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Kevin Costner Saves Our Broken Democracy

Posted Jan. 10, 2009 at 4:02 pm by Brian Miller

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Just when we'd forgotten about Joe the Plumber, here comes Bud the Poultry Worker. Arriving Tues., Jan 13 on DVD, Kevin Costner's Swing Vote was timed—in its initial August release—to have some election-year topicality. Judging from the film's quick exit from theaters, with all of $16 million to its credit, actual voters were too concerned on the actual presidential race to pay attention to Costner's alternate America.

A producer on the film, who reportedly put his own millions into its ad campaign, Costner has been somewhat right-identified in the past, yet without outing himself as an actual Republican. A native of the SoCal suburbs who came of age in the sunny '70s, he seems like a moderate, no Rush Limbaugh ditto-head. Swing Vote (our review here) reflects his genial, middle-of-the-roadism. Which, in a year when more strident political films from the left (see W.) and right (see An American Carol) didn't do so well, still didn't save Swing Vote from box-office obscurity.

What went wrong with the picture? It's not the grandiose, ego-tripping, career-sinking epic that Waterworld represents in the Costner canon. In a year when "change" was the winning slogan, Swing Vote may've been doomed by its centrism. Though, unlike most political flicks, it was willing to name sides and parties, calling the Dems and the Republicans for what they are, the movie was unwilling to choose sides. You don't want to alienate moviegoers of either political stripe, of course, but I think Swing Vote underestimated the electorate...

Continue reading "Kevin Costner Saves Our Broken Democracy"

Topics: DVD and Film

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Why Don't They Hand Out Awards for DVD Extras?

Posted Jan. 6, 2009 at 2:31 pm by Mike Seely



Keith Fenimore, a pal of mine who now works for Howard Stern, has long had what I think is a brilliant idea to stage an awards show devoted to character actors (i.e., non-movie stars who are in just about every flick you've ever seen but whose names you don't know). The Character Actor Awards is what Fenimore has titled his idea, and he's still trying to get the requisite backing to pull it off.

Anyhow, I thought of Keith and his idea last night as I was watching the actors' commentary on Tropic Thunder, which has garnered Golden Globe supporting actor noms for Tom Cruise (undeserved and overhyped, in my opinion) and Robert Downey Jr. (who should win, in my opinion). Downey plays an Australian actor who has a pigmentation operation in order to authentically portray a black Vietnam soldier in the movie with the movie, and employs a Dolemite-era dialect throughout.

The performance is risky and brilliant by itself, but on the DVD commentary, Downey does the unexpected: he doesn't drop character, thus staying true to his character, a method maniac who says he never drops character until after the DVD commentary is in the can. Downey's improvised riffs are funnier on the commentary than they are in the movie — and they're very funny in the movie. For this he should receive some sort of award — only there aren't any awards acknowledging the genius of special features on DVD. Keith: Maybe if you combined this concept with the Character Actor Awards, you'd have a truly irresistible package.

Topics: DVD and Film

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Oh My Gods! BSG 4 on Shelves in One Week

Posted Dec. 30, 2008 at 9:44 am by Laura Onstot

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Human? Robot? Like it isn't obvious.

By the end of Season 3, Battlestar Galactica fans (who refer to the show as BSG, use "frak" as an obscenity, and conclude sentences with "so say we all", what's up, nerds!) had a lot to contend with. If you don't watch the show (and why the frak don't you?) here's where we're at.

Eons ago, us humans invented robots—the cylons—to help us run things. Then, shocking plot twist, the artificially intelligent droids asked themselves why they should take orders, and rebelled. After an ugly war (and a hokey 70s sci-fi serial) the cylons took off, spending the next several decades avoiding us lowly humans. But then, just as it seemed the war could safely be called over, the cylons returned and nuked all the inhabited planets.  The remaining 50,000 or so humans on space ships at the time are now floating around trying to find a mythic planet called Earth to settle on, dodge the cylons, and not kill each other.

For the most part its pretty formulaic sci-fi drama—super sexy people in silver outfits doing battle in space. (A friend likes to point out that the producers somehow dug up the only Playboy Centerfold that can actually act. See above.) And the people who aren't lovely to look at are uber-inspiring, specifically Admiral Adama (played by Edward James Olmos of Stand and Deliver fame) who is relentless with his crew but would happily lay down his life for any of them.

But it's much more than just a drama some indeterminate time in the future, it's a space opera, there's even a little singing. The whole series could easily serve as the subject of a freshman ethics philosophy class. The characters are constantly faced with moral quandaries—when to leave someone behind, who to trust, who to kill—and the characters don't always make the choice your heartstrings tell you they should.

If you haven't started the series yet (and why the frak haven't you?) stop reading now. For everyone else, here's a bit of what to expect from the first half of Season 4:

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Topics: DVD and Television

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Beltway Bumblers

Posted Dec. 18, 2008 at 4:30 pm by Brian Miller

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The Coen brothers' dark comedy—almost redundant, I know—Burn After Reading got not so much love in September from critics (including our own), and only one award nomination this month, from those mysterious folks at the Golden Globes. Coming to DVD next Tuesday, the movie made me laugh, and quit a bit. (My dissent here.) If you want full, psychologically rounded characters, look elsewhere. The Coen universe amounts to a parade of fools who deserve violent deaths, and usually receive them. Though the Minnesota-born brothers provide no commentary, as usual, some of the DVD extras on this single-disc package provide insight into their methods, and why A-list talent (like Tilda Swinton, pictured above) flock to participate in their projects, even if that means possible demise by wood chipper or hatchet.

