nine for ix documentaries on espn - "runner"

i watched the premier of "runner" last night - a documentary on the career of mary decker-slaney, which is part of espn's "nine for ix" film series.  it was an incredible time capsule - with archival footage of a young mary decker in the 1970's and of decker in her running prime in the 1980's.  the bulk of the film centered on her - shall we say, w/the benefit of hindsight - now "infamous" performance at the 1984 summer olympic games in los angeles.  in practically an instant she went from the queen of american running to a poster child for an ungracious sore loser! it was painful to watch her blame game in the wake of the 3000 meters.

ironically, back in 1984 i was hardly obsessed with running (seriously), and mostly ran 3-4 miles a few times a week in lower manhattan.  the highlights of my runs were loops around the world trade center or out and backs over the brooklyn bridge from my dorm room at pace university.  and while the summer games were in the united states, i spent most of that summer traipsing across europe with the benefit of my eurorail pass.  i came back in early august, just in time for the games.

like most, my only awareness of mary decker at that time was from what i had read in the papers in the lead up to the games.  as the documentary points out, the media built up mary's race as a showdown with zola bud - a running phenomena/prodigy from south africa.  plenty of controversy surrounded zola's appearance at the games as a member of the british team.  she had somehow gone from a banned south african runner to a passport holding brit (said passport obtained in just 10 days, instead of the typical 2 year wait).

in any event, the 3000 meter race would be less stressful for the both of them because soviet union had decided to return jimmy carter's favor of boycotting the 1980 moscow games and, in turn, boycott the los angeles summer games.  a cold war tit for tat.  as it turned out, decker wasn't the only one knocked out of the "running."  while she was writhing in pain on the infield, zola dropped from leading the pack down to a 7th place finish.  instead of the predicted one-two finish (toss-up for the order), neither one medaled.

but while zola tried to apologize for the incident, decker wanted no part of it.  rather than accept a bad day, bad outcome, whatever euphemism you'd like to employ, decker's first instinct was to lodge a protest.  that lead to zola's initial disqualification - which was subsequently reversed once the officials review the tape and concluded she wasn't responsible for mary's fall.  rather than accept that determination and move on, she continued to maintain that "there was no doubt" zola was responsible.  a more ungracious and unsportsmanlike moment couldn't be scripted.

decker took the next 3 months off to recover and plan her wedding.  she was married on january 1, 1985, and proceeded to win ever race (and collect a few american and world records in the process) she ran that year!  those races included decisive victories over her former summer olympic opponents.  she was a woman on a mission to prove she was still the world's best - and did it convincingly.

but despite participating 4 olympics, she never brought home a medal.  it brings up the classic dilemma of a runner (athlete) who is spectacular on the field, but can't medal at the olympics. is she any less great?  of course not.  steve prefontaine, america's greatest runner - in my opinion (and hopefully shared by others) - didn't medal in his olympic appearance.  is he thought of any less?  the mark on decker's career, unfortunately, will always be her petulant conduct in the wake of that disastrous 3000 meter race.  is that fair - probably not.

that's especially true because, as of today - in 2013, mary decker still holds the american record in the mile, 1,500 meters, and 3000 meters.

"town of runners" documentary review

"town of runners" chronicles a 4 year span in the lives of a pair of aspiring ethiopian runners, together with the development of their small (but relatively famous) village over that same period.  the documentary premiered at the tribeca film festival and i had a chance to watch it last week - online, and free, thanks to the tribeca online fim festival!  in a word, it was sobering.  a sobering view of a world in which success at running was a means of survival!

the primary story focused on hawii and alemi, at the begining of what would hopefully become their running careers.  they train - as do all the other children from the village of bekoji- with coach eshetu.  he is a local hero to the villagers because he coached local runners to success at the olympics.  at the beijing olympics, runners from bekoji took home four gold medals in running events!

we see hawii and alemi at a regional meet.  hawaii is the stonger runner of the two at the competition. both girls are subsequently recruited to running clubs - which will provide them with room, board and a small stipend. but as fate would have it, alemi is assigned to a well-funded club and hawaii to one that the local village actively discourages (complete with unfinished living quarters and a scarcity of food for the runners). 

as one would expect, alemi flourihes in her new surrounding.  hawii, unfortunately, not only gets discouraged from the wretched surrounding, but also become physically ill. under the circumstances, it takes more than innate skill to succeed in something as straightforward as running.  hawii eventually finds herself back in bekoji and under the sympathic eye of eshetu.  her future as a runner isn't clear - although she remains optimist.

in fact, alemi - even with the advantage of a well-funded club system - isn't guaranteed a running career. the documentary, while relentlessly upbeat in tone, is anticlimatic.  so much so that one is almost left with a palpable sense of frustration (bordering on sadness) with the outcome.  that said, it's certainly worth seeing.  the cinematography alone is reason enough to watch "town of runners."  if you're a runner - at any distance, or level of competition - it's a film you'd enjoy.

"wordplay" documentary review

last night i watched "wordplay," a 2006 documentary on crossword puzzles and the people devoted to them. i a word - the pun may be intended - it was great.  i say this with obvious bias since i'm a crossword puzzle enthusiast.  on a train, or anywhere waiting, if i'm not reading a book, i'll be trying to work out a crossword.  it's funny that "wordplay" should have aired on thursday night, because the friday ny times crossword puzzle is typically bailing out point on with the times.  i'm solid monday and tuesday.  wednesday it's tough - and by thursday it's gotten to be a stretch with the clues.

so as i write this morning, i'm staring at a ny times puzzle that 90% incomplete - and i can only marvel at the contestants profiled in "wordplay" who manage to dispatch the weekend puzzles in mere minutes.  it's was amazing to watch these people at work.  the film itself centered on will shortz, the ny times crossword editor, and the american crossword puzzle tournament that he originated in 1979.  the second part of the documentary focused exclusively on the 2005 tournament held in stamford, connecticut.

it's may be difficult for the non-crossword puzzle junkie to believe, but the two day contest was exciting - from the pre-race socializing straight through to the amazing finish (it even included a saturday night "talent show").  the film profiled five participants, each of whom was a serious contender to take the championship.  what made this all the more fascinating were the excellent use of graphics - which literally brought the crosswords to life as the participants filled in the boxes.

the first half was equally as interesting - especially getting to see crossword "constructor" merl reagle at work putting together a puzzle.  it's essentially a reverse process - he comes up with a theme and then selects the main answers before working them into the grid.  once the major words have been placed, it's a matter of filling in the remaining boxes with the secondary answers.  the puzzle's difficulty is measured relative to how  tough (or tricky) the clues given are made.  the same puzzle (i.e. words) could be reworked with more difficult clues and the entire character would change.

