Jim's Guts

Studs Terkel - May 16, 1912 - October 31, 2008 (Updated)

The world, and more importantly its workers have lost an amazing voice. My introduction to Studs (I never met the man, but it seems to me that he would have hated to been called Mr. Terkel) was when my folks gave me "Working", a book that's still relevant today.

Studs, you will be missed, but not forgotten.

Update - As always, my friend Mr. Jones is way more eloquent than I...

“Spring Awakening”…

I'm really not sure why I've had difficulty writing this review. On the face of it, "Spring Awakening" is a pretty straight forward theater experience. Yes there is profanity, sex, and violence in the show, but those are hardly new to theater, so what makes this show different? I keep coming back to the two basic elements – the story and the music.

At its core "Spring Awakening" is about growing up. Though the German play on which the show is based (and actually follows quite closely) was written in the 1890's, the issues that the "kids" deal with are surprisingly current. Sexuality, abuse (both sexual and physical), the pressure to succeed in school, running away, growing up, teenage pregnancy, abortion, and suicide are all dealt with during the show. Most importantly, in my view, is that they're all dealt with honestly. The problems these kids face aren't contrived or a stretch of the imagination and the way the show deals with them is both honest and genuine.

As for the music, it's what drives the show. It also manages to strikes a unique balance between ballad and rock, never falling into "Show Tune" realm at any point. The songs also help give voice to the issues, and while whole soundtrack is excellent (and I've been listening to it for a couple weeks straight now and there's no filler), there are a few songs that deserve special mention – The first "rock" song of the show, features the boys singing about "The Bitch Of Living", a unique look at puberty and the "problems" that it brings. A little later on, one on of girls admits that she's physically beaten by her father which leads to one of the most powerful songs in the show, "The Dark I Know Well", about two girls who are sexually abused by their father. As one of the boys is contemplating suicide, he wonders about how it would be to not have a care in the world, and sings that "I Don't Do Sadness". But the song that brings the house down is one that everyone can relate to regardless of age; as the lead realizes that he's going to be blamed for what's happened, he sings "Totally Fucked" ("There's a moment you know, you're fucked").

This is not a show with a happy ending, but it is an excellent one. I saw it twice during its Seattle run, and the second show had a younger audience which really changed the energy in the building. I can understand the reluctance of parents taking their teens to see a show that deals with these issues, but it was interesting to hear the dialogue that started during intermission and after the show. "Spring Awakening" has jumped into my Top Five.

Monty Python was right...

I had tickets to see "Spamalot" for a couple of days after Eric died, but didn't feel like going so I gave Gino our tickets and she went with someone else. Like most geeks our age, Monty Python was a huge hit with us, and Eric & I would quote lines frequently, so I decided at the last minute to go by myself to the show. I'm glad I did, the finale is a sing-along to "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life" and I was probably the only person in the audience laughing, smiling, and crying at the same time. Anyway, if you're not fimilar with the song, here it is...

"Some things in life are bad / They can really make you mad / Other things just make you swear and curse.
“When you're chewing on life's gristle / Don't grumble, give a whistle / And this'll help things turn out for the best...

“And...always look on the bright side of life... / Always look on the light side of life...

“If life seems jolly rotten / There's something you've forgotten / And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
“When you're feeling in the dumps / Don't be silly chumps / Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing.

“And...always look on the bright side of life... / Always look on the light side of life...

“For life is quite absurd / And death's the final word / You must always face the curtain with a bow.
“Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin / Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow.

“So always look on the bright side of death / “Just before you draw your terminal breath
“Life's a piece of shit / When you look at it / Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true.
“You'll see it's all a show / Keep 'em laughing as you go / Just remember that the last laugh is on you.

“And always look on the bright side of life...”

“The Corporal’s Diary”

A friend from the Ride had sent several of her friends an e-mail a while back inviting us to see a movie about a young man in the US Army. Corporal Jonathan Santos was deployed to Iraq in September of 2004 and on October 15th of that year, after being in-country for 38 days, he was killed when the convoy he was working in was attacked. Corporal Santos was 22 years old.

