EPISODE #474: BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2022
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
The Weeknd — “Save Your Tears”
Billy Wright — “After Dark Blues”
The Staple Singers — “Uncloudy Day”
The Treniers — “Rockin’ Is Our Bizness”
Ohio Players — “Love Rollercoaster”
Cecil Gant — “I Wonder”
Hank Ballard & the Midnighters — “Work With Me Annie”
Dee Dee Sharp — “Mashed Potato Time”
Kool & the Gang — “Open Sesame”
Don Covay — “Mercy Mercy”
Betty Wright — “Baby Sitter”
The Tams — “Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy”
Brenton Wood — “Gimme Little Sign”
Percy Sledge — “Take Time To Know Her”
Betty Davis — “If I’m in Luck I Might Get Picked Up” r.i.p.
Syl Johnson — “Back for a Taste of Your Love” r.i.p.
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Aquarium Playlist, 2/15/22
Aquarium Playlist, 2/8/22
EPISODE #473: CANCELED CONCERTS III
The omicron variant caused a large spike in COVID cases, resulting in a new batch of canceled events.
Peter Holsapple — “Cancelled” [ALTERNATE THEME]
Joy Cleaner — “False Alarm”
The Ergs — “Every Romance Language”
Shellshag — “Driving Song”
John Cozz & the Rippers — “Italian Meats”
The Exbats — “Best Kiss”
Baby Shakes — “Sweet ’n’ Sour (pt. 2)”
The Connells — “Fading In (Hardy)”
The Sensational Country Blues Wonders — “My Baby Stabbed Me With a Steak Knife”
Yo La Tengo — “Is That Enough”
Last Roundup — “Just a Little Is Enough”
The Wrens — “This Boy Is Exhausted”
Bettye LaVette — “Everything Is Broken”
Jonathan Richman — “This Is One Sad World”
Vehicle Flips — “Requiem for a Canceled Program” [CLOSING THEME]
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Aquarium Playlist, 2/1/22
EPISODE #472: GROUNDHOG DAY (SHADOWS)
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Rolling Stones — “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow”
Beat Happening — “Cast a Shadow”
My Teenage Stride — “Cast Your Own Shadow”
Au Revoir Simone — “Shadows”
Yo La Tengo — “Shadows”
Rufus Wainwright — “Shadows”
Velvet Monkeys — “Shadow Box”
Pale Lights — “Port of Shadows”
Flowers — “Shadow”
Lucinda Williams — “Shadows & Doubt”
Dr. Dog — “Shadow People”
Chromatics — “Shadow”
Elvis Costello & the Attractions — “Complicated Shadows”
Charles Brown — “Evening Shadows”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Aquarium Playlist, 1/25/22
EPISODE #471: FLOATING
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Spiritualized — “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space”
Teenage Halloween — “Floating”
Karyn Kuhl — “Floating World”
The Apples in Stereo — “Floating in Space”
Julee Cruise — “Floating”
Eyelids — “Floating Underground”
The Lampshades — “Floating”
Planet Gong — “Floatin’ Anarchy” [live]
They Might Be Giants — “Haunted Floating Eye”
Aberdeen — “Sink or Float”
Dott — “Floating Arrows”
Failed Flowers — “Coke Floats”
Modest Mouse — “Float On”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Movie Review: Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
3.5 stars out of 5
First things first: Vanna White does not appear in this film. Having just named Drive My Car my favorite movie of 2021, I was excited to see another offering from director Ryûke Hamaguchi. And this time I’d be judging him fully on his own merits, as there wasn’t a Haruki Murakami story to base the screenplay on.
I must admit to slight disappointment in learning that, like Buster Scruggs and French Dispatch, this was yet another anthology film. (And bigger disappointment to discover that some people are calling them portmanteau films — the comparison doesn’t seem to fit.) It’s not that I’m against cinematic short-story collections, but I guess when I’m sitting in a theater, I prefer to immerse myself in one long story.
Here we get three stories: an unexpected love triangle; a #metoo plot against a college professor; and a mistaken-identity reunion of two women in a post-technology world.
The first segment drew me in with its tale of introverts finding love, and being wounded by infidelity, and the “queen bee” ex who doesn’t want you yet doesn’t want anyone else to have you either. I can relate to all of that! I appreciated that Hamaguchi fleshed out the main character so we didn’t see her simply as a selfish villain.
