Little Miss Sunshine
Directed by: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Written by: Michael Arndt
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin

This is the best movie of the year so far and that’s definitely not an exaggeration. I don’t think I found anything wrong with this movie. It has peaks and valleys, the script is perfect, endearing and hysterical, and the characters are built so beautifully too. They waste no time in this film letting you know exactly who these characters are, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t grow as the film progresses.

Here’s the synopsis: Little Miss Sunshine is about a typical family unit and the youngest, a girl named Olive (played by the incredibly young and talented Abigale Breslin) gets the opportunity to compete in a beauty pageant in California. This event prompts the entire family to get into a VW Micro Bus and drive for 2 days straight to make it to the pageant. However, the movie turns into a Murphy’s Law type of plot — but not annoying like a predictable Ben Stiller flick. You may think several times that this movie will become that sort of plot, but you’ll be surprised.

Two things make this film so wonderful: the amazing and engaging story/script, and the actors who were cast to play the roles. With an ensemble cast of stars in this film you would think that they would be fighting for centre stage, but that wasn’t the case. It was truly a team effort and that is what made this film possible. Steve Carell pops up in his first role since The 40 Year Old Virgin only to play Uncle Frank, a gay PhD holder who has just tried to kill himself. His sister Sheryl, played by Toni Collette, is a mother and wife who is trying to stabilize her family while dealing with her husband Richard (Greg Kinnear), creator of a failing self help program. Her son Dwayne (Paul Dano) who has taken a vow of silence until he gets into flight school and explicitly states that he hates everyone. There’s also the lovable Olive, the other sibling in the eqauation who does some of the best acting I have ever seen a 9 year old do with such emotion and range. And finally, saving the best for last: the heroin snorting, foul-mouthed grandpa played the magnificent Alan Arkin.

Although this movie is about six individuals all trying desperately to figure out their lives, and although there is a lot of sadness and turmoil, you have never seen it mixed so well with non-stop laughter. This is not one of those films that starts out funny and then trails off into self-discovery and a heartwarming solution. This film is hysterical from start to finish with some dreams realized and some not. It also succeeds in reminding you of those vacations you are forced into with your family in a hot car, and although it was trying and shitty at the time, when you step outside of the situation and look in you realize just how pricelessly funny it was.

The movie’s characters are almost like one person combined and followed through their whole life. Here’s what I mean: you have a child who is still untouched by the horrors of life and reality, and then you have a 15 year old who is just in the vortex of the most painful experience of life itself: adolescence and high school. Then you have the mid-lifers, one a stable mother who is trying to hold her family together by offering motherly options and comfort. The other is a father who is ridiculously goal-driven who only believes in his personal philosophies, but is actually in denial of his own failure and can’t come to terms with it. Then we have a victim of failed suicide who has gone far enough in life to realize what it can do to you and has given up completely. Then you have a grandfather who has lived longer than anyone in the film, lived through what everyone in the film is going through, and has now made the decision to do whatever the hell he wants. Grandpa offers some of the best and most brutally honest advice a 15 year old could possibly ever get: “Fuck a lot of women.”

This movie was a story of a family who is always on the verge of a complete breakdown but somehow, through a chain of character building events, keep it together. What is great is that it never seems as though they actually want succeed as a family and have undertone of forced failure so that they can move on, on their own. However the story leads the audience up and down and the script always forces the family to stay together and work as a team. Especially since it takes all of them to push start their bus into 3rd gear every time they have to drive.

To be honest, just make sure you see this movie. It is the kind of film that absolutely everyone can laugh at, relate to and enjoy. — Jackson Main

Last week Vinnie Chase destroyed Spider Man’s 2002 opening weekend record of 114.8 million in the new James Cameron blockbuster Aquaman. Well, actually that was just in an episode of Entourage, but no sooner than the Entourage episode aired it seems that Pirates of the Caribbean sequel Dead Man’s Chest has totally crushed the previous opening weekend record held by Spider-Man himself. Taking in $132 million this weekend Pirates beat Spider-Man’s record by more 18 million dollars. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has said, “I didn’t think we’d get near these numbers.” Even though Bruckheimer’s Spidey senses were tingling on the surprise record, other industry finance experts predicted the high weekend number and still hope for a total $500 million profit on the summer hit. Experts are already predicting that the only movie to beat this high number will be the next Pirates installment which is now filming. Of course it will star Keith Richards as Jack Sparrow’s father.