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Topics: DVD

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Mamma Mia Out on DVD Today!

Posted Dec. 16, 2008 at 1:40 pm by Suzie Rugh

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Several years ago, just as my love affair with the Swedish rock group, ABBA, was beginning to bloom, I saw the stage production of Mamma Mia in Los Angeles with my parents. At the end of the show, they did a mini-concert when everyone was encouraged to get up and dance and, because we rarely turn down an invitation to make fools of ourselves, we jumped up and started grooving immediately. I looked around and saw that we were the only ones in the balcony brave enough to shake it, save one gentleman, several rows back who was dancing with his eyes closed in complete ecstasy. He looked like the ABBA tunes had whisked him away to a fantasy wonderland where he was the king of the Dancing Queens and there was no need for an SOS. I believe it was a combination of that vision, the show, and having excellent taste that ensured ABBA would be the soundtrack to which I would live my life from that moment on.

If you don't totally understand what Mamma Mia is, let me back up. The plot of the musical has nothing to do with the band ABBA except that when the characters break into song, they sing ABBA tunes. So when single mother Donna (Meryl Streep) can't believe that her soon-to-be-married daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) has invited all three of the men that might be her father to her wedding (Donna was a bit of a loosey goosey in her younger years), she sings the song "Mamma Mia." Or when Donna's friend Tanya (played by the amazing Christine Baranski) is chiding a younger man for hitting on her, she sings, "Does Your Mother Know." Make sense?

This film is not without its flaws. Not everyone in the cast can sing, occasionally it looks like they inexplicably used two completely different types of cameras and it often feels a bit rushed, like the lease on their Greek isle locale was was about to run out. Yet despite all that, I still LOVED it. It works because you get the sense that they know what they're showing you isn't exactly perfect, but it's been filled with so much heart and fun, you'll be willing to look beyond the wrongs and see all those glorious rights. Julie Walters and Christine Baranski, who play Donna's two best friends steal almost every scene they're in and Seyfried has just enough wide-eyed cuteness to pull off her role without being too sappy. Meryl Streep proves once again that she can conquer any character she wants and the three male leads are endearing even if they can't all carry a tune. Plus, the Greek beaches and sun will transport you out of these frigid winter days and plant you into a story playfully told through some of the most wonderful music in the world. Don't take it too seriously and you'll love it too.

And if the stage production comes through town again, do yourself a favor and go buy tickets. You will never regret being the only person in your aisle dancing your little heart out.

Mamma Mia, Universal Studios, $29.98

Topics: DVD

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Popcorn in December

Posted Dec. 14, 2008 at 7:42 pm by Brian Miller

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The series of Mummy pictures, launched in 1999 and staring the Cornish-trained Brendan Fraser, were better than they needed to be. In its first two installments, at least, the franchise had a certain lightness beneath all those impressive CGI effects. Fraser knew that his pre-WWII adventurer-archaeologist was a poor man's Indiana Jones. And the pictures continued the anything-for-a-scare legacy of the original Universal Studios horror films of the '30s and '40s, which basically wrote the mummy rule book.

Released in August, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor changed locales, kept the effects (and added some), bloated its run time (two and one-half hours), forced a new family theme (with an heir to anchor a new series), and made some crucial cast substitutions. Among the latter, we're always glad to see Michelle Yeoh (pictured above). But as the largely indifferent reviews indicated, something had been lost from the originally fun Mummy formula...


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Topics: DVD

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Why L&O's Sixth Season Is Worth Reliving

Posted Dec. 10, 2008 at 2:38 pm by Chris Kornelis

thegang6.jpgDVD: Law & Order: The Sixth Year
Release Date: Dec. 2
Universal, $59.98
Stars: Jerry Orbach, Sam Watterson, Jill Hennessy, Benjamin Bratt, etc.

From my futon in the winter of 2008, I see three acts of Law & Order: the Chris Noth days of thick leather jackets and no female leads; the Jerry Orbach (Det. Lennie Briscoe)/Sam Watterson (Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy) domination; and everything after Orbach.

Season six is the sweet spot in act two, the halcyon days of the venerable series that makes today's L&O seem like it's gasping for breath compared to the yarns spun and structural liberties taken by Dick Wolf's crew in what is, rather dramatically, Jill Hennessy's (A.D.A. Claire Kincaid) swan song.

This was before the series would be spun off three efforts (you've already forgotten the canned Trial By Jury, I'm sure), and it is perhaps because the franchise has yet to stretch it legs with Criminal Intent and Special Victims that the writers and producers allow themselves to stray from the billion-dollar formula. They try campy moves like cross-over episodes with Homicide: Life on the Street, where we meet Richard Belzer (Det. John Munch, later to jump to Special Victims). And it's just harder to predict the outcome by the clock on your wall (Wait, he couldn't have done it, there's 15 minutes left!)

