FILM: Special
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479162/
One of the most unique films that nobody has seen. Special stars Michael Rapaport (True Romance, this season of Prison Break - which we won't hold against him) as a man that enters an experimental clinical trial, testing a new form of medication. He suffers a psychotic reaction to the meds, and begins to believe he has gained super-powers. It really is a testament to the talent of Rapaport and the crew that this film treats the material as well as it does, for this story could have been played off for easy laughs, but goes in a much less predictable direction. Dark humor mixes with real emotional resonance, allowing the film to leave a truly lasting impression on the audience. See it, if you can find it.
TV: Party Down
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1073507/
We're going through what can only be called a comedy renaissance at the moment, and a unique one at that. Add to this the fact that most of today's top comedians are in some way tied or connected, through past work and constant collaboration, and we've had the privilege of seeing some great comedy flood the marketplace. Party Down is a new series on Starz, created by Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars), and featuring a mixed cast of favorites from Judd Apatow properties and a personal favorite of mine, MTV's The State. The cast is lead by the always reliable Ken Marino, and is rounded out by familiar faces to anyone following these now well-known performers (Jane Lynch, Martin Starr, Lizzy Caplan, Adam Scott). It's crass, entertaining, and most importantly, hilarious. You can watch the entire pilot episode for free below (it's been cut a little for the web):
BOOK: World War Z (by Max Brooks)
With "Swine Flu" on everyone's mind lately, I can't think of a more topical book. Sure, it's a fictional "oral history" taken 10 years after a massive worldwide zombie outbreak, but the story it tells seems horrifyingly familiar to anyone following the news at the moment. Replace "African Rabies" (as the zombie infection is first called in the book) with "Swine Flu" as you're reading, and you will see exactly what I mean. The book itself is written to be almost too real: through the accounts and stories told during interviews with people from all over the world, in both the government and private sector, it's almost as if writer Brooks actually does live in an alternate reality in which zombies exist, and have wiped out of most of the world's population. Everything is researched and mixed with real world history - the responses taken by various world governments, and the tactics used to profit from the disaster by the pharmaceutical companies - are particularily believable. Read this, you will enjoy it.
MUSIC: Faith No More
http://www.myspace.com/faithnomore
I'm going to guess that for a large number of you, I'm preaching to the converted. At one point in time, Faith No More was one of the largest bands in the world. For everyone else, or those that haven't listened in a while, you owe it to yourself to check out one of the most unique bands to hit popular music in the last 30 years. Although there are a few good tracks on the two albums prior to now legendary-frontman Mike Patton joining the band, the four albums made with him are sheer audio bliss. My personal favorites are King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime and Angel Dust, but all are worth a listen. It's extremely difficult to classify this band, so I won't even try. All I will say is that if your music tastes lean toward the eclectic, you should definitely check out the band that inspired so much of the unique music that came later. With a reunion tour mounting this year, now has never been a better time.
UP AND COMING: Treevenge
http://www.treevenge.com/
Some people may know of indie director Jason Eisner from his grindhouse trailer Hobo With A Shotgun, which won the Tarantino/Rodriguez Grindhouse competition and was attached to prints of the film in Canada. He's been making a big splash at film festivals lately with his newest short film, Treevenge, which forwards the hilarious concept that to Christmas trees, our "most magical time of year" is actually a holocaust. In the short, the trees get fed up with the atrocities perpetrated against them, and fight back. It's funny, gory, and absolutely insane. If you get a chance to see this, don't hestitate for a second - it's the most entertaining 20 minutes you'll see for some time. Check out a sample scene below:
YOUTUBE: Philips Carousel Commercial
This is simply mind-blowing, and contains multiple things being shot (though none in the face, at least not that I can see). In terms of technical accomplishment, it's really something to behold:
While we are on the topic of things better than being shot in the face, let me suggest this: brain aneurysms. Both make you just as dead, but at least with a brain aneurysm you don't see it coming.
Until next week!
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