Greetings, and my unlimited love to y'all.
So there's several things going on, and let's just bullet point this and get a move on (I have to go get some CD-Rs, Orange Mango Pineapple juice, and an iridescent sharpie from my local 24-hour emporium of stuff).
1) I had an amazing conversation with Jonny Gowow for the Scene. He's got a show coming up this week, and an album called Wide Stance that is worth your time and dollar$.
2) The VVitch opened this weekend, and I reviewed it over at the Scene. I've been getting a lot of attention for this review, which is always a good feeling, and if you're thinking about going to see it, or if you already have and are looking for some discussion, give it a read.
3) The Belcourt Theatre is currently closed for renovations, but has an amazing array of offsite events for the whole city of Nashville. The theatre has been closed since December 25th of last year, and its absence is like a thousand papercuts every day. I never feel its absence more than around midnight on the weekends, because I miss hosting the midnight screenings more than anyone can possibly know.
4) The Agents of Fortune, the comedy extravaganza I've been writing for over the past fourteen months, had its last live episode performance tonight, and I'm completely bowled over by it. It was never easy, but I'm proud of it, and look forward to its next incarnation and events. Yes, I am part of its tasteful underwear calendar, because I believe in art, and it's very rare that you get a chance to pay tribute to Tono Stano in print.
5) I'm going to Los Angeles at the beginning of March to visit some friends, take photos of revered locations, have some adventures, and maybe a few meetings on the industry side of things. I love being creative and funny, and am a big fan of making a few dollar$ as such. If you're a reader in the L.A. area, say Hi and show me your favorite parts of the city.
6) This is rumor control; here are the facts. There is no 100% reliable test for EoA (early-onset Alzheimer's), and the options available are pretty expensive and not easy to come by before a certain age. So I'm taking that aspect of things slowly. Until I hear back from the government regarding my appeal on my tax credit situation, I'm not interested in pushing the insurance envelope. So I'm just trying to be observant over the next few months. Though if you, or anyone you know, are a neurologist, I'm very interested in participating in research involving EoA linked to damage caused by/as a symptom of Klippel-Feil Syndrome. So feel free to help do a signal boost on that end.
7) As always, you can listen to a bunch of my clubmixes on my Mixcloud page. There's thirty-five different mixes currently, ranging from twelve minutes to 2 1/2 hours. As well as the first eighteen episodes of my weekly mixshow, Erase; Rewind (that Facebook page also has the tracklistings for every episode, so if there's one you like that hasn't been set up for streaming on Mixcloud, you can submit a request and I will do so), minus those awful commercials. Please do give a listen.
That's all for now. Be well, and be excellent to one another.
21 February 2016
15 January 2016
At the movies: 13 Hours.
31 December 2015
The Very Best of 2015.
TOP
TEN:
1
BY THE SEA/CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA
Passionate,
polyglot observations of the processes we set up for ourselves. We
are unexceptional rocks; the beauty comes from what is revealed in
the collisions of living, and loving, and engaging in amateur
pharmacology, and exorcising the legacy of lovers past, and finding
the way back to ourselves. Finding that victory, that pure sense of
creation, and accomplishment, is a terrifying and amazing journey
that goes through the weird shit. I clutch these films to my chest;
there is always a way through whatever lies before us.
2
MAD MAX FURY ROAD
Everything
people have been saying is true. A grand new myth for the coming
horrors of our collective annihilation. Creates and passes the
DodecaBechdel Test as well.
3
PHOENIX/SAINT LAURENT
A
hall of elegant mirrors, where the wearing of clothes and the telling
of tales seeks to hammer in place a vision of a life composed of
moments, memories. Let's dig deep and get at the Who. Let's swandive
into the shadows and see what we can find.
4
CAROL
Aesthetically
flawless, semiotically charged, and filled, ultimately, with a fierce
hope. When Carol Aird says “We are not ugly people,” it's the
cinematic moment of the year. But in the actual world outside, in
2015, what with the Trumpery and the Tennessee state legislature,
maybe that's not the case anymore. An immaculate jewel.
5
THE ASSASSIN/THE HATEFUL EIGHT/LI'L QUINQUIN
How
is it that we psychotic apes have managed to survive as long as we
have? The land itself bears the scent of our sickness, with blood
spilled clinging to us like an unremovable shroud that tangles the
knees and clouds the will to try and do better. Sometimes you have to
laugh to keep from vomiting in terror. Sometimes you have to stay the
course of the procedural to keep from slipping off the rails and into
the abyss. Upholding expectations is not, however, an inherently
moral act. And that awareness defines us.
6
MAGIC MIKE XXL
A
utopian vision of egalitarian, pleasure-driven lives where the
primary commodity is joy, not money, and smiles and orgasms are how a
good day are properly measured.
