Promotional poster for The Company You Keep

Under the identity of Jim Grant, Nick Sloan (Redford) has been able to live in Upstate New York as a successful defense lawyer. Although his wife is deceased, his daughter, Isabel (Jackie Evancho), is his sole priority. Thus, when Solarz comes forward/is preemptively arrested by Agent Cornelius (Terrence Howard), Sloan immediately puts his guard up–especially after Shepard interviews him about his ties to Billy Cusimano (Stephen Root), who refers Solarz to an attorney recommended by Sloan. With his sense of safety rapidly deteriorating, Sloan takes Isabel away in the middle of the night to arrange a rendezvous with his brother, Daniel (Chris Cooper), so that he can leave her in his care while he begins a quest to find his former flame and fellow Weather Underground member, Mimi Lurie (Julie Christie, who I will never not associate with Doctor Zhivago). Increasingly intrigued by the members of this defunct organization, Shepard sets out to Ann Arbor, Michigan–where Solarz is slated to stand trial–in spite of his boss’, Ray Fuller (Stanley Tucci, because every person ever is in this film), insistence that he will not pay for any of the expenses.

One of the key people Shepard has in mind for questioning is former police chief Henry Osborne (Brendan Gleeson), who has consistently averted his calls until finally Shepard finds him at the Yacht Club with some of his old cronies. It is there that Shepard first encounters Henry’s daughter, Rebecca Osborne (Brit Marling), who he seems to take an instantaneous interest in. Osborne brushes Shepard off, promising that they’ll talk another time. In the meantime, Sloan has contacted two former Weather Underground members, including Donal Fitzgerald (Nick Nolte) and Jed Lewis (Richard Jenkins), a former member of Students for a Democratic Society. With their (somewhat) reluctant help, Sloan gets the lead he needs to track down where Mimi is going next.

Julie Christie as militant Weather Underground member Mimi Lurie

With the FBI still trying to cluelessly piece together the puzzle themselves, Shepard is the only one who has even the vaguest notion of what is actually going on. Now taking a uniquely personal interest in his investigation, Shepard coerces Rebecca into going out with him for coffee, during which time he grills her about her life and whether or not she thinks her father is hiding some element of the truth from her. Angered by his insinuations, Rebecca reminds him that printing anything without hard facts is considered libel. With a momentarily cold trail, Shepard does some research on the relationship between the Lurie and Osborne families, revealing a mysterious property just below Canada that is still privately owned by one of them.

Ben Shepard (LaBeouf), the diligent researcher.

When Ben’s research finally culminates in finding Sloan again, Sloan is calm and complacent after having just spent all night urging Mimi to give up the ghost of a lost cause. Now that Ben has unearthed Sloan’s final secret, Sloan tells him that

“Secrets are a dangerous thing, Ben. We all think we want to know them, but if you’ve kept one to yourself, you come to understand that doing so, you may learn something about someone else, but you also discover something about yourself. I hope you’re ready for that.”

Moved and haunted by his words, Ben cannot bring himself to break the story he had intended to, revealing something about his character that he was, indeed, not prepared to learn.

Alternate promotional poster for The Company You Keep

While The Company You Keep is, at times, a fantastical story, the genuine emotions that are gradually dredged up–as well as the character relationships–are what hold your attention for the entire duration of the film. It also proves that Redford’s commitment to cinema, both as an actor and in furthering its quality as a director and producer, is stronger than ever.

Based on the events of notorious contract killer Richard Kuklinski, The Iceman toes a delicate balance between humanizing the serial killer and examining his psychosis. Beginning in 1964 in Jersey City, we are introduced to Kuklinski as he goes on his first date with Deborah. Telling her that he dubs Disney movies, we soon learn what he means by “Disney” is porn. The film then transitions to 1965, by which time Kuklinski has married Deborah and had his first daughter, Betsy (Megan Sherrill). He’s moved up in the world since being recruited by Roy DeMeo (Ray Liotta, always at his best as a gangster), a prominent member of the Gambino crime family. Once DeMeo closed down the porn operation, he saw in Kuklinski the opportunity to take him on as a metaphorical garbage man: Purging unwanted mafioso trash.

Promotional poster for The Iceman

With their second child, Anabel (McKaley Miller), growing up fast, Kuklinski feels the pressure to make even more money so he can get his family the very best. His mania for killing becomes more intense as the heat on DeMeo gets turned up in the wake of finding out that one of his own henchmen, Josh Rosenthal (David Schwimmer, in one of his sleaziest roles to date), has been stealing both money and cocaine during every drug exchange. DeMeo finds out that a pornographic photographer named Marty Freeman (James Franco, in a strangely brief part) was the one who ratted on Rosenthal. Sending Kuklinski to take Freeman out, Kuklinski ends up letting the subject of Freeman’s photography, a 17-year-old girl, go. It is at this point that another hitman, Mr. Freezy (Chris Evans, who looks vaguely like Ryan Gosling with his 70s aesthetic)–called such because he drives around in an ice cream truck–appears onto the scene. When Kuklinski finds out that he’s also been hired for the same hit, his suspicions about the safety of his job are confirmed.

