By David Chalk I AM WAY TOO INFLUENCED BY MOVIE PRODUCT PLACEMENT.  Saw JUNO last month.  Liked it, wasn't blown away -- it was funny, but maybe a little awkward. Made me appreciate my stepfather a little more.  But most of all, it left me wanting Orange Tic-Tacs.  Since seeing it I've gone through probably 10 little boxes.  I can't remember the last time I bought a box of Tic-Tacs.  Saw THE HOST (2007, Korean title: Gwoemul).  It was interesting, amusing, disturbing.  Most of all though, it left me wanting Korean instant noodle bowls [link: http://noodleson.com/review/2005/09/10/shin-bowl/].  Had only had it once before, but if I keep seeing during a weird semi-political monster movie (parody? satire?), then I got to go out and have like 5 of them over the next few weeks.  The last movie I saw was PERSEPOLIS -- not exactly the same.  That was more like reverse product placement.  It was one of the coolest looking animated features I've ever seen, but again I was most affected by the oppressive Iranian regime.  As soon as I got out of the theater, I wanted to go to the first bar I saw.  And I did.  A little dive bar on Houston St.  One of the patrons and the one bartender seemed incredibly intoxicated.  The lady behind the bar got up on the bar and screamed along with the Dylanesque pop ballad that was blasting from the jukebox.  This hadn't happened for awhile.  The last movie I remember moving me like this was David Fincher's ZODIAC.  It was pretty weird seeing my high school friend "Personable" Pat Lewis [link: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1828179/] getting hogtied and stabbed on the big screen.  But after 3 hours of seeing Mark Ruffalo pound back box after box of Animal Crackers, I just had to get me some.... I LIKE LIVING IN MANHATTAN.  Twice last weekend I found myself exhausted in Queens and then Greenpoint taking cabs back home.  After the second night of that, I looked out the cab window as we were going over the bridge and caught a nice view of the Sex & The City Building off in the distance.  It was a quick visual reminder of how lucky I am to be living in the center of the universe.  (Unlike say my friend the writer E. Spencer Kyte [link: spencerkyte.blogspot.com] who's living off in Newfoundland.) And there's been a handful of days where it's been just warm enough for me to take long walks in the city.  We've almost made it through another winter.... THE WRITER'S STRIKE IS BEGINNING TO AFFECT ME.  I'm running out of TiVo'd shows to watch, and I can't seem to watch movies on TV anymore.  If I'm at home on the couch I don't want to admit to myself that I'll be spending 2 hours watching a movie.  So I'm always more eager to go for TV shows.  Which I can then end up watching for like 5 hours.  But now so many of my shows are in extended reruns.  And only BONES is showing reruns I haven't already seen.  The only new thing I've been watching is HOME MOVIES on Cartoon Network, recommended to me by my friend the comedian Joe Maywalt.  It's an older series by the same guy who created METALOCALYPSE.  Both shows are occassionally hysterical, but also pretty uneven.  I normally don't watch many cartoons, but there's just not much out there.  I was also strangely fascinated by watching IFC's ICONOCLASTS with Mike Myers and Deepak Chopra.  That's the kind of thing that would stay on my DVR for months while I'm busy watching my programs.  And really can we put a price on good writing?  Give them what they want already! That's it for this month.  Have a lovely Valentine's Day and remember we get an extra day that we won't have again for another four years, so make the most of it.  And of course, check back in March for the very latest on ABCD Films and what's going on in New York, in TV and in Movies.  Peace. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 2008 NEWSLETTER By David Chalk It doesn't feel like it should be 2008 yet, but it is and here I am writing your January ABCD Films Newsletter.  Happy New Year and thanks for joining us for our second year. NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS AND THE HIRO BALLROOM BATHROOM. The night of Saturday December 29th was perhaps my best night of the year -- for reasons I won't go into here.  But there I was at the Hiro Ballroom waiting to see the RZA perform and after a few $11 vodka tonics I headed for the men's room.  Now I've always been fascinated by the decor of the bathrooms at New York's finest restaurants and nightspots but I wasn't quite prepared for what was waiting for me inside the Hiro Ballroom: my very first New York City bathroom attendant.  After completing my transaction at the urinal I went to the sink, and the attendant kindly turned on the water (not too cold, not too hot), put two squirts of liquid soap in my hands, waited patiently and then handed me a towel.  For some reason I found this fascinating.  I really wanted to talk to him.  Maybe I should have -- my last New Year's Resolution after all had been to start talking to strangers more.  I really wanted to ask him something like, "So, do you just hang out in here all night?" But I never think stuff like that is quite worth bothering people with, so I never ask.  