Prior to his deployment Cpl Santos purchased a video camera which he used to capture life around his Company's "home in Iraq. He also (much to his mother's surprise) kept a daily diary, which along with the video make up the bulk of the movie "The Corporal's Diary". In addition to Cpl Santos and his family, the movie also features Specialist Matthew Drake the only member of Santos' Humvee's crew that survived, albeit with TBI.

This movie isn't for the War or against the War, it doesn't judge the job our military is doing in Iraq, that's for us to do. Instead this movie provides a glimpse into the life of one young soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice and paid the ultimate price. One of the unfortunate side effects of our all volunteer military force is that most Americans don't know anyone serving (or who has served) in Iraq and Afghanistan, this movie affords them an opportunity to see what that looks like on a very personal level.

Do yourself a favor and take the time to see this movie. Regardless of what you think of the US' Iraq policy this is unlikely to change your mind. What it will do is give you some insight into the "instruments" of those policies. Because of the movie's subject matter and short running time (60 minutes), it isn't likely that it will go into wide release, but if you live in an area with a local film festival I'd check there. It will also be released for sale on October 28th and hopefully be on Netflix.

Many thanks to our friend Miko for sharing this movie with me.

“Iron Man”…

First off, it's Iron Man. Ironman is a triathlon or triathlete, Iron Man is the comic book hero. Now that we've got that out of the way…Iron Man was one of my favorite comics (looking back, I think I always enjoyed the characters who weren't born with super powers; Iron Man, Batman Captain America, but as always I digress) so I was both excited ("X-men", "Batman Returns") and leery ("Daredevil", "Hulk") when I heard that they were making an Iron Man movie. I shouldn't have worried…

I really enjoyed "Iron Man". It's fun, fast (I never checked my watch during the movie), you don't need to know to know the comic to enjoy it. Of course if you do know the comics and the "Marvel Universe" there are several great little in jokes for you as well (including a new government agency that gave me a big laugh).

With movies like this action is puts people in the seats and on this score "Iron Man" doesn't disappoint; bad guys get what's coming to them in high tech glory, and the scenes where Stark is building and learning how to use his suit include some of the funniest bits. I don't want to say too much because I'd hate to spoil it, but if you've enjoyed the trailers I can safely say that you'll really enjoy the full suit.

While the action is fantastic, where the movie really shins is in the casting. A strong supporting cast includes Terrence Howard as "Rhodey" and a redheaded Gwyneth Paltrow as Stark's long time assistant "Pepper Potts", both huge parts of the comic book. Jeff Bridges is fantastic as the bad guy Obadiah Stane (also from the comics). But the real genius was in tapping Robert Downey Jr. to play Stark, a role he pulls off beautifully. It's funny to say this about a superhero action flick, but there are a lot of great characters in this movie and they're all played pretty much to perfect pitch.

Overall this definitely falls into the really fun popcorn movie. As I said before about this type of movie, it's not "Gandhi" or "Chariots of Fire", but if you're looking for a little escapist entertainment, this is the best I've seen this year.

Trailer watch (the movies before the movies) –

"The Hulk" – I think it's hilarious that no one mentions the Ang Lee version, it's like it never happened (and it shouldn't have). That said, the "new" one looks pretty good.
"The Dark Knight" – This is a tough one because it's Heath Ledger's last film, but he looks phenomenal as the Joker, really looking forward to this one.
Indy 4 – It's amazing that you can show just the silhouette of a guy in a fedora and everybody immediately knows who it is.

