HEADY PATROL

HERMAN HESSE

2012-01-25T11:24:00.002-06:00

MY RELIGION: HIPPIES & HIP HOP

2012-01-24T00:07:00.002-06:00

HIP HOP IS FOR US WHAT JAZZ WAS FOR OUR FATHERS

2012-01-23T23:40:00.004-06:00

Back in the days when I was a teenagerBefore I had status and before I had a pagerYou could find the Abstract listening to hip hopMy pops used to say, it reminded him of be-bop-A Tribe Called Quest, "Excursions"

PART 3 - USA / BRITAIN

2011-12-20T21:56:00.000-06:00

Here's the English language movies I've seen in the theatres this year. I'll start it off with the ones I saw in BA, and finish with what i've seen in my two months back here in Chicago. Watch out for the best of the year list(s) coming tomorrow and Thursday. BUENOS AIRESMEEK'S CUTOFF I've seen "wendy and lucy" and also "old joy" which i thought were great, uncomfortable and intimate personal stories. This is her newest film which I saw at BAFICI, the Buenos Aires International Film Fest. It was slow, and I'll admit I was bored a decent amount of the time. But it raised issues and probed at questions that you don't often get to think about watching movies. And that was cool and admirable and brave. Cheers, Kelly. Keep making that ole feminist shit that's not too preachy or mean-spirited but it's just a triumph for the underdogs. And keep the old west alive, albeit unconventionally! PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN - STRANGER TIDESIt's Hollywood fare, and mediocre fare at that. But there's one impressive scene that involves dolphins and an almost always dazzling and charming Johnny Depp as Captain jack. It does lag, and it's probably a C+, but it was worth seeing, and I saw it for free, which made me leave the theatre not feeling guilty. Not bad. Can't complain.BLUE VALENTINEHey, I'm not gonna lie. I really liked this movie. It was quirky but confident in its quirkiness. I read an interview with the director where he had Cassavetes' films like twenty times. It's definitely got that raw, up close and personal Cassavetes vibe. And the performances are really gripping. Williams and Gosling have impeccable chemistry. I saw it twice in the theatres. At the great Cine Lorca on Corrientes. Good memories. And a great movie. One that sets the bar for twenty first century indie fare.RABBIT HOLEI don't remember this one too well. But I remember I was moved. And that's not easy. Definitely worth a viewing, maybe not on the big screen but back home for sure. I don;t think you can go wrong with Nicole Kidman. ANOTHER YEARI'm still thinking about this one. The relationships are so real, the characters so well fleshed out. THe ending quarter of the movie I thought fell kind of flat, but besides that I thought it was great. Impeccable acting performances and strong emotions. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS: PART 2"Welcome to 21st Century Hollywood at its best." That;s the quote I mcame up with after leaving the theater here. Warner Brothers made its mark at the beginning of the film, and throughout the fun and dazzling magical ride of mortals and monsters, I smiled and cringed and left wanting to perform magic spells with my friends. PLANET OF THE APES: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APESThis one actually packed a good amount of worthwhile philosophy in to the first half, and an overwhelming amount of CGI animal mayhem in the second half. Half intellectual exploration and half over the top action caper. This one definitely had its moments. The ape riding on the horse on the GOlden Gate Bridge. Classic status.MIDNIGHT IN PARIS OK, I didn't love Woody Allen's latest. But it didn't hurt that I got high and rode on the old fashioned Buenos Aires subway car, purely coincidentally, while getting to the movie. I saw Owen Wilson in the Dallas airport before I left for BA, and that was cool. I like Owen Wilson, and I like him in this movie. If anything, it inspired me to want to be among the early/mid twentieth century literary giants, which can only be a good thing, right? Since I was in Argentina, I thought of Borges, and wanted to chill with him.TREE OF LIFEUm, I almost rebelled against going to see this. It just looked so, entitled? But, I went and I was a bit bored and even snickering a bit in the beginning of the film, over its serious grandeur and lame narration. But it grew on me, mostly for the great performances by the kids and by Brad Pitt. The Sean Penn part was not very necessary I thought. At least I didn't buy in to it. I didn't understand its purpose. And let's give credit where credit is due - goddamn that movie looked beautiful.CHICAGOBLACKTHORNSam Shepard holds his own as being the lone cowboy Butch Cassidy in this Spanish directed film that asks the question, "What if Butch Cassidy survived in Bolivia?" Interesting premise. And wonderful Bolivian landscapes that reminded me why I love that country, having spent significant time there in 2007.MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENEI suppose this would classify as an indie darling right alongside "Blue Valentine." It's really well done, subtle, and thrilling. Keeps you on the edge of your seat, and does so with style and awkwardly compelling shots, premise and editing. Top notch young directing. Young, beautiful girls to boot (maybe a creepy old man comment, but it's true. that helps the movie!) Great movie with a maybe disappointing ending, depending on how you look at it. MONEYBALLI'm a baseball fan, so I wanted to see this. My aunt had seen it and recommended it. Surprisingly compelling for the subject matter. And one of the few flicks where I actually noticed that the editing was really strong. Taking a subject like the business of baseball and making it highly entertaining is tough, and the film had a great rhythm. Jonah Hill was sometimes hard to take seriously, but he did a great job. A very satisfying picture, and you learn a lot about the business of baseball. And two others that I did not like at all. I found them boring and just not that interesting. J. EDGAR and THE DESCENDANTS. Not worth the effort of a taxing write up. Also, saw the reprint of RAIDERS OF THE LAST ARK. Fun, but definitely adolescent wet dream type of stuff. A Spielbergian/Lucasian case of imagining your ideal childhood heros and putting them up on screen. Don't get me wrong, Spielberg and Lucas at their best are straight up masters of the Hollywood film medium. But this was one was quite ridiculous. Fun ride if you just take it for what it is, I guess.

