Film Review -- The Carter

Directed by Adam Bhala Lough
Released November 17, 2009

If you are like me, you cannot get enough of Lil Wayne. And if you are also like me, VH1's Behind The Music was not enough of Dwayne Carter - it takes a film like this to really let me see exactly what kind of a musician he has become. Where the aforementioned VH1 doc did a great job of setting up the life and times of Lil Wayne, The Cater took a year of his life and just went ahead and showed it to you - old school cinéma vérité style. This film - with seemingly no real back bone to the story besides time and location - was an instant classic and it is no wonder its reception at Sundance Film Festival has been very positive.

There are many rumors flying around, and I am sure they are true, that this film was released without Wayne being in control of the final product. I heard rumors that he thought the film was "great" but other rumors that he is suing the distribution company. I believe the real case that Wayne was trying to make - most likely before finally watching the doc - was that the distributors attempted to say Wayne had say or input in the final outcome that was released early last week on DVD at www.thecarterdoc.com but he really had not. That I can believe because I found the film a bit to infatuated with his Syrup drinking and I can imagine he would rather that not be in there. But those are just details.

What you get in this film is the closest thing I think we have to a portrait of a real deal artist. Lil Wayne, like his music or not, has four of his own infatuations he spells out towards the end of the doc, "Music, music, music and money." Watching Wayne emphatically spit out his rhymes at locations ranging from inside his tour bus, to hotel rooms and of course professional studios is unreal. I cannot imagine someone like a Taylor Swift or Jay-Z walking into a hotel room with a travel bag full of equipment and recording a top ten Billboard track line (and I am pretty sure he is doing exactly that by recording his verse to "Swagger Like Us" in a messed up hotel room in Amsterdam). He lives and breathes his music all day long.

The film did exactly what I wanted it to do - stay the hell out of the way and let us look at the main character. Although they had a full crew at times, I believe most of the film is just a single camera that somehow got the chance here and there to sneak a wireless mic on Wayne. I think this is a situation where the character is just so good that the film-making really does not matter but I will credit Adam Bhala Lough for his ability to weave in Wayne's music into his story and his willingness to point the camera at Wayne and simply let him perform.

This will go down in the ages as one of the best music documentaries of all time with almost the exact same feel as Don't Look Back - Bob Dylan's doc on his 1965 tour of England (the similarities between the two films are so unmistakable that Adam Bhala Lough clearly did his research on how to make a music doc or Wayne is the new Dylan). An absolute must see.

3.75 out of 4

News -- Adam Lambert

Well when it comes to some good music awards show drama - this performance at the American Music Awards (Dick Clark Productions) is up there on the list. Although I must say I am less blown away that Adam Lambert decided to make out with a dude while performing his debut single For Your Entertainment than I am by the hoards of women and men grabbing at his dong the entire time he is on stage. So yes, everyone who gave two shits about American Idol this year and thought that the show was somehow rigged for this yelping eye-make-up guy to lose since he is gay just got the ultimate vindication. Adam "The New Openly Gay Pop Star" Lambert made out with a guy on live TV. And believe it or not - even with the mandatory FCC delay - the producers did not pull the plug and cut to an early commercial before it broadcast live (most likely the longest 7 to 12 seconds of that producer's life).

So now the debate begins. Homophobes will say this was lewd, terrifying and completely inappropriate for TV (which I might agree with) and everyone else will say HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT YOU HOMOPHOBIC JERK ASS? I will go ahead and toe the line and say that yes - it was honestly inappropriate not because he made out with a dude but because the whole performance just felt so fake and forced that instead of this being some spontaneous decision - it was clearly planned purely for shock value. However, when you get a young guy like Adam Lambert who for the last 8 weeks of American Idol blast his pipes out every night of the week and still lost to Kris Allen who whimpered lame tracks over acoustic guitar - you have to imagine he is going to do something outrageous when he is back on the national screen. Not to mention a guy who has an album cover that looks like this:

In short - kudos to Adam Lambert - your PR director was right and you will now forever be known as the gay or bi-sexual performer who isn't afraid to show it and you also successfully made everyone talk about how you acted instead of anyone actually listening to your crap ass song. I'll give you this - you got some balls. Kissing a dude on stage is one thing, but that random barrel-roll you did while your mic was hot - truly, truly unbelievable. One of the worst performances ever completely overshadowed by making out with a dude. I wish everything was that easy - I'd probably make out with a lot more dudes...

