Friday, March 30, 2012

Favorite (Bill Murray) Scene Friday: Rushmore

 

Our Favorite (Bill Murray) Scene Friday month ends today, but don’t fret boys and girls, you’re bound to see more of him here in the Escape Hatch.  We just love him that much.  Last week Tiffany chose a stellar scene from one of my favorite movies ever (some of you may recall another scene from that same movie) and so I thought it would be fitting to end this awesome FSF month in the same vein.  Today’s scene comes from the movie that really put Wes Anderson on the map, Rushmore.  Murray, as always, is fabulous as Herman Blume, the depressed businessman who oddly enough holds quite an affection for young Max Fischer (the equally awesome, Jason Schwartzman).  The movie stands alone like all of Anderson’s films and is a fantastic taste of what the man must see, and feel, on a day-to-day basis.  And his soundtracks always kick-ass.  Admittedly, I like this scene in particular so much because I’m a huge Kinks fan and you can hear one of their lesser known tracks in the background.  Needless to say, it fits perfectly with the scene.

It’s blatantly obvious Blume is having a lousy time at the soiree in his backyard (you don’t just toss golf balls at children for no reason, that’s bad form) and honestly I’ve had such a week that I can easily say I know how he feels.  I’m thrilled that the week is over and grateful that I got to choose the first and last scenes on this Bill Murray themed FSF month.  I truly hoped you enjoyed all of them and I know I can speak for all of us here in the Hatch that we had a blast posting them.  Kudos! to my fellow Hatchers and Cheers! to all of you.  I’m gonna go find a pool . . .

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Batch o’ Hatch: 7X7 Link Award, The Return of Tenacious D, and Edgar Wright at FSU

7X7 Link Award

Ruth over at ...let’s be splendid about this... recently (not that recently - I’m lazy these days) awarded me with the 7X7 Link Award. I basically get to talk about myself! Thanks, Ruth!


So first up I have to - tell everyone something that no one else knows yet.

Man I’m boring! I almost can’t think of anything for this. My mom’s from Northern Ireland and I have a lot of family over there. I’ve visited a few times now, love it, and would like to own a house there someday. I guess that’s something.

And now there’s a few posts of mine I need to discuss.

Most beautiful piece? I don’t get that mushy on the blog but I think my FSF on a scene from Forrest Gump is pretty nice. The scene itself is beautiful anyway!

Most helpful piece? I’m at a loss on this one.

Most popular piece? In terms of what’s most-read that would be my post on Alec Baldwin’s Bonefish Grill radio commercials. It’s gotten the most hits on the blog by far. I don’t think it has anything to do with the quality of the piece, I just think people Google this topic a lot. Seriously, if you Google “Alec Baldwin Bonefish Grill”, this piece is the number two result. Kind of bizarre. It’s funny since Alex over at And So It Begins... has been posting a lot about Mamet and I feature Baldwin’s scene from Glengarry Glen Ross.

A few posts tie for most comments, including my review of Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Most controversial piece? I don’t think I’m brave enough to be controversial. Let’s give it time. I like some pretty shitty films.

Most surprisingly successful piece? I would probably have to go back to the Alec Baldwin post.

Most underrated piece? We did a series on The Shining this past Halloween and one post in particular was a tribute of sorts to the “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” scene. We even got CT from Nerd Lunch to help out. Didn’t get many comments, however.  

Most pride-worthy piece? I’m pretty proud of my What Happened After...John Carpenter’s The Thing? post. It was quite a bit of research (okay it was quite a bit of compiling Wikipedia info) and The Thing is near and dear to my heart. I’d like to turn What Happened After...into a semi-regular feature too.

Now l get to pass this on to seven other bloggers. Whether they choose to participate is up to them!

Tiff
Nick
Pat
CT at Nerd Lunch
Jeeg at Nerd Lunch
Pax at Cavalcade of Awesome
Markus AND Sir Phobos at Green People Soup (yeah I cheated)

Tenacious D Returns

Something amazing has happened. Something big. Something mega. Something copious. Something capacious. Something cajunga! Tenacious D has returned.

The AV Club reports
that the duo have an album - Rize Of The Fenix - due in May of this year. Could a sequel to the middling Pick of Destiny be far off? Probably. Scope their new video plus a scene from PoD below.




 

Edgar Wright at FSU

Good news! Edgar Wright is visiting Florida State University this weekend to screen his films! Bad news - I graduated from FSU in 2007 and live close to 200 miles away now.

