Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Technical Difficulties...
A thousand apologies to you all. Due to unseen circumstances updates have been delayed. Once again apologies to all the readers. More information coming soon.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Super
At the beginning of this year I made some what of a promise to myself, maybe even a new years resolution, that i would go to more film festivals. I guess in my case, I would go to A film festival, seeing as though i had never been to a proper one. And to my surprise Florida has a few decent ones, and actually attract some good films.
So my first stop on the festival circuit would be the Sarasota Film Festival. And the first film would be "Super", the new Film from James Gunn (Tromeo and Juliet, Slither). Now, I'm assuming that everyone who hears about this film or sees the trailer will automatically think it's basically "Kick Ass". Which is not the case. Yes, there are obvious similarities. A "normal" guy is sick of all the crime and wrong doings in his town and decides the best way to go about solving this is to become a vigilante super hero. But more of a "Kick Ass" with a low budget.
Where its differs from that film is it's dark points. Very dark points. The times when you're not sure if you should laughs, the others where you do and you know you shouldn't have. They do leave you a bit shocked and throw you off a bit, but you're soon taken back to a land of fun, by means of a knife to the dick. You just need to know going into the film that it's not a full on comedy. It's similar to the way "The Break Up" was billed as one (in no way as good a film as this), and ended up having no laughs at all and being completely depressing. Now that's not exactly how "Super" is, but just know it's not going to be non stop comedy.
The cast was picture perfect. Rainn Wilson plays Frank D'arbo/ The Crimson Bolt, and right from the start you have a feeling that he's not completely sane (but who is), by the end you know he's not completely sane. Delivering his brand of justice to pederasts and queue cutters alike. The Crimson Bolt will stop at nothing until he gets his wife, Sarah back. Played by Liv Tyler, though not in the film too much, does her part as a convincing drug addict, who knows shes gotten herself into some shit and knows Frank is the only one that can save her. Kevin Beacon, who plays Jacques, the man who lured Sarah away, is sensational in his comedic timing and all around scum bagginess, you almost believe every rotten thing he says. Then there's Ellen Page (who looks pretty cute by the way), who comes in as Boltie, The Bolts comic shop sidekick. Who after seeing how much she "wants to be with frank", you can easily tell she's just removed from reality as Frank, maybe even more so. With that being said, she played it to a t.
I was very impressed with the film, and by the way Gunn was able to make you care about the characters, even when they're not so much stopping crime, but just being a menace to the public they're supposed to be protecting. Gunn was able to craft a film that's fun, disgusting, in bad taste and more heartfelt than any i've seen in the recent past. How this hasn't gotten a wider release, i don't know. But i'm hoping it does.
Another reason i dug this film was that, it being a very low budget film (a lot of it filmed at Gunn's home), everyone involved took the lowest pay that the SAG would allow. Which I imagine for Wilson, Page and Beacon is probably a good sized pay cut. So you know it was a project that the cast and the crew believed in.
This film is another example as to why critics are pointless. The same with a recent film I reviewed (Red State) where people complain about random bullshit, mostly the fact of the comedy is broken up with some REAL shit. Which was the main reason i liked this film. Blame the marketing team, not the filmmaker, for them hyping it as a comedy. Which brings me back to this initial argument... It's not "Kick Ass". That film really had no base in reality, with people having arsenals of weapons and jet packs. However "Super" is reality. It's what happens when people think they can achieve when they're no more than a piece of shit. It's what happens when People cry, and it's not pretty, people bleed, and people die. That's life.
I've just realized how much energy i've put into defending this film. It's a hot flick, i enjoyed it. I recommend you check it out, willing they give it a decent release. (I hope) you won't be disappointed.
So my first stop on the festival circuit would be the Sarasota Film Festival. And the first film would be "Super", the new Film from James Gunn (Tromeo and Juliet, Slither). Now, I'm assuming that everyone who hears about this film or sees the trailer will automatically think it's basically "Kick Ass". Which is not the case. Yes, there are obvious similarities. A "normal" guy is sick of all the crime and wrong doings in his town and decides the best way to go about solving this is to become a vigilante super hero. But more of a "Kick Ass" with a low budget.
Where its differs from that film is it's dark points. Very dark points. The times when you're not sure if you should laughs, the others where you do and you know you shouldn't have. They do leave you a bit shocked and throw you off a bit, but you're soon taken back to a land of fun, by means of a knife to the dick. You just need to know going into the film that it's not a full on comedy. It's similar to the way "The Break Up" was billed as one (in no way as good a film as this), and ended up having no laughs at all and being completely depressing. Now that's not exactly how "Super" is, but just know it's not going to be non stop comedy.