I would post the video but I am sure Dick Clark Productions will pull whichever video I link to but Google search Adam Lambert for the next 10 years and you will find it.

Film Review -- The Twilight Saga: New Moon (PG-13)

Directed by Chris Weitz
Released November 20, 2009

The New Moon has risen. It has risen indeed. After weaving through hoards of tweens racing back and forth from their seats to popcorn and almost ditching out on the whole idea after seeing over 50 people waiting in line for the 10:30 showing - I hit up the 10:00 Arlington, VA showing of New Moon with my lady. The experience as a whole gave me an incredible range of emotions. However, the movie itself was unable to fulfill my emotional expectations for what I personally consider a great film.

I would never even dare to try and really critique this movie because with anything that is ALREADY a cult classic before it even hits the big screen - being a conventional good movie is almost pointless. All director Chris Weitz needs to do is make sure the film matches the best-selling Stephanie Meyer novels, has the hottest teen or teen-looking actors, and utilizes puffy lips and longing gazes and the movie will be an absolute success. For Weitz, making this movie must honestly have been somewhat of a mix - on one hand, people's love of the book must constrict his creative touch as he tries not to change the story - and on the other hand, there must be a great sense of freedom to know that theaters are GOING TO BE packed for your film no matter what. An interesting rock and hard place (with a fat ass check ready at the end of the day).

The film was definitely well made. Shots were beautiful. Graphics were acceptable. Production value was a 10 out of 10. But this was most certainly a film not made for me and I totally think everyone involved in the film could care less how interested a 24 year old male was in the film. What I have to do when I see something like this - similar to my feelings like when I first saw High School Musical - where it is impossible for me to hide my feelings of "Good god that movie was awful!"- is to just say - SOMEONE GETS IT. Someone, most likely author Stephanie Meyer, has an unbelievable sense of pop culture and created something - a film about freaking VAMPIRES - that American Tweens are blown away by. And when you have something like that, to not respect it is to just be a grade-A hater.

The film for me lacked a significant plot to really hold me into it and I was genuinely blown away by how cheesy many moments were (so was the audience, who burst into laughter at almost all of the most serious parts). It did do a great job of creating the good-bad guy and in fact this film had two good-bad guys vying for the love of one helpless "diva" (Kristen Stewart). It seems, for at least the time being, there is no better bad ass good guy than someone without a soul who just might drink your blood. The vampire is the perfect character for the classic American story. In the early 2000's, the biggest example of this kind of story was the ex-con good guy (think The Rock or anything starring Vin Diesel) - a guy who society would normally throw into jail but in the movies uses his bad ways to do good. In this case, you got a bad ass Werewolf and a bad ass Vampire both doing "right" while also having the potential to be violent tyrants. It is a very interesting phenomenon some would say started with America being born in a violent revolution and persists today with pop-cultures obsession with gangster rap and in this case, the Vamps and Wolves.

In the end, even with people laughing at the serious points of the movie and the theater being an Arctic Tundra, most of the tweens in the audience could barely breathe when the movie ended they were so captivated and involved. THAT is impressive. If you want to be 2009 - don't let the New Moon pass you by.

2.5 out of 4

TV Spotlight -- Friday Night Lights (NBC?)

I have been here before... Another year... Another longing... To be at Dillon High...

Only this time, at age 24, I no longer long for the Dillon High of old. Where Tim Riggins is god, Jason Street is a legend and Lyla Garrity is a constant wet dream. No - I have moved to East Dillon High. Where I have come to accept Landry Clarke as a human being and the Taylor family (as always) is running the scene.

If none of these references made your dong grow wood or your eyes water a little - you are missing out on one of the greatest serial drama's TV has ever seen. Friday Night Lights is in the first quarter of their 4th season and I cannot wait for the second quarter let alone the third and the ever important fourth. Like a good football game, it seems this show has reached its climax and has no reason to come down anytime soon. In football, the climax is by no means the lousy halftime. Where you watch something endorsed by Sprint or AT&T and wait patiently for the game to return. The drama is in the fourth quarter. And somehow, show creator Peter Berg has taken a show that aired on Friday nights and seemed doomed to cancellation and has us (me) on the edge of my seat (or computer desk) for every single episode of the fourth season (quarter) - waiting for the game winning drive to solidify this as the best show of all time.

