Midnight In Paris

I finally had the opportunity to see Woody Allen’s latest movie, Midnight In Paris.  The movie stars Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, and Marion Cotillard.  Wilson plays a disenchanted Hollywood writer, engaged to McAdam’s character, hoping to find a creative spark for his novel while vacationing in Paris.  Along the way Wilson encounters many of his literary heroes and gains a new perspective on life.  Owen Wilson does an outstanding job of acting “natural” and helps the viewer suspend disbelief as he travels back to the 1920’s.

In the same way that Allen showcased the beauty of Barcelona in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Paris is very much a featured player in the movie.  After watching the movie one wants to visit Paris.  One can only hope upon such an excursion that Marion Cotillard is available as an private guide to the city.  Michael Sheen is excellent in a supporting role as the smarmy villain.  Overall, I really enjoyed Midnight In Paris and highly recommend you watch.

4/5  Midnight In Paris will be released on Blu-ray/DVD December 20, 2011.

Current listening:  Elvis Costello – “Alison” “Good Year for the Roses” “Sulphur to Sugarcane”;  Faces – “Stay With Me” love Ronnie Woods’ guitar on this song

Forgive?

Sorry it’s been awhile since I last posted 😦

Two stories I have found interesting.

#1 Elvis Costello recommends fans not buy his upcoming box set.

Elvis is not happy with the price of his upcoming box set entitled “The Return Of The Spectacular Spinning Songbook”, and has asked fans to purchase Louis Armstrong recordings instead.  This is a welcome breath of fresh air from Costello.  He says that he tried to get those responsible to lower the price but his efforts were “fruitless”.   This statement by Costello gets major “dap” from me.  Paying $200-300 for a box set is a brutal sacrifice for even the most strident of fans.  Big ups to Elvis Costello.

 

#2 East Bound and Down will return in February!!!

Kenny Powers is set to return in February for the last season of East Bound and Down.  If you haven’t watched you should use the next two months to get caught up.  Maybe you can put the first two seasons on your Christmas wish-list.  Santa will definitely approve!

Captain Jack Will Get You High Tonight!

Image by MerlinStoll via Flickr

The Rum Diary is the latest tribute by Johnny Depp to his late friend Hunter S. Thompson.  For me The Rum Diary is a much better movie than 1998’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.  The plot and characters are much more likeable and easier to follow.  Rum Diary is a much more heartfelt and overall loving tribute to a departed friend.  The movie is based on the experiences of Thompson during his stay in the Caribbean during the early 1960s.

The movie is quite funny in places but also takes on a serious tone in relation to Thompson and his fight against the “bastards” of corruption.  For me the lack of focus on the corruption is the weakest portion of the movie.  Depp does a great job of paying to homage to Thompson without going over the top.  Richard Jenkins, Aaron Eckhart, and Michael Rispoli all give great supporting performances, while Amber Heard does a great job of looking sultry and beautiful.  Despite showing the seedier side of Puerto Rico, The Rum Diary is a visually striking movie.  The beaches, blue skies, and overall beauty of the island really shine.

The Rum Diary is a film about finding your place and voice in the world, luckily Thompson did just that in Puerto Rico.

3.5/5

Current listening: “Shangri-La” – Mark Knopfler, entire album is great!!

 

Why You Hatin’ On Zooey?

Zooey Deschanel

I never watch baseball.  Unfortunately there was no football on in my area at 6 p.m. CT Sunday night.  To kill time before the Sunday night NFL game, I flipped over to Fox.  I was pleasantly surprised to see Zooey Deschanel standing in the middle of the baseball diamond.  Zooey performed a pleasant rendition of the national anthem and I returned to watching the NBC pregame show.

Please refrain from condemning me as “unpatriotic” but more often than not I change the channel during any performance of “The Star Spangled Banner” or “God Bless America.”  They are often badly sung, overly dramatic, and way too long.  The only reason I hung around for the anthem on Sunday night was to hear Deschanel.  I found it to be sweet, pleasant, and concise.

To my surprise I have seen online criticism of her anthem rendition and the fact that she didn’t stay for the whole game.  Who would want to stay and watch a baseball game?  If it were me I would sing the anthem, accept my check, and head for the nearest exit.  Critics blast her for singing the anthem in order to promote her show on FOX and  the new She & Him Christmas album.  I find no fault in her for this.  Everyone who sings the anthem at sporting events is looking to promote their latest project or boost album sales.  Get over it!

What did you think of her rendition of the anthem?

You can view it here: MLB.com

Banned In Tennessee!!

You've Been Banned!!!

Just confirmed, Roast Beef Vampire is now banned in Tennessee!  I must be doing something right.  My innocent little blog is blocked by the fascist Internet monitoring software used by the educational system of Tennessee, ths makes me intensely happy.  It is quite possible that I am banned in many other states as well.  Tennessee is clearly racist against Roast Beef Vampires and their personal opinions of movies, music, books, etc…

Maybe Bocephus can call up some of his friends within the Tennessee government or right a song about the discriminatory policies of the aforementioned government towards the Roast Beef Vampire.