#i might start weeping a la a disney princess

[the-music-keeper]

Well, I finished Objective #2, but when I went to Blackboard to upload it ... I didn't see anywhere to turn it in.

If I somehow missed something that said we didn't need to complete that summary, I just might lose my mind.

To be updated (hopefully shortly).

At least my shaker arrived this morning.

[princess-havok]

Love Fast Los Angeles Read-Through: Preface

This book has 42 chapters + a preface, so I've decided to make each post 6 chapters and then do the preface separately. I want to start with just the preface because it is eight pages long but so much happens, it's like getting whiplash every five seconds. Let's do it.

First of all, it's a prologue, Davey, not a preface, a preface is more of an introduction while this is like, things that happen before the real story starts, or really just an explanation for why Star isn't around and why Alvin goes to LA.

Anyway, we open with Alvin doing a photoshoot on the beach and if I could summarize the first page of this book in a single image it would be this:

We've got narration like "Whatevs. It's cool. I've already got a memory stick full of sick shit" and nobody talks like that!

I'm not 100% clear at this point how much time has passed between Pop Kids and this book (iirc it might be more specific later but I don't remember right now) but Alvin and Star, the grown-ass woman who straight up groomed him when he was 15 and nobody cared, are still together and living in San Francisco in an old Victorian, aka my dream life. But then, in the second paragraph of this entire book, he comes home to find her cheating on him, he hits the guy with his motorcycle helmet knocking out a tooth (which he takes???) and she kicks him out.

There's some nice references in this bit, like that Star is a masseuse and the room in the house where she works is known as the Zen Room (ayyyyy!), and as he's packing his clothes to leave he sprays them with her Rose 31 perfume. This book, having come out in 2017, makes sense to have been written during the writing of the Dreamcar record and I appreciate that little nod.

So Al leaves, and we're still only 4 pages into this book and we've changed location again, going to the "Tranny Shack" where he also works shooting the drag shows. And I am truly, wildly uncomfortable with this paragraph:

"A Nubian goddess enters her spotlight. Draped in the pelts of plush animals, Lucky Day caresses her luminous microphone. The audience hushes. She begins to sing "Circle of Life" and I lose it. Spotting me weeping behind my lens, the queen of the jungle steps from the stage through the crowd and in her soothing Song of The South voice, says, "This is your favorite number. Why ya cryin' sugar?" (11)

Look I'm willing to give Davey the benefit of the doubt and suggest that Lucky Day may be based on an actual drag queen he knows and this is all harmless, but is it weird! The use of "Nubian," while a valid name of an indigenous group in Africa, is also used by weird fetishists who think black women are ~exotic. Having your black drag queen character sing a song from the Lion King dressed in fake fur? And probably worst of all, the deeply stereotypical speech pattern and comparing her voice to Song of the South. Couldn't just say she had a southern accent, you had to go with probably the most obscure Disney movie, which is obscure because it's so racist even Disney won't re-release it. Song of the South has a weird cult following of racists who praise it and claim to love it as pushback against what they feel is Disney being too woke by like... having a single black princess or acknowledging that maybe a gay person might have existed in the periphery of one of their main characters. That's not Davey's fault of course, but the association is there and also it is really super weird to use that movie as a comparison! Hardly anyone has seen it! I'm uncomfy.

So anyway, Al ends up staying with Lucky Day for literal weeks. We're five pages in and there's a time jump. In the space of a paragraph on page 12 (the preface started on page 8) Al moves in, becomes depressed enough that he sleeps all day, doesn't shower and loses his job, and starts chain-smoking until Lucky can't take it anymore, Febrezes him while he's asleep, makes him shower and eat breakfast.

She makes him grits for breakfast and I don't think Davey knows what grits are, except that people from the South like them because he describes them being cooked in an iron pan which I'm like 90% sure is not how you make grits? Idk I'm not southern and also I find grits disgusting. But you don't make them in a frying pan!

In the space of another paragraph starting on page 13, Al gets a tattoo, starts working out, feels better about himself and gets a new job, so... a second time jump in two pages and we're not even 10 pages into the book. The pacing here is insane.

