Weekly Mishmash: November 22-28
Due to Thanksgiving and having our household plumbing completely redone this week, a shorter than usual Mishmash:
Book Of Love — Candy Carol. A quasi-psychedelic synthpop suite, Book Of Love’s 1991 album Candy Carol netted the Alternative Radio hit “Alice Everyday” but was otherwise snowed over in a marketplace that increasingly preferred the morose likes of Pearl Jam to anything with a nursery rhyme melody. This group knows how to rock the chimes, Casio keyboards and clever Tommy James samples. One glance at the song titles — “Sunny Day,” “Flower Parade,” “Butterfly” — ought to tell you their m.o. here. Quite a cute and uplifting little album, well worth the buck I spent on it.
Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood (1941). The fact that Turner Classic Movies recently did a day full of Boston Blackie, Columbia’s low budget detective series from the ’40s, made me pretty excited. I’d never seen one before, so I gave Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood a try on the TiFaux. The spouse and I love old movies set in Hollywood, even fake backlot versions of Hollywood, but viewer beware. Despite the title, Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood rarely leaves Columbia’s backlot version of New York. As a film, it’s cheesy, dull and stupid, with a sense of humor hovering around the level of a Bowery Boys flick. Disappointing to the extreme, despite my admiration for Chester Morris in the title role. The short and stocky Morris might be one of the oddest looking men ever to attain movie star status (his face looks handsome straight ahead, but bizarrely squished in profile), but he was a commanding lead here as an ex-jewel thief who must compete against an incompetent group of police detectives to help out an old friend. In an odd coincidence, the night after viewing this film supporting actor Lloyd Corrigan turned up again in a Lucy Show episode we saw — from 20 years later!
Mala Noche (1985). Gus Van Sant’s first feature deals with unrequited love between a gay convenience store clerk and a Mexican vagrant on the grubby streets of Portland. Although a few complications develop, it’s a simple, basic story (too simple, actually) efficiently told within a mico-sized budget. Aspects of this film seem like a glorified student project, however, and the lead actors aren’t very good despite their apparent naturalness on camera. I enjoyed the high contrast black and white camerawork, and the film’s take-it-like-it-is approach to the characters’ queerness must have been a breath of fresh air in 1985.
Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964). Slow paced sci-fi film that has gained some admiration over the years due to its introspectiveness, markedly different from the kiddie-oriented fare of its time. Mostly we were bored, but the film’s multiple lapses in logic (a helmetless astronaut can breathe on Mars?) piqued my interest. Also notable is the scene where hunky lead actor Paul Mantee skinny dips in a Martian pool. Now that I think of it, Mantee’s tight black zippered outfit looked like what an average gay clubgoer would have worn circa 1999. In that respect, the film was way ahead of its time.
From Beautiful Burbank
Christopher writes on our adventures attending a taping of The Big Bang Theory last night.
One thing he didn’t mention: after the taping, we were allowed to walk through the empty nighttime Warner Bros. studio lot by ourselves. Since we walked to the studio and the normal audience exit was at a parking structure on the opposite side of the lot from our hotel, they allowed us to take a shortcut (as long as we didn’t “dilly dally,” according to the studio page who helped us). The Warner lot has such a history, and being amongst the cavernous buildings where Bette Davis and Humprey Bogart once walked was such a thrill.
Weekly Mishmash: November 15-21
Fifteen years ago tonight, Christopher and I first met at a theatrical performance of the Gershwin musical Crazy for You. He was there to review the show for our local afternoon paper, and I was the stray person who took his extra comp ticket. I can’t say that we totally clicked that night, but we were friendly enough to arrange a date later that week — and we’ve been talking every day since then. The newspaper he worked for in 1994 is long gone, but the two of us are still together. You could even say that “Our Love is Here to Stay.” Happy 15th, and here’s hoping we’re together for several more anniversaries!