I found the second segment to be the weakest (of course, with 3 parts, that’s usually going to be the case). We have a young mother cheating with a younger college student, who devises a “honey trap” scheme against a professor he feels has wronged him. (Is honey trap a common term in Japan?) The segment devolves into Black Mirror-lite territory, which, again, is not what I go to the movies for.
In the final segment, after a virus has destroyed the internet (stop watching Black Mirror, Ryûke!), two women who may or may not be acquainted run into each other after a high school reunion. As they talk, they learn that each has something to offer the other emotionally. There was a sweetness to this one which reminded me of “Augie Wren’s Christmas Story” by Paul Auster (already captured on film in Smoke).
I admire that Hamaguchi is delving into the murky areas of the human condition — as he ages I imagine he’ll gain even more insight. And kudos to him for featuring female protagonists, though in the middle segment, a cautionary tale for women presented by a male screenwriter was a little icky. I’d also warn him against making movies that are too talk-y; in the short-film mode perhaps it’s easier to revert to writing a one-act play. But movies let us go bigger. I’m interested to see what this filmmaker comes up with next, hopefully in feature-length story form.
Aquarium Playlist, 1/18/22
EPISODE #470: RONNIE SPECTOR TRIBUTE
The Ronettes — “Be My Baby” [ALTERNATE THEME]
Billy Joel — “Say Goodbye to Hollywood”
Marshall Crenshaw — “Something’s Gonna Happen”
The Ramones — “She Talks to Rainbows”
The Beach Boys — “Don’t Worry Baby”
Ronnie Spector & the E Street Band — “Say Goodbye to Hollywood”
Ronnie Spector — “Something’s Gonna Happen”
Ronnie Spector — “She Talks to Rainbows”
Ronnie Spector — “Don’t Worry Baby”
Johnny Thunders — “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory”
Amy Rigby — “All I Want”
Ronnie Spector — “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory”
Ronnie Spector — “All I Want”
Ronnie Spector — “Farewell to a Sex Symbol”
Eddie Money feat. Ronnie Spector — “Take Me Home Tonight”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Movie Review: France
2.5 stars out of 5
Note to self: Just because a movie’s in French and is playing at an art theater doesn’t automatically mean it’s good. In this case, I must admit I didn’t do much advance research. A film starring Léa Seydoux? What she say, I do! Seydoux first caught my eye in The Grand Budapest Hotel in 2014, and retroactively caught every other part of my body when I finally saw Blue Is the Warmest Colour. So I bought a ticket to France tout de suite.
Seydoux plays a celebrity journalist in France named… France. Everyone wants a selfie with her! And Emmanuel Macron is sort of in the movie! This is, how you say, le satire. And as we either learned or didn’t learn from Don’t Look Up, satire ain’t easy. You either need to lampoon a topic that hasn’t been done to death before, or else you better bring a unique perspective. France fails on both counts.
France the character is more interested in presenting herself than in presenting the news or her interview subjects. She “directs” camera angles and actions while reporting in the field, to tell the story as she sees fit. The media being staged was covered pretty well by Broadcast News back in 1987. And yes, France is cynical, but didn’t Network already take a delightfully dark look at the news media in 1976?
I guess the twist here is that France has an ethical awakening. She then steps away from television and becomes charitable so, they decide she’s mad! And thus is sent to fancy rehab in the Alps. Next there’s a scandalous report about her. But her savvy assistant knows that everybody loves a comeback and besides, the public has a very small attention span. Along the line, we learn that being phony is easier than being real, and dishing it out is easier than taking it. Not too original. C’est la vie!
Aquarium Playlist, 1/11/22
EPISODE #469: CLASSIC ROCK
Theme suggested by contest winner Marian Steffens.
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Led Zeppelin — “Rock and Roll”
The Doors — “Peace Frog”
Jimi Hendrix Experience — “Manic Depression”
ZZ Top — “La Grange”
Chicago — “Questions 67 and 68”
Rolling Stones — “Respectable”
Creedence Clearwater Revival — “Fortunate Son”
Patti Smith — “Ask the Angels”
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young — “Ohio”
Yes — “Long Distance Runaround”
Fleetwood Mac — “Second-Hand News”
The Who — “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere”
Bob Dylan — “If Not for You”
Queen — “Somebody to Love”
The Beatles — “Dig a Pony”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hobok
Pandemic Cinema, Year 2
A chronological list of movies (feature length and short films) that I watched at home during the continuing COVID-19 crisis in 2021. The great majority of them were new to me.
