Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Music DVD Review: Elvis Presley: The Ed Sullivan Shows: The Classic Performances



Now Available to Own on DVD





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Although originally he'd vowed never to invite the man he would eventually describe as a "decent and fine boy" on his popular television show-- when rival host Steve Allen beat Ed Sullivan's ratings with the debut appearance of Elvis Presley on Allen's variety series-- eventually Ed Sullivan caved.

And sure enough the paperwork was completed in the summer of 1956 as Sullivan signed Presley to the tune of fifty thousand dollars to appear for three exclusive performances on The Ed Sullivan Show.

However, tragically a horrific head-on collision found Sullivan ordered to miss five weeks of hosting duties as friends filled in guest-hosting the show while he was convalescing following the car crash. Sadly, much to his disappointment-- (and regardless of the fact that he'd be there for the subsequent two appearances)-- ultimately the host ended up making television history as one of more than 72 million viewers who tuned in when Charles Laughton introduced the the young and relatively new singer to the world.



Seeing the shy, polite Southern country boy in his record-breaking premiere on September 9, 1956
make this newly released DVD that much more compelling since it offers us a chance to look back at the icon before he went into the army and met the teenager who later became his wife, before he went Hollywood and long before the pressures of being "The King" began to affect him.

Likewise, it's a fascinating opportunity to witness the way that Elvis Presley began working on his stage persona. Since, even when delivering a hit like "Love Me" where he appears to forget the words twice and/or gets lost in the crowd we can hear him experiment with different vocal approaches including some that would become his signature and others that as a fan of the music, I had never heard before.

Additionally you must b
ear in mind that this was during the controversial era of religious outcry over Elvis and the music he sang. For on the DVD, it's quickly visible that every so often he becomes overwhelmed by the magnitude of the experience given what sounds like a few slurred words, melodic mix-ups (wherein he puts a finger to his ear to adjust his tone) and a strange stab at a humorous ironic lead in to "Hound Dog" as a sad song that baffles even his band.

However, the little quirks make him that much more endearing as viewers simply couldn't care less. Moreover, even now in 2009, it's easy to be utterly drawn in by what is arguably the greatest entertainer of all time performing for millions in his prime. Beautiful, nervous, and consciously provocative with the abundance of hip gyrations-- even though Sullivan's studio gave him a dull music note background, your eyes only focus directly on the man himself.



And fortunately, Presley's confidence in front of a live television audience would increase with not just their ecstatic screams but each successive appearance-- whether he was actively helping to support the Hungarian relief effort for which he performs a moving rendition of "Peace in the Valley" or celebrating his [then] biggest record with rocking performance of "Don't Be Cruel."

Indeed, by the time the third appearance of Presley's occurred, he was so relaxed that the hip thrusts had gotten him in trouble to the point wherein the undeniably soulful, sexy singer was filmed from the waist up to avoid public outcry.

While a majority of entertainers today would've taken that as their cue to try and shock even more as the mainstream media seems to prefer behavior that can be considered salacious over actual substance, Presley was unflappable under what must have been the most appalling scrutiny and judgment. Instead, filled with kindness-- after of course, letting it rip in his usual level of rock 'n roll-- when Presley took Sullivan's stage during the holiday season, he addressed his viewers as "friends," politely thanking them in a way that seemed both genuine and truly humble.



Given the age of the footage, it's not the cleanest presentation imaginable with visible dirt and grain but it's a true find to see the Sullivan appearances back to back to back. And while on paper in the press release or on the back of the box, the bonus features seem as though they're going to offer some truly mind-blowing footage for devotees of the King to accompany the forty-seven minute disc, unfortunately the promos for the appearances are extremely dull, the remembrance interview footage is dated and the special moments and home movies feel very familiar.

However, the one very brief treasure included on the disc is the very first recorded video footage of Presley. Captured
near Houston, Texas by a young couple testing out their brand new 8mm video camera-- the historical artifact presents us with the man before he'd been discovered let alone signed by Colonel Tom Parker. Featuring an upbeat and impossibly young, casual looking Elvis Presley performing at a local, disorganized outdoor gig-- it's the one extra that you should jump to before the rest in this slight yet otherwise fan-friendly DVD.