Lucky flies down to SoCal to hook up with an online fling and then comes back, having been assaulted. It turns out her online fling is a famous pop star, Jamie Shannon (let's take bets who he's based on!), and Al vows to wreck him. So he's off to LA, and this absolutely batshit insane preface comes to an end.

As I was writing this recap my cat came and closed the book on me and then stood on it so I think that's a good place to stop this first entry. I expect the pace to chill the fuck out when we get into the actual story so maybe I won't be writing so much about eight pages. EIGHT.

Aren't we glad we're all on this journey together.

[mrmichaelchadler]

Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: November 8, 2018

10 NEW TO NETFLIX

"Bram Stoker's Dracula" "Cape Fear" "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" "Filmworker" "Ghostbusters" "Morris From America" "National Lampoon's Animal House" "The Raid: Redemption" "United 93"

6 NEW TO BLU-RAY/DVD

"12 Monkeys" (Arrow)

Terry Gilliam emerged from the world of Monty Python and became one of the most fascinating director of the '80s and '90s, directing masterpieces like "Brazil" and "The Fisher King," both available in the Criterion Collection. To be honest, I remembered liking his Oscar-nominated 1996 loose adaptation of "La Jetee" but kind of put it on Gilliam's second tier. It's closer to the first, as evidenced in this gorgeous new Blu-ray release from Arrow Home Video. First of all, the 4K restoration is mindblowing, one of the best HD transfers of the year. Gilliam's world has depth and nuance in ways that it never has before, enhancing the overlal experience of the film. Second, the film's themes of responsibility and that form of insanity when it feels like you're the only person who really knows what's going on in the world still resonate. I still have some performance issues (Stowe, an actress I usually like, is bland) but this is the kind of visual feast that's perfect for a company that loves movies like Arrow. It gets me even more excited for next year's "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote."

Buy it here 

Special Features Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Terry Gilliam Optional DTS 5.1 Master Audio and 2.0 stereo soundtracks Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Audio commentary by Terry Gilliam and producer Charles Roven The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys, feature-length making-of documentary by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe (Lost in La Mancha) The Film Exchange with Terry Gilliam, a 1996 interview with Gilliam and critic Jonathan Romney, recorded at the London Film Festival Brand-new appreciation by Ian Christie, author of Gilliam on Gilliam The Twelve Monkeys Archives Theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin

"BlacKkKlansman"

Speaking of filmmakers who meant the world to me in the '80s and '90s, one of my favorite film stories of 2018 has to be the critical adoration for Spike Lee's latest film, one of his most searing and impressive in his recent filmography. I don't go in for the "Return to Form" stories around this flick though because Lee never really dropped as much as people think ("Chi-raq" is great) and I also think this movie is a tier just below his career best films like "Malcolm X," "Do the Right Thing," and "25th Hour." However, I'd be fine if it overperformed during awards season just to make up for the dozen or so times that Spike Lee was taken for granted this time of year. It's passionate, fascinating, funny, and moving, with great performances and more ideas for viewers to dissect and discuss than a dozen other films combined. It's an essential film of 2018. 

Buy it here

Special Features A Spike Lee Joint - Ron Stallworth, Jordan Peele, and the cast discuss working with the iconic director BlacKkKlansman Extended Trailer Featuring Prince's "Mary Don't You Weep"

"The Incredibles 2"

Does Pixar know something we don't? For years, everyone clamored for a sequel to "The Incredibles," to the point that it looked like it might never happen or people might not care when it eventually did. Of course, it did happen and it was GIGANTIC. It's the highest grosssing film in the history of Pixar, bringing in over $600 million domestically and over a billion worldwide. It is the ninth highest grossing film OF ALL TIME, and the highest grossing animated film of all time. Oh, and it's gonna win an Oscar for Best Animated Film unless there's voter tampering. And, of course, Disney/Pixar has delivered for fans with a gorgeous Blu-ray that includes a great transfers and extensive special features. One thing that's particularly nice is the inclusion of the short film that played with it, "Bao." Pixar often shuttles their shorts off to special releases, but it's nice to have "Bao" where it belongs, as well as a new short film called "Auntie Edna."

