4 stars out of 5
We hope for a different kind of movie but usually get same-y ones, yet every now and again something fresh comes along. The Last Black Man in San Francisco is such a film and it made me smile. Not that they reinvented the form or anything; I was frequently reminded of the magical realism of Michel Gondry (and that’s a very good thing). The sweet rapport between stars Jimmie Fails and Jonathan Majors made me think of the Lucas Brothers but then I accused myself of thinking that just because they’re black so I didn’t give it any further thought. OK I’ll think about it for just one more minute: Like the Lucases, Fails and Majors’ characters exist outside standard African-American male stereotypes, in a post-race mellow hipster world. And yet race is a key component in this story, don’t kid yourself.
Jimmie Fails plays Jimmie Fails and he also gets a story credit so I guess we can assume this is somewhat based on a true thing. Majors plays his BFF Montgomery. Jimmie is obsessed with reclaiming an old house in San Francisco that his grandfather built, imprinted on Jimmie’s childhood memories. Montgomery tags along as Jimmie visits and quietly paints the windowsills, etc., much to the chagrin of the white greying public-radio couple that owns the house, well at least to the chagrin of the wife, you’ve met couples like that, haven’t you. As he waits and plots to take over the house, Jimmie stays with Montgomery and his kind blind dad Danny Glover.
So, obviously we’re dealing with gentrification, but the script goes much deeper than that, encompassing Japanese internment, what it means to be a black man in the urban USA, unreliable memories, overcoming family history, and most importantly the power of friendship. Do I need to say it’s also a love letter to San Francisco? It’s also a love letter to San Francisco.
The mom from Everybody Hates Chris shows up, as do Mike Epps, Thora Birch, Finn Wittrock, and a bit of stunt casting for a Segway-riding tour guide that made me happy anyway.
Kudos to rookie director (and cowriter) Joe Talbot on making a beautiful-looking film that holds together plot-wise despite being 2 hours long, with laughs, kindness, and tears. I’d give him grief for the too-on-point character name “Jimmie Fails” but, hey, real guy.
Movie Review: The Last Black Man in San Francisco
What I’ve Been Watching: Edition XVII
I may need to rethink my classic DVR strategy. Famously, I’ve burned through shows that I don’t really like first, saving the good ones for “dessert.” But there are simply too many shows, arrgh!!, and I have ended up stockpiling entire seasons of shows I want to watch, and yet am totally caught up on mediocre offerings such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Still managed to sample some new stuff, which I will list forthwith.
LIKED A LOT
Fleabag (Amazon) Well of course I’m now madly in love with Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The creator and star of this British import is, beyond being a total charmer, self-deprecating in the extreme and very willing to put herself in humiliating single-person situations. The amazing Olivia Colman gets to be so wonderfully nasty, and I’m always glad to see my boy Brett Gelman. Sure, the comedy works better than the drama but it’s just one of those streaming shows, lighten up.
Maniac (Netflix) Well of course I’m still madly in love with Emma Stone. Jonah Hill, sometimes I like, other times, ehhh. But in Maniac they were both terrific. The recognizably futuristic concept — technology tapping into our unconscious — allowed both to stretch their acting muscles and have a lot of fun. I did too (the fun, not the acting).
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (Netflix) I was bummed when the sweet and hilarious Detroiters was canceled, but barely had time to mourn before SNL vet Tim Robinson returned with this offbeat sketch show. He still loves commercial parodies and portraying dumb, obstinate, simple, outburst-prone characters. And most of the time it’s an absolute hoot.
Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) I followed this true prison-break story in the New York Times and was glad to see such a quality production come from it, shepherded by Ben Stiller of all people. Excellent performances by Paul Dano and Benicio Del Toro but especially by Patricia Arquette and Eric Lange as her long-suffering husband Lyle. Poor Lyle!
