The Filtered Excellence: October 2, 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:
Gone Girl starring Ben Affleck. There’s a lot of Oscar buzz around this film and for good reason: David Fincher, who is on as good a commercial and critical roll as anyone in Hollywood (Zodiac, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) directs the adaptation of the Gillian Flynn best seller, with Flynn also co-writing the script. Ben Affleck stars as Nick Dunne, a former big-city magazine writer who gets downsized at work and is forced to move back to his Missouri hometown to care form his sick mother. When his mother passes away, he sticks around to run a local bar with his twin sister, played by Carrie Coon. If his professional life is unfulfilling, his personal life is worse: His marriage to Amy (Rosamund Pike) has gone from gleeful to outright hostile, though those feelings are well masked by both parties. When Amy goes missing on the eve of their 5th wedding anniversary, Nick quickly goes from sympathetic husband to primary suspect. Nick must then navigate his way through two persistent detectives (Kim Dickens and Patrick Fugit), a media campaign that has turned those closest to him against him and a creepy acquaintance of Amy (Neil Patrick Harris) to find the truth – and find Amy. Fincher has once again crafted a tense, taunt thriller filed with multiple layers of suspense and intrigue. Affleck is perfectly cast as Nick, finding the perfect balance between loving husband and menacing suspect. After years of being unused and miscast, Pike has a true breakout performance as Amy. One minute she’s the quintessential wife and rock for Nick, the next she’s a woman trapped in a cold marriage and the next she’s an icy femme fatale. Its a layered, complex performance that shouldn’t be forgotten at Oscar time. The other revelation is Harris as Desi, who seems to know more about Amy than he should. Filled with tons of twists and turns, Gone Girl should solidify Fincher’s status as one of the best filmmakers working today. Gone Girl opens nationwide on Friday.
Our Cameras, Our Stories on PBS. Our Cameras, Our Stories is a six-part documentary series of short films created by the students of the DCTV Pro-TV media arts training programs. Personal and intimate, the films tackles topics ranging from teen homeless, being the child of an incarcerated parent, the difficulties of life as a young immigrant, mental illness, dealing with a crippling illness and much more. It’s a fascinating and uncompromising look at life in New York City through the eyes of the its youth. Must see television. Our Cameras, Our Stories premieres October 4th at 1:30pm on WNET-TV and other PBS stations nationwide.
Hunted: The War Against Gays In Russia. Despite homosexuality being legalized in Russia over 20 years ago, social tolerance in the country hasn’t changed and in recent times, it’s even worse. In this new HBO film, director Ben Steele travels to Russia to document the witch hunt that’s going on in that country. The documentary shows how vigilante groups go out of their way to target gays to physically and emotionally abuse them. There’s disturbing footage of gays who have been beaten and tortured at the hands of these people hoping to eradicate the gay population. The film also looks at how gays have very little if any legal recourse against these attacks that police just ignore. Hunted: The War Against Gays In Russia debuts Monday, October 6th at 9 pm et on HBO.
Harmontown. This is the story of controversial “Community” showrunner Dan Harmon. After being let go by the series, (he was eventually hired back), Dan Harmon decided to go on the road and do live appearances with his podcast Harmontown. This documentary is the result. Executive produced by Harmon, the film doesn’t pull any punches on a life that sometimes appears out of control. He drinks a lot and says whatever is on his mind whether it’s good for his career or not. The doc also features plenty of celebrities who have worked with Harmon offering their opinions on him including Joel McHale, Jack Black, Sarah Silverman, Ben Stiller, Jason Sudeikis and John Oliver. Harmontown opens this weekend in L.A. and Toronto and rolls out across the country after that.
Mulaney. It’s one of the most talked about shows of the new Fall season. No pressure. Comedian John Mulaney plays a fictionalized version of himself in this brand new sitcom. The comparisons to Seinfeld are going to be there. In the series, John Mulaney lives with his two roommates played by Nasim Pedrad and Seaton Smith and gets a big break in show business. He’s going to be writing for comedy legend and game show host Lou Cannon played the hysterical Martin Short. Also, rounding out the cast is Elliott Gould as the neighbor who is always ready with advice for Mulaney. The series is from executive producer Lorne Michaels. Mulaney debuts this Sunday, October 5th at 9:30 pm on FOX.
Nas: Time Is Illmatic. Released in 1994, Illmatic, the debut album by Nas put Queens back on the hip hop map and instantly made Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones one of the most respected and influential figures of the genre. In this searing new documentary, director One9 looks back at how Nas’ first 20 years – which was spent in the notorious Queensbridge housing projects at the height of the crack epidemic – helped shape the sound of a hip hop classic. Nas’ family – which includes his father, avant garde jazz great Olu Dara – figures prominently throughout the film as does key figures from the scene such as Pete Rock, Q Tip, and Large Professor. Poetic, profound, yet undeniably street, Time Is Illmatic is a fantastic portrait of one of hip hop’s great elderstatesmen. Nas: Time Is Illmatic is playing in select theaters in New York and Los Angeles and is also available on demand via Itunes.
