Critic’s Corner

Not having any good ideas for a post, I thought it time to impose my views upon this Ho Hum world. I know the picture above implies that they will be critical reviews, but they are just ramblings with plenty of seques. I would love to spend many words pointing out what a corrupt son of a bitch evil bastard asshole Tom Delay is, but he seems to be doing that fine for himself…

Rock Show: The Decemberists at The Mill, Iowa City 4/6/05



Although I had heard a few tunes by The Decemberists, when I heard they were going to play The Mill, I could not be considered a fan. I have so many new CDs to listen to that I didn’t want to run out and buy their discs, so I tapped what I had on hand to prep for the show. I downloaded 3 cuts and dug up a CD I got in a CD exchange club that had another 3 cuts. After listening to these 6 cuts together (Los Angeles, I’m Yours, Song for Myla Goldberg; The Soldiering Life; Here I Dreamt I was an Architect; July, July; The Engine Driver) and concluded that this I really liked The Decemberists. I also surmised that they would be great at The Mill, which is a small venue that historically served the Iowa City folk scene.
My cohort in show-going, Matt and I opted to beat the crowd by grabbing dinner at The Mill, only to find out that the band arrived late, pushing back the time they would open the doors. My goal was to get a seat, as my girth and bad back do not lend well to full night of standing. After chowing down on their Mexican Pizza (a unique pie without tomato sauce, but with homemade chorizo sausage, fresh tomatoes, onions, jalapeños and Fontinella on a brushed olive oil crust, quite tasty and recommended) we made our move. Although the crowd was piling up at the door, we managed to steer through the masses and snag a nice table. This was fortunate as the crowd poured in filling every nook and most of the crannies. Our cool friends Gary and the always gorgeous Diana soon arrived and the evening was set.

Austin band Okkervil River opened with a rousing show that didn’t do much for me. First off, the lead singer was always a little off, not in distinctive way, but in an annoying way. Musically, they seemed sound, and the sound was decent, but the crowd obscured my view, leaving me to get more annoyed with the singer. Eventually, The Decemberists filed on to stage. It is pretty amazing that they were even able to keep the show as they only recently had their equipment stolen (see the manifest here). News is that the police have busted this ring and has recovered some of the equipment (apparently many other bands had fallen victim). Knowing how much financial struggle is involved in trying to make a go of it as a rock band leaves me little sympathy for these criminals. Anyway, The Decemberists were great! The sound was great, they played all of the songs I wanted to hear and I enjoyed the rest, they played a long show, they were fun on stage, etc. I recommend this band on disc and on stage.

Movie: Sideways



I’m a huge fan of director Alexander Payne. His last two movies, Election and About Schmidt, were both great, so I had great expectations. You may (or may not) wonder why I waited so long to see it. In Iowa City, any movie that has college student appeal ends up at the downtown mall theater. Unfortunately, it is one of those small screen, circa early 80s budget theaters. No stadium seating or digital sound, and if the movie next door is loud, you can hear it. Strangely, while the movie was still there, it came out on DVD. Since beefing up my home theater system and getting a widescreen TV, I’m going to the theater less and less. Plus, as a former projectionist (the best teen job ever), any little issue with the focus, sound, or if the film is scratch (which all are the result of poorly trained projectionists) will ruin the experience. And, there is that pause-it-and-pee thing… (just to add to my disdain, they put “Sin City” at that theater, which looks like one to see in a theater, but not that one) Anyway, I really liked the flick. Payne makes small films with plots that are hard to sell by description, but he gets under the surface in ways that no other mainstream (or perhaps semi-mainstream) directors seem to do. If you haven’t seen it, rent it. Also, you can get mad that Paul Giamatti didn’t get up for an Oscar. He should have been up for American Splendor, but that one was too small for the BS Oscars.

Movie: Finding Neverland



Perhaps a bit controversial, a movie about a dude who would rather spend time with another woman’s kids than his own wife… and with “Neverland” in the title, but it is a good flick. The movie is about the dude who wrote Peter Pan, which was never that magical to me (probably because I found Sandy Duncan so annoying as a kid… although she sure could sell a triscuit, or was it a wheat thin?). I didn’t expect to like it, as I knew it would be about how much the kids inspired his imagination. I’m not much for kids in movies, they tend to annoy me (like in another Peter Pan spin off, my most abhorred movie of the 80s, Hook). But, this movie worked for me. The best part of the movie is the way it mixes in surreal scenes showing what was happening in Barrie’s imagination. All of the acting was top notch, with Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet great as always. Winslet is a truly underappreciated beauty, way hotter than overrated likes of Julia Roberts and Penelope Cruz. I’m annoyed at everyone fawning over her new figure, implying that she was grotesquely obese when she bared it for movies like The Titanic and Jude. Unfortunately, no nudity from Kate here (which I’ve come to expect, but I suppose wouldn’t fit in this film). These Hollywood types making all of the hotties into haggard skeletons need to be covered in hamburger and deep fried alive, then force fed to Calista Flockhart (but that is just my opinion). Anyway, if your up for a visually nice, genuinely touching film, or need to watch something with kids or parents (or anyone else with which you don’t want to run into an embarrassing scene), I recommend this flick.