I was ready to pass on the event due to other obligations but Tiffany told me I should just nut up and drive over to Tallahassee. It’s very tempting. Wright's films are amazing and I might not get another chance like this for a while, plus my imaginary tea time sessions with the director just aren’t cutting it anymore. What do you guys think I should do??

I’ll ask Imaginary Wright over crumpets later.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Music Video Monday: Tear Down The Wall!

In honor of my forthcoming venture to see Roger Waters, of Pink Floyd fame, perform his masterpiece, The Wall, in Orlando, FL this June, I’ve decided to give this dastardly Monday a bitter farewell.  It’s nearly midnight here on the East Coast and it’s been the kind of day that warrants a song like this . . . so here’s to you.  The video comes from the 1982 movie that was released based on the iconic Pink Floyd album, The Wall.  If you’ve not seen the film, I recommend doing so, it’s amazing.  Not so much a “talkie” by most standards, the dialogue relies 90% on the music of the Floyd and the lyrics of Waters, but seeing the live action intertwine with the animation fueled by the incredible songs makes watching it a memorable, if not altering, experience. 
The song I’ve chosen is “Goodbye Blue Sky” and I chose it in particular, not only because it was shitty excuse for an end to an otherwise decent Monday, but because I wanted to highlight the animation.  This video, thanks heavy-handedly to the animation, exemplifies the vision Waters had over 30 years ago.  A vision of lost hope.  I realize it's not the most uplifting song, but every now and then I need a song like this, as I suspect some of you may too.  Goodbye Blue Monday.     

Friday, March 23, 2012

Favorite Scene Friday! The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou: I Wonder If It Remembers Me?

Where to start with the amazing, endlessly talented Bill Murray?  He makes us laugh, he makes us cry, he makes us feel good with nearly everything he does.  Going into this, I wasn't sure I could pick one favorite scene...one single movie moment that would do such a great career justice.  But I decided I would honor one of my favorite actors of all time by highlighting one of my favorite scenes of all time - not just a favorite Bill Murray scene, but one of my favorite movie scenes.  Ever. 

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is such a beautiful, perfect film.  Steve is on a journey of self-discovery, taking his crew and us lucky viewers right along with him, and there are many lessons to be learned along the way.  I love that the movie wraps up with one final touching scene where Steve - surrounded by friends and enemies, old and new - finally faces the shark he's been hunting for the entire film.  But instead of going after him, he decides to live in the moment - and it's a breathtaking, bring-a-tear-to-your-eye kind of moment.  "I wonder if it remembers me?"  I like to think that in finally facing that elusive jaguar shark, Steve is facing himself. 

Happy Friday, everyone.  I hope you all enjoy this scene as much as I do. 


 

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Now Hear This!: Delta Spirit- The Sound They've Been Looking For

If one doesn’t evolve, there’s a tendency for one to grow stagnant. Just as in life, I believe it can happen to bands as well. Change can be a good thing, not change for the sake of change, but the kind of change that produces self growth and discovery. The San Diego/Long Beach rockers, Delta Spirit, have done just that and don’t shy away from admitting it. They’ve openly talked about finally finding their real sound and have come out swinging on their self-titled effort released March 13th. “We found the sound that we've been looking for, that we've been growing into, and as soon as we hit on it, we ran with it,” (Matt) Vasquez says. “That’s why it’s a self-titled record, so we could connect our identity with the album, because this album is what we think Delta Spirit is.” http://deltaspirit.net/bio

It’s quite a progressive change from their rough and rootsy 2006 EP release I Think I’ve Found It. For the most part, gone are the piano, harmonica and acoustic guitars that were so prevalent on Ode to Sunshine and History From Below. Although the piano is still there on the ballad “Time Bomb”, (Kelly) Winrich can be found behind a synthesizer/keyboard on most tracks. Another noticeable transformation is the depth of the guitar arrangements. They’ve always been loud, especially live, but the driving rhythms of (Will)McLaren, Vasquez and (Jon)Jameson power themselves into your ears and before you know it, you’re playing air guitar in the middle of traffic on the songs, “California” and “Money Saves”. However, the most controversial use of an instrument is the drum machine that shows up throughout. Purists don't worry though, (Brandon) Young still kills it on "Idaho", "Empty House", "Otherside" and "Money Saves".

