Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Working class spawn with a lust for writing.'s LiveJournal:

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Thursday, October 29th, 2009
1:58 pm	Celebrate Halloween with Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive" in 35mm and a $100 costume contest This year, why not get the most bang out of your Halloween experience by joining the party at Midnight, Friday October 30th when the Carousel Luxury Cinemas plays Peter Jackson's hilarious and insane zombie masterpiece "Dead Alive." This is the bloodiest, gutsiest, and brainiest (literally) zombie film ever made, and we're painting the screen red in beautiful 35mm! Not only that, but we're hosting the ultimate costume contest where the winner gets $100 -- IN CASH! Tickets are at a low, low $5 each, and include one free beer. Additional beer will be sold at a bargain $1.50 each. So join us at the Carousel Luxury Cinemas on 1305 Battleground Ave. You can buy your tickets here, and if you have further questions, e-mail movieshowjoe@gmail.com. (Comment on this)
Monday, June 8th, 2009
8:38 am	THIS SATURDAY: Buy your 2009-2010 Mixed Tape Film Series season pass! The gauntlet has been thrown. Do you have what it takes to become one of the coolest movie-watchers in the Triad? Well if so, then stop by the Carousel Luxury Cinemas on Saturday, June 13 to buy your season pass to the 2009-2010 Mixed Tape FIlm Series. Limited to 100, these handcrafted ticket booklets will give members the following: -Tickets to see 18 different movies - all in 35mm! -A Mixed Tape T-shirt (while supplies last) -And special invites to members-only film screenings that no one else will - and sometimes can - know about. In short, you'll be getting to see a lot of great movies while becoming a supporter of the the Triad's #1 grassroots cinema movement. Season passes are only $40 each. Oh, and a word to the wise, we already sold 20 season passes at the Transformers: The Movie screening on Thursday night. That was with virtually no advanced notice whatsoever. Don't sit on this and be left out in the rain. We know who many of our loyal attendees are, and would hate for you to be excluded from our underground movie cult. And if for some reason, you'll be out of town on Saturday and want to work out a way where you can get your ticket, shoot us an e-mail at movieshowjoe@gmail.com. Can't make any guarantees, but we'll try to work something out. FILM SCHEDULE: August 27, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - The Big Lebowski (Followed by WUAG's 1st Annual Rock n' Bowl, a celebration of bowling, great live music and white Russians - Details TBA) September 3, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) September 10, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - The Karate Kid October 1, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Ghostbusters October 8, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn November 5, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Aliens November 12, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Terminator 2: Judgement Day December 3, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Gremlins December 10, 7:30 (only) - Silent Night, Deadly Night (Includes a "Very Merry Mixed Tape Christmas" - Details TBA) January 7, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Clerks January 14, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Fight Club Feb 4, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Princess Bride Feb 11, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Amelie March 4, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Big Trouble in Little China March 11, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - The Thing April 1, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Pee Wee's Big Adventure April 8, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Robocop May 6, 7:30 & 10 p.m. - Goonies (Comment on this)
Monday, May 4th, 2009
8:22 am	The Mixed Tape Film Series presents "Blue Velvet" A young man (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home from college and discovers a crucial piece of evidence to a horrible crime in an open field. But after turning the evidence over to police, the young man starts an investigation of his own, which sends him into the seedy underbelly of his seemingly peaceful suburban neighborhood. Ranked as one of the ten best films of the last 25 years, Blue Velvet is a dark and beautiful masterpiece, and the greatest movie shot in North Carolina. Showtimes are at 7:30 & 10 p.m. Wednesday, May 6 at the Carousel Luxury Cinemas on 1305 Battleground Ave. Tickets are $2 w/ college i.d. Beer is $1. Trust me when I say that seeing this movie with a group of your most beloved friends is an experience you'll never forget. BONUS: For those of you interested in the films we'll be playing at next year's Mixed Tape Film Series and Midnight Madness, we'll be offering an exclusive sneak preview. Plus there will be information on how you can purchase a season pass that will allow you to see all the films while saving a good chunk of money. (Comment on this)