one eye-opening example was the post-1996 election puzzle that incorporated the following alternatives: "clinton elected" or "bob dole elected" - with the 7 letter clinton or bobdole used when the election outcome was determined.  the filmmakers use of graphics to visualize the process - and interviews both with clinton amd dole - made this a great look behind the scenes (so to speak).  also surprising, interviews with assorted puzzle enthusiasts - including the (then) yankee, mike mussina, the indigo girls (both), and a very animated jon stewart - to name a few.

if you like crosswords - put this on your netflix queue!

the girl with the dragon tattoo: movie review

i'd been looking forward to the remake of the girl with the dragon tattoo ever since daniel craig was cast in the role of mikael blomkvist last year.  while craig was an inspired choice, i must admit that i was skeptical when rooney mara was cast as  lisbeth salander.  but rooney made the character her own and it worked beautifully (a term some might find ironic to describe a edgy gothic lisbeth).  it isn't often that a remake can stand on its own, but in nutshell, david fincher's adaption is worth the effort.  fincher's take is generally faithful to the 2009 swedish original.  but anyone who hasn't read stieg larsson's millennium trilogy or seen the original film, will not have a problem settling into the atmospherics of the graphic thriller.

it's the hollywood production values - read glossiness - that really set fincher's version apart from niels arden oplev's film.  the subtitles may have been a factor because listening to the story transpire in english is a lot easier than reading it.  i hate such generalizations but here, with so many plot details lurking in the storyline, i found it more enjoyable the second time around.  with respect to the story, i laid out the narrative in more detail in my review of the original film. i'd rather focus on a couple of interesting changes this time around. the main twist is the eventual meeting between blomkvist and lisbeth - which arrive more than an hour into the film.

in the original, lisbeth continued to hack (pry) into blomkvist's life, post-libel conviction.  she triggers the eventual meeting by sending him an email that explains the references - the story's major clue - found at the back of harriet vanger's diary.  in the remake, blomkvist's daughter tossed off an offhand remark that led mikael to realize the significance of the numbers.  armed with that clue, he then tracks down lisbeth to enlist her aid in his research.  character-wise, this paints their relationship in a completely different light.  in the remake, lisbeth had no continuing interest in blomkvist once she turned in the dossier to her employer.

moreover, while their meeting took place in similar circumstances (an unannounced arrival at her apartment after she had just spent the night with a girl she met at a club), craig exhibited an almost bond-like insouciance when he barged in, demanded the friend leave, and they had breakfast together!  over the take-out breakfast he had brought along, and insisted she eat, he related the harriet vanger mystery and the sought lisbeth's help in researching it.  in the original, blomkvist barged in threatening her with prosecution for continuing to spy on him - and settled for a cup of old, cold coffee!

that was the most significant twist in story line.  there were minor ones too, but they really didn't change the story (london versus the australian outback as one such example) - just the tone. does leading the life of an investment banker over that of an archaeologist add glitz?  why make that change?  similarly, while the lisbeth's financial re-engineering was implied in the original, it was achieved explicitly - dare we say underwritten - with mikael's funds in the remake.

there were only two things i didn't care for in this version.  the first was the opening credit sequence - done over a fantastic cover of led zeppelin! - which involved some of the most disgusting (imho) images of rubber fetish extremes imaginable.  it seemed like a nightmarish cross between a james bond opening credit sequence and outright sadomasochism.  call me a prude, but i found that utterly repulsive - and the memory still leaves a dank taste.  the second was the contrived emotion lisbeth felt for blomkvist at the end - and the equally ridiculous denouement in the final scenes.  contrast that to the scene in the swedish version of a country club prison where blomkvist was doing his jail time - now that ending worked.

all in all i enjoyed the remake - and look forward to the next two instalments

"marathon boy" premiere on hbo: movie review

i watched the premiere of marathon boy on hbo last night and must say i was viscerally repulsed by the entire saga. i'm into just about anything connected with running - people, places, races.  i'll dig into anything on this subject; and do it with glee. but to witness a real life hobbsian choice - a life as a beggar in an indian slum, or the grueling regime of a long distance runner foisted upon a 3 year old boy was truly upsetting business.  in reality, budhia had no choice at all.

because of the family's extreme poverty, budhia was sold by his mother to a traveling salesman for 800 rupee (roughly $16).  it was quickly revealed to be an abusive situation.  enter biranchi das, a judo instructor and orphanage director, who paid back the salesman and took budhia into his care (with the approval of budhia's mother).  but budhia was no angel himself, fully equipped with a raw, foul mouth out of which spouted expletives!  it was, in fact, a result of his foul mouthn that his talent for running became apparent.

as a punishment for cursing, biranchi had budhia run circles around the courtyard.  he expected budhia to stop at some point, from just plain exhaustion.  when he returned to the orphanage hours later, budhia was still at it, still running loops of the courtyard - no worse for the wear.  that apocryphal beginning set the stage for his "training" and a series of half marathon, leading to full marathons and, ultimately, his collapse at a 40 mile ultramarathon.

the documentary then intertwines two parallel story lines - budhia's actual running and races coupled with the growing notoriety his feats engender and the efforts of the the local child services agency to stop what it perceives as his exploitation (for better or worse) at the hands of biranchi.  the filmmaker takes strictly hands off approach to moralizing - one way or the other.  there is no effort to show this story through western eyes.  biranchi has many supporters in his battle against the bureaucrats of child services!

this come to a head when he is formally charged with child abuse.  by this time budhia is now 5 years old and has run many, many race miles.  there followed one dramatic scene where the authorities, after having already prohibited him from entering any more races, physically restrained budhia from a 300 mile walk!  the story quickly spins out on a tangent when, shockingly, biranchi is murdered - which had no connection to budhia and running! by that point budhia had been returned to his mother - and eventually became a ward of the state (which would, in turn, enroll him in a prestigious academy).

the dilemma, if it can be described as such because leaving the slums, abject poverty, and a life spent begging for existence - is no choice when weighed against any alternative.  biranchi, regardless of the training he put budhia through and the races he was made to run - saved him from the horrors he faced in his very real life (including redeeming him from someone who had already purchased him!).  was budhia exploited - maybe so.  but that alternative was preferable.

it's a very unsettling and disturbing story.  running ultimately was the hook that pulled budhia out of the darkest abyss - but it's not really a story about running.

