I started writing this review just for Salt in Wound, but began to realize, “Huh, there is a lot of Hoboken in it, maybe I should pitch this to hMAG.” And that is in fact what I did.
Movie Review: The Girl in the Spider’s Web
3 stars out of 5
As Meatloaf once said, Claire Foy: Don’t be sad, ’cause two out of three ain’t bad. Foy has had a real nice 2018, with Unsane and First Man, but her luck finally ran out. Not that The Girl in the Spider’s Web is bad — it’s certainly watchable — just nothing particularly special.
Don’t blame Foy. She reveals yet another side of her talents, believable as an action hero. (Even if, with short hair, she looks too much like Kate McKinnon.) And in case you didn’t know which fictional world we’re in, early on we see Foy showering, revealing a big ol’ dragon tattoo on her back. The 2011 American Tattoo tale was much more of a prestige project: David Fincher, Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Robin Wright. This time we get Foy, Stephen Merchant (who doesn’t seem sure what he’s doing here), and the hypnotized dude from the garden party in Get Out.
And while that previous film for the most part avoided being a genre exercise, this one is primarily standard-issue chases, fights, shooting, and explosions. (A bridge escape that they want us to find really clever left me thinking “so what?”) From the get-go, this is highly stylized — cold Swedish tech world — but as a result never feels real. A kid central to the plot doesn’t seem the least bit genuine. And I laughed aloud when a character smashes a frame to look inside a magazine — I guess the online article was behind a paywall?
Still, despite the flaws and the made-on-the-cheap vibe, or perhaps because of those things, this is pretty enjoyable. It’s kind of like a cheesy 70s European movie, so corny that it’s almost good. Almost.
Aquarium Playlist, 11/13/18
EPISODE #306: STOP
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Queen — “Don’t Stop Me Now”
The Kinks — “Stop Your Sobbing”
The English Beat — “Ranking Full Stop”
Pylon — “Stop It”
Belle & Sebastian — “I Want the World To Stop”
Against Me! — “Stop!”
Spring Fever — “Stop”
The Black Keys — “Stop Stop”
The Hollies — “Stop, Stop, Stop”
The Smiths — “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before”
Seething Grey — “Stop to Start” [demo]
The Minders — “Don’t You Stop”
The Cars — “Don’t Cha Stop”
The Supremes — “Stop! In the Name of Love”
Lindi Ortega — “Every Mile of the Ride” [in memory of Matt Friedman]
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Movie Review: Bohemian Rhapsody
4 stars out of 5
It was late 1977. My family went to a record store, and my sister and I were each allowed to buy one album. She selected the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and I chose News of the World by Queen. I listened to it over and over and over again, poring over the lyrics sheet and marveling at that scary beast on the gatefold sleeve. The song “Sheer Heart Attack” taught me the word “inarticulate.” I went on to collect their 7″ singles, double-A-sides for the “oldies.” Until I discovered the Police and then R.E.M. (and Beat Happening and Yo La Tengo, etc. etc. etc.), Queen remained my favorite band.
I love Queen, is what I’m saying. And the first time I saw the trailer for this movie, it really gave me the chills. So could the film possibly live up to my expectations?
The answer is yes!! And also no.
You see, it’s a big dumb movie, and there is a lot wrong with it. There are many “fun facts” the writers wanted to work in, so they regularly violate the Show, Don’t Tell directive. (Freddy: “I have four extra incisors; more space in my mouth means more range.” Freddy’s dad: “I sent you to boarding school to learn to be a good Parsi boy.” And so on.) A Mike Myers cameo has him practically winking at the camera with a self-referential line; I wanted to throw my pretzel bites at the screen. Worst of all, the story reaches 1980, but then suddenly it’s 1977 for “We Will Rock You.” Come on, don’t screw with history. Three stars out of 5, I was ready to declare.
And yet… the music. And the story. And Rami Malek. This stuff is so very good, it overwhelms the movie’s failings. Malek is superb as Freddie Mercury, emanating two extremes: supreme confidence and crushing vulnerability. (No one else in the cast really stands out, though Gwilym Lee is a believable Brian May. I couldn’t place the band’s very familiar looking agent; turns out he was Tommy Carcetti on The Wire!) I had read an excellent MOJO magazine article about Mercury’s early days, so I already knew his family’s compelling immigrant tale, but there was still a lot to learn (which I suppose I should fact-check). And every time those beloved old songs kick in… well, I guess I understand why those “jukebox musicals” are so popular.
If you’re of a certain age, you know where the story is heading, which adds a real lump-in-the-throat element. Early in the film, I was transported back to my elementary school days, and toward the end, I was back in high school. That’s a lot of emotional ground to cover, and a lot of buttons to press. But suffice to say, I had tears in my eyes for the final 20 minutes or so (including one exquisite, subtle moment in a medical hallway). Family, friendship, overcoming adversity… it all builds to a Capra-esque conclusion. And of course the music, always the music.
Aquarium Playlist, 11/6/18
EPISODE #305: 2018 MIDTERMS
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
The Replacements — “Election Day”
Leonard Cohen — “Democracy”
The Human Hearts — “Flag Pin”
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks — “Senator”
Trøn & DVD — “The New Wave”
Sleater-Kinney — “A New Wave”
Against Me! — “New Wave”
Papercuts — “White Are the Waves”
Howard Ivans — “Trump Is a Punk (And I Want To Go Fight Him)”
Basic Bitches — “Mass Shootings and Donald Trump”
Jackson Browne — “I Am a Patriot”
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Movie Review: Halloween
3.5 stars out of 5
After the real-life horror in Pittsburgh last weekend, I thought some old-school fictional horror might do me some good. It was only a few years ago when I sat down and really watched the original 1978 Halloween as an adult. So with that and a quick Wikipedia refresher, I was all ready for this 40-years-later sequel.