It’s a Dirty Job…

Faith No More had it right; it is a "dirty job but someone's gotta do it", fortunately that someone usually isn't me. Even more fortunately that some is frequently Mike Rowe and his film crew. With the exception of sports and movies, I don't watch a lot of television, but TiVo is a wonderful tool and thanks to it I've become a huge fan of Dirty Jobs. If you haven't seen the show, the host (the aforementioned Mike Rowe) and his crew go across the country doing the important jobs that people rarely see, but without which we'd notice. For me the thing that sets the show apart is twofold; first Mike actually does the work that he's talking about. Secondly, and maybe even most importantly, while he's almost always able find the humor in the situation, it's never at the expense of the people who do the work day after day (frequently the humor is at his own expense). From making water tanks above New York City, to harvesting cranberries in Oregon, to life on a dairy farm, the episodes and jobs provide humor and insight. If you're a fan of good TV, and don't mind a little dirt, it's well worth checking out.

“The Forbidden Kingdom”

I grew up watching Kung Fu movies. There was a theater near our house back in Rancho Cordova that on Saturday afternoons showed the classics of wuxia cinema; "Chinese Boxer", "Five Deadly Venoms", "Master Of The Flying Guillotine", "Drunken Master", etc. I loved them back then, and I have to admit that if I happen past one on TV I almost always stop to watch. So when I heard about "The Forbidden Kingdom", the new film staring two of the genre's biggest stars, Jet Li and Jackie Chan, I pretty much knew I'd be seeing it.

The story is pretty simple, teenage outcast who is really into Kung Fu movies travels back to ancient China to return a staff he found. Honestly the plot couldn't be more formulaic and predictable. Still, I have to admit, I enjoyed it. Look it's not "Gandhi" or "Chariots Of Fire", but the fight scene between Li and Chan is worth the price of admission. Featuring both "wire fu" (stunts done with wires, think "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") and standard forms (including "drunken style" which is a great nod to Chan's breakout movie "Drunken Master") you get to watch two virtuosos use all their talents. The rest of the movie's fights are enjoyable, but there's no doubt that it's Chan and Li's movie.

In short – If you're a fan of Kung Fu movies you'll probably enjoy the movie, otherwise there's not much there.

Trailer watch (the movies before the movies) –

"Speed Racer" – I was surprised to hear that the L&T wants to see this, but it's definitely on my list. If you've seen the cartoon, you know the movie, and it looks like the whole gang is here - Speed, Pops, Trixie, Spritle, Chim-Chim, Snake Oiler, even Racer X. Oh yeah, I'm seeing it.
"Bangkok Dangerous" – Looks like "Grosse Point Blank" but without the humor (or the Cusacks). I'll need to see a better clip than the one I did before I can for sure that I'd see it.

Ollie Johnston, 1912 - 2008

The last surviving member of Walt Disney's "Nine Old Men" died on Monday (14 April) at the age of 95. Ollie was one of the greatest artists to have ever worked for Disney, and was a legend in the Company (our 2^nd Golden Retriever, Goldsmith's Work of Art, CD, was named after Ollie). His talent and his passion, not just for the work of animation, but the spirit of the art itself, lives on at the Company to this day.

It's somewhat fitting that the last "appearance" by Ollie was a cameo in the 2004 Disney/Pixar movie "The Incredibles", appearing with his friend and collaborator (and also a member of the "NOM") Frank Thomas. During the scene Ollie says "There's no school like the old school", which was writer / director Brad Bird's homage to the legacy of Frank & Ollie, and a fitting tribute to the men who made movies like "Toy Story", "Cars", and "Ratatouille" possible.

“No Country For Old Men”

I finally took the time to go see the Oscar's Best Picture winner on Wednesday afternoon, and this may be the easiest review to review ever – If you like the Coen Brother's, if you liked "Fargo", "O Brother, Where Art Thou", "The Big Lebowski", "Barton Fink", you'll like this movie. If not, don't bother. I would however add this quick disclaimer; while there is humor to be found here, this is a very violent film and not for the squeamish. I think the violence helps to tell the story, but while there are a couple of laugh out loud bits, it is decidedly not a comedy.