1996 was a different time, to be sure. And for those suffering from a bout of '90s nostalgia of late, this is the gift that won't quit. Det. Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) comments that he had to get down on his knees for a seven-percent interest rate on his home. Amanda Peet turns up as a pre- "Ripped From the Headlines" Patty Hearst; Jennifer Gardner appears as the seductive college kid that beds the married Curtis. Detectives ask their suspects if they're "online," and Briscoe muses," Did you know 100 million new words go on that thing every day?"

Ahhh, the '90s.

Topics: DVD

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Deadwood: The Complete Series (Or, My Life Is Now Complete)

Posted Dec. 10, 2008 at 12:17 pm by Sara Brickner

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Title: Deadwood: The Complete Series
Price: $179.97, HBO
Release Date: December 9, 2008

That's right: for those of you who don't own any of the DVDs yet, you can now have them all in one neat, clean little package. Unfortunately, this release pretty much dashes my hopes that Deadwood, the "based-on" historical Western series known for scandalizing America with its liberal use of fun curse words, will ever be revived to conclude in a somewhat satisfactory manner. I won't give it away, because I know there are a lot of you out there who have, but the ending totally pissed me off, because it wasn't even an ending. The show seemed to have been building up to something, and then it just stopped abruptly.

Which is why the first disc I watched out of all 19 discs in the box set was the final bonus disc, which contains creator/producer David Milch's commentary on the meaning of endings. It was very obvious to me, and pretty much everyone else who watched the entire series, that the conclusion of the series was not planned for, because it was messy and unsatisfying. Well, Milch admits that, which is a minor consolation— always nice to bask in the glow of your own rightness. "The consolation I try to find, when I'm not busy just being pissed off, is that the idea of the end of a thing...is one of the lies agreed upon that we use to organize our lives," he says. And he also said that while a TV show may appear to be building up to a grand conclusion, this is an untruth. The reality, he explains, is that everyone in this business of TV is that the show happens one episode and one day at a time. Nothing is guaranteed in TV, and nothing is guaranteed in life. Touche, David Milch, touche. It's advice that all those pissed off Arrested Development fans (myself included) should probably take to heart. But the best quote from him, I think is this: "The biggest lie is that we are entitled to a meaningful and coherent summarizing— a conclusion of something which never concludes."

Topics: DVD

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Bard 2 Bad

Posted Dec. 20, 2008 at 7:00 am by Brian Miller

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Another case of Sundance-induced hypoxia, Hamlet 2 sold for 2 much money (a rumored $10 million) during that January film festival, opened 2 rather poor reviews, and 2 predictably sank at the box office, grossing around $5 million. 2 bad, you ask?

Hamlet 2 arrived at a moment when mocking the small-town Arizona dreams of a frustrated actor and high-school drama teacher (Steve Coogan) was easy, 2 easy. In an Americanized version of his British TV host Alan Partridge (which is genius), Coogan plays yet another guy fundamentally deluded about his place in life, mistaken about his talent (i.e., the lack thereof), whose unfounded hubris is played for laughs. Dana Marschz, his clueless character here, tries to save the school drama program by staging his own sequel to Hamlet. The surprise—for him, anyway—is that Hispanic kids from Tucson take the assignment seriously, and save his sorry ass. The film came out in August, by which time any striver would be grateful for such community support. Dana led them into this mess. The movie's plot is essentially his bailout.

With the song "Rock Me, Sexy Jesus" as a hook, Dana's musical stage production of Hamlet 2 drags in controversy—cue the ACLU—the way it does supporting performers (Amy Poehler, Elisabeth Shue, David Arquette, and Catherine Keener). As a movie, however, it just plays like a series of sketches. On YouTube or as a SNL digital short, Hamlet 2 might've succeeded. Here, as the actual Hamlet gravediggers might say, the jokes are mostly food for the worms.

Hamlet 2. Universal Home Ent., $26.98. On DVD Tues., Dec. 21.

Topics: DVD

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When Remakes Go Wrong

Posted Dec. 19, 2008 at 6:59 am by Brian Miller

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Thirty-three years ago, there was a perfectly good drive-in/exploitation flick called Death Race 2000 starring David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone. The futuristic premise was that, like the Roman circus, we the violent mob would find entertainment in a cross-country race in which the motorists scored points by running down pedestrians. So simple. So sick. So effective. It was a video game premise before there were video games. The movie was produced by Roger Corman, who understood how to mix cars, guys, and violence in a highly cost-effective formula.

So eight years past the actual date of 2000, what do we get? In the remake (review), wrongly incarcerated family man Jason Statham must race for his life in some futuristic Alcatraz at the behest of evil warden Joan Allen—to essentially drive and kill other convicts to achieve his freedom, while we watch on pay-per-view. Before, we moviegoers were the victims of Stallone and Carradine. We were implicated in our own impulse for nasty, bloody entertainment. Crushed beneath its wheels. Here, Statham and co-star Tyrese Gibson never threaten us at all. We might as well be controlling them with joysticks and Wii maneuvers at home, without moral compunction.