"bobby fischer against the world" documentary review

last night, "bobby fischer against the world," which premiered at the 2011 sundance film festival, was broadcast on hbo. in a word, it was fantastic! but in the interest of full disclosure, i must say that i'm a huge fan of bobby fischer the chess legend - and detest the hateful shell of a human being that he deteriorated into in the last decades of his life. it's this very duality that animates the view most people have of fischer - especially those who came to chess as a consequence of fischer's capture of the world championship in 1972.

the documentary, directed by liz garbus, is filled with archival clips of the young bobby fischer - inter spliced with modern day interviews with most of the cast of characters that unfolded across the years of fischer's active chess life. on of the most interesting people among the interviewees is anthony saidy - perhaps the person most responsible for physically getting bobby fischer to iceland for the match! the history of the fischer-spassky match is meticulously covered in dozens of books and other sources - but garbus does a fine job of relating it in the film.

for those unfamiliar with the storyline - it's no spoiler to disclose fischer won the match - the biggest concern among all those involved was whether or not fischer would actually deign to play the games! fischer's demands were endless - and he eventually arrived late for the first game, which he lost. fischer went ahead and forfeited the second game because he refused to play unless the organizers removed the t.v. cameras (the noise from them bothered him)! to come back from an 0-2 deficit, to win the world championship is the stuff of epics.

the line-up of interviews assembled by garbus is truly diverse. in addition to saidy, larry evans is another fischer confidant that adds to the material. garbus managed to interview henry kissenger - who called bobby fischer during his holdout to personally aske him to play. kissinger added to the cold war dynamic be insisting that fischer represented the united states and his participation was a matter of national interest. garbus also interview garry kasparov, a future wourld champion. fischer and kasparov never played against each other, but kasparov is probably the single chess player who could assume fischer's legendary mantle.

the documentary pulls no punches in describing fischer's descent into madness and hatred in the decades after the match. this part of his life is the most difficult to countenance. regardless of the twists and turns of his life - nothing justifies the monster he devolved into. in 1992, he ignored a u.s. embargo and played a "re-match" with spassky. that defiance earned him fugitive status with the united states - which only fueled his growing hatred of the united states. a decade later he was taken into custody at the tokyo airport - and would have been extradited to back here to face criminal charges, if not for iceland!

thanks to icelandic citizenship, fischer lived out the rest of his days in the country that rocketed him to the world championship. but even after his death in 2008, the fischer saga continues - in the form of a battle over his estate. that material is enough for another documentary! in the mean while, enjoy this one! it's a must see for any chess fan - and any child of the early 70's :D

"blank city" movie review

"blank city" is fascinating time capsule of the quasi-bankrupt 1970'a new york city. the documentary focuses on the lower east side filmmakers who, with only super 8 (and later 16mm) handheld cameras, took to the streets and filmed practically anything in a quest to make movies - and, for the most part, they succeeded. the first half of "blank city" documents the emergence of what ulimately became known as the "no wave." the second, much darker half, recounts the self-labeled "cinema of transgression."

it's a testament to some wily urban guerilla tactics that some these films even got made - such as petty theft of film (or things to sell and then buy the film) and a late night building break-in to access a location. the latter exploit, the location for a scene for "rome 78" was visited with a real estate broker who believed he was "showing" the property. during the walk-through the windows were, surreptiously, unlocked. the cast and crew returned late at night, via the windows, set up shop, filmed, and exited via the window when they were done!

editing took on a similar edgy quality. with an incredibly tight budget, the filmmakers managed to secure an editing studio for the pricely sum of $40 - but for only one day. the solution, copious quantities of speed and a 24 hour marathon editing session. it worked, they got the feature lenght film in the can, and thereafter it went up a screen! most of the oral histories recounted by the interviewees focused on this sort of backstory - they did whatever it took to get something filmed and screened.

the "no wave" movement had its birth in the punk rock scene. the overlap of music and film making was pretty dramatic. while there was a gratuitous shots of patti smith and then the ramones in the opening minutes of the film, debbie harry, pre-blondie, was the one shown acting it up in the underground films. there plenty of clips from the vintage clubs, cbgb's, the peppermint lounge, and the mudd club, to mention a few.

the thread that glues together the rare film clips is the string of excellent oral histories. what the documentary lacks in a linear narrative is more than compensated for by the story telling. in image after image of what could easily be a bombed out war zone - but in actuality is the lower east side - there is an overarching positive vibe that permeates what they're doing. especially interesting are steve buscemi's recollections - the totally street character of his performances (including have them call up to his apartment window when ready for his scenes)!

i can't say the same for the last third of the film, the self-described "cinema of transgression." the vibe went from upbeat to creepy almost as soon as nick zedd's soi disant movement was introduced. in what i'd charitably call proto-slasher films, the content was supposedly intended to shock and offend - which it easily managed. john waters commentary was actually on target - if you weren't offended, you probably found those images hilarious (think all the way back to "pink flamingos")!

all in all, put "blank city" on your radar to check out. it opens at the ifc center next week (april 6). while it's played the film festival circuit to great reviews since 2009, it hasn't had widespread release. if you're a new yorker with memories of the "good old day" - don't pass it up.

"hood to coast" movie review

last night, on the eve of our latest snowstorm, i went to see the one time theatrical release of the "hood to coast" documentary in white plains. i watched it with emmy and bill, in a remarkably empty theatre - most folks it seemed, wisely heeded the warnings of oncoming snow. in stark contrast to the packed theatre for the "spirit of the marathon" screening a few years ago (at the same theatre, coincidentally) - there may have been a total of 12 people, including us, in the audience. despite the tiny crowd, the film was worth going to see.

i hadn't heard of this film before last week. i hadn't even heard of the hood to coast relay for that matter. but it's a good bet that i'll be in the audience for any movie about running, or running-related adventures. the hood to coast relay, as i quickly learned, is billed as the "mother" of all relays - 1000 twelve person relay teams (12,000 runners), covering the 197 miles from mt. hood to the oregon coast. a race with that many participants, that kicks off on a mountain, and end at the shores of the pacific ocean is impressive - in and of itself.

the documentary followed four teams as they undertook the 2008 edition of the relay. the team selection process yielded "dead jocks in a box," "heart n' sole," "r. bowe," and "thunder and liakaning." the mix included a masters team of formerly competitive runners, a team of co-workers that had a training plan focused on beer and incredibly low mileage, a heart attack survivor from the 2007 relay, and the family and friends of a runner who died at the tragically young age of 30 - and left behind a very pregnant wife.

the back story of each team was laid out against the preparations for the relay. the progress of the each team, and how it coped with its individual issues, was interwoven with the actual race. the filmmakers used panoramic helicopter shots to capture the breathtaking vistas, pre- and post-race interviews, handheld footage of the runners on the course (or in the vans), and animations to clarify various race logistics, to put together the story. each team added to the overall impact of the film.

the relay itself consists of 36 legs of various distances and difficulty. each team member is expected to run 3 legs. kathy ryan, 67 at the time, had a near fatal heart attack as she started her 3rd leg of the 2007 edition. we see her as she discussed her race plans with her doctor. he immediately said, as he looked at the first leg of the race (which, we are told, is considered one of the most physically grueling of the relay) "i don't know what you're smoking, but you absolutely can't run this one!" and, without this being a spoiler, who should we see lined up to run the first leg for her team - none other than kathy ryan!