PART 2 - INTERNATIONAL CINEMA

2011-12-19T21:52:00.000-06:00

Today's list is films I saw in the theaters this year that were not from the US, Argentina or Britain. Buenos Aires is full of wonderful, funky art house theatres, where I got to see a wide variety of stuff. I saw a couple of these upon my return to the states, in the fine city of Chicago.HAEVEN (IN A BETTER WORLD) - DENMARKThis was the Academy Award winner this year for best foreign language film. A powerhouse of beautiful images, intense storylines and enjoyable pacing. I saw it with Spanish subtitles. The trailer here is with English.LA PIEL QUE HABITO (THE SKIN I LIVE) - SPAINI saw Almodovar's last one in the theatres too, "Broken Embraces." I was blown away by that one, and this new flick just takes it a step further. Many things he does here are literally unbelievable. A complex, creepy, fucked up storyline that only ALmodovar could pull off in good taste.LE HAVRE - FINLAND / FRANCEI'd seen one of Aki Kaurismaki's films. My good friend in college turned me on to him. I'd heard so many glowing reviews that I knew it was a must see in the theaters. Sure enough, highly charming and intimately played. A fine wine of a character study and, moreso, an unlikely friendship story. Good times, and ya leave the theater with some joy in your heart.TAMBIEN LA LLUVIA (EVEN THE RAIN) - SPAIN / BOLIVIAThe first big budget film shot entirely in Bolivia, was about the COchabamba water war. Living for a time in Cocha, it was thrilling to see the city on the big screen, portrayed so grittily as the center of the big water riots in 2000. I was lucky enough to be in Cochabamba when it came out, and actually attended a panel of sorts that included one of the films' stars, Luis Tosar. Also, got to see the film in Santa Cruz with Hernan Meyer, one of the stars of my own film, NO WAY TO SAY GOODBYE. He definitely had a first hand perspective and it was cool to hear his take on it.CARLOS aka CARLOS THE JACKAL - FRANCE / GERMANYSaw this one on my birthday with a bunch of friends in BA. Was really stoked. Walked away half impressed. I enjoyed the worldiness of it, the globetrotting aspect. Also, there were some worthwhile badass scenes. But overall, a B rating. I saw the "short" theatrical version, which was 140 minutes.SOUL KITCHEN - GERMANYA visiting friend from the US tipped me off about this one. Hot director Faith Akin directs a fun, wild picture dripping with cool music and funny characters. A tasty desert of a film. Well made, sweet but not to sweet and a lot of rich flavor. I AM LOVE (EL AMANTE) - ITALYTilda Swinton is great in this, but my favorite part of the film was the food. It was like food was sexy to the director, he focused on it like a sex scene or something. Not to mention, there was a great sex scene in this one. Sexy, subtle, delicate. Muah. and two older films (not released in the past year)MACARTHURS CHILDREN (1984) - JAPANNever before have I seen such a carefully composed film. Each shot you can tell was perfectly composed. Slow, yes, but worth it. Plot is a bit cumbersome. There are some funny moments but the careful composition is what I took away from this one.CINEMA PARADISO (1988) A classic I should've seen a while ago. Sentimental, joyous, a lot of heart. But a bit boring and overtly simple I thought. So sue me.