Like the original Rollerball (also an insipid remake), the movie framework here suggests something very disturbing about our lust for blood and gasoline. This Death Race updating could've fused NASCAR and Ben-Hur. The closest it comes is when Allen instructs her minions to "keep the viewers interested." But do our pay-per-view dollars help keep Statham and Gibson in the slammer? Is their suffering our fault? This Death Race won't say. And its vehicles never harm us as we step off the sidewalk after seeing the latest screen carnage.

Death Race, Universal Home Entertainment, $29.98. On DVD Tues., Dec. 21.

Topics: DVD

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Can't Keep the Devil in the Hole in Baltimore

Posted Dec. 8, 2008 at 12:15 pm by Laura Onstot

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Life ain't easy in this Sherwood Forest. www.hbo.com/thewire

What if the Sheriff of Nottingham wasn't so much a self-righteous man of evil pomposity as a well-meaning and sharp detective with a weakness for booze and women and a seeming inability to follow the rules?

In this alternative to the Disney version, Robin Hood carries a shotgun, steals cocaine from drug dealers to give to the... well... no one really, then heads home to make sweet, sweet love to Little John. That's all fine and good for Maid Marian, a prosecutor taking on the corrupt at every level of the city from the streets to the Hall and a tendency to hop in the sack with married men.

Instead of an arrogant nincompoop—King Richard really wants to do right by his kingdom, but the ugliness of a place where schools are failing, new drug dealers pop up faster than anyone can lock up the old ones, and the kingdom budget spirals into the toilet, makes that a little difficult.

Welcome to Baltimore.

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Topics: DVD

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Lost in Primetime

Posted Dec. 8, 2008 at 4:21 pm by Brian Miller

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Only six more weeks to go! On extra-long hiatus until Jan. 21 of next year, ABC's sandy, surreal hit primetime soap opera predictably has a lot of fans scratching their heads. The arrival this Tuesday of an augmented season four box set, which totals about 10 hours of original and supplemental material, may not provide much clarity. Yes, it's well-timed for the holiday gift season. If you can't afford a vacation to Hawaii, this isn't a bad alternative during our current recession. On the show, it still seems that mysterious industrialists have unlimited funds at their disposal. But there, of course, it's still the fall of 2004.

In Lost time, the stranded island inhabitants have only been marooned for three months. For us, it's been four years. Think about the discrepancy: Our fictional friends flew away from a world only recently embroiled in Iraq; the economy was strong; the iPhone hadn't even been introduced. Meanwhile, here in the real world of today, we just elected a guy for president from Hawaii, where the series is filmed, who was basically unknown four years ago.

Time is all messed up in season four, which relies so heavily on flash-forwards that the show's producers have supposedly renounced the temporal device. Also essential this season was the replenishing of characters. Too many of the castaways got killed off; so more had to take their place. And the third essential characteristic of the 14-episode arc was that Jack seriously began to get on our nerves with all his flaky behavior...


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Topics: DVD

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18 Days in Paris

Posted Dec. 1, 2008 at 6:16 pm by Brian Miller

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Anthology films are tricky to manage. Usually they're a producer's construct to harness together disparate directors with no stylistic affinities. Let's make 10 short films about wheat! Let's tell Beethoven's life in 12 chapters. Let's make a film about love, with each segment set in a different quarter of Paris!

In Paris, Je T'aime, released on DVD last month, there are 18 such chapters. At first, I thought that was because there are 18 arrondissements in Paris. But no, apparently only 18 directors (19 if you count both Coen brothers) signed up for the job. So 18 installments is precisely the right number we need to explain love, or Paris, or both. Not convinced? Neither am I. No matter the quantity of talented directors (Alexander Payne, Gus Van Sant, Walter Salles, Tom Tykwer, etc.), no matter the copious cast (Nick Nolte, Natalie Portman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Willem Dafoe, Gena Rowlands, etc.), nothing adds up in this Euro stew. (The dialogue's mostly in French, with some in English.)

Seen at SIFF '07 (review), PJT never subsequently reached Seattle theaters. On home video, the effect isn't like closely reading a short-story anthology. It's better suited to one of those kitchen counter DVD players—something to watch out of the corner of your eye while you're cooking, to see if you recognize architectural icons, arrondissements, and actresses. (Look! There's Catalina Sandino Moreno—the Maria Full of Grace star, pictured above.) Later, you won't remember a thing about their stories. If you need to be reminded, the cute metal box contains a second disc of extras; among which, it's nice to see the notoriously terse Coen brothers relaxed on the Paris metro set with Steve Buscemi. "We like beating Steve up," quips Joel (the taller one). "Or killing him."

Hey, that gives me an idea for a new anthology film...

Paris, Je T'aime, First Look Studios, $19.98

Topics: DVD

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Who Wants Angelina Jolie?

