The Filtered Excellence: October 8, 2015
Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Once a week we take a break from comedy to bring you 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:
A Faster Horse. Boasting power, speed and precision, the Ford Mustang was and is a must have for car lovers. But in the wake of the Great Recession, the Mustang – and the auto industry – was in real danger of going under. With the Mustang’s 50th Anniversary approaching Ford engineers and designers were faced with a dilemma: How to roll out a new line of the car that appeals to a new generation without alienating its long timers. Director David Gelb got unprecedented access inside the Ford plant to capture the creative team hard at work putting a new look on an iconic car. The pressure of presenting Ford’s flagship car rolling out in the wake of the auto industry bailout adds more drama to an already hectic situation. Gelb also shows the history of the Mustang and its place in pop culture history. This is a great look at America’s love affair with car culture and how one car personifies it. A must see for car lovers. A Faster Horse opens this Friday.
The Walk. Great word of mouth surrounding the latest film by Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Flight, Back To The Future). Based on the book, To Reach The Clouds, Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Phillippe Petit, the French high wire artist who gained instant fame when he walked between the Twin Towers for 45 minutes, making eight passes before coming down. Ben Kingsley is also on board as his mentor Papa Rudy and Charlotte Le Bon plays Phillippe’s girlfriend, Annie. Zemeckis breaks the film down in three parts: Petit’s formative years learning his craft, his trips to New York City and the planning that went into pulling off the impossible. The second part is part thriller, part Keystone Cops as Petit and his ragtag international crew put his plans into action. The third part is where the film really takes off: Using the latest technology, Zemeckis amazingly re-creates the World Trade Center and New York City circa 1974 to show Petit’s breathtaking walk from his vantage point. Shot in 3D and IMAX, you are right there with Petit as soars to the skies and for a brief time, defies gravity. Gordon-Levitt is perfectly cast as Petit, the eternal optimist determined to pull off what everyone – including those closest to him – said would never happen. But as he did with Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Zemeckis and his amazing team make the World Trade Center and New York City it’s star. Its turns the film into an elegy to one of the city’s greatest structures. If this doesn’t win Oscars for visual effects, something is really wrong. A wild ride of a movie. The Walk opens nationwide on Friday. You can also go to http://thewalkmovie.tumblr.
MLB Division Series. The road to The World Series kicks in this weekend with the Division Series. In The American League, the defending AL Champion Kansas City Royals look to return to the Series when they play the resurgent Houston Astros. The other series features two teams that made stunning 2nd half turnarounds to win their respective divisions: the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays. Over in the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals, who had the best record in baseball, take on the surging Chicago Cubs while the Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of three straight division titles take on the upstart New York Mets. Who will make the next step into the League Championship Series. Tune into Fox Sports One and TBS all weekend for the action. You can also go to www.mlb.com for a complete list of games and start times.
READ THIS:
M Train by Patti Smith. The eagerly awaited follow up to her best selling book Just Kids hit the shelves this week. Whereas that book centered on her salad days in New York with artist Robert Mapplethorpe, M Train looks back on her various travels (with and without her late husband Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith) hitting upon historical landmarks that shaped her poetry, music and her life. There’s also meditative observations on topics such as travel, her love of detective shows and mysteries, favorite books and authors, the local flavor in and around her favorite Greenwich Village cafe, and her love of coffee. Smith is an exceptional storyteller weaving in and out countries, local neighborhoods and critical points in her life with ease, clarity and precision. It’s no wonder that she’s already have several more books in the works: She’s a natural. This is another great piece of prose from the punk priestess. M Train is available now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all major book retailers. You can also go to www.pattismith.net for more information.
LISTEN TO THIS:
There is a Light by Liz Vice. There’s always been a thin line between gospel and soul and for Liz Vice, she walks it beautifully on her debut album. A native of Portland, Oregon, Vice is a walking miracle: An auto-immune disease should’ve taken her out before her 21st birthday, but thanks to a liver transplant, her voice is to soar above the funky grooves that sound like it uncovered from a 60s time capsule. What’s even more incredible is that she’s only been singing professionally since January 2014, but she comes off like a seasoned pro. Fans of those vintage soul drenched 45s from the 60s/early 70s are going to fall in love with this album. An extraordinary and promising debut. There Is A Light is available now through Amazon, Itunes and all major music retailers. You can also go to www.lizvice.com for tour dates and more information.
DO THIS:
New York City: Art By John Lennon. As part of the celebration of what would have been John Lennon’s 75th Birthday, AFA is presenting a comprehensive exhibit of John Lennon the artist. Several pieces cover events spanning his marriage to Yoko Ono in 1969, their bed-ins for peace, drawings for his son Sean made during his ‘house-husband’ years and much more. Also featured including handwritten lyrics to such classics as ‘Drive My Car’, ‘Instant Karma’, ‘Give Peace A Chance’, among others. This is a great look inside the mind of the cool Beatle at his most relaxed, whimsical and reflective. Art By John Lennon will be on display at AFA through October 31st. You can go to www.afanyc.com for more info.
Chicago: Chicago Marathon. Running season is underway as 45,000 runners will hit the streets of the Second City for the Chicago Marathon. Runners will weave through Chinatown, Lincoln Park and finish at Grant Park. This race has served as a preview to establish the favorites for the New York City and Boston Marathons and has quickly become the community event of the season. While it’s too late to register to run, everyone in the area is encouraged to come out and cheer the runners on. Always a great day out. The Chicago Marathon kicks off Sunday morning.
Los Angeles: Festival Supreme. Curated by Tenacious D, Festival Supreme has quickly become a must see event as the festival season winds down. The D combines music and comedy and this year’s lineup has plenty of both: Kids In The Hall, Amy Poehler, Super Dave Osbourne (Bob Einstein), and Mystery Science Theater 3000 are just some of the acts repping comedy, while Rocket From The Crypt, Die Antwood, Big Freedia and The Darkness will be make heads bang and the booties shake. Never a dull moment at this show. Festival Supreme will be at Shrine Expo Hall on Saturday. You can go to http://festivalsupreme.com/ for tickets and a full rundown of performances.
Want more excellence? Read last week’s The Filtered Excellence and visit The Interrobang Recommmends
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