The Little Drummer Girl (AMC) Michael Shannon as an Israeli? I must admit I was skeptical but he totally pulls it off in this adaptation of a John Le Carré novel. His performance is more than matched by Alexander Skarsgård (and kudos to me for finding the little circle over the second “a”). They really make it look and feel like 1979, and I appreciated the nuanced look at the grey areas of Middle East politics. Plus it was sexy and thrilling!
LIKED
True Detective (HBO) Early on, I was enjoying this third go-round quite a bit, impressed by the dynamic between Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff, and the frequently shifting time period. But ultimately I thought the ending got away from them, and, yes I’m going to say it, I preferred the much-maligned season 2!
State of the Union (Sundance) A unique format, for television, anyway: ten 10-minute episodes. And what an all-star team — veteran director Stephen Frears, increasingly disappointing writer Nick Hornby, and stars Chris O’Dowd and Rosamund Pike. What we get is a married couple meeting up in a bar before their counseling appointment for 10 consecutive weeks. O’Dowd is basically playing the same grumpy aging music-obsessed guy he portrayed in Hornby’s Juliet, Naked; luckily Pike is a breath of fresh mature air. News flash: Married couples have problems.
DIDN’T LIKE
Homecoming (Amazon) A TV series based on a podcast? Erm, ok. Strong cast — Julia Roberts looking very surgery/Botox-damaged, Bobby Cannavale, Shea Whigham — but this was crummy.
ONE AND DONE
Derry Girls (Netflix) Granted, I’m not a girl and didn’t grow up in Northern Ireland, but I did live through the 90s. This just didn’t feel real to me; I blame the writing.
The Other Two (Comedy Central) I watched Only One. They seemed to be going for an “Always Sunny but with heart” vibe and it didn’t grab me. Lorne Michaels production plus quality cameos doesn’t guarantee funny.
DELETED AFTER 10 MINUTES
The Fix (ABC) Really? A Marcia Clark-created series starring Adebisi as a famous black guy acquitted of murder who, years later, is suspected of killing his girlfriend? Really?!?
THE SIMPSONS
You know how at the beginning I griped about good shows piling up while I watch substandard ones? Perfect example: Watched yet another season of The Simpsons, yet still have most of the recent season of the vastly superior Bob’s Burgers on the DVR. Something’s gotta give!!
THANK YOU AND GOODBYE
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix) and Veep (HBO) I’m lumping these two together because, with them both ending, we’re hurting for really sharply written comedies. With no 30 Rock, Great News, and now Kimmy, America is going through Tina Fey withdrawal. Veep was especially brilliant, so tuned into the absurdity of the political zeitgeist, with that rapid-fire dialogue that kept me with one finger primed on the 8-second-rewind button.
LOOKING FORWARD TO
Watching and deleting more things from my DVR. And Curb, someday.
SHOWS I USED TO WATCH AND IN MANY CASES STILL DO
Links to Edition I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, and XVI.
Aquarium Playlist, 6/25/19
EPISODE #336: CASEY KASEM TRIBUTE 2019
“The New Scooby-Doo Movies” [ALTERNATE THEME]
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts — “I Love Rock n’ Roll” [Billboard No. 1, 3/20/82 – 5/1/82]
Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney — “Ebony and Ivory” [No. 1, 5/15/82 – 6/26/82]
The Human League — “Don’t You Want Me” [No. 1, 7/3/82 – 7/17/82]
John Cougar Mellencamp — “Jack and Diane” [No. 1, 10/2/82 – 10/23/82]
Michael Jackson — “Billie Jean” [No. 1, 3/5/83 – 4/16/83]
Dexy’s Midnight Runners — “Come on Eileen” [No. 1, 4/23/83]
Michael Jackson — “Beat It” [No. 1, 4/30/83 – 5/14/83]
David Bowie — “Let’s Dance” [No. 1, 5/21/83]
Dion — “Drip Drop” [long-distance dedication]
The Police — “Every Breath You Take” [No. 1, 7/9/83 – 8/27/83]
Yes — “Owner of a Lonely Heart” [No. 1, 1/21/84 – 1/28/84]
Culture Club — “Karma Chameleon” [No. 1, 2/4/84 – 2/18/84]
Van Halen — “Jump” [No. 1, 2/25/84 – 3/24/84]
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Movie Review: The Dead Don’t Die
4.5 stars out of 5
Yes, I respond very positively to movies that are well-made and entertaining. But when a film also appeals to your own bizarro subset of sensibilities, that’s a rare and special thing, and that’s what The Dead Don’t Die is to me.