I just put a dollar in his bowl and went back out to the concert. Not without being reminded of some of my summer reading: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X and one of those early scenes in Boston where before he becomes Malcolm X he works as a bathroom attendant in a jazz club.  But Malcolm X was a great dancer, and as I am constantly being reminded, I am not. WHY DO I WATCH DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES? I recently found myself trying to explain why I watch DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES to a special lady friend.  I don't think I did a very good job so I was going to try again here. To an extent it's a guilty pleasure, it's kind of so trashy it's good the way MELROSE PLACE was for a while. But I remember seeing the creator popping up every once in a while insisting the show is satire. And that probably is the thing that keeps me watching. It's one of those rare shows that can really be laugh out loud funny.  There was a ridiculous cliffhanger at the end of the year -- would Felicity Huffman after being shot last season and just beating cancer have her husband and 5 kids killed by a tornado?!?!? And that got me interested, but what I loved about the next show was really the crazy situations the characters get thrown into.  Like the crazy redhead from Melrose Place pimping out her big gay son (if you'll excuse the HEATHERS reference).  What I like about Desperate Housewives is the same thing I like about BOSTON LEGAL and ALLY MCBEAL before it -- this warped hyperreality where you just gradually axcept that what you are watching is not real life but what we wish real life is or what real life really feels like sometimes.  It's that nice sense of an elaborate lie being more honest than an attempt at reality. From that sense I kind of like Desperate Housewives more than the show it was hyped up as being a replacement or alternative to: SEX & THE CITY.  I liked Sex & The City, but it feels like it was too often trying too hard to be realistic or feel realistic.  Nobody's allowed to have crazy tornadoes or wives returning from the dead or killer pharmacists or from Boston Legal -- what may have been the funniest TV moment of the year -- nuns translating in open court about the virile gloriousness of Mexican cockfighting.  I like to think of Housewives as something like SCREAM, a satire that's done so well it comes out better than anything it parodies.  I also enjoy constantly complaining to myself that Felicity Huffman is married to the gay guy from Melrose Place. So, all of these things make the show worth watching in spite of Teri Hatcher. MORE MOVIES BY GOOD DIRECTORS THAT WEREN'T THAT GOOD. Like the month before, I saw two movies in the theaters in December -- and I saw them mainly because of their directors: The Coen Brothers' NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and Tim Burton's SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET.  Both were worth watching but still kind of disappointing.  NO COUNTRY I may have been a little distracted during because I was hungry and on a first date, but I still wasn't crazy about it.  My date later told me her friend told her the film was a life-changing experience and I just find that totally unfathomable.  Life-changing experience -- THE BIG LEBOWSKI, maybe, but not this one.  I mean it was interesting; it was at times beautiful to look at; it had the sense of watching a movie that was breaking movie rules.  But it still just wasn't all that.  I like a good David Lynch movie, a movie that has you going what the hell am I watching and what the hell is going on the whole way through -- but NO COUNTRY wasn't quite good enough to make me care about its subtle touches and ambiguities.  Cool villain, yes.  Fun haircuts and mustaches, yes.  But would I want to sit through it again anytime soon and do I really care what it was supposed to be about, no.  And then SWEENEY TODD was perhaps even more disappointing perhaps because I was stupid enough to let a review get my hopes up.  Normally I never read movie reviews until I've seen the movies.  Sometimes I'll read a paragraph or two.  I saw Sweeney Todd got 3.5 stars in the amNewYork and they said it was finally a comeback for Tim Burton after crap like the new WILLY WONKA and PLANET OF THE APES.  I was already on my way to see it when I found out it was a musical -- I hate musicals. But I had faith in Tim Burton.  I wanted to see it. Partly because I think Helena Bonham Carter is pretty hot, but not only that.  Tim Burton did PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, BATMAN, ED WOOD.  But it was a lot like NO COUNTRY -- sure it was fun to see the theatrically stylized red blood flow, to hear quasi-catchy songs about murder and cannibalism, to see that trademark Tim Burton freak outcast misanthropy going through the motions.  But it did just feel like going through the motions.  Just Tim and Johnny Depp playing dress-up.  It was interesting as a variation on earlier work, but not much of a movie on its own.  And it makes me dread watching SLEEPY HOLLOW -- because I loved that movie back when it came out, and now I'm afraid it'll have lost something if I try to watch it again.  