Upon finding out that Kuklinski failed to take out the witness to Freeman’s murder, DeMeo puts him on hiatus until everything with the rival crime families are resolved. Although lending Kuklinski a touch of humanity as he explains to DeMeo that he doesn’t kill women or children, his one soft spot ultimately becomes his undoing. Forced to innovate his own methods for making money while his career has been frozen (Iceman, get it?), Kuklinski partners with Mr. Freezy, who is in need of some help dismembering any number of bodies for different purposes and for different people. As alliances shift and Kuklinski begins to get more avaricious about making money, his fate is sealed for doom.

In the end, the very people Kuklinski killed for–his family–never speak to him again. Though, of course, he was probably going to kill anyway considering he had the depraved makeup of a serial killer’s mind, but still. While The Iceman is engaging overall, there seems to be some component missing to make it a truly standout film. I suppose, when it comes to movies about serial killers, it’s difficult to usurp Zodiac and Monster in terms of exploring motivation and psychosis.

“Yeah! You know, I was introduced to them a few years ago and I jokingly said that if they needed an extra recorder up there on stage. Later they brought me up there to play for a second. I kept in touch with them, but really that was a hard time for me and their music became a big part of what got me through that time. I support their shows now and come out whenever I can”

Though I wasn’t able to ask the band about the mysterious additional musician that they had for a minute years back, but he seemed truly happy and changed by the music. Our conversation continued and we were later showed one of the best “hipster dances” I’ve ever seen. There was a lot of arm swinging involved.

Friends that I went to the show with had been wanting to see the show for years and by the look on their faces when the set started, it was all they wanted and surpassed their expectations.

The band took to the stage with the crowd eager to hear the newer songs. Rock and electronic infused music with a hint of ballad, the guys put on a tipsy and slightly psychedelic show inviting the audience to sway and hum along.  When the band makes their way to you, and hopefully back here to LA, join them for the night. Like our new friend, let their music change you for the better and embrace a stage invite if you get one!

The band’s newest release Sub Verses was released on April 30th, 2013 on Dead Oceans label. The tour is taking them around North America and over to the UK for a time before coming back and ending their trip in Canada.

Cheers!

See you at the shows!

Ohio

(Photos by Tamea at photobytamea.com)

Currently making their way around the UK with Imagine Dragons, the boys will be returning shortly, to LA and hopefully playing some more local shows before taking off again. The band made up of; Brandon Robbins- (Guitar/Vocals), Mark Garbett- (Keys/Vocals), Andrew Tolman- (Drums), Spencer Petersen- (Bass), and Scott Vance( Synth Aux) is touring in support of their new EP. Produced by Atoms For Peace’s Joey Waronker, it will be well worth a listen!

Their lyrics, sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes not, are beautiful expressions of many universal and human experiences. They have done a beautiful job of telling stories in each melody.

When you get a chance to see them play, I highly recommend it! Follow them on Facebook for info on their upcoming shows and where you can see them!

As always,

See you at the show!

Ohio

(Photos by Tamea at Photobytamea.com)

Promotional poster for The Great Gatsby

Luhrmann’s reputation for a decadent, over the top aesthetic is naturally present in The Great Gatsby, though vaguely subdued considering the hedonistic depravity of the Flapper Era (I mean, Luhrmann could have at least played up the lesbianism of Jordan Baker). The buildup of our introduction to Jay Gatsby is perhaps one of the most notable aspects of the film, which is one element that isn’t as easily felt when reading the story. Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire, who usurps almost everyone with his acting skills in this particular movie), finds himself invited into the luxurious world of his cousin, Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan, who is just vanilla soft serve enough to play this role), who lives on the posher, older money side of Long Island. Her husband, Tom (Joel Edgerton, who plays an asshole to perfection), comes from a privileged background that is evident in every facet of his and Daisy’s lifestyle. The first night Nick is invited over for dinner, he encounters Jordan (Elizabeth Debicki), one of Daisy’s closest companions.

Carey Mulligan: Claire Danes part deux.

As Nick tells Jordan that he lives on West Egg, she mentions the name Gatsby and his legendary parties, to which Daisy famously remarks, “Gatsby? What Gatsby?” Nick is soon after invited to one of his parties with a handwritten invitation, a fact he likes to make a point of throughout the party until finally encountering the one and only Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio, with that debonair, unmistakable look of his). Gatsby immediately strikes up a friendship with him, inviting him out the next day. Gatsby’s motives in getting closer to Nick become clear when Jordan informs him that he used to know Daisy five years ago before the war, and that everything he has done since then has been to gain her favor and recognition. Nick’s fascination with Gatsby only increases after finding this out, especially with the knowledge that Tom is having an affair with a low-brow woman named Myrtle (Isla Fisher, who proves that you can be in a chick-lit based movie like Confessions of a Shopaholic and a classic like The Great Gatsby).