Sunday, November 30th, 2008
12:52 pm	"Happy-Go-Lucky" review Conventional movie wisdom states that when a lonely man – regardless of how loathsome, unkempt, or generally unattractive they might be – meets an attractive woman, the two will fall in love by the end of the movie. This logic has appeared in movies like Beauty and the Beast, Edward Scissorhands, plus most of the movies that star Woody Allen and Seth Rogen. All of this brings us to the British dramedy Happy Go Lucky. Written and directed by Mike Leigh, the movie follows Poppy, played by actress Sally Hawkins, a lovely, effervescent, and seemingly care-free grade school teacher whose only regret when she discovers that someone stole her bicycle is that she didn’t get a chance to bid her bike farewell. Poppy spends her days hanging with her rowdy party-girl friends while looking for love in what seems to be a world filled with ugly and hateful men. One of these hateful men is Poppy’s driving instructor, a fellow by the name of Scott. Scott seethes with rage, his upper row of teeth is beyond rotten, and even worse than that, he’s something of a white supremacist. As with the rest of the characters in the film, Poppy is constantly joking with Scott, and even flirts with him, though slightly. And while he has no reasonable way of expressing it, Scott starts to grow feelings for Poppy. Poppy on the other hand, sees Scott as an example of why she should take her job working with children seriously at times, especially when one of her male students begins to lash out with rage. By caring for this student, Poppy meets a social worker named Tim, played by Samuel Rokin. For the most part, Tim is everything that Scott is not: friendly, caring, conventionally handsome – plus he’s one of the very few British people I know whose teeth will allow him to smile without irony. There’s no reason why Poppy should love the wretched Scott over the handsome Tim, and fortunately the movie is smart enough to realize this. While the movie certainly feels for Scott, who is caught in the cycle of responding to the unkindness of women by being unkind to them – thus sparking even more unkindness from women – it is simply not Poppy’s responsibility to fix such an unlikable person. (Comment on this)
Saturday, November 22nd, 2008
8:21 am	The closest thing to a 'Twilight' review that I am ever going to write. (A publicity photo from the CW's newest hit show, Vampire High.) 1) If, in a later film or book, we find out that like witches, all vampires were made out of wood, that could go a long way towards justifying Robert Pattinson's performance. Kristen Stewart, on the other hand, has no excuse. 2) This seems less like a movie and more like a two-hour pilot for a brand new series on the CW. 3) There is a nasty habit in this film of telling the viewer almost everything about the characters, their supernatural abilites, etc., all while showing us very little. 4) Mike's right, the vampire's dad does look an awful lot like the love child of Tom Cruise and Eric Bana -- if such a thing were possible, that is. 5) This movie is constantly telling us that these characters are SO SEXY, which makes for a very un-sexy movie if you ask me. 6) Someone should have told the movie's vampires that just because your character is supernatural doesn't mean you should act unnatural. 7) These vampires sure are putting a lot of their faith in the secret-keeping abilities of a teenage girl. Not too wise if you ask me. 8) And the award for Worst Visual Effects in a Highly-Awaited Motion Picture goes to.... Seriously, folks. Why did they cheap-out on the vfx? It's not like they spent a ton of money on their no-name cast and obviously Canadian location shoot. At the very least they could have given us something that didn't look like it belongs in a Sci-Fi Channel original movie. 9) Edward the vampire stalks Bella through the night and enjoys watching her sleep. How is this not creepy? To think of all the anti-social behavior this is going to validate for teens. And if you traded Edward the vampire for Crumby the school janitor, we'd be talking about some serious jail time. 10) When Edward Cullen said, "Yes, you are exactly my brand of heroin," I said, "Man, these guys talk exactly like all the douchebags I used to know in high school." 