LISTEN
90-81
80-71
90. Portable Television – Death Cab For Cutie

from the album “Codes And Keys”

I like Death Cab For Cutue, which is why I find it strange that I’m always scrambling to find a standout track from his CDs. I haven’t set down and listened to “Codes And Keys” all the way through yet, so there are probably more discoveries. However, I suspect this is still one of the standout tracks. Ben Gibberd is always best when he can flesh out one poigniant image or object as the listener’s lyrical entry point into the world of the song. Portable Television services that pursuit with above average execution. The piano work is also worth noting, as it roots the song a lot more than more recent projects where Gibbert has favored more electronic bells and whistles.

89. Human – Oh Land

from the album “Oh Land”

Realistically any of the tracks off of the debut from professional dancer EDM artist Oh Land could have made this list. You’ll see what is in essence my favorite album of the year appear 2 more times at least. This track is very much in the old school of melodramatic upbeat elecronica with the classic double disco beat. Very reminiscent of Robyn and even Ladytron.

88. Bread And Butter – Hugo

“Old Tyme Religion”

This falls into the category that a co-worker onced described to me as “White People Babymaking music.” This song deserves props alone for the lyric “gonna spread you like butter/give you all my bread/don’t want no other/laying in my bed.” but its got the grooves and the vocals on this are hot.

87. Private Caller – Sondre Lerche

from the album “Sondre Lerche”

Another track that seems in the whistle heavy sweet spot of indie music’s zeitgeist. Then again, Sondre Lerche has been making this kind of music for a while now. I think the vocals sell it here better than most though.

86. Year Of The Tiger – St. Vincent

from the album “Strange Mercy”

St. Vincent was among the most sonically adventurous artists in 2011. An album that reminded me much of Amanda Palmer’s 2008 solo record, St. Vincent continues t challenge our expectations from a female singer/songwriter. That being said, the songs themselves are meticulously put together, and Year Of The Tiger is a great example of this.

85.  Checkout Time – Nick Lowe

from the album “Old Time Magic”

A nice contemplative song about mortality from a veteran singer/songwriter who has reached a point in his career where its natural to write such things. The whole taking stock of one’s lives rarely works as well as it does here. It’s not elegiac as much as it is wistful.

84. Places To Go – Leftover Cuties

from the album “Places To Go”

There has been no shortage of girl garage band revivalism lately. This titular track from the new Leftover Cuties album backs it up with solid songwriting and soulful vocal performances.  It would not surprise me at all to see them shift away from the beach music vibe towards the British Soul wave that is sweeping the world

83. Like A Stranger – Bodies Of Water

from the album “Twist Again”

There’s sort of a old school Paul Anka thing going on on this track that I’m really digging. That’s a pretty impressive thing for a band compared with Arcade Fire and Polyphonic Spree to pull off.

82. Son – Milow

from the album “North And South”

A deep moody song about the conflicting emotions of dealing with the grief of losing a father that puts it all out on the table. I think what sells it is the restrained vocals.

81. Jealous Hands – Tallahassee

from the album “Jealous Hands”

Tallahassee is an interesting story. It was started a few years ago by former New England Patriots lineman Brian Barthelmes. Novelties aside, this is a pretty extrordinary band. Barthelemes vocals show the soul of a deeply wounded bird trying to fly.

80. Young Blood – The Naked And Famous

from the album “Passive Me, Agressive You”

Its somewhat unfair to compare The Naked And Famous to Passion Pit, but that’s the only way I can come to describe this synth pop matched with falsetto.

79.Wood And Stone – Tara Nevins

from the album “Wood And Stone”

I like my folk country nice and funky. That’s what Tara Nevins does on the title track from her solo album . Little bit of a ho-down, but not too much.

78. Face In The Crowd – Cat’s Eyes

from the album “Cat’s Eyes”

To describe what Cat’s Eyes sounds like, Imagine that Roy Orbison did an album with Ladytron, then add kick drums. Nowhere is this super hip supercool sound more evident than on Face In The Crowd. I will make a prediction: you will hear this song in marketing sometime in 2012.

77. Up Up Up – Givers

from the album “In Light”

Infectious circular hook meshed with Latin beats and horns. Etherial party music if something can exist. Maybe its just the flute, but this song sounds like a party in the clouds. Also, there’s a great Vampire Weekend-esque breakdown in it as well.

76. Towards The Sun – Alexi Murdoch

from the album “Towards The Sun”

Any year where we get a new Alexi Murdoch CD should be celebrated. In only his 3rd CD, we get this track that encapsulates everything you could want from murdoch, the soulful Irish brouge airy minimalist production and meditative lyrics. A great sleepy track.

75. No Silver – Chris Bathgate

from the album “Salt Year”

I talked about Chris Bathgate earlier. His voice expresses more than his lyrics, but that doesn’t mean the two aren’t deeply integrated into each other. No Silver is the song that illustrates the soothing conflict lurking beneath the comfort of this singer songwriter.

74. Truth – Alexander

from the album “Alexander”

Fans of Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros will love Alexander’s Truth. Its got the same Anthemic quality. There’s a great whistle line at the beginning. Once the vocals come in. Alexander nails the late 60s Motown/Psychedelic sound.

73. Somewhere In Your Heart – Jessica Lee Mayfield

from the album “Tell Me”

I’m struggling for something to say about this track. Its very haunting from its open minor guitar riff to “Jammin” Jessica Lee Mayfield’s pained yet dynamically muted vocals. The track gets under my skin.