The American President (1994). You know this one: Michael Douglas as the president of the United States, and Annette Bening as the lobbyist who captures his heart. I was attracted to this for Aaron Sorkin’s script, since it came out in between A Few Good Men (which I haven’t seen) and the TV cult favorite Sports Night. Sorkin’s stylized dialogue isn’t in any way realistic to the way people really talk, but it never fails to be spot-on and funny. This was no exception, but the film itself tends toward the formulaic and Bening’s overacting is insufferable (akin to the more recent film where she played a stage actress and inexplicably got an Oscar nomination). Minor quibbles aside, I enjoyed it. Many of the points that Sorkin brings up here were remarkably prescient in light of the Clinton/Lewinsky fracas and the relentless stupidity of the Bush II era.
Old Man Rhythm (1935). A silly RKO musical broadcast during Turner Class Movies’ salute to songwriter Johnny Mercer. This college-set fluff served as a vehicle for long in the tooth silent star Charles “Buddy” Rogers, but it’s now better known for having Mercer in a rare acting role and a young (and incredibly cute) Betty Grable in support. The film’s many songs are actually quite clever, if deficient in the memory retention department. Mostly I recall the fat guy doing an athletic dance during one number. This film is also notable for having not one but two of the great “sissy” character actors in Eric Blore and Donald Meek. People like those two make even the worst time-waster bearable.
Tim Tam chocolate biscuits. A package of these delectable Australian cookies came as a special surprise from Kris, along with the scarf she knitted for me. Chocolate covered wafers of bliss, they are.
Various – Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia. I originally didn’t intend to have this four disc, 71-track monument to the ’70s peak of Philly Soul. But… emusic.com lured me back with 75 bonus songs and this box set seemed to murmur “download me, baby” in Barry White-esque tones. It’s an excellent and classy set, mostly dealing with the unprecedented string of hits legendary songwriting/production team Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff shepherded with Philadelphia International Records. A few side trips with producer Thom Bell and The Spinners epitomize the breezy and upbeat sound that characterized the genre (really, I dare you to hear “I’ll Be Around” or “Then Came You” and not smile). It’s interesting to hear the first pulses of disco in the swinging rhythm of “The Love I Lost” by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, then having it culminate in the joyful noise of M.F.S.B.’s Soul Train anthem “T.S.O.P.” Along the way are plenty of dazzling numbers from both lesser lights and the likes of Teddy Pendergrass and The O’Jays. Although the set has its share of draggy ballads and overlong album cuts, it’s amazing the way it documents the rise and fall of a style of music. From the ‘67 golden oldie “Expressway to Your Heart” to Patti LaBelle’s polished R&B hit “If Only You Knew” — Gamble and Huff’s last hurrah from 1983 — one can only be wowed.
Project Yawnway
Salon.com on the disappointment of Project Runway’s season finale. Can’t say I disagree. I was expecting Irena to win, and her final collection was the best of the three. But the top three designers were just so bland. I have a sneaky suspicion that Lifetime pulled strings to make winners out of the designers that specialize in pleasing, ready-to-wear stuff that their female audience could picture themselves wearing. There were a lot of conservative looking dresses and gowns this season, and not enough challenges that truly tested the designers’ creativity.
Getting through this past season makes me wax nostalgic for the quirky personality and style of people like Jay McCarroll, Austin Scarlett, Laura Bennett, Chris March or even the dreaded Santino. Step it up next time, Lifetime.
Feels So Good
Today we have “You Make Me Feel So Good,” a vintage video from Philadelphia’s greatest boy-girl alternapop group, Book Of Love. I casually enjoyed Book Of Love during their ’80s heyday, but never really got into them until their Best-Of collection came out in 2001. They pretty much epitomize how fun and effortless intelligent ’80s pop can be, and continue to be one of the more underrated artists from that period. I also ordered a copy of their 1991 opus Candy Carol today, so you’ll have that writeup to look forward to. In the meantime, let’s bop. Holy Hooters, is that a melodica solo in the middle of this tune?