Text ©2009, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com

Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

New on DVD & Blu-ray for the Week of 8/16/09

Jen's Video Picks of the Week

For the Art-House Collectors




(Note: All of the Above I Have Yet to See but They're of Particular Interest)

For the Kids




(Note: I've only caught Donald & last season's iCarly but felt LeapFrog was appropriate for Back-to-School)


For TV Lovers: Guilty Pleasures Edition



(Notes: Devoured the GG set which is gorgeous and loaded with extras-- nearly Blu-ray quality but have yet to review. DSM was a series I truly enjoyed yet missed the final episodes of following ABC's cancellation)




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Adventures of TinTin



The Beast: Season One



Big Windup: Part 1 (Episodes 1-13)



Bleach, Vol. 19



Bridge to Nowhere



Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, Part 1



Dexter: Season 3



Diary of a Nobody



Dirty Sexy Money:
The Complete Second & Final Season




Donald in Mathmagic Land



Eli Stone: Season 2



Everybody Hates Chris: The Final Season



Final Destination: Trilogy



Five Deadly Venoms (Dragon Dynasty Collection)



The Garden



Ghost Adventures: Season One



Go [Blu-ray]



The Golden Boys



Gossip Girl: Season 2



Greek: Chapter 3



Gunslinger Girl 2: Il Teatrino--The Complete Series



Hack//G.U. Trilogy



Hannah Montana: The Movie



The Helen West Casebook



How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: Deluxe Edition



Husbands



iCarly: Season 2, Volume 1



Icons of SciFi: Toho Collection



Inglorious Bastards 2: Hell Heroes



Julia



Kagemusha (Criterion Collection Blu-ray)



The Last House on the Left



The Last Starfighter



LeapFrog: Let’s Go to School



Man vs Wild: Season Three



Minnesota Vikings: Five Greatest Games



Pahappahooey Island: What About Me!?



Pete's Dragon: High Flying Edition



Playtime (Criterion Collection Blu-ray)



Ride a Wild Pony



Simon and Simon: Season 3



The Simpsons: Season 12



The Smurfs: Smurfy Tales



Sons of Anarchy: Season 1



The Strangeness



Surveillance



Swan Princess



These Old Broads



Total Drama Island: The Complete Series



True Tears



Tyson



UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida



Visions of Britain and Ireland [Blu-ray]



Visions of Italy [Blu-ray]



The Wedding Bros.



Wyvern



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Music Review: Golden Bloom -- Fan the Flames







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These days it’s become far too easy for musicians to simply cite their influences since inevitably audiophiles and critics can uncover those just by listening to their work.

However, when musician Shawn Fogel, who plays every single instrument in his August 18 release under the band name Golden Bloom, was asked to offer an explanation and influence-laced play-by-play of his effort Fan the Flames, The Smiths and The Beatles received only the tiniest of shout-outs. No, instead of just dubbing a guitar hook Wilco inspired the way that nearly every critic has described Fan the Flames as sounding like that band during their Summerteeth era, Fogel’s artistic muses will definitely surprise.

Drawing upon inspiration discovered in everything from books such as Confessions of an Economic Hitman and The Perks of Being a Wallflower and DVDs including Network, and The Atomic Café, Fogel seems to absorb culture and politics like a sponge.

And while the rest of us may have wanted to simply shut off our televisions and seek solace in the comedic fake news he also enjoys via Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert over the state of society in the past few years, Fogel chose to sublimate his anger into a creative album that’s become one of the most hotly anticipated discs of the year, earning kudos from SPIN, The Observer, and more.

Taking a cue from Radiohead perhaps, Fan the Flames has been hitting the internet one site at a time with each given track landing at a different music site for fans to download for free. And with this clever strategy, interest has been building steadily in the “power pop” sounds of the man who records all by his lonesome but goes incognito as the faux group-sounding title Golden Bloom, playing live at club dates with a varying roster of impressive musicians. A veritable revolving door of artists who share the stage with Fogel so that no show is identical to the previous one — while the sound of the music may change ever so slightly with Tom Petty shout outs added in as you can witness here — the lyrics of his works remain the same.

Moving away from his previous tendency to use his own relationships for fodder in the overcrowded indie rock movement of lover’s lament tracks or confessional, introspective works, Fogel acknowledges the change in the content and finished result, describing the contents of Flames as coming “from a frustrated optimism, or an optimistic frustration.”

Again dealing in the topical Radiohead terrain of Hail to the Thief or even Green Day’s American Idiot, Fogel refocuses his energies to “what’s going on in our country and our planet,” by using music to release that frustration into optimism (or vice versa) in regards to former President George W. Bush and those who cheered on Sarah Palin at rallies.

