tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227915882024-10-08T19:24:23.726-07:00Perspectives on Pop Culture and the ArtsMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500170458099056960noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-9278717943860903982010-12-21T13:52:00.001-07:002010-12-21T15:19:02.167-07:00

Over at The Guardian it was reported that Iranian director Jafar Panahi has been sentenced to six years in prison and is banned from directing, producing, writing, and anything else film related for 20 years. He was convicted of "colluding in gathering and making propaganda against the regime." This is a rather heavy blow to Panahi, especially, but also to the whole Iranian film community.

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-83206535165515143882010-10-31T02:05:00.016-07:002010-11-01T22:49:21.221-07:00

Oingo Boingo I can't really go through Halloween without watching Oingo Boingo's video to "Insanity". It's still one of my favorite videos and seems the best example of the much darker part of Oingo Boingo's personality. While the edited version of the song erodes some of the album version's saturating and resonating power, it's still a very punchy version that works well enough for a music

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-60066287520422363032010-09-08T22:52:00.007-07:002010-09-15T06:28:06.143-07:00

The new album from Nick Cave's Grinderman project will be out in the U.S. on September 14 - now, less than a week away. To help whet your appetite a bit, I thought I'd share the music video for the LP's first single, "Heathen Child". John Hillcoat directs, chalking up yet another collaboration with Nick Cave. For anyone expecting the "Heathen Child" video to look like Hillcoat's adaptation of

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-49115361330714188592010-06-01T21:23:00.008-07:002010-06-02T00:33:03.985-07:00

How to Destroy Angels is the collaborative project of Trent Reznor, his wife Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. They've completed their first EP and, in the spirit of Nine Inch Nails's The Slip, have released it as a free download. The download is in 320 kbps - mighty nice of them. Or, for $2, you can get an HD download. A CD will be available July 6, and a vinyl at a yet undisclosed date after

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-25679109524853288882010-05-20T17:46:00.005-07:002010-06-02T00:44:27.768-07:00

So, has everyone heard The National's new album, High Violet? I'd recommend doing so; it's a good album. What's more, some nice videos were shot of The National performing a few of the new tracks at an abandoned castle in New York. The videos are quite good, and the songs are too. You can check out all three songs at Pitchfork. My personal favorite of the three is "Anyone's Ghost", featured

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-19622258287438765602010-05-10T16:01:00.009-07:002010-05-10T19:14:19.696-07:00

This is another installment in the long delayed series of reviews I had planned for the films I saw at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, 2009. I hope to write several more of these in a much more timely manner than I have so far. But I make no promises. Alas, life is busy and writing this stuff doesn't pay.The second day of the festival began with Xiaolu Guo's She, A Chinese,

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-39775545625260468792010-05-01T13:29:00.013-07:002010-06-02T00:44:58.947-07:00

Just wanted to remind everyone that Massive Attack's new album, Heligoland, is out and it is fantastic. Really, it is a great piece of work, though some reviewers have been less enthusiastic about it, pining away for the glory days of Mezzanine and Protection. Hypnotic, mysterious, brooding, groovy and every other adjective you wish of a Massive Attack album. Not as dark and menacing as Mezzanine

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-11348672935437120762009-12-19T17:29:00.012-07:002009-12-19T18:26:55.968-07:00

PREFACE: I had the weighty responsibility to represent Boast at the Toronto International Film Festival this year. I like to think it’s because I’m the only Boast writer whose opinion actually matters, but the reality is: I'm the only one frivolous enough and void of real responsibility to throw down the money to attend. As a disclaimer, spoilers are likely to happen, which isn’t really a big

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-10798747237924637602009-09-05T10:18:00.006-07:002009-11-11T14:44:37.447-07:00

For those of you who dig obscure 60s German documentary, check out Jeanine Meerapfel's Regionalzeitung (Local Newspaper) at Wissen und Medien's website. The film was done through the Ulm Film Institute, where Meerapfel was a student in the late 60s. It focuses on the Schwabian Danube Newspaper in Ulm, showing the different departments and jobs, as well as going through the newspaper's production

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-66373350636911951602009-07-12T11:25:00.006-07:002009-07-12T12:00:49.336-07:00

In case anyone missed the news, Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse did an album together, titled Dark Night of the Soul. If that wasn't enough coolness, David Lynch shot a whole book of photography for the project, and sings on two of the album's tracks. The album's release remains uncertain thanks to record label lameness. Luckily, NPR Music allows you to listen to the whole album on their

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-57888743116401794162008-04-05T14:07:00.020-07:002009-07-12T12:11:56.160-07:00

Horror films are cool. Well, sometimes. For some, drinking battery acid sounds much more pleasant than sitting down to a horror movie. Others can't get enough of these shows, constantly needing the latest straight-to-DVD exploitative gut fest to ease the addiction. My feelings are more that I like good horror, and hate bad horror. Sounds simple and dumb, but I find that too many of us spend more

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-91376821588237757912008-03-02T23:47:00.024-07:002008-04-16T09:57:59.134-07:00

Now that the Academy buzz has subsided a bit, I feel obligated to alleviate some of the post-awards backlash by posting a list of honors based on movies/television that I've watched in the past year. Since part of my proper day job deals with what I watch, I find it helpful to keep a little log - title, year, director/creator, and a basic rating. When I say basic I mean a three star system:Three*

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500170458099056960noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-67360629362060118932008-02-05T13:46:00.000-07:002008-02-08T12:01:42.550-07:00

As you have all come to expect, the stalwart interns here at Boast HQ will not rest until we, like the NY Times, have updated you with "all the news that's fit to [post]." How else do you think our world-wide readership topped 300,000 last month? Well I can tell you that it isn't by posting controversial little nasties about a certain former movie-editing franchise that is "NOT Affiliated in