Scarf It Up
Earlier this year, I made a deal with crafty Kris of web-goddess fame: in exchange for designing a spiffy new weblog banner for her, she got to use her superfly knitting skillz to make me a striped multicolored scarf. The banner was finished last Spring, but it’s only tonight that the scarf has arrived from Kris’ homestead in Australia. Neat! I always wanted a scarf, and this one’s a beauty. Here’s a picture of me rockin’ it with my usual nighttime t-shirt and pajama bottom ensemble:
Weekly Mishmash: November 8-14
Animotion — Obsession: The Best of Animotion. Having known Animotion for little more than being that ’80s “Obsession” group like everybody else, I ended up downloading this best-of this week for reasons that are too complicated to get into. It’s a decent enough collection, padded out with 12″ mixes and indistinct LP cuts. What’s most interesting about Animotion is that they had a late ’80s reforming with a new lead singer (Dirty Dancing actress Cynthia Rhodes), which resulted in the group having a second top 10 hit in “Room To Move.” The tune is one of those completely generic ’80s soundtrack tunes that you’d hear at the mall and forget 10 minutes later, but I find crap like that totally fascinating. Here’s “I Engineer,” from the better, earlier Animotion:
Dangerous Crossing (1950). Entertaining malarkey starring Jeanne Crain as a newlywed whose husband goes missing shortly after the two embark on an ocean voyage. The woman finds herself slowly going insane as no one on the cruise ship can recall seeing the husband in the first place, much less try to find him. Quite the old familiar tale, but the film is efficiently done (the production recycled sets from simultaneous 20th Century Fox productions Titanic and Gentemen Prefer Blondes) and fun in its own modest way. This movie reminded me of an expanded Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode. Crain’s performance is so campy and overwrought, the lady might as well have the word “Hormel” stamped on her forehead.
Celine Dion — Celine Dion. Is this Embarassing Music Week? I checked out Celine Dion’s English language debut album, Unison, after coming across it at our local library. Strangely enough, I absolutely love it. The album is perfectly produced Adult Contemporary Pop, diverse and beautifully sung with enough quirkiness and “only in 1990″ touches to keep things captivating. I ended up getting Miss Dion’s 1992 second self-titled album on the strength of Unison. This album is a ballad-heavy collection, leaning towards the plush Housewife Pop that we know and loathe her for, but it does have its moments. Disney theme “Beauty and the Beast” with Peabo Bryson is still timeless and memorable, and the dancey “Little Bit Of Love” is a gem buried in the CD’s second half. I also like her rendition of Diane Warren’s “If You Asked Me To,” although if you compare it with Patti LaBelle’s declicate 1989 original you’ll find that Celine takes the song into bombastic, borderline schmaltz territory (that’s probably more the producer’s fault, actually). I think my Dion exploration stops here, unless somebody can give me a good reason to go further.
Dahmer (2002). IFC channel recording. An artistic, indie-centric interpretation of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer that ends up being too in over its own head to be effective. Jeremy Renner is effectively creepy as Dahmer, portrayed here as a shy closet case living in a shithole town with unspoken issues affecting everyone around him. The film could have worked, but mostly it ends up being bogged down with too much navel-gazing dialogue. According to this film, Dahmer did in his victims by talking them to death. Exciting, no?
Out of the Past (1947). Dense film noir that really shouldn’t work, but it does. The story is too hard to follow, Robert Mitchum’s laconic presence doesn’t add much, and Jane Greer is no Lauren Bacall in the femme fatale department — but the film is wonderfully photographed and director Jacques Tournier ushers the characters through a variety of intriguing settings. The film proceeds along so hypnotically that one can’t help but ride along. The only other movie I can think of that tops this in sheer atmosphere is coincidentally another Mitchum flick, The Night of the Hunter. p.s. On a superficial note, supporting actor Paul Valentine was one gorgeous hunk of a man in this movie. I wonder why he didn’t do more acting?
Ready, Willing and Able (1937). Fun and zippy Warner Bros. musical, the last film of its kind for star Ruby Keeler and her leading man, Ross Alexander (a closeted gay man, he killed himself before the film was released). This mistaken identity comedy was much more entertaining than I thought it would be, highlighted by Keeler’s charm (markedly improved since her equine hoofing in 42nd Street) and the Johnny Mercer standard “Too Marvelous For Words.” This clever tune is performed several times in the film, but the best moment comes when Keeler and co-star Lee Dixon tap out the song on a giant typewriter. Campy ‘n cute, I was so happy to finally see this during TCM’s monthlong Mercer tribute.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Awe inspiring, as always. I first saw this in the early ’80s, when my uncle invited our family to watch this on his newfangled VCR. This must have puzzled my folks, but it blew me away. Sure, it does have long, self-indulgent spots, but the film remains ahead of its time to a remarkable degree. Kubrick’s vision of the future never fails to be both retro-funky and stylish. For one, Christopher and I are delighted to have a decent screencap of this baby:
Liquified vegetables, anyone?
