July 14th, 2010
You probably already know that Breathless is charming and essential and a classic. A newly restored version is making the rounds right now and I caught it in Silver Spring this week. Presumably, this re-release was the catalyst for Dan Hoffman’s timely article on why Breathless resonates so much more than other Very Important Films. It does. Probably because Michel and Patricia’s stories are so deceptively simple. Yes, Michel is a cop killer on the loose in the big city, but he otherwise behaves just like your own goofball friends. Patricia has plenty of glamor, but she’s living in the believable squalor of an intern abroad working at a newspaper. Also, I always forget how amazing Martial Solal’s original score is.
…Now some long-overdue viewing notes:
- Greenberg = Fine. I’m catching up on publishing my film notes, and it’s been a couple of months. As always, I really want to like Ben Stiller. I just don’t remember Greenberg making much of an impression on me.
- La Dolce Vita = Highly recommended. Obviously.
- Exit Through the Giftshop = Highly recommended. A/K/A “the Banksy movie”. Highly entertaining play on documentary conventions with plenty of incredible footage and revealing things to say about the art world.
- Please Give = Highly recommended.
- The Man Who Would be King = Recommended.
- Carnal Knowledge = Highly recommended.
- Freakonomics = Fine. Silverdocs opening night selection strung together several short topics directed by documentary all-stars. Felt a bit like This American Life’s TV show to be perfectly honest.
- The Kids Grow Up = Recommended. Very much enjoyed Doug Block’s latest – a portrait of his own family as his daughter prepares to leave for college.
- Waiting for Superman = Highly recommended. Plenty to quibble with in the details of Davis Guggenheim’s education reform documentary, but his thesis that we’ve largely been doing things that make adults feel comfortable instead of doing things actually proven to help children learn is important. Will make a huge splash this fall.
- My Perestroika = Recommended.
- On Coal River = Fine.
- Utopia in Four Movements = Highly recommended. This is actually a film-performance hybrid. Deserving of a full post, but in the highly likely case that I don’t get around to it, please check Sam Green and Dave Cerf’s website for tour dates near you (San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York, and Minneapolis are all coming up, so none of my four likely readers have any excuse for missing out).
- The Tillman Story = Recommended.
- Marwencol = Highly recommended. Google the plot summary to be astounded and then just let me tell you that it is all done skillfully and with respect for the subjects.
- Sleeper = Recommended. Especially outside in the neighborhood with friends and frozen yogurt and fresh fruit.
- I Am Love = Fine.
Categories: dc, the cinematical
June 4th, 2010
Hey everyone. The best time of year in DC is almost upon us: SILVERDOCS!
I went all in for the “Silver Film Buff” pass this year, which guarantees at least 10 films in 7 days. The second night of the festival may even wind up as a film / rock-and-roll double header since I’d also purchased tickets for The New Pornographers that night. Exciting!
As a public service to those who like sitting in dark rooms with me, I’ve pasted (after the jump) the films I’m almost certainly attending. Grab tickets now! Afterwords we’ll hit Silver Spring’s other famous dark room: The Quarry House.
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Categories: dc, the cinematical
April 11th, 2010
I finally had a chance to see noon:30 play last night. I know two members of the band and have been trying to make it out to one of their infrequent shows for almost as long as I’ve lived in DC. They play with a ton of intensity and clearly have a lot of fun doing it. noon:30′s sound is punk/experimental with great, sometimes en Français vocals. The show started with some noisy drone guitar work and some improvised percussion involving a wooden plank. A fantastic version of Jim Carroll’s “People Who Died” finished off their first set with a couple of friends joining the trio on stage and made a great fit alongside the rest of their music. I’m not going to do their sound justice describing it here, so maybe you should check out the clips on their MySpace page, friend noon:30 on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.
Categories: dc, the sonic
April 2nd, 2010
Last Saturday I was invited to an all-day birthday party in the form of a bus tour of Virginia wine country. Even though I’ve seen Sideways, I pictured something unnecessarily snooty and dignified. I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be the exact opposite. Our tour only went to two wineries (possibly because sensible vineyards try to cultivate an image that doesn’t include rehabbed orange school buses decorated with vinyl silhouettes of people dancing in bell-bottoms). Two proved to be exactly the right number for a reasonably paced introduction.
First up was the beautiful hillside Bluemont Vineyard. While there, I learned about a variety of grape called Norton that has been grown locally since the time of Thomas Jefferson. I found it to be well rounded and Bluemont’s best offering. Next up was nearby Veramar Vineyard. Their Cabernet Franc was my top pick for it’s pleasantly spicy flavors.
