Absinthe For Breakfast

The 2012 Viewing Log with an explanation of my personally esoteric rating system and a terrible dearth of pics

2013-01-01T22:46:00.000-08:00

one of the year's 10s

I’ve elected to rate films on a ten scale to the first decimal place. I’ll add that my method for scoring doesn’t begin at 0.0. I start at 5.0 (similar to a teacher giving a certain amount of credit for putting name to paper) and then work forward or backward depending on the film’s quality (or lack thereof). One look below will show that a film need be particularly egregious to fall below a 5.0. Masterpiece level is 9.0 and above (with a little shading from 8.8 and 8.9) with 10s being the true high-points of cinema, the cream at the top of what may become my personal canon; the 8s are undisputedly great films; the 7s are good films, 7.9 being almost great and 7.0 barely making it; the 6s are either simply flaming mediocrity or films with such huge flaws they ultimately override any good or even great aspects about them; and the 5s are an indisputably unrewarding zone. 5.0 is a flat-line. Anything above that means the film had something, no matter how minuscule, which made the viewing something other than a waste of time. Anything below a 5.0 signifies that the movie was, in the words of somebody’s grumpy uncle, a truly heinous piece of garbage. Like any veteran film viewer, I’ve developed a pretty good bullshit detector, so scores below 5.0 will be rare. But I occasionally watch movies in a social context (that is to say I don’t pick ‘em), so it’s by no means out of the question that a true stinker will rear its ugly head. An asterisk accompanying a rating carries with it my belief that with an additional viewing or time to reflect (or other circumstances, such as a deeper appreciation for a director’s filmography), my ranking could easily change by more than a few tens of a point. A film with an asterisk is far more likely to improve in my esteem than otherwise. Ranking of films without the asterisk are by no means set in stone; I just feel far more confident that they won’t vary by more than a few tenths of a point. As a look above shows, the list of films viewed will include more than just feature film; documentaries, short films, avant-garde works, cartoons, even music videos on occasion. TV poses a problem: it will be included when I give it the attention it deserves (or doesn’t, as the case may be), which essentially reflects more on my aversion to tackle TV as an expressive medium than it does on any long-debated shortcomings or inherent differences between the small screen and the large one. Got that? Good.

1/1- 13 RUE MADELEINE (1947) Henry Hathaway 7.8 (DVD)

1/4- THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2011) David Fincher 9.3 (Theatre/Digital)

1/5- WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968) Michael Reeves 8.3 (Streaming/Netflix)

1/9- MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (2011) Woody Allen 8.7 (Theatre/Digital)

1/12- TEN (2002) Abbas Kiarostami 8.9* (DVD)

         THE BRINK’S JOB (1978) William Friedkin 7.7 (Streaming/Netflix)

1/17- THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2011) David Fincher 9.3 (Theatre/Digital)

1/18- VERTIGO (1958) Alfred Hitchcock 10 (Theatre/Digital)

1/19- FILM SOCIALISME (2010) Jean-Luc Godard 9.2* (Streaming/Netflix)

1/20- ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1933) Erle C. Kenton 9.4 (DVD)

         IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE END: THE TRUTH ABOUT DE-EVOLUTION Chuck Statler
        7.7 (DVD)

1/21- BORDER RADIO (1987) Allison Anders, Dean Lent, Kurt Voss 7.9 (DVD)

1/23- MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL (2011) Brad Bird 7.7 (Theatre/Digital)

         REAR WINDOW (1954) Alfred Hitchcock 10 (Theatre/Digital)

1/24- FILM (1965) Alan Schneider 9* (Streaming/UbuWeb)

         FROM ROMANCE TO RITUAL (1985) Peggy Ahwesh 8.7 (Streaming/UbuWeb)

1/26- 3 WOMEN (1977) Robert Altman 8.9* (Blu-Ray)

1/31- HAYWIRE (2012) Steven Soderbergh 8.5* (Theatre/35mm)

2/1- THE DESCENDANTS (2011) Alexander Payne 9.2 (Theatre/Digital)