The cast was picture perfect. Rainn Wilson plays Frank D'arbo/ The Crimson Bolt, and right from the start you have a feeling that he's not completely sane (but who is), by the end you know he's not completely sane. Delivering his brand of justice to pederasts and queue cutters alike. The Crimson Bolt will stop at nothing until he gets his wife, Sarah back. Played by Liv Tyler, though not in the film too much, does her part as a convincing drug addict, who knows shes gotten herself into some shit and knows Frank is the only one that can save her. Kevin Beacon, who plays Jacques, the man who lured Sarah away, is sensational in his comedic timing and all around scum bagginess, you almost believe every rotten thing he says. Then there's Ellen Page (who looks pretty cute by the way), who comes in as Boltie, The Bolts comic shop sidekick. Who after seeing how much she "wants to be with frank", you can easily tell she's just removed from reality as Frank, maybe even more so. With that being said, she played it to a t.
I was very impressed with the film, and by the way Gunn was able to make you care about the characters, even when they're not so much stopping crime, but just being a menace to the public they're supposed to be protecting. Gunn was able to craft a film that's fun, disgusting, in bad taste and more heartfelt than any i've seen in the recent past. How this hasn't gotten a wider release, i don't know. But i'm hoping it does.
Another reason i dug this film was that, it being a very low budget film (a lot of it filmed at Gunn's home), everyone involved took the lowest pay that the SAG would allow. Which I imagine for Wilson, Page and Beacon is probably a good sized pay cut. So you know it was a project that the cast and the crew believed in.
This film is another example as to why critics are pointless. The same with a recent film I reviewed (Red State) where people complain about random bullshit, mostly the fact of the comedy is broken up with some REAL shit. Which was the main reason i liked this film. Blame the marketing team, not the filmmaker, for them hyping it as a comedy. Which brings me back to this initial argument... It's not "Kick Ass". That film really had no base in reality, with people having arsenals of weapons and jet packs. However "Super" is reality. It's what happens when people think they can achieve when they're no more than a piece of shit. It's what happens when People cry, and it's not pretty, people bleed, and people die. That's life.
I've just realized how much energy i've put into defending this film. It's a hot flick, i enjoyed it. I recommend you check it out, willing they give it a decent release. (I hope) you won't be disappointed.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Sea Hag IPA
I don't get canned beers to often. Mostly due to the fact that most canned beers are shit. But lucky for me i stumbled across a sweet fucking brew from the New England Brewing Company from Woodbridge, CT. Not only is the brewery from my neck of the woods (which drew me to it), it's also not that bad. I picked up the Sea Hag IPA for $10 for a sixer, which is usual when buying a half decent beer. Like i said one of the things that drew me to it was the location of the brewery, but the first thing was the badass can. It was tucked in the back on the top shelf, but luckily it stuck out.
Sadly beyond the few things that suckered me into buying it, there's nothing much to say about. When i grab an IPA i'm looking for a very hoppy, clean and full bodied taste. I didn't find that here. There's not much in the line of bitterness to it and hardly any of the characteristics of an IPA, which makes me think they should of just dropped the I and stuck with the PA. I would buy it again, it just wouldn't be my first choice. It's not a bad beer, just not what I was expecting. But hey, I'm from New England. So I'm used to disappointments (mostly from the sports teams).
Sadly beyond the few things that suckered me into buying it, there's nothing much to say about. When i grab an IPA i'm looking for a very hoppy, clean and full bodied taste. I didn't find that here. There's not much in the line of bitterness to it and hardly any of the characteristics of an IPA, which makes me think they should of just dropped the I and stuck with the PA. I would buy it again, it just wouldn't be my first choice. It's not a bad beer, just not what I was expecting. But hey, I'm from New England. So I'm used to disappointments (mostly from the sports teams).
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
I Love You Sarah Jane
This is something I forgot to post along with the last review. "I Love Sarah Jane" is a short film by Spencer Susser, the Writer/Director of "Hesher". In this film we can almost see where the character of Hesher evolved from. Starring Mia Wasikowska, who played Alice in Tim Burtons "Alice in Wonderland" (don't let that deter you).
The premise is that it's post apocalyptic times, all that's left are kids, and the adults have turned into zombies. The cinematography is beautiful and I'm guessing it had a pretty hefty budget for a short film, due to the wonderful looking production value. It's about 12 minutes, so do yourself a solid and check it out.