11) So let's get this straight, when the sunlight hits a vampire's skin, their skin turns into diamonds? If that was the case, why didn't these guys simply move to a more urban neighborhood? That way, instead of hiding this trait from the public, they could flaunt it while shouting, "We covered in ice, yo! We twinkle and glisten!" I'm sure the B-boy vampire would have no problem with that. 12) In terms of being a movie about vampires, this movie isn't even a pimple on the ass of Let The Right One In. 13) Yes, her movie sucks, but to her credit, Catherine Hardwicke directs better action scenes than Marc Forster does. 14) The movie grows completely disinterested with its human characters as well as a human-like characteristics of its non-human characters. 15) Someone should contact the Nobel Prize people about giving an award to the teacher who taught the mentally retarded people who wrote this film and book how to type. Sure, the end result was way less than satisfying, but with the level of accomplishment these poor retards felt when they were done banging this thing out, I really believe their teachers should be commended. 16) To anyone who ever claimed the Harry Potter books and films were artless, I give you the Twilight series. Sure, J. K. Rowling is not exactly a Salinger or Joyce, but at least she knows a thing or two about telling a story, and the writers and directors who have handled her work have all done a better job than the people who made Twilight. Yes, that even goes for Chris Columbus. (This is who the movie was made for. If you are not one of these and still liked the movie anyway, I pity you. I really, really do.) (Comment on this)
Saturday, November 1st, 2008
9:57 am	RE: G.I. Joe vs. Sarah Palin (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
4:55 am	[PODCAST] HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Happy Halloween from Joe and Mike at The Movie Show! This week, the guys discuss the first comments Christopher Nolan has made regarding a sequel to his wildly successfulThe Dark Knight, the Jonas Brothers starring in their first movie about a farting dog (seriously), and Steve Carell’s upcoming turn as a cavalier Frenchman. They also serve what will be the final Trilogy of Terror for 2008. This Week’s Reviews: Saw V and Pride and Glory Stream it! Or subscribe! Or check out our page at the iTunes Store. (Comment on this)
Saturday, October 25th, 2008
9:42 am	RE: The Mixed Tape Film Series As many of you know, in the next couple of weeks here, we have no less than two events that are part of the Mixed Tape Film Series. Here's the first one: Scary Movie Double Feature Friday the 13th Part III in 3-D -and- The Monster Squad The Mixed Tape Film Series continues to roll ahead with this special grindhouse-styled presentation which kicks off with the 1980's horror cult classic Monster Squad. Best described as The Goonies meets the classic monsters of yesteryear, this nard-kicking monster mash-up created a storm in the bootleg DVD circuit until it's official release last summer. Here's the trailer. Then after the Squad, we'll be kicking things up into the third dimension with Friday the 13th Part III in 3-D. Watch Jason wear a hockey mask for the first time as he slashes his way through a bevy of lusty camp counselors in literally eye-popping 3-D. Here's the Trailer. Admission for this special one-time only event is $6. 3-D glasses will be provided, and as always, the beer is $1 a bottle. Also note that the people who wear the best Halloween costumes will win awesome prizes like free movie tickets, pizza, CD's, T-shirts, and more. A lot of people are excited about this event. Matter of fact, we are dangerously close to selling out. Do not be that guy or girl who spends hours - or even minutes - whipping up a costume only to show up to the theater on Thursday night and be turned away. You can pre-order your tickets here. After that: Wes Anderson Night Rushmore In the fall of 1998, filmmaker Wes Anderson released his second feature film Rushmore. Not only was the film a well-written comedy about extracurricular activities and unrequited love, but it also featured the greatest soundtrack of licensed music and reinvented Bill Murray's floundering career. This film created the template for the quirky/somber indie comedy for our generation, and without it, there would be no Garden State, no Napoleon Dynamite, no Juno, and no Nick and Norah. Ten years later, The Mixed Tape Film Series will be giving fans who missed their chance the first go around to watch this contemporary classic in 35 mm on the big screen. Here's the trailer. As always, beer, slices of pizza, cookies, and soda will be on sale for $1 each. The movie will run at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5 (Comment on this)
Friday, October 3rd, 2008
7:30 am	Why my wife is awesome. Rachel pulls into the McDonalds drive-thru: Employee: Welcome to McDonald's. How may I take your order? Rachel: I would like a Happy Meal please. Employee: Would you like a "boy" Happy Meal or a "girl" Happy Meal**? Rachel: Uh, Batman. -- Got to fight sexism anywhere you can, people. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, August 24th, 2008
