ARRRGGGHHH 2017

[Posted Dec. 2018]

2017 was a fucking mess. I never finished my lists. I’m posting what I wrote, unfinished, unedited.

One exception: I added a list of albums/songs.

Visuals
Okja, Bong Joon-jo (Netflix)

Wonder Woman, Patty Jenkins

American Masters: Maya Angelou, (PBS)
Something for everyone in this pithy overview of Angelou. Strong balance of talking heads providing warm and detailed insights into her life and work -- particularly from her son Guy Johnson and friends/colleagues like Cicely Tyson, Louis Gossett, Jr. and Alfre Woodard -- as well as clips of her being interviewed, performing, and just being in front of a camera from throughout her robust life. I’m hardly an Angelou expert, but there are plenty of lovely insights, like the impact of Guy’s car accident on their lives, her love of cooking, her approach to running a film set. I hadn’t watched her reading of “On the Pulse of Morning,” probably since it aired over 20 years ago. The work is bone-chilling, especially in light of what happened about a month prior on those same steps.

I Am Not Your Negro, Raoul Peck (Amazon Studios, 2016)
I took the description of this film at face value -- as a literal telling of James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript, Remember This House. Structurally, the film does accomplish this, but it is so much better for being more about the feeling of Baldwin, rather than his work and life. Like many Baldwin fans, I’ve watched many Baldwin clips and was familiar with large chunks of the film’s archival footage. Peck edits these brilliantly with a tasteful balance of contemporary images and b-roll. The end result is one of the closest visual representations of Baldwin’s love, passion, frustration, fear, and sense of humanity.

Sidewalk Stories, Charles Lane (Island Pictures, 1989)
Hadn’t rushed the Kid into television or film-watching, so the Kid’s media endurance is pretty low. We watched a Doraemon movie, which was an hour and change. Then we watched Singin’ in the Rain in two or three parts. I felt conscious of the sorts of characters and faces the Kid was seeing, so the next option I introduced was either Chaplin’s The Kid or Lane’s Sidewalk Stories. I described Lane’s film as “the New York one,” which may have been the winning tag. We watched most of it in one sitting and the Kid was pretty rapt.

A Face in the Crowd, Elia Kazan (Warner Bros., 1957)
The most infuriating sentiment post-Election 2016 has been the incredulous hand-wringing . It reeks of exceptionalism to think, “How could America have done this?” The truth has been telegraphed for many years by the not obscure writings or Orwell and even the not-so underground films of Judge. Add Kazan and writer Budd Schulberg’s A Face in the Crowd to the very visible list of foreseers. The film’s distinction is, unlike 1984 and Idiocracy, AFITC focuses less on the mechanics of autocracy, but more on the individual who would ceases that power. Sure, the film is largely about the advent of television and how an entire ecosystem of A&R (Patricia Neal’s Marcia Jeffries), platform (TV) and content (Percy Waram’s Gen. Haynesworth) all conspire to make Andy Griffith’s “Lonesome” Rhodes a star. But Griffith’s cavernous laugh and suffocating personality are clearly the oxygen to their spark. Asking if this sounds familiar is simply offensive.

Moana, Ron Clements and John Musker (Walt Disney, 2016)

Eden, Mia Hansen-Løve (Broad Green Pictures, 2014)
Was real bummed to miss seeing this in the theater. A lovely love letter to music, youth and growing up. Any film that opens with “Plastic Dreams” and “Follow Me” already has me from the jump. Those tracks were my entry points to house.

The Revenant, Alejandro G. Iñárritu (20th Century Fox, 2016)
Really loved the sound design of this film. Refreshing to hear a modern film not saturated in soundtrack. The emphasis on breath and wind was more than enough. Very fitting to have Ryuichi Sakamoto do the score.

Chi-Raq, Spike Lee (Roadside Attractions, 2015)
Lysistrata is pretty dated. Updating it w/ 2-hours of shitty slam poetry is pretty unbearable.