The premise is that it's post apocalyptic times, all that's left are kids, and the adults have turned into zombies. The cinematography is beautiful and I'm guessing it had a pretty hefty budget for a short film, due to the wonderful looking production value. It's about 12 minutes, so do yourself a solid and check it out.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Hesher Is Metal
"Hesher" has been one of the most highly anticipated films at every festival it has played at, starting at last years Sundance, where it premiered. Also a film that I had been looking forward to, the second I saw a still from the film and even more so when the trailer was finally released. Every time I watched Joseph Gordon-Levitt leap into a filthy pool by way of flaming diving board it fuel my anticipation for this film. And it being such an independent and small film (it has over 20 producers), I knew it wouldn't get a proper release. So I would be stuck waiting for it on home video. Knowing all this only brought me down.
But then a ray of hope shined through. "Hesher" would be playing at the wonderful Florida Film Festival. Whose lineup this year was pretty damn impressive. So we made the trek to Orlando for a full day of fantastic films. We started with "Meek's Cutoff" (review of that later) and ended with "Hesher". There was a lot of stress in between, Like the fact when i looked up the times for "Hesher", it was sold out. Know this was quite upsetting for me, seeing as though this was the only reason I came this far. To see "Hesher". We had tickets. I'm not that big of a fool. But we had bought a ticket package, which would allow us entrance into two films. Turns out that even if you have these types of packages, you're fucked if you get there and it turns out to be sold out. I was none to happy with this. So we got our stand by tickets, which would allow us to buy tickets if five minutes before the start of the film people had not shown up. Long story short, people didn't show up, we got our tickets and they were...Wait for it... FREE! So everything worked out, I saw the film I had been waiting for and didn't pay a goddamn dime. Well, enough with the back story, on to the film.
T.J. (played by Devin Brochu) lost his mother in a car crash two months ago and all he wants is the car his mother died in. During one of his attempts to retrieve this car, he has an unfortunate run in with
Hesher. Played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hesher doesn't have much to speak of. No family, no friends, no home and no job. By the looks of it, he likes it that way. Seeing as though everyone he comes into contact with he immediately drives them away. Whether it be with his filthy mouth, a threat on their lives or his seemingly never ending supply of gasoline, M80's and matches.
That's exactly how we (and T.J.) are introduced to Hesher, obscenities flying, along pipe bombs and bad ass 80's metal. From that moment on T.J's life will not be the same. With T.J's mistake of ruining his current living quarters, Hesher feels it appropriate to move into T.J's garage. T.J's father, Frank (played by Rainn Wilson), Zonked out on medication to help with the death of his wife, barely notices Hesher. If it wasn't for the initial questioning of his presence, you'd be led to believe that Hesher is all in T.J's head.But sadly for the family, this is not the case.
The performance by Brochu as T.J. is wonderful. Spiced in between the angry outbursts fueled by Hesher, we are able to see that this young boy is still scared and heartbroken by the loss of his mother. It's never really spoken about, but you can see it in his subtle heart wrenching facial expressions. As his world around him falls apart, he stills knows what's right and wrong. And even though his father's comatose couch potato routine seems good in theory, he knows it's not the way to get the family back on track. Wilson plays the depressed dad beautifully, the pain in his face is like none I've ever seen, especially from an actor who been mostly stuck in comic roles. So if you're looking for Dwight Schrute, you've come to the wrong place. As for Natalie Portman, playing a grocery store clerk that T.J. has a "slight" crush on. Despite the fact that she is much older, and knowing he has eyes for her, she plays along, lending to some very sweet moments between the two and giving T.J. a small ray of sunshine in an otherwise dark point in his life.
As for Levitt, he explodes (literally) on the screen as Hesher. Gone are the lovable, charming and charismatic characters we're used to him playing. Now we see a completely different side of him. One who chain smokes, can't speak a sentence without it being riddled with expletives, no matter who he's speaking to. Whether it be a young boy, his father or a sweet old lady. Hesher is Hesher and no one's going to change that. With no back story or explanation as to why he acts this way, Levitt burns through scene after scene acting like a complete asshole. Which is fun, but at some point you're just hoping for some shred of humanity in this loathsome human being. Just some excuse as to why he's such a prick. But it never fully comes. It gets close a few times, and just when we're close to an honest heartfelt moment Hesher ruins it.
Susser successfully blends comedy and drama, in this unconventional, tough to pigeonhole film. What it lacks in plot, it is made up by great performances, some subtle, some too in your face. This film does have a heart, some where deep down. It's there, you just have to find it.
