Wow. Kindie rock doesn't get any better than this fresh and exciting DVD; the mix of music videos and live concert action catapults the Jimmies, fronted by singer/songwriter Ashley Albert, into stellar territory. Bubbling over with offbeat humor, sophisticated musicianship, smart, entertaining lyrics and impressive visual creativity, it's a rock-out feast for ears and eyes, whatever your age.
The band sings six of its image-rich original songs (repeated in karaoke versions) in a riotous combination of live action, animal costumes, film clips and all manner of animation styles. A "backstage" documentary is a deft mash-up of wit and the imaginative high- and low-tech ways the DVD was put together, with some how-to tips for making props. The only misstep: the live concert's brief intro involving certain nasal emissions. This immensely talented band is light years beyond needing a gross factor to engage its audience.
Susannah Rosenblatt on Scottish-style whisky-making in Taiwan
YILAN, TAIWAN — In a sweltering, five-story warehouse on this subtropical island, T.T. Lee’s brash ambitions are ripening in 35,000 aged oak barrels.
Laboring against climactic conditions and established Western competitors, Mr. Lee, a beverage magnate, has built Kavalan, the first whisky distillery in Taiwan.
Kavalan might seem like a quixotic attempt to vault Taiwan into the $41 billion global whisky business, given that the island is about as far from the Scottish highlands as one can get. But it is producing nine million bottles annually at its facility with mountain views.
Yet to connoisseurs’ shock, the upstart brand managed to beat British labels at a blind tasting in January during a Burns Night, which celebrates the poet Robert Burns — a public relations coup that the company says has tripled sales. Industry watchers are starting to take notice.
“That place gets my pulse racing because of the possibilities of what they’re doing there,” said Jim Murray, author of the book, “Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.”Rosenblatt, a former L.A. Times staffer and political campaign reporter, is based in Taiwan, where she has written on a wide range of subjects, including the occasional movie review and book review, and blogs at Hsinchu Asked.
Brett Levy helps launch ‘Word Is Out’ site
Our Brett Levy helped Milliarium Zero Films launch the Word Is Out website, which commemorates the 30th anniversary of this ground-breaking film about the gay community. From the website:
The first feature-length documentary about lesbian and gay identity made by gay filmmakers, the film had a huge impact when it was released and became an icon of the emerging gay rights movement of the 1970s.
In honor of its place in our collective history, Word is Out was selected for the Legacy Project for GLBT Film Preservation by Outfest and the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
Scott Martelle on Scott Turow and the return of Rusty Sabich
Our Scott Martelle had a piece in the Los Angeles Times over the weekend on Scott Turow and his sequel to the 1987 groundbreaking novel, "Presumed Innocent." Turow's new novel, "Innocent," picks up with lawyer -- now judge -- Rusty Sabich, whose trial formed the core of the original novel. And yes, Sabich is accused of murder again. From the story:
[I]t helped make Turow a rich man. In a harbinger of Hollywood deals to come, Sydney Pollack bought the film rights for $1 million before the book even came out in August 1987. The paperback rights quickly sold for $3 million — a record for a debut novel.
Yet "Presumed Innocent" also propelled what had been a marginal genre — the legal thriller — to the top of the bestseller list, paving the way for successors such as John Grisham.
And now, 23 years later, Sabich is back in full as the main character in "Innocent" (Grand Central: 408 pp., $27.99), Turow's latest. Another body has been found, and this time the victim is Sabich's wife. While Sabich's innocence is again presumed, it's not so clear that he really is.
"When you write books, something grabs at you, and it's often years later that you understand what it is you're trying to do, and what it is that's moving you," Turow says. "For whatever reason, it felt like I just needed to check back in with this guy."
Rosemary McClure shows you what's to see in Hollywood
Our Rosemary McClure, a veteran travel writer, provided the content for a new "Experience Hollywood" site. As McClure explained it in an email, the site "was launched Friday by Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa to promote tourism in Hollywood.
"The website, which offers travel information, is being coordinated and powered by Universal Studios. It is part of an 'Experience Hollywood 2010 campaign' kicked off last week by the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors' Bureau and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
The website has places-to-go and things-to-do information, with an emphasis on where to see classic Hollywood sights. It also lists restaurants and nightspots where celebrities often can be seen."
Kevin Crust takes up blogging
It’s an adaptation of a memoir by British writer Benjamin Mee and “The Devil Wears Prada” screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna has penned a script, but Crowe is likely to do some rewriting. “Zoo” recounts Mee’s experiences when he moved his family to a dilapidated mansion with an accompanying wildlife park in southwest England. The family took on the task of reviving the preserve but was devastated by the cancer prognosis and deteriorating health of Mee’s wife, Katherine.
Janet Wilson on James Cameron, 'Avatar,' and the environment
“I wanted to do a film that had a deeply embedded environmental message ... but do it in the form of a science fiction action adventure,” Cameron told local public radio host Elvis Mitchell. “My feeling was if we have to go four light years away to another planet to appreciate what we have here on earth, that’s okay.”
He wanted, he said, to pack such an emotional wallop that by the time the film’s giant, sheltering tree is felled, everyone in the theater would feel moral outrage. Further, after the triumph of nature’s creatures over evil military contractors, he wanted the audience to feel hopeful enough to do something.
Susannah Rosenblatt on Marley - the ghost, not the dog
Susannah Rosenblatt, our far-flung co-op member in Taiwan, is doing freelance work for The China Post, including this review of the most recent remake of the Charles Dickens classic, "A Christmas Carol," with Jim Carrey. From her review:
"The film is a fun little ride, which labors in painstaking detail to capture the atmosphere of 19th century London. This US$175 million interpretation, directed by Academy Award winner Robert Zemeckis ('Forrest Gump' and 'Back to the Future'), adds modern thrills to a familiar narrative, with rich images of Scrooge soaring over snowy spires and spookier-than-ever-ghosts.
"In spite of the newfangled look, the story of redemption and social responsibility is a well-worn one, and this version hews closely to the 1843 novella. Miserly financier Scrooge cares only for money, cruelly indifferent to the welfare of others. The ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come transport Scrooge on a supernatural journey, forcing him to contemplate his miserable life. Scared silly, Scrooge emerges from the magical night transformed.
"While the plot itself contains no surprises, 'A Christmas Carol' does provide a feast for the senses. Every hair, pore and wrinkle of Scrooge's permanent grimace is rendered in startling anatomical detail. The film's computer animated textures are luxurious to look at: leather squishes sumptuously, bathrobes' quilting looks soft enough to squeeze, a puff of soot rises from a London chimney, a young woman's golden tresses curl softly down her back. The sound editing is equally striking, with iron gates screeching open, hooves thundering down cobblestone lanes and Jacob Marley's chains clanking heavily with amazing fidelity."