Yet instead of cheap shots or one-line jabs, the lyrics of Flames are creatively articulated throughout and one may not even catch on to precisely what it is Fogel is referencing on the initial passive — driving in your car with the windows down — listen, given the musical framework of deceptively sunny sounding, infectious ditties that comprise the roughly thirty seven minute disc.

Of course, part of the reason you may not catch on right away is because — as has been the trend of late for both music and film — the independent offering is packaged without a booklet or insert that gives us the opportunity to relish in the written lyrics. For those, like this reviewer who is still fighting against the trend of dropping CD production in favor of simply digital downloads in the future, it’s a disappointment as the pleasure of a great booklet that lists the music credits, lyrics, contains photography or sketches is one of our last remaining tangible products that separates the concept of an album from simply a disc you burned from your iTunes download library.

Yet Fan the Flames wins you over with a danceable retro tune that kickstarts the album with the first track “E.H.M.” which I can only assume is a nod to Fogel’s admitted inspiration of author John Parkins’ nonfiction work Confessions of an Economic Hitman.

Beginning with a sort of eclectic Beach Boys like hook before the modern guitar riff cuts in along with Fogel’s voice which immediately gives you the source of all of Summerteeth Wilco comparisons, the song which was initially conceived as “a slow piano ballad” soon evolved after he discovered Perkins’ book. After realizing the work gave him the fuel for the lyrics to the song for which he’d only had composed the melody and chords, he explained to Medleyville’s Chris M. Junior that in retrospect the book not only “changed the way” the musician looked “at the world” but it could also jokingly be classified as “the first installment of the Golden Bloom ‘book of the month’ club!”

He follows up the opener with the most recognizable track off the new release — the instantly catchy “Doomsday Devices” which seems to have become the official first single with the production of an offbeat Bush era style music video inspired by his fascination with the 1982 documentary film The Atomic Café and its startling balance of humor and tragedy in chronicling the development of the atomic bomb.

Again it’s dressed up in the complex musicality of an upbeat Ben Folds like orchestration that serves as a counterpoint for his true satiric intention. In my eyes and without the knowledge of Atomic Café, it feels as though it’s delivered in a Kubrickian Dr. Strangelove spirit but one that musically takes a fare more subtle approach than Green Day did with “American Idiot” or “Holiday.”

Lyrically, Fogel acknowledges that it’s a change of pace wherein he uses first-person but sings as though he’s a character other than himself by critiquing “the Bush administration’s insertion of ‘weapons of mass destruction’ into the American lexicon,” by portraying the President of the United States in the video as he opens the track with “You think you see me/but it’s only what I’m willing to show/you think you understand me/but it’s only what I want you to know.”

Still, all politics aside and even if you completely miss that interpretation the first time around, what you’re left with is a great indie pop rock track that feels like an ideal summer song, if only the album had been released a bit earlier as it’s addicting enough for some serious radio play.

With the third, titular track of the album, Fogel chose to channel the frustration and “disconnect [he felt] with the human race” upon witnessing crowds cheering on Sarah Palin in a televised rally into an optimistic, activism minded tune that reminds us of the clichéd but true statement of not giving up. While the title is a conscious “jab” at book burners and those who’d ban literature (like Palin) with the line of “Don’t pretend you’re satisfied until you’ve placed the blame, ‘cause pages never burn unless you fan the flames,” the philosophy that underscores the piece is the truism that if you quit instead of trying, then “nothing ever comes out of this mess we’re in.”

Moving away from politics into a romantic ballad that begins like a folky Neil Young song crossed with the Americana fusion of Ryan Adams’ Gold and the dreamy nature of Guster with the 2002 penned semi-autobiographical “She Leaves Me Poetry” which recalls the end of a long relationship, with in-joke references about the things that bonded them such as Stephen Chbosky’s wondrous coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower whose main character Charlie he relates to in the words.

Despite calling “The Fight at the End of the Tunnel” an all-out “fight song” which to Fogel was intended as “the musical equivalent of” Peter Finch’s famous “I’m as mad as hell” scene from Network, in the world of musical genres, it’s a pretty quiet fight song when placed next to those from metal or punk. Aside from employing the guitar to drive home the testosterone to the pop music listeners in the traditional Wilco like Golden Bloom way, it doesn’t have quite the impact that he aspired it would and ultimately marks a turn for the album which starts wearing thin at the halfway point. However, this being said “Fight” sounds infinitely better live (which you can see in YouTube footage here) and fortunately the disc’s bumpy second half boasts a few standouts.