I can see a bunch of young, future anarchists latching on to this film and the character, so get on board with this flick before it's deemed uncool to be.
This is one of the official trailer, and I feel it's more true to the content of the film. This is the other.
But then a ray of hope shined through. "Hesher" would be playing at the wonderful Florida Film Festival. Whose lineup this year was pretty damn impressive. So we made the trek to Orlando for a full day of fantastic films. We started with "Meek's Cutoff" (review of that later) and ended with "Hesher". There was a lot of stress in between, Like the fact when i looked up the times for "Hesher", it was sold out. Know this was quite upsetting for me, seeing as though this was the only reason I came this far. To see "Hesher". We had tickets. I'm not that big of a fool. But we had bought a ticket package, which would allow us entrance into two films. Turns out that even if you have these types of packages, you're fucked if you get there and it turns out to be sold out. I was none to happy with this. So we got our stand by tickets, which would allow us to buy tickets if five minutes before the start of the film people had not shown up. Long story short, people didn't show up, we got our tickets and they were...Wait for it... FREE! So everything worked out, I saw the film I had been waiting for and didn't pay a goddamn dime. Well, enough with the back story, on to the film.
T.J. (played by Devin Brochu) lost his mother in a car crash two months ago and all he wants is the car his mother died in. During one of his attempts to retrieve this car, he has an unfortunate run in with
Hesher. Played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hesher doesn't have much to speak of. No family, no friends, no home and no job. By the looks of it, he likes it that way. Seeing as though everyone he comes into contact with he immediately drives them away. Whether it be with his filthy mouth, a threat on their lives or his seemingly never ending supply of gasoline, M80's and matches.
That's exactly how we (and T.J.) are introduced to Hesher, obscenities flying, along pipe bombs and bad ass 80's metal. From that moment on T.J's life will not be the same. With T.J's mistake of ruining his current living quarters, Hesher feels it appropriate to move into T.J's garage. T.J's father, Frank (played by Rainn Wilson), Zonked out on medication to help with the death of his wife, barely notices Hesher. If it wasn't for the initial questioning of his presence, you'd be led to believe that Hesher is all in T.J's head.But sadly for the family, this is not the case.
As for Levitt, he explodes (literally) on the screen as Hesher. Gone are the lovable, charming and charismatic characters we're used to him playing. Now we see a completely different side of him. One who chain smokes, can't speak a sentence without it being riddled with expletives, no matter who he's speaking to. Whether it be a young boy, his father or a sweet old lady. Hesher is Hesher and no one's going to change that. With no back story or explanation as to why he acts this way, Levitt burns through scene after scene acting like a complete asshole. Which is fun, but at some point you're just hoping for some shred of humanity in this loathsome human being. Just some excuse as to why he's such a prick. But it never fully comes. It gets close a few times, and just when we're close to an honest heartfelt moment Hesher ruins it.
Susser successfully blends comedy and drama, in this unconventional, tough to pigeonhole film. What it lacks in plot, it is made up by great performances, some subtle, some too in your face. This film does have a heart, some where deep down. It's there, you just have to find it.
I can see a bunch of young, future anarchists latching on to this film and the character, so get on board with this flick before it's deemed uncool to be.
This is one of the official trailer, and I feel it's more true to the content of the film. This is the other.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Road to Red State
The Film
In March me and my girlfriend made the trek from Tampa, Fl to Concord, NH. We planned a few stops along the way, one for a film, one for family, and some for beer. But mostly for the film and the beer. Enjoy!
I had been waiting to see "Red State" the moment that Kevin Smith had revealed that he had written the screenplay, which was almost four years ago at this point. Being such a non-commercial film, it was obviously very hard to find financing from anybody, let alone a major studio. Luckily, Smith and producer John Gordon were able to find two people willing to cough up the cash to help get this film made, which was around $4 million.
So finally after the long wait (for me and for Smith), i was able to make the trek from Tampa, Fl all the way to Washington D.C. to view the film along with a Q & A with Smith on the "Red State USA Tour". The setting was at the beautiful Warner Theater, which very much set the mood for the evening. Kevin Smith spoke briefly before the film started just to set up what we were about to see.
Now, Smith himself calls "Red State" a horror film, and i will agree with that, seeing as though what's being shown on the screen is very much horrific. Is it "Halloween"? No, but it's scary none the less.
With out revealing too much, the plot is basically this, three naive high school boys look for sex on a website similar to Craigslist. They set up a meeting with an older women who agrees to meet them in a secluded area. Obviously things are not what they seem, and for the boys it's all downhill from there.