Aaron Spelling, the man who is responsible for such monster televsion hits as the Mod Squad, Starsky and Hutch, Dallas, Charlie’s Angels and Beverly Hills 90210 has died at age 83. The televsion mogul died while resting in his massive, massive Los Angeles home after having a stroke on June 18th. Spelling, a rags to riches story, was born in Texas to a poor Jewish family in a bad ghetto neighbourhood. After serving in WWII, he graduated college then went to Hollywood where he acted, and eventually created incredibly popular TV shows. Spelling is survived by his wife with an un-stereotypical Los Angeles trophy wife name, “Candy”, and his son and daughter Randy and the talented Tori.

Can I say finally? Miami Vice is on its way, so it only seems logical now to release the classic Hasselhoff series Knight Rider. Harvey Weinstein is quoted as being a huge fan has bought the rights to produce the feature film Knight Rider from David A. Price the original creator of the show. The script which will be written by Price has a sort of 6 Million Dollar Man feel to it with the plot being based around a police investigator who is shot, left for dead and then nursed back to health by a mysterious millionaire. The main character then sets out for revenge on his assailants with a new face and new name… Michael Knight. No news yet on who the role of Michael Knight will go to but I hope KITT the famed car of the show is not some Batman Range Rover — it would be nice to have a Camaro. And it would be great if Hasselhoff plays the mysterious millionaire. Next up: the Magnum P.I. movie with Pierce Brosnan as Higgins.

The Vatican, which has been concerned with the Da Vinci Code since it first gained popularity as a book, has now launched a full blown boycott of the soon to be released film adapted from the novel. Vatican official Monsignor Angelo Amato calls the film “stridently anti-Christian…full of calumnies, offences and historical and theological errors regarding Jesus, the Gospels and the Church.” The argument the church is basically making is that they feel offended by what the film has made the Catholic church falsely out to be. They make the argument that if the same story had been made with lies and errors concerning the holocaust or Korea the world would be up in arms, but that no one seems to care that it is slamming the Church. The Catholic chuch is a powerful institution and while they may be taking a theory-based, fictional story (kind of like the Bible) to heart, one question remains: Will this hurt ticket sales with millions of people following the advice of divine powers?

It seems that dominating every corner of the earth with its 11,000 locations and peddling jazz compilations is just not enough for Starbucks now, what they really want to do is direct. Well, maybe not direct but producing and marketing movies is now their new venture outside of keeping everyone at a constant state of tense alertness. William Morris Agency has been hired by Starbucks to find entertainment opportunities for them to invest in after they entered the film biz with a marketing and profit sharing deal from the Lions Gate release Akeelah and the Bee. Starbucks hopes to continue with this kind of marketing and break into the book business as well. Next up will be a new venture starring Tom Hanks with the title How Starbucks Saved My Life with Gus Van Sant tentatively set to direct the feature. No this isn’t a joke here’s the link.

Awesome: I Fuckin’ Shot That!
Directed by: Nathaniel Hornblower aka Adam Yauch
Starring: The Beastie Boys

There have been a lot of concert films but few are like this one. It’s extremely hard to convey the actual feeling of being at a show on film and it’s rare to find a film that does it successfully. Films that come to mind may be Woodstock, Gimme Shelter and Pantera – Free (remember when they toss keg cups of beer into the crowd?). While Awesome: I Fuckin’ Shot That! may be no live Pantera experience, it certainly takes the viewer directly into the crowd of a live Beastie Boys concert at Madison Square Gardens.

The idea was to give 50 DV cameras to 50 audience members and allow them to capture the show how they saw it. At a filming tutorial before the concert began the filmmakers were given simple instructions to never stop shooting no matter what, to do whatever they wanted but just keep the camera on in front of them. This led to fantastic audience shots, people yelling into the camera and even a trip to the bathroom.

The idea of having 50 fans shoot the film is a great idea but the logistics of making it work are another reality. An idea like this it seems almost like predicting the future, you would have to know what end result you wanted to have. The core of the film seems more pre-constructed than its guerrilla image would have you believe. You would have to infer what kind of footage amateur filmmakers would produce and the Beasties probably knew what the end result would be. Considering the experience of the filmmakers, they showed an appropriate amount of respect but it was the Blair Witch Project of concert films. It worked for the most part because of rapid fire editing and Photoshop, and because the film was not only about the group on stage but also about shooting from the audience perspective and capturing the energy and excitement of being at a Beastie Boys concert.