These can be found via the familiar sounding Shins-lite “Dead Petals” which again references Bush and first showed up on Fogel’s 2007 EP One Day in the Desert before he became Golden Bloom, the pleasant, positive but predictable love song “If You Believe” and an uneven half-successfully ambitious attempt at paying homage to a Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band Beatles technique in “Theme for an Adventure at Sea.”

For a closer, he adds in a surprise minute-long rant aptly titled “Your Minute of Fame” which referenced the recent former Illinois Governor Blagojevich debacle that he’s hoping will appeal to Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert.

And although again politics were the “outside agitator” (to use a ‘60s phrase) which inspired a majority of the work, overall Fogel’s Golden Bloom manages to morph all of the madness of the previous years into multifaceted melodies.

Layering on all of his own instrumental work on the piano, bass guitar, keyboards, harmonica, drums, and tenor sax into rhythms you can dance to and lyrics which remind us that it’s okay not to completely understand how to process what we’ve been faced with as a nation either — in the end Fan the Flames is proof that sometimes the best process is through a process like music itself.

Track-List
1) E.H.M
2) Doomsday Devices
3) Fan the Flames
4) She Leaves Me Poetry
5) The Flight at the End of the Tunnel
6) Dead Petals
7) If You Believe
8) The Mountainside Says
9) Theme for an Adventure at Sea
10) (Unlisted) Your Minute of Fame

Okay, I've Heard the Album. But what does it mean?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Soundtrack Review: (500) Days of Summer -- Music from the Motion Picture (2009)


Read the Film Review

Photo Slideshow



Purchase Tickets to the Surprise Box Office Hit




Get the Soundtrack
& Zooey Deschanel's Album by She & Him




Or Download the Soundtrack from iTunes

Mychael Danna & Rob Simonsen




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It was no surprise that actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt's hotly anticipated Hasbro/Paramount blockbuster G.I. Joe squeaked into the top spot of the Top 10 at the U.S. Box Office this weekend (yet not with the numbers some were perhaps anticipating). However for lovers of cinema that falls just outside the mainstream, this piece of information was less important than another Gordon-Levitt related box office item.



Namely, months after it earned a standing ovation after screening at the Sundance Film Festival, the actor's sleeper hit (500) Days of Summer from director Marc Webb (which reunited the performer with Zooey Deschanel in their first onscreen reunion since 2001's Manic) managed to break into the Top 10 at the Box Office as well. And this is all the more incredible given the fact that it's only being shown on a fraction of the screens that Gordon-Levitt's Cobra Commander is currently occupying.



And no doubt the film's success has been bolstered by a terrific word-of-mouth campaign and overwhelmingly positive reviews which make this Summer the ideal contemplative antidote to an over-abundance of CGI, 3D and big budget extravaganzas since everyone can relate to a movie about the dual nature of pain and pleasure that go along with falling in love for the first time.



Likewise, the film is anchored by what I honestly feel as a writer is the most ambitious screenplay of the year so far for its bravery in boldly dissecting 500 days of a relationship in a non-linear format complete with musical numbers, an outrageous dance sequence, and other inventive takes that hearken to Webb's background as a music video director.



And as such, it's only fitting that the soundtrack is also proving to be quite popular among ticket-buyers as well as we can all relate to the same ideas put forth in the film that pop music not only provides the soundtrack to our lives but we seem to listen to music even more when we're going through an intense emotional experience whether it's falling in or falling out of love.



However, as a soundtrack, the selections for (500) Days of Summer are as unpredictable, uneven, passionate, and surprising as the relationship between the film's two main characters that consist of the dreamer Tom (Gordon-Levitt) and the cynical Summer (Deschanel). For example, it moves somewhat strangely from Simon & Garfunkel to Wolfmother, plays a lukewarm She & Him cover song of the superior Smiths track "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" so that the song is included twice, and inexplicably goes with Meaghan Smith's cover of The Pixies' "Here Comes Your Man" instead of the original or Gordon-Levitt's own surprisingly killer karaoke rendition from the movie. Fortunately, on iTunes, I did discover a "Bonus Track" version of the album so will include links to those songs below.