2011 FILM IN REVIEW. Part 1 - Argentina

2011-12-18T21:53:00.000-06:00

So this year I probably went to the ole cinema more than any other. I spent the majority of the year in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The city prides itself on an enormous and varied cultural agenda, as well as a deep and passionate love for film. I lived right in the middle of the city, so many of the cinemas were within walking distance. Seeing a film is also quite affordable down in Argentina, even if the new releases from abroad are a good six months behind schedule. I saw films from Argentina, the United States, and also from around the world. I'll divide the list in to Argentinian films, US/British films and then the rest of the world. The list does not include movies I saw on television or on the computer. TODAY'S POST - THE ARGENTINA LIST"La Nobleza Gaucha" (1915) - Argentina's first major silent film endeavor. Saw this one with my mom when she visited, at the MALBA cinema (Museum of Contemporary Latin American Art)."Juan y Eva" (2011) - This romance oozes Argentina history, grandeur and passion. Epic without reservation. "Vaquero" (2011) - intimate, stylish portrait of a down and out romantically inclined actor."El Gato Desaparece" (2011) - slow moving but compelling & darkly twisted thriller from renowned director Carlos Sorin"Aballay" (2011) - this Argentina Western really blew me away. Hollywood production values and beautiful locations, mixed with cool dialogue and very old school masculine style.

WONTON SOUP

2011-12-15T21:27:00.002-06:00

my favorite video of the year...

DONNIE BRASCO

2011-12-03T22:30:00.001-06:00

SHAME

2011-11-29T16:32:00.001-06:00

stoked...

Biggie Smalls - WARNING

2011-11-23T01:02:00.001-06:00

Paul Simon - "Everything Put Together Falls Apart"

2011-11-20T22:40:00.001-06:00

Unfaithful Servant - The Band

2011-11-18T11:10:00.001-06:00

2011-09-01T05:53:00.003-05:00

2011-08-31T00:18:00.002-05:00

new music

2011-08-20T09:52:00.000-05:00

While folks may be talking about the new album from Kanye West and Jay-Z, I want to take some time out here to express that I think this has been a great year for new music. And I haven't even listened yet to the new My Morning Jacket. Moreover, new albums are due out later this year from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Feist. Awesome.

I admit, I bought the new Beyonce album. I liked it. It's got some great, addictive singles. But, in particular, there are four albums released this year that have really been like companions for me this year. They've been like good friends that have accompanied me through many moods as I transition to life here in Buenos Aires.