Point Blank, John Boorman (MGM, 1967)
Another film I watched years ago and completely forgot. Disturbing (yes, it truly is a “leer and peer” film, hahaha) and brilliant. The commentary with John Boorman and Steven Soderbergh is really useful (minus the leering over Angie Dickinson’s quasi-nude scene). The ambiguity of Walker and Fairfax’s existence and relationship with each other adds layers of storytelling to an otherwise bland revenge tale. Is Walker actually dead? If so, is this a chickens-come-home-to-roost story? If it is, then the psychedelic and narrative hiccups become that much more surreal. Yes, the treatment of women and gay men is bad, but the rest of the film is overwhelmingly strong.

Captain Fantastic, Matt Ross (Bleecker Street Media, 2016)
Also not as bad as I thought it would be. The conceit tickled me plenty: a send-up of progressive values. The film did an excellent job of showing how the arc of both progressive and conservative extremism bends toward each other, to the point where the two connect and become indistinguishable. The ending was fucking sophomoric though. Wish they had skipped the fucking twee GNR karaoke and just skipped straight to the toilet flush.

Birth of a Nation, Nate Parker (Fox Searchlight, 2016)
Not as bad as I read it would be. But very strange storytelling choices. Considering Parker’s understanding and seeming interest in the vivid religious visions Turner allegedly confessed, there should have been ample dynamism in shooting largely off of the Confessions of Nat Turner. Why he took that detour into rape revenge is bizarre and makes unnecessary fantasy of Turner’s legacy.

Aural
Jay Som Everybody Works
This record got us through a rough year. We listened to it on our daily commute, riding around, at home… It’s romantic, weary, DIY, feminist, and hooky-as-fuck. Melina FTW.

SZA CTRL
Part of me thinks TDE should be embarrassed over all the delays behind this record, but it also came at just the right time for me. DAMN, f’real. Left Eye would be so into this.

Thundercat Drunk
The ghost of Austin Peralta still weighs heavy. Modern blues in bite-sized nougats.

SOB x RBE
Why’d it take so long for there to be a modern-day Wu-Tang?

Tyshawn Sorey Verisimilitude
So glad I got to see this young man perform before I left. What an amazing talent.

Scarface “Black Still”
Does this count as Conservative Rap Coalition muzack?

Open Mike Eagle Brick Body Kids
OME deserves an A for sticking to themes.

Joey “Coco” Diaz Sociably Unacceptable
He’s been around forever, but he made some content videos to get the new jacks onboard. This is him operating at about 60% and it’s still más fuego than most anything else out there.

Wadada Leo Smith Solo: Reflections and Meditations on Monk
Smith hasn’t slipped in years. What an incredible run of albums.

Jackie Kashian I Am Not the Hero of this Story
Like being wrapped in a warm blanket of hahas.

Cécile McLorin Salvant Dreams and Daggers
Down is up because I’m listening to vocal jazz.

Ella Fitzgerald Ella at Zardi’s
Twelve Nights in Hollywood already exists, so is there need for more small room Ella? STFU. This recording is from 5 years earlier. Nowhere near as much confidence and swagger, but it’s still peak Ella tossing off runs left and right.

G Perico 2 Tha Left
Needs to collabo w/ Quik.

Downtown Boys Cost of Living
Yeah, I really wish No Skills did this.

Mac DeMarco This Old Dog
Dad shit.

Ali Wong Baby Cobra
So, so, so happy for her. What a talent.

Hurray for the Riff Raff The Navigator
This is the Bruce Springsteen record I always wanted to hear.

Beaches Second of Spring
Perfect road trip music.

Neal Brennan 3 Mics
#beatlife

Buffy Sainte-Marie Medicine Songs
AARP punk.

Juana Molina Halo
Still pays to experiment with a few ideas at a time.

Farruko “Krippy Kush” (Feat. Bad Bunny and Rvssian)
Mi introducción al Conejo Malo.

Future Future
Pretty happy he’s slowed down in 2018, b/c keeping up at this pace is asking for burn-out.

J Hus Common Sense
As close to UK rap as I’ll get. And stop.

Demi Lovato “Sorry Not Sorry”
Pretty cool flip of the Brenda Russell riff. RIP Big Pun.

Lil B Black Ken
Probably the second-most unnecessary reissue/late-issue, but kinda welcome at the same time.