"dead jocks in a box" were animated by a slightly different objective - they want to finish among the top six teams in their age group to get a guaranteed spot in the 2009 edition. that would insure one of their teammates, who had run all the hood to coast relays since the first one in 1982 (when only 8 teams participated), gets to continue his streak. only one other runner has run in every hood to coast - and he was on a different team. these guys run hard, and don't want the aging process to slow them down (too much).

my favorite team, "thunder and laikaning" provided the comic relief - and proved that the relay isn't just for the "typical" runner. and, within that team, rachel larson and her hilarious approach to the race was my favorite runner on the screen! team r. bowe tugged at the heartstrings because the memory of ryan bowe's untimely death was still fresh. the team consisted of his family and friends. the relay (which ryan had participated in and was on a team to run again) was their way to honor his memory.

i don't know if "hood to coast" will find its way into theatres again - but when it's released on dvd, put it on your netflix queue! better yet, put together a viewing party with your running buddies. this is a film that should be watched in the company of fellow runners :D

"the girl who kicked the hornet's nest" ("luftslottet som sprängdes") movie review

"the girl who kicked the hornet's nest" ("luftslottet som sprängdes"), the third and final instalment of stieg larsson's millennium trilogy, clocked in just shy of two and a half hours - 148 minutes to be exact. for a film where the principal actor's actual spoken dialog can be measured in a handful of minutes, it dragged on much too long. seriously, lisbeth salander, confined to a hospital bed and then a jail cell, for the first half of the film barely utters a spoken word. the action is moved along, thankfully, by her erstwhile "partner" in all the dirty business, mikael blomquist.

maybe that first take on the final instalment is too harsh? perhaps. but if it had come in 30 minutes lighter i'd probably have a more positive view. even when lisbeth finally "opens up" - to answer questions in her defense at her trial for the attempted murder of her father - her words are overshadowed by the visual impact of a punk/goth outfit she slipped into (together with a gelled mohawk). it was doubly distracting because, up until that point, lisbeth had only worn drab hospital/prison garb. she may be true to her inner self with this presentation, but was it wise packaging for the trial?

as for the trial, the nominal centerpiece of this instalment, it's fascinating to watch (in the first film she teamed up with blomquist to solve a mystery and exposed a conspiracy; in the second film she was framed for a trio of murders by her unspeakably evil father). it's not the sort of courtroom trail we've become accustomed to seeing in in the united states. from an american perspective, lisbeth's "trial" has in common with pre-trial discovery than a formal courtroom adjudication. as for the outcome - i doubt this is a spoiler - lisbeth is vindicated.

the film could have easily, and effectively, have concluded at that point. instead, she spends the remaining screen time tidying up a couple of loose ends. the most ludicrous, and gratuitous, moment is lisbeth's confrontation with her sociopath half-brother. rather than inflict the coup de grace, lisbeth dials for some unexpected assistance - which, in itself, neatly ties up one more loose end. but with all the effort to wrap up the disparate elements, the most unsatisfying - albeit believable - moment is lisbeth and mikael's hello and farewell.

it makes one (or at least me) dial back to the first film and wonder out loud how they ever became physically (i wouldn't stretch it to romantically) involved. still, mikael's feelings for her are the glue that string together the three films. is he in love with her? is he searching for justice? or is he seeking to expose the evil that men do across the pages of millennium, with lisbeth as the vehicle for that end? probably all of the above.

so while the film ran too long for my taste - and needlessly tied up loose ends - "the girl who kicked the hornet's nest" is worth seeing (especially if you've already seen the first two). but after spending 7+ hours with "the girl," over three films - i'm glad the american version of the millennium trilogy won't be out for a while yet :O

allen ginsberg's "howl" movie review

On Sunday night Pat and I went to see a screening of Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Howl” at the Jacob Burns Film Center. The film was followed by a question and answer session with the co-directors, Robert Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, conducted by Janet Maslin of the New York Times. I had looked forward to seeing “Howl” since it premiered at the at the Sundance Film Festival last January.

But, to fast forward to the Q & A, the very first question Maslin posed to Epstein and Friedman was simply (and I paraphrase), “what did sort of film was it?” It’s neither a documentary nor a dramatization. The film has practically no original dialog because the entire script is constructed from the text of the poem, interviews given by Ginsberg, and the trial transcript. Their answer was a rather coy, “it’s a poetic event.”

I’d buy that - simply because you can’t pigeon-hole a film that’s part animation, part poetry reading, and part dramatization. By way of back story, Epstein and Friedman were brought in by the Ginsberg Estate in 2002 to dramatize the poem and the subsequent obscenity trial in time for the celebration of its 50th anniversary - 2007! Along the way the project took on an added dimension when they decided to animate the poem itself - and secured the unique talent of Erik Drooker for those sequences. Drooker worked with Ginberg more than a decade earlier to produce a volume of “illustrated” poems (which included parts of “Howl”). As an aside, Drooker’s mom was in the audience Sunday night.

Getting back to the film, James Franco is spot on as the 29 year old Allen Ginsberg. It opens with Ginsberg (these sequences were filmed in black and white) at infamous Six Gallery reading that introduced “Howl” to as yet unsuspecting America. The reading quickly morphed into the first animation sequence. From that point on, the film jumps to and from the reading, the animation, the trial, and an interview Ginsberg gives to an unseen reporter. The animation, which was done entirely in Thailand, is a phallically graphic Fantasia-like experience. As a stand alone interpretation of “Howl,” it would be an interesting to sit through in its entirety.

The interview Ginsberg gives to the unseen reporter is meant to be one that Ginsberg gave to Time Magazine in Rome (which has subsequently been lost to time). Ginsberg was never at the trial, not even in the United States, when these events unfolded. He was actually in Tangiers - and was flown to Rome by Time Magazine for the interview. Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who was actually the defendant in the obscenity trial, told Ginsberg he wasn’t needed (nor relevant) for the trial. But Ginsberg did correspond with him about the progress of the trial.

Jake Erlich, one of the pre-eminent first amendment lawyers of that generation (and played here by Jon Hamm) defended Ferlinghetti at the trial. The district attorney was played by David Straitham and the judge was played Bob Balaban. While the outcome wasn’t as foregone as many people might imagine today (thanks to hindsight), the film makers took some liberties with the recreation that made it seem much closer than what actually transpired. The prosecution was only able to muster two witnesses to testify. Both (played by Mary Louise Parker and Jeff Daniels) were shown.

The defense, on the other hand, had nine witnesses testify (and could easily have doubled that total). But the Epstein and Friedman opted to show only one (capably played by Treat Williams). Nor did the film dramatize any of the attendant publicity that followed the course of the trial (aside from an occasional photo of a newspaper clipping). Even more remarkable, principal actors in the events didn’t get any lines - most notably Ferlinghetti (who sat at the witness table and uttered not a word throughout the proceedings)! In a similar vein, when Kerouac and Cassady were portrayed - neither one spoke a word of dialog. What’s up with that? While the film is about all about “Howl” - each of the aforementioned had plenty to say about the poem and Ginsberg himself!

