The Filtered Excellence: November 13, 2014
Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Here are this weeks picks of the best things towatch, 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:
Foxcatcher. There’s a serious Oscar buzz around the latest from acclaimed director Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball, The Cruise). Carell stars as John du Pont, a wealthy philanthropist who turns part of his family estate into a state of the art wrestling facility for Olympic hopefuls. Tatum and Ruffalo play brothers Mark and Dave Schultz. Both are Olympic gold metal winners, but Mark is eager to come out of his older brother’s shadow and repeat another run for glory. For du Pont, this is a chance to finally please his always disapproving mother (Vaness Redgrave), the Olympic committee and the stable of wrestlers who have joined ‘Team Foxcatcher’. At first, Mark sees du Pont as the father figure he never had. But when Dave comes aboard to help Mark train, it sets off the insecurities in Mark and du Pont that culminate with tragic results. The acting in this film are exceptional: Channing Tatum continues his evolution into a well-rounded actor with a nuanced performance that is extraordinary. He’s the B.M.O.C. who is really a little boy at heart looking for a father’s approval. Ruffalo has always been consistently good in everything he’s appeared in and this is no different. An outstanding character actor ready to graduate to leading man/star status. But the real revelation is Steve Carrell. Almost unrecognizable as du Pont, Carell runs the gamut from a supportive benefactor to a paranoid, delusional bully, to, like Mark Schultz, a boy trying to get his parent’s approval. Though he’s only made four films, we also have to seriously consider Bennett Miller as one of the best directors in film. It’s his best film to date and that’s saying a lot. You’ll be hearing about this one throughout the awards season. Foxcatcher opens in New York and L.A. on Friday, November 14th and rolls out across the nation after that.
For more information on the film and screenings, go to sonyclassics.com
Watch the trailer for Foxcatcher.
Banksy Does New York. This HBO documentary was 31 days in the making and was put together using social media. It follows the work of the elusive graffiti and performance artist Banksy and the month he spent in New York City. Each day, Banksy promised a new exhibit in an undisclosed location somewhere in the 5 boroughs. His art can take many forms and mediums. The film is put together in part by using the YouTube videos and Instagrams of Banksy fans out on the streets of New York looking for each day’s project. Banksy’s New York work cover topics like unfair fast food workers wages, the meat industry and civilian causalities in the war in Iraq. Banksy Does New York has its HBO premiere on Monday, November 17th at 9 pm.
For more information, go to hbo.com
Watch the trailer for Banksy Does New York
Rosewater. It’s the first film from the host of the Daily Show, Jon Stewart. In his directorial debut, Stewart tells the story of journalist Maziar Bahari. He was covering the 2009 elections in Iran, working for Newsweek and the BBC. After being accused of being a spy, Bahari was arrested and held captive and tortured for 118 days. Part of the case against Bahari was an interview he did with Daily Show corespondent Jason Jones who in the segment pretended to be a Western spy. The Iranian government used footage of the Daily Show interview found on Bahari’s laptop as evidence against him. Jon Stewart felt compelled to tell this journalist’s story. Rosewater opens nationwide in select cities across the country on Friday, November 14th.
For more information, go to openroadsocial.com
Watch the trailer for Rosewater.
Happy Valley. Amir Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story, My Kid Could Paint That) focuses on the abuse scandal that rocked the Penn State football program in 2011 in his new documentary “Happy Valley”. Bar-Lev goes in depth behind the scandal that led to coach Joe Paterno’s 40 year plus career at PSU ending in disgrace. Former Paterno assistant Jerry Sandusky was charged with 40 counts of child sex abuse. Paterno was fired due to the scandal and university were put into chaos. The story is more on how it affected just the individuals, but also the community surrounding Penn State. Happy Valley opens in New York on Wednesday, November 19th and then in L.A. and Video On Demand on Friday, November 21st.
For more information on the film and screenings, go to musicboxfilms.com.
Watch the trailer for Happy Valley.
LISTEN TO THIS:
The Endless River by Pink Floyd. The spirit of Richard Wright casts a huge shadow over the band’s 15th (and final) album. With a big assist from producers Youth, Andy Jackson and Phil Manzarena, surviving active members David Gilmour and Nick Mason culled through over 20 hours of unreleased music from their 1994 album The Division Bell and crafted a moving elegy to the late founding member and keyboardist. Largely instrumental and ambient, the album recalls the extended passages from Saucerful Of Secrets, Wish You Were Here, and the soundtrack work that the band did in the late 60s and early 70s but with a 21st Century feel. In short, Pink Floyd has come full circle – they started out as a mood making band and with this release, they will finish that way. A noble and fitting coda for both Richard Wright and for Floyd.