When the Beasties take the stage they open the set with the core of the Beasties repertoire “Sure Shot”, “Root Down” and “Shake Your Rump” along with new tracks like “Triple Trouble” and “Hello Brooklyn”. They blast through every song with enthusiasm as though they’re playing it for the first time. They may have slowed down a bit but they still have energy that most guys their age do not. (Probably because they’re rich and relaxed.)

The reason the Beasties put on such a good show is because they haven’t gotten tired and jaded about playing their songs like others have. They only tour once every 5 years so they have an appreciation for their songs and their energy to play the music is fresh. When you see the film you realize what seasoned performers they are and the longevity of their career. This tour was perfect to film because the Beasties have now been making music together for close to 25 years and are able to play an incredible set of all of their hits. With the amount of material they have today and how many hits and fan favourites they have, it’s easy to construct a mixed set of great songs from every album. The show roared on non-stop and when it came time to play the bass heavy “Open Letter To NYC”, the bass was so loud and powerful that the entire arena was vibrating. All the footage was pulsating like a heartbeat in hands of the cameramen from the front of the stage right up to the action in the back section.

Incredible shots span the whole arena from the floor seats to the nosebleeds. Some people have fantastic footage from right beside the stage while others have the footage you usually get at the back with your cell phone camera. The footage isn’t dressed up either (except for some novelty Photoshop overlap) so some of the far shots will give you an almost intimate feeling of barely seeing the band from the back row where you and your friends have cheap seats.

The boys leave the stage after eight songs leaving Mix Master Mike doing a wicked, crowd howling interlude on the scratch tables. After 5 minutes of technical genius on the decks Mike’s entire podium spins 180 degrees to reveal a sort of 1960’s outdoor wedding band tent with deck lights and the Beasties clad in your parents’ prom outfits. With the help of keyboardist Money Mark, MCA and the boys jam out the instrumental tracks from Check Your Head and Ill Communication: “Sabrosa”, “Ricky’s Theme” and “Something’s Got To Give”. Ad Rock always looks like a dick when he plays guitar for some reason but it’s always great to see a serious MCA working the stand up bass. And Mike D just looks like how drummers always look. And by the way even though the Beasties still have energy and talent I hope they don’t kid themselves into thinking that this will work in 10 more years. I don’t want to see their already aging faces joking around like teenagers singing “Brass Monkey” when they’re 50, it will just ruin their image. Sonic Youth can do it but they can’t — that’s just the way it is.

“Check It Out” is the last song of the show (or so the audience believes), only to have the boys appear into an ecstatic audience to play “Intergalactic”. The boys walk through the aisles working the crowd with their mics, rapping and giving high-fives. They then make a quick run onto an elevator and back to the stage for another surprise as the three grab their instruments one last time to rip out “Gratitude” as well as the most anticipated song of the show. The tune that got your house wrecked at an already out of control high school kegger.

The good idea was actually made possible on film and it must have been an astronomical job to review 50 cameras’ worth of footage of a 90 minute show. However the perfect shots were always found to compliment the stellar live music and the emotion of the audience. I’m sure the DVD will be loaded with features and material but if you can, see this film on the big screen. It adds so much more to the live concert experience especially when the screen makes the Beastie Boys as big as their music. — Jackson

The Dayglo Abortions
Saturday, Sept. 25, 2004 @ Red Square, St. Catharines

First of all it was a punk night from the start. We were on our way to St. Catharines to enjoy the fruits of the wine festival, a time when students of all walks of life can get shit faced in public together legally. We however were done school though and so it went that we never made it off of our friend’s rooftop deck off on St. Paul st. listening to Screeching Weasel all the while. We never made it to Montebello Park for wine tickets and free Black Diamond cheese but somehow we did end up at Red Square for Goth night.