2/2- THE OTHER F WORD (2011) Andrea Blaugrund 5.5 (DVD)

2/3- LUCK- EPISODE ONE (2011) Michael Mann 8.6* (Television/Home Box Office)

2/6- THE ITALIAN JOB (1969) Peter Collinson 7.1 (Streaming/Netflix)

2/7- DUCK SOUP (1933) Leo McCarey 10 (Streaming/Netflix)

2/9- SUBMARINE (2010) Richard Ayoade 6 (Blu-Ray)

2/10- THE RED AND THE WHITE (1968) Miklós Jancsó 10 (DVD)

2/13- GUY AND MADELINE ON A PARK BENCH (2010) Damien Chazelle 9.6* (DVD)

2/14- THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF UNCLE HARRY (1945) Robert Siodmak 8*
         (Streaming/Netflix)

2/15- CULLODEN (1964) Peter Watkins 9.7* (Streaming/Netflix)

2/16- THE 10TH VICTIM (1965) Elio Petri 7.5 (DVD)

2/18- THE WAR GAME (1965) Peter Watkins 9.8* (Streaming/Netflix)

2/20- FILM IN WHICH THERE APPEAR EDGE LETTERING, SPROCKET HOLES, DIRT PARTICLES,
         ETC. (1966) George Landow (Owen Land) 9.5* (Streaming/UbuWeb)

         FLUXFILM NO. 25: THE EVIL FAERIE (1966) George Landow (Owen Land) 9*
         (Streaming/UbuWeb)

         REMEDIAL READING COMPREHENSION (1970) George Landow (Owen Land) 10
         (Streaming/UbuWeb)

2/22- THE ARTIST (2011) Michel Hazanavicius 7.5* (Theatre/Digital)

2/23- TAKE SHELTER (2011) Jeff Nichols 9.2 (Blu-Ray)

2/29- RUNDSKOP (BULL HEAD) (2011) Michaël R. Roskam 7 (Theatre/Digital)

3/8- THE 39 STEPS (1935) Alfred Hitchcock 10 (DVD)

3/13- TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (2011) Tomas Alfredson 9.4 (Theatre/Digital)

3/14- LOUIE Season 1- Episodes 1-13 (2010) Louis C.K. 9 (Streaming/Netflix)

3/15- MELANCHOLIA (2011) Lars Von Trier 7.3 (Blu-Ray)

3/19- IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT (2011) Marshall Curry,
         Sam Cullman 8.3 (DVD)

3/21- AGAINST THE HOUSE (1955) Phil Karlson 7.5 (DVD)

3/29- MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (2011) Sean Durkin 9.5* (Blu-Ray)

4/5- TINY FURNITURE (2010) Lena Dunham 8.3* (Blu-Ray)

4/11- THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE (2001) Guillermo del Toro 9 (Theatre/35mm)

         COLD WEATHER (2010) Aaron Katz 9.3 (Streaming/Netflix)

4/12- ZODIAC (2007) David Fincher 9.8* (Blu-Ray)

4/18- A SHOT IN THE DARK Blake Edwards (1964) 9.8* (Streaming/Netflix)

4/19- DAY FOR NIGHT (1973) François Truffaut 9.7 (DVD)

4/26- THE SKIN I LIVE IN (2011) Pedro Almodovar 9 (Blu-Ray)

5/13- CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982) John Milius 8.4 (Theatre/Blu-Ray)

5/16- THE LONG GOODBYE (1973) Robert Altman 10 (Streaming/Netflix)

5/21- THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) Wes Craven 8.8 (Streaming/Netflix)

6/6- SHIRIN (2008) Abbas Kiarostami 9.8* (Streaming/Netflix)

       THE MERCENARY (1968) Sergio Corbucci 9.5 (Streaming/Netflix)

6/12- THE AVENGERS 3D (2012) Joss Whedon 8.6 (Theatre/Digital)

         SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN (2012) Rupert Sanders 8 (Theatre/Digital)

6/13- MURDER BY CONTRACT (1958) Irving Lerner 10 (DVD)

         ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS Season 1- Episode 1 “Revenge” (1955) Alfred
         Hitchcock 8.8 (Streaming/Netflix)

6/14- PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES (1965) Mario Bava 8.5* (DVD)

         SHE DONE HIM WRONG (1933) Lowell Sherman 9.4 (Streaming/Netflix)

         ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS Season 1- Episode 2 “Premonition” (1955) Robert
         Stevens 8.2 (Streaming/Netflix)

6/19- HIDDEN FEAR (1957) André De Toth 9.4 (Streaming/Netflix)

        RUSSIAN RHAPSODY (1944) Robert Clampett 9.8 (Streaming/UbuWeb)

        DAYLIGHT (2011) David Barker 7.8 (DVD)

        SCHICK COMMERCIAL (1971) Jean-Luc Godard/Jean-Pierre Gorin 9*
        (Streaming/UbuWeb)

        ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS Season 1- Episode 3 “Triggers in Leash” (1955) Don
        Medford 8.1 (Streaming/Netflix)

6/20- PROMETHEUS (2012) Ridley Scott 8.6* (Theatre/Digital)

6/21- EXTRATERRESTRIAL (2011) Nacho Vigalondo 8.8* (Theatre/Digital)

6/24- THE THING (1982) John Carpenter 10 (Theatre/Digital)

6/25- LE BEAU SERGE (1958) Claude Chabrol 10 (DVD)

6/27- BRIGITTE AND BRIGITTE (1966) Luc Moullet 9.8 (DVD)

         THE BEAUTIFUL BLONDE FROM BASHFUL BEND (1949) Preston Sturges 7.3
         (Streaming/Netflix)

6/28- LA LUNA 3D (2012) Enrico Casarosa 9 (Theatre/Digital)

        BRAVE 3D (2012) Mark Andrews 8.9* (Theatre/Digital)

        RIVER’S EDGE (1986) Tim Hunter 9.6 (Streaming/Netflix)

7/2- BABY FACE (Pre-Release Version) (1933) Alfred E. Green 9.2 (DVD)

       À DOUBLE TOUR (1959) Claude Chabrol 9.8* (DVD)

7/3- ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS Season 1- Episode 4 “Don’t Come Back Alive” (1955)
       Robert Stevenson 8.5 (Streaming/Netflix)

       THE SMUGGLERS (1967) Luc Moullet 9.6 (DVD)

       MY WINNIPEG (2007) Guy Maddin 8.7 (Streaming/Netflix)

7/4- PARENTS (1989) Bob Balaban 8 (Streaming/Netflix)

7/6- LES COUSINS (1959) Claude Chabrol 9.5 (DVD)

7/9- GUNN (1967) Blake Edwards 8 (Streaming/Netflix)

       PUTTY HILL (2010) Matthew Porterfield 8.6 (Streaming/Netflix)

7/12- A GIRL IS A GUN (1971) Luc Moullet 9* (DVD)

7/17- YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (2000) Kenneth Lonergan 9 (Streaming/Netflix)

7/18- MANHATTAN (1979) Woody Allen 10 (Theatre/Blu-Ray)

7/24- MAGIC MIKE (2012) Steven Soderbergh 9 (Theatre/Digital)

        THE AMAZING SPIDER MAN (2012) Marc Webb 8 (Theatre/Digital)

7/26- THE BIG BIRD CAGE (1972) Jack Hill 7.7 (Streaming/Netflix)

8/1- I VINTI (THE VANQUISHED) (1953) Michelangelo Antonioni 8 (Streaming/Netflix)

       MACHINE GUN MCCAIN (1969) Giuliano Montaldo 8.4 (Streaming/Netflix)

       PERFUME OF THE LADY IN BLACK (1974) Francesco Barilli 6.9 (Streaming/Netflix)

8/6- MOONRISE KINGDOM (2012) Wes Anderson 9.6* (Theatre/Digital)

8/16- CHILLY SCENES OF WINTER (1979) Joan Micklin Silver 7 (Streaming/Netflix)