Well, at least I had good company for each. And I'm spent. Again thank you for joining us for year two of ABCD FILMS and THE ABCD FILMS NEWSLETTER. Please check back in February for the very latest on what's happening here at ABCD, here in New York, on TV and and on Film. Happy New Year, and I'd also like to wish everyone a safe and happy MLK Day. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 2007 NEWSLETTER By David Chalk Welcome to the December edition of the ABCD Films Newsletter.  I can't believe it's December already.  Or that it's getting so cold out. ROCKING & ROLLING: THE FINE LINE BETWEEN FEELING FOOLISH & FEELING INSPIRED. Two concerts I went to last month stand out -- both very enjoyable, but one was inspiring, whereas the other was somewhat embarrassing personally.  We'll start with the inspiring.  I was invited to go see the QUEENS DENIM ROCKERS [link] in Long Island City at the end of the month.  While the 11 months I lived in Queens were among the happiest of my life, about the closest I got to sampling the Queens nightlife was the pub quiz at Saints & Sinners.  While the area around the venue was a bit deserted, there was a pretty good crowd inside and I really enjoyed the show.  After a few games of pool, I got into a conversation with Eoin Lambe, QDR's bass player.  I was amazed to learn he'd only been playing music for two years and had taught himself to play bass.  You could see how passionate he was about music, and it was hard not to believe him when he said, "If I can do it, anyone can."  Maybe I'll start putting more into my screamo Karaoke version of "I Will Survive" and my own vague musical aspirations of learning to play the banjo and singing with a band.  On the other hand.... As I mentioned in the November newsletter, I also went to see BOB playing in the Lower East Side, and I learned a valuable lesson.  Don't go to shows and intentionally wear something that will draw attention to yourself.  Near the end of Bob's set, Matt the lead singer said it was the first of their shows where no one was drunk enough to dance alone at the front of the stage.  Then he volunteered me.  I did my best to comply despite not being drunk at all.  I had a little help from a friend of a friend, but I still felt pretty silly.  It didn't help when I was pretty sure Matt was pointing at me and laughing. After the show though, one kind soul came up to me and complemented my dancing.  I told her, very honestly, that no one had ever done that before.  I later learned she was another band member's cousin. .... One last note: I was really glad to hear that another of my favorite bands, BUCKAROO from Brooklyn, should be returning to the scene after a too long absence.  Check out this disturbing YouTube guitarist Bart Grantham made for lead singer Randall Leddy: [link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIzfgotvisU] It ranks right up there with when Bart Simpson got a Michael Jackson to help him write and sing a birthday song for his sister. DIRECTORS WORTH THE PRICE OF A MANHATTAN MOVIE TICKET.  I went to two movies in November, mainly because of their directors.  I saw SOUTHLAND TALES because it was directed by the guy who did the amazing DONNIE DARKO, and MARGOT AT THE WEDDING because it was the guy who directed THE SQUID & THE WHALE.  I didn't think Southland Tales was anywhere near as good as Donnie Darko, but it still had a weird, shocking, So Different It's Worth It Thing going.  There aren't many directors I would trust enough to pay to see a movie with THE ROCK, SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR, MANDY MOORE and JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE.  But I wasn't disappointed.  My favorite part was probably a BIG LEBOWSKI-esque musical sequence with Justin Timberlake.  I also enjoyed a cameo role by an almost unrecognizable KEVIN SMITH.  On the other hand, I wasn't even that big a fan of The Squid & The Whale -- I thought it was pretty depressing, but a lot of it was good and stuck with me.  Like plagiarizing Pink Floyd, not running your hand along the rows of books in the library, and a desire to visit the American Museum Of Natural History. I liked Margot a lot better, but I might not have wanted to see it if it didn't have JACK BLACK in it.  The best parts were just unexplained inside jokes between the sisters played by NICOLE KIDMAN and JENNIFER JASON LEIGH. The whole messed-up family dynamic was dark and funny, and less depressing than the Impact Of Divorce On Children thing going on in The Squid. TV TEASES. I'm still watching a lot of the same TV shows.  But what's got me thinking most at the moment is the seemingly endless tease of Will They Finally Hook Up Or Not on FOX's BONES. On Bones, the last episode of the calendar year took the tease to new heights.  The two protagonists were coerced into sharing their first kiss under the mistletoe, but both went on to act as if it was meaningless and nothing happened, despite the fact that there was a transfer of chewing gum involved.  How does that work?  Where else can you go from there without it getting ridiculous?  It almost reminds me of when I had to stop watching THE PRACTICE because every single member of the law firm had been shot, stabbed, and/or put on trial for murder.  