Prince and The Revolution Purple Rain reissue
The remastering wasn’t necessary, but official releases from the Vault are welcome.

Words
Doug Stanhope, Digging Up Mother: A Love Story

Kid Flicks
Trolls (both w/ Saul and at home while sick)
The Jungle Book > The Lion King
となりのトトロ (in theatre, albeit dubbed)

Kid Books
Cece Bell, El Deafo
Hena Khan, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns
Andre Marois, The Sandwich Thief

2014 Listicles: Vision Edition

Videos that I actually watched from start-to-finish

Tiombe Lockhart - “Can’t Get Enough”
She my BEY, IMHO.

Todd Terje“Leisure Suit Preben”
Scandinavian Tim & Eric.
 
Mr. Oizo “HAM”
Or, just go for made-in-America Eric.

Jenny Lewis “Just One of the Guys”
The entire album is good, if you’re into that ‘70s AOR/Fleetwood Mac/’70s coke vibe. I’ll direct you to The Toast for the specific explanation of this video.

Basement Jaxx “Never Say Never”
Well, they said 2014 was the year of ass.

Neko Case and Kelly Hogan “These Aren’t The Droids”
Or, maybe it’s still 2013. 

Ta-Nehisi Coates @ The City Club of Cleveland, 8/22/14
“Love is not telling people what they want to hear… a mature love... (of country) has to have as its component seeing people straight.” (it appears the whole talk has been replaced with this 2-minute clip on YouTube)

Film/TV from this year that I saw and would watch again

Birdman
8½ and Stardust Memories were favorites when I was in high school, so I haven’t paid meta commentaries too much mind of late. And a meta commentary from the actor’s -- pardon me, celebrity’s -- perspective? This film should have been one big red flag, but turned out to be the one film in recent memory that I have watched repeatedly and gotten more from with each viewing. Smart acting and filmmaking, great style and structure and an entertaining story. And there’s still a Hollywood ending! What’s not to like?

Selma
I appreciate the more focused approach to biopics than the reductive, comprehensive approach. Selma wasn’t as essential as I thought it would be, but provides a fairly helpful greatest hits overview of a seminal moment in the Civil Rights Movement and American history. There are more accurate media depictions of these events, namely PBS’s essential Eyes on the Prize, but trawling through YouTube for past PBS content is not everyone’s MO, so little hands for Selma’s efforts in reinforcing the importance of protest, strategic activism, political legislation, legal legwork, and media spectacle. My quibbles are more stylistic. Mainly that a film that purports to uphold the importance of the people and mass movements, it relies heavily on Hollywood conventions like the close-up and history through the actions of specific individuals. Also, considering the importance of public media in this event, it was unfortunate that actual footage was scarcely incorporated (the spattering of footage at the close of the film only highlighted the fact that this was Hollywood dressing the part of the Civil Rights Movement). For example, the reenactment of the first attempt to cross the Pettus Bridge was heart-wrenching, but would have been devastating if paired or substituted completely with the actual footage. Frankly, slow-mo and dramatic framing has nothing on raw, actual footage. Yes, these are pretty petty comments, but also are the sorts of details that separate a good film from an essential one.

Under the Skin
I am not a Scarlett Johansson fan, but g-d if she hasn’t had a solid run of recent films/roles. Her voice and presence was suitably all-encompassing in Her. Her Black Widow in Winter Soldier finally came into her own. Her character in Lucy was entertaining. And her portrayal of the main character in Under the Skin was a genuine delight. On the surface, the film is like good Species. In truth, it’s a fascinating portrayal of learning and our insecurities and fears. And Mica Levi’s soundtrack is The Shining level good.

Silicon Valley
Office Space jokes needed an update. Thank goodness for the scrum cracks. 

Broad City

“King of the world” remains hilarious.

Nathan For You
Has any show both externally refracted and interally pushed media culture in such a literal way? Maybe Nathan Fielder should have taken over the Colbert Report?