Order The Endless River (Deluxe CD\ Blu-ray Casebook Edition)
Black Beauty by Love. Led by the enigmatic and mysterious Arthur Lee, Love was one of the most influential and highly regarded bands to emerge out of L.A. music scene of the late 60s. With such songs as ‘7 and 7 Is’, ‘Orange Skies’, ‘She Comes In Colors’ and the landmark album Forever Changes, Love influenced artists ranging from The Beatles and Led Zeppelin to the punk scene that emerged in New York and L.A in the late 70s. Drug addiction, unwillingness to tour, and Lee’s reclusive nature stunted the band’s artistic and commercial potential even as their influence seeped into the music scene. However, in the early 70s, a rejuvenated Lee assembled a new incarnation of Love and signed with a new label, Buffalo Records. They recorded Black Beauty, an album that featured all of the Love trademarks (killer melodies, great songwriting) but with a looser, gritter sound. Those who heard it all agreed: Love, who had made one of the definitive albums of the 60s, had now made one for the 70s. Unfortunately, Buffalo Records went belly up before its release and outside of bootlegs and compilations, never had a formal CD release. Until now. High Moon Records has just put out Black Beauty and it did with style. Packaged in a hardbound eco-book, its has the original album, super rare live tracks featuring the Black Beauty-era band, a recently discovered 1974 interview with Arthur Lee, and the title track to the only film Lee ever wrote for a film, Thomasine & Bushrod. It also contains a 62-page booklet with over 35 previously unreleased photos and an essay by Ben Edmonds. Lee, who passed away in 2006, always wanted to see Black Beauty get a proper release. One of the rock’s great ‘lost’ records has finally seen the light of day and it sounds fantastic. More redemption and validation for the great unsung heroes of rock n roll.
Order Black Beauty
READ THIS:
I Must Say: My Life As A Humble Comedy Legend by Martin Short. In a career that has spanned over 40 years, Martin Short was a key member of two landmark TV sketch comedy series: SCTV and Saturday Night Live. Short has also had success on screen (Three Amigos, Father Of The Bride) and on stage, winning a Tony Award for his performance in Little Me. In this moving and always funny memoir, Short recalls his Canadian upbringing, the creation behind the legendary characters Ed Grimley, Nathan Thurm, Jackie Rogers, Jr, and Jiminy Glick, his personal and professional relationships with Glida Radner, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and much more. He also reveals how the deaths of his parents, brother (all before he turned 22) and his wife of 30 years, helped shaped his views on maintaining an upbeat attitude towards life. Funny, moving and always entertaining.
Order I Must Say: My Life As a Humble Comedy Legend
Watch Me by Angelica Huston. In the follow-up to her critically acclaimed book, A Story Lately Told, Academy Award winning actress Angelica Huston – who, before she turned 21 had lived in Ireland, London and New York, relocates to L.A. and into a relationship with Jack Nicholson that lasts for over 20 years. Huston also discusses being in the center of the ‘New Hollywood’ scene of the 1970s and coming into her own as an critically acclaimed actress. She also goes into length about working with her father John in Prizzi’s Honor, which won her the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Told in a straight forward, candid manner, Huston gives us the ultimate insider’s look at Hollywood at the height of reinventing itself along with intimate details of the people who helped shape it. A must read for all fans of cinema.
Order Watch Me: A Memoir
DO THIS:
NAPA, CALIFORNIA: An Evening with David Sedaris. Author, humorist and NPR favorite David Sedaris will be appearing in Napa this weekend. He’ll be reading his hysterical essays and stories from this best selling books including his latest, “Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls”. With the holidays fast approaching, expect Sedaris to spend part of the evening reading from his “SantaLand Diaries” which put him on the map across the country with his broadcasts on National Public Radio. David Sedaris is appearing at the Uptown Theatre in Napa on Friday, November 14th at 7:30 pm. The performance is sold out, but there is a waiting list available with the theatre.
For more information, go to uptowntheatrenapa.com
NEW YORK CITY: David Sanborn. One of the country’s premiere jazz clubs will play host to a premiere jazz saxophonist. David Sanborn will be playing at the Blue Note Jazz Club in NYC starting Thursday which starts a 5 night gig. Sanborn who has played with David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, George Benson, Stevie Wonder and several other greats and is also known for his solo work, performs Thursday, November 20th with two shows at 8 pm and 10:30 pm. He’ll be performing pieces from throughout his career which spans 5 decades including his 1975 debut album, “Taking Off”.
For more information on David Sanborn’s show, go to bluenote.net
NEW YORK CITY: A Delicate Balance. An amazing cast stars in the revival of American playwright Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, A Delicate Balance. In the play, a couple (John Lithgow and Glenn Close) try to maintain their happy life during a hectic weekend which brings the arrival of their daughter (Martha Plimpton) who’s facing her 4 divorce all while hosting their best friends (Bob Balaban and Clare Higgin) and an alcoholic sister (Lindsay Duncan). Directed by Pam MacKinnon, the play is now in previews and opens Thursday, November 20th on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre.
For more information and tickets, go to adelicatebalancebroadway.com
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA: Princess. In this stage show, Maya Rudolph puts away the comedy and breaks out her singing chops. Maya teams with jazz singer and songwriter Gretchen Lieberum to perform together as “Princess”, the two woman Prince cover band. The two who both have an obsession with Prince will cover his greatest hits. Each show has been described “as a love letter to the Artist himself”. Princess performs at the Troubador in West Hollywood on Thursday, November 20th at 8 pm. The show is sold out, so look for tickets online. ‘
For more information on the show, go to troubadour.com
Want more excellence? Read last week’s The Filtered Excellence and visit The Interrobang Recommmends