72. Keep Your Head Up – Andy Grammar

from the album “Andy Grammar”

A classic upbeat poppy “cheer up” pick-me -up song. Coming out of a less persuasive voice it would be infuriating. Then again, I’m usually a sucker for these kinds of songs.

71. Friday – Rebecca Black

from the depths of the internet

Okay, enough with the hate for this song. We need to appriciate it for what it is, a fun intentionally shallow song about something that is a truism = everybody IS looking forward to the weekend. Its catchy and admit it, you know more of the lyrics to this than you let on.

Over the next 10 days, I’ll be counting down my 100 favorite songs of 2011, and posting them here along with a link to a corresponding Spotify Playlist where you should be able to listen to MOST of the tracks. I don’t claim to be a musicologist, and I know my descriptions aren’t the most thoughtful. Still, for those of you who are interested in my tastes, I thought you’d appreciate this:

100. Poor Eliza – Chris Bathgate

From the album “Salt Year”

Chris Bathgate first came to my attention in 2008 with the song Serpentine. What always draws me into a song is the voice I think. Chris Bathgate has a deeply soulful yet muted voice. However, in this particular track, its this hand plucked riff paired with deeply powerful simple, mournful lyrics. “It Is What It Is What It Is” That description doesn’t really do it credit. The instrumentation is alive with fiddle and you can feel Bathgate’s deepest thoughts with each strum of his guitar.

99. Wait For Me – Motopony

from the album “Motopony”

Opening with what may be the most unique percussion line of the year, this gradually building ballad is an outlier on Motopony’s self titled debut. Its much quieter and less showy than tracks like “Seer” but it has a potent sweetness of the love song to the girl who hasn’t yet come. “I Learn The Depths of Love and Have, but never given how to wait.”

98. Second Chance – Peter Bjorn And John

from the album “Gimme Some”

Whisleable non lyrical hooks, addictive hand claps, cow bells, sure there’s a certain level of pandering to their hipster base that happens on the new Peter Bjorn and John album, but it doesn’t matter, because this song just makes you want to move your hips. This song reminds me of the best of bands like “Fountains Of Wayne” and reminds me why we dug this band in the first place. They’re becoming less of “That band that had that cute song with the whistling” and more of a band that threatens to be around for a while.

97. Swallowing The Decibels  - Yeasayer

from the EP “End Blood”

Dark, layered with beeps and bloops and random sounds. It sounds like the musical equivelant of worms eat a dead animal,but in the best possible way. Textured would be an understatement for a band who continue to surprise me for the sounds they make come out of their synthesizers. Then at about the 2:20 mark, some Kraftwerk-lite synths come in with a sudden clarity of sound. An adventure.

96. Joseph’s Head – The Paradise Motel

from the album “I Still Hear Your Voice At Night”

The fact that the first 30 seconds of this sounds like a cross between Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros and the mid 2000′s band Caribou is not likely to mean much to many other people. We continue with the trend of sing along lyric-free choruses. I think what sells this song for me again is the slow build and the vocals from Merida Sussex and that gorgeous Hammond organ that is playing in the background juxtiposed against a steady building drum line and horns. I cannot believe this band has been around for 17 years and I’m only coming around to them now.

What the Epix deal does is opens up a significant chunk of the MGM, Lion’s Gate, and Paramount film libraries for online streaming Literally thousands of films are now literally overnight available at the click of the mouse.  Not all of them are masterpieces, but you have a little bit of everything including almost all of the “Star Trek” and “Friday The 13th” franchises, to holy grails of filmmaking such as “The Godfather” films. For those of you who don’t want to have to weed their way through it, I’ve created a list of what films I think are most compelling. Like all lists, its incredibly subjective, and it will give you a sense of my pretentious and snobby taste:

Links are courtesy of Instantwatch.com

1. 1492: The Conquest of Paradise

1992

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Stars: Sigourney Weaver

play queue 2:34

I’ve always been curious about this film. I tend to like Ridley Scott movies, and this famous flop looks like it could be fun. Famous for the Vangelis score.

2. Alice’s Resturant

1969

Directed by: Arthur Penn

Stars: James Broderick, Patricia Quinn, Pete Seeger

play queue 1:51

Ever since I found out that there was a film version of the famous Arlo Guthrie song of the same name, I’ve wanted to see this. Arthur Penn is among the most influential directors ever.

3.) All or Nothing

2002

Directed by: Mike Leigh

Stars: Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville

play queue 2:08

Mike Leigh is another filmmaker that I’m grossly underinformed about. Lesley Manville, who is said to be Oscar Worthy in the upcoming “Another Year” stars.

4.)Another Woman

 1988 PG

Directed by: Woody Allen

Stars Gena Rowlands, Gene Hackman, Mia Farrow

play queue 1:21  

I haven’t seen this Woody Allen Movie in Years, but I remember being incredibly compelled by Gena Rowlands, even if the rest of it isn’t that good. It’s in that period between 1987 and 1991 where his films were in decline and incredibly dark.