As with most great Coen films, the movie is filled with wonderful, yet flawed, and very real characters. While the pseudo-hero / everyman Moss, the laconic Sherriff (played fantastically by Tommy Lee Jones, by far my favorite character in the film), and the psychopathic killer Anton Chigurh (Bardem's Oscar was well deserved) are rightly the focus of the story, even the smaller parts are fantastic and add a ton to the total picture. And while the violence is harsh and feels real, it's done to advance the story not just for the thrill of putting some blood on the screen, much like "Fargo" when it happens it's sudden and shocking.

Overall I thought it was a great movie and well deserving of the awards it has garnered.

Trailer watch (the movies before the movie) –

"Funny Games" – Looks a lot like and updated and much scarier version of "Clockwork Orange", could be very good and very creepy.
"21" – The "fact based" story of 6 kids from MIT that took Vegas casinos for a lot of money.
"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" – The latest from the creative team behind "Knocked Up" and "40 Year Old Virgin", that's pretty much all you have to say.

A study in Black, White, and Red…

I was fortunate enough to see Steven Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" when a full orchestra revival of the theatrical show came to the 5^th Avenue Theater in the fall of 2005. Until then I had never seen the show live, but knew most of the music from watching the production on PBS in the late 70's. (Side note, if you've seen the show or movie, try to imagine the lovable Mrs. Potts as Mrs. Lovett in that version, very disturbing. But I digress…). After seeing the production, I thought the show was classic Sondheim, tight story, great music, and just the right amount of gore. So when I heard they were going to make a movie of it, well, I was a little unsure.

Turns out that I shouldn't have worried. The movie is actually better then the show (which is painful for me to say that a movie is better than live theater). The problem with the live theater is that everything has to be played BIG or the folks in the back will have no idea what's going on. On screen however you don't have that problem, so a movie can bring it in close and quiet, which in this case adds an amazing punch.

Johnny Depp is excellent as the deeply disturbed Todd, and while I agree with most that perhaps Helena Bonham Carter doesn't quite have the vocal range for Todd's equally disturbed accomplice, Mrs. Lovett, she really is fantastic in the role. There's also a very strong supporting cast, including Sacha Baron Cohen's fantastic turn as Signor Pirelli (a rival barber) and Alan Rickman's Judge Turpin (Rickman may be the best "villain" in film right now).

The movie is shot in mostly black and shades sepia, and a fair amount of red. Not so much red that it becomes "Friday the 13^th", but when the Todd does his thing, it does get colorful. Director Tim Burton does a wonderful job of juxtaposing the dark, cold side of London's Fleet Street, with the vibrant colors of sudden violence that's a huge part of the story. And he does on film what can't be done on the stage; he brings the viewer in close, and during several of the songs, has the actors sing quietly, which just adds to the tension.

Overall, the movie was totally worth the full price ticket that I paid for it and I highly recommend it (though due to its subject matter, it is definitely for mature audiences).

“Something So Strong”

I've lived in Seattle for 17 years now, and each Labor Day I think to myself "I should really try to get to Bumbershoot this year…" And for the past 16 Labor Days I've been busy, or noncommittal, or just missed it. For those of you not familiar with Bumbershoot it's a three day music festival with acts from across the spectrum of music. Seriously this year acts ranged from the Pacific Northwest Ballet to the Wu Tang Clan, and pretty much everything in between. It's a great bargain with tickets $30/day and once you're in, you're free to see anyone you'd like (and don't mind queuing up for).

This year was a little different however because a perennial "Gang" favorite, Crowded House, had reunited with founding members Neil Finn and Nick Seymour, one time band mate Mark Hart , and new drummer Matt Sherrod and opening this year's festival, so there was finally impetus to get off our duffs and go.

Deciding we had best be well fueled for the day ahead; I, the L&T, Kris & Sandi, Fina, and Timmy met at The Blue Star Café for some breakfast (Laguna scramble [eggs, spinach, mushrooms, onions], potatoes, and sourdough toast, or as the L&T refers to it, my "freezer jam delivery vehicle") then made our way down to the Seattle Center.