Posted Dec. 2, 2008 at 10:45 am by Brian Miller

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So this is how Angelina Jolie affords all those babies and pregnancy leave. Occupying the middle station in the holy trinity of comic book, movie, and videogame, Wanted (released today on DVD, $34.98, Universal Home Ent.) was predictably trashed by critics this summer. Adapted from the graphic novels by Mark Millar and directed by that flashy Russian dude behind the Night Watch/Day Watch movies, the flick racked up $134 million—every ticket sold, I'm sure, to teenage males who wish their lives could be more like that of James McAvoy (The Last King of Scotland, Atonement). Meaning: your wretched cubicle life is cast off by the discovery that you have hidden superpowers that permit you to join a secret society of assassins led by Morgan Freeman, who says, "You have the blood of a killer flowing within your veins." Dude! Sign me up! Sure, it sounds a little crazy, and McAvoy expresses a few doubts (like Neo and Luke Skywalker before him). But who are you gonna believe: so-called reality, or the gaunt, tattooed, silently sneering/leering Angelina Jolie? Released today on DVD, Wanted is a testosterone fantasia of warped, slo-mo bullet trajectories, cars leaping over cars (and onto buses, and into trains), a mash-up of The Matrix and Office Space that also cribs extensively from the Chuck Palahniuk canon of thwarted male rage (particularly Fight Club). It's the kind of good, dumb fun that doesn't even slow down for a sex scene (wah?), where every gunshot is between the eyes, and self-defense consists of shooting other bullets mid-flight with a satisfying CGI squish. And you know what? I'd watch it over Changeling any day of the week.


Topics: DVD

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Beautiful People Fight Beautiful Narnians in Beautiful Blu-ray

Posted Nov. 26, 2008 at 4:49 pm by Laura Onstot


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Thanks to the giant leaps and strides in computer animation over the last two decades, nerds can see their greatest lit loves come to life—Peter Jackson made Middle Earth a reality and we were willing to wear flowly elf robes at midnight in December to watch it. Robert Rodriguez, with help from Frank Miller himself, turned Sin City into a captivating mural of a graphic novel in motion.

But with so many nerdy devotees now having access to the technology needed to really bring their fantasies to life, the bar is substantially higher for the genre. Clearly nerds did not make the first two installments of the Chronicles of Narnia. Where Jackson, Rodriguez or the parade of directors taking on the Harry Potter series seem to carefully contemplate how to use technology to enhance their ability to tell their beloved stories on film, Disney's Narnia uses it as a crutch. Why find a real landscape when you can CG it? And that of course requires beautiful people; otherwise their corporeal selves stand out too much from the fakey surroundings. Even the centaurs are gorgeous.

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  • Monkey Spankings at the Morgue: King County Finds No Fault in Sperm Donations by Medical Examiner Staff

    Posted February, 9 at 8:36 am by Rick Anderson, The Daily Weekly
    kcme.jpg
    KOMO-TV
    A KCME workbench
    ​
    Was it good government practice for morgue staffers to provide the King County medical examiner with samples of their sperm at $20 a pop? The voluntary ejaculations were a bit unseemly, a new county investigations report reveals, but at least the self abuse wasn't an abuse of authority.

    If it all seems a little strange, keep in mind this is the morgue that held an office contest awarding $10 for the most grisly death-scene photos; where a boss showed up at work wearing a bulletproof vest; and where someone stole the remains of newborn baby from the body cooler.

    Continue Reading >>
    Topics: County of King

  • Tonight: Dawes, Van Dyke Parks, X-Ray Press

    Posted February, 9 at 8:30 am by Sara Brickner, Reverb
    clarereasons3.jpg
    ​
    Van Dyke Parks and Clare and the Reasons at the Triple Door, 7:30 p.m., $24, all ages

    Van Dyke Parks loves collaborating with the fine young ladies.

    X-Ray Press, By Sunlight Noise-a-tron, Levator at the Comet, 8 p.m., $6

    If you like AFCGT or psychedelic noise in general, Hannah Levin suggests you check out X-Ray Press.

    Dawes, Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons, Jason Boesel at the Tractor Tavern, 9:30 p.m., $10

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  • Reader: The Brady Campaign Is Shooting Blanks

    Posted February, 9 at 8:05 am by Caleb Hannan, The Daily Weekly
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    It's always good to hear from one of the rational gun owners.
    ​
    Reader Lster921 responds to Double Shot of Requesto: Brady Campaign Wants Starbucks to Stop Allowing Guns in Stores

    "The Brady Campaign has no right to demand anything from anyone, let alone a corporation. Their hideous attempt to disarm America is shameful."

    Continue Reading >>
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  • Manther Introduces "Missin' the Sonics"

    Posted February, 9 at 6:56 am by Caleb Hannan, The Daily Weekly


    A Manther is the male version of a cougar: an older man who preys on younger women. It's also the name of a hip-hop group out of Salem that's just given the world this five-minute ode to the dearly departed SuperSonics.

    I was having a hard time figuring out why I almost liked this video. The world needs less Andy Sambergs, not more. And when they're not aping the conventions of every '90s R&B music video ever, the members of Manther spend their free time filming themselves making basketball trick shots (a hobby most guys grow out of after they've gotten their learners permit).

    Then I realized: it's the Squatch costume. Put a man in a monkey suit and I am riveted.

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  • Does John Murtha's Death Make Norm Dicks the "King of Pork"?