Buy it here 

Special Features All-New "Auntie Edna" Mini-Movie 10 Deleted Scenes With Introductions Super Stuff  Heroes & Villains Ralph Eggleston: Production Designer Strong Coffee: A Lesson in Animation with Brad Bird  Paths to Pixar: Everyday Heroes  SuperBaby  Commentary  Theatrical Short: "Bao"  Making "Bao"  Outtakes & Stories  Character Theme Songs, Vintage Toy Commercial TV Spots, Toolkit Montage and Global "Incredibles 2" Trailers

"Mandy"

Little was more fun this Fall than watching the buzz that I heard at Sundance about Panos Cosmatos' "Mandy" filter down from the mountains and out to the rest of the world. A movie that RLJ basically tried to shunt off to the video market was too batshit crazy to stay there, resulting in sold out screenings at places like the Music Box here in Chicago. Movies like "Mandy" don't make over a $1 million domestically, but that's a threshold that this wonderfully strange movie crossed. And it still feels like it's just getting started. I've already lent my copy to a friend. I'm sure other people are doing the same. "Mandy" ain't going anywhere, and strikes me as one of the films from 2018 that people will still be watching in 2028. 

Buy it here 

Special Features Behind the Scenes - Featurette Deleted & Extended Scenes

"The Princess Bride" (Criterion)

Speaking of movies that persist, there may be no film released in more special edition DVD and Blu-ray sets than "The Princess Bride," which has gotten Special/Anniversary/Limited editions since the DVD was invented. It's hard to believe anyone who's had a DVD player for any amount of time doesn't own it by now, but the Criterion release offers ample reason to upgrade. Of course, it will always be about the movie itself, which has never looked this good, courtesy of a 4K restoration. Believe it or not, Criterion also found a way to produce new special features, including two about William Goldman's beloved screenplay, and an interview with the film's art director. The set also includes tons of archival material that was on previous DVDs and Blu-rays. This really is the ultimate release for one of the most beloved films of its generation. It's a great idea for a holiday gift for the movie lover on your list. 

Buy it here    Special Features New 4K digital restoration, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray Audio commentary from 1996 featuring director Rob Reiner, screenwriter William Goldman, producer Andrew Scheinman, and actors Billy Crystal and Peter Falk Edited 1987 audiobook reading of Goldman’s novel The Princess Bride by Reiner New program about Goldman’s screenplay New program about Goldman’s tapestry based on his novel Archival interviews with Reiner, Goldman, and actors Crystal, Cary Elwes, Christopher Guest, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Fred Savage, and Robin Wright New interview with art director Richard Holland Programs about makeup, fencing, and fairy tales On-set video diary filmed and narrated by Elwes Five behind-the-scenes videos with commentaries from 1996 by Reiner, Scheinman, and Crystal Trailer PLUS: An essay by author Sloane Crosley and, for the Blu-ray edition, Goldman’s introduction to his Princess Bride script from his collection Four Screenplays, in a lavishly illustrated, clothbound book

"Teen Titans Go! To the Movies"

The film adaptation of the Cartoon Network hit kind of flopped at the box office, opening in 5th place (although it's worth noting that it only cost $10 million and made five times that worldwide). I hope more people catch up with it at home as it's a surprisingly funny, smart movie that deserves a bigger audience than, say, "The Grinch." In a week year for animation, it's a standout, offering jokes that work for both kids and adults. 

Buy it here 

Special Features Lil Yachty Music Video: "Teen Titans GO! Rap" Sing-a-long with Silkie "DC Super Hero Girls: The Late Batsby" Mini-Movie Red Carpet Mayhem Teen Titans GO! To the Movies: WB Lot Shenanigans "Everything is Fake": Exclusive song not in the movie "Teen Titans GO!: Translated" Storyboard Animatics: Time Cycles The Final Battle

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