Growing evermore sympathetic to the loneliness of Gatsby–in spite of having all that wealth–Nick helps him to ingratiate himself back into her life. The male camaraderie between them could easily be parodied on Saturday Night Live, but it seems, back then, that this sort of genuine, non-sexual affinity between men was actually possible (as with Fitzgerald and Hemingway). In any case, it is their rapport that is most interesting. Though, of course, the fatal love story between Gatsby and Daisy has its appeal, there are no smoke and mirrors between Nick and Gatsby, and it is the realest relationship that Gatsby has in his life.

Regardless of the lush, noticeable soundtrack that beats throughout the entire film (a scene on the Queensboro Bridge in which a car full of black men and women are dancing to “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” by Jay-Z is particularly memorable), the words–both on the screen at certain moments and in the screenplay–are what stand out the most in the film, which is mostly a testament to Fitzgerald. And then there’s that scene between Daisy and Gatsby that doubles as a Lana Del Rey video directed by Baz Luhrmann that also makes it stand out as well.

No matter what your devotion to or nonchalance about the novel may be, it has to be said that Baz Luhrmann did it a fair amount of stylized justice. Though it might not necessarily have been as faithful as the more boring, school-favored 1974 film version penned by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, a true artist is able to extrapolate the best parts of something and make them his own–like Warhol or Madonna. Even if it doesn’t exactly live up to the hype surrounding it, The Great Gatsby has allowed Luhrmann to do what he does best: Showcase the archetype of a tragic love story in all of its romanticized glory.

Next week, The Wonder Years will release their new album The Greatest Generation.

The band was kind enough to put the whole album up for streaming early – and you can do so below.

PErsonally, I’ve never really been a *huge* fan of their music, although I appreciate most pop-punk. That said, The Greatest Generation is fantastic – their style of emotionally-tinged pop-punk with earnest lyrics hasn’t ever sounded THIS good. Give it a spin:

If you dig it, make sure to go buy a copy of the album from the band at their website.

– Cheese Sandwich

We last saw our friends RX Bandits at their farewell show at The Mayan in 2011. Now, I happily report that a 10 year Anniversary  tour of the album, The Resignation, will take place this summer. In addition to the entire album, a secondary set will go through the RXB catalog.

Here’s the ticket page, with RXB slated to play on Saturday, July 6th at The Fonda here in Los Angeles!

Make sure you check their Facebook for updates on this legendary return! Also, make sure to check out their special guests and Equal Vision brethren, Northern Faces.

Until next time my friends,

~Flak

Promotional poster for Disconnect

As one couple, Derek (Alexander Skarsgard) and Cindy (Paula Patton), struggles through the plight of an online identity theft, another family must deal with the attempted suicide of their son, Ben (Jonah Bobo, an unfortunate last name, to be sure), in the wake of a nude photo of him that circulates on all of his classmates’ phones after he private messages it to a made up girl named Jessica Rhony (an anagram for horny). The world of internet porn is also explored as Kyle (Max Thieriot) is pursued by a local news reporter named Nina Dunham (the much underrated Andrea Riseborough, who is perhaps not as annoyed as I am that her character name rhymes with Lena Dunham). Posing as a woman interested in “going private,” Nina starts engaging Kyle in a probing conversation about what he plans to do with his future. Ultimately, she gets him to agree to be interviewed (in blurry head, scrambled voice fashion), asking him questions about the ringleader of the group, an older man named Harvey (Marc Jacobs, who may have actually turned out to be a glorified pimp in real life if he wasn’t a renowned fashion designer).

Marc Jacobs as Harvey, the loveable pimp

Jason (Colin Ford), a lonely bully with a retired cop for a father, finds sadistic, yet empty amusement in creating a fake Facebook profile with his friend, Frye (Aviad Bernstein), to play with the emotions of equally lonely Ben. Believing that Jessica is real (which no one should ever assume in the modern world of imaginary people), Ben begins to confess his innermost feelings to her, including how he feels about his father, Rich Boyd (Jason Bateman, always in the terse button-down roles), a successful lawyer who seems only to take notice of his phone. As Jason starts to get closer to Ben under the guise of Jessica, he starts to have misgivings about what he and Frye are doing, though that doesn’t stop them from sending a picture of Ben with the words “Love Slave” scrawled across his naked body to the entire student body.

Rich and his wife, Lydia (Hope Davis), discuss Ben with his sister, Abby (Haley Ramm).