    Posted February, 9 at 6:04 am by Caleb Hannan, The Daily Weekly
    murthaporkking.jpg
    Western Pennsylvania's beloved pork king has gone on to that old sty in the sky.
    ​
    Determining who gets what defense spending in a country that loves to spend money on its defense is a plum job. And now that Rep. John Murtha, a.k.a. the "King of Pork," has passed, it looks like that job is Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Boeing) for the taking.

    Dicks has served on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee for 31 years. And his likely ascension comes at an opportune time for his favorite aerospace beneficiary and an inopportune time for Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Grandstanding).

    Last week, Shelby used a parliamentary tactic to stall the confirmation of 70 presidential nominees. His tantrum came in protest of the bidding process for replacing the Air Force's refueling tankers that he says is rigged in Boeing's favor. A win for Shelby would mean 1,500 new jobs in Mobile. But that scenario appears less likely now with Dicks wearing the crown.


    Topics: Politics

  • Tea Party or Rock Party? There's A Mood Brewing For Both

    Posted February, 9 at 2:00 am by Krist Novoselic, Reverb
    PalinTea.jpg
    Krist Novoselic's column on music and politics runs every Tuesday on Reverb. Check back on Friday when he writes about what he's been listening to.
    ​
    Right on the heels of my column last week regarding the Rock Party, the big political news of the weekend was the Tea Party convention in Nashville. Sure, these folks have momentum right now, but Tea Partiers shouldn't feel too special. Like Tea Partiers, Americans from across the political spectrum share an anxiety about the economy and feel disconnected from Congress. Ask almost anybody and they'll tell you how there's too much special-interest money in elections.

    The Tea Party is the latest political phenomenon resulting from the powerful tools provided by the information revolution. It's good when common people become invested in our democratic system; it adds balance to the privileged financial interests who have done the same for too long. When a movement grows to the size of the Tea Party, they have a real chance to affect change on a local and national level. But is really about change or more business-as-usual?

    Continue Reading >>
    Topics: Krist Novoselic

  • On the Ground: The Critic Goes Bar-Hopping

    Posted February, 8 at 5:30 pm by Jason Sheehan, Voracious
    ZigZag.jpg
    ​
    It was the ideal way to end a Thursday: drinks at the Athenian Inn inside Pike Place Market, knocking back tall beers in frosted glasses alongside the fishmongers and friends while watching the sun go down across the water. The place has been open for more than a hundred years, and has earned every wrinkle, every crack, every warp and the full length of its spotty reputation for good drinks, decent food and territorial regulars. Best view yet in a city full of great ones. And my glass was so cold that it froze the head on my draft.

    Nijo Sushi Bar has got a view of precisely nothing (back alley, street scenes, lots of parked delivery vans), but the vistas inside were just fine. Pretty girls, flashing knives, fresh fish behind the glass and, at happy hour, a collection of all the neighborhood beautiful people. The sake list is impressive (everything from Jun-Mai Harushika at a hundred bucks a bottle to Asian Pear sake and bottles of Nigori Pearl), but because I am a savage, I drank Corona while putting away a double order of the dancing shrimp (five bucks a pop and addictive as hell) and enough fish to take the edge off my hunger.


    Continue Reading >>
    Topics: From the Gut

  • Music in Movies on Mondays: The Pharmacy Contribute Score, Songs to Fast Friends to Friday Harbor

    Posted February, 8 at 4:28 pm by Hannah Levin, Reverb
    pharmacy.jpg
    The Pharmacy
    ​
    Local band the Pharmacy recently contributed songs and instrumentals to the soundtrack for forthcoming local thriller Fast Friends to Friday Harbor. I spoke briefly with director Rylan Scherer about how they came to be involved:

    "They recorded the songs for their album Weekend, and gave them to me to use for the film a while ago, when they were playing as "guest band" or something, and I was shooting video of Implied Violence's performance on Governor's Island in New York. I really dug the new songs live, and [frontman] Scotty [Yoder] gave me some instrumentals that they recorded around the same time as album. Not only did I get music from their new album, but these songs that are otherwise unreleased ... awesome, moody little songs without lead vocals (which can be distracting at times in movies)."

    "They are dear friends of mine, and also one of my favorite bands that just keep getting better and better, so this made me happy, despite previously thinking I'd be a some type of douche if I used rock music in my film. I had all this grandiose classical music that was out of place and I knew it, but the music of the Pharmacy elevates the whole thing. I have had difficulty not trying to re-edit the film for the backing songs, that's how awesome they are!"

    View the trailer for Fast Friends after the jump.

    Continue Reading >>
    Topics: Music in Movies on Mondays

  • Older Gent Gets Into Brawl Over A Girl, Loses

    Posted February, 8 at 3:30 pm by Vernal Coleman, The Daily Weekly
    oldfight
    There's nothing funny about a man in his 60s getting beat up. This picture, however ...
    ​
    To be clear, seeing your favorite bar employee safely home after her shift is a classic "good guy" move.

    Granted, not everyone who does will behave gracefully after arriving at said employee's doorstep. Still, the act itself is a chivalrous one.

    Points get reduced, however, if during the process you assault a sexagenarian.