10:34 am	Hello Biden, goodbye Obama's moral high ground. Am I the only one who thinks the '08 election has become less and less interesting as we approach November? To get things exciting last year, we had Barack Obama, a young, fairly new U.S. Senator, who didn't believe in the ongoing war in Iraq. He sure as heck didn't vote for it. And he didn't fill his pockets with strings-attached money from lobbyists. Who do they pair Barack Obama with? Joe Biden, a crusty old white dude who's spent ten more years in the Senate than McCain. Biden is iffy on his stance on the war in Iraq, he definitely voted for it, and, like most long-term Senators, he's been dealing with lobbyists so much, he might as well wear company logo decals like a NASCAR driver. I can't stand this. The people had a choice, and they chose 'Change.' Or at least what they thought embodied change the best. But when the Democrat party hears that voice, they pretty much go and give the American public the exact opposite. Don't be fooled people. This is bad news, even if Obama wins. Dude might as well change his slogan to "Change - well, sorta." Way to ignore what a historical year this has been for women. Way to take the 5% lead and reduce it so that the Republicans have a decent chance of winning despite the fact that Bush was a horrible leader. More importantly, way to make it so that when I go to the voting booth this Election Day, I pretty much won't give a shit. (Comment on this)
Friday, August 15th, 2008
8:50 am	"The Big Lebowski" @ 7:30 & 9:30 on Wednesday, September 3rd On Wednesday, September 3, you better dust off your bowling shoes because WUAG 103.1 FM and The Carousel Luxury Cinemas will be presenting "The Big Lebowski" at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Best part is while the film will be projected in 35mm, you won't have to pay a whole lot to attend. Admission is $3, or $1 if you have a current college i.d. Plus we'll be offering $1.25 boxes of popcorn, $1 sodas, and for audiences 21 & up, $1 beers. So come on out to the Carousel Cinemas on 1305 Battleground Avenue. The movie is great, the admission is cheap, and we'll be throwing a few contests before both screenings as well. And if you would like to do us a favor and keep the admission cheap on future Mixed Tape events, make sure to invite a bunch of friends to come along with you should you decide to attend. I couldn't think of a better way to spend time with my buddies than to sit in a movie theater while sharing a bucket of beers. -- P.S. If you frequent a resturaunt, coffee shop, or bar where they let people post flyers of community events, print this one out and hang it up. If you hang up a flyer for the screening, and snap a digital photo of yourself doing so, your first drink is on me. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
9:43 am	[PODCAST]: Remembering Stan Winston Mike and I celebrate the life of special effects guru Stan Winston on this week’s episode of The Movie Show. We also discuss the potentially grim future of indie film distribution and Robert Downey Jr.’s wild new film project. Reviews: The Incredible Hulk and The Happening Soundtrack Selections include: “Here Comes My Baby” by Cat Stevens from Rushmore; “Goldfinger” by Shirley Bassey from Goldfinger; -and- “I’m Not There” (Dylan Cover) by Sonic Youth from I’m Not There. Stream it! Orsubscribe! Better yet, check out our page at the iTunes Store. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 5th, 2008
12:15 pm	PODCAST: Cannes, Aptow, & Terminators! Mike and Joe have got the deets on Judd Aptow’s third directorial effort on this week’s episode of “The Movie Show.” They also discuss a terrible Terminator 4 rumor, the upcoming Dark Shadows movie starring Johnny Depp, and ask YesWeekly editor Brian Clarey which bars they should hit up if they ever make it to the Cannes Film Festival. Reviews: Sex and the City and The Strangers. Soundtrack Selections include: “Satan Said Dance” by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah from Choke; “Sprout and the Bean” by Joanna Newsom from The Strangers; -and- “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” by Urge Overkill from Pulp Fiction. Stream it! Or subscribe! Better yet, check out our page at the iTunes Store. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008
