The Filtered Excellence: August 22, 2013
Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Here are this weeks picks of what to WATCH, what to DO what to TRY what to READ what to LISTEN TO and more:
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WATCH THIS:
The Worlds End. Director Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost – the creative forces behind the comedy classics Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz – complete their ‘Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy’ with The World’s End. The plot centers around alcoholic Gary King’s (Pegg) attempt to reconnect with estranged friends and lovers to complete The Golden Mile, a legendary pub crawl in his hometown of Newton Haven. They attempted the crawl as teenagers, but failed at the final stop, a bar called The World’s End. Their reunion is awkward as old wounds and squabbles return, but its made even more unusual when they literally stumble onto a full on invasion of Earth by robots. Pegg is in fine form as Gary and Frost – along with Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike and Pierce Brosnan (yup, James Bond!) round out the excellent supporting cast. It may have come late in the summer, but The World’s End is far and away, the season’s best comedy. It opens this Friday nationwide.
The March. This new documentary from producer Robert Redford looks at the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, led by Dr. Martin Luther King where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. The doc airs on PBS on Tuesday, August 27th, the day before the March’s anniversary. The event is retold by people who were there like Jack O’Dell, Clarence B. Jones, Julian Bond and Andrew Young and includes testimonials from Harry Belafonte, Diahann Carroll, Roger Mudd, Peter Yarrow and Oprah Winfrey. The film is narrated by Denzel Washington.
- For more information, go to pbs.org
The Little League World Series Championship Game. This Sunday, August 25th in Williamsport, PA, a new Little League World Series champion will be crowned. There’s still plenty of games leading up to the finals on Sunday. It will all culminate with the winner of the United States pool versus the winner of the International pool. At this point, the kids from Chula Vista, California are undefeated. On the international side, Japan is unbeaten and Mexico has a fantastic record. The championship is Sunday at 3pm Eastern on ABC.
- For more information and game schedules and scores, go to littleleague.org
Amour on DVD. If you didn’t go see this because you didn’t want to cry in a movie theater, we get it. But now its on DVD and you can catch it in private. A devastating and emotionally gripping experience, and one of the most respectful and forthright films about marriage. This is a film about genuine love, but it’s realistic and raw. Honest, unflinching, painful and beautiful all at the same time. Amour was named the best picture of the year by the Los Angeles Film Critics, the best foreign film by the New York Film Critics, and it won the coveted Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
- Order Amour [Blu-ray]
on DVD and BluRay from Amazon.com.
Shadow Dancer on DVD. Directed by Acadamy Award winner James Marsh (Man on Wire), this film about a family involved with the IRA is one of the best films of the year. Starring Clive Owen, Andrea Riseborough and Gillian Anderson. The less you know about the film before you see it, the better. Finally on DVD.
- Order Shadow Dancer
from Amazon.com on DVD and Bluray
Free Angela and All Political Prisoners on DVD. We featured this one back during its theater run, and now it’s also available on DVD. J. Edgar Hoover put Angela Davis on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. Then-Governor Ronald Reagan spearheaded an effort to have her barred from teaching at any of California’s universities. President Nixon labeled her a terrorist. The Rolling Stones dedicated a song to her on the landmark album Exile On Main Street. John Lennon wrote a song about her. For a significant part of the 1970′s, Angela Davis was THE face and voice in the fight for civil and human rights. Weaving in archival footage along with new interviews with Davis, director Shola Lynch skillfully relieves one of the turbulent periods in American history through the eyes of someone who was at the center of the political storm. It’s a documentary that re-asserts Angela Davis’ place as one of the important figures in the American civil rights movement.
- Order Free Angela & All Political Prisoners
on Amazon.com now.
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LISTEN TO THIS:
Unreleased by Patrice O’Neal. When Patrice O’Neal passed away in 2011, he left a huge void in the comedy world. What made his transition even more tragic was that O’Neal was on the cusp of superstardom. Unreleased is a compilation of unheard material that was recorded for the Mr P album. You’ll get Patrice’s raw, profane, yet it will make your sides hurt funny takes on race, relationships, and sex. Yet another fitting epitaph for one of the most original comedians of all-time. Unreleased is available now on Amazon, Itunes and all major digital retailer outlets.
- Order Unreleased
on Amazon.com.
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DO THIS:
NEW YORK CITY: The Trials Of Muhammad Ali @ The IFC Center. Academy Award nominee Bill Siegel looks at the various trials Muhammad Ali went through outside of the ring: His conversation to the Nation Of Islam; changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali; his objections to the Vietnam War; Ali’s arrest and conviction for draft evasion; being stripped of his passport, his title and his boxing license and being forced to live life as an a exile in his own country; his battles with a hostile press and public during his legal appeals; and later, Ali’s battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Using a slew of archival footage – most of which has not been seen in decades, if at all – and interviews with family, friends, close associates, and even adversaries, The Trial Of Muhammad Ali gives new insight into one of the most recognized people on the planet at a spiritual and professional crossroads. The film opens this Friday at the IFC Center in New York.
NEW YORK CITY: AfroPunk Festival. @ Commodore Barry Park Brooklyn, NY 8/24-25. The AfroPunk Festival – launched back in 2005 in the wake of the 2003 documentary of the same name – is back and better than ever. Scheduled performers include Living Colour (who will perform their 1988 debut album Vivid from start to finish), Questlove, Saul Williams, Chuck D, Jada Pinkett-Smith’s metal band Wicked Wisdom, punk pioneers Death, metal upstarts Unlocking The Truth and much more. There will also be a skate park and a custom bike show courtesy of Brooklyn Rhapsody. The AfroPunk Festival has quickly emerged as the multi-cultural event of the summer. Plus, it’s all FREE with an online RSVP.
PARK CITY UTAH: JD Souther. The incredible singer – songwriter JD Souther will be performing at the Historic Egyptian Theater in Park City Utah. JD who has written classic songs for Linda Rondstadt, The Eagles, James Taylor and many others will be at the Egyptian Theater on Friday, August 23rd and Saturday, August 24th. Both shows start at 8pm.
LENXO, MASSACHUSETTS: Film Night at Tanglewood with John Williams. Oscar winner, composer and conductor John Williams leads the Boston Pops in Film Night at the Koussevitzky Music Shed on Saturday, August 24th. Williams and the group will be doing some of his most famous pieces from films like “Jaws”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Hook”. Look for special guest stars and plenty of music from the films that you love at this Boston Pops Summer tradition. The concert begins at 8:30pm.
