The Filtered Excellence: May 19, 2016
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:
Love & Friendship. Whit Stillman’s adaptation of the Jane Austen’s comic novella rolls out this weekend. Kate Beckinsale stars as Lady Susan Vernon, a beautiful young widow who arrives at her in-laws’ estate in order to escape the rumors that have been circulating throughout polite society of her not-so-lady like behavior. She decides that she wants to get married again and also find a husband for her daughter, Frederica (Morfydd Clark). With the arrival of eligible Reginald DeCourcy (Xavier Samuel) and the not too bright – but very rich – Sir James Martin to the Churchill estate, it looks as though her plans will come to fruition. Complicating matters are Reginald’s in-laws, her brother in law Charles Vernon (Justin Edwards) and Susan’s rival, Lady Lucy Manwaring (Jenn Murray) – who has news that could destroy Susan’s plans once and for all. Beckingsale, who is no stranger to Austen, excels as the alluring, cunning, crafty Lady Susan. Her presence and command of the material carries the film. The supporting cast, which also includes Chloe Sevigny and Stephen Fry wonderfully compliment Beckingsale and the story line. Period pieces tend to be long and drawn out, but under Stillman’s direction, the pace is light and tight, with comedic jabs being thrown at will. A much welcomed change up from the blitz of superhero flicks. Love & Friendship opens this Friday. You can also go to http://www.loveandfriendshipmovie.com/ for more information.
The Nice Guys. Writer-Director Shane Black goes back to the future to familiar territory with his latest feature. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe play Holland March and Jackson Healy, a not so great detective and a for-hire enforcer who are forced to work together to solve a case involving a dead porn star and a missing girl. Their styles couldn’t be any different: March barely has the stomach for the sight of blood much less a dead body. Healy has no problem breaking bones and beating someone within an inch of their life – as long as the money is right. As they stumble their way through 1970s Los Angeles, they quickly realize that the two seemingly unrelated cases is part of a much larger conspiracy reaching the highest levels of power. The pairing of Gosling and Crowe doesn’t look great on paper, but they have great chemistry together as the mismatched PIs. Gosling is in great comedic form as March, the last person to catch on that maybe detective work isn’t his true calling – or the very least, he needs to seriously work at it. Crowe looks like he’s having a blast as the brutish Healy. Playing straight man to Gosling, he slyly updates his Bud White character from ‘L.A. Confidential’ as an older, been there, broke that zip who’s only in it for the bucks, not to mention the thrill of busting heads. The Curtis Hanson classic is referenced again with the casting of Kim Basinger as Judith Kutner, the mother of the missing girl, who may know more than she’s letting on. Black captures the hazed out, big collar, smoggy vibe of 70s L.A. perfectly as the duo spin through the web of weird to solve the case. Loud, bawdy and straight up fun, The Nice Guys captures the spirit of vibe of Black’s other memorable cop buddy series Lethal Weapon. The Nice Guys opens nationwide this Friday. You can also go to http://www.theniceguysmovie.com/ for more information.
Weiner. The rise and spectacular fall of Anthony Weiner is the subject of the new documentary. Weiner’s rising star status within the Democratic Party crashed quickly when he sent a link to a sexually explicit photo of himself to a woman on his public Twitter account. At first, he denied sending the photo and his site was hacked. Then, Weiner called a press conference and admitted that he did send the link and that he’s been sexting with six women over the last three years. The fact that he was married to Huma Abedin, a close aide to future Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton – and pregnant – complicated things even more. When the photo eventually went viral, Weiner resigned. After laying low for a few years, Weiner looking to start over, announced he was running for Mayor of New York. The sting of the scandal faded and Weiner was leading in early polls. But then, a new sexting scandal came to light, as it was revealed that more texts were sent after his resignation from Congress and, as recently as a month before announcing his run for Mayor. Filmmakers Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg were given full access to the Weiner campaign hoping to capture one of the biggest political comebacks in recent memory. Instead, they had a front row seat to a political meltdown to end all political meltdowns. Every uncomfortable press conferences, news show appearance, embarrassing public outings, tense meetings with his staff and icy silences with his wife are on full display. It’s a political car crash: horrific, not pretty, but you can’t look away. Get ready to be completely stunned. Weiner opens this Friday. You can also go to http://www.ifcfilms.com/ for more information.