How far can we suspend disbelief?  It's a lot of fun to a point, but I hope they don't mess it up. And thus ends the last ABCD Films newsletter of 2007.  Thanks for reading every month.  I know everyone at ABCD Films is looking forward to a great year in 2008, so please keep coming back for the latest news on our productions, and on NYC, TV, and Film. Best Wishes For A Happy Holiday Season and A Joyous New Year, David ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 2007 NEWSLETTER By David Chalk Hello and welcome to the November edition of the ABCD Films Newsletter.  I'd like to begin by thanking Canadian Superblogger E. Spencer Kyte for linking our newsletter on his new project -- I BLOG BECAUSE I CAN [link: http://www.spencerkyte.blogspot.com/].  I also thought we would mix up the order a bit and start with TV, then Film, and close with NYC.               DOES IRAQ = GOOD TV DRAMA FODDER? At the end of last season, two of my favorite shows had similar subplots: young characters -- one a forensic anthropologist, the other a medic -- going to Iraq.  I think there were tearful goodbyes in both season finales.   And as the new season began, both shows again seem to be handling those subplots in similar ways.  On BONES, the season premiere used Zack's absence as yet another obstacle in the nonstop sexual tension between Bones and Booth.  But then towards the end of the very first episode, you'll never guess who showed up back in DC ...  It's Zack -- he's back.  How come so soon?  Well, he didn't really fit in as an army guy.  Makes sense, right?  Meanwhile, on BROTHERS & SISTERS, Justin managed to stay in Iraq for the entire first episode.  His family worried, they hadn't heard from him, then towards the end of the episode they heard he was okay.  But then in the last moments, we get more news -- Justin's unit has been attacked and they're not sure if he's ok.  Roll credits, scenes from the next and teaser commercials: his worried mother drops the phone, a military funeral, a folded flag being handed --  Then the second episode starts with the military funeral -- not Justin's though.  Just one being attended by his sister ALLY MCBEAL and her boss/fiancee, SENATOR ROB LOWE.  Pretty soon we learn that Justin's been injured, but he's ok and he's coming home.  Over the next few episodes, he begins some painful rehab and his problems with addiction return.  Back on BONES, Zack's brief time in Iraq is rarely mentioned.  All of this seems at least a little wrong to me.           DO WE TAKE THE LEAP OF FAITH AND WATCH A KEVIN SMITH TV SHOW?  Kevin Smith has been one of my favorite directors since I saw CLERKS in a small theater in DC when it was first released.  I saw his next four movies in the theater the first day they came out, but I haven't gotten around to seeing his last two.  When I heard he was involved in the new show REAPER, I was interested but also hesitant.  Like his last movie CLERKS II, I wanted to see it, but I was afraid of a big disappointment.  I DVRed the first few episodes, but weeks passed before I finally started watching them -- in between innings of the World Series.  And I wasn't disappointed.  It may be the story of a guy who finds out on his 21st birthday that his parents have sold his soul to the Devil, and who must then become Satan's bounty hunter and send a havoc-wreaking escaped soul back to Hell every episode.  BUT it's also got the same dynamic going as CLERKS and MALLRATS -- two friends, lovable losers, smart, funny, with dead-end jobs.  Satan's bounty hunter is just another version of Dante; his funny friend with the beard (from INVASION) is great in the Randall/Jason Lee role.  And Ray Wise from TWIN PEAKS makes a helluva Dark Lord.           THE NYC LIFE: HOMECOMING, CARNEGIE HALL & CHOCOLATE SAUCE.  I haven't been going to many events lately, but the ones I have gone to have all been worth it.  I saw ARCARD FIRE (from Canada) at Randall's Island, but I was more impressed by the band they co-headlined with, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM.  Which made sense because the lead singer announced that he and the band were glad to finally be back home in New York after a long tour. That always seems to be the best time to go to a show -- the first time I saw THE WALKMEN was in a similar way at Warsaw and they put on a spectacular show.  Next, I got invited to go to CARNEGIE HALL to see Turkish diva and Eurovision 2003 winner, SERTAB ERENER, and world famous composer and pianist, FAHIR ATAKOGLU.  I did not know much about them going in, but it was a very enjoyable evening.  The stage banter seemed to go over very well and I regretted again that I've only managed to learn a few Turkish words.  Everyone I talked to at the event was really excited to be there.  Well, almost everyone.  The one exception was a gentleman who warned me before the show that it would be "torture."  "But, she won EUROVISION in 2003," I replied, happy to toss in that fact that I had learned 10 minutes earlier and still don't fully understand.  "F*** Eurovision," I was told.  I guess you can't please everyone.  