The Proposal

Well played Jim. Well played.

PS I loved how this scene was shot. The rain. the gas station. The busy highway. Reminded me of why I like this show so much. The writers do such a good job with balancing the laughable absurdness that makes the show so funny with just enough elements of humanity and drama that I feel an actual connection with the characters. It really serves to make moments such as these that much more poignant and meaningful.

PSS What does the fact that I have emotional investments in fictional TV characters say about me? Not sure I really want to know. I am content with my bliss.

Sang Yoon - From Your Stomach To Your Ears

In case you didn't know, KCRW has this little program called The Guest DJ Project where "popular" personalities are invited to select 5 or 6 songs they would like to play. One of the various KCRW DJs then leads a discussion of the chosen songs and interviews the guest. Each segment lasts about 12 minutes or so. Over the last couple of months, I have really enjoyed these little programs.

Recently, September 3rd to be exact, the guest DJ was Sang Yoon. Faithful readers of this blog may recognize Sang Yoon as the creator of the inimitable Father's Office. Needless to say, I was quite excited to see what songs Sang Yoon would choose for his segment. I am happy to report that I was not disappointed. Here is a quick summary of what he chose:

1.) U2 - Unforgettable Fires
2.) Helen Stellar - IO
3.) Radiohead - Bulletproof
4.) Band of Horses - St. Augustine

5.) Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)

I was a little put off when I learned that the set was led off by U2. I'll be honest, I am not the biggest U2 fan. However, after hearing Sang Yoon's explanation for why he chose U2 I decided to not hold it against him because of the sentimental place U2 holds in his heart. Also, I respect the fact that he chose a song off an album prior to Joshua Tree which kind of adds a level of OG-ness to Sang Yoon. Plus, I kind of enjoy a few songs off War and even Boy. Wow, who would have thought that I would have defended U2 like this? Maybe I am just blinded by my adoration of Mr. Yoon.

The rest of Sang Yoon's choices were excellent in my opinion. I love Radiohead, Band of Horses, and Arcade Fire. I had never heard of Helen Stellar but I really enjoyed the song that was played and plan on purchasing the album.

Overall, it was a really solid set. I also thought it was cool that Sang Yoon personally chooses the music played at the Father's Office locations. Really what I am trying to say with this post is that my love affair with Father's Office not only continues but is now stronger than ever. In fact, I will probably be stopping by for a burger and sweet potato fries tonight.

Click here to stream or download a copy of the Sang Yoon Guest DJ program. A transcript of the show is available at that link as well.

Down With People

Many moons ago I posted about the greatness that was last year's Mack Dawg Productions release of we're people too! Well, this year's MDP release titled Down With People looks to be all that and a bag of chips as well. 

How can you go wrong with NWA? You can't. Looks like MDP is still on top. Even after all these years. It's been what, like 20 years now? Word to your Moms.

Google Chrome

I am trying out the new Google Chrome web browser today and so far I am liking it. It seems to load web pages really fast and I like the clean look of the browser. After a couple of hours of use I am a fan. Not sure if I am ready to give up Firefox yet but I will definitely keep using Chrome for at least a couple more days to see if I fully acclimate to it. Click here to download your own copy of Chrome and try it out for yourself.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

So I watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona last week sometime. I can't really remember when. It is all a haze. But my rapidly fading memory is another topic for another day. Back to the film at hand. So I have been trying to think of a hook or an angle to take when discussing Vicky Cristina Barcelona and I am not having any luck. I really wanted to write something about this movie though because I really enjoyed it. I liked the narrator's voice. His cadence and tone just sat really well with me. I loved the golden tones of many of the scenes. I have been a sucker for the gold tones ever since Bad Boys. I also really enjoyed the humor of the film. The caricature of the boring New York businessman cracked me up. The pleated khakis were just perfect. I laughed every time he said or did anything. I also found the music to be quite enjoyable. Musical choices for films seems to be something that has really been catching my attention lately. And I am liking what I am seeing/hearing.

I was going to write more but I got sidetracked and now I am going to go home. So I will just say that I really enjoyed Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I recommend that you see it.

5 Days in Prague

My good friend Mr. K.E. Paugh, who most definitely does not suffer from the debilitating never-nude syndrome, sent me a link today to the J. Crew webpage where they are featuring a short film/advertisement for their Autumn line of clothing. The film is titled Autumn Album 5 Days in Prague and was produced by Tom Dey and Coliena Rentmeester. I wasn't able to embed the film on my blog but you can click this link to watch at the J. Crew website.

Make sure you watch the film with the sound enabled. The music combined with the various images are beautiful. The aforementioned Mr. Paugh said that this was a perfect example of the style of films he wants to make and I have to agree with him. If I were creative enough to make films, this is the kind I would want to make. I loved the mixture of black and white with color. I loved the vignetting on the shot of the subway car. The shots through the car window with the rain drops were perfect. And the car. Oh the car. Words don't do it justice. I really, really want that car.

So yeah, the tone of the film is absolutely perfect. If I was their target audience was me, then Mission Accompolished! is all I can say. Tom and Coliena definitley deserve a banner. If you haven't watched the film yet, make sure you click on the link now. For reals yo, click on the link now. You won't be disappointed. I promise.

PS I might kind of be in love with one of the models in the film. I'll leave it up to you to guess which one.

Man on Wire

I watched this great little documentary last week called Man on Wire. It is about this French guy named Phillipe Petit who was an accomplished high-wire walker with a flair for guerrilla style acts of grandiose. Quite the juxtaposition, I know. But that is part of why it was so appealing.

The story in and of itself is quite simple yet the storytelling employed by the film makers is top notch. I was immediately pulled in by the personalities of the various characters and was literally mesmerized by the archival footage and still photographs employed to bring the story to life. The footage of Phillipe practicing his craft in a field in France while hanging out with his friends was so interesting to me. It was like a strikingly poignant fairytale come to life. Watching him actually perform his act between the rooftops of the World Trade Center was truly a feat to behold. I was quite simply awestruck.

The biggest surprise of the film, for me personally, was the emotional impact of hearing Phillipe's best friend/co-conspirator and also his girlfriend (I want to make it clear that these are two different people) talk about the falling-out the group of friends had after Phillipe successfully completed his life-long goal. It was also quite interesting to see how his former girlfriend still idolized him. Even after all these years. Truly fascinating.

So yeah, if Man on Wire is in a theater near you, check it out. The characters are larger than life and the archival footage and still photos are amazing.