         MOONRISE KINGDOM (2012) Wes Anderson 9.6* (Theatre/Digital)

9/19- BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (2012) Benh Zeitlin 8.3 (Theater/Digital)

9/27- WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (2011) Lynne Ramsay 8.5 (Blu-Ray)

10/10- AMERICAN WAREWOLF IN LONDON (1981) John Landis 8.9 (Theatre/Digital)

          LOOPER (2012) Rian Johnson 9 (Theatre/Digital)

10/18- ARGO (2012) Ben Affleck 8.8 (Theatre/Digital)

          THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955) Charles Laughton 10 (DVD)

10/25- INTO THE ABYSS (2011) Werner Herzog 8.5 (DVD)

11/1- EUROPA EUROPA (1990) Agnieszka Holland 9.1 (DVD)

11/8- BERNIE (2011) Richard Linklater 9.6* (DVD)

11/15- LANTANA (2001) Ray Lawrence 8.4 (DVD)

11/19- OLIVER TWIST (1948) David Lean 10 (Theatre/DVD)

          FLIGHT (2012) Robert Zemeckis 8 (Theatre/Digital)

11/20- LINCOLN (2012) Steven Spielberg 9.5* (Theatre/Digital)

11/27- SOUND OF MY VOICE (2011) Zal Batmanglij 4.5 (DVD)

12/6- THE SOUND OF NOISE (2010) Ola Simonsson, Johannes Stjärne Nilsson 7 (DVD)

12/13- SKYFALL (2012) Sam Mendes 8.8 (Theatre/Digital)

12/20- ROUNDHAY GARDEN SCENE (1888) Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince 8.9*
          (Streaming/YouTube)

          THE ARRIVAL OF A TRAIN AT LA CIOTAT STATION (1895) Louis and Auguste Lumière
          10 (Streaming/YouTube)

Goodbye Andrew Sarris (1928-2012)

2012-06-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

as a young man, with the great one....

as an older man, with his wife, the very talented film writer Molly Haskell...

in late life, at the machine...

More than any other writer, he's responsible for shaping how I think and care about film.

RIP

Reviews for The Vinyl District- Superchunk's "This Summer" b/w "Cruel Summer" and Pianosaurus' GROOVY NEIGHBORHOOD

2012-06-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

Superchunk review here

Pianosaurus review here

Reviews for The Vinyl District- The Bizarros' THE COMPLETE COLLECTION 1976-1980, The Melvins' FREAK PUKE and Saturday Looks Good to Me's ALL YOUR SUMMER SONGS

2012-06-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

Bizarros review here

Melvins review here

Saturday Looks Good review here

Reviews for The Vinyl District- Public Image Limited's THIS IS PIL, Grass Widow's INTERNAL LOGIC and Harry Nilsson's NILSSON SINGS NEWMAN

2012-06-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

PiL review here

Grass Widow review here

Harry Nilsson review here

Reviews For The Vinyl District- Paul & Linda McCartney's RAM, HEAVY BLANKET and The Clean's COMPILATION

2012-06-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

Paul & Linda review here

J Mascis' wailing ultimate review here

The Clean review here

Reviews for The Vinyl District- Best Coast's THE ONLY PLACE, The Sugarman 3's WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW and Copernicus' NOTHING EXISTS

2012-06-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

Best Coast review here

Sugarman 3 review here

Copernicus review here

Reviews for The Vinyl District- Cornershop's URBAN TURBAN, OFF!'s S/T and Daryl Hall's SACRED SONGS

2012-06-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

Cornershop review here

OFF! review here

Daryl Hall review here

Reviews for The Vinyl District- Brian Jonestown Massacre's AUFHEBEN, Lee Hazlewood's THE LHI YEARS and Beastie Boys' LOVE AMERICAN STYLE EP

2012-06-21T11:26:00.001-07:00

BJM review here

Lee review here

RIP MCA here

Live Review from the Vinyl District- Mike Watt with J Mascis, Murph and other special guests at Le Poisson Rouge, NYC 5/2/12