First i'll start with the casting, which for me, was pretty much spot on. Melissa Leo was great as Sarah Cooper. She really brought a lot to a character who doesn't play a huge part, but gave a lot of depth, showing not only that she was an awful person, but really cared for the ones she loved. The fact that she recently won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for "The Fighter" shouldn't hurt this film either. John Goodman shows up as Special Agent Keenan of the ATF. I mean it's John fucking Goodman, who doesn't love John Goodman, the man can do no wrong, and he delivers a number of memorable lines that remind you that dialogue is still Smith's strong point. There's also Kevin Pollack, who also pops in for a brief, what i would call cameo, and gets the job done for the small role he was given.
But the obvious stand out was the amazing Michael Parks (From Dusk till Dawn, Twin Peak mother fucker!) who plays the pastor who hates just about everything, Abin Cooper. His sermon in the first act made you completely forget about everything that was going on, which at that point was a lot. All that existed at that point was Abin Cooper, whether you agreed with what he was saying or not, there was no more Michael Parks, just Abin Cooper. It was truly breathtaking. If you get the chance check out "Red State of The Union Podcast", Episode 12, which is Kevin Smith basically interviewing Michael Parks. The stories this guy has are similar to your Grandfather's, only if your grandfather taught Johnny Cash how to ride a motorcycle. Knowing that Smith cut from the 15 minute (give or take) sermon Parks' delivered makes me hope for a sweet Directors Cut chock full of deleted scenes. It was this scene, that if you listen to Red State Podcast, one of Smith's many, many Podcasts, you hear where the low budget held them back and they had to cut out the use of a rams head. But in all honesty i've never seen a lack of money help a single scene so much. Once you see it, you'll know what i'm talking about.
As Smith says (in many of his Podcasts) this film is almost like three films smashed into one, each act acting as a different film. Which, i feel why people (critics) reacted so badly to it. We're not used to films jumping around, changing genres with each act. We like to be comfortable. At the beginning, we are, with a bunch of boys talking about getting laid. Which is very comforting, especially in a Kevin Smith film. Then everything falls apart. I really enjoyed this moment, almost a though Smith was killing off all the foul mouthed characters of his past and moving on to a new chapter (in the film and his career). Then, all of a sudden it's a Horror film, then just a soon as it changes to that, it changes again, into an action flick. As movie goers we like to know that a horror film is a horror film, and an action film is an action film. But when they're put into one film, and change almost immediately we don't like it, cause we're not accustomed to it.
Even attempting to compare this film to Smith's others is completely fucking pointless. If it wasn't for me knowing that it was his film and i just happened to see it, knowing nothing. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt, that i would have no idea that it was a Film by Kevin Smith. I mean, there's no Jay, no Silent Bob. But wait, Affleck will pop up at some point? Nope. This one is completely different. Now, not to say he didn't know what he was doing before, but this film is wonderfully directed and looks damn beautiful. It's not a "Hey, you two stand there, and we're going to film you guys talking about Star Wars" (not that i had a problem with that). No, the camera moves with quick, fierce action, as the characters run for their lives. It's crisp, it's clean, it's just looked fuckin' beautiful, and you can chock that up to the amazing camera work of long time Smith cinematographer David Klein (who's currently working on the 4th season of "True Blood"). It was amazing to see what this guy could do when Smith loosened up, and almost let him decide what he wanted to with the cameras.
The reason this film took so long to find backing was because of this reason and this reason only. This is definitely not a film for everybody. But to me, that kind of goes without saying for all of Smith's films, and he knows this. But in all honesty, if you're a fan of film, a fan of stuff that doesn't really fit in to a genre, or is a bit different, you should give this one try, i'm sure you'll find something enjoyable about it. I won't say if you're a fan of horror to go see it, because like i said earlier, it's not a "normal" horror film. But i will say this, the first act left me feeling more uneasy, more shaken than any "normal" horror film has ever done.
So with this being Smith's second to last film, it's very much an upgrade filmmaking wise for him, which is sad, it's seems that he's ready to take chances, and this film seems to have reinvigorated his passion for the craft. But if this is the way he chooses to go out, i have no problem with that. He was so pleased with the cast of this film that he is hoping to bring back most of them for his Final film "Hit Somebody", A song written for Warren Zevon by Mitchell Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie). Which i'm already looking forward to, seeing as though every time i listen to the song i cry like a fuckin' baby, so all i'm hoping for is that Smith's film will do the same. Also, I just heard from Smith himself (on the podcast he does with his wife, "Plus One"), that he would be releasing the "Hit Somebody" screenplay long before the film is released, as an e-book. So keep an eye out for that.