Finally, I went to THE NEW YORK THEATRE WORKSHOP to see Moliere's THE MISANTHROPE directed by IVO VAN HOWE.  I didn't have very high expectations after hearing it got only lukewarm reviews, but once the chocolate syrup and ketchup started flowing I was glad I'd came.  There are few better feelings than watching live theater and being shocked and awed, and feeling like you're seeing the boundaries of an art form that's been around for millennia expanding before your eyes.  That sense only grew as the play careened towards its denouement.  The production's visuals perfectly accented the story's conclusion, that for Moliere what redeems humanity lurks somewhere in the hearts of a "fallen" woman and the man who still loves her.  It kind of reminded me of DOSTOYEVSKY.  The play closes Sunday, November 11, so go see it if you have the chance [link: http://www.nytw.org/season_07_08.asp].  I'm also planning to go to Arlene's Grocery Friday, November 9 for BOB's second New York concert  (the band was previously featured in our August 2007 edition.   Happy Election Day, Happy Veteran's Day, Happy Thanksgiving.  See you in December everybody.   David ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 2007 NEWSLETTER By David Chalk What's up everybody. Thanks for checking out the October edition of our newsletter. I've gone to some weird events in my New York life -- the Hot Dog Eating Contest, sumo wrestling at the Garden, kickboxing, plays about people I know, plays that are actually marriage proposals, plays with aliens. This month to add to the list I went to Pier 40 on the Hudson River to watch a live video feed from divers in the river below. It was put on by the Stevens Institute [link: http://www.stevens.edu/press/pr/pr991.htm ] and there was a standing room only crowd -- which I found pretty surprising. My friends, Camille and Angela, and I were getting a little restless after an hour of buildup and presentations -- occasionally coming near to misbehaving while stifling a giggle or two. But once the video feed started, it was strange and tense and interesting. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what might be lurking in the dark waters of the Hudson, ready to attack, but there didn't seem to be any real threats. We saw a few fish, mostly small ones, but the biggest highlight was seeing two crabs mating -- it certainly got the biggest reaction from the crowd. Besides watching crustaceans hook up, the other highlight of my month was attending the birthday party of writer/director Paul Kahlon. I hadn't seen Paul since he directed the play that was also a marriage proposal and then went to India for six months. I know him through another friend, Erin, who met him when they started talking on the subway. I never talk to anyone on the subway, but Paul's pretty cool, so this year my New Year's Resolution was to start talking to strangers more. (So far, I have done a lousy job of keeping it.) It was a raging party, led by the chief party animal, Paul's 2-year-old nephew who kept demanding "Beast of Burden" and blueberries. I ended up getting into a spirited discussion with Paul's brother about the economics of the music industry. A lovely time was had by all, and after the party, I stopped at Joe's Pizza for a slice of spicy spicy chicken pizza, which was spicier than I remembered. I saw two indie films recently. At the IFC Center, I saw THE LAST WINTER [link: http://www.ifccenter.com/film?filmid=58553 ]. I hadn't heard anything about it but my friend Galina and I had eaten dinner nearby and wanted to see a movie -- these were the deciding factors: it was starting soon; we like horror movies; the director, Larry Fessenden, was going to be there; it's set in Alaska. I really liked the film, which was very strange and sort of had global warming as the moster/villain. It also had Connie Britton, who I've liked watching since she was in BROTHERS MCMULLEN and then TV's SPIN CITY. Visually, maybe it was just all the snow and close quarters, but I was reminded of THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951) -- which I fell asleep in the middle of seeing at this past summer's Bryant Park Film Festival -- and of Kubrick's THE SHINING. Fessenden had kind of a Shining-era Jack Nicholson look going -- I wonder if he consciously cultivates that. The other film was a 19-minute phantasmagoria - I'M KEITH HERNANDEZ -- that came in the mail a week after I requested it from the film's website [link: http://www.imkeithhernandez.com/] It's an amazingly artful combination of classic baseball footage, Seinfeld clips, adult entertainment and an incredible soundtrack. For more about it, check out my Bugs & Cranks article about it [link: http://www.bugsandcranks.com/the-clubhouse/dc-on-dvd-im-keith-hernandez-movie/ which also contains links to the director Rob Perri's interviews with THE VILLAGE VOICE. I almost attended THE NEW YORK TELEVISION FESTIVAL [link: http://www.newyorktelevisionfestival.com/]. I was invited by my friend, actor/writer/director Joe Hansard [link: http://www.angelfire.com/ny/joehansard/] but he backed out at the last minute when he had an audition to go to. If you haven't seen it go to http://ajoeslife.com/ to download Joe Hansard's 17-minute