Maggie’s Plan. The latest from writer-director Rebecca Miller is a wry take on how love can derail the most intricate of plans. Greta Grewig stars as Maggie, a single, independent 30-something living in New York City. She decides that she wants to become a single mother and is ready to enlist her college friend Guy (Travis Fimmel) to be the sperm donor. That plan quickly goes out the window when she meets – and falls in love with – John (Ethan Hawke), a ‘ficto-critical anthropologist’ in a bad marriage with Georgette (Julianne Moore), a brilliant, but blunt, Columbia University professor. The affair gives John the strength to leave Georgette and marry Maggie. But after a few years together, Maggie realizes that she made a mistake and puts a plan into motion to have John reunite with Georgette – with Georgette all in on the plan. As she’s done with her collaborations with Noah Baumbach, Grewig excels as the title role, displaying the exceptional comedic timing that has made her one of the best in the genre. Hawke is also great as the self absorbed John and Moore nearly steals the movie as the icy Danish professor. SNL vets Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph are just as good as Maggie’s oddball best friends Tony and Felicia. Miller’s direction and writing owe a lot more to Woody Allen than her father, Arthur Miller, but she doesn’t sacrifice real life for laughs, making this a sharp, biting look at love in the new millennium. It’s a cut above your average rom com. Maggie’s Plan opens in New York and L.A. on Friday. You can also go to http://www.maggiesplanmovie.com/ for more information.
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New York City: Cherchez La Femme: The Musical. Whether it was Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band or with Kid Creole & The Coconuts, the music of August Darnell was built to be a musical. Now, with help from ‘The Punk Professor’, Vivian Goldman, it becomes a reality. Loosely based on his life, the musical centers on a colorful bandleader Caufy Keeps, who puts his world tour on hold in order to go to Haiti to re-connect with his girlfriend, Deliciosa. If dealing with going through Haiti – which has been taken over by brutal dictator Jean-Claude ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier – wasn’t enough, he then has to return to New York to make up with the band he left behind. Though the plot seems to be rooted in drama, it’s more in line with the screwball comedies of the 30’s and 40’s, as Caufy – joined by long time sidekick Stingy Brim – bounce between New York and Haiti – all with classic Kid Creole songs, 8 new songs and of course, the iconic title track driving the narrative. Cherchez La Femme will make you laugh, make you tear up in spots, but will ultimately make you want to dance. Cherchez La Femme: The Musical will be at La MaMa May 20th through June 11th. You can go to www.lamama.org for tickets and more information.
New York City: Spike Lee’s Dream Double Feature: The Election Edition. The 2nd edition of Metrograph’s artist curated series is timed perfectly for the current political climate. Spike Lee will be on hand to introduce and discuss two Hollywood satires that now come across as prophecy: Billy Wilder’s still blistering Ace in the Hole with Kirk Douglas and Elia Kazan’s equally shattering A Face in the Crowd. Lee will also screen his own political documentary, We Wuz, Robbed, a probing look at the chaos and disorder that concluded the 2000 Presidential election. With two classic films and one biting doc, this is an evening that will inform as much as it will entertain. Spike Lee’s Dream Double Feature: The Election Edition will take place this Saturday at 3pm. You can go to http://www.metrograph.com/ for tickets and more info.
New York City: Words Are All We Have: The Paintings Of Jean-Michel Basquiat. This latest exhibition of Basquiat’s timeless work will emphasize his pioneering use of literary and musical influences into his work. Paintings that honor the Beat poets, jazz greats Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, and boxing legends Jack Johnson and Jersey Joe Walcott are on display as well as JMB’s use of the William Burroughs’ ‘cut up’ style and hip hop’s sampling techniques on other pieces. There’s also the completed paintings that were initially sketched out in the Basquiat notebooks that were the basis of the most recent Brooklyn Museum exhibition. Arresting, poetic and always visually stimulating, this latest exhibit will further lend prove that Jean-Michel Basquiat should stand alongside with some of the world’s greatest artists. Words Are All We Have will be at Nahmad Contemporary through June 11th. You can also go to www.nahmadcontemporary.com for more information.
Los Angeles: The Wax Record Fair. The only music industry event to focus specifically on vinyl, music lifestyle and the culture behind record collecting, The Wax Record Fair is a music collector’s dream. Located in front of the iconic Capitol Records building, rare record collectors, indie record stores and record labels will all be hand to share and sell their most precious recordings. Artists will also be on hand to peform DJ sets, sign records and much more. There will also be panel discussions designed to discuss and celebrate the power and glory of vinyl. Whether you are starting out as a collector or looking to enhance or upgrade your collection, this is a must see event that’s friendly to fans of all ages. The Wax Record Fair will take place May 21st and 22nd. You can go to www.waxrecordfair.com to tickets, complete rundown of events and more information.
Want more excellence? Read last week’s The Filtered Excellence and visit The Interrobang Recommmends
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