5.) Avanti! 1972

play queue 2:23

Directed by: Billy Wilder

Stars: Jack Limmon

Possibly the best pairing of director with actor historically ever (see Some Like It Hot and The Apartment if you don’t believe me)

6.) Big Night

1996

Directed by: Campbell Scott & Stanley Tucci

Stars: Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci, Ian Holm, Minnie Driver, Isabella Rossellini, Allison Janney

As far as I can tell, this is the only movie where Tony Shalhoub is the marquee star. Isn’t that compelling reason enough to watch this movie? No? How many other movies give you Stanley Tucci AND Ian Holm?

 7.)Blood Simple 1984

Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen

Stars: Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh, Frances McDormand, John Getz

I have seen this movie once years ago, and it always stuck with me. I feel compelled to watch it again. You cannot go wrong with the Coen Brothers, and my memory has this as being incredibly compelling filmmaking. Having recently rewatched it, I can attest its among the best of the 80s. Note: This goes away from instant watch on October 1, so I’d recommend this one first. (play queue)

8.Blue Velvet 1986

Directed by: David Lynch

Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rosselini, Dennis Hopper

A strangely appropriate double feature with Blood Simple. A dark menacing puzzle of a film. If you’ve not heard of it, its probably not for you. If you have heard of it, go ahead, take on the challenge. You won’t soon forget this. play queue

9.Catch 22

1970

Directed by: Mike Nichols

Stars: Alan Arkin, Martin Sheen, Art Garfunkel 2:01

I really like Alan Arkin. I always have. Mike Nichols is among the greatest directors ever. (play queue)

10. Children of a Lesser God

1986

Directed by: Randa Haines

Stars: William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie

1:58

I’ve always liked Marlee Matlin. This was a big deal in the 80s. Strangely, director Randa Haines never again entered into the film consciousness on any considerable level again (play queue)

11. Coming Home

Directed by: Hal Ashby

Stars: Jane Fonda Jon Voight

2:06

I hate to admit it, but I haven’t seen nearly enough Jane Fonda Movies. I’ve liked what I’ve seen of Hal Ashby too. (play queue )

12. The Cove

2009 Louie Psihoyos 1:32

This is already one of the most streamed films since it premiered this morning. Who knew so many people wanted to watch dolphins get killed. No seriously though, this is a much watch. It will make you so angry. “Fuck You Dolphin!”- South Park (play queue)

13.The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2008

Directed by:David Fincher,

Stars: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton 2:46

Admittedly, streaming over the internet is not the ideal way to watch this film. Still,every once in a while, I’ll get the urge to watch a scene from this movie, usually the stuff on the ocean. It’s beautiful, arresting, and engaging: the perfect remedy for a long airport layover. Also, is it just me or is Cate Blanchett amazing in this? (play queue)

14. Dead Man Walking

1995

Directed by: Tim Robbins

Stars: Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon

2:02

Fun Fact 1: Susan Sarandon used to be a decent actress capable of amazingly emotional performances. Fun Fact 2: Sean Penn dies at the end. Fun Fact 3: Cameo by a very young Jack Black. (play queue)

15. The Duchess

2008

Directed by: Saul Dibb

Stars: Keira Knightley, Dominic Cooper, Ralph Fiennes, 1:49

This is a really spectacular deconstruction of the modern princess fetish by looking at a compelling historical moment in the oppression of women. Keira Knightley gives what I think is her best performance yet, and the costumes are real eye candy. The most memorable scene to me comes towards the beginning of the film where Keira Knightly’s corset is so tight, that Ralph Feinnes cuts her out of it.  (play queue)

16. Equus

1977

Directed by: Sidney Lumet

Stars: Richard Burton, Joan Plowright

Netflix has done a very good job of curating some of the best films from great directors of the 1970s. Most of Sidney Lumet’s cataloge from this period is now online. I have not read the classic play this was based on, and I still haven’t seen the film. I can attest that Sidney Lumet was one of the most consistantly great filmmakers of the 1970s, so I can’t imagine that I won’t love this film. (play queue)

17. Europa Europa hot 1990

Directed by: Agnieszka Holland

Stars: Solomon Perel

People who don’t usually watch movies, let alone foreign movies, continually tell me what an amazing film this is. (play queue) 1:53

18-20 The Godfather Trilogy

1972, 1974, 1990

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan, Andy Garcia  Honestly, if you’re a film fan, how can you not be excited about this? You can now watch the Godfather anywhere anytime day or night? This really is the holy grail for film enthusiasts. (play queue ) (play queue) (play queue) 2:50

21. Gods and Monsters

1998

Directed by: Bill Condon

Stars: Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave

I watched this years ago on VHS. I remember Ian McKellen being really good and Brendan Fraser being shirtless. McKellen’s performance is something I keep meaning to revisit. (play queue)

22. Hard Eight

1996

Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson

Stars: John C. Reilly, Philip Baker Hall, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson  

This is often considered the lost Paul Thomas Anderson film, as its difficult to find. I’m quite curious to see how Paltrow holds up in such a strong ensemble. (play queue)

23. Inherit the Wind

1999

Directed by: Daniel Petrie

Stars: Jack Lemmon, George C. Scott, Beau Bridges, Piper Laurie2:07

It’s not the original, which is a shame, but based on the cast, it seems like compelling viewing.

