The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME] The O’Jays — “You Got Your Hooks in Me” The “5” Royales — “Think” The Shirelles — “Baby, It’s You” Kansas Joe & Memphis Minnie — “When the Levee Breaks” Charley Pride — “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone” Mary Wells — “Strange Love” Joe Simon — “Drowning in the Sea of Love” Heatwave — “Boogie Nights” Little Walter — “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” Chuck Willis — “Let’s Jump Tonight” Sam & Dave — “You Don’t Know What You Mean to Me” The Toys — “A Lover’s Concerto” Sonny Boy Williamson (I) — “Black Gal Blues” Jimmy Reed — “Ain’t That Loving You Baby” Herbie Hancock — “Rockit”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
IMAX on Sunday, or my laptop on Friday? God help me, I love that big screen. And thus warranted my first trip of the pandemic to Paramus. Not quite a nomad, but, it’s a start.
I’d heard positive buzz about this movie for months now, and was wondering when I’d get a chance to see it. I know nothing about director/screenwriter Chloé Zhao, but I do trust Frances McDormand’s choices. (Well, except for that Three Billboards garbage.) The film is based in a reality that perhaps you know more about than I do: There are many people, in RVs and smaller, traversing this occasionally great land, living in their vehicles.
For the most part, I’m not talking about your mom and dad selling the condo, buying a luxury RV, and heading off to “see the country.” The people highlighted here represent a population that usually can’t afford traditional housing. They seek seasonal labor and migrate away from the harshest weather. It ain’t the glamorous life, Sheila E. But there’s something beautiful and deeply, deeply satisfying about it too.
McDormand plays Fern. She’s widowed and her town—Empire, Nevada—has gone belly-up (just as it did in real life when the gypsum company folded). Holiday work at Amazon helps her get by. But when that dries up and it starts to get really cold, she decides to give the nomad life a try.
Pretty much everybody in this movie plays themselves. And as Fern hears their stories, the early going has a bit of a documentary feel. But Zhao has a superb visual sense, and hot damn is McDormand good. She perfectly straddles what feels like a unique American loneliness which, if pushed through, can become a splendid solitude. David Strathairn shows up and he also comes across as mighty real.
If you’re looking for action, just move along. But there is plenty to chew on here: our fragile economy, our social safety net (and the holes in it), makeshift communities, people looking out for one another, carrying on after loss, etc. And something that particularly struck me—how much of the classic American life are you able to digest? The house, the spouse, the kids, the dog, the 9-to-5? Some of us proudly swallow it whole. Some of us can partially handle it. And for some, it is just not meant to be. And I truly don’t think any of us are fit to judge someone else’s existence. But I do feel OK judging this movie, which I think is excellent.
The story of Rikki Will: About 15 years ago, she hung up her guitar and solo act, for there was life to attend to. Raising two darling daughters, working, creating whimsical visual art, loving, losing, loving again. But that guitar kept beckoning to her, and at last, Rikki heeded its call. That she’s returned with such an accomplished recording, Will’s debut EP Songs for Rivers, is a testament to her talent and hard-won maturity. But it’s also an unexpected gift to us fans of excellent singer/songwriter fare with stellar musical backing.
Rikki may have been helped a bit by her friend — turned partner — turned collaborator and producer/engineer/mixer Oscar Albis Rodriguez, a top-notch performer in his own right. But from first listen to the Songs for Rivers EP, one thing is abundantly clear: This is Rikki’s show.
Lead track “Gone” preceded the EP as a single. It’s a lazy-day country shuffle driven by Rodriguez’s twanging guitar and Rikki’s vocals, which shift from world-weary to heavenly. For steady bass and lovely backing vocals, you simply won’t find better than Annie Nero (The Hold Steady, Kevin Morby, Bob Weir, Walter Martin). Drummer Jesse Kristin of Jukebox the Ghost holds it all in place.
The hypnotic “Beautiful Face” rides Will’s precise picking and delicate folk vocal, punctuated by Rodriguez’s reverb-soaked country guitar. “Blindsided” is brighter musically, while lyrically focusing on love’s restorative power. Opening with a gentle strum and soft vocals, “Same as Always” feels like a lullaby until the band kicks in at the minute mark; it then rises up triumphantly.
Songs for Rivers is a country record; it’s a folk record. But, perhaps you’re wondering: Can Rikki rock? Oh yes, most certainly. The one song not written by Will herself is the closer, Wreckless Eric’s classic “Whole Wide World.” It’s all chugging electric guitar, bass, and martial drumming, topped by Ms. Will’s very sultry delivery — with some twinkly, wobbly, electro effects woven in to keep things modern. Halfway through they break it down to just vocal and drums, then thrillingly build it back up again.
Looking for someone to snap you out of your winter doldrums? Rikki can, and Rikki will.
