The Filtered Excellence: May 8, 2014

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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:

Chef, directed by Jon Favreau.  For the first time since co-writing “Swingers” Jon Favreau returns to indie film, and the result is the must-see film “Chef”.  Chef is a smart indie film that has mass appeal.  It’s a sweet movie, but it’s also fun.  It’s thoughtful, but its also a party.  Jon Favreau  is a triple threat, writing directing and starring as Chef Carl Casper, a man facing a full-on identity crisis.  Feeling no control at work, lost in the world of social media, and lacking direction on how to be  father, Carl goes back to basics to search for answers.  He confronts all of these issues amidst a beautifully filmed back drop of incredible food scenes.  Favreau is Chef Casper, and John Leguizamo is near perfect as his line cook sidekick.  Oliver Platt steals several scenes as the food critic who sets off Chef Casper’s crisis, and there’s also great scenes with Dustin Hoffman, Sofia Vergara, Bobby Cannavale, Scarlett Johanssen, Robert Downey Jr., Amy Sedaris and Emjay Anthony as Casper’s young son.  Heartwarming, hunger inducing, and flat out funny, Chef won the Tribeca audience award, and it is our pick of the week for this weekend.

Fed Up directed by Stephanie Soechtig.   Even as Americans are more aware than ever about proper nutrition, diet and the importance of exercise, the obesity crisis is worse than ever. The main culprit is the high, sometimes dangerous, levels of sugar in the majority of things we eat and drink daily. In this stunning new documentary, director Stephanie Soechtig, producer Laurie David and Katie Couric (who narrates) examines how the food industry has a stranglehold on the sugar content in everything from school lunchrooms, supermarkets and restaurants. Thought lobbyists and heavy campaign contributions, they also flex their muscle in Washington to insure that any attempt to regulate sugar levels in foods gets crushed. It also follows four obese children as they attempt to lose weight through increased physical activities, only to find that even their reduced food intake is still loaded with sugar. Several food companies refused to be interviewed for the film and for good reason: It’s a crushing look at a health crisis that can have long term generational effects. An important, must see doc. Fed Up opens this Friday.

The Original Godzilla (1954) in Theaters. If the new Godzilla film opening next week is too 21st century for you, there’s always the original. Rialto Pictures which has the rights to the 1954 classic will be doing a limited release of the original Godzilla movie. This is the black and white film from Japan complete with English subtitles. It’s how you remember being introduced to Godzilla. Maybe the effects won’t be as dazzling, but this how an iconic movie monster got its start.


 

LISTEN TO THIS:

The Knife Shift by Kristeen Young. For her 7th album, singer-songwriter-keyboardist Kristeen Young and her long time producer Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex), needed a drummer and pulled in a heavy hitter: Foo Fighters frontman -and longtime Young fan – Dave Grohl. He perfectly compliments Young’s furious, relentless keyboards making it a blizzard of rhythm. Its amazing how so much noise can come from such a small group. ‘The Pictures Of Sasha Grey’ is the next great feminist anthem, while ‘Rough Up The Groove’ is 21st Century Glam Rock. Slower songs such as ‘Jealous Of Loved Children’ ‘Then, I Screamed’ and “Put Down’ are great showcases for Young’s vocal range which runs from operatic to gloriously bombastic. Comparisons to Kate Bush are inevitable, but make no mistake about it: Kristeen Young isn’t going to be rock’s next great voice, she’s been one for quite some time. A good old fashioned loud ass rock n roll record. The Knife Shift will be in available on May 13th on Amazon, Itunes and all major music outlets. Kristeen Young will be opening for Morrissey this summer.

Childhood Home by Ben & Ellen Harper. Just in time for Mother’s Day, Ben Harper recorded this album of duets with his mother Ellen at the family home in the San Gabriel Mountains. This isn’t a vanity project to coincide with a Hallmark holiday. Its a pure labor of love that celebrates family, love, and the plight of the American farmer. The songs – six written by Ben and four written by Ellen- have a backyard, down home feel that recalls a simpler, less complicated era long past. Featuring rich harmonies and no-frills production, Childhood Home is a laid back joy from start to finish.

Childhood Home available now through Amazon, Itunes and all major music outlets.
You can also go to www.benharper.com for more information.