The Mansion house was a bust because it was all asshole grad students and first years who somehow knew my name. We quickly drank our beers and got the hell out of the open air setting we were in and headed down the street looking for a better atmosphere. I had my heart set on Kaz’s bar because the crowd is usually good and I have solid roots in spending a lot of my parent’s money there. Somehow we passed by it and found ourselves standing along side the one constant in popular youth culture, Goth kids. There’s been skids, punks, metal heads, grundgers and emo’s but the Goths kids just never seem to die, although a lot of them do look like exhumed corpses. I thought it would be at least amusing to rub elbows with the living dead for last call but my Alien Sex Fiend dreams were crushed when I reached the bottom of the steep staircase and found that one of the top five worst bands of all time were playing. Speaking of exhumed corpses it was non other that Day-Glo Abortions.

I saw this crap punk band in 1999 at the Frat House when they were supported by the equally old and untalented Bunchoffuckingoofs. It was then that my extreme dislike for this band began. I walked in for just about the last song of the evening and before I even had a Molson Stock Ale in my hand (Red Square is probably the only bar without a dirt floor to actually serve this) the band was announcing it was the last song for the evening. Much like the Day-Glo’s career this was not to be the last time we heard from them. How many times has this band announced their retirement? I think the last time they announced their conclusion was in the spring of this year and yet there they were playing to a far less than sold out crowd in a basement again. Thumbs up guys! The only one as old as you who is still pulling “the last concert ever” routine is Cher. Nevertheless after they said that they announced their last song they played about seven more songs as the band somehow got increasingly louder, drunker and shittier. Don’t worry if you like this band and for whatever reason missed the show because you didn’t miss anything. The guitarist still looks like an old punk version of your disheveled, alcoholic grandfather and the ancient, fat lead singer acted like an immature 15 year old. At least it was free and it wasn’t crowded with other 40 year old, sweaty, Mohawk clad losers who haven’t moved on. My night would have been totally ruined by seeing this show but after I left the bar it was redeemed when I was hit by a car. — Jackson Main

Napoleon Dynamite
Directed by: Jared Hess
Written by: Jared & Jerusha Hess
Starring: Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez

Every school had one. You know him, he wears out of date clothes and glasses from the early 80’s and he’s the only one who cares about ninjas at age 16. Well now this lovable nobody that everyone knows is at last getting his spotlight and the respect he deserves on the relatively big screen. It’s the new off beat, sarcastic comedy Napoleon Dynamite.

He doesn’t have skills, he’s negative and constantly annoyed and yet one of the most interesting characters in cinema at the moment. The film debuts Ron Herder; the Mormon university student turned character actor as Napoleon Dynamite and follows him through his mundane yet entertaining life in rural Idaho. One more fact about this movie, there is basically no plot whatsoever. It’s essentially a slice of life and a peek into the lives of Napoleon and everyone that surrounds him. His brother Kip, the 32-year-old unemployed, slightly gay, certainly dweeby computer chat room junkie. Their uncle Rico who is still wishing he got put into the fourth quarter to score the winning high school football touchdown. Now to make his dream a reality Rico convinces Kip to sell space age plastic Tupperware with him to finance the purchase of a time machine to transport him back to 1982. Deb, Napoleon’s neighbour with a crush, runs a glamour shot photo studio out of her house to make money for college. And of course Pedro the new kid at school who befriends Napoleon. With Pedro’s over confidence he and Napoleon explore dating and attempt to conquer popularity contests when Pedro campaigns for school president. Pedro’s platform: He has a sweet bike and he’s good at scoring chicks. With the exception of some of other minor characters that is the cast and the plot consists of them going about their business as usual while we watch.

In the grand tradition of contemporaries such as Wes Anderson (Rushmore) and Gus Van Sant (Elephant) this movie directed by new kid on the block Jared Hess relies heavily on stationary mise en scene and short, to the point dialogue. It is slow moving with extremely simple, palatable shots that somehow turn out hysterically funny and compelling at the same time. The film has no conflict to carry the characters through to point B; there isn’t even a point A. Only minor obstacles are presented to Pedro and Napoleon in which to overcome such as being picked on at school and being denied a date. The best part of these situations is that Napoleon doesn’t really realize he’s a sort of an odd nerd, which is why we love him. He never gets depressed, he instead reaches the same level of annoyance towards every situation and then moves on instantly leaving his troubles behind.