24. Iron Man

2008

Directed by: Jon Favreau

Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard

The biggest name on the drop list. I enjoyed this film a lot when it came out in theaters. Like Benjamin Button, this isn’t the ideal way to watch it, but I think this will probably hold up better on home viewing than a lot of super hero movies, simply because there’s enough witty dialogue and character to make it less about the bells and whistles. (play queue)

25-26

Joseph Campbell: Sukhavati (play queue) 1:18

Joseph Campbell: The Hero’s Journey (play queue)

Two documentaries about social anthropologist Joseph Campbell. I get in the mood for this every once in a while

27. The Last House on the Left

1972

Directed By: Wes Craven

Another film I’ve never seen. I’m grossly undernourished when it comes to horror films. (play queue)

28. The Masque of the Red Death

Directed by: Roger Corman

Stars: Vincent Price,

A Roger Corman directed adaptation of the Edgar Alan Poe short story. I’m there. Having only seen the Jan Svankmeyer short film adaptation, I’m curious to see what someone could do under the Corman system. (play queue)

29 A Mighty Heart

Directed by: Michael Winterbottom

Stars: Dan Futterman, Angelina Jolie

The secret is, I really enjoy Angelina Jolie when she does something different. Her performance as the widow of assassinated journalist Daniel Pearl is supposed to be very good. Somehow I missed it the first time around. Also stars Dan Futterman (play queue)

30. New York, New York

1977

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Stars: Robert De Nero, Liza Minnelli, Mary Kay Place 2:43

All Scorsese films are required viewing. Except for the documentaries and concert films. Those tend to be awful. This is among the more hard to find of his titles, and its actually more known for its iconic theme song “New York, New York” (play queue)

31. Paint Your Wagon 1969

Directed by: Joshua Logan

Stars: Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, Jean Seberg 2:44

Did you know Clint Eastwood was in a Musical? Really? It’s actually a lot of fun and involves Eastwood and Lee Marvin in an inverted polygamous marriage with Jean Seberg. (play queue)

32.Persona

1967

Directed By: Ingmar Bergman

Stars: Bibi Andersson, Liv Ullmann, 1:23

I have been meaning to revisit this film for years. It has some of the most enigmatic imagery I’ve ever seen on film, and some of the best. (play queue)

33. Play it Again, Sam

1972

Directed By: Herbert Ross,

Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton 1:25

This was the first true Woody Allen screenplay, and his first pairing with a very young Diane Keaton. It’s always fun to watch this to see the last gasps of comedian Woody Allen before he became filmmaker Woody Allen. (play queue)

34. Repo! The Genetic Opera 2008

Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman

Stars: Alexa Vega, Paris Hilton, Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head, and Sarah Brightman. 1:38

People like cult films. This seems to be the Mellinial Generation’s attempt at a Rocky Horror Picture Show-type musical phenomenon. Plus it has former Andrew Lloyd Weber muse Sara Brightman in it. (play queue)

35. The Road to Hong Kong

1962

Directed by: Norman Panama

Stars: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope

If you’ve never seen one of the Crosby/Hope Road Movies, you’re missing out. Everything that you like and find funny about Family Guy was stolen from these guys. Do yourself a favor and watch this, as it will make you smarter and funnier. (play queue)

36. Runaway Train

1985

Directed by: Andrey Konchalovskiy

Stars: Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay

Voight! (play queue)

37 Salaam Bombay!

1988

Directed by: Mira Nair

I really like Mira Nair as a filmmaker, in theory. Her 2002 film Monsoon Wedding remains in my personal collection of essential viewing of the last decade. I’m just dissapointed her later films had such deminishing returns. This was her first film, and I’m very curious to see how it holds up. (play queue)

38: Son of Rambow

Directed By: Garth Jennings

Stars: Bill Milner and Will Poulter

I love love LOVE this movie. (play queue)

39. Sunday Bloody Sunday 1971

Directed by: John Schlesinger

Glenda Jackson, Murray Head, Peter Finch           

Famous for the first gay kiss in a Hollywood movie. Also famous for starring Glenda Jackson, and Peter Finch and 1980s one hit wonder Murray Head. I’m drawn in by the fact that John Schlesinger directed this, and he’s swell. (play queue) 1:50

40. Thelma & Louise

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Stars: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis

Somehow I’ve never seen this one. I keep meaning to, but I always end up missing it somehow. (play queue)

41. The Thin Red Line 1998

Directed by: Terrence Malick

Stars: Sean Penn, George Clooney, Nick Nolte, Adrien Brody, Terrence Malick

Malick is a genius and a visual master. This was the film for which he was nominated for an Oscar, so I imagine its pretty good. (play queue)

42. Troll 2 1986

Directed By: Claudio Fragasso

Stars: Michael Stephenson, Robert Ormsby  1:34

I recently watched “Best Worst Movie” which tells the story of Troll 2. I’m not a huge fan of bad movies, but this movie seems to bring so many people so much joy, that I kind of want to watch it. (play queue)

43. Ulee’s Gold 1997

Directed by Victor Nunez

Stars: Peter Fonda, Tom Wood, Christine Dunford,

Peter Fonda as an aging Nazi. Sure. Why not? (play queue)

44. Urbania 2000

Directed by: Jon Mathews

Stars: Dan Futterman, Samuel Ball 1:45

I watched this last night, and this is a fucked up movie. It’s incredibly alienating, and I think it pulls a lot of punches, but the third act of this film is devastating. play queue

45. World Trade Center 2006

Directed by: Oliver Stone,

Stars: Nicolas Cage

This is actually quite a good film. It’s constantly in the bargain bin at Wal-mart, but I am surprised whenever I watch it of how intimate it is. Oliver Stone actually made this movie. (play queue)