masterpiece, LOST IN TRANSPORTATION. I was the first person to review it on imdb [link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0484362/usercomments] and compared it to the work of Jim Jarmusch, and now Joe tells me he's been cast in Jarmusch's next project -- I'm really looking forward to seeing that. I didn't watch much TV last month -- still mostly sports, 24 reruns, and THE TURKISH HOUR. I was deeply disappointed by NBC's TODAY's participation in Marc Ecko's unfortunate publicity stunt/racist referendum [link: http://www.bugsandcranks.com/the-clubhouse/756-things-more-deserving-of-an-asterisk-than-the-historic-bonds-ball/]. On a completely different note, I do enjoy a nice nature program now and again -- I watched "Hippo Beach" on PBS's NATURE. I had already known that lots of fish live almost exclusively on hippo dung, but I didn't know how closely related hippos are to whales and dolphins -- including how they communicate underwater. I find that kind of thing fascinating. That's all for this month -- please check back in November for another newsletter filled with what's going on with ABCD Films, in New York, in film, and on TV. Peace. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 2007 NEWSLETTER By David Chalk NEW YORK IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE PART II. There are so many great things to do in New York that are open to the public: museums, performing arts, bars, sporting events, ferry rides. But still, some of the best things do require an invitation. I was lucky enough to be invited to a gala at the posh Upper West Side home of a Film company President. The event was in honor of a famous Producer who was celebrating his birthday -- and a well known Research Manager-- who is traveling to Japan. Besides the great food and drink, the bash highlighted the wonderful diversity of talented people who call New York home. At one point, I was listening to an Irish photographer tell how he was involved in a photo shoot for GERMAN PLAYBOY, and that somehow involved temporarily blinding a group of Welsh fishermen. Later, I found myself in the middle of a debate between a Turkish film and television director and a beautiful Turkish television personality. The director is currently taking driving lessons and plans to drive from New York to Cape Cod as soon as he completes them, but the TV personality feels he would need more practice before attempting the journey. I chimed in that if you can make a documentary you should be able to get a car from New York to Cape Cod, but I advised him to make frequent rest stops. The conversation made me miss the long driving trips I've taken in the past, but the entire evening made me glad to live in New York. I NEVER THOUGHT I COULD GO TO THE MOVIES AND COME OUT MISSING ETHAN HAWKE. I paid to see a movie for the first time in a long time, and went to see TWO DAYS IN PARIS at the Angelika. I went because a friend at work recommended it and because I love JULIE DELPY, who wrote, starred in and directed the film. I also had my doubts going in because it co-stars Adam Goldberg -- who I enjoyed in Richard Linklater's DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993), but I wasn't sure if I could take through a whole movie. After watching Two Days, it's hard not to think Delpy was thinking of the films as a response to if not total inversion of the film she's most famous for -- Linklater's BEFORE SUNRISE (1995) -- and its sequel, Linklater's BEFORE SUNSET (2004). Where Before Sunrise is perhaps impossibly romantic, Two Days is depressingly realistic and unromantic. I don't want to watch Adam Goldberg tell his beautiful French girlfriend -- as they arrive in Paris -- that his recent diarrhea makes him more susceptible to getting a cold. The situations Delpy puts the couple in -- particularly Goldberg meeting Delpy's parents (played by her real parents) -- are funny, but an entire movie about a couple on the verge of breaking up is difficult to watch. It's particularly hard to watch when the guy is so unlikeable. Maybe I'm just too attached to those other films. I watched Linklater's WAKING LIFE (2001) for the first time recently -- though it had originally been recommended to me in 2001 or 2002 by an 80-year-old sculptor who was trying to steal a woman away from Johnny Depp with a line like "I can make you immortal in marble." While I didn't really like that film either, I was most happy when Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy were together again on screen, albeit in squigglevision. Before Sunrise and Dazed And Confused are the types of movies that capture a perfect time that you never want to let go of. Maybe Two Days captures an unpleasant time that led to better times, but for me, the best part was how it reminded me of those other movies. EPISODIC TELEVISION IS OUR VERSION OF THE RUSSIAN NOVEL. It's a pretty dead month for television. The first season of JOHN FROM CINCINNATI ended, and besides sports, I've only been watching reruns of THE PRACTICE and 24. And while I still think much of 24 is cheap and crappy, I'm getting impressed by some of the character development. Maybe that's why TV dramas can be such guilty pleasures -- so much of it