Dawes - NOTHING IS WRONG

My college friends who now live in San Francisco turned me on to this band. I had nearly exhausted their first album, NORTH HILLS. I had listened to it an unusual amount for any album. Which is to say, a lot. Putting songs on repeat a lot and such. Perhaps it's because they are an LA band, and I'm from LA and could relate to their sentiments. Well, NORTH HILLS, their second effort, starts with a track called "Time Spent in Los Angeles." The lyrics really hit me at first listen. I was hooked. I found a new band that really spoke to me, that felt how I felt. Listening to the album through only strengthened these feelings... tracks in particular that hit hard besides the first track are "So Well" and "A Little Bit of Everything." But it's one of those albums where a different track becomes your favorite weekly.

James Blake - JAMES BLAKE
This dude is a producer from London. I guess associated with the dubstep movement. Though I'll admit I don't know much what dubstep means. I'm old school in that way. This album has a rainy day music vibe. It's electronic, but also organic. It's got soul, it hits you in the soul, but it also makes you aware of the times we are living in. It's down tempo, somewhat repetitive... but interesting enough so that it never gets old. Furthermore, it's a great soundtrack for a night time or cloudy day bus ride. It's got that ambiance of looking out the window and observing the world.

Fleet Foxes - HELPLESSNESS BLUES
Lush harmonies, profound lyrics. Put it on and slip away in to a magical, Pacific Northwest woodsy paradise.

Bon Iver - BON IVER
My mom is from Wisconsin, and much of my family lives there... so I have a special affinity for the state. When I found out Justin Vernon, Bon Iver's frontman, was from Wisconsin, I became more interested. This guy Vernon is the best thing to happen to American music in awhile. This one takes a lot of listens to understand. But it's soothing enough that you can also just listen to it endlessly without trying to understand it.

2011-08-18T09:38:00.002-05:00

2011-08-18T09:30:00.000-05:00

2011-08-18T09:27:00.002-05:00

2011-08-17T03:42:00.002-05:00

2011-08-13T09:18:00.002-05:00

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2011-08-11T09:59:00.004-05:00

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2011-08-02T20:56:00.001-05:00

2011-08-02T10:02:00.000-05:00

2011-08-02T09:16:00.003-05:00

most talented actor working in hollywood today

2011-08-02T09:04:00.000-05:00

2011-08-01T01:09:00.002-05:00

2011-07-31T13:30:00.002-05:00

smartest director in hollywood

2011-07-31T13:07:00.000-05:00

2011-07-30T11:59:00.000-05:00

2011-07-29T19:37:00.000-05:00

Saw MACARTHUR'S CHILDREN today at the Sala Leopold Lugones here in Buenos Aires...

Made me want to listen to this great Wilco tune

2011-07-29T01:40:00.003-05:00

2011-07-28T23:38:00.000-05:00

2011-07-28T22:15:00.002-05:00

2011-07-26T10:07:00.003-05:00

directors con estilo

2011-07-22T13:59:00.002-05:00

2011-07-21T17:51:00.002-05:00

2011-07-20T17:21:00.002-05:00

2011-07-16T20:34:00.002-05:00

2011-07-16T11:49:00.002-05:00

2011-07-14T22:22:00.002-05:00

Just saw this today. YES

2011-07-14T09:06:00.003-05:00

2011-07-13T21:49:00.002-05:00

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2011-07-03T12:36:00.001-05:00

2011-07-03T08:33:00.000-05:00

NY TIMES ARTICLE - DAYTON DRAGONS - JULY 3, 2011

2011-07-01T10:03:00.001-05:00

2011-07-01T01:55:00.001-05:00

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2011-06-29T10:19:00.002-05:00

2011-06-28T23:36:00.001-05:00

2011-06-28T23:27:00.002-05:00

2011-06-28T12:54:00.001-05:00

Argentine Reggae

2011-06-23T17:17:00.000-05:00

A list that the Argentine homey Wido thought up for me for another homey, Cesar, from the band RASKAHUELE. (pardon any misspellings)

Nonpalidece
Dread Mari
Gondwana (Chile)
Fidel Nadal
Alika
Mensajeros
Natty Combo
Natty Roots
Riddim
Nuevas Raices
Chala Rasta

AND CHECK OUT THE BRASILIAN BAND - BANDA TIA SILA. Two of the members stayed here at the hostel!