Leaving off some of the other tracks included or referenced in the movie by artists such as The Clash and Belle & Sebastian-- possibly due to cost reasons in securing the rights-- overall, the selections themselves as songs on their own are quite solid regardless of whether or not they happen to flow into one another very well as a new album.

Perfectly illustrating musically that sort emotional rollercoaster ride one goes on throughout a relationship from that pure high experienced in "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates to the music that bonds the two characters in the sweet, melancholic beauty of The Smiths-- in a sense, the soundtrack sounds a lot like the type of CD that a character like Tom would've made for Summer. And as such, it's filled with tracks that perhaps only the two of them would've gotten the full significance of when played from beginning to end.



Going from the mini-symphonic '80s sound of The Smiths to the vintage near Buddy Holly classic rockabilly sounds of Black Lips for their infectious "Bad Kids," before moving once again towards Smiths territory (possibly illustrating a moment of poignancy, then a lighthearted date, then a bummer evening)-- the middle of the album picks things up considerably.

Using my favorite Doves track "There Goes the Fear" as an ideal segue into the happier Hall & Oates territory, we're treated to the radio-friendly hook-filled "Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap before we're interrupted one more time for sweeping romance given the French language sounds of the infinitely popular Carla Bruni with "Quelqu'un M'a Dit."

Feist contributes the appropriately titled "Mushaboom" which seems ideal for the musical collage being established by the disc that's confirmed by the emotionally charged, riveting tracks from Regina Spektor that seem to come from both ends of the spctrum of romantic mania established early on in "Us" to-- aside from the title-- the more hauntingly worrisome in "Hero." The way she sort of just echoes "ah uh ah uh" opposite her keys as the "Hero" ends makes an ideal lead in to Simon & Garfunkel's sad, nearly-over-before-it-starts "Bookends."



Yet making sure you haven't drifted off completely, Wolfmother inserts the alternatively folky yet hard rockin' "Vagabond" before Mumm-ra's "She's Got You High" kicks off with a familiar and friendly beat as the last recommended track on the disc.

While the last two covers are fun to explore once, I was particularly disappointed with the She & Him track as the band comprised of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward are usually completely solid and have proven in the past their unparalleled ear for taking on classic tunes from decades gone by. To this end, I couldn't help wishing that a different one of their songs had been included in its place.

Overall, it's been a fun disc to spin for a few weeks but one that likewise I've noticed I've been finding myself adjusting the track order and play list on pretty extensively with each subsequent listen, therefore making the fifty-one minute disc move much faster. While I'd say that over all, it's a mildly recommended disc, in the end, you may want to either go the iTunes route in purchasing it as an entire album and then rearranging it in the order of your own choosing or else choosing the tracks that speak to you that aren't already duplicated in your CD library.

Track-List

1. A Story of Boy Meets Girl - Mychael Danna and Rob Simonsen

Mychael Danna & Rob Simonsen - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - A Story of Boy Meets Girl

2. Us - Regina Spektor

Regina Spektor - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - Us

3. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths

The Smiths - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - There Is a Light That Never Goes Out

4. Bad Kids - Black Lips

Black Lips - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - Bad Kids

5. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths

The Smiths - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want (Remastered)

6. There Goes The Fear - Doves

Doves - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - There Goes the Fear

7. You Make My Dreams - Hall & Oates

Hall & Oates - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - You Make My Dreams

8. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap

The Temper Trap - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - Sweet Disposition

9. Quelqu'un M'a Dit - Carla Bruni

Carla Bruni - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - Quelqu'un m'a dit

10. Mushaboom - Feist

Feist - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - Mushaboom

11. Hero - Regina Spektor

Regina Spektor - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - Hero

12. Bookends - Simon & Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - Bookends

13. Vagabond - Wolfmother

Wolfmother - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - Vagabond

14. She's Got You High - Mumm-Ra

Mumm-Ra - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - She's Got You High

15. Here Comes Your Man - Meaghan Smith

Meaghan Smith - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - Here Comes Your Man

16. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want - She & Him

She & Him - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want

Bonus Tracks on iTunes

Sugar Town - Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - Sugar Town (Bonus Track)

Here Comes Your Man - Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - Here Comes Your Man (Bonus Track)

At Last - Kevin Michael

Kevin Michael - (500) Days of Summer (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] - At Last (Bonus Track)



Text ©2009, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com
Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited.
Best Buy Co, Inc.