46. Year of the Dog

Directed by: Mike White

Stars: Molly Shannon, Laura Dern, Peter Sarsgaard, Regina King, John C. Reilly

Mike White is an unnusual writer/director who always makes unexpected characters. I like Molly Shannon. (play queue)

47. Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail 2009

Directed by: Tyler Perry

Come on, don’t tell me I’m the only white guy who has been curious about what the fuss is all about? (play queue)

I’m tempted to refer to Thursday night’s opening performance of “Burt Hellmun Fights The Demons Of The Stage” as “Dan Kehde Laments the Mediocrity of Modern Theater.” The play is set up that way. After years of struggling against the status quo, we could forgive Mr. Kehde for using his unprecedented platform of little seen original theater to lament the fact that his unprecedented platform is little seen. After all, more people will watch Jersey Shore reruns this weekend than will watch this show. That’s a real shame because Jersey Shore isn’t nearly as witty as Burt Hellmun, and somehow Burt Hellmun still manages to have more sex.

However, the real surprise is that Burt Hellmun isn’t that rage against the machine we may had anticipated. Instead, Kehde has produced a rare comic satire that delivers as many laughs as it does jabs.

Here are the basics: The play, which is billed as a “Sexy Farce” (probably ironically so) about New Jersey playwright Burt Hellmun. The play chronicles Hellmun’s 40+ year career, charting his evolution form artistically ripe failure to emotionally vacant success. Along the way he has sex, gets married, becomes a failure, gets divorced, has sex again, becomes a success, has more sex, deals with his dead alcoholic mother, has even more sex, becomes a  success, becomes a failure and gets divorced. There’s also a dimly lit orgy early in the first act.

For those of you who are still reading beyond ‘dimly lit orgy’ There’s a lot to contemplate in this piece.
Like most of Kehde’s shows, it bounces between distinct levels of reality: The forward narrative of Hellmun arguing with his amoral opportunist producer Jack, performances of Hellmun’s increasingly absurd plays, and flashback’s to Hellmun’s troubled relationship with his mother. It takes a few minutes to get used to it in this case, but once Kehde establishes the geography of his theatrical universe, we’re off to the races, witness to a series of quick witted satirical vignettes which span through all the major theater movements of the late 20th century. Personal favorites include the Paula Vogel by way of Working Girl inspired “Fluff” and a nude murder mystery with the classic tagline “a concealed weapon wasn’t the problem.”

It goes without saying that Burt is a cipher for Kehde. In this way, the play mirrors the later work of Woody Allen, playing the author as ironic comic antihero. This idea is simultaneously deprecating and indulgent. Many of the play-within a plays mirror the work of Kehde with a surprising level of self-deprecation.

So much of the play’s success hinges on the success and comic timing of its principal actors. Donnie Smith takes a bold and endearing approach to Burt, infusing him with alternating currents of comic glee, bemusement, and mounting frustration. His clever and sly performance by Donnie Smith as Burt gives us enough distance to not be too troubled when Burt continually sleeps with his leading ladies. .
More importantly he’s really funny. Imagine “Barton Fink” crossed with William Daniels from “St Elsewhere” and you’ll get Burt. Additionally, Nick Tidquist’s comic performance Burt’s psychotically amoral producer Jack creates some of the show’s best laugh out loud moments, particularly in his interplay with Burt’s moral compasses/sometimes lovers Sally Ann and Veronica (played respectively by Jackie Cobb and Kim Waybright).

One could argue that Smith’s portrayal of Burt as a passive opportunist manipulated by forces beyond his control could be seen as either a clever flip of Kehde’s public persona or a slight-of-hand used to slowly interpolate the audience into the second act’s anti-populist polemic.

What’s surprising is how complicated that anti-populist polemic actually proves. We need not believe at the outset that Burt is a good playwright, only that he is capable of being a good playwright, and the play never resolves one way or the other on Hellmun’s talent. The narrative seems more interested in whether or not Burt Hellman should be a good playwright than in whether or not he is. Anyone who is paying attention knows where the play is going to come down on this argument. However, Its pretty fun to watch how we get there.

With all of this Brechtian dialectic going on, it would be easy to think this play was a chore. Not so. This is one of the most consistently funny plays I’ve seen in a long time, that rare satire that makes you laugh with the characters instead of at them. Kehde has figured out that he can basically say whatever he wants to the audience as long as he makes them laugh. It’s a transaction that I’m more than willing to make because most of the jokes work.

The jokes themselves work on three levels. First, the quippy one liners play off of the basest of comic devices: the double entendre. Secondly, they utilize inside jokes and references to local and national theater trends that reward repeat engagement. Finally, the jokes themselves act as a postmodern meta-joke, satirizing the absurdity and emotional fraud of modern comic dialogue. This level of proto-dadaist dialogue delivery comes to life in the mouths of an ensemble who manage to keep their tongue deeply planted in their cheek while never seeming remotely disingenuous. Montana Brock’s hand obsessed actor seems to genuinely believe in the words that he’s saying in the play-within-a-play, even though the way that he’s saying the words hes saying are ridiculous.

Again heady stuff, but the actors pull it off. Comedy is so difficult to do well, and so I’m very happy to see this project take this approach. The actors spit out quick witted linkes like a well-oiled machine. Special credit goes to Kim Waybright and Jackie Cobb for are able to add nuance to the obligatory moral compass role while wearing very little.