Think About Your Safety in the Morn-ning
If you ever wanted to see something with Mother Goose characters using Streamline Moderne transportation, Once Upon a Time might be the cartoon for you. We caught this strange yet charming short on a budget DVD set called 150 Cartoon Classics. It was commissioned as a driving safety awareness campaign by Metropolitan Life Insurance in 1936, long before the company had Snoopy as their spokesdog.
Attack of the Japanese Leathervixens
Cinebeats highlighted this non-subtitled trailer for the 1966 actioner Black Tight Killers. I don’t know Japanese, but I know I love it!
Weekly Mishmash: November 1-7
American Experience: The Civilian Conservation Corps (PBS). I’m a bit of an American Experience junkie, seeking it out despite our local PBS affiliate running the documentary series on a strange, sporadic schedule. Lately, they’ve been having seasons based on one central theme — last year the subject was presidents (yawn), and this year focuses on the 1930s. The program on the Civilian Conservation Corps was a typically fascinating outing, giving context to what was an overlooked facet of Roosevelt’s New Deal program. The only problem I had was with my local PBS station running this widescreen program on their analog feed with the right and left edges cut off. Having it this way results in a lot of screen text being lopped off and a generally sloppy, unprofessional look. I have no idea why they don’t run the show letterboxed — are they afraid of grumpy old viewers complaining about the black bars? Our station does this with American Experience, Frontline and several other shows, making the issue just annoying enough for me to skip giving them money during all their never-ending pledge breaks.
The Crash (1931). This obscure melodrama made up part of Turner Classic Movie’s monthlong Great Depression film festival. I recorded it mostly for star Ruth Chatterton. “Fussy” would be the best word to describe the stage-trained Miss Chatterton’s acting style, and in that respect she pulls out all the stops in this domestic drama in which she plays a pampered socialite reacting to the devastating 1929 stock market crash. The way the film deals with the consequences of greed is interesting, but it’s hampered by stagey direction and lots of talky scenes that don’t add anything noteworthy to the proceedings. The only positive things I gleaned from the film is that TCM’s print was gorgeously preserved, and Chatterton has a nice rapport with her leading man, dull George Brent (they were married at the time).
Sinéad O’Connor — I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. $1.50 thrift store buy. Who doesn’t remember when Sinéad O’Connor unexpectedly topped the pop charts with “Nothing Compares 2 U”? The very idea of a feisty Irish chick with a chip on her shoulder and nothing on her scalp having a #1 hit is mind boggling, but it did happen in the Spring of 1990. I hadn’t heard I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got since the CD got stolen from my collection around 1993, so hearing it again was a special treat. Aside from “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “Jump in the River,” the album is made up of introspective songs that hold up surprisingly well (maybe not so much the overlong a cappella title track, but that’s easily skipped in the end). O’Connor still seems like a bundle of contradictions (how can a feminist folkie also worship misogynistic rappers?), but her voice was startlingly fresh for someone so young. If only she lived up to the promise of her first two albums.
Ordinary People (1980). It had been a few decades since I’d last seen this one. Still good, and Mary Tyler Moore makes for a potent Ice Queen of a mother (it’s hard to remember how different that casting was in 1980). Although it didn’t deserve stealing the Best Picture Oscar away from Raging Bull, I was taken aback by how raw and emotional a movie this still is.
Tokyo Zombie (2005). Titling a movie with something awesome like Tokyo Zombie creates unrealistic expectations in me. I was expecting a trashy good time, but this one fell short in all areas. In near future Tokyo, on working-class misfit is training the other to be a judo fighter. The two are just fooling around when it is revealed that the giant mountain of trash that people have been dumping human corpses on is creating standard-issue zombies. Just when the “fleeing from zombies” theme is established, the film takes a bizarre turn five years into the future with the richest surviving humans living in a huge apartment complex/sanctuary — with the remaining non-zombies serving as slaves and entertainment. I think the filmmakers were trying for a crazy, uninhibited feel similar to Kung Fu Hustle here, but they bit off more undead flesh than they could chew. Mostly it was overlong and shockingly chintzy — homophobic, too.