Loudoun County has a number of other vineyards. All are close enough to make a great day trip for any locovore/foodie in DC—so long as someone else is driving.
Categories: dc, the edible, the geographical
March 25th, 2010
How to Fold a Flag = Highly recommended
By far the best of the few films I caught during my busy evenings at SXSW was Michael Tucker’s How to Fold a Flag. Without being heavy handed or preachy the film gives a glimpse of social issues across America through the eyes of soldiers he had previously covered in Gunner Palace. These veterans’ experiences in returning to the country they fought for vary wildly. Some have trouble with the Veteran’s Administration and fight for acknowledgment and treatment of post-traumatic shock disorder (PTSD). Another struggles to pay for family medical expenses while working long shifts at the notorious Smithfield hog plant in North Carolina. Finally, all of these issues point nicely to the Congressional run by the Captain of their unit, former Social Studies teacher Jon Powers. Highly recommended.
- 11/4/08 = Not recommended. Tunnel vision view of election night in America.
- American: The Bill Hicks Story = Fine. It was late on a travel day, so it might be unfair to tell you that I fell asleep and didn’t laugh much during this doc on a the legendary comedian.
Categories: the cinematical
March 22nd, 2010
Yesterday was a tough call in Minnesota’s newsrooms. The Pioneer Press gave 2/3 of a page to the amazing news that I’ll still be cheering for Joe Mauer when I’m 44. The Strib instead gave 2/3 of their front page to the news that the United States is no longer a barbaric, backward land where health care is granted only to those who can either (a) work for a soulless corporate empire until they forget what it was like to be healthy, or (b) swear under oath that they’ve never, ever been sick before in their entire life.
USA! USA! Win Twins! Win Twins!
P.S. On big news days like today, you really are missing out if you don’t walk down to the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue where you can view all of our nation’s large and medium sized daily periodicals’ front pages and mingle with / eavesdrop on your fellow countrymen.
Categories: dc, minny, the personal, the visual
March 20th, 2010
Fried avocado Mighty Cone = highly recommended
Austin is a great food city, but during SXSW I kept too busy to put as many delicious things in my belly as I should have. I did eat the above pictured and highly recommended “Mighty Cone” from an outdoor trailer / stand on South Congress Street. It is essentially a large soft taco in a paper cone. Inside the flour tortilla is cole slaw and yes, fried avocado topped with spicy mayo. Mighty Cone breads the avocado with a mix of sesame seeds, almonds, chili, salt and corn flakes giving it a flavorful and crunchy exterior when it comes out of the advertised “deep saute.” If you are of the meat-eating persuasion, you can have that same treatment applied to chicken or shrimp.
Categories: the edible, the geographical
March 11th, 2010
I’m excited to be heading to SXSW Interactive to meet and learn from the luminaries of the internet/tech world and hope to bring back some inspiration for my team’s work in DC. I’ll be in Austin through the 16th. SXSW Film coincides with the Interactive fest, so there’s a good chance I may catch a hot new documentary or at least bump into a member of the old doc-blog cabal.
If you are heading there for any reason and are within the sound of this blog post, please don’t be shy about reaching out. Tip: my phone buzzes in my pocket when you leave a comment below or tweet @erikmoe .
Categories: the cinematical, the personal
March 11th, 2010
Jon Malis’ shot of Marines on the mall is one of my favorite in the quite good DCist Exposed 2010 show on view at Long View Gallery through March 21.
Categories: dc, the visual
March 10th, 2010
Columbia Room = Highly recommended
The newly-opened Columbia Room at The Passenger is an intimate speakeasy-style oasis custom built for a single purpose: impeccable presentation of cocktails. The space seats perhaps 14 in a two-tiered arrangement that puts all the focus on craft cocktail expert Derek Brown behind the bar. The Service by Brown and improbably-named fantastically-named sommelier Kat Bangs is personal and extraordinarily attentive.
Bangs and Brown both have worked at and helped develop some of DC’s best restaurants and in this intimate space their talents shine. Brown’s artistry and attention to detail are on display as he hand-carves ice to melt appropriately in each drink and methodically measures ingredients and tests temperatures.
A reservation at Columbia includes an opening glass of champagne, two cocktails and a light food pairing. I’ll leave deconstructing and geeking out over the particulars to experts like my coworker Matt, but the general outline of the evening is re-assembled after the jump. Highly recommended.
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Categories: dc, the edible