The play never antagonizes the audience with his jabs, and the work never assumes it has the moral high ground. After all, who can blame Burt for placating his producer Jack with emotionally bankrupt retweekings of his scripts when the results seem so rewarding. As Hellmun begins to sacrifice more and more of his artistic integrity, we see him rise through the ranks of the Theater world, enjoying his success with a series of on again off again relationships with his leading ladies, whose success is dictated by the public reception of his shows. Jack asserts that audiences would rather have emotionally dishonest fluff (One of the play-within-a-plays is actually called “Fluff”) than challenging emotionally wrought drama.  When Hellmun finally takes a stand for that rare drama the results are disastrous.

One of the most powerful moments of the play came in the second act, when a review of Hellmun’s passion project about ghosts is read. The review underscores the idea that the play, while brilliant, is out of step with modern audience expectations. In a cruel irony, by the time Hellmun is ready to write what he wants to write, its too late. Time has robbed Hellmun’s masterpiece of its relevance.

Kehde too is fighting against time. Following the theatrical lineage of Reich and Brecht, his writing comes from a bygone golden age of rhetorical honesty, where extreme emotional and political truth area always vying for time. Audiences trained to expect obsessive nuns, dead rock stars and Gilbert & Sullivan may no longer willing to accept characters speaking their mind, taking a stand.
Furthermore, the fact that the audience I saw the play with consistently laughed at the jokes in this show proves that there is at least some truth in Jack’s assertion that “Comedy Sells. Drama Smells.” Jack is right in as much as modern audiences do feel that they deserve they get their money’s worth, and the question of whether or not original theater can survive economic hardship is real. Again, it’s the jokes that make the play’s point of view compelling, not the other way around.
Still the success of this show gives me hope for the expression of more complex ideas on stage. Whatever has gotten into Dan Kehde, let’s hope it never leaves.

July 23 and 24 and 29 through 31 at the West Virginia State  University Capitol Center Theater 123 Summers Street, Charleston.
Each performance starts at 8 p.m. with tickets available at the door the evenings of the performances  Tickets are $5.50 for students and seniors (65 plus) and $9.50 for adults.

There was no grand media campaign for the first annual West Virginia Filmmaker’s Conference. The West Virginia Filmmaker’s guild has never been that type of organization. We don’t tend to brag about our organization. I believe this is because we are too busy bragging on our filmmakers.

At first I thought the inherent lack of media engagement on the part of the guild was a bad thing. However, the result was an intimate weekend among instant friends. I found myself saying to our guild’s newest members over and over again “Welcome to the family.”

There are two explanations of what the West Virginia Filmmaker’s Guild is, depending on your relationship with it. Officially, the West Virginia Filmmaker’s Guild is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the exhibition, education, and preservation of the film arts in the mountain state. Unnoficcially, it is a group of tight-knit filmmakers and kindred spirits who lift the spirits through the sharing of food, films, friends, and occasionally alcohol at two annual meetings in Sutton, WV.

I prefer the second definition much to the first. This is because I’ve gone through the educational machine of film school and the such. I’m a firm believer that with the right training, anyone can become a filmmaker. Except for I probably am rusty as a filmmaker, and I know I could benefit for more training.

However, what I’m really in need of is love.

I say that in a most basic level. Artists need love. They need acceptance. They can’t survive without the love and support of other artists. I genuinely believe its that bond with other artists that makes art worth making. Because as I’ve said before, Art is a conversation. It sucks when you’re talking to a wall, (Believe me, I know) So as a filmmaker, the idea that there is a place I can go twice a year to commune with people like me who can let me know “It’s okay to be who you are. We support your love of film.” That’s huge.

And for me, that’s what the conference ended up being about right out of the gate.

I had the pleasure of hosting the Open Projector Night at the Elk Theater on Friday night. The small intimate crowd instantly became a venue for support, discussion and mutual admiration. We started off with “Prison Of The Mind” by burgeoning young filmmaker Liz McCormick. She was clearly the youngest person there, but in many ways, her film was the most astonishing, mature piece of filmmaking I saw all weekend. There was not a dry eye in the house by the time we got to the credits, which were beautifully orchestrated by McCormick herself. In the feedback session it became clear of how much joy and love she gets out of her art.

Other highlights including a rare screening of my college era projects “Graphomania” , and a sneak peek at a new episode of Kyle Quinn’s “Seth Martin and Friends” puppet series. In the true spirit of the night, Quin was seen rendering files on Adobe Premiere up until the moment it finally screened. This was the first of his films that I truly enjoyed as a cohesive piece of art. During the feedback session, the topic of us collectively purchasing a studio space in Huntington and turning it into a production studio. “If Only there were some organization dedicated to the networking of such people” I said coyly.

We also had projects by David Smith and Molly Tilly of Apartment 2 B Productions, both of which typified what I’ve come to refer to as the “Huntington New Wave.” David’s new feature “Excribitionist” screened on Saturday. I’ll try to have a cohesive review of that up in the future. All I’ll say now is, it lives up to the promise of 2007’s “Maneater” and it exemplifies why many including myself have labeled Smith as one of the most exciting voices in WV cinema right now. Molly’s film “Anxiety” was advertized as a piece of video art, but I felt it more of a narrative short which juxtaposed a Nicole Holifcenter-style writing with a more stripped down aesthetic. Her film had a squid in it.