I personally enjoyed this film very much, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it on my own. Due to the fact that during the showing i went to (and mostly all the showings), there was a lot of cheering during certain parts, which was fun and exciting to see that many people get into it, but also took you out of it a bit. But I'm very glad i got to experience that, because i can watch a DVD anytime, and i highly doubt movie goers at a cineplex are going to tolerate the loud Smith fanboys screaming and cheering every 10 minutes. As for me, I am proud to say that I was (and will be).
The Beer
The plan for the trip was to hit a bunch of films and breweries, but sadly we were not able to. Not so much sadly. because we had such a great time in Asheville, there was no time to spend walking around a large building. I do not regret that. What i do regret, is not being able to make it to one of the best beer sellers in the USA, Bruisin' Ales. The second i saw that, i knew i had to go, which we planned on doing, but sadly they were closed on Mondays. So we did the next best thing. Hit a bunch of pubs/clubs in town that sold the local beer and guzzled them down like nobody's business. First was "Jack of the Woods" which is the restaurant that originated as the home of Green Man Brewery. Seeing as though Asheville has a large movement of local business owners using locally grown products, that means the restaurants in the area have very fresh products in their establishments. The same goes for the beer. The Green Man is what I'm focusing on right now.
I sit here, listening to some Lady Gaga, which isn't too bad. But, really, have people not realized she's basically Madonna. I'm guessing when the kids do it'll blow their fuckin' mind. Honestly, I'm more of a Katy Perry fan if we were to compare the two.
Well, enough of that bull shit, on to the beer! Which right now is the Stout from the Green Man Brewery, which luckily they had in stock at Jack of the woods.
There's not much to say about the Green Man Brewery's Stout, it tastes like a stout should taste, which is creamy, a slight hint of coffee and a hint of chocolaty sweetness. It also looks the way a stout should look, which is very dark with about an inch of tan head to it. Compared to a Guinness, it's a little lighter, which by that I mean you can drink more than two and not feel like you've just eaten a loaf of bread. A solid choice for a stout.
Now the Pale ale and the India pale ale, to which i have yet to really figure out what the difference is between the two. One is more hoppy than the other. Which is basically like trying to figure out who's more metal, King Diamond or Slayer (King Diamond by the way). I mean they're both metal, but one is a little more metal than the other. So i'll cut this a little short, if you get the chance check out there IPA before the Pale ale, unless you don't like too much hopiness, which if that's the case you're probably better off staying away from all IPA's.
Now, to what i consider one of the Green Man's best. Their Porter. Now this was easily one of the best beers i've had, never mind just the best Porter. So fuckin' creamy with just the right amount of sweet chocolate taste that i like to expect when drinking a porter. With that being said, this porter was straight from the cask, which basically means after the initial fermentation, it's poured straight into the cask with out any other preparation. This is a big reason why this beer tasted so good.
I'm not sure if you can get any of these outside of the State of North Carolina, but if you like beer and amazing Irish pub food and you're in the Asheville area, stop by Jack of the Woods pub. I'd recommend the bangers and mashed with some fried pickles paired with the porter. It's wicked good.
Now i'm getting my metal on with Diamond and finishing up the last of this Green Man Pale Ale. Take it easy.
Also Slayer is pretty wicked (trust me, I've seen them), but don't take my word for it, listen to this guy.
"That riff at 0:30 was so awesome that my Rubik's cube fell off my desk and completed itself, neighbors called the police and they got arrested, my cat barked, ʇxǝʇ ʎɯ oʇ sıɥʇ pıp doɹp ssɐq ǝɥʇ, made 217 people miss the like button, mom walked in and I switched to porn, it became my neighbors favorite song, Hitler got his gas bill, I pressed F13 for extra bass, my water turned into wine, I clicked 720p, my woofers gone BOOM, the God prayed to me, and i want MORE!! "
Me personally, Still more of a Katy Perry fan.
In March me and my girlfriend made the trek from Tampa, Fl to Concord, NH. We planned a few stops along the way, one for a film, one for family, and some for beer. But mostly for the film and the beer. Enjoy!
I had been waiting to see "Red State" the moment that Kevin Smith had revealed that he had written the screenplay, which was almost four years ago at this point. Being such a non-commercial film, it was obviously very hard to find financing from anybody, let alone a major studio. Luckily, Smith and producer John Gordon were able to find two people willing to cough up the cash to help get this film made, which was around $4 million.