After the success of History From Below and particularly the track “Bushwick Blues”, it would’ve been easy for them to head full speed into pop music land. You know give the public what they want, but from what the band members have said, it seems like they’ve produced an album for themselves. That’s a refreshing attitude, but an attitude that might indirectly get them a wider fan base than even they bargained for. And by the way, it doesn’t make you a sell out because you acquire a bigger following. You’re a sellout if you move from Tennessee to New York and make a shitty album for soccer moms. I digress.

To those that say, “They’ve totally lost their roots”, I say take a listen to the tracks, “Empty House”, “Home” “Otherside” and “Into the Darkness”, all very easily could’ve wound up on Ode to Sunshine or History From Below. Even the closer, “Yamaha”, although heavily drowned in synthesizer/organ, conjures up “Ransom Man” minus the acoustic guitar. I promise you the folk, alt/country vibe you fell in love with is still there people. You just have to listen a little harder.

"We're so happy to play our old songs; why would we stop playing them?" says Vasquez. Adds Jameson, "Why would we keep writing the same ones that have been written? It's like when you're married. Are you going to be doing missionary every time?" He pauses and laughs. "No. This is our backwards cowgirl."
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/delta-spirit-hit-sxsw-at-breakneck-pace-20120316

Call it a change of direction or just following the indie-rock trend, either way their third effort works. It merges old with new, without sounding contrived and hard core fans don’t’ let the change in sound put you off, because if you do you’ll be missing out. I’ve made the comment that, “2012 is the year of Dr. Dog and Delta Spirit”, on this blog, to friends and basically anyone who will listen. I invite you to climb aboard the train, there’s an open hatch and plenty of room. Wanna experience Delta Spirit live? They’ll be in Atlanta April 7th and so will we.

I’ve included two teasers below. Check them out and if you like what you hear, I suggest you give a good listen to “California”, “Tear It Up”, “Otherside”, “Empty House” and “Money Saves”. Enjoy and Happy Listening!



Monday, March 19, 2012

Music Video Monday! Mint Royale: "Blue Song"

Edgar Wright is probably one of my favorite people, having crafted Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and my beloved Spaced. That's why I'm a little ashamed that I only recently learned of today's music video and Mr. Wright's other works in the medium.

The director recently shared this 2003 video he directed for Mint Royale's "Blue Song" on his blog. The video features none other than Nick Frost of Spaced, Shaun, and Fuzz, and fans of Spaced will recognize Michael "Tyres" Smiley. Noel Fielding is the dancing chap and rounding out the video's main cast is Julian Barratt.

Before we go, what's your favorite Edgar Wright joint? One of his films? Spaced? Something else? It's Spaced, isn't it? You're awesome.



And since they're guaranteed to make your night even better, here's some clips of Michael Smiley in all his Tyres glory. Enjoy!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Favorite (Bill Murray) Scene Friday! "Death Therapy, It’s A Guaranteed Cure"

Today’s Favorite Scene comes from the movie What About Bob? in which Murray plays, arguably, one of his most annoying characters ever, Bob Wiley, an incredibly needy but kind hearted man suffering from multiple phobias. Also, starring Richard Dreyfus as Dr. Leo Marvin, the 1991 comedy focuses on the dependent Bob and his clever method of working his way into Dr. Marvin’s life and even becoming part of the doctor’s family vacation.

This scene is the good doctor’s last attempt to “cure” Bob with a ground breaking technique called Death Therapy. However, like with the rest of the movie, Bob seems to find a way to mess it up. As annoying as the character is, Murray makes you like him and by the end of the movie Bob has worked his way into your heart as well. Enjoy the video and your Friday! On a side note, I don't want to rub it in, but it’s spring break bitches!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Batch o’ Hatch: Con-mmunity, The Alamo’s Summer of ‘82, and Course of the Force

Here we are with another Batch o’ Hatch, this one’s all escapism/cultural events (although I did make one of them up). I’d love to hear from anyone participating in any movie, music or miscellaneous escapist activities such as these. Email me at totheescapehatch at gmail dot com or you can tweet me at @zerbert.

Con-mmunity

Community returns tomorrow night at 8:00 on NBC - can you hear the angel’s trumpets?

When the show was taken off the air fans went nuts, starting petitions and protesting outside of Rockefeller Center. And the show wasn’t even cancelled - just put on hiatus. Can you imagine what would have happened if NBC did give the show the axe?

When it was announced that Community was returning, fans rejoiced. Some expressed their excitement by making their own trailers (damn good ones at that) for the show’s return.



Community seems like the kind of show - nay, cultural institution - that’s destined for some sort of annual festival ala Lebowskifest. Think about it – a Community convention – a Con-mmunity if you will.