Either independent movies used to be quirkier or I used to seek out strange flicks more often, I don’t know. But Jim Jarmusch has been a reliable purveyor of offbeat cinema since I was a teenager. This is his first genuine comedy, while at the same time staying true to the zombie genre, and some of you may hate this movie but I kind of loved it.
There are a bunch of stars involved but Bill Murray and Adam Driver as small-town police are the real leads, and they’re great. Both have worked with Jarmusch before so everybody knew what to expect. Driver is particularly good; if I was writing a dissertation on “Jarmusch and Comedy” it might be that the key is, everybody is the straight man, but I am not writing a dissertation, I am writing a movie review.
In a college film class we discussed how some directors would purposely leave little touches in to remind you that you’re watching a movie. Here, early on, Jarmusch smashes through the fourth wall. There is no doubt that you’re watching a movie, a silly movie, so enjoy.
This is set in Centervile, PA, population 738, and the Pennsylvania connection isn’t random. George Romero is name-checked and really, a lot of this is homage to the godfather of zombie flicks. Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive was art-house vampires and this is undead spoof, but both clearly came from a place of love and deep respect.
So, laughs and scares and spot-the-famous-person and in-jokes, but also a little environmental message (polar fracking!), Trump teasing (Steve Buscemi wears a red Make America White Again hat), and consumerism shaming. Also, a great theme song by Sturgill Simpson, Iggy as a zombie, Eszter Balint runs a diner, RZA’s here too, and a later obscure music reference made me think, “Oh my goodness I love this movie.” Again, you might not. Hey that’s cool too.
Album Review: ‘Omnidirectional’ by the Schramms
I’ve been a fan of the Schramms since moving to Hoboken back in 1994. I’m thrilled that they’ve released their first studio album in nearly 20 years, and was quite honored to write a review for hMAG.
Aquarium Playlist, 6/18/19
EPISODE #335: SUMMER 2019
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
The Cars — “Magic”
Colour Me Wednesday — “Queer for the Summer”
Me in Capris — “Summer of Scowling”
Secretary Legs — “Rerun Summer”
First Base — “Don’t Let Me Down This Summer”
Kate Jacobs — “Slacker Mom Summer Song”
Phil Ochs — “In the Heat of Summer”
Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston — “Summertime”
Thee Speaking Canaries — “Summer’s Empty Resolution”
Ruen Brothers — “Summer Sun”
The B-52’s — “Summer of Love” (original mix)
Richard Lloyd — “Summer Rain”
The Clientele — “House on Fire”
Peter Wolf featuring Neko Case — “The Green Fields of Summer”
The Lovin’ Spoonful — “Summer in the City”
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Aquarium Playlist, 6/11/19
EPISODE #334: HEY
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Little Richard — “Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey”
Karyn Kuhl Band — “Hey Kid”
Basic Bitches — “Hey Kid”
Alvvays — “Hey”
OutKast — “Hey Ya!”
Rocketship — “Hey, Hey Girl”
Louis Prima & Keely Smith — “Hey, Boy! Hey, Girl!”
Eels — “Hey Man (Now You’re Really Living)”
Luna — “Hey Sister”
Bruce Springsteen — “Hey Blue Eyes”
Honeybunch — “Hey Blue Sky”
Johnny Cash — “Hey Porter”
Hank Williams — “Hey, Good Lookin'”
Ian Rubbish & the Bizzaros — “Hey Policeman!”