I myself wondered how the hell they would keep this drama going when in the first season, it seemed like 4 out of the 5 important characters were already seniors. What would we do next season? Where would we go? Show writers have now shown to us AND reminded us that high school drama never ends. Seniors will be seniors - at the top of their game (their fourth quarter, if you will). But with every class of seniors gone comes a new set of freshman. A new game. A new story line for a new Friday Night Lights. And with the addition of East Dillon High - the show not only has the never ending drama of high school... It has the never ending drama of TWO high schools...

Rarely will you find me so wrapped up into a show but I literally leave every episode dying to see what is next and wondering where I would fit into the story. Would I be a star like Riggins was but never want to leave home or Texas for that matter? Or would I be like Julie Taylor and want to spread my wings and fly away?

The show runs on NBC but has an exclusive contract to run all episodes on DirecTV before they hit real broadcast. So unless you have DirecTV, hit the torrent pool and get every episode possible and watch them all. If you are not transformed into a complete and loyal fanatic - you have no soul.

CLEAR EYES, FULL HEARTS - CAN'T LOSE. East Dillon For Life.

TV Spotlight -- It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX)

This post is almost beyond cliche with just about everyone I know fully loyal to this 30 minute gem, but I still find people out there who have yet to watch It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and it honestly somewhat sickens me. I have been very clear and verbal about how lame I find it that year after year, best comedy nods at the Emmy's go to shows like 30 Rock and The Office. Don't get me wrong - both are shows I have seen every episode of. But anyone with a brain knows that there are better comedies on the air. And no, I'm not talking about Family Guy.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia airs Thursday nights at 10pm on the FX network. With great staple shows like Nip/Tuck and Sons of Anarchy, FX is becoming a go-to cable station for good content that needs the edge FX can add for them (cursing, boozing, blood, etc). I am infatuated with shows that skip the network television strangle hold and shoot straight to cable where stuff like Comcast On-Demand is a given and I don't have to deal with network mandated themed episodes (NBC, give me a break).

Back to the point, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is hysterical. I am a firm believer that shows start to lose their luster after a few successful seasons. But It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia never fails to please. Of course there are some episodes that are better than others, but the quick wit and writing is unmatched. Tune in Thursday nights - unless you have no soul, you will be laughing.

Film Review -- Amelia (PG)

Directed by Mira Nair
Released October 23, 2009

I have been duped. I will not lie that this film released with the right cast and just about the right time for me to think it was for certain going to be a touching Oscar worthy performance for the ever-stellar Hilary Swank (Boys Don't Cry, Million Dollar Baby) or perhaps the final piece to the puzzle in the acting career Richard "Dicky Boy" Gere (Pretty Woman, Chicago). However, I will say outright that it just was not.

Unless you are some huge aeronautical buff or obsessed with record breakers - hell, even if you are - this movie was a complete hack. The film had no setup. I guess Bollywood director Mira Nair (Vanity Fair, Salaam Bombay!) assumed that we had all paid attention to our elementary education and knew the life story of Amelia Earhart and thus she allowed for ZERO setup. Literally within 15 minutes of the film starting, you are already knee deep in the trials and tribulations of Mrs. Earhart and soon after find yourself nipple deep in her life as a national treasure and adventure girl. All the while, Nair forgot to allow us the opportunity to feel/care/love the character of Mrs. Earhart and her wacky hair-doo's by explaining perhaps a millisecond of back story. Instead we are thrust into her world even before the audience feels ready to engage.

Clearly I was turned off from the start. But besides the films beautiful cinematic production value and a couple of hilarious shots of Earhart "flying" in front of what looks like a blatant green screen (COME ON, ALREADY!), the start was only the beginning of the pain. There is no climax, no memorable moments, no nothing. Unless you are 10 years old and you are writing a paper on Amelia and her, I am sure, fascinating life - do not see this film. And if you are in fact writing a paper on her, let it be known you need to do some real research because her life MUST have been more interesting and exciting than this drab waste of time.

1 out of 4