sucks, but you still get attached to and involved with characters after spending/wasting dozens of hours with them. One of my favorite SIMPSONS quotes is when Lisa says "This is so weird, it's like something out of DICKENS -- or MELROSE PLACE." So don't underestimate TV as an art form. Many of the great and not-so-great novelists of the 19th century were working under the same constraints as today's TV writers. Why is it so hard to put down any Dostoyevsky novel? He was writing novels that were serialized in magazines, so he needed to have some great cliffhangers so you'd buy the next issue. Shakespeare was also helped out by commercial considerations. He had to write some pretty compelling dramas to draw people away from the other entertainments available near The Globe -- brothels and places where you could watch dogs fight bears. Obviously 24 doesn't belong in the same sentence as Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky, but, some day, some TV show might. Probably not, but maybe. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- August 2007 NEWSLETTER By David Chalk NEW YORK IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE.  They may not look like it, but Adam and Matt are two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.  (When I linked them on my other site, somebody commented they looked like they could be running a dogfighting ring.)  The last time I'd seen them, Matt was giving a surprisingly eloquent toast at Adam's wedding.  I say surprisingly only because when I used to hang out with them back in Northern Virginia, they'd always make comments about their supposed lack of intelligence.  One time Adam told me Matt asked him if people in other countries could see the moon.  I love that story.  Matt said he realized how stupid the question was right after he asked it.  Fast forward to last Saturday night -- I'm standing outside a venue a block and a half from my apartment with Addy (Adam's wife) who crashed at my apartment the night before on about 3 minutes notice.  And I'm looking at the poster of the boys and their band -- bob [link: www.bobband.com]  -- for the show they're about to headline, and Addy's telling me how they have a sponsorship deal with Budweiser.  That's a bit odd since Adam and Matt don't drink, but still it sounds pretty impressive.  I said hi to Adam and he told me how he hoped the Redskins secondary would paralyze an opponent this season.  He also compared the venue to a Christian coffee house that's a block and a half from my mother's house.  I had heard a few of bob's songs and liked them, but I had never seen them live and I just wasn't prepared for just how awesome they were.  I mean I like just about anything that's fast and loud, but the set was so high energy I told Addy at one point that it made me feel like doing pushups (something I rarely do in public).  And from hanging out with Matt and riding in his Cadillac, I never would have guessed he could rock the mic like he did.  His vocals -- and his stage banter -- were top notch.  After the show, Matt gave me a cigarette, but I don't think I really was able to express to him or Adam how impressed I was.  It was like one of those perfect Redskins games where they played way better than I could have hoped for.  So, thank you Adam and Matt for reminding why I love this city.  Where else can you be sure that if anyone you know does something interesting, they'll show up around the corner sooner or later? Last month, MOMA screened David Cronenburg's 1996 film CRASH, but I watched it at home, taped off IFC.  I had went to see it when it was first in theaters, but didn't remember much except that I went seeking shock value and hadn't been too disappointed.  I think what they showed on IFC must have had more footage though, because I didn't remember it being SO shocking and graphic (and I don't think I've gotten more prudish in the last 11 years).  It still didn't seem like it had much of a plot, but this time I was thinking more about the premise of a group of people who get very turned on by car crashes.  Which is pretty weird, so weird that I was thinking it's got to be a metaphor -- for drugs, or just for all things self-destructive.  But it was made in Canada, and while Canada is never explicitly mentioned, I noticed Ontario plates on some of the cars.  Maybe Canada in the 90's was just that boring.  I suppose I could google it and find out, but where's the fun in that?  I'd rather just wait another 11 years and then watch it again and see if I can figure it out myself. Another roommate has gotten me sucked into another TV show -- this time it's HBO's JOHN FROM CINCINNATI.  Like 24, it has these damn cliffhangers that make it impossible to stop watching.  I like the characters -- especially the actors I know from other shows: Al Bundy, the bald guy from SEX AND THE CITY, and Luke Freakin' Perry.  But some episodes do seem like absolutely nothing happens -- until the damn cliffhanger in the last two minutes.  And it seems like one of those shows with a BIG SECRET -- and I worry that like so many others it just won't be very interesting once we find out what it is.  