That said, this is a must watch film for any fan of the beat generation. Franco, himself, is a huge fan of the beats and brought that knowledge and interest to the role. He was the first actor hired for the project and spent months researching the young Allen Ginsberg while the rest of the cast took shape. Interestingly, the last actor cast was Jon Hamm - perhaps the one with the most period experience from his “Mad Men” character Don Draper. As Epstein and Friedman related it, he was hired on Friday and was on the set Monday morning shooting his scenes!

Don’t pass up seeing this film on the big screen :D

"farewell (l'affaire farewell)" movie review

Pat and I went to see “Farewell (L’Affaire Farewell),” an espionage thriller based loosely on a true story, on Labor Day. “Farewell” was released in July - and eerily coincided with the deportation of 10 Russian spies that had recently been rounded up by the FBI. Was that life imitating art (at least as the discovery that spy ring mirrored themes from “Farewell”)? The story is set in 1981, with cold war spy networks in full bloom. The difference with this film, an almost anti-spy espionage picture, is the protagonists are amateurs.

The KGB officer, colonel Grigoriev, vets raw intelligence before it continues on its travels through the varied Soviet bureaucracies. Later in the film we learn the bulk of Soviet spying is actually industrial espionage. It was cheaper to steal trade secrets and processes than invest in the time consuming (and expensive) research and development. Interestingly, the material passed on by Grigoriev was information the Russians had learned about the allies (and the marginal notes made by the Russian analysts regarding its value).

Grigoriev passes the information (which culminates with the piece de resistance, the “x list” detailing the names of Russian agents around the world), to a mid-level French engineer, Pierre Froment. The twist, which insulated him from suspicion, was his private sector job. Froment was not a spy. More fascinating, still, is the French themselves kept this conduit secret from the external French spies (their CIA) and ran the operation - code named “Farewell” - via the internal security apparatus (their FBI).

The ostensible reason for this subterfuge was that the external service was riddled with Soviet spies! The Soviets, according to the French explanation, didn’t bother to infiltrate the domestic service because there weren’t any worthwhile secrets to steal! Eventually, the documents turned over by Grigoriev land on the desk of Francois Mitterand himself - who, in turn, shares this gold mine of intelligence with Ronald Reagan, in person. While the French refuse to divulge their sources, the American’s eventually learn the identities of the two principals.

In between the start of the information hand-off and the ultimate pay-off with the “x-list” is the slow destruction of Grigoriev’s and Froment’s personal lives from the toll of the lies and duplicity. Froment, with a borderline hysterical wife, continues the “spying” despite flat out telling his wife that he won’t do it any longer (to protect family - living deep in the Russian state). Grigoriev, for some unknown reason, takes a mistress - and in what can only be described as a “fatal attraction” moment - arrives back at his apartment and had the front door opened by
the mistress (his wife, clueless, in the background).

It’s his rebellious son that catches the mistress grabbing a kiss from Grigoriev while the his wife searches for a book on dog training!? The son, a huge fan of Queen, comes to loath his father as a result of this discovery. Grigoriev, who took no money for his traitorous deeds, opted for little things instead - French champagne, brandy, books of poetry, a walkman (which he referred to as a “johnny walkman”), queen cassette tapes (which he called “keen”)... and so on. His payoff was the psychic satisfaction that he was hastening an new Soviet Union for the next generation (specifically his son).

I won’t reveal the outcome - but I will say the “fatal attraction” moment was easily one the most suspenseful of the film. This isn’t your “Bourne Identity” style thriller, but rather a more cerebral “The Lives of Others” cold war drama. If you like “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” - Le Carre's world of espionage - then this film is for you. I enjoyed it - in no small part because it was set in the early 1980's, and also the Moscow locations were beautiful. It’s a well put together film, well worth catching on the big screen.

"terribly happy" ("frygtelig lykkelig") movie review

The ironically titled “Terribly Happy” (“Frygtelig Lykkelig”) is a taut Danish psychological thriller that doesn’t take itself too seriously, despite the bleak landscape it plays out against. This modern film noir is more like a subversive black comedy - a sinister take on Simon Pegg’s “Hot Fuzz.” Robert, a Copenhagen police officer, is exiled to the desolate outback town, Skarrild, to atone for his crimes (which include domestic violence and a nervous breakdown).

Robert, played by Jakob Cedergren (and bears a striking similarity to Hugh Laurie), is decidedly out of place - and the townsfolk are hardly interested in helping him fit in. While there is no overt hostility, he makes no friends at the bar (the center of the town’s social activity) and further sets himself apart by refusing the bartender’s just opened bottle of beer and asking for a soda. But he doesn’t want to fit in. He wants to get out!

Without further ado, Robert is immediately drawn into the drama of the town’s most difficult family - the Buels. Ingelise (Lene Maria Christensen) is the femme fatale/battered wife of Jorgen (Kim Bodina), the town bully/wife beater. But is Ingelise really a battered wife or is she just playing for attention. She quickly, and brazenly, flirts with Robert (who, we are reminded by his frequent calls home - is married and has a young daughter).

But despite the set-up for an ill-fated love triangle (Robert succumbs to Ingelise; Ingelise goes back to Jorgen; Jorgen resumes the beatings), events quickly spiral out of control - and include some interesting plot twists. More interestingly is that the trio’s activities (in all their various plot permutations) do not go unnoticed by the villagers! What makes this film work is how expertly a townie steps into the action - at the opportune moment.

The town is situated adjacent to a expansive bog. The film opened with a voice over description of a local fable about a cow that vanished in the bog - only to be recovered from the bog with two heads (one of which was human), and the bad luck that befell the town thereafter. The bog has a reoccurring role as the story unfolds.

In one of the more surrealistic elements of what sometimes seems like a nightmarish series of vignettes, instead of a physical fight - or duel, to play out the western motif - Robert and Jorgen “duke it out” with a drinking contest. The relationship between these two men (and their respective interactions with the town) is the focus of a good chunk of the second half of the film.

Finally, without giving away the resolution, the film's end is worthy of Sartre’s “No Exit” and Garcin's memorable realization, “Hell is other people.”