None of us had been to Bumbershoot before, so we weren't really sure what to expect, but it was actually smoother than I expected. The queue was pretty long to get into the grounds, but when the gates opened the line moved very quickly and soon we were in the queue (notice a pattern?) to get into the show site, a large outdoor venue. The weather was fantastic, warm and sunny, so we found a spot about 50 feet from the stage in the center and chatted about everything and anything while waiting for the show to begin.

When the band came on they didn't disappoint! Huge energy, great mix of old and new music, fun with each other and the crowd, it was a great show. In fact my only complaint was that because it was a festival they were on a very tight schedule and could only perform for an hour. I understood it, but was bummed out none the less. If you get the chance, go see them…

Fina & I decided to stick around for the next act, The Shins and said goodbye to everyone else. We certainly listened to the music, but spent most of the show in the back catching up. But we had darn good atmosphere…

I said goodbye to Fina, got a little something to eat, and closed out the my day with Head Automatica where I was easily the oldest guy in the room.

So, would I do it again? Probably, if the right band was coming, it was a lot of waiting around and you couldn't band hop as much as I had hoped for, but I did have a great time. Thanks to the Gang and the L&T for a wonderful end of summer bash!

SIFF – Part 1

The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) kicked off Memorial Day weekend, but because of CROC, it really kicked off for Kirsten and me on Tuesday. The L&T and I have been regular attendees of SIFF for the last few years now, and that time I can't remember ever starting as strongly as I have this year. Two movies seen and both of them 5's on my "Golden Space Needle" ballot (that's the viewers' choice award, with 5 being the highest rating and 1 being the lowest).

First up was the opening of our SIFF, "Death at a Funeral" a decidedly black comedy that will open in wide release June 29^th. The movie is directed by Frank Oz, who was at this showing, which is always a treat. While the movie has a fairly of formulaic plot (you won't be too surprised by much that happens in the film), that never detracted from the enjoyment for me. Although the cast is primarily British and therefore not well known here in the States, it is superb top to bottom. That said, the movie is stolen by a "Yank", Alan Tudyk ("Steve the Pirate" from "Dodgeball" and "Wash" on the excellent "Firefly"), who gives a fantastic performance that hits every mark perfectly. Go see this movie when it opens in wide release.

There are some movies that Kirsten just isn't interested in seeing (most of them are documentaries) so I go by myself. Such was the case with last night's showing of "In the Shadow of the Moon". Director David Singleton gathered most of the surviving Apollo program astronauts (Neil Armstrong, while obviously a huge part of the movie, declined to appear in it. The director said that in retrospect this is actually a good thing as it doesn't diminish the legend, and I'd have to say that I agree…) and combined interviews with them along with NASA archival footage to make an amazing portrait of both the men who stepped foot on the moon and the support system designed to get them there. The movie alternate between being uplifting (Apollo 13), funny (Capt. Al Bean is hilarious), poignant (some time is spent discussing the Apollo 1 tragedy), but it is always engaging. Also in attendance at the showing were the director and Brig. General William Anders who took the famous "Earthrise" picture.

As I said, an unprecedented start to SIFF for me. Next up is "The Ten" on Saturday…

Wicked!

I’ll say it, and I’m not ashamed to admit this – I love this show. I’ve loved it since the first time I heard the music. It’s extremely well written, at times both funny and touching. I knew the music by heart before I saw the show. In September of last year I was finally able to see production in Seattle at the beautiful Paramount Theater, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The set was excellent and the story around the music dovetailed very well, and of course the actors (part of the national tour) did an amazing job.

Friends and family know that I’m a theater geek and so it was that tast night, still in LA and with nothing left to do work wise I decided to see Wicked again. Playing at the Pantages (of all the shows I’d seen in LA, I’d never been to the Pantages), a wonderful old theater. The production there was different in that to veteran actors (Carol Kane as Madame Morrible and John Rubinstein as the Wizard), but more than that it had matured dramatically. There were more “laugh lines” and the cast did a great job of waiting and playing up the right lines. In any event, last night’s performance secured “Wicked” as my favorite show (followed closely by “Avenue Q”, but that’s another post…).