That’s MISS Diana to You
I’m so happy that this week’s edition of Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s has gotten up to Diana Ross and her scattershot RCA Records period. It includes the Bee Gees collaboration “Chain Reaction,” a bouncy, retro sounding soufflé that hit the British top spot in 1986. Despite that success, the single couldn’t get any higher than #66 in the U.S. I actually remember hearing this song on the radio and watching the video on stuff like Night Flight back then. Wonder why it wasn’t a bigger hit?
Mama Cat v.2
Good news — a revised and updated version of our 2003 children’s book, Mama Cat, is now available at lulu.com. This was the book that Christopher wrote and I illustrated based on our beloved cat Eames. For this new edition, I went back and re-scanned all of the original artwork, touched them up, and saved them as high quality 1200 dpi bitmap files. The new art is a huge improvement over the old. Although the paper quality in this Lulu edition is slightly thinner and less textured, the higher quality printing makes the text and graphics really pop and look sharp. We’ve had a lot of compliments on this book from cat lovers and those who have undergone the loss of a pet; they are very appreciative of something that addresses their unique situation in an intimate and caring way.
By the way, the original self-published edition is still for sale at Amazon.com.
Weekly Mishmash: October 25-31
Death at a Funeral (2007). One of those movies that has slipped under the radar and gradually built an audience over time. This comedy concerns a British family whose patriarch has died, and the complications that ensue during the man’s funeral service at a country estate. Hilarious, huh? Even though the humor gets a bit too lowbrow and slapsticky at times, this was a very funny movie with an excellent cast. I think a big part of my enjoyment with this movie is the fact that many of the lines sounded funnier when spoken via upper-crust British accents. Droll to the extreme. The premise wouldn’t be nearly as funny with an American cast and setting. Despite this, I hear there is a U.S. remake in the works by Chris Rock, of all people (yuck). Oddly enough, this film’s most notable performer (Alan Tudyck as the drugged out fiancée of the deceased’s niece) is American.
Death Note 2: The Last Name (2006). Our Halloween viewing was this live action version of a popular Japanese manga. The film concerns a mysterious book that allows whoever owns it to write down the names of any person that they wish to die — even specifying the time and cause of death! This was a slickly made film, entertaining for the most part, but there were a lot of elements that could have been done better. Although we’ve seen the first Death Note, this continuation pretty much throws you into the action with little background or explanation of what’s happening. It’s also overly long and drawn out, hobbled by unimaginative deaths (lots of heart attacks, basically) and a host of annoying characters. The guardians of the Death Note books (as uncovered here, there are two) are embodied by menacing, eight foot-tall demons that only the books’ owners can see. Despite their obvious CGI renderings, these characters add a neat dimension to the proceedings.
I’ve Loved You So Long (2007). Excellent French drama about a woman (Kristin Scott Thomas) who returns from a long jail sentence to live with her supportive but emotionally distant sister (Elsa Zylberstein, who looks like a cross between Maggie Gyllenhaal and Catherine Keener). This sounds like a total downer on the surface, but the film is utterly absorbing and Kristin Scott Thomas is amazing as a woman who is so beaten down that she must relearn the simple pleasures of life slowly and gradually (like a child would). All the more astounding is the fact that this is screenwriter Philippe Claudel’s first feature as director.
Noisettes – Wild Young Hearts. Ever hear a song that just immediately grabs you right away? That happened with me a few months back when the Noisettes’ “Never Forget You” came on KCRW one afternoon. It sent me rushing to the iTunes store for a download — then I got the group’s accompanying album, Wild Young Hearts, last week. “Never Forget You” is a perfect hybrid of ’60s Motown and contemporary pop edge, bolstered by the powerful pipes of singer Shingai Shoniwa (who is also the group’s bassist!). While rest of the album doesn’t live up to the gold standard of that standout, throughout the band strikes an agreeable, genre-bending balance of r&b, pop and rock that oughta get me humming through a few days’ work. Consumer note: the U.S. edition of this album omits one track, “So Complicated,” which can easily be downloaded through the illegal file sharing software of your choice (I used Limewire. Take that, record companies.).
