Sundance 2009: Paul Giamatti, Michael Cera, and Living in Public
Here's what I learned about the stars at Sundance this year: Paul Giamatti literally gave up his soul for a little peace and to improve his performance as Chekov's Uncle Vanya. Michael Cera and Charlyne Yi gave up their privacy when they agreed to let a documentary crew follow them around on dates. And both of these things can lead to madness. Or at least that's the premise of two fictional films and a documentary playing at Sundance. Cold Souls and Paper Heart both incorporate the images and names of their stars into their fictional stories, and a third film,... read more
Sundance 2009: Young Romance
I've joked in the past about teen romances at Sundance. They seem to collapse into a subgenre all their own, each one telling the cute and touching story of a troubled loner (male) who is brought out of his shell by a perky new friend (female). I understand why young, inexperienced (male) filmmakers make these movies; I just don't understand why the Sundance programmers find them so interesting year after year. But in 2009, I'm glad to say, the filmmakers have been trying to break the mold. Some are finding more success than others, but I appreciate every effort. *... read more
Sundance 2009: Taking Chance and Reporter
Well, it's been a busy weekend at Sundance, where I've packed in nearly twenty screenings since the last report. Let me start with a couple that I found particularly good: Taking Chance is a very simple film about Lt. Col. Michael Strobl (Kevin Bacon) who is escorting the body of a fallen PFC named Chance Phelps to his family. In under ninety minutes, the film bears witness to the respectful procedures that the USMC follows in such situations and to the reactions of ordinary Americans who Strobl meets on this particular journey. He doesn't know the Private, and we learn... read more
Sundance 2009: It Might Get Loud
A friend remarked to me that It Might Get Loud "has Paste written all over it," and sure enough it does seem to be up our alley. Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, the director of An Inconvenient Truth, had the idea of bringing Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White together to talk about guitars. And, you know, if they felt the urge, to jam a little. The result is a film that works as a brief chronicle of each musician's life and career — chock full of old clips, photos, concert footage, recordings, and visits to pivotal locations — as well... read more
Sundance 2009: Mary & Max
Sundance 2009 is upon us, and like the rest of the world, everything here is upside down. Those of us traveling in from the east, where it's snowy and bitterly cold, are getting the shock of 40-degree weather and dry ground in Park City, Utah, the home of the festival and a town that's usually more recognizable as a frozen filmcicle in late January. This year, the sidewalk and my boots have spontaneously developed a phenomenon called traction, and before the opening night film I made a grocery run in my shirtsleeves. And as if that weren't enough, the programmers... read more
CMJ 2008, Day 3: Juliana Hatfield @ Housing Works Bookstore
If you ever wondered where singer/songwriter Juliana Hatfield honed the inspiration to write the lyrics that compose her introspective, expansive discography, her new memoir, When I Grow Up, provides more than few intimate clues. Recently released along with her latest album, How to Walk Way, the book poignantly depicts the 90s alt-rock pioneer's battles with personal insecurity as she grew into her musical career.... read more
CMJ 2008: PasteMD's guide to CMJitis
Did CMJ hit you as hard as it hit us? Did the constant barrage of free schwag, buzz bands and draft beer push you over the edge? Are you suffering from a case of the dreaded CMJitis? If you're unsure, check out our handy symptom guide.... read more
CMJ 2008, Day 3: Ebony Bones @ Hiro Ballroom
After being denied the sold-out Crystal Castles show at Webster Hall and arriving too late to check out The Dears at Hiro Ballroom, I was in desperate need of some live entertainment. Fortuitously, a group of British festival goers told me to stick around for Hiro's after party with London's Ebony Bones, and I'm certainly glad I did.... read more
Austin Film Fest - Day Four - from Happiness to Demon Possession
Happiness IsDirector Andrew Shapter surprised a lot of people with his first film, the documentary Before the Music Dies. But it appears that taking on the music industry was not a big enough topic because now Shapter takes a look at what makes people happy, and why, and where, and how, in his new film Happiness Is. Filled with interviews ranging from scientists to shoe shiners, from rock stars to average Joes, the film offers some interesting clues as to what makes people happy. A partial list of some notable interviews: Willie Nelson, the Dalai Lama, 94 year old bluesman... read more
CMJ 2008, Day 2: Re-Revolutionary War with the Rumble Strips and Takka Takka
[Above: The Rumble Strips]On the second night of CMJ, we went back to 1775 (in our minds, at least) to pit England's The Rumble Strips against Brooklyn's own Takka Takka in a Re-Revolutionary War of sorts. There weren't any red coats or harbors full of tea, and no one was trying to oppress us, but with a lone British act warming up the crowd at Paste's Artist's Lounge in preparation for a celebrated Brooklyn band, what's a music writer to do but simulate a little faux cross-continental rivalry?... read more
Sitges Film Festival 2008: The Good, The Bad, The Weird
[Above: Lina Leandersson in Let the Right One In]Another 10 days at the world’s leading festival for fantastic cinema have come to a close. All the extraterrestrials have phoned home. And the zombies are in repose until next October. Despite very late nights drinking with actors, filmmakers, distributors and programmers from Finland, Colombia, Korea, Japan, Ireland, Australia, France, Canada, New York and, of course, Spain, I managed to see 23 or 25 or 27 movies, often sleeping on my feet, so that the whole experience began to feel like an endless reel.... read more