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Rocks: My Life In And Out Of Aerosmith by Joe Perry and David Ritz. As a key component of one of America’s greatest rock n roll bands, Joe Perry has seen his fair share of highs and lows. Now the legendary guitarist teams up with noted biographer David Ritz to tell how a kid from a small town in Massachusetts went from wanting to be a marine biologist to one of the most famous guitarists in the world. Perry also goes into detail about what makes the Aerosmith dynamic work, his complicated relationship with Steven Tyler, his battles with addiction, projects outside of the band and much more. Unflinching and uncompromising, Joe Perry delivers a memoir that’s as raw and real as the band’s music. Rocks: My Life In And Out Of Aerosmith will be available October 7th through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all major book retailers. On October 7th at 7pm, Joe Perry will sit down with Eddie Trunk at Barnes & Noble in Union Square to discuss the new book and take questions from the audience.
on Amazon.comOrder Rocks: My Life in and out of Aerosmith
on Amazon.com.
Dancing With Myself by Billy Idol. With his spiked blond hair and a lip curling sneer, Billy Idol dominated the 80s with such hits as ‘Dancing With Myself’, ‘Rebel Yell’, ‘Eyes Without A Face’, and ‘Cradle of Love’. He also played a key role in making MTV a global force on the musical landscape. In this brutally straight forward memoir, Idol tells how William Broad became Billy Idol and helped shape the U.K. punk scene (as the frontman for Generation X), then mixed punk sensibilities, pop hooks, sharp guitar riffs and dance beats into a sound that defined an era. Idol pulls no punches about how drugs, sex and a fascination with the dark side almost derailed his career and how’s he managed to find balance in recent years. A great story from a true rock n roll survivor. Dancing With Myself will be available on October 7th through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all major book retailers. On October 8th at noon, Idol will be signing copies of the new book at Barnes & Noble on 5th Avenue at 46th Street.
on Amazon.com.LISTEN TO THIS:
Standing In The Breach by Jackson Browne. This is Jackson Browne’s 14th studio album release. The amazing singer-songwriter is back with a 10 song new album that includes songs that touch on the passions that Jackson feels so strongly about. The themes run from political responsibility to love and hope for the future. A highlight on the album is the track “The Birds of St. Marks”. The song was originally written in 1967 and features 12 string guitar in the style of The Byrds, the way Jackson originally envisioned it. Jackson is also going on tour to support the new album with upcoming dates in New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Indianapolis. Jackson Brown’s Standing In The Breach will be released Tuesday, October 7th.
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NEW YORK CITY: New York Super Week. As a primer for NY Comic Con, New York Super Week promises to ‘a playground for super heroes, villains, vampires, zombies, geeks and passionate fans of all sizes’ through a series of one of a kind panels and discussions covering all facets of pop culture. Among the highlights: William Shatner moderating a discussion with the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation; Fat Man On Manhattan featuring Kevin Smith with special guest Jason Mewes; Neil deGrasse Tyson hosting a live edition of Star Talk with Malcolm Gladwell; the 30th Anniversary screenings of The Karate Kid (featuring a live conversation with Ralph Macchio) and This Is Spinal Tap, plus much more. This is the inaugural year, so expect the unexpected and get your geek on! New York Super Week will happen throughout the city October 3rd through the 12th.
NEW YORK CITY: The Country House. The new play from playwright Donald Margulies (Dinner with Friends) stars the talented Blythe Danner as a mother trying to keep the peace with her creative, and very temperamental family comes together at their summerhouse for the Williamstown Theatre Festival. The play is receiving great reviews for its “Chekovian style”. In addition to Blythe Danner, the cast includes Kate Jennings Grant Eric Lange David Rasche Sarah Steele Daniel Sunjata. The Country House opens this week and runs through November 23rd at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Elton John: All The Hits. Elton John has not played L.A. in well over a decade. He makes his return to the Los Angeles stage at the Staples Center with two shows. If you’re a fan of Elton’s classic songs, this is the concert to see. The 10 concert tour is in promotion of Elton’s 40th anniversary re-release of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The show will be a performance of his biggest hit songs spanning his 5 decade career. Elton John: All The Hits is at the Staples Center on Saturday, October 4th with a second show being added Sunday, October 5th. Both shows are at 8 pm.
Want more excellence? Read last week’s The Filtered Excellence and visit The Interrobang Recommmends
