Sooooo...I'm sorry I've been gone for a month. As some of you may know, I've been working as an assistant on some TV pilots for CBS and ABC. The experience has been incredible, but it's left me with very little down time for such luxuries as blogging (and haircuts.) But I haven't forgotten about ol' bloggy here. In fact, much like Simba in The Lion King or Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls or a C-list celebrity on Dancing With the Stars, I've been plotting my glorious return.
Here it is.
My Kinda Obssessed for the First Week of May:
ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. & GWYNETH PALTROW IN IRON MAN
It's already been said several times now, especially since the (almost) $100 million weekend it racked up, but Iron Man may be the best movie Marvel's ever had a hand in creating and it is certainly
hovering near the top of the All-Time Best Superhero Movie List. Rightfully, Downey, Jr. has been given a majority of the credit for the film's success; his superverbose charm of a performance is the whiz-bang verbal equivalent of the film's sleek, sparkling effects. The brilliant casting doesn't end there, though. Gwyneth Paltrow, first of all, is one of only a very small number of women who can play a character named Pepper Potts and make her convincing as a serious-minded professional but still hint at an old-fashioned femininity. The smirk at the character's name--and the genre-ness of it all, too--is so subtle that she never loses her grip on the character or her sense of fun. And the two together have fantastic chemistry. Not only do they look great together on screen, but their interplay brought out the several of the characters' best moments. Even if you're not into explosions and metal and things that go boom (although numbers suggest you are), go see Iron Man just to witness a great screen pairing.
JAMIE LIDELL'S JIM
Jamie Lidell's electronica-infused blue-eyed soul has always been heavy on the hooks and heavier on the experimenting. His last album, Multiply, sounded like a secret jam session between Michael Buble and Moby, so thick was it with jazz vocals and synthesized production. His new album Jim, takes a step back with the experimenting and the result is refreshing: Lidell's voice shines and his hook-laden melodies never get overshadowed by beeps and boops. (Mocky, one of the producers on Multiply, also helped produced Jim.) Lead-off single "Little Bit of Feel Good" exhibits how much jazz-funk fusion Liddel can pull off (answer: a lot) and other up-tempo tracks like "Hurricane" and "Outta My System" are joyfully infectious. And while the electronica wasn't working against him, this return to more traditional jazz instrumentation suits his voice beautifully, especially on "Another Day" and "Rope of Sand." Issue: his music videos are pretty retarded, but here's one anyway.
STEVE MARTIN IN BABY MAMA
It's a tiny part, but with a ponytail and casual egomania, the king of stand-up reminds us of just how funny he is and always has been and that, really, those Cheaper by the Dozen movies are just to pay off the beach house (right?). Really, Martin is the dose of zany that the film needed and his characterization of environmental entreprenuers--he lives out the lifestyle his health food endorses, but he's still always thinking of profits--is spot-on with being a spoof or a SNL character. He gives the guy a little depth, which only makes his shallowness that much more believable...and hilarious.
MAN STROKE WOMAN
My brother introduced me to this British sketch comedy show which, I'm shocked, we haven't stolen and tried to recreate yet here in America (where it would be called "Man Slash Woman"; the translation implies something that's not intended.) It's doubtful we would be able to find 6 people as hilarious as this cast, which includes a pre-Hot Fuzz Nick Frost. Some of the sketches are as short as a few seconds and they cut rapidly from one little sketch to another and often back to the same characters or situations. They go everwhere from outlandish to random to observant and satirical, but it's all seamless and even when the jokes fall a little flat--which is rare--these players deliver them with such perfect timing that they're still laugh out loud hilarious. Grab it on DVD before American television bastardizes it.
Here it is.
My Kinda Obssessed for the First Week of May:
ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. & GWYNETH PALTROW IN IRON MAN
It's already been said several times now, especially since the (almost) $100 million weekend it racked up, but Iron Man may be the best movie Marvel's ever had a hand in creating and it is certainly
hovering near the top of the All-Time Best Superhero Movie List. Rightfully, Downey, Jr. has been given a majority of the credit for the film's success; his superverbose charm of a performance is the whiz-bang verbal equivalent of the film's sleek, sparkling effects. The brilliant casting doesn't end there, though. Gwyneth Paltrow, first of all, is one of only a very small number of women who can play a character named Pepper Potts and make her convincing as a serious-minded professional but still hint at an old-fashioned femininity. The smirk at the character's name--and the genre-ness of it all, too--is so subtle that she never loses her grip on the character or her sense of fun. And the two together have fantastic chemistry. Not only do they look great together on screen, but their interplay brought out the several of the characters' best moments. Even if you're not into explosions and metal and things that go boom (although numbers suggest you are), go see Iron Man just to witness a great screen pairing.JAMIE LIDELL'S JIM
Jamie Lidell's electronica-infused blue-eyed soul has always been heavy on the hooks and heavier on the experimenting. His last album, Multiply, sounded like a secret jam session between Michael Buble and Moby, so thick was it with jazz vocals and synthesized production. His new album Jim, takes a step back with the experimenting and the result is refreshing: Lidell's voice shines and his hook-laden melodies never get overshadowed by beeps and boops. (Mocky, one of the producers on Multiply, also helped produced Jim.) Lead-off single "Little Bit of Feel Good" exhibits how much jazz-funk fusion Liddel can pull off (answer: a lot) and other up-tempo tracks like "Hurricane" and "Outta My System" are joyfully infectious. And while the electronica wasn't working against him, this return to more traditional jazz instrumentation suits his voice beautifully, especially on "Another Day" and "Rope of Sand." Issue: his music videos are pretty retarded, but here's one anyway.
STEVE MARTIN IN BABY MAMA
It's a tiny part, but with a ponytail and casual egomania, the king of stand-up reminds us of just how funny he is and always has been and that, really, those Cheaper by the Dozen movies are just to pay off the beach house (right?). Really, Martin is the dose of zany that the film needed and his characterization of environmental entreprenuers--he lives out the lifestyle his health food endorses, but he's still always thinking of profits--is spot-on with being a spoof or a SNL character. He gives the guy a little depth, which only makes his shallowness that much more believable...and hilarious.
MAN STROKE WOMAN
My brother introduced me to this British sketch comedy show which, I'm shocked, we haven't stolen and tried to recreate yet here in America (where it would be called "Man Slash Woman"; the translation implies something that's not intended.) It's doubtful we would be able to find 6 people as hilarious as this cast, which includes a pre-Hot Fuzz Nick Frost. Some of the sketches are as short as a few seconds and they cut rapidly from one little sketch to another and often back to the same characters or situations. They go everwhere from outlandish to random to observant and satirical, but it's all seamless and even when the jokes fall a little flat--which is rare--these players deliver them with such perfect timing that they're still laugh out loud hilarious. Grab it on DVD before American television bastardizes it.
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