CMJ 2008, Day 1: Gringo Star, Wild Light, Cheeseburger and Vivian Girls point/counterpoint
[Above: Cheeseburger]This year, Paste and friends are helping out CMJ's hardworking, college-beloved musicians with the inaugural Artist Lounge, featuring a bit of swag and lots of bands each and every night of the festival. If you missed last night's opening ceremonies, Paste:Local NYC's Courtney and Sean are here to catch you up on Monday night's performances by Gringo Star, Wild Light, Cheeseburger and Vivian Girls.... read more
Austin Film Fest - Day Three - Longhorns, the best show in town
Before heading to the evening's football game between my alma mater the #1 Texas Longhorns and the Missouri Tigers I had a chance to see a couple films. They weren't bad but it's hard to beat the show I saw from Colt McCoy and his supporting cast. After jumping out to a 35-0 lead the Horns coasted to a 56-31 victory. Hook 'em!LargoThis cool little, stripped down rock doc surprised me with its simplicity and breadth of talent displayed. Artists like Fiona Apple, Andrew Bird (above), Jon Brion, Jackson Browne, David Garza and Aimee Mann were filmed in black and... read more
Austin Film Fest - Day Two - "Like Mountain Spring Water"
At this festival the primary focus is on the screenwriter. There are multiple opportunities to meet and ask questions of some of our most successful writers. There's also a screenplay and teleplay competition which opens all sort of doors for winners. There's a great success story about last year's teleplay winner Scott Richter.I had the pleasure of meeting one of this year's semi-finalists, Tom Basham, at the annual Film Texas BBQ. If we're related we aren't sure how, but it's nice to know someone named Basham has some scriptwriting talent!Slumdog MillionaireIf there's a better film in 2008 than Danny Boyle's... read more
Austin Film Fest - Day One - Ernest (W.) Goes To Washington
W.One of my favorite film events in the country, the Austin Film Festival, kicked things off with Oliver Stone's W. or what I call "Ernest Goes to Washington". Josh Brolin wasn't all that bad as the lame duck prez, even if the depiction was anything but flattering. But a meandering script and some poor portrayal decisions (Thandie Newton playing Condoleezza Wright as a cartoon character comes to mind) leads to another weak Stone film about an historical figure (Remember Alexander?).Song Sung BlueOn the other hand, the real-life biography and documentary of Milwaukee's musical duo "Lightning and Thunder" in Song Sung Blue... read more
Sitges Film Festival 2008: Ferrara on the Rocks
[Above: William Burroughs and Andy Warhol in Chelsea on the Rocks]Within the “if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere” mythology of New York City, the Chelsea Hotel has always held a unique spot as a haven for misfits, bohemians and vagabond geniuses. Even as the rest of Manhattan gentrified and Disneyfied, the 12-story building at 222 East 23rd Street—a hotel since 1905—held its ground, its rooms occupied by everyone from Dylan Thomas to Bob Dylan, Sid Vicious to Julian Schnabel, Arthur Miller to Courtney Love. It’s a cultural landmark of the feverish demimonde that has made... read more
Sitges Film Festival 2008: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid
All that is mondo melts into Sitges. Brain-eating zombies! Samurai assassins! Spooky children with spookier smiles! Post-apocalyptic clones! Robot monsters! Naked babes! Dead naked babes! Dead naked babes that bite!... read more
ACL Music Fest - Part Two
Walking to the ACL Fest can be kind of an adventure. Unless you have a VIP parking space close by there's a good chance you're on a trek of anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. But the walk isn't boring. Street musicians, homeless people (sometimes they are one in the same), vendors selling hats and caps and pipes and earrings and water and food, plus ticket scalpers looking to sell that day's wristband. I even saw a guy selling puppies.I happened to be backstage when John Fogerty, Mr. Creedence Clearwater himself, was preparing to go on. This guy amazes... read more
Austin City Limits 2008, Day 3: Gillian Welch
Gillian Welch is my second favorite live performer. She and David Rawlings are so consistent, it's like all they need's a few instruments and each other. And there's something about seeing them at a festival that makes me think they should only ever perform outdoors--a natural setting somehow authenticates the songs. On the AMD stage Sunday, played a lovely mixture of old favorites like "Look At Miss Ohio," live favorites like "Throw Me A Rope," and a couple of soon-to-be-favorites--one about a knuckleball catcher and one about a sweet tooth. They even invited Alison Krauss (who played the same stage... read more
Austin City Limits 2008, Day 3: Nicole Atkins & the Sea, Okkervil River, plus the Swell Season's Austin City Limits taping
For me, the last day of a festival can go either way: I've either hit my stride and am entertaining delusions of being able to keep up the pace for another few days, or I'm dragging my feet through the dust, struggling to make it from tent to tent and ruing the fools who thought hosting an outdoor music event in [insert Southern state here] in [insert summer month here] was a good idea.... read more
The 20 Best Gadgets of the Decade…
The 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade
The 50 Best Albums of the Decade…
The 25 Best Movie Performances of the…
The 20 Best Live Acts of the…
B.O.B. - Put Me On
Blind Pilot - The Story I Heard
Gregory Alan Isakov - The Moon Song
Kim Taylor - Days Like this
Punch Brothers - Punch Brothers at CMJ
David Bazan - Hard To Be
Anya Marina - Whatever You Like