Lovers of The Coen Brothers and Wes Anderson films will find a new infatuation with this instant classic. The life of a young man wearing a helicopter tee shirt tucked into his sweat pants and space boots, with a vocabulary almost exclusively limited to the words “sweet,” “awesome” and “friggin’ idiot.” Full of one liners and brilliantly funny facial expressions this will quickly make its way to your favourite list. God what are you even doing? Go and see this sweet movie! Uhhhhhhhh. — Jackson Main

Secret Machines/The Fire Theft/Mellowdrone
Saturday, June 5, 2004 @ The Mod Club, Toronto

Having never heard of the Secret Machines before two weeks ago it was surprising to see that they were playing a show so soon after appearing in several small publications. More surprising was the fact that they were the opening act for Fire Theft and the fact that Fire Theft were getting no publicity for a show they were supposedly headlining. However the fact remained that Secret Machines were a recent hot ticket and Fire Theft were ex Sunny Day Real Estate so why not check it out.

Mellowdrone, a band out of L.A., opened up the show at 7:00 pm while onlookers sat in classy tables that lined the room neatly. It sort of felt like the scene in 24 Hour Party People at the Sex Pistols show, there was a buzz of energy in the air like something special was happening. In reality everyone was just stoned and the Mod Club theatre has pop art murals of David Bowie and other future boys from the 60’s and 70’s so you just thought you were in 1977. Mellowdrone fit there name fairly well, their music was kind of boring with too many influences falling out of their instruments. The lead singer also looked a lot like Joe Strummer but that’s probably not his fault. During their final number they let loose with some energy which left everyone in a hyper mood. It’s kind of a cheap move to do a mediocre set and then let loose and trick all the stoners into thinking you had a high energy show because they can’t remember the start. Kind of smart if you want to sell cd’s at the merch table though.

A step outside for a smoke led to a meeting with some underage maladaptive music listeners that were denied entry. Instead of getting angry they took matters into their own hands sat outside the stage door to catch a few spare notes which was incredibly cool. Maybe it’s just the new generation experimenting with this concept of concert attendance or maybe teenagers of the 90’s were just dumb but when I couldn’t get into a show I just complained and said dickhead things like “since when does age have anything to do with music” and then pouted in a Weezer shirt.

A step back into the show found an intimate table some domestic beer and a feedback buzz on a dimly lit stage that signified a voyage into the raw sound of the past. With a look and sound reminscant of late 1960’s psychedelic noise the group exploded into a fifteen minute opening song that had myself and many others awe stricken and wondering how much more we could handle. That was only the first song. The band led you up and down in tempo and one point guitarist Josh Garza was playing only one chord in the middle of three loud hits of the crash symbols by drummer Benjamin Curtis. That was repeated about thirty times with the occasional ambient addition of melody played on the organ by Benjamin’s brother Brandon. With a raw and simple sound like this arranged perfectly with excellent musical ideas it was hard not too imagine that everyone wasn’t having profound introspective thoughts such as my group was. While staring into the three large pot lights placed behind each member of the band that solely lit the stage I suddenly was struck with a fantastic film idea just as my friend Paul cried out “I just figured out how I’ll finish my essay!”

By the end of the Secret Machines mysterious set it felt like we were only shells of what we once were but really we just needed more to drink. With a couple of saucy little concoctions refueling our high running emotions it was now time for the final act of the evening (and I do mean evening at 9:30pm) Fire Theft. I was vague on The Fire Theft’s music before entering the show other than knowing that they were comprised of ex-Sunny Day Real Estate members Jeremy Enigk, William Goldsmith and Nate Mendel. So it was basically Sunny Day with a new name. If you didn’t already know the bassist from the Foo Fighters, Nate, headed up half the rhythm section in Sunny Day and it was extremely surprising when he walked out on stage with the band not knowing that he was in Fire Theft at the time. All the attempted suicides who were into emo in 1994 were probably wetting their pants and ruining their vegan skate shoes. The unsurprising part was that they sounded a lot like the mid-nineties punk influenced alt-rock they always played, but hey who doesn’t like that huh? This wasn’t an all ages show though so everyone in attendance remembered 1996. What else can be said about the Fire Theft though; their music had a good edge to it with some pop sensibility but I can’t say that the Secret Machines didn’t upstage them a bit. The two bands didn’t really belong together on the same bill; the dynamic was too different, from 1960’s psychedelic sound to 1990’s post skate punk. All the bands had a good sound, some fresher than others, but who cares, everyone at the show was hammered wearing their black hoodies and beards having a good time. — Jackson Main