The Filtered Excellence: January 3, 2012

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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:

BCS National Championship Game.  The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame – after being unranked at the start of the season – returned to the national spotlight by going 12-0.  Alabama is the closest thing we have to a dynasty: There are the defending National Champs and if they win, it will be their 3rd title in the last four years.  This has all the making of an classic.

  • The BCS Championship Game airs Monday night at 8pm on ESPN.

56 Up.   “In 1964 a group of seven year old children were interviewed for the documentary Seven Up. They have been filmed every seven years since. They are now 56.”  The initial idea of the documentary series was to film a group of fourteen English children from diverse backgrounds, asking questions about the lives they led and their hopes and dreams for the future. Every seven years, acclaimed director Michael Apted  has returned to talk with these same kids while exploring the events of their lives growing up, and connecting with the adults that they are today. Few would have ever guessed that the film project would go on so long. It’s latest edition of the documentary film series; it’s the study of a particular collection of lives in progression, but also an incredibly interesting view of the ways in which aging shapes perspective.   Opens limited January 4, 2013

 

  • Watch the trailer on YouTube

 

My Brooklyn:  The Battle For The Soul Of A City.  For filmmaker Kelly Anderson, this documentary – which looks at the effects gentrification has had on Brooklyn – is a personal one.  Lured by cheap rent and a thriving arts culture, Anderson moved to Brooklyn in 1988.  She witnessed first hand the massive changes that put the borough on par with Manhattan as the place to live and work in New York City.  My Brooklyn looks at the pros and cons these changes have had on Brooklyn, the forces behind these projects, and the grassroots leaders fighting to retain the local/ethnic diversity in the neighborhood.  What really makes this doc interesting is that Anderson is in essence, coming from the place of a gentrifier, albeit a sympathic one.  My Brooklyn will be screening at The Rerun Theater in Brooklyn January 4th through the 10th with post screening panels & Q&A’s after each viewing.

 

  • You can go to mybrooklynthemovie.com for complete info.

 

Killer Joe on DVD and On Demand and Amazon Instant.  Director William Friedkin gets an a well deserved  NC-17 rating for this Trailer Park madness.      The less you know about this film going into it the better. Prepare to get weird.

NFL Wildcard Weekend.  It’s the best of all the NFL weekends outside the Super Bowl.  NFL playoff football all weekend long on Saturday and Sunday.

  • Saturday, 4:30 on NBC:  Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans .
  • Saturday, 8pm on NBC:  Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
  • Sunday,  1pm on CBS:  Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens
  • Sunday, 4:30pm on FOX:  Seattle Seahawks at Washington Redskins

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LISTEN TO THIS:

Signed and Sealed in Blood by the Dropkick Murphys.  It’s never to early to get ready for St. Patrick’s Day. Drop Kick Murphy’s are making in the odd choice of debuting their new album on Conan O’Brien’s website. Check it out.

 

  • Here the preview for free here on teamcoco.com.

 

Earth Hero by Kamara Thomas & The Ghost Gamblers.  The latest project from Earl Greyhound bassist Kamara Thomas finds her reconnecting with the country music that she heard growing up. It’s part country, part roots music, part cosmic, yet pure Americana.  ‘My Kentucky’ is a sweeping 7 minute travelogue through America that’s absolutely gorgeous.  Earth Hero pays both homage and continues the grand tradition of music that came out of Laurel Canyon in the 70s but would also fit just fine in Nashville.  It’s the perfect album to put on when you want to chill out or taking an extended road trip.  Earth Hero is available now on Itunes.

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DO THIS:

New York City:  The Dude and Zen.  Shaheen, publisher of the Buddhist magazine Tricycle, talks with Bridges and Glassman about The Dude and the Zen Master, which offers up life lessons and Buddhist wisdom drawn from conversations between the actor and his Zen teacher.  It all takes place at the Union Square Barnes and Noble on January 8, 2012 at 7pm.

New York City:  “The Rolling Stones: 50”  – The Paley Center for Media. It’s a collection of rare photos of the world’s greatest rock and roll band throughout their career.  The exhibition also includes a video highlight reel featuring the Stones on SNL, playing the Super Bowl and an appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show”.  This Saturday and Sunday.

The Editor

The Editor