2012-06-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

Watt & J throwing down. Photo by Nate S. Rhodes

live review here

Reviews for The Vinyl District- Death Grips' THE MONEY STORE, Ty Segall/White Fence's HAIR and Booker Ervin's THE FREEDOM BOOK

2012-05-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Death Grips review here

Ty Segall/White Fence review here

Booker Ervin review here

Reviews for The Vinyl District- Bola's VOLUME 7, Allo Darlin's EUROPE and Esquivel's SPACE-AGE BACHELOR PAD MUSIC

2012-05-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

Bola review here

Allo Darlin review here

Esquivel review here

Reviews for The Vinyl District- Mississippi John Hurt's LAST SESSIONS, Pussy Galore's FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOUR BODY and Patti Smith's HORSES

2012-04-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

Hurt review here

Pussy Galore review here

Patti review here

Reviews for The Vinyl District- Robert Pollard's MOUSEMAN CLOUD, Screaming Females' UGLY and Bo Diddley's BO DIDDLEY

2012-04-18T15:16:00.001-07:00

Pollard review here

Screaming Females review here

Bo Diddley review here

Reviews from The Vinyl District- Gentleman Jesse's LEAVING ATLANTA, Lee Ranaldo's BETWEEN THE TIMES AND TIDES and Tim Berne's FULTON STREET MAUL

2012-04-16T17:53:00.001-07:00

for Gentleman Jesse review click here

for Lee Ranaldo review click here

for Tim Berne review click here

Reviews from The Vinyl District- The Decemberists' WE ALL RAISE OUR VOICES TO THE AIR, Lambchop's MR. M and The Dambuilders' ENCENDEDOR

2012-04-12T15:09:00.001-07:00

for Decemberists review click here

for Lambchop review click here

for Dambuilders review click here

Reviews from The Vinyl District- The Magnetic Fields' LOVE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, feedtime's THE ABERRANT YEARS, and Stump's A FIERCE PANCAKE

2012-04-11T19:32:00.002-07:00

for Magnetic Fields review click here

for feedtime review click here

for Stump review click here

Reviews for The Vinyl District- Disappears' PRE LANGUAGE, Van Dyke Parks' DISCOVER AMERICA and Mount Carmel's REAL WOMEN

2012-03-22T21:08:00.001-07:00

for Disappears review click here

for Van Dyke Parks review click here

for Mount Carmel review review click here

Reviews for The Vinyl District- Dustin Wong's DREAMS SAY, VIEW, CREATE, SHADOW LEADS, The Monkees' HEADQUARTERS and Métal Urbain's LES HOMMES MORT SONT DANGEREUX

2012-03-12T16:39:00.002-07:00

Dustin Wong review here

Davy Jones RIP. Review here

Métal Urbain review here

The Chester Records picks of the week - a soundcheck for revolution and a superb set of standards (Nation of Ulysses and Thelonious Monk)

2012-03-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

Nation of Ulysses

for reviews click here

Monk

Reviews for The Vinyl District- Imperial Teen's FEEL THE SOUND and The Beau Brummels' BRADLEY'S BARN

2012-03-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

For Imperial Teen, click here

For Beau Brummels, click here

Pontificating upon simplicity- My review of The Gaye Blades' self-titled Norton LP

2012-02-25T19:09:00.001-08:00

reviewed for Chester Records

It’s nice to know that no matter how strong the possible (hell! probable) impulse toward contemporaneousness lurking inside the furrowed folds of the current rock scene, that we have bands like The Gaye Blades intermittently popping up to disrupt the tyranny of being up to date.

Featuring members of such esteemed junk rock heavyweights as Black Lips, Gentleman Jesse and his Men and The Carbonas, The Gaye Blades can perhaps register as a bit of a lark. Side bands have a tendency to do that, particularly when they lean toward a template of boisterous party-throttling instead of the urge to either break new ground or reinforce the prevailing streams of the time.

