Movie premieres are a sight to see. Earlier this week we were invited to the premiere of Machete starring Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, and Jessica Alba. Having only been to one movie premiere before, Tiago and I were juiced for the occasion. Arriving around 5pm we were greeted by a fleet of lowriders, strategically placed to escort each cast member into the theatre once the premiere began. While the first hour was pretty uneventful, things picked up once Jessica Alba arrived.
For the kids like myself that grew up in ’90s, I think most of us remember an era when MTV was the purveyor of all things cool. Beavis & Butthead and Daria aired daily, The Real World wasn’t scripted yet and alternative, electronica, and hip-hop music inspired some of the dopest music videos of all time. The music video was a full-fledged art form, complete with superstar directors (Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry) and full of weird shit an eight year-old kid probably shouldn’t have been watching.
But hey. Now that MTV programming is almost exclusively dedicated to quality, thought-provoking programming like Jersey Shore and The Hills, it’s hard to see why anyone would be nostalgic for a time when these five-minute masterpieces ruled the small screen. In any case, Pitchfork picked 50 of their favorites, and luckily for us nostalgia junkies, Maaria gave me the heads up. Check here for the full list, and hit MORE for a few of my personal favorites.
Bill Murray is one of those few people in show business that seem to have achieved the impossible. Instead of letting the fame and the Hollywood scene get the best of him, Murray has remained reclusive and, from what we can tell, almost completely unfazed by the craziness that inevitably comes along with the lifestyle. No agent, no manager, no bullshit. From SNL to Caddyshack to Lost In Translation, Bill’s been able to do it on his own terms. Recently, GQ’s senior editor Dan Fierman got the rare chance to sit down with Bill and pick his brain in a full interview. For the record, the latest GQ (The Comedy Issue) is pretty damn funny. Take a look at the three-man interview with Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis and Tracy Morgan too, if you get a chance. Keep reading for the full interview with Bill.
New York in the late ’70s and early ’80s was a pretty chaotic time. In an excellent short piece on The Summer of ’77 in the latest New Yorker, Tim Long describes a time “when the city was ravaged by drugs, drugged by corruption, corrupted by murder, and murdered by ravagement.” Amidst all the chaos though, some of the most important cultural movements took root. Within the span of less than a decade Punk culture, post-punk, Hip-Hop and a vibrant art scene all became part of a sort of subcultural renaissance. From Byrne to Basquiat to Bambaataa, Downtown Calling aims to capture an era in New York unlike any other by investigating it’s lasting impacts. Downtown Calling premieres at the New York International Latino Film Festival on Wednesday.
Cocaine Cowboys has got to be one of the most eye-opening films I’ve ever seen. For those of you who might not be familiar, Cowboys is director Billy Corben’s documentary, illuminating the real-life story of Miami’s multi-billion dollar cocaine trade in the ’70s and ’80s. If for no other reason, the movie is fascinating simply because the events it covers actually happened. Kingpins, traffickers, and hitmen all lend their perspective to the film, breaking down the real story behind the controversy that shaped modern Miami. Actor and screenwriter Brett Tabor also took an interest in the film, but his was pretty specific. Over the past few years, Tabor spent countless hours trying to track down Max Mermelstein, the most infamous smuggler in the Cocaine Cowboys era, in order to write the script that could save his career. Lucky for us, LA Weekly‘s Gus Garcia Roberts has the whole story.
I heard a story on NPR that got me thinking the other day. I won’t go into too much detail, but basically the story was about an ongoing debate over whether or not corporations should be able to advertise in national parks. Like literally on some “this trail presented by REI” type of shit. Already, life in urban areas means being bombarded with logos, slogans, billboards and bullshit from every angle. So I guess the question is, just how far is corporate culture going to take with marketing? How far is too far? Logorama is a short film by Francois Alaux, that recently took home the Prix Kodak at Cannes. In it, Alaux imagines a world completely comprised of corporate logos. How much social criticism is going on here is debatable, but it’s creative, it’s entertaining, and it raises some serious questions about the world we’re living in.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of your childhood. Where you come up, the people around you, the culture you’re a part of… It all forms the foundation on which you build your life and shape your perceptions. The crazy thing about it, is that all of our experiences our different, and yet we all inhabit the same, interconnected world. Director Thomas Balmes documentary, Babies will offer a unique look at that idea, tracking the first year of four babies’ lives in Mongolia, Namibia, Tokyo and San Francisco, respectively. Definitely a cool way of looking at culture in the modern world. And if that doesn’t do it for you, it’s always fun to watch some babies.
Ladies and gentleman, we’ve got this! Between Jason and Colin alone there’s enough creativity and talent to takeover MTV. Seriously. No hype. We’re still kids out here, but we’re doing it. We’re just so talented, so let me toot our horn for a moment. Chefs, writers, DJ’s, directors, hoopers, painters, accountants, actors (young rizzle, so out here) the list goes on…
L.A. Is My Playground is Jason’s first Docu-Musical, featuring music from Pac Div, Nipsey Hussle and Dom Kennedy. Seen through the eyes of Madison, viewers are taken on a trip through Los Angeles, as we are shown what makes the city special and unique. The premiere is this Thursday and you will not be dissapointed.
At this point in his career, I’m interested in pretty much anything Spike Jonze touches. Following up last year’s big-screen adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, Spike returned to the game he made his name in, directing the short film for Kanye’s “We Were Once a Fairytale”. Both projects were highlights last year, adding to the director’s already impressive resume. Spike’s latest project, the Sundance-selected robot love story I’m Here dropped online today. The first 5,000 viewers per day can check out the film here. For the rest of us, here’s the trailer for the time being.
Today, I’d like share one of my favorite movies with you. Sweet Elizabeth brought this into my life many years ago and it has been my answer to “what’s your favorite movie?” ever since. I can’t even begin to relate to you how wet this movie is. Kof & Lan know. I watched it over and over in Tendrich. I don’t know. It’s just my kinda shit. Reality will always outdo fiction, because that shit actually happened. And nothing is crazier than that.
Any chance we get to take a look into the world and the mind of somebody as inspiring as Basquiat is one I think we should take. Tamra Davis’ upcoming documentary feature, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child will offer just that: a glimpse at the life and work of her personal friend, and one of the most important visual artists of the 20th century. Slated to drop later this year, the film features original music from Adam Horovitz & Mike D of the Beastie Boys and visual work from Shepard Fairey. Peep the trailer above.
Here’s one for Tom. I have to admit I was lightweight skeptical going into Avatar. As far as movies go, I generally fuck with the ones with small budgets more than the ones that cost $400 million to make. Doubting James Cameron won’t get you too far though. Not only is Avatar a record-breaking box office smash, but it’s also just a dope story, and a well-made film. And as promised, Cameron unveiled some of the most impressive and pioneering technology in movie history. The video above gives a detailed look into the movie, helping to break down some of the tech wizardry that went into the world of Pandora. Some of this is just ridiculous.