The activities alone would be awesome. A Community marathon in a giant blanket fort. Insane paintball matches. Secret trampolines. Some sort of dance where men have to wear pants suits. And, of course, a costume contest. The possibilities with that one are endless.

If anyone's heard of any plans for Con-mmunity - or would like to get the ball rolling on one - let me know.

Summer of ‘82

Once again proving that I’d be broke all the time if I lived in Austin, The Alamo is doing something really special this summer. Thirty years ago, the fabled summer of ‘82 hit the world, the greatest summer of movies ever. It gave us Poltergeist, The Thing, E.T. and several other amazing classics. The Alamo is celebrating this anniversary by showing these movies and more, on the weekends they were released! They’re even showing the trailers that would have played before the films!  






Course of the Force

I’m not much of a Star Wars fan when all’s said and done, but this Course of the Force event sounds like fun business. It’s an Olympic style relay race, but instead of torches it’s - wait for it - light sabers. The event is July 7th through July 11th and goes from Santa Monica to San Diego leading up to Comic Con. There’s all kinds of parties and stuff each night, put on by Chris Hardwick and the gang from Nerdist. Sounds like a blast.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Music Video Monday! AgesandAges: Souvenir

The Pacific Northwest is at it again. However, instead of flannel wearing rockers pissing and moaning about how hard life is, it’s an Arcade Fire size collection of flannel wearing hippies harmonizing about life and love. I don’t know what it is about the Pacific Northwest, but they produce some damn good music. For years, Death Cab for Cutie and The Decemberists have been representing with pride and now a new crop has emerged. With the likes of AgesandAges, Typhoon, Blind Pilot, Blitzen Trapper, Portugal. The Man and The Cave Singers, it looks like indie music will remain in good hands for years to come.

Today’s video for the song, “Souvenir” comes from, AgesandAges. They are a seven person band from Portland that recently grabbed some attention for showing up on President Obama’s Spotify list. Me doth protest, but not too much. As I was telling Tiff, I think some intern looking to score some brownie points threw “No Nostalgia” on the list to give the Commander in Chief some indie cred. I will admit that’s the pessimist inside me talking, but the optimist agrees, it’s a really good song. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/agesandages-the-presidents-new-favorite-band-20120210

If you like the sound of “Souvenir”, you should check out, the title track “Alright You Restless”, “Under A Cloud Shaped Like A Tomb” and the aforementioned “No Nostalgia”. Have a Great Monday and Happy Listening!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Favorite (Bill Murray) Scene Friday! Larger Than Life: The Magic Button

I can't really say that Larger Than Life – a film about Bill Murray and an elephant travelling cross country – is a bad film, because I honestly don't remember disliking it. But I was about 11 the only time I saw it, so what the hell did I know? Its Rotten Tomatoes score is also 11, so we'll just have to go ahead and say that it's not one of Murray's greatest achievements. I'll have plenty of other chances to post scenes from stellar Murray movies when it's not his month here on the blog, though.

Wikipedia
As I mentioned, I don't remember much about the film, but I do recall today's scene, and it made enough of an impression on me to stick in my mind all these years later.

In this scene, we meet up with Bill's character – motivational speaker Jack Corcoran – after he's inherited an elephant from his deceased father and decided to transport it across the U.S. Jack's rented a truck to transport the pachyderm, but he doesn't know how to drive it. Most of Murray's performance in this clip leaves a little something to be desired, but when he hits the magic button trying to adjust his seat – comedy gold. I'd like to have Bill's frightened screams as a ringtone.


Murray's deadpan expression at the end of the clip is great too. What are those, almond M&Ms? Delicious.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Music Video Monday! Dr. Dog: Shadow People

I must begin this Music Video Monday! by explaining that I am in the midst of an all-out Dr. Dog lovefest.  Considering that I was just able to witness one of their live shows, which was nothing short of amazing, I am overcome with emotion about them (read:  absolutely smitten) and will be singing their praises like an old songbird (anyone familiar with their new album will recognize that line) for a long, long time to come. 

Shadow People is one of my favorite songs and I think it's a good description of who Dr. Dog is.  Band vocalist and song-writer Scott McMicken explained that he wrote Shadow People about the edgy Philadelphia neighborhood he once lived in and the wide variety of characters he met and befriended while living there - some good people, some not so good people.  He sings about his run-ins with the shadier folks and the need to "move along."  He also sings of crossing the path of an old friend and seeing that "something's gone from her eyes."  It's a song that's happy and sad - and it makes me think about the people we encounter along this road of life, both good and bad, and what they mean to us.  