The Chimp (1932)
A Night at the Opera (1935)
Doubt (2008)
The Devil Is a Sissy (1936)
Block-Heads (1938)
A King in New York (1957)
Smithereens (1982)
Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
Dogfight (1991)
Layer Cake (2004)
Waiting for Guffman (1996)
The Glass Bottom Boat (1966)
Dark Habits (1983)
The Flying Deuces (1939)
Best in Show (2000)
Speak Easily (1932)
Sisters (1972)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Airplane (1980)
Konga (1961)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
The Son of No One (2011)
Captains Courageous (1937)
Lilith (1964)
Easy A (2010)
The Dig (2021)
After Hours (1985)
Live Flesh (1997)
The Comedian (2016)
Rollerball (1975)
The Comic (1969)
Nomadland (2020)
Mascots (2016)
City Lights (1931)
The Brood (1979)
Somewhere (2010)
Network (1976)
Delirious (1991)
The Pawnbroker (1964)
Minari (2020)
Performance (1970)
Brainstorm (1983)
Thelma & Louise (1991)
New York, New York (1977)
At the Circus (1939)
Fighting Mad (1976)
East of Eden (1955)
Grand Prix (1966)
The Front (1976)
Coming to America (1988)
Sabotage (1936)
Bullitt (1968)
Coming 2 America (2021)
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
Friday Foster (1975)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Blood Simple (1984)
Smoked Hams (1934)
Little Women (2019)
The Candidate (1972)
Shocker (1989)
Happiness (1998)
Bad Trip (2021)
Lucy in the Sky (2019)
Fatty and Mabel’s Simple Life (1932)
The Chimp (1915)
Bashful (1917)
The Hot Chick (2002)
Splendor in the Grass (1961)
The Producers (1967)
My Favorite Year (1982)
Suzi Q (2019)
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)
Deputy Droopy (1955)
Red Hot Riding Hood (1955)
Bad Luck Blackie (1949)
Screwball Squirrel (1944)
North by Northwest (1959)
King-Size Canary (1932)
The Chimp (1947)
T.V. of Tomorrow (1953)
Symphony in Slang (1951)
Girl Shy (1924)
The Drowning Pool (1975)
Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965)
Modern Times (1936)
The Fortune Cookie (1966)
What’s Buzzin’ Buzzard? (1943)
The Front Page (1931)
Marty (1955)
Sabrina (1954)
Shampoo (1975)
Carnival of Souls (1962)
The Farm of Tomorrow (1954)
Billy Boy (1954)
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)
Simon (1980)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Buried Treasure (1938)
Green Book (2018)
Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exhibition (1915)
The Champ (1979)
Out of the Past (1947)
He Did and He Didn’t (1916)
This Must Be the Place (2011)
Kajillionaire (2020)
Piranha (1978)
Lunatics: A Love Story (1991)
A Rainy Day in New York (2019)
The Hick Chick (1946)
The 39 Steps (1932)
The Beguiled (2017)
Scissors (1991)
Murder, My Sweet (1944)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Murder by Death (1976)
Schizoid (1980)
Westworld (1973)
Body Heat (1981)
The Children’s Hour (1961)
Speedy (1928)
La Collectioneuse (1967)
Places in the Heart (1984)
Life Stinks (1991)
Lonesome Lenny (1946)
ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band From Texas (2019)
Rabid (1977)
Silverado (1985)
The Chase (1966)
Goodnight Brooklyn: The Story of Death by Audio (2016)
Our Relations (1936)
Palm Springs (2020)
Marnie (1964)
Summer Rental (1985)
Mandy (2018)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Passion Fish (1992)
Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
La Piscine (1969)
Rachel, Rachel (1968)
The Rink (1916)
Penn & Teller Get Killed (1989)
Field and Scream (1979)
Little Johnny Jet (1953)
Papa Gets the Bird (1940)
Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
Seems Like Old Times (1980)
He Got Game (1998)
Them! (1954)
Slap Happy Lion (1947)
A Rainy Day With the Bear Family (1940)
Macabre (1958)
Magic (1978)
It’s Alive (1974)
Dementia 13 (1963)
The Uninvited Pest (1943)
Deadly Friend (1986)
Obsession (1976)
Bats in the Belfry (1942)
House on Haunted Hill (1959)
La Bestia Debe Morir (1952)
Dracula (1931)
Hell Night (1981)
Scat Cats (1957)
Promising Young Woman (2020)
Sweetie (1989)
High School Confidential! (1958)
Swing Swift Cinderella (1945)
Dumb-Hounded (1943)
You’re a Big Boy Now (1966)
Among Those Present (1921)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Overboard (1987)
The Goose Goes South (1941)
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
Don’t Look Up (2021)
Tall Story (1960)
Gave up on:
Wicked Stepmother (1989)
Pandemic Cinema, year 1
My Highly Subjective List of the Best Movies of 2021
Another Covid-screwed year at the movies, and until last Tuesday this was only going to be a Top 9 list. Still, thanks to the reopening of the Clairidge Theater in Montclair (kudos to Evelyn Colbert and the good people of Montclair Film), I was able to see some quality late-year releases on the big screen as the good Lord and Louis B. Mayer intended.