I didn’t know what to expect from co-writer Danny McBride in the horror genre. But from recently watching the fine 2003 film All the Pretty Girls (thanks for the heads-up, Iron & Wine liner notes!), written and directed by McBride’s frequent partner David Gordon Green, I felt confident they could avoid silliness. And they have.
The movie starts perfectly, in the most believable fashion: A true-crime podcast is revisiting the case of Michael Myers. And then we get a very-70s-looking title sequence, accompanied by John Carpenter’s iconic theme.
I was 14 when Trading Places came out, so that was my Jamie Lee Curtis moment. (Va-va-voom.) And how awesome that she’s still married to Christopher Guest. But it’s been a long while since Anything But Love, and all I knew was that she’s been shilling poop yogurt. Nevertheless, Curtis easily slips back into the role of Laurie Strode, damaged but unbroken. And tough as nails.
Judy Greer continues her hot streak as Laurie’s estranged daughter (for how you Americans say, eet ees eh strange situation). Toby Huss is Judy’s husband; he’s OK but I prefer him as the voices of Kahn and Cotton on King of the Hill than as a real-life dude. There’s a breakout performance by Andi Matichak as Laurie’s granddaughter (!), Allyson.
All the teen sequences feel pretty real, and the requisite babysitting scene (it’s Halloween, natch) has some hilarious dialogue smartly delivered by young Jibrail Nantambu. I’m guessing McBride was primarily responsible for that writing, as well as two officers in a police car discussing lunch. But this wisely never becomes a comedy, and McBride limits himself to only a few marijuana references. Good boy.
There’s a pleasing rawness to the proceedings, well-built tension and quality slasher release, and a real feeling of empowerment watching Curtis kick ass. The door is left open for a sequel — well duh — and I’d love to see Matichak return in part II. It would be a… treat.
Aquarium Playlist, 10/30/18
EPISODE #304: HALLOWEEN 2018
The Fall — “Fiery Jack” [ALTERNATE THEME]
anti-fascism intro, in memory of those lost in the Tree of Life synagogue gun massacre in Pittsburgh:
Billy Bragg & Wilco — “All You Fascists”
Marxman — “Fascist Boom” [John Peel session]
The Dead Kennedys — “Nazi Punks Fuck Off”
Elf Power — “Halloween Out Walking”
Neutral Milk Hotel — “Ghost”
Jack White — “Alone in My Home”
Noel Coward’s Ghost — “A Ghost in Wexford Terrace”
Big Dipper — “Meet the Witch”
Luna — “Season of the Witch”
Fancey — “Witches Night”
Guided by Voices — “Cut-Out Witch”
Jack Silbert — “Xylophony”
Titus Andronicus — “Home Alone (on Halloween)”
Lou Reed — “Halloween Parade”
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Movie Review: The Old Man & the Gun
3 stars out of 5
The truth is, I haven’t given much thought to Robert Redford in my lifetime. When I was tiny, The Sting was a big deal, and people were still talking about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. (I guess less media = longer attention spans.) But I don’t think I actually saw Redford in a film until The Natural (great), then Out of Africa (boring to teen me), and… maybe Sneakers? I appreciate him starting the Sundance Film Festival; I do not appreciate whatever he did or didn’t do that allowed the once excellent Sundance Channel to become the garbage it is today.
Still, this movie was smartly marketed with a well-timed news item that this might be Redford’s last onscreen role. To pay my respects, and because the trailer looked pretty good, I plunked down a tenner for a matinee screening. (Did I mention I canceled MoviePass?) And I liked it right off the bat. Redford and Sissy Spacek meet cute and are utterly charming together. The it’s-1981 cinematography is soft and so is the writing, lending this a “literary” vibe rather than the brash, targeted-at-seniors, Older Actors on One Last Heist comedies that pop up about every year.
The casting is strong. Redford’s frequent bankrobbing crew includes Danny Glover — the original “I’m getting too old for this shit” guy — and Tom Waits, enjoying himself growling quirky dialogue. A mustachioed Casey Affleck is the cop who wants to catch Redford, but by god he grudgingly respects him too. The “sheeeeeeeeeeit” guy from The Wire is in this for a hot second, as is Peggy Olson.
And… nothing really happens. They rob banks. Affleck says, “Ooh I’m gonna get those guys, even though I grudgingly respect him.” Redford politely courts Spacek. Rinse and repeat. There are laughs. It’s certainly watchable, if not much more. But all is not lost, because I was reminded of the existence of All Is Lost, which I had wanted to see, and learned that it’s on Amazon Prime. As for Mr. Redford, who I hear is reconsidering his retirement, do that, get the gang back together for one last movie better than this one.
Aquarium Playlist, 10/23/18
EPISODE #303: COLORS II
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Donovan — “Colours”
Love — “She Comes In Colors”
Frank Sinatra — “Over the Rainbow”
Catholic Easter Colors — “Grey and Green”
Elvis Costello & the Attractions — “Brown to Blue”
Yo La Tengo — “Shades of Blue”
Chris Stamey — “14 Shades of Green”
The Natvral — “The Violet Hour”
The Bee Gees — “Red Chair, Fade Away”
Leadbelly — “Yellow Gal”
R.E.M. — “Orange Crush”
La Luz — “Pink Slime”
Oscar — “Caramel Brown”
Kermit the Frog — “Rainbow Connection”
The Jayhawks — “Hide Your Colors”
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Jack Silbert, curator