Kimberley Rew — “Hey, War Pig!”
They Might Be Giants featuring Elma Mayer — “Hey Now Everybody”
Leonard Cohen — “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye”
Dr. John — “Tipitina” [r.i.p. Dr. John]
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Review: ‘Hey Kid’ by the Karyn Kuhl Band
The new EP by Hoboken’s own Karyn Kuhl Band, Hey Kid, will be released on June 21, but is available for pre-order now. I wrote a review for hMAG.
Movie Review: Godzilla — King of the Monsters
4 out of 5 stars
As the very beginning flashes back to 2014, I wondered if I was watching a sequel to some Godzilla movie I’d never seen. Later, when David Strathairn shows up as a serious military dude, I thought, “Hmm, I do vaguely remember him as a serious military dude,” and worried that I was in the middle of some sort of Marvel Universe Except With Monsters. (Should I have finally watched Kong: Skull Island off my DVR before coming to see this?) Sure enough, there was a 2014 Godzilla which I did in fact see and enjoy and then completely forgot about. But Coach Taylor and Vera Farmiga weren’t in it. But they are in this one. Got it?
Godzilla’s 2014 destruction was real September 11th-y, and Coach and Vera lost their son and split up. Now Coach is off “finding himself” but Vera, with their teen daughter Maddie in tow, sticks with the Monarch team (which Wikipedia tells me was in the 2014 movie) to study the “Titans” which is the politically correct term for monsters. But when mom and daughter are kidnapped by… hmm it’s not Max Von Sydow, and Christopher Lee is dead… some villainous old guy, Coach Taylor… just when he thought he was out, is pulled back in!
In addition to Strathairn, returning from ’14 are Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins as Monarch researchers. They’re joined by Bradley Whitford (because every science team has one guy who talks super casually) and Thomas Middleditch, trying to sell everybody a Verizon plan. Absolutely holding her own with the grown-ups is Millie Bobby Brown (I don’t watch Stranger Things but that’s my prerogative) as daughter Maddie, with sort of a young Natalie Portman vibe. Stay away, Moby.
And oh yes there are monst… uh, Titans. (Even though the new mystery super-creature is officially labeled “Monster Zero.”) The plot overlaps with the Jurassic films — should we destroy or protect these beasties? Plus the standard Godzilla nuclear stuff and that’s updated with a “it is us humans that are destroying the planet” message — but the monsters here are way better. Godzilla! Mothra! Rodan! And Monster Zero is hella scary!
Of course it’s not a perfect movie. Just when I was seemingly settling into a thoughtful “family trying to recover from tragedy” vibe, we enter one of those giant underground sci-fi command centers and I was instantly reminded, “oh yeah this is a big dumb Hollywood movie.” Also, security is very, very lax in this world; a savvy teen girl can basically evade any and all protocols.
But overall, it’s good! Especially for a monster movie, it’s really good. Dark and stormy and foreboding and you get the sense the world is actually ending. The action and monster fighting is pretty awesome and it builds and builds and builds. Plus on the soundtrack we get some Pixies, and updates of the Blue Öyster Cult “Godzilla” song and Mothra’s theme. Solid summer entertainment. Bring on the big ape!
Aquarium Playlist, 6/4/19
EPISODE #333: HALF DEVIL
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Sputnik — “333”
The Rolling Stones — “Sympathy for the Devil”
Robert Plant — “Angel Dance”
INXS — “Devil Inside”
The Mighty Lemon Drops — “Like an Angel” (original 7″ version)
Steve Earle — “The Devil’s Right Hand”
Rogue’s March — “If I Was an Angel”
The Beatles — “Devil in Her Heart”
k.d. lang — “Angel With a Lariat”
The Dramatics — “The Devil Is Dope”
Lucinda Williams — “Drunken Angel”
Smoking Popes — “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground”
Roky Erickson — “Don’t Shake Me, Lucifer” [r.i.p. Roky]
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Jack Silbert, curator