When The People Cheer by The Roots. How do they find the time to do it? The house band for Jimmy Fallon, a collaboration with Elvis Costello, but it’s been three years since we’ve had a full length album from the band. Their 11th studio album is slated to drop May 19, 2014 “& Then They Shoot Your Cousin” with speculation that it’s an anti-rap theme. But, the theme is only speculation and if you can’t wait until then check out the single “When The People Cheer” which was released by the band this week and see what they have in store for you.


 

READ THIS:

Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty by Diane Keaton. The follow up to her best selling memoir Then Again, has Keaton taking on something that has been an ongoing fascination for the Academy Award winning actress: Beauty, what defines it and our ongoing obsession with ‘staying beautiful’. She also tackles how it applies working in an appearance driven industry, aging, how it related to raising her children and much more. Keaton also goes into how she developed her unique sense of fashion, her influences in her style, appearance and approach, plus how to remain true to your core beliefs in an ever shifting cultural landscape. Written with keen observation and her classic wit, Diane Keaton has written a book that is unique, sharp, yet highly inspirational.

Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty is available now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all major book retailers.

DO THIS:

NEW YORK CITY: Jean Michel-Basquiat Drawing: Work From The Schorr Family Collection @ The Acquavella Gallery through June 13th. In 1981, Herbert and Lenore Schorr befriended an up and coming artist named Jean-Michel Basquiat. Recognizing his talent early on, The Schorrs acquired a number of his paintings and drawings well before his first New York exhibition. The Acquavella Gallery will feature 22 pieces from their collection, all of which represent Basquiat at the brink of, and height of, superstardom. Admission is free, so it’s an excellent opportunity to see the work of one of the most beloved artists at the peak of his powers. Jean Michel-Basquiat Drawing: Work From The Schoor Family Collection will be at The Acquavella Gallery through June 13th.

NEW YORK CITY: Cool Worlds: The Animation Of Ralph Bakshi.  Brooklyn Academy Of Music.  Long before The Simpsons, Adult Swim and Japanese Anime made cartoons cool for adults, the films of Ralph Bakshi dragged the medium kicking and screaming into brave, new terrains. Frank and uncompromising with its views on sex, violence and social issues, Bakshi’s movies laid the blueprint from everything to Akira to The Family Guy. BAMcinematek will feature an 11-day retrospective of Bakshi’s career, which will include the groundbreaking films Fritz The Cat and Heavy Traffic; the highly controversial Coonskin; the introspective Hey Good Lookin’; and ambitious works such as Wizards, American Pop, and the cult classic Cool World starring Brad Pitt. As an added bonus, Bakski will be doing a series of post screening Q&As for some of the films. A perfect salute to a true animation pioneer. Cool Worlds: The Animation Of Ralph Bakshi will be at The Brooklyn Academy Of Music May 9th through the 20th.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Mother’s Day Walk in the Park. The Boston Red Sox will be opening Fenway park this Sunday from 9AM to 11AM for their annual Mother’s Day walk. It gives fans the opportunity to walk the warning track with their mother and take advantage of other activities such as face painting for children, photos with former players, the championship trophies, and more. The weather will be nice, approaching 80 degrees.

EUGENE, OREGON: Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickell. The comedy maestro of the banjo, Steve Martin will be joined by Edie Brickell and the Steep Canyon Rangers for an evening of a combination of comedy and bluegrass music. On this tour, the Steve and Edie for this generation, will be performing songs from their upcoming album, “Love Has Come To You”. They’ll also be doing numbers from Steve’s album “Rare Bird Alert”. Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickell will be appearing at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, May 9th at 7:30 pm.

NEW YORK CITY: Eddie Izzard: Force Majeure.Eddie Izzard’s latest world tour is coming to New York City at the Beacon Theatre. This tour is taking one England’s greatest comedians to 25 different countries on 5 continents. His stop in NYC is for nearly a full week of shows. Eddie will be performing starting on Tuesday, May 13th through Thursday, May 15th and then on Saturday, May 17th and Sunday, May 18th. It’s plenty of chances to see a world class performer. All shows are at 8 pm.

Want More Excellence?  Read Last Week’s Edition of The Filtered Excellence, or visit our Filtered Excellence page.