By Jack Silbert on May 28, 2024
EPISODE #592: OF SLICES AND PIZZA
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Pylon — “Italian Movie Theme”
John Cozz & the Wellers — “Slice of Life”
The Resonars — “A Slice of Today”
Jesus and Mary Chain — “Deviant Slice”
Amnesia — “Slice”
Bouncing Souls — “The Pizza Song”
Jonathan & Tommy — “Cold Pizza”
The Pizza Underground — “Pizza Underground”
Worriers — ”Chicago-Style Pizza Is Terrible”
Louis Prima — “Angelina” [live, 1945]
Dean Martin — “That’s Amore”
Ween — “Where’d the Cheese Go” [part 1]
Personal & the Pizzas — “Pepperoni Eyes”
George Harrison — “Thanks for the Pepperoni”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Amnesia, Bouncing Souls, Dean Martin, George Harrison, John Cozz, Jonathan Richman, Louis Prima, Personal & the Pizzas, Pylon, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Pizza Underground, The Resonars, Ween, Worriers
By Jack Silbert on May 24, 2024
3 stars out of 5
In the mid 90s I had an East Village girlfriend, so we spent a decent amount of time at Kim’s Video on St. Mark’s Place looking for something to rent. (It could be a frustrating search, as the movies were snobbily filed by director instead of title.) Post-relationship, Kim’s reamined in my “sad guy haunts record stores” rotation. So, Kim’s holds a memorable spot in my life and I was very interested to learn more about the store and what happened to its massive video collection.
So it’s a shame this isn’t a very good documentary.
It is an OK documentary for basic information, like so many of the unnecessary docs providing content for streaming networks. We meet the mysterious Mr. Kim and learn about his background. We see footage of the wild old downtown NYC of the 1980s. And we take a deep dive into the legitimately compelling story of how Kim’s complete video collection ended up in the small town of Salemi, Italy.
The flaws fall squarely with the directors. (For most of the movie we think there’s one director but we accidentally find out there are two. And they’re married. Awwww!!) The narrator/director really, really wants us to impress us with how much he knows about movies. So there’s a whole lot of, “When I bought that pack of gum, it reminded me of when the wounded infantryman bought a back of gum in Truffaut’s masterwork…”
Also, the situation in Salemi, spanning over a decade, is very complicated and frustrating. In a better director’s hands, with a more dynamic personality — oh let’s say, Michael Moore — this complicated frustration could’ve been greatly simplified and even delivered in a humorous way. These directors are unable to do that.
In general these days, too many journalists and documentarians are becoming characters in their own work. But there has to be a very compelling reason to do that. Here, the narrator/director actually becomes an integral part of the story — no spoilers, but his actions affect the fate of Kim’s video collection. But by becoming involved, he sacrifices his objectively as a documentarian, and for me became an unreliable narrator. (Also, how does he afford to keep flying back and forth from New York to Salemi, and also to Korea??)
The climax — again, no spoilers — is presented in such a way to make the director(s) and their colleagues seem really cool and fun. But by then I was basically rooting for the bad guys.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies, documentaries, Kim’s Video, New York
By Jack Silbert on May 22, 2024
2.5 stars out of 5
Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are delightful in this. I want Gosling to leave Eva Mendes and Blunt to leave John Krasinski and I want Gosling and Blunt to get married. As a wedding gift, I want them to be cast in a much, much better movie than this piece of crap.
Nostalgia bait-and-switch warning: The movie borrows the title of the old Fall Guy series, and its stuntman–battles-baddies conceit, and the names “Colt Seavers” and “Jody,” but that’s it. No other connection. They even significantly alter the theme-song lyrics to eliminate dated references. Aw come on!!
Still, I was enjoying the movie in the early going, I really was. It was fun, funny, light, and Blusling (huh? maybe??) are a rom-com pairing sent from heaven. So what happened? Maybe the producers couldn’t afford any other decent actors. You get an inkling of this in the beginning — why is Gosling the stunt double for someone he’s much more handsome and charismatic than? And Hannah Waddingham, you are a TV actress, not a movie star, sorry. No one else remotely stands out.
