The Filtered Excellence: July 31, 2014
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:
David Bowie: 5 Years. Showtime is calling “David Bowie:5 Years” the definitive portrait of the the rock icon. The documentary takes a look at Bowie’s creative career through rarely seen file footage, Bowie’s own words, and the words of Bowie’s closest friends and collaborators. By focusing on 5 key years in his career the hour long documentary explores Bowie’s vision as well as his process and give some insights into his various personas. Conversations with musicians that have worked with Bowie, like Mick Ronson, Rick Wakeman, Trevor Boulder, Earl Slick, Dennis Davis, Brian Eno, Carlos Alomar shed some light on where ideas for great songs came from, as well as how and why Bowie decided to go in various directions. Tony Visconti and Nile Rodgers are also on hand to talk about creating art with the musical legend. The Five Years selected, 1971-72, 1974-75, 1976-1977, and 1979-80 couldn’t even begin to tell the complete story, but they highlight different albums, different styles, and even the influence that different parts of the world had on the man and his music. David Bowie: 5 Years premieres Friday, August 1st at 9 pm et Eastern on Showtime and is our pick of the week this week. Don’t miss it..
Get On Up. When it was announced that Tate Taylor – fresh off his Academy Award nominated film The Help – would be directing the eagerly awaited James Brown biopic – there were numerous concerns that ahe would fail the capture the essence and paradoxes of The Godfather Of Soul. Taylor not only succeeds, he excels. Zipping along eras with the crisp pace of a JB song, Taylor never lets the story hit a lull or get boring. Chadwick Boseman has a tough task playing Soul Brother No. 1, but not captures his mannerisms, but also nails all of Brown’s on stage charisma and tough off-stage business and personal acumen. The supporting cast – especially Dan Aykroyd as Brown’s long time agent Ben Bart; Jill Scott as Brown’s wife Dee-Dee, Craig Robinson and the always reliable Nelsan Ellis as long time sideman Maceo Parker and Bobby Byrd – are in fine form. Viola Davis puts in another movie stealing performance as Brown’s mother Susie. Along with the killer music, screenwriters Jez and John-Henry Butterworth add plenty of dramatic back story that helped shaped Brown’s life and career: abandonment, stints in prison, marital strife, tax troubles, death, renewal, and ultimately, redemption. A fitting tribute to one of the most influential musicians of all-time. Get On Up opens nationwide this Friday.
Finding Fela. Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney (Taxi To The Dark Side, Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room, Client 9: The Rise & Fall Of Elliot Spitzer) turns his attention to Fela Kuti, the influential musician and political activist best known as the Godfather of Afrobeat and criticism of military-led governments in his native Nigeria. Gibney uses archival footage, interviews with Fela, his son Femi, friends, collaborators and those influenced by Fela – to help shape the narrative of Fela’s complex, at times turbulent life. There’s also behind the scenes footage of Bill T. Jones putting together the 2009 Fela musical that introduced a new generation of fans to Fela’s music. But the movie belongs to Fela, who passed away in 1997 of AIDS-related complications, but left behind a legacy that is still being felt today. An extraordinary film on an extraordinary man. Finding Fela opens in New York on Friday and rolls out nationwide on August 8th.
Calvary. In this new dark comedy directed and written by John Michael McDonagh, Father James must face his own mortality after being confronted by a member of his own parish in a small Irish town during confession. The brilliant Brendan Gleeson plays Father James who is taking confession from a man who claims he’s going to kill the father in one week. The reason? Simply because Father James is a good man. Father James must now make it through the next week and continue to still minister to his community. Things get more complicated as Father James’ emotionally disturbed daughter reappears. Even as sinister forces descends on Father James and his parish, McDonagh’s dark humor permeates the entire movie. Calvary opens Friday, August 1st.
Nixon By Nixon: His Own Words. Following President Richard Nixon’s death in 1994, the government began releasing his private White House recordings to the public. What followed was 3,700 hours of tape released with the final recordings being made public last year. In “Nixon By Nixon: His Own Words”, the 37th President’s opinions, paranoia and prejudices have all been revealed. The media, Jews, Gays and liberals are all some of Nixon’s favorite targets in the this new documentary. Even future Secretary of State and then Vietnam War veteran John Kerry gets called a “phony” during Nixon’s Oval Office diatribes. Nixon By Nixon: His Own Words premieres Monday, August 4st at 9 pm Eastern on HBO.
LISTEN TO THIS:
Hypnotic Eye by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. If there’s any band that could rest on its laurels, it would be Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. With a catalog of classics spanning close to 40 years, they could easily just hit the road, crank out the hits and life would be good. Not happening. Three years in the making (and their first album in close to 4 years), Hypnotic Eye sounds more like a young, hungry, rough and tumble garage band making their debut rather than a veteran band making their 13th studio effort. Petty always had the unique of making a song sound familiar upon first listen and tracks such as ‘American Dream, Plan B’, ‘Red River’ follow that pattern to a T. There’s also slight hints at jazz (‘Full Grown Boy’) and juke joint blues (‘Burnt Out Town’) to mix things up a bit. This is another late period triumph from one of America’s greatest bands.
is available now through Amazon, Itunes and all major music retailers.
You can also go to www.tompetty.com for tour updates and more information.
DO THIS:
NEW YORK CITY: Sound + Vision at The Film Society at Lincoln Center. Now in its 2nd year, Sound + Vision is a 10 day retrospective that views music documentaries, live performances and Q&A panels covering every genres from around the world. Highlights include Stop Making Sense, Jonathan Demme’s seminal concert film on Talking Heads; the debut of new films featuring Pulp’s farewell shows and late 80s/early 90s underground bands Jesus & Mary Chain, Cochteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine; live performances by NYC indie rockers Dragons Of Zynth and Afro Pop sensation Amkoullel and much more. The series will cover rock, jazz, metal, classical, folk, international and everything in between. A much see series for the musically adventurous. Sound + Vision 2014 runs through August 9th.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Eat, See, Hear: Blazing Saddles. The “Eat, See, Hear” program runs all Summer long in the L.A. area promoting community events that bring to together a great night of food, movies and musical entertainment. This weekend, Eat, See, Hear comes to the Autry in Griffin Park. The main attraction will be a screening of Mel Brooks’ classic “Blazing Saddles” shown on a three story tall, 52-foot wide inflatable movie screen, the largest West of the Mississippi. The “Hear” portion of the night will be music performed by Kera & The Lesbians. And there will be a variety of gourmet food trucks on hand to feed hungry movie goers. Eat, See, Hear opens to the public at 5:30 pm on Saturday, August 2nd with music beginning at 7 pm and Blazing Saddles starting at 8:30 pm.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA: Dead Authors at the UCB Theatre LA. Comedian Paul F. Tompkins transforms himself into author HG Wells in this live performance of his podcast “Dead Authors”. During the performance, Wells (Tompkins) uses his time machine to transport famous literary figures from the past to the present. Once together on stage, they participate in a lively, yet impolite debate of literary issues that is completely unscripted and totally hysterical. The live podcast taping of “Dead Authors” at the UCB Theatre in Los Angeles happens Friday, August 1st at 6:30 pm with proceeds benefiting 826LAL, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills. The show is sold out, but there is a waiting list available.
Want more excellence? Read last week’s The Filtered Excellence and visit The Interrobang Recommmends
