The Filtered Excellence: March 20, 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:
Bad Words. There’s been a LOT of talk about Jason Bateman’s directorial debut and for good reason. It’s also the edgiest comedy to come out of Hollywood since Bad Santa. Bateman plays Guy Trilby, a 40-year-old proofreader, who discovers a loophole that allows him to enter local spelling bees – for kids. He intents to use this loophole – and his photographic memory – to make his way to Los Angeles to win the 50,000 prize at the Golden Quill National Bee and win its 50,000 prize. Aside from insulting and angering parents and fellow contestants, Guy gets involved with a reporter Jenny Widgeon (Kathryn Hahn) covering his journey and mentors (and that’s using the word very loosely) fellow contestant Chaitanya Chopra (Rohan Chand) in things that a 10 year old shouldn’t be getting introduced to. Industry vets Allison Janney and Philip Baker Hall round out the cast. Bateman, working off a brutally uncompromising script by Andrew Dodge is having a blast as the take no prisoners Trilby. Hahn is also fantastic as Jenny, the website reporter who is both attracted and disgusted to Guy, but nevertheless stays on the road to L.A. Chand is also in fine form as Chaitanya, the lonely kid up for anything that his new friend and mentor throws at him. Racist, sexist, perverse, totally just plain wrong on multiple levels, Bad Words is the perfect antidote for fans tired of PC comedies. Bad Words opens this nationwide on Friday.
Nymphomaniac: Volume 1. Writer-Director Lars Von Trier has never shied away from edgy subject matter and this film – divided over the course of two films – promises to be his most provocative and controversial to date. Charlotte Gainsbourg plays Joe, a self-described nymphomaniac who in taken in by a stranger (played by Stellan Skarsgard) after he finds her badly beaten in an alley. As he tends to her wounds, Joe tells her story of sexual awakening from adolescence to early adulthood (newcomer Stacy Martin portrays Joe as a young girl/woman in the flashback sequences). The cast also includes Christian Slater, Uma Thurman and Shia LeBeouf. A lot has been made of the numerous sex scenes and whether or not they were unsimulated. But at the heart of this film is the story of a damaged psyche and Gainsborg excels in the title role. The other find is Martin, who is making her debut as the younger version of Joe. She handles the highly adult subject matter like a seasoned pro. Von Trier’s direction is straight forward and direct, letting the subject matter live and breathe without the aid of manipulative elements that are found in Hollywood films. A daring, uncompromising film. Nymphomaniac Volume 1 and 2 are available on demand now.
Volume 2 will be in theaters April 4th.
You can go to the official website for more information.
The 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament. Everyone’s brackets are locked. The Play-In win games are over and the tournament is set. Hardcore basketball fans and casual office pool betters are on their way to the Final Four with March Madness. Second round action is underway with plenty of games all weekend long as the tournament advances quickly at this point. Teams seeing action on Friday night, include number one seeds Virginia and Wichita State, also number 3 Creighton and number Kansas. All are expected to move to third round action which will be on Saturday and Sunday. Games are aired on CBS, TNT, Tru and TBS. Make sure you check your local listings for all games.
John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown. John Leguizamo returns to HBO with his 5th comedy special. Ghetto Klown was taped last November at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. It’s based on John’s Broadway one-man show of the same name. During the special, John Leguizamo revisits childhood memories and takes the audience through his career, stopping by well known TV series and major motion picture sets. Ghetto Klown also shows John dealing with the depression, lack of confidence and the negativity he found along the way. John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown premieres this Saturday, March 22nd at 10pm Eastern on HBO.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season Finale. It’s the season ender for the breakthrough comedy from Andy Samberg. He promises ”shockers at the end” and ”multiple ¬cliff-hangers,” and finale that’s “way funnier than the True Detective season finale”. In this season’s last episode, we see Jake drunk and trying to explain that he’s is now off the force for continuing his investigation in mob activities after he’s been ordered to back off. The season finale of Brooklyn Nine-Nine is Tuesday, March 25th at 9:30pm Eastern on FOX.
LISTEN TO THIS:
Out Among Stars by Johnny Cash. The 80s were not kind to Johnny Cash. After the success of the film Urban Cowboy and its soundtrack, Nashville was looking for a more contemporary, pop-leaning sound. Cash stayed the traditional course and his album sales slumped badly. In 1981, Cash went into the studio with noted producer Billy Sherill (best known for his work with George Jones and Tammy Wynette), and using some of the top session players in country music, cut enough material to cover a couple of albums. When their first collaboration The Baron failed to connect with audiences, Columbia shelved the remaining tracks and marked the beginning of the end of Cash’s 25 plus year run at the label. In 2012, Cash’s son John Carter Cash found the tapes after going through his parents archives. Impressed by what he heard, he contacted Sony Music about giving the album a proper release, enlisting former Cash son-in-law Marty Stuart, stepsister Carlene Carter and Buddy Miller to provide a sonic upgrade. Out Of The Stars is a late period masterpiece that has The Man In Black at the peak of his vocal powers. Cut live in the studio, it offers everything from covers (a fantastic duet with Waylon Jennings on the Hank Snow classic ‘I’m Moving On’), slightly randy (‘If I Told You Who It Was’), duets with June Carter Cash that stand alongside some of the best work (‘Baby Ride Easy’, ‘Don’t You Think It’s Come Our Time’), songs about lost love (the haunting ‘She Used To Love Me A Lot’, ‘I Drove Her Out Of My Mind’) and a song of faith (the closing ‘I Came To Believe’). Upon hearing the news that the Sherill sessions were being shelved, Cash said that time would prove the Columbia executives to be wrong. He was right. Its a fitting epitaph to one of the best.
Pre Order Out Among The Stars
on Amazon.com
READ THIS
A Call To Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power by President Jimmy Carter. In his 30th book, former President Jimmy Carter reflects on his travels around the world and the observations he’s made about the abuse of women and girls in foreign countries. The former President also takes on the religious traditions used to justify these actions around the globe. He discusses what needs to be done to deal with this worldwide inequality.
DO THIS
The New Directors/New Films Festival through Match 30th. Curated by The Film Society Of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art, the 43rd edition of the New Directors/New Films series features two buzz worthy films. Dear White People, writer-director Justin Simien’s biting look at racism, overt or institutional at an Ivy League school, was the talk of the Sundance Film Festival and will make its New York premiere. Chilean director Alejandro Fernandez Almendras concise, riveting thriller To Kill A Man will also debut at the festival. This festival always champions fresh new cinematic visionaries and this year will be no different. The New Directors/New Films Festival runs through March 30th.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Decibel Vineyard Wine Dinner. Iron Chef Jose Garces’ hot wine spot, the Garces Trading Company in center city Philly is doing a Decibel Wines dinner as part of the first annual Philly Wine Week next Wednesday the 26th. It’s 3 courses paired with wines from Decibel Vineyard and top winemaker Daniel Brennan, plus dessert. The Decibel Vineyard Wine Dinner at the Garces Trading Company happens at 6pm on Wednesday, March 26th.
THE BRONX, NEW YORK: Style Wars: The Original Hip Hop Documentary. The Bronx Museum of Art will be doing a special free screening of Style Wars, the original Hip Hop documentary as part of its 1040 Lounge series. The film looks at the graffiti and hip hop culture in New York during the early 1980s. The 1983 doc has been newly restored for the screening and will be introduced by producer Henry Chalfant and artist Jane Dickson. A free bar is included in the night’s event with donations suggested.