8:45 am	Review: "Sex and the City" (NOTE:The following is not a print review. It was written to be read aloud on tonight's episode of "The Movie Show." ) Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw makes the seemingly logical jump from HBO to the big screen in the film version of the hit show Sex and the City. And in case you were wondering, Carrie’s friends Samatha, played by Kim Cattral; Charlotte, played by Kristin Davis; and Miranda, played by Cynthia Nixon are along for the ride as well. Since I’ve yet to see a single episode from start to finish, I won’t pretend to be knowledgeable about the TV show. But I will say the film centers on a quartet of peculiar characters. At the beginning of the film, Carrie states that like most young women, she came to New York in search of the two L’s: Labels and Love, however, it becomes pretty clear in the first twenty minutes that Carrie and her friends’ pursuit of the former oftentimes eradicates any chances that they might have had with the latter. When Mr. Big - the love of Carrie’s life played by the caddish actor Chris Noth, proposes to her on the eve of having purchased a swank New York apartment, she promises to keep her wedding short and sweet. Of course this is all but impossible for the New York socialite who’s addicted to nice clothes and ridiculous shoes from pricey designers. Two-hundred guest invitations and one ridiculously expensive bridal gown later, the sheer spectacle that Carrie makes of her nuptials gives Mr. Big cold feet on their wedding day. At this point, all was fairly well with the movie version ofSex and the City, that is until the movie continued to play on for two more hours, most of which features a severely depressed Carrie on the brink of a great epiphany -- or suicide. As for the other three characters, an indiscretion threatens Miranda’s marriage; adoptive mother Charlotte finds out she could finally be having a baby of her own; and Kim Cattrall’s Samantha, who celebrates her 50th birthday at some point in the film, continues her quest for sexual fulfillment despite the fact that she’s already committed to a younger and absurdly handsome young actor. As I stated before, Sex and the City is very long, and plays out like watching half a season of a TV show Back-To-Back, and the characters have a horrible way of constantly re-hashing major plot points via dialogue. So in the end, the question is, “What did you think of the show?” If your answer is ‘I liked it,’ I can’t think of a more fitting way to spend your time in a darkened theater. But if you hate the show, or like me, have had virtually no experience with it whatsoever, you should probably bring the Tylenol, and lots of it. Price of admission includes: -Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson in a role that feels ridiculously token and tacked on considering that she only mingles with Carrie and none of the other characters from the film, only to disappear from her life by the very end of the film. -A glimpse of Kim Catrall wearing nothing but a buffet of sushi – something that would have no doubt pleased fans of Big Trouble in Little China had this scene been filmed twenty years ago. -And way too many sex scenes featuring completely bald actor Evan Handler, who looks like a combination of a sharpee and a phallus. For fans of the series, I give Sex and the City a plus. As for the rest of us, I give it a big, long, seemingly never-ending neutral. (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
7:25 am	Review: 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' To enjoy Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, you pretty much have to erase your memory of the three Indy films that came out before it. This fourth installment in the Indiana Jones series has a total sci-fi bent whereas the originals were exclusively supernatural. The world Indiana Jones lived in has always been inhabited by dangerous villains and cool supporting characters, but the ones he encounters in his newest adventure are tame and poorly defined. More importantly, the temples and tombs our iconic swashbuckler used to raid were always so elaborate and fraught with danger, but with his newest Kingdom that Indy unlocks, he pretty much just walks through the door. There are no booby traps, no intricate puzzles to solve or bad guys to pose a serious threat. If Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ended with a sunset, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull takes place in the twilight between dusk and dawn. We are told that nearly everyone Indy knew from his previous adventures has passed away. Even those pesky Nazis who caused Indy so much trouble in the past have disbanded, only to be replaced by the seemingly less challenging Russians circa the Cold War. Having lost the race for the atomic bomb with the United States, the Reds kidnap Indy with the intention of forcing him to find a hidden artifact with mysterious psychic power that they plan to use to convert the world into communists. Of course, Indy escapes, after which he meets a switchblade-wielding greaser named Mutt played by Shia LaBeouf. Slicking his Hugh Jackman Wolverine-styled hairdo with a pocket comb dipped in Coca-Cola, Mutt is nowhere near as cool or brave as the young actor seems to think he is. And though it has been revealed that Mutt is in fact the son of Indy, if I were Dr. Jones, I would have demanded a paternity test. Evading the Russkies, Indy and Mutt eventually make their way to South America, the land of Mayans and action-set pieces. Unfortunately, many of those action-set pieces are less than spectacular or flat-out goofy. We see the Russians driving an elaborate deforestation vehicle that saws down trees and grinds them into pulp. The very sight of this machine made me look forward to the elaborate sequence wherein Indy would no doubt fight a bad guy while trying to avoid its path of destruction. Unfortunately, Indy merely blows up the mechanical tree-chomper with a bazooka before it can ever be used for any real dramatic effect. Even worse, while dangling from a vine, Mutt begins swinging through the jungle with a bevy of computer-animated monkeys as if he were Tarzan. It was at this point that the movie stopped being an Indiana Jones film for me. Such cartoony foolishness is more in line with Brendan Fraser's The Mummy series. Sure, a lot of kids will like it, but the adults who grew up with the real deal will know the difference. It's no wonder that star Harrison Ford seems eager to hang up the fedora by the end of the film. Maybe it's a good thing for ford. At 65, he's older than Sean Connery was when he portrayed Indy's elderly father nearly 20 years ago. Rocky Balboa and Die Hard 4 might have proved it's not impossible to be an action hero and AARP member at the same time, but Ford doesn't seem quite as battle-ready as Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone were in their last on-screen adventures. Also, the stuntmen, who obviously replaced Ford whenever he attempted a feat more demanding than scaling a flight of stone steps, are so much more lithe and spry than the actor that it's distracting. The fact that I've gone through this review without mentioning the contributions of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas speaks volumes about what they managed to do for this film - or didn't do for that matter. The Spielberg and Lucas who worked on this film aren't the ones who crafted Raiders of the Lost Ark. Instead, we got the guys who made Hook and The Phantom Menace. The Indiana Jones series that Spielberg/Lucas created had a slow-cooked matinee quality to it, but Kingdom of the Crystal Skull feels comparatively rushed and poorly planned. It's as if neither of them tried. Then again, considering that computer animation has made Spielberg's and Lucas' jobs so much easier these days plus the fact that their movie will probably make wads of cash regardless of its quality, who can blame them? Me. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
6:27 am	PODCAST: 'Indy IV,' 'Narnia 2,' and 'My Blueberry Nights 1.' On this first-ever Tuesday edition of “The Movie Show” Joe Scott tries to crack his critical whip on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull while Mike stands up in its defense. Also, the boys talk about the Red Dawn remake, Denzel Washington vs. President Tom Cruise, and manage to review My Blueberry Nights and Narnia 2 all in one action-packed hour and twenty-minute show. Soundtrack Selections include: “The Greatest” by Cat Power from My Blueberry Nights “Hound Dog” by Elvis from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -and- “2000 Man” by the Rolling Stones from Bottle Rocket. Stream it! Or subscribe! (Comment on this)
Friday, May 16th, 2008
6:20 am	PODCAST: "Donnie Darko" doesn't need a sequel. It’s goodbye Thursday nights on this week’s episode of “The Movie Show.” Mike and I hem and haw about S. Darko, the upcoming needless sequel to Donnie Darko, how the WB screwed themselves over by juking their Speed Racer stats, and an upcoming movie based on the hit Jim Henson HBO series Fraggle Rock. Plus, I punk Ashton Kutcher’s newest film, What Happens in Vegas. Soundtrack Selections include: “Love Action (I Believe in Love)” by The Human League from Son of Rambow; “Tonight I Have to Leave It” by Shout Out Louds from What Happens in Vegas; -and- “Magic Dance” by David Bowie from The Labyrinth. Stream it or subscribe! (Comment on this)
6:13 am	PODCAST: "Donnie Darko" doesn't need a sequel. It’s goodbye Thursday nights on this week’s episode of “The Movie Show.” Mike and I hem and haw about S. Darko, the upcoming needless sequel to Donnie Darko, how the WB screwed themselves over by juking their Speed Racer stats, and an upcoming movie based on the hit Jim Henson HBO series Fraggle Rock. Plus, I punk Ashton Kutcher’s newest film, What Happens in Vegas. Soundtrack Selections include: “Love Action (I Believe in Love)” by The Human League from Son of Rambow; “Tonight I Have to Leave It” by Shout Out Louds from What Happens in Vegas; -and- “Magic Dance” by David Bowie from </i>The Labyrinth</i>. Stream it</i> or subscribe! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 11th, 2008