7
THOU WAST MILD AND LOVELY/TOM AT THE FARM
Gloriously
surreal maps of human desire, bound in exterior, 'other' spaces.
Humor and horror only a heartbeat away at any given moment.
8
ARABIAN NIGHTS/CHI-RAQ/HARD TO BE A GOD/THE TRIBE
How
does one actually forge a community? Is what we perceive as
civilization a starting point, a hard-won but tenuous victory, a
delusional pipe dream, or a hiccup on the metaphorical road to
something else?
9
JUPITER ASCENDING/STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Joyful
intergalactic romps that reexamine (and in some cases gleefully
explode) the structures that keep our imaginations (and selves)
locked in a tiny corner of ignorant space. Mapping desires onto new
bodies, new stars, and offering the widest continuua of enjoyment.
10
INSIDE OUT/LOVE 3D/THE MEND
Messy,
maddening, meaningful visions of the heart and soul in crisis. The
ritual brings catharsis. Sadness and helplessness fuels adaptation
and evolution.
BEST
DIRECTOR:
Bertrand
Bonello (Saint Laurent)
Guillermo
Del Toro (Crimson Peak)
Xavier
Dolan (Tom At The Farm)
Fabrice
Du Welz (Alleluia)
Miguel
Gomes (Arabian Nights)
Todd
Haynes (Carol)
Guy
Maddin and Evan Johnson (The Forbidden Room)
George
Miller (Mad Max Fury Road)
Gaspar
Noe (Love)
Angelina
Jolie Pitt (By The Sea)
Sam
Taylor-Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey)
Andy
Wachowski and Lana Wachowski (Jupiter Ascending)
BEST
ACTOR:
Matt
Damon (The Martian)
Benicio
Del Toro (Sicario)
Tom
Hanks (Bridge of Spies)
Stephen
Plunkett (The Mend)
Bernard
Pruvost (Lil' Quinquin)
Gaspard
Ulliel (Saint Laurent)
Leonid
Yarmolnik (Hard to be a God)
BEST
ACTRESS:
Cate
Blanchett (Carol)
Luisa
Cruz (Arabian Nights Volume 2: The Desolate One)
Anne
Dorval (Mommy)
Lola
Duenas (Alleluia)
Amy
Everson (Felt)
Nina
Hoss (Phoenix)
Rinko
Kikuchi (Kumiko The Treasure Hunter)
Lola
Kirke (Mistress America)
Teyonah
Parris (Chi-Raq)
Charlize
Theron (Mad Max Fury Road)
Alicia
Vikander (Ex Machina)
Arielle
Walker (Heaven Knows What)
BEST
SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Louis
Garrel (Saint Laurent)
Oscar
Isaac (Ex Machina)
James
Marsden (The D Train)
Jason
Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton)
Michael
Pena (Ant-Man)
Colin
Quinn (Trainwreck)
Michael
Stuhlbarg (Steve Jobs)
BEST
SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Jessica
Chastain (Crimson Peak)
Deanna
Dunagan (The Visit)
Jennifer
Jason Leigh (Anomalisa)
Julianne
Moore (Maps to the Stars)
Jada
Pinkett (Magic Mike XXL)
Kristen
Stewart (American Ultra)
Kristen
Stewart (Clouds of Sils Maria)
Mickey
Sumner (The Mend)
Mya
Taylor (Tangerine)
Tessa
Thompson (Creed)
Katherine
Waterston (Queen of Earth)
BEST
SCREENPLAY:
Olivier
Assayas (Clouds of Sils Maria)
Bruno
Dumont (Lil' Quinquin)
Joel
Edgerton (The Gift)
Rick
Famuyiwa (Dope)
Drew
Goddard (The Martian)
Charlie
Kaufman (Anomalisa)
Max
Landis (American Ultra)
John
Magary (The Mend)
Phyllis
Nagy (Carol)
Abderrahmane
Sissako and Kessen Tall (Timbuktu)
Quentin
Tarantino (The Hateful Eight)
BEST
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Peter
Andrews (Magic Mike XXL)
Sean
Baker and Radium Cheung (Tangerine)
Christian
Berger (By The Sea)
Roger
Deakins (Sicario)
Josee
Deshaies (Saint Laurent)
Stuart
Dryburgh (Blackhat)
Erdely
Matyas (Son of Saul)
Vladimir
Ilin and Yuriy Klimenko (Hard to be a God)
Alwin
Kuchler (Steve Jobs)
Dan
Laustsen (Crimson Peak)
Mark
Lee Ping-Bin (The Assassin)
Emmanuel
Lubezki (The Revenant)
John