"the big chill"

i stayed up late monday night to watch "the big chill" - it was actually tuesday morning since the movie ended well after midnight. i first saw this film as a senior in college - and shortly thereafter the soundtrack went on to become ubiquitous on campus, on fm radio, and later post-college album collections. even now, listening to motown brings back fond memories of this film, which i've seen many times over the last 25+ years!

it's pretty funny to watch jeff goldblum these days on law & order: criminal intent and think back to his smarmy, yet lovable, reporter for people magazine (who could get you a table at elaine's). this was long before he broke through on the remake of "the fly," was an expert on chaos in "jurassic park," or broke alien code in "independence day." a long time has passed since 1983!

same could be said for glenn close's sarah - the most grounded of the bunch. she softened her image from the year earlier - when she played jenny in "the world according to garp" (one of my favorite movies, by the way). only to whipsaw from sarah to a psychotic femme fatale in "fatal attraction" in 1987. some characters are hard to forget.

back to the film, which wasn't the first "reunion" film so to speak (that would go to "return of the secacus seven" a few years earlier). but it would inspire the "thirtysomething" t.v. series a few years later. a bunch of thirtysomething - see how natural that term sounds after all that usage - college friends arrive for the funeral of their mutual friend. after the service they collectively find themselves staying for a long weekend.

the film is an extended meditation on how they inter (or re-) act with each other 15 or so years removed from heyday of their college lives. there are a lot of good moments (and some cliches as well). for the most part the ensemble cast plays it straight. what stands out is the relatively conflict-free weekend they have.

the most anger illicited appears when kevin kline gets pissed at william hurt when he's escorted back with police escort (running a red light and having a bad attitude), when tom berenger gets pissed at hurt for bad-mouthing the deceased memory ("alex died for most of us a long time ago"), or jo beth williams storming away from berenger (when he advises her not to leave her husband for him).

aside from those scenes, it's all so very laid back - the 60's invade the 1980's. a lot of marijuana is smoked, lines of cocaine snorted (thanks to the drug dealing william hurt), and wine drunk (thanks to the hosts). the drug stuff seems like edgy behavior from the vantage point of 2010 - but it was business as usual in the 1980's.

sadly, the film doesn't have much of a payoff when the weekend ends. the story lines are neatly stitched back together and everyone returns to the "real" world. but maybe that is the point - you don't need to justify hanging out with old friends. they were there for a funeral (and that permeated the conversations). but wouldn't they have been just as relaxed with each other (albeit different conversations) at a wedding?

"the art of the steal" documentary

i missed this incredible documentary, "the art of the steal," when it was in limited release in new york city. but thanks to netflix (on demand) i finally had a chance to see it - and it was worth the wait. but a bit of back story is in order. the film documents how a handful of powerful interests (primarily politicians and large foundations) conspired gain control of a valuable art collection (conservatively described as the most valuable art collections in the world) and physically relocate it to downtown philadephia in direct contravention of the govening documents of the foundation.

the barnes foundation, which houses the private collection assembled by albert barnes, in was purposely located in suburban philadelphia. barnes, a self-made millionaire with a fragile ego, was an art collector ahead of his time. when he established the foundation in 1923, the critics savaged his taste, his selections, his eclectic presentation of the works - every facet of his style and philosphy. barnes was stunned at the viciousness and swore his collection would never find its way back to philadephia.

when barnes died in 1951 his last will and testament stipulated that the collection remain where it was currently housed to keep it away from the philadephia elites he so despised. for almost 40 years, until the death of the last trustee personally selected by barnes, the collection was safe from the outside world. but, one of the first changes brought about by the new foundation trustees was sending the collection on a world tour - as a traveling exhibit - with its final stop at the dreaded (to albert barnes) philadelphia museum of art!

things quickly devolved from there - and culminated with a judicial decision approving the permanent relocation of the art collection to down philadelphia. a finale that no doubt had dr. barnes spinning in his grave at the injustice of ignoring his explicit directive. but even with such a one sided documentary it's difficult to muster any sympathy for barnes. the brief sketch of the man revealed someone who - to put it as charitably as possible - was a nasty old curmudgeon.

as an attorney who specializes in trusts and estates matters, i especially enjoyed the legal maneuvering that was employed (aided, no doubt, by equal parts political influence) to accomplish the "steal." but, had the documentary be a bit less partisan, there would have be some room to present the (legitimate) arguments in favor of relocating the collection. while public policy considerations were significant, it shouldn't be ignored that neighbors of the barnes foundation may have kicked off the transfer the collection with their collective "not in our back yard" stance over the addition a parking lot to ease traffic congestion!

while the title implies the collection was stolen, and in a sense it may have been, there were too many legitimate considerations for such a glib moniker. that said, put "the art of the steal" on your netflix queue. and if you're planning a trip to philadelphia... well make sure to watch it before visiting the collection :D

"the girl who played with fire" ("flickan som lekte med elden") movie review

I caught the “Girl Who Played with Fire” ("Flickan Som Lekte Med Elden") last week, before we drove up to Vermont. It’s the second installment of Stieg Larrson’s posthumously published “Millennium” trilogy. Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyquist reprise their roles as Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist from "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." In fact, all three books of the “Millennium” trilogy were filmed in one year, with the same principal actors. The third instalment, “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” is scheduled for an October release.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was a brutally violent film, and the level of violence did not abated in “The Girl Who Played with Fire.” With scenes of a who girl dragged into a barn followed by a man who then powers up a chain saw, a girl shot and then buried alive, and flashbacks to the brutal rape in “Dragon Tattoo,” the sequel may contain even more violence! Certainly Lisbeth’s path through this movie is no less violent than what she endured in the first.

“The Girl Who Played with Fire” fills in the details of Lisbeth’s past for those who watched the first film. Interestingly, the fire motif picked up from the first film (the flashback where Lisbeth douses her abusive father and lights a match to him) and carried over to the cyborg-like evil henchman’s torching of the barn to, supposedly, dispose of two inconvenient bodies.

While this character feels no pain as a result of a genetic mutation, he doesn’t lapse into a comic cut-out of a clownish James Bond bad guy from the 60's or 70's (think Jaws, without the smile). He does the dirty work with clinical detachment and ruthlessness. His connection to the action is murkier than it appears, and the big reveal at the finish certainly opens some eyes.

The plot revolved around the murder of an investigative reporter and his wife, who both uncover a human traffic network and Blomkvist’s Millennium magazine is about to publish all the gory details. They’re killed before the expose is published - and Lisbeth is framed for the murders. This frame-up, while improbable, is essential and brings her back into the sleuthing business - to save herself. As she tries to find the real murderer, her past becomes part of the present day story.

Interestingly, while Blomkvist is certain of her innocence - and sets off to prove it - they don’t meet up until late in the film. Given the evidence the police have against her (including an inconvenient fingerprint), his unwavering belief that she couldn't have murdered them may have more to do with their physical relationship from “Dragon Tattoo” than any objective set of facts in the current film.