As the plot piles on (star of Blunt’s directorial debut disappears, Ted Lasso lady sends stuntman Gosling to find him, mayhem ensues and he still loves Blunt), the movie gets worse and worse. Just generic stunts and chases and fights and explosions etc. etc. etc. when all we want is Gosling and Blunt, who are stupidly very often not in the same scene.
Another warning: If you do see this (your flight is stuck on the tarmac or some other nothing-to-do situation), and are in my general age range, I strongly recommend not staying for the extra scene in the credits. It will only depress you further.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies, 80s TV shows, Emily Blunt, Ryan Gosling
By Jack Silbert on May 22, 2024
3.5 stars out of 5
I have gone on record more than once declaring that bustin’ makes me feel good. Aided by a generous dose of nostalgia, Ghostbusters: Afterlife even snuck onto my top-10 films of 2022.
And yet, I did not rush to the theater to see this follow-up. Why not? Was some mysterious paranormal force keeping me away? Or was it simply sequel fatigue? Regardless, when I noticed that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes clocked in at an unreasonable 2 hours, 25 minutes, I opted for the comparatively short 1 hour, 55 minute Frozen Empire.
This bustin’ did indeed make me feel good, just not quite as good. Yes, nearly all the elements from Afterlife are back. Though perhaps most notably, Jason “Son of Ivan” Reitman did not return to the director’s chair. He did once again co-write with Gil Kenan, who takes over as director.
Also, cast-wise, there’s a pretty significant bait-and-switch at play. Advertising led me to believe that, unlike Afterlife, this was a true team-up of the old and new Ghostbusters. Mmm, yes and no. Executive producer Dan Aykroyd is in this a whole lot. Second place, Ernie Hudson. In a distant third, Annie Potts. And bringing up the rear and barely present, Bill Murray. We love you and miss you, Peter Venkman! (The movie does frequently honor the 1984 original, bringing back the EPA inspector who had no dick — he’s now the mayor! — and even the library administrator. And Slimer, and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man….)
From our current Ghostbusting family, Paul Rudd and especially McKenna Grace fare well; she has genuine star potential. Finn Wolfhard and the usually excellent Carrie Coon don’t get too much to do. For younger viewers, the filmmakers desperately try to explain why Oklahoma teens Lucky and Podcast from Afterlife are coincidentally now in New York.
Of new additions, Kumail Nanjiani does some very funny work as an initially unwilling participant in this otherworldly rigamarole. Patton Oswalt is only in one scene, and it’s… ok. Emily Alyn Wood plays a tenement-era ghost who seems way too thoroughly modern.
Plot? Yes, there is one. An evil cold spirit escapes, freezes New York, releases captured ghosts, and Ghostbusters have to save the day. New and old Ghostbusters, working together. Which is not quite “human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria,” but eh, it’s pretty good, it’s funny enough, and you can watch with the family, which sometimes is good enough.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies, 80s movies, Bill Murray, Carrie Coon, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Finn Wolfhard, Jason Reitman, McKenna Grace
By Jack Silbert on May 21, 2024
EPISODE #591: TRACES
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Benny Spellman — “Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette)”
Karyn Kuhl — “No Traces”
The Bats — “No Trace”
Leonard Cohen — “True Love Leaves No Traces”
Weak Signal — “Barely a Trace”
Sloan — “Traces”
Hugo Montenegro — “Traces”
The Mystery Lights — “Traces”
Dusty Springfield — ”Natchez Trace”
Jon Langford and Skull Orchard — “Gone Without Trace”
Scrawl — “Disappear Without a Trace”
Soul Asylum — “Without a Trace”
Sonos — “The Untraceable Past”
Au Revoir Simone — “Trace a Line”
Shannon Wright — “Ribbons of You”
David Sanborn — “The Dream” r.i.p.