10) Ghostbusters: Afterlife This kinder, gentler Ghostbusters from Jason Reitman turned out to be a true family flick, and a really charming and well-made one at that. The pace and fun pick up as it goes along, and by the time some old friends arrive, I knew that bustin’ still makes me feel good.
9) The Summer of Soul Director Questlove shares amazing concert footage (I am still reeling from seeing the incredible duet by young Mavis Staples and old Mahalia Jackson) from the basically forgotten 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival — and helps place it in the historical context of inequality and unrest in the city streets.
8) The Sparks Brothers Persistence, cleverness, and wild creativity are Sparks’ hallmarks, lovingly captured in this detailed music documentary from Edgar Wright. And a rare example of a doc that is actually funny.
7) Flag Day Sean Penn does an excellent, artful job directing himself and his daughter Dylan (who provides a terrific lead performance). Based on a true story, it’s a compelling family saga in which a young woman slowly realizes her dad isn’t all that. Is she doomed to follow in his flawed footsteps… or can she reinvent herself?
6) The French Dispatch Wes Anderson goes the anthology route and gives us some slapstick, some animation, a little food for thought, lots of familiar faces and strong comedic performances (especially Jeffrey Wright and Timothée Chalamet), plus all those great little details we count on from Wes.
5) Nightmare Alley Guillermo del Toro combines his passions for classic movie tropes and freaks in this moody noir remake. Bradley Cooper is an everyman with a dark past who hooks up with an old-time carnival, then gets greedy for more. Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, David Strathairn, and Richard Jenkins help raise this well above a genre exercise.
4) Licorice Pizza Hands-down the most fun at the movies this year, courtesy of P.T. Anderson. Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim both give breathless, star-making performances in a rollicking Once Upon a Time in Hollywood-lite adventure, with Sean Penn and Tom Waits along for the ride. Plots are for suckers!
3) West Side Story Steven Spielberg delivers a master class in filmmaking in this fresh, hyper-naturalistic retelling of the beloved musical. The singing, dancing, music, and cinematography crackle with urgency and excitement. And society’s fear/hatred of “the other” which runs parallel with the love story here is sadly more relevant than ever.
2) The Tragedy of MacBeth Joel Coen strips away anything extraneous — even brother Ethan — to present a stark, vital, beautifully shot, and faithful telling of Shakespeare’s pre-noir classic. Denzel Washington delivers a towering performance as MacBeth and Frances MacDormand deservedly shares the out-damned-spotlight.
1) Drive My Car I might not have guessed that a 3-hour Japanese film would be my favorite of the year. But, as one would hope of a film based on a Haruki Murakami short story, modern humanity is so sharply and unflinchingly observed here, and I stayed engrossed throughout. It’s an epic, intellectually challenging treatise on control, loss, and healing via sex, Russian theater, and, yes, cars.
Worst movie: Not horrible, but after such a long wait, the ho-hum 007 No Time To Die was a real letdown.
New releases I saw this year: 30 (including 3 films from 2020 not included in last year’s ratings)
My best-of lists from: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017/16, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009
You can check out all my movie reviews by clicking here.
Jack Silbert, curator