I think one of the reasons Shadow People resonates so much with me is because I feel like the guys in Dr. Dog must be some of the friendliest folks you could ever find.  In fact, I once described hearing Scott's voice flow through my speakers as making me feel like I was being comforted by a friend.  I love that the two main vocalists and songwriters - Scott and Toby Leaman - met in eighth grade!  They just seem like warm, genuine people and all of that flows freely through their music.  They're accepting - all characters, all walks of life are welcome.  Interestingly enough, in reading up on the band today, I learned that they used to TRULY be accepting of anyone, as evidenced by this from their website:

Dr. Dog was officially established in 1999 with the Psychedelic Swamp record. What followed was an intense period of stockpiling eight-track recordings, open-ended enrollment policies where Dr. Dog membership included a man who played a one-string guitar in a skintight skeleton costume and another who danced in the crowd while wearing a tuxedo.

I loved learning that about them!  What a crazy, fun bunch of guys.  I feel every bit of that when I listen to their music.  And I felt it even more strongly when I saw them live.  If you've never been to a Dr. Dog concert, you should really consider checking them out.  They make amazing music, because they love amazing music.  And yes, all characters are welcome. 

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Obsessive Cinematic Disorder: Who is Peter Weyland?


Hey, folks. Watch this clip, a viral video that popped up on JoBlo.com and other sites around the web this past week. It's promoting Prometheus, Ridley Scott's pseudo-prequel to Alien due later this year:


Now who the hell is Peter Weyland? Because Lance Henriksen already portrayed a character named Charles Bishop Weyland in Alien Vs. Predator. Check him out at the beginning of this trailer.



So who’s the Weyland of the evil Weyland-Yutani Corporation from the original Alien, Peter or Charles Bishop?
Wikia
Perhaps these are two separate yet related characters? AVP is set in 2004 and Prometheus supposedly takes place in 2023 (or at least that TED video does), so maybe Peter Weyland is Charles Bishop Weyland’s son or something? But Peter Weyland is obviously very British OWMYBRAIN.

Maybe Ridley Scott and company have simply retconned the Charles Bishop Weyland character out of existence and replaced him with Peter? The former character’s IMDb page lists Pearce and Henriksen as essentially playing the same part. Seems like kind of a strange move by the Prometheus crew.

Don’t get me wrong – I know AVP (and its sequel) – sucks hard. It shows you what people who want to piss on two great franchises at the same time can accomplish when they really put their minds to it. Lance Henricksen as Weyland was one of the few – if only – things the film got right, however. It was a cool bit of connective tissue between the original Alien films and AVP plus it made sense that Bishop, the android character Henricksen portrayed in Aliens and Alien3, was modeled after one of the founders of the company that created him.


Scott and company have most likely just ignored the AVP character. I guess the director can do whatever he wants, since he did start the franchise all the way back in '79. And Guy Pearce always turns in a great performance, even in a brief viral video.

So what do you guys think? Who's the real Weyland? Are Peter and Charles Bishop two separate characters in the same story or is one of them bogus?

Favorite (Bill Murray) Scene Friday! Where The Buffalo Roam

Last month we ran a poll to determine what Favorite Scene Fridays we should do and Bill Murray Scenes won (HooRay!).  So I decided to kick March off with a bang with a scene from my second favorite Bill Murray movie.  More than just a scene, what you’re about view is approximately 10 minutes of a rarely scene Bill Murray.  The movie Where The Buffalo Roam is Bill Murray’s take on the late, great Hunter S. Thompson.  While not doing as good a job as Johnny Depp did in 1998 with Terry Gilliam’s Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Bill still does a hilariously kick-ass job and makes me smile to know that he was friends with one of the truest American Pioneers to have ever lived. 
I never knew this movie existed until I did an Amazon search of everything Hunter S. Thompson and, naturally, when I saw this DVD it was a no-brainer, it arrived a couple weeks later and I was anything but let down.  The setting is  in Miami, FL, home of Super Bowl VI, Dallas vs. Miami, with Dr. Thompson on assignment to cover the big game.  What ensues is not what some might call “journalism,” but then again, those someones don’t know jack shit from pure gonzo in its finest.  If I were to say anything else, it would be too much.  I hope you enjoy the scene and I hope you keep checking back for more Bill Murray favorites.  Enjoy!