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500170458099056960noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-7247834188030529222008-01-25T15:52:00.000-07:002008-01-25T17:30:18.344-07:00

Wipe that wink off your logo!I've posted a couple of times on the supreme cheekiness of a company touting moral high ground while selling unauthorized and illegal versions of edited movies. However, much to my surprise, owner of the re-opened Orem, UT location of Cleanflicks, Daniel Thompson, keeps pushing the levels of irony to laughable proportions. It seems that the mole in charge of

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500170458099056960noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-25636575929498072902008-01-24T20:51:00.009-07:002009-07-18T15:13:18.221-07:00

For those of you looking for a nice dose of Pacino, check out his boxed set: Pacino: An Actor's Vision. This is some stuff that most people haven't seen and will offer a cool new angle on a very interesting actor.Until this boxed set was released his film The Local Stigmatic was unavailable in any format. Pacino funded the film entirely and therefore was able to keep it from the rest of us -

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-70227322620213442752007-12-22T11:33:00.000-07:002007-12-23T11:39:17.438-07:00

Calexico @ Twilight Concert Series, SLCThis is fairly old news but Calexico played at Twilight Concert Series in SLC (all free shows) this past summer. As expected, it was awesome. The reason I mention this now is I found a little video of them on Youtube playing the Minutemen's, 'Jesus and Tequila' - one of my favorite numbers from the SLC show. The lighting and sound are both really bad,

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500170458099056960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-12459963406235512692007-12-21T10:47:00.000-07:002007-12-23T11:36:51.467-07:00

We are proud to announce that Boast is now part of the Large Association of Movie Blogs (LAMB). The reason we are proud is... because it's cool with the kids, of course. It is also a really great project that will network and promote all of those savvy bloggers who sacrifice sleep and social lives to geek out on movies.Be sure to visit our links to other blogs and sites that we like.Check it

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500170458099056960noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-60064386284499458642007-12-18T10:55:00.000-07:002007-12-23T10:46:31.576-07:00

DandelionIs the answer if you have found yourself wondering what Joss Whedon (aka Monsieur Creative Genius Extraordinaire) has been up to since cutting off from the intriguing but possibly doomed Wonder Woman project. This latest work of pure Jossiness has been spotted on our Whedar and does not fail to please for all its randomness and the lovable Dandelion.This new post-fem rocker girl heads a

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500170458099056960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-7827923552145432672007-12-05T20:16:00.000-07:002012-10-01T16:12:07.243-07:00

Much has already been said, critically and otherwise, about No Country for Old Men’s “hunter becoming the hunted” and the prospects of Javier Bardem winning an Oscar (which would be great). While such clichés citing overt and somewhat elementary symbolism flow like sentimentalism from a Spielberg movie, the more sinister and indicting themes at the core of this story confound such reductive

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500170458099056960noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-61413288376347515092007-10-05T09:54:00.000-07:002007-10-05T10:42:37.622-07:00

In the passed few weeks I've had a chance to see two rather interesting documentaries. Both deal with maybe more ordinary subjects, but it seems there's something quite unique and wonderful about both of these simple stories.The Potter's Meal is a cool short doc about potter Joseph Bennion, who lives with his family in rural Utah. For many potting might not sound like the most exciting thing.

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-15449177053329234152007-09-28T20:15:00.001-07:002008-02-04T17:35:50.251-07:00

The reviews are in, opening week is passed and the critical consensus seems to be that Resident Evil: Extinction is a waste of time. This isn't a new conclusion for the Resident Evil franchise, but I can't help but wonder why the negative waves? It's Resident Evil. Not Citizen Kane. Should we honestly expect such brilliance from a show whose source material is a video game franchise? It's like

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-80723384775726124802007-09-13T07:07:00.000-07:002007-09-19T16:14:52.496-07:00

This passed summer - yeah, summer's gone already - I was on an action film kick. As part of that adventure I finally saw a number of Vin Diesel shows. For the most part it was a great experience. He's cool for a couple of reasons: (1) The reluctant hero role of the Riddick shows and xXx is fun. He's like Wolverine, but with more badness than just attitude and large eyebrows. (2) He probably does

Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17724824719177661279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-91750348643397523422007-07-02T13:35:00.000-07:002007-12-02T20:55:42.122-07:00

A while back I lamented the fact that Zhang Yimou's brilliant, Raise the Red Lantern, had yet to be remastered, transfered, and released on a DVD worth owning. That was regarding the region 1 version distributed by Razor entertainment. Well now MGM world classics has one on deck that seems promising. The set date for US release is July ...**Update**The newest MGM region 1 version is far

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500170458099056960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-89331617942181010902007-05-01T08:43:00.000-07:002007-05-15T14:30:31.209-07:00

Dark Horizons reports that Joanna Cassidy, who plays the famous replicant Zhora from the classic sci-fi film Blade Runner, has recently finished re-shooting scenes to be included in the film's upcoming 25th anniversary DVD boxed set.From Cassidy's website:Joanna has just finished re-shooting her scenes from the original BLADE RUNNER movie. Joanna is wearing her original outfit (which she kept

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500170458099056960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22791588.post-5205603604752675422007-04-21T13:35:00.000-07:002007-05-23T11:58:41.757-07:00

Affectionately named 'Li-Lo' by the tabloid press, Lindsay Lohan would be wise to heed such advice as every time she moves she takes it in the neck from the media. Sure, we tire of hearing of yet another silly thing that she has done, but the last thing we really need is the exploitative tabloid harlots encouraging further (self?) destruction.Cintra Wilson at The Oxford American discusses the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500170458099056960noreply@blogger.com0