2011-06-16T08:42:00.003-05:00

2011-06-12T12:10:00.001-05:00

Saw this Friday via Cuevana. Very, very cool movie. George Lucas' feature directorial debut.

2011-06-09T03:06:00.002-05:00

... And I really want to see this soon.

2011-06-09T03:05:00.000-05:00

Playing in Buenos Aires now. I've seen it twice.

NATIONAL JUKEBOX

2011-05-13T12:16:00.000-05:00

Library of Congress launches a stupendous new website. A literally amazing accomplishment!
GO!

Misunderstood - lyrics Jeff Tweedy

2011-05-04T09:09:00.000-05:00

Well you're back in your old neighborhood
The cigarettes taste so good
But you're so misunderstood
You're so misunderstood
There's something there that you can't find
Honest when you're tellin' a lie
You hurt her but you don't know why
You love her but you don't know why
Short on long term goals
There's a party there that we oughtta go to
Do you still love rock and roll?
Do you still love rock and roll?
It's only a quarter to three
Reflecting off of your CD
You're looking at a picture of me
You're staring at a picture of me
Take the guitar player for a ride
Cause He ain't never been satisfied
He thinks he owes some kind of debt
Be years before he gets over it
There's a fortune inside your head
All you touch turns to lead
You think you might just crawl back in bed
The fortune inside your head
You know you're just a mama's boy
Positively unemployed
So misunderstood
So misunderstood
I know you've gotta God shaped hole
You're bleeding out your heart full of soul
So misunderstood (x4)
I'd like to thank you all for nothin'
I'd like to thank you all for nothin' at all
I'd like to thank you all for nothin'
Nothin' (x4)
Nothin' at all
Nothin' (x3)
Nothin' at all

Beginnings

2011-04-19T21:41:00.000-05:00

Im now living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. These are some pictures I took exploring the city today.

5 easy pieces

2011-04-07T14:24:00.000-05:00

She Came to the Valley

2011-04-04T03:41:00.001-05:00

my parents met working on this film together. so, in essence, this is where i began. i should probably watch it some day

2011-03-30T22:04:00.002-05:00

THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA

2011-02-05T23:18:00.000-06:00

Fantastic documentary

Night Catches Us

2011-01-10T14:41:00.001-06:00

Fantastic

2011-01-07T11:37:00.001-06:00

2011-01-03T22:15:00.000-06:00

the freewheelin bob dylan

2011-01-02T21:38:00.000-06:00

Actress I have a crush on / watch out for her!

2010-12-26T23:46:00.000-06:00

Melanie Laurent. She's French. I saw her first in Tarantino's INGLORIOUS BASTERDS and this year in THE CONCERT and THE ROUND UP. She is top notch, and beautiful.

LIST OF NEW FILMS I SAW ON THE BIG SCREEN 2010

2010-12-26T23:44:00.001-06:00

...in no particular order

(foreign)
A PROPHET (France) - Pasadena, CA Laemlee
THE WHITE RIBBON (Germany) - Pasadena, CA Laemlee
AJAMI (Israel) - Sunset 5, Los Angeles
THE CONCERT (France / Russia) - Piper's Alley, Chicago
GHOST TOWN (China) *documentary - Facets Cinemateque, Chicago
THE ROUND UP (France) - Palm Beach Jewish Film Fest
BUDRUS (Israel) *documentary - PBJFF
MAMACHAS OF THE RING (Bolivia / USA) *documentary - Chicago Latino Film Fest
ZONA SUR (Bolivia) - Chicago Intl Film Fest