But in the meantime, the opening theme song is getting catchier and catchier, and I'm enjoying the waiting and wondering. And that's it for another newsletter.  Thanks to everyone who said nice things about last month's edition.  Next month and every month, we'll keep bringing you the very latest on ABCD Films, what's up in New York, in film and on the TV.  Peace. David --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 2007 NEWSLETTER By David Chalk MARTY MARKOWITZ AND I SHARE A LOVE OF HIP HOP.  Summer in New York may get pretty hot and humid, but it's my favorite time of year because of the many free cultural events: concerts, films, plays, kayaking.  Already I've seen TELEVISION, the iconic New York band that got CBGB's to expand beyond country, blues and bluegrass (and sounded a lot like The Strokes 30 years before The Strokes) at Central Park's SummerStage.  I was even more impressed by JOAN ARMATRADING playing outside the World Financial Center.  But great events aren't limited to Manhattan.  I also went to Brooklyn State Ferry Park to see GHOSTFACE headlining at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, against a gorgeous backdrop of the river, downtown Manhattan and two bridges.  Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz was there early to proclaim the day Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival Day.  This week, I went further into Brooklyn for the first concert of the 25th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Concert Series. The first person I heard waiting in the long, long line to get into the park, was again Marty Markowitz.  Mr. Markowitz was not only issuing proclamations, we was also acting as an emcee in between acts like MC HAMMER, DOUG E. FRESH and the incomparable SLICK RICK.  He also thanked the volunteer security guards from Brooklyn's mosques.  While the highlight for me was Slick Rick's rendition of LA-DI-DA-DI, ironically the song that got the packed house singing along the loudest was when Doug E. Fresh had the DJ play the theme song from CHEERS. It's been a while since I've seen a new movie in the theaters -- I can't really see paying $11 to see some crappy sequel.  So when I want to see a movie with an audience I head to THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (films are free on Fridays, or if you're a member). Recently, I caught the 1980 classic AIRPLANE! (Yes, it really was shown at MOMA).  While not quite as fun as the time I saw John Waters' PINK FLAMINGOS at MOMA -- I didn't spot a soul leaving AIRPLANE! in horror or disgust -- it was still very entertaining and has held up amazingly well over a quarter-century after its release. With timeless sight gags like the head of the Mayo Clinic sitting at a desk in front of large bookshelves filled with giant jars of mayonnaise, AIRPLANE! is still fresh and full of laughs.  Good for MOMA for recognizing its artistic importance.  The next night I caught a more recent Italian comedy (2000), LA LINGUA DEL SANTO (HOLY TONGUE).  The story of inept thieves who steal and attempt to ransom the Catholic relic of the title, it was one of the best comedies I had seen since the 2003 French comedy APRES VOUS.  Hollywood comedies never seem to be able to mix comedy with compelling human drama.  Or maybe I just like dark humor about suicide and religion. I had never watched 24 until my former roommate forced me to sit through one of this past season's first episodes.  Despite having mocked other friends who watched the show, and despite my initial suspicion that it was all just Republican propaganda, I was quickly hooked.  Now I'm watching the second season in reruns on A&E.  One of the friends I made fun of told me that the producers say their motto is "Not good, but not boring."  That seems about right.  It really is the trashiest thing I've watched since MELROSE PLACE, but it is fun in a turn-your-brain-off kind of way. That's it's for this month's newsletter ... every month we'll continue to bring you the last news on ABCD Films, what's happening in New York, in film, and on TV. David http://noodleson.com/review/2005/09/10/shin-bowl/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1828179/http://spencerkyte.blogspot.com/http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=257508074http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIzfgotvisUhttp://www.spencerkyte.blogspot.com/http://www.nytw.org/season_07_08.asphttp://www.stevens.edu/press/pr/pr991.htmhttp://www.ifccenter.com/film?filmid=58553http://www.imkeithhernandez.com/http://www.bugsandcranks.com/the-clubhouse/dc-on-dvd-im-keith-hernandez-movie/http://www.newyorktelevisionfestival.com/http://www.angelfire.com/ny/joehansard/http://ajoeslife.com/http://imdb.com/title/tt0484362/usercomments%5Dhttp://www.bugsandcranks.com/the-clubhouse/756-things-more-deserving-of-an-asterisk-than-the-historic-bonds-ball/http://www.bobband.com/shapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3shapeimage_1_link_4shapeimage_1_link_5shapeimage_1_link_6shapeimage_1_link_7shapeimage_1_link_8shapeimage_1_link_9shapeimage_1_link_10shapeimage_1_link_11shapeimage_1_link_12shapeimage_1_link_13shapeimage_1_link_14shapeimage_1_link_15shapeimage_1_link_16
 
 
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