Saturday ended up being somewhat all over the place. After a surprise move of the guild’s meeting to The Elk Hotel, we had what ended up being a somewhat productive meeting. I felt like it was somewhat hampered by our lack of a schedule, and Henry Robert is probably rolling over in his grave.

Then again, that’s what makes us special. Thanks to Devin Preston, Mary Lynn Evans David Schau, and the amazing Sasha Collette for being so generous with their time, knowledge, and hearts with us this weekend.

Sasha Collette – Live at the Elk

Not necessarily in the music, except in that, the music is pretty arbitrary. The song “Alejandro” isn’t bad. It’s pretty much a ripoff of Ace Of Bace, but it serves the images well.

And folks, with Lady Gaga, that’s what its really about. The images on this video strike me representing one of two things:

1) A complex pop culture puzzle that re-augments gender politics and sexuality while fetishizing instruments of opression such as Religion and Government.

2) An overambitious pastiche of the 30 Year Career of Madonna condensed into an 8 minute “best of” reel.

3.) A calculated piece of provocation that combines aethetic button pushing with a Male Burlesque of the German SS.

I feel certain that it can’t be all three.

The first theory is the easiest to tackle because it implies some artistic statement on the part of Lady Gaga. Let’s take what we are given.

At the beginning of the video we see a starkly lit shot of two legs in fishnets sitting in a chair. The camera dollys around to reveal the identity of these legs. Hot girls? Surprise! It’s a Man! In Fishnets! Clever Gaga! You tricked me! And he’s got really toned chest muscles and he’s sleeping next to a machine gun. Quick Cuts to German text translating to “Lady Gaga In Alejandro”

At this point, we’re only 15 seconds into the video and Gaga has already managed to fetishize fishnets, leather chairs, machine guns, and the German language. And the song hasn’t even started yet!

Then we see the glorous bodies of several fit dancers (All male, of course) backlit doing drill. Crane over a topless man hanging from marionette strings that appears to be wearing some kind of chastity devise.

Its about at the 6:54 mark of the video that things start to fall apart when shots of  Madonna Lady Gaga fondling a crusifix intercut with what appears to be actual riot footage. (Anyone have any idea what this means, because I’m at a loss for that one) Granted by this point we’ve already seen her deepthroat a rosary, so its not a big deal. However, by this point we’re inundated with so many different fetishized scenerios that are cut between so fast it becomes difficult to glean any meaning from what’s going on anymore. There’s Gaga backlit by fire (A la “Like A Prayer”). There are some more men dancing in SS Uniforms. There’s more pseudo-Bondage stuff on the bed while Gaga mounts a man from behind. More gratuitously topless men wrestling with each other in time to the music .  Lady Gaga turns her back to the camera and walks away while Snapping. More riot footage (seriously what the hell is this about.)

Friends,

I was watching TV this morning and came across an interview on ESPN about the passing of former UCLA coach John Wooden. I forget who it was they were interviewing but the person said of Wooden “He was one of those people that everyone who met them, not a single one of them wasn’t better for having met them. When you get the pleasure to be in the same room with someone like this it is a pleasure.”

This is pretty much how I feel about my sister. I can’t exactly describe why, but I feel that she’s just about my favorite person on the face of this earth. I’ve had the good fortune to be surrounded with her presence, and this isn’t something I take lightly.

With the possible exception of Leah, I think I love my sister more than anyone else in the world. She is the most talented, most charismatic artistic soul I know. Everything she touches brings joy to all around it. Be it her painting, her brilliant cartoons, her singing, her writing. I honestly think my sister is one of the most talented short story writers alive, and I will force anyone who challenges me on this to read her work. (Go ahead. Try me. I dare you.)

But none of this even begins to compare to her best trait: her heart. It’s just so big. You’ll never find a person alive that doesn’t adore my sister. She makes friends of everyone she meets. She never has a mean word to say about anyone and she is so giving of her love support, and humor to the whole world.

I honestly never thought my sister would marry. I just thought that it would be difficult for any man to be interesting enough to be worth challenging Erin’s Independence. I was going to say Fierce independence, but I don’t think Erin has a fierce bone in her body.So imagine my surprise when she found someone just as talented and loving as her.Daniel truly is that person. Daniel is just as brilliant, funny, and warm-hearted as Erin, and he can do math, which is incredibly useful.

Daniel is one of only 3 people I know that I would consider geniuses. The other two are sandwich artists at Subway. Daniel is clearly the most talented of the three. I have often referenced him in my class this fall as “My Brilliant Physicist Brother In Law” .

The point of this is to say is that if my future niece or nephew isn’t the next Leonardo Di Vinci, I’m going to be sorely dissapointed.

Daniel and Erin have created an amazing life for each other. Together, they are like megaphones, amplifying each other’s best traits. Their laughter, love, compassion, and brilliance is so contagious, that sometimes I will drop whatever I’m doing on a Saturday night just to be in the same room with them. That’s how cool they are.

And I was thinking about this today in the shower. Daniel is studying for his Phd in Physics, trying to unlock the secrets of the universe. In my class, I’ve famously described the Unified Field Theory Of Physics as “The thing that my Genius brother in law is going to discover some day.” I hope he does, because I see the hunger in him to unlock all the secrets of the universe. And in a way, isn’t that what we’re all trying to do? Find some greater meaning to life. Some do it through religion. Some through art. some through the pursuit of science. But Daniel, it occurred to me today, in the shower, that you may never find more meaning in the universe than you do now, in the arms of the woman you love, in the company of friends, in the warmth of those around you. As the poet Taylor Hanson once said:

“There are so many relationships in life

Only one or two will last

You go through all the pain and strife

You turn your back and its gone so fast

So hold on to the ones who really care

Cause In The End They’ll be the only ones there

And When You Get Old And Start Losing Your Hair

Will You Tell Me Who Will Still Care

Mmmbop“

So here’s to Erin and Daniel, the most beautiful couple I know.