The trilogy will be remade in the U.S. - with Daniel Craig signed to play Blomkvist. The open question is what actress can play Lisbeth? Noomi Rapace inhabits the role so completely that's it's difficult to image another woman in the part. In the meantime, if you haven't seen "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," watch that one first. Then go see the "Girl Who Played with Fire."

tom petty and the heartbreakers "mojo" review

i can usually go for weeks at a time without a new album (the last one, in fact, was the reissued rolling stones "exile on main st."). so it was something of a surprise to walk out of j&r music with two albums on tuesday: the steve miller band's "bingo!" plus tom petty and the heartbreakers' "mojo." miller's first new studio release in 18 years was practically a rarity! but even with an 8 year gap since the petty and the hearbreakers' 20o2 "the last dj," "mojo" is a surprise in the wake of the monster multiple cd, "live anthology," last fall!

petty and the heartbreakers previewed two of the songs, "jefferson jericho blues" and "i should have known," on saturday night live last month. the album has an additional 13 tracks, and a running time of just over an hour. contrasted with miller's 10 tracks, clocking in at just over 30 minutes, petty is giving fans the bigger bang for our collective bucks. in a similar vein, miller issued an album of covers, petty cranked out all new material for this release. i'm a long time fan of steve miller, but petty clearly has his fans in mind with generous content.

the music itself cover a lot of ground, blues, jams, reggae infused, and a hard driving classic rock throwback. my favorite number without question is "i should have known," which channels led zeppelin. mike campbell lets loose his inner jimmy page and really fires up a pair of solos. petty does a workman's job of bringing to life plant's lament, but the song belongs to campbell. the other song of note, "first flash of freedom," conjures up the dead with its elongated jams (actually it reminded me more of phish or, stretching, tea leaf green).

petty himself, in interviews suggested the album has an almost allman brothers feel. but the first cut, "jefferson jericho blues," with scott thurston on the harmonica, is all heartbreakers. and, as noted over and over - everywhere it seems - petty sounds so much like dylan these days that their voices are practically indistinguishable at times! look no further than petty's raspy voice "u.s. 41" - a twangy bit of rockabilly, or the more bluesy "takin my time."

there's a reggae infused paen to marijuana in the lamenting "don't pull me over." it could be a quieter coda to straightforward petty rocker, "mary jane's last dance." although, mary jane isn't the only intoxicant covered on this album. "high in the morning" is alcohol infused with lyrics like, "boy that bottle belongs to the devil/better leave it on the shelf." without the campbell electric grooves on that one, "high in the morning" is all county!

there is a lot of variety on "mojo." it also has a classic stripped down sound - thanks to skipping the overdubs in the studio. as petty explained, the album highlights the heartbreakers and their contributions to the sound. in that regard, works - and works well. check it out.

here is the track list:

1. jefferson jericho blues
2. first flash of freedom
3. running man’s bible
4. the trip to pirate’s cove
5. candy
6. no reason to cry
7. i should have known it
8. u.s. 41
9. takin’ my time
10. let yourself go
11. don’t pull me over
12. lover’s touch
13. high in the morning
14. something good coming
15. good enough

steve miller band "bingo!" review

steve miller's "bingo!" is the steve miller band's first new material since 1993's, "wide river." the 17 year hiatus wasn't entirely fruitless, miller has been recording (just not releasing) and touring every summer. one of my summer of 2008 highlights was catching steve miller at radio city music hall - that was a great show! amazingly, despite the extended studio drought, "bingo!," has no new material. the album covers 10 blues classics - songs that miller listened to as a texas teenager. he includes four additional tracks on the special edition (together with expanded liner notes) of the album.

miller, in various interviews promoting the album, is unapologetic about the lack of new material. he's just not in a song writing place - one that would generates new material. but that's a far cry from not playing music. in the studio sessions (held at the skywalker ranch) miller recorded 42 songs. more than enough material for two albums. and, in fact, he plans to release a second album from those sessions next year.

given all the tunes he recorded, one grip i have is the remarkably short running time. the entire 10 tracks clock in at just over 30 minutes. tack on the 4 bonus tracks, the running time inches just over 42 minutes. this volume of sound is more appropriate for a 60's or 70's vinyl release - not a modern cd (and even that term sounds so dated). still, it's all about the music - not the length thereof.

and, in that regard, the music doesn't disappoint. the is a guitar driven, bluesy album. while a couple of tunes sound like classic miller band pop - the bulk of the album has a 50's striped down blues feel. my favorite number on the album is miller's cover of "tramp" - where miller's voice channels the muscular side of tom jones! and, among the bonus tracks, "further on up the road" has miller sounding like eric clapton singing and, on "drivin' wheel," miller could stand in for buddy guy.

"rock me babe" - not to be confused with miller standard "rock 'n me" - and "sweet soul vibe" have the added licks of guest guitarist, joe satriani. vocals from miller band's sonny charles, especially on "tramp" really add depth to overall sound of the album. this album isn't a pop version of steve miller. even so, it'll be immediately accessible to even the most occasional steve miller fan.

here is the track list:

hey yeah
who's been talkin'
don't cha know
rock me baby
tramp
sweet soul vibe
come on (let the good times roll)
all your love (i miss loving)
you got me dizzy
ooh poo pah doo

bonus tracks (on special edition):

ain't that lovin' you baby
further on up the road
look on yonder wall
drivin' wheel

"the jazz baroness" documentary

The “Jazz Baroness” documentary premiered last year at the Telluride Film Festival and was subsequently picked up by HBO for distribution. The documentary is hard to classify. The title refers to Pannonica Rothschild, and her story is told by grand niece, Hannah Rothschild, after a decade of research into her aunt’s incredible life. Nica’s (as she was known throughout her life) relationship with legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Monk is the primary focus of the film. But it’s not a documentary about Monk and it leaves a lot of Nica’s own life unexamined.

What we do see unfold is the story of a niece who fleshes out the mysteries of her family tree. Hannah narrates the story and Helen Mirren provides the voice of Nica, bring to life her diary entries and letters. It wasn’t an easy task to get family members to discuss Nica’s life (none of her five children participated). Aside from archival sources, most of Hannah’s interviews were with Nica’s friends from the jazz world - who insisted that her story be told!

In brief, Pannonica was born in 1913, into the wealth and extravagance of all things Rothschild. She became a baroness (de Koeningswarter) by marriage in 1934. During the second world war, Nica followed her husband to the North Africa theater and aided the French Resistance. In the after the war her husband became a diplomat, and they eventually found the family stationed in Mexico. At that point she had a musically epiphany that changed the course of her life.

On the way to the airport for a flight back to Mexico, she stopped off to visit a friend. He turned her on to “Round Midnight” - at the time she had never heard of Thelonious Monk. According to Nica, she listened to it 20 straight times - and then a few more times for good measure! She never went back to her husband, leaving her marriage and moving to New York City. It’s unclear at that point how Nica raised her 5 children. But she did have the younger ones live with her.

She finally met Monk two years later - not in New York, but in Paris. Monk had lost his cabaret license and couldn’t play in the NYC clubs during that period. It was the beginning of their long, and intense relationship. Unclear is whether Monk and Nica ever more than platonic friends during all those years. Monk was married, and his wife was friends with Nica throughout that time. Monk’s son believes that Nica was in love with him, but didn’t speculate beyond that observation.