And that’s how it should be. The allure of the one-off record has generally been about shoving aside expectations and getting back to the basics of what I like to call Pure Throwing Down. And this applies equally to the rumbles from undeniably star-studded affairs as it does to the doing it for the sheer hell of it discographical asides issued by more underground figures. Actually, after giving it some consideration, it’s in the low-expectation/high performance zone of the side band that household names and comparatively unheralded toilers can join together in celebration of the goodness inherent in rock’s economy of scale. It’s where the sweet studio screwery of the Hopkins Cooder Wyman Jagger Watts Jamming with Edward or the bruising Stoogeoid mess-around of the Moore Shelley Fleming Hell Dim Stars material rubs shoulders with The Gaye Blades and their Norton label mates The Ding-Dongs (comprised of neo-garage heavy-hitter Mark Sultan and Canadian rockabilly manic Bloodshot Bill, dontcha know).

If operational shoulder rubbing between these four examples is extant (and I certainly think it is) then it’s also with the Blades and the Dongs that we can glimpse some deeply conspiratorial, in fact almost coital, communion. For in both groups (the Blades a kinetic if appealingly featherweight four-piece, the Dongs a stripped down and dirty duo) there is a determined predilection for the plundering the essence of uncut ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll exaltedness. This is getting to be something of a trend (especially if any revived rock moves of a pre-Beatles vintage are equated with “the 1950s”) and I can’t say I’m the slightest bit displeased. I mean, who would’ve thought that doo-wop, Spector, ‘billy and horn-honking R&B would become a small but viable part of the current u-ground state of affairs, much less one with an actually hip cadre of fans? Not me, but I’m as pleased as a punch drunk Shriner that I can revel in this rich mulch instead of sitting on a stump contemplating the contempo relevance of dubstep. Zing!

And if that mention of hipness worries you (shiver me timbers!), please relax. The main attribute keeping this batch of backward-looking upstarts from falling into the pits of style over substance (thus far) is the endeavor of getting right down to brass tacks on cheap instruments in practice spaces over all and sundry. That and a sincere dedication to songs. This naturally helps heaps in not only not sounding like this month’s flavor, but also in not sounding like the other bands within their similar sonic temperament.

For instance, The Gaye Blades differ significantly from The Ding-Dongs in concept and execution. Where the latter actually manage to sound like a long-lost and loopy slab of throbbing rockabilly meat, the former come off like a bunch of smart teens who while out searching for musical inspiration ended up unsuspectingly waylaid by somebody’s ultra-cool uncle’s record collection, the kids opportunistically absorbing wholesale moves and then applying them to a handful of brilliantly basic songs in the admirable attempt to win their high school’s battle of the bands. Did they do it? Well, if not the damned thing was rigged.

As should be obvious, The Gaye Blades self-titled 10-song LP is very much cut from Ramones-like cloth, though in concept not in execution, being much sunnier in disposition, though by no means oppressively so. One more time: this is ‘50s inflected power-popish (read: not pop-punkish) R&R with harmonies and hooks by the bushel. But unlike the Ding-Dongs, it all sounds just as likely to have been made last week as in the days of 1976. And that’s a fine duality to consider.

It may seem like I’ve spent the majority of this review talking around The Gaye Blades instead of about them, and that’s not incorrect. Fact is, bands of this level of simplicity and directness are somewhat resistant to extended analysis. The concept is extremely basic; the songs get down onto disc and it either succeeds or fails or falls somewhere in between. But the context of the concept is always worth a few hundred words. And when the knob is turned way up so that for a few too brief moments everything feels alright in the world, the music shines like a diamond.

Reviews for The Vinyl District - Laura Gibson's LA GRANDE and JOBRIATH

2012-02-25T18:54:00.000-08:00

Laura Gison review here

Jobriath review here

Reviews for The Vinyl District - Of Montreal's PARALYTIC STALKS and Son of Bazerk's BAZERK BAZERK BAZERK

2012-02-17T22:08:00.012-08:00

for review click here

The Chester Records picks of the week - zip yr lip and blow yr speakers (Tortoise and Sunn O))) Meets Nurse With Wound)

2012-02-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

Tortoise

for reviews click here

Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound