Gigi (Elizabeth Gillies) presents him a once in a lifetime offer:  She’ll finance the band’s reunion, get them back into the studio and on stage.   There’s only one catch:  She has to be the lead singer with Johnny stays behind the scenes as the chief songwriter.  Johnny is hesistant, but when it’s clear that Gigi is the real deal, he agrees to the terms.  But will his appetite for self-destruction destroy is last shot at success.  Leary, who already tapped into the head and hearts of cops and fireman in his previous two series, hit another homer dealing with musicans and those who are in their orbit.  He’s also assembled a great supporting cast including Corbert, Robert Kelly, and John Alles as his reunited bandmates.  But the real emotional anchor comes from its female leads:  Gillies is poised to be the show’s breakout star as Gigi.  She more than handle a tune on stage, and off, she more than holds her own amidst a sea of male ego.  Elaine Hendrix is also outstanding as Ava, Johnny’s long time partner, who’s part lover, muse, mother, enabler, manager, but also sees right through Johnny’s bravado.  The women on the show are truly running the show.  Given Leary’s track record, Sex And Drugs and Rock N Roll has all the makings of adding to his growing TV legacy.  It airs Thursday nights at 10pm Eastern on FX.

You can also go to www.fxnetworks.com for more information.

The Jim Gaffigan Show.  Based on true events, Gaffigan plays a comedian trying to balance fatherhood, his career and an obsession for food – all while living in a two-bedroom apartment with his wife and five children.  Adam Goldberg plays Jim’s best friend Dave while Michael Ian Black is on aboard as Daniel a confidante for his wife Jeannie (Ashley Williams) and a source of torment for Jim.  Given that the subjects are very near and dear to Gaffigan – and primary topics for many of his stand up – expect an onslaught of dry, self-deprecating laughs.  The Jim Gaffigan Show airs Wednesday nights at 10pm Eastern on TV Land.

You can go to www.tvland.com for more information.

READ THIS:

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee. The eagerly awaited new novel by Pulitzer Prize winning writer Harper Lee was actually written in the mid 1950’s.  But on the advice of her editor, she shelved it and rewrote characters and times as the framework for her classic, To Kill A Mockingbird.  Watchman takes place 20 years later and finds Jean Louise (Scout) – at the dawn of the American Civil Rights movement – making a trip from New York to Maycomb, Alabama to see her aging and ailing father, Atticus Finch.  She quickly discovers that Atticus, who made a passionate, inspired defense of a black man accused of rape in To Kill A Mockingbird – has now evolved into a racist who favors segregation and has attended KKK meetings.  How Jean Louise deals with this revelation – and the equally shattering news that her future husband shares Atticus’ feelings – is at the heart of the novel.  Whether this was meant to be part of a series (or even published at all) will be debated for years.  But isn’t in doubt is how Lee vividly paints a portrait of a family dealing with and confronting a changing and shifting America.  Believe the hype – its worth checking out.  Go Set A Watchman is available now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all major music retailers.
Between The World And Me by Ta-Neishi Coates.  Ta-Nehisi Coates – The Atlantic columnist who burst into the national spotlight with his series of essays on race in America – has now written a new book that goes all in on the subject.  How hot is this book?  Speigel & Grau pushed up the release date from October to July after advance copies made the rounds and had everyone – including literary legend Toni Morrison – raving.  Framed as a letter to his teenage son, Coates uses historical and personal narratives with the hopes of finding the answers to how he, as a Black man, live free in a society that has throughout time, has stacked the deck against him.  Told with candor, anger, hope, fear, brutal honesty, and without apology, Coates has crafted a piece that puts him on par with Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison and other literary greats of color.  An instant classic.  Between The World And Me is available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all major book retailers.

DO THIS:

New York City: Indie 80s.  As Hollywood moved more towards big budget special effects driven films in the 1980s, there was a wave of independent films that laid the groundwork for the indie film explosion that would happen a decade later.  BAM Cinematak looks back at this often overlooked decade with a five week retrospective featuring some of the era’s cornerstone films.  Stranger Than Paradise, sex, lies & videotape, Roger & Me, She’s Gotta Have It, Blue Velvet, Blood Simple, Smooth Talk, Let’s Get Lost and Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer are just some of the outstanding films that will be featured in this series.  A must see for all film fans.  Indie 80s will run at The Brooklyn Academy Of Music from July 17th through August 27th.
You can also go to www.bam.org for tickets and a complete list of screenings.
Chicago: Pitchfork Music Festival. The 10th Annual edition of the Pitchfork Music Festival will, as always, feature the best and brighest of the alternate music scene.  Wilco (Friday), the reunited Slater-Kenney (Saturday) and Chance The Rapper (Sunday) will headline, while Panda Bear, Future Islands, Run The Jewels, Chvrches, The New Pornographers, Jamie xx, and Malib & Freddie Gibbs will be just some of the acts scheduled to appear.  It’s one of the few music festivals that has managed to stay true to its roots and the lineup is outstanding.  The Pitchfork Music Festival runs from July 17th through the 19th.
Go to www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com for tickets and more info.

Go to www.electricduskdrivein.com for tickets and more information.

 

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

Read more comedy news, stories, interviews with comedians, videos and comedy clips on our home page. Get more comedy news. Watch more viral videos. Read more interviews with the best comics in the business.

 

The following two tabs change content below.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Instagram profileMy Tumblr blog

Earl Douglas

Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.
Earl Douglas
Earl Douglas
Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.