Regardless, Nica became an important part of the jazz scene and a fixture in Monk’s life. In 1955, Charles Parker died in her apartment. In 1958, she was busted for drug possession (claiming they belonged to her to avoid sending Monk and his sax player, Charles Rouse, to jail) when they drove to a concert in Maryland. She eventually moved out of New York, to New Jersey, into a house that she shared with more than 300 cats. Monk hated the cats, but put up with them for Nica.

Hannah met her grand aunt for the first time in 1984. She was shocked to find her drinking whiskey from a tea cup - in a downtown jazz club! Hannah located the club with Nica’s direction - just look for the car (her Bentley). Nica died in 1988, she was 75 years old. There were over 20 (maybe 24) songs written for (or about) Nica by the jazz musicians she associated with during her illustrious life.

The only sad thing about this otherwise fantastic documentary was the sense of wanting more when it ended. With a running time of just over 80 minutes, it seemed like there was so much more to say about her. Nica’s last request was to have her ashes spread on Hudson River, around midnight. Her friends and family obliged.

rolling stones "exile on main st." reissue: cd review

this week saw a major pr blitz as the rolling stones reissued "exile on main st." on tuesday. in addition to the remastered double album, the reissue includes a second disc with 10 "new" songs. i watched mick jagger on the larry king live show tuesday night. aside from the actual interview, the show aired clips from the forthcoming documentary, "the stones in exile" - which premiered at the cannes film festival last month and is set for u.s. release in june.

so what's with all the "exile" hoopla? the album is great - it was number 7 on the rolling stone magazine list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. but is it the best rolling stones album (as if such a subjective call could be made)? while "exile" is the stones at their creative peak, their two previous albums, "let it bleed" and "sticky fingers," are just as good - if not better. even jagger hasn't been the biggest fan of "exile."

while the myth has been built up that "exile" was the product of stuffy basement sessions at keith richard's rented mansion, "ville nellcote," in the south of france (nice) during the stones' self-imposed exile from the english tax laws, the truth is a more prosaic 3 year arc from 1969 t0 1972 (during which the stones released "let it bleed" and "sticky fingers"). "exile" included material recorded in los angeles and england, as well as the nellcote sessions. the myth evokes place, the reality focuses on production.

the new material, a 10 song bonus cd, includes "exile" era instrumental tracks that jagger recently wrote lyrics for and then added the vocal overdubs. the juxtaposition of a 66 year old jagger against the almost 40 year younger version on the original material is apparent. the new vocals, on 4 songs ("plundered my soul," "following the river," "dancing in the light," and "pass the wine") from the second cd, stretch the concept of the "exile" reissue. while the base tracks (instrumentals) are period, the vocals are anachronisms.

i got much more enjoyment from the cleaned up original albums, sharper sound and deeper bass. it's hard not to enjoy the fresh sound of old classics. "exile on main street" was a release that took a while to warm up to (maybe because it was a double album, a lot of material to digest). but the incredible breath of sound, from out and out rock straight across blues, gospel and jams, make it an outstanding (if eclectic) collection of stones material.

"ventilator blues" is probably the most atmospheric, in terms of bringing you down to the steamy days in the basement. but there are so many underrated classics mixed in; "loving cup," "shine a light," "casino boogie," and "rip this joint." and then there are the more familiar cuts, "tumbling dice"and "happy" that punched through the fm airwaves. classic stones from their golden years.

for a die-hard stones fan, this is a must get. for everyone else (namely those that already have the 1994 remastered version), stick with what you've got. and then check out the documentary on the big screen next month.

"bukowski: born into this" movie review

After I watched “Barfly” last week, I was moved to add “Bukowski: Born Into This” to my Netflix queue. It arrived in yesterday’s mail and I watched it last night. Charles Bukowski is not an easy character to like - and his work (poetry or prose) is equally hit or miss for most people. But the 2004 John Dullaghan documentary is well worth the time (running just under 2 hours), regardless of your personal view of Bukowski. In fact, the decidedly upbeat take (there are no critics in this film) puts his helter-skelter life into a chronological span and makes Bukowski into an almost forgone creation of a horrible childhood and his beat early lives.

Charles Bukowski is difficult to put into a neat literary cubby hole (dive bar, seedy hotel, better choices). For a man of prodigious literary output, he never broke into the world of mainstream academia (or publishing, for that matter). The Bukowski of this film comes across as equal parts Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, and Hunter S. Thompson. And, lurking in the background is Herbert Huncke - the proto beat. Huncke was a petty criminal, alcoholic, and junkie. He’s the guy, from whom Kerouac first heard the term “beat.”

Late in his life, and after repeated pleas from Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs, Huncke started to write (albeit sporadically). He eventually penned his autobiography, “Guilty of Everything,” that cataloged his wayward escapades. Bukowski shares many parallels with Huncke (who died in 1996, two years after Bukowski, at 81). Bukoswki also followed in the footsteps of Henry Miller - who quit his job at Western Union to strike out as a writer. Miller’s penniless decade (the 1920s) produced his first novel, “Moloch, or, This Gentile World” (published posthumously) which chronicled his horrible years at Western Union.

To quit his dead end job at the post office, Bukowski was offered a stipend of $100 per month from his future publisher, John Martin. Shortly afterward, Black Sparrow Press (created just to publish Bukowski) released “Post Office,” Bukowski’s first novel - and a thinly disguised autobiographical piece of his years at slaving away at the mail sorting operations of the post office. It was John Martin’s unwavering faith in Bukowski that paved the way for him to become a full time writer - unencumbered by a day to day job!

Bukowski himself, in a fantastic piece, related how important it was for him to keep an “ember” of his writing alive deep inside of himself - regardless of the drudgery of any job he might be working to stay alive! That way, if he ever got published (and this was during a period where his mailbox was constantly filled with rejection slips), he could fan that ember back into a flame. For a guy who prided himself on ruthlessly striping metaphors out of his writings - that was a classic! Bukowski wrote every day - publication (and getting paid for it) was the gravy.

As his fame increased during the early 1970s, from readings, publications, and a weekly column (“Notes of a Dirty Old Man”) in an underground newspaper, his writing took on even more life is art spin. “Women” followed his debauched ride through the legions of groupies that sought him out. “Hollywood” followed on the heels of the filming of “Barfly” - in which he had a tiny cameo. “Barfly”/”Hollywood” could have been life imitating art, imitating life - since Bukowski penned the screenplay for the movie!

I was fascinated by his take on the film - and it wasn’t a positive one. He thought Mickey Rourke was a “showoff” in the role of Chinaski (Bukowski). In a remarkable vignette, Bukowski actually “read” the lines that he thought Rourke had overacted! He (Bukowski) would never had shouted upon entering a bar - if anything, an understated growl would have been enough. Had he lived long enough, Bukowski would probably have loved Matt Dillon’s lower key take on Chinaski in “Factotum.”

Check out this documentary. “Bukowski: Born into This” won’t disappoint.