9:10 am	My tribute to Star Wars and Indiana Jones composer John Williams (cover story). Name that tune Joe Scott Special to Go Triad May 7, 2008 He probably never intended to do so, but John Williams composed the score of my childhood. Growing up, whenever my kid brother did something that merited a beat-down, I would often whistle the opening march to "Superman" as I gave him what for. Any time I swam in an above-ground pool and someone chanted the two-note motif from "Jaws," my chances of being splashed, dunked or publicly humiliated in some way increased significantly. And when I played dodge ball while humming the adventurous theme to "Raiders of the Lost Ark," it seemed like no one on the other team could get me out. John Williams scored all of these timeless films, as well as the music for modern classics such as "Star Wars," "E.T.," "Schindler's List" and the "Harry Potter" series. The Greensboro Symphony Orchestra will pay tribute to Williams' memorable hits Saturday in "Movie Music of John Williams" with guest conductor Michael Krajewski. The presentation will combine live music with a video and slide presentation of classic films featuring Williams' work, as well as guest appearances by "Star Wars" characters such as Darth Vader and a small army of Imperial stormtroopers. "John Williams, I feel, is a really good way for us in the symphonic world to connect with a wider group of people," Krajewski says. "The music that he's written for those popular movies has been symphonic scores. So, it's provided new material, very good material, for orchestras." (Click here to read the rest of the story, which includes great interview clips from AICN's Eric "Quint" Vespe.) -- While working on this story, one of the first questions I asked myself was, 'How does it feel to watch movies for the first time the way that John Williams does?' Think about it: Williams got to see movies like Jaws, Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark long before the general public ever did. However, when he saw these films, he had to watch them sans his music which was a major reason that all of them were so good to begin with. That's kinda sad if you ask me. I submitted an interview request with Williams himself, but his people said he was too busy working on Indy IV to respond. So I quickly changed my point of attack. I thought of my lead almost instantaneously, spoke with a couple of online film score geeks, and got a fairly solid piece out of it. One person even wrote the editor to say that on a scale between 1 and 10, they gave the article a 20. Not bad, but at least sixty percent of that praise is owed to Tim Rickard, the artist who created some amazing artwork for the cover. We were originally going to go with a photo instead. I had tried to contact a couple of local Stormtroopers from the Carolina Garrison of the 501st Legion. But if that experience has taught me nothing else, it's that Imperial soldiers don't respond to e-mail in a timely fashion. Granted, they're probably very busy vaporizing jawas while framing Tuscan raiders, but if the Stormtroopers had contacted us in time, our plan was to get one or two members from the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra to sit in an orchestra pit and look surprised when they found out that the rest of their orchestra had been replaced with ... STORMTROOPERS! Unfortunately, the Stormtroopers didn't respond in time, which was more than fine because again, Rickard did such an incredible job. But then a few days after the photo deadline, I get the following e-mail from Charlotte area "Stormtrooper" Milton Nunez: Hey Joe, I read your e-mail regarding fun ideas to do with Star Wars characters and it sounds like fun but I want you to be aware that for some stormtroopers if not all it is extremely difficult to sit down. I personally can not do it in my costume. My point is to consider this in your plans. Any questions feel free to call me. Milton Nunez Stormtroopers can't sit down?!?! HA! No wonder they got owned by Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. (This is a great gospel video singing praises of for the Ewoks, featuring Billy D. Williams.) (Comment on this)
Friday, May 9th, 2008
12:06 pm	This week's PODCAST. On this week’s episode of “The Movie Show,” Joe and Mike drop advanced reviews on Speed Racer plus David Mamet’s Redbelt. They also dish on Iron Man, talk up the impending SAG strike, John Williams, Marvel Films, and Ellen Page as Jane Eyre. Soundtrack selections include: “Brand New Key” by Melanie from Boogie Nights; “You’re the Only One I’ve Been Looking For (Angela’s Theme)” by Frank Vinci from Sleepaway Camp; -and- “Making Time” by The Creation from Rushmore Stream it! Or subscribe! (Comment on this)