The reason of this call revolved around the upcoming WV Filmmaker’s Conference Jun 11-12 at the Landmark Studio For the Arts in Sutton WV. Its sponsored by the West Virginia Filmmakers Guild, and one of the workshops involves a roundtable with some of the state’s leading film exhibitors. Sadly, Steve will be unable to come to this year’s event. Of course he sends his best wishes.

While we were talking, we got on the subject of respect for WV Films. I’m a filmmaker by trade and the mountain state and its filmmakers mean a lot to me. In a weird way, I’d put a B.J. Gudmunson, Danny Boyd, or Robert Gates along side of a Jean Luke Goddard, Martin Scorsese or Francois Truffaut in terms of filmmakers of importance.

This is why I’m so consistently bothered by the fact that the West Virginia Arts community so frequently turns its back on local product. True, strides have been made in this direction, and I was particularly impressed by the product at the Mountaineer Video Festival earlier this year in Morgantown. However, multiple sources have told me that “WV Films aren’t good enough to screen.”

This simply isn’t true. All films are worthy of viewing, at least once. I firmly believe that. Any movie that is concieved as a work of art, no matter how horrible, no matter how slight, deserve their day. (This of course excludes crap like “Transformers” or “The Bounty Hunter” which are clearly concieved not as art, but as a consumable product. This is not to say that they aren’t art, only to say that their existence in art isn’t their primary purpose, and it would be fair to say that whether or not they get seen is not dependent on their worth.)

Still, All art deserves to be seen. Therefore, All films deserve to be seen. By at least one person. Hopefully more.

Last fall, I sat in an otherwise empty theater in Sutton WV watching BJ Gudmunson’s touching documentary “The Long Runway Home.” It does not matter that I was the only one in that theater. It was still seen. I communed with that film. That film and I had an experience.

That’s what’s required of film is for people to see it, and I worry that that is being lost in this state. We can be happy to support people who are making art, but it is just as important to consume art. I think a lot of this comes from the idea that art is an artist-based invention. I do not believe this. Good art is just as much about the audience’s response to the art than the art itself.

I would go further to say that since art is by definition subjective and non uniform, the object, play, film, song that we consider the work of art does not become art until someone consumes it. So the true work of art doesn’t exist as an object. It exists in our brains, in our hearts as an imprint of that object, a relationship with that object. We are communicating with an abstract idea that expresses something to us that we cannot articulate otherwise.

This is why it is so important to patronize the arts. Patronizing the arts creates the arts. Without audiences for a new theatrical work such as Kanawha Players laudable “Courting Disaster” or without viewers of Filmmaker Sun Jae Smith’s touching “Cashing Out” they can’t exist as pieces of art. They’re just things. Words are just tiny drawings until they are read. Songs are just soundwaves until they are heard by the human ear. Paintings are just blends of color on a canvas.

We have Festivall Charleston coming up soon, and while I think that it can sometimes border on elietist, the fact that so many artists in so many different fields are exposed to an audience they wouldn’t normally have makes it important. The juxtaposition of the artist against open-minded audience creates a whole new experience.

Think about this in deciding what you want to do this and every weekend.

THURSDAY, APRIL 29th

7:00 p.m. – A SINGLE MAN (United States)

9:00 p.m. – THE MESSENGER (United States)

Two American Films

FRIDAY, APRIL 30th

6:30 p.m. – THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS (United States)

9:00 p.m. – THE LAST STATION (United States) (Are we seeing a pattern yet?)

SATURDAY, MAY 1st

5:20 – THE COVE (United States)

7:30 p.m. – THE MAID (Chile)

9:30 p.m. – THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS (United States) ( Available on DVD Tues.)

SUNDAY:

3:30 p.m. – BROKEN EMBRACES  (Spain) (Now on DVD)

6:00 p.m. – A SERIOUS MAN (United States) (Now on DVD)

8:15 p.m. – AN EDUCATION (Great Britain) (Now on DVD)

Of this list, I’ve seen An Education, A Serious Man, A Single Man, The Messanger, And The Cove. With the exception of possible, A Single Man, I can reccomend all these films without hesitation. However, they have no place in an “International” Film Festival. It is absolute embarassing that an organization that prides itself on showing the best of world cinema couldn’t find more than two foreign language films. Having a couple of  Best Picture nominees may give you some cache, but the people who wanted to see “An Education” or “A Serious Man” (both excellent films) probably have already rented the films on DVD.

Also, where are the local films? There is no representation of the expanding talent pool of WV Filmmakers.

Still, I have to recommend that you go to see these films. As I’ve said, they’re great films. Additionally, the fate of an organization that has previously been important to the WV Film community. Despite the sorry state of this spring festival, Charleston is better for having an organization that will screen movies that aren’t “Clash Of The Titans.”

However, I can’t help but think that an organization that has brought so many great foreign films to Charleston deserves a better denouement.

Mark your calendars. This could be it.