    Continue Reading >>
    Topics: Crime & Punishment

  • Sasquatch! 2010 Predictions: In Which I Attempt to Debunk Rumors From the Festival's Message Boards

    Posted February, 8 at 3:17 pm by Paige Richmond, Reverb
    Sasquatch2006_Editorial_4884.jpg
    Like this crowd, the possibilites for Sasquatch 2010! seem endless. (But they're actually finite.)
    ​
    This might be a little preliminary, considering that just today Adam Zacks and the Live Nation folks announced that they will announce the Sasquatch! lineup next week, but I've been wondering about what bands (other than Pavement) will make the journey to the Gorge this Memorial Day.

    Or maybe it's not preliminary at all, since I'm only thinking about this one week before the announcement and a few months before the festival. The official Sasquatch! message boards, on the other hand, have been blabbering about the lineup since last fall. Don't have time (or the stomach) to sift through the musings of a bunch of rabid fans? (Apparently, I do.) After the jump, I've listed some bands that commenters commonly claim are likely to play the festival (followed by own thoughts and commentary on their comments).


    Continue Reading >>
    Topics: Concert News

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  • Monkey Spankings at the Morgue: King County Finds No Fault in Sperm Donations by Medical Examiner Staff

    Posted February, 9 at 8:36 am by Rick Anderson, The Daily Weekly
    kcme.jpg
    KOMO-TV
    A KCME workbench
    ​
    Was it good government practice for morgue staffers to provide the King County medical examiner with samples of their sperm at $20 a pop? The voluntary ejaculations were a bit unseemly, a new county investigations report reveals, but at least the self abuse wasn't an abuse of authority.

    If it all seems a little strange, keep in mind this is the morgue that held an office contest awarding $10 for the most grisly death-scene photos; where a boss showed up at work wearing a bulletproof vest; and where someone stole the remains of newborn baby from the body cooler.

    Continue Reading >>
    Topics: County of King

  • Tonight: Dawes, Van Dyke Parks, X-Ray Press

    Posted February, 9 at 8:30 am by Sara Brickner, Reverb
    clarereasons3.jpg
    ​
    Van Dyke Parks and Clare and the Reasons at the Triple Door, 7:30 p.m., $24, all ages

    Van Dyke Parks loves collaborating with the fine young ladies.

    X-Ray Press, By Sunlight Noise-a-tron, Levator at the Comet, 8 p.m., $6

    If you like AFCGT or psychedelic noise in general, Hannah Levin suggests you check out X-Ray Press.

    Dawes, Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons, Jason Boesel at the Tractor Tavern, 9:30 p.m., $10

    Dawes' '60s California pop isn't boring or predictable, but it's familiar.

    Topics: Live Music Tonight

  • Reader: The Brady Campaign Is Shooting Blanks

    Posted February, 9 at 8:05 am by Caleb Hannan, The Daily Weekly
    shooting blanks.jpg
    It's always good to hear from one of the rational gun owners.
    ​
    Reader Lster921 responds to Double Shot of Requesto: Brady Campaign Wants Starbucks to Stop Allowing Guns in Stores

    "The Brady Campaign has no right to demand anything from anyone, let alone a corporation. Their hideous attempt to disarm America is shameful."

    Continue Reading >>
    Topics: Politics

  • Manther Introduces "Missin' the Sonics"

    Posted February, 9 at 6:56 am by Caleb Hannan, The Daily Weekly


    A Manther is the male version of a cougar: an older man who preys on younger women. It's also the name of a hip-hop group out of Salem that's just given the world this five-minute ode to the dearly departed SuperSonics.

    I was having a hard time figuring out why I almost liked this video. The world needs less Andy Sambergs, not more. And when they're not aping the conventions of every '90s R&B music video ever, the members of Manther spend their free time filming themselves making basketball trick shots (a hobby most guys grow out of after they've gotten their learners permit).

    Then I realized: it's the Squatch costume. Put a man in a monkey suit and I am riveted.

    Topics: Sports

  • Does John Murtha's Death Make Norm Dicks the "King of Pork"?

    Posted February, 9 at 6:04 am by Caleb Hannan, The Daily Weekly
    murthaporkking.jpg
    Western Pennsylvania's beloved pork king has gone on to that old sty in the sky.
    ​
    Determining who gets what defense spending in a country that loves to spend money on its defense is a plum job. And now that Rep. John Murtha, a.k.a. the "King of Pork," has passed, it looks like that job is Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Boeing) for the taking.

    Dicks has served on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee for 31 years. And his likely ascension comes at an opportune time for his favorite aerospace beneficiary and an inopportune time for Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Grandstanding).

    Last week, Shelby used a parliamentary tactic to stall the confirmation of 70 presidential nominees. His tantrum came in protest of the bidding process for replacing the Air Force's refueling tankers that he says is rigged in Boeing's favor. A win for Shelby would mean 1,500 new jobs in Mobile. But that scenario appears less likely now with Dicks wearing the crown.