So finally after the long wait (for me and for Smith), i was able to make the trek from Tampa, Fl all the way to Washington D.C. to view the film along with a Q & A with Smith on the "Red State USA Tour". The setting was at the beautiful Warner Theater, which very much set the mood for the evening. Kevin Smith spoke briefly before the film started just to set up what we were about to see.
Now, Smith himself calls "Red State" a horror film, and i will agree with that, seeing as though what's being shown on the screen is very much horrific. Is it "Halloween"? No, but it's scary none the less.
With out revealing too much, the plot is basically this, three naive high school boys look for sex on a website similar to Craigslist. They set up a meeting with an older women who agrees to meet them in a secluded area. Obviously things are not what they seem, and for the boys it's all downhill from there.
First i'll start with the casting, which for me, was pretty much spot on. Melissa Leo was great as Sarah Cooper. She really brought a lot to a character who doesn't play a huge part, but gave a lot of depth, showing not only that she was an awful person, but really cared for the ones she loved. The fact that she recently won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for "The Fighter" shouldn't hurt this film either. John Goodman shows up as Special Agent Keenan of the ATF. I mean it's John fucking Goodman, who doesn't love John Goodman, the man can do no wrong, and he delivers a number of memorable lines that remind you that dialogue is still Smith's strong point. There's also Kevin Pollack, who also pops in for a brief, what i would call cameo, and gets the job done for the small role he was given.
But the obvious stand out was the amazing Michael Parks (From Dusk till Dawn, Twin Peak mother fucker!) who plays the pastor who hates just about everything, Abin Cooper. His sermon in the first act made you completely forget about everything that was going on, which at that point was a lot. All that existed at that point was Abin Cooper, whether you agreed with what he was saying or not, there was no more Michael Parks, just Abin Cooper. It was truly breathtaking. If you get the chance check out "Red State of The Union Podcast", Episode 12, which is Kevin Smith basically interviewing Michael Parks. The stories this guy has are similar to your Grandfather's, only if your grandfather taught Johnny Cash how to ride a motorcycle. Knowing that Smith cut from the 15 minute (give or take) sermon Parks' delivered makes me hope for a sweet Directors Cut chock full of deleted scenes. It was this scene, that if you listen to Red State Podcast, one of Smith's many, many Podcasts, you hear where the low budget held them back and they had to cut out the use of a rams head. But in all honesty i've never seen a lack of money help a single scene so much. Once you see it, you'll know what i'm talking about.
As Smith says (in many of his Podcasts) this film is almost like three films smashed into one, each act acting as a different film. Which, i feel why people (critics) reacted so badly to it. We're not used to films jumping around, changing genres with each act. We like to be comfortable. At the beginning, we are, with a bunch of boys talking about getting laid. Which is very comforting, especially in a Kevin Smith film. Then everything falls apart. I really enjoyed this moment, almost a though Smith was killing off all the foul mouthed characters of his past and moving on to a new chapter (in the film and his career). Then, all of a sudden it's a Horror film, then just a soon as it changes to that, it changes again, into an action flick. As movie goers we like to know that a horror film is a horror film, and an action film is an action film. But when they're put into one film, and change almost immediately we don't like it, cause we're not accustomed to it.
Even attempting to compare this film to Smith's others is completely fucking pointless. If it wasn't for me knowing that it was his film and i just happened to see it, knowing nothing. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt, that i would have no idea that it was a Film by Kevin Smith. I mean, there's no Jay, no Silent Bob. But wait, Affleck will pop up at some point? Nope. This one is completely different. Now, not to say he didn't know what he was doing before, but this film is wonderfully directed and looks damn beautiful. It's not a "Hey, you two stand there, and we're going to film you guys talking about Star Wars" (not that i had a problem with that). No, the camera moves with quick, fierce action, as the characters run for their lives. It's crisp, it's clean, it's just looked fuckin' beautiful, and you can chock that up to the amazing camera work of long time Smith cinematographer David Klein (who's currently working on the 4th season of "True Blood"). It was amazing to see what this guy could do when Smith loosened up, and almost let him decide what he wanted to with the cameras.
The reason this film took so long to find backing was because of this reason and this reason only. This is definitely not a film for everybody. But to me, that kind of goes without saying for all of Smith's films, and he knows this. But in all honesty, if you're a fan of film, a fan of stuff that doesn't really fit in to a genre, or is a bit different, you should give this one try, i'm sure you'll find something enjoyable about it. I won't say if you're a fan of horror to go see it, because like i said earlier, it's not a "normal" horror film. But i will say this, the first act left me feeling more uneasy, more shaken than any "normal" horror film has ever done.