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Au Revoir Simone, Benny Spellman, Dusty Springfield, Hugo Montenegro, Jon Langford, Karyn Kuhl Band, Leonard Cohen, Mystery Lights, Scrawl, Sloan, Somos, Soul Asylum, The Bats, Weak Signal
By Jack Silbert on May 14, 2024
EPISODE #590: STEVE ALBINI TRIBUTE
Big Black — “Heart Beat” [ALTERNATE THEME]
Pixies — “Where Is My Mind?”
Nirvana — “Heart-Shaped Box”
Nina Nastasia — “Oblivion”
Guided by Voices — “It’s Like Soul Man”
Screaming Females — “High”
Mikey Erg — “Almost Like Judee Sill”
John Biz and Higgins — “Amplifier”
Bewitched — “No. 1”
Jimmy Page & Robert Plant — ”Shining in the Light”
The Fleshtones — “Psychedelic Swamp”
Don Caballero — “Our Caballero”
Pansy Division — “Bad Boyfriend”
The Wedding Present — “Dare”
The Sadies — “The Last of the Good”
Shannon Wright — “Ribbons of You”
David Sanborn — “The Dream” r.i.p.
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Bewitched, Big Black, Bob Bert, David Sanborn, Don Caballero, Fleshtones, Guided by Voices, Higgins, Jimmy Page, John Biz, Mikey Erg, Nina Nastasia, Nirvana, Pansy Division, Robert Plant, Screaming Females, Shannon Wright, The Pixies, The Sadies, The Wedding Present
By Jack Silbert on May 14, 2024
3.5 stars out of 5
I didn’t know much about The Beast going into this: Léa Seydoux (I’m a fan) time-travels, and keeps meeting the same man. I was hoping — and even told the concessions staffer — that the movie would be more weird than romantic. I think I got what I wanted.
Just a little more plot for y’all: It’s 2044, and AI has taken most of our jobs. Dang! Ah, but there’s a medical procedure in which humans can go through their past lives, cleanse the heavy emotions, and return to the present without feelings but ready for one of the good remaining jobs.
First we’re in 1910 and everyone’s in old-timey clothes and hair and we’re in a fancy house at a party and sometimes they’re speaking French and why is this segment going on for so long and oh man I am getting sleeeeeeeeepy…. Reader, I do not care for this era of “period piece” and will admit to dozing off a time or two or maybe even three, possibly missing a detail here and there. Yet I snapped to attention when things indeed got weird for Gabrielle (Seydoux) before she zapped back to the present, which was the future.
There’s a strong David Lynch influence here, specifically the Lost Highway/Mulholland Drive era, and Seydoux could easily be a stand-in for Naomi Watts. But director/co-writer Bertrand Bonello is no David Lynch, and I began to wonder if things were just getting weird for weirdness’s sake. Why aren’t Gabrielle’s past lives more commonplace? It’s the cliché of tales of regression, where the person was a fighter pilot and a princess and the inventor of fire, yet never learns that in a past life they were the guy at CVS who unlocks the razor case.
So, I don’t know, it’s pretty cool, and the always watchable Seydoux fully commits to the role, though there’s a slight undercurrent of dumb and it just doesn’t quite come together. You can certainly wait till this one is streaming. Oh, no plot spoilers, but there was one element that I absolutely had never seen before in all my years of moviegoing: Instead of end credits, there was a QR code on-screen! So later I watched 8 minutes of credits on my phone. Wow, we really are in the future!