(English language)
SHUTTER ISLAND - Los Feliz, CA
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP *documentary - Century Center, Chicago
BLACK SWAN - Highland Park, IL
THE SOCIAL NETWORK - Chicago IL
WINTER'S BONE - Century Center, Chicago
THE KILLER INSIDE ME - Music Box, Chicago
SOUTH OF THE BORDER *documentary - Chicago IL
THE EXPENDABLES - Chicago IL
THE AMERICAN - Evanston IL
WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS - Oak Park, IL
GET HIM TO THE GREEK - Oak Park, IL
TRUE GRIT - Oak Park, IL
walked out of INCEPTION - Oak Park, IL
GET LOW - Saugerties, NY

ANIMAL KINGDOM (Australia) - Century Center, Chicago

THE SQUARE (Australia) - Music Box Theater, Chicago
NEVER LET ME GO (England) - Century Center, Chicago

(memorable films I saw at the end of 2009)
BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX (Germany)
ABRAZOS ROTOS (Spain)
THE MAID (Chile)
FANTASTIC MR. FOX (USA)

AUSTRALIAN FILM in 2010

2010-12-26T22:54:00.000-06:00

Keep an eye out for the Australian film scene. They had two really high quality dark psychological thrillers this year, THE SQUARE and ANIMAL KINGDOM plus a short I saw from the McSweeney's outfit, Wholphin. It's called "I Love Sarah Jane." I just saw it again last night for the second time and its stayed in my mind. It's included below in its entirety. Also, the Music Box theater in Chicago showed a short film called "The Spider" before THE SQUARE. It is also below.

ANIMAL KINGDOM trailer

THE SQUARE trailer

SPIDER

Spider from Qoob TV on Vimeo.

I LOVE SARAH JANE (in its entirety)

2010-12-22T12:41:00.001-06:00

Been listening to a lot of Jay Z lately.

Goings on

2010-11-26T13:02:00.000-06:00

I've been watching a lot less movies and reading more books lately. I also took the time this past Sunday to reorganize my entire itunes library so now I have a much more contemporary and eclectic mix - less nostalgic, more stimulating. I still subscribe to netflix, so I'd like to maintain some discipline with my movie watching, perhaps one a week. I have so many movies in my queue that it would be a shame to not watch most of them, however long it takes me. I built my queue list on hours of research and listening to other people's recommendations.

I'm still working at Domino's, delivering pizzas. I have a few screenings of my film, NO WAY TO SAY GOODBYE, coming up, which I'm excited about. I'm also ready to embark on the next chapter of my life, wherever it may take me. So, I'm looking at job opps and such as I write this.

2010-11-24T16:53:00.000-06:00

2010-11-19T11:55:00.001-06:00

2010-11-18T18:08:00.001-06:00

2010-11-18T09:24:00.000-06:00

the son line always gets me, "watching my first son put his sentences together." often times, i imagine having a son.

here's a good comment from the youtube page of the track below...
"Hip hop is a culture. Meaning people who live the culture knows that its not about color of skin. Its more about how you flip things and express yourself in your songs, or beat boxing, or even graffiti."

2010-11-18T09:05:00.002-06:00

had this poster in my room senior year of college

2010-11-18T07:40:00.001-06:00

eric schlosser, writer of fast food nation

2010-11-18T00:07:00.002-06:00

there's a world going on underground

2010-11-17T09:17:00.000-06:00

woke up with this song in my head, oddly enough. perhaps some dreams of college...

2010-11-16T22:56:00.002-06:00

great, moving song by The Band

2010-11-15T23:37:00.000-06:00

Been sitting here working and listening to pandora radio, trying to catch up on some hip new tunes. but alas, this song is now in my head. i am forever stuck in 1999 Los Angeles.

2010-11-14T22:28:00.004-06:00

neat videos, solid songs

2010-11-14T21:04:00.002-06:00

Robert Flaherty w/Richard Leacock

2010-11-14T09:16:00.001-06:00

oooo ooo ooooh dirt road

2010-11-14T02:18:00.000-06:00

curtis mayfield

2010-11-12T17:31:00.002-06:00

when you need energy to get something done, put it on

2010-11-12T15:10:00.000-06:00

nasty nas

2010-11-12T09:51:00.002-06:00

mom is listening to Joni again...