So with this being Smith's second to last film, it's very much an upgrade filmmaking wise for him, which is sad, it's seems that he's ready to take chances, and this film seems to have reinvigorated his passion for the craft. But if this is the way he chooses to go out, i have no problem with that. He was so pleased with the cast of this film that he is hoping to bring back most of them for his Final film "Hit Somebody", A song written for Warren Zevon by Mitchell Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie). Which i'm already looking forward to, seeing as though every time i listen to the song i cry like a fuckin' baby, so all i'm hoping for is that Smith's film will do the same. Also, I just heard from Smith himself (on the podcast he does with his wife, "Plus One"), that he would be releasing the "Hit Somebody" screenplay long before the film is released, as an e-book. So keep an eye out for that.
I personally enjoyed this film very much, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it on my own. Due to the fact that during the showing i went to (and mostly all the showings), there was a lot of cheering during certain parts, which was fun and exciting to see that many people get into it, but also took you out of it a bit. But I'm very glad i got to experience that, because i can watch a DVD anytime, and i highly doubt movie goers at a cineplex are going to tolerate the loud Smith fanboys screaming and cheering every 10 minutes. As for me, I am proud to say that I was (and will be).
The Beer
The plan for the trip was to hit a bunch of films and breweries, but sadly we were not able to. Not so much sadly. because we had such a great time in Asheville, there was no time to spend walking around a large building. I do not regret that. What i do regret, is not being able to make it to one of the best beer sellers in the USA, Bruisin' Ales. The second i saw that, i knew i had to go, which we planned on doing, but sadly they were closed on Mondays. So we did the next best thing. Hit a bunch of pubs/clubs in town that sold the local beer and guzzled them down like nobody's business. First was "Jack of the Woods" which is the restaurant that originated as the home of Green Man Brewery. Seeing as though Asheville has a large movement of local business owners using locally grown products, that means the restaurants in the area have very fresh products in their establishments. The same goes for the beer. The Green Man is what I'm focusing on right now.
I sit here, listening to some Lady Gaga, which isn't too bad. But, really, have people not realized she's basically Madonna. I'm guessing when the kids do it'll blow their fuckin' mind. Honestly, I'm more of a Katy Perry fan if we were to compare the two.
Well, enough of that bull shit, on to the beer! Which right now is the Stout from the Green Man Brewery, which luckily they had in stock at Jack of the woods.
There's not much to say about the Green Man Brewery's Stout, it tastes like a stout should taste, which is creamy, a slight hint of coffee and a hint of chocolaty sweetness. It also looks the way a stout should look, which is very dark with about an inch of tan head to it. Compared to a Guinness, it's a little lighter, which by that I mean you can drink more than two and not feel like you've just eaten a loaf of bread. A solid choice for a stout.
Now the Pale ale and the India pale ale, to which i have yet to really figure out what the difference is between the two. One is more hoppy than the other. Which is basically like trying to figure out who's more metal, King Diamond or Slayer (King Diamond by the way). I mean they're both metal, but one is a little more metal than the other. So i'll cut this a little short, if you get the chance check out there IPA before the Pale ale, unless you don't like too much hopiness, which if that's the case you're probably better off staying away from all IPA's.
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| Stout |
I'm not sure if you can get any of these outside of the State of North Carolina, but if you like beer and amazing Irish pub food and you're in the Asheville area, stop by Jack of the Woods pub. I'd recommend the bangers and mashed with some fried pickles paired with the porter. It's wicked good.
Now i'm getting my metal on with Diamond and finishing up the last of this Green Man Pale Ale. Take it easy.
Also Slayer is pretty wicked (trust me, I've seen them), but don't take my word for it, listen to this guy.
"That riff at 0:30 was so awesome that my Rubik's cube fell off my desk and completed itself, neighbors called the police and they got arrested, my cat barked, ʇxǝʇ ʎɯ oʇ sıɥʇ pıp doɹp ssɐq ǝɥʇ, made 217 people miss the like button, mom walked in and I switched to porn, it became my neighbors favorite song, Hitler got his gas bill, I pressed F13 for extra bass, my water turned into wine, I clicked 720p, my woofers gone BOOM, the God prayed to me, and i want MORE!! "
Me personally, Still more of a Katy Perry fan.
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