In the aftermath of his humiliation, Ben obviously feels that the only course of action is suicide, though, of course such a reaction seems a hair melodramatic and extreme. In the midst of hanging himself, his sister, Abby (Haley Ramm), walks in to find him flailing about and cuts him down as quickly as she can. Ben’s asphyxiation leads him to be hospitalized for a coma, further intensifying Jason’s guilt. In the meantime, Nina has allowed her source to get a little too close to her when she lets Max into her home after celebrating her piece’s feature on CNN. Jason’s father, Mike (Frank Grillo), has also given Cindy and Derek a lead on their identity thief in Pennsylvania. Although their relationship has been in peril, their pursuit of the man she started talking to in a chat room for grief, (due to the fact that they lost their son, Ethan), Stephen (Michael Nyqvist, who looks strangely like Larry Hagman), brings them closer together in their mutual quest for vengeance.

While some elements of each person’s story find resolution, others are left hanging in the air with uncertainty. And perhaps that is the true intention of Andrew Stern’s script—to prove that even with advancements and progress in technology, an instantaneous solution to our problems isn’t always possible. As for the exploration of loneliness in spite of being so “connected” by the internet, Disconnect is one of the first films about this subject that is easy to take seriously (even if it is frequently overemotional).

Via Coma, the tremendously talented experimental/indie band out of the Bay Area that blew me away with their debut LP Figures, have presumably been at work on new music.

Despite being busy, they found some time to arrange and record a powerful cover of Daft Punk’s new single, Get Lucky. It doesn’t really have the same up-tempo vibe that the original does, which is partly why this cover is so fantastic. Listen:

You can also grab a free download of the track at the Soundcloud link, so that’s cool.

– Cheese Sandwich

The beginnings of romance.

The answer to this question can be viewed as simple or complicated. The simple answer is that love and hate are two very similar sentiments constantly at war with one another; the complicated answer is that all relationships are arbitrarily affected by a particular set of circumstances. Perhaps in the case of Neil and Marina, it’s a combination of both, though it’s difficult to tell as Malick relies solely on sweeping visuals to give us any sort of concrete information. It is in this way that Malick is either a genius or an asshole in making his audience feel as though they are the daft ones for not being able to extrapolate the correct meaning from a series of Lifetime-esque scenes.

Love correlates with depression just as much as it does with happiness in To The Wonder.

Father Quintana (Javier Bardem) is also an enigmatic character in To The Wonder. Devoted to spreading the Bible’s message, he is accused of being lonelier than anyone who is without Jesus in their lives. Constantly preaching about the difficulties of love and how easy they are to overcome if the two people in the relationship would just accept Jesus into their hearts, Father Quintana is quite possibly the most annoying character in the story. Nonetheless, he is one of the few people that Marina can turn to for comfort in a town that is as isolated as she feels. To make matters worse, her daughter begins to resent Neil for presuming to act as though he is her real father. The pressures and tensions are further compounded when Marina’s visa expires and Neil still feels uncompelled to marry her.

Promotional poster for To The Wonder

While Marina is back in Paris, Neil is allowed the chance to reconnect with a woman from his childhood, Jane (Rachel McAdams, who has more dialogue than anyone considering her brief stint in the movie). As the two grow closer, the memory of Marina seems to grow fainter. It isn’t until she expresses how miserable she is in Paris to him that he starts to think about her again. Now that Marina’s daughter has gone to live with her real father and she is at a loss when it comes to finding a job, Neil takes pity on her and tells her to come back to the U.S. After informing Jane of his decision, she seethes that he has reduced what they had to nothing, just another tawdry, meaningless affair.

Alternate promotional poster for To The Wonder

With Jane out of the picture, Neil devotes the time to working on his relationship with Marina, ultimately deciding to marry her. But, with nothing but each other to focus on, they begin to argue more often, losing the love they have with every new outburst of vitriol. Marina gradually begins to view Neil as a weak, callow person, unwilling to end their marriage even though he knows it’s what needs to be done. Taking matters into her own hands, Marina consciously decides to cheat on Neil in order to break from his shackles. After she tells him, Neil caves into the divorce, still remaining noble enough to escort her to the airport. The final line they exchange—and the final line in the film—is Marina saying, “I’m keeping your last name.” Whether that is her sentimental homage to their rapport or a spiteful way of saying that she’ll always hold on to a piece of him (or possibly a mixture of both) is up to the viewer to decide.

The main issue with To The Wonder is that it attempts to be an experimental film about love. But, in general, it comes across as trying too hard to deliver a message that could be just as easily told through a conventional format, as opposed to snatches of scenes with minimal dialogue. Though, admittedly, in real life, couples tend to speak very little as time goes on, so, in that respect, Malick has earned his due for the realism of this movie.