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME] The Dollyrots — “Valentine’s Day” Fleetwood Mac — “Hold Me” The Greenhornes — “Hold Me” The Boys — “Hold Me” The Orioles — “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me” The Beatles — “Hold Me Tight” U2 — “Iris (Hold Me Close)” Hefner — “Hold Me Closer” Spiritualized — “Don’t Hold Me Close” Elton John & Leon Russell — “Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody)” Ween — “I’m Holding You” XTC — “Hold Me My Daddy” The Polyphonic Spree — “Hold Me Now” Justin Townes Earle — “Faded Valentine”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME] Jermaine Jackson — “(Closest Thing to) Perfect” Terry McCarthy — “Perfectly” Jennifer O’Connor — “Perfect Match” Clint Michigan — “The Perfect of Days” Dolly Mixture — “Welcome to the Perfect Day” The Human Hearts — “Perfect Lovers (Summation Gallop)” Chris Stamey — “Perfect Time” R.E.M. — “Perfect Circle” The Ladybug Transistor — “Perfect for Shattering” Lloyd Cole & the Commotions — “Perfect Skin” Rufus Wainwright — “Perfect Man” All Ashore! — “Perfect Pop Song” The Last — “Perfect World” Spiritualized — “A Perfect Miracle”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME] The Ronettes — “Be My Baby” Gene Pitney — “Every Breath I Take” Terry Day — “I Love You, Betty” Darlene Love — “A Fine, Fine Boy” The Crystals — “Then He Kissed Me” Ike & Tina Turner — “River Deep — Mountain High” The Beatles — “The Long and Winding Road” George Harrison — “Wah-Wah” John Lennon — “You Can’t Catch Me” Dion — “Baby Let’s Stick Together” Leonard Cohen — “Memories” The Ramones — “Danny Says” Starsailor — “Silence Is Easy” The Teddy Bears — “You Said Goodbye”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME] The Lovin’ Spoonful — “Nashville Cats” Dolly Parton — “Down on Music Row” Pavement — “Strings of Nashville” Bob Neuwirth — “Nashville” Rusty Adams — “Angels From the Opry” Bessie Smith — “Nashville Woman’s Blues” The Everly Brothers — “Nashville Blues” Steve Earle — “South Nashville Blues” Bruce Springsteen — “Somewhere North of Nashville” The Nude Party — “Nashville Record Co.” Kris Kristofferson — “To Beat the Devil” Lambchop — “Nashville Parent” Indigo Girls — “Nashville” Bobby Bare Jr. — “Visit Me in Music City”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME] Jackie Brenston with his Delta Cats — “Rocket ‘88’” Robert Johnson — “Stop Breakin’ Down Blues” Bob Wills & his Texas Playboys — “Get With It” Wynonie Harris — “Good Rockin’ Tonight” Bill Monroe & his Bluegrass Boys — “Toy Heart” Muddy Waters — “I Can’t Be Satisfied” Hank Williams — “Settin’ the Woods on Fire” Louis Jordan — “Caldonia Boogie” Bill Haley & his Comets — “Rock Around the Clock” Elvis Presley — “That’s All Right” Fats Domino — “The Big Beat” Chuck Berry — “Maybellene” Bo Diddley — “Bo Diddley” Little Richard — “Rip It Up” Wanda Jackson — “Fujiyama Mama” Carl Perkins — “Honey, Don’t” Jerry Lee Lewis & his Pumping Piano — “Breathless” The Rolling Stones — “The Last Time”
Jack Silbert proudly records The Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
A chronlogical list of movies (feature length and short films) that I watched at home during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. The great majority of them were new to me.
Paris, Texas (1984) American Graffiti (1973) More American Graffiti (1979) Boxcar Bertha (1972) The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder (1974) The Lady From Shanghai (1947) Surf Nazis Must Die (1987) Blackboard Jungle (1955) Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Serpico (1973) Summer School (1987) The Endless Summer (1965) Kong: Skull Island (2017) The Half of It (2020) Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) A Matter of Life and Death (1946) The Last Picture Show (1971) Airplane (1980) The Go-Go’s (2020) Be Water (2020) Smithereens (1982) A Taste of Honey (1961) Her Smell (2018) Where’s Poppa? (1970) The League of Gentlemen (1960) The Town (2010) Being There (1979) What’s Up, Doc? (1972) Wolves (2016) The Parallax View (1974) Pocketful of Miracles (1961) Sons of the Desert (1944) Baby Driver (2017) Shoulder Arms (1918) The Idle Class (1921) Pay Day (1922) A Day’s Pleasure (1919) Mabel’s Married Life (1914) Sunnyside (1919) A King in New York (1957) The Kid (1921) Sylvia Scarlett (1935) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) Swing Shift (1984) Bringing Up Baby (1938) True Stories (1986) Cracking Up (1983) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Just the Way You Are (1984) Double Indemnity (1944) Never Weaken (1921) Get On Up (2014) The Kids Are All Right (2010) The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) Reefer Madness (1936) The T.A.M.I. Show (1964) Plan 9 From Outer Space (1957) Sex Madness (1938) Uncle Peckerhead (2020) Invisible Man (2020) The Virgin Suicides (1999) The Witch (2015) Sweet Bird of Youth (1962) The Fortune (1975) The Palm Beach Story (1942) Titticut Follies (1967) A Brighter Summer Day (1991) Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961) Giant (1956) Just Mercy (2019) Friday Night Lights (2004) White Lightning (1973) Gator (1976) Love Before Breakfast (1936) Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020) The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) The Devil-Doll (1936) Scream and Scream Again (1970) The Wicker Man (1973) This Is Spinal Tap (1984) Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll (2014) The Hurricane (1999) Party Girl (1995) You Don’t Know Ivan Julian (2020) Lolita (1962) Mabel’s Strange Predicament (1914) White Riot (2019) Kiss Me Deadly (1955) Times Square (1980) The Rain People (1969) Nothing But Trouble (1944) Zappa (2020) Hillbilly Elegy (2020) Belushi (2020) All Fall Down (1962) E.T. (1982) Duck Soup (1933) Motel Hell (1980) Anabelle Comes Home (2019) The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020) His Girl Friday (1940) Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan (2020) The Music Box (1932) Way Out West (1937) Annabelle: Creation (2017) Lola Versus (2012) The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case (1930) Another Fine Mess (1930) Block-Heads (1938) Panic in Needle Park (1971) Our Wife (1931) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) Helpmates (1932) Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) First Cow (2020) Corvette Summer (1978)
A couple of introductory comments this year: • Obviously 2020 was seriously messed up in many, many regards, just one of which was closed movie theaters and rescheduled/re-planned releases. As a result, I only saw 16 new releases either in a theater or via streaming/TV, and did not officially review many of them. Also, I have not included movies that were specifically made for streaming sites (The Half of It or Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, for example). That’s merely a judgment call on my part. The upshot: This is only a Top 5 instead of my usual Top 10. • For 12 years I’ve been posting these lists with an admittedly clunky headline. But that long-ago decision (explained in my first entry) seems particularly important now. Because way too many people confuse their opinions with facts. [Author’s Note: And I wrote this paragraph before Wednesday. Jeez Louise!] It’s easy to say “the line has been blurred” but that’s categorically untrue: Facts remain facts, opinions are still opinion, and those twain ain’t meeting anytime soon. So, the following list of best movies is my opinion, which may differ from yours. I’d be worried if it didn’t.
5)Gretel and Hansel When I walked out of the theater last February, I wasn’t even sure if I liked this film or not. But the gothic horror, directed by Anthony Perkins’ son Oz, has definitely stuck with me. Stark, slooooow, atmospheric, majorly f’ed up, with yet another stellar performance from young Sophia Lillis.
4) Borat Subsequent Moviefilm:Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan That footage of Giuliani jamming his hand down his pants was a bit of a momentum shifter, I think. Oh what a nice surprise to have Borat back, just when we needed him most, providing huge laughs and reminding us that the newly-empowered far-right are just a bunch of dopes. But it was also a kinder, gentler Borat, with the movie celebrating female empowerment (really!) and skewering anti-semitism with genuine compassion. Very nice!
3) On the Rocks The most “grown up” movie I saw all year. Sofia Coppola makes her Woody Allen film and Bill Murray gives us classic Murray in this light comedy set on the gorgeous night streets of upscale Manhattan.
2) News of the World I don’t rush to Tom Hanks films like I used to (is Greyhound the sequel to Sully except this time he lands a bus on the Hudson?), but paired with veteran director Paul Greengrass, I thought it was worth a chance. This is the kind of movie your home screen can never do justice to, with sweeping western vistas. Plus there are galloping horses, old-timey guns, man vs. nature, a hero’s quest, and ever-trusty Hanks steering us along the dusty path. Shout-out to young Helena Zengel, who delivers a first-rate performance. Yes, this ticks all the boxes for a cowboy flick, but it also has warmth and loss, trust and loyalty.
1) The Trial of the Chicago 7 It’s a good thing they didn’t have a global pandemic in 1968 because oh man was that a messed-up year. Two decades later I was taking a college course about it, and in another class we read Tom Hayden’s memoir. As my academic recollections have gotten a bit fuzzy, this film provided an excellent refresher. In Chicago near the Democratic convention, cops in riot gear cracked down on a peaceful protest, and things turned violent. (How can modern audiences possibly relate to this story?!?) Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed this reenactment of the resultant trial of the supposed ringleaders, with much dialogue taken from the trial itself. Does Sacha Baron Cohen steal this movie (eh?) as Abbie Hoffman? Quite possibly! On the prosecution side, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is rock-solid, and no stock baddie. Meanwhile, as William Kunstler on the defense, the great Mark Rylance twists, turns, and strains all in the name of justice. But this is truly an ensemble piece, and Sorkin makes it crackle with wit, wisdom, danger, drama, and the ever-present debate between idealism and compromise. We can only wonder how it will compare when/if the Capitol Terrorists come to trial.
Honorable mentions:Uncle Peckerhead; VHYes; White Riot; Zappa; Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan
Worst movie: Though not horrifically bad, I’ll give the nod to Wonder Woman 1984, a jumbled, lightweight sequel with a really unclear message.
Jack Silbert, curator