    Topics: Politics

  • Tea Party or Rock Party? There's A Mood Brewing For Both

    Posted February, 9 at 2:00 am by Krist Novoselic, Reverb
    PalinTea.jpg
    Krist Novoselic's column on music and politics runs every Tuesday on Reverb. Check back on Friday when he writes about what he's been listening to.
    ​
    Right on the heels of my column last week regarding the Rock Party, the big political news of the weekend was the Tea Party convention in Nashville. Sure, these folks have momentum right now, but Tea Partiers shouldn't feel too special. Like Tea Partiers, Americans from across the political spectrum share an anxiety about the economy and feel disconnected from Congress. Ask almost anybody and they'll tell you how there's too much special-interest money in elections.

    The Tea Party is the latest political phenomenon resulting from the powerful tools provided by the information revolution. It's good when common people become invested in our democratic system; it adds balance to the privileged financial interests who have done the same for too long. When a movement grows to the size of the Tea Party, they have a real chance to affect change on a local and national level. But is really about change or more business-as-usual?

    Continue Reading >>
    Topics: Krist Novoselic

  • On the Ground: The Critic Goes Bar-Hopping

    Posted February, 8 at 5:30 pm by Jason Sheehan, Voracious
    ZigZag.jpg
    ​
    It was the ideal way to end a Thursday: drinks at the Athenian Inn inside Pike Place Market, knocking back tall beers in frosted glasses alongside the fishmongers and friends while watching the sun go down across the water. The place has been open for more than a hundred years, and has earned every wrinkle, every crack, every warp and the full length of its spotty reputation for good drinks, decent food and territorial regulars. Best view yet in a city full of great ones. And my glass was so cold that it froze the head on my draft.

    Nijo Sushi Bar has got a view of precisely nothing (back alley, street scenes, lots of parked delivery vans), but the vistas inside were just fine. Pretty girls, flashing knives, fresh fish behind the glass and, at happy hour, a collection of all the neighborhood beautiful people. The sake list is impressive (everything from Jun-Mai Harushika at a hundred bucks a bottle to Asian Pear sake and bottles of Nigori Pearl), but because I am a savage, I drank Corona while putting away a double order of the dancing shrimp (five bucks a pop and addictive as hell) and enough fish to take the edge off my hunger.


    Continue Reading >>
    Topics: From the Gut

  • Music in Movies on Mondays: The Pharmacy Contribute Score, Songs to Fast Friends to Friday Harbor

    Posted February, 8 at 4:28 pm by Hannah Levin, Reverb
    pharmacy.jpg
    The Pharmacy
    ​
    Local band the Pharmacy recently contributed songs and instrumentals to the soundtrack for forthcoming local thriller Fast Friends to Friday Harbor. I spoke briefly with director Rylan Scherer about how they came to be involved:

    "They recorded the songs for their album Weekend, and gave them to me to use for the film a while ago, when they were playing as "guest band" or something, and I was shooting video of Implied Violence's performance on Governor's Island in New York. I really dug the new songs live, and [frontman] Scotty [Yoder] gave me some instrumentals that they recorded around the same time as album. Not only did I get music from their new album, but these songs that are otherwise unreleased ... awesome, moody little songs without lead vocals (which can be distracting at times in movies)."

    "They are dear friends of mine, and also one of my favorite bands that just keep getting better and better, so this made me happy, despite previously thinking I'd be a some type of douche if I used rock music in my film. I had all this grandiose classical music that was out of place and I knew it, but the music of the Pharmacy elevates the whole thing. I have had difficulty not trying to re-edit the film for the backing songs, that's how awesome they are!"

    View the trailer for Fast Friends after the jump.

    Continue Reading >>
    Topics: Music in Movies on Mondays

  • Older Gent Gets Into Brawl Over A Girl, Loses

    Posted February, 8 at 3:30 pm by Vernal Coleman, The Daily Weekly
    oldfight
    There's nothing funny about a man in his 60s getting beat up. This picture, however ...
    ​
    To be clear, seeing your favorite bar employee safely home after her shift is a classic "good guy" move.

    Granted, not everyone who does will behave gracefully after arriving at said employee's doorstep. Still, the act itself is a chivalrous one.

    Points get reduced, however, if during the process you assault a sexagenarian.

    Continue Reading >>
    Topics: Crime & Punishment

  • Sasquatch! 2010 Predictions: In Which I Attempt to Debunk Rumors From the Festival's Message Boards

    Posted February, 8 at 3:17 pm by Paige Richmond, Reverb
    Sasquatch2006_Editorial_4884.jpg
    Like this crowd, the possibilites for Sasquatch 2010! seem endless. (But they're actually finite.)
    ​
    This might be a little preliminary, considering that just today Adam Zacks and the Live Nation folks announced that they will announce the Sasquatch! lineup next week, but I've been wondering about what bands (other than Pavement) will make the journey to the Gorge this Memorial Day.

    Or maybe it's not preliminary at all, since I'm only thinking about this one week before the announcement and a few months before the festival. The official Sasquatch! message boards, on the other hand, have been blabbering about the lineup since last fall. Don't have time (or the stomach) to sift through the musings of a bunch of rabid fans? (Apparently, I do.) After the jump, I've listed some bands that commenters commonly claim are likely to play the festival (followed by own thoughts and commentary on their comments).


    Continue Reading >>
    Topics: Concert News

RSS

Monthly View >>This week's best events