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies, Bertrand Bonello, Léa Seydoux
By Jack Silbert on May 7, 2024
EPISODE #589: DREAMS V
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Karyn Kuhl — “Keep On Dreaming”
The Dracu-Las — “Fever Dream”
George Usher — “The Return of Your Loved Ones in Dreams”
Juniper — “I Don’t Want to Dream About You”
Spit-take — “Another Dream”
Megan Reilly — “Love Was a Dream”
Richard Barone feat. The Charm Offensive — “I Had a Dream”
Syd Straw — “Golden Dreams”
Abbie From Mars — ”DreamDreamDream”
Renee Maskin — “Mosquito Dreams”
Eric Ambel and Roscoe’s Gang — “Long Gone Dream”
Thee AHs — “Dreams of You”
Teen Idle — “Dreaming”
Tim Foljahn — “In My Dreams”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Abbie From Mars, Dracu-Las, Eric Ambel, George Usher, Juniper, Karyn Kuhl Band, Megan Reilly, Renee Maskin, Richard Barone, Spit-take, Syd Straw, Teen Idle, Thee AHs, Tim Foljahn
By Jack Silbert on April 30, 2024
EPISODE #588: LET’S GO
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Hank Ballard & the Midnighters — “Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go”
The Feelies — “Let’s Go”
Trick Daddy — “Let’s Go”
New Order — “Let’s Go” [Low-life sessions instrumental]
The Cars — “Let’s Go”
Best Coast — “Let’s Go of Home”
Yum Yums — “Let’s Go Crazy”
Helen Love — “Let’s Go”
The Drums — ”Let’s Go Surfing”
Nick Lowe — “Let’s Go to the Disco”
of Montreal — “Let’s Go for a Walk”
The Cure — “Let’s Go to Bed”
Future Bible Heroes — “Let’s Go to Sleep (And Never Come Back)”
Doug Sahm & band — “Baby, Let’s Go to Mexico”
Hank Ballard & the Midnighters — “Let’s Go Again (Where We Went Last Night)”
Beach Boys — “Let’s Go Away for Awhile”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Beach Boys, Best Coast, Doug Sahm, Feelies, Future Bible Heroes, Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, Helen Love, New Order, Nick Lowe, Of Montreal, the Cars, The Cure, The Drums, Yum Yums
By Jack Silbert on April 30, 2024
4 stars out of 5
This film rattled me so much, I fully expected to exit the multiplex and find that civil war had broken out in the Harmon Plaza parking lot. As soon as I had seen the trailer, I knew I wanted to see this movie: U.S. states seceding, government cracking down on civilians, violence in the streets — it all seemed entirely too plausible. And when I noticed that Alex Garland was the writer and director, I knew we were in very capable hands. His first feature, Ex Machina, was in my top 10 for 2015, and Annihilation from 2018 remains one of my favorite sci-fi films of all time.
Garland wisely doesn’t “pick a side” or even clearly indicate what the sides are in this civil war. We see authoritarianism, we see racism, we’re even told of a defining early event, the “Antifa Massacre” (which made me laugh later, because, did Antifa become a real organization? And did they massacre others, or did they get massacred?). But we’re not given a play-by-play of how this war originated, or who to root for. Instead, we see the conflict through the eyes of four traveling journalists who are simply observing and reporting. In case you forgot, that’s what journalists are supposed to do, even when it shines a negative light on your team.
The cast is superb, starting with our reporting crew: Kirsten Dunst is veteran, decorated photographer Lee Smith (not to be confused with Hall of Fame relief pitcher Lee Smith). Wagner Moura, who you know from Narcos but I don’t, is reporter Joel. Moura is excellent, going from the lighthearted one to supportive to peacemaker to utter despair. I was a little bothered that never really see him reporting/writing. Cailee Spaeny, who was very good as Priscilla Presley in Priscilla, is Jessie, early 20s amateur photographer who idolizes Lee and begs to tag along in their SUV to Washington, DC,which is just barely hanging on as the nation’s capital. Lee sees much of herself in Jessie and wants to protect her. Stephen McKinley Henderson, who I’ve enjoyed since The Newsroom, plays the crusty but wise old reporter Sammy.
In a smaller roles but also quite good is Nick Offerman as the President who has not respected the rights of American citizens. (Offerman, Spaeny, and Henderson were in Garland’s Hulu series Devs, which I’ll be watching soon. Perhaps the MVP here is Jesse “Mr. Dunst” Plemons as a hateful militant the crew encounter on their journey. A frightening portrayal!
Civil War is a very unsettling film that I highly recommend viewing. The key to the story may ultimately be humanity: losing your sense of it, and hopefully regaining it.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 10s movies, 20s movies, Alex Garland, Cailee Spaeny, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Nick Offerman, television, Wagner Moura
Jack Silbert, curator