Mathieson and Seamus McGarvey (Pan)
Sayombhu
Mukdeeprom (Arabian Nights)
Robert
Richardson (The Hateful Eight)
BEST
3D:
In
the Heart of The Sea
Jupiter
Ascending
Love
The
Martian
Pan
Paranormal
Activity: The Ghost Dimension
Point
Break
The
Spongebob Squarepants Movie
The
Walk
BEST
EDITING:
Clouds
of Sils Maria
The
Gift
Kingsman:
The Secret Service
Last
Shift
Love
Mad
Max Fury Road
Saint
Laurent
BEST
COSTUMES:
Crimson
Peak
Eden
Jupiter
Ascending
Love
Saint
Laurent
Tangerine
BEST
PRODUCTION DESIGN:
Crimson
Peak
Hard
To Be A God
Jupiter
Ascending
Mad
Max Fury Road
The
Martian
The
Night Before
The
Revenant
Saint
Laurent
BEST
DOCUMENTARY:
Amy
Approaching
the Elephant
The
Black Panthers: Vanguard of The Revolution
The
Creeping Garden
Don't
Think I've Forgotten
In
Jackson Heights
The
Look of Silence
BEST
VISUAL EFFECTS:
Chappie
Ex
Machina
The
Last Witch Hunter
The
Martian
Star
Wars: The Force Awakens
BEST
ORIGINAL SONG:
“The
Final Derriere” (The Forbidden Room)
“Flashlight”
(Pitch Perfect 2)
“Grip”
(Creed)
“Love
Me Like You Do” (Fifty Shades of Grey)
“Mean
Ol' Moon” (Ted 2)
“None
of Them are You” (Anomalisa)
BEST
ORIGINAL SCORE:
Alleluia
By
The Sea
Carol
The
Creeping Garden
The
Duke of Burgundy
For
The Plasma
Girlhood
The
Hateful Eight
It
Follows
Mad
Max Fury Road
Maps
To The Stars
The
Revenant
BEST
RESTORATION:
The
American Friend
Until
The End of The World
Rocco
and His Brothers
The
Decline of Western Civilization Trilogy
The
Swimmer
Out
1
The
Miracle Woman
The
Apu Trilogy
Apocalypse
Now
BEST
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Akounak
Tedalat Taha Tazoughai
Alleluia
Arabian
Nights
Eden
Girlhood
Hard
to Be a God
Lil'
Quinquin
Saint
Laurent
Timbuktu
Tom
at The Farm
The
Tribe
BEST
SUPPORTED ACTOR:
Rebecca
Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation)
Louis
Garrel (Saint Laurent)
Tom
Hardy (Mad Max Fury Road)
Oscar
Isaac (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Olafur
Darri Olafsson (The Last Witch Hunter)
Michael
Pena (Ant-Man)
Stephen
Plunkett (The Mend)
James
Ransone (Sinister 2)
Clemens
Schick (Point Break)
Michael
Stuhlbarg (Steve Jobs)
WORST
PICTURE:
Black
Mass
Hot
Tub Time Machine 2
The
Lazarus Effect
Seventh
Son
Stonewall
Terminator:
Genisys
SONGS
OF THE YEAR: 2015
1
Brandon Flowers/Lonely Town
2
Carly Rae Jepsen/Your Type
3
Sparks/The Final Derriere
4
Chvrches/Clearest Blue
5
The Weeknd/The Hills
6
Madonna/Ghost Town
7
Sufjan Stevens/John My Beloved
8
Ryan Adams/Style
9
Jidenna/Classic Man
10
New Order/Plastic
11
Chromatics/Yes (Symmetry Remix)
12
Adele/Hello (NOLA Bounce Mix)
13
JR Castro/Get Home
14
One Direction/Perfect
15
Jeremih/Royalty
16
Hailee Steinfeld/Flashlight (Math Club Remix)
17
Jonny Telafone/The Prayer
18
Prince/Screwdriver
19
J. Cole/Wet Dreamz
20
Taylor Swift/New Romantics
ALBUMS
OF THE YEAR: 2015
1
Carly Rae Jepsen/E MO TION
2
Chvrches/Every Open Eye
3
Sufjan Stevens/Carrie and Lowell
4
The Weeknd/Beauty Behind The Madness
5
Shamir/Ratchet
6
(tie) Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique/Love is Free EP
Susanne
Sundfor/Ten Love Songs
7
Trickfinger
8
New Order/Music Complete
9
Giorgio Moroder/Deja Vu
10
Grimes/Art Angels
TV
OF THE YEAR: 2015
(in
alphabetical order)
Broad
City
Community
Difficult
People
Grace
and Frankie
Hannibal
Inside
Amy Schumer
Key
and Peele
Nathan
for You
Penny
Dreadful
Review
Rick
and Morty
Sense8
24 December 2015
What's the best way to see the new Star Wars picture in Middle Tennessee?
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