Review

Andy Daly’s got range, spanning from the cheerful cuckold Terrence Cutler to the dozen or so psychotic characters he brings to life on the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast. Perhaps the throughline between all his characters is a put-upon/on-the-edge quality that is both empathetically familiar and grotesquely abhorrent. The skit-like structure of Review plays to the strengths of his scattershot imagination as he gets to push his character in new ways through different challenges/tasks/reviews. However, each review subtly builds on the prior, so the progression from pancakes to space makes complete sense. Never has watching a man methodically dismantle his life in the name of sharing an opinion been more delightful.

Top Five’s jail scene
The filmis a bit scattershot, but Rock lands a handful of solid shots. The centerpiece of the trailer is hardly the centerpiece of the film. The bachelor party scene easily trumps that scene, mostly because of Rock’s clear comfort with his actual homies (though Goldberg’s presence was a bit surprising, considering she’s from another comic generation). The Uprize scenes are a welcome reminder of The Chris Rock Show’s finer moments. But the real centerpiece is a near throwaway line for the true hip-hop head slash historic comic cinemaphile (and, in case there is any doubt, yes, X deserves a place in Top Five conversations). 

Film/TV I caught up on or revisited. And liked (again).
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
Ellen Burstyn in A Woman Under the Influence. Except those two films came out the same year. Word…? 

Scanners
Can’t go wrong with Cronenberg.

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench 
Whiplash is getting a lot of press, but I’m into Chazelle’s precocious debut. Almost makes me want to be twentysomething again. Almost. 

Stations of the Elevated
Along with Black Power Mixtape, I suppose Euro takes on Black America could occupy their own sub-genre of filmmaking. Nevertheless, this film focuses more on the aesthetics of graffiti. The results are priceless. A necessary time capsule.

Pacific Rim
Fun rock-em-sock-em.

Anarkali
Jesus, what an extravagant budget.

Crimson Kimono
Along with The Exiles, this Fuller gem contains a necessary look at mid-century Los Angeles. Cross-cultural conflicts in an under-appreciated architectural wonder (Downtown).

Locke
Worth watching for Tom Hardy’s acting. Really. Like, watching emotions shift like shadows being cast across a face and all that type of shit.

Neighbors
Not the one with the put-upon, chubby guy dealing with his out-of-control neighbors, but the other one with the put-upon, chubby guy dealing with his out-of-control neighbors. I can see why this film did not make the pantheon Blues Brothers-Animal House pantheon, but it’s arguably more fascinating to watch than either.

Diary of a Chambermaid
I thought I had seen the original before. Kinda worth it for Meredith Burgess, but I’ll stick with Jeanne Moreau. 

Hunger
Damn, Fassbender goes all in.

Afro-Punk
“There was no question whether I was a part of the black community… I got pulled over by cops when I was walking… All black people are part of the black community. You don’t have to do anything -- you’re black. So. That was comforting (laughs).” ~ Santi “Steve” Holley, Ann Arbor, MI

Films I saw that are a reminder I need to stop watching shit for conversation's sake 
The Wolf of Wall Street
Not as bad as thought it would be, but just plain, fucking boring. And unnecessary. And a solid reminder that I don’t need to watch Scorcese films anymore.

Magic Mike
Also boring. And unnecessary.

Lone Survivor, End of Watch, etc.
The hyperfocus on realism through style does a disturbing job of obscuring narrative leaps and poor ethics. The narrative changes to Luttrell’s account were unnecessary and ridiculous. And End of Watch really has nothing to say besides that cops can be bros. What a disservice.

Captain Phillips
Embarrassing.

Wreck-it Ralph
For billing itself as a video game nostalgia flick, it spends a lot of time dwelling on candy nostalgia.

Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer
I’ll take the knock on this one because its shittiness was hardly a surprise. A case where curiosity shouldn’t be indulged.

Rubber
Not as weird as I thought it would be.

The Counselor
Oh yeah, I also don’t need to watch Ridley Scott films anymore.

Transformers & The Hobbit series
Not even worth it for conversation’s sake. Because there’s no conversation to be had.

Argo
Really, go fuck yourself.

Films I’ll have to catch up onBoyhood
Goodbye to Language
The Babadook
Kindergarten Teacher
Concerning Violence